Chapter Text
Chapter One
At debut, Yeonjun was the only member presented. In fact, he’d presented right before they’d finalized the debut lineup. Soobin still remembers it clearly. He’d been sitting in the practice room when Yeonjun had returned from about four days at home. Immediately, everyone knew why he’d gone home in the first place - he smelled like a chai tea latte and just had this new aura around him. While he’d always been sort of intimidating - Big Hit Legendary Trainee and all that - it was on another level now. Sure, there’d been other alpha trainees, but none of them had had the same kind of skill and natural charisma that Yeonjun had possessed.
At the time, it hadn’t made a big impact on Soobin - Yeonjun’s presentation. But later, when the debut lineup had been finalized, and the five of them had been forced to spend more time together, it immediately became clear to everyone just how affected Soobin in particular was by Yeonjun’s scent.
Without even realizing it, Soobin seemed to be able to detect even the tiniest changes in Yeonjun’s scent. His need to try and take care of the others overriding any shyness he’d previously held in front of the elder, always checking in to make sure it was nothing serious and forcing Yeonjun to take breaks when even he, himself, didn’t seem to understand his body was telling him to rest.
Not that Soobin was less attentive with the others, it was just a bit harder to read them, considering they didn’t have palpable scents yet for Soobin to use - to help him cater to their needs. It turned out that it didn’t really matter anyway. When it came time to vote for who they wanted to be their leader, the decision was unanimous - everyone voted for Soobin (well, except for Soobin).
At first, he’d been a bit shocked. Surely, Yeonjun would be the better fit. He was the oldest, the best of all of them when it came to idol things, and he was an alpha. The company (and the members) assured him none of that mattered. In fact, from the company’s point of view, due to Soobin’s build and lack of presentation, even though he’d been of age for quite a while, he was most likely a beta - the ideal subgender for a leader as far as Big Hit was concerned. Betas were peacekeepers, and since they didn’t have ruts or heats, they didn’t need breaks, they could keep working while the other members burrowed away to take care of their needs.
But shortly after their debut came Yeonjun’s first rut in their new dorm. Since they’d still been only trainees when Yeonjun had presented his first official rut had been spent in his childhood home, where his parents could take care of him. The medicine he had to take to help him control his scent (it would be a PR nightmare if a fan or reporter got a whiff of something unpleasant in an idol’s scent) had side effects on his hormones and cycle, and it meant his next rut had been pushed back. According to the in-company doctor, this was normal for the strength of the suppressants Yeonjun was on, and after his next rut, his cycle would return to normal.
So, they’d kind of been expecting it - Yeonjun’s rut. But no one had quite anticipated what it would do to Soobin.
It started in the practice room. They were working on choreography for their first comeback. Yeonjun had been in pre-rut for almost a day - he was sweating like a pig and kept lifting up his shirt to fan himself off. As an alpha, Yeonjun always ran hot, but since his rut was approaching, he was even warmer than usual. Soobin was the only member who could smell the rut on him, and the company doctor said it was probably because Soobin would be presenting himself soon. That knowledge just made Soobin even more anxious.
He had the weight of making sure their first comeback performed up to the expectations that had been set by their debut, worrying about Yeonjun’s first rut in their dorm and how it would affect the others, and the anticipation for his own presentation settled on his shoulders, making him feel like he was seconds away from collapsing.
Or maybe it wasn’t him who was on the verge of collapsing.
They’d been in the middle of what their dance teacher had promised was their final run-through for the evening, and they danced as their instructor watched from where they crouched in front of the mirrors. But something was off. Soobin’s head whipped to the side, and he watched as Yeonjun crumpled in on himself.
“Hyung,” he called out before cautiously moving in his direction. The other members followed, everyone slowly inching towards Yeonjun, who was resting on his knees with his forehead pressed into the floor as he groaned in pain.
“Stop,” their teacher commanded. All the boys froze and the backing track was shut off. “Call a manager to come get him and take him home.”
The other three members shared a look. It was true that none of them were presented, but it was kind of inhumane to ask someone to spend a heat or rut alone without at least one other pack member there to help them. And while they’d never marked each other, it was kind of a given that they would be a pack - even if it was just in a friendly, platonic way. Most K-pop groups were.
