Chapter Text
Chan dragged his feet across the polished supermarket floors, pushing his shopping cart as he went down every single aisle. It's obvious to the casual passerby that Chan looks like a lost duckling, head tilting and brows frowning with a small pout resting on his lips as he examines every product on the shelf, cross checking it with his pack's shopping list. Chan doesn't often do the shopping, no. One might say he rarely enters the grocery store, having no interest in cooking and saving his pack from fake complimenting his horrid cooking attempts. His only experience with grocery shopping extends as far as purchasing a few protein bars which are as dry as his big toe knuckles with peanuts which find a home between the gaps of his teeth. Can’t cook? Can’t shop? And he’s a few seconds away from tipping over a display of canned baked beans with his rusty trolley? Gosh, now that’s one attractive pack alpha. At least he flosses!
Today is chan’s day off. He would normally spend these days with his omegas who love to make him part of their nest as soon as they get him to themselves. He’s an alpha of six omegas. Yes, six whole omegas. Omegas who leak slick all over him in the middle of the night and jab his ribs with their elbows and knees on their way to deposit their bodies on top of his chest to scent and mark any visible skin they find. They bite, and nip, and nuzzle into his neck and collarbones, not shy to leave fresh pretty purple bruises whenever an old bruise starts to fade. That’s their mate, their alpha. He belongs to them. And who’s chan to complain when he falls asleep with his precious jisungie’s head nuzzling under his sleep shirt and into his stomach. He wouldn’t trade them for the world.
It’s unconventional for a pack to have so many omegas, or rather it’s unconventional for a pack to lack such a balance between the subgenders. Omegas love to feed off each other’s energy and having so many of them with no alphas or betas to even out the hormones can leave you with a bunch of omegas who are all too intune with each other's emotions and feelings. You have one upset omega? Now all six are upset. Pitiful whines escaping their pretty lips as they furiously nest together and scent each other’s skin till it’s raw and red. Their scent glands inflamed and swollen from the sheer volume of pheromones they all pump out. Chan’s pack has gotten much better at controlling their pheromones, but chan’s pack is also a little bit special, making it easier for them to get along without the subgender imbalance getting in the way. They were meant to be, fate had its way with them.
Each omega entered chan’s life with bright golden glowing eyes.
The first one was jisung. Round eyed and round cheeked jisung who was sitting in a local cafe, laptop wide open but ignored and pushed to the side as the plate of what looks to be cake takes priority. Munching away with crumbs covering the outside of his lips, jisung looks up as an unfamiliar but very warm scent of buttery popcorn hits his senses.
Alpha.
Pack.
Alpha is safe, alpha is mate.
Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.
Pack.
Jisung’s eyes glowed so bright, taking chan by surprise as he instantly felt the pull towards the peach scented omega. He had never before seen such beautiful honey golden eyes and he knew right there and then that this boy was his omega. Chan’s eyes flashed a cherry red in return.
The others followed soon after. Changbin’s rigorous gym session was cut short when a quick eye contact in the gym mirror had his eyes glowing at a certain alpha who had just finished his set of chest presses and sat up to look directly at the mirror. Then it was jeongin, clumsily running down the street, with his lime scent blowing in the wind, to catch the bus that was already departing. He ended up catching a free ride from a stranger, his alpha, who's eyes glowed a pretty red and who's scent left butterflies in his tummy. Hyunjin and felix were next, both coming as a package deal having already unlocked the truth between each other. They first met during a dance class, both pairs of eyes turning that glistening golden shade as they stared at each other. Mine, mate, mate, mate, pack, MINE, safe. The rich vanilla scent of hyunjin intertwined beautifully with felix's mild salted caramel scent. They met chan on their way out of uni, chan was dropping jeongin off. And lastly came seungmin. Sweet, bubblegum scented seungmin. Pharmacist seungmin in his clean, crease-free white coat. And that’s where chan met seungmin, at his local pharmacy to collect heat medications for his five omegas, all of which had their heats sync up. Chan was panicking but it was okay because he saw those golden eyes yet again and boy did he really need seungmin’s advice at that current point in time. Dumb, pack alpha pup who had left all his five, sweaty and feverish frail omegas back home. Let’s just say chan received an earful from seungmin about appropriate omega care as he clocked out of his shift and left the pharmacy in havoc. What was he supposed to do? Pack comes first, your blood pressure medication can wait.
