Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Society was long driven by the more animalistic instincts of those gendered as Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. For centuries it was thought that that’s all there could be. Few knew the truth - that there was a fourth sub-gender, Nu, that was completely devoid of scent glands, the ability to mark, and anything else that would define a ‘regular’ person. As years went by, more and more nu appeared. Soon there were enough that it was impossible to hide their existence and they became a recognized sub-gender.

As the nu population continued to increase, even coming into the majority, a shift in societal power began to occur. The government became unbalanced, weighing heavily to the side of the nu. The nu in general had always felt some fear and resentment towards those of alpha, beta, and omega dynamics, and their leaders chose to use their power to create a regime that capitalized on this fear. They started slowly, working their inner circles to turn their kin against ‘Primitives’, characterizing them as a ‘less evolved’ species. They tricked them into agreeing to terrible laws; laws that seemed harmless at first but were carefully planned stepping stones to the current state of the world. A world where being anything but a nu is illegal and punishable by death. 

That was roughly three generations ago. Now, there are only two genders - male and female - and monogamous relationships are the only relationships acceptable. The first thing that happens when a child is born is a genetic test to see if that child has markers for any sub-gender other than nu. If they do, they are taken from the parents and either killed, used for genetic experimentation, or sent to The District for physiological and behavioral experimentation. Parents are not even allowed to hold their baby until it is deemed genetically evolved, so as to not make losing an imperfect baby harder. This is life now, most do not question the process. Those who do have to make a choice - follow the rules or put theirs and their child’s life at risk from the moment the child is born. Those who disagree with the new world order hide their pregnancies as well as they can, birthing their children at home where they can protect their children. If they are caught with an untested child they face imprisonment, even if their child is a nu. 

Primitives live in hiding, but as time goes on it becomes harder and harder to survive. Widespread use of scent-detection technology allows nu, who can not otherwise distinguish primitive scents, to easily root out and kill primitives of all ages. Therefore, scent masking devices have become critical to primitive survival. The nu quickly made these devices illegal to produce and increasingly difficult to find, further limiting a Primitive's ability to survive on their own. There are some packs who survive on their own land, off the radar, who have lasted through the purge of Primitives. Many who still survive in packs live in poverty in rundown, abandoned towns that are purged by the Nu forces periodically. 

There are also Allies - those Nu who support the Primitives. Being an ally is also punishable by death. The life of anyone caught helping a Primitive in any way - even giving someone a piece of bread - is forfeit. It is near impossible to catch an Ally when they’re alone, as long as they never give anyone reason to suspect them they can live normal lives while helping Primitives. Some live as members of packs whom they help hide and live, doing the shopping and working so that their pack can live in less fear of the Nu regime. Some take it a step further and form resistances who focus on saving Primitive children or fighting Nu forces. 

That is where our story takes place, in the Mayfly Resistance led by Seo Eunkwang and his pack who firmly believe that everyone deserves a chance at life. 

“Minhyuk hyung!” 

The alpha in question sighs as a tall boy runs into the kitchen where he is preparing dinner. 

“Are they fighting?” Minhyuk doesn’t look up from the meat he is grilling. He already has an idea what the boy is here to tell him, he can smell the hints of white musk and the citrusy sage that mean two of their young alphas are challenging each other - again. 

“Hyung,” Mingi whines at Minhyuk’s lack of care. “Jisung passed out and Chan hyung is… not okay. Hyung, make them stop.” 

“Alright, alright.” Yunho and Changbin fighting is nothing new, Changbin’s disdain for rules and Yunho’s penchant for following them often putting the two at odds. He is fine letting the young alphas fight it out, they won’t really hurt each other, but when they start hurting the omegas by proximity he has to step in. Minhyuk pulls his apron off as he calls out of the room. “Peniel!”

The omega comes quickly, having just been lounging on the couch in the next room. “Hey, mind the meat for me will you? I have to go-”

“Stop the immature alphas who can’t seem to get along for five minutes?”

“Yeah, that. Thanks Lavender Love.” He gives Peniel a kiss as they pass each other and follows Mingi out of the kitchen. As they pass the small family room where Peniel had been, Minhyuk notices Sungjae playing cards with Ilhoon. “Hey Sungjae, I think Chan’s going to need your help.” 

“Alphas scaring the poor kid?”

“Yep.” 

“Scaring? Why is Chan hyung scared of alphas?” Mingi was rescued by Mayfly a few months after Chan, Changbin, and Jisung had come to the group. Because of this, he had missed most of Chan’s alpha related panic attacks while he was adjusting to his new home.

“That’s something you’re going to have to gain Chan’s trust to learn. It’s not my place to tell you, nor something you really need to know.” Mingi pouts but doesn’t press as Sungjae gets up to follow them. 

“Do I need to know what they’re fighting over today?” 

“Yunho caught Changbin trying to sneak out to the city, again. Yunho told him he doesn’t deserve to be a pack alpha if he can’t take safety seriously. Changbin-”

He’s cut off when Sungjae starts coughing on the stairs down to the basement living room where the young ones spend most of their time, the scent wafting up from it hitting the older beta surprisingly hard.  “Damn, Yunho is getting strong. No wonder Chan shut down.”

“Eunkwang hyung lets us be as free as we can be! How dare you compare him to The District!” They hear Yunho shouting.

“I do the exact same stuff here as I did there!” Changbin yells back with a strained voice from trying to overpower Yunho’s scent. 

“Maybe, but at least here you’re not dead! They’d have killed you as soon as you presented. Isn’t that why you ran away?”

“That’s enough!” Minhyuk’s voice booms in the enclosed basement as they enter. Both young alphas look at him but neither stops pushing their scent. “I can put both of you on your knees in a moment, don’t try me.” 

Yunho scowls at Changbin but steps back as he stops pushing his pheromones. Changbin on the other hand is still fuming and uses Yunho’s surrender to try and overpower him just once. Sungjae chuckles, knowing that Minhyuk wasn’t joking and Changbin was about to have his ass handed to him.

Minhyuk’s reaction is instantaneous, his sandalwood scent filling the room as he carefully directs exactly enough pheromones straight at Changbin and sending the boy choking to the ground all within a second. As soon as Changbin is down Minhyuk stops and turns to the two behind him. “Mingi, see if you can wake up Jisung would you? Sungjae-”

“I’ll get Chan to his room.” Sungjae nods and goes to the boy sitting frozen on the couch, clearly not seeing or hearing anything even though he stares ahead of him. Mingi also goes to Jisung and gently shakes his shoulder to try and wake him.

Minhyuk walks over to the two alphas. Yunho’s anger fades slightly as he looks around and sees the state Jisung and Chan are in, but the fire in his eyes still sparks when he looks back at Changbin. Changbin works his way to his feet and glowers at Minhyuk, who remains cool and collected. 

“So, would you like to tell me why you chose to have a fight with two omegas in a small, enclosed room?” 

“Sorry hyung.” Yunho bows his head, “Changbin started it.”

“I did not!”

“I don’t care who started it.” Minhyuk stops Yunho from re-engaging with Changbin. “You both know the rules. If you need to fight, you do so outside. Changbin, why did you start the fight with your packmates in the room?”

“Who says I started it?”

“Yunho is stronger but your scent is the one lingering longest, you started first.”

“That’s dumb.” Changbin mumbled but didn’t try to lie his way out of it. 

“It’s just how it works. So, again, why did you start it with your packmates in the room? Did you even consider what a fight might do to Chan?”

Changbin sheepishly looks behind him and sees Sungjae still trying to get any sort of response from his friend. Sungjae’s apple ring scent is helping to calm everyone down, but Chan doesn’t seem to respond to it at all. He sighs and glances at Mingi and Jisung, the latter having just sat up looking very pale, before looking back at Minhyuk.

“I didn’t think, I just let my anger go.” 

“Clearly. Yunho, why did you let him goad you into a fight?” 

“Was I supposed to not defend myself? And Mayfly? He was trying to go into the city, hyung. What if he got caught and got everyone here caught?”

“We don’t need you defending us, Yunho. You should have walked out and gotten one of us if you thought Changbin would actually go far enough to cause a threat to our safety. Our fighting rules apply at all times, for offence and defence; you should never have engaged.” 

“I understand hyung.”

“Alright. Go upstairs and help Peniel in the kitchen, Mingi you too. Where’s Hongjoong?”

“He’s helping Hyunsik fix that leak in the roof in House 2.” 

“Ah right. Good for him. Okay, kitchen.” He nods to the stairs and Yunho quickly leaves the room followed by Mingi. Minhyuk turns to look at Jisung, who is still pale as a sheet. “Are you alright Jisung?”

“Yeah, I feel sick but I’ll be fine.” 

“That’s good. Look, I think your scent will help Chan more. Do you have enough energy to help him a bit?” 

Jisung nods and stands, going to sit by Chan and immediately the pleasant aroma of candied almonds fills the room. He rubs circles into Chan’s back, hoping the contact will help pull him out of the dissociative state he fell into to protect himself. Minhyuk makes no motion to go near Chan and instead puts a kind but stern hand on Changbin’s shoulder.

“Changbin, let’s go for a walk.” 

“Whatever.” Changbin grumbles before looking back at his friends again and asking in a worried voice, “will Chan hyung be okay?”

“Eventually. But the farther he is from any alphas at the moment, even you, the better.” Changbin nods and the two leave the room. 

Once they’re gone, a very worried Jisung looks up at Sungjae. “What do we do?” 

“We need to get him to your room, out of the lingering alpha tones in here.” Sungjae stands as he talks and hefts Chan into his arms, grunting under the weight of the nineteen-year-old. Jisung stands as well and wobbles for a second as his head spins. “Never been overwhelmed by an alpha before?”

“Not… not like that.” Jisung runs a hand through his hair and presses a thumb to his temple. “I have the most awful headache, is that normal?”

“Unfortunately, it is. You’ll probably feel like shit until tomorrow, you just need to rest and stay away from the alphas the rest of the day. Let’s get you to your room, Mingi can bring your dinner to you when it’s ready.”

Changbin silently walks next to Minhyuk as they make their way to the back door. As soon as they step outside a tear drops from Changbin’s eye and he wipes it away angrily but another follows and he stops in his tracks. Minhyuk turns to see why he stopped and gives the boy a sad smile. 

“Changbin, it’s alright - it was a mistake that you’ll learn not to repeat.”

“I’m so dumb and hot headed. Why does listening to Yunho make me so angry?” He shouts the last question through his tears and then asks quietly, “How could I do that to Chan after what he went through and all the progress he’s made? Maybe Yunho’s right, maybe I don’t deserve to be a pack alpha.”

“Oh don’t go thinking that. Do you think any alpha ever feels worthy of his pack? No one is perfect.” 

“Yunho sure seems perfect.” Changbin grumbles.

“Yunho has lived here and learned the rules since he was thirteen. He’s good at following them now, but he wasn’t at first. He was a young boy learning how to deal with ruts and not getting to see his family more than once a year, if that, and being only one of two teenagers in a pack of young adults trying to save the world.” Minhyuk chuckles at memories Changbin doesn’t have. “He even told Eunkwang once that he wished his parents had just let him die as a baby instead of raising him so he could live his life in hiding.” 

“He said that?” Changbin couldn’t imagine the older boy saying anything of the sort. 

“He did. But it’s been four years, and we’ve been through a lot in those four years. Everyone has something to do, a role to play, and rules to adhere to so that we can all live as peacefully as possible.” Minhyuk moves his hand from where it had been resting on Changbin’s shoulder to carefully wipe a tear from the boy’s cheek. He smiles tenderly at him and says, “Now, as your punishment, you’re grounded for the rest of the week and on cleaning duty.” 

Changbin nods and laughs, grounding wasn’t really a thing and cleaning he could do, and the two start walking again. They walk around the small yard outside the dilapidated houses they live in. “Changbin, I’ve talked to Eunkwang about this already, your little pack isn’t going to blend with Hongjoong and Yunho.”

“What was your first clue?” 

“Yeah yeah. Well, we think it’s clear you’re going to form two packs - which is great. We may change housing arrangements sometime but right now they’re still working. We’re just going to move Hongjoong out of your room and in with Yunho so that you can have your own space. How does that sound?”  

“Sounds perfect.” Changbin smiles at Minhyuk, grateful for his help and mentorship and aware that he didn’t act it enough. Hongjoong, who’d lived with Eunkwang and the rest since he was ten, and Yunho had had their own bedrooms when Chan, Changbin, and Jisung arrived. Hongjoong was kind and offered to share his room with Changbin, and while the two of them didn’t really fight, Changbin was excited to have his own room for the first time in his life. 

“Alright, I’ll go tell Hongjoong. Head back to the main house and get some dinner. Try not to fight with Yunho please.”

“Yes sir.” Changbin chuckles as they both head to different buildings. 

Sungjae sets Chan gently on his bed with a huff and waves Jisung to sit by him. Jisung does and sends his scent out as strongly as he can, trying to comfort Chan by again rubbing circles into his back. This time he does garner a reaction, but it isn’t one he expected as Chan suddenly screams “I don’t want to!” and closes his eyes tightly, shrinking in on himself in the smallest ball possible. Jisung’s eyes widen in shock and he looks helplessly between Chan and Sungjae, unsure what to do. 

Sungjae thinks for a moment and then immediately stops spreading his own scent as much as he can. “Jisung, I think we need to approach this differently, reel in your scent.” Jisung nods and does so. “Chan was in a pack, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he was raised by those fiends.” 

“I don’t think beta or omega pheromones would be comforting to him then, do you?” 

“Why not?”

“Jisung, the whole pack let everything happen, right? No one tried to protect him. None of the betas or omegas in the pack, I bet their scents were mixed in at all times. They’re as at fault as the alphas that hurt him.”

“So if he’s having flashbacks….”

“Then our scents aren’t helping stop them, they’re just playing along with his torment.”

“So we just leave him alone? Shouldn’t someone be here?!” 

“I’ll move him down into Changsub hyung and Hyunsik hyung’s room for a while, their room would be the cleanest in terms of scents.”

“I wish I could help.” Jisung begins to cry, his scent dulling to almost non-existent as he does.

“You can help, by giving Chan the space that he needs when he needs it. And maybe try to keep Changbin calm in the future.” Jisung nods but those ideas don’t seem to help. Sungjae picks up Chan again, which is much harder this time as he is so tightly curled into his ball, and heads out of the room. “Can you go get Ilhoon? He’ll sit with Chan while Hyunsik is busy. Then eat dinner and go to bed.”

“It’s only six!” 

“And you were knocked cold by an alpha fight. You need an early night, trust me.” 

Jisung’s head throbs painfully as if to prove Sungjae’s point and he nods, following Sungjae down the stairs and heading out of the house while the beta takes Chan to the downstairs bedroom that was only ever occupied by nu. 

Chapter Text

Fear

He’s pulled from the house, crying and begging

Determination

He won’t give in, no matter how many times they try to make him

Betrayal

He cries for his mother to help him, but she stands there jeering like the rest

Captivity

Hands hold his wrists above his head, his legs pinned so he can’t kick

Agony

He screams as pain rips through him like a hot iron

Repeat

--

It’s nearly morning when Chan finally breaks out of the prison his mind locked him in. He feels sick, like he could sleep for days, and has no idea where he is besides that he isn’t in his room. It’s oddly devoid of the usual sweet smell of Jisung’s roasted almond scent, or any scent besides his own peppermint for that matter. He slowly swings his legs over the edge of the bed and goes to stand when he notices he’s not on flat footing and hears a grumble.

 “OW! Get off of me kid.”

“Ah, sorry hyung.” He says a little too loud as he pulls his legs back onto the bed and into his chest. A light flips on and he is finally able to figure out where he is and how he just stepped on one of his caretakers. He is in Changsub and Hyunsik’s room - which explains the lack of scents - and in Changsub’s bed. The owner of said bed was now sitting up from his pad on the floor and rubbing his shoulder which Chan had tried to stand on. 

“I’m glad you finally woke up.” Hyunsik, who had lit the oil lamp on the nightstand, says as he takes a seat next to Chan.

“What time is it?”

“Eh, past midnight, that’s for sure.” Hyunsik shrugs. “How are you feeling?”

“I… not great. What happened? Why am I in your room?”

“Changbin and Yunho got into a fight and didn’t think about you or Jisung being in the room. Jisung was knocked out cold and you went catatonic.” Hyunsik explained. “Sungjae made the call to keep you in our room. Worked well cuz I could easily keep an eye on you. I think you actually fell asleep around eleven, that’s the first time you relaxed at least.”

“I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks.” Chan mumbles, looking down at his hands and imagining the hands that had held his wrists in his waking nightmares. He shakes his head lightly, trying to get the images burned into his mind out of the forefront. 

“That’s understandable. Are you hungry? Changsu-” he looks down and realizes the older nu has already gone back to sleep, and he gives him a soft smile. “I can go get you something. Or you can just go back to sleep.”

“I think some toast or something would be good. Can I go get it myself?” Chan wants to wander, walk around for a bit to try and get his head to clear.

“Let’s go together.” 

“I can go alone, really, go back to slee-” Chan tries to protest as he stands, but he can’t even keep himself balanced for a second and Hyunsik has to catch him. He smiles sheepishly up at Hyunsik, “Okay, maybe help would be good.”

Hyunsik helps Chan get to the kitchen in the central house without much trouble; though weak, the younger is able to get his balance sorted out by the time they get there. Chan stiffens just before they enter the house, he can smell all the lingering alpha scents but the strength of the white musk means that Yunho had been there recently. He pushes through the fear that tries to grab his heart and steps into the house before Hyunsik notices his pause. They’re surprised to see a lamp already on when they walk inside and one of the young alphas sitting at the table staring into a cup of untouched tea.

“Yunho, what are you doing awake?” Hyunsik greets the boy, causing him to jump. Yunho looks around and his eyes widen with worry when he sees Chan. 

“I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry, I’ll leave, I don’t want to...” He stands quickly, stumbling on his words as he tries to flee the room.

“It’s alright Yunho.” Hyunsik says kindly, unsure why the boy is so frantic. 

Yunho looks between Hyunsik and Chan then down at his hands. His words are mumbled, shame filled. “I don’t want to make Chan hyung uncomfortable.” 

“Ah, Yunho.” Chan feels terrible making the alphas in their group worry about him all the time. He doesn’t want to be treated like a porcelain doll that’ll break at any soft poke, even if that’s just how his mind is right now. He uses the most convincing voice he can muster to try and console the younger. “I’m okay Yunho, please, stay. Why can’t you sleep?”

Yunho hesitates, looks to Hyunsik for a supportive nod, and then sits back down. Chan also sits at the table as Hyunsik goes to prepare some tea for them, but he can’t bring himself to sit directly next to Yunho so he sits across from him instead.  

“Do you normally have trouble sleeping?” Chan asks. He suffers from insomnia thanks to the dreams that plague him when he does sleep, but he’s never noticed anyone else consistently awake more than they should be. 

“No.” Yunho chuckles sheepishly. “I was just worried.”

“About me?” 

“Yeah… I shouldn’t have let Changbin egg me on. I never meant to hurt you, or Jisung. I’m so sorry Chan hyung.” 

“Aw kid, it’s alright. We’re all young, still learning, you didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I’m fine, I promise. Changbin’s a hot head, I’m sure it’s hard to stay cool when he’s blowing off steam.” Both laugh at that. 

“So you’re really okay? I don’t ever want to make it harder to be around us.”

“Really, Yunho. I’m happy here, and I know I’m safe. It’s not your fault. I promise.”

“Alright.” Yunho nods, a relieved look on his face.

Hyunsik is happy to see the boys talking. He’s tried to gauge Chan’s mental state ever since they took him and his friends in, but it’s been quite a roller coaster, making it hard to predict when he is and isn’t okay with alpha contact. But he’s a young adult, he probably knows his limits best, and Hyunsik is glad to see him taking control of the situation. He takes three cups of tea to the table, knowing Yunho’s has long gone cold, and sits, sipping on his own. 

They chat for a while, nothing substantial, just for Chan to relax and Yunho to calm down enough to sleep. When they head back to bed Chan stops outside Changsub and Hyunsik’s bedroom, turning to the elder in the dark.

“Hyung, I want to sleep in my room if that’s alright.”

“Of course, as long as you can handle it.”

“I can, I think I’m tired enough after everything to actually sleep and Jisung’s scent will help me.”

“Off to bed then.” Hyunsik gives him a smile and watches as he turns and blindly heads up the stairs to his and Jisung’s room. Chan enters the room quietly and changes into more comfortable clothes before sitting on his bed and breathing in deeply. He lets the mixed peppermint and sweet almond scents flood his senses, repeating to himself over and over that he’s safe and that Jisung’s scent is comforting. He’s startled when he tries to lay down and finds that Jisung is in fact not in his own bed but in Chan’s. None of his movements wake the other omega, and he thinks for a minute about what he wants to do. Finally, he decides to just lay down next to Jisung. He’s pleased to find his body reacting positively, relaxing and even becoming heavy in the night. 

He falls asleep quicker than he has since he was fifteen. 

Chapter Text

“Penny for your thoughts, fearless Leader?”  Eunkwang looks up from his desk to see Hyunsik meander into the room with a smile. 

“That’s a little unfair don’t you think? Considering you and Changsub are the only two making an income…” Eunkwang trails off teasingly, grinning at the nu doctor who happens to be one of his best friends. Hyunsik laughs and takes a seat on the couch Eunkwang tries to keep clear in his cluttered little office. The levity fades quickly though and Eunkwang becomes solemn, worried. “How’s Chan doing?”

“He’s back to… normal I suppose.” Hyunsik rubs his face wearily, brow furrowed with concern. 

“Anything I can do to help him? Do you think there’s anyway we can stop these episodes from happening?” 

“Aside from keeping him permanently separate from the alphas? No, and  even that wouldn’t help because he needs to get used to them…”

“Sometimes I wish you were a psychiatrist.” Eunkwang sighs, playfully exaggerating his lamentation. 

Hyunsik chuckles. “Yes, I would be so much more useful as a psychiatrist.” 

“I’m sure you would be able to use your mental medical powers to keep the kids from fighting, or being dumb and hurting themselves, right? No need for a physical doctor then.”

“I’d be able to keep you from doing risky shit too then, right? Maybe that would be good.” He leans forward, stroking his chin in mock thoughtfulness, as if seriously considering the career change as Eunkwang acts offended.

“When in my life have I ever done ‘risky shit’?”

“Why don’t I tell you when you haven’t?” says a new voice as Minhyuk walks into the room, only having heard Eunkwang’s last question. “That was rhetorical, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eunkwang winks and the three laugh. “What’s on your mind today, Minhyuk?” He can see that their mother-hen alpha is worried about something.

“It’s Changbin, what do you think about taking him into town?” 

Eunkwang lean’s back in his chair, his joking demeanor suddenly completely serious as he considers. Hyunsik thinks about it as well, and comes to his own conclusion quickly. 

“That could really help with his cabin fever, for a while at least.” 

“That’s my goal.”

“Do you think you can keep him in check?” Eunkwang knows it’d be helpful, but is worried the restless boy might get overly excited out in the city and get himself in trouble. 

“Yeah, we had a good talk last night. I think if we make it a shopping trip he’ll be happy to be helping the pack; he wouldn’t do anything stupid.” 

The pack leader nods,“Sounds like a good plan. Are you going today?”

“Probably tomorrow, when Changsub can take us to the drop off so we don’t have to walk all the way in.” He looks down at Hyunsik and suddenly realizes he’s missing his usual tag-along. “Where is Changsub anyhow?”

“Sleeping. Chan woke him up once sometime around 3am, so of course he needs an extra eight hours to make up for it.”

“Ah yes, couldn’t keep him from his weekend beauty sleep.” Both Minhyuk and Eunkwang laugh fondly, thinking about how much their third in line values his sleep. 

“On another matter.” Eunkwang starts, and Minhyuk takes a seat next to Hyunsik. “Two packs have gone silent in the last week. I want to send Peniel, Ilhoon, and Sungjae out to investigate, but I don’t want to leave us too short handed with the boys right now.”

“I don’t go back to work till Tuesday. How long would the recon group be out?”

“Probably two days.”

“So the recon group could go today and be back Monday? Then if Minhyuk and Changbin go shopping tomorrow when Changsub goes back in, that leaves us with 2 adults here tomorrow, that should be good I think?” 

“That would work, I have to leave Monday as well so having Minhyuk here Monday before everyone gets back would be needed.”

“Sounds good to me. Which packs are silent?” Minhyuk missed being part of the recon team, and hated being separated from Peniel, but ever since Chan, Changbin, and Jisung showed up everyone agreed Minhyuk needed to be close to the pack at all times. 

“Hyunwoo’s stopped responding four days ago. They go silent often enough I’m not too worried but I’d like a physical check on them.”

“Hoseok’s probably just in heat and keeping everyone on their toes.” Hyunsik jokes, getting a good chuckle out of the others. 

“Even so, I’d like confirmation. I’m more worried about Sojung’s pack, they haven’t responded for five days and Sojung is usually really good at signaling us on time.” 

“I’ll go tell Peniel then, maybe send the three of them up here?” Minhyuk stands as he talks.

“That’d be great, thank you.” 

“Better fill Changbin in to give him something to look forward to.” Hyunsik suggests. 

“Good idea, maybe he’ll be too scared of losing his trip to do anything today.” 

“See, you could be a psychiatrist.” Eunkwang jokes and Minhyuk raises an eyebrow. 

“Don’t listen to him. Though I do deal with everyone’s mental state enough I practically am one.” Hyunsik stands with a yawn to follow a confused Minhyuk out of the room. “I think I’m going to join Changsub back in bed, take a nap.”

“Don’t forget you and Changsub are on dinner duty tonight.”

“Of course, we’ll be sure to be up..” He pulls the door closed behind him and Eunkwang looks back at the pages he had been reading before being interrupted, newspapers from that week that lay scattered on his desk. The headlines glare up at him in bold wrathful fonts.

Alpha Murders Family of Four

Omega in Heat Caught Molesting Young Girl

How to Tell a Beta from a Nu and Why Betas are Dangerous

Monetary Reward for Capture of Terrorist “Silverlight”

Eunkwang sighs in frustration, running a hand across his face. He knows the first two are lies; the murderer was a drunk nu bodybuilder and the molester was also a nu as well as a two time felon, but those stories didn’t fit the government agenda. The piece on betas is full of propaganda and lies, as anything about primitives are these days. The stories about the mysterious “Silverlight”, however, are, in a sense, true. Silverlight is a terrorist to the current regime, and he is very careful to keep his head down. He’s caused enough trouble by now it’s no surprise they’ve put out a monetary reward, but luckily they still had not managed to get any sort of picture or description of him. Lucky indeed, because if they knew what he looked like, Eunkwang would no longer be able to help the pack by venturing inside the city. There had been some close calls,and with the extra attention brought by the reward, he will have to lay ‘Silverlight’ low for a while, play it safe. 

Eunkwang smiles quietly to himself. He tells himself that every time he has a close call with the government, and every time he lasts no longer than a week before he finds someone in need and he is the only one there to help. He could never turn his back on anyone, primitive or nu, who needed his help. 

Chapter Text

Yunho sighs, kicking a stone aimlessly as he wanders through the long-empty alleyways. 

Another day, another argument with Changbin that had almost resulted in another pheromone fight. This time, Hongjoong had broken them up before anything could escalate, and Yunho had decided to take a walk to get some alone time. Minhyuk’s idea to take Changbin into town every so often had actually helped a lot, they hadn’t fought nearly as much over the last six months, but they still fought. This time it was really more Yunho’s fault, because with Changbin going into town so much his own trips had been cut down and suddenly he understood the other’s cabin fever. 

The area of the city that they live in is abandoned, rundown, and no longer patrolled. There are periodic raids that force them to evacuate and hide for a day or so, but Changsub - who works in the police department - is always able to warn them before one happens so they have plenty of time to clear out and hide. Yunho enjoys taking walks through the silent streets, sometimes exploring decrepit buildings or just chilling on a roof. Sometimes he searches for Hongjoong’s hideout that he knows must be in one of the rundown structures, but in four years of living here, Yunho has never found it.  

His mind is wandering as his feet do, thinking first about the annoying alpha who just won’t listen, then about the omega whose story he doesn’t fully know but definitely didn’t deserve any of it. He doesn’t pay attention to where his feet lead him, he’s walked these empty streets for years and doesn’t need to think about where he’s ended up to know exactly how to get back home.

A light breeze rustles loose debris and pushes gently on old creaky gates. Noises don’t usually trigger his attention, there are enough animals that run these streets that random noises aren’t uncommon. What does trigger his attention is the sound of a door slamming and someone swearing. 

Yunho’s head snaps up and he spins to the right, facing the house that the sound had just come from. He sees a teenager, much smaller than him but probably not much younger, sucking on a finger and scowling at the door that must have just smashed it. When the boy turns around, he jumps and freezes, staring at Yunho in shock that he gets over quickly. Yunho doesn’t have time to decide whether to run before the boy gives him a wide grin and rushes up to him, waving and talking excitedly.

“Hey there! You scared the shit out of me.” The boy’s wild grin is at odds with his words. 

“Uh… hi.” Yunho is half frozen; he doesn’t know what to do. The other has no scent, and a quick glance around the boy’s figure tells Yunho he isn’t using patches. There should not be a random nu teenager clear out here, there’s absolutely no rhyme or reason for it. That nu sure as heck couldn’t be allowed to know there were primitives out here. 

“I’m San, Choi San. I didn’t expect to find anyone out here. Who are you?” Yunho just stares at him in absolute confusion. The boy chuckles. “You okay there?”

“Um, yeah I…“

“Do you know your name?”

“What?”

The boy, Choi San apparently, grins impossibly wider, clearly enjoying Yunho’s reactions. “I asked who you were and you seemed confused. Did you misunderstand me or did you forget your name?”

Yunho huffs, finally breaking out of his shock. “I understood you, and of course I know my name.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m not sure why I should tell you.”

“Well, generally when two people meet you exchange names so you know how to call each other.” The other’s happy joking demeanor makes Yunho chuckle even in his caution. 

“I tend to let others gain my trust before I tell them my name.” 

“Then I’ll just have to make a name up for you.”

“What?”

“Well I have to call you something, don’t I?” Yunho narrows his eyes, starting to edge away.

“Not really, I should go.”

“Why?”

“Because my pa...rents are expecting me home.”

“Parents huh. What would a kid with parents be doing clear out here?”

Yunho stops. “What would an orphan be doing clear out here?”

“Well you see, as an orphan, I don’t have a person in this city that gives a shit where I am or what I do.” He says this with the same carefree manner as everything else, but Yunho can’t believe that’s how he really feels about it.

“Surely you have caretakers?”

“Sure, but there’s so many kids in the orphanage that they can’t really be bothered to care about the teenagers. Especially not those whose parents were primitives.” San looks down and kicks lightly at the dirt road, his happy demeanor finally failing him.

Yunho frowns as San’s excitement dims. He doesn’t know why he suddenly feels so angry, but the thought of someone mistreating this boy just because his parents were undesirable (and probably murdered) infuriates him. He has the urge to comfort the boy, but he shakes it off and tries to continue the conversation instead. The urge to run has left him.

“So you just come out here to be defiant?”

“I like exploring.” San shrugs, looking back up at Yunho, the light so quickly returning to his eyes. “I don’t like school. So I’ve explored most of the city and decided to check out this side.”

“Do you live near here?”

“Nope. Took a bus, still had to walk like twenty minutes to really get out of occupied housing.” 

Of course, Yunho knew that, they all knew exactly how long they had if anyone approached the houses they lived in from any direction by any method. San’s admission makes Yunho smile. San had to be really dedicated to his exploring to come here. 

“Where do you live?” Reality slams back into Yunho. He has no idea how to answer San’s question; he couldn’t possibly answer it with anything resembling the truth and panic strips his mind of any reasonable answers.

“I have to go!” Yunho turns and sprints back down the road, trying to ignore the other’s shouts of confusion and the sound of footsteps behind him.

“Wait, please!” He keeps running, ignoring the pang in his heart at the plea.

He has never been the fastest runner, but he is still surprised when a hand grabs at his wrist and holds onto him. He stops and stares ahead for a moment before turning around and being met by a heart-melting pout. 

“Don’t run, I won’t ask where you’re from, I promise.” His heart clenches at San’s kicked puppy demeanor. “Please, you’re the first person that’s talked to me without being forced to.”

“Well I wouldn’t say it was entirely by choice.” Both chuckle.

“Okay, maybe I made you talk to me, but at least a teacher didn’t!”

“Fair enough.” Yunho suddenly notices that San is still holding onto his wrist and pulls free. He immediately regrets the motion when he feels the tear of tape off his skin and looks in horror as San inspects the small square that was left in his hand. He thinks quickly, coming up with an excuse as bad as his attempt to run away before San can even ask. “I have a birthmark I like to hide.”

San looks up at him, eyebrows raised. “A birthmark? You call scent glands a birthmark?”

Yunho stares back, agape. He starts counting in his head. One, he’s not screaming yet… Two, why hasn’t he ran? Three, is he going to turn me in? Four, should I run again? Five-

“Earth to golden retriever, you good?” 

“What?”

“Are you good? You look like you’re short circuiting.”

“No, what did you call me?”

“Golden retriever. You look like one and still haven’t told me your name.” San giggles as Yunho simply continues to stare at him in confusion. “You really look like a lost puppy right now.”

“I’m… very confused.” 

“Why?”

“You’re a nu child who just discovered he’s standing next to a primitive. Aren’t you scared?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I know all of that ‘primitives are dangerous murderers’ shit is just that: shit.” San sighs, giving a sad humorless smirk as he continues. “I watched as my parents were killed while I was dragged from my screaming mother’s arms. I was six. They didn’t even try to make me turn away, they just killed my family right in front of me and took me to an orphanage thinking I’d forget after some indoctrination.”

Yunho’s chest feels like it’s being squeezed in a vice. “Oh my god.” 

“Yeah. It was awful, but I’m over it I guess.”

“That’s not something you have to get over.”

“True, but I don’t let it hold me back. And I don’t fear anyone. I haven’t met a primitive since it happened.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. But! Now you’ve met me!” Yunho thinks for a minute. “Do you explore because you’re looking for primitives?” 

“No, I explore because I have nothing else to do.” San checks a watch on his wrist. “Damn, I’d better get headed back so I don’t miss the last bus. The one I need ends early.”

“I’ll walk a little way with you.” Yunho surprises himself with the offer, but he means it. 

“That’d be great. So, golden retriever, can I ask what gender you are?”

“Male.”

“No, silly, your primary gender.”

“Nu don’t consider it primary anymore.”

“I don’t follow nu ideology.” San pouts as if he’s truly offended and Yunho laughs.

“Alright, I’m an alpha. I swear I won’t eat you.” San joins his laughter, but laughs far harder than Yunho thought was warranted. “Was it that funny?”

“No, but you just told me that you’re an alpha and I don’t even know your name.”

Yunho smiles; San has a good point. Yunho doesn’t know what it is about this nu boy that makes him so soft, but he doesn’t like the idea of San having to go back to the orphanage. How mad would Minhyuk be if he brought home a nu teenager? Would he be missed, or is he serious about how little people care about him? This boy with short, dark hair, a high giggle and the most adorable pout. He doesn’t deserve to be left alone, ignored, treated like less than others because of his parentage. 

Yunho reaches out a hand for San to shake. 

“Well, I guess you might as well know. I’m Jeong Yunho, and I’m very happy to meet you, Choi San.”

Chapter Text

San’s smile is so bright that Yunho imagines it would light up any darkness. “I’m happy to meet you too, Jeong Yunho.” He takes Yunho’s hand with a small, firm one of his own, and gives it a very professional shake. 

The atmosphere becomes awkward for a moment as Yunho doesn’t know what to do besides watch the light dance in San’s eyes. After a few moments - which feel much longer to Yunho - San pulls his hand away and laughs. 

“Well, I need to go so I can catch my bus.” San takes a few steps in the opposite direction Yunho needs to go. As he goes to turn away, he pauses. “Yunho, do you walk this way often?”

“I walk all around here, when I have time.” Yunho gestures around to the entire unoccupied sector, then realizes why San was asking and quickly changes course. “But yeah I come down this road most often.”

“Great, I’ll see you again. Goodbye golden retriever.” He waves as he turns, laughing a high dolphin-esque laugh at his use of the nickname even though he now knows the other’s name. 

“Uh yeah, see you later…” Yunho calls after him, lightly waving back. 

Yunho heads home, a new skip in every step. That night even Changbin doesn’t get on his nerves, no matter how hard the other Alpha tries. 

Yunho takes a walk every day for the next week. When Hongjoong asks him why his infrequent walks have become so normal he simply shrugs and says it’s the easiest way to keep the peace between him and Changbin. It’s a believable answer as the two don’t fight the whole week, but in reality Yunho is meeting with San each day at the same house where they first met. 

The two spend their time together chatting, asking about the life of the other, while snacking on whatever food they each brought with them. San tells Yunho about life in the orphanage, how kids of Primitives are all treated as inferior to others, how even teachers at school don’t care that he’s bullied for his parentage. Yunho used to love school, before he presented and had to go into hiding with Silverlight, he hates that it is such a terrible place for San. 

Yunho answers many of San’s questions, which start with his family. San is amazed to find out that Yunho’s Nu parents kept him safe until he had to go into hiding when he presented at thirteen. He thinks it’s amazing that Yunho still gets to see his parents and younger brother once in a while, and although Yunho worried that it’d make San sad, the other seems truly happy to know that there are still mixed families who find ways to make things work.  

Yunho is disappointed on what would be their eighth day meeting as San is not waiting for him when he arrives. He waits a few hours, but San never shows up. Yunho knows he can’t wait any longer once the sun starts to set and he reluctantly leaves, running all the way home so as to not get in trouble for being out past curfew. 

The next day Yunho is unable to search for San as he is enlisted in helping Peniel with lunch and dinner for the day. When he finally gets out the next day he takes a pen and pad of paper so he can leave a note if San is again not there. He waits three hours before writing a simple note which reads: 

San,

I hope you’re okay. You must be busy with school, but I’ll keep coming when I can and hopefully get to see you again. Use this notepad to tell me if you’re here when I’m not.

Yunho

He leaves the note with a forlorn sigh and doesn’t manage to make it back for another two days. When he does, there is a reply under his note to slightly help the sadness he feels at not seeing San again. 

Golden Retriever,

I’m sorry, my wallet was stolen and I wasn’t able to get a bus ticket. The caretakers won’t give me money so I walked here tonight but I won’t be back for a few days. I miss you.

San

He can’t help the leap his heart takes at seeing the words ‘I miss you’ in San’s cute small handwriting. He’s sad to hear that San was having stuff stolen from him and desperately wishes he could help. He responds with a simple “I miss you too.” and heads back home.

The next two days don’t give him much time to think about San as Changsub has warned them of a raid and they need all hands on deck to clear up any signs of life inside their houses. They take the time to make sure all three houses look as barren and unused as possible before leaving for a day and hiding out a few miles away in a sector Changsub tells them won’t be searched. Changsub clears them to return before they even have to spend a night away and they’re pleased when they hear that no flags were raised. They make it back to their houses about three in the morning and most of the kids spend the next day sleeping, including Yunho. 

Finally, three days after his last visit, Yunho is able to go back to his and San’s meeting place. A large smile that hasn’t graced his face since the first time San didn’t show up reappears when he steps into their meeting house and hears a cough, signaling that someone was there. He rushes into the living room ready to excitedly greet his friend.

“San, you’re back! Did you get–” His question is cut short when his brain processes what his eyes see.

San is laying on the dirty floor, curled into a shivering ball. Another cough escapes him and this time Yunho can hear the whimper that follows. He rushes to San and kneels next to him.

“San, what happened? How long have you been here?” 

San’s only response is to raise his head slightly, uncovering his previously hidden face, revealing the terrible bruising and dried blood that almost completely covers his perfect skin. Yunho gasps in horror at the sight and hovers a gentle hand over San’s face, wanting to cradle and comfort him but not wanting to touch and hurt him.

“San, who did this?”

“Kids.” San whispers. “Mean kids, not the first time.”

“Not the first time?” Fury burns like a blue flame in his heart, causing him to shake and for his scent to become so strong that it seeps past the blockers carefully placed over his scent glands, covering the dust and rotting scent of the house with his own white musk. 

“San, can you sit up?”

San nods slowly, carefully propping himself up and groaning as he tries to right himself. Yunho places his hands on San’s shoulders and helps guide him up to sit against the wall. San sitting is no better sight than him laying down. This way, Yunho can see the tears in his shirt which reveal a deep purple color underneath which Yunho can only imagine covers San’s whole chest. San coughs again as he tries to find a comfortable position and Yunho hates to see the pain in his face. 

“San, where did this happen? When?” 

“In the orphanage yard, four days ago.”

“Four?!” 

“Yeah it uh… it took me a while to get here and I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I’m so sorry San, we had to pack up and hide and it’s just so draining when we do that I just slept all yesterday away. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.”

“Don’t be, you’re here now.” San coughs again, his whimper high and heartbreaking. “They got me good this time, Yunho.”

“Is this a normal occurrence?” 

“It’s not abnormal. But I think they really wanted to kill me this time.”

“How’d you get away?”

“One of the caretakers called everyone in, but they never expect me to come when called so all the other kids rushed in and I was left outside, no one looked for me. I walked here once the pain subsided enough, the slowest walk I’ve ever taken.” San grins hazily.

Yunho reaches up to gently try and wipe some of the dried blood from San’s forehead but stops as soon as San winces. 

“You’re burning up.”

“Unsurprising, body’s trying to heal.” His voice is becoming raspy as he talks and Yunho can see him drifting out of consciousness. 

“Okay, let’s lay you back down. I’m going to run home and get you some water, and things to clean you up with, okay?”

“Sure... I’ll be here.” San mumbles as he allows Yunho to gently guide him back to the floor. 

It churns Yunho’s stomach to leave San alone again, but just sitting here won’t do anything to help. He first takes off his jacket and folds it into a pillow, carefully placing it under San’s head before he stands and leaves, looking back one more time as he calls, “I’ll be right back.”

It takes him about a half an hour to make it back to Silverlight running full speed the whole time. He stops just outside of the central house, doubling over to catch his breath. He doesn’t give himself too long to compose himself but waits until he can at least speak if approached. He goes into the kitchen of the central house and grabs three bottles of water, two apples, and a loaf of bread. He glances around, looking as guilty as a bank robber, before heading out and into the house on the left where he and Hongjoong share a room. 

He’s pleased to find that Hongjoong is not in their room, making it easier for him to grab a backpack, blanket, and some washcloths. He stuffs everything he can in the backpack and quickly leaves his room. His mind is running through many scenarios and his distractedness causes him to run straight into Changbin, who had just come out of his room - the one adjacent from Yunho’s. 

“Hey, watch it.” Changbin snaps, rubbing his forehead which had just collided with Yunho’s chin. The scent of citrus and sage starts to fill the hall but Yunho doesn’t have time for a fight.

“Sorry Changbin, I’ll be more careful.” He mutters, already heading down the stairs as he speaks.

“Where are you going with that?!”

“A picnic with Hongjoong hyung.” Yunho lies quickly, hoping that Hongjoong was in his hideout and not somewhere around Silverlight. 

He makes it back to the road without being stopped and again breaks into a sprint. He can’t run quite as hard now that he’s tired and has to take small walking breaks, adding an extra ten minutes to get back to San. 

“San, I’m back.” He calls through a pant as he walks into the house. He heads to the living room and his worry doubles when he sees San shivering.

“Hey.” San mutters, clearly lacking energy for much else.

“Hey,” he whispers, “I brought some water. Let’s get you sat up again so you can drink some.” 

San nods and Yunho helps him to a sitting position before kneeling himself in front of the other. He uncaps a water bottle and puts it to San’s lips, only tipping it slightly so as to not let San drink too quickly. San doesn’t drink a lot before he pushes the bottle away, another coughing fit making him double over. Yunho frowns, hating to see San in pain. He takes a washcloth and wets it while San focuses on breathing.

“Can I try to clean up your face?” Yunho tentatively raises the cloth, hovering above San’s cheek as he waits for permission.

“Why? Am I not pretty to you like this?” San’s smile is lopsided with the swelling but Yunho’s heart still leaps at the sight of it. 

“Glad to see you feel like joking.” Yunho chuckles. 

“Who says I’m joking?” 

“Well then no, to be honest, I would like to see a bit more skin and a bit less blood.”

“Oh alright then, go ahead.”

Yunho gently dabs at the blood on San’s face. His motions are slow, careful, far lighter than anyone would expect from the large boy. He winces every time he causes San to wince, apologizing under his breath which San always responds to with a growl of disapproval. 

Once all the dried blood is gone, Yunho is able to clearly see the damage. San’s nose is slightly crooked and tender to the touch. There is a deep abrasion over his right eyebrow, one that will probably leave a scar. His left eye is swollen shut, though that is not the hardest of feats on a boy whose eyes were always so close to closing anyhow. His entire jaw is swollen, completely erasing his immaculate jawline. 

“San?” Yunho asks when he’s finished, sitting back on his calves and putting the washcloth down.

“Yeah?”

“Come home with me.” San blinks, or one could say winks, at Yunho but doesn’t respond.

“Really, don’t go back into town. Join my pack.”

“I can’t be part of a pack, Yunho.”

“Why not?”

“I’m a Nu. It’s not possible.”

“Bullshit. We have nu that live with us, one of them even has a beta mate. I’m sure everyone would welcome you in.”

“I… I didn't know that…” San furrows his brow like his sluggish mind is having trouble processing this. He shakes his head. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Why would I get in trouble?”

“I highly doubt you’re allowed to wander and hang out with strage nu boys, Yunho.”

“They’d understand.”

“No. I’m going to go back, I want to prove that they can’t beat me up and get away with it.”

“Beat you up? San, they almost killed you! You said it yourself! What do you even have to prove? That you lived? Isn’t that just reckless?” Yunho is getting worked up. He’s sure that if there was an omega in the room his scent would be overwhelming them, but San is unaffected.

“Reckless?” San doesn’t seem to understand, and Yunho lets out a low growl in frustration.

“Yeah, because next time they see you – they could decide to finish the job.”

“I won’t let them.”

“GODS!” Yunho yells in frustration, any composure he had being thrown out the window. In his frustration, he doesn’t even notice making San jump and wince again. “If I could bite you, mark you as my mate, I would right now and no one could say anything!”

“Jung Yunho! Stop right there." 

Yunho freezes. Not out of fear or surprise, not out of his own free will. 

He freezes because of the sudden double layered voice behind him, accompanied by the strong scent of sandalwood, that commands him to.

Chapter Text

Yunho can’t move. No matter how much he wants to, the Alpha Voice keeps him frozen in place. He stares into San’s good eye, not even sure what he’s trying to convey in the stare. Although Yunho isn’t inherently scared of their pack alpha, he knows he has just landed himself in a whole lot of trouble. In the silence, it’s quickly sinking in just how bad his fervid proclamation really sounded. 

“Yunho, who is that?” San looks at the man behind Yunho and then back, confusion swaying to  worry the longer Yunho sits unmoving.

“I am Yunho’s fath-”

“Pack Alpha?”

“What!? ”

“You were going to lie and say you were his father, but I know his father isn’t around here. So are you his pack alpha? Is that why he isn’t moving? Because you told him to stop? Did you use your Alpha Voice?” San’s bold guesses even show a hint of excited curiosity, despite the obviously tense situation. 

The man’s expression darkens. “Yunho, how much did you tell this boy?”

“Nothing, really. He knew a lot when we met, guessed a lot, I didn’t mean to tell him anything.” Yunho’s response is quick, not quite monotone but not fully feeling either. 

“How did he know so much?”

“My parents were an alpha and an omega, sir. They raised me until I was six, and my older sister, before they were killed. My sister made sure we didn’t fall prey to the indoctrination at the orphanage, she taught me a lot.” San shifts, trying to sit up straighter, and winces in the process.

The tension eases off the man’s shoulders. “Well then yes, I am his pack alpha. I’m Minhyuk.” He fully enters the room, walking over to stand by Yunho and San. “Yunho, would you please stand up?”

“Yes, hyung.” Yunho is no longer frozen and he stands of his own free will. Minhyuk doesn’t like using his Alpha Voice, he prefers to give his pack the choice to listen as much as he can.

“Kid, what’s your name?” Minhyuk crouches next to San and takes in his appearance, grimacing at what he sees.

“San, Choi San.” 

“Did Yunho do this, San?” 

“What?!” Both boys shout indignantly.

“I’m kidding, I know Yunho wouldn’t do anything like this.” The small teasing smile on his face evaporates all the remaining tension in the room. “Who did this to you, San?” Minhyuk’s voice is soft, caring, quite different from the tone he had just been using.

“Bullies, other kids at the orphanage, they don’t like me.”

“I can see that. Are you stable?”

“I’ve been here for about three days, I’d say I’m probably not going to die.”

“He has a fever.” Yunho supplies.

“Alright. San, I’m going to take Yunho home, and then I’ll come back and figure out how to best help you, is that alright?”

“Sure.” San looks up at Yunho as the other protests this decision and gives him a small smile. “I’ll be alright.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you. Minhyuk hyung, please, can’t he come back with us?”

“No Yunho, I’ll bring Peniel back to help him.” 

“No! I’m not going to move until San goes with us.” 

“Yes, you will.” Minhyuk stands and places a hand on Yunho’s shaking shoulder. 

“Yunho, I need to know that both of you are safe. What I just heard you say when I was standing in the doorway, I can’t ensure San’s safety around you right now, so I’m taking you home first.”

“I was just angry, trying to make a point.” Yunho knows it’s a feeble argument, and that Minhyuk is right, but he doesn’t want to hear logic right now.

“Yunho, please don’t make me command you.”

“I’m not leaving him like this. He’s sick!”

“He’ll be fine, Yunho. San, I’ll be back in about an hour. Let’s go, Yunho.” 

“No!” 

“I’m not asking again. Yunho, please come with me.”

“Make me.”

Minhyuk narrows his eyes at him, but Yunho just straightens up, eyes burning with determination, and refuses to give in.

“Fine.” Minhyuk sighs, running a frustrated hand over his face before looking Yunho dead in the eyes and speaking in the double tone of the Alpha Voice. “Go home, now.” 

Yunho is not strong enough yet, not a leader, not able to resist his alpha’s command. He tries to fight it, he tries to stand still, even tries to drop to his knees, but he doesn’t succeed as his desire to stay slowly leaves him only to be replaced by an even stronger desire to head home.

“I’ll be fine Yunho, it’s okay.” San calls as Yunho leaves the room. He looks up at Minhyuk, who seems very sad to have commanded Yunho in such a way. “I’m sorry, sir. We met a few weeks ago and have been meeting up since. I never meant to get him in trouble.”

“It’s alright, San. I’ll be back, I promise.”

Minhyuk follows Yunho, catching him quickly. “Let’s hurry so I can get back to him, okay?” Yunho nods and picks up his pace.

“I’m sorry kid, I really am.”

“I wasn’t going to bite him.” Yunho spits through his teeth. “I was just saying I wish I could.”

“Yunho, are you early for a rut?”

“What?”

“Your scent has never been as strong as it was when I walked into that room except during your last rut. We are not monsters, Yunho, but we can be dangerous during a rut, especially to nu. I walked in to find your scent so strong, to hear you say you wish you could bite this boy, please understand why I had to separate you.”

“Whatever.” 

Minhyuk sighs, knowing Yunho won’t be happy with him for a while. They jog back to Mayfly in a silence that is only broken once the houses come into view.

“Why did you follow me today?”

“Changbin was shocked to find Hongjoong working with me when you had told him the two of you were going on a picnic.” Minhyuk answers nonchalantly. “When Hongjoong said he had no idea what Changbin was talking about, I figured I had better see why you, our most well-mannered kid, would be lying.”

“Damn him.” Yunho mutters, but he can’t deny it was his own mistake that led Minhyuk to follow him.

They walk up to the house on the left and Minhyuk gestures for Yunho to enter. 

“Yunho, you’re to stay in your room until I come to get you, is that understood?”

“Yes sir.” Yunho bows his head in submission, also trying to hide the tear threatening to fall from his right eye. Minhyuk sees anyway and places a comforting hand on Yunho’s shoulder. 

“Yunho-”

“Please help San, hyung. Please.” More tears fall and Yunho furiously wipes them away. Minhyuk tries to pull him into a hug but he resists and Minhyuk nods in understanding.

“I will, Yunho. I am getting Peniel right now and we’re going to go back to him.”

“Don’t let him go back.”

“We’ll figure out what to do. Trust me, Yunho.” 

Yunho nods and rushes into the house, up the stairs, and into his room. He throws himself down on his bed, having checked to make sure the room was empty before doing so. The sobs break through as soon as his forehead hits his arms crossed over his pillow. He understands what Minhyuk is scared of, understands why he had to step in, he’s not angry with Minhyuk. He’s angry with himself for losing his temper, angry at himself for getting caught, but the tears aren’t just from anger. He’s also scared that Minhyuk will listen to San and let him go back to the orphanage, scared of what those awful kids would do to him the next time… scared of never seeing San again. 

He startles slightly when an extra weight pushes his mattress in further and a hand presses lightly into his back, starting to rub small circles into it. He hadn’t heard the door open over the sound of his own sobbing. The scent of pepper that starts mixing with his now rotten musk tells him exactly who it is, and he doesn’t feel like talking to Hongjoong right now. He doesn’t feel like talking to anyone. So he doesn’t, and they sit in silence for a few minutes as Hongjoong’s comforting hand helps calm Yunho and he eventually stops crying.

“Yunho-ah.” Hongjoong breaks the silence after several minutes have passed. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. But, if it’d help, I’m here to listen.”

Yunho gives himself time to think, and Hongjoong is silent again as he waits. It’s not long before Yunho opens up to him. 

“I met a boy.” 

“A boy?” Hongjoong’s voice is both curious and borderline murderous, immediately assuming this boy must have hurt Yunho.

“A nice boy. San. He’s an orphan nu. He’s so nice, so smart, so beautiful.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No. He’s the one who’s hurt.” Yunho’s voice breaks and he takes a few moments to compose himself again. “He gets bullied, and they beat him up really bad this time.”

“That’s horrible.” Hongjoong’s fury melts quickly into concern.

“It is! He’s so sweet, and they think he’s trash because his parents were Primitives.”

“Jeesh.”

“Yeah. And I wasn’t able to go meet him for a couple days because of the raid. When I got there today he had been there for three days. He’s got a fever and he’s really hurt.”

“So why did Minhyuk bring you back?”

Yunho grimaces. “I said something really dumb right as Minhyuk hyung got there, it scared him. He used his Alpha Voice on me.”

“What did you say that could get him to do that? Not even Changbin has gotten him to.”

“I said I wished I could mark San so he’d come back with me, because he was being stupid and saying he needed to go back to the orphanage to prove something to those bullies.”

“Yunho, that’s… yeah I can see why Minhyuk hyung would be worried.”

“I know!” Yunho’s frustration at himself boils over and he starts crying again. Hongjoong bends down to curl around Yunho in a back hug, cooing to him and murmuring comforting words in his ear.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.”

“What if Minhyuk hyung lets him go back? What if I can never see him again?”

“I doubt Minhyuk hyung will let him go back if he’s in serious danger. Just give them some time to figure it out, I’m sure Minhyuk hyung will tell you what they decide as soon as they get back.” Yunho nods, appreciating Hongjoong’s calming tactics and logical thinking. “Now, I’ve been told to make sure you stay in our room. You’re welcome to lay here and wallow in your thoughts, but if you’d like we can distract you with a game of cards instead.”

Yunho grumbles something unintelligible before sitting up and wiping his face again. He surprises Hongjoong by engulfing him in a hug, which the older quickly returns, happy to help his younger pack mate. 

“Sure. Thanks hyung. You know, you’ll make a great pack alpha one day.”

Hongjoong smiles.

Chapter Text

The sound of knocking at his door pulls Eunkwang’s attention away from his papers. 

"Come in." He calls cheerfully, loud enough that he can be heard through the door. 

It swings open to admit Peniel, who offers a small wave and a "Hey hyung", followed closely by Minhyuk and, to Eunkwang’s surprise, a young boy whom he does not recognize. At least, he is fairly certain he doesn’t recognize him, although the state of the boy’s face may be making that difficult. The kid looks terrible, extensive bruising running up his jaw and across his face, swelling one of his eyes almost shut. There’s a painful slash of torn skin above his right eye which is already scabbing over. His injuries seem to be a few days old and have been cleaned of blood, but they appear to extend all down his torso if not farther.

Eunkwang sets his pen down, giving this child his full attention. "Did you leave the other guy looking worse?" He jokes, trying to create an open and inviting mood between them. He’s worried, of course, from the instant he sees the boy, but Minhyuk and Peniel both seem relaxed, and reassuring this boy of his safety is his first priority.

The boy perks up at the greeting, eagerly shooting back, "I would have, if he was brave enough to attack me alone instead of with four others at his side." Eunkwang smiles slightly, pleased at the boy's ability to joke along, but he also shakes his head in the same disgust he often feels at what members of the human race are capable of. 

"What a cowardly thing to do. I'm Seo Eunkwang, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Choi San, sir." San extends his hand to Eunkwang and the other shakes it, liking this polite boy already. 

"Welcome, Choi San. Please, have a seat." He gestures to a couch against the wall. San is relieved to sit, though he winces as he does. "How'd you find this one, Minhyuk?"

Minhyuk leans against the doorframe, looking tired. "Apparently he and Yunho met a few weeks ago and have been hanging out while Yunho was on his walks."

"Is that so?" Eunkwang seems intrigued rather than angry, which San appreciates. He hates thinking that Yunho got in trouble. "Are you a nu, San?"

"I am. A nu and an orphan. My parents were an alpha and omega."

"I see. I am a nu as well." San nods, Yunho had told him about the nu leader of his pack. "Peniel, would you mind going to wait for Hyunsik so you can bring him in here as soon as he arrives? He should be getting in for the weekend and I think San here could use some fixing up."

"You got it." Peniel quickly leaves the room, but not before offering San a pat on the back. Eunkwang addresses Minhyuk again. 

"Where is Yunho?"

"In his room. I asked him to stay there and sent Hongjoong to make sure he does."

"You think Hongjoong could keep him there if he wanted to leave?"

Minhyuk laughs. "Not physically, Yunho could just pick him up and move him if he really wanted to. But I think Hongjoong knows what to say to convince him to stay."

"I agree with you on that." Hongjoong had been showing more and more potential as a pack leader lately. Eunkwang returned his attention to the boy in front of him.

"Well San, how about you tell me a bit more about yourself?"

San, who had been watching the exchange with interest, nods and launches into a quick retelling of everything he'd already told Minhyuk and Yunho about what had led up to him being beaten so badly. 

"This sounds to me like a situation you shouldn't go back to."

"I guess. But running away, wouldn't that mean they win?"

"Of course not! They don't win unless you stop fighting."

"Running away isn't fighting though." San is extremely confused, and Eunkwang's face takes on a very serious expression.

"What are you fighting for, San?"

"Um…" he thinks for a moment, Eunkwang's serious new demeanor making him slightly nervous. "To be allowed to just live a good life, I guess."

"And why are they keeping you from that?" 

"Because of my parentage."

"Exactly, because your parents were Primitives and they think that makes them better than you, because that’s what they’ve been taught. Do you know what we do here, San?"

"Yunho says you rescue Primitives, help hide them and teach them how to hide themselves."

"Yes, that's a part of it. We are also fighting to be allowed to live a good life. Fighting to prove that Primitives are not to be feared, that they deserve the same rights as Nu, that we are all equal.

" Cool ." San mutters, his eyes having lit up at Eunkwang's description. 

"So, San. Running away may feel like giving up. But if you stay here with us, and help us in our mission, then aren't you fighting the same fight?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right."

Eunkwang smiles, the seriousness melting off his face just as quickly as it had come. 

"You think about that." San nods and Eunkwang turns to Minhyuk. "If San were to stay, where would we put him?"

“I was already thinking about that.” Minhyuk responds right away. “I think it’s time you move into the central house, like we've talked about. Then we could move Mingi out of Chan and Jisung’s room, into yours, and put San with him.”

“Wait, how many people live here? You have more than one house?” San asks excitedly, like this information was the most interesting thing he’d heard all week. 

“Currently, there’s thirteen people and three houses.” Eunkwang answers. “We could fix up another if needed, but that’s one more place to clear out during a raid and I think Minhyuk’s right. I’ll move into the room across the hall and it’ll work out perfectly. For tonight, since Changsub won't be here this weekend, you can use his bed.” 

“Thank you, sir.” 

Another knock and the door opening causes all three to look over at the new arrival. 

“Hyunsik! Have you had a good week?” Eunkwang enthuses, standing up and surprising San by going over and giving Hyunsik a hug. 

“I did. Changed the results on sixteen tests and forged two tests for that family you sent me. And of course the other usual work.”

“Changed tests?” San asks, inquisitive as usual. 

“Yep.” Hyunsik turns his attention to the new kid still sitting on the couch. “If a baby shows up with Primitive markers, I change the result to Nu so that they aren’t taken or killed.” As he talks, he takes in San’s appearance, which San doesn’t seem to mind as he’s enthralled with Hyunsik’s words. 

“That’s amazing! But isn’t that dangerous still, when the baby grows up and presents?”

“I like this kid.” Hyunsik chuckles, looking at Eunkwang, who nods excitedly in agreement, then back at San. “Yes, you’re right; it can be dangerous. But we keep tabs on those kids, and our hope is that by the time they present either they’ll be able to find safety or we’ll find them. Best case though would be that by the time they present we’ll have fixed this mess. Also, sometimes it’s the parents who ask for forged tests, so we know they don’t mind their kids presenting.”

“You guys are like superheroes– ” San gets a little too excited and starts to cough, wincing as he does. Hyunsik chuckles at the sentiment even as he moves to help San stand up.

“Let’s go into the kitchen, there’s better lighting for me to take a look at you.”

A knock sounds at Hongjoong and Yunho's bedroom door about three hours after Yunho was grounded to it. Hongjoong has been doing his best at keeping Yunho's mind occupied, but as soon as the knock is heard he is on his feet throwing the door open. 

"Hyung?" He asks expectantly to Minhyuk standing in the hall.

"Hey boys. San is in the kitchen, you can go see him." Yunho practically shoves Minhyuk aside in his haste to get down the stairs. Minhyuk catches Yunho's arm before he can go too far.

"Nothing is decided yet. We're just getting him fed and cleaned up."

Yunho nods his understanding and runs down the stairs. Minhyuk runs a hand over his tired face and Hongjoong walks over, giving him a pat on the back.

"Yunho really likes him."

"I know.”

They make their way down the stairs, out the door, and over to the central house. They walk in to find Yunho watching anxiously as Hyunsik works on bandaging a very pale, very tired looking, very shirtless San. Peniel is preparing some food while watching the proceedings at the kitchen table with an air of amusement around him.

“Is anything broken do you think?” Yunho asks.

“He’s tender, but I don’t think those kids kicked hard enough to break any ribs.” Hyunsik reassures both boys. “I am worried about this fever though, and unless you want a crooked nose forever I’ll need to straighten it - which won’t be fun.”

“What do you think, Yunho? Am I more or less handsome with it crooked?” San jokes, but Yunho looks outright offended. 

“You’re handsome any way.” He says as if it was truly insulting that San would think it possible to be anything less than stunning. Hyunsik chuckles and shakes his head.

“Well San, I can easily get you into the hospital, but I think you’ll heal up just fine without going in.”

“I’d rather not, if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, I figured as much, that’s fine. We take care of our fair share of injuries around here. Can’t exactly take an alpha with a broken arm into the hospital now can we?” He stares pointedly at Yunho who chuckles sheepishly. Hyunsik places one last butterfly bandage over San’s eyebrow and looks him very seriously in the eye. “Your nose, do you want me to set it back into place or not?”

“You can do it right now?”

“It’ll only take a second, but it’ll hurt.”

“Go for it.” San reaches out for Yunho’s hand as he says it, which the other offers eagerly. 

“Alright. Three, two,” Hyunsik counts down, reaching up and lightly pinching San’s nose. Before saying ‘one’ he presses hard against the slight bend in San’s nose and the boy yelps in pain as it pops into place. “There we go.”