“He can’t go alone,” Soobin spoke up, since Yeonjun was in no position to do so himself. He was still resting on the floor while whimpering pathetically.
“None of you have presented; it’s not like you could be of any help.”
Taehyun frowned. Kai took a step back. Beomgyu looked like he was going to start talking back. So Soobin did what he did best: he stepped in and attempted to calm the others down.
He ignored their teacher and moved forward, grabbing Yeonjun and hauling him up, supporting his hyung with an arm wrapped around his waist. Yeonjun was groaning and whimpering, his eyes screwed shut, but he leaned into Soobin’s touch like he was seeking it out. Soobin hummed thoughtfully and brushed Yeonjun’s bangs off his forehead.
Soobin didn’t feel like explaining to their teacher that sex wasn’t the only way to help someone in heat or rut. So instead, he addressed the members. “It was our final run-through anyway, let’s all go home with Hyung tonight and tomorrow we’ll pick one member to stay back and take care of him, okay?”
The other members all agreed and rushed to gather their things. Beomgyu gathered Soobin and Yeonjun’s things as well as his own. Their teacher watched with a frown on his face, but he didn’t try to stop them.
“Taehyun, call Jaesong Hyung and have him bring the car.”
In the car, Yeonjun was placed in the backseat between Kai and Soobin. The younger was game for cuddles and indulged Yeonjun. But it was true, none of them could offer Yeonjun the relief his body was craving. None of them were exactly equipped to take a knot. So, still, wrapped in Kai’s arms, Yeonjun continued to whimper in pain.
As they got back to the dorm, Taehyun stopped Soobin with a hand on his arm as Kai and Beomgyu dragged Yeonjun to bed. “Hyung, are you okay?”
“Huh?” Soobin turned his head to look at Taehyun, and he must’ve been dehydrated from practice or something because suddenly the room was spinning and Taehyun had two heads swimming in front of his face.
“You’re burning up.”
“I am?” Soobin pressed the back of his hand against his forehead and stumbled backward. He would’ve fallen over if Taehyun hadn’t grabbed his elbow and steadied him. He was warm, but he’d assumed it was from sitting so close to Yeonjun in the car. And he was unnaturally tired, but he’d assumed that was from stress.
Taehyun frowned and sniffed.
Soobin felt himself sway forward, his head suddenly very heavy - he let his forehead rest on Taehyun’s shoulder as exhaustion quickly consumed him. That was strange - it almost felt like he had a sudden and very intense bout of the flu.
“You smell different, hyung,” he whispered.
“Hmmm?” Soobin’s ears felt like they were full of cotton. Everything was beginning to feel very far away. It was a little scary just how quickly the sickness had hit him. His eyes fluttered shut then, and when he came to, he was in his bed. Across the room, Beomgyu’s bed was empty.
Soobin tried to sit up to remove himself from the place where his sheets were damp with sweat, but a sharp shooting pain in his stomach had him whimpering and falling back down. As soon as his body had made him aware of the sharp, shooting pains in his stomach, he couldn’t ignore them anymore.
For one brief, horrifying moment, Soobin considered that maybe he wasn’t sick. That maybe he was presenting. But that didn’t make sense. Betas weren’t supposed to present this way. Betas weren’t supposed to have…heat symptoms.
Soobin heard the door to his room open and was immediately hit with a wave of chai. Almost immediately, his pain was alleviated. Huh.
“Hyung?” He managed to croak out.
Yeonjun wasn’t supposed to be in Soobin’s room. He was supposed to be in his own room. Someone was supposed to be watching him, taking care of him.
For a brief moment, any pain Soobin still felt disappeared as concern for Yeonjun overrode everything else. Yeonjun stumbled over and collapsed onto the foot of Soobin’s bed.
“You smell different,” Yeonjun mumbled out. For some reason, those words made Soobin blush. “Like cake or something.”
Yeonjun was shifting closer, and it kind of made Soobin feel like he was a small animal being cornered by a wolf. There was just something kind of predatory about the way Yeonjun was looking at him.