Yeah chan wouldn’t trade his golden omegas for the world, even when their heats sync up, which is always.
His boys wouldn’t trade him for the world either.
When their heat comes, they all work together to build the prettiest, most perfect nest, thriving in the praise they receive from their alpha. They all have their own roles.
Hyunjin is in charge of sneaking into chan’s room and stealing whatever he pleases, normally settling for a few big hoodies covered in that delicious buttery popcorn they all love and adore.
Felix is in charge of going through the dirty laundry baskets, picking out the most pungent items of clothing, especially ones covered in changbin’s and chan’s sweat after a brutal gym session. And maybe he sneaks in a pair or two of chan’s boxers and stuffs them under a few pillows, but no one has to know that!
Jisung goes through their blanket closet. It’s full of the fluffiest, softests throws and blankets, he grabs a few, rubbing them against his cheeks to make sure the material is still soft before depositing them in their nest. He may or may not also accidently drop a blanket while passing by chan, silently asking the alpha to drench the material with his scent. But no of course jisung wouldn’t do that, that would be very silly of him when they’re trying to surprise their alpha with their nest. So very silly indeed, so he passes by chan again and drops another throw blanket by his feet, accidentally tripping over it on his way out.
Changbin is in charge of arranging the items collected by his mates on their nest, he gets a little help from the other omegas once they’re done with their tasks but changbin takes great pride in his layout. He makes sure the softest blanket is always laid out in the middle, while a strong barrier around the nest is built using pillows and thicker, slightly rougher, blankets to keep his mates safe in the nest. No one can hurt his boys if he’s in charge of building the safest nest he can.
Seungmin ensures their nest room is packed with heat essentials, everything from fever reducing medications to heat packs and electrolyte drinks. He also prepares small sandwiches and cut up fruit which he stores in tupperware and places in the mini fridge they own in their nest room. They might forget to feed themselves but they can trust chan to shove a few strawberries down their throats.
And jeongin stands at their nest room door keeping their nest protected and most importantly making sure chan doesn’t step foot inside till it’s all ready. He takes his job very seriously. The best way to keep chan out of the room is to find where he is and sit in his lap. It’s one of jeongin’s favourite part about nest building time, he cuddles up to his favourite alpha and tucks his head under chan’s chin, placing his ear on his hyung’s chest and napping to the heartbeat of his alpha.
Whilst this is happening, chan makes sure he’s either in the office or in the living room, out of sight from his omegas, pretending to be busy. Their happiness and smiles are so precious to him, especially the expectant looks on their faces when they finally invite him into the nest waiting for chan’s reaction. The nest hardly ever looks different to the nest from their previous heats but he will never get sick of hearing happy rumbles escape their chests when he tells them how beautiful the nest looks and how proud he is of them. He makes sure to hug every single boy and whisper praise in their ear before eventually entering the nest and letting his boys cage him in. They love having him in the nest, he can protect them and protect their nest from danger while they’re in their most vulnerable states.
He loves them dearly and he looks forward to his days off so that he can spend them with his pack.
Today is different however. His day off lands on an unusual day in the week where all his omegas are busy. They’re busy and exhausted, some more overworked than others, some just need a minute for themselves. That’s okay, Chan is as cool and as calm as a cucumber could ever dream to be, he can go a few more hours without attention from his sunshines despite waiting all week for this day to come. It’s fine. They have their own lives, their own studies, their own jobs. The least he can do as their alpha is to create a safe and healing environment for them to help ease their worries and reduce the burden on them just as they do for him.
And what best way to help his pack than to assist them with the weekly grocery run. The one run that he’s never attempted before, he’ll be crawling through the supermarket. Even then, hyunjin, his sweet, sweet, precious baby, hyunjin, takes pity on his poor, dumb pup of an alpha and writes him a shopping list. The last thing they need rotting in their fridge is some thick, unnaturally sweetened tub of banana flavoured protein yoghurt that chan might think is a good purchase. They made it as easy for him as they could, he just had to follow the shopping list. It was neatly written in hyunjin's handwriting as the omegas came in and out of the kitchen this morning, each listing items for hyunjin to jot down during their rush to get ready and out the door in record breaking time. Some items were strategically grouped together on the list so the alpha wouldn’t have to go back and forth between aisles. He just had to follow the damn list, it was foolproof. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Except it was not easy. Not lemony, nor squeezy.
