Sillage

by BBQkitten

Summary:

“We’re his last hope,” he admitted. “If we can’t take care of him, they’ll classify him as unplaceable.”

“That’s bad though,” San cried out. “Like really bad! He’d— why would they abandon him like that? Hasn’t he suffered enough?”

“That’s why he’s coming here,” Seonghwa soothed, his voice sounding further away from the phone as he tugged his fellow omega into a tight embrace. “We’ll take care of him,” he said. “Mingi will learn what a pack is supposed to be with us.”

“There’s one other thing that you should know,” he said, pulling off of the highway and into a quaint residential area. “The chemical burns— they destroyed his sense of smell. Permanently.”

 

OR

In the beginning, Mingi didn’t understand why he had been taken from his pack. He'd thought his pack had been normal. Thought that he deserved it. That no one cared. He was quickly learning that everything he thought he had known had been a lie.

Notes:

Sillage—the scent that lingers in the air, the trail left in the water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone, the trace of someone's perfume

Note: While interconnected, each fic in this series can be read alone so please feel free to enjoy this story as a standalone if you wish <3

Chapter 1

Mingi was the youngest member of his pack, both familial and bonded. His father had always called him the runt, the useless burden. His bondmates had thought of him much the same— a pathetic excuse of an alpha. 

Mingi had been nothing but a burden since the day he was born so when his father had informed him that he was to be mated off to a business partner of his to further strengthen their relations, Mingi was elated, ecstatic to finally be of some use. 

He went into the bond with an open mind and an open heart, ready and willing to serve the pack in whatever capacity they needed him. It became very apparent, however, that there was no place for Mingi in the hearts of his newest packmates but that didn’t stop him from trying again and again. He just wanted to be good for his mates and Mingi told himself that they just needed time, that he just needed to work harder— be better. 

So he tried. Mingi wanted to be a provider which was difficult when he was a runt with nothing more than a high school diploma on his resume but he did everything he could to bring home money to the pack. He got a job working for a construction company. The hours were long and the work was grueling but his paychecks were adequate and he was proud of himself the first time he handed the paystub over to his pack alpha. 

Junghwa had laughed at the money, rolling his eyes as he threw the slip of paper back at Mingi. He declared that Mingi wasn’t equipped to provide financially, too young and stupid to do anything that could garner a decent paycheck, so he became a house-alpha instead. Mingi was in charge of cooking all of the meals, grocery shopping, and cleaning the house for the pack. That would have been fine with Mingi except he had never cooked before in his life, his family pack having had servants who had done all of that for them. He approached Junghwa timidly that evening, asking the alpha if he would allow Mingi to attend some cooking classes so that he could better serve the pack but the alpha took the book he was reading— a hardcover novel— and smacked him across the cheek with it so hard that the baby alpha fell to the ground, just barely catching himself with his hands so as to not introduce his face to the floor as well. 

His pack alpha was angry— so angry— that for the first time, Mingi was genuinely scared of the middle-aged man as Junghwa loomed over him forebodingly. He reminded Mingi of his place, his words chilling the boy to the bone: that Mingi was useless and a waste of space and how dare he ask to use the pack’s funds for his own personal gain. Mingi just needed to figure it out— to not be such a burden. 

So Mingi did. 

He spent all night tucked away in the front entry closet where he couldn’t possibly bother anyone from the pack while he watched tutorial after tutorial on how to make pancakes and eggs and bacon, determined to prove his worth to his pack. 

 

By the time morning came, Mingi was exhausted having not slept a wink in preparation for making breakfast for his pack. He was quite proud of the spread. And though he knew that it wasn’t a five-star worthy meal, Mingi had poured his heart and soul into the food in the hopes that his new pack would appreciate his efforts. 

The pack omega, Chungcha, called Mingi to her and he shuffled over nervously, wringing his hands in anticipation. She pointed to the floor next to her, waiting patiently for him to kneel so that he was lower than her. He looked up at Chungcha with poorly concealed hope, wanting nothing more than to please.  

Chungcha took that moment of vulnerability to upend her entire plate onto his head before chucking the plate back onto the table with enough force to shatter the porcelain. “You’ve never worked a day in your life and it shows,” she spat, standing up angrily. “That was inedible, runt. Clean this shit up.” She used her perfectly manicured nails to grab hold of his bottom lip and pinched hard enough to draw blood and make Mingi whimper. “Figure out how to cook. Until you can make something edible, you’re not allowed to eat. Alphas who can’t provide for their pack don’t deserve to provide for themselves.”

With that, she let go of Mingi and stalked out of the kitchen. Mingi stayed kneeling on the cold tile for a few moments longer, trembling in the aftershocks of her abuse before pulling himself off of the floor and grabbing the broom to clean up the remnants of the ruined meal like he had been instructed as if on autopilot. 

It took him nearly three days to make a meal that Chungcha didn’t immediately dump over his head and Mingi, at that point, was literally shaking from hunger. He immediately went for one of the bread rolls upon her approval only of his hand to be smacked away in anger. 

“You don’t deserve to eat with us,” she hissed. “You can have the leftover scraps.”

So Mingi waited, back pressed against the cupboards as the tantalizing aroma of fried rice, kimchi, and pork tickled his senses. After the pack left the kitchen, stomachs full and conversing lightly between themselves, Mingi dove at the table, immediately stuffing the remaining bread roll in his mouth. He barely tasted the food as he scraped the bowls clean. 

Mingi was quick to clean up after himself, though, unwilling to incur any one person’s wrath by not keeping a clean house in favor of stuffing his face. 

He learned to tiptoe through the halls, living as though he were nothing more than a ghost in the desperate desire to be exactly what his pack needed of him. He quickly realized, however, that  his pack needed an outlet— a safe space where they could lash out in anger without consequence— so he stopped hiding all the time. As much as it hurt to be used as a literal punching bag whenever he so much as breathed too loudly, Mingi still craved to be useful to the pack and relished in the small amounts of physical touch he received, no matter how painful. 

In a sick way, Mingi looked forward to whenever Junghwa would punish him, knowing that at least he’d be touched in the process. Mingi had gotten good at cooking over the years, the beatings for messing up a good teacher, and he had a system to keeping the house clean and organized, not that the pack made it easy for him. Chungcha, especially, enjoyed making sure she made eye contact with Mingi right before she would slide something or other off of whatever flat surface it was on and spread the contents across the floor, usually breaking the container while she was at it. Chungcha reminded Mingi of a rather mischievous cat in that sense and he wondered if she just couldn’t help herself— like it was a compulsion. That thought made it a bit easier to clean up after her, not that he really believed it— Chungcha just enjoyed seeing Minigi beneath her. 

His laziness was usually what got him punished more times than not. Every day, before he left for work, Junghwa would give Mingi a list of chores to complete and for every task completed, he’d receive two more the following day until the list was so long that there was no physical way Mingi could finish it in the time provided. Junghwa also found a sick pleasure in spotting the smallest of imperfections in Mingi’s work and punishing him for it. It became a bit hopeless for Mingi, no matter what he did, it was never enough and yet he endured because this was his pack and he was an alpha, no matter how pathetic and useless, he still had a purpose. 

If Mingi were honest, the physical beatings weren’t typically what caused him the most pain, at least long term. Watching the pack interact with one another with gentle hands and soft words, openly loving each other while simultaneously hating Mingi for his existence, hurt the alpha so much more. Mingi wanted, more than anything, to love and be loved in return. For once— just once— Mingi wanted to know what it was like to just be enough. But he was lazy and useless and stupid, so of course no one wanted to give him affection— it made sense that they banned him from the pack nest, no one wanted rotting lemons in their bed. And it made sense that none of them wanted to hug him for that exact reason. 

But god did Mingi want to be loved like his packmates. So he continued trying and improving and prevailing despite the hopelessness that always seemed to linger in the corners of his consciousness. He wanted, more than anything, to be good enough. 

Which was how he ended up in the hospital. 

Mingi had always had a sensitive nose, even as an unpresented child, he could pick up on the slight upticks of presented adults around him. This caused problems, of course, as all things did with Mingi, when adults learned that he could smell the shift in their moods, calling him nosy and inconsiderate. 

Myunghee, one of his pack’s betas, had come home one afternoon wreaking of distress and sadness and Mingi, trying to be a good alpha, approached her in the hopes of comforting her. He received a sharp slap across the face for his efforts before Myunghee screamed at him to keep his nose to himself and stormed away. 

Junghwa came home less than half an hour later, looking furious as he grabbed a handful of Mingi’s hair in a painful grip. He dragged the baby alpha into the first floor bathroom and threw him to the ground, Mingi’s shoulder catching on the lid of the toilet on the way down, surely leaving a dark bruise in its wake. 

The pack alpha growled, sounding near-fearal in his rage. “Who do you think you are?” he hissed, reaching down to snag Mingi’s hair once more, inflaming his already sensitive scalp. “Myunghee’s business is none of your concern, you worthless runt.”

Mingi whimpered, eyes fluttering closed in a feeble show of submission in the hopes of appeasing Junghwa. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he cried. “She just smelled so sad and I wanted to— to help. I—”

“You smelled Myunghee?” Junghwa growled, shaking Mingi as he yanked open the cabinet underneath the sink with a ferocity that nearly pulled the door off of its hinges. “Fucking— worthless piece of shit. I’ll teach you to keep your nose to yourself.” 

He dropped Mingi in favor of unscrewing the cap on a bottle of floor cleaner before gripping the baby alpha even tighter and tilted his head back until Mingi thought he might break his neck from the strain. 

He cried, the sharp sting of chemicals much too close to his sensitive nose as Junghwa brought the bottle closer to his face. 

“Shut up,” the pack alpha hissed. “Take your punishment like an alpha for god's sake.”

The bottle hovered closer and Mingi, realizing what was about to happen, squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could, a litany of apologies spilling past his lips in an attempt to soothe his alpha’s wrath even as the cleaner was poured over his face. His head was thrust back impossibly further, allowing the chemicals to make their way into his nasal passage. 

Mingi choked, sputtering helplessly as the floor cleaner found its way into his mouth. He tried desperately not to swallow the liquid, coughing and gasping as the cleaner burned its way through his nasal passage and his throat, some of it even creeping into his eyes. 

The bottle emptied eventually and Junghwa dropped Mingi like he was made of hot coals, throwing the empty bottle at the baby alpha’s limp form before storming out of the bathroom. Mingi thought he might have heard Junghwa order him to clean up his mess though the pain from the cleaner was racking up fast and he found himself growing delirious as he laid helplessly on the floor. 

Some instinctive part of him knew that he couldn’t stay there— that if he did, he’d surely die— and he started to slowly crawl out of the bathroom, the house eerily quiet around him indicating that Junghwa must have taken the pack out for dinner while Mingi cleaned up the stench of cleaner.

Mingi barely remembered reaching the front door or reaching up to grasp desperately at the handle until he was able to pull it open and crawl out, leaving it ajar behind him. His chest burned, each breath more painful than the last and his eyes felt singed, he couldn’t see anything beyond blurry shapes, his fingers digging into the soft dirt as he pulled himself away from his home. The dirt turned to pavement and then there was a horrible screeching sound as a car skidded to a stop in front of him. 

There were hurried footsteps and a pair of frantic voices above him, talking rapidly to one another, or maybe they were talking to Mingi but he couldn’t focus enough to tell what they were saying. His head was lifted from the pavement, gently being settled in one of the stranger’s laps as their voice filtered in through his foggy brain. “Oh god,” the man gasped. “Hyung— those burns they’re—”

“Yeah,” the other stranger said, cutting off the younger man. “Keep his head still and don’t touch it. Is he breathing?”

“Barely,” the younger murmured. “Hyung—”

“The ambulance is on its way. He’ll be okay.”

Their voices faded off after that, or maybe Mingi just lost consciousness because the next thing he knew, he was in the back of an ambulance with a paramedic that looked more than a little green around the gills as he hooked the alpha up to his monitoring equipment. An oxygen mask went over his face, irritating Mingi’s raw skin around his mouth and making him whimper though he didn’t have the strength to remove the torture device. 

“You’re alright, sir,” the paramedic reassured. “We’re gonna take care of you. Just relax.”

Mingi must have lost consciousness after that because his next few memories came in flashes. He remembered the disorienting feeling of his bed underneath him jostling painfully and the flickering of fluorescent lights as they past by over his head, eyes blinking open and shut enough times that he could recognize blurry human-shaped blobs keeping time with him as he floated down a bright hallway. There was a prick of pain and then sweet, sweet relief as a numbness finally seemed to settle in and he was finally able to drop off completely. 

 

Mingi woke up in a hospital bed, the usually bright lights dim above his head. There were tubes all around his face and going down his throat, preventing him from making any noise but it was bringing him delicious oxygen to his aching lungs without him having to do the work himself so he didn’t fight it. Wires and thin injection lines dotted his hands and arms and chest, connecting him to monitors all around him that created the world’s most annoying beeping noise. Mingi wanted nothing more than to reach over and shut the machines up but he could barely twitch one of his fingers so he knew that he was a long ways away from being able to get rid of the annoyance. 

Besides the beeping, the room was eerily silent and something about it just felt... off. It took Mingi’s exhausted brain much too long to piece together that the room was missing the neutral air freshener scent with that subtle undercurrent of bleach that always permeated hospital rooms. He nearly panicked for a moment before reminding himself that he was connected to more tubes and monitors than he thought was possible and that they were probably covering up his sense of smell. And besides, his nasal passage still felt as though it were on fire. 

He shuddered, feeling phantom hands on his scalp when he remembered Alpha’s punishment. Mingi had never felt pain like that before and he wasn’t looking forward to Junghwa’s wrath when he discovered the hospital bill from this particular adventure. 

His musings were interrupted as the door opened and a small, blonde doctor stepped into the room. “Ah,” he chirped, smiling widely when he saw that Mingi was awake. “It’s good to see you up. I’m Doctor Yuta Nakamoto. You’ve been under my care for the last two days since you were admitted.” He stepped up to the side of the bed, checking Mingi’s vitals and making sure all of the wires were still connected. “We have you hooked up to a ventilator right now, so you won’t be able to talk, but now that you’re awake, we can hopefully switch you to a less invasive intubation.” 

Mingi could do little more than watch the doctor as worked around him, explaining how Mingi was found in the middle of the street of a residential area with severe chemical burns in his nose, mouth, and eyes which explained the burning and his blurred vision. 

Yuta called in a couple of nurses who helped him get Mingi propped up and removed the tube, much to the alpha’s relief. After checking a few more vitals on Mingi, the doctor handed him an ipad so that he could give the hospital his information. Mingi typed it in shakily, knowing that whatever Junghwa did to punish him for this hospital bill would be ten times worse than what landed him there in the first place. He almost thought about asking Yuta if they had to tell his alpha but he knew that was a dumb request so he chose not to say anything— not that he could really speak still, his throat raw and inflamed. The doctor had warned him that he wouldn’t be able to talk for a while— possibly a few weeks if he healed quickly. 

He pointed to his nose and then his eyes with a shaky hand, asking about the damages to those body parts as well. The doctor’s face turned sympathetic. 

“We’re not entirely sure,” he started. “The majority of the damage was in your nasal cavity. Your olfactory senses are most likely damaged permanently, though it’s too early to say for certain until you heal some more. Your eyes will heal in time, though you may have some permanent vision loss, it won’t be anything a prescription can’t fix.”

Mingi swallowed, wincing at the painful grating feeling at the motion. 

Permanent damage.

Junghwa had given him scars in the past but this... Mingi had never received a punishment this severe before. And if this was what Mingi got for invading his packmate’s privacy, Mingi didn’t want to even think how bad his punishment would be for the hospital bill. 

He shuddered at that thought, not looking forward to seeing Junghwa again. He flinched when the doctor gently cupped his cheeks to examine his face, the action startling him, especially since he couldn’t fully see the action coming. Yuta apologized for scaring him, his hands warm and gentle against his inflamed skin.

Just as he was finishing his examination, the door opened again, one of the nurses from earlier letting two men wearing dark suits into the room. Mingi couldn’t see much of them, beyond that they weren’t tall enough to be Junghwa which was enough of a relief that the alpha couldn’t really care enough to try to make out any more details of either of them. 

“Hello,” the one of the strangers greeted, stepping into the room completely as the nurse closed the door behind him. “I’m Lee Taemin,” he said. “And this is Officer Choi Seungcheol with Seoul PD. We have a few questions for you if you’re feeling up to it.”

Mingi frowned, glancing over to Yuta, unsure how to respond, especially since he couldn’t.

“My patient gave me his name,” the doctor started, handing his tablet over to Officer Choi who inputted the name into his own tablet. “The damages to his nose and throat prevent him from speaking and his eyesight is impaired so you’ll need to enlarge your screen’s keyboard for him to be able to see it.” He paused, glancing down at Mingi. “You can have five minutes. My patient needs to rest.”

Taemin nodded, stepping up to Mingi’s bedside, Officer Choi two steps behind him. “Of course,” Taemin stated, shooting Mingi a comforting smile. 

Up close, Mingi could make out the two newcomer’s features a bit more. They were both about the same height as his doctor. Taemin had long, dark hair that was put up in a neat bun on the top of his head while Officer Choi’s hair was shorter and slicked back. He had a large frown on his face as he pulled up Mingi’s information on his tablet. 

“Song Mingi?” He questioned, reading off of his tablet. “Born in 1999 on the ninth of August? Resident of Bangbae-dong? Is that you?”

Mingi nodded shakily, giving the officer a thumbs up, his hand never leaving the bedspread. 

Officer Choi seemed to frown, exchanging a meaningful look with Taemin that Mingi couldn’t decipher with his limited vision. “And are you a part of a pack, Mingi-ssi?” Mingi’s head bobbed weakly in the affirmative. “And they also live in Bangbae-dong with you?” Another nod. “Do you know who attacked you?”

Mingi frowned, unsure how to answer that at first. Taemin took Officer Choi’s tablet and brought it down to where Mingi could see the enlarged screen and still type on it with the hand not hooked up to the monitors. It was a slow process but eventually he got it out and dropped his hand back down to the bed weakly. 

Taemin took the tablet back, reading it aloud to the room. “ ‘Not attacked. Punished. Mingi-ssi— did your pack alpha punish you using chemicals?” Mingi gave the man another pained nod, this time catching the tensing of the man. “Okay,” he started, voice sounding a bit shaky in Mingi’s ears. “Mingi-ssi, I’m a social worker that specializes in abuse within pack hierarchies and relocating victims of abuse to safe environments. We have reason to believe that you have been mistreated by your pack.”

He shook his head, trying to dismiss the social worker’s declaration. Mingi reached for the tablet again, shakily tying out “Not abused. Punished,” only for Taemin to read it and say, “A punishment isn’t meant to harm, Mingi-ssi. And it should never land you in a hospital. This was an attack on you and if this is how your pack alpha doles out punishments then no one in your pack is safe.”

Mingi grabbed the tablet again, feeling unreasonably angry at Taemin for implying that Junghwa was harming his pack. “Just me,” he wrote, his arm feeling like a led weight was pulling it down with every twitch of his finger on the screen. “Only I’m punished. Bad.”

Officer Choi nodded. “I’ve got what I need,” he said, turning to face Taemin. “I’ll take Hongjoong with me to check out the residence while you take care of Mingi-ssi here. Doctor Nakamoto, can you email me your detailed report?”

The doctor nodded, stepping back up to the side of the bed as Officer Choi left. “Mingi-ssi needs to rest,” he declared. 

Taemin bowed, taking a step back. “I’ll come back in a bit to check on you, Mingi-ssi,” he said. “You’re safe now.”

Mingi felt the opposite of safe as Taemin left. They were saying that Junghwa abused him but Mingi was certain that was not the case and their accusations would only anger his alpha further. He was not looking forward to what Junghwa’s punishment would be when all of this was over. 

Doctor Nakamoto did something with the IV drip out of Mingi’s sight before the pain started to numb and the alpha’s eyes grew heavy. Whatever happened, Mingi decided, was out of his direct control, so he allowed the painkillers to do their job and succumbed to the sweet call of sleep.

Notes:

I hope you all are as pumped for this fic as I am. It's been in the works for a long time and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with everyone.

Please let me know what you guys thought of this first chapter. I appreciate each and every kind word or kudo you guys give me. Special thanks to my lovely Birdie for beta-ing this fic and being my cheerleader throughout its creation and to my beautiful Hana without whom this fic would not exist.

You can also follow me on twitter to keep up with what I'm posting and for sneak previews. :D

Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you all next Friday for the next chapter!

Chapter 2

Summary:

Mingi meets Taemin and everything isn't quite as hopeless as they seem in the moment.

Taemin loved his job— he did— but some days were understandably better than others. And some cases were harder than others. Song Mingi was an alpha, which in his profession, were usually the abusers instead of the victims. Alpha abuse wasn’t completely impossible but, typically, abused alphas were only found in omega cults, like Seungcheol’s packmate. Taemin had only ever encountered one other alpha that had needed relocation back when he had still been an intern and that alpha had been volatile and uncooperative, his trauma too great to trust anyone around him. He ended up being barred from joining a new pack when he landed one of the omegas of his foster pack in the hospital.

His mentor had assured him that this was normal when it came to abused alphas. Their instincts didn’t allow for them to process their trauma the same as betas and omegas and therefore typically became uncontrollably violent. It was sad to think about and even sadder to witness. Alphas deserved to be loved the same as any other dynamic. 

Looking at Mingi, Taemin didn’t want to see the same fate be bestowed upon this sweet, timid alpha. The boy had obviously been abused for a long time, especially considering the amount of nonchalance Mingi had towards his injuries and it made Taemin sick. 

The alpha was healing. Slowly. Doctor Nakamoto had emailed Taemin, Seungcheol, and Hongjoong a detailed report on Mingi’s overall health and there was no doubt in any of their minds that the poor alpha had been a victim of severe abuse and neglect for a very, very long time. 

He had asked about his alpha at first, not in a ‘where is he’ way but in a ‘is he coming’ way and Taemin had been careful to reassure Mingi that, yes, his alpha knew where he was and, no, his alpha was not coming to see him. When he informed the baby alpha of Junghwa’s arrest, the boy keened, hurting his already sore throat as he desperately tried to explain that Junghwa took care of their pack and that they needed him. 

Explaining to the alpha that Junghwa did not take care of his pack and that he had been arrested for his crimes had been difficult and Taemin didn’t think that Mingi fully understood why Junghwa had been arrested. Learning that the rest of the pack had been just as responsible for Mingi's abuse was disheartening, but no less shocking. It broke Taemin’s heart nonetheless, especially with how accepting Mingi was to the knowledge that none of his packmates wanted to see him. 

Seungcheol was furious after arresting the pack and seeing how Mingi had lived every day as nothing more than a slave to them. The boy had been banned from the pack bed and had had to make his own little nest on the floor of the laundry room without even a pillow. 

It was even worse when he found the bonding papers indicating that Mingi’s bond had been forged through a transaction rather than a standard mating. He was nothing more than a means to an end for both his bonded pack and his birth pack. 

Seungcheol was disgusted and wanted nothing more than to go back to that hospital and tuck the abused alpha in his arms— after dismembering each of the kid’s packmates, of course, he had told Taemin. Alas, he was an officer of the law and could not therefore do either. 

He did collect Mingi’s few precious belongings that had been squirreled away behind some laundry detergent, his scent embedded in the items indicating their owner, and got a backpack for them before dropping them off at the hospital for the alpha. Mingi’s eyes welled when Seungcheol handed him the backpack, delicately pulling the ragged stuffed wolf from the bag and bringing it up to his nose. 

The stuffed animal was missing one of its ears and the entirety of its underbelly was stained from years of handling, a patch around one of the front legs worn bare, but it was very clearly loved by the gentle alpha. Even with his limited sight, Mingi still found the plush with ease, resting the little dog’s head against his own. He released a soft, grating hum, his voice still very much on the mend. 

Seungcheol couldn’t stop the fond smile from spreading across his lips as he watched on. 

Mingi frowned after a moment, pressing his nose more insistently into the fur of the stuffed animal before he seemed to realize that he had an injured nose and couldn’t smell his own scent on his comfort item. He whined, swallowing around the wince the noise caused, and tucked the plush under his chin. 

Taemin was sitting in the chair next to the alpha’s bed, having been keeping the younger man company while he tried to find a good placement for him. He smiled, soft and sad, as he watched Mingi cradle the plushie. The poor boy was wrought with trauma and his path to healing was not going to be an easy one, that was for sure. 

The baby alpha fell asleep with the wolf tucked against his neck, one hand cradling its back to keep it close, and Seungcheol took that as a signal to leave, bowing to Taemin before quietly exiting the room. 

He was half way down the hall before the click of the door opening and closing sounded and he turned around in confusion only to be met with Taemin’s hurried steps making their way towards him. 

“Cheol-ah,” he called softly, conscious of the other patients on the floor around them. “I wanted to ask you something, though I’m pretty sure I know the answer.”

Seungcheol nodded his head in invitation, giving the elder the go-ahead. 

“Mingi needs special care— a lot of it,” he started. “And by someone who knows how to handle extreme trauma. I was wondering if you and your pack would be able to take him on, if only temporarily until he was a bit more stable.”

Seungcheol frowned, shaking his head sadly after a few moments of silence. “I’m sorry, hyung,” he started. “If I could take him, I would— in a heartbeat. You know I would. But Mingyu is still adjusting and I don’t want to do anything that could potentially set him back in his own recovery. An unpredictable alpha won’t help his healing and he won’t help Mingi either.”

Taemin nodded in understanding, shooting the officer a smile. “That’s alright, Seungcheol-ah. I figured that would be your answer but I thought I’d check with you first. You and your pack are skilled at helping trauma victims.”

The police officer nodded sadly. “We’re happy to be resources for you or his future foster family, should you need it,” he offered. “I genuinely wish I could bring him home with me. Jeonghannie would have a fit over how cute he is.”

The two chuckled at that, having both experienced Jeonghan’s extreme mothering tendencies, especially when it concerned the younger pack members.

“I will reach out if I need it, Seungcheol-ah,” Taemin said. “Thank you for all of your hard work. I’ll have the rest of his interview emailed over to you by tomorrow evening.”

“Take your time,” Seungcheol responded, shaking his head softly. “There was more than enough evidence at the residence to convict the entire pack and his family’s pack alpha. He won’t even need to stand trial, especially considering the circumstances. I don’t need anything until the week’s end so you don’t have to push for information right away. Give him some adjustment time and reassurances that he’s safe now.” He paused, seeming to contemplate his next words carefully. “It’s very likely that Mingi will attach himself to the first beta or omega that shows him kindness. I don’t know how that attachment might differ with his lack of a sense of smell but just be ready to have an overgrown puppy very dependent on you, hyung.”

Taemin nodded sadly, glancing back at the alpha’s room. “He’s a sweet kid,” he murmured. “If I could take him home with me I would but my pack’s lifestyle isn’t what he needs. We’ll find him a home,” he promised, both to himself and Seungcheol. “He deserves some happiness in his life.”

“We’ll make sure of it, hyung,” the younger man promised. 

 

Mingi got his sight back slowly. He still had blurred vision from time to time but each day was better than the day before. His vocal chords were still painfully inflamed, but Mingi could get out single word answers now which was a relief to be able to communicate with something other than a pen and paper, his hands shaking more often than not made it difficult to write. 