“Where-where are the others?” Soobin was panting, struggling to get his words out, and it only got worse as Yeonjun got closer.
Yeonjun shrugged. “Not here.”
As Yeonjun dragged his body forward so he was above Soobin, caging him to the headboard, it was like something just clicked in the back of Soobin’s brain. Of course, of course, of course. He and Yeonjun could help each other. There was a little voice inside of Soobin screaming and begging for Yeonjun. For Yeonjun.
It would be a lie to say Soobin had never considered Yeonjun in that way before. He was obviously very attractive and naturally flirty. Of course, Soobin had had sexy thoughts about Yeonjun before. He had eyes. In fact, it was safe to say all the members were at least a little bit attracted to each other. It was mostly the fear of disrupting a still very much new and budding pack structure that kept members from trying anything with each other.
But now, Soobin was being offered an opportunity on a silver platter. Here was Yeonjun hovering above him, looking like he was just as eager to devour Soobin as Soobin was to be devoured.
Yeonjun ducked his head, and Soobin’s eyes fluttered shut. He felt Yeonjun’s nose brush the side of his neck where his scent gland is, and he took a deep inhale and groaned. Within the same second, Soobin let out a whimper as he felt something wet gush out between his thighs and, oh god, was that slick?
Briefly, Soobin registered that that shouldn’t be possible, but any practical thoughts quickly disappeared as Yeonjun lifted his head back up to look Soobin in the eyes.
“Soobin-ah,” Yeonjun’s voice was hoarse like he was trying desperately to hold himself back.
He didn’t even have to say anything else. Soobin knew what he wanted. What he needed. It was what Soobin wanted and needed, too.
“Yes.”
Soobin had barely gotten the word out of his mouth before Yeonjun was surging forward and connecting his mouth to Soobin’s. It was a strange sensation. Soobin had kissed people before, but none of those times had ever felt quite like this. With every press of their lips, Soobin felt something light up inside him. That little voice from before was back, and it was egging him on. He allowed Yeonjun to coax his mouth open as he tugged on the elder’s t-shirt hem.
They had to break apart for Yeonjun to peel it off, his sweat making the material stick to his skin. Soobin’s breath faltered a bit as he took in Yeonjun’s body. He’d seen him shirtless before, but it felt different now.
Soobin allowed his fingers to trail down the soft contours of Yeonjun’s body. His skin was still unnaturally warm, but Soobin could feel that he was too. Yeonjun shuddered and slid his hand through Soobin’s hair, pushing his sweaty bangs off his forehead - causing them to stick straight up in the air as they clumped together. Soobin’s shirt was gently eased over his head next - Yeonjun being especially gentle despite still being in a rush. As soon as the shirt had been tossed to the side, Yeonjun was ducking down and pressing his mouth to Soobin’s nipples. He’d never considered someone doing that to him before, but suddenly they were so sensitive. He whined and arched into Yeonjun’s touch - his free hand coming up to squeeze and fondle the side of Soobin’s chest that his mouth wasn’t attending to.
Another wave of what had to be slick gushed out of him and they both groaned. Soobin pushed his knee up and Yeonjun eagerly humped his hips down to grind on it, making sounds of appreciation against Soobin’s collarbone as he alleviated himself. For some reason, Soobin was surprised to find Yeonjun was so hard already. He should’ve known as much would happen - he was in rut after all.
“Hyung,” Soobin heard himself whine as Yeonjun left kisses and marks around his collarbone and the top of his chest. Distantly Soobin realized this was probably a bad idea - these were marks that would be a little difficult to hide. The members, the stylists, the hair and makeup noonas…they would all see the bruises Yeonjun was leaving on his skin. The idea made Soobin grin - the little voice inside of him rejoicing because he was effectively being marked and claimed by his alpha.
His alpha. Huh.
Soobin tugged on Yeonjun’s sweatpants and without breaking the kiss he’d moved up to press to Soobin’s mouth he managed to kick off his pants and underwear in one go and began tugging down Soobin’s, too. And fuck if that wasn’t hot.
Still, a brief surge of alarm made Soobin pull back and put his hands on Yeonjun’s wrists, effectively stopping him from edging Soobin’s underwear down any farther.