“Thanks.” San chokes out, unable to control the tears streaming from his eyes. The pain dulls to an ache quickly and San chuckles. “That wasn’t too bad. Did I hurt your hand Yunho?”

“Did you even squeeze it?” Yunho winks and pats San softly on the head, which the younger seems to quite enjoy. 

“Here, take these.” Hyunsik says as he offers San a few pills and a bottle of water. “They’ll help with the pain and the fever. I’d like you to get to bed; was it decided where you’re sleeping?”

“Well,” Eunkwang speaks up as he walks into the room, a light smile on his face and his hands resting in his pockets. “He’s going to stay in your room tonight, Changsub isn’t coming this weekend. He has to decide if he’s staying permanently or not, we’ve figured out how to make room for him if he wants.” 

Yunho looks at San expectantly, his large eyes begging San to stay. San looks at Yunho, then around at the others in the room, taking in the unfamiliar Hongjoong and the friendly-faced Peniel. 

“You really would make room for another Nu?”

“Of course, San.” Eunkwang assures fervently. “Mayfly is a place for all Primitives and Allies, no matter their age, gender, dynamic, or… well anything. Our original pack, before we took in the younger kids, was built of four nu, an alpha and omega,” he gestures to Minhyuk and Peniel, “and a beta whom you have yet to meet. Everyone is welcome, San.” 

“Everyone belongs in a pack, San.” Minhyuk leans across the table where he sits across from San and places a warm hand on the boy’s. “We want you to join ours.”

That smile that Yunho loves so much lights up San’s face again as he finally looks back at his friend, accompanied by a tear which he sheepishly wipes from his cheek.

“You all are so nice, and so cool! I want to keep fighting, but not keep getting beat up. I’ll stay.” Yunho breaks into the widest puppy grin San has ever seen and a rumbling of approval resonates from his chest. Suddenly San’s smile drops and he looks back up at Eunkwang. “Sir?”

“Oh don’t be so formal. Call me hyung just like everyone else.” 

“Ah, uh, Eunkwang hyung, is there a way I could tell my sister that I’m okay?”

“Of course! I can take a letter to the orphanage next time I go into town.” Eunkwang nods happily. 

“Thank you, si– hyung.” San catches himself and everyone laughs. 

Suddenly, a loud cheer from downstairs causes half the kitchen inhabitants to jump. 

“Sounds like someone just won quite the foosball match.” Minhyuk chuckles. 

“You have foosball?” San gets even more excited at this news. “I want to play!” He stands far too quickly and immediately sinks back into his chair as he’s overcome by dizziness and nausea. 

“The only thing you are doing tonight is going to bed. Come on.” Hyunsik helps San up slowly and nods a goodnight to everyone. Yunho stands up to follow them but Hyunsik shakes his head. 

“You’ll see him in the morning, let him rest.”

Yunho is still overloaded with joy that San is staying, permanently. For once, he’s easily able to quell his alpha instincts and wait. “Right. Goodnight San!” San waves a goodnight back and Hyunsik rolls his eyes, grumbling something as he leads San outside. Yunho laughs and calls after them, “And goodnight Hyunsik hyung!”  

Chapter Text

San stays in Hyunsik and Changsub’s room for two days, not allowed to leave his bed except to use the bathroom. Yunho spends all his time waiting on his friend, entertaining him and also letting him sleep as much as he needs. Yunho also helps everyone rearrange the bedrooms, moving Eunkwang into the central house and setting up his old room for Mingi and San. On the third day San is mostly back to his chipper self and moves into his new room, bursting to meet everyone and thank all of the pack for taking him in. 

His first night in his new room he and Mingi stay up late getting to know each other. He is curious as to how another nu found his way there, at first thinking that Mingi was a runaway like himself.

“I was rescued, the first rescue Mayfly managed to pull off.” Mingi says matter of factly. 

“Rescued from where?”

“The Lab, I was born a beta but I was one of the babies sent off to be experimented on.” Mingi seems unbothered by this information, which San understands, it’s just his life. “They succeeded in changing my genes, I have absolutely no beta in me now.” 

“You’re still seventeen, maybe they just delayed it?”

“Whatever they did, I don’t care. I don’t need to be a beta to have a place in this pack. I’m happy here, just the way I am.” Mingi’s wide smile is bright and carefree, leaving San with no doubt that Mingi truly is happy.

That sentiment hits San hard, and he finds that he’s happy Mayfly saved Mingi. Even though he just met the other, he can tell that they are going to be good friends. 

Later that week, the young Mayfly members decide to have a foosball tournament as a fun way to welcome San into the group. It’s San’s first time playing foosball and he loses his first match to Chan within three minutes - the only point he gets is Chan scoring on himself. He isn’t dissuaded in the slightest, happy to watch the other matches and cheer everyone on with Yunho by his side. Yunho’s first match is against Changbin - no one knows why Hongjoong set it up that way - and it goes as well as anyone would have guessed. 

“He’s cheating!” Changbin bellows. 

“How do you cheat in foosball?” Yunho yells back.

“Really, how do you cheat in foosball?” San asks Chan innocently, not aware of the fight about to break out. 

“Uh, I don’t think you do?” Chan answers slowly, his eyes flashing between the two alphas at the table, a look of concern settling on his face.

“Is something wrong, Chan hyung?”

“I’m sick of you all taking his side!” Changbin yells, throwing a small ball at Yunho’s chest in anger. 

“Well I’m sick of your tantrums!” Yunho’s face is turning red as he glares at Changbin. “Just play the damn game.”

“I’m not going to play with a cheater! I want to be paired with someone else.”

“For hell’s sake, Changbin, just play.” Jisung sighs. “It’s just a game.” 

“Yeah well I like winning games fair and square, unlike moldy over here.” 

“That’s it! I’m not playing with this baby.” Yunho throws up his hands and walks over to the couch, plopping on it with his arms crossed, trying very hard to keep his pheromones contained. San watches the scene with concern and follows his friend to the couch, sitting next to him and rubbing his shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s just a game, not a big deal.”

“Tell Changbin that. I can’t stand him, he’s always complaining about something I do. I wasn’t cheating!” 

San sighs and leans down, deciding to lay his head in Yunho’s lap. This shocks Yunho slightly and he looks down at San, a soft smile replacing the angry scowl. Without saying a word, Yunho starts combing his fingers through San’s hair. The younger hums in appreciation, adjusting himself into a completely lax position and soaking in the physical touch. They both watch the others play for a while, Changbin’s loss to Hongjoong making Yunho smirk gloatingly. 

“Yunho, where did you guys get a foosball table?” San asks. Yunho looks down at him fondly, his fingers still massaging San’s scalp. 

“No idea. It’s been here longer than me and no one seems to know.”

“How does no one know?”

Yunho shrugs. “Well, the only ones who’ve been here longer than me are the Mayfly hyungs and Hongjoong, and none of them will say.” 

“San-ah, you want to play another round with me? Losers cup?” Jisung calls across the room. 

“Sure!” San chirps excitedly and rockets off the couch. Yunho pouts but follows San back to the table and decides to coach him. San actually scores a few points but still loses the match. Jisung and Yunho promise to play San often so that he can reach their level - it’s not like there’s much else to do during the day. 

San’s first month with the pack is relatively uneventful. It only takes a day after the foosball tournament for San to discover that he is very good at keeping Yunho calm when Changbin starts pushing his buttons - a simple back hug and request for attention is all it takes to pull Yunho’s mind away from the angsty younger alpha. Even so, Yunho still likes taking his walks, getting away from the pack and having time with his own thoughts, and San doesn’t intrude. 

One day while Yunho is out, San is wandering the main house after a pleasant foosball match with Jisung when he hears muffled talking coming from the sitting room. Just as he’s decided to go see who’s there, he’s startled by a sudden raised voice that he knows is Peniel’s.

“I am not lying!” 

A maniacal cackle follows, making San smile. He likes it when Changsub is with them on the weekends, the crazy older nu never failing to make him laugh. He enters the room to see Peniel fuming at the card table and Changsub practically dying in his chair across from him. 

“What’s so funny?” San asks, noting Ilhoon and Sungjae snuggled up on the couch paying no mind to the poker game, and taking a seat at the table with a smile stretching across his face. 

“Peniel is such a bad liar.” Changsub gets out amidst his laughter.

“I am not lying!” 

“Fine, I won’t call it a lie. You’re a bad bluffer.” 

“I didn’t give anything away this time!” Peniel pouts, slapping his poker cards down on the table and revealing a pretty good hand. “Would it kill you to just go through a couple raises?” 

“When chores are on the line, yes it would.” Changsub laughs. 

“How did you know he was bluffing?” San asks. 

“He projects it as strong as if he was being killed or something.” 

“I do not! And would you two please keep it down?!” Peniel barks at Ilhoon and Sungjae. “Can’t you make out in your room?”

“Oh sure, as if you and Minhyuk hyung have ever cared about how much noise you make.” Sungjae argues before going back to kissing his partner.

Peniel shakes his head and San snickers before turning back to Changsub. 

“Projects it? Like you can read his face?”

“Oh no, he’s a great physical liar.” Changsub watches San’s confused face. “None of you boys would be able to best him I’m sure.”

“I’m confused. What other kind of lie is there?” 

“Well, you see, we are a pack. Packmates can feel certain things like where each other are, if someone is hurt or very happy, or if someone is lying - especially to another packmate.” 

“Well sure I know all that.” San’s confusion has only deepend and the pout in his voice makes even Peniel laugh. “But you’re a nu, Changsub hyung. How could you tell?”

“Ah, you’re smart, kid. But your knowledge was still slighted by indoctrination.” Changsub is enjoying San’s confusion immensely and clearly is not going to explain anything without a lot of pushing. Peniel notices this and sighs, deciding to have mercy on the curious teen. 

“San, nu can have pack bonds.”

“We can?” San is completely shocked by this piece of information. “But nu aren’t Primitive, we don’t have scents or primitive instincts, how can we bond?”

“That’s where the propaganda comes in.” Peniel starts and Changsub finally elects to explain. 

“You see, it’s easy for the government to say that nu have no primitive instincts. We have no scent, nor do we have the ability to smell primitive scents. We don’t have ruts or heats - making us more similar to betas in that regard - but we also don’t have the calming effect of betas. We don’t have an overpowering need to mate, but we still enjoy having a mate - spouse as you’re taught - and having their affection. Continuing our race is still an instinct, right?” 

“Right.” San nods slowly, taking in every one of Changsub’s words as if they are the most profound things he has ever heard. 

“Well, because we seem to be lacking in all of that, it was easy to make people believe that we lack everything - including the ability to bond. I believed it too when I was younger, before I met my packmates. When we decided to form Mayfly, to start working together to better the world, we decided to be a pack. I thought this just meant that Minhyuk, Peniel, and Sungjae would form a pack bond and us four nu would just be here as part of the family, but as we spent time together and got closer there were odd feelings we couldn’t quite explain. 

“Eunkwang thought we were experiencing bonds and wanted to make them stronger, so he had us all perform a pack bonding ceremony - like a big scenting party - and we were amazed to realize it worked. We had a seven way pack bond, not three way with four outliers. That was a truly amazing day.” Changsub’s eyes sparkle at the memory.

San stares at Changsub, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Changsub chuckles.

“So, back to the point at hand, Peniel is incredibly bad at hiding when he is lying. It’s almost like he projects it rather than blocking it from going out to us.”

“I think you just say you feel it so that I mess up and prove it.”

“No, it’s certainly a feeling.” Ilhoon pipes up from the couch, causing Peniel to glare at him. 

“Thank you for explaining that, hyung. I really had no idea nu could have pack bonds but that’s… that’s so exciting!” 

“Exciting?” 

“Yeah! I mean I’m happy here, right, but I was worried that Hongjoong hyung, Yunho, Chan hyung, Changbin, and Jisung would form a pack and kind of leave Mingi and I out. But maybe it won’t be like that at all, we can bond too!”

“You sure can kid.” Changsub reaches over and ruffles San’s hair, making him smile even wider. 

“Although, we're pretty sure Yunho and Changbin won't ever form a pack together.” Peniel comments offhandedly as he starts dealing another game. “Want in San?”

“Yeah, sure.” San agrees and cheerfully spends the rest of the afternoon playing poker - which he is considerably better at than foosball - with the two older men. 

Chapter Text

“Everyone out!” Peniel bellows, thundering over the chatter in the basement and startling some of the newer boys, who jump up in alarm before seeing the smarmy grin on Peniel’s face and relaxing. 

The others meet his words with whined questions and refusals. 

“What’s up?” Chan asks, not remembering ever being kicked out of the basement before. 

“Well, you see,” Eunkwang says as he walks down the stairs, followed by the other five oldest Mayfly members. “Sometimes we like having fun too, and heaven knows we need it right now.”

“Okay, but why do we have to leave?” Mingi asks with no argument in his voice, just curiosity.

“Because sometimes adults want fun without the kids around.” Minhyuk ruffles Mingi’s hair as he passes him and plops down on the couch. 

“Well, Chan’s an adult.” Jisung points out.

“I’m an adult too now, hyung.” Hongjoong offers gingerly, knowing from years of experience that adult fun time had always meant no kids in the basement and was actually curious if he counted as an adult now. 

“That’s true.” Eunkwang makes a show of thinking for a second. “Well, let’s define an adult as anyone born before 1985.” 

“Hey!” Sungjae protests and the room echoes with everyone’s laughter. 

“Ahhh, right, before 1990 I mean.” Eunkwang corrects, winking at his youngest packmate. 

“Everyone up. The old people ,” Yunho puts heavy emphasis on the term, “want some old person time. We can go play football in the street. It’s clear tonight, right Changsub?”

“Oh yeah, there won’t even be drone street sweeps for another week.” Changsub assures the younger boys and they all head upstairs, some already arguing about how to form teams. 

Peniel makes himself comfortable next to Minhyuk on the couch, cuddling up to his alpha as if they don’t sleep together every night. Sungjae and Changsub start a foosball match as Eunkwang and Hyunsik sit on the floor at a low table, Ilhoon passing around bottles of beer. They allow themselves to relax completely, something they don’t do often as their work requires constant vigilance, and enjoy each other’s company like it was before they took in an eleven year old Hongjoong. 

An hour passes with each man taking a turn at the foosball table, their playing being no quieter than the teenagers’. Changsub ends their little tournament victoriously, having beaten everyone - and Sungjae twice. Afterwards, they all end up in a relative circle on the couch or the floor, just sipping beers and talking. 

“So—” Minhyuk starts. 

“No, don’t ‘so’ at us, we wanted a carefree night.” Ilhoon whines then takes a swig of soju as if to show defiance. 

“I wasn’t bringing up business.” Minhyuk chuckles. “I wanted to ask how everyone’s doing.” 

“Oh.” Everyone chuckles at Ilhoon’s small voice. 

“I am your alpha, after all, and I feel like even though we live together I don’t get to talk to any of you enough. I think I know about how Hyunsik and Changsub are doing because we talk when they come for the weekends. So, Lavender Love, you want to start?”

“He’s your mate, you don’t know how he’s doing?” Changsub teases, but Minhyuk ignores him. Peniel just shrugs and looks around the room, knowing that Minhyuk meant for him to tell the others.

“I am good, a bit tired from all the extra fun over the last few months.”

“Yeah, making room for five new kids in the past year is a lot.” Hyunsik nods. “I’m glad Chan seems to be doing better though, when was his last breakdown?” 

“Well, he shut down a bit two weeks ago when Jisung’s heat started, I’m not actually too sure why.” Peniel looks up at Minhyuk, searching him for an answer.

“Chan is scared of his first heat. It hasn’t hit, and maybe it won’t, but he also still feels other things around heats. It’s hard on him. We should really treat him like an alpha when the omegas are in heat, keep him separated so it’s easier on him.”

“But Jisung finds so much comfort in Chan.” Sungjae is worried about the idea. “Would either of them accept that?” 

“I don’t know.” Minhyuk sighs. “But tonight isn’t about the boys, we’re supposed to be looking after each other. Back on topic.” 

“Right, sorry. Yeah it’s been tiring, especially having so much extra work when preparing for a raid. But I like the kids, they’re pretty self sufficient. I can’t imagine if we had tried taking in this many as early as we did Hongjoong.”

Everyone nods in agreement. Teenagers were difficult but dependable; raising this many children or preteens would have been a nightmare. 

“Alright, Peniel is content. Let us know if you start to feel worn down enough to need a break from your parental duties,” He gives him a playful nudge, “Someone will step in. Sungjae?” 

“Can’t complain.”

“Of course not, you don’t do anything.” Ilhoon pokes his partner, who huffs indignantly. 

“I work very hard at keeping the kids from killing each other, thank you very much. If you think it’s easy being the only beta in the house, you’re wrong. Besides, I’ve been helping Eunkwang with paperwork lately, which I have to do in the kitchen so I’m close by when they start yelling bloody-murder downstairs.” 

“Someone’s in the dog house tonight.” Changsub snickers and Eunkwang’s rolling laugh starts.

“He would never do that to me, he loves me too much.” Ilhoon is confident as he leans over and kisses Sungjae deeper than is prudent in front of an audience, everyone else pretending to be completely grossed out by their blatant PDA. 

“Okay, you’re forgiven.” Sungjae giggles after they break apart. “But really, it is getting hard to help keep the peace around here. I think splitting the kids into two packs soon may help out a bit, get the alphas to stop fighting for dominance.”

“Noted.” Minhyuk nods with theatrical seriousness, as if he was some public official taking suggestions and everyone starts laughing again. “Ilhoon?”

“I’m great, actually. Mingi gave me an idea and we’ve been working on a new formula for the patches. So far they seem to be just as strong as before and take half the resources to make! If this works we could produce enough to actually let the scented kids go into town once in a while.” 

“That’d be great, help with the cabin fever a bit.” Eunkwang is excited by the prospect of being able to give the others a chance to explore more than their dilapidated corner of the city. “Have you made any progress on the wristbands versus patches?”

“No, we can’t get the wristbands to extend enough. We tested one on Chan this week; we made it as strong as we could - you know he has the weakest scent - and he still set off the sensor.”

“Darn. Well if you can make the patches quicker and easier that’ll be good.” 

“We’ll keep working on it.” Ilhoon smiles at Changsub, who was sitting to his left - the direction Minhyuk had been calling them out - to go next. 

“I’m leaving the force to become a farmer.” Everyone stares at him for a moment before he breaks into a wide grin. “I’m just kidding! I was offered a promotion.”

“That’s awesome!” Echoes around the room along with laughter. 

“Kind of. I’d be making more and it’d be even easier to get my hands on plans, but it’d be harder to get out here as often as I do. Maybe even harder to communicate raid times to you, I’m not sure.”

They all think for a minute, everyone puzzling over the pros and cons of Changsub moving up in the police force. Finally, Eunkwang speaks up. 

“Will it be suspicious if you turn down a promotion?”

“Very.” 

“Then you had better take it. We can make anything work, we always do, and you can still text us urgent info on the shared phone, just be extra careful using that as well.” Changsub nods. “Everything else okay? Is your apartment still haunted?”

Changsub laughs. “Turns out it was just the pipes. They’ve been fixed, and it didn’t even cost me anything. I’m sleeping better now, so that’s very nice.”

“Good, you were quite the zombie there for a bit.” Minhyuk looks over to Hyunsik. “How about you, anything new?” 

“I am not sleeping well; I keep getting put on extra shifts.” Empathetic ‘aw’s and ‘oh no’s follow, and Hyunsik nods seriously as if he is truly in need of the support, but then can’t keep an excited grin off his face. “It’s actually nice working with some new people though, good change of scenery, new topics about which to chat. I even found another Ally - a woman named Park Chorong - in the morning shift. She’s in contact with another resistance group a city over and feeds them information as she can. She said she was actually trying to find me, wants me to teach her how to change tests! So I’ll be doing that, very carefully.”

“You have a reputation, Hyunsik.” 

“Apparently it’s only been successful in our city, so she was sent to find out how I do it. I was actually going to talk to you guys about something she said, but I’d rather do that after hearing from you two.” He nods at the two eldest, their alpha and their leader. 

“Alright, well I’ll go next.” Eunkwang pulls the attention to him. “I am extremely proud of everyone, all of you and all of the boys. We’re doing something incredible here, I love our family.”

“Hyung.” Peniel whines. “That’s not how you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m just happy that everything is going so well. How could I not be?” 

“You’re so boring.” Sungjae nags as everyone laughs again. “Always going on about how much you love us all.”

“Eunkwang hyung is getting old!” Ilhoon barely gets out through his cackling. “Can’t resist bragging about his grandkids all day.” Eunkwang shakes his head fondly at the teasing and nods to Minhyuk to finish up. 

“I am also boringly content.” Minhyuk shrugs at the jeers that come at him. “I have everything I could want right now. We have a good group of kids, a good system, the repairs in House 2 are finished, I’m very content right now. Oh, but one thing, there is a chance Yunho’s going to hit his rut soon, so everyone keep an eye out in case we need to separate him and San.” 

“What would the first sign be, for those of us that can’t smell that is.” More grins flash around the room at this reference to an old inside joke of theirs about nu lacking any sense of smell at all. 

“Watch out for him being more aggressive to Changbin, being the one to start the fights or being more touchy even with other people. He’ll also become more protective of both Mingi and San.” Everyone nods their understanding. 

“Alright, Hyunsik, what was it you wanted to say?” Eunkwang asks. Hyunsik sighs and gives his hyungs a sheepish smile.

“I know you’re content right now, but what if we added a few more kids?”

“Oh?” 

"A few ?"

“Yeah, Chorong said that this group of hers has a big compound and many kids they’ve saved since birth. Most of the teenagers have made very good bonds and formed packs, but there’s four that just don’t fit. She was wondering if we’d have room to take them in, at least for a while, and see if they get along with our boys.” 

“Four?” Minhyuk asks incredulously.

“Yeah, two eighteen year olds and two seventeen year olds.”

“That’s old enough that I’m sure Chorong’s pack has been serious in their efforts to help them fit in.”

“What are their dynamics?” Sungjae asks. 

“An alpha, a beta, and two omegas.” 

Everyone thinks for a minute before Minhyuk makes eye contact with Eunkwang. After a few moments of seemingly reading each other’s thoughts, Eunkwang sighs, a rueful grin overtaking his face.

“Who am I kidding, of course we’ll help them out.” 

Peniel grins, “Looks like our family is about to get bigger again!”

Chapter Text

“Four?!” 

“Where will they sleep?”

“We don’t have enough room.”

“A beta would be so nice.” 

“Kids, kids, one at a time.” Eunkwang quiets the flood of questions.

It was quite late (and the eldest in their group were quite drunk) by the end of their pack meeting, so they had waited until morning to tell the boys about the four planned additions to their resistance. Everyone had forgotten about their half-eaten breakfast the moment Eunkwang had told them there was an announcement. 

“Yes there are four, and yes it will get tight around here.”

“Hyung?” Chan raises his hand and Eunkwang laughs, nodding for him to continue. “Will we fix up another house for them?”

“That is an option.” Eunkwang nods. 

“But we don’t think we need that yet.” Minhyuk finishes. “If we fix up the basement in House 1, then Peniel and I can use it. It’d be nice to have our own space like that. That opens up a room upstairs. If we aren’t ready by the time we get the new boys we’ll just have to mix someone in with Mingi and San for a while.”

“And with Changsub being promoted and the fact that we only get here on weekends anyhow,” Hyunsik adds, “We will just start using the living room in House 2. That opens up our bedroom.”

Chan nods. “Sounds like a good plan. How will we split people? Are we going to wait till they get here to decide?”

“Not quite. We think it’s clear that Chan, Changbin, and Han will be forming a pack and so will the other four, would you agree?” Eunkwang gestures to the four he means as he talks. Everyone nods, by now the idea had been brought up with all of them. “With that in mind, we’re going to let Changbin move into House 2, into the downstairs bedroom. The new alpha will share his room.”

“I guess.” Changbin nods, not liking the idea of sharing a room again but clearly happy to be closer to his omegas. 

“Mingi and San, you are going to move into Changbin’s room. Hongjoong, Yunho, you two will switch rooms with Ilhoon and Sungjae. This is to keep alphas and omegas on separate floors. Alphas will not go upstairs during omega heats, is that understood?”

“Yes sir.” The three young alphas agree. 

“The other three, the beta and omegas, can pick where they want to stay; there will be an upstairs room in each house open for them however they want to arrange.” 

“Dang, someone still gets their own room?” Hongjoong chuckles, thinking back to when he and Yunho each had their own rooms until just over a year ago. 

“Lucky.” Changbin mumbles. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Chan playfully punches Changbin on the shoulder as he speaks. “Is there anything else, hyung?”

“No, that was the announcement. We,” he gestures to his pack, “will arrange to pick the boys up. It may take some time as Hyunsik will have to work through Chorong and she will have to relay info to and from her group.”

“You have a lot of work to do in the meantime.” Peniel says in a menacing tone before breaking into a smile. “There are two jobs that we can start on today. Ilhoon would like a couple of you to help him develop a good stock of scent blockers. The rest of you will start helping in the basement, if we have a lot of hands we can get it cleaned up and liveable quickly.”

“Can I help with the patches, Ilhoon hyung?” San asks. The boy, curious as he is, has been waiting for an opportunity to learn more about how the patches work.

“Sure!” Ilhoon smiles at San, and the younger returns it with a small cheer. “Mingi, will you keep helping me?” 

“Yeah!” Mingi nods excitedly. “You’re going to love this San, it’s such a cool process!” 

“Alright, looks like it’s the rest of you with us.” The kids groan, mostly in jest, and the older men laugh. “Finish your breakfasts and let’s get to work.”

“So, how do these work?” San asks after breakfast has been cleared up and they have turned the kitchen into a laboratory. 

“We coat one side in a solution that’s strong enough to hide the Primitive scents,” Mingi answers excitedly. 

“Yeah but how? What is the science?” 

Ilhoon laughs at his inquisitiveness. “We use a mixture of non-harmful chemicals that Hyunsik gets for us and some natural things like cinnamon, to neutralize the Primitive pheromones.”

“How does it work?”

“Well, it took a while to figure out. Did you know that you have pheromones?” 

“I do?” 

“Yep, all nu do. However, our pheromones are scent-less, diluted, and seemingly uncontrollable; we can’t increase them and decrease them like Primitives can. Or maybe we can, and we just don’t have a scent to make it noticeable? We should test that sometime.” The two boys nod excitedly as they cling to Ilhoon’s every word. Ilhoon is enjoying explaining things to his captivated audience and continues with gusto. 

“So anyhow, we have pheromones, and I wanted to know why ours don’t set off the alarms.” He holds up an active, untriggered, alarm for emphasis. “It seems like the scent is what it’s detecting.”

“But wouldn’t any natural scent, anything our noses smell, set them off then?” San looks puzzled. 

“Right, you’d think. So it’s the mixture of the two, a certain level of pheromones plus a distinct, misplaced scent.” 

“Misplaced?” Mingi asks this time, clearly he had never asked such in depth questions when helping Ilhoon but now finds it very interesting. 

“Yeah, I tested it once with Peniel. I had Eunkwang buy us a bunch of lavender scented stuff, plus some fresh lavender, and some vanilla stuff too. I had this kitchen smelling so much like Peniel that Minhyuk just about went insane.” All of them laugh. “The alarms were totally fine, so I had Peniel come in to see if they’d go off. They didn’t until he purposefully increased his scent as much as he could manage. We tested it another way, the next day, seeing how much of the natural scent had to be present to keep the sensors from going off, and it was a lot.”

“So, for example, would a bread-scented beta be safe in a bakery?” San asks. 

“Probably only if there was bread actively baking, and the right type of bread too.” 

“Interesting. So, an alarm set in a city street is calibrated to the scents in the street?” Ilhoon grins at San, loving how quick the kid is at understanding. 

“Exactly! And when an alpha, beta, or omega walks by, it takes in the spike in pheromones plus the unusual scent and that sets it off.” 

“Okay, so—” San starts but Ilhoon cuts him off.

“You're cute, kid. Let me explain this next part and then ask questions, okay?” San nods sheepishly. “So the mixture we use neutralizes scents. At first we had to make specific patches for each person that would specially counteract their scent, effectively neutralizing it. Now we have found a solution that neutralizes any scent by stripping certain… uh… atoms from the pheromones… yeah, Hyunsik is better at the real deep sciency stuff than I am. But the point is, most of a person’s pheromones flow freely through the patches, but on the way through they’re stripped of scent.”

“Basically, the pheromones get a bath as they go through the patches. Goes in smelly, comes out squeaky clean.” Mingi simplifies, smiling brightly as he succeeds at making Ilhoon and San erupt in laughter.

“Yeah, just like that.” Ilhoon pats Mingi on the back as he laughs. “Any more questions, Sannie?”

San looks up at Ilhoon in shock for a moment before speaking. “Hyung, you called me Sannie.” 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. I won’t, if you don’t want me to.”

“No, it’s just… no one’s called me Sannie since my mom was killed. My sister never even did.” He smiles softly at Ilhoon. “I like it.” 

Ilhoon’s worried expression melts into a warm smile as he ruffles San’s hair. “Alright well, Mingi-ya, Sannie, lecture time is over, let’s get making some patches.”

The basement requires a lot of fixing up, enough that everyone just stands there for a good minute after the lamps are lit waiting for someone to say ‘sike’ and move on. 

“When’s the last time someone was down here?” Changbin asks in disgust.

“We didn’t need the space; it was easier to leave it like this to help with the ruse when raids came through.” Minhyuk shrugs. “But now we need it so let’s get to work.”

Still, no one moves as everyone waits to be told where to start. The entire room is dank, damp, and covered in spider webs. There is also a good amount of ruined furniture laying around from whomever had owned the property before the Primitive scourge, none of which is salvageable. 

“Alright, let’s start by carrying everything upstairs. Nothing should stay here but lamps and floorboards.” Minhyuk says, walking over to a moldy couch and waiting for someone to grab the other side.

Sungjae shakes his head as he kicks at the floor. “No, I think the floorboards will have to go too.”

“You’re probably right, but let’s get them completely exposed first. Sungjae, Jisung, Hongjoong, you three start cleaning the walls while we clear the floor.” 

Everyone starts their unpleasant tasks, chatting and occasionally gagging as they work. 

“So, how does a beta-nu relationship work?” Jisung asks Sungjae as they collect buckets of water to wash the walls with. 

“Just like any other relationship.” Sungjae shrugs, but Jisung persists.

“No, because betas can’t mate with alphas and omegas, right? Not in that way. And nu can’t either, obviously. So is it just like a nu-nu relationship? Totally devoid of anything… primitive?” 

“Seems like it?” Sungjae doesn’t seem to have put much thought into it before. “Sure, we can’t feel each other’s emotions, but we still love each other. We still miss each other when apart, we long for the other’s presence, our love isn’t any less than an alpha-omega bond.”

“No, of course not!” Jisung balks, waving his hands defensively in front of him. “I know that! I just meant, well I didn’t know if there was something special you could do together. Nu can have pack bonds, right? So I just thought maybe there were other things we didn’t know about.” 

Sungjae laughs. “Nothing that we’ve figured out. But that’s alright, we don’t need any extra senses to help our love. And honestly, we’re happy not having to deal with ruts and heats.”

“How did you guys get together? Did you live together as a pack for a while or was it—” Hongjoong joins in with a question that Jisung cuts off. 

“If you say ‘love at first sight’ I may have to barf.” Jisung pretends to gag.

“Well… yeah. I think love at first sight is real.” Hongjoong pouts. 

“Ilhoon would say it was love at first sight.” Sungjae momentarily stops scrubbing the wall, pausing to smile vaguely into space as he drifts back in the memories. “I was pretty wary of the three nu that Peniel trusted when we met him. It took a few adventures for me to be comfortable around them, let alone realize how cute Ilhoon was.” 

“How long did it take then? Once you decided to form a pack?”

“A bit. Ilhoon was pretty open about his interest in me and I’m not really one to ignore attention, but we were both too young. It wasn’t anything more than two kids playing around. We met when I was… hmmm thirteen. We formed our pack when I was fourteen.”

“Oh, you guys were that young when you made your pack?” Jisung wasn’t usually very curious, in the year or so he’d been with Mayfly he’d never thought to ask how they formed their pack. 

“Yeah. Minhyuk hyung was eighteen when the two of us met on the streets. We decided to stick together - or more like Minhyuk hyung decided to take care of me - and then we met Peniel. He was friends with Eunkwang hyung, Changsub hyung, and Ilhoon, and we thought he was crazy for that. But they proved they were on our side, that they knew the propaganda was wrong, just like San. Anyhow, we were just friends at first, but started spending more and more time together. Of course, we lived together. I think we both finally caught onto the actual feelings we had around seventeen. Wow that was like… fourteen years ago.”

“That’s so cool.” Jisung sighs. “So even though you don’t have something like… mentally tying you together, you can’t see yourself ever getting tired of Ilhoon?”

“No, never. Did you know we’re legally married?” 

“No, how?” Jisung was surprised by this, he didn’t think legality would ever be possible nor important in their situations. Hongjoong looks smug when Jisung glances at him, and the younger of the two raises his eyebrows in question. 

“Changsub performed the ceremony and then filed the paperwork for us. Alright, so it might not be totally true or legal since I doubt a judge actually saw it, but it’s there, sitting in a folder. We didn’t need it, but having the certificate, the proof, just felt so good. Plus it was a beautiful ceremony.”

“I was twelve; I got to be the ring bearer.” Hongjoong braggs, puffing up proudly like it was the highlight of his life. 

Sungjae smiles fondly at him, then turns back to Jisung. “Ilhoon is my light, the center of my world. I may not have some ultra-instinctive draw to him, but I can’t imagine myself without him.”

Hongjoong immediately deflates back down like a wilting flower. “I hope to meet someone, someday, that I can say that about. Gender doesn’t matter to me, I wouldn’t care if they were an omega, or even another alpha, I just want true love like that.” He laments. 

“You’ll have it one day.” Sungjae smiles widely at both younger boys. “Now we’d better speed this up or we’ll be facing Minhyuk hyung’s wrath.” 

With another round of groans and sighs, the boys turn back to their grueling tasks. A faint sense of hope lingers in the air though, as everyone silently contemplates their own future loves.

Chapter Text

They clear out the basement and get it to a completely liveable state in just over a week. They really finished Thursday but had to wait for Hyunsik to be free that weekend to return with some paint for the final touches. The room switches only take a day and the group is ready to welcome in their four new additions. Planning to get the boys is harder as the means of communicating from one resistance cell to another is painstakingly slow. Changsub says that the best time to do any sort of meetup in the area they desire will be in two months, so that is what they are trying to shoot for.  

Life in Mayfly is normal while they wait for plans to be made. They help out with chores, play games, learn a bit from the older members of their group. San has become a favorite in the group in the months he has been there; everyone quickly expectant of his consolation hugs when they lose a game or make a fool of themselves. A few weeks earlier Yunho had started getting more and more visibly jealous with every hug San gave, every laugh that wasn't caused by him, every bright smile directed at another - especially another alpha. San notices and finds it cute, his Golden Retriever being possessive, until Yunho's rut hits right after they finish the basement and all hell breaks loose. Minhyuk has to separate Yunho from everyone when he tries to fight Hongjoong for hugging San and locks him in his room for him to ride it out. The separation is hard on San, who had long gotten used to snuggling up to his big friend whenever they were just chilling on the couch.

Due to this, San is extra clingy when Yunho's rut ends; something the alpha does not hate in the slightest. The two hardly separate for days, and the rest of the group is not surprised when they announce that they are dating. Their first kiss is in private, on a walk back to their old hangout, a quick peck stolen by a cheeky San to see how Yunho would react. The elder reacts well, picking up San with little effort and planting a much deeper kiss on his pretty lips. Long makeout and snuggle sessions in Hongjoong and Yunho's bedroom become common that week and Hongjoong starts avoiding the room at all cost. 

CW // First time, degradation, talking about said degradation after the fact

One day as they are cuddled in Yunho's bed, Yunho absent-mindedly playing with San's hair, San brings up something that had been on his mind. 

"Yunho-ah?" He looks up at Yunho as he gets his attention, the other looking down to meet his eyes which are full of curiosity and a hint of mischievousness.

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever thought of me? In like… that way?"

"What way?"

"You know, like… naked?” San’s cheeks turn a soft pink even though he seems totally confident in the question. 

Yunho stares wide eyed at San who giggles but waits for a response. Yunho’s ears go a deep red as he thinks, which is as much confirmation to San as his verbal response. 

"Well… yeah of course I have.”

San smiles cheekily. ““Have you ever thought about having sex?" 

“I had a full rut last week San, how else was I supposed to get through it?"

“I mean sex with me .” San pouts, causing Yunho to laugh lightly and kiss San on the top of his head.

“Sannie, you’re the only person I’ve imagined having sex with.”

“That can’t be true, you had ruts long before you met me.”

“It was… different.” Yunho shrugs. “Before it was just an idea, a concept, a faceless being if I was lucky. But now… well I’m sure some would say my imaginings of you are downright damning.”

San is fully blushing now and buries his face in Yunho’s chest as he giggles in a mix of pride and embarrassment. 

"Do you want to try?" San's voice is small but full of excited conviction. He looks up at Yunho with those eyes that the other just can’t say no to.

"Now?!" 

"Why not? A little reward for being a good boy during your rut?" Yunho shivvers at the term ‘good boy’ and San smirks. “You like that, don’t you?”

Yunho tries to ignore him, to be level headed. "What if Hongjoong comes in?" 

"He won't.” The way San says it, the surety in his voice, makes Yunho wonder if he had been planning this and warned Hongjoong to stay away.

San lets Yunho think for a minute, just laying his head back on his chest while he waits for the other to decide. He’s startled when Yunho’s large hand grips San’s chin, pulling his face up to place a long kiss on his lips. 

“I’d like that. But I have one rule.” 

“Name it.” 

“I will not knot you. If we go that far, that is.” 

“Who says I’m taking your dick?” 

That leaves Yunho completely stunned. He had never considered anything else, doesn’t know how to feel about that thought. San’s high pitched laugh rings through the room, making Yunho smile even in his shock. 

“You’re really cute when you’re surprised. I’m just kidding. I agree, no knots.”

“Okay, let’s try.” Yunho smiles softly at San, who’s excited grin makes his heart flutter. Yunho pulls San on top of him, kissing him again and again. 

San melts into the kisses, letting Yunho control their flow. Their intensity consistently increases and San pulls his shirt over his head, sitting up as he does so, allowing Yunho to take in his bare chest. Yunho marvels at San’s slim, fit figure for a few seconds before reaching up and gripping his small waist. 

“You’re stunning.” He says as he sits up and places gentle kisses on San’s lips, then jawline, neck, collar bone, chest, moving farther and farther down. When he reaches San’s abs he moves back up, this time nipping at the other’s taut skin, leaving the smallest of marks up San’s body. 

“Am I everything you imagined?” San asks breathily.

“So much more.” Yunho breathes against his neck.

“I want to see you.” San whispers as he shivers under Yunho’s teeth marking his collar bone.

Yunho pauses, biting his lip, then nods and lets San pull his shirt over his head. Yunho doesn’t meet San’s eyes as San takes in his soft features. 

“What’s wrong? Is my little puppy ashamed of being squishy?” San asks playfully, placing a hand on Yunho’s tummy and kneading it under his fingers.

Yunho practically squeaks. “I… no. But you’re so fit, I’m-”

“Perfect.” San cuts him off, placing a finger over Yunho’s lips. “You’re perfect.” 

Yunho smiles and pulls San into another kiss, this time with so much vigor that it startles both of them. Yunho let’s instinct take over as his hands run over San’s bare chest, abs, waist, and back, exploring his every cell while San’s hands do the same. They shudder under each other’s touch, whining into their kisses as their bodies take in all the new sensations. Yunho’s lips start wandering again, kissing and nipping at San’s neck. San loves the feeling and subconsciously lets his head drop back and to the side, exposing more skin for Yunho to mark. Yunho growls, a deep rumble resonating from his chest, and his nips become more aggressive, more possessive. 

“Yunho.” San gasps after a particularly deep mark. “I don’t heal like an omega.” 

Yunho nods, acknowledging the reminder that he can’t fully bite the other, and licks over the last mark slowly, eliciting a long sigh from San. Yunho chuckles at the reaction and moves back to San’s lips.

“But you do like your alpha biting you.” San giggles into the kiss that follows, the term ‘your alpha’ sounding like the most beautiful words he’d ever heard.

While their lips and tongues are occupied, Yunho takes his time to explore sans body with his large hands. Tracing and mapping every inch of exposed skin in hopes of leaving his scent on the nu’s body. His white musk scent taking on heavier notes of jasmine in his attempts to drown San in the scent. Soon Yunho’s hands make it to San’s waistband and he pauses, looking at San for permission. San nods and helps Yunho free him from his pants. Yunho then slides San off of him and stands up, pulling his own pants down. He goes to his dresser and pulls open the top drawer, pulling out a bottle of artificial slick and a condom. 

“Are you sure you want to keep going?” He asks San, who is laying on the bed watching him move around like he’s the most interesting thing in the world. 

“Yes.” Is all he says. Yunho can hear the waver in his voice, the excitement and anticipation only mostly masking the slight fear of the unknown of what’s to come. 

“Okay.” Yunho nods and pulls his boxers off, again not looking at San as he’s quickly overtaken by body insecurity. He does look up when San gasps, but San’s face is blank when he meets his eyes. “What is it?”

“Oh nothing.” San giggles, not wanting to admit that he had greatly underestimated Yunho’s girth. He removes his own briefs and Yunho can’t help the pleased, almost possessive, moan when he sees San’s full figure. San blushes but smiles at Yunho. “Come here.”

Yunho nods and walks back to his bed, pulling San so he is near the edge, gently spreading his legs. San tries to sit up, but Yunho shakes his head and pushes him back down, planting another round of kisses starting at his lips and making his way all the way down his inner thighs. San shudders uncontrollably, moaning as his hard member twinges painfully. Yunho continues peppering San with kisses and nips, leaving small bruises all over San’s torso, as he slicks his fingers and slowly slides one into San. 

San gasps, the new sensation startlingly pleasant. Yunho works him with one finger for a minute then adds a second, eliciting a small cry from San. He pauses, looking up at his boyfriend’s face to make sure he is okay with continuing. San smiles sheepishly, nods, and Yunho continues, working San open. Every sound San makes is a shot of pleasure to Yunho and he feels himself becoming impatient. He slides a third finger in and pauses again to let San adjust, watching his face as he whimpers. When San nods again he starts flexing his fingers, opening and closing to try and get San nice and loose. 

“Yuyu.” San moans, the new nickname in the low moan sounding so dirty that it makes Yunho blush. “That’s good.”

“Alright.” Yunho pulls out and wipes his fingers off on his discarded shirt. He rolls the condom on his dick and slicks it, also dripping some slick straight onto San’s hole, making him cry out in shock. “Sorry, it’s cold.” 

“Just… I want you, Yuyu.” San whines needily. 

Yunho lines up and takes a deep breath, pushing his alpha instincts down, not wanting to screw anything up. He pushes in slowly, his girth still quite a bit larger than his three fingers. San muffles a scream by biting his forearm, tears rolling down his cheeks. Yunho pulls out, scared that he hurt San too much.

“Are you okay baby? We can stop.”

“No!” San meets Yunho’s eyes, determination and a savage need clear in them.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You think your pathetic dick could hurt me? I doubt I’d even feel your puny little knot.” It would be harsh if San had enough energy for his voice to be anything more than breathy. Still the thought that he was anything but massive sends hot fire through Yunho’s whole being and he smiles before pushing in again, this time faster and fully to the bottom. San’s back arches in both pleasure and pain as he cries out, this time not even trying to muffle the sound. 

“Fuck Yuyu.” San whimpers. “Keep going.”

Yunho does, gripping San’s tiny waist as he starts a slow thrusting rhythm to get San used to the feeling before speeding up. San’s little squeaks and cries with every thrust are music to Yunho’s ears and he can feel himself coming close to finishing. He keeps his head on straight though, pulling out just when he feels his knot starting to swell. 

“No!” San whines, sitting up on his elbows and looking thoroughly offended that Yunho stopped. “Yuyu please, you feel so good.”

“I know baby, but I’m too close. No knots, remember?” He leans forward and kisses San on the lips again. He pulls back, marveling at how gorgeous San’s skin is when sweaty. 

San pouts and Yunho chuckles. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you finish.”

San raises an eyebrow as he watches Yunho pour some of the artificial slick into his hand. His eyes go wide when Yunho grabs his cock and he realizes what Yunho means. He tries to stay sitting up but his arms quickly give out as Yunho slowly strokes his length; the heat wrapped around it and the glide of Yunho’s hand sends sensations through San’s body that he had never imagined possible. 

“How’s that baby?” Yunho asks, his voice deep and thick with lust. San can’t answer with more than a shuddering cry as he comes right then, finishing in Yunho’s hand. The image of San orgasming under him is enough to let Yunho finish as well, and he moans as he drops onto San, the two sweaty and sticky but wholly euphoric. 

They both pant into the silence for a minute before San sighs and places a soft kiss on Yunho’s cheek. 

“That was. Amazing.” He giggles as all Yunho can offer in response is a tired nod. “Thank you, Yuyu.” 

“Mhm.” Yunho hums. 

The two lay there for a good fifteen minutes, Yunho falling asleep and San just marveling at what had occurred. San looks at the window and judges the time, it must be close to dinner. He shakes Yunho’s shoulder, running his other hand through his hair. 

“Yuyu, we need to get cleaned up.” 

“Just a few more minutes.” Yunho grumbles, nuzzling into San’s neck. San smiles fondly, running his hand through Yunho’s hair. 

“Yunho?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry for calling your dick pathetic. It’s anything but, I was so full, I didn’t know someone could be that big.”

Yunho rolls to his side, off of San, and starts running his hand slowly along San’s side while he thinks. 

“It’s okay Sannie. Honestly, that was so hot. You… degrading me… it sparked something. Like the alpha inside me wanted to prove you wrong.”

San chuckles. “Yeah, I felt that.” 

“Well I think I liked it. Don’t feel bad.”

“Good, I don’t know where it came from but I liked it too. Just know that whatever I say, you are perfect in every way.”

Yunho pushes himself up, dropping back down on San for one last deep kiss before standing. He smiles down at San, feeling proud and possessive as he sees the marks on his skin shining a beautiful red against the honey tone. 

“Thank you San.” 

“I love you, my big Golden Retriever.” San’s beaming smile is met by a shy small one from Yunho.

“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

“It’s going to be easy.” Eunkwang claps his hands together, a relaxed smile playing at his lips. The sound of excited chatter in the kitchen can be heard from where he stands in the main room, preparing to leave. The boys, having warmed up to the idea of new faces, had come up with the idea to try cooking a fitting welcome meal for their arrival. ‘Try’ being the operative word as the paltry kitchen barely contains the necessary fixtures needed for even the most simple dishes, and none of the boys are particularly skilled at cooking.  

“Watch what you say.” Minhyuk chides, but Eunkwang only smiles wider at him. 

“Sure, sure.” Eunkwang brushes off Minhyuk’s belief in jinxes and straightens up dramatically, taking on a pseudo-teacher persona. “Alright, one last time, make sure everyone’s heard the same plan. Ilhoon, Peniel, and I are meeting Changsub in 20 minutes a kilometer north of here, where he’ll be waiting with the SUV. He’ll walk back to a bus stop and head home while we head off down Highway 21 to get the boys. Peniel, where are we meeting the boys?”

Peniel rolls his eyes at being called on, but replies promptly. “Forty-three miles north following the old highway. We will meet them at the old rest stop there. That road is practically never used since the interstate went in. We should have it all to ourselves.”

“And how long do we have for the handoff?” Eunkwang asks Ilhoon.

“Technically we have a couple of hours, but we want it to be as fast as possible. Ten minutes max. Get there, introduce ourselves to the boys, load them in the car, and go.” 

“Good. We’ll come all the way back here in the SUV, being extra careful at entering the abandoned section with a car. If we’re worried about leaving tracks at all, we’ll leave the SUV farther out and walk the rest of the way. Changsub will come tomorrow to take the SUV back. Any questions?”

Everyone there glances around at the others. Shrugs and head shaking show that no one in the room, which includes those leaving plus Minhyuk, Sungjae, Hongjoong, and Chan, have any questions. 

“What time should you expect us back?” Ilhoon quizzes. 

“Ten-thirty at the latest. If you aren’t back by then, we signal Changsub.” Chan recites quickly. 

“Perfect.” Eunkwang checks his watch. “Alright, let’s get going, don’t want to start the whole thing off short on time.”

The group disperses slightly as they grab their stuff and prepare to leave. Minhyuk pulls Peniel over to him, taking him in a long kiss. “Drive safe, Lavender Love. Don’t let these dorks distract you from the road.” Peniel laughs and nods, pulling back and hefting a backpack off the floor and over his shoulder.

“I would never! A traffic accident is about the one thing that could go wrong. I got the important job.”

Ilhoon smirks but agrees. “It’ll be there and back, quick and easy,” he says as he shrugs into his jacket.

Sungjae laughs fondly. “Yes, I know how you are about time.” He steps up to Ilhoon, gently taking the jacket’s zipper and pulling it up for him, the two sharing a soft look. “I’m glad,” Sungjae whispers, “I want you back fast as you can.”

Ilhoon grins and nods, eyes glimmering as he leans down to kiss his mate. Just before he can, a ruckus of yelling suddenly erupts in the kitchen. Startled, Sungjae pulls away. “Oops, I better go corral that before they start a fire. I’ll kiss you when you get back, love you!” With a hurried wave, he runs into the kitchen.

Eunkwang slaps Ilhoon on the back, pulling his attention away from his missed kiss. “Ready to go?”

“Yep, I am. You, Peniel?”

“Let’s roll!”

The three walk out the front door, waving behind them, and head up the road. 

"What if they don't like us?" Felix asks softly, his head leaning on Minho's shoulder, Hyunjin's arm wrapped behind his back. Hyunjin squeezes his waist as he chuckles, though there is uncertainty in that sound too. 

"Who in their right mind could not like our Felix?" Hyunjin asks, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Felix's ear, brushing lightly across the mark on his neck, as he spreads a comforting level of lemon curd scent around his boyfriends.

"If they aren't in their right minds, we'll just leave. Make our own pack. We're old enough anyhow, we know how to hide." Minho says with a surety, pulling Felix's hand out of his lap and up to his lips, placing a light kiss on the back. “Anyone that doesn’t like our Brownie Bite doesn’t deserve our presence.”

Felix giggles at the gesture. "Seonghwa hyung, what do you think?" 

Seonghwa is quiet, not looking up to answer, barely projecting his voice enough for it to reach the three in the seat behind him. “I don’t care. No one but you three have ever liked me, won’t be surprised to keep that record.” 

“We do like you, Seonghwa.” Hyuna sighs from the front seat. “It just gets tiring to constantly be breaking up your fights.”

“Yeah whatever.” The gloomy boy mutters, continuing to stare at his hands. Minho laughs, his thyme basil scent resonating all through the car, making Felix sigh contentedly and bury his head farther into the crook of Minho’s neck.

“Seonghwa just doesn’t want to admit that he is excited.”

“Why would I be?”

“Maybe you’ll meet a nice alpha who wants to put up with your shit.” 

“Doubt it.” 

“Well, whatever the new kids think, I like you Seonghwa hyung.” Felix says brightly. They can’t see the twitch of a smile on Seonghwa’s lips, but they do smell the faint scent of cocoa beans and know that he is happy to be with them. 

“Are you kids excited?” Jessi asks from her place at the wheel. “Sounds like this group has a pretty good system from what Chorong says. I think you’ll do well there.” 

“I’m nervous.” Hyunjin admits, his lemon curd danish scent souring momentarily before it sweetens again. “But I am also excited. It’s confusing really.” He flops back against the van bench dramatically, his arm at an odd angle as it is still pinned behind Felix. 

There is silence in the car for a while, the only noise being the engine and the sound of road under wheels. Minho falls asleep, his nose buried in a sleeping Felix’s hair, a hand tightly holding one of Felix’s small ones. Hyunjin’s free hand rests on top of Minho and Felix’s intertwined fingers as he watches his boyfriends sleep, playing absentmindedly with the side of Felix’s shirt as his mind wanders until he too falls asleep.

Jessi smiles as she glances in the rearview mirror. She likes these boys, she really does. But damn have they given her a run for her money. She hopes this Mayfly resistance will be able to home them, give them exactly what they need, especially Seonghwa. That boy has seen too much in his life; no omega should be so aggressive simply because he feels he has to be to survive. His heart had become so closed off. Between picking fights with other omegas and trying to prove that he’s better than the alphas, he’s kept Jessi on her feet since the day she took him in.

“Noona?” Seonghwa mutters suddenly, and Jessi glances behind her, her heart aching at seeing Seonghwa’s usually cold eyes welling with tears. 

“What is it Hwa?” 

“I don’t want to mess things up for them,” he says in barely a whisper. His plump lips are downturned and Jessi can see that it’s taking a lot for him to let himself be this vulnerable. “They didn’t even need to move, but they wanted to stay with me. What if I screw everything up?”

“You won’t. I think a change of scenery, a new place with new people, will be good for you, all of you. But you have to let yourself open up. Don’t go picking fights trying to prove you’re different from other omegas. Everyone will see that, you don’t have to prove it. But it’s also okay to be an omega, Hwa, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Seonghwa nods and drops his gaze back to his hands in his lap, a tear falling onto them. 

“I’m going to miss you, Noona.” He says, almost too quiet for Jessi to hear. Jessi smiles sadly. 

“I’m going to miss you too, Seonghwa. You’ll have to try and write letters through Hyunsik and Chorong, alright?” 

“Alright.”

“Hey!” Hyuna pipes up from the passenger seat, startling Seonghwa. “Aren’t you going to miss me?”

Seonghwa chuckles. “Of course Noona. How would I not?” 

“That’s a good boy.” Hyuna smiles back at him before turning back to face the road. “We’re almost there.” 

Chapter Text

Peniel is on edge as he drives toward the meeting place; they had passed way more cars than he had hoped to on the old highway. They had even been passed by a regular police patrol. While nothing had happened, this wasn’t the bare road they had all hoped for, and that elevated all three of their heart rates. As Peniel turns the SUV into the rest area parking lot, he is relieved to see there is only one other car there. He stops a good distance away from the other SUV, waiting to see if they send the agreed upon signal. There's a moment of silence, and then the other vehicle flashes its headlights. Twice long, long break, four quick flashes. 

“That’s it.” Eunkwang nods and Peniel responds with their own code. One long flash, two quick, one long, one quick. Peniel pulls a little closer, still leaving a good twenty yards between the two vehicles, and parks as two women step out of the front seats. 

“Hello!” The driver calls loudly as Eunkwang, Peniel, and Ilhoon step out of their SUV. Eunkwang flinches and responds with a much quieter ‘hello’. The woman laughs and the two groups meet halfway between the vehicles. “Oh don’t be silly, there’s no one here to hear us. I’m Jessi, this is Hyuna.”

“Nice to meet you Jessi, Hyuna.” Eunkwang smiles, bowing respectfully at the two women. He can't help relaxing in the woman's boisterous presence, and she's right, despite the cars they had seen before, this area looks deserted. “I’m Eunkwang, this is Ilhoon, and Peniel.” He gestures at his companions, who greet the women themselves. 

“Two nu and an omega. We had bets on if you boys would be sending an alpha to try and show your strength or something.” Hyuna jokes and the attempt further loosens up the atmosphere.

“No, our alpha stays with the pack, we’ve got enough young ones to keep him busy. We’re plenty capable.”

“I like that, confidence in yourself is good.” Jessi grins, and gestures as she speaks. “I myself am an alpha, Hyuna as well, we’re in charge of running missions so—.” She shrugs, knowing she doesn’t need to explain herself to them. 

“Are the boys ready?” Ilhoon asks. He doesn’t want to be rude, but he’s antsy to stay on schedule. Hyuna looks to Jessi, who nods, and then goes back to their SUV, opening the side door and gesturing for the boys to step out. 

“Yeah yeah, we just wanted to get a feel of you first. You seem like good men. Chorong speaks very highly of Hyunsik.” 

“Well, he is probably the best of us.” Eunkwang chuckles. 

“I am glad you agreed to take the boys in. They’re good kids, just need a change of scenery. What you’re doing with Silverlight is good; we’d like to stay in touch, work together.”

“I think that’d be very good. The more Ally cells we can connect the better.” Eunkwang nods and then turns his attention to the boys as they walk over. “Hello! I’m Eunkwang, this is Peniel, and Ilhoon. Who do we have the pleasure of meeting?”

The four boys stand close together, although three are clearly more familiar with each other than the fourth. The smallest of the four clings to the tallest, hanging on his arm as if it were a lifeline, while also holding the hand of the second closest to him. The fourth boy stands staring at the ground, seemingly very disinterested in the world around him. The boy holding the smallest’s hand glances at the others and, seeing that none are going to speak, introduces them. “I’m Minho, this is my beta Hyunjin, my omega Felix, and our friend Seonghwa.”

“Mates?” Peniel asks in shock, especially at the double possessives Minho used. 

“Is there a problem with us being mated?” Minho asks defensively.

“No, of course not, we just hadn’t been told, hadn’t prepared rooms for mates but that won’t take long to adjust.” Peniel speaks quickly, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot. 

“It’s nice to meet you boys. Let’s—”

“Let’s get them in the SUV and go, we can talk on the drive.” Ilhoon interrupts Eunkwang, knowing how hard it will be to stop him if he gets started. He taps the watch on his wrist. “As nice as it would be to stand here and chat, I want to get home.” 

“Of course, of course. Is that all the stuff you have?” Eunkwang motions to the bags each boy carries. 

“This is it.” Minho nods. Peniel waves them to the SUV and the boys follow. Minho turns to look at the two women who smile with a sad fondness as they watch the boys. “Thank you Jessi noona, Hyuna noona.” 

“Aren’t you kids forgetting something?” Jessi asks, a hand on her hip as she stands waiting. Felix, the small boy who’d been named Minho’s omega, pouts and quickly rushes back to the woman, pulling Hyunjin and Minho along with him. They gather around Jessi, and Hyuna pulls Seonghwa over to form one big group hug. Tears escape Felix’s eyes and he sniffles from the center of the hug. 

“I’ll miss you, I’ll miss everyone.” 

“I know, but you’ll have your mates. You’ll be fine.” Jessi ruffles his hair then pushes them away. “Off you go.” 

The boys call goodbyes behind them as they head towards the SUV, Seonghwa lingering just long enough to receive a last encouraging smile before he goes. Then Peniel is helping them put their bags in the back and they wave to the women as they take their seats, arranging themselves just as they had been before: Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix huddled in the back and Seonghwa in the middle seat. 

“Well, it was good to meet you.” Eunkwang smiles at the women and offers a parting bow, which they return. He turns to head to the car, but pauses. “I can see you care about them, this must have been a hard decision for you.”

“We’ve raised Seonghwa since he was a pup, they’ve all been with us for a while. Felix was our most recent rescue two years ago.”

“We’ll take good care of them, I promise.” 

“We’ll do everything we can to keep them safe,” Ilhoon adds.

Jessi nods in appreciation and turns, she and Hyuna heading back to their SUV. 

“How are we on time?” Eunkwang asks Ilhoon as they turn. 

“You have about thirty seconds before I get annoyed.” Ilhoon half jokes and Eunkwang laughs, slapping his younger packmate on the shoulder as they reach the SUV. Eunkwang gets in the front passenger seat and Ilhoon in the middle seat next to Seonghwa. He gives the boy a welcoming grin, but Seonghwa just turns away nervously.

“Everyone settled in? Buckled up? We’ve got about an hour and a half drive.” Eunkwang turns to look at the boys as he talks. They all nod and Eunkwang smiles softly, seeing Felix already cozying down against Minho’s side. “Let’s go, Peniel.”

Peniel pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. It’s quiet for a bit as the rest area disappears behind them, but the silence doesn’t last long. Eunkwang is eager to get the boys talking, trying to learn more about who they are. His earnestness doesn’t earn him much success,  they’re not feeling very much like opening up yet, so he ends up doing most of the talking himself. He explains their setup, their purpose, and the various things they do. He talks about himself and his pack and all the other boys Mayfly has taken in.. After quite some time of this, Ilhoon turns to the three in the backseat and interrupts Eunkwang’s endless chatter.

“So, Minho, Felix, you said you’re mated?” 

“Yep!” Felix nods cheerily, but both Minho and Hyunjin tense up at the question, Hyunjin clenching his jaw for a moment before relaxing and tilting his head to gaze out the window as if disinterested. Ilhoon catches the strange move out of the corner of his eye, but chooses not to comment, instead focusing on Minho, who is eyeing him warily.

“Congrats! How long has it been?”

“Only about four months.” Minho answers cautiously, “What does it matter?”

“I’m just feeling curious is all. I’m afraid that happens to me on many occasions.” Ilhoon smiles, his honest, kind tone setting Minho at ease a bit, but he’s clearly still uncertain. “No judgment here, only some questions. Was it planned?” And the tension is back in Minho’s shoulders in an instant.

“Minho hyung was helping me out during my heat and we got a little carried away.” Felix explains casually, before Ilhoon can apologize. He’s so casual in fact, that Ilhoon honestly suspects that, for the omega, it really was that simple. But the way Hyunjin and Minho react is completely at odds with the carefree Felix, and Ilhoon hadn’t spent the last 9 or so years of his life raising high-strung teenagers not to pick up on it.

Even as Felix chatters, Ilhoon can see the way Hyunjin is now clenching and unclenching his fingers, still staring determinedly out the car window as if he’s been tasked with counting every single plant they pass by.

“I’m glad it happened,” Felix continues, “It’s nice. I’ve never regretted it. Minho hyung has always taken such good care of me.” He leans up and places a chaste kiss on Minho’s lips, letting his brownie scent spread to try and calm his protective alpha. 

This manages to pull a small smile out of Minho, but he’s still stiff and eyeing Ilhoon like he might be a threat. Before Ilhoon can offer more congratulations, Minho sits forward and insists “My Brownie Bite is amazing and I’ll always be glad he’s my mate too. I know I shouldn’t have rushed things like that, but as long as he’s happy I’m happy.” He sends a quick glance at Hyunjin, “And I’m so grateful he gets along with my Lemon Tree, I can’t imagine my life without either of them.”

He says all this in such a way as to dare Ilhoon to argue with him.

“I’m glad it worked out that way.” Ilhoon says, hoping Minho can hear how genuinely he means it.

It seems to work, as the alpha relaxes for real, finally turning back to his mates now that he’s sure Ilhoon isn’t going to say anything to hurt them. He smiles fondly at them and reaches across Felix to tickle Hyunjin, who immediately turns to him with a theatrical pout, playfully slapping his hands away. The distress he’d been hiding before seems to melt away under Minho’s affections.

Felix sighs happily. “Me too, I think things we’re meant to be like this.”

“Sometimes fate has plans other than what we may have initially expected.” Ilhoon agrees. “Minhyuk hyung and Peniel hyung didn’t plan it either.”

“Who needs a plan when you know it’s right? It happened when it felt right.” Peniel says from the front. 

“So, you’re double-bonded?” Ilhoon asks, watching Hyunjin as discreetly as he can. 

“What? No of course not, Hyunjin’s a beta, we can’t.” Minho looks startled, “But he’s just as important to me as Felix. We all need each other.”

“Yeah, but haven’t you heard of a Tri-”

“Shit.” Peniel curses from the front, cutting the conversation to a complete halt. “Everyone quiet.” 

“What is it?” Eunkwang asks, instantly serious as he looks around to see what alarmed Peniel. 

“We’re being pulled over.”

Chapter Text

A chill like ice water slams over every occupant of the car and every head besides Peniel’s turns to look through the back window. Sure enough, a police cruiser follows right there behind them and its lights are flashing. 

“ Dammit . What do we do?”

“All of you get scent blockers on, fast.” Eunkwang instructs stiffly, but Ilhoon shakes his head.

“It won’t work, hyung. There’ll be too many residual pheromones in the SUV, any sensor will still be set off.”

“Get them on anyway, just in case.” Ilhoon passes a handful of patches to each young Primitive, and they slap them on with trembling fingers. Although Felix is the only one who doesn’t even try to put on a stoic mask of bravery, none of the boys can really hide their widening eyes and sudden pallor. Eunkwang helps Peniel place his as he slowly guides the car to a stop, not wanting to start on the police’s bad side by making them wait any longer. 