His nose had not healed at all and Doctor Nakamoto warned him that it most likely wouldn’t. That news hit Mingi like a freight train. When the doctor had told him that initially, he had held out hope that he could be a medical miracle and that he’d regain at least some of his smell, he had had hope. Now, nearly a month into his stay at the hospital, Mingi had to face the fact that he would never be able to smell again. 

He brought his stuffed wolf up to his nose, rubbing it against the worn fur of its head, an old habit from childhood that he’d never be able to break. Mingi had been nervous, at first, to show his vulnerability towards the plush in front of Taemin, but the beta had been nothing but gentle smiles and fond affirmations that had soothed him beyond words. 

Taemin had promised to find him a safe place once he was healed enough to leave the hospital, that he was safe with him and Mingi believed him. The older man had the most honest eyes he had ever seen and even without being able to smell Taemin’s scent, Mingi trusted his words to be true. 

They were leaving the hospital today, Taemin was outside of the room with Doctor Nakamoto while Mingi was supposed to be packing his few belongings back into the bag Officer Choi had gifted him. He had a few outfits that had been salvaged from his pack house and he had carefully tucked them into the bag. 

His wolf, however, was a different story. 

Now that he had it back, and Taemin had assured him that no one would take the stuffie from him, Mingi had a hard time putting it down. He cradled it in his arms over the bag, not wanting to lock it away but also not wanting to risk it out in the open when they got to wherever Taemin was taking him. He heard the social worker outside of the door now, his voice clearer the closer he got. 

Reluctantly, Mingi tucked his wolf in the backpack before covering it with a sweatshirt Officer Choi had gifted him the week prior. 

“Ready to go?” Taemin asked cheerfully as he opened the door. 

Mingi nodded, getting off of the bed shakily and padding over to the social worker with his backpack hugged tightly to his chest. Taemin offered the young alpha a hand that Mingi took gratefully as they exited the hospital together. 

 

Three months later, Taemin was running out of options. He felt horrible and he couldn’t imagine the hopelessness Mingi must have been feeling after months of being rejected from one foster home after another. They all said the same thing: that he was a sweet boy who didn’t say much and kept to himself. He was attentive with the omegas, though weary and twitchy whenever an alpha walked in on him helping one of their packmates. More than a few times, Mingi had been getting something off of a high shelf for one of his foster packmates and had flinched so severely that he dropped the item when one of the alphas had entered the room which led to more than a few minor injuries from glass shards. 

Taemin knew that placing an alpha would be difficult, but he had had no clue how hard it truly would be until he had seen first hand how many foster packs had outright denied Mingi before they had even met the gentle giant simply on his presentation alone. More still had denied him upon seeing his large imposing frame standing awkwardly behind Taemin and those that had taken him in had inevitably sent him away when they learned that they were not cut out to handle an abused alpha’s trauma. 

Mingi was heartbroken to say the least. The latest foster family had been the most promising, doing well with the alpha for nearly a month and handling his ups and downs perfectly until one of their betas had taken his plushie and washed it. One of the front legs had ripped off in the machine and Mingi had been distraught when the beta had presented it to him, promising to buy him a new one to replace it. 

The alpha refused, growing more and more distressed until the pack alpha called Taemin. 

The second the social worker arrived, Mingi clung onto him, begging to leave as he clutched the two pieces of his stuffie to his chest. Taemin tried to help calm him down but when the pack alpha suggested that maybe Mingi wasn’t the right fit for them, the social worker had to admit defeat and helped the poor alpha collect his meager belongings and ushered him into his car. 

Mingi grew silent as Taemin drove, the elder wracking his brain to where he would take the alpha now. It was clear that the stuffed animal was more than just a childhood comfort item and Mingi was devastated at the loss, stroking the still-wet fur on top of the dog’s head mournfully. 

He made a split second decision and turned towards his own home, hoping that his packmates wouldn’t mind their guest while he tried to find Mingi a new home while also giving him a safe place to decompress. 

“Don’t want to,” Mingi mumbled when the car stopped in front of a modest two story home. “No more.”

Taemin sighed sadly, wanting nothing more than to collect this sweet alpha in his arms and protect him from all of the bad in the world. “We’re at my home,” he explained softly. “You’re going to stay with me for a few days if you want. I think a break is in order, don’t you?”

That was enough to make Mingi look up at the elder in shock, eyes wide with hope as he carefully nodded his head. “Please?”

The social worker nodded, opening his door and exiting the vehicle. Mingi scrambled to follow, nearly tripping over his feet in his haste to get out of the car. Taemin caught him, helping steady him before leading him up to the front door. Mingi was pressed against his back as they entered, kicking off his shoes clumsily in a desperate attempt to stick to the elder like glue. 

“I’m home,” Taemin called into the house. “And I brought a guest.”

Kibum rounded the door to the kitchen a few seconds later, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he smiled warmly at the two. “Perfect timing, Tae-ah,” he said. “I just finished dinner. The others are upstairs. My name is Kim Kibum, it’s nice to meet you.”

“This is Song Mingi,” Taemin announced nervously. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to bring home a foster for a few hours or days while he tried to find a placement for them, but it was the first time he brought home an alpha foster. “He’s going to stay with us for a few days while we take a break.”

The elder beta nodded his head in understanding, smile warming even more as he ushered Mingi towards the dining table. “Welcome, Mingi-ssi,” he said softly. “I hope you’re hungry because I made enough to feed an army.”

Taemin chuckled, quick to slide up next to Mingi when the alpha glanced back at him in a nervous panic. “And that’s different from any other day, how, hyung?” he teased.

Kibum rolled his eyes goodnaturedly before motioning towards Mingi’s backpack and the stuffed animal still clutched to his chest. “Do you want to put your things in the guest room before we eat?” he asked, careful not to phrase it like an order. 

Mingi glanced over at Taemin before shaking his head and clinging onto the stuffed animal tighter. 

“That’s alright,” Kibum soothed. “You can just set your bag under the table, Mingi-ssi.”

The baby alpha did as he was told, sitting at the table stiffly, his wolf still cradled protectively against his chest, especially once the rest of Taemin’s pack entered. They came in cautiously, clearly smelling the strong scent of distressed alpha. 

“Hello,” the shortest of the pack members greeted, sliding into the seat across from Taemin easily. “I’m Jonghyun.”

Taemin nudged Mingi gently after it was clear the younger wasn’t sure how to respond, making the alpha jerk in surprise before glancing over at the social worker. The elder nodded his head towards Jonghyun who was waiting patiently for Mingi to respond. 

“Ah— Min— Mingi,” the alpha stuttered, glancing over at Taemin for approval before ducking his head to avoid eye contact with any of the pack.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mingi-ssi,” Jonghyun responded, undeterred by the alpha’s hesitancy. 

The other two introduced themselves as well before they all settled down around the table and began to eat. Kibum took the seat on the other side of Mingi, helping the baby alpha collect his food since he was still holding the stuffed animal with one hand. 

Mingi ate slowly, still unsure about being in Taemin’s home even if he trusted Taemin. The plush eventually found its way to his lap, the pieces settling between his legs while he used both hands to eat. 

“Oh dear,” Kibum declared softly as their dinner was dying down. “Your friend looks like he’s been in an accident.” 

The alpha’s hand found its way to the wolf, concealing it from view as much as he could. 

“I could fix him up for you,” he offered, keeping his voice bright and open, not pushing the younger for an answer. “I know how to sew and I’m pretty sure we have an old pillow I can use to replace some of your friend’s stuffing— he’s looking a little flat.”

Mingi glanced down at it sadly, noting that the wolf had lost a lot of its filling in its unwilling adventure through the washing machine. 

“Hyung is really good at sewing,” Taemin added gently. “And you can stay with them while he fixes it up. Your wolf won’t leave your sight.”

Kibum nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll take good care of him,” he assured. “And you can watch. How does that sound, pup?”

Mingi sat frozen for a few moments, looking between Taemin and Kibum in uncertainty. Slowly, his head started to bob up and down in hesitant agreement, pulling small, sad smiles from the two older betas. 

“Excellent,” Kibum declared softly. “Would you like for me to do it now?” Mingi nodded again and Kibum stood up, gently offering his hand to the young alpha. 

Mingi took it hesitantly, one hand pulling the stuffie up to his chest nervously, before following Kibum out of the room. Taemin followed, shooting the rest of his pack a thumbs up as the three of them exited. 

Kibum led Mingi up to a cozy-looking office overlooking the backyard that was filled to the brim with books and art supplies, sitting in a chaotic organization that made Mingi shudder just a bit. “This is our catch-all room,” the beta explained as he cleared off the couch and motioned for Mingi and Taemin to sit down while he started to dig around in the closet. “One day it’ll actually stay organized for more than a week. But until then... aha— found it.” The beta pulled out a small travel sewing kit and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa before snagging an old, worn-out pillow none of them used anymore from one of the higher shelves. He came back, settling on the floor in front of the table and turned his body slightly so that he was facing Mingi. “Can I see the patient Mingi-ssi?” he asked, holding out his hand, palm up, for the stuffie. 

The alpha’s hand shook as he placed first the wolf and then its leg into the beta’s hand. Kibum shot him a proud smile before turning back to the make-shift operating table and placing the damp plush down as though it were made of glass. He moved delicately as he cut open the pillow and began restuffing the plushie, very conscious of the tensed, nervous alpha at his back. 

He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a very hesitant chin drop onto his shoulder as he was threading the needle, only just suppressing his reaction in order to not spook the baby alpha who had moved to press behind him and watch his progress over his shoulder. Kibum was careful to explain in soft, comforting tones what he was doing to the stuffed animal before the action and Mingi seemed to appreciate the gesture, his head slowly tilting until his hair was brushing the elder’s cheek.

The whole process took a little more than half an hour and by the end of it, Kibum had a lanky mess of an alpha completely draped over his back and nuzzled into his neck. Taemin was still sitting back on the couch watching the interaction fondly and more than a bit sadly. He would have kept Mingi in a heartbeat if he could have but he and his pack weren’t capable of giving the alpha what he needed. 

They were considered a platonic pack by society and the government and could therefore not take in a foster even if their lifestyles weren’t all over the place. In order to be classified as ‘pack’ there needed to be an alpha, beta, and omega; anything with a missing dynamic was considered a partial pack, in the case of only missing one dynamic, or a platonic pack, wherein there was only one dynamic in the pack.

Even if Taemin could take him in, he wouldn’t because as much as he cared for Mingi, he knew that the baby alpha needed other alphas and omegas to help him heal and learn how to interact with others properly. And while he and his packmates could be caring and attentive, they weren’t what was right for Mingi. Not to mention the fact that three out of five of them traveled for work quite regularly and wouldn’t be able to be home to help with the healing process. 

Taemin just hoped that he could find someone willing and able to take Mingi in soon— someone who could handle the alpha’s special needs and didn’t throw in the towel when things got difficult. 

Until then, Taemin hoped that Mingi could relax in his home with his packmates and have a small reprieve on his journey.

Notes:

Please let me know what you guys thought. I appreciate each and every kind word or kudo you guys give me. Special thanks to my lovely Birdie for beta-ing this fic and being my cheerleader throughout its creation and to my beautiful Hana without whom this fic would not exist.

You can also follow me on twitter to keep up with what I'm posting and for sneak previews. :D

Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you all next Friday for the next chapter!

Chapter 3

Summary:

Mingi settles in with the Shinee pack and meets some new faces in the grocery store.

Mingi settled in well with Taemin and his pack over the following days. Kibum’s act of fixing the baby alpha’s plush had sealed his fate as Mingi’s favorite of the hyungs. The only reason Taemin wasn’t pouting about that fact was because he was busy trying to find another foster pack to take the alpha before Mingi was assigned to another social worker or was classified as unplaceable by his supervisors. 

Currently, he was tucked away in his office, tied up between emails and phone calls and cross-referencing packs, while Kibum and Minho were downstairs with Mingi. Taemin was interrupted by a knock at his door before Kibum opened it and peeked his head in. 

“Mingi-yah and I are going to get groceries,” he said. “Minho has to go to Busan tonight so he’s taking a nap before he has to leave.”

Taemin nodded, shooting the elder a smile. “Okay, hyung.”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “You’re coming with us,” he declared fondly. “You need a break and Mingi-yah misses you, too.”

Taemin tensed in shock, finally noticing Mingi’s hunched over frame hiding behind Kibum’s smaller one. “Oh,” he murmured, closing his laptop on autopilot at the sight of the alpha’s sad puppy dog eyes. “Yeah, I, uh— I could use a break.” The beta stood up from his desk, making his way around and towards the office door where the other two were waiting. 

Mingi lit up like a christmas tree, his expression doing a complete one-eighty. The grip he had on Kibum’s arm tightened marginally as Taemin neared until he was close enough for the alpha to switch his hold to the younger beta, threading their fingers together. 

“Hi, Mingi-yah,” Taemin cooed, gently brushing the alpha’s bangs back from his forehead as the younger melted into his touch. 

“Hyung,” the alpha mumbled, eyelids fluttering closed at the elder’s ministrations. “You’re... will you come with us?”

Taemin smiled, unable to deny the baby alpha of anything, especially when he found the ability to ask for something he wanted. “Of course, Mingi-yah,” he replied. “I think we should get some ice cream for after dinner, what do you think?”

Mingi nodded his head excitedly, tugging Taemin out of the room gently as they made their way downstairs. Kibum followed after, laughing brightly at their little maknae and his rare bout of assertive excitement. 

 

Taemin and Kibum had left Mingi in front of the ice cream to pick flavors for the pack while they got some other essentials a few aisles over. It was a very big decision and, though both of his hyungs had reassured him that no matter what he chose the pack would love it, he still stood nervously in front of the doors and examined each carton carefully. It was an important decision— and the first one he got to make for the pack— and he wanted to make sure that he did the best he possibly could. 

Mingi was well aware that he couldn’t stay with Taemin and his pack for forever, but he wanted to be the best alpha he could possibly be while he was in their care. 

He was reading the description of the mint chocolate carton when his dead nose picked up the faintest scent of spicy curry. The alpha tensed, trying to peer out of the corner of his eyes without moving his head, afraid that if Junghwa was in the grocery store with him, he didn’t want his ex-pack alpha to know that he knew. 

Junghwa was probably there to punish Mingi. Going to the hospital, sharing pack secrets, getting him arrested and running away to foster packs in order to avoid him; Mingi had a lot to be punished for. 

He whimpered, the scent leaving his nose as quickly as it had come but the feeling of terror still holding tight to his limbs. There was an audible thud, muffled by the blood rushing in his ears, and the coldness of the ice cream container slowly leaving his fingertips. Mingi dropped to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. He whimpered, tucking his head against his knees as he plugged his nose with the hand not protecting the back of his head. 

Mingi didn’t want Junghwa to hurt him again. Living away from him and the pack for the last three months have made him not want to have to ever see them.

Why was it getting so hard to breathe? Where had all the air gone? Mingi didn’t understand why he felt so nauseous. And... Why was he so cold? Mingi’s breath caught in his throat as he released another pained whine against his will. Junghwa hated when he whined and he knew that the noise would only make his punishment worse but he couldn’t stop the sound from escaping his lips and he flinched, expecting the slap that usually followed. 

Instead, he felt a large hand fall gently between his shoulder blades. He flinched again, jerking so hard that the hand disappeared and he crashed against the freezer door. The hand returned insistently though, moving slowly up and down his vertebrae as though he was being consoled. But that couldn’t be right. Junghwa never comforted Mingi, nor anyone else in his old pack for that matter, and Taemin and his pack always backed away whenever he flinched. 

Mingi didn’t lean away from the hand a second time once he realized that the hand wasn’t going to hurt him. Soon a soft soothing voice sounded, not that Mingi could make out what, exactly, was being said, but the voice relaxed every single one of his muscles until he was sagging heavily against a broad, firm chest. The hand moved to encompass him and tuck him closer to the chest and Mingi, on instinct, tucked his nose to the other’s neck. Another hand came up to card through his hair as he started to be able to make out the comforting reassurances being said to him. 

The scent of Junghwa had dissipated the longer this stranger held him until Mingi was convinced that he imagined the whole thing. 

“What’s this?” Another voice asked from somewhere above him. 

Mingi growled, feeling oddly territorial over his protector, and wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist, tucking them more closely together. Instead of pulling away like others had always done in the past, this stranger returned the embrace, his nose dragging through Mingi’s hair in an obvious scenting that made Mingi swallow down the preening whine that threatened to bubble past his lips at such an obvious display of affection directed towards him.  

“He was panicking, hyung,” his protector replied, his voice rumbling pleasingly in Mingi’s ear as he nuzzled against him. “I don’t know where his pack is.”

“It’s okay, Yunho-yah,” the other reassured. “You did the right thing. He looks much more calm now. Are you back with us, sir?” 

Mingi shifted when the hand on his head started to pull away, drawing a low, needy whine from his throat as he pushed his head towards the hand. His protector chuckled from above him, returning his hand to continue his gentle ministrations. “Can you tell us your name, cutie?” he cooed, nosing against the shell of Mingi’s ear. 

Mingi just whined, pressing his cheek against the other’s collarbone insistently. 

“Mingi-yah?” Taemin called, making his way down the aisle hurriedly. “What happened?”

“Taemin-ssi?” the other voice called. “He’s yours?”

Taemin sighed. “Hongjoong,” he breathed. “Thank god you were the one to find him. What— is he alright?”

“He doesn’t look hurt,” Hongjoong replied. “Yunho-yah is the one that actually found him. He hasn’t responded to us yet though.”

The social worker crouched down next to the duo on the floor, careful to make noise as he went so that Mingi knew he was coming. “Mingi-yah,” he cooed. “Can you look at hyung, please?”

Mingi rolled his head on Yunho’s chest so that he could make eye contact with Taemin without losing contact with his very comfortable pillow, blinking at the elder slowly. 

“There you are,” he murmured. “What happened, honey? Are you hurt?”

The alpha shook his head, frowning as he tried to piece together how to explain what happened to him. “Smelled Alpha,” he mumbled, mouth half buried in the collar of Yunho’s shirt. “Got scared.”

“You smelled Junghwa?” Taemin asked hesitantly, hating how the sweet baby alpha was trembling like a leaf at the mention of his abuser’s name. At Mingi’s nod, Taemin’s expression grew sad. “Junghwa can’t hurt you anymore, sweetie,” he murmured. “He’s in jail, Mingi-yah. I promise— he wasn’t here. You’re safe.”

Mingi shook his head, pressing his face back into Yunho’s chest completely. “Smelled him. Not safe.”

Yunho trilled softly, nuzzling against Mingi’s hair again. “I’ve got you, Mingi-yah,” he soothed, releasing some of his scent in the hopes of comforting the alpha. “You’re safe with me, yeah? I won’t let this Junghwa person touch you.”

Taemin nodded, gently reaching forward to cup Mingi’s cheek for a moment before standing up again and taking a step back as he watched the two younger boys melt into one another. 

“I didn’t know you were expanding your pack, Taemin-ssi,” Hongjoong murmured, too soft for either of the younger boys to hear him though his eyes were glued to the trembling alpha being cradled by his packmate. 

“I’m not,” Taemin whispered. “This is Song Mingi, I believe you helped Seungcheol with his ex-pack’s house a few months ago.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in recognition as he nodded, case details and evidence photos flooding into the forefront of his memory.

“Hyung,” Yunho interrupted, bringing the three older mens’ attention back to the two still on the floor of the supermarket. “We’re keeping him,” he stated firmly, his hand threading through Mingi’s hair as he tucked the alpha closer to his scent gland again. 

“Baby,” Hongjoong sighed sadly, crouching down slowly to not startle Mingi. “He’s already got a pack looking after him.”

“Actually,” Taemin started, tentative hope slowly welling in his chest. “He doesn’t. I’ve been trying to find a foster home that can tend to his needs.” He motioned towards Hongjoong, pulling the alpha back from the younger two and out of hearing rage.

“Shouldn’t he have gotten a foster pack by now?” Hongjoong asked urgently, looking more than a little horrified at the idea that Mingi had been packless this whole time. 

“He’s had many,” Taemin admitted. “No one is equipped to handle a traumatized alpha. I’m afraid all I’ve been doing is giving him more trauma from the constant rejection from potential foster packs.”

Hongjoong swore, his hands coming up to comb through his hair forcefully. “How— He doesn’t seem aggressive though?”

“He’s not— not usually,” Taemin said. “He gets protective of omegas when he feels in danger but no more than a newly presented alpha would be. He’s a good kid— but he’s quiet, and terrified of everything and doesn’t always act like an alpha, which throws a lot of people off. But no one wants to look past the ‘traumatized’ to see the sweet boy underneath.”

The alpha glanced down the aisle where Kibum had appeared and moved to crouch down next to the younger two to hold one of Mingi’s hands much to Yunho’s obvious displeasure, the omega digging his nose further into the alpha’s cheek, not that Mingi seemed to be uncomfortable with the excessive manhandling. 

“They’re going to classify him as unplaceable if I don’t find him a permanent home soon,” Taemin continued morosely. “If I could keep him, I would, but...”

“Your pack isn’t what he needs,” Hongjoong finished, avoiding mentioning the touchy subject of the beta’s pack not being classified as ‘real.’ 

Taemin nodded, glancing back at Mingi again. “He’s so good,” he said again. “He just needs more attention than most alphas.”

Hongjoong hummed thoughtfully. “You know.... I have my fostering license too. And Yunho has obviously attached himself to Mingi-yah already... Let me call Seonghwa?” he bartered. “I don’t like doing anything without the pack’s full consent. I know they’ll agree to take him in, but still.”

“Of course,” Taemin breathed, visibly sagging in relief. “You are a lifesaver, Hongjoong-ah. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he chuckled. “I just hope we can help him.”

 

Mingi was still a shaking mess by the time they returned to Taemin’s home. Yunho had invited himself along with them, situating himself in the backseat with the alpha and tucking the man against his chest with a stern, “I’m not leaving him,” to Hongjoong. 

His alpha allowed it easily, trusting Taemin to look after Yunho while he followed behind in his own car. Hongjoong had needed the moment anyway to call Seonghwa and make sure their pack was up to fostering an alpha without Yunho’s biased opinion influencing their decision. 

“Pretty sure Yunho’s imprinted on the kid,” Hongjoong revealed. 

“An alpha though?” Seonghwa reiterated. “An abused alpha? Are we— what should we expect?”

Hongjoong sucked in a deep breath. “Are you saying yes?”

He could practically feel the omega’s eyes rolling through the phone. “Well we’re certainly not going to abandon the poor thing, now are we? Especially since Yunho’s claimed him. He’ll come home and we’ll make it work. Just... a little heads up on what’s walking into our home would be appreciated.”

Hongjoong nodded, flicking on his blinker and following Taemin onto the highway. “From what I remember of his case file, he was from a traditional bloodline and was traded into his bonded pack for alliances. He was severely abused and neglected and was found in the middle of the street covered in chemical burns. It was a punishment for looking at one of his packmates, I believe, though it could have been something else equally as inane. All I know is that there was absolutely no reason for him to have been hurt so severely.” 

He could hear Seonghwa growling through the receiver, a quieter, but no less fierce, growl echoing from the rest of his pack who were listening in on the call. “Hyung,” Jongho hissed. Hongjoong had no doubt that his youngest beta was cradling Seonghwa between his legs with his chin on the elder’s shoulder as he listened. Their youngest was more than a little addicted to their pack omega’s sweet peach scent. “Hyung— how could— chemical burns? For... looking at a— a packmate?”

“It’s not right, Jongho-yah,” Hongjoong placated. “He didn’t deserve anything that’s happened to him and he’s got a lot of scars— physical and mental— that we’re going to have to be prepared to work through.”

“He’s had a lot of homes?” Seonghwa asked. 

Hongjoong sighed sadly, watching through the rear window of Taemin’s car as Yunho’s head nuzzled against Mingi’s affectionately. “We’re his last hope,” he admitted. “If we can’t take care of him, they’ll classify him as unplaceable.”

“That’s bad though,” San cried out. “Like really bad! He’d— why would they abandon him like that? Hasn’t he suffered enough?”

“That’s why he’s coming here,” Seonghwa soothed, his voice sounding further away from the phone as he, undoubtedly, tugged his fellow omega into a tight embrace. “We’ll take care of him,” he said. “Mingi will learn what a pack is supposed to be with us.”

Hongjoong breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he doubted his pack, but taking on an abused alpha was a huge undertaking and not for the faint of heart. For his pack to instantly be so willing to accept Mingi into their home was amazing and made Hongjoong so incredibly proud. 

“There’s one other thing that you should know,” he said, pulling off of the highway and into a quaint residential area. “The chemical burns— they destroyed his sense of smell. Permanently.” 

Silence met the alpha’s ear; so long that Hongjoong actually pulled the cell phone away from his ear to make sure that the call hadn’t disconnected. 

“He also has some long term vision impairment,” he continued. “But he’s mostly healed from that as well as he can be. We can go through his file together after we get him settled and in bed tonight, but those are the things I can remember.” 

He pulled up to a cute two story home, watching as Taeming and Kibum gently herded the two younger boys out of the car. 

“We’re at Taemin-ssi’s,” he said. “I’ve got to go but we’ll be home soon.”

“Take care of them, Alpha. Love you,” Seonghwa replied in farewell before hanging up the phone and allowing Hongjoong to join the others outside.

 

Yunho was still latched onto Mingi when Hongjoong entered the house. They were standing in the entryway with Taemin, his omega petting the baby hairs on the nape of Mingi’s neck. Hongjoong smiled at the two. “Do you want help getting your things, Mingi-yah?”

Mingi shook his head, though the hand around Yunho’s wrist tightened marginally. 

“Why don’t you take Yunho with you, Mingi-yah,” Taemin suggested softly. “Hongjoong-ah needs to sign some paperwork before you can leave with him.”

The omega nodded, gently nudging Mingi further into the house to get him moving. “It’s gonna be alright,” he cooed. “I’ll help you.” He guided the alpha up the stairs while Hongjoong and Taemin made their way to the elder’s office.

“You really are a lifesaver, Joong-ah,” Taemin disclosed, grabbing Mingi’s file from this desk.

“I’m glad we stumbled on you guys,” the younger social worker confessed. “Mingi doesn’t deserve to be shuffled around like this. I hope we can be his last pack until he’s ready to be on his own.”

Taemin snorted, handing over the guardianship papers for Hongjoong to sign. “You think that little omega of yours is going to let Mingi-yah go?” he teased. “I can recognize an imprint when I see one. They’re not going to separate easily.”

The younger smiled, handing back the signed papers. “One can only hope,” he murmured. “Yunho-yah tends to fall hard and fast. It’d be difficult for him if Mingi-yah chooses to break off with us down the line.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” Taemin teased as they made their way back out to the living room where Yunho had Mingi tucked against his chest, a small backpack sitting at their feet. Kibum was on the couch, watching the two younger boys fondly. “Mingi-yah?” he called, bringing attention to their return.

The alpha’s head shot up, untangling himself reluctantly from Yunho to make his way across the room to Taemin. 

“You got everything?” 