You see, chan has no clue where anything is. Sure there are little black signs with small white writing over each aisle to indicate the items it holds but chan still struggles. He’s a little embarrassed, ears warming up and turning a pretty pink as he takes careful calculated steps. He stands in the middle of the fruit and veggie section, head turning in every direction possible trying to figure out why there are different types of kiwi fruit and red apples and why the tomatoes are so bloody expensive. He picks up the closest tomato to him, immediately cringing and dropping it back as it squishes in his palm. He’s going to be here all day at this rate. But chan continues as he tells himself that he can do it, he can do it, he can't let his boys go hungry. He pushes his cart as elegantly as he could with one of the wheels on the brink of breaking, always turning and getting stuck in the opposite direction to the other wheels. Chan just needs to grab what's on the list, his angels made it so simple for him knowing their big, strong alpha is a lost pickle when it comes to the basics. He can’t help that he’s so confused. So lost and so, so confused. Why is the shelf empty where felix's favourite brand of chips are supposed to be and why does he find those same chips on display at the end of the detergent and cleaning aisle with a massive sale sign on top of them? Chan is confused, he's confused and puffed out and he can't stop sighing like a middle aged lady going through a heatwave of menopause. He grabs two packets of the chips for good measure and pushes his good for nothing trolley once again, looking down as his list to cross off ‘Smiths Salt and Vinegar Chips’.
All of the sudden, chan and his trolley are jolted back, the broken wheel having a mind of its own letting the trolley spin and turn as chan rushes to grab a hold of it. He considers himself lucky for not knocking down the display of canned baked beans that were mere centimetres away. A deep, low whine grabs his attention, his eyes quickly flicking to where the sound came from. The site before him has him frozen, mouth gaping open.
Fuck. He's so fucking fucked. FUCK.
There, on the cold, hard ground where his trolley once was, lies a small boy curled in on himself.
Fuck.
Today is not his day.
“Oh my gosh i'm so sorry are you alright?” chan rushes to the boy, kneeling down with his hands hovering over the boy, unsure what to do.
"Oh my goodness gracious, are you hurt anywhere? Do you need me to call someone? Please tell me I didn't break your leg or something oh my god please no I'm so dead meat oh my god."
"Will you just fucking shut the fuck up FUCK" The boy almost growls out, still curled up into himself with arms now wrapped around his midsection. He takes a sharp inhale in, squeezing his eyes shut.
Chan stays still, trying to breathe as quietly as possible, scared of enraging this poor boy with just his breath. And why is he holding his abdomen, oh my fuck did i hit him that hard?
"Hey I'm really worried, i have a wife and kids at home, and I really can't afford to have them turn against me if they find out I murdered a boy while looking for their favourite brand of cheesesticks, can you please tell me if you're okay? Do you need help getting up? Can i get you anything? Should i call for help?" Chan's almost sure now that knocking down the canned beans would've been better. He catches a faint bitter scent coming off the boy. Why can he smell him? Chan can see the visible patches on his neck. He shouldn't be able to smell him.
And while chan was too busy pinpointing what this boy's scent was, the boy glances up for a short second to see who this stupid man was that just escalated what was his preheat into a full blown out heat in the middle of the damn supermarket.
His eyes flash golden for a brief second, too quick for chan to notice as the boy immediately shuts his eyes, a wave of cramps punching him in the guts.
Alpha.
Pack.
Safe.
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
He shakes his head to get rid of his hazy state, feeling a little delirious at the strange pull he has towards this wide eyed, blabbing mess of a man. An alpha apparently. The heat must be playing tricks on his foggy mind. His hormones have never been stable anyway. You’re better than this Minho, screw your head back on.
"Aren't you too clumsy and a little bit of a mess to have a wife and kids?"
"Wh-what?" chan sputters out.