“Hyung, they can’t come near.” Peniel keeps his voice calm while his heart is racing. 

“I know, I know, I’m thinking.” Eunkwang mutters, and he looks like he’d pop a vein if he were to think any harder. The boys in the back glance around like trapped rabbits, Seonghwa even looks to Ilhoon, instinctively pleading for reassurance.

“Ilhoon-nim, what can we do?” Seonghwa asks. 

“They can’t come near.” Ilhoon repeats, shaking his head before setting his jaw determinedly and opening his door. 

“Ilhoon?” Peniel asks, startled, but Ilhoon is already out of the car with his door shut again. 

“Shit. What the hell is he doing?” Eunkwang curses but doesn’t follow, he doesn’t want to get on a wanted list if he doesn’t have to. Ilhoon is a good orator; Eunkwang hopes he’ll be able to talk them out of this, whatever it is. 

Ilhoon walks carefully towards the police, both of whom have stepped out of their vehicle, holding his hands up and stopping when told. 

“Get back in your vehicle sir.” One of the officers tells him but he shakes his head.

“I’m so sorry, officer. I’m on a road trip and my companions don’t speak Korean. I thought it’d be easiest to talk to you out here, no need to shout across the car.” 

The officers glance at each other and the look they share sends a shiver down Ilhoon’s spine. Something isn’t right. 

“How can I help you officers? Why did you pull us over?”

One of the officers motions to the back of their SUV. “Your left brake light is out.”  

“Oh, is that so? I had no idea. Thank you for telling us. We’ll get it replaced in the next town.” Ilhoon bows slowly, almost exaggerating the show of appreciation. “Is there anything else?”

“I need to see a license and registration.” The second officer mutters quickly, too quickly, and starts towards the driver side of the car.

“I can grab it for you!” Ilhoon says, turning to go to Peniel’s window. He freezes when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees both cops go for their guns. He keeps his hands up but looks forward and curses under his breath as he sees another patrol car suddenly pull in front of the SUV. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t make such sudden movements, my bad.” But his voice is starting to shake as dreadful realization sinks into his gut. This is not just a traffic stop. 

In the car, Eunkwang is shaking his head, the same dread icing his bones. “This isn’t good.” 

“Yeah no shit.” Peniel mutters, knuckles white on the steering wheel.

“Eunkwang-nim, are we going to do something?” Minho asks, terror evident in the young man’s voice. 

Eunkwang looks in the side mirror and grits his teeth, watching as the cop grabs Ilhoon’s wrists and starts to handcuff him. He resists the urge to jump out of the car, knowing their only hope will be a fast getaway. Three officers jump out from the new cruiser in front as yet another pulls up behind them, four more heavily armored officers stepping out. Ilhoon starts to fight.

“Come on, guys, it’s just a tail light!” He pleads wildly, despite knowing the jig is long since up. 

“Stay still.” The officer now holding his restrained wrists warns. The cops in front are quickly approaching the SUV when Ilhoon snaps into action, knowing he only has moments to escape. He kicks back, connecting painfully with the officer’s shin, causing him to let go. He leaps away, roughly shouldering the officer who was closest to the SUV as he runs. The man stumbles, but doesn’t fall.

“Seonghwa, open his door.” Eunkwang’s voice is thin and controlled, Seonghwa looks at him in shock but Eunkwang is watching Ilhoon break free and rush toward the vehicle, there isn’t time. “Open it now!”  

Seonghwa listens, quickly moving to Ilhoon’s seat and throwing the door open. Ilhoon slides up beside them and is moving to jump in when the officer he had shoved catches up and half tackles him to the ground.  

“There won’t be any of that!” The officer’s words are drowned out by shocked yelling as he jabs a needle into Ilhoon’s neck. 

“No!” Seonghwa and Eunkwang cry in unison as they watch Ilhoon go limp. Eunkwang scrambles to get out of the car, but his numb hands fumble with the seatbelt and he can barely move. The officer lets Ilhoon drop to the ground as he draws a gun on Seonghwa, who’s frozen in the open door. 

“Everyone out of the vehicle!” 

There’s a breathless second where Eunkwang thinks they’re done for, before he’s suddenly flung against his seat, the tires under him screeching as Peniel floors the gas pedal without warning. They all lurch forward just as suddenly as they ram the corner of the cruiser in front of them, Seonghwa being thrown against the front seats with a pained gasp, but Peniel doesn’t stop, their SUV shoving past and hurtling down the road. Gunfire echoes around them, bullets puncturing metal and shattering glass as everyone screams and ducks. Seonghwa huddles on the floor and focuses on not sliding out the still open door. The open highway rises and falls before them and it only takes moments before the slight dip of a hill takes them out of the line of fire.

“Peniel, no! We can’t leave him! Peniel! Peniel, stop!” Eunkwang screams over all the gasping and crying from the back seat, turning to look as the scene behind him comes back into view at the crest of the hill. At Ilhoon, still lying on the ground.

“We can’t hyung. We can’t." Peniel's voice is just a broken rasp. "We have to get out, we have to get them out. We have to protect them.” 

“Peniel ” Eunkwang gasps, staring wide-eyed as electricity shoots through his every nerve at the words. Because he's right, oh gods he's right. They didn't have a choice. 

“We have to protect the pups.” Peniel whispers again, tears streaming down his face even as his eyes focus only on the road. Even if it means leaving one of my own pack behind.  

Chapter Text

Something happened.

Something’s wrong .

I’ve never felt my Lavender Love scared like this. 

“Hyung, I feel like— I feel like there’s an elephant sitting on my chest. It feels like something terrible happened. Something’s wrong with Ilhoon, I can feel it. Why can I feel it? Am I just nervous? It feels so real.” Minhyuk can barely hear Sungjae over the roaring in his own head. Some distant part of him wants to reassure him, wants to tell him it’s just a bad feeling. But he knows it isn’t. Five minutes ago, Peniel’s panic crashed into him like a wave, and it hasn’t abated yet. He is terrified. He doesn’t know how Sungjae can feel Ilhoon, they aren’t mated so that doesn’t make sense, but not a single bit of him can be spared in thinking about it right now. Sungjae’s feelings are just confirming his own. Something’s wrong . 

“Something must have gone wrong.” Minhyuk mutters the thought aloud. Sungjae and Chan, the only two in the card room with him, look at him with fear in their eyes, the nervous energy palpable between them. 

“Hyung… What do we do?” Chan asks, barely more than a whisper. He can’t feel the older pack’s bond, but their expressions tell him more than enough. He’s been quiet, nervously waiting these last few minutes since both Minhyuk and Sungjae had very suddenly dropped their poker hands and froze. 

Minhyuk sits perfectly still for a moment as he tries to clear his head of Peniel’s terror. “We hide. If they were caught, we could be in danger.”

“If they were caught then they are in danger!” Sungjae’s shout ends in a whine, his apple-ring scent rotting with his worry. Chan lets out a small whimper in response to the change. 

“What’s wrong?” Hongjoong asks as he appears in the doorway, drawn by the changing scents. “Why are your scents all rotting? What happened?” 

“Hongjoong, gather everyone in your house and have everyone grab their go bag. Meet in the front yard. Chan, you too.”

“Hyung, what-”

“Just do it, Hongjoong! No questions!” Minhyuk growls and the boy jumps, startled and scared. He turns and runs downstairs where he knows San and Mingi are playing, followed closely by Chan. 

“Sungjae. Sungjae.” Minhyuk gets him to look up but his eyes are still blank with fear. 

“Hyung, I can’t feel it anymore… Whatever I was feeling from Ilhoon…It’s gone.” 

Minhyuk refuses to even consider it. “We don’t know anything that’s happening right now. Right now, I need you to focus. Grab your stuff and as much food as you can. Get ready to leave.”

“I feel so… I’m so scared.”

“I am too, but we were left here to keep these boys safe. Eunkwang, Peniel, Ilhoon, they’ll do their job, we have to do ours.” Minhyuk pulls Sungjae into a quick hug, trying to comfort him the slightest bit. Sungjae takes a deep breath then pulls out of the hug and leaves the room.

Minhyuk goes upstairs to Eunkwang’s office where they keep their emergency phone, a line only to be used to signal Changsub and Hyunsik if something ever goes wrong. He powers it on and isn’t shocked to see messages already on the screen. They felt something through their pack bond too, though they had much less of an idea of what they were feeling than Sungjae and Minhyuk did. He sends a quick message in the code they had invented, a simple “Mayday. Hiding.” then powers off the phone again and pockets it. On his way outside he’s stopped by Yunho coming out of their house carrying two bags.

“I have your bag, hyung.” Yunho breathlessly pushes it into his elder’s hand.

“Thank you.” Minhyuk slings the bag over his shoulders and runs back to the central kitchen to help Sungjae with food. They work silently as they make sure their water packs are full and that they have several bags full of food before they leave the house. Sungjae’s hands shake wildly as he works but neither says anything about it. They find the boys standing silently in the yard, too fearful to even mutter amongst themselves. Minhyuk does a quick headcount, nodding once he confirms everyone is there. 

“I know you’re all scared right now, hopefully this is just an unnecessary precaution. We’re going to go to the second safe spot, not the one we use for waiting out raids. Follow me.”

“Minhyuk hyung what-”

“Something bad may have happened, but we have no idea what. Hopefully we’re wrong, but we need to play it safe.” Minhyuk doesn’t say anything more as he leads the group away from their homes. He may still call them kids, but everyone here is old enough not to buy false assurances. 

It takes them about half an hour to get to the rundown store they have as a backup hiding place. Minhyuk waves everyone through the door. “Everyone upstairs. I’m going to go back and—”

“Hyung, no!” Sungjae grabs the back of his jacket and suddenly Minhyuk is eighteen again, and Sungjae is thirteen and scared and begging him not to go. 

“Sungjae, listen.” Minhyuk places a hand on his maknae’s shoulder. “I’m going to hide out in one of the houses closer so I can see if they come home. If they do, someone has to know, right?” 

“And if it’s not them who shows up?”

“Then I’ll hide and escape when I can.” He stares into Sungjae’s eyes, willing the man to have courage he himself doesn’t even fully feel. Sungjae nods after a few seconds and Minhyuk turns, running away without looking back. 

It only takes Minhyuk fifteen minutes to get back, running the whole way. He carefully climbs the stairs of a house across the street and sits himself next to a street facing window. He sits on the floor, panting to catch his breath, waiting for his heart to slow and the pounding in his ears to stop. He can feel all of Peniel’s terror, confusion, panic, and sorrow flood over him as he takes the time to calm himself, and he can’t help the sobs that burst from him. He lets himself go for a moment, letting the feelings pour out of him, before forcing himself to straighten up. He composes himself, whipping his face with his shirt, and controls his breathing into a deep, steady rhythm. He focuses everything on calming down and then pushes that calmness through his bond as steadily as he can, hoping to bring Peniel some peace no matter what he’s going through right now. He meditates like this for a good five minutes before kneeling up and peeking out the window. 

He only has to wait another fifteen minutes before an SUV pulls up in front of the house. He waits with bated breath for the vehicle to stop and the first door to open, exposing Eunkwang, before jumping to his feet and running downstairs to meet them. He stops himself just before running outside, realizing that he didn’t wait long enough to see if someone was forcing Eunkwang to bring them here. He opens the building’s door just a crack, carefully watching for any unexpected person, but he is relieved to see just who he expects, minus one. 

He flings the door open and bolts down the street. “Peniel!” 

Peniel looks up in shock at the cry, not expecting it from that direction. His eyes land on Minhyuk and the alpha is pained to see them filled with tears. Peniel only takes a few steps forward to meet Minhyuk before he is there and Peniel is collapsing against his chest, Minhyuk catching him and holding him mostly upright as he sobs into his shirt.

“Hey hey, it’s alright. You’re home, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.” Minhyuk murmurs as he rubs circles into Peniel’s shaking back, placing a kiss on his head as tears spring to his own eyes at his omega’s pain. He glances around, sees Eunkwang on the ground slumped against the SUV, sees the four new faces sunken with shock and weariness, the smallest one crying against another’s shoulder. His heart sinks as he realizes why they are so shaken, realizes what he and Sungjae had been feeling, tries to fight accepting Ilhoon’s absence from the group. 

“What happened?” He chokes past a sob that wants to overwhelm him. Peniel continues crying, inconsolable, but Eunkwang answers, lifting his head from his hands. 

“We were surrounded. It was just one patrol at first, Ilhoon tried to talk us out of it but they knew. They knew.” He too starts to cry, unable to contain himself any longer. “They sedated him. We ran. We had to run, we had to get the boys out of there. There were so many cops.” Minhyuk’s stomach churns at the description even as it pools with relief that Ilhoon is still alive.

"I don't know why I did it, I don't know what made me. How could I leave him?" Peniel sobs into Minhyuk's chest.

"You were protecting pups." Minhyuk whispers through his own tears, knowing that Peniel’s instincts had taken charge and that he would never have left Ilhoon otherwise. He continues to hold Peniel; letting him cry, rubbing his back, trying to come up with something to say that would help his omega. The sound of crying owns the air for a few minutes, no one sure what to say or what to do. Finally Eunkwang wipes the tears from his eyes and stands, composing himself in a way only a true leader can. 

“Boys, this is Minhyuk. He is our pack alpha.” Minhyuk glances up at the boys as Eunkwang introduces them. “This is Minho, Felix, Hyunjin, and Seonghwa.” 

Minhyuk nods in greeting. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Are you all alright?”

“We’re fine, just… shaken.” Minho speaks for them, squeezing Felix’s arm comfortingly as he does. 

“Where is everyone?” Eunkwang asks Minhyuk. “Why did you come from over there?”

“We could feel that something was off. We warned Changsub and Hyunsik then left, everyone is waiting in the backup hideout. I came back to watch for you.”

“I see, that was a smart call. Let’s get the boys inside and then I’ll go retrieve them.”

“Hyung, is it safe? Should we leave-”

“We aren’t going to give them enough time to torture anything out of Ilhoon.” Eunkwang’s words are hard, final, the mention of torture making the others wince. Minhyuk nods, knowing exactly what Eunkwang means. They would be planning a rescue, and planning it fast. 

Eunkwang goes to the back of the SUV, opening it and having the boys grab their bags. He leads them inside and Minhyuk follows, slowly encouraging Peniel to walk with him. They go to the card room, Minhyuk sitting on the couch and pulling Peniel next to him as the omega continues to cry against his shoulder. The four boys sit around the card table and Eunkwang stands in the doorway, thinking. 

“Alright I’m going to go get the others. Minhyuk, can you see if Changsub can come out here? We’re going to need the floor plans and security protocols for wherever they take Ilhoon.”

“Sure.” Minhyuk nods, pulling the phone out of his pocket and powering it up. Eunkwang leaves and Minhyuk sends coded messages to Changsub, along with one to Hyunsik telling him what happened. Changsub says the police patrol’s head officer has already informed him of the arrest and told him exactly where Ilhoon will be held. Minhyuk has never been more thankful for their inside man, as Changsub promises to arrive within a few hours with all the information they need to plan a rescue.

It should be a huge relief, but it doesn’t feel like one. They had already known Changsub would be able to collect that insider knowledge; it didn’t change the fact that any plan they created was going to rely heavily on luck and there was no telling what would happen to Ilhoon in the meantime. 

Peniel falls asleep in the few minutes Minhyuk is texting, and the alpha repositions him so he’s laying with his head in Minhyuk’s lap. He looks up at the boys, all sitting silently and staring off, not a focused eye in the group. 

“Boys, there’s some couches and a foosball table downstairs if you want to go down. Or if you need food there’s stuff in the kitchen.”

The boys look at each other and collectively shake their heads. “We’ll just stay here, if that’s okay.” Minho speaks for them.

“Of course. Feel free to play cards; it’ll take about an hour for everyone else to arrive.”

They all nod and settle in to wait. No one touches the cards.

Sungjae sits on the dirty floor, bent forward with his head between his knees as he struggles to stay calm, unable to shake the feeling that something truly terrible has happened. Mingi sits next to him, rubbing his back slowly while Jisung sits on his other side doing his best to keep his candied almond scent worry-free and comforting. The rest of the boys are scattered around the room; Yunho and San snuggled together against the opposite wall while Chan, Changbin, and Hongjoong talk quietly among themselves. The sound of the front door opening causes them all to look up, every eye watching the doorway to see who would come through it. Eunkwang walks through the door and Sungjae climbs quickly to his feet, running over to the elder man and hugging him with a choked “Hyung.” 

Eunkwang embraces the younger, holding him tight, dreading what is coming next. Sungjae pulls away and looks him over, not at all liking the tear tracks he sees on Eunkwang’s face nor the absence of anyone behind him.

“Hyung, what happened?” Sungjae breathes, too scared to put any power into his words. 

“Sungjae, we need to get back quickly. Everyone up, head home.” There is rustling behind them as every boy obeys immediately but Sungjae doesn’t let up, dread and terror blending into anger as Eunkwang ignores his question.

“Eunkwang hyung, is everything okay?” 

“No. We need to—”

“What happened?!” Sungjae shouts, grabbing Eunkwang’s arms and shaking him once.

Eunkwang bites his lip anxiously, trying desperately to keep tears from springing into his eyes. He gulps and pulls his arms free, placing a hand on Sungjae’s shoulder and staring him straight in the eyes. 

“Hyung?” Sungjae whines, tears full of fear flowing freely down his face. 

“Sungjae, we were ambushed on the road.” There are horrified gasps around them but Sungjae stares frozen at Eunkwang. “Ilhoon tried to talk us out of it but it was no good. He was taken, Sungjae.” His voice breaks on the word ‘taken’ as his composure fails him. 

“Ambush? Taken?” Sungjae’s world spins and Eunkwang catches him as his knees give out. 

“Sungjae, focus, I know this is hard but we have to go home.”

“Taken? Taken?” Sungjae is stuck repeating himself, his breathing becoming short and quick as he begins to hyperventilate. 

“Sungjae please!” Eunkwang yells, the pain, fear, and uncertainty gripping his heart clear in his plea as he shakes the younger man in his arms, snapping Sungjae back to reality. “We will get him back. But we have to go now, we don’t have time to waste.” 

Sungjae nods, standing shakily. “Okay, okay yeah. Home. Get him back.” 

“That’s right. Let’s go.” Eunkwang leads them briskly out of the house, holding Sungjae’s arm for the whole walk home. 

Chapter Text

Hongjoong walks just behind Eunkwang and Sungjae, watching their backs as he tries to muddle through his own thoughts. The thought of Ilhoon—their fun loving mentor who plays pranks on everyone every chance he can—being held captive by the people that would see them all dead sends his mind running through terrible scenarios. He tries to stay calm, tries to convince himself that everything will be fine, but he can’t shake the fear that grips him. 

They walk in silence almost all the way back to the houses before anyone speaks. “Hongjoong hyung.” Hongjoong looks to his left where Yunho and San walk hand in hand, Yunho having called his name softly. “Don’t look so worried. They’ll get him back, of course they will.” 

“Yeah, I know. But what are they doing to him now?” Hongjoong mutters.

“Don’t think about stuff like that. We need to stay positive.” Yunho’s voice is not as confident as his words. Hongjoong just nods, facing forward again just in time to see Sungjae stumble and collapse.

“Sungjae!” Eunkwang yells in surprise. 

“Sungjae hyung!” The boys chorus, rushing forward, Hongjoong helping Eunkwang pull Sungjae back to his feet. 

“I’m so scared, hyung.” Sungjae mutters. “I think… I think Ilhoon is scared too. He must have— he must’ve woken up.” It hurts to see their hyung so clearly struggling with his confusion over the bond and the tide waves of his own terror.

“I know, I know.” Eunkwang tries to comfort his maknae. “He’ll be ok; we’re going to go get him as soon as we can, I promise.”

“Let’s get home, hyung.” Hongjoong encourages, holding Sungjae’s arm to help Eunkwang keep him stable and upright. It only takes them another five minutes to get home. Hongjoong thinks they may not have gotten Sungjae there if it were any farther. 

Hongjoong enters the house first, opening the door for Eunkwang to be able to easily pull Sungjae inside and straight up the stairs, probably going to his office to start planning. Hongjoong scrunches his nose at the new scents in the house, his instincts telling him to keep San and Mingi out of the house until he knows it’s safe. He shakes his head, that would be stupid, they aren’t in danger. He freezes then, eyes widening, as a hint of chocolate breaks through the more prevalent thyme basil of what he assumes is the new alpha. The chocolate scent is nice, not overly sweet, even a little dark, and Hongjoong’s protectiveness is suddenly overpowered by a surge of curiosity, a pull to find out who the scent belongs to. 

“They all smell so scared.” Jisung mutters as he follows Changbin through the door. 

“I’m sure it was terrifying.” Chan whispers then takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to steady his thoughts against the unfamiliar alpha pheromones. 

“You alright, Chan hyung?” Yunho, who is walking purposefully in front of San, asks worriedly. Chan nods, smiling softly at Yunho, and they continue to the kitchen.

Hongjoong follows but stops at the open door to the card room where the chocolate scent is emanating from. He looks into the room and sees Minhyuk standing from the couch, Peniel sitting up groggily from where he must have been asleep beside him. His eyes move to the four unfamiliar boys playing cards at the table and lock on the tall one with high cheekbones, large eyes, and full lips. 

The boy looks up at him, making brief eye contact before he looks down again, blushing while Hongjoong continues to stare—frozen in captivated awe. It’s like he’s seeing the night sky without light pollution for the first time, standing in an open field with the wind blowing around him and the crickets chirping softly in the distance. The real world falls away as the stars shine brightly down from the stretching expanse of the Milky Way, almost unreal, things he'd only see in pictures. Unobtainable beauty. Except it isn’t unobtainable, because it’s right in front of him, bestowing his eyes with its grace and letting him feast upon it simply by existing in the same timeline as him. He can tell with the surety of the sun that that’s the chocolate Primitive, the chocolate omega, and suddenly he’s forgetting how to breathe. 

“Hongjoong? Earth to Hongjoong.” 

Reality reasserts itself with a record-scratching screech.

“What?” Hongjoong looks up at Minhyuk who is now standing in front of him, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. 

“Mind letting me out of the room before you continue gawking at the new omega?” 

“What? Oh yeah.” He steps back out of the doorway, allowing Minhyuk and Peniel to leave the room and blushing belatedly as he realizes he’d basically just admitted to having been gawking.

“Thank you. Also, would you boys try and get the new kids settled? Let them pick their rooms and stuff.” Hongjoong nods and the elder heads upstairs. Hongjoong stands just outside and to the side of the door, feeling the heat on his face and pressing his back against the wall as his head spins. 

He’s beautiful.  

He’s perfect.

Introduce yourself, don’t make a fool of yourself.

He turns the corner again, this time walking in prepared and with purpose, blushing be damned. 

“Hi guys, I’m Hongjoong.”

“Yeah, we heard that.” One of the boys, whom Hongjoong thinks is the alpha, says casually as he places some cards on the table. Hongjoong is mildly taken aback until he sees the smile playing at the corner of the other’s lips. 

“I suppose you did.” He chuckles. “I’m happy to meet you all.” Eyes darting back to the chocolate omega.

“Sure you’re not just happy to meet Seonghwa hyung?” Another, one who is tall, thin, and boyish, asks. Hongjoong just stares slightly open mouthed at him as he and the alpha burst into laughter. 

“Guys, stop it.” The omega—Seonghwa? Was his name Seonghwa?—chastises quietly. His voice is as beautiful as his face, deep and smooth as his scent. Hongjoong’s brain short circuits momentarily. “I’m Seonghwa, this is Minho, his mate Felix, and their boyfriend Hyunjin.”

Hongjoong does not for a moment miss how single Seonghwa makes himself sound in that introduction. He smiles at each of the boys, even Minho and Hyunjin who are still snickering, before turning back to look at Seonghwa. 

“It really is nice to meet you all, even under these circumstances. I can introduce you to everyone and then show you the bedrooms.” 

“Alright.” Seonghwa nods and stands, the other boys following his lead. Hongjoong leads them to the kitchen where the other teens are sitting around, quietly waiting for instructions from Eunkwang.

“He looks like a pretty nice alpha, huh?” Hongjoong can hear Hyunjin muttering to Seonghwa as they walk. He nearly trips into the wall but manages to keep himself walking straight, hoping to preserve any dignity he may still have. 

He takes a deep breath when they arrive, determined to act normally and take charge. “Everyone, these are our new housemates. Seonghwa, Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin.” 

“You’re my new roommate huh?” Changbin asks, sizing up Minho. 

“I am?”

“You’re the alpha right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not staying anywhere without Felix.”

“Minho and Felix are mated.” Hongjoong provides, not wanting Changbin to get feisty with all the emotions running around. “We didn’t know that when we planned everything. I’m not entirely sure what we should do…”

“Do you have a room big enough for three?” Felix asks. “We’d really rather room together.”

“Three?”

“Yeah, Hyunjin is our boyfriend. You got a problem with that?” Minho is instantly defensive, spreading his scent enough that all alphas in the room instinctively start pushing back. 

“Hey hey, stop guys.” Jisung says from his seat at the table where he’s trying to keep Chan grounded. “Let’s just talk alright, none of us need a fight right now.” 

“Changbin, Yunho, don’t react, we know better.” Hongjoong looks both alphas in the eyes as he speaks and they nod, consciously controlling their scents. “Minho, first rule for us alphas. No fights indoors, and especially none around the omegas.” 

“I’m not here to fight.” Minho shrugs. “But I will make my point clear.”

“You don’t need your scent to do that. We can work out you three staying together, we don’t have a problem with that. I think it’s cool you’re all together. We just didn’t know and prepared differently, alright?” 

“It’s cool, it won’t kill us if we have to stay in a different room for a few nights.” Felix smiles sheepishly, looking between Minho and Hyunjin. “Right? They understand, they just weren’t prepared.”

“I guess.” Minho grumbles.

“Sure. But can Felix and I stay together? Maybe we can have some fun for a few nights without Minho.” Hyunjin winks at Felix who blushes deeply and slaps his arm. There are raised eyebrows and shocked looks throughout the room. “Oh come on, you can’t tell me no one here—”

“Hyunjin!” Minho stops him before he can finish, the other just laughing mischievously. “I’m sure everyone has their own fun.” 

“I-uh… Well we have two open rooms. We figured two of you would share and the other would have his own room, with Minho staying in Changbin’s room.” Hongjoong tries to continue as if he isn’t totally flustered.

“They can share.” Seonghwa laughs, a sound that Hongjoong realizes he wants to hear on repeat the rest of his life. “You don’t want to get in between them.”

“You sure you don’t, Hwa hyung? Could be fun.” 

“Oh would you shut up. Gods you’re even worse when you’re tired.” Hyunjin puckers his lips at Seonghwa, earning himself a light wack across the back of his head from Minho. He yelps and rubs his head, pouting dramatically. There is light laughter throughout the room and Hongjoong, despite his lungs having attempted an escape at the suggestion, is glad that something broke the tension. 

“Alright. Changbin, Jisung, how about you take Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix to their rooms. I’ll take Seonghwa over to his in our house.” 

“You have more than one house?” Seonghwa asks as Jisung stands, waving Hyunjin and Felix to follow him. 

“Well yeah, you don’t think we all fit in here do you?” Mingi asks, truly dumbfounded someone could think that. 

“I mean I guess not.” Seonghwa mutters. 

“Come on.” Hongjoong holds the back door open for Seonghwa and tries to smile normally when he follows him. They head to the right, but Seonghwa watches the others go left. Hongjoong notices and explains. “We call this the central house. Hyunsik hyung, Changsub hyung, Chan hyung, Changbin, and Jisung live over there in the house on the left. We live in the house on the right.” 

“Cool setup, I guess.” Seonghwa follows Hongjoong inside and watches as he moves around the dark entryway with memorized precision, lighting two oil lamps—one on the wall and one which he carries with him. 

“We don’t have electricity, this sector hasn’t had any in a long time.” Seonghwa nods; it’s not at all uncommon for Primitives to live without power. Hongjoong motions at the stairwell to the basement. “Minhyuk hyung and Peniel hyung have the basement to themselves. I share a room with Yunho, it’s down the hall there. Your room is upstairs.” 

They head upstairs as Hongjoong talks and he lights another lamp in the upstairs hallway. “That’s San and Mingi’s room. That’s… Sungjae hyung and Ilhoon hyung’s room. And this is your room.” Seonghwa frowns at Hongjoong’s pause.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Hongjoong is confused at the sudden and intense show of remorse. 

“I should have helped more.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I could have pulled him in. Fought. Anything. I just sat there.” Seonghwa turns his back to Hongjoong and wipes at a tear Hongjoong couldn’t see anyways. “I know he’s important to you all. I’m sorry you have to take us in when we did nothing to help.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. We all know the risk anytime they go out on a mission. Ilhoon hyung will be fine, they’ll get him back.” For some reason, standing in this hall with this unfamiliar omega, Hongjoong feels he can speak with all the confidence he had been missing on the walk home.

“They shouldn’t have to.” 

“We don’t blame you guys; we’re happy to have you here. Don’t beat yourself up, okay? I’m sure it was scary. I don’t think I could have done anything against a bunch of cops, either.” Seonghwa doesn’t respond and Hongjoong has the strongest urge to somehow make him feel better. He wants to make Seonghwa laugh again, but nothing funny comes to mind. 

“Why don’t you settle in? I’m going to run back and see if I can help with the planning at all. I’m sure you’re tired, but feel free to do whatever you want. I’ll be in the central house if you want to find me.” 

“Thank you, Hongjoong. Oh, I want to ask, how old are you?” 

“Eighteen till November, you?”

“I just turned nineteen a couple days ago.” 

“Well happy late birthday, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong smiles at him, perhaps a little softer than he intended, then turns, heading downstairs. He misses the way Seonghwa smiles at his back, a fondness for the short alpha already creeping into his heart. 

Chapter Text

“This is our room.” Changbin opens the door to his room, his strong citrus sage scent billowing out as he does. “Don’t touch my stuff, and don’t scent too much if you don’t plan on staying.”

“So hospitable.” Minho chuckles as he enters the room and looks around. 

“I’ll take you two upstairs.” Jisung says to Hyunjin and Felix, motioning them to follow. They hesitate, Hyunjin looking to Minho with an uncertainty he hadn’t shown earlier. 

“It’s alright, Jinnie. I’ll come upstairs as soon as I’ve unpacked.” Felix can feel Minho’s concern for their partner, which mirrors his own, as he speaks. Both of them have watched him turn from joking and dramatic to quiet and unsure on their short walk from house to house. 

“Come on, let’s settle in so we can nest.” Felix implores, pulling on Hyunjin’s arm. The beta seems to like the idea, and he nods, following the other two up the stairs. Jisung stops at the top of the stairs and waits for the others to hit the landing as well. 

“This is your room.” He gestures to a door on the right before turning to the left. “This is Chan hyung’s and mine.” 

“Thank you, Jisung...hyung?”

“I was born in 2000, September 14th.” Jisung is shocked by Felix’s laugh in response. “What’s so funny about that?”

“My birthday is September 15th, 2000.” Felix and Jisung grin at each other. “So I guess, thank you Jisung.” 

“Hey nut boy, are there more blankets anywhere? We want to nest and there’s not near enough in here.” Hyunjin, who had already been looking around their room, asks. Felix sighs at Hyunjin’s rudeness. 

“Be nice Hyunjin.” He scolds. Jisung glares at the taller boy before shrugging. “We don’t keep much more than is needed because it’s hard to hide a lot when we have to clear for raids. But this closet here,” he points to a closet between the two rooms, “has a few extras. They’re all gonna smell like almonds though, we only cleaned the ones on your beds.”

“Thanks.” Hyunjin pulls the closet door open and grimmaces. “No kidding, this might as well be your bedroom as much as it smells.”

“Look man, Chan hyung and I are the only omegas in the house and have been for like a year and a half. You can’t expect anything to be scentless.”

“You could have prepared more blankets.” Hyunjin grumbles as he closes the closet without pulling anything out and heads into his new room.

“Is he always like this?” Jisung asks Felix who smiles apologetically. 

“No, he’s a really sweet guy, we’re just all really tense from today. Thank you Jisung, really. We’ll settle in now.”

“Alright, let me know if you need anything. And you’re welcome to go back to the central house if you need any food or anything. Have a good night.” Jisung heads down the stairs, clearly not heading to bed yet. 

Felix heads into his room where Hyunjin is flopped dramatically on a bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Great first impression.”

“He smells too sweet, and like nuts. I don’t like it.” 

“I literally smell like brownies, how is he sweeter?” 

“I like brownies. I like you.” Hyunjin turns his head so he can pout at Felix. “You like me more than that nut head, right?” 

Felix raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “Hyunjin, we have known him for a total of twenty minutes, if that.”

“I just wish I knew how you felt.” Hyunjin mumbles. 

“Hyunjin, you know how much I love you.” 

“Do I?”

Felix crosses his arms, intending to meet him sass for sass. “I don’t know, do you?”

“I think I need a reminder.” Hyunjin’s pout turns mischievous, like a light being switched on as he opens his arms in a request for Felix to join him on the bed. 

“So needy today.” Felix chuckles. He puts his bag down on the vacant bed and pulls out a blanket, his favorite blanket since he was a child. He breathes in the mix of Hyunjin, Minho, and his own scents deeply, sighing in relief as the comforting smells and fabric help the tension in his shoulders ease. It had been a long, long day, and the encounter on the highway had been truly terrifying. He was ready to sleep for ages, but didn’t know if he would be able to. 

“Lix~” Hyunjin whines, making Felix smile softly over at him. He had adjusted his position on the bed so that Felix can easily slide into his arms and lay comfortably with him, which he does, becoming the little spoon. Hyunjin hums as he buries his nose in Felix’s hair, the other purring softly at the feeling. “Today was awful.” 

“Yeah, it kind of was.” Felix agrees quietly. “Were you scared?”

“Terrified.” Hyunjin whispers. Of course, Felix knows this, but he also knows it will help Hyunjin to be able to admit it to someone he trusts.

“Me too.” 

“Did you see that beta that they took upstairs as soon as they all got back?”

“Yeah, I think his name is Sungjae?” 

“He looked so… so distraught. I think he must be really close with Ilhoon.” Hyunjin slowly starts to shake, worrying Felix. 

“He did. They could be partners.” Hyunjin’s hand is resting on Felix’s stomach, and he moves his own down to cover it, gently rubbing his thumb across Hyunjin’s knuckles.

“Remember when Mark hyung was killed? How it destroyed Jackson hyung?” Hyunjin’s voice is becoming unstable, and Felix can feel his own emotions starting to take over. Felix only nods. “Sungjae almost looked like that, like he was… like he was as connected as they were. But Sungjae is a beta, Ilhoon a nu, how could they?”

“Love isn’t determined by bites, Hyunjin. I don’t love Minho hyung any more than you, not even with our bond. You know that.”

“But your bond holds you together! What holds us together? You two could ditch me and it wouldn’t hurt you, not like leaving each other would.” 

Felix flips over to face Hyunjin and grabs a fistful of his shirt, eyeing the wet tears rolling down his partner’s cheeks. “Jinnie, don’t say things like that.”

Before he can say more, both boys are startled by the sound of the door creaking open. They’re equally relieved to see Minho slipping in. 

“What’s going on guys?” Minho closes the door quickly behind him, hurrying to the bed with a worried frown marring his face. “I could smell your distress clear downstairs, not to mention feeling Felix’s sadness.”

“See, that. That right there.” Hyunjin’s voice catches on the words as he begins crying harder. “He wouldn’t know anything was wrong with me if-if he couldn’t smell my sour scent. But he knows when anything’s up with you.”

“Hyunjin, what are you talking about?”

“Hyunjin thinks we could just leave him whenever we want, because we can’t bond with him.” Felix shakes very lightly, along with his grip on Hyunjin’s shirt. “He thinks we don’t love him as much.”

“Oh Lemon, why would you start thinking that?” Minho rumbles very softly and climbs onto the bed, gently pushing them apart to slot himself in-between the others so that they can each cuddle into one of his sides. 

“I just… I- you’re bonded. If one of you got hurt it’d be terrible but… If I were to be hurt, killed-”

“It would devastate us.” Minho interrupts tersely, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Just like you’d be devastated if one of us were to be killed, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course! I love you.”

“Exactly, we love you too, Hyunjin!” Felix reaches across Minho’s chest to run his fingers through Hyunjin’s shoulder length hair, a determined look overtaking his features. “Nothing will ever take our love.”

“What brought this on?” Minho asks between peppering the top of Hyunjin’s head with light kisses. They wait for a few moments for Hyunjin to compose himself enough to speak again. 

“Seeing a beta that worked up over a nu in his pack being captured, even if they’re just close pack brothers, I didn’t know a beta could react like that and I… it scared me. I don’t want to be caught off guard by something like that, because I can’t bond with you and can’t feel you. I don’t want to ever lose you. I don’t want to be left…”

“We will never, ever , leave you Hyunjin. We are a pack, a partnership, inseparable. I love you just as much as I love Felix, there is no doubt in my mind that losing either one of you would have the exact same effect on me.” Minho’s speech sounds so sure, but Hyunjin’s mind is still drowning in his doubts.

“But it wouldn’t! You’d be sad and miss me but, you’d feel Felix’s absence, it’d hurt you deeper than losing me would. You’d get over me. You could leave me right now and get over it, but you couldn’t leave Felix without causing yourself pain.”

“What a stupid thing to say! How could you think it wouldn’t cause me pain!? Do you really think my love is that meaningless?” Minho is truly hurt by this, even though he understands that Hyunjin is simply exhausted and probably in shock. His tears join Hyunjin’s and the silent ones running down Felix’s face. “Hyunjin, if I could prove my love to you in any way, I would. If biting you right now would be enough, I’d do it.”

“That wouldn’t do anything.” Hyunjin whispers, sounding utterly defeated by the idea.

“I wish it would, baby, I really wish it would. I’m sorry it won’t, I’m sorry I don’t have a way to prove it to you.” He rests his forehead against Hyunjin’s, and for a few minutes the three just cry silently together. 

Minho runs his hands down both his partners’ backs, Felix rubs Hyunjin’s arm, and Hyunjin grips Minho’s shirt like a lifeline, each of them wishing if they could just hold each other close enough and wish for it hard enough, they could have the bonds they desperately wanted. 

“Felix, will you go downstairs and get my pillow, and the blanket?” Minho asks after a while. Felix nods, sitting up and wiping his eyes. After he leaves the room, Minho looks down at Hyunjin, pulling his chin up so that he has to meet his alpha’s eyes. 

“Hyunjin. I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to be the beta in a three way relationship with a mated couple, and I would never pretend to. I also know that right now you are tired, scared, and falling off an adrenaline high. Let’s sleep and talk more in the morning, okay?”

Hyunjin nods, burying his face again in Minho’s shirt as he continues to cry. 

“Oh baby, I’m here, okay? I love you and I always will.”

“Sleep with us, please. Don’t go down to that other room.”

“I thought you wanted to ‘have some fun for a few nights without Minho’?” Minho jokes lightly, unable to help himself, and Hyunjin hiccups a laugh, a smile spreading across his face almost involuntarily.

“No, no I want both of you, please.”

“Of course, whatever you want. I will never leave your side if you don’t want me to.” Minho pulls Hyunjin’s chin up again, this time to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Sit up for a moment.”

Hyunjin listens and Minho pulls off his practically soaked shirt just as Felix reenters the room, carrying the requested items plus two more blankets. 

“Where’d you get those?” Minho asks as he stands from the bed.

“I saw Chan as he was coming in, and he told me to take some from Hyunsik and Changsub’s room since they’re out. They’re both nu so they don’t smell.”

“Nice. Help me here.” He motions for Felix to take an end of the second bed and together they slide it directly next to the other, making it one large bed. “Much better. Alright, I’m laying here, you two can do whatever you want with the blankets and pillows.” 

Felix smiles as Minho plops onto the bed. Hyunjin smiles lightly through his tears and snuggles up to Minho’s bare chest, tracing the scar on his stomach out of absentminded habit.  

“Do what you want, Lix.” He says softly.

Felix joyfully piles the blankets on his partners, working quickly but purposefully to make the most comfortable nest he can for his partners before he fits himself into Minho’s other side. 

“Today was hard, and scary, and everything here is new and unfamiliar, but it will be okay, we’ll be okay.” Minho says quietly, squeezing both boys close to him and placing long kisses on the tops of their heads.

“I love you both, so so much.” Felix says, his voice extra deep in his exhaustion. 

“I love you too.” Hyunjin whispers, not able to project his voice any further. He is still scared, still worried, his mind is still running in circles, but he knows Felix isn’t lying and he is content enough to fall asleep here, with Minho’s chest as his pillow. 

Chapter Text

He is floating, his mind light and carefree as memories dance on the edges. Memories of his parents, his sister, his time as a child. They are fun, worry free, but something tugs at their corners like a hidden monster hungry to rip the happiness from them. The memories flow into his teen years and toward the first time he considered that Primitives weren’t really bad people — the time he was saved from drowning by an omega. He had been showing off to his older friends, Eunkwang and Changsub — they were years ahead of him in school but let him hang around them anyways — and had fallen from a bridge into the river where Peniel just happened to be fishing. Peniel had jumped in to save him, and his life had forever changed. They became friends, somehow, the four of them thick as thieves, and found themselves on many adventures together. But even as his friends bring light into his world, his memories with his family darken. He comes to realize his parents’ unwavering belief in the propaganda they are fed, utterly unable to see through the lies and superstitions. He shakes at the memory of his father hitting him for suggesting that ‘surely not all Primitives could be bad!’ as his mother laments that he couldn’t be a good kid like his sister.

The darkness increases as his friends graduate school and he is stuck wandering the system alone, only able to meet up with Eunkwang and Changsub when their university studies and his parents’ over-watchful gaze allow. The darkness engulfs him for one terrible year, deep and awful, before an angel steps into his life, instantly brightening every second of every day. Even if the angel was terrified of him at first. The dark fog over his memories lifts completely the first time Yook Sungjae smiles at him, the exact moment he decides to never go home again. He leaves, he follows that smile, and he never regrets it. The rest of his years are not easy, not in the slightest. Memories of running from cops, hiding in abandoned stores, breaking his arm after falling through unstable stairs, and sleeping in freezing rain rush through his mind. No matter how bad the memory is, it never darkens completely because Sungjae is in every one. Building Mayfly with his pack was long and hard but the memories are bright and hopeful. 

The memory of taking in Hongjoong is tinged with fear — none of them knew how to raise a kid — but is quickly replaced by love for the young boy. The next year and a half fly by in a blur of memories before the brightest one of all settles in front of his subconsciousness: the day he marries Sungjae. That day was the happiest of his life. He knows the legality of it is null, that most would say there’s no point in it, but that day he got to vow to his one true love that he would love, cherish, and take care of him till death do they part. The next six years of memories fly past him, all of them bright and exciting, all of them moments he wouldn’t give up for anything. Of course there are hard ones, like when they had to abandon a mission to save a kid when they were nearly caught. Or sad ones like when Chan, Changbin, and Jisung stepped through their doors, Chan looking like death warmed over, his first few months adjusting being hard for them all. But even so, none of them are memories he wants to forget.

The last memory is blurry, dark, covered in a cloud he can’t place. Was he scared? Why was it so dark? Where was Sungjae? What happened? He fights the floating feeling now, trying to reach through the memory and wipe away the fog covering it, but the longer he fights the heavier everything feels. Suddenly there is a prick in his neck and the memory fades, but not before suddenly sharpening into clarity.

Consciousness returns with a snap.

 “Leave us alone!” He shouts and attempts to leap to his feet before he even opens his eyes. He's jerked to an immediate stop and drops back with his head spinning. He can't move, he realizes, due partially to the heaviness of his own body and mostly to what he's now recognizing as restraints that must be tying him to a chair. He shakes his head, trying to clear the sedative-induced drowsiness, and opens his eyes slowly. 

The room is painfully bright, and it takes him several attempts to get his eyes open all the way. Once he does he first looks down to see what restrains him: thick shackles around his wrists, ankles, and one across his chest. He groans and looks around the room to see that it is bare, just four white walls and him in the middle with a door and a black window on one side. 

Did they get away? Did everyone escape? Did we fail? Oh my god did we get those boys killed? 

The last thing he remembers is being surrounded by police, throwing himself into the open car, but he hadn’t made it. He was grabbed from behind as he watched Seonghwa’s face twist in horror, and then there was a pinching-pain in his neck, and then there was a rushing fall to blackness. That was it, everything was dark from there. 

Where are they all? They still could have gotten away, right?

He jumps out of his thoughts as the door swings open and two people walk in, a man in a police uniform and a very important looking woman in a black suit. The woman pulls over a chair that he hadn’t been able to see and sits in it next to him as the man stands guard beside him. The woman watches him intently, staring into his eyes in silence for a long minute before he finally gets annoyed enough to speak. 

“Where am I?”

“I ask the questions here.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you do. Where am I?” 

“Such harsh language.” The woman makes a tsk-tsk sound and shakes her head. “I’m sure you can guess where you are.”

“A prison.” 

“Yes.”

“Why am I here?”

“Do you not remember?” 

“It was a traffic stop for a bad tail light. I don’t see why I’m being treated like this .” He pulls his hands up the slightest bit that he is allowed, shaking the chains to make his meaning obvious. 

“You fought an officer. Tried to flee his custody.”

“Why was an officer handcuffing me for a bad tail light?” 

“I think we both know it wasn’t about the tail light.” The woman’s tone is knowing and amused, like she knows he’s playing dumb and is enjoying it immensely. She looks at him the same way, like she’s willing to play whatever game he chooses, confident she’ll always win.

“Well you’re sure as hell going to have to clue me in then.” Ilhoon is dying to ask about the others’ whereabouts but knows he can’t let on anything about his companions first, not until she brings them up.

“There was a high level of Primitive pheromones coming from your vehicle, all three designations even.” Ilhoon raises his eyebrows, trying to look surprised by this information. She just gives him a look that says ‘that’s cute’. “Were you aware that you were traveling with Primitives?”

“No ma’am.” He tries to play it polite, see if that’ll win him any points.

“You told the officers they were your friends. I find it hard to believe you didn’t know.” 

“I find it hard to believe those officers’ sensors were correct.”

“Hmm.” The woman pretends to accept his answer before dramatically slapping her leg as if she had just recalled something. “I’m so sorry, where are my manners? I am Detective Ahn. What is your name?”

“Kim Hanbyul.” Ilhoon answers without missing a beat.

“That’s funny, my report shows that your fingerprints were matched to a Jung Ilhoon, a boy who went missing when he was fifteen. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”

Ilhoon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, this was going to be a very long process and not an easy one to talk himself out of. 

"Why did you ask my name if you think you already know it?”

“Courtesy, for one. To see if you would be honest, for another.”

“I was completely honest. My name is Kim Hanbyul, I’ve never heard the name Jung Ilhoon in my life. Sucks that a fifteen year old went missing though.”

“Yes it does. I don’t think you are being honest, Mr. Jung, as fingerprints don’t lie.” Detective Ahn’s demeanor completely changes suddenly, like a light was switched off. “Now, I can make your life a living hell, or you can start telling me the truth. Which will it be?” 

“Define ‘hell’?”

Sungjae sits on Eunkwang’s bed, shaking uncontrollably despite being held in Peniel’s strong arms. Peniel’s lavender vanilla scent fills the room, the omega doing his best to keep his scent clean and comforting despite being just as scared. Minhyuk’s sandalwood also permeates the room, but he’s too focussed on planning with Eunkwang to really focus on keeping his scent calming. Sungjae’s own apple ring scent is as rotten as can be, at times making Peniel’s eyes water when a particularly bad thought strikes his packmatee. The youngest appreciates Peniel’s comforting presence but it doesn’t stop his shaking or his mind from running through terrible scenario after terrible scenario of what Ilhoon may be going through. 

“They’ll find a way to get him, Sungjae. They will. He’s resilient, he’ll be okay for a bit.” Peniel whispers to him, not wanting to interrupt the two eldest’s discussion. He runs his fingers through Sungjae’s hair, letting the younger curl into his side and cry against his chest. He was glad he had gotten the time to let out his own tears against his alpha’s chest, but now Sungjae needed comforting the most and Peniel was the only one who could give it right now. 

“What will they do to him?” Sungjae asks quietly and Peniel’s heart aches. 

“Hopefully nothing.”

“He’s an Ally, they know that. The last Ally they caught was sentenced to death.” His breathing quickens as he chokes on renewed sobs. “They’ll kill him. They’ll kill him, and I won’t get to see him again. I didn’t even kiss him goodbye!” 

“Breathe, Sungjae, breathe. We won’t let that happen. Eunkwang hyung, Minhyuk hyung, Changsub hyung, they’ll save him. The last guy wasn’t executed for weeks, they’ll have time.”

“Where is Changsub anyhow?” Eunkwang asks, startling Peniel slightly as he wasn’t aware the others were listening. 

“I don’t know. I guess I should see if he sent anything.” Minhyuk turns on the emergency phone as he speaks. Sure enough there are several messages waiting for him. 

Changsub - 10:21 pm

-They took him to The Center.
-He’s being held in room 1109.

Changsub - 10:32 pm
-They’re going to interrogate him. News is spreading like wildfire, everyone knows an Ally was captured. 

Changsub - 10:48 pm
-I don’t think I’m making it guys, all the higher ups are staying to watch the interrogation. I need to play along.

-Going to watch.

-Leave your phone on.  

“They’re interrogating him. In the holding cells at The Center.” Minhyuk sighs. He is relieved, to a point, as that is not the maximum security prison on the coast that they had been worried about.

“Is that… is that good?” Sungjae asks, lifting his head slightly to look at Minhyuk, his eyes pleading for something concrete to give him hope. 

“It’s not the worst.” Minhyuk mutters, his mind racing as he paces in front of the table. “Yeah, yeah it could be worse.”

“Doesn’t Changsub hyung work there?” Peniel asks.

“He does. This could be good. We can do this.” Minhyuk’s scent becomes more pure the longer he thinks, the more hopeful he gets. “Don’t worry Sungjae, we can get him out for sure.”

“What are you thinking, Minhyuk?” Eunkwang is pouring over blueprints to The Center, having found and marked room 1109 after taking the phone and reading Changsub’s texts for himself. 

“We get the shift schedule from Changsub. Go in during the morning shift change, maybe there will be one before most people head to work so it won’t be too busy.’

“Ah, impersonate the guards?”

“Exactly. Get him out and run.”

“Wouldn’t someone question a guard moving him without permission?” 

“We’ll talk to Changsub about that. I think this will work.” Minhyuk takes the phone back and shoots Changsub a text.

You - 11:01

-Meet us at Eunkwang’s flat ASAP

-We have a plan.

Chapter Text

Changsub walks down the street, sipping what might be his tenth coffee in the last 24 hours. The sun is rising as he walks to work and his body is protesting the complete lack of rest it was given that night. He, Eunkwang, and Minhyuk had been up all night planning Ilhoon’s rescue. They may have had a few hours to sleep if Changsub hadn’t been determined to watch the entirety of Ilhoon’s first interrogation, but he couldn’t leave him there alone — even if he didn’t know he had a brother nearby. The three-hour interrogation was terribly, terribly, painful to watch, especially in a room full of jeering, nu policemen who thought it was funny to see another human being electrocuted for refusing to talk. Ilhoon had been strong, had withstood the electricity sent burning through his system, had stayed quiet through two beatings, had even kept his mouth resolutely shut as a gun was held to his head. His sarcasm never left him even as it seemed like his end was near because he knew they wouldn’t kill him until they had the information they wanted, and he knew he would never break. Changsub wasn’t sure at the time who was really in more pain, Ilhoon physically or himself emotionally at having to watch it, at having to pretend to enjoy it. 

With a shake of his head, he pushes these thoughts away and instead focuses on his part in today’s plan. Hopefully, Eunkwang and Minhyuk had long since snuck in through a side door of the building using a keycard he had obtained for them, one that was assigned to a first year guard so that it couldn’t be tracked back to him. Once in, they would have gone straight to the locker rooms to steal uniforms and then waited for the shift change so they could intercept the guards assigned to Ilhoon’s cell. They planned to knock them out and take their place. By now, if nothing had gone wrong, they should already be standing outside Ilhoon’s cell, waiting for the next step and convincing the guards watching from the CCTV control room that nothing was amiss.

The next step was Changsub’s, who needed to be in the control room and causing a distraction at exactly 6:12AM, at which time Minhyuk and Eunkwang would remove Ilhoon from his room. Changsub would give them as much unmonitored time as possible to grab Ilhoon and get moving, as the moment his absence was noticed the entire force would be put on high alert.

Changsub enters the building through the front entrance just like he always does, nodding and smiling at acquaintances as they badge in at 6:00AM.  

“You look like shit, Changsub. Didn’t you sleep?” A fellow commander asks him. He chuckles tiredly, playing up the long night. 

“I was too high on adrenaline after that interrogation, couldn’t catch a second of sleep.”

“You should have called out.” 

“No, I want to be here for everything. I want to be first on the scene when that idiot breaks.” The words sound exactly as they should, perfectly eager and excited, his poker face not showing an ounce of the anger he feels towards every man and woman in this facility. 

“Fair enough. Did you join the betting pool?” Changsub raises an eyebrow at the other, clearly not knowing what betting pool he was talking about. “You know, we’re all betting on how long it’ll take him to snap.”

Again, years of practice ensure he doesn’t reveal an ounce of the disgust that shoots through him.

“Oh, right. How much to go in?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Alright well, here’s ten on him lasting the day. He seems like a tough one, but no one is unbreakable.” He fishes his wallet out of his pocket and pulls out a bill to hand to the other. He gestures at the restroom, after replacing his wallet. “I’m going to stop here for a minute, lots of coffee this morning you know.”  

“See you later, Changsub.” 

He enters the restroom and sighs, glad to have had an excuse to break away. He checks his watch, 6:06. Six minutes to get to the CCTV control room. That was doable. He leaves the restroom and heads straight for the camera room, thankful when he is not interrupted along his way and reaches it with three minutes to spare. He takes a deep breath, steadying his racing heart and enters. 

“Good morning boys!” He greets jovially as he steps into the room. The guards in the room chuckle and bid him good morning as well. Part of Changsub’s job is making sure the guards are doing theirs, a fun little fact that made planning the rescue a lot easier. Trips to the camera room are not uncommon or questionable for him. 

“Changsub, you’re in awfully early, don’t you usually twiddle your thumbs at your desk for an hour in the morning before actually getting any work done?” The lead guard teases and Changsub laughs along with the others.  

“That is exactly what I do. Except this morning we have a fun prisoner that I wanted to check in on.” He walks over to the panel that shows Ilhoon sleeping in his room. His heart aches at the sight of his packmate sleeping on a hard flat bed, but he’s glad he was able to sleep at all. He also sees two guards at Ilhoon’s door and is incredibly relieved to recognise Eunkwang and Minhyuk. They had made it to the door. He casually checks his watch, 6:11. “Did he give the night crew any trouble?” 

“He’s been sound asleep all night. Would’ve fooled me for dead if he didn’t move in his sleep.” 

“Good for him, he’s going to nee— oh my god I’m so sorry!” The moment his watch shows the minute change he leans against the control board and makes a show of losing grip of his coffee, which he had left mostly full for this purpose. The control panel sparks and all the displays connected to it, including the six camera feeds from Ilhoon’s room and on his door, start to flicker in and out. 

“Changsub, you’re such a clutz. This is why we say no coffee in the control room!” The guard grumbles, trying to clean up the mess so he can start fixing the board. Changsub graciously ‘helps’ the cleanup, as in, gets in the way as much as possible to prolong the cleaning effort.   

“I am so sorry Chanyoung, I didn’t sleep last night and my hand just gave out. Oh gosh, how much is this going to cost to fix?” 

“Enough, I’m sure. Jeonwoo, get the feed on the backup display.”

“The backup display is already in use sir.” Jeonwoo answers, unsure what he should do. Changkyun huffs and shakes his head.

“Whatever, he’s sleeping anyhow, and he’s got on-site guards on him, so the CCTV is a redundancy. We can get it fixed in time to meet protocol. Did you see what you wanted to, Changsub? Maybe there’s a reason you don’t come up here first thing in the morning.”

“Yeah maybe you’re right. I’ll go twiddle my thumbs. Have a good day!”

“It’ll be less good now.” 

“Sorry!” Changsub calls as he leaves the room. He stands outside the door for a moment, taking in deep steadying breaths. That worked better than he thought it would; they might get Ilhoon all the way home before anyone noticed.  Now he just had to go about his day praying not to hear about the recapture of an ally along with the bonus capture of two others. 

The entry plan had gone more smoothly than they could have hoped. Minhyuk and Eunkwang had easily obtained uniforms and overpowered the two guards who they then impersonated at Ilhoon’s door. It was incredibly risky letting Minhyuk in the building. One wrong move, one tug by his clothes on a corner of a pheromone patch, and he’d have sensors going off like crazy. But luckily, the patches were holding fine and Mingi had helped to find the strongest ones so they would hopefully last him long enough to get out of the city. Minhyuk stands on the left of Ilhoon’s door, statuesque in his stillness. Eunkwang, standing on the other side of the door, is not so still. 

“Stop checking your watch so often. Count to one hundred before checking again until we’re like a minute away.” Minhyuk mutters just loud enough to be heard. Eunkwang nods and tries to still his racing heart. 

Their plan is a good one, get Ilhoon out and to a transport cruiser, make it seem like he’s being transferred to the high security prison on the coast—most wouldn’t be privy to Ilhoon’s orders and would let them by. Changsub had forged relocation orders just in case someone asked for them, but if the wrong person—like someone directly over Ilhoon’s case—caught them, then everything would go south. Everything could go south in just four minutes if Changsub isn’t able to properly distract those monitoring the cameras. Eunkwang is twitchy, wanting to check his watch constantly, but he has the presence of mind to never glance directly at the cameras trained on them.

“Two minutes.” He whispers as he swiftly checks his watch again. He tries to be positive, tries not to think of the million ways this could go wrong, but he is scared. He checks his watch right as it turns to 6:11 and nods at Minhyuk, who starts counting slow, equal seconds. The next sixty seconds feel like the longest minute of his life.

“Now.” Minhyuk says, pulling a keyring from his belt and going to unlock the door. Eunkwang doesn’t check his watch again as they enter Ilhoon’s room. They have no way of knowing if someone’s watching on the cameras, they just have to trust in Changsub.

Minhyuk pushes the door open and allows Eunkwang to go in first. He goes straight to Ilhoon’s still figure on the sad excuse for a bed. 

“Ilhoon?” Eunkwang asks as he hesitantly places a gentle hand on Ilhoon’s shoulder. The contact makes Ilhoon jump, turning defensive immediately. 

“Don’t touch me!” He yells, sitting up quickly and pressing himself against the wall. He stares defiantly into a frozen Eunkwang’s eyes for a good five seconds before the grogginess leaves his brain enough for him to realize who he’s looking at. “H-h-hyung?”

Ilhoon bursts into relieved tears and lunges for Eunkwang, ignoring the pain the sparks as he wraps his arms tightly around Eunkwang’s neck. “Hyung, hyung you’re here.”

“Shhh, shhh, yeah we’re here. Are you ready to go home?” Eunkwang tries to keep himself somewhat composed but a few tears escape his eyes.  

“Please.” Ilhoon nods and stands fully. He shakes slightly, and Eunkwang helps steady him. Eunkwang frowns at the bruising, cuts, and what seem to be burn marks on the younger’s face but doesn’t comment. Ilhoon looks around the room and smiles lightly as he sees Minhyuk keeping an eye on the door. “Hi hyung. What’s the plan?”

“We’re taking you out of here like a prisoner, like we’re transferring you. Hopefully no one questions us.” Minhyuk answers as he quickly walks to Ilhoon and gives him a tight hug. He pulls back quickly, grimacing an apology as Ilhoon groans at the contact to his bruises. “We’re going to cuff you, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever we need to do.” Ilhoon is in mission mode, having quickly cleared his tears and promptly ignoring the soreness that resonates through his body. Eunkwang pulls long chained cuffs from his belt and wraps each end around Ilhoon’s ankles while Minhyuk cuffs his hands. 

“Let’s go. Pretend like we are guards taking you to the coast prison.” Ilhoon nods. 

The three leave the room, turning left down the corridor. They follow the route Minhyuk had memorized only a few hours earlier, out of the temporary incarceration sector, towards the back of the building where transports are parked. The place is mostly empty other than a few patrols or officers going about their work day. No one questions them until they reach the door to the transports. The guard in charge of keys raises an eyebrow at them as they stop in front of his desk.

“I don’t have a transfer on the books today.”

“It was just ordered, they want to finish his interrogation there.” Eunkwang speaks with an impressive confidence and surety. Not the kind of confidence that would be seen as arrogance, just enough that he would easily be believed. He pulls the forged order out of his chest pocket and hands it to the guard who reads it carefully. 

“I love it when the higher ups think protocol doesn’t apply to them.” He grumbles.

“You and me both.” Minhyuk nods sympathetically. 

“Well, here you go. License matches the key number.” He hands Eunkwang a key and they turn to leave, thanking him as they do. “Oh wait, I need to take down your badge numbers.”

“Oh right, how could we forget.” Eunkwang laughs, hoping to high heaven that all he does is write them down. He unclips his badge—stolen along with his uniform—and shows it to the guard who, much to their dismay, plugs the number into his computer. 

“Thank you Mr. Hwang… wait you’re not—”

“Run!” Minhyuk commands, sweeping Ilhoon (whom he knows cannot do more than shuffle with his legs bound) into his arms and rushing to the door. Eunkwang follows as the guard shouts and triggers an alarm. 

Eunkwang sets the car alarm off from the key fob, and they rush towards the vehicle. Even carrying Ilhoon, Minhyuk runs faster than Eunkwang and is able to open the backseat and drop Ilhoon into it before Eunkwang even reaches it. 

“Come on!” Minhyuk shouts to him as he throws the front door open, Eunkwang fumbling with the other door.

Finally, Eunkwang is able to pull his door open just as a full patrol of guards come tumbling out of the building behind them, shouting with guns raised.

“Give me the keys!” Minhyuk yells and Eunkwang tosses them to him.

Eunkwang steps into the car, but before he can sit down the sound of several gunshots explode in the air and glass shatters around them.

Eunkwang’s world turns a blinding white with hot pain, a pain unlike he’d ever felt ripping through his body. He drops limply into the car, and Minhyuk doesn’t wait for the door to close before gunning the engine and spinning the car out into the road. 

Chapter Text

“Eunkwang, you good?” Minhyuk glances away from the city roads he’s currently gunning down, sucking in a sharp breath when he sees that Eunkwang, slumped in the passenger seat, is definitely not good. “Eunkwang! You’re shot!”

“I’m…” Eunkwang tries to speak but cuts himself off with a groan as he shifts more into his seat, jostling the injured shoulder that’s started bleeding profusely. At least he got the door closed behind him, but the shattered window isn’t going to be helping them blend in anytime soon.

“Shit. Shit shit shit… Ilhoon here.” Minhyuk digs the key to the handcuffs out of his pocket and throws it back to Ilhoon who takes it and struggles for a few moments to free himself. “Ilhoon you’ve got to stop the bleeding.” 

Ilhoon silently climbs into the small space between the front seats, setting himself in a position that is not at all comfortable, especially not with his own injuries hindering movement, but allows him to put a good amount of pressure on Eunkwang’s shoulder. He’s not nearly as strong as he had been, the night before having taken a toll on his body, but the pressure is enough and causes Eunkwang to cry out as tears stream down his face. 

“I’m sorry hyung.” 

Eunkwang just grits his teeth, trying to breathe steadily. Minhyuk pulls the phone, which they had left powered on, out of his pocket and holds the speed dial for Hyunsik. There is only one ring before the call is answered.

“Minhyuk is—”

“Eunkwang got shot! Shoulder, he’s bleeding a lot.”

“Fuck. Can you bring him to me?” 

“They’ll search hospitals. I don’t see anyone behind us but we’re in a police transport, they’ll know where we are.” 

“We’ll have to risk it. Bring him to the back entrance, you know the—”

“Yeah I know I know. We’ll be there in… two minutes.” Minhyuk hangs up the phone and focuses on the road. 

“I’m sorry.” Eunkwang surprises both of them.