Mingi nodded, glancing back to where Yunho had migrated over to Hongjoong’s side, the younger alpha’s backpack hanging from his hand. 

“Hongjoong-ah is a good friend, Mingi-yah,” Taemin soothed. “And he’s a social worker, like me. You’ll be safe with him and I’ll be checking up with you, Mingi. I’m not leaving you alone.”

 

The drive home was tense, and just a tad awkward. Hongjoong kept glancing into his rear view mirror every few seconds to check up on the alpha tucked snugly under Yunho’s chin, his body taut with anxiety the further they got from Taemin though he still leaned heavily against his mate. 

Yunho, the incredible omega that he was, spent the entire trip petting Mingi’s hair and murmuring softly to him, crisp autumn apples nearly suffocatingly thick in the confined space as he pushed out reassurances through his scent. The omega knew that Mingi couldn’t smell it, having gotten a cliffs notes version of Mingi’s file while the alpha had gone to the bathroom before they left, but releasing his scent was still instinctual and Mingi’s alpha responded to him all the same. 

It worked to soothe Hongjoong’s frayed nerves too, the idea of inviting an unknown into not only his home but also his pack made him grit his teeth. Realistically, he knew that Mingi was a good person; Taemin wouldn’t have tried so hard to get the alpha into a good home otherwise— wouldn’t have encouraged Hongjoong to take Mingi home if he didn’t think that he would be a good fit. Hongjoong’s alpha was just a bit territorial at first. 

Glancing back at the younger alpha in the rear view, though, Hongjoong felt his mind settle as quickly as it had acted up when he caught sight of Yunho’s contented expression looking back at him, his nose buried in the alpha’s hair. 

By the time they arrived back at the house, Mingi was much less tense though there was still a taut line to his shoulders as Yunho helped him from the car. He clutched his backpack to his chest, Hongjoong grabbing the small duffel bag from the trunk before joining them at the front of the car. 

“Home, sweet home,” Hongjoong declared cheerfully, one hand coming up to gently lead Mingi up the stairs by his lower back. 

Seonghwa opened the door, beaming at the three of them. Hongjoong could smell the nervousness radiating off of him but his omega didn’t let anything show through his welcoming, hostess mask. “Hello,” he greeted, stepping out to invite Mingi in. “I’m Seonghwa. You must be Mingi. Welcome to our home.”

Mingi bit his lip, shuffling to hide behind Yunho slightly, which pulled an endeared smile onto Seonghwa’s lips. “Nice— nice to meet you,” he mumbled, feeling Yunho wrap his arm around his waist and tug him into his side, giving him an encouraging squeeze. 

“Come in, sweetheart,” Seonghwa cooed, guiding them inside. 

Yunho kept his arm around Mingi, feeling the tenseness under Mingi’s sweatshirt. They got their shoes off and Hongjoong set the duffel bag on the floor out of the way just in time for the rest of his pack to come in, crowding around just inside the door as they examined Mingi. 

Hongjoong introduced them all to Mingi, keeping one hand on the younger alpha’s shoulders to reassure him that he wasn’t alone as his boisterous pack greeted him. The boys were much more reserved than usual and Hongjoong reminded himself to thank Seonghwa later for reeling them in before they got home. 

Seonghwa, the blessing of a pack omega that he was, stepped forward once introductions were done to grab the discarded duffel and wrap a dainty hand around Mingi’s wrist. “Would you like a tour?” he asked. “And get settled in your room before dinner?” Mingi nodded, leaning into Yunho’s side as Seonghwa led them out of the room. “I’ve got chicken ordered, Joongie,” the omega called. “Should be here in twenty minutes.”

Hongjoong nodded, giving him a soft peck before they got too far away in thanks.

“He smells sour, hyung,” Jongho stated quietly, frowning at the alpha’s back as he watched them disappear. “Like someone forgot to add sugar to their lemonade. It’s not right.”

“It isn’t,” Hongjoong admitted, stepping over to wrap his arms around his maknae’s waist. “I don’t imagine that’s his true scent either. He’s been very scared and very hurt for a very long time and his scent is going to reflect that for a while.”

San grinned softly, looking up at the empty staircase fondly. “It’s our job to add the sugar,” he declared excitedly. “We’re the ones that are gonna sweeten him up again, right, hyung?”

Hongjoong smiled proudly, nodding his head at his omega. “That we are,” he agreed. “Mingi-yah won’t be sour forever. He just needs a little time, patience, and love.”

Notes:

Whelp! Mingi has a new home!! Gee, I hope nothing bad happens! :D

Please let me know what you guys thought. I appreciate each and every kind word or kudo you guys give me. Special thanks to my lovely Birdie for beta-ing this fic and being my cheerleader throughout its creation and to my beautiful Hana without whom this fic would not exist.

You can also follow me on twitter to keep up with what I'm posting and for sneak previews. :D

Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you all next Friday for the next chapter!

Chapter 4

Notes:

Before you read, just a reminder to be aware of the tags. This is the first chapter that the 'self-harm' tag will come in.

Please take care of yourselves. <3

Mingi spent his first night with Yunho, the omega not ready to leave the alpha alone when he still smelled so distressed and sad and Mingi not ready to part from the comfort the omega was giving him. Mingi melted under each touch like a starved man presented with a feast, making Yunho preen. 

He didn’t get much sleep that night though. New sounds and textures and not to mention the warmth of Yunho’s body next to his startled him awake every few hours but he still, surprisingly, felt rested enough to push on with his day when morning came. 

Yunho, though, did not seem to share that sentiment, curling against his side and nosing into Mingi’s shoulder as he mumbled lazily about getting to know the alpha. They shared a relaxed round of twenty questions, though twenty quickly turned into ten when Yunho realized that Mingi didn’t know much about himself and trying to answer simple questions like what his favorite ice cream was or his favorite color sent a spike of sour lemons into the air that quickly quelled the fun— not that he let Mingi know the reasoning, however, instead claiming hunger and dragging a sleep-rumpled alpha down to the kitchen. 

The first night Mingi spent alone, nearly a week later, was surreal. He felt disconnected as he stood alone in the middle of his room for the first time, unsure what to do with all of the space. He glanced at his duffel bag, still sitting on the top of the dresser that he had set it on his first night. He still wasn’t sure if he should unpack; the pack seemed nice enough but would they really want to keep him around long enough for him to settle in? None of his previous packs had and Mingi was tired of getting his hopes up only to be crushed when he inevitably screwed up and Taemin came to collect him. 

He wanted to just stay with Taemin and his pack— didn’t understand why he couldn’t— but he also didn’t want to leave Yunho. Even only knowing the omega for such a short amount of time, Mingi didn't even want to think about not having Yunho within arms reach. 

He ignored the duffel for now, not exactly ready to settle in quite that much, but instead moved over to his backpack. Now that he was alone, Mingi knew that he was safe to take his wolf plush out of its hiding spot. He tried to settle on the bed with it but everything felt too open— too exposed— and Mingi found himself restless, pacing back and forth as he unintentionally looked around for a better hiding place. 

The closet, while small, didn’t have a strong enough door and Mingi knew that he wouldn’t be able to curl up in it without accidentally pushing the door open with his body. The second option was the small space between the dresser and the wall but when Mingi wedged himself down into the crevice, he still felt too exposed for his comfort. 

He did, however, spot the most perfect place from that position. 

Mingi crawled out, staying on all fours as he made his way across the room to the bed where he laid down and slid into the crawlspace under the frame. There was just enough space for Mingi to cross his arms over his chest which was perfect.  

He shuffled back out, grabbing one of the pillows, a blanket and his wolf from on top of the bed before crawling back under. Mingi fell asleep quickly after that and when morning came, he left his things under the bed, tucking the wolf under the blanket for safekeeping before getting ready for the day. 

 

Life with Mingi was an adjustment for the pack. The alpha was a sweetheart, kind and timid, and took to looking after the omegas with great pride and determination. All three of Hongjoong’s omegas were painfully self-sufficient at times and enjoyed taking care of themselves along with the rest of their pack but they folded easily for Mingi and his desire to be helpful to them. 

He held the stars in his eyes anytime one of the omegas gave him something to do that would help them. He dutifully completed each task set out for him and never asked for anything in return. In fact getting him to ask for anything— even necessities— was like pulling teeth and the pack knew immediately that they were going to have to watch his needs closely. 

He also, understandably, was triggered easily. A raised voice, heavy footsteps, and sudden noises were all obvious things to avoid. Less obvious, was things like offering him food or blankets. Anything that the pack would deem a necessity or simplistic, Mingi took as a threat or a test. They had to learn how to work around his fears and how to help him overcome them little by little. 

They had, however, only dealt with small episodes thus far. 

The first time they experienced a full-blown panic attack, Seonghwa and Mingi were in the kitchen. The alpha had been put to work chopping vegetables, his back to the room and the radio playing softly while Seonghwa manned the meat. Mingi was working intensely, entirely focused on the task in front of him as he did his best to please the elder omega when Wooyoung entered the kitchen on silent, sock-covered feet.

“Hey, hyung, have you seen my—” But before Wooyoung could finish his question, he found himself pressed against the wall next to the entrance. 

Mingi had the other alpha by the shoulders, nearly spitting in the other’s face with how fiercely he was snarling, eyes glazed over in fear. Wooyoung’s hands shot up defensively, mouth falling open in a surprised ‘oh’ as he fought down the instinct to push the other alpha away. 

“Mingi-yah,” Seonghwa soothed, trying to bring his hand up to the enraged alpha’s chest to get the attention on him. Mingi growled, releasing Wooyoung with one hand to grab the omega and shuffle him behind him forcefully without ever letting the alpha leave his sights. 

Seonghwa whined, pressing his cheek into Mingi’s back as he wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. “Mingi-yah,” he tried again, doing his best to keep the panic out of his voice as the alpha just pressed harder against Wooyoung. “Sweetheart, listen to the sound of my voice. Focus on me, baby. Come back to me. You’re safe here, Mingi-yah. Wooyoungie isn’t here to hurt you or me. No one in this home will harm you. Take a deep breath for hyung.”

Mingi’s next growl got stuck in his throat as the omega’s words slowly broke through the haze. He choked, blinking frantically as he came back to himself. The alpha jerked away from Wooyoung as if he had been burned, flinching from Seonghwa when the omega went to soothe him.

“You’re alright, Mingi-yah,” he cooed, crouching down on the floor next to where Mingi had pressed himself up against the cupboards as far from the other two as he could get. 

The alpha whined, pressing his cheek against his shoulder as he bared his neck in submission. He wouldn’t let Seonghwa near him, keening helplessly as he tried to scent himself. 

“Hyung,” Wooyoung murmured, gently tugging the elder away from the distressed alpha. “Let me try.”

“Are you sure?” he asked nervously, eyes flitting between the two alphas in uncertainty.

“I’m the reason he’s like this,” he explained, not sounding sure in the slightest. “In theory, it’s my scent that would calm him. Since he can’t smell.... I’m hoping my touch will help.”

Seonghwa bit his lip but nodded, shuffling back to make room for the younger alpha to get closer to Mingi. “Mingi-yah,” Wooyoung murmured, shuffling forwards carefully. “You’re alright. You did so good protecting our omega. Kept him so safe. But it’s okay now. Everything is fine. Can I come closer, baby?”

Mingi keened again, rocking towards Wooyoung’s voice before jerking backwards painfully into the cupboard behind him. He whined, pulling his head away from the door only to slam it back into the wood.

“Hey, hey,” Wooyoung called, getting a few more feet closer to the taller alpha in his haste to stop him from hurting himself. “None of that, sweetie. It’s okay. Alpha’s not mad. Come here, huh? You’re alright.” He stretched his hand out for Mingi, palm open and as non-threatening as possible. “It’s okay,” he soothed, scooting closer. “You protected hyung so well. Now let me take care of you, yeah? Everything is okay.”

Mingi whined again, high and pained, breaking both of their hearts, before slamming his head into the cupboard again. 

“No, baby. You gotta stop that, come here,” Wooyoung cooed, moving his hand to rest between the cupboard and Mingi’s head, preventing him from hurting himself further. Mingi slammed his head against the younger’s hand a few more times before losing steam and leaving his head in Wooyoung’s palm. “That’s it,” he cooed, sliding closer before gently maneuvering the taller alpha to rest his head against his sternum. “There you go, Alpha’s not mad,” he cooed. “Took such good care of our omega. Everything’s alright now. Deep breaths, baby.”

Mingi huffed tiredly, shuffling until he was wrapped entirely in Wooyoung’s arms, his nose nestled in the younger’s neck. He whined when his search for the alpha’s scent came up empty, encouraging Wooyoung to tug the other closer until he was settled in his lap. 

“There you are,” he murmured, resting against the cupboard door as he made sure Mingi had as much skin contact as he possibly could. “Rest, baby. Everything’s alright.”

He felt Mingi’s head sink against him heavily. “ ‘m sorry,” he whimpered. “Didn’t smell you. Got scared. Didn’t— didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me, Mingi-yah,” Wooyoung soothed, dropping a soft kiss onto the taller alpha’s hair. “I shouldn’t have startled you, baby. How are you feeling?”

Mingi rubbed his cheek against Wooyoung’s collarbone tiredly, closing his eyes. “Shaky. Feel bad.”

Wooyoung nodded, pressing another kiss to Mingi’s hair. “That’s okay,” he murmured. “Why don’t we go into the living room, yeah? We can cuddle for a bit before dinner.”

The older alpha shook his head tiredly. “Can’t— gotta— gotta help hyung with— with dinner.”

“I’ve got this under control, baby,” Seonghwa chimed in. “I think Wooyoungie needs you more than I do right now anyways.”

“You— but I—” Mingi stuttered, lifting his head from Wooyoung’s chest to blink tearily at the omega. “I’m— gotta be... be useful.”

Seonghwa trilled softly, cupping Mingi’s cheeks. “You are plenty useful, sweetie. Even if you didn’t help me with dinner every night. You’re allowed to rest too, baby. So please rest with Wooyoungie, okay? You can help me again later if you want.”

Mingi nodded slowly, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. With the taller alpha’s permission, Wooyoung gently stood up with Mingi in his arms. He took him into the living room, ignoring the alpha’s feeble protests of being able to walk on his own. 

They settled in the overstuffed recliner, Wooyoung waving off San and Jongho’s worried expressions as he tucked Mingi closer to him. They stayed like that until Seonghwa called them all in for dinner. 

Mingi was wobbly on his feet as he followed San into the dining room, his fingers still laced with Wooyoung’s tightly. He froze, however, when he spotted Hongjoong already sitting at the table, releasing a pained whimper as he hid his body behind Wooyoung’s, clenching the fabric of the younger alpha’s t-shirt desperately. 

“No one’s upset with you, Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong stated, keeping his expression open and honest for Mingi. “You’re alright. Come eat, okay? Sit next to hyung— let me show you that you’re not in trouble.”

The younger alpha did so wearily, his entire body fraught with tension as Hongjoong filled his plate. Wooyoung settled in the chair on the other side of him, reconnecting their hands as they began to eat. 

Mingi ate slowly, chewing each bite carefully as he waited for the other shoe to drop. His stomach was a churning mess, each mouthful going down like molasses and settling like acid. The longer he sat there, however, with no punishment, the more he felt like he was going to throw up. 

He just wanted it over with.

The waiting was torture and he was used to Junghwa reassuring him that he was fine only for the older alpha to turn around and smack him so hard he would black out. Mingi didn’t think that Hongjoong would be that violent—had only shown him kindness thus far—but the anticipation was still there. He hadn’t messed up this spectacularly yet, it would only make sense that Hongjoong would wait until he really deserved it to punish him. 

And he did deserve it.

Mingi had attacked one of Hongjoong’s packmates. It was only fitting that Hongjoong should punish him for his transgression. 

Hongjoong gently nudged his wrist, pointing towards where Mingi’s chopsticks had hung suspended above his plate, food barely touched despite him feeling like he must have consumed more than that by this point. The younger alpha fumbled with his eating utensils, nearly dropping them in his haste to pull his hand away from Hongjoong. He wanted to smack himself, knowing that flinching would only make his punishment worse.

Instead of hitting him, however, Hongjoong just gave him an easy smile, nodding towards his plate. “Eat up, Mingi-yah,” he encouraged softly. “It tastes better when it’s hot.”

Mingi nodded jerkily, shoving another small mouthful past his lips and chewing mechanically. He felt like he was going to snap at any moment, unsure of what to do in this situation. Eventually, Mingi set his chopsticks down, unable to force any more food past his lips regardless of how badly he would be punished for not following orders. 

Hongjoong just gave him a small smile and allowed him to excuse himself from the table. The pack watched the alpha go, a somber air hanging above their heads. 

“I feel like we’re always moving backwards two steps for every step we take forwards with him,” Seonghwa murmured once the alpha was safely absconded in his room and out of hearing distance. 

“He’s been through a lot,” Hongjoong reminded them, helping the omega clear their dinner plates. “More than any of us could possibly imagine and no one recovers from trauma in a straight progression. He’s going to have setbacks and we need to be prepared to handle them.”

Wooyoung sunk down against San, gleaning comfort from the omega’s mango scent. “I just feel so guilty,” he mumbled, nose firmly pressed against his packmate’s neck. “It was my fault for startling him and now he’s scared of us again.”

“We’re going to trigger him,” the pack alpha stated plainly. “We’re not going to get through this without pulling trigger responses from him— he has too many— and it’s healthy for him to work through them too— to learn that not everyone will respond to him negatively like his old pack. As long as we continue to be there for him consistently and show him that he’s safe, he will get better. It’s going to take a long time,” he continued, accepting Yeosang in his arms when the beta sought him out for comfort. He tucked the younger’s head under his chin, kissing his hair softly before continuing. “I know that it can be discouraging, especially when there are setbacks, but it’ll be worth it in the end. To know that we were able to help Mingi-yah and be his safe space— even if he does choose to seek pack elsewhere.”

Yunho huffed, standing up from the table. “He’s mine— ours— he’s not going to go ‘elsewhere,’ hyung.”

“That’s his choice to make, Yunho-yah,” Hongjoong reminded the omega firmly. “No matter how much we want him to stay permanently, that will be his— and his alone— decision.”

The younger pouted but nodded his head all the same, glancing at the door Mingi had disappeared through before jerking his chin in that direction. “I’m going to check up on him,” he said. “Make sure he’s alright— maybe get a cuddle out of him if he’s up for it. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

The pack all bid him goodnight softly, watching him go as he crept up the stairs to Mingi’s room. 

“He’ll be devastated if Mingi chooses another pack,” Seonghwa murmured, eyes fixed on the empty doorway. 

“We all will,” Jongho whispered, picking at his nails as he spoke. “He fits, don’t you think, hyungs? Even with everything that he’s been through and all of the healing he still needs to do— he’s perfect for us.”

Seonghwa smiled sadly, nodding his head as he rounded the table to wrap his arms around their youngest beta. “He really is,” he agreed, words dancing delicately across Jongho’s skin. “We can only hope that he’ll accept us one day.”

 

Yunho knocked on the frame of the doorway, poking his head around the cracked door. Mingi had yet to understand that he was allowed to close the door fully if he wanted to be left alone, though, in that particular moment, this fact worked out in Yunho’s favor.

“Mingi?” he called, keeping his voice soft and light, not wanting to startle Mingi or have a repeat of the kitchen incident from earlier. “Can I come in?”

Mingi released a quiet hum, neither confirming nor denying the omega entry. That was another thing Mingi struggled with— understanding that he had the power to say ‘no’ if he didn’t want something. Yunho pushed the door open slightly, determined to assess the alpha’s mood before pushing forwards further. He didn’t see the slightly younger man at first glance, throwing his instincts into a panic until he caught sight of the tip of an orange sock sticking out from underneath Mingi’s bed.

He smiled sadly, inviting himself into the bedroom and returning the door to its partially closed state. Slowly, he dropped to the ground, laying down on the plush carpeting and rolling to face the dark space underneath the alpha’s bed. “What are we doing down here, Alpha?” he asked, his voice light and teasing in an effort to relax the taut line of Mingi’s body. 

“ ‘s safe,” Mingi mumbled, pushing his mouth against his bicep as he muffled his own words. “Like it.”

“Can I join you?” Yunho asked, not making any move to roll under the bed without the alpha’s permission. “Looks quite comfy. And I wanted a cuddle from my favorite Mingi-yah, if I’m honest.”

Mingi lifted his head slightly to get a better look at Yunho in curiosity. His nostrils flared, as though he were trying to scent the air to smell any lies that the omega could have spun only to flinch at the reminder, once again, that he couldn’t.  

“Okay,” he breathed after a few more minutes of careful consideration. “Want... I want to cuddle you, too.”

Yunho grinned blindingly, carefully laying himself flat on his back in order to slide under the bed frame with the timid alpha. He reached down to thread their fingers together, squeezing their entwined hands gently. 

“Hi,” he breathed, shooting Mingi a blinding smile.

Mingi pressed his cheek against his bicep again, hiding as much of his face as he could. “Hi,” he replied, voice barely above a whisper. 

Yunho shifted closer, his nose just barely brushing against the skin of the alpha’s arm. They stayed like that for a few minutes, staring at each other in a comfortable silence. Eventually, though, Yunho broke it, “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, Mingi-yah?” he asked gently.

Mingi shrugged as much as he could in the confined space. “I don’t know,” he whispered. 

“Are you worried about what happened earlier? With Wooyoung?”

The alpha nodded, sniffling softly as he tried to hold back his tears. “Was bad,” he croaked. “Shouldn’t have attacked him.”

“You weren’t bad, Mingi,” Yunho murmured. “You were protecting Seonghwa-hyung and no one is mad at you for that. Wooyoung shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”

“No,” Mingi argued weakly. “I was bad. I don’t like this.”

Yunho frowned, rubbing his thumb soothingly up and down the back of Mingi’s hand. “What don’t you like, Mingi-yah?” he asked. 

Mingi huffed into his arm. “Waiting. Just— I don’t like waiting for punishments... makes it worse.”

“You’re not going to be punished for getting scared, Mingi,” Yunho whispered, his heart shattering at the broken look in the younger’s eyes. “You did nothing wrong.”

“But I did,” he argued weakly. “I hurt him and I need to be punished. Just want it over with.”

Yunho sighed sadly, releasing the younger’s hand in order to snake his arm under Mingi’s waist. He pulled the boy closer to him, letting Mingi nose under his chin. “There’s nothing for Hongjoong-hyung to punish, baby,” he murmured. 

Mingi snuffled softly but didn’t reply to the omega. Eventually, Mingi pulled back, blinking tiredly at the elder. 

“Ready for bed?” he asked softly, petting back Mingi’s bangs. 

The alpha nodded, wiggling away from Yunho enough for the omega to slide out from under the bed. Mingi followed after him, accepting the helping hand that the other offered to him as he crawled out. The room was cast in a softly glowing light from the bedside table Seonghwa insisted that Mingi have on at all times, ‘just in case he needed it.’ The darkness was a clear indicator to Mingi just how long he had spent under the bed with the omega and he was immediately filled with guilt at the knowledge that he would be the reason if Yunho was tired in the morning. 

“Is it alright if I sleep with you, Alpha?” Yunho asked softly.

Mingi shuffled over to the bed, pulling back the comforter for Yunho. “If— if you want to,” he mumbled. “But you don’t have to. I can— I can manage on my own too.”

Yunho grinned, slowly wrapping his arm around Mingi’s waist. “I always want to cuddle with you, Mingi-yah,” he cooed, pressing their cheeks together for a moment before pulling away and crawling into the bed. 

The alpha slowly crawled in after him, laying down stiffly for a few minutes before Yunho’s comforting presence eased him into a more relaxed position. He felt the moment Yunho dropped off, the omega’s breathing slowing and his body sinking into the mattress fully next to him. Mingi had a much harder time falling asleep. He laid next to Yunho for hours, watching the moonlight slowly creep across the ceiling. 

He felt restless, even as exhausted as he was, Mingi’s brain would not turn off. Yunho sighed in his sleep, rolling over and releasing Mingi’s arm as he grappled with a pillow. Mingi took the newfound freedom to slowly slide out of bed, making sure to pull his pillow down to replace his body so that Yunho wouldn’t feel his disappearance. He made his way out to the hallway and into the bathroom, unsure what he was doing in there. 

The fluorescent lights made Mingi’s already pale skin look even more sickly when he looked at himself in the mirror and he wrung his hands together anxiously before turning on the water and splashing it onto his face, letting the cold water shock him. It didn’t make the shakiness inside of him disappear and Mingi found himself looking through the cupboards for something— what, he had no idea. 

In one of the drawers next to the sink, Mingi found a package of unopened razors. Without even realizing it, he had opened up the package and pulled out one of the razors. He struggled with the plastic holding the blades in place, slicing the tips of his fingers as he tried to pull them out. The pain was good but it wasn’t enough, Mingi told himself, he needed to be punished more— it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. 

After a few minutes of struggling, he huffed, blinking around the frustrated tears that had started up when he had been preoccupied. Mingi took the razor in both hands, snapping the flimsy plastic handle in half. The razor half was dropped carelessly onto the floor next to where Mingi had curled up against the bathtub, the chill of porcelain creeping through his flimsy t-shirt and getting under his skin. 

The broken handle of the razor was jagged and would have to do for what Mingi needed it for. He tugged up his sleep shorts to his hip, pressing the make-shift knife to his skin experimentally. The plastic caught against his skin as he dragged it across his thigh, leaving a trail of pulled up skin in its wake, a few small droplets of blood bubbling to the surface. 

It wasn’t enough.

Mingi pressed the razor against the same spot again, dragging it across with more force. His skin ripped open the second time and Mingi released a shuddering, pain-filled sigh of relief. He repeated the process a few more times, until he had a few sizable gouges in his thigh. The blood was a slow, steady stream trickling down his leg and pooling up underneath him on the tiles below. Mingi watched impassively, unable to form any tangible thoughts as he mechanically disposed of the two halves of the razor in the wastebasket next to the toilet. 

The blood smeared across the floor slightly at the movement but Mingi couldn’t find it in himself to care as he shifted back to the bathtub. He closed his eyes, slowly sinking down until he could drop his head back to rest it on the lip of the tub. The world was swaying slightly when he tried to look anywhere that wasn’t the inside of his eyelids and the cold from the tiles was steadily seeping through his clothing and chilling him straight to the bone, the blood cooling on his thigh not helping in the slightest, but Mingi’s head was blissfully empty for the first time all day and he almost wanted to dig the razor out of the trash can to kiss it in thanks. 

Soft shuffling broke Mingi’s bubble of quiet, the noise distant and out of place in the solitude of the pack’s bathroom in the early, pre-dawn hours. He cocked his head to the side, trying to listen to the sound more intently only to realize that the shuffling was getting closer, now just outside the door to his safe haven. 

“Mingi-yah?” Yeosang’s voice called softly, a modicum of panic tainting his gentle tone into something much more urgent. “Can you open the door for me, please?” 

Mingi blinked back to awareness, staring at the door handle in shock. How did Yeosang know he was in here? What was the beta even doing up at this hour? He immediately felt the urge to collect the slightly older man up in his arms and tuck him into his bed beside Yunho. Of course, he just as quickly squashed that thought, knowing what came of useless alphas that stuck their noses where they didn’t belong. 