"You said you have a wife and kids at home?" the boy, minho, asks with a tilt in his head as he pouts his lips and furrows his brows. He's not even sure why he's asking but he has a headache and he needs to get home fast, feeling the sweat settle on his upper lip as his heart rate picks up. This gorgeous, gorgeous young man cannot have kids. A wife? Sure, believable. Kids? Absolutely not, especially if they’re not minho’s pups, minho’s inner omega wants him for himself.
A soft growl begins to build up in minho’s chest with jealousy, the urge to take take take. The man before him is his. But minho stops the sound from escaping, only a squeak heard as he lowers his head again, growling at an alpha while mid heat will have his head chopped off. Instead, he lets out a whimper and bares his throat as an apology to the alpha for overstepping, asking too many questions, being in his way, for wanting him in ways he’s never felt before. He is shaking, he is shaking and his neck is burning, his glands are on fire and they’re so, so sore, his chest is constricting on itself.
Minho is very, very scared. What is he doing, why is he still on the floor? He can feel the smallest trickle of slick leak out of him, this is bad, so so bad. An unclaimed, unmated omega, in the middle of the supermarket, questioning an alpha’s family structure mid heat. He’ll be lucky if he makes it back home.
"Oh…um yeah about that…no wife or kids, i just panicked" chan rubs the side of his neck and gets up off the ground, extending his hand and offering it to the boy still on the floor. It’s only then that he notices the boy’s odd behaviour.
“hey hey hey wait no why are you baring your throat like that no no no we don’t do that here” chan hisses, frantically looking around to make sure no one is looking at them.
He drops down to his knees in front of the boy again and tries to get him to look into his eyes. This kind of submission is old fashioned, chan only ever reading about it in books, never one to experience it first hand. Only omegas submitted, their worth meaningless and their existence a burden to society, or as they thought back then. They would submit to apologise for stepping out of line, they would submit in fear, asking for mercy.
This boy was an omega.
This omega feels threatened, threated enough to submit.
What the fuck has chan done.
“Come on now, you don’t need to submit to me, oh my gosh, i’m sorry i’m the one that bumped into you with my stupid trolley because I wasn’t looking where I was going, please get up”
Minho lets out another pained whimper, why is the alpha taking so long to accept his submission? He can feel himself slowly slipping, his heat progressing at a much faster rate than it normally would. His brain is going fuzzy and there’s that familiar cramp again twisting like a blunt knife in his gut. A choked sob escapes his throat, neck still bared to the alpha, he must have fucked up real bad if the alpha is refusing to let him off.
But minho can’t waste anymore time, he can feel his inner omega wilting already at the alpha’s rejection and his heat is clouding his brain making him lose clarity.
Without a second thought, minho looks at the alpha in front of him with glassy eyes and cries desperately as he arches his back slightly, to give the alpha greater access to his neck.
“a-alpha…alpha, please” he begs, big sad tears flooding down his soft cheeks.
Chan’s breath hitches as he’s referred to by his subgender. He’s panicking more now than ever before.
He’s not stupid, he knows what he has to do, it’s just that chan has never done it before, and chan doesn’t understand what’s happening.
Any sane person would be calling security, an ambulance perhaps. This omega is in an obvious state of distress and on the edge of sub dropping, he’s not chan’s responsibility, yet somehow he is. It’s like a fragile piece of thread tugs at his heart as he watches this omega gasp for air, sobbing uncontrollably.
People are starting to stop and look.
Help omega, save omega.
My omega, his alpha corrects.
But chan doesn’t have time to processes his inner thoughts so he tucks them away in the back of his mind to explore at a later time.
Chan needed to act fast.
“omega, is it okay if alpha touches you?” chan croons
The omega looks so fragile, so vulnerable
“…please”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. Chan quickly gets closer to the omega and brings the back of his middle and index finger to the omega’s neck, rubbing them up and down the expanse of the boy’s neck till the tension starts to leave the omega’s shoulders. The boy’s body slumps forward but chan is quick to catch him.
“Easy, easy, sweetheart” chan lets the boy rest against his chest, one arm holding his head gently in place, the other arm wrapping around his midsection to keep him stable.
Stability was so important right now, stability and reassurance and comfort, or the boy could easily tip towards subspace.
They’re still in the bloody grocery store.