“It’s not your fault you got shot.” Minhyuk grumbles. 

“No, Ilhoon, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry we left you.” Minhyuk frowns, glancing over to watch Ilhoon’s face for a moment. 

“It’s okay hyung, you had no choice. It was the right thing to do. I’m okay, you came for me, that’s all that matters.”

“I didn’t want to leave you.”

“I know. But I’m glad you did, I’m glad you got those boys to safety.” 

“We’re almost there, I see Hyunsik. We can’t stop long, Ilhoon get ready to jump out as soon as I stop.” 

Ilhoon nods, watching Hyunsik grow quickly closer and wiggling back into the backseat just as Minhyuk stops. Hyunsik throws Eunkwang’s door open and pulls him out, the elder struggling to muffle a scream. Ilhoon jumps out and closes his door just before Hyunsik closes the front and Minhyuk drives off, not saying a parting word to any of them. 

“Ilhoon help me— oh shit your legs.”

“I have the key, my pocket.” Eunkwang pants. Hyunsik searches his pockets and pulls the key out, giving it to Ilhoon who quickly uncuffs his ankles. 

“Help me get him inside. Chorong is preparing an unused storage room.” Ilhoon nods and helps Hyunsik stabilize Eunkwang as they walk into the hospital. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too hyung.” 

Changsub sits at his desk, actually twiddling his thumbs as he tries to keep himself from panicking. It’s only been five minutes, they couldn’t be out yet, he shouldn’t expect an all clear text from Minhyuk for at least half an hour. As long as there’s no alarms he shouldn’t overthink anything. 

Changsub’s heart stops not two minutes later as an alarm blares through the building. He sits frozen, listening to the description of events being called over the radios. They were made, someone was shot, but they drove off. His head spins. Someone was shot. 

“Commander Lee, are you going to respond?” He barely hears the question from the same coworker he’d talked to that morning.. “Commander Lee?”

“Sorry, I… I’m really not feeling well. I might not be able to properly — ”

The man grimaces, containing annoyance. “Go home Commander. We’ll handle this.” 

Changsub nods numbly. Home, yes, he needs to go. He needs to be able to help. But how can he help if he doesn’t monitor the situation? Suddenly his phone goes off, two messages coming in. 

Hyunsik - 6:20 am

Eunkwang shot. Coming to me. Need a way to get them home.

He takes a deep breath. A hospital would not in any possible way be a safe place to treat the GSW, hospitals would all be searched looking for that exact injury. But maybe it’d be okay. If they were fast, and stayed hidden. He could go home, grab his car, and pick up Eunkwang when Hyunsik was done fixing him up. Yeah, that’d work. Just need to be lucky.

Changsub - 6:21 am

I’ll pick him up. Tell me when. 

Minhyuk knows the car has a tracker and has no idea where it is. He can’t stay in it long, he can hear sirens from what feels like all directions. As he drives he tries to think of the best place to leave the car.  Avoiding streets with packed traffic is taking all his concentration, although the early hour at least is in his favor. Still, the busted window draws attention and his heart races at every person he passes, convinced they are all reporting his location. He knows there’s another hospital just across town, maybe getting there would trick the police into not searching Hyunsik’s. He doesn’t make it there before seeing a cruiser and panicking. He pulls into an alley only about three miles from Hyunsik’s hospital and leaves the car running as he sprints down the alley and turns into another. He’d get as far away as he could before trying to blend into society. He still couldn’t smell himself which meant the patches were holding, but he didn’t know how long they would, not with the way he was sweating and running. 

Thirty minutes of zigzagging through alleyways and he finally receives a call from Hyunsik. 

“In here.” Hyunsik directs and they pull Eunkwang into a dimly lit room off of an equally dim hallway. “We’re lucky this hallway has been clear for a while.”

“Lay him here.” Chorong, the doctor who had helped orchestrate their pickup of the four boys, gestures at the table she had prepared. “Thank god it’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad?!” Ilhoon asks in disbelief. 

“It could be a lot worse. Guard the door, if you can.” Hyunsik says, eyeing Ilhoon’s injuries even as he swiftly cuts away Eunkwang’s shirt, exposing the front of his body. “What’d ya go getting yourself shot for hyung?”

Eunkwang chuckles lightly through the fog that is taking over his brain. 

“This is for your pain.” Chorong says as she injects morphine into Eunkwang’s arm. “It’s not much, but it should make this bearable.” 

“Were you able to get any extra?” Hyunsik asks, knowing that that small of a dose wouldn’t do much. 

“No, I had a hard enough time sneaking one dose.” 

“Alright. Thankfully, the bullet went clean through.” He pulls an overhead light close to them, trying to illuminate only what they need to, and they get to work.

Ilhoon is grateful they had gotten the morphine, but Eunkwang’s silence as they work scares him and tears of worry flow unimpeded. 

“Hyung is he…” He asks after about five minutes, unable to stop worrying that Eunkwang’s silence isn’t just because of the drugs. 

“He passed out, but he’s okay, I promise.” Hyunsik’s voice is sure as he gives Ilhoon a small, comforting smile. Ilhoon nods and glances out into the hall, glad to see it still empty.

The next twenty or so minutes are agonizing for Ilhoon, who jumps at every sound and sees shadows on the walls. He quickly starts to feel the repercussions of his torture the night prior and the lack of food over the last twelve hours. He’s not sure when he passes out and is shocked to wake up and see the room from the floor, Chorong’s concerned face looking down at him.

“There we go. Are you alright Ilhoon?” She helps him sit up. 

“I don’t feel great.” He admits sheepishly.

“I don’t expect so, Hyunsik told me what happened. What do you need?”

“Nothing, just help Eunkwang.” 

“We’re done, he’s stable.” Hyunsik says as he walks over to them. “He’s not out of the woods, and I hate to take him home but he can’t stay here. Changsub’s going to take you home, and I’ll check in after my shift. I have tomorrow off.” 

“Okay.” Ilhoon’s head spins as he nods. 

“What can I get you Ilhoon? Were you fed?” Ilhoon smiles at Chorong’s kindness.

“No, I think food would help.” 

“Let’s look at these bruises too. Think you have any fractures?” Hyunsik starts prodding him as Chorong leaves the room, saying she’ll be back quickly with something. 

“No, nothing’s broken, just sore.” Ilhoon winces at a few pokes but he’s right, there’s nothing more than deep bruising. 

Hyunsik’s phone goes off and he looks down at it. “Changsub just left his house. Hopefully Chorong gets back before he gets here.” 

He helps Ilhoon to his feet and they both go to stand by Eunkwang, who is still asleep. 

“When should he wake up?” 

“I hope he sleeps at least until you get him into his bed. Being carried is not going to feel good, nor is the drive. He’s fine to stay asleep, just make sure he keeps breathing.”

“And if he stops?”

“CPR… pray.” Hyunsik shrugs as Ilhoon groans. Hyunsik pulls Ilhoon into a hug, one he’s been dying to give the other since he saw him. “He’ll be okay Hoonie.” 

Ilhoon winces slightly as his bruises protest the contact but melts into the hug. “I was so scared, hyung.”

“I would have been too. But it’s almost over. You’ll be home in half an hour and you can go cuddle Sungjae for the next century.”

“That sounds nice. Is… is he okay?” 

“He’s a mess, probably a very large mess right now since Minhyuk had to take the phone and they know nothing.”

“Gods, he’s going to be pissed at me.”

“Oh yeah, once the fear of your execution wears off he’s going to kill you.”

“Perfect.” Both men laugh and Chorong walks into the room, holding out a granola bar and bottle of water. 

“Best I could do.” She smiles, apologetic that it isn’t more.

“It’s perfect, thank you Chorong. For everything.”

Hyunsik’s phone goes off, and he turns serious as he checks it. “He’s here. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Eunkwang and Minhyuk leave the young ones in Mayfly with instructions for getting the new boys situated, going to bed, and staying out of Peniel and Sungjae’s hair. They’re told they don’t need to worry, but they all know that isn’t true — nothing about this rescue is easy. Most of the boys are in their rooms by midnight, finding it easier to sleep through the worry, but Mingi can’t get himself to leave the main house. Ilhoon was the first Mayfly pack member that Mingi met, the one who came into his room in The Lab dressed as a scientist and rescued him from that terrible place. He trusted Ilhoon more than anyone else in the world, though Sungjae had quickly become a close second, the two having been quite the parental figures for the young boy who had only ever known emotionless doctors and scientists. Ilhoon’s capture and Sungjae’s absolute devastation at the news leaves Mingi in a mixed state of paralyzing shock and energized conviction in his need to help, and that need keeps him up all night.

Once the house is empty he makes Sungjae’s favorite tea, and a second that he hopes Peniel likes, and takes the cups upstairs. He knocks lightly at Eunkwang’s bedroom door, as that is where the older men are currently staying, and is met by a surprised ‘come in” from Peniel. He opens the door and enters timidly.

“I brought some tea, I thought it might help the nerves.” He says, his voice betraying his concern and uncertainty if he should be interrupting. 

“Thanks Mingi-ya.” Sungjae sits up from the bed and takes the cup, giving the boy as much of a smile as he could muster. He looks terrible, and Mingi’s heart twists at the sight of him.

“Thank you Mingi. Why aren’t you in bed?” Peniel asks as he takes his cup. Mingi shrugs sheepishly. 

“I don’t think I could sleep even if I tried.”

“That’s fair enough.”

“Hyung, what’s the plan?” Mingi surprises himself by asking, but not knowing has been driving him crazy. Peniel sighs and takes a sip of tea before answering. 

“The plan is to bring Ilhoon home.” Mingi can’t help the eye roll, his exhaustion getting the better of him. Peniel chuckles. “I know, not much of a plan huh? They didn’t flesh out the details until after they left, so all we know is they will probably try to impersonate some guards and get him out right under everyone’s noses. Hopefully, with Changsub hyung on the inside, they’ll be successful.”

“What if something goes wrong? Would you know?” 

“I would… probably be able to tell.”

“And if it works?”

“I might be able to feel a sense of peace, some sort of calm from my alpha, but maybe not. We really won’t know anything until they get back.”

Mingi nods, appreciating the extra information. It isn’t much, but it’s a little more than what they had been told and it makes him feel better knowing as much as he can.

“Sungjae hyung, are you doing okay?” 

“I’m hanging in there. The tea is nice, thank you.”

“I know it’s your favorite. It helps my anxiety, so I hoped it’d help you too.”

“That’s why it’s my favorite.” This makes Mingi smile lightly, happy that he could help in any way. 

“Is there anything else I can get you? I could get stuff from your room, or… well anything.” 

Sungjae starts to say no, but Peniel, sensing that Mingi needs to help them, interrupts. 

“It’s been a long night and I’m hungry, why don’t you bring us some food?”

“Yeah, I can do that! I’ll be right back.” 

Mingi turns and leaves quickly, practically running back to the kitchen. As he turns into it he collides with an unexpected wall, one that yelps and catches him as he bounces back.

“Mingi!” Chan exclaims in surprise as he grabs Mingi’s arms. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”

“Chan hyung! Where did you come from?” Mingi gasps in shock as he rights himself.

“My room, where I was…” Chan laughs at Mingi’s completely discombobulated state. “Why are you up?”

“I’m getting food for Peniel hyung and Sungjae hyung. Why are you up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Chan shrugs as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, which for him it is.

“Worried?” 

“That, and I just don’t sleep often.” Chan doesn’t elaborate more and Mingi doesn’t press. He has heard about Chan’s nightmares keeping him up; he just didn’t know how frequently Chan was plagued by them. “Want help?”

“Sure.” Mingi shrugs and Chan turns back into the kitchen, letting Mingi enter. “I was just going to make some toast and eggs.”

“I’ll fry up the eggs.” Chan offers and busies himself as Mingi nods and readies toast. 

“Mingi, you haven’t even tried going to bed, have you?” Chan asks.

“No… I just can’t hyung. I need to be here for Sungjae hyung.” 

“Why specifically you?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you have to be here? He has Peniel hyung, what are us kids supposed to do?”

“Well… it’s like… Sometimes I feel like I’m still a beta, ya know? Like maybe the scientists didn’t completely clean me out and so that urge to help the pack, I guess it’s really strong for me but specifically with Ilhoon hyung and Sungjae hyung. They’re… extra special to me. You understand that urge, right? Don’t omegas feel the need to comfort?”

“Omegas? But I — oh yeah, I mean I guess, sometimes I feel like that with Changbin and Jisung…” Both boys stand in quiet thought for a moment, Mingi not sure what to say to Chan’s answer, before Chan shakes his head and continues. “That could be your inner beta, or just love, ya know?”

“Yeah, it could be. What — crap! I burnt the toast!” He wrings his hands and taps at his face chidingly. Chan laughs at how cute Mingi is, distraught as if the world is ending over burnt toast. 

“I’ll eat the burnt one, I like my toast crunchy. Just make some more.” 

“Thanks hyung. I’m sorry for asking about omega things, I know you don’t like talking about it.” Mingi’s downcast gaze, making mournful eyes at his toast, makes Chan’s heart ache in his chest. He hates everyone walking on eggshells around him.

“It’s cool Mingi, really. Gotta get used to it, right?”

“Yeah, I guess being such a late bloomer probably does make it harder to get used to.”

Chan doesn’t correct the boy, just smiles sadly as he plates the fried eggs and pushes the dishes across the counter to Mingi. Mingi adds fresh toast to each plate and smiles proudly at their little creation.

“I’ll take this up, then I’m probably going to hang in the basement.” 

“I’ll keep you company, it’s probably going to be a long night.”

The two head down the hall, one going upstairs and one down. Mingi knocks lightly and enters, smiling in relief to see Sungjae sleeping in Peniel’s arms and even looking somewhat peaceful at it. 

“I’ll just set these here. I’ll come back later to see if you need anything, okay?”

“Thank you Mingi, really.” Peniel reaches up when Mingi comes close enough to set the plates on the nightstand, gripping the boy’s shoulder in both thanks and comfort. 

“Get some sleep hyung.” Mingi closes the door behind him and slumps against the wall for a minute. His anxiety was being held at bay by cooking, having something to do, but now it threatens to crush him. He takes a deep breath and tries to hold back his tears. He heads downstairs and enters the basement. For some reason, seeing Chan waiting for him on the couch is his breaking point, and the tears fall from his control. He turns to escape back upstairs but Chan’s voice stops him.

“Aw Mingi, come here.” His voice is so comforting, like a spoken hug, and Mingi cries harder. He turns again and walks slowly towards Chan’s open arms. He hesitates a moment but at Chan’s encouraging nod crumbles into the elder’s arms. He’s not sure when he cries himself to sleep but he wakes still in Chan’s arms a few hours later.

“Feeling better?” Chan asks.

“Any news?”

“Nope.”

“I don’t know then. I should go check on Peniel hyung and Sungjae hyung.” 

Chan doesn’t argue, doesn’t try to convince him to sleep more, he understands Mingi’s need to help, to have something to do. 

“I’ll be here.”

“Thank you hyung.”

Eunkwang and Minhyuk left near 11pm that day to meet up with Changsub, leaving Peniel and Sungjae without the phone — their only form of contact with those in the city. To say Sungjae is a wreck would be the understatement of the century. He barely sleeps, the fear that courses through his body seemingly amplified more than he thought was possible. When he does sleep, he has terrible nightmares all ending in Ilhoon’s death, and quickly wakes up screaming only to find that, while Ilhoon probably isn’t dead, he still isn’t alright either. Neither he nor Peniel have left Eunkwang’s room since relocating there after the others left.

The night is long. Peniel is understanding and cuddles Sungjae all night and into the morning, also appreciating the other’s company as his mate risks his life to save the other’s husband. The boys take turns checking on them, Mingi checking in the most, bringing them anything they need and making sure they know that no one has burned down any of the houses. Mingi stays in their room for a few minutes each visit, talking with Sungjae and trying to distract him, but Sungjae quickly shuts down and Peniel quietly asks him to leave. 

They know the goal is to have Ilhoon out as quickly as possible, but have no idea how quick is possible. This uncertainty, the fact that they don’t know if the others are taking too long or if they will still need much longer, is agonizing to both men. Around 6:20 in the morning, Peniel stiffens, breathing deeply as he can feel Minhyuk’s state of relative steady calm and focus turn suddenly scared and frantic. 

“What is it?” Sungjae asks, looking up at Peniel with dread in his eyes.

“Nothing, just got a muscle spasm.” Peniel tries to lie and fails. 

Sungjae sits up, his body shaking with an adrenaline he doesn’t understand. It’s not just Peniel’s terrible lying this time, he can feel for himself that something is wrong.

“Hyung, what changed?”

“Minhyuk is scared.” Peniel admits with a grimace. “More than he was. I think something happened.” Sungjae nods, a fear-filled tear rolling down his cheek as he hides his face in Peniel’s chest.

“Peniel… Peniel, I’m probably crazy, but I swear I can feel it. It’s not like our normal pack bonds, it’s so much stronger…” He chokes on a sob. “ I think Ilhoon is scared now too . I’m probably crazy, but I can feel it.”

Peniel holds him tight, wishing he could squeeze out the other’s worry. 

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s…” He blinks hard, trying to process what Sungjae is saying over the roaring in his own ears. “Maybe there’s something more that we don’t know about how beta/nu relationships work?” If Sungjae is really feeling a mate-bond with Ilhoon right now, then these are game-changing questions, ones that should be considered deeply. But right now, they only serve as something for them to cling their focus to in an effort to avoid going crazy with worry.

“Something like what?” 

“I don’t know… maybe you can mate for real? Have either of you played with bites?” 

Sungjae blushes. “I… maybe.”

“Well then, maybe there is something.” 

Neither of them delve deeper aloud, instead thinking about what the possibilities could be in their own heads. The situation, as they can feel it through their bonds, does not change much for a long time. Sungjae, exhausted, actually dozes off for about thirty minutes, in which time Peniel also manages to catch some sleep. The sheer amount of energy they expend just feeling so much for so long truly takes a toll. When they finally wake, both do so to a powerful sense of relief. Peniel’s is almost overbearing; Minhyuk’s emotions have become clearly relaxed so much so that Peniel is unable to keep in a giddy laugh at the relief. 

“I think…”

“They’re here!” A mix of voices shout from downstairs.

The two look at each other with wide eyes for a moment before scrambling from the bed and racing downstairs as they hear a stampede of feet beating them out the door. When they make it outside, they see five of the boys grouped next to Changsub’s car, anxiously chattering away as Changsub steps out of the driver seat. 

“Hey boys, miss us?” He asks, smiling at everyone before looking up at Sungjae and nodding to him, grin widening. 

Sungjae’s heart is racing, filled with so much hope he thinks it’ll burst. Then, in the next second, the back door opens and Ilhoon steps out of the car. Sungjae thinks he must have acquired the ability to teleport because he doesn’t remember running into Ilhoon’s open arms. They’re simply there, together, wrapped around each other, sobbing into each other’s shoulders as Minhyuk and Peniel also reunite nearby. More boys join their group, having heard the commotion, and everyone is loud and hyper in their relief. 

“Where’s Eunkwang hyung?” Hongjoong asks, looking into the car as he does and gasping. “Shit, what happened?” Chaos ensues, getting even louder, as the boys try to get a look into the car. 

“Alright alright.” Changsub tries to break up the commotion but is ignored. 

“Everyone freeze!” Minhyuk bellows from where he’s still holding Peniel. Several boys do in fact freeze while also trying to jump back in surprise and thus very nearly fall over. “Backup, give us room to get him out.” Everyone follows the directions.

“Hyung, what happened?” San directs his question to Minhyuk as the other pulls away from his mate and goes to the backseat. 

“Eunkwang was shot as we were making our grand escape.” Everyone gasps. “Hyunsik was able to fix him up though, he’ll be okay. He’s drugged, we need to get him to his bed before he wakes up. He’s not going to be up for moving for quite awhile.” 

Minhyuk gently pulls Eunkwang from the car and carries him into the house, Peniel following. Most of the boys trail behind while Yunho and San stay to pepper Changsub with questions.

Sungjae finally backs out of Ilhoon’s embrace and looks him over, frowning at what he sees, the injuries and lingering evidence of rough abuse on his figure. 

“It looks worse than it feels, I promise.” Ilhoon brushes off Sungjae’s concern, smiling as he thumbs a tear from the other’s cheek. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Sungjae leans down and kisses him, long and hard. “I’m never letting you leave without a kiss again. Actually, I’m just never letting you leave again.”

“Sounds good to me. Pretty sure I can’t go into the city anymore anyhow so… nowhere for me to go.” He grins, surprisingly okay with that for now.

Seeing Sungjae has once again brightened Ilhoon’s world. He thinks then that he never wants to take his eyes off of the other ever again.

Chapter Text

Minho is at first disgruntled when awoken by the cacophony outside. Then, his sluggish brain spins enough to remember what the reason for it must be, and he is quickly taken by curiosity and excitement. He climbs out of bed, muttering for a stirring Felix to go back to sleep and smiling fondly at Hyunjin who is dead to the world. He goes out and stands to the side of the central house, watching the reunifications with cautious hope. 

His eyes widen when he hears Minhyuk explain about Eunkwang being shot and watches as their pack leader is carried inside. That’s frightening, but Minho’s seen worse. He’s happy they were able to rescue Ilhoon with just one injury, one that would heal with time. He’s happy to see their pack is back together, a pack he is now a part of.

Seeing Ilhoon and Sungjae reunited reminds Minho of Hyunjin’s worries the night before. He sighs and turns away, lamenting the fact that he’ll never be able to fully put Hyunjin’s concerns to rest. That no matter what they do to include him, Hyunjin will always be left out of the emotional connection he and Felix have. He heads back to his new house but pauses at the sound of voices behind him, getting quieter as they head away from him. It’s Sungjae and Ilhoon, and although Minho can’t make out what they’re saying, something about Ilhoon’s voice triggers a memory.

“Yeah but haven’t you heard of a Tri-”

Ilhoon had been talking to them about their relationship before he was interrupted and all hell broke loose. “Tri-”, Tri… triple? Threes? We’ve never heard of something that has to do with threes. It feels like electricity zapping at his lungs at the mere fraction of a chance at a solution, but he forcefully shoves the hope away. It takes every ounce of willpower he possesses not to rush to Ilhoon then and there and beg him to explain. Ilhoon had just gone through who-knows-what-hell for the last 24 hours, he needed time to get settled back in and relax with his partner. And Minho would not go running off so blindly just to have his heart crushed for it. 

Instead, Minho casually changes directions and walks around the central house and goes in the backdoor as if he had not been watching the scene in the front yard at all. He finds several of the other boys up and bustling around the kitchen, but none of the adults are there. 

“Good morning Minho.” Chan welcomes him cheerfully. “How was your night?”

“Could have been better… and worse.” Minho shrugs. “Everyone’s pretty chipper this morning huh?”

“Oh! Yeah, Eunkwang hyung, Minhyuk hyung, and Changsub hyung just got back with Ilhoon hyung. Everyone’s mostly okay, but Eunkwang hyung got shot in the shoulder. He’ll be alright though.”

“Oh, damn, but I’m glad they’re back. That’ll make Hyunjin feel a lot better I think.”

“Is he having a hard time?”

“Yeah, last night was really rough.”  

“Well, I hope knowing Ilhoon is okay will help.”

“I hope so too.” Minho says, his tone downcast as he knows that isn’t the whole problem and won’t fix everything. “I should go, I don’t think it’ll help for him to wake up without me there.”

“Why don’t you take some breakfast with you? For all of you.” Chan motions at the breakfast he was preparing. Minho smiles.

“Breakfast in bed. You know how to make me look like a good alpha.” They both laugh and work together to prepare a plate for each of them. Minho carefully balances the plates as he leaves. 

“Thanks Chan!” 

Minho makes the short walk between houses and begins climbing the stairs when he’s hit by the  powerful scent of burnt lemon curd danish, far stronger than it should be for simply upset feelings. He can feel Felix’s surprise and quick concern wash through him as his own alpha instincts shoot into overdrive and he rushes up the stairs, dropping the plates of food without a second thought and throwing the bedroom door open. He is met with the sight of Hyunjin curled into a ball, shaking furiously as Felix tries to get his attention. 

“Hyunjin! Felix what happened?”

“I… I don’t know! I just woke up.”

Minho climbs onto the bed and pulls Hyunjin awkwardly onto his lap. He wipes the boy’s bangs from his sweaty face, trying to find his eyes. 

“Hyunjin? Hyunjin look at me, it’s okay. You’re safe. We’re here, you’re just in a new house. Remember? It’s okay.” 

Felix takes one of Hyunjin’s hands in both of his, rubbing it as if trying to return feeling to a numb appendage. Hyunjin continues to shake, his eyes closed tight as he fights the panic he feels. Minho rubs his back as he holds the shaking boy tight, trying to comfort him and make him aware of his presence. He pushes out his thyme basil scent, which mixes nicely with Felix’s strong brownie scent, while muttering in Hyunjin’s ear. After a few minutes, Hyunjin settles, actively cuddling into Minho’s chest as he begins to cry. 

“It’s alright Jinnie, it’s alright.” Minho consoles. “We’re right here, you’re safe.”

“You… you left me.” Hyunjin chokes out through sobs. Minho’s heart breaks. Of course his absence caused Hyunjin to panic. How stupid was he to think he could leave Hyunjin after last night? 

“I’m so sorry, so so sorry. I shouldn’t have left. There was a lot of noise outside so I went to see what happened. They brought Ilhoon back, he’s okay.”

“The rescue was successful?” Felix perks up, relief clear on his face. 

“It was. They’re all back I think. Ilhoon is back, Hyunjin, hear me? Ilhoon is back, you are safe, we’re right here. I won’t leave you again, I’m sorry.”

“Who dumped breakfast all over the stairs?!” The moment is broken by someone—was it Jisung?—yelling from the hall. 

“Oops.” Minho chuckles and Felix cocks an eyebrow at him. “I was bringing you two breakfast in bed but… well, we’ll have to go back to the kitchen now.”

They cuddle in silence for several minutes, letting Hyunjin cry as long as he needs, the tension in the room finally draining away from them. Finally, Hyunjin quiets and sits up with a deep breath, rubbing his eyes and looking down sheepishly. 

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Minho and Felix ask together.

“I’m such a baby.”

“No, no you’re not.” Felix leans forward and hugs him. “It’s okay to be scared.”

“It’s stupid, Minho wouldn’t leave me.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But no one is entirely rational when they first wake up, and after last night I should have known not to let you wake up without either one of us.” Minho places a soft kiss on Hyunjin’s cheek. “What do you want to do today, Hyunjin?” He asks suddenly, determined to move past this before Hyunjin can beat himself up anymore.

Hyunjin thinks for a few moments before nodding to himself. “Let’s go out and socialize, get to know our new housemates.”

“You sure you don’t want to just snuggle all day?” Minho asks.

“I’m sure.” Hyunjin smiles and kisses him lightly before turning and kissing Felix much harder, just to make him giggle at the attention. “Let’s go.” 

The silence is comfortable but thick, unsaid things hanging like a muggy fog in the bedroom. The only sound for a moment is the drip of water from the washcloth hung over the warm pail of water Sungjae had just finished using to clean his beloved mate. He had been oh-so-careful with each of Ilhoon's cuts. Hyunsik had done a quick once over to check for any pressing injuries, but he hadn’t had the time to wash out any of his wounds. That left Sungjae, with silent tears streaking his face, to meticulously tend to each and every one of Ilhoon's cuts and bruises with the ever-attentive hand of a beta. 

Sungjae and Ilhoon had escaped the commotion as soon as they could, only staying in the kitchen long enough to warm some water, grab a few things to eat, and make sure Minhyuk didn’t need help getting Eunkwang settled before fleeing to the sanctuary of their room. Both wanted nothing more than to be alone and in the other’s arm’s the rest of eternity. Now that Ilhoon had been cared for, that time was finally theirs. 

The two are lying in their bed now, Ilhoon’s head on Sungjae’s chest and his hand resting under Sungjae’s on his stomach. Sungjae runs his thumb absentmindedly along the back of Ilhoon’s hand, his nose buried in Ilhoon’s hair as he revels in the other’s presence, finding comfort in every rise and fall of Ilhoon’s chest against his side. 

The fog is heavy though, and Sungjae feels like there must be something to be said. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks tentatively, internally chastising himself as Ilhoon’s breath hitches. “Sorry, you don’t have to babe, forget I asked.”

“No, it’s…” Ilhoon takes a deep breath. “It’s okay, there really isn’t that much to tell. I remember reaching for Seonghwa, trying to get back in the SUV, and then a pinch in my neck. The next thing I knew, I was waking up strapped to a chair being interrogated by this woman that was annoyingly good at her job. They fingerprinted me, knew who I was. Trying to make up a good reason for going missing at fifteen and what I had been doing for the last seventeen years was not easy, and as you can see, earned me quite a few bruises.”

“That’s a tremendous understatement.” Sungjae’s heart trembles just thinking about the marks he sees marring his beloved’s skin.

“I’m just glad they didn’t try any drugs before Eunkwang hyung and Minhyuk hyung got there. That was their next step this morning and well… we know how I react to most they’d use.” 

Sungjae nods slowly against Ilhoon’s head, blood freezing cold in his veins as the thought of that possibility sinks in. They had all trained themselves to resist drugs that made people more susceptible to telling the truth, all except for Ilhoon, who they had quickly discovered was deathly allergic to most of them. They were very lucky Hyunsik had been prepared for that possibility at the time. If the interrogators had tried anything and weren’t prepared, his execution would have come much quicker than they planned. 

If Eunkwang and the others had not been ready with a plan as fast as they had; if Ilhoon had stayed in captivity for even another day…

“I was so scared, Sungjae.” Ilhoon admits, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. 

“Of course you were,” Sungjae whispers back fiercely, burying his face in Ilhoon’s hair to hide the hot tears pricking his eyes. “Anyone would be knowing what they do to Allies.”

“No, it wasn’t my life I was scared for.” It’s barely audible, but Sungjae hears and his thumb freezes on Ilhoon’s hand the way his breath freezes in his lungs.

“What?”

“I was scared of telling them where you were, where the boys were, of ruining everything we’ve worked so hard for. I… please don’t be mad at me for saying this. I was praying for them to use any drug I’m allergic to first, to end it quickly before I could give you up.” 

Sungjae is silent, his breath caught and his throat closed. Ilhoon looks up at him to find a tear on his cheek. 

“Oh baby, I’m sorry… Please don’t cry.” He moves quickly, leaning up on an elbow and placing a soft kiss on Sungjae’s cheek, kissing away the tear sitting there. Sungjae tries to regain his composure, but more silent tears fall as he opens his eyes to look at his lover. 

“You wanted them to kill you?” 

“Of course not. But if it were a question between killing me, and killing our entire pack? All the boys? You? I couldn’t live with myself if I led them to everyone.”

“You wouldn’t have to, you’d be dead too.” Sungjae’s natural wit leaps out of him, not even impeded by his tears. Ilhoon chuckles at that, loving him for it. 

“That is true. You understand, don’t you?”

“I do. I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

“Me too.” He leans in and places a kiss on Sungjae’s lips, lingering there for a moment before returning to his position snuggled into the younger’s side. “I don’t want to relive anything from last night, that’s for sure.”

“Me neither.”

“I’m sorry you had to worry so. It can’t have been an easy night for you.”

“No, especially not since…”

“Since?”

Sungjae sighs and settles more, titling his head back to blink at the ceiling. “Well… I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is but, I think I could feel you.”

“What do you mean?” Ilhoon starts toying with the hem of Sungjae’s shirt as he listens intently. 

“I swear I could feel the changes in your emotions. I felt so scared before I even knew what had happened on the road, I couldn’t explain it but I think it was your fear. I could feel when you woke up, when you… when they were interrogating you. I could feel your calm turn to fear when your rescue turned south. I felt so sick, like my heart was going to eat its way out of me. And anytime I didn’t feel so sick, I think was because you were… asleep or something?” 

He stops, looking down to watch Ilhoon play with his shirt. “So, am I crazy?”

Ilhoon thinks about this seriously for a moment. “Honestly, I hope not. If you really could feel me, and in that way, that’s way more than our pack bond. The implications of that are huge. That would mean we mated, Sungjae. Mated. A beta and a nu.” He sits up to look Sungjae in the eye.

Sungjae blinks back at him, bemused. “Why would we only just now notice? I first bit you years ago.” 

“Maybe it takes several bites to work? It’s not like you bite me often. Maybe it’s that we’ve literally never been separated before this, so you just didn’t notice?”

“Did you feel me, or anything odd I mean?”

“No… No I certainly didn’t. But I don’t think that means you made it up. Maybe my emotions were just too strong. Or maybe that’s how it works, a one way thing.” Both fall silent while they think.

“You want to test it don’t you?” Sungjae asks after some moments of silence.

“Eventually, I would love to. But that would require leaving your side and that’s not happening anytime soon.” 

Sungjae smiles and places a long kiss on Ilhoon’s lips, tightening his grip on the other. After the last 24 hours, he’s not sure he’d ever be able to cope with being separated from Ilhoon again. Ilhoon breaks the kiss contentedly and lies back down on Sungjae’s chest. The silence that falls again lasts this time; neither knows who falls asleep first, but they both sleep through the rest of the day and the night, the stress and pain of the last day having drained both men completely. 

Chapter Text

Minhyuk sits in Eunkwang’s room for several hours, waiting for the other to wake up so he can keep him from doing anything stupid. His anxiousness increases the longer Eunkwang remains unconscious, fear of anything having gone wrong during his very unorthodox surgery making it very hard to stay calm the longer the elder sleeps. The only thing that keeps him calm is the steady rise and fall of Eunkwang’s chest. Changsub and Peniel check on them often, but Minhyuk assures that he can handle Eunkwang and that the other two should rest if they can. His mind runs and reruns through the last 24 hours as he sits in the silent room, analyzing everything that has happened so as to be able to avoid a repeat in the future. He’s deep in thought when Eunkwang finally wakes sometime in the evening, and he doesn’t notice the elder stirring until he’s startled by his voice. 

“I would rate getting shot a zero out of ten, do not recommend.”

“Eunkwang!” Minhyuk jumps and breaks into a relieved grin. “It’s good to see you awake.”

“Don’t tell me I’ve been comatose.” He shifts, possibly attempting to sit up but sucks in a sharp breath as his shoulder protests the movement. “No, surely it wouldn’t hurt this much if I had been healing for a few months.”

“Months?” Minhyuk chuckles. “No, you’ve just been unconscious for about twelve hours. You won’t be moving much anytime soon.”  

“Damn.” Minhyuk smiles fondly as he wordlessly helps Eunkwang adjust a little, settling more comfortably into the bed. Eunkwang grows serious once he’s as comfortable as he’s going to get. 

“Is he home? We’re here so I’m assuming but…”

“Yeah, Ilhoon’s home. He’s with Sungjae.”

“Is he okay?”

“He will be. He’s strong, you know that. We might not see the two of them out of their bedroom for the next eternity, but he’ll be okay.” 

“Good. If my shoulder is the only price we pay for a jailbreak, I’d say we did pretty good.” Still, Eunkwang grimaces as his body fully wakes and the pain in his shoulder becomes hardly bearable. “Is Hyunsik here?”

“Not yet, but we’ve heard from him. He’s safe and on his way.”

As Minhyuk sits back, finally thinking beyond his injured leader to cast his mind about his other packmates, he realizes something is wrong. A deep frown clouds his face as he suddenly realizes that the terrible anxiety gnawing at his gut is not his. He had assumed it was because of Eunkwang, but the man is now awake and, although hurt, clearly not in danger. And yet, the anxiety is not only a large presence still but a growing one. As he takes a moment to think about it he realizes he’s not the one anxious at all, and it’s not even truly anxiety, more a mix of regret, fear, and confusion.

And it’s coming from Peniel.

His alpha instinct kicks into instant overdrive at the realization and the insatiable urge to comfort his anguished omega almost sends him running out of the room without a word. 

“What’s wrong?” Eunkwang asks, quickly noticing the change in Minhyuk’s demeanor, how he’s suddenly tensed and looking to the door.

“I think… I’m not sure. I’m going to go get Changsub and send him up with some pain killers, okay? I need to check on Peniel.”

Eunkwang nods, worry in his eyes. “Go quickly, I’ll stay put, promise.”

Minhyuk eyes him for a long moment, reaffirming that he is well-enough to be left alone for a while, and then nods to himself determinedly. He had been so focused on Eunkwang that he had failed to notice Peniel’s mental state the few times he had checked in on them, but now it was time to turn his focus completely to taking care of his mate.

“I’m sure you will.” Minhyuk chuckles his reply and quickly leaves the room, heading down the stairs and straight to the basement where he can smell Peniel’s vanilla lavender scent emanating from. 

He stops on the bottom step, smiling fondly at the sight in front of him. Peniel is playing foosball with Jisung while Yunho and San are snuggled on the couch. It’s a calming scene at first, but as Minhyuk truly focuses in on his mate for the first time since his chaotic return, he immediately tallies up a million little tells that Peniel is not alright. 

As Minhyuk watches Jisung score on Peniel more often than normal, his heart throbs painfully at how Peniel is distracted by his emotions. He keeps it well hidden on his face for the sake of the boys, but the signs are obvious in his body for anyone really looking. He also notices for the first time that Peniel is in the same clothes that he was in when he left to pick up the new boys. They don’t have a ton of clothes each, but they have enough to change daily, and it’s been two days at this point. Peniel looks like he hasn’t taken a moment to look after himself since before they first left. 

Minhyuk steps fully into the room and walks over to his omega. 

“Hey love.” He says, wrapping a hand around his waist and nuzzling into his shoulder, placing a light kiss there, “Let’s go to our room, huh?” He can feel Peniel stiffen, then start melting into his arms, like he wants to just shrink into nothing and Minhyuk’s presence almost gives him the permission he needs to do so. But even as his body goes limp, he holds his expression at a shaky approximation of normal and addresses the kids. 

“Thanks for whipping my butt, Jisung.” Peniel smiles at the much younger omega. 

Jisung laughs half-heartedly, too old to be fooled but uncertain about calling his hyung out. He glances worriedly between Peniel and Minhyuk, and Minhyuk gives him a reassuring smile, appreciating the younger’s concern for his mate. 

“We’ll catch up with you later Jisung-ah.” Minhyuk goes to pull Peniel towards the stairs, but instead of allowing himself to be moved, Peniel summons the strength to pull away from Minhyuk just so that he can press a comforting and grateful hand to Jisung’s shoulder, causing the boy to light up like the sun and truly relax. 

Minhyuk’s breath catches, heart swelling to nearly overflowing with love for his mate and the way he always, endlessly, loves and cares for the children above anything else.

He pulls Peniel toward the stairs again and this time Peniel goes willingly. As eager as Minhyuk is to get him alone he still remembers to call back, “Jisung, can you run over and grab Changsub? I think he’s in your house; he needs to go sit up with Eunkwang hyung.”

“Sure!” Jisung nods and follows them up the stairs and out the door before they split to go to their respective houses. 

Minhyuk leads Peniel to their basement suite, glad to not pass anyone else along the way. When they enter, Peniel goes straight to their bed, sits on the edge, and proceeds to stare blankly at the wall. All his masks of cheer and composure fall away to shatter like ceramic on the floor. He becomes in a moment like an empty mannequin sitting there. Minhyuk sets his jaw and heads to their dresser to grab some new clothes. 

“You need to clean up, you’ll feel better once you have. I’ll go upstairs and heat some water.”

“I don’t think a towel bath and clean clothes will make me feel better.” Minhyuk can imagine Peniel grumbling so clearly, although the omega does not actually say a word. 

“It’ll be a start,” he replies to the silence, “Then we can talk.” He places the clothes on the bed and gently lifts Peniel’s chin so he can place a kiss on his lips. “I’ll be right back, my Lavender Love.”

He grabs the pot they use for warming wash water and heads outside, grabbing some water out of a barrel and going into the main house’s kitchen to heat it. He’s mildly surprised to find no one there but is grateful not to have to entertain conversation right then. The feeling is short-lived as Changsub soon walks through the door, but he’s happy to see him nonetheless. 

“Jisung said I need to go upstairs, everything okay?”

“Yes, Eunkwang hyung woke up and I need you to sit with him. I need to take care of Peniel.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I think he’s traumatized.” His lips tighten into a thin line as he thinks of his mate’s frozen form on the bed. “We haven’t had time to talk or… or just stop even. He just needs to process everything. I can help him”

“Yeah, I can imagine having to leave Ilhoon behind isn’t the easiest thing to handle. He’ll be okay though.”

Minhyuk nods slowly, considering this. “Yeah, in time.” Changsub heads upstairs, pausing only to catch a bottle of painkillers Minhyuk remembers to toss him, and then Minhyuk is alone again. 

He takes the water off the gas burner just as it begins to boil and heads back to Peniel. When he enters the room he finds Peniel still in the exact same position, but he’s even more concerned to notice that a slight shaking has appeared in the other’s shoulders. He grabs a washcloth and goes to Peniel, setting the cloth in the water and the pan on the nightstand. 

“Here, can you take off your shirt for me?”

No response.

“Lavender Love, can I take your shirt off, please?”

Another wait, before the smallest of nods. 

Minhyuk gently lifts the plain white t-shirt over Peniel’s head, the other at least assisting as needed by moving his arms. Minhyuk takes the rag from the water and starts wiping down his omega, double checking that it’s nice and warm. He starts from his shoulders and works his way down his chest and stomach. Peniel shivers at the touch but sighs and relaxes more with each brush of the towel, his eyes having at some point fallen closed. Minhyuk moves to his back, sitting on the bed behind Peniel so he can clean every centimeter of skin. He sneaks in a few kisses here and there, ghost touches so soft that Peniel wonders if he imagines them — but knowing his mate, he’s sure they’re real. 

“You’re going to have to stand.” Minhyuk says softly as he climbs back off the bed. 

Peniel does so, knowing Minhyuk won’t let up and enjoying the feeling of his alpha tending to him, bringing him slowly back into himself from his bout of dissociation. Plus, the longer he lets Minhyuk bathe him, the longer he has before Minhyuk asks him to talk about anything. He takes the initiative to remove his own pants and underwear, stepping out of them and away from the bed so that Minhyuk has full access to clean his lower half. Minhyuk doesn’t rush, slowly and gently wiping down Peniel’s butt, thighs, calves, right down to his feet, treating every inch like it’s precious. 

When he’s done and dried off with a big fluffy towel, Minhyuk helps Peniel into the comfortable pajamas he’d pulled out for him. Peniel lays down on the bed, watching as Minhyuk quickly bathes himself before laying next to him in clean pajamas of his own. Minhyuk puts his arm out for Peniel to snuggle into if he chooses, which he does. Minhyuk allows silence and his sandalwood scent to permeate the room for a while, giving Peniel time to think and broach the subject first if he wants to. He doesn’t, but Minhyuk doesn’t think letting him stew will be helpful and eventually prods lightly. 

“I think you should get whatever’s on your mind out in the open.” 

Peniel still doesn’t respond, and Minhyuk waits a little before speaking again, running a comforting hand along Peniel’s back as he waits.

“Do you want to talk through what happened?”

Peniel shakes his head.

“I was really scared when Eunkwang hyung was shot.” Minhyuk doesn’t know why that’s where he starts, but he feels like he needs to talk about something and maybe him being open will help his mate do so as well. “I don’t think I showed it, but I was terrified. I still can barely believe we actually got him to the hospital safely without the police checking it and catching us. We got lucky. So lucky. But even with him bleeding out in the seat next to me, it wasn’t the thought of losing him that scared me the most. It was the thought of never coming back to you. And even then, I wasn’t as scared as I was when waiting for you to come back with the boys. After I felt everything go south, those two or so hours after that when I didn’t know what had happened and could do nothing but wait for you and hope. I thought I might have lost you. Even though I could still feel you, I thought you might not ever make it home”

“But you didn’t…” Peniel starts quietly. Minhyuk nods and waits quietly for Peniel to gather the strength to speak. “…You didn’t lose me, but Sungjae lost Ilhoon. I left Ilhoon behind. I took him from Sungjae. I didn’t bring him home to Sungjae. Sungjae lost him.”

Peniel shakes and fresh tears fall onto Minhyuk’s chest. The alpha pulls him closer but doesn’t coo at him to stop, he knows crying is healthy and knows Peniel needs it. 

“I didn’t bring him home. I left him. Sungjae should hate me, but you left me with him. You left me to comfort him but it was my fault! I feel so… so… Every time he touched me, cuddled into me for comfort I felt so dirty, like a fake. I left his mate, and you left me with him, and he was okay with that!! Why was he okay with that!?”

Peniel gasps through his sobs, words coming quicker and quicker before they’re choked off completely. Minhyuk is crying now too, and he pulls Peniel into an even tighter embrace. He didn’t even think about Peniel not feeling comfortable or capable of helping Sungjae, never did the idea of leaving him with Ilhoon’s husband trigger any sort of warning in his mind. Peniel is their omega, it made sense for him to stay with their beta, to help him through a scary time. Minhyuk hadn’t thought of what Peniel might feel about it. His stomach twists as he thinks that he let his mate down, put him in a situation he wasn’t comfortable in, even though he pulled through and still did the job.

“I’m so sorry, love.” Minhyuk whispers against the top of Peniel’s head before placing a soft kiss in his hair. “I shouldn’t have just left you like that. I should have talked to you first, I’m so sorry I didn’t.” He thinks for a moment before sitting up a little straighter and speaking intently. “But, I am so so proud of you for helping Sungjae. He doesn’t blame you, you did exactly what we asked of you and kept him calm and comfortable as he could be. No one blames you, and we couldn’t have left to rescue Ilhoon without the peace of mind that you were with Sungjae. That helped us not worry, to stay focused. You helped us bring Ilhoon home safely.” 

Peniel continues to cry into Minhyuk’s chest and Minhyuk wishes he knew how to comfort him more, but he knows this will take time for Peniel to heal from. 

“I know you think you just left Ilhoon without a thought, but that isn’t true. You know that isn’t true. You did the best you could in that situation, and that was getting those pups out of danger, getting home quickly, and getting us out for the rescue. We couldn’t have rescued all seven of you, you understand that - right? We never could have done that. Your quick thinking, getting out of there at the last moment you could, that saved all seven of your lives, all seven. In fact, you probably saved all of our lives, and even those of the pack we just got those boys from, because someone would have been forced to talk and everything we’ve worked for, for so long, would have been for naught.” 

He stops and looks down, noticing how Peniel’s shaking has subsided. He smiles fondly as he sees that Peniel had fallen asleep and he places another gentle kiss on his lover’s head. 

“You saved us all. One day I hope you understand that.”

He blows out the lamp on the nightstand, letting darkness engulf them, and allows himself to drift off as well, the two sleeping late into the next morning.  

Chapter Text

The next day is quiet, everyone sleeping late and recuperating from the stress and trauma of the last two days. Changbin is one of the first up around eleven, or at least the first out of his room. He spends a while in the kitchen, casually eating some toast and eggs for a late breakfast and mulling over how to spend the day. He first decides to go entertain Eunkwang since he hadn’t seen him since they got back. When he gets upstairs though, he finds that both he and Hyunsik, who had gotten there in the night, are sound asleep, so he’s careful not to wake them. 

He next checks the basement to see if anyone’s there, but no one is, so he heads back to his room figuring he’d spend some time working out. He carelessly swings his door open and walks in, letting it bang against the wall behind it. A startled yelp from the unused, or should be unused, bed across from him makes him jump and swear, spinning on the unexpected occupant. 

“Damn Minho, what the hell are you doing in here?”

“I was told it’s my room too?” Minho says with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah but you took all your stuff and have been upstairs, I thought you were all just going to share that room.” Changbin huffs as he sits on his bed; he wants the room to himself and was glad when Minho took his stuff upstairs. He wouldn’t be too happy if the other alpha changed his mind, though he wouldn’t be able to protest either.

“Ah, yeah. Well… Okay, I just needed a place to think, but I didn’t want to be too far from Hyunjin.” 

“Just Hyunjin? Aren’t you mated with Felix?”

“And that’s the problem.” Minho smirks to himself, making Changbin wonder if he’s mildly unstable. “But yes, I do plan on sharing the room with Hyunjin and Felix. I’ll go somewhere else, I’m sorry for intruding without asking.” 

“No it’s… it’s alright, you can stay.” Changbin is not sure what makes him say it, but he realizes that he really doesn’t mind the other alpha in the room. He doesn’t feel the urge to prove himself, the urge that’s always so strong next to Yunho and still present around Hongjoong. But this alpha is different. Maybe it’s because he’s not the new alpha anymore, or maybe it’s because he just likes the other’s scent - it’s a pleasant aroma of herbs that he can’t exactly place because he’s not good at the stuff. Whatever it is, he thinks, it goes well with his own citrus sage scent. 

“Thank you, but now the room isn’t empty. I’ll find somewhere else to think.”

“What’s on your mind that needs such concentration?” Changbin asks as he casually picks up one of his weights — made out of junk he’s scraped together — and starts curling it, settling into the proper stance like Peniel had taught him.

Minho thinks for a second before surprising Changbin by opening up.

“Being mated with Felix but not with Hyunjin, not being able to mate with Hyunjin, it makes him feel like he means less to me, that he’s disposable.”

“Huh.” Changbin grunts. “Never thought about a trio but I can see where that would be hard.” 

“It’s not something I really anticipated, I was dating Hyunjin for a while before I started helping Felix with his heats. Hyunjin gave us permission; Felix was really struggling and we were all friends. But then I bit Felix by accident. We decided we could be a threesome, Hyunjin and Felix really like each other too so it works well, but I didn’t ever consider how Felix and I having an actual bond would make Hyunjin feel left out.”

“You were with Hyunjin first and then bit an omega?!” Changbin shakes his head and whistles. “Damn man, way to punch the beta in the gut.”

Minho frowns and stands. “Thanks, I’ll be leaving now.”

Changbin groans and sets the weight down. “I’m sorry, that was dumb to say. I…” He stops, his nose scrunching as he mentally argues with himself before he sighs and concedes to the angel on his shoulder or whatever. “Let me show you where l like to think.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Honestly, not sure, but you’d better not make me regret it. If you tell anyone where I take you I’ll do everything in my power to get you kicked out.” An over the top threat maybe, but it makes him feel better. Unfortunately, Minho isn't impressed.

“Do you actually have enough power to do that?”

“I— well no, but I’d still make life miserable for you.”

“My lips are sealed. Probably. Depends how good the place is.” 

“It’s good, except when it’s raining or snowing.” Changbin opens the door again and leads Minho outside, looking around carefully to make sure no one is watching. His caution makes Minho chuckle and he turns to shush him. “Shhh, I’m serious!”

“Come on man—” 

“Look I’m trying to do something nice for you, but I don’t want anyone to know.”

“Why not?”

“I have a reputation, okay? I can’t have Yunho catching me being nice.”

“I am so confused, but lead on.” Minho gestures for Changbin to show him the way.

Changbin looks around again before leading Minho out of the house and around the back to a pile of rotting wood. Minho smiles mischievously but nervously, approving of Changbin’s sneaky ingenuity but not liking where things are headed as the other pulls out a makeshift ladder that's been camouflaged in the pile and props it against the building.

“Don’t hit the wall or Chan hyung and Jisung will hear.” He says as he starts climbing. 

“We’re going on the roof?” Minho asks and Changbin looks down at him.

“You got a problem with that?”

Minho grimaces. “I don’t like heights.” 

“Oh… well it’s not that high, it’s safe, trust me.” Changbin smiles down at him as Minho scrunches his nose in distaste but nods.

“Right, it’s just a two story building, not that bad.” He watches as the shorter alpha reaches the top and hefts himself the last few feet onto the roof. He follows wordlessly, easily scaling the ladder and pulling himself up over the ledge, careful not to think too much about the distance to the ground. He looks around to find Changbin across the roof, laying against the slanted side. 

“You can almost see the city from here, just the tip of a few buildings there, see it?” Changbin points and Minho strains to see.

“Sure, I guess.” Minho lays next to him and he has to admit, the height away from people makes him feel completely alone — other than Changbin of course — and the cool spring air is very peaceful. “It’s nice up here.”

“Yeah, I think so. I needed a place to cool down when I got into fights with Yunho. It’s a safe place far enough from the omegas where I can just release my anger and let my pheromones run wild.” 

“Do you get into a lot of fights?”

“Yeah, Yunho and I don’t get along. I wish I could say I could just decide to like him but, well it’s not that I don’t like him, it’s odd, like I just cannot get along with the guy. I'm glad no one's interested in trying to force us to be packmates; I was worried about that for a while. Or that..." Changbin grimaces at his own show of vulnerability, "that I'd be left alone..."

Minho turns to him in surprise, sitting part of the way up. "Wait, what do you mean? You aren't all going to be one pack?"

“Nope, we’re going to form two packs, at least that’s what it looks like right now. Chan hyung, Jisung, and I will be a pack no matter what, and we’re hoping the three of you fit in well. And Seonghwa too, but he’s in the other house so I don’t know.”

“I see. We moved packs because Seonghwa wasn’t getting along with anyone and we weren’t really getting that pull to be in the pack either. We figured we’d stick together, but that other alpha, Hongjoong, he sure fell hard for Seonghwa.”

Changbin laughs. “Yeah, I saw that! I’ve never seen Hongjoong so undignified. I think you’ll find Seonghwa joining their pack. You guys can too of course, if you want. Whatever works, right?”

Minho nods, smiling softly as he thinks back to the pepper alpha falling so quickly for his friend. “Give us a few weeks to settle in before making too many assumptions. Seonghwa is a lot to handle sometimes, it’ll be fun to see how that goes.”

They lay in surprisingly comfortable silence for a few minutes, each lost in his own thoughts. Minho is first to break the silence. 

“So what’s with you, Chan, and Jisung? Why are you a thing already?”

“Jisung and I grew up together in The District. We were part of the behavioral therapy experimentation, the idea that if raised correctly primitive children would just never present.”

Minho shivers at the mention of the place. He’d met one other primitive who had escaped it and his stories hadn’t been pleasant. “How the hell did you get out?”

“Jisung presented in the middle of the night, about a year and a half ago. His monitor went off and he was having awful cramps. I broke the sensor, smashed it to give us a little time. If it was in the middle of the day he’d have been taken and killed immediately, but we had already been planning an escape and, well, adding urgency to the equation and a healthy dose of luck we managed to sneak out with a truck that had just brought in the week’s food. We managed to hide on the street for two days and then I presented, Jisung’s heat triggering my first rut. We helped each other through it and luckily I was still in enough control that I didn’t bite him.

“It was a rough week. We were looking for a place to stay and ran onto this awful pack, that’s where we found Chan. He was… I don’t want to tell his secrets, so we’ll just leave it at: he was not in a good state. Someone in his pack, I still don’t know if they were related or not, told us where to find Mayfly and we came straight here. I’m not drawn to mate with Chan or Jisung, but I know I would never want to be in a pack without them.”

“Intense.” Minho muses, making a mental note of his unwillingness to tell Chan’s story but having no desire to pry. He likes that Changbin is protective of whatever Chan’s secret may be. He can see Changbin will be a great alpha to his pack. 

“So.” Changbin says after only a few moments of silence. “You said Hyunjin feels disposable, you mean because you aren’t tied with a bond? Like love alone isn’t enough?”

Minho groans, knocking his head against the shingles as his problems are brought back to the forefront. 

“Exactly, he feels like I could just up and leave him anytime because I’m not tied to him like I am to Felix. I didn’t realize he was so anxious about it until he had a full blown panic attack when he woke up without me there yesterday morning. I had stepped out to watch the others get here and make breakfast and when I got back, it wasn’t good.”

“So that’s why the house smelled awful.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“So, is Hyunjin disposable to you?”

“What?!” Minho rolls over to stare at Changbin, shocked and offended at the question.

“Well, I mean, are his fears valid?”

“Of course not. If I could mate with Hyunjin I already would have, maybe would have before I even did Felix. But that’s the problem, I can’t. We can’t mate. I can’t prove to him that I love him just as much as I love Felix and I would never be able to leave him.”

Changbin’s face is twisted in deep thought, Minho almost able to see the gears spinning creakily inside his head. 

“I wish I had an idea, but I have no suggestions. I guess you just have to make sure he can’t doubt your intentions… but you know that.”

“Yeah.” Minho sighs, looking back at the horizon line. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you thought about talking to Minhyuk hyung?”

“No, why?”

“Well, he’s the head alpha for one. He’s mated, for two, and has some experience in that realm you know. And he’s just really helpful with anything. It took me a while to trust him. I thought he saw me as a waste of an alpha. Turns out, I was just insecure and unwilling to open up. I know he’d like to know about your struggles so he can help. Maybe he has a solution, you won’t know till you ask.”

“Maybe it’d be worth a shot.” Minho mutters, not entirely convinced or entirely willing to admit how familiar those sentiments feel.

“Just think about it. I’m gonna head back down, just hide the ladder again when you’re done, alright?”

“Sure sure, thank you. It means a lot that you’d lease out your quiet place to a practical stranger.”

“Just don’t tell anyone.” Changbin reminds, his face stern for a moment before he grins at Minho again and waves, proceeding to lower himself onto the ladder and climb out of sight. 

As Changbin walks back to his room, he marvels again at how much he likes this other alpha and how he really would like these three, maybe four, new additions to be part of his own pack. 

Chapter Text

“Do you want to go with me?” Felix asks Hyunjin as he pulls on some clothes. He had asked Chan earlier if there was by chance the stuff to make brownies and was pleasantly surprised when the answer was yes. He likes baking, it helps him think, but Minho isn’t in the room and he’s scared to leave Hyunjin alone. 

“Sure, I want to ask if there’s a room where I can paint.” Hyunjin rolls out of bed and pulls on his pants. 

“Oh yeah, that’d be great! You could paint while I bake!”

Hyunjin smiles at Felix’s excitement, doing his best to hide how guilty he feels for making Felix scared to leave him alone. They head to the central house and both smile and wave as they see Seonghwa just leaving the house he now lives in.

“Seonghwa hyung! What are you doing? Want to make brownies with me?” Felix asks as they meet in the middle and Felix hugs the taller omega. 

“We can make brownies?” Seonghwa smiles and accepts the surprise hug, taking in a deep breath of Felix’s scent. “Sure. The last two nights were so weird without you guys in my room, it smells so foreign over there.”

“Bet that pepper smells good though, huh?” Hyunjin teases.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seonghwa mutters, unable to control his blush. 

“Oh leave him alone.” Felix laughs. 

They head into the kitchen and both Felix and Hyunjin have to stifle snickers as Hongjoong, who had been eating a sandwich at the table, stands so quickly that he bumps into the table and sends his plate flying. Changsub, who is also sitting at the table, does not stifle anything as his boisterous laugh resonates through the room.

“Good afternoon, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong says timidly as he sits back down, bustling to reclaim his plate and sandwich.

“We’re invisible.” Hyunjin says in a mock whisper to Felix.

“What?! No, no, of course not. Good-”

“It’s alright Hongjoong, you-”

“Hyung.” Seonghwa interrupts Felix.

“What?”

“Hongjoong is my age, he’s your hyung.” 

“Ah.” Felix stares at Seonghwa in shock, the elder having never shown an interest in following the rules of courtesy before. 

“Disgusting.” Hyunjin shakes his head. “You fell so fast.” He ignores Seonghwa’s protests and Felix’s elbow in his side as he turns to Changsub. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Hyunjin, this is Felix.”

“Hello boys. I’m Changsub, and I too am your hyung, but I think that’s far more obvious.”

“Serious? You’re that young? I was going to call you ahjussi.” Hyunjin smiles mischievoulsy as Changsub is again lost in laughter.

“You have no respect.” Seonghwa shakes his head at the proud Hyunjin. 

“Well, Changsub hyung , do you know if there’s a room where I could set up my painting supplies? I could just set up in our bedroom but I thought I’d ask if there was a better place.”

Changsub thinks for a moment. “I think we could easily make room for you in the sitting room, just down the hall here.”

“I was hoping you’d say that, I had noticed the unused area.”

“Let’s go look at it and I can help you get set up.” Changsub stands, emitting a groan at the movement that does not help his ‘hyung’ case, and leads Hyunjin down the hall. Felix goes to follow but Seonghwa catches his arm. 

“Thought you were making brownies?”

“Oh, yeah, but maybe…”

“Hyunjin’s a big boy. Hongjoong, would you show us where everything is?”

Hongjoong is more than happy to walk them through the kitchen, showing where everything is stored and giving a detailed explanation on how to use the oven. 

“The smoke is directed through all this so that by the time it hits the sky it’s not visible. We don’t want anyone thinking there’s people out here.” He explains.

Felix nods. “We had a similar system, though we were much further from civilization and didn’t have to worry nearly as much. Thank you for the help, we’ll make sure to give you the first brownie.” 

“Happy to help! Let me know if there’s anything you need, I’ll be… around.” Hongjoong practically runs out the back door and Felix giggles. 

“He really likes you, hyung.” 

“Maybe, or he’s just a horny alpha meeting a new omega.” Seonghwa says, but completely fails at maintaining his usual cynical tone. 

Felix arches an eyebrow. “He clearly isn’t interested in me.”

“You’re mated.”

“Whatever, you know I’m right.” Felix shrugs and begins collecting the ingredients he needs, humming to himself as he goes. 

They work quietly together for a few minutes, Seonghwa combining the ingredients after Felix carefully measures them out. Hyunjin crosses back through the kitchen, going to get his paint supplies. Seonghwa notices the way Felix’s eyes linger for too long on the door behind him. 

“So, what’s been going on with you guys?” Seonghwa asks once Hyunjin is gone. “You never really came out of your room, surely you weren’t… you know… the whole time.”

“I wish we were.” Felix sighs, entirely unflustered. “And we did actually come out yesterday afternoon, but I think you were in your room. Everyone seemed pretty tired and quiet.”

“I see. So everything’s fine?”

“Oh well… no not really. Hyunjin is having a hard time. He’s really insecure about Minho and I being mated. We don’t know what to do.” 

“There’s not much you can do, is there?”

“Not really, we just have to prove we love him the same I guess.”

“You won’t be able to do that without making each other feel less loved. You don’t wanna turn it into some kinda competition or score keeping.”

‘I— yeah I guess you’re right.”

They go quiet for a moment as Hyunjin rushes back through the kitchen carrying a plastic bag and looking determined and excited. Felix watches him carefully for any sign of an oncoming panic attack, then relaxes again as he determines Hyunjin is okay and happy.

“He had a panic attack yesterday morning, it was awful.” Felix mutters to Seonghwa in his low deep voice.

“Has he had them before?” 

“I don’t think so. Not that I know of, and I really hope I would know. Ilhoon hyung being captured really set him off. He was saying things like how Minho would notice me missing but not him in a situation like that. It was so hard to even understand everything he was saying, or where any of it was coming from.” 

Seonghwa puts a comforting arm around Felix’s shoulders, never having liked when the brownie-scented omega’s deep voice resonated with pain or sadness. 

“Maybe it was just the trauma then, maybe it’ll be a temporary feeling?”

“I don’t think so, I think he has had some of the thoughts before and just never said anything.”

“Why would you think that? Were there warning signs?”

“Not that I saw, but the way he said them, they didn’t seem like new worries. Maybe even he didn’t realize how serious they were before.”

“Well, I guess you guys will just have to keep talking and make sure there’s no reason to bottle feelings up. Stuff you might tell yourself isn’t important… that can be some of the most important stuff to share.”

“That sounds so funny coming from you.”

“Oh shush.” Seonghwa flicks Felix’s shoulder, then wraps his arms around them. He nuzzles his hair against the much shorter omega’s hair. Anyone who had just met Seonghwa would have been startled by the behavior, but Felix knew how affectionate his hyung truly was under his aloof masks. Their scents mix comfortably, pure chocolate and sweet brownie smelling just like baking. The real ingredients, mixed well by now, sit in the bowl in front of them as the two just stand there for a minute. Seonghwa hadn’t really meant for the other to fall silent, but he doesn’t prod for anymore talk, content with the way Felix is relaxing. 

An hour or so later finds Felix happily singing a catchy pop song as he prances to the oven to remove a delicious success. His timing is as perfect as always. The others say it’s a super power, but he thinks it’s just because he knows when his own scent is perfect, and it’s exactly the scent he wants his real brownies to be. Seonghwa, watching from his place at the kitchen table, startles slightly when Hongjoong comes bounding down from upstairs. 