“Hyung, I-“
Yeonjun’s eyes met his and his hyung visibly softened as he registered Soobin’s sudden trepidation. He pressed a soft kiss to Soobin’s forehead and lingered there, panting against him. “Should we stop here?”
Soobin felt his heart skip a beat. Yeonjun was willing to stop here. Without getting the relief he needed. Just because Soobin was nervous. If he hadn’t been lying down, he would’ve swooned.
“No, I-I want to, I just…” Soobin wasn’t sure how to express how weird he felt about being a male beta - not that he was really sure he was a beta anymore if the slick gathering between his thighs was any indicator. It was just, well, it wasn’t often male betas had a cunt. And Soobin had one.
Yeonjun’s hand cupped Soobin’s cheek and brought him back out of his mind. “You know I’m really okay stopping here.”
Yeonjun might’ve been okay stopping, but Soobin was not. His body felt like it was on fire in an entirely new way. Carefully, he guided Yeonjun in pulling his underwear down, and he watched as Yeonjun’s mouth dropped open, his pouty lips parting to reveal his little rabbit teeth. Gingerly, he reached out and gently rubbed at Soobin’s folds, smearing around the slick that had gathered there, causing Soobin to jolt and whine.
He was so, so close to getting the relief his body was craving. “Hyung, Yeonjun Hyung, alpha, please.”
Soobin wasn’t sure if it was the begging or the invoking of the title of alpha that broke Yeonjun out of his stupor, but the older was suddenly all over him once more. “Fuck, Soobin, you’re so pretty.” As he spoke, Yeonjun’s finger slipped inside him. Soobin keened and his hips bucked up. He needed more. He was ready for more than one measly finger.
His hands gripped Yeonjun’s shoulders and he belatedly wondered if Yeonjun minded as his nails dug in. “More, more, more,” he chanted mindlessly.
And Yeonjun listened, quickly sliding in a second finger and causing Soobin to sigh in temporary relief.
As Yeonjun worked Soobin open with his fingers, his mouth returned to Soobin’s chest. Soobin felt a tingling in his stomach, a familiar sensation. He let out a cry as Yeonjun’s thumb pressed down on his clit and his first orgasm of the evening crashed over him. Fuck, that was fast.
Yeonjun cooed into Soobin’s ear, murmuring compliments against his soft skin as Soobin rode out his high. But he still needed more, and as soon as he was capable of expressing this, Yeonjun complied, sliding out his fingers and sliding in his cock.
Soobin hadn’t really gotten a good look at it before, but he could feel it now, and well, it was not small. Still, Soobin wouldn’t say it hurt. He wouldn’t even say it was uncomfortable. The stretch, the pressure of feeling Yeonjun inside him was nothing compared to the way his body lit up as if to say, finally. He gasped as it felt like Yeonjun just kept pushing and pushing, deeper and deeper inside of him, before finally bottoming out and finding his hips flush with Soobin’s ass as Soobin’s legs came up to wrap around Yeonjun’s waist.
They just stayed like that for a moment, panting into each other’s mouths as Yeonjun settled his bruising grip onto Soobin’s waist and Soobin’s hands found themselves restlessly running up and down Yeonjun’s neck and back to his shoulders, repeating this cycle endlessly on loop.
“Fuck,” Yeonjun’s voice was strained. “You feel so good, bunny, so, so good.” Something in Soobin’s brain lit up with the nickname. Like, yes, I’m your good little bunny, and I’ll make you feel so good.
Soobin whimpered and squeezed Yeonjun’s shoulders, giving the elder the signal to start moving.
And oh god. If just having Yeonjun inside him brought relief, then having the older slowly, shallowly thrusting was enough to make him see stars, and as Yeonjun continued to speed up, to pull out farther with each snap of his hips, Soobin got closer and closer to what he was sure was heaven.
Yeonjun’s mouth found Soobin’s again and it wasn’t until Yeonjun was swallowing all his little noises that Soobin realized just how loud he’d been. He’d never before considered that he would be loud in bed, but it was like the sounds - the little whimpers and moans and gasps - were all being drawn out of him involuntarily. By Yeonjun’s cock and scent and wandering hands.