Staff have started to notice the commotion but they’re not too sure whether to interrupt or not, and chan is thankful that they’ve all let them be for now, despite the stares they still get.
And fuck that one soccer mum who walked right next to them, pretending to be interested in the cans of beans, but chan didn’t spare her a glance.
The omega is still shaking in his arms, he’s shaking and he’s sweaty, very, very sweaty. He’s also very pretty, so pretty. His nose must've been carved by goddess herself, and his hair looks so, so soft, and dyed such a pretty silver, he gets an overwhelming urge to run his fingers through his hair and give his head a little scratch till he goes lax in chan’s arms, releasing little purrs.
They don’t know each other, hell, chan has six omegas waiting for him at home, but something feels so wrong about leaving this omega here. Especially when he knows he can help. He has plenty of experience with omegas, obviously, he’s taken care of his pack in all states of emotion, thankfully none of them had dropped into a subspace triggered by fear. They have, however, dropped into various different subspaces during their heats or just on a regular Sunday morning as they cuddled into their beloved alpha.
Chan has experience, he can help this omega
My omega.
“My name is chan, can you tell me your name darling?” chan croons again
“minho” the omega whispers, looking up at chan slowly, lip trembling slightly and lashes still wet as he blinks away the remainder of his tears
“minho….you did so well for me minho, you were so good for alpha”
Chan looks at him deep in the eyes, giving him a gentle smile before rocking them slightly from side to side despite the awkward positioning, his knees digging into the cold hard floor beneath him. He decides to cross his legs and bring minho into his lap, moving slightly to the side and out of the way of anyone trying to get to the beans. He shuffles on his ass with minho still in his lap, trolley long forgotten, rolling away and getting stuck against one of the milk fridge doors. He shuffles till he can lean back against the wall next to the bean display, this way they’re slightly out of peering eyes and people can pass them off as an alpha comforting his omega in distress.
That’s right, his omega.
“alpha is so proud of you baby, you’ve been so so good for alpha, haven’t you?”
Minho preens, he’s been good, he did good for alpha, his alpha.
Chan brings his hand up and cards it gently through minho’s hair feeling minho relax against him. He stays silent for a moment trying to collect his thoughts and let minho have a moment of peace before they have to get moving again. It was in that quiet moment that he smells it.
Slick.
The omega is in heat.
The omega is in heat, in the middle of the grocery store and in chan’s lap. His scent is still muted by the patches on his neck, although if chan focuses hard enough he can make out a subtle warm mix of honey and cinnamon.
Droplets of sweat were now sliding down minho’s forehead and minho knew the moment he looked up at chan that this was dangerous. The fingers combing through his hair were dangerous as his inner omega indulged in the attention. The warm buttery popcorn scent coming off this alpha was close to tipping him over the edge, he was going to lose it, especially with his nose so close to the alpha’s neck, he smelt so warm and safe, so comforting. Like a big, fuzzy, blanket that minho always wished he owned in his small, cold bedroom, nest only built out of an extra bedsheet cover he had lying around.
This alpha was nice.
This alpha was so, so, safe
But in that short moment of silence, minho began to process the position he was in, jerking against the alpha’s hold, trying to get away.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay I've got you, you're okay, you’re okay sweetheart" chan’s grip slightly tightens against the boy on instinct, trying to soothe him.
“Is there anyone I can call to come get you?
“No, no, no, no, there isn’t anyone! Let me go!” minho places his palms on the alpha’s chest and tries to pull away before losing his energy reserves within seconds and slumping back into the alpha, weakly hitting chan’s chest with tightly clenched fists as he cries again. Chan frowns and gently pulls minho into his embrace again, placing his chin on top of the omega’s head.
“Do you live alone?” he feels minho nod against his chest
Goddess, minho is a wreck. He should’ve prepared for his heat sooner, although his heat never normally progresses this quickly, always having at least 2 days in preheat before he’s in full blown heat. But he should’ve taken extra precaution, he knows how dangerous it is to be a lone wolf, let alone a lone omega wolf.
Minho wraps his arms around himself as a fresh wave of cramps courses through his body reminding him of his heat. He needs to go home, but he can’t help but lean into chan closer lavishing in his body heat and involuntarily rubbing his cheeks against chan’s chest, slowly bringing his face up and closer to his neck to try and get more of that popcorn scent on him.