“They smell amazing Felix!” Hongjoong enthuses, though Felix is sure from his peripheral vision that Hongjoong never looks in his direction. “Does he always make such good brownies, Seonghwa?”

“It’s his special talent. It’s a marvel we’ve managed to keep thin.” Seonghwa jokes, causing Felix to beam albeit sheepishly. 

“Hey Felix, you know who loves brownies?”

“You?”

“Eunkwang hyung. You should take some up to him.”

“Oh! Great idea! Is he up?” 

“Yeah he is, he smelled the brownies and asked me to come get one, but I think he’d enjoy getting to see you. He usually is in charge of welcoming new members but, well…”

“Got it.” Felix smiles as he passes Hongjoong and Seonghwa each a brownie before grabbing another plate to take upstairs. “Enjoy. Seonghwa hyung, let Hyunjin know where I am if he comes in, okay?”

“Will do.” Seonghwa mutters as he sends Felix a wide-eyed look at being left alone with Hongjoong so suddenly, a look that Felix seems to miss all together as he heads straight up the stairs.  

Felix freezes as he hits the top of the stairs, realizing that he has no idea which of the two doors will open to Eunkwang’s room. One of the two doors is cracked open, and he peers through it to see a mess of papers on and around a desk. Not that one. He moves to the second door, which is shut, and knocks. 

“Come in, but only if you’re bringing food!” A cheerful voice calls from the other side. Felix smiles and turns the door handle, pushing it in.

“Lucky for me, I guess.” Felix holds out the brownie for Eunkwang to take as he steps closer. 

“Oh no no no, lucky for me .” Eunkwang cheers as he takes the brownie and exaggerates taking in a deep breath of the warm scent. “Thank you Felix! This is exactly what I needed today.”

“Glad to help. How are you?” His question is timid, concern and a touch of guilt leaking into his scent. He sits in the chair next to Eunkwang’s bed as he talks.

“I’m perfect! Fit as a fiddle!” 

“Minus the hole in your shoulder.”

“Oh that little thing?” Eunkwang has learned in the last day or so not to shrug his hurt shoulder but he still shrugs the other. “Barely even notice it.”

Felix smiles widely at the older man, his cheerful, carefree demeanor contagious. His smile falters however as that pang of guilt increases.

“I’m sorry for what you had to go through to get us. But I’m glad we’re here, everyone is so nice. I’m already feeling at home, I think.” 

“No need to apologize young man, it was simply an adventure.” Eunkwang reaches over and pats Felix’s hands which he has clasped together in his lap. “I’m glad you’re here too, I hope you’re settling in well and that Hongjoong isn’t making too much a fool of himself.”

“He told you about Seonghwa hyung?”

“Oh yes, he couldn’t stop talking about him actually. I’ve never seen him so infatuated by a new arrival, and he’s been here since he was eleven.”

“It’ll be fun to see if Seonghwa hyung takes to him. We moved mostly because he didn’t have any friends and was always fighting. He was bullied a lot.”

“That is unfortunate. Is he getting along here so far?”

“I think so? He’s pretending to be unaffected by Hongjoong hyung’s interest, but I know he’s not.”

“Hongjoong can be quite the charmer once he sets his mind to it, but, of course, I’ll make sure he’s on his best behavior. Now, how about you Felix, did you want to move here?”

“I was the one who convinced Seonghwa hyung to agree. None of us were really sticking to a pack there, so there was no reason not to try. And I already like it here, I mean you had ingredients for brownies on hand! It doesn’t get much better than that.” They laugh together at that before Felix goes serious. “It’ll take us all a bit of time to adjust, but I really think we’ll fit in. Even just meeting everyone the other night in the kitchen, I felt different… it felt different. Like a breath of fresh air, even with how stressed and scared everyone was.”

Eunkwang nods, pleased to hear Felix’s thoughts. “I’m glad you feel that way, Felix. I hope that feeling lasts and that you’ll become part of a pack here. Which room did you take?”

“The one in the house on the left.”

“Oh, so Seonghwa ended up in Hongjoong’s house? He didn’t tell me that part.”

“Yeah, not on purpose but that’s how it worked out.” Felix snickers lightly. 

“Was it explained to you how the houses are split?”

“Yeah, betas and omegas upstairs, alphas down—” He stops as Eunkwang shakes his head, chuckling. “That’s not what you meant.”

“No, but that is true. We arranged everyone in how we think they’ll form packs. Chan, Changbin, and Jisung are pretty much a pack already but have room to grow if they allow themselves to. Hongjoong, Yunho, San, and Mingi have become so close we are sure they’ll be a pack as well.”

“But they won’t be one big pack?” 

“No. They’re friends, obviously they live together and only have each other for companionship, but there is a very distinct difference in the two groups.” 

“Oh… so we might be split from Seonghwa hyung?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. We can always arrange the houses however we need to make things work. Even if we need to prepare another house. Do you want to stick with Seonghwa? Do you feel like you belong in a pack together?”

Felix thinks for a minute, having never fully considered that. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve never really thought of being in a pack with him, but never thought I wouldn’t be, if that makes sense? Once we decided to move it seemed like that sealed our fate together.”

“Your fate was sealed the moment you were born, son. You’re just trying to discover where it leads.” 

Felix nods, lost in thought. Eunkwang lets him think for a minute before engaging the young omega in a game of cards.

Chapter Text

SLAM, BANG!

“What the hell?!” Yunho bellows as San nearly jumps out of his skin in surprise at the loud noise, throwing himself off the bed he’d been cuddling Yunho in. The door to Yunho’s room had just been very suddenly and unceremoniously thrown open, causing it to bang loudly against the wall. 

“Hongjoong hyung!” San gasps from the floor, acting as if he’d had the breath knocked right out of him.

Hongjoong says nothing as he flops face first onto his bed, emitting a pathetic whine into his pillow. Yunho sits up and pulls San back onto the bed, chuckling at his boyfriend’s slight dramatics. He places a kiss on San’s pouting lips — earning himself a cheeky smile and a giggle — before turning to look at the elder alpha across the room from them.

“Hyung, you scared the shit out of us. Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“It’s my room.” Hongjoong turns his head just enough that the other two can hear him clearly.

“And what if we were, I don’t know, having sex?”

“For one, any primitive can smell you having sex a mile away.” Hongjoong says with a snort as he pushes himself up. Yunho goes beet red, but San just looks curious at this new information. “For two, well, maybe it’d be a good show. It’s not like we haven’t done it ourselves.”

“Hyung!” The brazen comment gains a dismayed groan from Yunho and a surprised laugh from San. 

“You’ve done it together?” San asks curiously, having not previously considered that possibility. 

“Yeah, we help each other out during ruts sometimes.” Hongjoong shrugs. Yunho covers his face in apparent embarrassment. 

San coos at his adorable alpha and takes to peppering his exposed skin with kisses, which melts the embarrassment away quickly. Yunho lowers his hands and wraps an arm around San’s waist, nuzzling into his neck roughly which makes San laugh again. Hongjoong watches them with clearly faked disgust and only slightly better hidden longing.

“Alright, hyung, why did you so dramatically enter your bedroom?” Yunho finally asks. 

“I… well… what should someone do if they like someone?”

“You mean you and Seonghwa hyung?” San asks innocently.

“Of course not!” Hongjoong rejects far too quickly but the others only raise their eyebrows. “I’m asking for a friend.”

“How many friends could you possibly be asking for?” Yunho scoffs. “And about whom? There’s four new people, three of whom are in a relationship. It’s only Seonghwa.”

“Oooo, you mean Mingi likes Seonghwa? No way! ” San gasps excessively, knowing full well it is not Mingi that Hongjoong is talking about. 

Hongjoong groans, dripping his head into his hands as the other two snicker. 

“It’s alright hyung, everyone knows you like Seonghwa hyung. You’re pretty obvious.” San stands as he talks, going to sit by Hongjoong and rubbing his back. “He’s very pretty.”

“He’s unreal.” Hongjoong agrees. “How can someone look like that? And his scent. Well I guess you wouldn’t know…” 

“What is it like?” San has made it a point of getting the clearest descriptions of his packmates’ scents that he can. He doesn’t necessarily care that he can’t smell primitive scents, but he doesn’t like feeling left out when everyone else knows something. 

“Chocolate. Dark, pure cacao.” 

“It’s bitter.” Yunho adds, earning himself a glare. 

“It’s perfect .”

“No I mean, I think it’s actually even more pure, but right now he’s kind of edgy, guarded, so it’s extra bitter.”

“You’re seriously telling me you think he’ll smell even better once he gets settled?” Hongjoong grips at his collar, lost to his histrionics. One would think this news was world ending for him,  and honestly, it might be. 

“Pepper and chocolate. Sounds like a nice mix.” San nods to himself. 

“So you need help.” Yunho states, bringing the conversation back on track.

“Yes.”

“With?”

“You know what.”

“Say it.”

“Seonghwa.”

“Now put it all together.”

“Are you seriously going to make me beg?”

“I’m considering it.” 

Another groan, Hongjoong rolls about on the bed for a bit before spitting it out. “Yunho, as my oldest friend, will you please give me advice for wooing Seonghwa?”

“Why come to me?” That earns Yunho a pillow aimed at his head, which he easily catches. He barely hides his playful smile while San laughs boisterously. 

“I just told you! You’re my oldest friend. Plus, somehow you got San to like you, so you must know something.”

“Well it’s not like he did much besides just be himself; and not bully me. That helped.” San is completely poker faced before winking at Yunho. 

“That honestly sounds so sad, San-ah.” Hongjoong frowns, pulling San into a side hug. San just shrugs, eagerly accepting the hug and nuzzling into Hongjoong’s chest. 

“I’m just kidding. There’s a lot of things that made me fall in love with Yunho, but I don’t know if he did any of them on purpose?”

“I’m just a lovable guy I guess.” Yunho rolls his eyes as he says it and the other two chuckle. “I don’t know Hongjoong, what do you think you need to do?”

“Make him feel at home?”

“That’s a good start.” San nods.

“Maybe stop making a fool of yourself around him.” Yunho suggests. Hongjoong just raises an eyebrow at that suggestion, prompting Yunho to continue. “You have no cool around him. Just act normal, the harder you try to impress him the more awkward you are. Just be his friend and make him feel comfortable. Something tells me he hasn’t had a lot of friends.”

“Yeah, I get that feeling too.” San nods solemnly. “Yuyu, you said it’s easy to tell Hongjoong hyung likes Seonghwa hyung because of his scent right?”

“Yeah, figure out how to reign that in too.” San shakes his head as Yunho assumes the wrong reason behind his question. 

“I mean, is there any reaction from Seonghwa?”

“Oh, um… I don’t know. His scent is too unfamiliar, I don’t think I’ll be able to catch subtle changes in it for a while. So there’s definitely not been a drastic reaction that I’ve been able to notice.”

“Everything in my body is screaming at me to skip the friend stage and just have Seonghwa.” Hongjoong admits. “It’s so hard to think straight around him. His scent is intoxicating.”

“You could always just be forward about it, just tell him straight up that you’ve known him for like a day and you’re already head over heels for him.”

“Yeahhhh I don’t think I want to be quite that blunt.”

“Maybe you should talk to Minhyuk hyung.” San suggests. “Get some ideas from someone with more experience.” 

“I’ve heard all of Minhyuk hyung’s stories.” Hongjoong brushes off the idea as he absentmindedly runs his hand through San’s hair, massaging the younger’s head.  

They all sit in silence for a few minutes, each on their own train of thought, San particularly comfy and on the verge of falling asleep under Hongjoong’s soft hand. Hongjoong abruptly stands just before the youngest can drift off completely, San slumping to the bed and whining at the movement. 

“Sorry San-ah.” Hongjoong mutters as he goes to the desk he and Yunho share and rumages in his art drawer, which Hyunsik keeps stocked for him, before bending over a piece of paper to write. 

“What are you doing?” Yunho, who had gestured for San to return to his side and now has the younger’s head in his lap, asks. Hongjoong seems not to hear him, so San gives it a go. 

“Hongjoong hyung, did you get an idea?”

“Yeah.” Hongjoong’s response is quick and distracted. 

“What is it?” San presses. 

“Shh, let me think.” 

“Fine, fine.” San shrugs and Yunho chuckles. They sit, watching Hongjoong scribble away for a bit before he sets the pencil down and starts playing with the paper, folding and turning it in seemingly random ways. Eventually, San’s curiosity lifts him out of bed. He walks over quickly and quietly so that Hongjoong doesn’t notice and is able to catch a glimpse at the alpha’s work. 

“Origami! Where’d you learn to make that?” 

Hongjoong initially huffs and tries to hide the small folded flower in his hands, but then decides it isn’t necessary and shows San instead. “My mom. She made all sorts of beautiful things. I don’t remember a lot, but this lotus flower was always my favorite and… I think it’s fitting.” San looks at him quizzically and he sighs, his voice growing softer as he talks. “My mom always told me that the lotus was a special flower, because no matter how dirty the water it grew in was, it’d always produce the most beautiful flower. Seonghwa is too beautiful after everything we primitives go through, he’s a lotus.”

Yunho fakes gagging noises as San coos. “That’s so cute!”

“You’re whipped. He’s been here 2 days and you’re totally whipped.” Yunho shakes his head. 

“Are you giving it to Seonghwa hyung?”

“Yeah. You made me remember. Minhyuk hyung told me about courting once, how primitives used to mate. There were lots of official rules, you know, a certain way you were supposed to do things. One thing was the courting gifts that alphas would give to the omega they were trying to court. I thought I could give Seonghwa courting gifts.” Hongjoong is blushing but San doesn’t judge him. 

“That’s so sweet, hyung. Dang, if I knew I could’ve been getting gifts I would have made Yunho work harder.” He winks at Hongjoong as Yunho balks. 

“I’ll give you all the gifts you want, Sannie. Well, all that I can come up with that is…” He stands and makes his way to the desk, circling his arms around San’s waist and kissing the back of his neck, then up and around to his cheek. San giggles at the attention and Hongjoong rolls his eyes. 

“And you gag at my simple gift.” He mutters as he stands up, ducking around the two to go to the door. “Fine, I’ll let you two get back to your cuddling in peace. Thanks for the help.”

“Wait! What does it say? I know you wrote something in it.” San pokes but Hongjoong shakes his head.

“No, nope, you’re not getting that out of me.”

“I’ll ask Seonghwa hyung tomorrow.”

“Don’t you dare!” 

San’s snickering follows Hongjoong out of the room. He closes the door behind him, shaking his head in exasperated fondness at his goofy friends.  

He stands there for a moment, trying to decide what to do, before finally deciding to go upstairs to see if Seonghwa is in his room. He walks right up to Seonghwa’s door and casually knocks before the audacity of his own actions suddenly hit him, his eyes widening in shock as he leaps away from the door.

What am I doing?! Am I really just going to hand this to him just like that?!  

Hongjoong waits in a wild-eyed panic, crouched frozen against the far wall of the hallway like he’s expecting a rhinoceros to come barreling out of the room, but nothing happens. Seonghwa is clearly not there. Standing up quickly and straightening his shirt, Hongjoong clears his throat and determinedly pretends like nothing had happened, thankful no one was there to see. Then, with a last conspicuous glance around, he pushes the door open and slips in. 

He intends to go straight in, place the note on his bed, and leave, but as soon as he steps inside he’s hit by an unexpectedly strong wave of pheromones. Gasping in a breath of pure Seonghwa makes his head spin. It’s so omega , so tantalizing, and he needs a moment to reorientate his bearings and remember what he came in there to do. Like a man going to war, he marches with a clenched jaw to Seonghwa’s neatly made bed and, trying very hard not to think about it, places the delicate paper lotus on the pillow. 

He stares at it for a moment, then flees the room, slamming the (much too solid) door behind him. For once, Hongjoong really, fully, understands the “no alphas upstairs” rule, and makes a mental note to be more mindful of it and any other pack rules he’s been remiss of. The very last thing he wants is to let his alpha instincts get the best of him and cause Seonghwa any sort of discomfort. 

He sort of feels like hiding in his room for the rest of the day, but he knows there’s no privacy to be had there. Instead, he heads down the stairs and out the back door, setting off at a jog to the one place he can truly be alone. His hideout. 

Chapter Text

Hyunjin doesn't mean to start a fight. He doesn't even know why he does it. He had been in a great mood, even, having just set up a little art studio with Changsub's help. To everyone in the basement, however, it seems like Hyunjin walked downstairs with the sole purpose of starting something. 

"Does everything around here have to smell like him?" Hyunjin complains loudly to no one in particular. 

"Like who?" Chan asks, his hands momentarily pausing on the handles of the foosball poles, letting Changbin score against him.

"Nut boy. It's sickeningly sweet everywhere." He scrunches his nose in an appalled expression to hammer in his point. 

Jisung rolls his eyes but doesn’t look up from the book he’s reading. "Your boyfriend is a walking brownie, and you complain about me? Just get over it already, I can't be the first scent that repulses you."

"You're the first one I'm expected to live with." Hyunjin shoots back, before musing to himself. “Do you ever go into the other house? Maybe Seonghwa hyung’s room will be free of your stench.” 

Jisung’s face goes red but he just shakes his head, trying his best to ignore the other.

"Change is hard for everyone, Hyunjin. Just give it some time and I'm sure you’ll get used to all our scents.” Chan goes back to his game with Changbin, not realizing Hyunjin isn’t done. 

“Your scent is weird too, but I can’t put my finger on it.” Hyunjin muses, walking closer to Chan who suddenly tenses. “It’s like peppermint but almost… more earthy? Deeper?” 

“Yeah it’s uh, not straight peppermint I guess. We’ve never been able to put a name to it.” Chan mumbles, the tension in his shoulders running down his arms until his knuckles are white around the foosball handles. Changbin begins to growl in warning, staring daggers at Hyunjin, but Chan shakes his head. “It’s alright Binnie.” 

Hyunjin raises his hands and backs away. “Sorry, oh mighty alpha. I don’t mean to offend your omega.” Chan winces at those words and Changbin looks murderous, but Hyunjin has no idea why. Jisung finally speaks up again, looking up from his book this time. 

“Why don’t you go bug your mates, instead of complaining to us? You literally don’t have to be in the same room as me, so why are you? Or are your mates sick of your company too?” It’s intended to be a cutting remark, but he’s completely unaware of the way his words strike deep into an already open and bleeding wound. 

Hyunjin grimmaces briefly before setting his jaw, teeth clenched hard enough to break concrete as he spins to face Jisung. “At least I have mates. I don’t see anyone clinging onto you.” He throws back in the most acidic voice he can muster.

“Give it a rest Hyunjin! Get the fuck out if you can’t be nice!” Changbin bellows, his scent billowing out to hit Hyunjin like a wave. 

“ Whatever .” Hyunjin mutters through a cough as he turns on his heels and runs up the stairs.

He makes his way back into the sitting room where his easel is set up and throws himself into the chair. He’s shaking, his entire body is shaking; he huffs and crosses his arms. Why does he even care? His mind spins as he tries to catch his breath, tries to make sense of this senseless reaction. He doesn’t even know why he was complaining about Jisung’s scent so much in the first place. Sure, it’s awful, but what’s the use in complaining about it? Since when has he been the type to bellyache about stuff that can’t be helped? Not to mention that he actually really likes this place! He likes these people, and he wants the others to like him too. He does! But then, why on earth had he done that? Why is he acting like such an ass? He’d literally gone downstairs to hangout and make friends, not to do that, whatever that was . He’s so confused, and mixing toxically with his muddled dismay at his own actions are Jisung's piercing words. They bounce like a rubber ball around his head, one that’s been covered in barbed wire and spikes. 

‘Or are your mates sick of your company too?’

Were they sick of his company? Felix had disappeared once the brownies were finished, Hyunjin doesn’t even know where he went. Minho had left their bedroom before they did and hadn’t returned yet. Were they avoiding him? Had Felix let out a sigh of relief when Changsub led him out of the room and he didn’t have to babysit him anymore? Had he complained to Seonghwa about Hyunjin’s neediness? Was Minho, even now, complaining to someone else about his irritation? Did Felix wish Minho had never marked him so he didn’t have to be dragged into dealing with Hyunjin’s drama now? Or…

Or he wishes that Minho would have left you after marking him.

His mind supplies very, very loudly. It made sense. Why would a mated omega want his alpha’s beta boyfriend sticking around? There is no point. Hyunjin feels hit with a brief moment of clarity. Felix probably hates having Minho’s attention split between them, but of course he’s too sweet to tell Minho that. Felix is sweet, in scent and personality, but everyone has their limits. Hyunjin wouldn’t be surprised if he is Felix’s limit. 

He shakes his head; reality comes back for a moment and he knows that that’s crazy. But the thoughts cling no matter how he tries to clear them away. He curls up and starts rocking back and forth in the chair. 

They love me. They both love me. And I love them. We’re together because we love each other and are meant to be together. It doesn’t matter that we aren’t mated, the bond isn’t needed. The bond isn’t needed.

But tears start wetting his cheeks even as he repeats this like a mantra in his head. He only makes it through three rounds before the other thoughts break in again, destroying each hopeful thought like a snake devouring a rabbit whole. 

They love me. No, they love each other. 

He reaches in front of him and opens a tube of black paint.

I love them. But what does your love matter? 

He pours the paint straight onto the canvas in front of him. 

We’re meant to be. If you were meant to be, Minho never would have bit Felix.  

He takes a brush and spreads the paint around in furious swipes.

A bond isn’t necessary. Why does a bond exist if not necessary? 

He smacks the canvas with the brush, splattering paint across the few remaining white areas and himself. 

Betas can have love too. Only if the other party settles for less.

He bites his lower lip, trying to stifle sobs that want to break free. 

“Stop. Stop. They love me.” He whispers out loud a breathless moment later, trying in vain to silence the voices attacking him. 

Why are you still here?

He freezes, choking as the thought hits. Why is he? He could make everything so much easier on Minho and Felix if he wasn’t here. If they didn’t have to carry around their spare tire. If he left on his own, Felix wouldn’t have to tell Minho he doesn’t want Hyunjin around. They would get on without him just fine, and be glad it was over. They wouldn’t even feel his distance, no pull to him distracting them from each other. And no one else would miss him. Obviously, he had made a terrible impression on the other boys whose pack he was supposed to join, so that didn’t matter. Maybe Seonghwa would miss him for a moment, but he had many new friends to make, and Felix is his favorite anyway. Seonghwa will be glad to see Felix happy. It’s such a perfect solution, what is Hyunjin doing when he can be fixing everything for everyone in one simple move? 

He stands, half blinded by tears he didn’t notice he was crying. He drops the paintbrush on the ground and rushes out of the room, knocking over the easel in his careless haste, causing the canvas to go crashing to the ground. He rips open the front door and runs up the street with no plan at all except to get away. He doesn’t know or care what direction he is going. His feet trip and stumble over the road. The pavement beneath him is long ruined, crumbled and uneven. It’s like him, just like him. He catches his balance and keeps going. He runs full speed, turning corners when he has to, rushing onward until his legs are numb and he can’t breath. He drops to the ground, his head spinning as the world goes a bright white, then a dark black. And for a moment, laying on the hot, broken asphalt, he smiles.

Because the voices are gone. 

"You win, you win." Eunkwang sighs, dropping the playing card dramatically onto his lap table. "You have sufficiently worn me out young man."

Felix's bright smile only grows as the dramatic older man continues to make him feel completely at home. 

"I'll leave you to rest, Eunkwang hyung. Do you need anything?" He asks as he stands. 

"No, I don't think so. Thank you Felix, feel free to keep me as much company as you want in the next few weeks. I don't think Hyunsik will be letting me out of this bed anytime soon."

"I'll be sure to come entertain you." Felix nods seriously, his smile never wavering. He waves as he leaves the room, leaving the door just slightly cracked in case Eunkwang needs to shout for someone. 

He heads down the stairs, feeling nothing but happy and grateful for their new home. If everyone is even a fraction as kind as Eunkwang, they must be amazing people. He sniffs as he reaches the main floor, his smile faltering as his nose scrunches in confusion. He is expecting to find a happily painting Hyunjin in the sitting room, making use of his new art corner, emanating his purest sweet yet sour lemon curd danish scent. As such, the scent of rotten, moldy lemon pastry is very unexpected, and very concerning. 

Felix peeks into the sitting room with a questioning "Hyunjin?" on his lips. His eyes widen as he sees the easel laying haphazardly on its side, an accompanying canvas sitting face down in the carpet. The room is entirely devoid of beloved beta. He makes his way to the canvas, his heart beating harder with every second, and flips it over to find it and the carpet a mess of pure black paint. 

He stands there for a few moments, taking in deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart so he can think clearly. Hyunjin must have been trying to paint his feelings about their relationship and gotten angry. He would have gone to their room, right? Hopefully finding Minho there to comfort him. But he hasn't felt anything alarming through his and Minho's connection, maybe Hyunjin hasn't found him then? Felix wishes so so deeply, and not for the first time, that he could feel Hyunjin like he feels Minho. He would have known something was happening before it could have gotten far. 

He heads into the kitchen, hoping to find someone to ask about Hyunjin, but no one is there. He could swear that Hyunjin's scent leads out the front door, but that wouldn't make sense, the back door is clearly the one used to go between houses. He heads outside and to their house but he knows as soon as he enters that Hyunjin has not been there anymore recently than when they had left it together. He still goes upstairs to check their bedroom but it is unhelpfully empty. He tries to sense where Minho is but their bond hasn't developed quite that far yet, so he decides to check the alpha bedroom downstairs. 

He can hear someone in the room and knocks on the door with a surprising calm. There is a thump before the door opens and Changbin is standing in front of him. 

"Is Minho hyung here?" He asks, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking. 

"No, why?" Changbin raises an eyebrow at him. "Are you okay Felix?"

"Have you seen Hyunjin?"

"No…"

"Do you know where Minho is?"

"I… I can go look for him. Felix what's wrong?"

"Maybe he’s with Seonghwa hyung." Felix turns on his heels, leaving Changbin in complete confusion, and this time runs full out across the conjoined back yards, running straight into Sungjae as he attempts to leave his house. 

"Woah woah woah, what's the rush kid?" 

Felix only groans in response as he knows by the absolute lack of scent that Hyunjin has never set foot in this house. He's losing his cool and a tear breaks loose as he runs a hand nervously through his hair, stopping to simply tug at it as he starts crying in earnest. 

"I can't find him." He says pathetically, unable to expand at all as he falls into Sungjae's surprised yet open arms.

“Shhh, hey kid it’s alright, calm down.” Sungjae runs a comforting hand up and down Felix’s back, his apple ring scent billowing around him laced with as many calming pheromones as he can manage. “Take a deep breath and talk to me.”

Felix tries to listen but each deep breath is exhaled in a frantic sob. Sungjae is about to pull him into the house when he looks up to see Minho running across the yard to them.

“Felix!” He calls just before meeting them. Felix throws himself from Sungjae’s arms into Minho’s as Minho stares helplessly at a very concerned Sungjae, who shrugs in response. “Brownie bite, what is it? Changbin said you were looking for Hyunjin and I?”

“I can’t find him.” Felix sobs into Minho’s chest, just barely audible enough for Minho to understand.

“Find Hyunjin?” Minho tries to get Felix to look up at him but the omega keeps his face buried in his alpha’s chest, only nodding in response. “What triggered this? Brownie bite, talk to me.”

“His canvas… on the floor… rotten… front door.” Minho catches bits and pieces of Felix’s explanation, but it’s at least enough for him to get an idea. 

“Can you show me? Were you in the main house?” Felix nods again and Minho pulls him along. He hears footsteps next to him and gives Sungjae as much of a smile in thanks as he can manage. They slowly make their way into the central house and Minho’s alpha instincts know that something is very wrong the moment he smells what is left over of Hyunjin’s distressed scent. 

“Brownie bite, sit here with… Sungjae hyung for me.” Minho stumbles, momentarily struggling to recall the elder’s name. Sungjae smiles softly at him and leads Felix to sit with him on the couch while Minho examines the fallen canvas and easel. 

Mixing Felix’s emotions with his own instincts is making it extremely difficult to think straight, but he tries his best. He can tell that Hyunjin went out the front door, and quickly looks out to see if he’s just sitting in the front yard and Felix didn’t think to look. But of course, he isn’t. He can also tell that Hyunjin went downstairs sometime recently and goes down to investigate. 

“Hey guys?” He asks the room, which currently only holds Chan and Jisung, both of whom are cuddling on the couch while Jisung reads a book. 

“Hi Minho. What’s wrong?” Chan’s voice is smaller than Minho would have expected, but concerned all the same. Minho doesn’t have time to question it. 

“Have you guys seen Hyunjin?”

“He was down here not too long ago, complaining about ‘my stench’” Jisung quotes. “Would you please stop with the pheromones or go upstairs? You’re going to choke us.”

“What? Oh sorry.” Minho hadn’t put any thought into his pheromones but as soon as he does he notices how panicked and strong his scent is. He reels it in as much as he can manage and takes a few steps back but keeps pressing. “So he was in a bad mood? Was that it?”

“Well…” Chan starts but Jisung cuts him off. 

“I may have said something less than smart.” Jisung sighs. Minho raises an eyebrow. “I asked if you and Felix were sick of his company and then he ran up the stairs.”

Minho blinks unseeingly for a moment, his vision red as fear and horror course through him. He groans, placing a hand on the wall next to him to stop the room from spinning before he growls out a low, startling, “ Fuck .”

Chapter Text

“You’re staying here.”

“Like hell I am!” Minho yells in Minhyuk’s face. The elder alpha takes a deep breath and places a hand on Minho’s shoulder, gripping just hard enough that Minho can’t shake him off.

“Minho, look at me.” Minhyuk’s tone is serious and Minho meets his eyes, not in submission but in defiance. “Now, look at your omega.” 

Minho is caught off guard by that command but he looks to his left, where Seonghwa is holding a hysterical Felix on the couch. Felix is sobbing into Seonghwa’s chest, babbling incoherently, as the scent of burnt brownies is combated by Seonghwa’s calming, smooth chocolate. Minho’s heart aches, his inner alpha screams at him to comfort Felix, but he is torn as he knows he needs to be more worried about his missing beta. He hates himself for not feeling the same primal concern for Hyunjin as he does for Felix at this moment. Minho steels himself and looks back at Minhyuk.

“I need to find my beta. I… I can’t… it wouldn’t help…” He tries to explain why he must find Hyunjin himself, why it has to be him, why staying with Felix would just make things worse, without explaining anything about their current problems as a trio. 

“Minho, listen to me. What do you think will happen to Felix if you leave him like this?”

“Seonghwa will help him, he trusts Seonghwa.”

“That’s not how it works. If you leave Felix right now, if you get too far away, he’ll feel your distance and panic more. That’s how you kill an omega, Minho.”

“What?!”

“He needs you, Minho. You and Hyunjin. We’ll find Hyunjin and bring him back, but you have to stay here. Please, I know you have no reason to trust me yet, but I need you to do so now. Felix needs you.”

“But if I don’t look… Hyunjin will think…” Minho’s head drops as his objections trail off and he slowly gives in. He’s not sure he believes Minhyuk, but can’t risk hurting Felix.  

“Minho, I get that there is something going on in your relationship, and I am more than happy to help you all work it out. But whatever it is will not be helped by you leaving Felix in this state.” 

“I didn’t say-”

“You didn’t have to. Now, we’ll be back as soon as we find him, okay? He can’t have made it too far.”

“I… Okay. Please bring him back.” 

“We will, Minho.” Minhyuk pats Minho’s shoulder comfortingly before gesturing for him to go to Felix. He turns to the others, the majority of their pack minus Eunkwang and Ilhoon — who is also resting in bed per Hyunsik’s orders — standing in the room awaiting instruction.

“Pair up and let’s go. San, Yunho, you take the road into the city since San is most familiar with it— ” Minhyuk gives everyone their search zone, Sungjae with Mingi, Hyunsik with Changsub, but lands on the trio of Chan, Changbin, and Han. “You three can go together, since there’s no one left to go with you.”

“Can I go? Please, I’d like to help.” Seonghwa is now standing at Minhyuk’s side, having traded places with Minho. 

“Of course. Who will go with Seonghwa?”

“He can go with me, hyung.” Chan offers and Minhyuk nods. 

“Great, that’s another direction then. Everyone search for an hour, then have one person run back to see if anyone has found Hyunjin. After that switch off runners every thirty minutes, we don’t want anyone staying out longer than necessary. Don’t just glance around, look through every building and alley. Get going.”

Everyone leaves the room except for Minhyuk and Peniel, who waits on his alpha as he walks over to Minho and Felix. He places a soft hand on Felix’s head, not minding that his hair is drenched in sweat. 

“We’ll find him and bring him back to you, okay? We treat everyone in this pack the same; we will put in just as much effort to find Hyunjin as we did to bring Ilhoon back, I promise.” 

The shaking omega nods just enough that Minhyuk can feel the motion. Minho mutters a “Thank you.'” not meeting his eyes. Minhyuk mentally commends the young man for making the right decision even when it meant pushing down his pride. He's also impressed by his ability to control his scent as the thyme basil is now quite calming and fresh rather than the panic filled rot it had been only minutes earlier. Minhyuk turns and leaves the room, grabbing Peniel’s hand as they leave the house together. 

Minho tries to keep his mind from racing through terrible scenarios, tries to keep his mind as blank as possible so he can better comfort Felix. He rubs Felix’s back, slow steady circles with only a little pressure behind them, and begins to hum a simple song now that the room is empty. They sit in silence that is interrupted periodically by Felix’s sniffles, but they become less frequent as he begins to calm in his alpha’s arms. Minho is startled a few minutes later when Felix, who he was hoping had fallen asleep, speaks.

“This isn’t going to help.”

“I know.” The silence stretches before Felix speaks again, his voice wavering.

“I’m sorry for breaking down, that was ridiculous. I just couldn’t… once you told me what Jisung said, just imagining what Hyunjin must be thinking…” 

“It’s okay, they’ll bring him back and then we’ll figure out what to do.” He kisses Felix’s forehead softly as he hopes he sounds even the smallest bit convinced.

“We need help, Minho.”

“Where would we get help, Felix? We just need to convince him that we love him equally.”

“Nothing we say is going to do that. We need to ask the adults, maybe they have ideas.”

“We just met them, what would they be able to do?”

“We just met them, and yet their pack went to look for our boyfriend without hesitation.”

“Sure, because they’ve gone through hell and back to get us here safely, of course they don’t want it to be in vain.”

“That’s not why and you know it.” Felix chastises.

Minho grumbles, not willing to agree. “What’s the point? What could they do? I don’t want to air our problems to practical strangers.”

“They’re older, they’ve seen more, experienced more. Maybe they’ll have ideas that can help, rather than us just flinging meaningless words at Hyunjin. We have to do something Minho, words alone aren’t enough.”

“And what if they just tell us we’re idiots for ever thinking this could work?” The words claw their way out of his deepest fears. Felix sits up in his lap, looking at him for the first time, but Minho keeps his stare fixed determinedly on the far wall. 

“Are you afraid of that? Do you really think that’s the end-all be-all answer?”

“I hope not…”

“Please, love, help us by talking to Minhyuk hyung. Just try.”

“I don’t know if I can.” It’s a whisper, a painful admittance that he doesn’t know how to ask for help, doesn’t know how to help himself. 

“A true alpha would be able to, because a true alpha knows how to be strong enough to ask for help. If you can’t be the alpha, then I will. After they come back with Hyunjin, if you don’t talk to him, I will.”

“Felix–”

“We need help, you have to try. For us .” 

Minho thinks about what Changbin had said earlier in the day, about how Minhyuk was kind and would want to help. He takes a deep breath and agrees. “I’ll try.”

Felix nods, kissing Minho lightly before settling back into the curled position against his chest, deeply breathing in his alpha’s scent. They’re both startled when the front door is thrown open and San enters the house, panting as he looks around.

“Nothing?”

“Nope.” Minho says, shaking his head. 

San nods, turning as he calls a “We’ll find him!” behind him and runs out again. 

“He didn’t even take a break.” Minho muses, having thought that surely the sweaty, panting boy would have paused to catch his breath. 

“He cares. They all care. This is going to be a good place for us.” Felix says as he nuzzles against Minho’s chest. Minho sighs and nods before burying his face in Felix’s hair. He just hopes he can be good for them too.

“So you’re telling me,” Jisung says slowly as he meets Changbin back in the middle of the street after searching a house, “That I said the exact worst thing I could have said today?”

“Yep.” Changbin sighs. “Minho said Hyunjin is anxious that they don’t or can’t love him as much as each other because they can’t mate. That the lack of a bond means he’s disposable.”

“So suggesting they’re sick of his company–” 

“Was some pretty spectacular aim, taking hold of the knife already in his heart and twisting it.”

“Not what I was going for, but sure, I get the picture.” Jisung rolls his eyes at the less than pleasant analogy. He feels terrible now, knowing how much his offhand remark had hurt Hyunjin, though there’s still a little voice in his head whispering that he deserved it. 

“I didn’t really think anything of it, even though Minho had just told me an hour or so before. I was pissed he was treating you like that, so it didn’t even occur to me to make sure he didn’t take your words to heart.” 

“I just wish I knew what he had against me.” Jisung pouts lightly. “Surely he can’t actually hate my scent that much.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know either. I know a thing or two about that, getting angry without knowing why. Whatever the reason, we’re going to have to work it out because I like Minho and I think I want them in our pack.” 

“You? Let another alpha into our pack?”

Changbin chuckles but doesn’t respond just yet, instead running over to the next house and searching it for a couple minutes as Jisung searches the one opposite it. When they meet in the middle again, Changbin shrugs. 

“I don’t feel the need to prove myself around him, to protect you and Chan hyung. Something about him makes me feel calm. I don’t fight with Hongjoong so much as Yunho, but I’m never able to fully relax around him either. But with Minho today, it’s like my inner alpha just accepted him.” 

“That’s cool. Once we find Hyunjin, I’ll make an effort to connect with him.”

Changbin nods gratefully, but advises, “Maybe save that for a day or two, Minho and Felix have got to figure out how to get him to calm down first. I doubt any other problems will be fixable until that one is solved.”

“True.” Jisung nods and they continue in silence for a while, each checking several houses before Changbin checks his watch. 

“It’s time, I’ll head back. Keep looking.”

“Yes sir.” Jisung salutes playfully, earning himself a playful punch to the shoulder as Changbin turns and jogs home. 

Jisung continues on slowly, now checking the houses on both sides of the road. Fifteen minutes later he turns a corner and sighs as he sees a tall figure sprawled on the ground. Of course he’d be the one to find the disagreeable beta, and while alone at that. 

“Hyunjin!” He calls, breaking into a sprint then sliding to his knees beside the boy, who is laying facedown on the broken gravel. “Hyunjin! Wake up!” 

Hyunjin groans as Jisung rolls him onto his back. Jisung is grateful to see that Hyunjin’s head is fine. He had worried it would be split if he’d fallen hard, but maybe he had caught himself. Or just given up and laid down. He didn’t know and it didn’t matter now. He pats Hyunjin’s cheek lightly, trying to get him to wake up. When it doesn’t do any good, not even eliciting another groan, he uncaps his water bottle and spills a little of the cool liquid on Hyunjin’s face. 

“Hrm, what?!” Hyunjin sputters, his eyes shooting open and blinking rapidly in the bright spring sunlight.

“Oh good, you are alive.” Jisung jokes. Hyunjin focusses on his face and scowls. Jisung rolls his eyes, but makes an effort to reign in his scent. He doesn't really want to make Hyunjin any more uncomfortable than he already is. “Nice to see you too.” 

“What do you want?”

“To take you home?” Jisung tries, unsure what he’s going to need to say to get Hyunjin to go back.

“I don’t have a home.”

“Bullshit.”

“What do you know?”

“I know that when I left to look for you there was a hysterical omega sobbing into your alpha’s chest, that said alpha almost left him to look for you. Minhyuk hyung said that could kill Felix, and yet Minho still considered running after you anyway.”

Hyunjin stares at him, eyes wide, then tries to sit up too quickly. Jisung helps support him as he groans and flinches. 

“I also know that our entire pack - minus Eunkwang hyung and Ilhoon hyung - are out looking for you right now.” He continues.

“Why?”

“Why? Because Hyunjin, you’re part of our family now.”

“What? Family? But I’m just an asshole.” He pulls his knees up to his chest, hugging them for comfort. 

“You are. But you’re also a person. A person who has terrified boyfriends waiting for him at home.”

“They’ll get over it.” It’s just louder than a whisper, pathetic in the fake confidence.

Jisung grimaces, his face scrunching in disbelief. “Do you really think that?”

“They have each other.”

“But they want you.” Jisung says softly. 

A tear rolls from Hyunjin’s eye and he brushes it off aggressively. “They only kept me around to make me happy. They don’t need me to hold them back.”

“I don’t know much about love, Hyunjin. I’ve never been in love.” Jisung places a gentle hand on Hyunjin’s knee as he talks, trying to comfort him. “But the first night you were here, standing in our kitchen joking around about fucking Felix, Minho and Felix looked at you in a way I’ve only ever seen people in love look. They had the same look in their eyes that Minhyuk hyung and Peniel hyung look at each other with, how Ilhoon hyung and Sungjae hyung’s eyes sparkle when they watch each other. Hell, even Yunho hyung and San hyung look at each other that way. They love you, Hyunjin.”

Tears slip from Hyunjin’s eyes. He wants to believe Jisung so much. “But what does love matter when we can’t bond?” Hyunjin drops his knees as his voice raises, Jisung’s hand falling back to his side. “They’re bonded, they’ll always be closer to each other! I’m just an extra hanging on, holding them back from loving each other fully.”

“Hyunjin, out of the three couples I just listed, how many of them can mate?” Hyunjin doesn’t answer, as he isn’t actually sure what San’s secondary gender is, so Jisung answers for him. “Only one, Hyunjin. Love doesn’t require a bond. Even in a situation like yours, I don’t for a second believe that Felix loves Minho more than you, not after I saw how broken he was today.”

“But he was just sad, he’ll get over it. It’s like you said, if Minho had left him it would’ve killed him. Me leaving just… hurt him… momentarily.”

He quails a bit at the way Jisung’s eyebrows rise toward his hairline. “Oh good, it’s momentary. Whoopie. Totally fine that you put him through that then.” The sarcasm is harsh, purposefully so. 

“Minho couldn’t even come look for me!” Hyunjin tries again.

“But he wanted to!” Jisung yells, making Hyunjin jump. “He wanted to so much that he almost risked Felix’s life so that your stubborn ass would believe he loves you. He was so worried that not looking for you would prove that he doesn’t love you. Do you wish he had risked Felix’s life, just to prove his love to you?”

“What?! No, of course not.”

“Then what? What do you want?”

“I want them to be happy.” He looks down as tears drip off his cheeks. 

“They were happy, Hyunjin. They were excited to be here in this new place, with you. But they aren’t happy right now. They won’t be if you leave; they won’t be until you come back. So please, come home with me. See for yourself.”

“You said they were sick of me.”

“I was just pissed you were being such an ass, I said the first thing on my mind. And I didn’t say they were sick of you, I asked if they were. Big difference.” Jisung defends but then softens for a moment. “I’m sorry, Hyunjin. I had no idea saying something like that would hurt you so much.”

 “Why are you trying so hard? I’ve been nothing but mean to you.” 

“Because I’ve learned a bit and I think I understand a little. We’ll work it out. I can forgive you for complaining about my scent. Now, forgive yourself or whatever, get up, and let’s get home.” 

Hyunjin sits for a few more moments, battling against the voices in his head. Finally he stands, groaning again as he stretches and brushes himself off. 

“Fine, I’ll go back. But you’ll see, they’re probably over it already.” 

Jisung stands too and shakes his head, not saying anything in case another word would make Hyunjin change his mind. He heads down the road home and Hyunjin follows him, purposefully walking a few steps behind.

Chapter Text

Hyunjin trudges behind Jisung, his head hanging as he kicks at rocks in the road with each step. The voices in his head sneer at him. 

Jisung is just lying to you. They don’t love you, they want to hurt you. You’re going to go home and they’re going to be in each other’s arms, laughing and enjoying their time without your weight. You’re just hurting yourself by going back. You’re so weak you can’t even leave them to be happy for one night. What right do you have to go back?

He doesn’t really try to push them back, he doesn’t have the energy for that so he lets them run wild as he numbly watches his feet move step after step. He doesn’t know how much time passes before he looks up, startled by the sound of someone running towards them. 

“You found him!” Changbin called, skidding to a stop a few yards from them and bending over, hands on his knees, panting for air. 

“I did. Karma, right?” Jisung jokes, but quickly realizes his mistake and looks back at a scowling Hyunjin. “I didn’t mean it that way, I swear. I just meant–”

Hyunjin just keeps walking, ignoring whatever explanation Jisung was giving. Somewhere in the rational part of his brain he knew what Jisung meant, it was slightly poetic that he triggered Hyunjin’s little runaway attempt and was also the one to find him. The rest of his brain however just acted as if Jisung had thrown new logs on an already strong fire. 

Karma. See. You’re a pain in his ass, he regrets finding you already. Probably wishes he’d missed you and kept going. 

“You’re going to have two very angry boyfriends when you get home. Be prepared.” Changbin informs.

“Why are you making me go back if they’re just going to be angry at my presence?” Hyunjin doesn’t entirely mean for his grumble to be heard, but it is. 

“Wh-what? Are you fucking dumb? They’re angry that you ran off, not that you’ll be back.” Jisung tries to get Changbin to stop, worried the slightest argument will stop Hyunjin from returning home, but Changbin brushes off his friend’s worried hand as he speaks.  

“Sure.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes, ignoring the much softer voice in his head that begs him to believe Changbin.

“Damn, you really don’t get it.” Hyunjin is oblivious to how Changbin is recalling his heart-to-heart with Minho on the rooftop. “Poor picked on beta, he can’t feel his mated boyfriends so their love isn’t good enough for him.”

“Good enough for me?!” Hyunjin screams, turning around sharply and making both the boys behind him jump. “Their love is everything to me!” 

“Then why did you leave them?” Changbin asks calmly, genuinely. 

“Because they deserve to love each other without having to worry about me.”

“So their love for you is less important?”

“No it just–”

“Why is their love not enough for you, Hyunjin?”

“It IS enough!”

“But you think it’s less because of the lack of bond, so clearly their love isn’t enough.” Changbin challenges, his voice raising slightly. 

“It… I–”

“Think about that while we walk, and do expect a very emotional omega when we arrive at the house. Just giving you fair warning.” Changbin shrugs and heads down the road he’d just run up, Jisung following.

Hyunjin stands there for a few moments, unable to process what just happened. It’s like Changbin’s words, his no-nonsense phrasing, finally knocked some of the voices down, shaking the confidence of his demons and dumping some water on the fire – but not enough to put out the raging flames. He shakes his head and continues to follow the other two back to the Mayfly homes. He doesn’t notice the way Jisung’s shoulders relax at the sound of his following footsteps.

Why isn’t their love enough? All they’ve done is try to make me comfortable with our relationship. They go out of their way to show me their love.

Exactly. They have to put in extra work. You make them work to love you.

But they’ve never complained.

They felt stuck with you. Guilty for mating with you right there. 

I was okay with it though. Am okay with it. I love Felix too.

They wouldn’t be with you if you hadn’t already been there. You weren’t enough for Minho, he had to find the little omega to satisfy his needs.

Felix isn’t- and Minho felt so bad-

Yeah, you make him feel bad.

No, his actions made him feel bad.

Your presence–

“Did you think anything through?” Changbin’s voice breaks into his internal argument. 

“Huh?” Hyunjin realizes they’re in sight of the houses now. “Oh… I don’t know.”

“I’m sure it’s not easy. But do try to believe what they say.”

Hyunjin nods, taking a deep breath. He isn’t sure what he did to deserve this alpha’s kindness, but he appreciates the gentle sternness in his voice. Jisung watched the two interact, his eyes wide in amazement. They walk up to the central house and Hyunjin freezes, suddenly terrified, as Jisung opens the front door. 

Run. Now. Leave!

He shakes his head.

No. 

He takes another deep breath and follows the other two into the house.

“Jisung? You’re back, is he–” Minho’s question cuts off as Hyunjin walks through the door. 

“Hyunjin!” Felix screams and leaps off the couch, throwing himself at the beta. 

“Hi.” Hyunjin chokes out a second before Felix nearly bowls him over, the force of his tackle hug sending the beta stumbling into the wall. Felix sobs into his shoulder. Hyunjin’s not sure how to feel about this reaction. He’s happy, right? This was exactly the opposite of the scene he had so feared walking into, right?

“You. Fucking. Idiot.” Felix gasps through his sobs, pounding his fists weakly on Hyunjin’s back with each word. 

“We’re gonna go run down the others.” Changbin says, and he and Jisung slink quickly out of the house again. 

“Why the hell would you do that?! Do you know how scared I was?” Felix continues to sob as Hyunjin holds him, taking every light hit without complaint as tears stream silently from his own eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” It isn’t enough. Guilt washes over him like a tidal wave, dousing the flames of doubt at least for the moment. He wants his Loves to be happy more than anything, he’d cut out his own heart to wipe the heartbreak away from Felix’s eyes. And Minho… He looks towards Minho, who has stayed frozen on the couch. “I’m sorry.” He directs it to the alpha this time, hoping against hope that his sincerity can be heard in every syllable, but Minho doesn't respond and Hyunjin can sense the danger in his stillness. 

Felix pushes himself out of Hyunjin’s arms and wipes his eyes resolutely as he stanches his crying. He stands straight and looks Hyunjin dead in the eyes for his next statement. 

“I don’t know what I have to do to convince you that I love you, but if I have to figure out how to break my bond with Minho to do it, I will.”

“What?! No! No that’s not–” Hyunjin shakes his head before the motion is stilled and his words cut off by Felix’s lips on his for a quick yet deep kiss. 

“I love you, Hwang Hyunjin. I love you. Please never scare me like that again.”

“I won’t. I won’t, I promise.”

“I have half a mind to command you to keep that promise.” Minho finally speaks, his voice almost icy but Hyunjin can hear the pain and relief in it.

“You don’t have to.” Hyunjin says resolutely. “But if you think it’s needed, you can..”

“I don’t want to take your free will away for anything, Hyunjin. I just don’t know how to convince you–” His voice cracks and he purses his lips, trying to fight back the tears that spring into his eyes. He looks away in a rare show of weakness and Hyunjin rushes to him, pulling Felix behind him as he takes a seat on the couch. 

“I’m sorry, my alpha. I won’t pretend that it’s easy. I’m honestly so scared. I can’t get the voices to shut up. They’re constant, telling me that I’m just an extra, that you’d be happier loving each other without me.”

“I don’t know how to be happy without you, Hyunjin.” Minho whispers as the tears fall slowly down his cheeks. “I wasn’t happy before I met you. I couldn’t feel happiness the last three hours. I know I’m not required by bond to be near you, but my heart requires it and I don’t know how to convince you of that.”

“I don’t know either.” Hyunjin admits. He hugs Minho, nuzzling into the crook of his alpha’s neck. Minho pulls his arm out of Hyunjin’s grasp and wraps it around him, pulling him closer and dropping his face into Hyunjin’s hair as his chest begins to heave. 

“I love you.” He whispers into the other’s hair as relief washes over him and the tears he had so carefully held back for Felix’s sake finally spill over completely.

“I love you too.” Hyunjin mutters. 

Felix sits next to them, leaning on Minho’s free shoulder. He grabs one of Hyunjin’s hands and squeezes it so tightly that Hyunjin winces, but he doesn’t pull away. 

“I’m sorry we didn’t know it was so hard until it was too late.” Felix says softly, the remorse in his voice sending another aching pang through Hyunjin’s heart.

“I’m sorry for not telling you.”

None of them speak or move until the others return, the only sounds in the room being Minho’s crying and the occasional sniffle from Hyunjin or Felix. As they sit there Hyunjin returns to his mantra from earlier.

They love me. They both love me. And I love them. We’re together because we love each other and are meant to be together. It doesn’t matter that we aren’t mated, the bond isn’t needed. 

They love me.

He smiles softly in relief as no dispute rises against it. For now, the other voices have lost their strength.

Chapter Text

Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix turn in not long after everyone else gets back. First, Hyunsik checks Hyunjin over carefully and reports only superficial scrapes from his fall. Then he also looks over Minho and Felix, making sure the omega’s distress hadn’t caused physical strain to his body. The trio are then supplied with some food and finally given leave to go back to their room. Minhyuk tells Minho not to let Hyunjin out of his sight for the rest of the night and Minho agrees. He doesn’t need to be told to know not to leave Hyunjin alone for a bit. 

Their room is quiet, all three too exhausted to discuss what had happened, too drained to try  talking anything through just yet. Minho is glad that Hyunjin and Felix seem to sleep quickly and soundly, the beta tucked carefully between Minho and Felix, practically being used as Felix’s plushie for the night. Minho, on the other hand, does not sleep a wink. His mind races with unhelpful ideas, and each time he dozes off he jerks awake in a panic. His heart rate only slows each time when he recognises Hyunjin’s scent and places a hand on the sleeping boy’s shoulder to make sure he’s still there. 

The majority of his night is spent battling with his pride as he thinks about going to Minhyuk in the morning. He knows Changbin and Felix are right. He knows there’s no shame in asking their new adopted pack alpha for help. But him knowing and his inner alpha agreeing are two very different things. It feels like he should be able to handle this on his own, that he’s broken because he’s missing whatever instinct he needs to fix this. The idea of talking to Minhyuk makes him feel sick, but by the time the sun rises he is set in his plan. He’ll get up in a few hours, go find Minhyuk, and he’ll tell him everything. No backing out. He owes it to Hyunjin and Felix.

He finally gets a nap in for an hour or so, peak exhaustion eventually overriding the terror that not being one hundred percent aware of Hyunjin’s presence causes. He’s woken by voices outside and he grumbles in annoyance before bolting up straight and blinking sleep out of his eyes as he momentarily thinks Hyunjin is missing again. But he isn’t, he’s still sound asleep in Felix’s arms. Minho breathes a deep sigh of relief and runs a hand over his groggy face. It’s going to be a long day. He recognises one of the voices outside as Minhyuk’s and his inner alpha immediately recoils, trying to convince him to stay in bed, but he pushes past that feeling, knowing he needs to get going before he chickens out. 

He learned his lesson the last time and, as much as he doesn’t want to, he shakes Hyunjin lightly to wake him up.

“Hm?” Hyunjin groans, burying his face deeper into Felix’s chest. 

“Jinnie, I’m going out for a bit, is that okay?”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin sighs, but Minho doesn’t believe he’s awake enough to really answer so he shakes him again. “What??” 

“I need to know you are awake and understand.”

“You’re going out. It’s okay, I’m okay. I promise. Thank you for telling me.” Hyunjin looks up at Minho as he answers and Minho’s heart melts as he looks into Hyunjin’s eyes. 

“I love you.” He says quietly, leaning down to kiss Hyunjin and also leaves a light kiss on Felix’s forehead.

“Love you too.” Hyunjin murmurs, a small smile raising the corner of his lips as Minho watches him so easily fall back asleep. 

Minho crawls off of the bed and pulls on his clothes, running a hand through his hair to un-towsle it. He makes his way to the central house and is grateful to find Minhyuk alone, making breakfast in the kitchen.

“Good morning Minho.” Minhyuk says brightly, smiling as he watches Minho walk through the door. “Couldn’t sleep last night?”

“Not really.” Minho nods and sits at the table, playing with his hands as he tries to work up the courage to open up. 

“What’s on your mind?” Minhyuk asks, his voice soft and kind. 

“Is anyone else up?”

“Eunkwang hyung is, I’m making him breakfast. Hyunsik and Changsub just headed back into the city, they have to get back to work. I haven’t seen any of the boys up yet. Do you need someone?”

“No, no, that’s good. I…” Minho chews on his lower lip, trying to make the words come. “I was looking for you.”

“Well you seem to have found me.” Minhyuk jokes playfully. “I’m all ears. Whatever you want to say, I’ll listen.”

“Thanks.” Minho mumbles, looking up at Minhyuk who is watching him attentively while stirring eggs in a pan. He takes a deep breath and starts. 

“I need help with Hyunjin.”

“I did expect that much.”

“Yeah it’s just… it’s hard. I… my alpha…” Minho stutters and is relieved when Minhyuk stops him.

“I understand. Would it help if I tell you what I think is going on, then maybe instead of telling me everything you can just correct me?” 

Minho thinks for a moment and then nods, that does sound a lot easier. 

“Okay. I think Hyunjin is having a hard time being in a relationship with a mated alpha and omega. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I’m guessing he feels like he’s less important because of the lack of that bond.”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know how you three became a polyamorous couple, can you tell me who was first?”

“I started dating Hyunjin about two years ago. Felix was our friend for most of that time, I mean we all got along well. When he presented he was okay for a while, but then his heats got really bad. I talked with Hyunjin and we agreed that I could help Felix through his heats, so they wouldn’t last so long. For around six months it was okay, but then one month I didn’t realize how close my rut was and I absolutely should not have helped him then.”

“You didn’t mean to bite Felix.” There was no judgment in Minhyuk’s voice, not even a touch of pity, it was just a statement of understanding.

“No, I didn’t. Felix felt terrible, getting between Hyunjin and I. But we all talked it through and decided to try a poly relationship. I thought it was working really well. I love both of them, they love each other so much, and I know they love me. But I missed all the signs.”

“That Hyunjin wasn’t actually okay with it?”

“Yeah. Well, no. I think he truly is okay with it, but it made him anxious and something snapped in him when he saw how Sungjae, another beta, reacted to losing his lover. Made him realize that even without a bond he can still feel the pain of losing a loved one. Sungjae didn’t know if Ilhoon was alive like a bonded pair would, and I think that terrified Hyunjin.” Minhyuk flinches at the comment but Minho is looking at his hands and doesn’t see it, continuing without a pause. “But then he got this idea in his head that even though he could feel that for us, we wouldn’t for him because we only feel each other missing or something like that.”

“I see.”

“He says he knows we love him but obviously there’s other stuff in his head or he wouldn’t have run off when Jisung suggested that we were sick of him.”

“That’s really tough, Minho. But don’t beat yourself up for not noticing. He may not have even noticed himself until the stress and fear of the last few days kicked in.”

“Maybe. But now that it has, I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want him to always be unsure of his place with us. I want him to believe we love him just like any unmated alpha and beta, or two nu or whatever, you know? Bonds aren’t the end all be all of love and I think he was probably fine with that before Felix but…”

“But he sees things.”

“What?” Minho looks up at Minhyuk now, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“He sees when your bond makes you feel each other differently. Little things you may not notice, I bet he sees them all. I didn’t notice either when Peniel and I first mated, but the others would poke fun at us and eventually I started to notice too.”

“What kinds of things?”

“Laughing at something the other is laughing at, with no idea what’s funny.” Minhyuk says wistfully as he plates the breakfast he had cooked. “Or suddenly getting very alert and stopping mid sentence because you felt something concerning the other. Being in pain when the other gets hurt. Things like that. Hyunjin watches those and probably longs for that connection. If it wasn’t so in his face he could probably forget about it, but it’s hard to miss.”

“That… makes sense.” Minho’s gut curls with awful understanding as he imagines these things from Hyunjin’s perspective. “But then what are we supposed to do?!” He looks to Minhyuk pleadingly, his inner alpha totally silenced, giving way to a scared teen as he begs for help. “We can’t bond. How do we help him? Felix said he would figure out how to scrub our bond if that’s the only option but…”

“No, no, that's absolutely not what should happen. For one, we literally can’t do bond scrubs anymore. For two, Hyunjin would just feel guilty for taking that from you.”

“I know. ” Minho says hopelessly. “I thought that too.” 

“What you need is something for Hyunjin to hold onto, something that lets him feel you.”

“Do you think a pack bond would be enough? We moved here because we wanted a bigger pack than just the three, well four, of us. But if that’d help we could do it.”

“It could be, but…”

“There is another option.” Both Minhyuk and Minho jump out of their skins as Ilhoon speaks, neither having noticed him walk in. 

“Good hell, Ilhoon.” Minhyuk swears. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt but–”

“Tri!” Minho suddenly yells, again making Minhyuk jump at the sudden outburst. The sight of Ilhoon standing there had triggered a memory in Minho.

“Tri?”

“Just before we were pulled over, Ilhoon was asking us if we’d ever heard of a ‘tri’ something and then he got cut off. I– I’d forgotten about it because I didn’t want to bug him.” 

Ilhoon raises an eyebrow at the boy. “Yeah, a tribond.”

“Tribond?” Minhyuk and Minho ask in unison. 

“Mind making me some, hyung?” Ilhoon asks Minhyuk, pointing to his friend’s breakfast plate as he makes his way over to the table.. 

“Sure, I’ll make yours and Eunkwang hyung’s while we talk.”

“Thanks hyung.” Ilhoon takes the seat across from Minho and leans in, giving the young man all his focus. “A tribond, as the name suggests, is a three way bond. Legend has it–”

“Legend?”

“Yeah, I’ve read about it in forbidden books I’ve stolen, but I have never encountered it or known anyone who has. So to me it's a legend, and I really don’t know how true it is so please don’t treat what I’m going to tell you as a magical fix-all.”

“I’m listening.” Minho scoots forward in his seat, and Ilhoon smiles sadly at his eagerness.

“Well, it’s supposed to be a bond between an alpha, beta, and omega. The few mentions of it recorded it as being a normal bond between the alpha and omega, but the beta also had some sort of bond to each of them.”

Minho can’t believe how perfect that sounds. “Stronger than a pack bond?” 

“Yes. But not as strong as the alpha/omega bond. I think, assuming that it works, it’s permanent. Not like an omega bite.”

“An omega bite?”

“Oh well, if an omega bites an alpha then a small bond is formed, but it fades, unlike an alpha biting an omega.”

“Oh, interesting.” Minho mutters, mind spinning. He had never heard of anything but the normal alpha-bites-omega bond, so this is all intriguing, but his attention is latched onto the first new bond Ilhoon had mentioned. “So, ok so, well I don’t know how much you heard but, do you think it’d be worth a try?”

“I heard enough, and yes. I think it could be what Hyunjin needs. If it’s the bond he’s missing, having even a small bond should help more than nothing. I remind you though that I don’t know if it will work. I’ve only got a few old accounts to go by.”

“How do they do it, Ilhoon?” Minhyuk asks as he places a plate in front of the other and surprises Minho by placing one in front of him too. 

“Thanks hyung. I never found mention of how to form the bond. You’ll just have to experiment, I suppose. You and Felix are already mated, which I hope doesn’t make it impossible. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to start.”

“I hope so… I mean, if an alpha bond and omega bites are both from biting, I guess it’d make sense that we would just… bite him?” He flushes a bit, feeling a little weird discussing such particularities so openly.

“That was my thought.” Ilhoon shrugs.

“Okay. Thanks… hyung.” Minho smiles shyly as he uses the honorific. Ilhoon smiles back. 

“You’re welcome. I hope I don’t lead you down a dead end.”

Minho takes a deep breath, steadying himself. “It’s okay if you do. At least we have something to try. And thank you too, Minhyuk hyung, for helping me talk. It really helped.” He blushes as he forces the words out, but his voice stays steady and he looks them both in the eye.

They smile back, nothing but kindness on their faces. “You’re welcome kid. Good luck.”

Minhyuk heads upstairs with a plate of food, leaving Ilhoon and Minho alone to eat. They eat in silence for a while, the atmosphere having grown much lighter, before Minho speaks up again.

“Are you okay, hyung?”

To his surprise, Ilhoon smiles brightly, the smile even reaching his eyes. “I am, really. Don’t worry, it was only mildly traumatizing. My brothers came for me, and I’m home now. I have a very overprotective beta in my bed, and I’m happy. The bruises will fade.”

“But the memories won’t.” Minho frowns. How can Ilhoon sound so confident?

“No, they won’t. But it could have been much worse. I’m so thankful for how things have turned out. Don’t worry about me, really.”

“I’m glad they got you back. I’m excited to get to know you, and everyone.”

“Me too.”

Chapter Text

The kitchen is empty when Hongjoong and Yunho walk in an hour later for breakfast. To Yunho's amusement, Seonghwa joins them only a few minutes later.

"Good morning Seonghwa hyung!" Yunho says far louder than is warranted at this time of the morning. "Want some breakfast?"