“Mingi?” Yeosang called again. “Alpha, if you don’t answer me I’m going to come in,” he warned. 

He should answer. Mingi could hear the panic clearly in Yeosang’s voice now, knew that he should tell the beta that he was fine and to go back to bed, but he couldn’t get his mouth to cooperate. Instead, he continued to sit on the cold tiles in silence, staring at the door like it would magically just make everything better while his leg bled sluggishly.

He heard Yeosang sigh from outside of the door, shuffling away for a moment before returning and jiggling the handle, the knob slowly turning once it was unlocked. “I’m coming in, Mingi-yah,” he warned before gently letting the door swing open. “Shit,” he hissed once he caught sight of the alpha. He dropped to the ground in front of Mingi, the knees of his sleep pants dangerously close to the ever-growing puddle of blood. 

Mingi reached out with a shaking hand, trying to keep the beta’s pajamas from getting stained by holding him back. 

Yeosang grabbed a hold of his fingers instead, pulling them up to his lips and kissing them gently. “Oh, Mingi,” he choked out, tears already pooling in his eyes as he pressed another kiss to Mingi’s hand.

“Your— your pants,” Mingi whined, trying to free his hand to stop Yeosang as he shuffled forward further, ensuring that the blood made contact with the pretty fabric. 

“Your leg,” Yeosang shot back, horrified. “Mingi-yah, what— what did you do?”

Mingi frowned, turning his head down to acknowledge the red encompassing his thigh in confusion. “Needed to be punished,” he explained, already refocusing his eyes on Yeosang’s ruined pants, absently running through his mind which cleaner would be best to try to get the stain out. 

Yeosang’s eyes fluttered shut sadly, sagging slightly as he moved to sit next to Mingi and pull the slightly younger man into his arms. Mingi made an aborted noise when the beta moved, staining his pants further without a care. “Okay,” he shuddered, pressing his nose into Mingi’s hair. “Okay, we’ll— let’s get you patched up, okay? And then— then we’ll... figure out what— how to fix... this.”

He pulled back only to open the cabinet below the sink and pull out a first aid kit. Mingi didn’t move as Yeosang wet a washcloth and painstakingly started to clean off the blood from the alpha’s thigh. 

“Aish,” he mumbled, dabbing at the gashes. “You really did a number on yourself.”

Mingi hummed, closing his eyes as the beta moved on to disinfecting the wounds. “Did good?” he asked tiredly, already feeling the lack of sleep starting to catch up with him. Hopefully Yeosang would be done soon and Mingi could get on with cleaning the bathroom and the beta’s pants so that he could sleep. 

“I—” Yeosang choked out, head whipping up to stare at the younger in horror. “Oh, Mingi,” he sighed sadly. “You’re so good, baby. But you should have never hurt yourself.” He leaned forward to press a feather light kiss to the alpha’s forehead. “It’s going to be okay, Mingi,” he murmured shakily. “We can talk about this once you’re all fixed up though, okay?”

The younger nodded tiredly, allowing Yeosang to finish bandaging the wound before collecting him in his lap. Yeosang threaded his fingers through Mingi’s hair, his lips pressing shakily against the younger’s temple. 

Mingi felt a bit at odds as he sat tensely in the beta’s lap. Apart from the care given to him by the doctors during his stay at the hospital, Mingi had never had someone bandage his own wounds— especially punishment wounds. He shifted nervously in Yeosang’s lap, biting his lip in uncertainty. 

“Can you tell me what’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours, Mingi-yah?” Yeosang murmured. 

“I’m— I need to clean up,” he stuttered. “Should— gotta clean this up. I’m— I need your pants. Can get the stains out, I just— I need...”

Yeosang pressed his lips insistently against Mingi’s temple, shushing the younger gently. “You don’t need to clean anything, baby,” he soothed. “And I’m certainly not worried about my pants. What I am worried about, it you, sweetheart. Why did you do this to yourself?”

Mingi bit his lip, feeling the stinging presence of tears welling up behind his eyes. He sniffed helplessly, unable to smell what Yeosang was feeling and therefore unable to gauge what he should say to appease the beta. Yeosang was patient as he waited for Mingi to decide how to respond, rubbing their cheeks together gently. 

“I didn’t.... I don’t like waiting for punishments,” Mingi finally admitted, ducking his head in shame. He should have just waited for Hongjoong to punish him properly. Now he was going to get another punishment on top of that for dirtying the floor and staining Yeosang’s pants. “Felt... I felt itchy and I just— I needed to be... punished.”

The beta kissed his cheek, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back as he hooked his chin over the top of Mingi’s head. “Thank you for telling me, baby,” he whispered, his voice cracking mid-sentence at the admission. “We’re— we should get— get cleaned up, yeah? And then we can— we can talk about this all as a pack in the— in the morning.” He shifted Mingi off of his lap to crawl over to the cabinet and grab a washcloth. 

His hands were shaking, fingers struggling to grasp the fabric as he wet it in the sink. Mingi whined, reaching out with his large hands to take the washcloth from Yeosang. He wrung it out before turning back to the beta and nudged him softly until the elder was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet seat. Yeosang released a wet, choked off laugh when Mingi took his hands in his and painstakingly started to wipe off all of his blood from the elder’s skin. 

Mingi was on his knees between Yeosang’s thighs as he cleaned the beta as best he could, ignoring the throbbing pain from his thigh as he moved. Yeosang sat patiently, allowing Mingi to do what he did best until there was no blood left on any part of his skin. 

“Alright,” he said, nudging Mingi back slightly once he was finished. “Come sit. It’s your turn.”

The alpha looked at him in confusion as he obediently switched places with the beta. Yeosang gently pried the washcloth from Mingi’s stiff fingers and ran it under the warm water until it ran clear before taking it to Mingi’s blood-stained thigh. Mingi made an aborted sound, moving to stop Yeosang from potentially dirtying himself with his blood again. 

Yeosang batted his hands away softly. “Hush,” he scolded fondly. “Let me take care of you now.” Mingi froze, staring at Yeosang in wonder as the beta took his lack of reaction as permission to proceed and painstakingly wiped all of the blood from Mingi’s skin. 

Once he was done, he threw the washcloth into the wastebasket, knowing that there was no saving the fabric, and stood up. He offered his hand to the alpha, pulling the younger up into a standing position and leading him towards the door. 

Mingi made another little choked off noise, turning around in his arms to eye the bathroom. “The floor,” he argued weakly. “I need to— to clean it up.”

“You don’t need to do anything, sweet boy,” Yeosang murmured. “The floor will be fine. You on the other hand could do with a fresh change of clothes and some much needed cuddles.” He nudged Mingi insistently out the door until Mingi finally broke line of sight with the bathroom tiles and limped down the hall with the beta’s strong arm around his waist. 

He led Mingi to the betas’ room, though Mingi knew that most of the time, the entire pack slept in the alphas’ room and that their private rooms were glorified closets ninety percent of the time. 

Tonight must have been an exception because Jongho’s lithe figure was curled up under the covers on the far side of the bed. The youngest blinked awake when they entered, the soft light from the hallway making him squint in confusion until he could make out who was standing in front of him. 

He smiled sleepily, one hand crawling across the sheets in invitation. 

Yeosang guided Mingi to the edge of the bed, settling him on the mattress before breaking away and opening their closet door. He came back with two sets of pajamas, setting them both on the end of the bed before reaching out for Mingi’s t-shirt. 

“Can we get you out of these clothes, Mingi-yah?” he whispered, smiling when Mingi gave a confused nod. Yeosang pulled the hem of the younger’s t-shirt over his head before helping him up and out of his sleep shorts as well, biting back the urge to whine at the litany of scars decorating the alpha’s skin. Instead, he focused on getting the alpha dressed in clean clothes and tucked in against Jongho’s front, the beta accepting the large alpha easily even despite his sleepy confusion as he tried to make out what was on their clothes in the dim light. 

Yeosang changed out of his dirtied pajamas quickly, collecting both of their soiled outfits in his arms before nodding towards the door. “I’m going to put these in the laundry, okay, Mingi-yah?” he murmured. “Can you keep Jongho company while I’m gone? Our baby doesn’t like sleeping alone so please give him lots of cuddles and try to sleep. I’ll be right back.”

Mingi nodded solemnly, immediately shifting to collect Jongho into his arms as he did his best to do as he was told. Jongho raised a questioning, sleepy eyebrow at Yeosang who just waved him off and nodded towards Mingi’s back. 

“I’ll be back,” he whispered to his fellow beta. “Keep him here with you.”

Jongho nodded, leaning across Mingi to accept a kiss from Yeosang before nuzzling back against Mingi, determined to keep the alpha safe in his arms despite having no clue what had happened. 

Yeosang made his exit, softly closing the door behind him as he took a moment to just breathe through the panic that had been bubbling under the surface of his skin ever since he had woken up to the scent of blood and rotting lemons. He needed his alpha, he thought a bit hysterically as he pushed himself away from the bedroom door, taking stiff, staggering steps towards the alpha’s room where he knew the rest of his pack would be. 

Hongjoong was, blessedly, on the edge of the large bed closest to the door, firmly wrapped around Seonghwa as they slept on in blissful ignorance. Yeosang almost felt bad for waking up his pack alpha when he looked so content but he knew that not waking the alpha would only stress him out more later. 

He tiptoed over to Hongjoong, laying one hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “Hyung,” he whispered, desperately hoping to not wake Seonghwa or any of the others. 

The pack alpha hummed in confusion, rolling onto his back as he blinked himself awake. “Sangie?” he mumbled, his face scrunching adorably up at the beta. 

“I need you, hyung,” he whispered, gesturing towards the still-cracked door letting in the light from the hallway. 

Hongjoong nodded sleepily, attempting to untangle himself from Seonghwa. The second he started moving, however, the eldest omega hummed unhappily, shifting in his sleep to wrap his arms around Hongjoong’s waist and tuck his face under the alpha’s chin. “Baby,” he whispered, petting the back of Seonghwa’s head fondly. “You gotta let me up. Sangie needs me.”

Seonghwa snuffled, pulling back just enough to blink up at Yeosang owlishly. He must have seen something in Yeosang’s face because he was up and out of their bed before either of the other two could blink. He collected the beta into his arms and pressed his nose insistently behind the shell of his ear. “You smell distressed,” he noted, all traces of sleep gone. “What happened?” 

Hongjoong stood up, gently herding the two out of the bedroom before either San or Wooyoung could be woken up too. Once the door was closed behind them, Hongjoong turned to face Yeosang, noting the fine trembling in the beta’s hands and his red-rimmed eyes. “Sangie?”

“Mingi hurt himself,” he choked out, reaching out to grab both of his hyungs’ hands so that they didn’t race off to their foster alpha. “He’s— he’s alright now. Well— as good as he can be. Jongho is— is watching him and I— I patched him up but there was—” A pained sob cut him off, Yeosang keening into Hongjoong’s shoulder as he leaned into his pack alpha’s comforting embrace. “There was so much blood, hyungs,” he gasped out, releasing their hands to clench the front of Hongjoong’s shirt. 

Seonghwa wrapped his arms around Yeosang from the back, pressing his cheek against the beta’s sweaty hair. The younger was shaking in their hold, finally able to process what he had just dealt with. “You’ve been so brave, baby,” he murmured shakily, kissing Yeosang’s hair. “Took such good care of your alpha. Come here, rest now, baby.”

Yeosang shook his head even as he allowed Seonghwa to maneuver him so that he was resting against the elder’s chest instead. “Can’t— I’m— the bathroom is still— there’s still blood everywhere and Mingi— I promised Mingi I’d be right— right back.”

The omega shushed him softly, rocking the younger in his arms. “Don’t you worry about that. Hyungs will take care of everything.” 

Hongjoong nodded, petting Yeosang’s back. “I’ll clean up the bathroom,” he reassured. “You just go with Hwa and check on Mingi, alright?” 

Yeosang nodded shakily, allowing Seonghwa to lead him to his and Jongho’s room. The younger beta was awake, wrapped around Mingi as the gentle giant cuddled against his chest, looking much smaller than he was. The alpha was asleep, nosing against Jongho’s neck every once in a while.

The two made their way over to the bed, Yeosang immediately climbing in behind Mingi and wrapping his arms around the younger’s waist, relaxing when Seonghwa tucked himself in behind him. 

Hongjoong kissed them both before exiting the bedroom and making sure to close the door behind him. He stopped at Mingi’s room, checking on Yunho’s still-sleeping form before making his way to the bathroom. 

The smell nearly made him throw up before he had even opened the door. The metallic scent of blood mixed with sour lemons and rotting watermelons was enough to make anyone nauseous. Hongjoong gave into the urge to cry once he was safely concealed behind the bathroom door, biting his knuckles to keep quiet as he took in the scene before him. There was a still-drying pool of blood next to the bathtub where Mingi must have sat. The blood was smeared around, a trail leading to the closed lid of the toilet, the rim of the sink and the handles, the cabinet below, and the trashcan all had blood. He crouched next to the wastebasket, careful not to step in any of the blood as he moved the washcloth aside. 

He felt the tears start anew when he spotted the snapped, bloody razor, wanting nothing more than to go back to the betas’ room and collect Mingi in his arms and never let him go. At least, he thought, a bit hysterically, Mingi used plastic so there was no chance of the kid getting tetanus. It didn’t make any of this easier, however, as he pulled out the bleach and the scrub brushes and started the arduous task of clearing away all traces of blood from their bathroom. 

Hongjoong fell into a sort of trance as he cleaned, painstakingly making sure that there was nothing left for any of his packmates to find come morning. He kept finding his mind circling back to the cell phone charging on his bedside table. 

He knew that taking care of an abused alpha wasn’t going to be easy and that if they couldn’t do it then no one would but god did he want to call Taemin and ask him to find someone more qualified to care for Mingi. He didn’t want to see this again; Mingi’s pain laid bare across their white tiled bathroom floor. And there had been so much blood. Hongjoong was terrified of what could have happened to Mingi had Yeosang not found him. What if he had bled out while they all slept soundly in their beds? Who would have found him in the morning? What would that have done to his pack? And Mingi— god did he want Mingi to be a part of his pack someday. But, even with his years of experience dealing with abused dynamics, he felt so terribly inexperienced when it came to the baby alpha.

He didn’t want to make that call— not at all— but, as he was taking out the trash filled with bloodied paper towels and the remains of a broken razor, Hongjoong questioned whether that would be what was best for Mingi. 

The boy had hurt himself— could have killed himself— while he was sleeping. And what kind of pack alpha was he if he left that happen? It was his job to protect Mingi and help him to heal but all he’d done was hurt the boy more. 

And what happens if next time they are too late? He’d have failed Mingi and his pack and his mission as a social worker. 

He tried to shake himself from his spiraling thoughts as he closed the lid to their trash bin. Standing in their driveway silently, he watched the sky slowly warm from inky blackness to grays and pinks as the sun fought to rise above the horizon to bring forth the new day.

He could do it. 

He knew they could do it. 

He knew they were going to mess up and that there would inevitably be setbacks. He knew that they’d have to change how their household was run to accommodate for Mingi’s traumas. He knew all of this.

But he didn’t know how to deal with the after-effects of said setbacks. In theory, Hongjoong knew step by step what to do when a foster self-harmed— had walked foster packs through the process more times than he could count— but in practice it was so much more... real. 

And Hongjoong was terrified.

He didn’t want to mess this up— didn’t want to hurt Mingi more than he had already hurt himself. And he didn’t even know why Mingi had hurt himself. What had set him off? What was the catalyst? Was there one? Was Mingi just prone to self-harming whenever he was left alone to his thoughts? 

He sighed, shaking his head as he finally forced himself to go back inside. He wouldn’t know anything until he sat down with Mingi and listened to his side of the story. 

With that acknowledged, Hongjoong started on breakfast, knowing that he wasn’t about to be able to fall asleep and that the pack would appreciate a large home cooked meal after such a long night— even if most of them slept through the worst of it, they’d still wake up to the stench of bleach and know that something had happened. 

He forced his hands to stay busy, cooking first some cookies and a loaf of bread, knowing that it was too early to start on breakfast but not wanting to have time to think. Once those were done, he cleaned all of his dishes by hand, ignoring the shining dishwasher sitting innocently to the left of the sinks. After he pulled the treats out to cool, he started on breakfast, making an elaborate spread that would alert everyone in the house to the fact that he was stress-cooking. 

Over the scents of cooking eggs, sizzling bacon, and sweet cookies, Hongjoong picked up on the subtle hint of mangoes creeping towards him telling him that his youngest omega was up and heading in his direction.

“Hyung,” San mumbled sleepily, wrapping his arms around the tiny alpha from behind. “You smell horrible.”

Hongjoong swallowed thickly, choking back a hysterical laugh. “Thanks, Sannie,” he coughed out, focusing his shaking hands on flipping the bacon instead of on the tsunami currently trying to break free from behind his eyelids. 

“What happened?” San pressed gently, nosing against Hongjoong’s ear. “I woke up to just Wooyoung in bed. And I found Seonghwa-hyung and Mingi sleeping with Jongho and Yeosang instead of with Yunho and us and the entire hallway reeks of bleach and so do you, hyung. Your scent is all wrong— you smell distressed.”

Hongjoong sighed, leaning back against the omega’s firm chest as he trusted the younger to hold him up. San did, rubbing his stomach soothingly through his shirt as he pulled him away from the stove. Before he could protest, Wooyoung was there, taking over the burners with a soft smile as San tugged him backwards until he was sitting in the younger’s lap on one of the bar stools at their kitchen island. 

“Hyung?” San murmured, hooking his chin on Hongjoong’s shoulder as they watched Wooyoung man the oven. 

“Mingi hurt himself last night,” he whispered, feeling like he was about to break down all over at admitting it aloud. “I don’t know how badly or why but... there was a lot of blood and I just—”

San hushed him, pulling him impossibly closer to his chest as he rocked them from side to side. “Deep breaths, hyung,” he hummed. “You’re spiraling. Mingi’s with our betas and Hwa-hyung right now. He’s alright. Just focus on my voice, yeah? Everything is gonna work out. You have your pack at your back and we’ll handle this storm together just like we always do. You aren’t alone.”

Hongjoong released a shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he slowly untensed his muscles. “We’re a pack,” he repeated softly, hoarse voice barely above a whisper. “We’ll handle this like a pack. Everyone will be okay.”

“Everyone will be okay.”

Notes:

So, um... that happened. :] Mingi's finally fully with Ateez and as you saw, it's going swimmingly.

Also, you guys got spoiled this week. I couldn't find a good place to split this chapter so it's technically two chapters for the price of one lol. I guess it makes up for everything I just put you all through, huh?

Hope you all enjoyed it and I'd love to read your thoughts!!

Until next Friday!! <3

Chapter 5

Summary:

The pack has a family meeting and Mingi receives his punishment.

Mingi thought that he might be dying. His lungs felt like they were about to collapse and there was a rubber band stretching tightly across his chest. It didn’t feel like the air he was subtly trying to inhale was reaching his lungs. Beside him, Yunho was holding onto his hand tightly, a firm grip that hadn’t budged since the omega had settled in the chair next to him for breakfast. 

Yunho had been very disgruntled at waking up alone in the alpha’s bed until he had seen the way Mingi was limping, then his annoyance had melted into concern and poorly concealed panic as he cupped Mingi’s cheeks. 

Yeosang had been quick to stop Yunho from interrogating Mingi, however, explaining that they’d talk about it after breakfast. Yunho had begrudgingly accepted the beta’s declaration and had dug into his meal after making sure that Mingi’s plate was piled high first. 

Mingi hadn’t been able to swallow more than a few bites, the food tasting like cardboard on his tongue despite the rest of the pack’s insistence that Hongjoong had outdone himself with breakfast. The only reason he ate as much as he did was because of Yunho’s gentle prodding any time he left his chopsticks hanging in the air for too long. 

His anxiety skyrocketed when the pack left their dishes at the table, moving as a group of eight to the living room. In the short time Mingi had been with the pack, they had never left dirty dishes lying around. They had a system to meals and clean-up and to disregard that system completely in favor of congregating in the living room set Mingi’s nerves alight. He followed along, however, unwilling to disrupt this silent procession to ask what was going on. 

They all settled in, Hongjoong sitting down on one couch with Yeosang tucked against one arm and San against the other. Jongho and Wooyoung took the recliner, the beta sitting on Wooyoung’s lap and wrapping one arm around the back of his neck as they cuddled close. On the other couch, Mingi was situated between Seonghwa and Yunho, both of them pressing close and, in Yunho’s case, clinging onto his hand. 

Everyone slowly turned their eyes towards Mingi, prompting Hongjoong to speak up before Mingi could panic too much at so much attention on him. 

“Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong started, keeping his voice level and welcoming as he spoke to the younger. “We, as a pack, try to have what we call ‘family meetings’ every two weeks or whenever someone asks for an emergency meeting. It's a way for us to ensure good communication between pack members and address any issues or concerns anyone may have.”

“I called for this one,” Yeosang admitted softly, pressing his cheek into Hongjoong’s shoulder. 

Hongjoong nodded, squeezing the beta’s hand in reassurance. “Would you like to start?”

Yeosang nodded hesitantly. “I woke up last night to the smell of blood and distress,” he stated, choosing not to dance around the very obvious elephant in the room. “I followed the scent to the bathroom where I found Mingi sitting— sitting on the floor in a pool of his own blood and his thigh— his thigh all cut up.”  He swallowed, lifting his head to make eye contact with the younger alpha. “Mingi, you said— when I asked you why you hurt yourself— you said that you needed to be punished. I’m— What you did was— was so dangerous. You could have caught an artery and bled out before any of us found you or— or your cut could get infected and—”

Hongjoong cut the beta off, shifting to tuck him back down against his chest. “What Yeosang is getting at, sweetheart, is that self-harm is incredibly dangerous and any number of things could have happened while we were unaware,” he said, doing his best to keep the distress out of his voice, knowing that that wasn’t what Mingi needed at that moment. “But before we get into the why, how are you? Do you think you need stitches? Or painkillers?”

Wide eyed in shock, Mingi shook his head. “ ‘m fine,” he choked out, air still difficult to come by even with Seonghwa’s soothing hand that had migrated to his back to rub circles between his shoulders. “I didn’t— I didn’t mean to worry you. I just—” he stopped, swallowing around the lump in his throat. 

“It’s okay, love,” Seonghwa murmured, leaning closer to kiss his shoulder. “Take all the time you need to collect your thoughts. No one here is in a hurry. We just want to help you.”

“I don’t—” Mingi choked out. “I don’t know what to— to say.”

Hongjoong nodded. “Would it help if I asked some questions? And you answered them?”

The alpha swallowed, shrugging halfheartedly. “Maybe?” he breathed, feeling a swell of relief at the thought of not having to piece together his fragmented thoughts for the pack to analyze all at once. 

“Okay,” Hongjoong replied, giving Mingi a proud smile. “Thank you. Just answer to the best of your abilities and if you don’t know how to word something let us know and we’ll try to help you. Nothing you say here will get you in trouble. You’re safe to say whatever you’re feeling or thinking without consequences, alright?” At the younger alpha’s hesitant nod, he proceeded. “You had said you needed to be punished last night. What do you feel you needed to be punished for?”

That one was easy. “Wooyoung,” Mingi stated assuredly. “I attacked him.”

“But it was an accident?” Wooyoung spoke up, looking startled. “I snuck up on you and you reacted like any alpha would have. That’s not—”

Hongjoong cut Wooyoung off, nodding to Mingi. “Thank you for your honesty, Mingi-yah. Have you ever hurt yourself before in lieu of a punishment?”

Mingi nodded again. “I don’t like... like waiting,” he admitted, ducking his head down so that he didn’t have to look anyone in the eyes. “For punishments. And Alpha— Alpha liked it when I got a... head start. Said I was good.”

Seonghwa closed his eyes, shifting to press his cheek to Mingi’s shoulder as his arm wrapped around the younger’s waist. “Were you still punished after you hurt yourself in your old pack?” the omega asked shakily, not looking forward to the answer he suspected he’d receive.

“Of course,” Mingi replied plainly, not sure why that was even a question. 

Hongjoong took a deep breath. “What Junghwa did to you was not punishment, Mingi,” he said, swallowing back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall, knowing that it wouldn’t help Mingi at all to see him like that. “He abused you and taught you to believe that hurting yourself was something to be proud of. No one here blames you for what you did and no one is mad. But we are worried. The last thing we want is to see you hurt— and that doesn’t mean we want you to hide when you are either— I just mean that we’d like to prevent you from coming into harm to the best of our abilities. Does that make sense?”

Mingi chewed on his lip for a few moments before responding. “You don’t want to see me hurt? Like... at all? Even for— even for punishments?”

“Exactly,” Seonghwa stated, picking up for their pack alpha. “Punishments are never supposed to hurt you. They should only be used to reprimand bad behavior and remind pack members why we do or do not do certain things. Like last week, when San decided to run with a knife and so he was punished by not being allowed to touch knives for the next three days to remind him that they are dangerous and that they should always be handled with care.”

“I ran with a knife once,” Mingi divulged softly, clinging onto Yunho’s hand tightly as he spoke. “Appa took the knife and sliced my hand open to remind me why I shouldn’t run with them. Your— your punishment sounds a lot nicer.”

The pack shuddered, hating the confirmation that Mingi’s abuse stemmed all the way back to his birth pack. 

“Yes,” Hongjoong agreed wearily. “That’s how punishments are supposed to be and, unfortunately, you were forced to grow up learning the opposite, Mingi. There’s a lot you’re going to have to unlearn from your upbringing as you heal here with us and a lot of things that you’ll naturally adapt to as time goes on. One thing that we want to make clear, however, is that, going forward, self-harm will not be a punishment. If it hurts you in any way, you cannot do it. Does that make sense?”

Mingi nodded, shifting uncomfortably between the two omegas at this new rule. Self-punishment had been a staple in his life for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t that he liked the pain— he hated it— but he knew that he deserved it. Or... at least he always thought he did. But, according to Hongjoong, he didn’t? It didn’t really make much sense to him; Mingi was a burden and useless, the least he could do was punish himself for his own faults. Hongjoong and his pack were different though. Their hearts were big enough to encompass even Mingi’s pathetic soul and for some reason they didn’t want him to be hurt so he’d do his best to do as they asked, if only for the opportunity to continue receiving the undeserved kindness that they constantly bestowed upon him.

“We also don't want you doling out your own punishments,” Hongjoong continued after a large, steadying breath. “If you feel like you deserve a punishment that we fail to give you, you will express your concerns with one of us and we will discuss the issue as a pack. And, for as long as you choose to live with us, ‘pack’ includes you. Nothing will be decided without approval from all eight of us.”

“Sometimes,” Seonghwa spoke up gently, hands moving up to card soothingly through Mingi’s hair. “You’re going to feel like you need a punishment for something that we never would have even considered punishable and that’s okay. When it happens, we’ll always talk it out and come to a solution together. We’re always open to hear why you think you do or do not deserve a punishment and we’ll share the same with you so that we can fully understand each other. We never want to leave issues unresolved or make anyone feel like they don't have a voice in this pack.”