It was when Yeonjun started cursing under his breath that Soobin remembered that this wasn’t just his first time with an alpha but Yeonjun’s first time with whatever Soobin was (he’d figure it out later). They were not going to last.
As if confirming Soobin’s sudden epiphany, Yeonjun pulled back and tucked his face into Soobin’s neck, letting out a whimper of his own before gasping out, “Soobin, bunny, I’m gonna- I, I’m so close.”
Soobin could feel it, the way Yeonjun’s thrusts were getting desperate, the way the base of his cock was swelling with his knot. His knot. Soobin was about to take a knot.
Soobin was about to take a knot.
It should’ve scared him. When the doctor had pegged him as a beta, he’d done his research. He’d read the horror stories of betas sustaining rips and tears in the most unsavory places from taking knots that were too big for them. But somehow, Soobin just knew that wasn’t going to happen to him. Yeonjun maybe wasn’t the member he was the closest to, but he knew Yeonjun cared about him. That he would never hurt him. So, when Yeonjun tried to pull away and knot his hand or something instead of Soobin, he took matters into his own hands and tightened his legs around Yeonjun’s waist, dragging him closer until Yeonjun’s knot had grown to a size where it was no longer a viable option for him to pull out. They were locked together and would continue to be so for around thirty minutes.
Yeonjun gave in so easily, too. Allowing Soobin to draw him in. Peppering his scent gland with kisses. Grinding his knot inside Soobin in a way that felt just right.
Soobin moaned. “Hyung.”
His jaw ached. He knew what he wanted. What he was craving. He could feel it in the way Yeonjun was hesitantly nipping at his neck - he wanted it, too. Would it really be so bad if…
Yeonjun pulled away to look Soobin in the eye. “Please.” Soobin didn’t specify what he was asking for. Yeonjun already knew.
In one swift movement, Yeonjun moved back down towards Soobin’s neck, and he bit. The orgasm was instantaneous. Soobin writhed around in pleasure, gasping out Yeonjun’s name. He could tell it wasn’t as big a mating claim as others had. It was small, contained, and easy to cover up with clothes or makeup. A mating mark that could be hidden from the public. Still, it was perfect. Soobin’s little voice was unbearably happy. No longer communicating in coherent thoughts - much like Soobin - it had been reduced to a puddle of little whines of pleasure.
Yeonjun still hadn't come. His face was red, and he was gasping with each little movement. “Soobin,” he managed to get out.
And Soobin managed to prop himself up enough to grab Yeonjun by the back of the neck, yank him in, and bite. Yeonjun came and came with a silent cry until Soobin’s stomach was bloated with just how much of Yeonjun’s come he had inside. But both of them were sated and deliriously happy, and they settled into Soobin’s bed. Maneuvering so that Soobin was curled up on Yeonjun’s chest while they waited for the knot to go down.
They must’ve fallen asleep. It was the only thought Soobin had as he blinked and watched as this room began to blearily take shape in front of him. He could feel Yeonjun’s arm wrapped around his waist, but the knot must’ve gone down because he felt ridiculously empty, and the area between his legs felt sticky with dried slick and come.
Still, Soobin felt content. He felt happy. He moved to the side and tucked his face into Yeonjun’s neck, pressed his nose to his scent gland, and inhaled. It smelled like chai and pastries. Like a pleasant bakery early on a fall morning. A shiver ran down Soobin’s spine as he registered that it was their scents together. That had really happened. They were mated.
Yeonjun began to stir, and as soon as his eyes cracked open, he offered Soobin a dopey smile. Clearly, just as pleased as Soobin was. He leaned in to kiss Soobin again. Soobin grinned and allowed himself to be rolled onto his back, enjoying the feeling of Yeonjun covering his body with his own.
That was where things began to go wrong. So horribly wrong.
A door slammed in the distance.
“Must be the members,” Yeonjun mumbled against Soobin’s mouth.
It made sense. They clearly hadn’t been home earlier, or Soobin was sure Yeonjun would never have been able to sneak into his room. Though based on the way he’d been stumbling around, it hadn’t been all that sneaky.