"Good morning Yunho. That’d be nice, thanks." Seonghwa greets softly, smiling shyly at the big alpha. He looks around cautiously, seemingly on edge as he walks over to the table and sits down next to Hongjoong. 

"M-morning Seonghwa." Hongjoong practically squeaks, 

"Thank you for the lotus, Hongjoong." Seonghwa is looking down at the table as he speaks, his words barely more than a whisper.

Hongjoong is quiet a few moments longer than Seonghwa expects, and he looks up to see the slight alpha staring at him with a blush so deep that smoke might start blowing out his ears. Seonghwa blinks. He barely said a sentence to the man.

"Oh yeah, yeah you're welcome, it was just a little thing." Hongjoong mumbles once he processes Seonghwa looking at him. He drops his head back a bit to stare at the ceiling, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously in his lap.

"It's pretty."

Hongjoong looks at him then, shy yet with a raised eyebrow, expectant. This puzzles Seonghwa as he isn't sure what the alpha wants him to say, but he continues with what he had planned.

"But don’t go in my room uninvited. I don’t like random alphas going through my stuff.”

“Oh I swear I didn’t, I just…” Hongjoong sighs, the blush changing to one of embarrassment. “You’re right, I never should have gone in without permission. I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Just give it to me in person next time.” Seonghwa smiles sheepishly at Hongjoong, torn between his need to maintain distance and emotional walls, and not actually wanting to drive this alpha off. 

The suggestions seems to short circuit something in Hongjoong, who twitches like he’s going through a reboot. 

“So you, you do like it then?”

“Like I said, it’s pretty.”

“Do you like pretty things?” Hongjoong asks, leaning forward with far too much interest. 

“I think I’m going to vomit.” Yunho mutters as he places plates of food in front of Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Hongjoong kicks at his shin but misses and simply ends up hitting his own on the table leg instead. Yunho just laughs, especially when Hongjoong sticks his tongue out at him afterwards. Then Yunho picks up two more plates and turns to take them outside.

“Yunho! Where are you going?” Hongjoong asks, his voice cracking in sudden panic. 

“I’m taking my boyfriend breakfast in bed. We can’t all fold lotus blossoms out of paper.” Yunho winks at Hongjoong, who groans and buries his face in his hands, before disappearing out the back door. 

Seonghwa sits stunned for a moment, awkward and unsure what to make of that exchange. He decides to try and help the alpha out and clears his throat.  “Um… how'd you learn to make something like that anyhow?"

Hongjoong looks up at him, startling as if he’d been expecting Seonghwa to have disappeared. "My mom taught me." 

"Could you teach me sometime? I'd love to learn."

Seonghwa has always been exceptionally good at reading emotions from primitive scents and Hongjoong is no exception. The emotions in Hongjoong's face and scent cycle so quickly that Seonghwa has to hold back an amused grin. Hongjoong still seems to be expecting something, is disappointed he isn't getting it, but is now overwhelmed by a sort of jubilation. 

"Oh uh yeah that'd… I'd be happy to spend time wi– I mean show you how. Spend time showing you how." Hongjoong blunders. “And I really am sorry, I just wanted to make you feel welcome, I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy. I will never do anything to intrude again.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Seonghwa’s voice is deep and genuine, the tone making Hongjoong have to suppress a shiver. 

He swallows. “Do you like it here so far?”

“I don’t not like it.” Seonghwa says slowly. “Actually, I do think I like it. I’ve never felt at home anywhere. I was in two packs before ending up with Jessi noona and even there I… let’s just say I didn’t make it easy on anyone.”

“What do you mean?” Hongjoong asks, clearly concerned and upset over the idea that Seonghwa hadn’t been happy.

“I’ve never felt safe, as an omega I mean.” He shifts, wondering why he’s opening up to this alpha. “I had a few bad experiences here and there, and I guess I just decided to make sure it’d never happen again.”

“Oh, that’s awful. Do you feel safe here?”

“Strangely enough, I do... I don’t know what it is, maybe the feeling just hasn’t had time to come back with everything with Ilhoon getting taken and all.”

“I hope it never does, I want you to feel safe here. I’d never want an omega in my pack to feel unsafe.”

“In your pack? What makes you think I’d be in your pack?” Seonghwa feels all his guards go flying up. The quick shift to defensiveness has Hongjoong stuttering.

“Oh, w-well… we’re going to be splitting into three packs eventually, and I’ll be the head alpha of mine.”

“I’m not going to just join anyone’s pack.”

“I know, I just meant that, if you end up in my pack, I would only want you to feel as safe as possible. I’m sure Changbin would say the same.”

“Changbin will be the other head alpha?”

“Yep. He puts on a tough guy routine and gets into trouble a lot but I know he’ll make a good one.”

“What about…” Seonghwa thinks for a moment. “Isn’t Minhyuk the head alpha?”

“Yeah, he is, but we’re going to break into smaller packs because it just makes sense. The hyungs have their pack, they’re just taking care of us and teaching us like any pack does its pups before sending us on our own, you know?”

“I suppose.”

“Of course, we pick packs like any other, whatever we’re drawn to. You have full authority over where you end up, who you end up with.”

“Right… sorry, I didn’t mean to get worked up, it was just your wording.”

“I understand, it set off an alarm. I’ll try to speak more carefully, like I said, I never want you to feel unsafe here. Or trapped. Or anything.”

“Thanks, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong nods, business-like even as a blush starts creeping up his neck again at the simple use of his name.

“You blush a lot.”

“I do not!” Hongjoong’s protest is practically a squeak, his calm composure deteriorating in a microsecond and making Seonghwa smile. He grumbles and crosses his arms, pouting. “At least I usually don’t.”

“You should inform your blood pressure of that.”

Hongjoong blinks at him for a moment, caught completely off guard by the joke, before he laughs loudly, straightening up in his chair. Seonghwa is surprised when this seems to pull the breath from his lungs, but manages to chuckle a bit too. They sit in comfortable silence for a while, quietly eating their Yunho-provided food, before Hongjoong shyly speaks up again.

“So, you didn’t by chance open the lotus, did you?”

“Open it?”

“Like unfolding it to look inside?”

“No… I wouldn’t want to mess it up like that. Was I supposed to?”

“Ah. Um.” The blush deepens.

Seonghwa waits, watching his cheeks darken yet again in fascination. 

“Well… I may have written something but it’s okay, it’s not important.”

“I see. You could just tell me, so I don’t have to risk damaging it.”

Hongjoong blanches while somehow still managing to blush a good three shades deeper, making it hard for Seonghwa to suppress a little smile. 

“It’s really nothing.” Hongjoong implores breathlessly, “It just said that I’m glad you’re here, our new housemate. I really like you.”

“You’ve only just met me.”

“I know, but something tells me we’ll get along well.”

“Maybe.” Seonghwa nods, musing. He sits back, breathing deeply, and is met with the pleasant aroma of Hongjoong’s pepper scent, strong with hope. He lets his dark cacao scent mix with it and barely hides the shiver that the two mixing scents elicit from his body. “Maybe I’ll choose your pack.”

“I— I’d like that.” Hongjoong stammers again, having also been shaken by the mixing pheromones. He shakes his head, trying to clear the fog creeping into it, and stands abruptly, taking his plate and the equally empty one in front of Seonghwa to the wash bin and tidying the dishes. Once finished, he turns to see Seonghwa looking down at his hands. He takes a deep breath to steady himself and then speaks again. 

“So, Seonghwa, what do you want to do today?”

Outside, Peniel is kneeling in the front yard with several boxes of food and supplies around him, doing the biweekly inventory chore. He's going through each bin methodically, counting items and writing down how many they'll need the next time Changsub or Hyunsik can bring stuff. With four extra mouths to feed, he's also having to figure out their new numbers. He doesn’t usually carry their pantry outside to do inventory, but the kitchen was just too busy lately and he wanted the peace and quiet that he got outside.

"Doing the inventory, hyung?" Peniel jumps at Mingi's loud voice. 

"Oh, hey Mingi." Peniel smiles for a moment as he looks at the boy walking up to him, though the smile doesn't reach his eyes. 

"Want help?" Mingi asks, though he doesn't give Peniel much choice as he sits down across from him and starts peering into the boxes. 

Peniel shrugs. "Sure, thanks. You can help me reach stuff, I'm just working on this box of fruit for now."

Mingi's smile is wide even though Peniel really isn’t putting him to work. He is happy to just sit and, oblivious to Peniel's frown as he begins, chatter to the elder. 

“What do you think of the new guys?”

“They seem nice.”

"I like them. I hope they like me, do you think they do?"

"I don't know how anyone could not like you, Mingi. Even Changbin has a soft spot for you. I'm sure the new kids like you."

"Hyung." Mingi giggles and rolls his eyes. "I really like Seonghwa hyung."

"Not as much as Hongjoong does." Peniel says offhandedly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as Mingi bursts into ruckus laughter. 

"No, not that much. I hope Seonghwa hyung likes him too, I wouldn't want to see a heartbroken Hongjoong hyung." Peniel hums in agreement as he writes a number on his paper and goes to count the next item. 

"I wonder if Hyunjin is okay, do you think he's okay?"

"I think he will be. Change is hard. I bet he could use a good new friend here, even though he has his boyfriends, maybe you can help him feel at home."

"Yeah, I'll try, of course.” They sit in silence for a few moments and Peniel almost thinks that Mingi has already run out of things to say when Mingi again startles him with a loud exclamation.

“I know! We should organize a football game! There's…" He pauses for a moment as he counts, "There's enough people for seven-person teams and a ref! More if we do it while Changsub hyung and Hyunsik hyung are home." 

Peniel nods thoughtfully. "Dang, we can get a good game going. Maybe we could even get Eunkwang hyung out of his room to watch, I bet he'd enjoy that."

"Do you think Ilhoon hyung would be up for playing? Maybe… maybe he'd just ref."

Mingi doesn't miss Peniel's wince and he frowns as the other answers. "I don't know, you'd have to ask him."

"He's okay hyung." Mingi says, his voice low. "I was so scared, even last night I still had a hard time sleeping. But he's home and we're all okay."

"Mhm."

Mingi frowns. "Are you okay, hyung?"

Peniel bites the inside of his cheek as he tries to control the thoughts raging in his mind. "Yeah, I'm okay Mingi."

"It wasn't your fault, hyung." 

"I know, Mingi."

"Have you talked to Ilhoon hyung?"

"Huh? Of course I have. So, how do you want to make teams? By house or random?"

Mingi knows Peniel is changing the subject on purpose and doesn't press; he decides it isn't really his place. "Random. That way everyone has to mix together."

“I agree, no one can play favorites that way. Why don’t you carry this box back in for me, I’ve finished counting it, and then see how many you can convince to join right away?”

“Alright!” Mingi grabs the specified box and heads inside.

Peniel sighs. He loves that kid, he truly does. But sometimes someone just needs quiet to try and sort out their feelings.

Mingi carries the box into the kitchen, sliding it into its spot under a counter. Their kitchen is pretty nice, but they still have to revert it into its abandoned state for raids. As such they hadn’t fixed any broken cabinets and instead left them open and simply slid boxes in and out. When they needed to run for a raid everyone would have their go bag and would grab a box of food before haphazardly throwing the cupboard doors back into their broken, splintered, and unhinged positions to make it look like nothing was there. 

“Morning Mingi.” Hongjoong says from the table where he and Seonghwa are sitting, now surrounded by colorful squares of paper. Seonghwa has all his attention on carefully creasing a precise fold and doesn't respond to Mingi’s entrance.

“Hey hyung, Seonghwa hyung.” Mingi greets. “We’re going to play football!”

“We what?” 

“Football! We have so many people now, we can play with good sized teams! It’s going to be random though, so you can’t pick Seonghwa hyung right away.”

“And what makes you think I’d pick him, huh? I don’t know if he’s any good at football!” Hongjoong grouses jokingly in an attempt to counter Mingi’s tease. 

“That sounds fun.” Seonghwa muses, finally surfacing from his origami. “I’m pretty good actually. I’m in.”

“Great! I’m going to go tell everyone else. You guys should check in the basement, I think Chan hyung is down there. He probably won’t be too hard to convince.”

“Sure.” Hongjoong humors and stands. Seonghwa smiles fondly for a moment at the folded papers left on the table, then follows him to the basement. 

Mingi heads out the back and towards his house, figuring he’d get Yunho and San on board, then check in on Sungjae and Ilhoon to see if they’d be up for playing. He is about to knock on Hongjoong and Yunho’s door, assuming that’s where his friends are, when Ilhoon steps out of his room across the hall.

“Hey Mingi.”

“Hi hyung!” Mingi turns and smiles widely at him. His smile falters quickly however as he takes in the deep purple and yellow blotches covering Ilhoon’s face. 

“Oh come on, it just looks bad, I promise.” Ilhoon chuckles as he waves the concern away. “Doesn’t even hurt anymore.” 

“I bet it does when you touch them.” Mingi grumbles.

“Well, I am trying not to do that, so we can pretend they don’t.” 

Ilhoon’s lightheartedness makes Mingi smile again, effectively easing his concern as his favorite hyung does appear to be okay. 

“So, what are you up to Mingi?”

“I’m going to get everyone to play football! Do you want to play? Or just ref maybe?”

“Ah, fun. If you get everyone, that can be a big game.”

“Exactly!”

“I think I will stick to reffing. Pretending it doesn’t exist probably won’t work so well if I’m being tackled. And Sungjae would probably kill anyone who dares touch me right now.”

“I bet he would. Alright, we have our ref!” Mingi’s smile widens as his excitement returns. “Will Sungjae play?”

“I’m sure he will.” Ilhoon says definitively. 

“Awesome. Peniel hyung helped me come up with the idea.” 

“Oh did he now?” 

“Yeah.” Mingi’s face falls as he remembers Peniel’s less than cheerful state. “Ilhoon hyung, have you talked to Peniel hyung since you got back?”

“Of course, why?”

“I mean really talked to him. Like about leaving you behind?”

Ilhoon pauses for a moment, taking note of Mingi’s sudden return to seriousness. “Not really, no. What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know. I saw him just now doing inventory, and he didn’t seem himself.” Mingi wrings his hands nervously. “Maybe you should talk to him, or ask Minhyuk hyung if he knows what’s up. It’s just like everyone has kinda gone back to normal but he’s still…”

Ilhoon nods and interrupts as Mingi searches for the word to describe Peniel’s current state. “I understand. Thanks for telling me, Mingi. I’ll make sure to talk to him soon.”

“Alright, that’s good. I’m gonna find Yunho and San now.” Mingi smiles softly and waves a small goodbye as he turns back and knocks on the other door. Both hear a soft “come in” from the other side and Mingi opens the door, disappearing within without another word. 

Chapter Text

Minho leaves the kitchen after his talk with Minhyuk and Ilhoon with the intention of going straight to their shared room and telling Hyunjin and Felix of their fix, but every step he takes towards their house lessens his excitement as worry takes its place. When Ilhoon told him of the tribond he was flooded with relief, overjoyed at the chance he was being given. As he gets closer to the house however he slows as logic seeps in. 

What if it doesn't work?

What if it doesn't? Can Hyunjin handle that? Would it just make everything worse? Should Minho give him such brittle hope? Could he handle watching that hope fade if it didn't work? 

But what if it does work? What if Hyunjin never has to feel alone again? What if he never has to question his place in their relationship again? That's worth the risk, isn't it?

"Minho?" 

Minho startles, blinking and looking up from the ground he realizes he had been staring at.

"Are you okay?" Felix asks, stepping closer to Minho and grabbing his right hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

"Hey Brownie Bite." Minho leans forward and places a soft kiss on Felix's lips, surprising the small omega. "I'm alright, why?"

"I'm confused. You were so excited just a few minutes ago and then I felt that fade abruptly, so I came to check on you and you were just standing here staring at the ground."

Minho looks up, seeing that he was just short of the door to their house. He must have gotten so lost in his thoughts that he just stopped walking. 

"Where's Hyunjin?"

"In bed still, I told him I had to relieve myself."

"Ah. Well… I guess I can talk to you first." Minho runs his free hand over his neck, squeezing as if to force the tension out of it. He points to a log often used as a bench in the backyard and pulls Felix towards it. "Let's sit over there."

Felix looks at Minho with curious concern once they sit. "Alright, what is it?"

"Do you remember when we were in the car, right before we got pulled over. Ilhoon hyung was asking about our relationship."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well he was asking if we had heard of a Tribond. I hadn't, had you?"

"No, that doesn't ring a bell." Felix says slowly.

Minho takes a deep breath before launching into an explanation of Ilhoon's suggested bond. When he finishes he looks over at Felix and asks, "So, what do you think?"

Felix thinks for a few moments before replying. "That's not a whole lot to go off of."

"No it isn't. We have no idea how to do it or if it's actually real."

"But it's so tempting. It'd be amazing. It's exactly what we need." Felix laments. 

"I know." 

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Felix laying against Minho's shoulder as they think. Eventually he nods to himself and sits up.

"We tell Hyunjin."

"You think?"

"Yeah. It's his insecurities and anxieties, his possible cure ya know? I know you don't want to give him false hope, I don't either, but we can't keep this idea from him."

Minho sighs. "You're right."

"Let's go tell him now, before we change our minds." Felix stands and pulls Minho up with him. "Hyunjin is a big boy, he can make his decision."

"But what if…"

"No what ifs, Minho. It really isn't up to us. You want to try it if Hyunjin does, right?"

"Of course."

"So do I. So we have to give him the choice."

"Okay okay." 

They head into the house, Minho's heart racing the closer they get to their room. He appreciates Felix's steadiness, pretty sure he wouldn't be able to open the door without Felix's calming sweet scent. 

"Oh good you're back! I'm starv…. You didn't bring breakfast?" Hyunjin pouts from the bed as he sees his boyfriends' empty hands. 

"No, your legs aren’t broken, are they?" Minho jokes. 

"Well you were bringing breakfast before! I thought you would today, too."

"I'm so so sorry, I am a failure of an alpha, not bringing his beta breakfast in bed every day." Minho sits on the edge of the bed and rolls his eyes.

Hyunjin huffs. "Apology not accepted."

"Oh yeah?" Minho suddenly throws himself across the bed, draping over Hyunjin's body and attacking him with kisses. "Oh my Jinnie please forgive me." 

"Okay okay!" Hyunjin squirms and laughs under the onslaught. "Jeesh you're annoying."

" I'm the annoying one!?"

"Y…yeah, you are." Hyunjin stutters momentarily as Minho takes his lips in a brief kiss. 

"Well I guess you don't need to know what I was going to tell you then. It'd just be annoying ."

"You have something to tell me?"

"You two are so cute." Felix giggles, shaking his head as he plops himself on the bed next to them. 

Minho pushes himself up and sits to the side, letting Hyunjin sit up as well.

"Really, you want to tell me something?"

"Yeah, we need to." Felix nods. 

"Alright, I'm all ears." Hyunjin looks between his two lovers, waiting for one of them to start. Minho sighs. 

"First, I need you to promise that you won’t think rashly and you will consider every part of what we're going to say."

"Uh, okay?"

"I'm serious."

"Yeah I promise. What is it?"

"We may have a way to bond."

Hyunjin's face is completely blank. "You've lost me."

Minho recounts his discussion with Minhyuk and Ilhoon for the second time in the last fifteen minutes. Hyunjin stares agape as he talks, causing Felix to smile fondly and gently press his mouth closed for him. 

"It's a long shot, Hyunjin." Minho finishes.

"But it's a shot." Hyunjin whispers in awe. 

"It could be.' Minho nods. They sit in silence for several minutes as Hyunjin thinks about what he'd just been told. Eventually he speaks.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"What?"

"Huh?" 

"Let's do it. Let's try. It might take a few tries so we might as well get started. Bite me."

"Slow down." Minho shakes his head. "We need to talk about this, think it through."

"What is there to talk about? We know it's possible, we don't know how to do it, so let's get on it." 

"What if it doesn't work?"

"We can try several ideas until it does. Or maybe it won't work." He shrugs nonchalantly but is betrayed by his voice shaking as he speaks.

"And if it doesn't, will you be okay with that? When do we stop trying?"

"If it doesn't work… I'll have to be okay. Just like I am now, right?"

"That's what I'm worried about, you're already having a hard time. Will you be able to handle trying this and it not working?"

"I'll have to."

"Jinnie…"

"No, Minho." Hyunjin says sternly. "Not trying isn't an option. This is exactly what I need. A chance. I understand it's just a chance but it's more than nothing, we can't just ignore it."

"Okay, I understand. But I think we need a plan."

"Bite me. Both of you. And if that doesn't work we'll try it in different ways. Different orders. We'll try everything." The determined fire in Hyunjin's eyes makes Minho's heart hurt with both hope and dread. 

"You do realize bites hurt, right? It won't be pleasant for you." Felix interjects, trying to help Minho get Hyunjin thinking.

"You said you didn't even feel your bite." Hyunjin counters matter-of-factly.

"Because I was knotted, at the peak of my heat, mid orgasm. And it did hurt for a few days afterwards."

"Well that's alright. Minho can knot me when we try and we'll see how it goes." 

"Oh sure, just like that." Minho scoffs. "You do realize I can't always knot out of my rut, right?"

"You've done it plenty." Hyunjin waves that off as Minho stares in amazement at him. 

"Guys," Hyunjin whines. "I can take some physical pain. To get rid of this constant anxiety and doubt, I definitely can."

"Okay, I believe you." Minho concedes. "But I want us to make a plan. All the ways we'll try and at what point we stop. We need a hard stop that you can accept. We can't just try forever."

"That's fair." Hyunjin nods, hiding how his stomach squirms at the thought of giving up. 

"And I want to talk to Ilhoon hyung and get his thoughts on our plan once we make it. See if he has any more ideas."

"That's a little intimate, don't you think?"

"It's necessary. It'll make me feel better about it."

"Okay fine." Hyunjin is a little amazed at how Minho's tune has changed from wanting to keep his issues secret from the others. "Here, I have some paper in my bag still."

"Why don't you get some breakfast first?" Felix offers. 

"I'm not hungry." Hyunjin mutters distractedly as he clambers off the bed to grab paper and a pencil out of his bag. 

"Oh really? What happened to ' I'm starving' ?" Minho asks teasingly.

"Hunger is nothing compared to this." Hyunjin's conviction makes both Minho and Felix laugh, despite the seriousness of it. 

"Alright, alright. Well, let's get to work." Minho agrees, knowing he won't be getting Hyunjin to do anything else for a long time. And honestly, he's okay with that. Despite being the one stalling, he doesn't know how much longer he can wait either. 

They work on their plan for a good hour, coming up with many ideas and going back and forth on which ideas they thought had a better chance of working. The paper is quickly covered in scribbles then abandoned in search of more. The next few drafts are even more extensive although no better organized. Hyunjin writes quickly, adding idea after idea in neat rows, desperate to leave no chance unpursued. Minho tries to temper him, filled with worry but just as excited, his own messy scribbles ducking in and around Hyunjin's on the page. Felix does not try to help with the notes. He bounces around the other two with a constant chatter of ideas and advice and occasional distracted tangents. Finally, Hyunjin and Felix's stomachs grumble loudly at the same time, bringing a startled halt to the chaotic process. Minho takes the chance to pull the paper away, stopping yet another idea from being added on. 

"You two need to eat."

"No it's-" Hyunjin tries to argue but Minho shakes his head and plucks the pencil away, folding up the document.

"No, this is good. We're not doing anything else until you've had breakfast."

"He's right. We have plenty of ideas for now, we should eat and then talk to Ilhoon hyung."

"Fine." Hyunjin grumbles and quickly gets off the bed, dressing and throwing the door open before the other two even have time to follow. "Let's go then."

Minho and Felix glance at each other before chuckling and following their newly invigorated boyfriend. They make their way downstairs and are startled to find Han making his way upstairs.

"Hey guys!" Jisung says casually.

"Hi Jisung." They echo. Hyunjin surprises everyone by adding a "Hey Jisung" of his own. 

If Jisung notices the change in Hyunjin’s attitude towards him he doesn’t let on. “Where are you guys off to?”

“The kitchen.” Felix answers, gesturing vaguely towards the door out to the central house as Minho continues walking towards it. Hyunjin’s stomach grumbles again as if to make sure Jisung understands why they would go to the kitchen, which is totally not a normal place to be. 

Jisung laughs. “Yeah, sounds like you need it. Have a good breakfast. Remember, everything is up for grabs, just be smart with portion sizes. We don’t like strict rationing here, everyone just uses common sense.”

“That’s how we did it in our last compound too, most of the time.” Minho nods. “Thanks Jisung.” They all wave and head their separate ways. 

The kitchen is empty when they arrive and they get to work on breakfast, taking a while as they have to figure out where everything is by themselves. They have a good time cooking together, joking and laughing and just being lighthearted for the first time since before they left their previous pack. They let the mundanity of preparing food drain the high-strung tension from their bones. Then, they sit at the table and eat, serious again as they each take a turn reading over their plan. 

“Felix, will you go get Ilhoon hyung?” Minho asks when they are ready, and Felix nods, leaving quickly to fetch the older man. 

Minho looks intently at Hyunjin, taking the few minutes alone to check his senses one last time. “Hyunjin, I want you to know that I’m terrified.”

“Of what?”

“Of this failing and us losing you to your insecurities for good. How do I know that failing won’t cause you to run away again? Or something worse?”

Hyunjin chews on his cheek while thinking for a few moments before answering. “I don’t think I could sit here knowing there’s this chance and not do anything, Minho. I’d go insane. If we fail, I’ll do everything I can to keep the voices away. I’ll be open and tell you guys everything and just… we’ll get through it just like we were going to have to anyway before you talked to Ilhoon hyung. Now that we have this chance, we can’t… I can’t go on without trying it.”

Minho nods, accepting that Hyunjin’s head is clear. “Alright. Don’t get me wrong, I want this to work as much as you. I just have to be sure.”

“I know, Minho.” Hyunjin leans over and kisses Minho hard on the mouth just as Felix comes back in with Ilhoon.

“Hello boys.” Ilhoon smiles happily at them. “Felix tells me you want my opinion.”

“Yeah, we have some ideas for how to form this tribond. Would you mind looking over them? We want to try the one that you think will be the most effective first.” Minho passes the paper to Ilhoon as he sits down.

“Sure, I’m happy to help.” He reads over their ideas, nodding and periodically snickering. A deep blush darkens Hyunjin’s neck and ears the longer Ilhoon reads. After a few more moments of reading Ilhoon laughs and puts the paper on the table. “These sure are creative.” 

“And?” Minho asks. 

“I don’t really think your… sexual arrangement will matter much. Other than the obvious benefit of the beta’s distraction.” Hyunjin’s blush spreads over his face and Felix laughs.

“That’s what I said.” 

“Well those are quite down the list, and I agree with your first couple of options. I think your first option really will have the most chance. Just get nice and comfy, heated up, distract him, and go for it.” The boys nod and Ilhoon continues. “Now, betas aren’t technically believed to have a mating gland, but having done some research with Sungjae, I disagree. I think it’s just smaller, unnoticed. I’d say Minho, you should bite there just like you did Felix. It’ll be harder to find though, so make sure you take your time and get it the first try, you don’t want to do it again if you can help it.”

“Alright.” Minho nods. “Can you show me what I should be looking for? Jinnie, is that okay?”

Hyunjin shrugs so Ilhoon and Minho stand and go over to him. Ilhoon feels around the right side of his neck, near where it meets his shoulder, for a moment before grabbing Minho’s hand and placing it there.

“Feel that? Under his scent gland just a little, it’s much smaller but it’s there.”

“Yeah I feel it.”

“Right there. Take the time to find it.” 

“Got it. Thank you hyung. What about Felix?”

“Well, that’s trickier isn’t it. I see two options. He can bite the same spot after you, but I think that’s probably risky. My suggestion is biting Hyunjin’s left scent gland, directly opposite of Minho’s bite.”

“I can do that.” Felix nods confidently. 

“When are you guys gonna try?”

“Tonight.” All three say in unison.

“Alright. I’ll talk with Minhyuk hyung about arrangements.”

“We need to make arrangements to have sex?” Hyunjin asks, no filter as always. 

“Well… kinda. Just precautions. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.”

“Is it Chan? I noticed he’s kinda skittish around the alphas.” Minho asks, concern and curiosity in his voice.

“It is, and that is related. He has a hard time with bursts of pheromones, so we’ll just have him spend the night in another house to make sure he doesn’t get triggered by anything.”

“If we need to do it another night, we can. We don’t want to hurt anyone here.” Felix offers.

“It’s alright, as long as he doesn’t have any objections, I’m sure tonight will be fine. I’ll let you know later today to be sure.” Ilhoon smiles softly at the boys, appreciating their care.

“Thank you, Ilhoon hyung.” Minho says and the other two echo his thanks. 

“Of course. I really hope this works out for you guys. I’ll see you later.” He waves and leaves the room, this time out the front door. 

Minho watches him go before turning back and looking between his mate and boyfriend. “Please tell me I’m not the only one nervous.”

“Naw that’s totally just you.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes and they all laugh. “Who’s up for some foosball?”

Chapter Text

Ilhoon walks out the front door, glad that the trio’s interruption hadn’t taken too long and that Peniel is still sitting where Mingi said he’d be. He frowns however, when he sees the older man sitting still in the grass, his inventory task clearly forgotten. He walks over to Peniel slowly, not wanting to startle him.

“Hey hyung.” He says softly once he steps into Peniel’s view. “What’s up?”

“Oh hey Ilhoon.” Peniel blinks and shakes his head, his hands fluttering frantically as if trying to remember what they had been doing. 

“Can I help?” Ilhoon kneels down next to him, looking at the clipboard of paper that seemed to be complete already. “Do you need help carrying stuff inside?”

“Huh? No I… well, I can do it on my own. You should go back and rest.” He tries to stand but Ilhoon places a soft hand on his shoulder, keeping him grounded. He shrugs it off quickly however, as if he’d been burnt by the touch. Ilhoon’s heart aches at the motion. 

“I’m just bruised, Peniel hyung, that’s all. I don’t need rest, or babying.”

“Yeah, right, okay.” Peniel mumbles, his gaze dropping to the ground in front of him. “I should double check, make sure it’s right.”

“I can help.”

“Boring…” Peniel mutters. “Should… be with Sungjae.”

“How about this? I help you get everything inside, I’m sure you counted right the first time, and then we go find Sungjae together? I think we need to talk.”

The fear and guilt that Ilhoon sees in Peniel’s eyes tells him that Mingi was indeed correct, Peniel is not okay at all. 

“Let’s do that, okay? We can get Minhyuk hyung too if you want.” 

“No I… already being a baby.” Ilhoon raises an eyebrow, not having been present for Peniel’s previous breakdown.  

“Yes he does call you his baby. Your point?” He tries cracking a joke, but Peniel doesn’t smile. Ilhoon sighs and picks up two of the three boxes around him. “It’s not a request, hyung. Come on.”

Peniel continues staring at the ground for a moment before robotically picking up the last box as he stands and turns towards the house. Ilhoon smiles sadly and leads the way to the house, entering the now empty kitchen and sliding the boxes into their places before standing back and letting Peniel push his box into the last hole. 

"Let's go to my room, alright?" Ilhoon waits for the tiny nod Peniel gives before leading him to their house. 

He opens his and Sungjae's door slowly, peeking his head in to find the other reading a book before swinging the door wide open and waving Peniel in.

"Sungjae, we need to have a talk with Peniel hyung." He gestures for Peniel to sit on the bed with them but he stays standing near the door. 

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Sungjae’s expression is concerned as he pats the bed next to him.  “Come on, you can come sit by me.” His face falls farther into confusion when Peniel refuses, choosing to sit on the end of the bed instead, his back to Sungjae. Sungjae looks from the back of Peniel’s head to Ilhoon, his eyebrows raised in a question. Ilhoon sighs and sits next to Sungjae, pulling him into his side and giving Peniel the space he clearly wants. 

“Peniel hyung has some stuff to say to us I think.” Ilhoon starts slowly.

“I don’t.” Peniel mutters, shaking his head. 

“I think you do. Everyone in this pack is okay now, everyone is healing, but you’re getting worse hyung. You’re sad and aloof. You’ve been avoiding me, you can’t deny that.” Ilhoon speaks matter-of-factly, absentmindedly kneading Sungjae’s shoulder as he does. 

“I noticed that too.” Sungjae muses. 

There’s no answer from Peniel, just heavy silence. Sungjae looks up at Ilhoon, not liking the frown that he’s sure is mirrored on his own face. He pulls away then and crawls across the bed, placing a hand on Peniel’s shoulder in an attempt to get him to look around. “What’s on your mind hyung? Please, look at me.” 

“Don’t touch me!” Peniel explodes, throwing Sungjae’s hand off harshly as he practically leaps from the bed. “You don’t have to touch me!” 

Sungjae sits shocked, his mouth slightly open as a tear makes a trail down his cheek. 

“That was uncalled for.” Ilhoon scolds as he joins Sungjae at the other end of the bed. “Sungjae just wanted to comfort you.”

“He doesn’t need to!” Peniel yells. “I don’t deserve it!”

“You… what?” Sungjae asks softly, barely broken out of his stupor. 

“I don’t deserve your comfort! You don’t have to pretend to be okay with me.”

“Okay with you?” Ilhoon asks.

Frustrated tears build in Peniel’s eyes as his fists ball at his sides. “I know you’re disgusted by me, you don’t have to pretend you’re not. You can hate me, it’s okay, I hate myself too. You don’t need you to hide it, I can take it. Kick me out even, maybe that’s what I deserve.”

“Peniel…” Ilhoon whispers in horror. 

“Hyung, I don’t understand. Why should I hate you?” Sungjae’s face is contorted as he tries to comprehend while also trying to keep more tears from falling down his face. 

“Why wouldn’t you!? I left your husband to die! To be beaten and tortured. I drove away and left him there, I didn’t bring him home to you. How can you even look at me?”

“I’m not dead, hyung.” Ilhoon says. “I’m okay, I’m right here.”

“Because Eunkwang hyung and the others saved you! I didn’t do anything, I was useless. They left me here because I already fucked up once, they couldn’t risk me going along.”

“That is not why they left you here and you know it.” Sungjae’s voice is hardening, becoming suddenly angry.

“You’re lying!” 

“I’m not! You stayed because I was a wreck and needed you.”

“You didn’t need me, you needed your husband. You were a wreck because of me.”

“No. I was a wreck because my husband did his job and tried to talk you all out of a bad situation. It’s the police officers who took him from me, not you. You stayed with me when I needed comfort, I needed your presence, I would have gone crazy without you!”

“I left him.” Peniel groans, the tears pouring over in quick release as he slumps to the ground, his head dropping into his hands. “I should have gotten out, fought. I’m strong, I could have done it.”

“And then we would have lost all of you. What then? You did exactly what you were supposed to, you got those pups home.”

“And I left my brother to be tortured.” It came out as a growl, full of agonized self hatred.

Sungjae shivers violently, like his body is instinctually trying to shake away that thought. Ilhoon places a hand on his back, rubbing up and down it for a few calming strokes. Then Sungjae stands, walking over to Peniel and falling to his knees directly in front of him, though he is careful not to touch him yet.

“Listen to me closely, Shin Donggeun.” Peniel’s cries catch for a moment at the rare use of his birth name. “My husband took a risk, a risk we both accepted, and he got caught. You saved the six people that you could in that moment, and because of that the others were able to save him. If you had fought and gotten captured, there would’ve been no way for us to save any of you, or ourselves at that point. One of the pups probably would’ve been forced to spill on their past pack as well, killing all of them.”

Peniel doesn’t acknowledge his words as he sobs into his hands. 

“It’s pretty pathetic to hate yourself for doing your job.”

“Sungjae?” Ilhoon is shocked by the brashness of Sungjae’s statement.

“No. He needs to hear it. Feeling all sorry for yourself, it’s stupid. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t lose anyone. You followed your instincts, and then at home you continued to play your role as the pack omega, comforting me in my time of need, while your alpha and the others rescued my husband. You were exactly where we needed you, where I needed you.” Sungjae slowly reaches out, cupping Peniel’s hands in his own. He is grateful when Peniel leans the tiniest bit forward into his touch instead of pulling away. 

“We all have our role to play. We all accept the risks associated with every mission, since the day we founded Mayfly. Just because we finally had a mission go south, doesn’t mean it’s time for our resolve to.”

Peniel looks up slowly, his tear-reddened face puffy as he looks into Sungjae’s sincere eyes. 

“You really don’t hate me?”

“Hyung, I could never hate you.” Sungjae opens his arms and Peniel falls into the hug, crying softly against his chest. Sungjae’s apple ring scent fills the room, helping to calm Peniel’s racing heart. Peniel’s vanilla lavender scent, which had been too faint to notice the last few days, intertwines with Sungjae’s in response, becoming strong and pure again as his tears slow. 

Ilhoon joins the other two on the floor, rubbing Peniel’s back as the shaking in it slowly ebbs. They sit there for a few minutes in a comfortable, healing silence.

“I’m sorry.” Peniel breaks the silence a few minutes later, speaking just loud enough for the others to hear. “Thank you, for…”

“You don’t have to say it.” Sungjae shushes him. “We know.”

“I just couldn’t get it out of my head.”

“It’s hard like that sometimes. But that’s why we have each other, to knock sense back into us when we need it.” Ilhoon shrugs as Peniel sits up, looking between their two youngest packmates.

“What would I do without you guys?”

“Let’s hope we never find out.” Sungjae laughs lightly.

“Yeah. I for one don’t fancy another trip to a prison cell anytime soon.” Ilhoon jokes and Peniel chuckles softly.

“Are we good now?” Sungjae asks, just to make sure.

“We’re good.” Peniel nods. 

“Good. Now get up in this bed and snuggle us for a bit. I need a good snuggle that isn’t just because I’m losing my shit.” Sungjae stands, groaning lightly as his knees pop. “Man, we’re getting old.”

“Speak for yourself!” Ilhoon shoots back indignantly before standing and grimacing at the protests from his own joints. “Or maybe don’t.”

They all laugh at that, Peniel loudest of all, and climb into the bed together. They don’t have even three minutes to settle in when there is a knock at their door. 

“Who is it?” Ilhoon calls. 

“Mingi!” The young boy’s excitement is evident in his voice.

“Come on in.” Ilhoon chuckles.

Mingi throws the door open rather unceremoniously, making the three older men laugh. “Everyone’s agreed to play! Eunkwang hyung even wants to come down and watch!” He registers their pile in the bed then and has the good sense to look sheepish at interrupting. “Sorry, bad time?”

“Of course not. Want to join us? The more the merrier in a snuggle pile, right?”

Mingi beams at them and hops into the bed, his energy met with several yelps and chastising words as he works his way into the pile. 

“This is nice.” He smiles and the others chuckle. Mingi is easily a favorite in their resistance, especially to Ilhoon and Sungjae, and he can frequently be found hanging out in their room or buried in their snuggle pile. What they love the most is his enthusiasm, because no matter how many times he joins their pile or who is in it, he’s always as excited as the first time.  They stay there for several hours, talking about random nonsense or sitting in a comfortable silence which is most frequently broken again by Mingi.

Chapter Text

“Can we go yet?” Hyunjin asks for the millionth time that day.

Minho had been trying to keep Hyunjin’s mind occupied by socializing with the other boys but that was a hard task when he couldn’t keep his own mind busy. They had played several good rounds of foosball, and even a round of icebreaker games with Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, San, and Mingi - which turned into a few life story times. Minho had hoped that Chan would come down to the basement to hang out and so that he knew their house was clear, but he never had all day. 

“I’ll go check with Minhyuk hyung, make sure the arrangements have been set, alright?” Minho asks and Hyunjin nods emphatically. 

Minho smiles and places light kisses on both Hyunjin and Felix’s heads as he stands and heads out of the basement. He’s happy his search doesn’t take long but is also apprehensive as he finds Chan alone in the kitchen. He’s not sure if Chan has already been told or if he’d be uncomfortable with an unfamiliar alpha asking about such a sensitive situation, but he figures Chan will have to get used to him sooner than later if they are to become a pack. 

“Hey Chan.” He says tentatively with an awkward wave as he takes a seat at the table as far from Chan as he can, trying not to make him uncomfortable. 

“Hi Minho!” Chan greets cheerily. “How’s your day been?”

“A rollercoaster.” Minho chuckles. Chan returns the laugh with a knowing nod.

“Minhyuk hyung explained your situation to me, I mean probably not everything but-”

“I’m sure whatever he told you is fine.” Minho interrupts with a friendly smile. “It’s not like it needs to be a secret after everything yesterday.” 

“Yeah… I hope it works for you guys, I really do. I barely know you but it still hurt watching everything yesterday.”

“I feel bad everyone had to see that, but I’m also really thankful to have everyone’s help yesterday. I mean if we’d been on our own to look for Hyunjin…”

“We’re a family here, we help everyone.” Chan’s wide smile makes Minho feel totally at ease, and he realizes that his alpha likes this odd omega. Minho notes the deep tones of Chan’s peppermint scent, feels like something about it is off but he doesn’t question it. 

“So if Minhyuk talked to you, are you okay with us trying tonight then?”

“Yep!” Chan nods. “I already set up camp in Eunkwang hyung’s office, he’s got a surprisingly nice couch. Best one in the house since it’s the easiest to hide; the raiders rarely look upstairs because we’ve gotten really good at making the stairs look unusable.” 

“Smart.” Minho chuckles. “I honestly am very interested in seeing how raid prep goes, though I hope not for a while.”

“I hope so too. It would be very inconvenient to have to hide tonight, hm?” Chan winks at him and Minho lets out a truly mirthful laugh.

“Inconvenient would probably be an understatement.” They laugh together for a few moments before Chan grows serious.

“I won’t be going back over tonight, you guys are free whenever you’re ready. I just wish you luck.”

“Thank you Chan.” 

“How old are you, Minho?”

“18, I’ll be 19 in October.”

“Ah, I’m a year older than you then, my birthday is in October as well.” 

“I suppose you want me to call you hyung then?” Minho says, with joking disdain in his voice. Chan smiles back, catching the playfulness in Minho’s tone.

“Of course, respect is important around here.”

“Respecting one’s elders , you mean.” 

“Ouch.” Chan pretends to be offended then smiles softly. “Naw but really, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, or until you feel like it’s right. I was just curious if I’m still the oldest rescue or not.” 

“Guess you are.” Minho stands from the table and heads back to the stairs, calling a soft, “Thanks, Chan hyung.” behind him, causing Chan to blush and smile sheepishly.

Minho doesn’t have a moment to open his mouth once he reaches the basement before Hyunjin is by his side, pulling on his arm. 

“So? Are we good?” Minho thinks about teasing his poor beta for a moment before deciding it isn’t the time and simply nodding.

“We can go whenever.”

“Come on Felix!” Hyunjin shouts far too loudly, making the other boys groan in mostly feigned annoyance at the noise. Felix stands quickly but it isn’t fast enough and Hyunjin rushes over, pulling the giggling omega to the stairs. 

“Goodnight all! See you in the morning, probably.” Minho waves as he laughs at his mate and boyfriend, hopefully soon to be mates , running up the stairs and follows behind them. 

“Goodnight Chan hyung!” Minho hears Felix call as he’s rushed through the kitchen and out the back door. Chan and Minho smile at each other again, Chan holding up crossed fingers in a wish of good luck. 

“Come on Minho! We’re wasting time!” Hyunjin calls behind him, rushing back to pull a now slothfully slow Minho along. “Minhoooooo.” he wines.

“Alright alright. Good thing you’ve got so much energy, it’s going to be a long night.” Minho smirks as they all head up to their bedroom. 

Hyunjin’s lips were on Minho’s the moment they both entered the room. Desperate hands cupping the alpha’s jaw and threading through his hair. Hyunjin was often somewhat aggressive for touch from his lovers but today it was amped to the max. He whimpered into the kiss, begging to deepen it. 

“Is our Hyunjin-ah desperate tonight?” Felix teases with a fond smile, his voice deep and alluring.

“Absolutely not.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes as he pulls the omega to him, placing an unnecessarily rough kiss on his lips and throwing both off balance so they fall giggling onto the bed.

Minho watches the two make out, eyes glinting with lust. He pulls his own clothes off as he watches Hyunjin and Felix work each other out of theirs like some sort of choreographed dance, far more graceful than de-clothing should be. He just watches for a few minutes, marveling at how easily his beta and omega lose themselves to each other, the passage of time seemingly unnoticed by them in this state. Finally he leans over the two on the bed and rolls Hyunjin off of Felix, stealing his own kisses from each before looking between the two seriously.

“Are you ready? Completely certain, Hyunjin?”

“I am.” Hyunjin whines. “Can we get on with it?”

“We can stop at any time, just like normal. Safe word?”

“I don’t need one, I’m not gonna quit.”

“Then we’re done already I guess.” Minho is very hot when he’s serious, Hyunjin thinks it’s quite unfair. 

“Roots.” Hyunjin sighs and Minho nods while Felix rewards their beta with another kiss. 

“Alright.” Minho slips his hand behind Felix’s ass and chuckles as the omega yelps with surprise. “Our Brownie Bite is already so excited.” He muses, fingers stroking over the omega’s leaking  hole. He turns back to Hyunjin and, using the slick already dripping down Felix’s thighs, swiftly strokes him to full hardness, an easy task as he already has himself so worked up. “Felix, why don’t you make use of this needy cock here while I get our Hyunjin ready?”

Felix takes no extra prompting as he straddles Hyunjin, keeping eye contact as he sinks slowly onto Hyunjin’s cock. Felix starts fucking himself agonisingly slowly, Hyunjin bucking his hips up in an effort to chase the feeling of Felix surrounding him. 

“No moving, Jin-ah.” Minho commands in that tone he only uses when he wants full control, and Hyunjin knows better than to disobey. 

“Aw, what a good boy.” Felix praises. He bends down and slowly kisses up Hyunjin’s stomach and chest, taking time to bite and suck on each nipple before continuing up his neck and back down; leaving marks that are sure to litter Hyunjin’s skin for anyone to see. Hyunjin is so sufficiently distracted that he doesn’t even notice Minho’s administrations until his fourth finger is added and the stretch becomes slightly painful. 

“Hurry Minho.” He moans as the mix of pleasure and pain sends his senses into overdrive. The sadistic chuckle from their alpha elicits physical reactions from both men. 

“What if I want to just watch you two?” 

“Please, alpha.” Hyunjin begs.

“Switch places, Hyunjin on your knees.” Minho commands and they follow without hesitation, panting as they situate so that Hyunjin is now fucking into a sweating Felix. Minho notices how Felix’s back is slightly lifted to reach Hyunjin in his kneeling position and he wordlessly slips a pillow under his back. “Ready Hyunjin?”

“I was ready yesterday, old man.” Hyunjin grumbles playfully, yelping as that earns him a sharp slap to the ass. Minho has to fight the smile that tries to overtake him as that makes Felix giggle between pants.

“You were saying?” 

“Fuck me, alpha.” Hyunjin begs.

“Much better.” 

Minho situates himself and lines up with Hyunjin’s hole, using his fingers one last time just to make sure Hyunjin is prepared enough before he slowly pushes in. Hyunjin groans at the stretch, Minho’s girth always just a little thicker than one would expect by looking at him. Tears prick at his eyes and he leans forward, almost as if to pull away even though he’s really pushing back towards Minho. It’s agonizing for Minho to go so slow, but the last thing he wants to do is hurt Hyunjin so he pauses every-so-often to let the beta adjust before pressing on. Felix keeps up a steady stream of praises as he combs his fingers through Hyunjin’s hair, keeping him somewhat grounded as Minho progresses. Finally Minho bottoms out and Hyunjin moans as he gets used to the feeling.

“Look at our pretty beta taking our alpha so well.” Felix muses, leaning up and kissing Hyunjin lightly. “So ready to be our mate.” 

“Mates…” Hyunjin whispers the word, as if he just remembered why they were doing this. 

“Tell me when to move.” Minho says gently, the eagerness only slightly masked, his hands kneading Hyunjin’s hips. 

Hyunjin breathes deeply for a few moments then nods. “I’m ready.” 

Minho slowly pulls out to his tip before thrusting back quickly, surprising both Hyunjin and Felix as Hyunjin is propelled deeper into the omega. Minho tightens his grip on Hyunjin’s hips to keep the beta from toppling onto their omega below. They continue like this for some time, Minho getting progressively faster and Hyunjin growing more boneless and whiny with every thrust. Felix watches with hungry eyes, the sight above him gloriously hot, and his praises only falter slightly as Minho practically fucks him through Hyunjin. 

It doesn’t take long for Minho to come, he’s been needing a release for several days. He groans as his knot grows, catching on Hyunjin’s rim until he’s too swollen to pull out completely. Plunging into Hyunjin’s tight heat he grinds into Hyunjin’s prostate, milking the beta before continuing his now deeper thrusts. The moans coming from his mates plus the fluttering of Hyunjin’s hole around his cock tips the alpha over the edge, spilling into the heat and his knot fully expands. Hyunjin whimpers at the pressure but it soon turns into blissed pleasure. Minho leans forward, making eye contact with Felix and waiting for him to prop himself up on his elbows, leaning in as well, before biting down on Hyunjin’s neck. He breaks Hyunjin’s mating gland in one go and the beta cries out in agony before Minho feels his hole tighten as his orgasm takes over, taking his mind away from the pain. 

Hyunjin blacks out, slumping bonelessly onto Felix as Minho uses all the strength he has not to also slump and crush their small omega. He pants as he licks over his bite, cleaning and sealing it as he begs over and over again in his mind that this attempt works. It takes a minute for him to tune back into his surroundings and he’s immediately concerned when he does.  

“Felix?” He asks, feeling his Omega’s anguish before looking down and finding the omega sobbing under them. “Brownie Bite, are you okay? What’s the matter?” 

“I fucked up.” Felix sobs. “Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.” 

“Hey, hey.” Minho coos, cradling Felix’s hot face in his hand and wiping at the tears there. “Calm down, take a deep breath. Are you hurt?”

“No.” Felix chokes, trying to stall his sobs, but it’s no use.

“Felix, I need you to tell me what’s wrong.” Minho’s tone is stern now, on top of the concern there.

“I fucked up. I bit his chest. I ruined everything.”

“His chest?” Minho isn’t sure what to make of this, but he knows he isn’t angry. “Where?”

“Here.” Felix places a shaking finger on Minho’s chest to demonstrate, right over his heart. “I came right as I went to bite and I just… I don’t know, I just bit there, like I was drawn to it. It’s the best I could do, I lost control.”

“Ah. It’s okay. It’s okay, maybe it worked. There’s no way to know you messed it up.”

“But I was supposed to mark the other side of his neck, opposite of you.” Felix begins to sob harder again and Minho can’t help but smile sadly at his sweet sweet omega, grabbing the hand the omega has practically clawing into his chest. 

“We don’t know if that would have worked either. We tried something, right? It’s okay. Maybe instinct led you to the right spot. It’s all just one big guessing game, right? There’s no reason to be worked up about it.”

“But if I fucked it up…” 

“No, it’s no use wondering. Even if it doesn’t work there’s no way of knowing biting his neck would have, so it doesn’t matter. Okay?” Felix nods, sniffling as his sobs slowly subside. “Do you want to get cleaned up or stay here?”

“I don’t want to move.”

“Okay, but I need to readjust. Can you help me lay on our sides?” Minho and Felix work to get into a more comfortable position and Felix looks over Hyunjin, making sure the bites look okay and nothing’s wrong. “I have to say, that bite over his heart is fucking sexy.”

Felix chuckles at that, his tears finally drying. “It does, doesn’t it?”

Hyunjin is disgruntled when he wakes up with a distinct empty feeling–Minho must have cleaned them up while he slept. He also does not appreciate that the room is extremely bright as he tries to open his eyes but hisses at the light. However the next thing he notices, the warm bodies sandwiching him between them, makes him smile and bury his face into Felix’s neck, breathing in the sweet chocolate pastry scent. And then the twinging pain in his neck and chest register, causing him to grimace and whine. 

“Mmm, what?” Felix mumbles, barely waking at the sound. 

Suddenly an odd feeling seeps through Hyunjin, something he can’t quite put his finger on, and whatever it is vanishes as quickly as it came. It was like a whisper or a small breeze from someone walking past, a ghost even. It wasn’t even there long enough for him to conceptualize what the feeling was . He shakes his head, trying to clear the odd feeling, and grimaces again as the movement sparks more pain from his new bite.

His new bite.

“Did it work?!” He asks loudly, sitting up so quickly that he accidentally pushes Felix off the bed.

“Ow!” Felix yelps in shock, rubbing his head where it hit the floor as he sits up. 

Suddenly the feeling washes over Hyunjin again, this time lasting enough that he can tell what it is: worry. But why is he worried? He doesn’t feel worried. Or… he does? Because he feels it, but only kind of?

“Good morning to you too.” Minho grumbles, stretching out on his back, his arms above his head, before he pulls Hyunjin back into his side. “How do you feel?”

“Odd.”

“Odd?” 

“Well for one these bites fucking hurt.” He pouts. 

Minho chuckles and kisses the side of Hyunjin’s neck, licking over the healing bite there, a gesture which is surprisingly soothing. Felix climbs back onto the bed and over the two of them, laying across Minho in a way that allows him to kiss and lick at the bite on Hyunjin’s chest. As he does, the worry Hyunjin feels becomes stronger, and mixes with an odd sadness. 

“For two, I’m worried?”

“About what baby?” Minho asks between kisses.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know.” 

“Then why be worried?”

Hyunjin glares up at Minho for that one. “Oh let me just, figure it out real fast.”

Minho chuckles. “Stupid question, got it. Are you anxious?”

“Well kind of, but that’s not it. Like it’s not really there, it’s just a phantom feeling almost like…”

“Like someone else is feeling it?” Felix asks quietly, his eyes wide as he stares at Hyunjin, his ministrations forgotten.

“Well… yeah kinda. Why?”

“Because I’m worried I fucked everything up.”

“Why would you be worried about that?”

“Because I bit your chest, not the other side of your neck.”

“Oh, wow I hadn’t even thought of that.” Hyunjin looks down and can’t help the smile that spreads across his lips. “That’s nice.”

That makes Felix giggle and Hyunjin’s eyes go wide as the odd quiet feeling of worry gets even softer for a moment. 

“Wait, you’re worried that you messed up the bond, that it didn’t work?” 

“Yeah?”

“But… what if… Am I feeling your worry?”

They lay there in silence for a moment, unsure if they want to entertain this idea, this hope. Then Minho speaks up.

“Hyunjin, what’s your primary emotion right now?”

“Uh… confusion? Hope?”

“That’s what I thought. Guys, I think it worked.” He whispers as a smile brightens his face. He continues excitedly, “Of course I can feel Felix’s worry too, but there’s a new feeling–albeit fainter–I think I’m feeling you too, Hyunjin.”

Suddenly the worry and sadness are gone, and instead the ghost feeling is one matching and amplifying the hope and growing elation of his own emotions. These also match the glow in Felix’s eyes and the smile now mirroring his and Minho’s.

“It worked…” Hyunjin mutters under his breath. “But why can’t I feel Minho? I’m pretty sure there’s just one feeling.”

“Maybe it’ll come, maybe Felix’s just overshadows mine.” Minho ponders. “Or, maybe, it’s just how this bond works, that you won’t be able to feel me. But I definitely feel you. Felix, do you feel Hyunjin?”

“I think I do. But it could just be you.”

“That’s okay.” Hyunjin says definitively before surprising Felix with a long kiss. Once he breaks away he continues, “We’ll have to give it some time to really figure out everything, how this bond works. But it worked, and that’s what matters. Guys, it worked .”

He leans up and kisses Minho, long and hard, as tears of relief spill onto his cheeks. They all start to cry then, Minho hardest of all as he finally relaxes for the first time in days. Now he won’t have to worry about his beta boyfriend–no, his beta mate –feeling so left out because of his lack of control that fateful night. Now they could all be truly happy. Now everything is right and they get to build good lives with a new pack, one which he thinks they’ll fit into well. He hugs Hyunjin and Felix close to him, letting them scent him and kissing them all they want, and he sighs.

“I love you.” He whispers through his joyful tears. “My mates .”

“Mates.” Hyunjin and Felix sigh together, the plural of the word feeling like the most right thing to ever leave their lips.

They stay in bed until the late afternoon when Minho finally decides they can’t ignore their hunger any longer. 

“Let’s go eat. I’m sure there are more than a few curious minds waiting to find out how it went.”

“We owe Ilhoon hyung. Like a lot.” Felix says as he sits up. 

“That we do.” Minho nods, thinking he’ll have to figure out some way to repay the man.

“Mates.” Hyunjin sighs one more time before climbing off the bed, as if he still can’t believe the word. Such a feeling of calm and contentment as has never been felt before washes over all three of them, and they feel that the hardest part of their lives is surely over.  

Chapter Text

It’s a hot afternoon, clear skies and a pleasant breeze through the trees keeping the heat from growing unbearable. The clearing is full of its normal hustle and bustle— children playing, people tending to the garden, elders conversing together in the shade of the surrounding trees. There is a peace here that very few primitives get to experience anymore. The youngest children don’t even know yet how they would need to fear for their lives should the nu ever find them. There hasn’t been a raid in years, their pack hidden deep enough in the mountains that no one bothers to look. 

The chime of a bell announces mid-afternoon, and the giggling of children fills the air as they rush out of the small school, the oldest kids doing their job to herd the rest to their afternoon chores.

“Min-ah! Min-ah!” One of the oldest boys calls toward the group of young kids who had been playing around the garden. A toddler looks up from his small rake that he’d been playing in the dirt with and grins as his elder brother rushes up to him. 

“Woo hyung!” the toddler yells, reaching his arms out for the boy to pick him up. His giggles ring through the mountain valley as he’s tossed in the air a few times before being embraced in a tight hug, his brother’s strawberry milkshake scent engulfing him.

“Did you miss hyung? I’m so sick of school.”

“School t-t-t-hp ” The toddler blows a raspberry and the older laughs. 

“Wooyoung! Stop teaching your brother that. He should be excited for school, you’re going to make him hate it before he even starts.” Their mother chastises from her kneeling position as she weeds the garden. 

“Sorry mama.” Wooyoung chuckles. 

“Wooyoung!” Another boy around Wooyoung’s age calls. “I’m going to do the laundry, coming with?” 

“Did you have something else you wanted me to do, mama?” 

“No, that's perfect actually. Take ours too please.”

“Do you need me to take Kyungmin?” 

“Yes! I help!” Kyungmin nods frantically. 

“No, I’d rather him not be around two teenagers and a river yet.” Their mother chuckles, shaking her head at the idea. “You focus on the clothes. Kyungmin is being a big help here anyway, aren’t you?”

“Yes yes yes! Down!” He squirms as if he just remembered the critical job he’d be doing raking at the dirt. Wooyoung sets him down while smiling fondly at the child.

“Alright, we’ll be back in a bit.”

“Have fun with Yeosang.” 

“Thanks mama.” Wooyoung bends down and places a light kiss on the top of his mother’s head before heading off to their house to collect the clothes. Yeosang is waiting for him by the door, a bag of laundry slung over his shoulder and a slight grin on his delicately handsome face. 

“No one should like laundry as much as we do. Do they know we go swimming?”

“Oh yeah, at least my parents do. They don’t mind as long as we get the work done.” 

“I don’t think my parents know, they’d never let me go if they thought I was playing around.” Yeosang sighs while Wooyoung collects his family’s laundry. “It’s bad enough my dad can’t stand me being an omega, imagine him knowing I wasn’t even doing omega chores simply for the sake of doing them.” 

“Well, we better keep up the act then.” Wooyoung gives his best friend a sad smile and pat on the shoulder before leading them into the forest. “They should be glad they have someone to do the housework, since your sister takes care of everything else your father wants her to do.” 

“He'd rather she be the omega though. We just couldn’t please him. And to top it off he went on a tirade just last night about how I don’t present myself well enough in front of the eligible alphas, that I only hang around with you which is a waste of both of our time.”

“Ridiculous. Doesn’t he know every alpha is dying to seduce you but is too scared of him?”

“They are not.”

“Oh they are, we’re all terrified of him.”

“I know that .” Yeosang rolls his eyes, knowing full well that Wooyoung is teasing him. “I meant the seducing part.”

“Kang Yeosang, you know you’re the most beautiful omega in the pack. Probably in the world. You even have the nicest scent! Who wouldn’t want a pleasant water lily omega?”

“You’re annoying.” Yeosang grumbles, watching his steps as he blushes from the compliments. 

“I’d date you, if it wasn’t so necessary for us to mate with alphas.” Wooyoung says, not for the first time. Both boys—both omegas—know their duty to help keep their population from going extinct, but that doesn’t make the dread of eventually entering into a loveless partnership any less real. 

Yeosang ignores Wooyoung and they continue to walk in a comfortable silence. After about fifteen minutes the river comes into sight. 

“Looks like we have the river to ourselves.” Yeosang notes. 

“Perfect! Are we washing or swimming first?”

“Work first, play later.” Yeosang chuckles as his best friend groans in annoyance. “Come on, it’ll be quick.”

“Do we have to go back?” Wooyoung whines, shaking the water out of his hair as he steps onto the shore. 

“Come on, I don’t enjoy the consequences of being late for dinner.” Yeosang already has his clothes back on as he speaks. He picks up his family’s bag of wet clothes and taps his sandaled foot impatiently as he checks the sun in the sky. “Mom’s probably cooking right now and we still need to hang these to dry.” 

“Alright alright, I don’t want you getting in trouble either.” Wooyoung quickly pulls on shorts and brushes off his feet before stepping into his sandals. In one smooth motion he hefts his bag of clothes over his shoulder and heads towards the village with Yeosang by his side. “So, I heard Soobin talking about how he’s going to have to ask your dad to court you because he knows you won’t give him the time of day.”

Yeosang groans. “Soobin is nice but, I don’t know… not my type.” 

“I wish we really got to care about our ‘type’.” 

“I know.” Yeosang says, his tone defeated in acceptance. “How about you and Yeonjun? You’ve always been good friends.”

“I think that’s the plan, and I guess I wouldn’t be mad about it. Yeonjun is great, but I just can’t see myself with him. I wish I could, would be nice and easy to be attracted to him but I’m just not in that way. His scent doesn’t do anything to help either.”

“I find his scent to be— Wooyoung?” Yeosang realizes that Wooyoung was no longer by his side and turns to see him frozen in the path.

“Wooyoung?” He walks back to his friend. 

“Do you feel that?” Wooyoung asks, his face twisted in concentration.

“Feel what?” 

“Something’s wrong.” 

“What do you mean?” Yeosang places a hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder. His heart starts to race as panic enters his best friend’s eyes. “Wooyoung?” 

“We have to get back. Now!” Wooyoung drops his bag and takes off, sprinting as fast as he can to the village. Yeosang is stunned for a moment before he follows suit, no idea what Wooyoung is talking about but trusting him all the same. 

It only takes another two minutes of sprinting for them to hear it: gunshots. 

Both boys freeze as they hear the first shot and then the echoing of those following it. 

“Mama…” Wooyoung breathes out in a pant, terror filled tears leaking from his eyes. Yeosang is stunned, not sure he comprehends what he’s hearing. 

“Woo…Wooyoung is that…” 

But Wooyoung takes off running again before Yeosang can voice his fears. Yeosang struggles to keep up with Wooyoung, who is the faster runner. They’re nearly to the edge of the trees that open into the village clearing when someone stumbles towards them.

“Kyungmoon hyung!” Wooyoung yells, before the older man raises a shaky finger to his lips to silence him. Wooyoung reaches him a good twenty seconds before Yeosang, and in that time Yeosang watches as their teacher stumbles into Wooyoung’s arms. 

“Hyung, hyung what- oh shit. Oh fuck, you’re bleeding hyung!” Wooyoung’s heart sinks through the ground.

“Qu…quiet Wooyoung. Trees… hide…”

“Sang-ah help me.” Wooyoung lowers his voice, understanding Kyungmoon’s cautions. Yeosang helps Wooyoung support Kyungmoon as they go deeper back into the forest, just enough that the edge of the trees is out of sight. 

“What happened?” Yeosang whispers, tremors wracking his body as he begins to panic - the sounds of gunshots still echoing in his head, though in reality there are only a few here and there now.  