Hongjoong nodded solemnly. “And whatever punishment that is decided will not hurt you physically, mentally, or emotionally. If it does, we need you to express that immediately. Hurting you or anyone else is not something that any of us ever wish to do and would hurt us in turn.”

The concept of having to express when he was hurt was daunting and Mingi wasn’t sure that he could do it, let alone not hurt himself. It had been so ingrained in him for so long that Mingi wasn’t sure how to function without pain in the equation. If a punishment wasn’t supposed to hurt what was it supposed to make him feel?

Without even meaning to, Mingi voiced his concerns aloud, much to his surprise. 

“Usually remorse for whatever action or inaction that led to your punishment,” Yunho answered softly, his voice sounding much too shaky for Mingi’s liking. 

The alpha shifted to wrap a hesitant arm around Yunho’s waist, relaxing slightly when the omega sank into his embrace as though he were a marionette with its strings cut. 

“And a resolve to do better,” Yunho continued, his words muffling as he pressed his cheek to Mingi’s shoulder.

“If you do hurt yourself,” Hongjoong took over. “You must come to one of us immediately, no matter what time it is or if we’re busy, we’ll always make time for you. And we won’t be angry either, but making sure that any injuries you have are properly taken care of is our top priority.”

And, oh, Mingi wasn’t expecting that. He thought the rule was he couldn’t hurt himself anymore but now it wasn’t firm? “So I... can hurt myself?” he asked, unable to bite back the confused question from bubbling past his lips.

“Ideally, no,” the pack alpha replied, something pained and another emotion Mingi couldn’t define swimming just under the current of his voice. “But we know that self-harming can be addictive and none of us expect you to have perfect control right out of the gate. It’s going to take time and patience and you’re going to relapse and that’s alright. Because we’ll be right here by your side to help you when you fall.” 

Mingi nodded slowly, Hongjoong’s words sounding too good to be true but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth either. The elder had proven time and again in the short time that he had known him that he and Junghwa were completely different people and Mingi had to believe that the alpha was telling him the truth. 

Hongjoong took a deep breath, gearing himself up for what he was about to say. “As it is, however, what you did last night was incredibly dangerous and it would be in bad form to not punish you accordingly.”

The younger alpha froze, Yunho and Seonghwa’s gentle petting a small condolence to the bombshell that Hongjoong had just dropped. 

San perked up from his place next to Hongjoong. “The markers?” he asked, sounding far too excited for the topic of conversation, simultaneously worrying Mingi more and reassuring him that it probably wouldn’t be too bad.

Hongjoong nodded. “I think that’ll be best,” he replied. “We’ll of course run it by everyone but it’s worked for our pack in the past. Mingi-yah, any mark that is put on your body should always be done with love and kindness and never to hurt. To ensure that you understand this, each member of the pack will write on your skin with permanent markers to show you the level of love you and others should show your body. These marks cannot be scrubbed off intentionally, you will need to let them fade naturally to ensure that the messages have enough time to sink in.”

Mingi stared at Hongjoong in wide-eyed confusion, glancing around at the rest of the pack to see if any of them would let him in on the joke. Surely this wasn’t actually the punishment. Mingi had caused so many problems: he had woken Yeosang and Hongjoong and half of the others in the middle of the night, got his blood all over the bathroom, broken a piece of their property, and then invaded the betas’ bed instead of going back to his own. When no one reacted beyond reassuring nods, Mingi bit his lip. “That’s... it?” he asked in uncertainty. “That’s a... punishment?”

Seonghwa nodded from next to him. “That’s how our pack handles punishments,” he stated. “Punishments are here to help us learn valuable lessons. They will never hurt you or restrict your needs— and that will never change. Does that sound like an acceptable punishment, Mingi-yah? Are you able to accept this?”

Mingi thought about it— really thought about it— because that’s what the pack wanted him to do. Would he be able to handle this punishment? Not only the self-restraint it would take to not wash the marks off immediately but to not crave more.  

It sounded... nice, if he was honest with himself. Reassuring. A part of Mingi liked the idea of the pack all giving him something semi-permanent on his skin that wasn’t just... pain. He wasn’t sure what they would write— would probably be something along the lines of “don’t hurt yourself” if he had to guess based on the alpha’s previous statements— but the reminder sort of sounded good and he found himself nodding before he fully acknowledged what he was doing. 

“What about when I attacked Wooyoung yesterday?” Mingi asked impulsively. “Will I be punished for that?” He immediately wanted to slap his hand over his mouth, unbelieving that he just asked for more punishment. A tiny, sick and twisted part of him was innately curious to see what Hongjoong and the pack would do with that reminder of his aggression that had thus far gone unpunished. Subconsciously, he wanted to see if all of their punishments really would be the same level of kind that his self-harming punishment was. He also knew that he needed to be punished in order to move on from the event. 

“You have... I think it’s clear that you’ve obviously punished yourself enough for the accident with Wooyoung,” Hongjoong choked out, trying and failing to hide the shock in his voice. “I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that there is no need for punishment for what happened in the kitchen yesterday.”

Mingi frowned, the alpha’s words sitting heavily in his stomach. That wasn’t right. Mingi needed to be punished. He had hurt a packmate and caused a lot of stress and he couldn’t, in good conscience, ignore that— not like they could. 

But Hongjoong said that there wouldn’t be a punishment so he had to live with that and learn to get over the guilt eating away at his insides.

“Mingi-yah?” Seonghwa prodded gently, nudging the younger’s side with careful fingers to gain his attention. “You look like you have something you need to say. You’re safe here. Nothing you say will be counted against you or taken poorly. We want to know what you’re thinking, sweetheart. No matter what it is.”

Mingi stared at his feet for a few moments, contemplating the pros and cons of expressing himself honestly before glancing up at Yunho’s earnest eyes laid bare for Mingi. The omega was watching him with so much love and concern that Mingi found himself speaking without a conscious decision to do so. “It wasn’t enough,” he whispered, eyes locked with Yunho’s. “I didn’t— I hurt Wooyoung. I— hurting myself isn’t enough. I need— I need to be punished— properly. I can’t— I don’t think I can move past this until— until I am.” 

Wooyoung nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense,” he said, shooting the other alpha a genuine smile. “You feel bad about it even if it’s something we, as a pack, would have never thought needed punishment in the past. If it's something you need to heal then we’re more than happy to meet you halfway. This is a partnership and a group effort and honestly, if the situation had been reversed, I probably would have felt the same as you, Mingi.”

Admitting his needs to the pack was painful and so very frightening but Wooyoung’s reassurance settled his racing heart enough for Yunho’s sturdy side hug to register in his brain enough to sink into it slightly. 

“Of course,” Hongjoong agreed, nodding his head as though Mingi had asked for a cup of orange juice instead of asking to be punished for hurting one of his packmates. “If this is something that you need, then we are more than willing to come up with a suitable punishment.”

Mingi breathed a sigh of relief as he sunk further against Yunho, nodding his head in agreement.

“What if we each take him out?” Jongho proposed after a few minutes of silence as the pack mulled over how to best punish Mingi. “Like on friend-dates. Because— Mingi-hyung doesn’t know us well and so him startling from Wooyoung was probably in part because he’s not used to us or our voices so he reacted to a stranger not a friend.”

Hongjoong smiled at his youngest beta. “Good idea, Jongho-yah,” he praised. “Helping Mingi-yah familiarize himself with each of us individually will be less overwhelming and have a greater impact on each of our relationships with him rather than trying to get to know him all at once.” He tilted his head, making careful eye contact with Mingi. “If you are able to associate our voices and presence as ‘friends’ your alpha will be less likely to be aggressive towards us and will reduce the risk of an accident like this happening again. Does that sound like an acceptable punishment, Mingi? Remember— punishments here are to help our packmates and lift them up, not put them down.”

Mingi bit his lip, chewing on the skin until Seonghwa gently pulled the abused flesh from between his teeth with his thumb. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I can— that sounds... good? I mean— getting to— to know you all more is... good and I’d— I’d like that alot. And if it helps me not— not hurt any of you in the future, I want to do it.”

Yunho squeezed his waist fondly, dropping a light kiss to his shoulder in praise for Mingi’s bravery in speaking his mind. 

The rest of the pack all nodded their heads in agreement, proud, excited smiles on each of their faces at the prospect of having a little alone time to get to know their newest potential packmate. 

“Perfect,” Hongjoong declared, looking much more relaxed than he had for the entirety of the morning. “Then over the next... two weeks we’ll each take you out for some one on one time so that way we can get to know you better and vice versa.”

Mingi nodded, feeling himself deflate against Yunho in relief. Having a punishment, no matter how strange or forgein, was better than no punishment and he was grateful to this pack for understanding his needs even if he didn’t fully understand them himself.

For the first time in his life, Mingi was sort of looking forward to his punishments.

Hongjoong sighed, closing the office door gently before going to his desk chair and collapsing tiredly. He took a moment to just breathe, taking comfort in the distant sounds of Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi working on lunch while everyone else pattered around the house. He knew that taking care of Mingi would be a lot of work—the alpha had more trauma than any of them had seen before— but he hadn’t factored in the emotional toll caring for him would take on him and his packmates. He made a note to himself to check on everyone individually to make sure that they were alright— especially Yeosang. His sweet beta had taken the brunt of this incident and he didn’t want the younger to think he had to suffer in silence for the good of the pack. 

There was one thing that he knew that he needed to do before anything else though and so with a heavy heart, Hongjoong pulled out his phone and called Taemin.

The beta answered on the second ring, sounding nervous. “Hongjoong-ah?” he greeted. “Everything alright?”

The alpha nodded, forgetting momentarily that the elder couldn’t see the movement before coughing awkwardly and clearing his throat. “Yes?” he replied. “Kind of? A uh— event happened last night and, as ah— as Mingi’s social worker, I know it’s important for you to stay informed with what goes on with him.”

Taemin was silent for a moment before asking him what happened. Hongjoong took a few minutes to explain everything that had occurred, both the day before with Wooyoung and the events that had transpired in the middle of the night. 

“Do you need me to come get him?” Taemin asked gently, sounding much too resigned for Hongjoong’s liking. “I’d understand if you did, Joong-ah. You have a pack to take care of and this isn’t an easy situation— and it’s not going to get any easier any time soon.”

“No,” Hongjoong stated firmly. “It’s not going to be easy. But we took him in knowing this. And as hard as it is, Mingi is worth it. He’s a good kid, Taemin-ssi, and he deserves a chance. And we’d really like to be that chance for him. I didn’t tell you this because we wanted to get rid of him. Mingi-yah is here until he chooses differently. My pack and I are quite fond of him regardless of his trauma.” Hongjoong went on to explain to Taemin the family meeting they had just had and how Mingi had tentatively opened up to them and how proud Hongjoong was of the baby alpha. By the time he had finished, Hongjoong felt a bit out of breath, breathing softly as the other end of the line remained silent. Hongjoong shifted nervously, checking to make sure that the call hadn’t dropped before tentatively calling out. “Taemin-ssi?” 

A sniffle sounded through the receiver and Taemin finally spoke up. “Thank you,” he whispered, clearly doing his best to stay professional despite the swell of emotion caused by Hongjoong’s story. “I’m so glad he has you and your pack. I can’t wait to see him flourish more under your care.”

“Me too,” Hongjoong whispered, a small smile stretching across his lips. “Me too.”

Notes:

Thank you all for reading!! Let me know what you guys thought of how the pack handled everything!! I love to hear what you guys have to say <3

See you all next Friday!!

Chapter 6

Summary:

Mingi receives his punishment and develops a new habit.

Mingi braced himself between Yunho and Seonghwa as Jongho brought the marker to his skin. He nearly jerked away at the first touch of the cool marker tip, barely suppressing the reaction. Jongho, the observant beta that he was, paused, pulling the marker off of his skin as he glanced up at Mingi in worry. 

“Are you okay, hyung?” he asked hesitantly, the hand not holding the marker reaching out to rub gentle circles onto the alpha’s knee. 

Mingi sucked in a deep breath, nodding his head stiffly. “Yeah,” he replied. “Just— it’s cold.”

Jongho grinned, shifting slightly where he was kneeling between Mingi’s legs before gently taking Mingi’s arm again and bringing the marker back to the skin of the alpha’s forearm. 

He wrote slowly, making sure that every letter was neat and legible before blowing on the message gently to dry it. By the time he was finished, Mingi could barely read the younger’s message through the surprised and happy tears flooding his eyes. 

Hyung, I respect and love you so much. You inspire me to be better, so I hope we will inspire you to be kinder towards yourself because you deserve all the love— even your own. 

<3 love you hyung

Jongho bent down, kissing the words gently and sending a shiver up Mingi’s spine at the action before pulling back, a wide, happy grin painted across his face. “Aww, hyung,” he cooed, cupping the elder’s cheeks between his hands when he noticed Mingi’s tears. “Don’t cry, Alpha. We love you so much, okay?” He leaned forward kissing right underneath Mingi’s eyes and catching the few stray tears that had escaped with his lips before finally pulling away entirely. 

Before he could respond— not that he would have known how to if he could have— Wooyoung stepped towards them, grinning blindingly as he plucked the marker from the youngest with a cheeky peck to the beta’s lips. 

“My turn,” he sang, smile turning devilish as he uncapped the marker. “Hold still for me, Mingi-yah,” he cooed, pressing in close between Mingi’s legs, his arm coming up towards the other alpha’s face slowly.

“Wooyoung,” Hongjoong cut in disapprovingly. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Wooyoung turned to their pack alpha cheekily. “I just want to make sure that he doesn’t forget how much I love him,” he responded, sugar sweet and dripping in faux-innocence. 

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow in challenge, crossing his arms from his place in the recliner. “You are not writing on Mingi’s face,” he asserted. “Find someplace else to put your message.”

The younger alpha pouted but turned back to Mingi forlorn, his eyes roaming over the taller’s body in determination before settling on an area on Mingi’s chest. He grinned excitedly again, reaching forward with slow, steady movements so as to not spook the other alpha before he carefully unbuttoned his shirt. 

Mingi made an aborted noise at the action, eyes widening as he stared down at Wooyoung in shock as his shirt was unbuttoned enough for the other alpha to slip it off of one shoulder and expose the skin of his chest to the cool air. 

“Right here,” he declared proudly, dragging one finger along Mingi’s collarbone. 

Hongjoong sighed behind him, looking far too done with the younger’s antics. “As long as Mingi is okay with you writing on his chest,” he agreed. 

Wooyoung peered up at the alpha in question, eyes large and pleading as he begged silently for permission. Unable to do anything else, Mingi nodded in stunned permission, his head robotic in its movements as he tried to process what was happening. 

The smaller alpha squealed excitedly, shifting upwards to pressing a lightning-quick kiss to Mingi’s cheek before settling back down and uncapping the marker and pressing it to the other’s skin. 

It took everything in Mingi not to pull away as the cold tip of the marker tickled his sensitive skin, biting his lip in concentration before Seonghwa gently reached over to pull the abused flesh from his teeth with gentle fingers. He smiled at the younger, hand moving to cup Mingi’s cheek and drag his thumb across his cheekbone in soft, soothing passes that made his heart flutter concerningly in his chest. 

After a few moments that seemed to drag on for eternity, Wooyoung pulled back, capping the marker proudly. “Done!” he declared unnecessarily as he handed the marker to San. 

Mingi glanced down, squinting as he tried to read the words upside down and blushing once he had deciphered them. 

My sweet, beautiful, lovely, pretty, amazing, softie alpha. <3 love you so much honey.

It was so dorky and sweet and so very Wooyoung that Mingi couldn’t stop the soft, breathy laugh from escaping his lips. The other alpha beamed, reaching forward to cup Mingi’s cheeks and kiss the tip of his nose. “We love you, Mingi,” he whispered reverently. “I know I’m not the best with words but don’t ever think that I don’t love you with my whole heart, okay?”

Mingi nodded, stilted slightly by Wooyoung’s hands still on his cheeks making him giggle. “Okay, Alpha,” he replied softly— hesitantly. 

Wooyoung’s grin turned fond, pecking Mingi’s nose again before finally pulling away and making room for San to take his place. 

The omega leaned forward, nuzzling Mingi’s cheek gently. “How are you doing?” he asked softly. “Do you need a break?”

Mingi took a moment to think about it, knowing that San’s question was genuine and not something just asked out of obligation. He felt overwhelmed but not in a bad way. It was like the first time you walked into a flower shop and you were hit with all of the different floral scents along with the large array of colors and it all collided with your senses at once. It wasn’t bad— it was just a lot. 

“I’m okay,” he murmured after a few moments. 

San eyed him carefully before nodding his head in acquiesce. “Okay,” he replied, a small smile stretching across his lips. “Thank you, baby.”

Mingi ducked his head at the pet name, feeling the red rush to his cheeks as San shifted so that he could tug Mingi’s shirt away from his shoulder on the opposite side, even unbuttoning a few more buttons so that his entire chest was visible to the pack. He glanced up at Mingi through his lashes cheekily before uncapping the marker and posing it directly over Mingi’s heart. 

We may not be your pack yet but we love you as if you were and want to see you happy and healthy always. I love you and your beautiful big heart.

San then brought the marker to the side of Mingi’s neck writing something from the base all the way up to just below his ear on the left hand side. 

“Hyung!” Wooyoung objected, pointing at Mingi and San unnecessarily. 

Hongjoong just sighed, shaking his head at his omega’s cheek as San put the cap back on the marker proudly. “Sannie,” he started exasperatedly. 

“It’s not on his face,” he pointed out proudly, handing the marker to Yeosang who took it with a fond shake of his head. 

“That’s not fair!” Wooyoung pouted, wrapping himself around Jongho in his distress, much to their youngest’s unacknowledged objections. 

Mingi bit his lip in uncertainty before pushing the burning question past his lips. “What did he write?” he asked, unsure whether or not he wanted the answer. 

Yunho, who was sitting on his left and had a clear view of San’s handiwork, grinned, kissing Mingi’s cheek. “He didn’t write anything,” he said. “Sannie drew eight hearts going up the side of your neck.”

“Eight?” he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice. The ‘yet’ from San’s message bouncing around in his mind like a bullet. He didn’t even think the ‘yet’ was an option. Surely this beautiful, kind pack didn’t need someone like him, right? But then why would San write ‘yet’? Why would he draw eight hearts if he didn’t mean to include him too? Maybe it was just a coincidence— it had to be— and maybe— 

“One for each of us!” San declared proudly. 

Oh.  

—and maybe there might be room to hope after all. 

 

Mingi sighed, resting his hands on either side of the sink as he examined his pale face. He could still feel Junghwa’s hands around his throat, the echoes of his nightmare still fresh in his brain. He felt shaky and off kilter and hastily ducked his hands under the stream of water coming from the faucet to splash his face. The cold water shocked him just enough to get the phantom hands off of his skin. 

A bit of black caught his eye as he blinked the water away, reminding him of Yunho’s message on the back of his wrist, right above his watch line so that, in Yunho’s words, it wouldn’t get washed away easily. The message was long and brought tears to his eyes every time he had read it over the last two days and this time was no different. 

Mingi, my darling alpha. 

You are so brave. 

I mean it. You are the bravest, kindest, and most protective person I know. Even when you’re scared, I know that I am always safe with you. You are my safe space, Mingi. 

I love you to the moon and back.

He wiped his hands dry on his sleep pants before gently caressing Yunho’s words, allowing the tears to creep down his cheeks in the safety of the bathroom. He barely knew this pack and yet he felt like he had known them forever. They were so safe and every day he spent with them he could feel himself becoming more and more comfortable in their care. 

A knock sounded at the door, startling Mingi. He shook his head to clear it before moving to the door and opening it softly. 

Hongjoong was on the other side, looking sleep rumpled and nervous though it was clear that he was trying to hide his unease from the younger. 

“Hyung?” Mingi asked, voice just above a whisper, overly-conscious of the rest of the pack sleeping in the rooms around them. 

“Hey, Mingi-yah,” he murmured, reaching out with a trembling hand in askance. Mingi closed the gap, wrapping his fingers around Hongjoong’s smaller hand. “You alright?”

Mingi nodded, squeezing the elder’s hand. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I had— uh... I had a nightmare.” 

The elder hummed, gently tugging Mingi closer until his head was ducked down to rest on Hongjoong’s shoulder. “Want to talk about it?” he asked as he wrapped one arm around Mingi’s waist while the other crept up into his hair and began to pet it gently. 

Mingi shrugged, sagging against the elder tiredly. “Not really,” he mumbled. “Is that— is that okay?”

“Of course, darling,” Hongjoong murmured. “You never have to share if you’re not ready to. Do you want to go back to sleep or stay up more? I can make you hot chocolate?”

“Really?” Mingi asked, pulling back to look the elder in the eyes in awe. “You’d— you’d really make me hot chocolate?”

“I would,” Hongjoong stated firmly. “Come on, sweetie. Hyung will make you hot chocolate.” He gently guided Mingi out of the bathroom and down the hallway to the kitchen, situating the younger alpha on one of the stools at the island before going to get the ingredients for hot chocolate. 

Mingi watched him reverently, slowly creeping around the island to perch himself behind Hongjoong’s back at the stove. Hongjoong was very careful not to make any sudden movements so as to not startle the younger. Slowly, he tilted his head slightly so that Mingi could lean in closer while he mixed the pot on the stove. 

“Can I ask you something?” Mingi whispered, his lips right next to Hongjoong’s ear as his eyes never stopped watching the elder’s hands. 

“Of course, Mingi,” Hongjoong replied. “You can ask me anything— any time you want.”

Mingi swallowed, his throat bobbing against Hongjoong’s as he carefully pressed himself close to the elder. “San— at the... at the family meeting,” he started nervously. “When he... proposed my punishment— he... everyone knew what he meant by ‘markers’ and I just...”

“You wanted to know if we’ve done this punishment before?” Hongjoong finished gently. Mingi nodded, his chin bumping Hongjoong’s shoulder. The pack alpha was silent for a moment, making Mingi second guess himself before he pressed forward. “It... used to be a common punishment in our pack— specifically... specifically for me.”

Mingi sucked in a sharp breath, unintentionally squeezing Hongjoong’s waist gently. “You?” he breathed.

Hongjoong nodded, swallowing down the shame at admitting his weakest moments. “I used to self-harm when I was younger. I was a young pack alpha taking on more than I could chew and my stress took me to a dark and lonely place. The marker punishment helped me remember that there were people who loved me and didn’t want to see me hurt.” He chuckled wetly, one hand leaving the stove to thread his fingers through Mingi’s pressed against his stomach. “I had messages on my skin near-constantly in our first few years together. Over the years it got less and less frequent that I needed it. Nowadays, I can usually tell when I’m getting bad and can approach my pack for help before I get to hurting myself.”

He used his thumb to rub the back of Mingi’s hand, feeling the tense muscles of the younger alpha holding him. “But you’re okay now?” Mingi asked shakily. 

“I’m okay,” he said. “And you will be too. Healing is slow but you have us to help you. You’re not alone in your darkness anymore, Mingi. Just like me.”

Mingi released a shuddering breath, slumping against Hongjoong’s back in relief before cautiously asking another question. “You weren’t— you weren’t hurt... like me— were you?”

Hongjoong shook his head, turning it so that he could press a quick and gentle kiss to Mingi’s temple. “No,” he assured. “I wasn’t. Sometimes you don’t have to have trauma to self-harm. Sometimes your brain can just be cruel for no reason and you have to fight it off without knowing what caused it.” 

He turned off the stove, feeling Mingi back away to grab mugs for the both of them without having to ask. 

“There will be days going forward where you’re going to think you’re fine and then those dark thoughts are going to hit you out of nowhere,” he declared, carefully pouring their drinks. 

Once the pot was empty, he set it in the sink before guiding Mingi to the table, sitting kitty corner to each other. He pointed to his message, scrawled delicately on Mingi’s forearm opposite of Jongho’s. Mingi glanced down at the message, swallowing around the lump in his throat. 

You are stronger than those who hurt you and braver than you feel. You are never alone. 

“You aren’t alone, Mingi,” Hongjoong murmured, taking a sip of his cocoa, their socked toes brushing against each other under the table. “Not anymore.”

Mingi didn’t reply, the silence stretching meaningfully between them for a while. The only sounds being the soft slurps as they drank their hot cocoa. 

“It was Junghwa,” Mingi whispered, breaking the silence when their drinks were nearly gone. He glared into the bottom of his mug, unable to look at Hongjoong as he recalled his dream aloud. “He was— I remembered a punishment from him in my dream and I— I couldn’t... his hands— they were still around— around my throat.”

Hongjoong reached out slowly, laying his hand out on the table, palm up next to Mingi’s clenched fist in offering. The younger took it gratefully, threading their fingers together and relishing in the silent comfort. “He can’t hurt you anymore,” Hongjoong reassured. “And it’s okay if sometimes your brain doesn’t let you remember that.”

Mingi nodded, shifting so that he was leaning against his palm heavily as he watched Hongjoong speak. 

“We’re here for you when that happens,” the alpha continued, gently tracing Seonghwa’s message that was scrawled across Mingi’s fingers. 

The younger alpha glanced down at his hands, reading the too-quickly fading words on his skin. 

You are so beautiful, inside and out. You always do what’s best for us just as much as we wish that for you.

“We’ll always be here.”

 

Mingi had taken to wandering the house late at night when his dreams kept him up. It seemed that even though Junghwa wasn’t a part of his life anymore he could still control Mingi. He always ended up on the back porch, finding peace in the blanket of stars above his head and the quiet chirping of crickets from the backyard.

A few nights after his wandering had started, the back door creaked open, nearly half an hour after Mingi had perched himself on the back steps, to reveal a sleep-rumpled Yeosang, a comforter hanging around his shoulders like a cape. 

“There you are,” he yawned, shuffling over to Mingi and plopping down next to the alpha, wrapping his blanket around both of their shoulders. Mingi shifted, tucking Yeosang even closer in an attempt to keep the beta as warm as possible in the chilly night air. “Can’t sleep?”

Mingi shook his head, tensing momentarily when Yeosang shifted to rest his head on the alpha’s shoulder before melting into the touch. “I had a nightmare,” he admitted, swallowing around the lump steadily growing in his throat.

“Memories?”

The alpha nodded, his chin bumping gently against Yeosang’s head. “Yeah,” he breathed. “It was... the night I was mated. I was— I was sixteen and I’d just— just presented.”

Yeosang growled softly, shifting so that he could press a kiss to Mingi’s collarbone before looking back to the night sky. “Barbaric,” he muttered. “Completely horrid— what happened to you was just... I don’t even have words to express how horrible those people are.” His hand crept over to Mingi’s knee, his fingers dancing over where his message was hidden by Mingi’s pajama bottoms, sitting innocently right where his bandage ended. 

You have such a good soul, Mingi. You are so attentive and kind towards all of us. I hope that one day you can show that same level of kindness to yourself.

Mingi knew those words by heart, the marker nearly faded by now but the message still imprinted into his memory like a scar. He hummed in agreement, not feeling up to saying anything more. 

Yeosang buried his nose in Mingi’s neck while the alpha raised his eyes back to the sky, basking in the easy quiet with the beta. 