Soobin nodded his agreement and moved to deepen the kiss. And that’s when the yelling began.
It was not the members. It wasn’t even their manager or anyone on their protocol team. These were voices they’d never heard before. And they just barged into Soobin’s room without even knocking. Almost immediately, Yeonjun had Soobin shoved into the back corner of the bed, maneuvering himself so he was in front of him.
They wore all-black clothes and had Big Hit lanyards around their necks. But they also were decked out in surgical gloves and masks. Looking like the strangest security team to ever have been formed.
Their scents were nonexistent. Soobin couldn’t catch a whiff of anything. He couldn’t tell what they were there for or if they were in trouble. He had no inkling of what was happening. All he knew was that Yeonjun was growling.
“My omega,” he let out, baring his teeth at the man closest to them.
Soobin whimpered and scrambled to grab the blanket, desperate to hide himself from these strangers. Alarm bells were going off in his head, and he got the distinct feeling they were here for him.
The men didn’t say anything; they just reached forward to grab at Soobin. Yeonjun tried to block them, but at the end of the day, he was just a kid. These guys were much bigger, stronger, and clearly had been instructed to be as rough as they needed to be, as one of them knocked Yeonjun to the side like it was nothing. Like he was nothing.
The pained yelp Yeonjun let out as he hit the floor had Soobin jumping up and reaching out to him. His need to help overrode any sense of preservation he’d been clinging to.
That was his mistake. One of the men grabbed him around the waist, and they hauled him out of the room. Stopping briefly to pull clothes from the stack of clean laundry on the sofa. Taehyun’s pants and Kai’s shirt. It made an odd-looking outfit as both members were smaller than Soobin. The clothes not quite fitting him right. Making him look much larger than he was, as he was both too tall for the pants and too broad for the shirt.
He could hear Yeonjun scrambling after them, watching in horror as Soobin was thrown over someone’s shoulder and carried outside, where he was deposited in a waiting car.
It wasn’t until his tears started hitting the legs of his sweatpants, turning the light gray a darker color, that Soobin realized he was crying. Sobbing. His chest was heaving as anxiety filled him.
Where were they taking him? And why wasn’t Yeonjun coming?
By the time they’d arrived at the hospital, the heat symptoms were back and were bad enough that Soobin was practically delirious.
He didn’t remember much of his stint in the hospital. Just flashes of sensations. He remembered feeling so unbearably hot. Being in so much pain. The lights overhead that were much too bright and just made everything worse. And strange hands were touching him everywhere. Touches that brought no relief.
The worst part was the lack of scents. It reached a point where he couldn’t even smell himself.
And they kept feeding him things. Medicines, vitamins, small bowls of rice. When he begged for more, he was quieted down and assured he would get more eventually.
Later, he learned he was in the hospital for approximately one week. One week where the members had no clue where he’d gone. One week where they were just told over and over again, “Soobin’s sick. Something was wrong with his presentation. He’ll be back soon.”
When Soobin finally got out of the hospital, he just desperately wanted to go back to the dorm. To see the members. Smell them. Find out how Yeonjun did with the rest of his rut. Instead, he was taken to Big Hit, where he was sat down in a meeting with the head of marketing, their main manager, and the Big Hit in-house doctor.
He felt like a little kid getting called to the principal’s office. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d done something wrong.
“Soobin, welcome, please take a seat.”
Gingerly, Soobin sat. He folded his hands politely in his lap.
“Congratulations, Soobin, on your presentation.” The doctor smiled at him as she spoke.
Soobin swallowed thickly. Is this the part where they told him he couldn’t be the leader anymore? Was it too risky to let an omega lead the group?
“We know there were some unforeseen complications. We want to reassure you that you did present as beta.”
It felt like Soobin’s brain was going to explode. There was no way, right? He’d had slick. Betas didn’t naturally lubricate.
The doctor grimaced then. “I know what you’re thinking, but what you experienced was something very rare. It usually only happens in packs with no omegas.”
It was true they didn’t have an omega. Yet. Beomgyu was almost certain to be one. He came from a long line of male omegas. And he had the dainty features and graceful mannerisms to match.