“Nu… they found us.” Both boys’ hearts stop for a moment, freezing somehow even deeper in dread. They lower Kyungmoon to the ground and Yeosang pulls off his shirt, quickly pressing it to the leaking hole in Kyungmoon’s abdomen. 

“My family, everyone, are…?” Wooyoung stammers, standing above them as tears pour down his face.

“Gone. Everyone… dead.”

“But… but you’re not, others might have…” Wooyoung stops as Kyungmoon shakes his head weakly.  

“I got… lucky. They didn’t know I was there… it came through the window, I snuck out the back door.” 

Yeosang nods slowly. The backdoor of the school faced the forest, it was the only building with a door facing this direction - away from the village. 

“I have to go find them.” Wooyoung turns but Kyungmoon’s reflexes are faster and he catches Wooyoung’s wrist. He groans in pain and pulls Wooyoung down beside them as he can’t hold himself up any longer. 

“Young-ah, they’re gone.” Kyungmoon chokes out, the fear and pain and grief finally breaking through as he too begins to cry.

“But… but Kyungmin… he’s just a kid. They wouldn’t…”

“They… didn’t care. Didn’t check for our nu first. They… they came in shooting.” Yeosang’s choked sobs join the other two now. Kyungmoon struggles to keep his eyes open, what remaining color there is slowly draining from his face. 

“Hyung, stay awake hyung.” Yeosang pleads. 

“Boys… run.”

“What?”

“Run. North. On the train.”

“We’re not leaving-” Kyungmoon places a hand on Wooyoung’s, a terrifying calm taking over his features. Wooyoung is surprised when Kyungmoon turns his hand over and places a few small items in it. When he pulls his hand away Wooyoung realizes they're scent blocker patches - an item they're all trained to use but have never had to. 

“Young-ah, no survivors. They’ll head into the woods any… any minute. I won’t make it.” He takes a few shuddering breaths, but pins a determined look on each omega. “Stick together, find Mayfly.”

“Mayfly?” Yeosang asks. 

“A… safe place. They’ll take you in. You have to… find them.”

“What’s the point?” Wooyoung asks, cold and empty. “If everyone we love is gone?”

Kyungmoon shakes his head again, slowly. “You have each other.”

“How do we find them?” Yeosang asks.

“Follow the train north.” Kyungmoon is putting as much as he can into these directions, his words smoother than they had been. “Go west at the first stop. Pass two abandoned towns, find the barn in the third. You’ll be safe.” 

Kyungmoon’s breaths are short as he fights to get the last words out. Yeosang nods, even Wooyoung acknowledges that he understands the directions. Kyungmoon groans again, this time it’s accompanied by a deep gurgling sound. His final words will stick with the boys for the rest of their lives. “Remember, you belong in this world.”

The boys choke on their tears as Kyungmoon’s eyes go glassy, staring unseeing between them. They sit there for a minute before Yeosang shakes himself out of his stupor.

“Wooyoung, we have to go. We need to run.”

“I can’t leave them…” They both jump violently as another gunshot, this time significantly closer, rings through the air.

“We have to do what he says. We have to go, I know where to get on the train.” 

“How?”

“I like exploring.” Yeosang’s shrug seems so misplaced that Wooyoung almost chuckles, his stunned mind threatening hysteria. The firm look in his friend’s eyes keeps him grounded. “Please, let’s go.”

“O…okay.” Wooyoung takes a deep breath and stands, looking down at their beloved teacher’s still body. They both know they can’t do anything that would make it look like someone was with Kyungmoon, so they leave him as he is, Yeosang even holding onto the now bloody shirt. 

“They’ll find our laundry, eventually. We have to get far away before they do.” Yeosang mutters. Wooyoung simply nods. They turn away, into the untouched forest that they know heads north. 

With one final glance to the last member of their pack they will ever see, they start to run. 

Chapter Text

Yeosang and Wooyoung run without stopping for a full seven minutes before their stamina wanes and they have to slow, bent over and panting as they try to keep moving. They haven’t heard anyone following them, a fact which brings little comfort to the distraught boys. Neither speak; they wouldn’t even if they had the breath for it. Tears pour steadily down their faces, mixed with the sweat they are now drenched in. 

They keep going. At some point, Yeosang drops his bloodied shirt into the brush. He and Wooyoung both refuse to look back at it. They keep going, until, after nearly an hour of cycled walking and running, Yeosang pulls Wooyoung to a stop. Wooyoung just looks at Yeosang questioningly, not needing to verbalize anything.

“The track runs just on the other side of these trees. Look through there.” Yeosang points to a small break between two trees and lets Wooyoung investigate while he catches his breath. 

“Ah.” Wooyoung mutters. “So, what do we do?”

“Well…” Yeosang thinks for a moment. “See that bend there? The train we want to get on will go towards it. I think we wait long enough for the engine to turn the bend, so the conductor can’t see this area, and then we hop on.”

“Hop on… a moving train?” Wooyoung looks extremely un-enthused. “You know how fast those things go?”

“It won’t be too fast, it'll slow down for the bend. I’ve watched it a couple times, when I just needed away… when I imagined running away.”

Wooyoung nods in understanding. “Are there people?”

“No, it’s a freight train. If we’re lucky there will be an open boxcar, something easy to hop into. I’ve seen them open before.”

“Alright. When?”

Yeosang thinks again, trying to decide if he actually knows the schedule or not. “I don’t know for sure. There should be one in a few hours, if it has the same schedule today.”

“So we just wait?”

Yeosang shrugs. Wooyoung looks around, sighing. 

“Let’s climb that tree, sit there on the big branches.” Wooyoung points to a large tree just to their right, one simple enough to climb if they lift each other up. “We’ll be out of view, I think, and will be able to hear anything coming.”

Yeosang nods and walks over to the tree. “Give me a boost?”

“Why don’t you give me a boost?” 

“It’ll be easier for me to pull you up.” Yeosang raises an arm and flexes, reminding Wooyoung of his toned arms, a feat Yeosang is very proud of. Omegas don’t usually try to bulk up, their genetics against them, but working out was a needed escape for Yeosang and about the only thing his father didn’t complain about.

“Point taken.” Wooyoung chuckles and creates a little stand with his hands.

Wordlessly, Yeosang steps into Wooyoung’s hands and with his friend’s help is able to propel himself to the first branch, pulling himself up and swinging over it so that his torso is laying against it. He reaches down and catches Wooyoung as he jumps slightly, able to sort of walk up the tree as Yeosang pulls him up. They situate themselves on two branches, which are just large enough that they don’t have to focus too much on balancing to stay up. They sit in silence for a long span, neither sure what to say, both in survival mode which masks the shock trying to wrack their systems. For a long time, the forest is quiet.

“Sang-ah, wake up.” Yeosang jerks, nearly sending himself out of the tree if not for Wooyoung’s steadying hand. “Hey it’s just me. I think I hear the train.” 

Yeosang rubs a hand over his face, surprised he had fallen asleep. 

“Sorry...”

“It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the train, which… yeah, that has to be it.”

Yeosang listens for a moment, and sure enough Wooyoung is right. He’s glad that it is also coming from the correct direction, meaning they don’t have to wait for tomorrow. 

“Let’s get down. I think it’s fine to just hang down and drop.”

“Yeah, okay.” Wooyoung nods and lowers himself first, dropping agilely out of the tree. Yeosang follows, and they reposition so they can see the tracks while still being mostly hidden. From where they are kneeling in the brush, it will be a short sprint up to the slightly raised railroad, and then a length of clear space to run alongside the train while they try to jump on.

It only takes a few minutes for the train to come into view, slowing in preparation for the bend as Yeosang had promised. Yeosang looks down the line, watching for a car they could easily sneak onto. 

“That one.” He points, Wooyoung squinting to make out the correct car in the fading light. 

“I have no idea which one you mean.” 

“Just follow me, count ten passing cars and then we’ll run out. The door on that boxcar is half open. I’ll grab the handle and pull myself on. You run beside and then pull yourself on too, you’re a faster runner so I need to get on first.” 

Wooyoung nods and counts. Yeosang stands out of his crouch just as Wooyoung counts the tenth car. Wooyoung stands too and looks left, seeing that the engine, and any conductor, is out of sight. Yeosang leads them out wordlessly, running just to the edge of the speeding train, jogging alongside it so as to already be moving when their boxcar passes.

“I don’t like this.” Wooyoung mutters behind him, feeling far too exposed and close to a moving train. 

Yeosang doesn’t hear him, too focused on getting on the train. He jumps at the exact right time to catch the handle of the moving boxcar, slapping into the side harshly and letting out a grunt as he swings himself inside. He pants and looks out the door, grateful as he sees Wooyoung easily keeping pace. 

“Come on!” He shouts, holding a hand out. Wooyoung lunges up, catching the handle as Yeosang catches his other arm, pulling him in more smoothly than his own entrance. 

They both lay back on the boxcar floor, panting as they catch their breath.

“That was kind of cool.” Wooyoung mutters, a hysterical chuckle taking him over as their insane actions catch up to him, overwhelmed at the realization that this is really happening. That they have really jumped on board a train speeding away from the only home they have ever known, never to return because… because there is no home to return to. He doesn’t realize his breathless laughter has turned to choked sobbing until Yeosang rolls over to calm him.

“Hey, hey it’s… well it’s… not alright but… we made it. We’ll make it…” Tears build in his own eyes, unable to keep them controlled as his best friend curls into his side, crying on his chest. 

Yeosang slides them away from the door, making sure they won’t fall out with a bump, then pulls Wooyoung closer, clutching him like he’s all he has left in the world–which, he is. Eventually, Wooyoung falls asleep and Yeosang’s tears dry. The rock of the train car tries to lull him to sleep as well, but he forces himself to stay awake, knowing it’d be too dangerous for them to sleep at the same time. He wishes he could sleep, turn off his mind, the thoughts fizzling in his head all too gruesome and painful; though the way Wooyoung is twitching and still crying in his sleep tells him his nightmares probably wouldn’t be any more enjoyable. 

Night has long fallen by the time the train starts to slow. Yeosang blinks unfocused fog out of his eyes as he watches the passing landscape through the open door on the other side of the traincar. He’s sure the scenery would be beautiful, if it weren’t shrouded in his brain by death and misery. 

“Wooyoung.” Yeosang lightly shakes his friend’s shoulder, trying to wake him, needing him alert with him in this terrifying new world. Like Yeosang before, Wooyoung wakes with a start and a sharp move towards defense. 

“Shh. We’re almost to the stop, gonna have to get off.” Yeosang runs a hand down Wooyoung’s back to soothe him. Wooyoung sighs, laying back and rubbing his eyes.

“I really wanted to wake up from that nightmare. But we’re still here.” He says without a hint of hope in his voice. A tear Yeosang didn’t know was there escapes from his eye as his heart breaks again. They sit in silence until the train screeches to a halt.

“Move slowly.” Yeosang mutters as they both clamber to their feet, crouching low as the peer out the door. No one seems to be moving for a minute so Yeosang makes to jump down, but just as he does the train conductor steps out of the engine and he falls back in panic. They both hold their breath, waiting for what felt like the inevitable moment when the conductor checks the cars. They sigh in relief however when it’s clear the man is heading into the station instead.

“Now.” Wooyoung says and they both jump down, landing low and shuffling along the train car until they can duck between it and the car behind it. They look around, grateful for the full moon lighting their surroundings. Wooyoung points in front of them, “West is that way, right?”

“Yeah. Three abandoned towns, hope they’re not too far apart.”

“Kyungmoon hyung…” Wooyoung’s voice breaks but he stops himself from breaking down. “Had he come to this Mayfly place before?”

“Maybe on one of the raids? Or he just knows about it? I don’t know.”

“I hope whatever is in that barn will really help.” Wooyoung grumbles as he peers around the traincar. “The lights are already off, I think the conductor has left or is already going to sleep in the station. Let’s go. Easy jog until we’re clear, then let’s find a safe place to sleep.”

Yeosang nods and they enter the unknown landscape. They jog for a few minutes before dropping to a casual walk, finding the silence of the empty landscape oddly comforting. Wooyoung finally stops after about an hour of walking in silence, a hand grasping Yeosang’s shoulder in a plea to stop.

“Sang-ah, I need to sleep.”

“I was hoping to find the first abandoned town… but yeah okay, this is as good a place as any I guess.”

“We’re  gonna be eaten alive, we don’t even have shirts.” Wooyoung whines, wrapping his arms around his bare chest. 

“It’s fine, not like we can do much about that.” Yeosang kneels on the soft underbrush and nods. “Yeah, this is a nice spot.” He lays down, using his arm as a pillow as Wooyoung drops next to him, his head resting on the elder’s chest. 

“Goodnight, Wooyoung.”

“Sleep… as well as you can, Yeosang.”

They don’t bring up how they each start to cry, maybe thinking the other was already asleep, maybe too tired and traumatized to care. 

The birds are loud at sunrise, but the exhausted boys sleep well into the hot midday hours before waking. Wooyoung wakes first, sitting up with a groan and stretching to try and work out the kinks left by sleeping on the ground. His movement wakes Yeosang, who struggles to sit up from his position as ‘Wooyoung’s Pillow’.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Wooyoung chuckles, giving the other a hand.

“I could’ve moved you if I wanted to.” Yeosang shrugs. “It felt nice, I don’t think I could’ve slept alone…”

Wooyoung nods. He doesn’t bring up how the other’s scent has sweetened, even with the events of the last day, he doesn’t want to think about that right now. He silently agrees to pretend like he doesn’t know what’s coming. 

“Let’s get going.” Yeosang yawns and stands. His stomach grumbles, to which he shrugs and walks west. Wooyoung follows, the grumble coming from his mouth, and Yeosang sends a sad smile back to him. “Let’s think the barn is stocked with food, and that it’s only over that ridge, yeah? Maybe it’ll will us to move faster.”

“Or for it to move towards us.” Wooyoung says grimly, no sense of actual hope in the words, but it causes Yeosang to chuckle, and for that he smiles a bit. 

They are happy when it only takes them another two hours of walking to find the first abandoned town that Kyungmoon had mentioned. They were cautious entering it, but it was very clear there had been no Primitives or Nu there in a very, very long time. As much as they were grateful for the privacy though, they were also disappointed to find not a trace of usable food in any of the abandoned buildings. Their stomachs seemed to grumble constantly, and their muscles were cramping more and more often from overexertion without any replenishing nutrients. They decide to continue on, knowing they can’t waste any time to rest or they very well may not make it to the barn before their bodies give out. 

Their saving grace comes just five minutes out of town as a sparkle in the corner of his eye catches Wooyoung’s attention. 

“Sang-ah, water!” 

Yeosang turns slowly, smiling at a small quiet creek to their left. Both boys rush over to it, but Wooyoung stops Yeosang before he can kneel down and start gulping handfuls of the clear liquid down. 

“Hold on, we’ve been taught better. We have to check it first.” Yeosang nods and they take their time to look around, analyzing the pond for any signs of obvious contamination. They find nothing instantly alarming, and spot deer tracks on the other side that imply other animals find it safe to drink from. With another shared look and matching shrugs, they concede they aren’t going to find anything better. “It seems clean enough.”

“What do we have to lose?” Yeosang asks, and Wooyoung can’t deny his friend’s point. He plunges his hands into the water, reveling in the feeling of the cool liquid for just a moment before he freezes. The water around his hands turns red as the blood from Kyungmoon’s wounds finally washes off. He had forgotten it was there as he’d quickly agreed with himself to not look at his hands more than necessary, but now it was suddenly like he was reliving those horrible moments. He doesn’t notice that he’s hyperventilating, not until a hand on his arm pulls him backwards and Wooyoung’s voice comes from a place much further away than he thought it should. 

“Hey, Yeosang, Yeosang snap out of it. It’s just… it’s alright, it was just washing off. You’re okay.” 

“Kyungmoon hyung… I… I–”

“Shhh, breathe Sang-ah. Slowly, follow me. In… out… in…” Wooyoung pulls Yeosang into a soft embrace against his chest, stroking his hair as the other breaks into heaving sobs. “There ya go, let it out.” Wooyoung knows Yeosang had been holding the majority of his emotions in, and he’s glad now that they’re finally forced to release, knowing it’ll be better for his best friend in the long run. They sit there for a few long minutes before Yeosang pulls himself up and wipes his eyes. 

“Sorry… I’d forgotten my hands…”

“You don’t need to apologize, Yeosang.” 

Yeosang nods and takes a deep breath. “We’ve got to keep moving. I’m gonna get this all scrubbed off over on that side, you sit here and drink. Slowly, remember, too much too fast will make us sick.”

“I know, I know.” Wooyoung chuckles as Yeosang makes his way to the far side of the pond. The water is the best thing he’s ever tasted in his life and it’s hard to heed his friend’s caution, but he does anyhow. 

Chapter Text

The water break does wonders for Yeosang and Wooyoung's spirits, making it easy for a while to ignore their hunger. They look around for something to make a container out of, so they can take some water with them, but they don't find anything and decide to trek on. 

They find the next town about two hours after sunset, just in time as both of them are ready to pass out. This town is just as abandoned as the last, slightly smaller, and much to their dismay, there is no visible water source nearby. The dismay doesn't last long however as the safety of a roof over their heads, no matter how old and unkempt, provides a feeling of security they haven't had in more than 24 hours. 

They sleep long, too tired to have nightmares, and again wake past noon. This time it is Yeosang up first, standing groggily and groaning at his screaming muscles. He looks down at Wooyoung who is still sound asleep and decides to explore a bit on his own. He returns ten minutes later, still no food or water to be found. He wakes up Wooyoung and they get on their way, wishing the barn would suddenly appear in front of them.

They stop more often, take longer to get going again, the blisters on their feet and protesting, dehydrating muscles making every step harder and harder. Wooyoung panics when Yeosang drops to the ground from rolling his ankle a couple hours into their slow trek, but Yeosang assures him that he's fine. The sun begins to set and with it their hopes.

"I can't do this another day." Yeosang mutters as they take another break to let their feet rest. 

"We'll get there, it has to be close."

"I won't get up if we stop to sleep. I can't." The final words come out choked as his dry throat causes a painful coughing fit.

"Then we won't stop. It has to be close, I know it. We're not sleeping tonight until we're there." Wooyoung stands with renewed vigor. He holds his hand out and pulls Yeosang to his feet, putting a hand on his shoulder as his friend sways with the effort. "It's just a few more steps. One after the other. We can do this!"

"Just a few steps." Yeosang agrees. 

Fourty long, difficult minutes later a new shadow appears on the moonlit horizon. 

“Sang-ah, look!” Wooyoung’s voice is excited, hopeful, and hinted with wonder.

Yeosang looks up, having been watching his feet step after step to keep himself going. He freezes when he sees what Wooyoung was pointing at.

“Is that…” 

“A building! It has to be the last town!” Wooyoung is bouncing with excitement, that giddy feeling one gets when tired making him totally hyper in the moment.

“It’s the town?”

“I think so. Let’s look for the barn!” Wooyoung sprints off, the adrenaline and hope empowering his weak form. Yeosang follows, too tired to think about how he should not be able to run at all in his current state. 

Luck strikes as Wooyoung unthinkingly lets out a triumphant whoop, stopping in front of a barn on the side of the town closest to them. 

“Shhhh, careful!” Yeosang chides, coming to a stop next to his friend and bending over, panting for air. 

“Look!” Wooyoung points to a mark on the door, something they would not have seen if not for the full moon that night. 

The mark he points to is small, simple and nondescript, easy to mistake for a set of random markings. But the boys both know it by heart, it’s a symbol that Kyungmoon kept hanging in the school since he started teaching a few years ago. When asked what it was, he’d answer with the same simple “just a drawing I like”, leading to teasing from the kids about how there’s no way that can count as art. The significance of finding it on a building they were looking for is not lost on either boy, and they smile at each other in relief.

Wooyoung pushes the door open, grimacing at the squeaking wheels on the door, and enters the barn. He looks around carefully, which doesn’t do much as he can only see as far as the moonlight streaming through the door allows. Yeosang follows and they take a few more steps inside. Suddenly a small light flickers on and they jump, Wooyoung screaming in fright, before freezing like two deer in headlights. Yeosang starts giggling, and Wooyoung looks at him like he’s finally lost it.

“Look,” Yeosang points at the light, “it must be on a motion sensor.”

“Oh, right. So… no one’s here?”

“Don’t think so. There’s stairs under the light, I think we should go up.”

“Stairs… can I climb stairs?” Wooyoung sighs as Yeosang heads up ahead of him. He follows and startles again when Yeosang suddenly turns back with a yell and a wide grin on his face. 

“Water! And a bed! Come on!” They enter the loft and tears of relief fill both boys’ eyes at the sight in front of them. 

The dim light illuminates several large jugs of water, along with several canteens and bottles also full of the precious liquid. The bed is small but looks comfortable enough, and on further inspection there are also boxes of non-perishable foods. 

“Someone keeps this place stocked. Is it really safe?” Yeosang asks. 

“It has to be, it’s some sort of safe house or something. That’s why… Kyungmoon hyung sent us here because he knew. That symbol must have actually meant something to him. I wonder how he knew about this place.”

“I don’t know, but I’m grateful. Even if it was hard getting here.” 

“I want to sleep for days.”

“Water first, and we need to eat something.” 

Yeosang’s stomach rumbles then, as if it has ears of its own to hear him talking about food. They break into a pack of jerky and two bottles of water, finding it surprisingly easy to pace themselves so they don’t get sick. They can only stomach a few pieces of jerky before starting to feel sick and their bodies giving out to their exhaustion. Yeosang climbs into the bed first, letting Wooyoung cuddle into his side.

“What if it’s a trap?” Wooyoung asks cautiously, his voice small against Yeosang’s chest.

“Kyungmoon hyung wouldn’t send us into a trap.” Yeosang rolls his eyes, the action clear in his voice.

“Not on purpose… but who knows when the last time he was here or told of this place was.”

“Well if it’s a trap I guess we can just hope they kill us in our sleep.” Yeosang jokes dryly, earning himself a hard slap to his stomach. 

“Don’t joke like that.”

“Go to sleep, Young-ah.” 

“Fine.”

“Sleep well.”

“You too.”

Waking doesn’t come easy to the boys, not even the aching hunger in their stomachs able to pull them from their deep sleep. What does finally wake Wooyoung is a choking cough, and a deep sense of panic as he is unable to take a breath through his constricted airway. His eyes fly open as he sits up, grabbing his throat as if it would alleviate the sticky dry feeling preventing him from breathing. Each cough is like sandpaper, his lungs forcing air through even though not enough can make it back in. Frantically he turns to Yeosang, still sleeping soundly next to him, and he uses his fading strength to shake his friend’s arm.

“Y..Yeo…” he struggles to form his coughs into a word, but it doesn’t work. His eyes are watering and his chest is on fire. He makes a last ditch effort and slap’s Yeosang across his bare chest, the sting on his sunburned skin finally enough to wake him.

“Ya! What was that for? Owww why… Wooyoung?” Yeosang gets over the shock quickly when he notices Wooyoung’s state. “What’s wrong?” 

Wooyoung shakes his head as he’s overcome by another shuttering cough, this time accompanied by blood. He points at his throat and Yeosang understands - his own painfully dry throat making it easy to guess the cause of Wooyoung’s distress. He climbs over his friend and off the bed, grabbing a water canteen and lifting it to Wooyoung’s lips. 

“Your throat is too dry, drink.”

Wooyoung shakes his head, thinking his best friend officially lost it in his sleep.

“Young-ah, it’ll help - I promise.” He pours a few drops into Wooyoung’s mouth, giving him time to figure out how to swallow. Yeosang can see the relief in his friend’s eyes as his theory is proven correct, just that slight amount enough to show Wooyoung that he did in fact need to wet his throat. “Told ya.” He tips the canteen up again, allowing Wooyoung to take a larger sip, and then a second, before he moves it to his own lips and takes a long drink.

Wooyoung’s chest heaves as he sits, taking frequent sips of water as nothing seems to be enough to ease the feeling that his throat will seal up again with his next breath. They sit in silence for about five minutes while Yeosang allows him time to recover. Finally Wooyoung takes a deep breath and nods. 

“Thanks.” He says, his voice hoarse. “Fuck that was terrifying.”

“I bet.”

“How’d you know I needed water? That’s the last thing I would’ve thought of. I thought I was poisoned or something.”

“You would think that.” Yeosang chuckles. “Well I’ve had that happen before, not so bad, but I wake up with a dry throat sometimes and it feels like it’s stuck to itself, all closed off.”

“Yeah.”

“I could feel how dry my own mouth was, figured that was it. I probably wasn’t too far off that myself. You’ll have a sore throat for a while, I think you split something when you were coughing.” He gestures at the blood on Wooyoung’s hand. 

“Thanks for waking up. For a second I was worried you were just going to sleep right through me dying.”

“Might have, but man that slap hurt!” He looks down, examining his body for the first real time since before they left their home. “Wow, I’m a lobster.”

“Yeah, I can barely even see your birthmark.” Wooyoung says as he brushes Yeosang’s ratted hair away from his face, the only reason it’s still even slightly noticeable - the hair having shaded the area above it.

“You’re not any better. We’re going to be feeling it soon.”

“I already am.” Wooyoung grimaces, stretching cautiously. “Everything hurts though, can’t really tell one from the other.” He tries to stand but immediately sinks back to the bed with a yelp. “Shit.”

He winces as he examines his feet, the bottoms of which are swollen and covered in blisters. Yeosang groans as he pulls his own legs up so that he can examine his feet as well, and sure enough they are no better than Wooyoung’s. 

“I wonder if there’s any medicine in here.” He looks around the dimly lit loft. There are plenty of places to look, but he’s not sure he’d recognize any conventional medicines as they grew up with very limited access to anything they didn’t make themselves. And the idea of moving enough to look around is not an appealing one. But he sighs and slides off the bed, using his arms - the least abused parts of his body - to lower himself to the ground without putting too much pressure on his feet. He ignores Wooyoung’s giggles as he scoots over to the closest cabinet. “Man, they really did stock this place.” 

The cabinet is filled with what is clearly more food, foil packages of non-perishable bars and dried meats. There is also a box that is different from the rest, and he’s happy to find some flashlights and batteries in it. “Handy.” he mutters, taking it out and slipping some batteries into one of the flashlights. Both boys exclaim lightly when he turns on the light, which is much brighter than the dim automatic ones in the room, but Yeosang is grateful for it once his eyes adjust as he can now see things much more clearly. He opens another cabinet and smiles in relief. He’s not exactly sure what all of it is, but one shelf certainly holds medical supplies. 

“Young-ah, come here.”

“I don’t want to move~” Wooyoung whines. 

“Ya! Just get down here so you can help me figure out what this is.”

Wooyoung grumbles but slowly lowers himself to the floor as well and this time it’s Yeosang’s turn to chuckle at the sight. Wooyoung scooches to Yeosang’s side and Yeosang hands him some bandages. 

“Maybe we can find something for our feet, and then we can wrap them.” He rummages through the various bottles in the cabinet, pulling each out to read it. 

“This one says ‘pain killer’. Sav… for cuts, okay that’s good. This is… do you understand that?” He shows a bottle to Wooyoung who shakes his head. “Helpful. Hmmm, this one says burns. Think sunburns count?”

“Better than nothing probably.” Wooyoung shrugs, the action accompanied by a grimace. “Damn, I hope sunburns count.”

They continue to browse the medications, finding everything they think will be useful - including some very handy bath wipes - and moving back to the bed. They carefully help each other wash up, the action both refreshing and increasingly painful as their bodies protest continued movement. They treat each other’s blistered feet, hissing as the sav stings but quickly eases their pain, and move onto their sunburned skin. They use the entirety of the small burn cream bottle in one go, both worried for the other as they discover blisters blooming all over their bodies. 

“I hope someone comes quickly. This is going to be hell.” Yeosang laments.

“Let’s keep water and food around the bed, so we don’t have to move much. I’m already exhausted again, I could probably call it a day already.” Wooyoung lightly tests his feet on the ground and, when there is considerably less protest from his wrapped appendages, he moves around the room to gather their stores closer around them. “There’s two more bottles of burn cream, but we shouldn’t use them all at once. Let’s rest and see how long we can go before we really need some more.”

Yeosang nods in agreement and helps Wooyoung before they climb into the bed and quickly fall asleep next to each other.

It’s hard to judge the passage of time as they sleep in fits and starts. Neither knows how long it has been when the burning heat starts again, but the sense of being baked alive forces them to give in and empty another bottle of the cream. They quickly fall back to sleep, fitful as it may be, as being awake is just too painful both physically and mentally. They wake on and off, slowly regaining their strength as they eat and drink in small increments. 

Wooyoung wakes three days into their eventless stay in the barn loft and is concerned by just how hot and sweaty Yeosang is next to him. The loft isn’t by any means cool, but it isn’t sweltering either, and while he knows sunburns cause the skin to be very hot – and that they ran out of burn cream two sleeps ago – he doesn’t think sweating is a normal side effect. He raises himself onto an elbow, wincing as the movement causes pain to shoot across his tight, blistered skin. It only takes him another few moments to pick up on the problem which elicits a foreboding groan.

He breathes in Yeosang’s soft water lily scent, except that it isn’t soft at all right now. It’s much sweeter and stronger than usual, the lemony undertone slightly sour. He counts in his head and groans again, his math confirming what he had hoped they wouldn’t have to deal with. Yeosang is going into heat, and they have absolutely no way to stop or help it.

Chapter Text

It had been common over the summer months for the residents at the Mayfly compound to be found playing football whenever the weather was appropriate. There had been a lot of rain over the last month, nothing abnormal for late summer, but the last two days had been dry, calling for a game. The joyous sounds of victory when someone scored a goal, playful banter between the teams, and the occasional dramatic call for a foul, all echoed around their otherwise abandoned district. The teams had become fixed after only a few matches, everyone competitive enough to decide they had to have fixed teams in order to declare a “Mayfly Champion”. Hyunsik and Changsub act as substitutes when they are around, and Eunkwang had taken Ilhoon’s spot as referee once he was allowed to actively be out of bed.

“Incoming!” San yells, watching as Yunho sends an errant ball straight at Eunkwang. 

The eldest of the group isn’t able to fully dodge the projectile and cries out as it brushes his bad shoulder, dropping to a knee as he holds his left hand over the point of contact. Everyone freezes for a moment before rushing to surround him, concerned inquiries flying around him.

“Hyung, you okay?”

“I’m so sorry Eunkwang hyung!” Yunho says as tears threaten to fall from wide, scared eyes.

“Hyung, let me see.” Hyunsik tries to move Eunkwang’s hand away from his shaking body before he notices something and rolls his eyes, a wide smile breaking across his face. “You ass.”

Everyone is taken aback by this reaction but they suddenly understand when Eunkwang can no longer hold back his laughter. “I’m sorry, aha I’m sorry. Ow hey!” He winces at a well aimed, playful kick from Minhyuk. “I’m sorry Yunho, I couldn’t help it.”

“Always so dramatic.” Changsub chuckles.

“You’re okay hyung?” Yunho asks, lip still quivering as he tries to make sense of the joke.

“I’m fine, Yunho. It just brushed me, no pain, see?” He lifts his arm above his head in demonstration, which isn’t the most helpful thing as he winces from the movement. “Okay, well that’s still painful, but not your fault.”

Yunho nods, a wet chuckle escaping him. San rubs his back, giggling at his soft boyfriend’s concern. 

“Alright well, I think that’s the game.” Eunkwang announces as he stands. “We have work to do today.”

“We do?” Felix asks. 

“We do.” Eunkwang nods, motioning for everyone to sit down. “Who remembers what today is and wants to fill in our newest members?”

“It’s time to run safe house checks.” Chan answers as everyone forms a large circle in the grass. Eunkwang nods and Seonghwa speaks up.

“Safe houses?”

“Yes. We have safe houses set up all around, in about a day’s radius of here.” Changsub fills in. “We chose a few places years ago, places I know just don’t get raided. And if they do, it’s once every few years instead of every few months.”

“When we made the decision to become a pack, to form a resistance, we wanted a way that people could find us for help. So, we set up the safe houses and spread the word to as many hidden packs that we could trust as possible.” Eunkwang continues. “We send pairs out to check them every three months. We finished one check just a week before we picked you four up.” He motions to the latest additions to their pack. 

“Has anyone actually used them?” Hyunjin asks. 

“A few times, just people needing a safe space for a little while. No one has ever joined our pack after we found them in one.”

“We haven’t found anyone in one for the last two years, actually.” Hongjoong adds.

“Are you sure people still know about them?” Minho asks. “Is it really necessary to check them?”

“We promised people that we’d always keep an eye out.” Minhyuk says, his conviction to the promise evident in his voice. “We believe there’s a few packs further south that do know about us, and we have to be there for them if they need us.”

“And with that said!” Eunkwang claps his hands together, bringing the focus back to him. “We go in groups of two, that way no one is alone but we aren’t in large enough groups to be easily spotted. We would like to get you new kids used to some of the routes, but we’d have to split you three up completely to make that work. Or just take one of you each time. What do you think?” He asks, mindful of how attached the trio have been since completing their mating bond.

Felix and Hyunjin look to Minho, who thinks for a moment before answering. “I think probably one at a time, if that works number wise.” 

“Alright, let’s see. Hongjoong, take Seonghwa to house 1.” Hongjoong nods, blushing lightly at the suggestion. “Sungjae and Ilhoon, house 2. Changbin, how about you and Minho go to house 3?”

“Sounds good to me.” Changbin says, receiving a nod from Minho.

“Great. Hyunjin and Felix can hold down the fort with us. Mingi and Jisung, house 4. Minhyuk, Peniel, 5. Yunho and San–”

“House 6, like always.” San beams. 

“Yes. Get your things together; one week of rations to re-stock in case any have been used. You know the drill, or, well, you’ll learn it. Head out at 11pm, so you get through the populated areas at night.”

“Yes, sir!” Everyone jokingly salutes in unison, sending the entire group into ruckus laughter. Eunkwang laughs fondly at his large pack, eyes sparkling with pride as the group gets to work. 

“Sang-ah, I can’t.” Wooyoung pants, his heart breaking at Yeosang’s pitiful cry. “I’m sorry, we have to take a break. Let’s eat.”

“No.” Yeosang cries, curling into a ball of sweat and shivering as pain wracks his frame. “It hurts.”

“I know, I know. It’ll pass soon.” I hope.

It’s the fourth day of Yeosang’s heat and it is showing no signs of stopping. Wooyoung had been taught about the dangers of a heat without any familial bonds, about dry heats triggering in dangerous situations. This heat is terrible, and Wooyoung doesn’t know what to do. Without any toys, anything to nest with, and with such limited food to keep his own stamina up, Wooyoung has run out of ways to help his best friend.

“Sang-ah, I need you to eat. Or at least drink this.”

He tips a water bottle up to Yeosang’s lips, relieved when the other swallows at the slow stream of water. The bottle empties and Wooyoung stands to refill it from one of the larger jugs. Yeosang is too weak to protest the movement much, but Wooyoung knows it’s what causes his whimper and Wooyoung can’t contain the whine that leaves his own ragged throat. 

“I’ll be back in just a moment.” He walks the few steps to the jugs, picking up two empty ones in the dim light before finding one that still had water in it.

“Ah shit.” He groans when he realizes they’re already on the last jug with only two more full water bottles left to them. His head throbs painfully then, as if to remind him of how little he’s been drinking while trying to focus on Yeosang. The other omega is so dehydrated, but it won't be long before he's not much better off himself. 

He uncaps one of the full bottles and drinks a quarter of it, knowing he needs to take care of himself in order to help Yeosang. He would have to ration only this bottle for himself though, and leave everything for Yeosang that he can. He looks over his shoulder at his best friend, his heart aching at the sight. He refills Yeosang’s bottle, grabs some jerky and granola bars to set closer to them, and climbs back into bed. Yeosang’s shaking subsides slightly as Wooyoung lays next to him again, skin to skin contact helping calm the other just enough to make the pain of his hot skin against Wooyoung’s sunburned chest worth it. Wooyoung slowly chews on a piece of jerky, running his free hand through Yeosang’s sweat soaked hair in an attempt to calm him. 

Wooyoung just starts to hope that Yeosang has fallen asleep when he shakes violently again, letting out a deep, pain-filled cry. 

"Make it stop." Yeosang begs, leaning heavily into Wooyoung. "Please, Wooyoung, just make it stop."

"I ca- I can't." Wooyoung's voice catches as his heart breaks over again, tears wetting his cheeks again. 

"Just end it. We should be dead anyhow." Yeosang cries, weakly hitting the bed as he speaks. "I can't take it." 

"Don't say that, Sang-ah. It'll stop soon. Don't - Yeosang!" His blubbering rebuttal is stopped by Yeosang suddenly throwing himself off the bed as if to run away from the pain, but he is too weak to do anything but crumple to the ground in a ball of renewed shaking. Wooyoung hurries to the floor, pulling Yeosang into his lap. 

"You can do it, Yeosang. You're so strong. You just have to stay strong." He says through sobs. He can see that Yeosang is no longer coherent, his eyes unfocused and far away, his brain finally letting him sink into some far off place that Wooyoung hopes is free of pain. "We'll get through this, Sang-ah, we will. I won't leave you, so don't you dare leave me."

He places a soft kiss on Yeosang's sticky forehead and just sits there, his best friend held tight to his chest. At some point he falls into a deep sleep, unable to hold his eyes open any longer. 

"Two hours early again. Are they sure this safe house is as far out as they think?" San asks playfully as they see the barn come into view.

Yunho laughs. "I don't think they anticipated how quickly someone can get somewhere when Choi San is excited for alone time." 

San giggles, the bright sound making Yunho smile fondly at the smaller boy. "You like it too."

"Of course I do." Yunho would never deny that. 

"Well, let's not waste any time, hmm?" San teases, pulling lightly on Yunho's hand before running ahead. He looks over his shoulder, winking at Yunho and waving for him to follow. "You can't catch me!"

"You just might be the death of me." Yunho mutters before chasing after his playful boyfriend. 

Yunho does catch San just before reaching the barn door and sweeps him up into a bridal carry, sending him into a fit of laughter before planting a long kiss on his lips. He pulls the barn door open with one hand, spinning himself and San through it quickly before shutting it behind them.

"Oh? Is my alpha feeling needy?" 

"What do you expect when you act like that?" Yunho growls, kissing a pleased smirk off of San's lips. 

He sets San lightly on his feet, not breaking their kiss for a moment, and pushes him against a pillar as he motions to remove his shirt. He freezes mid action however, becoming still as a statue as his eyes blow wide with heightened alertness.

"Yunho?" San asks, concerned as he's never seen Yunho so suddenly alert on a routine outing

"Someone's here. Omegas, they-" Yunho is broken off by a terrified scream above their heads. "Stay here." He mutters to San before racing up the stairs.

" YEOSANG " Wooyoung shrieks, shaking a still Yeosang in his lap, the other’s head loling against his chest.

He doesn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he just woke up to Yeosang still and unbreathing in his lap. He pushes Yeosang off his lap and scrambles to lean over him, checking for a pulse.

"Yeosang! Kang Yeosang don't you dare leave me!" His panic increases as he can't find a pulse, his hands fluttering as he tries to think of what to do.

"Hey! Hello?" Wooyoung jumps as an unknown voice shouts from the stairs. His instincts swirl in disarray as a large figure comes towards him. "Are you okay?" 

"Don't hurt us, please!" He's reaching hysterics, not recognizing the lack of a threat in the question, unsure if he's about to join his pack in death.

"Shhh, Shhh, hey you're safe. I'm an alpha, I'm not going to hurt you. My name’s Yunho." He pulls something off of his left wrist and rubs the spot vigorously for a moment before reaching it out to Wooyoung.

The emotional whiplash Wooyoung is experiencing threatens to overtake him, but he manages to pick up on calming pheromones as the large alpha offers his wrist for Wooyoung to smell. As he calms from the fear of danger, the fear of losing Yeosang becomes primary again.

"My friend, he's in heat but I… I don't think he's breathing."

Yunho quickly checks the unconscious omega and sighs in relief when he feels a pulse and a very light breath. He's not surprised the panicked omega missed it, it's certainly too faint.

"He's alive, watch his chest closely. See?” He watches the relief soften Wooyoung’s face slightly as he can see the small motion in Yeosang’s chest. “But you're right, it's not good." He thinks for a moment, not really sure what to do. "Is it a dry heat?"

"Yeah, but a normal one too. Like mixed. It's been awful." Wooyoung's voice shivers as he speaks.

"How long have you been here?" Yunho looks around, and, even in the dim light, he notices the diminished stores. 

"About nine days. His heat started four days ago. I've tried to help and to keep him hydrated, but-" his words catch in his throat as his eyes fill with fresh tears. They are so bloodshot and his face is so noticeably pale even under the deep red tan caused by the sunburn, Yunho can see the exhaustion drawn in every line of him.

"Hey, hey, I'm sure you've done everything you can. We certainly don't stock this place for a heat. My boyfriend is downstairs, he… I need him to come up, okay?” Yunho chooses not to explain why he has a nu boyfriend, instead hoping Wooyoung simply won’t question his lack of scent.

“Okay.” Wooyoung nods, not catching the hesitation in the alpha’s words. 

Yunho walks back to the stairs and calls down, “San, I need you to come up.”

San springs up the stairs quickly and takes stock of the sight in front of him. 

“Both omegas, that one is in heat, we have to get him breathing better, but I need you to try and keep the other one calm.”

San nods and walks slowly to kneel next to Wooyoung as Yunho kneels by Yeosang, thinking about what he should do. 

“Hi there, I’m San, that’s your name?” 

“Wooyoung. Please, help my friend.” Wooyoung whispers through his tears. 

“Yunho will, don’t worry. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Wooyoung growls, flinching away, not wanting to take away from any care Yeosang could receive. 

“San-ah, do you think if we give him suppressants, that could help?” Yunho asks. He knows the omega doesn’t need CPR, he is breathing, albeit slightly. 

San shakes his head, keeping his calming gaze on the agitated Wooyoung. “I don’t think suddenly stopping it would be safe. He’s probably incredibly dehydrated. I packed some of Ilhoon hyung’s electrolyte mix, but he’d need to be able to drink.”

“Let’s just get him cooled down, we’ll have to use all the water we brought and re-stock again later. Can you wet some towels?” 

“You got it. What’s your friend’s name?” San asks as he pulls some small washcloths out of his backpack. 

“Yeo-yeosang” Wooyoung stutters, accepting the washcloth handed to him as San opens a bottle of water and pours over it. 

“Why are you two here?” Yunho asks. “Looks like you’ve been burnt to a crisp. I guess that could explain the dry heat.”

Wooyoung chokes back a sob again as he places the cool towel on Yeosang’s forehead, San placing another on his chest. “Our pack was… attacked. We’re the only survivors.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry Wooyoung, I can’t even imagine. Are you sure you’re the only ones?” San gawks at Yunho’s question, taken aback that he’d ask about something so awful so bluntly.

“Yeah, pretty fucking sure.” Wooyoung snarls. 

“So Yeosang has no bonds? Other than you, of course.” San asks gently, his heart twisting for the boy he’d just met as he watches Wooyoung’s face crumble further.

“Nope.” The mirthless laugh is full of agony as Wooyoung drops his head into his hands. “And we’re not even really that bonded, our pack was actually pretty big with sub-packs throughout. He's my best friend, but our pack-bond wasn't the tightest… it never needed to be.” He doesn't say what they are all thinking, that now it needed to be.

“Man, no wonder.” Yunho mutters, shaking his head.

“What does that mean, Yunho? Can we do anything for him?” San asks.

Yunho sighs. “I’m not trained for this. I think we’re just going to have to get him home.”

“We don’t have a home, I just-” 

“Our home.” San cuts Wooyoung off gently. “Mayfly. We have a doctor there, he’ll be able to help.”

“Mayfly. So we did make it.” Wooyoung looks up from his hands, placing one on Yeosang’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. “We made it, Sang-ah. And they found us, just like–” his voice breaks and they sit there in silence for a few moments, letting Wooyoung compose himself.

“I just don’t know how to move him in this state.” Yunho breaks the silence.

“He was in so much pain.” Wooyoung whispers as tears start flowing freely again. “I’m kind of glad he’s so out of it now.”

“We can’t head out for at least three hours, we’d be going through the populated countryside before sunset.” San reminds Yunho. 

“I know… Okay no suppressants, but there’s pain killers in the cabinet right?”

“We’ve been using that. I’m not sure when I gave him some last, I fell asleep but I have no idea when.”

“Doesn’t matter if we can’t get him awake. Have you been eating?”

“Yeah I’m fine, though if I can take some more water that’d be great. I was really rationing the supply here. I’m so glad you guys came.”

“Yeah for sure, we’ll just have to leave this safehouse a bit under stocked for a bit.” Yunho nods. “What about your heat, are you close?”

Wooyoung shakes his head. “Normally, yeah, I’m not too far behind. But I took some suppressants from the cabinet as soon as his started, I knew he could trigger mine and then we really would’ve been screwed.”

“Smart.” Yunho nods before they drop into silence again. Yunho thinks for a few minutes, checking Yeosang’s pulse a few times just to make sure he’s not worsening. Eventually he nods, having decided on a plan.

“As long as he stays in this state, we’re just going to get him home. I can probably carry him most of the way, and as long as you’re okay for another long walk Wooyoung, I don’t think we’ll take too much longer than usual. As long as he doesn’t get worse, it’s probably best for him to just keep sleeping it off. I hope…”

“I think you’re right.” San nods. “Why don’t you get some rest, Wooyoung? We’ll keep an eye on Yeosang and wake you if anything changes.” 

Wooyoung thinks about refusing for a moment but knows he’ll regret it later on their trek, so he nods. “Thank you for coming, really.”

Yunho and San nod back at him as he climbs into the bed and turns away from them. San turns to Yunho, his eyes conveying the concern and pain he feels for the two omegas. Yunho’s eyes might as well be a mirror. 

Chapter Text

"I don't even want to imagine what they went through." San whispers from his spot on the floor, tucked into Yunho's side. 

They've been keeping a close eye on the omega in heat, Yeosang, as they'd promised, but it was hard to ignore the other's twitching and crying in his sleep. Wooyoung had fallen asleep quickly, but it clearly wasn't a peaceful sleep. 

"Me either. Just thinking about losing Ilhoon hyung was hard enough. To lose everyone?" Yunho shakes his head at the thought. "I have no idea how they got away."

"They were lucky."

"They probably don't feel like it."

"No, I doubt they do." San falls quiet again as Yunho leans forward to check Yeosang's pulse again. There had been no change for the nearly three hours they'd sat there, which they hoped was a good thing. 

"I think we can go now." Yunho says, checking his watch. 

"It'll barely be sundown when we hit the main road."

"I know, but I have a bad feeling about waiting any longer." He leans down and presses a light kiss to the top of San's head. "Wake Wooyoung. I'm going to refill these water bottles for us."

San nods and stands, stretching for a long moment before walking over to the bed. Wooyoung is still for the moment and San sets his hand lightly on the omega's shoulder.

"Wooyoung, we need to get going."

Wooyoung startles at his name, sitting up quickly and grabbing San's wrist in self defense as he does. He sits there for a moment as his eyes adjust, San patiently unmoving as he waits for the other to get his senses about him. He's caught off guard when the first thing Wooyoung does is rub a thumb over his wrist, then pull it closer to his eyes as his free hand explores it. 

"It is a trap!!" He yells, moving far faster than San is prepared for. San finds himself pinned awkwardly against the bed with Wooyoung on top of him, holding his hands to his sides.

"Ow!" San gasps in shock. "Hey hey calm down!"

"Hey! Get off of him!" Yunho yells, rushing over to them. 

Wooyoung lets go of San's wrists, but instead of listening he punches him in the face, San's head snapping to the side. 

"Fucking nu!" Wooyoung screams as he hits San again, almost getting a third shot in while Yunho pulls him off of a gasping San. He flails wildly as Yunho tries to subdue him, managing to kick San in the chest as he screams. "Fuck you! We aren't going anywhere with you! We're better off dead than–"

"Wooyoung stop it!" 

If Yunho had ever used his alpha voice around San he hadn't noticed, but he knows that's exactly what just happened as he watches Wooyoung go instantly still. He doesn't like the look in his eyes, the mix of hatred, fear, and self loathing as his body betrays him. The look was oddly akin to how Yunho had looked when Minhyuk had stepped in that day so long ago. 

"Don't move." Yunho sets Wooyoung on the ground and San doesn't know if he used his alpha voice again or if Wooyoung was just in shock, but the omega obeys. Yunho turns back to San and cups his face, turning it to catch the light and wiping tears from his cheeks. "Sannie, are you okay?"

San takes a moment to compose himself before nodding. "I think so. Just startled. I wasn't thinking, shouldn't have let him grab my wrist."

"It's not your fault." Yunho disagrees. "Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." San says more confidently this time, prodding his own face a little as the shock of the situation wears off. "He's too weak to do any damage. I'll be fine. Did you use your alpha voice on him?" Yunho nods, an ashamed look on his face. "Thank you. But how did that even work?"

"I'll explain later." Yunho turns back to Wooyoung, who had clearly shaken it off already and moved closer to Yeosang, sitting protectively between him and the other two. "I'm sorry for doing that, Wooyoung. But you need to stay calm and let us explain." 

"Explain that you're just a puppet used to lul omegas to their deaths?" Wooyoung snarls.

"No. I am an alpha, free as any could be right now. San, as I said, is my boyfriend. And yes, he is a nu."

Wooyoung scoffs. "Nu don't date primitives. They kill us."

"Not me." San says, putting a hand on Yunho's shoulder to stop him from responding defensively. "I'm weird, I know. We have a long walk that I can explain it on, but I swear to you that I am not like those nu. I have lived with Mayfly for more than a year and I have sworn to protect primitives."

They sit in silence, Wooyoung clearly fighting his instincts and trauma as he tries to make sense of San's words. 

"Wooyoung," Yunho breaks the silence after a long minute, "do you really think if San wanted to kill you he wouldn't have done it already? With Yeosang unconscious and you sound asleep?" 

"Not if he wanted to take us as slaves or experiments."

"If that were the case you would have woken up in a lab already, they would've sent a unit out here to pick you up once sedated."

Wooyoung thinks for a moment, but seems to accept that argument, his shoulders finally slumping slightly. "You're really…?"

"Yes, I am what we call an ally. And I want to get you to safety. I will never harm you Wooyoung."

Wooyoung nods slowly then turns sheepish. "I'm sorry." 

San shakes his head. "It's fine, a natural reaction. We probably should've explained or had Yunho wake you up."

"We really have to get moving." Yunho says, standing now that the danger to San has passed. "Are you good for a long walk?"

Wooyoung nods, standing and accepting the backpack Yunho offers him.

"Good. If that gets too heavy let us know, but it'll be nice to not have to carry it and your friend at the same time."

“Wow, I never would’ve imagined nu treating one of their own like that.” Wooyoung shakes his head in disbelief an hour into their walk as San finishes explaining his backstory.

“It’s amazing how fear and indoctrination can make people treat someone that doesn’t think exactly like them.” San nods, his words devoid of the pain these memories once caused. “I think I’d be dead if Yunho hadn’t found me, given me something to look forward to each day. Giving me some hope.”

“Are you the only nu in Mayfly?” Wooyoung asks, his voice small as if he’s unsure if he wants to hear the answer. 

“Nope!” San smiles softly. “Eunkwang hyung, Changsub hyung, Hyunsik hyung, Ilhoon hyung, and Mingi are nu. Well, Mingi might have been a primitive, but he was rescued from a lab and it seems like if he was, they somehow figured out how to change him.”

“Oh wow. I get Mingi being in Mayfly then, that makes sense. Why those others though? Are they all outcasts like you?”

San shakes his head. “They simply made friends with some primitives by chance and learned the truth, decided to fight for what’s right. They formed a pack, and then formed Mayfly. Changsub hyung actually has a pretty high position in the police force, he’s able to warn us of raids and any possible dangers. He also is able to help hide any possible trace of us that pops up before anyone can do much about it.”

“That’s handy.” Wooyoung’s eyes are wide at this information. 

“Extremely. And Hyunsik hyung is a doctor, he works in the hospital and uses his expertise to keep us healthy. He also gives babies a chance as he changes their test results, when requested by allies, if they show up as primitives. This gives them time to grow and be loved before Eunkwang hyung helps their families find a safe place for them before they present.”

“Wow.” Wooyoung breaths, aw written in his face. “That’s really amazing, I never would’ve guessed. What does your leader do? Does he work too?”

“He did, but he was shot on a rescue gone bad, so he’s been stuck with us for a few months. He mostly networks with other resistance cells and helps keep everyone safe while always keeping an eye out for an opening.”

“An opening for what?”

“An uprising.” Yunho answers for the first time since San had started his story time. “Any crack in their perfectly indoctrinated shell could be the opening for something big. Obviously there’s more allies than the government would even dream of, so that’s already a pretty big crack. But it’s not enough. So, for now it’s quiet education, sowing seeds of doubt in believers, saving as many primitives - and allies - as possible, all leading up to the day we can set things right.”

“Sounds like a fantasy.”

“It’s a dream, but one we all share and believe in.” Yunho’s conviction is so powerful that it sparks something in Wooyoung’s chest, a feeling of hope - albeit small - that he wasn’t expecting. 

They continue to walk in silence for a while, letting Wooyoung process this information. San breaks the silence again half an hour later, having remembered an unanswered question.

“Yunho, how did your alpha voice work on Wooyoung? You’ve only just met.”

“Because we don’t have a pack.” San is surprised when it’s Wooyoung who answers and turns his attention to the omega. Wooyoung’s pain is evident in his voice as he continues. “We can feel the lack of bonds, the lack of an alpha. Our inner omega wants the hole filled, and so it listens.”

“To anyone?”

“Yeah.” Yunho nods. “Any alpha could command them right now. At one time alphas would battle for an omega, and one way they’d do that was seeing whose command was stronger to that omega. But of course that’s a… primitive thing. We don’t want to take anyone’s choice now, omegas deserve their free will just like anyone. But in this case, I just…”

“It’s okay Yunho, I’m not mad. It was the quickest way to protect San.”

“Thank you for understanding. I know it’s not a pleasant feeling.”

“Actually… it felt nice. Once the anger wore off of course.” Wooyoung admitted sheepishly. “Not that I’d want it done again but… I don’t know. It just helped for a minute to feel connected to someone.”

Yunho nods, realizing he hadn’t considered that possibility. San listens wide eyed, taking in this new information like a sponge. They fall into silence again, each one contemplating the conversation.

They’ve been walking for seven hours, taking short breaks as needed, cycling between casual conversation and comfortable silence. Yunho and San are used to having a night of rest (and other things) between their trip to and from the safe house, and the lack of that rest is starting to hit hard just as they approach the most dangerous area in their journey. 

“I need a break.” Yunho pants, slowly sitting down and pushing Yeosang - who hasn’t made any sign of waking the entire time - to lay on the soft grass. Yunho stretches, groaning as his muscles protest such usage. Yeosang isn’t big, per se, but he definitely has worked out and is bulkier than most omegas, adding weight Yunho hadn’t expected. “Let’s rest for a bit, we probably have thirty minutes until the sun is fully down. I think we’ll be okay to play it safe from here.”

“No argument here.” San groans and plops next to Yunho, laying his head on the alpha’s thigh. “I call a nap.” 

“ You call a nap?!” Yunho asks indignantly, playfully pushing San off him and laying down. “I’m the one carrying another human!” 

“You’re not pregnant honey.” San teases, making Yunho laugh. He fits himself against Yunho’s side, a hand on his chest and head on his shoulder. “Alright, you nap, I’ll stay awake.”

“Sure you will.” Yunho rolls his eyes. “Wooyoung, you can nap too if you need one.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that.” Wooyoung says from his already curled up position in the grass. “How much farther do we have?”

“About two hours is all. We have to get through this more occupied area, it’s slower because of having to stay quiet and cautious. But we’ve never had any trouble. Takes about forty-five minutes to get clear and then we’ll be home free.”

“Cool.” Wooyoung mutters. He goes to close his eyes but instead sits bolt upright, startling Yunho and San. 

“What is it?”

“I think Yeosang moved.” Wooyoung scrambled to check on his friend, unsure if he is now imagining things. Yunho and San sit up, watching carefully, and sure enough the omega does move his head just enough to be noticeable, a grimace wiping the peaceful look of sleep off his face. “Yeosang? Yeosang hey, are you with me?” 

Yeosang groans, his face crumpling further as he regains consciousness. 

“Shhh, shhh, hey.” Wooyoung tries to console him, situating himself next to Yeosang and running a hand through his hair. “Sang-ah, look at me.”

“Where are we?” Yeosang’s voice is barely audible as he squints up at Wooyoung. 

“On our way to Mayfly! Two members came and saved us. We’re safe.”

“Safe… ugh” He groans, curling in on himself and holding his stomach. Wooyoung pouts in solidarity as he continues running his fingers through Yeosang’s hair.

“Who-” Yeosang tries to ask but mid-question, his body tensing and eyes blowing wide as he takes in a deep, surprised breath.

“Sang-ah?” 

“An alpha?” Yeosang had picked up on Yunho’s alpha pheromones before even seeing him, unsurprising for the heightened senses of an omega in heat. 

“What? Oh uh…” Wooyoung looks between Yeosang’s needy eyes and Yunho’s shocked ones. “Yes but-”

“Please.” Yeosang moans, making the effort to roll towards and make eye contact with Yunho. “Please, I’ll do anything. Just make it stop.”

“Sang-ah, I don’t think…”

Tears bud at Yeosang’s eyes before Wooyoung can finish. “ Please. ” he begs, his lower lip trembling. He gasps, another wave of pain suddenly sweeping through him, and the tears flow freely. “ Help me.”

Wooyoung looks like his world is crumbling as Yeosang breaks down and he looks up at Yunho, his eyes also pleading. “Could you? I’m sorry to ask but…”

Yunho is shaking his head before Wooyoung can finish. “I’m sorry, that’s… that’s not something I’m prepared for. I can’t just–”

“But he needs help! You could, you could… San, you’d understand, right?”

San looks between them, concern written all over his face. “Well, yeah, of course, but–”

“See! Just once, just so we can get him to Mayfly.” Wooyoung begs as Yeosang’s body shakes with another wave of pain.

“I can’t.” Yunho’s voice is smaller than San had ever heard before. “Wooyoung, he’s not even producing slick. It wouldn’t help now, he’s too far into the dry heat.”

Yeosang cries out in agony as he tries to drag himself towards Yunho, but he’s too weak to move more than a few inches. Wooyoung pulls him back, pulling him onto his lap and cradling his shaking best friend. Yeosang wails loudly, too lost to the pain to have any restraint, weakly trying to push away from Wooyoung. Wooyoung’s tears mix with Yeosang’s against his chest. 

“Yunho, you really can’t do anything?” San asks in his ear, making sure the others can’t hear.

Yunho just shakes his head, not trusting his voice. His inner alpha is howling, screaming at him to do something, Yeosang’s distressed pheromones calling to him. He’s ashamed that he can’t just help, can’t fulfill that alpha duty, but he knows he’s right. He does, however, think he can try something to help.

“Wooyoung, let me take him. Maybe holding him, letting him scent me, would at least help.” 

Wooyoung nods, willing to try anything. He gingerly passes the shaking omega to Yunho who pulls him tight to his chest, cradled like a baby. At first there’s no change, but then Yeosang instinctually starts scenting at Yunho’s neck. It only takes a few moments however for this idea to go south. 

“Help me alpha.” Yeosang begs through pain laced pants, his breaths short and ragged as he pulls at Yunho’s shirt. “Please. Please!” The last word is screamed as another shockwave of pain rips through him.

Yunho’s face twists as he tries to keep his composure. San is also crying, albeit silently, unsure of what to do in this situation as he doesn’t think Wooyoung is quite ready to accept him as someone to receive comfort from. Yunho shakes his head, having to hold Yeosang away from him as the omega’s weak advances even become too much for him. 

“Wooyoung, take him back, this isn’t helping him.”

Wooyoung nods and struggles to pull Yeosang away, the omega going into hysterics as he does. 

“San.” Yunho pants, holding a hand to his spinning head. San looks up at him, his heart aching for his boyfriend as he watches him struggle now too. “We can’t take him through like this. I need you to go get Hyunsik. You can get through quicker, you can…”

“I understand.” San nods, kissing Yunho quickly before standing. He uncaps a bottle of water, takes a long drink, and runs off.

San reaches the town in only ten minutes, running as fast as he knows he can maintain. He slows to a light jog as he heads through the center of town. Usually they take a wide arc around it, but the quickest path is through it and he, being a nu, doesn't have to avoid the sensors like when he's with Yunho. He doesn't pay people in the town much mind, keeping a casual concentration on his face as he jogs through. 

“Boy! Stop there.” He startles slightly when an old man calls out to him but he stops as directed, knowing better than to pretend not to have heard.

“Hello sir.” He says breathlessly.

“What’s the rush? I don’t recognize you, where are you from?” 

“The city, sir. I’m an athlete, just training you know. Thought a good country run would be a nice change.” San smiles at the inquisitive man, carefully controlling his expression as he lies seamlessly. San had started practicing for scenarios like this the moment he joined Mayfly, taking lessons from Eunkwang in staying calm around other nu and lying convincingly. His role as a pack nu is vital to the pack’s survival, and they learned quickly that he is a fantastic actor. The athlete story is an easy one to stick to, considering how hard San has worked to build a strong body.

“I see. Do you need a break? Water?” The kindly man asks.

“Thank you very much for the offer, but I have to get back before my mother worries.” That lie hurts every time he has to use it. Nu forces murdered his primitive parents right in front of his six year old eyes, making it the hardest lie to tell without breaking character. 

“Of course, on your way then young man.”

“Have a good evening.” San waves and turns, starting back into the jog he had been maintaining. It takes him only a few minutes to lose sight of the town and when he does he picks up speed, launching into a full sprint.

He arrives back to Mayfly gasping and gripping his chest as he bursts through the front door of the main house. 

“San!” A chorus of shocked voices from those in the front room and kitchen. “Is everything okay?”

San shakes his head as he drops to his knees. “Water...” he rasps out through a cough. He probably pushed a bit too hard those last few miles, but he doesn’t regret it. Mingi hurries to his side, handing him a bottle of water. 

“Not too fast San, goodness how long have you been running?” Eunkwang asks, coming to stand on his other side as San carefully doesn’t chug the water. After a few more moments he answers.

“A while. Hyunsik Hyung, where -“

“I’m here San, what is it?” Hyunsik steps into the hall from the living room, face serious. “Is Yunho okay?” 

“He’s fine. Well, mostly.” San pants, taking another sip of water as many eyebrows raise. “Omegas. Two of them, one is in a really bad way, going through a dry heat.”

“For how long?” Hyunsik asks as he steps back into his room to grab his bag of supplies.

“A few days? He was unconscious so we were trying to just get him here, but he woke up. He was being too loud to keep going, I ran here to get you. He really needs your help.”

“What happened? Why were they there?” Eunkwang asks.

“Their pack was slaughtered. Said something about their teacher Kyungmoon telling them how to find the barn.”

“Oh god.” Changsub and Eunkwang lament at the same time, looks of shock breaking their professional expressions. Eunkwang continues, the shake in his voice betraying how hard this information hit him. “We’ll prepare for them then. Hyunsik, what do we need for the omega in heat?” 

“Clean blankets, one of the nu rooms, probably Mingi and San’s-“ he glances at the two boys who nod in unison - “and water. Lots of water.”

“Stuff for sunburns too, and blisters. They walked a long way.” San adds. “And maybe Chan needs to steer clear, I think Yunho’s rut might trigger.”

“That wouldn't be surprising. Okay I’m ready, let’s go.” Hyunsik heads out the door and San follows after Mingi pulls him to his feet. “How far?”

“Just past the first town, hiding in the field.”

Hyunsik nods. “I can’t run like you, but I can jog. Do you think you need to run ahead?”

“I don’t think I can, a jog will work. But we’ll need to go around, someone stopped me and I don’t want to see him again.” 

Hyunsik nods and they head off in silence.

“I’ll stay over here, I’m sorry.” Yunho mumbles. He had applied his extra set of patches, hoping they’d let him help without triggering Yeosang, but it hadn’t worked. The moment he got close enough Yeosang started begging for his help, and it was all he could do to keep his alpha from taking over and giving in.

“It’s okay Yunho, please don’t feel bad.” Wooyoung says as he runs a hand through Yeosang’s sweaty hair. “Sang-ah, here drink again, just a sip, it’ll help.”