“You know,” Yeosang murmured a few minutes later, his voice groggy and thick from the late hour. “I was born in the South.” Mingi tensed slightly, tucking Yeosang’s warm body closer to him. “My mother was sure I’d present as an alpha and my father— he... he was convinced I was going to be an omega. They had a lot of possible business deals lined up reliant on my presentation. I think... we probably had pretty similar childhoods.” 

The alpha whined, his other hand stretching around to completely encompass Yeosang and pull him into his lap. Yeosang went willingly, burying his face further into Mingi’s neck, his lips tickling the other’s throat as he continued talking. 

“When I presented as a beta, my whole family pack was disgusted. I’m sure you know— there’s no use for a beta in a traditional pack, after all. I was disowned and kicked out, still mid-presentation. I hitch-hiked my way to Seoul, spent a few years on the streets before San stumbled over me.” Yeosang chuckled wetly, rubbing his cheek against Mingi’s neck. “He brought me home like a stray cat and presented me to Hongjoong-hyung. I was— I was so scared back then and the pack... they took their time with me, giving me time to adjust and heal and grow. I had so much to unlearn from my birth pack but they were so patient and caring with me. They helped me realize and understand that what happened to me wasn’t okay. I spent— I spent so long blaming myself for presenting as a beta and not being good enough.” 

His fingers tangled in Mingi’s t-shirt, rubbing the fabric reverently as he got stuck in his head.

“What they did to you— both your family pack and that— that despicable pack of monsters those bastards sold you off to— it wasn’t right and it was— was cruel. It breaks my heart,” Yeosang sniffled, prompting Mingi to press a comforting kiss to the beta’s hair. “And... this might be selfish to say but— I look at you and I’m so— so grateful that I presented as a beta. Because.... If I had been either other gender, I would have probably ended up with the same fate as you and I don’t think— I don’t think I would have been able to endure what you have. I’m not as strong as you— not by a long shot.” 

Mingi made an aborted noise, unintentionally releasing his blooming lemonade scent to comfort Yeosang. “I’m not strong,” he mumbled, voice muffled by the beta’s hair. 

“You are,” Yeosang insisted. “You’re one of the strongest persons I know. And it— it hurts to know all of the pain you’ve suffered at the hands of heartless monsters. And to see how good of a person you’ve come out of all of this despite everything you’ve survived, it’s— it’s admirable. I wish— I wish we could have found you sooner, Mingi-yah. You’re so precious.”

The alpha squeezed Yeosang to his chest, a low, comforting rumble vibrating though the beta from Mingi, relaxing him and turning him into a puddle in his lap. They were silent for a while, basking in each other’s comforting presence as the night ticked on.

“I’m glad you presented as a beta,” Mingi whispered, breaking the silence and startling Yeosang with his gentle voice. “And I’m glad San found you. And that you ended up here— with this pack. And— and I’m glad I ended up here with you, too.”

“You’ll stay, right?” Yeosang replied, voice barely audible as he nuzzled further into Mingi’s chest. “With us? You feel so right here. I don’t— I don’t think any of us would survive losing you.”

Mingi dropped his chin on top of Yeosang’s head, releasing a contented purr. “I want to. I— I really want to... someday.”

Yeosang hummed, already halfway to sleep. “We’ll wait for you, Mingi,” he mumbled. “For forever if you need.”

He didn’t reply, choosing instead to cuddle Yeosang closer to his chest, keeping the beta warm while he turned back to the stars. Yeosang slowly fell asleep against him, growing heavy in his arms. Mingi stayed out a while longer, tucking Yeosang’s blanket around him tightly and shielding his face from the night air. 

Eventually, Mingi felt his own eyes growing heavy and decided that it was time to head back inside. He shifted Yeosang in his arms and gathered him up, carefully bringing the beta all the way back to his bedroom.

Jongho snuffled awake, blinking at Mingi in confusion when the light from the hallway spilled into their bedroom. Mingi shuffled over to their bed, leaning down to deposit Yeosang next to the other beta with a mumbled apology to Jongho for waking him. 

Yeosang whimpered when Mingi went to pull away, wrapping his arms around the alpha’s neck and refusing to let go. Mingi bit his lip, hovering awkwardly over their bed, unsure how to get Yeosang to let go. Their youngest huffed out a tired laugh, patting the mattress fondly. “Better tuck in, hyung,” he mumbled, still very much half asleep even as he shifted to make room for the alpha between them. “Hyung’s not gonna let you go. Just sleep here.”

Mingi hummed, debating for a few moments before accepting his fate and sliding between the two betas, causing Yeosang to purr and nuzzle into his chest. Jongho chuckled sleepily from his other side, shuffling closer so that he could pillow his cheek on Mingi’s bicep. 

It was warm between the two betas, Mingi’s skin losing the chill from the outside night air as Yeosang and Jongho’s weight on top of him lulled him to sleep, this time, nightmare-free.

Notes:

Thank you all so much for reading!!

I'll see you all next Friday!

Chapter 7

Summary:

Mingi's rut hits.

Notes:

This is one of those chapters where I say: mind the tags before reading. This chapter involves past rape and drugging, so only read if you're comfortable.

Thank you <3

There was a tightness in Mingi’s chest that wouldn’t go away no matter what he did. He’d been slowly loosening up around Hongjoong’s pack, growing more and more comfortable interacting with them, both individually and in groups, but for the last few days Mingi felt as though he were walking on eggshells around the pack members. The worst part was that nothing had changed to warrant this disjointed, itchy feeling in his bones. The fault lay entirely with Mingi.

The pack could tell that something was up but held off on saying anything which Mingi was grateful for. He couldn’t describe the feeling to himself, let alone try to explain the tight discomfort stretching across his entire body to anyone else. 

Yunho followed him into his bedroom that afternoon when he excused himself for a nap, thinking that maybe he was just tired. The omega crawled onto his bed and opened his legs and arms for Mingi, guiding the alpha on top of him and holding him close. 

Mingi sank into the embrace, his cheek pillowing heavily on Yunho’s shoulder while the omega combed his fingers through his hair. Yunho’s hands were magic, he decided, humming softly while the omega’s fingers scratched lightly at his scalp. He could stay like that forever if it was possible.

“Wanna talk?” Yunho asked after a few minutes of quiet petting. The alpha grunted, smushing his cheek harder against Yunho’s shoulder in a silent reply making him chuckle. “Okay,” he murmured, tilting his head so that he could kiss Mingi’s hair. “How about that nap then? Can I sleep with you, Alpha?”

He nodded, closing his eyes as he tightened his grip around Yunho’s waist. Sleeping with the omega was one of his favorite things to do, especially when he was stressed, because Yunho fell asleep best with someone wrapped around him and Mingi loved holding someone while he slept. He’d had no clue how nice it was to be this close to someone when he was drifting off to sleep or the comfort waking up in someone’s arms would bring. Now that he’d gotten a taste for it, Mingi feared that he would never be able to sleep alone again. 

Though, if he had to guess based on the events of the last month and a half, the pack had no intentions of making him sleep alone unless he asked for it. Mingi loved the closeness that sleeping together brought, and the free affection that he was quickly learning was unconditional— as strange of a concept as that was for him. 

Yunho was one of his favorites to cuddle, the omega was the same height as him and could easily swaddle him in his arms instead of always holding the others or feeling too large against them. Though, if he was honest, Mingi absolutely loved holding the other pack members in his arms. His favorite though, was when Hongjoong would climb in behind him, all soft and slow, and wrap his arms around Mingi’s waist, tucking his head between the younger’s shoulder blades and just breathe. Mingi had never had an alpha that was so gentle before and he relished in the soft touches now that he knew that Hongjoong was unlikely to lash out unexpectedly. 

Hongjoong’s arms were perfect after panic attacks; the reassurance that his alpha still loved him and would never hurt him soothed him faster than anything else. 

Yunho hummed softly, nosing into Mingi’s hair. “Sleep well, Mingi-yah,” he whispered, tugging him impossibly closer before they both drifted off. 

 

Mingi woke up warm. He felt sick to his stomach and hot and the discomfort under his skin had turned into a full body ache. Yunho was still wrapped around him like an octopus and, suddenly, Mingi didn’t feel comfort from his embrace but a slowly building claustrophobic panic welling in his chest. He shakily pulled himself out of the omega’s grip, sliding to the floor like a limp balloon in order to escape without waking Yunho before crawling away. 

He clambered into his closet, tugging down the extra blankets and pillows Hongjoong kept on the top shelf for him in case he ever wanted more for his bed. Now, Mingi dropped all of the extra sleeping supplies onto the floor, pushing out a couple pairs of shoes from the bottom corner of the closet before tucking the comforters and pillows into it in a little nest. 

It was still too open. Mingi knew that even with the door closed he was still too exposed. He couldn’t hide under his bed, the space too small— and besides, Yunho was still sleeping on top. Mingi didn’t feel safe. 

Safe. 

Mingi’s alpha was looking for safety. He wanted to smack himself once he connected the desire for safety with the achy heat coursing through him. Of course it was his rut rearing its ugly head once more. 

He’d had a small one with one of his previous foster packs where he had sequestered himself in one of their unused half-baths in the basement to ride it out. Taemin had been called out to collect him halfway through and the pack had refused to allow him to finish out his rut in his nest. Mingi had felt like he was dying as Taemin had gently guided him out of the pack’s home and to his car. 

On the drive to the center, Mingi was able to pull himself out of his rut being away from his alpha’s perceived safe space and he never wanted to experience that again. Pulling out of a rut haze was like being dunked in icy water and then stabbed with ten thousand needles and he was bedridden for days afterwards, his muscles too sore to move. 

Mingi had no desire to repeat that pain so his alpha was determined to find some place no one could take him from. He collected his blankets, fully in a nesting haze as he clambered out of the room, trying not to trip on the edge of the blanket trailing from his arms as he made his way downstairs. 

He ended up in the laundry room, the familiarity of the space soothing his alpha as he nested the pillows and blankets under the small table next to the dryer. Mingi crawled into the tight space, humming softly in approval before crawling back out, needing one more thing before he could succumb to his rut fully. He made his way back upstairs as quietly as possible, listening for any movement from the living room where the majority of the pack were watching a drama while he and Yunho were supposed to be napping. 

The omega was still sound asleep on his bed when he crept back into the room, Yunho having replaced Mingi with one of his pillows, his nose stuck firmly into the fabric. A part of Mingi wanted to crawl back into bed and spend his rut curled against him. But the larger, more prominent part of his brain could not allow that sort of vulnerability— even with Yunho— so instead, he dropped to his stomach and crawled under his bed to collect his little wolf from its hiding place. The matted fur found its way to his nose out of muscle memory, Mingi just barely biting back the whine of distress when his alpha couldn’t pull his own scent from the fabric. 

He tucked it to his chest, slipping it under his shirt as he exited the bedroom— just in case someone stumbled upon him on his way to his nest. He knew that he didn’t have a lot of time— his body pains getting more persistent and the fire under his skin growing stronger— before his scent would reflect the rut brewing and the pack would be able to smell it. He needed to be safe before that happened. 

He paused in the doorway, his instincts begging him to take Yunho with him— to keep his omega safe— before he shook it off and forced himself to walk away. Yunho wasn’t his, he reminded himself. 

The television was still going in the other room, San proclaiming loudly about the attractiveness of one of the characters while his other packmates laughed at him fondly. Mingi paused at the base of the stairs, a whine bubbling up his throat while he forced down the desire to follow their voices and crawl into Hongjoong’s lap— let the pack alpha take care of him and pet him through his rut. 

But he loved this pack— really loved them— and he didn’t want to ruin his image of them with their inevitable reaction to his rut. He hoped, by hiding himself away, that they would let him ride this out alone and that they could go back to normal once he was over this.

He made his way back to the laundry room, locking the door and then pushing a couple of laundry baskets in front of the door. It wouldn’t stop anyone from getting in if they got the door unlocked, but it would slow them down enough for Mingi to mentally prepare himself. He draped a bed sheet that had been folded on one of the shelves over the top of the table and let the fabric hang over the sides. He crawled under it and hummed in satisfaction when he was left with a dark little nest just big enough for him to curl up in. 

Mingi pulled his plushie out from his shirt, rubbing his cheek on the wolf’s fur as he tucked himself down against the pillows. He fell into a semi-sleep like that, the aching in his body slowly crescendoing until it was a throbbing familiar pain, thrumming in unison with the sharp stinging loneliness that crept up into his chest every rut. 

A knocking jerked him into wakefulness along with the jiggling of a door handle and frantic murmurs that were indistinguishable to his sleep-addled brain. 

“Mingi?” Seonghwa called softly, tapping the wood of the door gently. “Baby? Can you open the door for hyung?”

Mingi pressed his cheek against his stuffie, closing his eyes as he willed the sweet older omega to go away. His legs tucked themselves tighter to his chest as he tried to make himself even smaller under the table; perhaps if he hid all of his limbs under the blankets they’d think he’d just disappeared. 

“Sweetheart, can you answer us, baby?” Hongjoong called now, sounding much like he did the night Mingi had punished himself which pulled a long, keening whine out of Mingi’s mouth. All he wanted to do was to open the door and bury himself in Hongjoong’s arms, soothe the elder and reassure him that everything was alright— that he didn’t need to worry— but Mingi couldn’t.  

He didn’t want the pack to know.

To know how worthless he was. 

An alpha that couldn’t even get it up for his packmates during his rut. An alpha that needed to be tied down and given drugs to be of any use to his mates because all he wanted to do was cling.  

Mingi was a worthless alpha. A disgrace and a runt and held no purpose besides a punching bag and something that was to be used.  

There was a click and the jiggling stopped as the door unlatched and tried to swing open.

“He’s barricaded the door,” someone swore. Jongho, Mingi thought absently, a part of him wanting to push away his wall and collect his maknae in his arms and keep him safe. He stuffed that feeling down, hiding his desires by squeezing his wolf tighter under his chin, scenting it frantically as the pack tested the door again. 

“I think it’s just hampers,” Seonghwa replied. “If we push slowly we should be able to move them without tipping them over.”

There was silence for a moment before Hongjoong spoke up again. “Mingi, sweetie, we’re coming in, alright? Hyungs are coming in.”

The clothes hampers scraped softly across the ground as Hongjoong gently pushed the door open just enough to squeeze through and remove the blocker. He allowed the door to swing open gently before getting down on the ground and scooting over to where Mingi was hiding under the table. 

“Baby?” he whispered, making Mingi flinch at how close he sounded. “Can I move this sheet? Just a little bit so that way I can see that you’re alright?”

Mingi whined, curling around himself tighter. Maybe if he just ignored Hongjoong, he would go away, he thought. But that was his alpha and Mingi— Mingi desperately wanted to climb into the elder’s arms, the loneliness panging in his chest harshly, making him keen. 

“Mingi, honey,” Seonghwa called, sounding much closer now as well. “Baby, you’re rutting.”

And that was Mingi’s omega hyung. His. And Seonghwa was out there and his nest was in here and it was too far away and maybe— maybe they wouldn’t make it hurt as much as his last pack. Nothing ever hurt with them. 

But this was his rut. And he was broken.  

And what if this was what changed their minds about him. His rut would reveal how truly worthless he was but he was safe under the table. They couldn’t see the ugly within him if he stayed hidden. 

“Can I try?” a timid voice broke through Mingi’s fretting. “Maybe I can get through to him?”

Yunho. That was Yunho— his Yunho and Mingi’s alpha couldn’t stand the even idea of his omega so far away from him, out of sight and in danger. From what, Mingi had no clue; they were in the pack house surrounded by Hongjoong and his pack and they were safe but Yunho— he couldn’t see Yunho but he could hear him and that wasn’t okay. 

Without thinking, Mingi ripped the bed sheet away and snatched Yunho’s arm. He tugged the omega into his nest, using his other hand to shield Yunho’s head from the tabletop as he pulled him down against him. 

The omega went easily, nosing against Mingi’s cheek as he released a gentle purr. The sound soothed some of the tightness in his chest along with Yunho’s weight on him. He was only half in his nest, the space too small for two adult men but the omega didn’t seem to care. 

“Hi, Alpha,” he purred, keeping his voice just barely above a whisper. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

Mingi whined, squeezing his eyes shut as he clung to Yunho. He didn’t respond, choosing instead to press his nose into the omega’s hair in a desperate attempt to pull the other’s scent to him. 

“Baby,” Yunho continued undeterred. “Do you know you’re in rut?” he asked. “You can just nod or shake your head if you don’t want to talk.”

The alpha slowly nodded his head, grateful for Yunho. 

“Do you feel unsafe with us?” 

Mingi shook his head violently this time, pulling away in his shock to look directly into Yunho’s watery eyes. 

Oh god. Mingi made Yunho cry. He truly was an abomination of an alpha. It was his job to make his omega feel good— especially during a rut— and here he was doing the exact opposite.

He pushed Yunho out of his nest, careful not to hurt the omega as he forced him away from him before tugging one of the extra blankets around him like a shield. 

“Sorry,” he whimpered, pressing his face into the nest. “Sorry. ‘m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong spoke up, gently nudging a shocked Yunho away as he took the younger’s place in front of Mingi’s nest. “You’re alright. Can you talk to hyung? Tell me what you need?” He paused, waiting to see if Mingi would answer him. When he didn’t, he continued. “Water? More blankets? Medicine?”

Mingi keened loudly, the sound making the rest of the pack flinch backwards. They’d never heard the alpha so distressed and it frightened them. Yunho scuttled backwards until he hit Yeosang’s legs, the beta dropping down immediately to wrap his arms around his omega’s chest. 

“Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong crooned, swallowing down his own distressed whine that wanted to escape his throat in response to Mingi’s upset. “Sweetie, what’s wrong? You’re safe here. You’re safe with hyung. Always safe.”

Mingi was silent except for the harsh pants that escaped his lips, nearly suffocating himself in his nest in an effort to hide from the pack. Hongjoong motioned for the rest of the boys to back off a bit, give the alpha a bit more breathing room before he made himself pass out. 

“Don’t want it,” Mingi finally whimpered when he caught his breath, pressing his face into the pillow as if he thought that that would stop Hongjoong from doing whatever he wanted. Not that Hongjoong had any intentions of doing anything that Mingi didn’t wholeheartedly consent to— just the idea of it made his stomach churn nauseatingly. 

“Don’t want what, sweetheart?” Hongjoong asked, keeping his hands to himself and in clear view as he stayed crouched next to Mingi’s nest. 

Mingi whined nosing further into the fabric insistently. “The hap— the happy pill,” he begged. “Please don’t make me take it. I don’t want it. I can’t— please don’t make me. I don’t want to be— to be touched again. Not like that— please—”

Hongjoong trilled lowly, the noise breaking through Mingi’s panic like the world’s most soothing sound. No one in his previous pack had ever reacted so kindly to his begging in the past, the jarring difference enough to jolt him back to the present. 

“Mingi-yah,” he whispered once he knew he had the younger alpha’s attention. “Can you listen to hyung? Listen very carefully, okay? No one is going to force you to take anything, baby. You’re safe, alright? You’re always safe with us.” He paused, taking a slow, steadying breath before forcing himself to calmly continue. “Are you still listening, honey? No one is going to touch you for anything unless you explicitly ask for it. Absolutely nothing sexual— no matter what— will happen until you decide that you’re ready— outside of your rut. You’re safe, Mingi-yah. We’ve got you. No one will ever hurt you like that again.”

And if they thought Mingi had keened before, they hadn’t heard anything yet. The pained noise that burst from the alpha’s lips at Hongjoong’s declaration pulled all three omegas towards him like a magnet. 

Yunho was the closest, his eyes wide with desperation as he leaned into Mingi’s space with San hung over his shoulder, clinging onto his waist in his attempt to balance himself. Seonghwa was a bit more reserved, nudging Hongjoong firmly in order to take his place near Mingi’s head. He brought his hand, palm up, forward slowly, inching his way into Mingi’s nest near the alpha’s nose. They all knew that Mingi wouldn’t be able to glean comfort from the elder’s scent but the instinctual motion would ease him nonetheless. 

“You’re alright, Alpha,” he cooed, smiling sadly when Mingi shifted so that his cheek could rest in Seonghwa’s palm. “That’s it. Good boy. Just relax for Hyung. You’re safe, baby.”

Mingi closed his eyes, pushing further against Seonghwa’s hand while Yunho reached out to carefully take the alpha’s hand once again. “Sorry,” Mingi mumbled, words muffled by the elder omega’s palm. 

“What are you sorry for, angel?” San asked, leaning all of his weight against Yunho’s broad back as he tried to get closer to the rutting alpha, his instincts going haywire in their desire to protect.

“Supposed to—” Mingi choked out, biting his lip as he cut himself off before restarting. “‘m rutting,” he huffed. “Supposed to— to take care of you— of the— of the pack. Supposed to be— be useful but I— I can’t. Not without the— the happy pill but I— I hate it. Makes me feel—”

He stopped himself, chewing on his bottom lip harshly until Seonghwa gently tugged the abused flesh away from his teeth.  “Angel?” Seonghwa murmured, rubbing the pad of his thumb along Mingi’s cheekbone. “Can you focus on me for a second, baby? Hyung needs to explain something for you, okay?” 

Mingi nodded stiltedly, blinking his eyes open tiredly as he gazed up at Seonghwa. San wormed his way off of Yunho, rolling until he was laying on the floor on the edge of Mingi’s nest, his smaller body slotting between the other’s outstretched arms. Mingi reached forward shakily, carefully tugging San into his nest and settling the small omega against his chest with the arm not holding onto Yunho wrapped around San’s waist. 

“I think you’ve been taught to think that your rut it about giving sexual favors to your pack, correct?” Seonghwa started, thumb never letting up on its gentle rubbing. Mingi nodded unsurely, not sure what the correct answer was in this scenario. “That’s not typically the case, baby. Ruts aren’t inherently sexual by nature. The primary purpose of a rut is to reaffirm an alpha’s place within their pack through close contact and positive affirmations— through cuddles and hand feeding and massages and the like.” He paused, gauging Mingi’s wide eyes and the cute little ‘oh’ his parted lips made before pushing onward. “Just like an omega’s heat, an alpha’s rut only turns sexual when they and their pack want it to be. And that— you should have never been— your old pack should have never forced sex on you. Especially during your rut.”

Mingi stared at Seonghwa in distrust, arm still tightly wound around San’s waist. Finally, after what felt like a millennia, he spoke up, voice barely audible even in the nervous hush that surrounded the pack in their laundry room. “I’m— You won’t— won’t tie me up?” he asked. “For— for cuddling?” Mingi nosed into San’s neck, an old unbreakable habit that was more instinct than anything else. “I can— can hold the omegas— you— without— without having to— to... knot?”  

“Absolutely,” San chimed in, squirming in Mingi’s hold until he had enough room to roll over and cup Mingi’s cheeks between both of his palms, dislodging Seonghwa’s easily. “Heats and ruts are less about what that person can do for their pack and more about what their pack can do to care for them.”

“If you’ll let us,” Seonghwa murmured, bringing Mingi’s attention back to him despite San’s pout. “We’d love to have the honor of caring for you through your rut.”

Mingi hummed, nearly biting his lip if Seonghwa hadn’t been so quick to react and pull it away before he could bite down. “And no— no happy pills? Or— or handcuffs? Or— And I don’t have to... get it up?”

“No artificial enhancers, no restraints, and no sex,” Hongjoong confirmed, knowing that Mingi wouldn’t truly believe it if it didn’t come from their pack alpha’s mouth. “Just cuddles and food and maybe some massages if you want it.” He nearly mentioned scenting before his thoughts caught up to him and he clamped down on that real quickly. No need to rub salt in an already sore wound. 

The rutting alpha nodded slowly, hesitantly, as he nosed into San’s hair, both for comfort and protection that filled the omega up with pride. He puffed up, grinning at Hongjoong while he placed his much smaller hand over the back of Mingi’s pressed against his stomach. 

They stayed like that, San and Mingi in the alpha’s too-small nest and the rest of the pack crouched outside of it too afraid to move and disrupt the peace. 

“Mingi-yah?” San eventually murmured, tilting his head further to the side to give the alpha more room to scent while also being able to catch a glimpse of him from the corner of his eye. “Do you think we can move to one of our nests? So that the rest of the pack can help you through your rut too?”

“Your nest?” Mingi breathed, awe coloring his voice. “I can... in your nest? I can go in your— in your nest?”

“I would be honored if you chose to spend your rut in my nest.”

Mingi released a shuddering breath, the air tickling his neck. “Okay,” he whispered after a few painful moments of silence. “Yes, please.”

San grinned rolling in Mingi’s arms so that he was facing the alpha and could wrap his arms around the taller’s neck and nose under his chin. “Thank you, Alpha,” he replied, hearing the soft shuffling as the rest of the pack scooted backwards to make room for the two of them to come out. 

The omega slid out first, their hands connecting as he did, and slowly guided Mingi out as well until they were both seated cross-legged on the floor of the laundry room next to the alpha’s makeshift nest. 

Mingi sat there awkwardly for a moment, the thick lines of sweat much more noticeable now that it wasn’t shielded in the shadows cast by the table he had been hiding under, before releasing one of San’s hands to grab something from the nest. He quickly shielded the ball of fabric against his stomach, pressing it tightly to him with his arm. 

San very carefully didn’t look at the small bundle, not wanting to make Mingi uncomfortable even if he was dying of curiosity at what the alpha was hiding. He tugged Mingi out further, letting the alpha come at his own pace until they were both completely out in the open. Yunho shuffled up next to Mingi, slowly moving to drop his chin down onto the other’s shoulder. 

“Hi, Alpha,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss onto his sweaty shoulder. 

Yunho was a welcomed weight against his arm. Mingi found himself leaning into his comfort while San gently brought the alpha’s hands up to his mouth for a soft kiss. 

“You’ll stay with me?” he whispered, feeling like a burden as he asked for Yunho. 

The omega hummed, kissing his neck in response. “I won’t leave your side, baby,” he reassured the alpha. 

Mingi nodded shakily, allowing San and Yunho to pull him up on jelly legs. They bracketed him as they made their way out of the laundry room, Jongho and Seonghwa breaking off to go get food from the kitchen after reassuring Mingi that they would join him shortly. 

“My room,” San declared once they were at the top of the stairs, glancing knowingly at the bundle still pressed tightly to Mingi’s stomach. “Best for cuddling.” Hongjoong nodded from the front of the procession, guiding the pack into San’s personal nesting room. 

The second Mingi caught sight of the bed, he gasped, pressing his plushie wolf tighter to his chest in his shock. 

“Pretty cool, right?” San stated proudly, carefully nudging Mingi over to the edge of the large, low bed. “I have more in the omega nest that we can get too if you want more.”

Mingi shook his head, hand reaching out towards the bed longingly before snatching it back as though he had been smacked.

San nodded towards the bed. “Would you like to join me in my nest, Mingi-yah?” he asked, releasing the alpha to climb into the masse of pillows and plushies that decorated the entirety of the very inviting bed. 

The alpha stood outside hesitantly for a few minutes before carefully climbing in, dragging Yunho in with him. The omegas trilled happily, helping him settle down in the middle of the bed. San tugged a round stuffed dog from between the pillows, showing it off proudly. “This is Shiber,” he said. “He’s my favorite. Joong-hyung got him for me as a courting gift years ago— still my favorite one out of everything he got me. Nothing compares to him.” He nodded towards the plush still hidden against Mingi’s stomach. “Can I see yours, Alpha?”