“You went through a sympathy heat.”
Soobin frowned. In all his research on betas, he’d never once heard of a sympathy heat.
“It’s when the body mimics the symptoms of a heat to help an alpha through their rut. But don’t worry, you can’t get pregnant. And with these new vitamins and suppresants you’ll be taking,” they motioned to the pill bottle sitting on the table in front of them, “we should be able to keep it from happening again.”
Soobin nodded and accepted the packet of pills as it was handed to him. The label on each pouch simply read “Choi Soobin, Beta, Daily Vitamins,” followed by a list of ingredients Soobin couldn’t decipher, the words patchy where they'd been hastily printed over the plastic.
“Before we let you go, there’s just a couple of things we need to go over.” This time, the head of marketing was the one speaking. “We’re fine with the members becoming an official pack.” He cleared his throat and Soobin blushed, reminded of the mating bite on the side of his neck and slightly embarrassed by all the hickeys that were still visible as well, “However, we’d like for you to keep it hidden from the public. Half of your marketing is your youth and innocence. Your fans wouldn’t want to think about you all, well, you get it. So for the sake of the group’s brand, we ask you all to keep up a platonic pack dynamic in public.”
Soobin nodded again. He was beginning to feel this numbness creep up through him. He still couldn’t smell anything. Why couldn’t he smell anything?
“Also, I want to make it clear your vitamins are not to be shared. They’re especially strong and made for more sensitive betas. You must take one per day and request more when you begin to run low. The company will provide them for you as they’re very expensive, even with insurance.”
Soobin couldn’t even bring himself to nod anymore. He felt so weirdly detached from everything. Apparently, his lack of response didn’t bother them. They kept going anyway.
“The comeback will proceed as scheduled. Nothing to worry about there. The company will announce your presentation a few days before. The fans will be curious to know.”
Why did all of this feel wrong?
“You’ve just been through something very tiring. In large part because your body wasn’t made to be with an alpha during rut. We’re sorry we didn’t get there in time to help you more.” A look of sympathy.
“But it felt good,” Soobin spoke at last.
The looks he was given in response ranged from mildly annoyed to pity. “Of course, it felt good, but that doesn’t mean it was good for you. Plenty of bad things feel good.”
“Like smoking,” his manager chimed in, causing the head of marketing to bark out a laugh.
Soobin didn’t see what was so funny.
“Besides, aren’t you a little big to be an omega?” More laughter. Soobin felt like dying. Of course. Of course, he was a beta. He was too meek to be an alpha and too large to be an omega. Beta was the only option. It always had been. He felt a little stupid for ever thinking otherwise.
“You’ll feel tired for a while. That’s the remnants of the sympathy heat working its way out of your system. And the vitamins might affect your senses for a bit. If you suddenly find yourself experiencing similar symptoms, please call this number.”
A business card was slid in his direction and Soobin pocketed it without looking at it. He was just ready to go home.
Soobin was taken home shortly after and the members immediately pounced on him. Beomgyu was pulling at his collar to get a better look at the mating bite while Taehyun was sniffing the scent gland on his wrist. Kai was wrapped around him like a koala.
“Oh my god, you really did let Yeonjun Hyung bite you! He really did a number on you.”
“You don’t have a scent anymore, hyung.”
“I’m glad you’re home, hyung.”
They were all talking at once, and it was a little overwhelming but also very comforting. He couldn’t smell them anymore and that made him sad. But he was just happy to be in a familiar place with friendly faces.
They brought him over to the sofa and pushed him to sit, cuddling up to him from all sides. He found himself curled up against Kai’s chest with Taehyun burrowed into his side and Beomgyu draped across his lap. He felt the tension leave his body. It was so nice to be home.
“Where’s Hyung?” Soobin tried his best to sound casual, but he was desperate to know how Yeonjun was doing.
They all froze. “Oh, he had a horrible time after you were gone. About went on a rampage.” It was Beomgyu who shared that tidbit, but he hesitated to speak more.
It was Taehyun who finally broke the news. “They took him to a heat hotel, said he was in no shape to stay here with all of us.”