Yeosang groans but doesn’t fight as Wooyoung lifts a bottle to his mouth, his head propped high enough on Wooyoung’s lap that he can drink without choking. The warm water isn’t as refreshing as it could be, but it does help. Yeosang only takes a few sips before he curls in on himself, another wave of pain scorching through his body. His eyes burn trying to produce tears that he’s too dehydrated to make and he struggles to contain his cries as he shakes in Wooyoung’s lap.

“Sang-ah, breathe through it. It’ll pass.” Wooyoung rubs comforting circles into Yeosang’s upper back as he whimpers. He wishes his best friend would just pass out again into painless bliss, that he wouldn’t have to go through this. 

“Yunho!” The shout startles Yunho and Wooyoung, their heads snapping up in unison as they look at San and Hyunsik running up to them.

“You’re back!” Yunho sighs in relief, standing quickly and embracing a panting San as Hyunsik continues straight to the two omegas.

“Hello there, I’m Hyunsik. I’m a doctor.” He introduces himself as he slowly kneels next to them, his empty hands slightly raised. “I’m a nu, but I’m here to help.”

“Yunho explained, it’s okay.” Wooyoung nods. His voice breaks as he pleads, “Please help him.”

Hyunsik looks at the shaking omega, his professional poker face not giving a hint of the pain he feels for the boy. “I can’t do much for him here, but I brought a sedative so we can get him to our pack. What’s his name?”

“Yeosang.”

“Yeosang, I’m going to-” he’s cut off by another scream from Yeosang, who is clearly too taken by his pain to notice anything around him. “Hmm, best I just do it.” He rummages in his bag and pulls out a small bottle and syringe, deftly filling the syringe. Yeosang doesn’t even react to the injection and within a few seconds his shaking subsides and his eyes droop closed. “That’ll last til we get home.”

“Thank you.” Wooyoung whispers, new tears of relief joining the streaks of old tears down his cheeks. “Will he be okay?”

“May I examine him for a moment? I don’t want to make either of you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t think he’d mind.” Wooyoung turns away, San and Yunho following suit.

Hyunsik quickly looks over Yeosang, wincing at the state the boy is in as he probes his stomach and groin. 

“Alright. He should recover just fine if we can get him home, hydrated, and nested.” Wooyoung looks at him as he speaks, cautious hope dancing in his eyes. Hyunsik raises a cautioning hand. “It’s going to be a long recovery, for multiple reasons. He’s going to need your help nesting, it’s going to be really hard for both of you.”

“I know.” Wooyoung nods. Hyunsik waves for San and Yunho to come closer and Wooyoung looks apologetically at the large alpha. “Yunho, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Yunho says determinedly. “I just want to get home.” He bends down and picks up Yeosang, settling him into a good carrying position. “Let’s see if we can cut this to an hour, yeah?”

Chapter Text

“Here’s where you’ll stay for now.” Eunkwang opens the door to San and Mingi’s room, gesturing for Wooyoung to enter. He steps in cautiously, looking back at the door as if to make sure Hyunsik actually brings Yeosang in behind them. Hyunsik follows, carefully keeping Yeosang’s head from hitting the door frame, and lays him on the bed in the middle of the room. Mingi had enlisted Ilhoon’s help in shoving his and San’s beds together, using blankets to make it one larger bed. 

Eunkwang places a gentle hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder before he can climb into the bed with Yeosang. “Wooyoung, we thought you could both use a change of clothes. We set them here, and there’s some water and a rag you can use to wash up. Maybe you’d like to clean up before getting in bed?” 

“Thank you…” Wooyoung mutters, shifting uncomfortably under Eunkwang’s hand. Eunkwang understands and lets his hand drop naturally, not seeming offended in the slightest. Wooyoung looks up at Hyunsik, who is leaning over Yeosang doing something Wooyoung doesn’t understand. “When will he wake up?”

“Probably not for a few hours, maybe longer, I’m sure you’re both exhausted on top of everything. Get changed and then do what you can to nest, it’ll help when he wakes up if he’s surrounded by your scent already.”

Wooyoung nods, sighing and rubbing a hand over his eyes. “I don’t know how long I can stay awake.”

“Wooyoung.” Hyunsik walks closer to him and Wooyoung stiffens, suddenly unsure with so much attention on him. “Should you be expecting your heat as well? I’m surprised it wasn’t triggered.”

“Oh, no. I found suppressants in that barn. I took them as soon as I noticed Yeosang’s had hit, because I knew we wouldn’t survive if both of us were brainless in heat.”

“Normally I hate those things, but in this case that was very wise of you. Your next heat will be more unpleasant than usual, but nothing like a dry heat.” Wooyoung nods, knowing his next heat will be nothing compared to what Yeosang is going through. Hyunsik isn’t done however and continues. “May I examine you before you sleep? Your sunburns and blisters I mean. I’d like to get anything treated now before infection can set in — if it hasn’t already.”

“Oh, uh, yeah sure.” Wooyoung shrugs and sits on the edge of the bed. Hyunsik begins deftly looking over his sunburned back before dropping to his knee to check his feet. Wooyoung looks up at Eunkwang, who is standing casually with his back against the door. “San said this is his room, where will he sleep?”

“Oh he’ll sleep with Yunho, nothing unusual.” Wooyoung raises an eyebrow and Eunkwang elaborates with a kind smile. “San only really uses his room when he needs some privacy or when either Hongjoong or Yunho are in rut. Otherwise he sleeps with Yunho.”

“What about the other boy?”

“I think Mingi set up a spot in Ilhoon and Sungjae’s room. He’ll be fine, don’t worry. Now, is the room alright for you? We made sure that only nu came in to prepare it so it’d be as scent free as possible.”

“I think it’s fine, thank you.” Wooyoung winces as Hyunsik rubs a salve over his feet and then wraps them with bandages, but he looks appreciatively at the older man. “I’ll try to scent as much as I can so Yeosang will feel more comfortable when he wakes up.”

“That’s good.” Hyunsik tells the boy as he moves to treat Yeosang’s feet in the same manner. It only takes a few minutes before Hyunsik finishes and the two men bid Wooyoung a good night.

“We’ll make sure no one disturbs you, sleep and rest as long as you need. Come down to the main house if you need anything.” Eunkwang says before shutting the door behind him.

Wooyoung sighs when the door closes, steeling himself for a moment before pulling off his very soiled clothes and using the provided rag to wash up as suggested. It’s room temperature so not terribly uncomfortable. He notices that there are actually two washcloths and decides to gently wash Yeosang as well, so he won’t wake up feeling disgusting. 

“There ya go Sang-ah, that’ll feel a lot better.” Wooyoung whispers, even though he knows the other won’t be woken by talking. 

He climbs into the bed and takes stock of the things they were provided. Only three blankets and two pillows, not much to work with but much more than nothing. He takes some time to scent each item, also rubbing them against Yeosang a bit to add his scent. He knows Yeosang’s scent is far more sour than it should be, but it’s still distinctly him and should help when he wakes up. His own scent probably isn’t the most pure thing at the moment either, he thinks, and that thought opens a door to thoughts he doesn’t want to hear. His expression turns troubled as he shakes his head as if trying to shake the thoughts away. 

He lays next to Yeosang, looking at how peaceful his face is in his induced sleep. “I’m glad you’re asleep and not in pain, but gods I feel so alone.” He takes a deep shuddering breath and closes his eyes, trying and failing to fight back tears as loneliness washes over him. The distinct loneliness he feels is something he has never felt before, and he knows it’s due to the absolute lack of the bonds that he has had his whole life. Now that he’s no longer in fight or flight mode he seems to feel the absence of each bond individually, each one like a knife in his heart. He curls into himself, his face pressed just barely into Yeosang’s shoulder, as he allows himself to mourn everyone he lost. His mother, who was the most gentle woman in the world. His father, who liked to teach him and Kangmin how to live to their fullest. Oh little Kangmin… he was so young, so bright, Wooyoung felt like he could hear the boy’s contagious laughter ringing in his ears. How could someone see that child and point a gun at him? 

A deep, painful sob rips out of his chest at that thought. How could anyone be so heartless? Had his mother been holding Kangmin, trying to protect him? Did his father try to fight? Who was slaughtered first? Maybe it all happened so fast that they didn’t have time to be scared or to watch each other fall, no parent or child should have to watch the other die. Maybe it was painless. Maybe he should’ve been there with them. What gave him the right to live and not his pack? Was surviving really worth this loneliness? Worth the agony Yeosang was going through? Maybe they would’ve been better off just turning themselves in. 

He cries for what feels like forever as he’s accosted by these thoughts. Eventually he falls into a fitful sleep plagued by nightmares. 

The majority of Mayfly are in the basement of the main house, having just heard San and Yunho’s full recount of their experience finding the two omegas. Now San sits curled up in Yunho’s lap, the ever empathetic boy crying softly into Yunho’s shoulder as the alpha runs a calming hand through his hair. 

“Where are they from?” Chan’s question is directed at the older Mayfly members. 

“A large pack hidden in a forest in the southeast.” Minhyuk answers, his face sullen. Peniel rubs circles into his back with one hand, the other holding one of his alpha’s hands in his lap. 

“How large? Surely there couldn’t be too many people in one place, right?” Changbin asks.

“Actually, they were the last large pack we knew about. Large like maybe fifty, sixty people?” Minhyuk’s voice cracks on the numbers and the boys around the room gasp. Minhyuk steadies himself and explains. “They were just so far off of any beaten path and already a very secluded group when the purge started. They had minimal contact with the world as it was, living humble lives off their own farms, we think the government really just didn’t know about them for quite a while.”

“How could you not notice that many people in one place? It would just take one drone to expose them.” Hongjoong says, bewildered.

“We never really got to ask them, they didn’t like communicating or having visitors. We were barely able to relay the directions of the safe house to Kyungmoon four years ago. He was a good kid…” He trails off for a few moments before continuing. “We assumed they either had inside help like us or maybe some sort of cloaking device. Once we came into contact with them Changsub started helping to clear any suspicion of the area just like he does with us and Jessi’s pack.”

“But of course, I’ve only been in a position to do that for the last ten or so years, we really don’t know how they managed before. Not that raids go down there often, which probably was their biggest saving grace.”

“So what changed then?” Chan asks again, looking at Changsub. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you or anything, but how could a strike order have gone through without you knowing?”

Changsub waves a hand, signaling he understands Chan’s meaning. “It wasn’t something from the primary office, I’m sure of that. I haven’t heard a single thing about some large pack being found. Which means there’s another unit I’m not privy to going around the more rural areas.”

“That’s terrifying.” Jisung mutters from his place squished into Chan’s side.

“It is.” Changsub agrees solemnly. “My guess is there’s a new initiative at the high secretive level and they are doing deeper searches further away from the city. I’ll try to get information when I get back tomorrow, see if anyone has heard anything new.”

“Should we be worried?” Minho speaks up from where he and his mates sit on the floor. 

Changsub thinks for a moment before answering carefully. “I don’t think so. I get the feeling that this won’t change the security landscape close to the city. So long as we stay vigilant and perfectly execute our raid evac, making sure the visible areas always look the same, we should be fine.” 

Quiet murmurs of cautious relief echoed around the room. They sit quietly for a few moments before Minhyuk glances around and breaks the silence.

“Yunho, why don’t you get you and San to bed? You’re clearly exhausted and, well, San’s already out.” Minhyuk’s suggestion is kind but carries a command behind it, not that Yunho was going to argue. “And good job today, you both did amazing.”

Yunho nods as he stands, hefting San up with him and trying not to jostle him awake. He bids a quiet goodnight to everyone before heading up the stairs.

The silence stretches for a few minutes before Changbin speaks up again. “Hyung, did you catch onto Yunho’s scent?”

“I did. He’ll probably fall into his rut soon, this was really hard on him.”

“I’m sure, I can’t even imagine being around an omega in that much distress and not being able to do anything.” Changbin shudders at the thought. He and Yunho had long stopped hating each other, but this certainly added some extra respect for Yunho in Changbin’s mind.

“It’ll be especially hard to keep San away from him this time. Hongjoo-“

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Hongjoong cuts Minhyuk off quickly. “I noticed too. Maybe this time we’ll need to do something different, I don’t know how keeping San from him completely will go this time…”

“You might be right.” Minhyuk nods. “Well, I’ll think on a solution.” He looks around the room then, his demeanor changing slightly. “Okay. These omegas are hurt, obviously, and it’s going to be a long road for them. I don’t doubt you’ll all do your best to make them feel at home, but let’s be respectful of their boundaries. Mingi, they might be very uncomfortable around you and the other nu, don’t be offended if they take a while to warm up to you.”

“But they seemed fine with San and Hyunsik hyung…” Mingi says, half statement half question.

“That was out of necessity. Once they’re no longer in fight or flight mode they will have more room for actually caring who they are around and you need to respect that, okay?”

“I understand.” Mingi nods.

“Changbin, Minho, Hongjoong, you three and Yunho will need to also be attentive at first.”

“For what?” Minho asks.

“We don’t know how their pack viewed the roles of alphas and omegas. We don’t know if they feel equal, inferior, or even superior to alphas, does that make sense?”

“Oh, yeah.” Changbin and Minho say in unison, causing a few chuckles around the room. Hongjoong simply nods.

“So you’re saying don’t be overbearing trying to make them comfortable, but also don’t be cold if they seem to need an alpha?” Changbin breaks it down. 

“Exactly.” Minhyuk smiles at him, continuously proud of how Changbin has come into his role as a possible pack alpha. 

“Anything we should be careful of?” Jisung asks.

“I think omegas and betas will have the easiest time making friends with them, so I kind of expect you to be… the front line of friendship, for lack of a better expression.” He chuckles. 

“We can do that.” Felix pipes up confidently. 

“Alright. We’ll work on figuring out a permanent room arrangement tomorrow. I'm going to head upstairs and find Eunkwang hyung. Don’t stay up too late kids.”

Chapter Text

“Eunkwang?” Minhyuk asks, timidly knocking on the slightly open door to Eunkwang’s bedroom. There is an answering hum that he takes as permission to enter, so he pushes the door open further and sighs at the sight before him. Eunkwang’s face is hidden in his hands, the shake in his shoulders telling Minhyuk all he needs to know. He makes his way to the bed, sitting beside his closest friend and tutting.

“Ah, come here.” He wraps an arm around Eunkwang’s quivering shoulders, pulling him into his side. Eunkwang leans into the embrace but his hands stay over his face, tears peaking between his fingers.

“It’s alright Eunkwang-ah, let it out.” Minhyuk murmurs as he runs a hand through Eunkwang’s hair. He doesn’t say anything more for a few minutes, letting Eunkwang cry as long as he needs in the comfort of his best friend’s arms. Once he can tell that Eunkwang is mostly tear free he speaks up.

“I briefed the boys the best I could.”

“Thank you.” Eunkwang’s voice is hoarse, causing him to clear his throat. He drops a hand and squeezes Minhyuk’s free hand in his lap, a gesture of gratitude, before sitting up and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I just couldn’t keep it together. Not knowing how many people lost their lives, knowing what kind of mindless slaughter those boys survived. It just makes you feel hopeless. And I couldn’t show the boys that.”

“I know what you mean. It’s okay, I handled the kids. They’re all a bit shaken, but mostly fine...” He trails off, watching Eunkwang’s face become hard and angry.

“It’s not okay , Hyuk-ah.” Eunkwang practically growls. Minhyuk goes to correct his statement but Eunkwang abruptly stands, whirling on him and shocking him into silence.

“An entire compound, families, CHILDREN!” He practically yells the last word before choking out: “people. Murdered.” His face is flushed in so much anger as he spits out the last word, Minhyuk isn’t sure if he’s ever seen Eunkwang this mad before. “They weren’t hurting anyone! None of you fucking hurt anyone. The only ones that do the hurting are the ‘poor defenseless nu’.” He mocks, his lip curling in disgust. 

“Eunkwang, calm down. I didn’t me-” Minhyuk reaches out to Eunkwang in hopes of offering a grounding hand but the other slaps him away and turns to pace towards the wall.

“What are we supposed to do? Everything we work for, eighteen fucking years of resistance, what is it all for if slaughters like this can still take place right under our noses? What did we miss? What are we missing ?”

Minhyuk stands, taking a few steps towards Eunkwang so that he’s within arms reach. He watches the back of his leader’s head with sad eyes, but he doesn’t interrupt. He knows that Eunkwang needs to get this out.

“What if the next thing we miss is our own kill order? How do we protect these boys right outside of the city if a compound that far out of the way isn’t even safe? Do we have to stop taking them in? Kick them out to fend for themselves? Tell them they’re safer running in small groups?”

“You know that’s not true.” Minhyuk interjects, but that seems to just fan Eunkwang’s flame, his back stiffening and fists balling at his sides. 

“What is the point? We’re all going to die sooner or later. Why fight? Why do we try so hard to live when the day they come for us is inevitable? What if everything is pointless? What if nearly losing Ilhoon was pointless?” His fists raise and tuck into his quivering chest. “Saving Mingi. Helping Chan heal. Changing all those test results. Watching the safe houses. Isn’t it all just futile, in the end? Worthless attempts. Fucking pointless !”

The last word is screamed, and his right fist raises so quickly that Minhyuk almost isn’t able to catch it. But he does, because he has seen this before and was watching for it; the results of the last time Eunkwang punched a wall aren’t worth repeating. Minhyuk catches Eunkwang’s fist just before it can make contact and he spins Eunkwang around, gripping his upper arms to force him to still.

“Seo Eunkwang, that’s enough. Let’s get a few things straight. Your life’s work is not pointless. My life, my mate’s life, the lives we have lived because of you, are not pointless. ”

Eunkwang blinks at him, startled from the hopeless spiral he hadn’t realized he was falling down.

“Every pup we raise here represents hope, no matter how they come to us. Every willing interaction Chan has with an alpha is worth the effort it has taken to get him there. Every nu ally who learns to look past the propaganda is a promise for a better future. Every year lived by a pup Hyunsik saves is another year of hope. Every year that pack lived represented hope. Those two pups that came to us today survived because somewhere deep down in their terrified and tormented hearts, they believe that their lives are worth living.”

Eunkwang is crying again, tears leaking past closed eyelids. 

“I will fight until the day either the government or nature stops me. Because every day I fight is another day they don’t win. Every day I live is another day they lose. And if all that comes out of my life is being a royal pain in their sides, well then it was worth it. But that isn’t all my life is, it isn’t all your life is. Because everyone who we have protected, for any amount of time, is another crack in their system. And every radical movement crumbles with enough cracks in the foundation.”

Minhyuk pulls Eunkwang into a hug, letting his tears soak through the shoulder of his shirt. Letting his own tears drip into Eunkwang’s shoulder. He wonders when he started crying.

“We can’t let this break us, Eunkwang.” He says, his words slightly muffled in the crook of Eunkwang’s neck. “This hurts, and it’s wrong, and it’s so fucking scary, but we cannot let it take our hope. We have to keep fighting.” 

They stand like that for a few moments before Eunkwang nods. 

“You’re right. I haven’t given up yet, I won’t start now.” He pats Minhyuk’s back before straightening out of his embrace. He steadies himself, closing his eyes and focusing on a few concentrated breaths. “Alright, breakdown over, vigilante rebel back.”

Minhyuk chuckles, rolling his eyes at the terms they often use when joking about Eunkwang’s position. “Good, you know we couldn’t do anything without your coordination.”

“Yes, sometimes you make that painfully clear.” They laugh at that before Eunkwang cuts off, sudden concern taking over his features. “Oh by the way, how was San?” He remembers the boy looked near tears or passing out, whichever would hit first, when he last saw him.  

“Cried himself to sleep in Yunho’s lap.” Eunkwang nods at that, unsurprised. Minhyuk continues, “Speaking of Yunho, his rut is coming fast. It’s going to be bad.”

“Yes…” Eunkwang contemplates. “He’s going to need San, isn’t he?”

“He’ll need an omega.” Minhyuk sighs, rubbing a hand roughly over his face. “But emotionally, yes, I think he’ll need San. But it’s just… we have these rules for a reason. We can’t put San in danger.”

“Maybe we don’t give you alphas enough credit?” Eunkwang asks thoughtfully. Minhyuk snorts and shakes his head. “Well, if by morning Yunho is still in the right headspace, let’s talk with them. They’re old enough to be part of the discussion.”

“Sure… Yeah okay.” 

“Now, we need to get with Changsub and discuss the situation before he heads into the city.” He takes one final steadying breath before stepping towards the door as he continues. “He’s going to have to do some digging and I want to know his plan. I also need to know when I can start going into the city again, it’s a lot harder to pull off recon when I’m stuck here.”

“Oh poor poor mathyung, I can’t imagine what being stuck in this dump is like.” Minhyuk quips, playfully shoving at Eunkwang’s now healed shoulder. Eunkwang just rolls his eyes and gives Minhyuk a long-suffering sigh. Minhyuk chuckles and continues as he walks out of the room. “We can kick the kids out of the basement, they should all be in bed by now anyhow.”

The atmosphere downstairs is light the next morning. Yunho and San came downstairs after their early discussion with the hyungs, which ended with San being far too willing to put himself in danger and Yunho being absolutely against it no matter what that might mean for him. They ended the argument with San suggesting they go downstairs to talk about it alone, but when they went they found that Chan, Changbin, and Jisung were already occupying the space. San quickly distracted himself by joining Chan and Jisung in a playful round of poker, with Yunho huffing and taking a place on the couch to watch and think. 

“What’s got you all riled up?” Changbin asks from his place on the other side of the couch.

“Stupid rut things.”

“Ah. You’re close aren’t you?” 

“What gave it away?” Yunho asks rhetorically, rolling his eyes. 

“Totally your sunshiney mood.” Changbin jokes. They both look over at the floor table, watching the other three argue about rules or something. Changbin looks back, watching Yunho’s face and the conflicting emotions playing over it. “They’re just worried about you.”

“I know. But it’ll be fine. One rough week won’t kill me.”

“I won’t pretend to envy you. I don’t know if I’d even make it through one without Jisung.”

“Eh, when you present and there’s no option for help for years, you just get used to it.”

“Yeah, guess I was lucky.” He looks at Jisung, the love and appreciation visible in his eyes.

“Why haven’t you mated? If you don’t mind me asking.” Yunho has been curious about this for a while. Changbin and Jisung are one in his mind, inseparable, yet at the same time never more than friends. 

“Oh, it’s not like that for us. Maybe it will be one day, but…”

Several things happen then, so quickly that Changbin has no idea what starts it. 

A loud yell erupts from the floor, followed by a plea and much laughter, then the flying of limbs and more laughter as Chan and San wrestle on the floor. 

Yunho is rocketing off of the couch before Changbin even has time to crack a smile at the playful fighting going on. He doesn’t have time to register the loud snarling coming from the larger alpha before he is ripping Chan off of San - whose uncontrollable giggles cut off abruptly as his eyes blow wide in surprise - and pinning him against the ground. 

Chan goes board stiff for a moment, his eyes wide in terror as Yunho - his eyes a glossed over black - growls in his face and pins his wrists above his head. A split second later the stunned silence in the room, only broken by Yunho’s growling, turns into a cacophony of noise. Chan begins to scream a terrible, fear filled scream making whatever he’s begging around it absolutely incomprehensible. Changbin and San are screaming for Yunho to let Chan go while Jisung cowers against the wall, unable to do anything with such intense alpha pheromones swirling through the room. They’re stuck in a stalemate for a few seconds before Chan’s screams suddenly cut off, replaced by strong convulsions as his eyes roll up into his head. 

“Get the fuck off of him!” Changbin bellows, putting as much alpha voice behind it as he can, but Yunho doesn’t even flinch. Jisung sobs, shaking and covering his ears. San shakes Yunho’s shoulder, begging him through tears of his own. Chan’s convulsions become even stronger. Changbin can’t let this go any longer.

“San, move.” He yells. San looks up at him, eyes wide, and pushes himself back a split second before Changbin throws himself at Yunho. The two alphas go flying, Yunho clawing at Changbin’s back as he puts all his strength into pinning the crazed man against the ground. 

“Calm down!” He yells, trying to break through Yunho’s alpha rage, but he can see nothing will do that. “I’m sorry.” He mutters as he winds a fist back and lands it hard in Yunho’s face. 

Yunho jerks then stills, knocked cold.

“Yunho!” San screams, scrambling over to him and cradling his face.

Changbin snarls before he can stop himself and flashes an apologetic look at San as he turns back to Chan, who is still convulsing uncontrollably. 

“Shit. Shit, Chan. Shit, fuck.” He rolls Chan onto his side, a very difficult task with the convulsions, and rubs a strong hand on his back. “Come back to me Chan hyung, you’re safe. You’re safe. Jisung!”

He turns to his other friend, who now has his head tucked between his knees, his breaths loud and ragged as he tries to control himself. “Jisung, I need you to run for help! Get Hyunsik hyung. Get anyone!” Jisung doesn’t react, only rocking back and forth as he struggles to breathe.

Changbin’s heart is racing, he’s terrified and not sure what to do. Then he turns to San, who is still trying to bring Yunho back to consciousness. 

“San, please. Get help.” He couldn’t yell this time, couldn’t bring himself to as his voice cracks around the plea. San looks at him, back to Yunho, then runs up the stairs yelling for help.

It only takes a few moments for the room to fill with bodies but no one knows what to do until Hyunsik rushes down, barking orders at the others. 

“Minhyuk, Minho, San, get Yunho to his room. Changsub, Mingi, Ilhoon, help me with Chan.” 

“But-” Changbin protests, but Hyunsik cuts him off with a sturdy hand on his shoulder and a squeeze. “We’ll take care of him, but you know he needs to get to a clean room. Go outside, cool down. I’m assuming your pheromones are not in check right now, you can’t help anyone until you get yourself under control.”

Changbin sits there for a moment, frustrated tears escaping his eyes, then he runs out of the room and out the front door.

“Hyunjin, Felix, help Jisung.” Hyunsik says softly, and the two make their way instantly to Jisung’s sides. They immediately start muttering calming words into his ears, rubbing his back and trying to get him stabilized. 

The others have already listened to Hyunsik’s orders, Yunho no longer in the room and the others carrying a still thrashing Chan slowly up the stairs. 

“Hold his head, aish.” Hyunsik sighs, rushing up to the group and stabilizing Chan’s less than supported head. 

“Oops.” Changsub mutters through gritted teeth. “What the fuck happened?” 

“I’d venture to guess that Yunho’s rut hit, don’t got anything else.”

“Oh my gods, what happened?” This question came from Hongjoong, who had just stopped in front of them, eyes wide and jumping between everyone. 

“Hongjoong, go to your room. I think Minhyuk is going to need your help with Yunho.” Hongjoong’s eyes go somehow wider and he runs off without question.

“Upstairs, into my room.” Eunkwang is suddenly there, his understanding of the situation as quick as always. Hyunsik nods in agreement; Eunkwang’s room is the only clean room left and thus the obvious destination.

“Hyung, get me an oxygen tank from the bunker. He needs clean air.” 

Eunkwang doesn’t hesitate to respond and heads in the opposite direction of the group heading up the second set up stairs. Changsub leads them up the stairs and they struggle through the process of getting Chan situated on Eunkwang’s bed, propped on his side by Ilhoon sitting behind him.

“I’ve never seen him have an attack this bad.” Ilhoon mutters as he tries rubbing calming circles into Chan’s shoulder. “What the fuck happened?”

No one answers. Changsub pats Mingi on the back and breaks the momentary silence.

“Thank you Mingi-ya. How about you go check on San now? He seemed pretty spooked.”

Mingi nods and practically runs out of the room, nearly knocking Eunkwang down the stairs as he rushes past. “Sorry hyung!” he sputters, but Eunkwang just waves him on.

“Here you go.” Eunkwang says, walking the last few steps into the room and placing the oxygen tank next to the bed. 

Hyunsik places the nasal cannula around Chan’s face, opening the valve to a high level. “If he doesn’t stop in two minutes I’ll need to sedate him.” 

Luckily that isn’t necessary as Chan’s shaking subsides just over a minute later, his body finally calming and his breathing evening out. 

“Good. He’ll probably be out for a while, you guys can go check on the other boys.” Eunkwang and Changsub nod and leave the room, but Ilhoon doesn’t move.

“I’ll stay with him, hyung.” Ilhoon says. “You should check on Changbin.”

“Thanks.” Hyunsik smiles warily at Ilhoon and turns to leave. He only makes it to the top step though when his attention is brought back to Chan as the young man takes a quick, deep breath and begins to scream.

“Get off of me! Get off of me! Let me go! Please! I don’t want to! Get off of me! Get off of me!” Chan shrieks, lashing out and hitting Ilhoon hard in the chest. He thrashes, but doesn’t try to get out of the bed or even look at the only person close enough to hold him down. 

“Chan, Chan it’s okay, you’re safe Chan. Hey,” Ilhoon tries to console but Hyunsik realizes what is happening.

“Ilhoon, he’s not here. Get off the bed.”

“What?”

“Look at his eyes. He’s not here right now, he’s having a flashback. Look at his arms.”

Chan’s arms begin to calm as he speaks, making odd jerking motions for a few moments before settling in disturbing positions above his head. He continues to scream, plead for release, cussing at his invisible captors, but his arms never move much more than a few centimeters back and forth. 

“Oh gods.” Ilhoon breathes, realization hitting him like a freight train. 

“I’ll sedate him, he doesn’t need to relive that.” Hyunsik races out of the room, retrieving his bag from the front room downstairs and running back up. He preps the sedative with steady hands, administering it swiftly and stepping back as he watches Chan still and quiet. He brushes Chan’s soaked bangs off his sweaty forehead as tears suddenly drop from his cheeks. He takes Chan’s arms and moves them into more natural positions at his sides.

“Hyung?” Ilhoon questions, placing a comforting hand on Hyunsik’s back. 

“I’ve had to sedate two boys in under twenty-four hours.” Hyunsik mutters. “It’s true. When it rains, it fucking pours.” He chuckles darkly, whipping at his eyes. “I’ll go check on the others. Keep an eye on him, would you?”

“Of course.”

Chapter Text

“San-ah, you gotta stop crying. He’ll be alright.” Hongjoong runs a hand through San’s hair, a motion that is usually foolproof in calming the younger boy. However, San has been crying for at least five minutes straight and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. 

He kneels next to Yunho’s bed, the large alpha laying there still out cold, dabbing a wet cloth at the bruise forming where Changbin had struck him. Hongjoong stands behind him, Minhyuk standing to his side with concern written all over his face. 

“Minhyuk hyung, do you think I could be of help to Jisung?” Minho, standing awkwardly by the door, asks. “I’m in control, I won’t overwhelm him.”

“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea Minho. We’re good here, thank you.” Minhyuk gives him a weak smile before turning back to watch San’s ministrations over Yunho and Minho can be heard closing the door behind him. Minhyuk rubs his hands over his face for a moment before he folds his arms across his chest again. “San, can you tell us what happened?” 

“I don’t know.” San whines. “One second everything was fine, and then next Yunho was ripping Chan off of me.”

“Off of you?” Minhyuk finds that phrase odd.

“Yeah. We were playing poker and we got in a silly argument, Chan tackled me and we were playfully wrestling. It was all a joke, no one was actually mad.”

“Ahhhh.”

“Ohhhh.” Minhyuk and Hongjoong make sounds of understanding at the same time. 

“San, that’s probably exactly what caused it. He’s so close to his rut… no, I’d say it hit. We already talked about it this morning, right?”

“Well yeah…”

“He’s going to be very over-protective of you. Whatever was just play wrestling to you and Chan was clearly ano— someone else attacking his mate. I wouldn’t be surprised if that triggered his rut right then and there. And in that moment his instincts took over.” 

“Ohhh…” San’s crying increases, as he realizes the truth of Minhyuk’s words. His hand drops to his side as his shoulders shake. Hongjoong rubs his shoulders before grabbing him and hoisting him to his feet by his armpits. 

“Come here.” He says as he turns the crying boy and embraces him. San might be taller, but he melts into the elder’s arms as he begins to sob in earnest. “Shhh, San-ah. It’ll be alright.”

Minhyuk rubs San’s back, nodding at Hongjoong’s words. “It’ll be a long week, but Hongjoong is right. Everything will be fine eventually. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It was so… so scary.” San sobs, the words quiet but audible. “I… I couldn’t get through to him. And Chan… Chan’s screaming… then…”

“I know it was hard, San.” Hongjoong says, one arm holding San by his waist while his other hand massages the back of his head. 

Just then there’s a light knock on the door and Mingi takes the liberty to open and peer around it. “Oh San.” he mutters, taking a few tentative steps into the room.

“Hey Mingi.” Hongjoong says lightly. “San-ah, why don’t you go up- oh, uh…”

“Why don’t you and Mingi go down to my room? I think Peniel was reading, he might have no idea anything just happened. Go rest there for a bit.” Minhyuk suggests, saving Hongjoong from having to think up a place since San and Mingi’s room is otherwise occupied.

“Let’s go, yeah?” Mingi says, half hopeful, half unsure.  

San just shakes his head, his grip around Hongjoong’s waist tightening. “I won’t leave him.”

“San, I don’t want you around him until we know what state of mind he’s in when he wakes up.” Minhyuk says, the finality in his voice making San bristle.

“No!” His shout startles everyone. “I won’t leave him! He won’t hurt me. What do you think waking up without me would do to him?”

“San…” Mingi almost whines, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Just then a rumble from Yunho pulls everyone’s attention to the bed. San pushes Hongjoong away before he can register and kneels down next to Yunho again, running a light hand through his hair. Minhyuk lets out a sharp warning hiss but doesn’t move, not wanting to trigger Yunho again.

“Hey Yuyu. How do you feel?” San asks gently. Yunho crinkles his forehead, his eyebrows pulling together as he opens his eyes in confusion.

“Sannie? Why… what… oww.” He lifts a heavy hand to his quickly bruising face and grimaces. “The fuck happened?” 

San doesn’t know what to say, looking up at Hongjoong and Minhyuk with questioning eyes. 

Minhyuk steps forward slowly, drawing Yunho’s attention and making the younger alpha raise his eyebrows at him. 

“What’s going on?”

“Yunho, can you tell if your rut started?”

Yunho freezes for a second before grimacing again. “Yeah… Doesn’t explain why it feels like I’ve been punched though.”

“That’s what I thought.” Minhyuk nods. He thinks for a second, all eyes on him, before carefully choosing what he wants to tell Yunho. “Think hard for a minute, do you remember what you were doing last?”

“I was talking to Changbin about the new omegas. We were just sitting on the couch, how did I get here?” 

“You-” Hongjoong started, but Minhyuk placed a quieting hand on his shoulder. 

“You hit your rut really hard and fast, I think you must’ve completely blacked out. You got in a fight with Changbin, and he did knock you cold.”

“Asshole.” Yunho mutters under his breath.

“Well we needed to get you to your room and he couldn’t get you to stand down. Don’t be too mad at him.” Yunho just grunts and turns to look at San. “Hey, don’t cry baby. I’m okay. Aigoo, how long have you been crying?” 

His words don’t, in fact, stop San’s tears but only makes him cry harder. He hides his face in the mattress for a moment before Yunho’s strong hand pulls at his arm. 

“Get up here.” He practically growls and San quickly obeys, tucking himself into Yunho’s side and ignoring the small sounds of warning from the others in the room.Yunho, however, does not miss the objection of the other alphas, their scents both sparking with warning, and he glares at Minhyuk. “What? We literally just talked about how I should be a bit more trusted with San.”

Minhyuk sighs, again running a hand over his face as he tries to school his concern. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We’re all just a bit… shaken.”

“Gods, what did I do?” Yunho asks, suddenly concerned that they’re not telling him everything. “Did I like, jump San in front of everyone or something?”

“Not quite.” Minhyuk lets out a mirthless chuckle, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. We need to go through rules.”

Yunho rolls his eyes but also nods, understanding the need for concern even if he doesn’t fully agree with it. 

“Mingi-ya, let’s go find something to do.” Hongjoong says, but Minhyuk stops him. 

“No, Hongjoong, actually I’d like you to stay. But Mingi, please go down with Peniel. We’re good here.” Minhyuk gives Mingi a reassuring smile and the younger leaves the room without a fight. Minhyuk looks back at Yunho, now wincing as he tests which facial movements cause pain, and chuckles lightly. “That one’s gonna look real good tomorrow. Hongjoong, may I?” He motions to Hongjoong’s bed across the small room and the younger alpha nods before following Minhyuk’s lead and sitting next to him on the bed.

“Yunho, I know you need San. I know we’re past the point of keeping your mate from you. But I would like to set some rules in place, and I’d like to make them official.”

“Sure sure.” Yunho rolls his eyes at San, making him giggle. Minhyuk tries not to get annoyed. 

“We’ll go over the rules, and then I want Hongjoong to use his alpha voice on you to fully set them. He’s going to be your pack alpha, right?” Both alphas nod, this was a long agreed upon fact, and Minhyuk continues. “I might back up a few with my own commands, as I’m not sure how well they will hold until you’ve properly formed a pack bond. Sound good?”

Yunho nods and San squeezes his torso in support, earning himself a kiss. 

“Alright. Rule number one, no penetrative sex. Period. I don’t care how San helps you otherwise.”

Both Yunho and San wrinkle their noses at that but know they wouldn’t be winning an argument on the matter and Yunho nods. 

“Next, San has said he is fine if you bite him. Is that still true San?”

“Yep.” San’s voice is strong and confident. They’ve already played around with soft bites and San isn’t scared of anything harder. He’s talked to Ilhoon about it and nu seem to heal just fine from a primitive bite, so he’s not concerned. 

“Okay, we won’t worry about that. But San, if you do receive a deep bite, I want you to go straight to Hyunsik or Ilhoon and get it cleaned. I can’t order you, but I can order Yunho to make you so don’t fight me on this.”

“But isn’t alpha saliva supposed to be anti-bacterial?” San counters, not liking the idea of having to leave Yunho just to get a bite cleaned. 

“To other primitives, yes. But we don’t know how it affects nu.” San takes a breath to counter but Minhyuk cuts him off. “Ilhoon is very careful to clean any bite Sungjae gives him, for one. For two, Sungjae is a beta so even if Ilhoon didn’t we would have no way of knowing how alpha saliva acts. If, after a few… tests… it’s clear that it’s completely safe, then we can be more lax on that.”

“Fine.” San grumbles, taking his defeat.

“Good. I think the only other real rule, Yunho, is that if you start to feel out of control or like a danger to San, at all, you are to make him leave immediately.”

“Yes.” Yunho agrees to that one easily, not really worried but also not willing to risk anything if his mood swings towards aggressiveness.  

“Anything else either of you would like to add?” 

“Nope.” Both boys say in unison.

“Hongjoong.” Minhyuk turns to the younger alpha, nodding in encouragement as Hongjoong sighs. Neither alpha like using their alpha voice, Hongjoong has never even had to.

“What if I can’t?”

“Then I will, don’t worry. But it’s good to try.”

Hongjoong closes his eyes and searches deep within himself for a moment, trying to find that authority and power that should imbue his voice. “Yunho, during this rut you-”

“Not working.” Yunho interrupts, not wanting to make Hongjoong say it more than he has to. 

“Didn’t think so.” Hongjoong grumbles. 

“Try to think of San, of the protection this gives him. Think of how bad you and Yunho would feel if something happened. How good it’ll feel for them to prove they can do it. Use those feelings to access your voice.” Minhyuk prompts. Is this an odd time for a ‘how to alpha’ lesson? Maybe, but it’ll be an effective one if it works. 

Hongjoong takes a deep breath and then starts again. “Yunho.” his voice comes out louder, stronger, and Yunho stiffens at the force of it. It even causes San to shiver, feeling the inherent difference even if he can’t feel the control. Hongjoong can feel it too, so he continues and lists the two rules slowly and clearly. Yunho shakes lightly, at war with his inner alpha to fight against the command or to let it sink in. San rubs comforting circles into his stomach, which successfully acts as an anchor to calm Yunho’s alpha. 

“Did it work?” San asks, his curiosity peaked as always. 

“Yeah.” Hongjoong and Yunho answer together, sharing a look of something between awe and uncertainty. 

“It worked. I can feel the buzz in my head like when Minhyuk has given a command, the weight of it.”

“Good job Hongjoong.” Minhyuk says, smiling proudly at the nervous boy. “I could even feel how strong that was. I don’t think I need to add anything. And Yunho,” he looks back, “that was an impressively quick submission. I knew you two had a strong bond and had long agreed Hongjoong was in charge, but I didn’t think you’d be able to give in that easily. Especially not on your rut.”

“It was San, he kept me from fighting.” San beams at him, proud that he could’ve done something to help with a primitive function. “Now, I have a question.”

“What’s that?”

“Is it okay having my pheromones in the house with Wooyoung and Yeosang? I know I won’t always be in check over the next few days.”

“Actually if anything, I think it’ll help them. Your pheromones will be calming, protective in a way, and I think it’ll be good for them.” Minhyuk had already thought this through and was confident in his answer. 

“It won’t hurt Yeosang again?” Yunho pushes, his voice small and concerned. 

“No, Hyunsik said the crazed fever should have passed with the medicine he was given.”

“Okay, good.” Yunho says through a yawn. He snuggles closer to San and starts gnawing lightly at his shoulder, eliciting a shy giggle from San. “Now, can we please have some privacy?”

“It’s my room too.” Hongjoong grumbles jokingly but easily follows Minhyuk out of the room.

“What does my dear alpha need?” San asks when he can hear the door close. He’s buzzing with pride at finally being able to help with one of Yunho’s ruts, with not having to leave him for four to five days. Those days were always awful and had been getting worse. He’s answered, however, by a light snore and he looks down to see Yunho passed out against his shoulder. 

“Cute.” San giggles, readjusting to be more comfortable and settling in for however long this nap would be.

Chapter Text

Chan had always secretly hoped he’d present as an alpha. Felt like that is who he was meant to be. Thought it would get him out of the omega work he was trained for, the work he was so very bad at. So he worked out, building an alpha's physique by the time he was fourteen. His father beat him for it, sometimes, when he was drunk. He tried to learn the alpha tasks, but he was always reported to his father and punished. He thought it was worth it, at the time. The day he presented was the happiest day of his life, and oh how he wished it was his last. But it wasn’t, and thus the process began.

~The First Time~

He feels like a lamb for slaughter, being held to the stone table his father had carved.

~The Fifth Time~

It won't work, right? They'll give up soon. It's worth it to resist, the pain and humiliation will stop eventually, he'll prove this is who he is meant to be - right? 

~The Sixteenth… maybe Seventeen Time~

He hasn't been let up in two days. The seven alphas in the pack take turns, deciding that what he needs is constant domination. Constant knotting. That'll break him. 

~The Somethingth Time~

He won. He did it. They gave up. 

He's back in his room for the first time in days, curled up and gasping in his bed. No matter how long he lays there he just can’t seem to catch his breath. He had long since run out of energy to cry loudly, so silent tears track down his face.  

He can't believe he actually withstood their onslaught. He feels broken, so broken, and an emptiness deep inside his chest like a vacuum stealing away all his air. But he had done it, had withstood the alphas, and that saved a tiny spark inside he clung to with all his might. Despite the brokenness and the emptiness inside him, he proved that he is a strong alpha. Surely now his father will accept the fact and let him join the rank officially. 

~Two Days Later~

His father hasn't been to see him. Only his mother silently enters and exits his room, placing food by him and taking the old plate away. It’s odd, confusing, but maybe they’re just letting him rest. Recover. That’s it. He doesn't really mind it. His body is so heavy, so sore, his mind so foggy, he’s glad to have the time to heal.

~Four Days Later~

He is woken from a deep sleep by strong hands, too many hands, and even stronger scents. He coughs, feeling like the air itself is poison in his lungs, as he is ripped from his bed and carried out the door. He realizes too late what is happening and doesn't fight back in time. He’s too weak to produce a strong scent, to block out the barrage of others. Too weak to even scream. 

“That concoction worked wonders! Look at him now, too pathetic to even produce a scent!”

The fog over his mind has only gotten stronger and he can't make sense of the babbling he hears around him. The voices of the alphas, men and women he once respected, now send wracking chills down his spine. 

“Tonight’s the night! Whoever breaks him gets his first pup!”

No, no no no no no. He has to fight, he has to stop this, he can't give in. But he’s so, so tired. His body feels like it’s been filled with lead, movement so hard. 

He’s slammed against the table, cheers and catcalls echoing through the cavern. Was the entire pack here? Everyone watching and laughing as the alphas pin him down. 

His wrists are held above his head, pulled so hard that he’s sure they’ll come off. His knees are held apart, making sure he can't kick. Not that he has the strength to try. 

This couldn’t be happening. He's already won, hasn't he? Hasn't he? Where was the spark?

~The Final Time~ 

“Get off of me! Get off of me! Let me go! Please! I don’t want to! Get off of me! Get off of me!” Chan is no longer sure if his screams are still aloud or only in his head, but he still begs the words over and over again, screaming and sobbing through each thrust. The noise around him is dulled by the blood racing in his ears, but he can still hear the humiliating calls, the jeering and cheering of his audience. The unfathomable pleasure his own pack gets from his pain.

He is surprised when he hears a voice directly in his ear.

“Stop fighting Chan, please.” His mother begs in his ear. He’s surprised, he thought she didn’t care.  “They won’t give up, you know they won’t. We need Omegas. Just submit.”

Just submit. Just give up. Maybe she’s right, maybe proving himself as an alpha isn’t an option, maybe it was never an option. Maybe this pain, this torture, maybe it isn’t worth it. Just submit. Is it that simple?

“Submit boy! Accept your fate.” He hears his father bellow. 

Yes, his fate. Either submit and accept being an omega, or fight and die. The spark of pride, of defiance, is becoming weaker every second. But he doesn’t want to live as an omega, so what is the point of submitting?

You can end the pain. Submit now, die later. No more pain.

Yes, that was it. He could end the pain now, end his life later… That would work. 

“Fine.” He chokes through a scream, causing the thrusting to freeze for beat. He takes a deep breath and sobs, going slack under the alphas restraining him. “I submit.”

The cheering intensifies, hooting and hollering abound. The next thrust sends fire through his abdomen, unlike anything he’s felt yet. The final knot is agonizing, he can feel the changes beginning, and his sobs intensify at the helplessness he feels. 

It’ll all be over soon. You can end it soon.

He blacks out to the sounds of his pack celebrating his death.

“Hey love.” Ilhoon looks up at Sungjae’s voice, smiling lightly as his husband enters the room.  

“Hi.”

“How’s Chan?”

“Still out, Hyunsik sedated him.” Ilhoon reaches for Sungjae and pulls him into a hug. 

“I heard. I was out talking with him and Changbin.”

“How is he?”

“Shaken. Angry. Scared… maybe even terrified.” Sungjae sighs, his eyes sweeping over Chan's now peaceful form.

“Of Yunho?”

“No. He’s scared of Chan relapsing. Falling back into the shell of a person that he and Jisung found.”

“Ah. Does Hyunsik think this could push him back that far?”

“He doesn't know. Trauma is hard to navigate. Chan's been doing amazing over the last year but… but a flashback like that, who knows what it'll bring to the surface.”

“We'll need to watch him carefully.”

“We will. And we’ll start over, if we have to. He made it this far once.”

“He's accepted being an omega now, so maybe that'll make it easier this time.” Ilhoon's tone doesn't carry as much hope as his words seem to warrant.

“I'm sure it'll make some things easier. But his fear of alphas, I don't think coming to terms with his bitching is really what helped that much.”

“Yeah, you're right. Gods, I'll never understand how his own pack could do that to him.” Angry tears flow down Ilhoon's cheeks. 

“Me either.” Sungjae's voice is soft and he kisses a tear away from Ilhoon's cheek. “But Chan’s strong. Let's give him the credit he deserves and wait for him to wake up before planning his rehab.”

Ilhoon chuckles and nods. They sit together on the floor, Ilhoon snuggling into Sungjae's side and quickly falling asleep as his lover watches over Chan.

The first thing Yeosang is aware of is being very, very warm. Still, he craves more and finds himself rolling closer to the familiar source of warmth next to him, nuzzling into the figure as he fights through the heavy haze over his mind. He’s not sure why he feels so heavy, like a thick fog is stopping him from reaching consciousness, but it starts to bug him that he can’t just wake up. He doesn’t know how long he’s been trying to fight through the fog when he notices the warm figure chuckling under him, a hand rubbing his back gently as if trying to help him wake up.

“Sang-ah.” A familiar voice says softly, the word full of warmth and love. The voice makes him feel comfortable, but he still grimaces as he struggles to wake. This causes the figure to chuckle again, “You’re so cute when you scrunch your nose like that.” 

“Urggg.” Yeosang groans, burying his face deeper into what he can now tell is Wooyoung’s chest. 

“It’s about time you wake up.” Wooyoung says, giving him a light whack on the back to emphasize his point. “You’ve been asleep for like thirty hours. Hyunsik-nim said the sedative should’ve worn off hours ago, but you just kept sleeping like a baby. Surely you’ve got to like pee or something by now. And I’ve got some bread here, if you’re hungry enough to wake up.”

So he was sedated, that explained the fog. His stomach growled very loudly at the mention of food, making him groan louder and Wooyoung laugh outright. He has enough control of himself now to lightly slap Wooyoung’s stomach, which only makes him laugh harder. 

“Come on sleepy head, up you go.” Wooyoung pushes Yeosang off him as he slides out of the bed. 

Wait, a bed? That thought manages to fully pull Yeosang through the fog and he blinks his eyes open, greatful the room isn’t very bright. He looks around, trying to make sense of his unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where..?” He tries to ask, but his throat is very dry and he ends up coughing instead. 

“Oh yeah, here, Hyunsik-nim said you’d need water right away.” Wooyoung brings a small cup of water over and holds it to his lips, tipping only slightly to let Yeosang drink slowly without spilling. “Better?”

Yeosang nods. “Thanks. Where are we?”

“Mayfly.” Wooyoung answers, as if that should be enough explanation.

“So… we made it?” Yeosang’s stomach growls again and there’s something else there as well, a twinging pain that seems to be waiting for him to remember what it is.

“We did, we just had to get you sedated first so we could get through the occupied areas. Everyone here is very nice, they made up this room for us to nest in.” 

“Wait, why? What do you mean?”

“Oh, well, shit you don’t remember?” Wooyoung looks worried as he hands Yeosang a piece of homemade bread. Yeosang shakes his head as he takes a bite of the bread. He can feel the memories trying to come to him, but the fog is still around the edges of his consciousness making it hard to think deeply.

“Well, you went into heat, Yeosang. It was really bad, a dry heat, we couldn’t get you to calm down. Luckily San got their pack doctor to us, or I don’t know what we would’ve done.”

“Oh… right…” Yeosang shakes his head, grimacing as Wooyoung’s words help some memories come back. He doesn’t remember much and the pain in Wooyoung’s voice has him hoping it stays that way. Another memory comes back to him then as well, the reason they were looking for Mayfly in the first place, and a tear rolls from his eye unbidden. 

“Shhhh, hey, are you in pain?” Wooyoung fumbles around, his hands fluttering in the air as he tries to figure out what Yeosang needs.

“Yes. And no. I don't know.” Yeosang whispers as more tears fall. He’s not physically in much pain right now, more just sore than anything. Maybe his body is still sedated enough to hold off the heat from returning. Or maybe it’s done, that’d be nice. His heart, however, hurts like it was just split open anew as he thinks about their pack, all the people they’ll never see again, all the kids who won't get the chance to grow and live and fall in love. That thought has him locking his gaze with Wooyoung, his eyes blowing wide and worry for his best friend flooding over him. “Oh Wooyoung. Kyungmin…” 

“Shhhh.” Wooyoung climbs back into the makeshift nest with Yeosang, pulling the older omega to his chest and burying his face in his hair. He doesn't try to stave off his own tears, instead letting them fall quietly into Yeosang's hair. He had already grieved alone over the last day that Yeosang was asleep, and that time made it possible to not completely break down now. 

They sit there for a few quiet minutes, just comforting each other as they cry softly. It's nice at least; to at last be safe enough to focus on their emotions. Eventually Wooyoung breaks the silence with a soft but determined whisper. 

“Once we’re ready, I want to have a memorial. I know it won't be anything big and fancy but… I have to do something for them.”

“Of course.” Yeosang agrees quickly. He opens his mouth to say something else but his thought is cut off by a loud crash below them making both boys jump. “What was that?” 

Wooyoung sighs. “Yunho. His rut hit fast and hard earlier today, he’s struggling.”

“Oh. He's an alpha that lives here?”

“Right, of course you wouldn't remember.” Wooyoung shakes his head as if chastising himself. “Yeah he's the alpha that saved us. He… it was really hard for him to not be able to help you. With a dry heat and all, it just isn't safe you know? And his alpha is still pulling towards us, to you. Hyunsik-nim says it'll be a really bad rut, that it's like his alpha is punishing him for not helping a distressed omega in need.”

“Oh.” Yeosang frowned. He didn’t like that someone else was being hurt because of him. “Maybe…” his thought stopped as soon as it started, impeded by two forces at the same time. The first was Wooyoung’s body tensing under him and the arms around him tightening. The second was his own body seeming to take that thought as an invitation to remind him that he was, in fact, still recovering from a dry heat. He whimpered lightly at the pain, hitting almost as if his body had only just woken fully from the sedative.

“What do you need?” Wooyoung asks, sitting up slightly to look at Yeosang’s face. Whatever retort he would’ve had to the beginning of Yeosang’s thought was quickly wiped away by his friend’s whimper. “I’ll go get you some food. Would a hot pad be helpful? They said they have some we can use.” 

Yeosang hums his assent, nosing at Wooyoung’s neck and making the other chuckle. 

“I’ll be right back.” Wooyoung detangles himself from Yeosang, cooing lightly at the disgruntled noises coming from his friend as he flops against the pillow. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Chapter Text

Chan is curled in a ball on his bed, sobbing into his pillow. He cries from pain. He cries from humiliation. He cries from the self-hatred coursing through his being. He cries in mourning of his alpha self.

This forced heat is agonizing, a very physical and mental confirmation that his inner alpha has been killed. That he has been killed. He tries to formulate a plan, but the heat fogging his brain is strong and makes it impossible to think. He thought he’d have a break, that once he gave in, they would let him rest. But instead, he went straight into heat and the alpha who turned him, a big brute who he had never liked, got to “help him” through it whenever he wanted. But only when he wanted, not when Chan was actually deep enough in to need or want that assistance.  

“He’s coming out of it, get Hyunsik hyung.”

The voice scares him, it’s unfamiliar and he can’t tell where it comes from. He prepares for more pain, but nothing comes. After a while the fog shifts, everything changes. It’s confusing and scary. 

He’s standing on a chair, something rough around his neck. He’s crying, taking deep shuddering breaths as he tries to convince himself to step off. This is what he wanted, why was it so hard?

“Chan, Chan it’s okay son. You’re safe, you can wake up now. Come back to us.”

“Maybe just sedate him again?” Another voice.

“No, he has to wake up.”

Chan looks around, confused at the voices, and loses his balance. He screams as the chair falls from under him, and then everything is black.

“NO!” Chan screams, sitting up so fast that the man leaning over him doesn’t have time to react and their heads collide. “Oww”

“Aigoo, Chan-ah, hey hey it’s okay.” The man quickly ignores his own pain and tries to console Chan, who is sobbing so hard that he can’t catch his breath. “Chan, hey it’s okay. Look at me, you’re safe.”

Chan looks, but his eyes are unfocused and he’s clearly confused. He tries to steady his breathing, but it’s hard. Panic overwhelms him, makes it hard to think. Hadn’t he just died? This doesn’t seem like heaven. Though it would make sense that he ended up in hell. The older man’s hand suddenly grabs his hard, pulls it toward him and places it against his steadily rising and falling chest. For some reason Chan doesn’t pull back.

“Feel that Chan. When I breathe in, you breathe in, okay? Just follow me, don’t think about it, just let me breathe for us, okay? In, and out, in, and out.”

It takes several long moments, but this actually helps Chan get control of his breaths. The tears still fall freely down his cheeks, but he’s no longer hyperventilating.

“There you go, that’s better.” The man smiles down at him, relief mixing with pain in his eyes. “Chan, do you know where you are?”

“I…” He thinks for a few long moments, blinking and looking around. His mind is confused, not able to reconcile what he just experienced with where he is now. “I thought… I thought I did it.”

“Did what, Chan?”

“I died, I… the chair fell and I…”

Realization sparks in the man’s eyes and he catches his breath, seeming to take a lot of self control to hide any more reaction. 

“No Chan, you’re safe. Very safe. You were saved. You’re in our pack, in Mayfly, remember? I’m Hyunsik, one of your caretakers, one of your friends.” 

“What? Where…”

“Ilhoon, get Jisung please.” Hyunsik doesn’t elaborate, but the second man, who Chan only now notices, follows his calm instruction without question. 

“But I fell, the chair fell and I… oh gods my father. Where’s my father? Please don’t let him find me.” Chan curls into himself, hiding his head under his arms.

“Chan, that was just a flashback.” The man’s voice wobbles and a tear Chan doesn’t see slides down his cheek. “Mixed with a nightmare it seems. What happened, that was a long time ago, remember? Before you ran away. You haven’t seen your father in two years.”

“Ran away? But I was trying… and I fell…” Chan’s voice is muffled and he starts shaking as his panic and confusion overwhelm him again. 

Hyunsik sighs as more tears streak his cheeks and rubs the young man’s back. It had been so long since one of Chan’s nightmares was this upsetting, and mixed with the triggered flashbacks he can’t imagine how terribly real it must have felt. It hurts to see Chan like this, and he doesn’t know exactly what to do. Luckily Jisung follows Ilhoon into the room just a short time later.

“Chan hyung?” Jisung’s voice is small, filled with worry. He stands awkwardly next to the bed, unsure what to do.

“Jisung, Chan had a very bad flashback, one that seems to have ended differently than reality. I think it might help if you remind him what really happened when you and Changbin found him. Do you think you could do that?”

Jisung frowns, it’s not really a memory he likes thinking about. Especially not now that Chan means so much to him. But he nods, willing to do anything to help Chan. He sits on the edge of the bed, allowing only the faintest trace of calming pheromones to fill the room as he wants to help but doesn’t want to trigger Chan in any way.

“Channie hyung, it’s me, Jisung. Can you listen to me?”

Chan doesn’t acknowledge Jisung’s presence as he continues to cry into his knees, though the shaking does lessen slightly. Jisung looks to Hyunsik who nods encouragingly for him to continue. 

“Well, Changbin hyung and I had run away from The District, and we were looking for a place to sleep, somewhere safe. We had been on the street for a while and when I caught a whiff of primitive scents we went to your pack, looking for asylum. It was deep in the forest, right? And your shack was the first one we passed. I had only recently presented but I could tell your scent was very distressed. It didn’t feel dangerous, just… like someone needed help.” Jisung pauses, taking a deep breath to steady himself for the rest of the story. Hyunsik puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. “Changbin hyung looked through a window and saw you standing on a chair with… with the rope strung up, a loop in your hands, like you were gonna…” he chokes off, unable to finish the thought. Chan looks up at him, nodding.

“Yeah, yeah and you said something and scared me and I fell and everything went black.” 

“No Chan hyung, we knocked on the door and you said to go away. You sounded so scared.” Jisung shudders. “But Changbin hyung opened the door, took one look at you, and said ‘There’s not enough of your kind left for you to be offing yourself’, and I think it was so unexpected that you just froze. It was kind of comical, all things considered. We didn’t even know you and he was saying that.” 

Chan’s brows are furrowed as Jisung chuckles, like his story still isn’t lining up.

“Changbin hyung walked over to you and used your confusion to reach up and grab the noose from you. You tried to grab it back, but you got off balance and slipped off the chair, falling right into Changbin. Can you try to picture that? Try to remember? That’s what really happened, Channie hyung.”

Everyone is silent for a minute, watching as Chan tries to reconcile the story with his muddled memories.

“I did fall… but not with the rope.”  

“Not with the rope.” Jisung nods. “Changbin hyung caught you, and you just started sobbing, begging us to save you and take you away. So we did, Changbin hyung said let’s go and it was like you were on autopilot; you just ran, and we ran with you. 

That seems to finally trigger something in Chan’s memory. He goes stiff and his eyes brighten as the correct memories flood in. He shakes his head again, as if the onslaught is too much, and pulls a surprised Jisung into a tight hug. 

“Thank you Sung-ah.” Chan says under his breath before his tears start anew. 

“Aw hyung.” Jisung bursts into tears of relief, twisting in Chan’s hold to hug him back. He goes to scent at Chan’s neck before remembering the need to tread lightly still. “May I scent you?” 

“Please.” Chan nods and the two seem to forget the others in the room while they scent each other, Chan’s nerves calming with every moment. 

Hyunsik, who had been standing quietly against the wall, slides down it and hides his face in his hands. Ilhoon crouches next to him, placing a hand on the elder’s shaking shoulders. “He’s alright hyung. He’s alright.”

They let Chan and Jisung have a few hours to calm each other, and for Chan to take another - much more restful - nap, before Minhyuk had asked to see him. The others had been unsure but Chan was adamant that he’d be okay, and sure enough he didn’t even flinch when Minhyuk had slowly walked in. 

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Chan. We should've been more careful, knowing Yunho's rut was going to hit." Minhyuk’s voice is heavily with the weight of his remorse. 

"I understand.” Chan nods, not a glimmer of resentment in his being. “I'm not mad. It's just life, I guess. How is Yunho?"

"He's getting through things with San. He doesn't know what he did yet and has no memory of his snap. We don't want to tell him while his mind is muddled."

"Good." Chan is glad the others chose to protect Yunho.

“Yeah. We’ll tell him soon as his rut has passed, so that you two can hopefully work through it.”

"We don't need to tell him.” The others are shocked and Minhyuk starts to speak but Chan continues quickly, not letting him interrupt. “Yunho is too sweet for his own good, he'd never forgive himself. He doesn't need to know.” Chan pauses, thinking about his next words. “If I struggle around him we can just tell him that I reacted badly to the pheromones as his rut hit and just need to re-adjust. It'll be okay."

"Chan hyung, you don't have to -" Jisung seems genuinely annoyed by Chan's selflessness but Chan interrupts, squeezing his leg reassuringly.

"I don't, but I'm tired of everyone taking the blame for my flashbacks. It's no one's fault, no one here at least, it just happens. It's my life, and I'm sick of people walking on eggshells around me. I'm rattled, yes. The thought of being in the same room as him right now-" an involuntary shudder runs down his spine at the thought, "well, I don't think that's an option right now. But that's for me to manage, not anyone else. I'm done letting the ghosts of my past walk all over me and everyone I care about."

Jisung stares at him in awe. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you, Chan hyung."

Everyone laughs and Chan playfully pokes at Jisung’s side before pulling him into his own.

“I’m not sure why this time is different but… I feel stronger, almost. Usually I’m such a wreck for days but this time, maybe it was just bad enough for the first time in so long that it finally shook something the right way.”

“Considering you’re acting completely reasonable and lucid in only -” Hyunsik checks his watch, “- 17 hours, about 3 of those being waking hours, I’d say you’ve completely transformed.”

Chan’s smile is bright and the pride he feels for overcoming this so well is palpable. 

“Thank you all for the help. I know it must’ve been awful on your end too. I’m glad you were here today Hyunsik hyung. And Jisung, thank you for talking me through it. I don’t remember whose idea that was, but it was very helpful.”

“It was Hyunsik hyung’s genius, of course. But I sure am a good storyteller.” Jisung’s smile matches Chan’s for a moment as they all laugh again, but then it fades as a thought hits. “Hey Chan hyung, would you be comfortable with Changbin hyung right now?”

“Absolutely.” Chan doesn’t even take a moment to think. “I was about to ask for him, I know why he stays away in these cases but I would love to see him right now. Actually, can we just go to our room and nest for a while?”

Minhyuk’s smile is small yet awed. “Of course, I’ll go get Changbin and tell him to meet you there. Fair warning, he’s a wreck.”

“Well then, let’s go take care of our alpha.” Chan stands from the bed and wobbles a little as he gets his bearings, Jisung standing quickly to steady him. “Thanks. What would I do without you?”

“Let’s not ask that question right now.” Jisung wrinkles his nose and Chan chuckles darkly as they head out of the room.