Mingi bit his lip in uncertainty, glancing around the piles of plushies lining the nest. Perhaps his own little wolf would be safe in this nest— all of San’s plushies were well taken care of, after all. Slowly, he revealed his wolf, feeling more than a little embarrassed by the ragged nature of the plush, especially compared to San’s large, well taken care of stuffed animals. 

San beamed, ducking his head to get a closer look at the plush without touching it, smiling up at Mingi proudly. “It’s gorgeous— what’s it name?”

The alpha shrugged, tucking the wolf under his chin as he unconsciously leaned back against Yunho’s chest, the omega happily wrapping his arms around Mingi’s waist and rubbing slow circles into his stomach. He had never named the wolf plush— never had a reason to and was too embarrassed to even think about it— it was just his.  

“That’s okay,” San reassured, gently squeezing Mingi’s knee. “Not all plushies need a name. He looks well loved and that’s all that matters.” He nodded to Yunho, the omega gently shuffling Mingi so that he was lying down in the bed, his arms never leaving him. San followed them down, using Shiber as a pillow as he tucked himself in front of Mingi, and extended his hand for the alpha to take if he wanted, leaving it on the mattress between them in a non-threatening way. 

Mingi’s fingers snaked out to grasp San’s hand, marveling at how the omega’s entire hand fit in his. It was so small and delicate and Mingi was terrified that he’d hurt the smaller man but San just beamed again and immediately soothed every worry dancing through Mingi’s brain. It was like the omega knew the secret off switch inside of Mingi that turned down his anxiety to almost zero. 

He felt so safe between San and Yunho that he dared to close his eyes. He could hear the rest of the pack settling around them outside of the nest and something about that set Mingi’s instincts on edge. They were supposed to be inside with him.  

His eyes snapped open and he made eye contact with Yeosang, a pained whine escaping his lips at how far his beta was from him. Yeosang shuffled forward, hovering just on the edge of the nest, unsure how to move forward until Mingi’s instincts made the decision for them both and snatched his wrist, tugging him onto the soft bedding and Mingi himself. The alpha caught him easily, saving the beta from any bruises from misplaced elbows as he tucked Yeosang against his chest, feeling much more secure with his omegas on either side of him and his beta on top of him. 

It still wasn’t right though, he thought, frowning from underneath Yeosang. But he was already being plenty greedy— there was no need to ask for more, he already shouldn’t have tugged Yeosang in like that. He whined again at that revelation, nosing against the beta’s cheek in apology. Yeosang trilled softly, tilting his head to the side so that Mingi could get at his neck which the alpha did gladly, rubbing his cheek against the beta’s skin reverently, desperately trying to get his scent on him even knowing that he wouldn’t be able to smell it. 

He felt a moment of guilt for pushing rotting lemons on the beta, kissing his neck in a silent apology before going back to his desperate scenting, his rut not allowing him to pause too long in his task. 

It was the first time someone had willingly allowed him to scent them so thoroughly during his rut and his alpha relished in it. Without even realizing it, Mingi’s mouth had gravitated to Yeosang’s neck, his teeth dragging across the delicate flesh lightly until a gentle hand nudged on his forehead to guide him away. 

“No biting, hun,” Wooyoung murmured, flinching backwards when Mingi snarled and snapped in warning at the other alpha’s hand. “Shit,” he breathed, cradling his hand against his chest even though Mingi hadn’t actually taken a bite out of him. “I’m sorry, Mingi-yah,” he said shakily, eyes wide as he watched as Yeosang and the two omegas settled Mingi back down. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry for invading your nest and— and touching you, Alpha.”

The two alphas gave Mingi a few minutes to relax again under their pack’s attentive care, Seonghwa and Jongho coming in with a tray of food and a case of water bottles. 

“How are you feeling, Alpha?” Seonghwa cooed, coming over to the side of the nest behind San. “Are my babies taking good care of you?”

Mingi hummed, eyes fluttering when Yunho kissed his cheek as though he were something delicate— like he should be cherished. Mingi liked feeling cherished though he knew that he didn’t deserve it, especially with how needy he was acting. That didn’t stop him from burrowing back into Yeosang’s neck though. 

He gave the beta a few more nuzzles before the tenseness in his muscles demanded that he did something about the wrongness surrounding his nest. He rolled Yeosang off of him, tucking him against Yunho— Yunho would take care of his beta, he trusted Yunho— before crawling to the end of the bed where Jongho was kneeling on the rug with the food. 

“Do you want to eat, hyung?” he asked, holding out a granola bar for Mingi. 

The alpha bypassed the offer, taking Jongho by the wrist instead and pulling him until the younger got the hint and crawled into the mess of blankets. Mingi growled in approval, nosing Jongho’s cheek in thanks as he settled the beta in the space behind San’s knees. 

Seonghwa grinned, squatting down to be eye level with Mingi. “Oh?” he teased fondly. “Do I get an invitation too?” 

Mingi didn’t say a word— didn’t think he had the ability to right now, his alpha closer to the surface than it ever had been before— as he reached his hands out for Seonghwa to take hold of, pulling him carefully into his nest. The eldest omega ended up in Mingi’s lap, the alpha now sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed, his head cocked to the side and eyes closed in contentment while Mingi nosed up and down the column of his neck. 

The omegas loved the attention they received when one of their alphas were in rut, Seonghwa especially. Alphas always got possessive and territorial during rut, wanting to keep their pack in the nest of their choosing— usually one of their omega’s nests, one that they felt they had been neglecting the most so that they could give extra attention to that omega in particular and reaffirm their bond— and thoroughly scented. 

It was essential for an alpha’s health to have positive ruts, whether it be with friends, family, or pack, at least once a year. Going through a rut alone was bad enough for an alpha’s mental state. Going through a rut like the ones Mingi thought were normal?  

It was no wonder the sweet alpha had such a hard time. Not getting the love and affection an alpha needs during rut typically resulted in feral alphas. It was a miracle Mingi hadn’t gone feral years ago and Seonghwa was so grateful for that. Now that they had the alpha in their lives, he didn’t want to think about what life would be like without him in it again. 

But more than anything, Seonghwa wanted to rip Mingi’s old pack limb from limb for making the boy so terrified of his own nature. He couldn’t even begin to image the kind of monsters they must have been to not only tie down and rape a boy half their age, but to use enhancers to make the whole experience that much more painful for him. 

Enhancers weren’t meant for healthy, young alphas— especially during their rut. They were meant to help middle aged alphas who needed the boosters to keep themselves sexually active. For a young adult, the constant endorphins running through his system from the drugs would have been excruciatingly painful. 

And to think that that was such a regular occurrence that Mingi thought that was typical behavior for a pack— Seonghwa felt sick to his stomach. 

He quickly swallowed those thoughts and focused back in on Mingi, making sure to keep his expression positive despite rotting peaches he knew the rest of the pack could smell floating through the air. 

“Good alpha,” he praised softly, one hand coming up to stroke the baby hairs at the base of Mingi’s neck. “Such a good alpha for us.”

“Mingi-yah?” Hongjoong murmured, gaining the younger alpha’s attention once he had thoroughly scented and situated Seonghwa in his nest. “Can I come in?”

Mingi glanced over to San, insecurities bubbling to the surface by the gallon. It was the omega’s nest, after all, he told himself. He should really ask for permission before inviting so many people inside. 

“It’s your nest while you’re rutting, baby,” the omega cooed, unable to stop himself from reaching out and cupping Mingi’s cheeks fondly. “You get to decide who gets to come in— not me.”

Mingi stared at him in shock, feeling so very out of his element, before glancing back at Hongjoong who was patiently waiting outside of his safe space. He nodded, reaching out a hand towards the elder alpha imploringly. 

Hongjoong smiled, accepting the hand and allowed Mingi to guide him into the nest and perch him at the foot of the bed near Jongho, rubbing their cheeks together as the younger alpha let his instincts take over once again. 

It was almost perfect— Mingi’s nest felt near completion but there was something missing.

Someone. 

It was only Wooyoung outside of the nest now and Mingi’s alpha did not like that one bit. The younger alpha was supposed to be inside with the rest of the pack, pressed up against Yunho’s back and close to him. He growled at Wooyoung, shifting Seonghwa so that he was tucked into Jongho’s lap before carefully crawling over San to the edge of the nest, closest to where Wooyoung was still hovering nervously outside. 

Wooyoung took a nervous step back, only making Mingi growl more, unable to vocalize what he needed. He found himself climbing out of the safety of his nest, stalking towards Wooyoung as the younger alpha backed away with every step Mingi took towards him. He ended up pressed against the door, Mingi’s larger body bracketing him against the wood as he growled lowly. 

The younger alpha bared his throat, unsure of what else to do. Mingi practically purred at the submission, his head immediately lowering to nose against Wooyoung’s neck and drag his teeth along his skin in warning when Wooyoung jumped. 

“Stay still, baby,” Hongjoong called from the nest, not sounding worried in the slightest, much to the younger alpha’s distress. Wooyoung felt very grateful for Mingi’s lack of smell in that moment, not wanting the alpha to smell the sour tang his orange scent released at Mingi’s rush at him. 

The alpha purred against Wooyoung’s skin, wrapping his arms around the smaller’s waist and bodily picking him up as he backed into the nest again, tucking Wooyoung into the nest of blankets next to San and growling in warning for the alpha to stay put while he grabbed some of the power bars and water bottles Seonghwa and Jongho had gathered at the end of the bed for them. 

He passed them out to everyone, watching carefully to make sure that they all ate before settling down again next to San. Hongjoong chuckled, leaning out of the bed to grab another granola bar and gently tugging Mingi down onto his lap. 

The younger alpha settled in clumsily, his long limbs collecting on the sheets in an awkward fashion though he happily sank back against Hongjoong’s chest once he was settled, instinctively trusting his pack alpha to take care of him. 

Everyone was here now and Mingi felt much less on edge with so many bodies around him. He had never known how comforting having a full nest could be and everyone was so sweet— it tugged on his stomach in a strange and pleasant way. And knowing that he was allowed to indulge in these pleasures pulled on him even more. He found himself checking Yunho and Hongjoong’s facial expressions as he fluttered around the nest, making sure that each pack member was comfortable and fed and there, not wanting to overstep, not that the two— or anyone else for that matter— gave him any reason to doubt. All seven of them were pliant and so very fond whenever he looked at any of them and it made him melt with pleasure. So much so that everything slowly started to fade out around him. The pack and his nest turned into a pleasant buzz as he let his alpha takeover completely for the first time in forever. 

 

“Wow,” Jongho breathed, afraid to disrupt Mingi’s tedious nesting by speaking too loud. “He dropped fast.”

“It’s a good sign,” Hongjoong replied, just as softly. He smiled at Mingi when the alpha turned towards him, allowing him to reposition him so that he was on the outer edge of the nest and closest to the door, just where the pack alpha should be. “That he feels safe with us enough to let go this much.”

Mingi hummed, too deep in his rutting to understand the words they were saying but approved of the soft, contented tones they were speaking in nonetheless. He tucked Wooyoung on the other side of the nest from Hongjoong, another barrier to protect their pack from the outside world. The alpha went easily, if a bit stiffly, and Mingi pressed his nose to the underside of Wooyoung’s chin, rubbing his cheek against the column of the other’s neck reverently until Wooyoung had sunk, boneless, against the pillows in scent-hazed submission. 

“He’s sweetening,” Seonghwa whispered reverently, staring at the two alphas in fascination. “His scent— it’s not as sour.”

“It’s gonna smell so nice,” Yunho replied dreamily, nosing against Yeosang’s cheek. “Fresh cold lemonade in the sticky heat of summer— I’m calling it. That’s what he’s gonna smell like once his scent evens out— I can feel it.”

Hongjoong chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. “I think you hit it on the nose, baby” he praised. 

Their youngest sighed happily, leaning forward in the nest until his head connected with Mingi’s back, making the alpha growl in approval. “He really is meant to be here, isn’t he?” he whispered reverently. “With us? It’s fate.”

“I just wish he could have trusted us with this,” San whispered, laying back against one of his giant plushies as Mingi moved to slot himself between his legs, resting his head on the omega’s chest. The alpha tugged on Jongho’s hand until the beta caught on and cuddled up against his side, threading their fingers together. “I know why he didn’t but... god— seeing him like that? I’m— It hurts to know how much he’s been hurt. Makes me want to smother him in— in kisses and cuddles and every soft blanket we own and I just— he doesn’t deserve anything that’s happened to him.”

“He doesn’t,” their pack alpha agreed solemnly, combing his fingers through Yeosang’s hair. “And, with time, he’ll learn to trust us with these sorts of things. Mingi-yah has already come so far in such a short amount of time. It truly shows how kind and attentive you’ve all been with him. I’m so incredibly proud of every one of you.”

Yeosang smiled, tilting his head back so that it was resting on Hongjoong’s shoulder, and looked up at his alpha. “We’re proud of you too, hyung,” he murmured, one foot slowly stretching out to rub at San’s calf, pulling a sleepy giggle from the omega. “You take care of all of us so well— including Mingi.”

Hongjoong ducked his head to press a gentle kiss to Yeosang’s cheek, humming softly in lieu of a reply. 

The eight of them fell into a quiet hush, cuddling close and giving Mingi’s alpha the gentle reassurances that he needed to satisfy his rut. 

Getting Mingi to ask for what he needed during his rut was much easier. The alpha was pliant and more open than he normally was, comfortable in his own skin amidst his pseudo-packmates’ soft words and gentle hands. He cuddled San’s plushies willingly, nudged his own stuffed wolf into Yunho’s very surprised and honored hands, accepted food presented to him by Hongjoong (the only one he allowed out of the nest for more than a quick bathroom break), and opened his arms for the boys when his alpha felt like one of them had been too far away from him for too long. 

That was one thing that Hongjoong was grateful for. Because everything during a rut was so instinctual and Mingi had an easier time being close to the pack and asking for what he needed, he hoped that it would also help him gain trust towards them outside of his rut too once he saw how they treated him when he was at his most vulnerable. It was a tried and true tactic, especially for people who had suffered severe trauma, in order for them to realign themselves with healthy coping mechanisms and boundaries. He saw it a lot with other fosters he placed, had walked foster packs through how to properly open up lines of trust with their own charges, and seeing it with Mingi, that timid show of trust and blossoming avenue for healing that opened before his very eyes, was heartwarming and relieving. 

He couldn’t wait until he could text Taemin the good news; to let him know that Mingi truly was starting to settle in and trust fully. Even if he couldn’t do it fully out of rut— even if it took months or even years— Hongjoong was content to know that the alpha was making progress and slowly healing from the lifetime of systematic and repeated abuse he had been subjected to.

Notes:

How'd you guys like it? Mingi is healing slowly but surely :D

Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you guys next Friday!!

Chapter 8

Summary:

In the aftermath of Mingi's rut, the pack make a shocking revelation.

Mingi came up from his rut in waves. 

The first indication, after his waning scent, was the increased blinking and stilted movements when he reached out for one of the pack members. He would whine, fingers trembling in the air before inevitably giving in to his needs and connecting his hands with the closest pack members. They all went easily, cooing and reassuring Mingi whenever he got agitated, his consciousness bubbling a bit too close to the surface. 

It was painful to watch. Coming up from a rut shouldn’t make an alpha’s scent spike with fear. Most alphas came up feeling contented and satiated, sometimes even euphoric and giggly. The pack did their best to ease the fear away for Mingi, keeping their voices soft and reassuring and pumping out their soothing scents, hoping that their pheromones would make it to Mingi’s instincts despite his inability to smell them. It seemed to help minutely, Mingi whining and releasing a stuttered purr before tucking his head to one of their necks and inhaling deeply through his mouth. 

They were careful with their words, being cautious to never accidentally imply that they were waiting for him to come out of rut and inadvertently force him up earlier than he needed. 

By the time he was fully coherent, the sun was well below the horizon and Jongho was fast asleep on Mingi’s chest. The alpha hummed in confusion, blinking away the haze fully as he looked around from his place against Yunho’s shoulder. 

“Hey, baby,” the omega cooed, one had curling around Mingi’s shoulder to caress his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

Mingi hummed again, tilting his head so that he could simultaneously lean into Yunho’s hand and rest his opposite cheek on top of Jongho’s hair, relishing in the happy mumble that came from the younger at the action. “Hungry?” he asked, licking his lips slightly in anxiety. 

Seonghwa smiled, nodding to the younger proudly. “We can fix that,” he said. “Are you ready to take a break from the nest or should we send Joong out again? Either is fine with us as long as you’re happy with it.”

The alpha bit his lip, inhaling into Jongho’s scalp deeply as he thought. “Um, we can— we can go to the kitchen. I’m— I think I’m okay now.”

He smiled again, leaning across the bed to brush their noses together. “Thank you for being honest with us, love,” Seonghwa praised. “Alright, do you want to take a shower while we go get some supper started?”

Mingi nodded gratefully, desperate to rid himself of his clammy skin and sweat-soaked boxers. 

“Do you want to shower alone?” Yunho asked. “Or would you like one of us to come with you?”

The alpha bit his lip before shaking his head. “I’m— Can I shower alone? I think I just... need a minute?”

Yunho beamed, kissing the tip of his nose proudly. “Of course you can, baby. You take as long as you need. Wooyoungie takes the longest showers after his ruts to decompress. Thank you for asking for what you need.”

Mingi whined softly, one hand coming up to cradle the back of Jongho’s head to make sure that the noise didn’t disturb him. Carefully, Hongjoong and Seonghwa slipped off of the bed, watching the younger alpha to make sure that their actions didn’t disturb him. Beyond tucking Jongho more securely to his chest, Mingi didn’t react poorly to their exit. Yeosang went next with San, blowing the remaining pack members a kiss as they left. 

“Do you want me to take him?” Wooyoung whispered hesitantly as he nodded towards Jongho. 

Mingi felt a flare of possessiveness rise in his chest, a growl bubbling in his throat at the idea of Wooyoung taking his beta from him and disturbing his sleep. 

A trill broke through his anger, Yunho’s gentle hands caressing his face as he continued to soothe Mingi. “Wooyoungie won’t hurt him,” he murmured. “You know that, baby. You’re okay.”

He swallowed the next growl, realizing how foolish he was acting. His head was still a bit foggy even after he had come up and it was messing with him. Normally, Mingi couldn’t wait to get away from his pack post-rut, but this pack was different— had treated him differently— and his alpha had reacted in kind, not wanting to be parted from them even after he was fully aware again. 

“Sorry,” he choked out, feeling moments away from crying. “Sorry—” He went to push Jongho away instinctively, wanting to give the beta to the other alpha but gentle hands on his biceps froze him in his tracks. 

“You’re alright, Mingi-yah,” Yunho breathed, kissing the shell of his ear. “You did nothing wrong. Joong-hyung gets possessive right after his rut too. You did nothing wrong. No one is mad at you.”

Mingi nodded shakily. “You can— yes please, Wooyoung.”

The alpha swallowed, scooting forward on the bed nervously until his knees were almost touching Mingi’s thigh. “Are you sure?” he asked wearily. “Because it’s okay if you’re not ready yet.”

“I’m sure,” he said, a bit more confidently than the last time. 

Wooyoung nodded cautiously before reaching out to slide his hand under Jongho’s head and tilt the younger boy until he was resting against his chest instead.

Mingi released a shuddering breath, the cold that replaced Jongho’s body was a shock to his system and he hoped that the beta would be warm enough with Wooyoung’s body heat. He reached out for one of the many throw blankets adorning San’s bed and draped it over the beta, tucking the sides of the blanket around Wooyoung as well to ensure that the two of them were plenty warm while he was away. 

The omega cooed, bending forward to press a kiss to Mingi’s cheek before helping the alpha out of the bed and leading him to the bathroom. “Do you want me to wait outside?” he asked, cupping Mingi’s cheeks to force the alpha to look into his eyes and tell him the truth.

Mingi shook his head easily. “I’m okay,” he mumbled, words garbled slightly from the omega’s hands. “Promise.”

“Good boy,” Yunho praised, kissing his forehead. “I’ll get you clothes and drop them inside the door for you. Is that alright?”

The alpha nodded in thanks before ducking into the bathroom. 

Yunho grinned as he made his way back to San’s room, giggling at the sight of a sleepy Jongho nuzzling into Wooyoung’s scent gland. “Having fun?” he teased, climbing back onto the messy nest and sprawling on top of the two other boys. 

Jongho groaned playfully, swatting at Yunho’s butt before helping the omega to settle down more comfortably on their laps. “How is he?” Jongho asked, voice still groggy with sleep. 

“Taking a shower,” Yunho replied. “We have another possessive Joongie on our hands, I’m afraid. Wouldn’t let you go once he was up.”

“Me?” Jongho asked in amazement. “Not you? Or— or Seonghwa-hyung or San?” 

Yunho grinned cheekily, relishing in the fond wonderment on his beta’s face. “Nope. You. Mingi-yah is very fond of our little maknae.”

Jongho pouted, tucking his face into Wooyoung’s chest. “Not little,” he grumbled petulantly. 

“Just fun-sized,” Yunho amended playfully.

“Everyone is fun-sized to you,” Wooyoung defended, rubbing Jongho’s back in consolation even as the two of them burst into giggles. 

Wooyoung’s, however, were much more subdued than Jongho’s, Yunho picking up on his lackluster laughter immediately. “Alpha?” he asked, shifting so that he could stare at his packmate head-on. “What’s on your mind?”

The alpha sucked in a deep breath, ready to tell them that he was fine, but one pointed look from his omega squashed any desire to lie and he found that the words spilled from his lips easier than water. “I’m useless with him,” he confessed. “I breathe and agitate him. I don’t— I don’t know what to do and I feel like I’m just burdening him and the pack because you have to clean up every mess that I create. And I hate knowing that he’s scared of me. All I do is make everything worse.”

“You most certainly do not, hyung,” Jongho hissed, shifting in his lap so that he could cup the alpha’s cheeks reverently. “Did you see how he behaved with you during his rut? He adores you.”

Yunho nodded in agreement. “He wouldn’t have let you in his nest if he didn’t like you, Wooyoungie,” he reassured. “And he certainly wouldn’t have scented you as thoroughly as he did.” He leaned forward, kissing the alpha’s forehead gently before pulling back and looking him in the eyes. “Hongjoong-hyung said that he’s going to react badly a lot because he has a lot of trauma to work through but that those bad moments aren’t going to dictate his true feelings towards us.”

“But he only reacts badly to me,” Wooyoung whined pitifully, unable to keep his self-loathing thoughts to himself. 

“He does not,” Jongho scolded. “He’s reacted badly to everyone at one point or another and he will react badly to all of us again. I think you get the brunt of it though because you’re an alpha like him but you’re not the alpha like Joong-hyung. So his defenses go down when he’s with you because he’s more comfortable around you but he’s still got trauma, you know? So maybe his reactions catch him more off guard and they come off stronger?”

Yunho nodded, leaning in to kiss Wooyoung again. “You should definitely talk to Hongjoong-hyung about how you’re feeling,” he said. “He’ll be able to explain Mingi’s behaviors better and reassure you but I think Jongho-yah is on the right track because I know for a fact that Mingi absolutely adores you. He talks about you a lot when we’re cuddling.” He smirked, taking a moment to appreciate the blush that rapidly rose to the alpha’s cheeks at the admission. “He really admires you.”

“You didn’t forget that an alpha typically spends their ruts with packmates that they feel have neglected or wish to spend more time with, right?” Hongjoong chirped in, leaning on the frame of the bedroom door casually and spooking all three of his younger packmates still in the nest. “He spent half of his rut glued to you, Youngie. That right there should tell you how much he adores you. Just give him time and patience. And don’t flinch when he flinches at you— show him that you mean no harm and that he’s not harming you either. Show him that it’s okay to try again and I think you’ll see a whole new side of him emerge in time.”

Wooyoung sighed shakily, nodding to their alpha before hiding his face in Jongho’s hair. “Thank you, Alpha,” he whispered. 

“I don’t expect my words to cure you of your insecurities around Mingi immediately either. It’s okay that you want to be cautious with him. It shows that you care and that you want what’s best for him. Just know that you’re good for him too, even if it doesn’t always feel like you are.”

The younger alpha nodded again, much more assuredly this time as he sent a silent ‘thank you’ with his eyes. 

Hongjoong smiled, shooting him a fond look before pushing on. “Are you guys ready to come down stairs?” he asked. “Help us with a late dinner?”

Jongho hummed excitedly, wiggling out his hyungs’ holds before scurrying over to Hongjoong, making the alpha laugh. He kissed their youngest’s cheek before shifting to wrap an arm around his waist and looking to the other two. 

“I’m going to wait for Mingi,” Yunho declared proudly. 

Wooyoung bit his lip before looking up at Hongjoong imploringly. “I think— I want to wait for Mingi too, if you think— if that’s a good idea.”

“I think that’s a wonderful plan, baby,” Hongjoong replied, voice oozing with adoration. “Mingi-yah will appreciate your company.”

The younger alpha sagged at his words, slumping around Yunho in relief. “Thanks, hyung,” he mumbled, nosing into the shell of Yunho’s ear and pulling a giggle from the omega. 

“Come down and join us when the three of you are ready,” Hongjoong murmured, already tugging Jongho out of the bedroom.

“Oh, hyung!” Yunho called before they could get too far. The alpha paused in the doorway glancing back at his omega in question. Yunho rolled off the bed to clamber over to the dresser and pull out some clothes. “Would you put this in the bathroom for Mingi on your way downstairs?” he asked, handing the elder the clothes.

Hongjoong smiled, reaching up with one hand to ruffle the omega’s hair before accepting the small pile. “Sure thing,” he replied, earning himself a happy wiggle from Yunho before the omega jetted back to the bed and dive bombed Wooyoung. 

Once the two of them were alone, Yunho shifted around in Wooyoung’s lap to cradle the alpha’s cheeks. “Do you feel better, Wooyoungie?” he asked, leaning forward to kiss the tip of the younger’s nose.  

Wooyoung nodded, the motion stilted from his omega’s hands on his face. “Yeah, Alpha always knows what to say. I just— I really like him— Mingi— and I just... I don’t want to hurt him. I never want to hurt him.”

“I know, baby,” Yunho soothed, kissing his lips. “You’re so caring and attentive with him— with all of us. You’re such a good alpha, Wooyoungie.”

He whined, squeezing Yunho’s hips gently as he tugged his omega impossibly closer just as the door creaked open to reveal a freshly washed Mingi, hair still dripping with a towel around his shoulders as he made his way over to the nest. The two men on the bed grinned, shifting to open their arms for him to sink down between them which he did gratefully. 

“Mingi-yah,” Wooyoung hissed once his hands made contact with the other alpha’s skin. “You’re freezing, baby.”

Yunho hummed in worry, pressing his cheek against Mingi’s frigid shoulder. “Are you alright, Alpha?”

Mingi nodded, looking more than a little confused as he wrapped his arms around their waists to tug them closer. He did his best to suppress his post-shower shivers, tucking his nose greedily into Yunho’s neck when the omega tilted his head for him. “‘m fine,” he mumbled, feeling a swell of guilt bubble up in his chest at their worry even though he didn’t know what had caused their reactions in the first place.