He begins to whimper on every exhale as the force of his cramps become too hard to ignore and more slick starts leaking from his hole.
Minho closes his eyes and clenches his teeth as he tries to focus on breathing, taking punch after punch in his gut, not leaving a moment for him to think. He takes short, sharp breaths, fists tightly grabbing some kind of material in his palms. The material was soft, nothing like he owns in his nest and he doesn’t know where he got it from but he doesn’t let himself think about it too deeply as each huff of breath drives him deeper into his heat. His nest smells really nice, it makes his saliva glands tingle, so much better than the cheap detergent scent on his bedsheets. He likes this nest so much better than his older nests, this nest is nice he thinks. He grips harder on the material as he hunches over in pain.
Suddenly, warmth is placed on his wrists trying to ease his grip off the popcorn scented material, and it’s like a bucket of cold ice water hits minho as a second of clairty has him immediately flinching and letting go. He curls into himself whining fearfully as he makes himself as small as possible.
Bad omega, very, very bad omega.
“….pl-please, i’m sorry, im so so sorry, please”
“Shhh” chan rubs his hand up and down minho’s back, surprised at the omega’s reaction
“I’m not upset baby, it’s okay, you’re okay, we should probably just leave here hmm?”
“No!” minho almost barks and chan draws away from the sound “I don’t want to go.”
“Why don’t you want to go, baby?” and minho looks at him, all wide glowing eyes, and it’s then that chan catches a slight golden tinge to them before they disappear to the dark chocolate brown colour they’ve always been.
Pack.
Mate.
Omega is pack.
Omega, omega, omega.
Minho’s lips are trembling as he cries “nest cold, nest lonely, alpha warm”
Chan bites his lip, how did he not realise sooner, how did he not notice.
“Minho, baby, can you look at alpha please?” and minho follows the directive from the alpha, his alpha.
“What’s your omega saying to you, baby?”
“Alpha, alpha is safe, alpha is pack, alpha is mate” minho mumbles, eyes blinking lazily at chan, his head a little hazy. Finding your soulmate in the middle of the fastest progressing heat in your life can do that to you.
And as more slick leaks out of the omega, enough for chan to start feeling a wet patch on his pants, chan very gently grabs each side of minho’s head with both palms, making him look at him directly in the eyes.
“Alpha is mate, isn’t that right baby? Would you let alpha take you home where pack is? We can make you the warmest, softest nest, baby” chan watches as minho’s eyes turn golden, so brightly glowing at him, and he’s sure his own are that same cherry red he met his other omegas with.
The idea of adding another omega to his pack makes something bloom inside his chest, he wants it. He wants omega. He wants minho.
“Pack?” minho watches chan’s red eyes for a few moments, tilting his head, pack Alpha. He looks at chan with shiny eyes, looking slightly lost and afraid.
“Yeah baby, that’s right, pack. Alpha has six omegas at home, they’re also your mates angel, would you like to meet them? They can help you build your nest and keep you warm, i’m sure they would love to meet you too. How does that sound?”
“ ‘want alpha” minho whimpers, once again pushing his face against chan’s chest. It’s so warm here, so warm, minho doesn’t want to leave, doesn’t want to let go of alpha.
“Alpha’s never going to leave you, alpha’s going to stay with you, so what do you say?”
It’s silent for a few seconds before chan hears minho whisper something.
“I didn’t catch that, what was that, baby?”
“I said….okay”
And okay it was, chan was now on a mission. He gets off the floor, carrying minho up with him as he does and walks out of the grocery store. He ignores the wet patch visible on his beige shorts and forgets about his shopping trolley that has managed to trip over at least five kids in the last five minutes. Shopping be damned, they can order takeaway till the next time someone is available to do the shopping.
Chan straps minho into the passenger seat with much reluctance, not letting go of chan till he rubbed his face on his neck at least ten times.
Chan dialled changbin’s phone number as he was reversing the car out of the shopping parking lot, one hand settling on minho’s lower tummy rubbing it gently as his cramps started attacking him at a much intense rate.
“yes hyung?” changbin answers through the phone speaker
“get the nest ready”