Oh. Soobin knew what happened there. It made him feel weird to think about Yeonjun fucking someone else (he wondered what past fling or friend Yeonjun had invited along). If he'd wound up with another omega, not that Soobin was an omega. Since he was apparently a beta.
“Is he-has he come back yet?”
They all nodded. “Yeah, but he’s been weird. Apparently, he refused any help and just rode out his rut on his own. Isn’t that crazy? Like self-imposed torture. Though now that we know he isn’t lying about the bite, he was probably just sad you weren’t there anymore.”
“Yeah,” Soobin managed to squeak out as the others giggled.
“How was it, you know, before you had to leave? Didn’t it hurt taking a knot?” Beomgyu didn’t mean any harm. He was simply curious. If their places were reversed, Soobin knew he’d also want to know. But it shocked him to learn that they didn’t know about his sympathy heat or whatever it was called.
“No, I had what the doctor said was a sympathy heat.”
Taehyun frowned. He looked like he was about to say something when the front door was thrown open and in walked Yeonjun. He almost breezed right past them, but stopped and turned.
“Soobin,” he gasped out. Then sniffed. “Why can’t I smell you?” He rushed over and kneeled in front of them, his hands coming up to rub Soobin’s thighs.
Beomgyu immediately sat up and covered his nose. “God, you reek of possessive alpha.”
Soobin was sure it smelled awful, but he felt a sense of melancholy. Would he ever smell them again?
“Tell him he stinks, he’ll listen to you,” Beomgyu elbowed Soobin in the side as he spoke. Clearly trying to ease the tension. It was meant to be playful.
Soobin looked down at where he was twisting his fingers together in his lap. “That’s the thing, I can’t smell.”
A collective gasp. “At all?”
Soobin shook his head no.
“Why?” Kai’s voice was muffled from where his face was pressed into Soobin’s shoulder.
“I-My vitamins. They’re going to keep my hormones in check. But they also dull my sense of smell. That’s what the doctor said.”
“The same doctor who said you’re a beta experiencing sympathy heats?” Taehyun was clearly skeptical of something. But Soobin wasn't in the mood to investigate. He kind of just wanted to go to bed.
“I think I’m going to go to sleep now. I’ve been away for a while and we have practice tomorrow.” With that, Soobin extracted himself from their huddle and moved towards his bedroom. The others just watched him go.
Years passed and the others all presented. Beomgyu was next. An omega. His heat hit and Yeonjun claimed him and helped him through it the way alphas were made to do. Soobin was there, too, as he and Beomgyu also mated, but ever since his presentation, he hadn’t really wanted to have sex. Or, he did, but the idea was very overwhelming. The thought of letting someone be inside him had brought him close to tears several times. He felt pathetic. And it was frustrating because he wanted to help Beomgyu, too. But he couldn’t take a knot from Yeonjun, and he had nothing besides his fingers to penetrate Beomgyu with. It made him feel useless.
Then Kai presented. Another alpha. They all exchanged more mating bites and worked together to get Kai through his rut. By that time, Soobin had learned that while his low sex drive meant he never really craved sex, he was really good with his mouth and was happy to be able to contribute through blowjobs and allowing Kai to knot his mouth while Beomgyu and Yeonjun rested.
The last to present was Taehyun. A late bloomer, like Soobin. Another beta to help balance out all the hormones in their dorm. Taehyun, unlike Soobin, did have a high sex drive, proving that it wasn’t a beta thing but a Soobin thing. Which somehow made everything worse.
Despite the lack of a heat or rut, the members took a day off anyway so they could mate Taehyun properly.
Through all of it, they made sure to include Soobin despite his hang-ups. They managed to keep it all a secret from the public. And Soobin slowly adjusted to his new life. Getting accustomed to not wanting sex and seeing his members engage with each other that way near constantly. Getting used to not being able to smell them, leaning on other methods to figure out what they needed so he could still be a caretaker. Still be a good leader.
They just got used to living that way. Soobin as the leader. Yeonjun as the pack alpha and Beomgyu as the pack omega. It worked. It was just how things were.
Well, for a few more years anyway.