“Why are you cold, though?” Wooyoung pressed gently, feeling much braver after his talk with Hongjoong. “You just got out of the shower— you should be warm.”

The alpha shook his head. “‘m not in trouble,” he stated, trying to keep the trembling out of his voice at declaring something like that so brazenly. 

“You’re not,” Yunho soothed, thumbs coming up to rub over the apples of Mingi’s cheeks. “But I think— I think there’s a misunderstanding here somewhere. Mingi-yah, can you... would you explain what you meant? Why you’d think we were implying that you were in trouble?”

Mingi sucked in a deep, steadying breath, reminding himself that he was safe between Wooyoung and Yunho, that they weren’t his old pack and that he could speak without fear here. “Warm skin after a shower means a punishment shower,” he admitted. It felt like the wrong thing to say when twin gasps echoed on either side of him at his confession. 

Wooyoung tightened his grip on Mingi’s waist, pulling him— and subsequently Yunho— closer to his chest. “Mingi-yah,” he started slowly, just barely keeping the growl out of his voice in order to not startle the alpha in his arms. “Are you telling us that— that you’ve been taking ice cold showers this whole time because— because your old pack used to punish you with scalding water?”

The other alpha nodded hesitantly, sinking into Wooyoung’s grip in a primal urge to appear less threatening. 

“Jesus,” Yunho breathed, closing his eyes as his forehead met Mingi’s. “Oh baby, you can use hot water too. It doesn’t— it doesn’t have to hurt.”

Wooyoung hummed his agreement, kissing Mingi’s shoulder. “Let us show you?” he asked hesitantly, careful to keep his voice light and open-ended. “Showering in cold water like this is gonna make you sick, honey.”

To their surprise, Mingi nodded easily, allowing them to guide him back into the bathroom that felt just as cold as Mingi’s skin. Wooyoung guided Mingi to rest against Yunho, helping them situate themselves on the closed lid of the toilet while he perched himself on the edge of the bathtub and turned on the water. 

Mingi flinched at the sudden noise, eyeing the hot water tap ruefully when Wooyoung turned that one on as well, adjusting the two knobs until the water was warm but not too hot. He extended one of his hands slowly to Mingi. “Come feel, baby,” he murmured. “Tell me if it’s too hot or too cold and we can change it.” 

Very carefully, Mingi moved off of Yunho to kneel on the tile next to the bathtub, his shoulder bumping with Wooyoung’s knees. Wooyoung took his hand in his, cradling Mingi’s open palm in his own as he brought their joined hands under the water. It wasn’t a surprise when Mingi flinched at the touch of water, instincts telling him that it was going to hurt, before he relaxed slowly under the steady stream. 

“How is it?” Wooyoung asked gently.

“‘s good,” he whispered reverently, unable to peel his eyes away from where their hands were still under the water. 

“Is it too warm?” he prodded. “Or do you want it warmer?”

Mingi bit his lip, hesitantly replying. “Too warm?”

Wooyoung nodded his head encouragingly as he reached out with his other hand to turn the cold water tap up a smidge. “Better?” he asked after a moment, smiling when Mingi nodded. The alpha leaned to the side, resting against Wooyoung’s knees as the younger alpha plugged the drain and allowed the water to slowly fill the tub. 

Mingi hummed in hesitant confusion, watching the water fill wearily as Yunho plucked a bottle from the edge of the tub and pumped a few squirts of liquid into the bath. “What are— what are you doing?” he asked. 

“Giving you a bath,” Yunho replied, kissing Mingi’s cheeks. “It’s the best way to warm up.”

The alpha nodded, trusting Yunho to not hurt him as he gently helped him out of the sweatshirt and joggers he had thrown on after his shower. Yunho, thankfully, kept his boxers on before stripping down to his boxers as well. The omega climbed into the bath, sitting back on the back wall before reaching out an inviting hand to Mingi which the alpha took nervously. 

Neither of the other men tried to rush Mingi as he carefully stepped into the bathwater, shivering at the delightfully warm water around his legs. It was slow-going as he settled in the bathtub, his back delicately leaning against Yunho’s bare chest. 

The omega purred, the sound reverberating around him and turning him to putty as he melted against Yunho completely. With slow, measured movements, Wooyoung grabbed a soft-looking pink loofah hanging from the shower wall and sudsed it up before silently asking for one of Mingi’s hands. The alpha handed his arm over easily, curious to what Wooyoung was going to do. 

Wooyoung washed it with reverence, rubbing slow, gentle circles into his skin, making Mingi’s jaw fall open at the sweet intimacy of the gesture. The younger alpha repeated the process with Mingi’s other arm while Yunho pressed gentle kisses into the skin on his neck and shoulders from behind. They repeated this process for the rest of his body, Yunho’s arms sneaking around his waist at some point. 

By the time they had finished washing his body, Mingi was a limp noodle in Yunho’s arms making the two men giggle at the whine he released when Yunho nudged him forwards into Wooyoung’s waiting arms, the other alpha holding him up sturdily while Yunho massaged shampoo into his hair, pulling a happy rumble from Mingi. 

“Wha’s it smell like?” Mingi mumbled, voice slurring in his contentment. 

“The shampoo?” Yunho asked, sounding equal parts fond and sad at the alpha’s question. Mingi hummed in reply, forehead dropping tiredly to rest on Wooyoung’s shoulder while Yunho’s fingers traveled down to massage his neck and shoulders. “It’s apple cider scented,” he replied. “Like me.”

Mingi whined, high and needy at that statement, nosing into Wooyoung’s neck more insistently. “Wanna smell you,” he mumbled. “Wanna smell— wanna smell all of you.”

Wooyoung kissed his forehead, helping Yunho to tilt the pliant alpha backwards so that they could rinse the suds from his hair. 

“I know, baby,” Yunho whispered, dragging his fingers through Mingi’s hair to get all of the soap out. “I wish you could smell us too— smell how happy you make us.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to the tip of Mingi’s nose, earning a gentle huff of laughter from the alpha. “But we’re happy to show you our love in other ways too,” he continued. “We’ll shower you in every other form of affection we can think of in place of our scents so that you never have to question what we’re feeling.”

Mingi hummed again, wrapping his arms around Wooyoung’s neck when the alpha prompted him to before standing up with the younger’s help. Wooyoung wrapped a large fluffy towel around his body, making him giggle when he dried him off playfully. 

“Do you feel better?” Wooyoung asked, guiding his still semi-burritoed form over to the closed toilet to sit down while he meticulously dried and combed the other alpha’s hair. 

The alpha nodded, his eyes closing when Wooyoung turned on the hair dryer and began to work through the wet strands. Behind them, Yunho cleaned up the bath and dried himself off, tugging on one of the fresh pairs of pajamas that had mysteriously appeared on the bathroom sink while they were bathing. Yunho strongly suspected Seonghwa was the culprit if the lingering scent of peaches on the fabric was anything to go by. 

He helped Mingi into a sweatshirt that was drenched in Hongjoong’s coconut scent; it was one of their pack alpha’s purposefully over-sized ones that he shared with all of his packmates, scenting it thoroughly before putting it on one of them and growling in approval when he saw them in his clothes. Yunho and Wooyoung turned around while Mingi changed into dry boxers and a pair of soft flannel pants, only turning back when Mingi released a hum of consent. 

The three of them made their way downstairs, Yunho’s hand laced with Mingi’s while Wooyoung followed behind them protectively, their bare feet padding across the carpeting quietly in their descent. 

A low hum reached their ears as they neared the kitchen, soft voices and a gentle clattering of cutlery on porcelain. Hongjoong was the first one they saw once they rounded the corner, their pack alpha moving to Mingi instantly as he slowly and deliberately cupped the younger alpha’s cheeks, smiling up at him fondly. 

“Did you have a good bath, love?” he asked, his thumbs rubbing little circles into Mingi’s skin. 

Mingi nodded, sinking into the elder’s hands and forcing Hongjoong to shift his grip to Mingi’s waist to hold him up. He and Wooyoung guided Mingi over to one of the chairs surrounding their kitchen island, Hongjoong sliding a chair directly next to the sleepy alpha for himself to perch in. 

“Good,” he murmured, kissing Mingi’s fluffy locks. “Let’s get some real food in you now, yeah?”

Wooyoung sat on Mingi’s other side, happily accepting Yunho into his lap when the omega pressed in close. “I’m always starving after a rut,” he confessed, dipping his nose into Yunho’s hair when Mingi turned his attention to him again, blinking at the younger slowly before nodding his head in agreement. 

Seonghwa chuckled, setting a heavy plate of pancakes onto the center of the island in front of them. “Nothing like breakfast for dinner after a good pack bonding,” he declared, shifting to kiss Jongho’s cheek when their youngest followed behind him with a heaping plate of scrambled eggs. The pack omega immediately plucked three pancakes and dropped them onto the plate in front of Mingi, nudging the condiments closer to him so that he could fix his pancakes how he liked them.

The others took his silent queue and helped themselves as well, perching around the island as they chatted and ate intermittently, steadfastly ignoring the odd late hour as they leaned into one another like it was mid-afternoon and not the middle of the night. 

Once their plates were cleared, they all moved to the living room, not quite ready to head to bed just yet, a comfortable silence blanketed over them. 

“Thank you,” Mingi whispered, breaking the hush as he leaned against Yunho’s side, his head perched on the omega’s shoulder. 

“For what, love?” Seonghwa asked, cocking his head slightly as he gazed at their sweet alpha. 

Mingi sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his cheek against Yunho’s sweatshirt momentarily before responding. “For taking care of me,” he started. “And treating me so— so kindly during my rut. I never— I never knew it could feel like that. And I just— I wanted to thank you.”

Yunho squeezed the alpha closer to his side. “We will always take care of you, Mingi-yah,” he murmured, dropping a kiss into Mingi’s hair. “You’ll always be safe with us.”

Notes:

Poor Mingi must have been so cold :( Let me know what you guys thought!!

Thank you all so much for reading! See you next Friday! <3

Chapter 9

Summary:

Mingi gets a surprise.

The pack learned more about Mingi’s past experiences with his rut over the following days, the story coming out in bits and pieces as the pack returned to normal. Mingi found it easiest to talk about his ruts and his old pack while he was cooking with Seonghwa or Hongjoong. The eldest two members of the pack had a way of soothing and relaxing Mingi to the point that the words just slipped out and keeping his hands busy was an easy distraction.

They kept themselves calm, at least on the surface, as they heard how Junghwa would literally drag Mingi from his nest in the laundry room— a nest that was made up almost entirely of dirty clothes from his packmates since that was the only way he could get a hold of their scents— and force him onto the guest bed. The despicable pack alpha would tie Mingi to the bed and force feed him enhancers that would induce his knot before leaving him alone. Throughout his rut, Mingi’s pack would come in and use him at their leisure before leaving him once again, painfully erect and lonely. 

Learning that Mingi had initially been tied down because he wasn’t good enough to keep his hands to himself— that the desire to hold and be held during his rut was too strong to obey his alpha despite his best efforts to force down his instincts— nearly broke Hongjoong. The pack alpha had collected Mingi in his arms, hiding his tears in the fabric of the younger’s sweatshirt while apologizing for grabbing him without his permission. 

Mingi didn’t mind, however, and melted into the embrace, ending up on the floor of the kitchen with Seonghwa and Hongjoong on either side of him, their half-prepared dinner left forgotten on the counter. 

Shortly after that revelation, Mingi discovered clothing items from each of his packmates waiting for him on his bed. He could sense that they were scented thoroughly even if he couldn’t actually smell it, his inner alpha practically purring whenever he brought one of the clothing items to his face. The fabric found their way into his makeshift nest he had unintentionally created underneath his bed. The space, while cramped, was safe. And while Mingi, at this point, trusted Hongjoong and his pack with his life, could not push past the desire to hide while he was nesting. 

After Hongjoong joined him in his nest one afternoon, the pack alpha offered to get Mingi a new bed, one that sat much higher off of the ground so that he could nest more comfortably and that others could join him more easily. Mingi had tried to turn down the offer, a new bed was too much and Mingi didn’t want to be selfish, but Hongjoong could see right through him to the longing in his eyes and purchased it anyways. 

The alpha cupped his cheeks gently when the bed arrived, kissing the tears from his cheeks with a tenderness that had Mingi shivering in his arms. “You deserve this,” he whispered, kissing Mingi’s whine away when the younger couldn’t hold the sound back any longer. The words were so familiar— they were some of Junghwa’s favorite to hiss at him when he was dishing out a punishment to Mingi— but the tone and the implication were completely foreign and made his chest hurt and his eyes sting in the best way.

Mingi collapsed heavily into Hongjoong’s arms, trusting that the pack alpha would hold him upright while he digested the tsunami of emotions flooding through him. And Hongjoong did— his small stature deceptively strong as he easily cradled the younger alpha against his chest, waving off the proffered hands of his packmates as he oversaw the assembly of the bed from the delivery men. 

Once the bed was set up and the strangers were gone, Hongjoong led Mingi over to the bed, helping him onto the mattress and nosing against Mingi’s scent gland until the younger dropped his head to the side, a pleading whine escaping his lips as he begged for the comfort the elder was offering. They dropped backwards, tangled with each other on the unmade mattress and ignoring the disgruntled squawk of Seonghwa when he discovered them. 

“Join us,” Hongjoong teased, words coming out muffled from the confines of Mingi’s neck. “Live a little, love. Come scent our baby alpha. We can make the bed afterwards.”

Seonghwa did join them, grumbling the entire way until he was sprawled across both of his alphas and had them pinned beneath him. The three of them laid like that until the rest of their pack came in, curious as to why they hadn’t come out yet. 

The second Yunho and Wooyoung saw them, they protested at not being invited and immediately joined the cuddle pile, making Mingi giggle under the weight of the pack, especially once Yeosang, Jongho, and San joined them as well. 

They lasted nearly fifteen minutes before someone’s stomach rumbled and they broke down into laughter, Seonghwa wiggling out of the pile and dragging a silently pouting Hongjoong with him to go make dinner. Yeosang disappeared next, reappearing with the foam mattress topper from Mingi’s old bed dragging behind him. Wooyoung was quick to go help his beta and together they slid the foam padding underneath Mingi’s new bed. 

“So that way your nest is nice and soft, Mingi-yah,” Yeosang declared when Mingi hummed his confusion. 

The alpha ducked his head, wiggling out from the rest of the pack to wrap Yeosang in a tight hug in silent thanks. 

The boys worked in tandem after that, San running off to get some fresh sheets for both Mingi’s bed and his nest while Yunho and Jongho collected his other bedding and nesting materials from the closet. Wooyoung disappeared for a few minutes, returning with a small box of fairy lights that he bashfully presented to Mingi. 

Wooyoung happily accepted the hug Mingi offered, nosing against his ear when Mingi burrowed into him. The lights were installed around the underside of the alpha’s bed and the blankets and pillows were stacked up on the mattress. They left actually arranging the nest for Mingi, no one wanting Mingi to feel like he had to keep a nest that wasn’t arranged to his liking just because he didn’t want to insult their nest-building. 

They scattered while he organized the space under his bed, Yunho being the only one who chose to stay as he sprawled across Mingi’s now-made mattress above him. 

“We love you a lot, Mingi,” Yunho confessed softly, not wanting to break Mingi’s focus as he arranged the pillows underneath. He stared blankly at the ceiling, absently thinking how boring it looked and maybe Mingi would like something to spruce it up. Maybe some glow stars? 

“I think— I think I maybe could love you guys too,” Mingi confessed quietly, Yunho nearly missing it while he was lost in thought. 

He gasped excitedly, unable to stop himself from rolling over on the mattress until he was gripping the edge and his head dangled into the nest below, chuckling at the alpha’s surprised expression. “Really?” he asked, trying to keep the tsunami of hope out of his voice. “Do you really think you could love us one day?”

Mingi nodded, flabbergasted at the other’s excitement over someone like him loving them. He wasn’t anything special— that he knew intimately— so why anyone wanted his love was beyond him but Yunho had never lied to him and had always treated him so, so well and he wanted to believe that he was telling the truth now too. So he did, tucking himself back against the new pillows in his nest and patting the comforter next to him in offering.

Yunho tumbled off of the bed, landing haphazardly on his feet in an awkward crouch before flopping down and crawling into the nest with the alpha. “Hi,” he breathed once he was tucked against Mingi’s chest, his warm breath fanning across the other’s chin. “I love your nest,” he praised as he wrapped his arms around Mingi’s waist to tuck them as close together as possible. “It’s so cozy.”

The alpha ducked his head, burying his nose in Yunho’s hair as he returned the cuddle. They stayed like that until Yeosang came to fetch them for dinner, the beta smiling down at them from his crouched position just outside of the nest. Mingi reached out for him, intending to tuck in him in with Yunho but the beta danced away, just out of reach as he smiled at the alpha fondly. 

“Ah ah,” he chided, an overabundance of fond adoration dripping from every word. “We can cuddle in your pretty nest after dinner,” he stated. “But first my lovely alpha and darling omega need to come downstairs for dinner, okay? We don’t want Yunho-yah to be hungry, now do we?”

Like a switch flipped, Mingi shook his head, nudging Yunho out of the nest insistently until the omega reluctantly conceded, pouting at Yeosang. “You did that on purpose,” he accused as both he and the beta were prodded out of Mingi’s room by said alpha. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yeosang hummed, allowing Mingi’s guiding hands to lead him easily as they headed towards the dining room. “I’m completely innocent.”

 

The next morning, Mingi woke up feeling too warm and sleepy. He hummed into Yeosang’s hair debating whether or not it was worth waking up until his bladder made the decision for him. He gently slid the beta off of his chest to rest against Wooyoung, who, Mingi realized, must have snuck in at some point in the night since he distinctly remembered only falling asleep with Yeosang in his bed. 

The two cuddled against each other, Yeosang burying his face in the alpha’s neck who snuffled in confusion, one eye blinking open wearily as he surveyed Mingi sneaking off of his own bed. 

“Morning,” Mingi whispered, squeezing Wooyoung’s hand when the other alpha reached out to him. “Go back to bed, Alpha. I gotta pee.”

Wooyoung grinned lazily, letting his hand go lax and fall back onto the bedspread before tucking his face into Yeosang’s hair. Mingi took that as his cue to leave and shuffled out of the room. 

Once he was done in the bathroom, he decided to just head downstairs for breakfast, realizing that while he was still sleepy he wasn’t tired enough to go back to bed. Maybe Seonghwa or Hongjoong would want his help in the kitchen, he thought, a little trill of excitement fluttering through his chest at the thought of being able to spend some time with them. 

He rubbed at his eyes as he wandered into the kitchen, trying to get the sleep out of the corners and wake himself up fully. His limbs still felt heavy from sleep, weighing him down as he followed the sounds of clanking dishes. 

“Oh my god,” a voice gasped. Mingi’s brain registered the voice as San’s but before he could drop his hand and open his eyes to confirm his suspicions, there were arms around his waist and a nose nuzzling into his neck. “You’re so cute, what the hell,” San cooed, arms trailing up to cup Mingi’s cheeks as the alpha dropped his hand from his face to blink at the omega in confusion. 

“Good morning?” he mumbled, leaning into the touch as San’s thumbs started to trace the plains of his skin. 

“Yes, it is,” San teased, pushing up on his tiptoes to press a feather light kiss to the tip of Mingi’s nose. “You’re so cute, Mingi-yah. Gah— Hongjoong-hyung, you need to get rid of all of Mingi’s other clothes now! He needs permanent sweater paws— look how cute he is!”

Hongjoong laughed from where he was turning sausages on the stove, glancing over at the pair fondly. “He is very cute with sweater paws, Sannie,” he agreed easily. “But I think we should let Mingi have more than one sweater, don’t you think?”

San pouted, squeezing Mingi’s cheeks between his palms. “But he’s so cute, hyung!” he whined. “You’re so cute Mingi-yah,” he continued, turning his attention back to the alpha in his arms. “You looked like a cute little penguin, waddling in here all sleepy and soft and I’m just— you’re my little pingu.”

The alpha felt himself flush, ducking his head as much as he could in San’s small hands while the omega continued to coo over him. Eventually, Seonghwa came over and nudged the pair into the dining room, telling San to fawn over their ‘adorably sleepy alpha’ in there while they waited for breakfast. 

He went easily, tugging Mingi behind him before he could offer his help with breakfast. Seonghwa though, the observant omega that he was, caught his look and waved him off fondly— a silent go-ahead to take care of San instead. 

San maneuvered Mingi into one of the chairs before plopping sideways into his lap, one hand coming up to thread through the baby hairs at the base of the alpha’s scalp while the other plucked softly at the sweater on his chest all the while continuing his gentle praise of how cute Mingi looks when he’s sleepy. 

“Whose sweater is this, by the way,” San asked, rolling a small chunk of the fabric between his fingers thoughtfully. “I know I recognize it.”

“It’s mine,” Seonghwa declared proudly as he stepped into the room with a heaping pile of pancakes that made Mingi’s mouth water. “And he looks cuter in it than I do.” Seonghwa set the plate down on the table before settling into the chair next to the duo. “Good morning, Mingi-yah,” he greeted, a fond smile stretching delicately across his lips. “Thank you for entertaining Sannie this morning— he was under foot.”

San gasped dramatically, throwing himself further into Mingi’s chest and tugging a laugh from the taller. “Alpha,” he cried. “Do you hear how our hyung demeans me? The disrespect!” 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he plucked a few pancakes off of the platter and dropped them onto the plate in front of San and Mingi. “This hyung better hear an ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you for making breakfast, hyung’ otherwise he’s not going to share with you.”

“Thank you, hyung,” Mingi chirped up, his large honest eyes making Seonghwa want to wrap him up in a blanket and never let him go. “This all looks very delicious.”

“Smells good too,” Jongho mumbled, stumbling into the dining room and dropping into one of the chairs like a marionette with its strings cut. It took him a moment for the words to register, stiffening as his head shot up and he made eye contact with Mingi, regret flooding his features. “I’m sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to—”

Mingi shook his head, smiling sadly at the younger. “It’s okay,” he replied softly, feeling San’s fingers scratch comfortingly at his scalp. “I like hearing you guys talk about smells— knowing what things smell like. I... I miss it but I don’t want scents to not— not be a part of my life, you know? Like— you don’t have to hide that there are— that something smells good just because I can’t smell it too.”

Jongho nodded. “Okay, hyung,” he agreed easily. “But— you’ll tell us if it’s ever too much, right? Like— you won’t force yourself to listen to us talk about a scent if it makes you sad or uncomfortable?”

The alpha nodded, grabbing a few sausages that Hongjoong had just put on the table and adding it to his and San’s collective plate. “I will,” he promised before accepting the bite of pancake San held out for him.

 

“Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong called softly, breaking the younger out of his daze as he stared blankly at the TV. Mingi turned to the alpha, blinking up at him in question from his place against Jongho’s chest. “Would you like to make some cookies with me? Wooyoungie needs to bring some for his potluck at work but he’s hopeless in the kitchen. I thought— maybe you and I could have some time just the two of us? If you wanted?”

Mingi’s eyes widened, his head already nodding hesitantly as he clambered off of the couch. “You want me to help?” he asked, so very hopeful. 

Hongjoong nodded, smiling as he extended a hand for the younger to take. “Always, love,” he replied, fingers clasping around Mingi’s palm once he was close enough. “You can pick what type, yeah? Wooyoung will be happy with anything you choose.”

He led Mingi into the kitchen where Seonghwa was washing the last of their lunch dishes in the sink. “Oh good,” he declared, wiping his hands on a dish towel before coming over to cup Mingi’s cheeks fondly. “Joongie roped you into helping him. I know you’ll keep him in line in here,” he said, shooting Hongjoong a teasing smile. “You’re the only one I fully trust to be in the kitchen unsupervised, Mingi-yah.”

Mingi ducked his head as much as Seonghwa’s hands would allow, feeling the heat creeping up his neck at the omega’s declaration. 

“Yah, I’m plenty good in the kitchen by myself,” Hongjoong complained, no heat in his voice as the hand holding Mingi’s released him in order to snake around the younger’s waist and pull the lanky man into his side. 

“Sure you are,” Seonghwa teased, rolling his eyes as he released Mingi, heading towards the door. “Keep your eye on that one, Mingi-yah. He’s nothing but trouble.”

Mingi nodded dutifully. “Yes, hyung,” he replied, equal parts playful and genuine, determined to do good. 

He and Hongjoong got to work, the elder pulling out base ingredients while Mingi perused their small recipe book to pick out the perfect cookie for Wooyoung. Hongjoong carefully wrapped his arms around the younger from behind once he was done, resting his cheek on Mingi’s shoulder as he watched him carefully select a recipe, turning his head to check with Hongjoong to make sure that he chose a good one. 

Hongjoong smiled proudly, pushing himself up on his toes to press a kiss to Mingi’s cheek before pulling away. “Looks perfect, Pingu,” he cooed, enjoying the way the red crept back up the alpha’s cheeks at the nickname. 

They got started, working in sync with one another as they mixed the batter and rolled the dough out. Once the cookies were in the oven, the two of them started to clean up, Mingi on dish duty while Hongjoong put away the ingredients. As he was putting the flour back in the cupboard, his socked feet slipped on the linoleum and he lost his footing, the container slipping from his grip and crashing to the floor. The lid of the container popped off and flour spewed into the air like a geyser. 

“Ah, shit,” Hongjoong hissed, thanking the gods that they hadn’t invested in nice glass containers when he examined the damage to only find the plastic cracked instead of having to maneuver around broken glass. He glanced up at Mingi, still frozen by the sink with wide eyes. “You alright?” he asked, giving the younger a once-over to make sure that he was physically fine. “You didn’t get hit at all, did you?”

Mingi shook his head, seemingly breaking himself out of his panic. “No, I’m fine,” he replied shakily. “Are you okay?”

Hongjoong smiled, standing up with the broken flour container and walking it to the trash can, tracking flour along the floor as he did so. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “I just slipped.” He paused, glancing around the kitchen in amusement. “Though I suppose it looks more like a hurricane came through, doesn’t it?” He smiled, pointing to Mingi, whose entire back was covered in flour and then to himself whose front half was much the same. “Us too, huh?”

The younger giggled, nodding his head. “We should clean up.”

“I’d say so,” Seonghwa chimed in, startling both of the alphas as their heads whipped towards the door of the kitchen where their omega was leaning against the doorframe casually. “Aish, can’t leave you alone for a second, can I, Joongie?” he teased, reaching a hand out for the pack alpha who took it easily, head ducked in embarrassment. “Come on, Mingi-yah,” he called, extending his other hand for the younger who was still glancing between the two packmates and the mess littering the kitchen. “Gotta get you two cleaned up before we can clean the kitchen,” he declared. “Otherwise you’ll just track it back through.”

“Are you sure?” Mingi fretted, slipping his hand in the elder’s obediently even as he continued to eye the mess behind him. 

“Positive,” Seonghwa assured, bringing their joined hands up to kiss Mingi’s fingers. “Hyung knows best, doesn’t he?”

Mingi nodded. “Yes, hyung,” he parroted, bringing a wide, endeared smile to the omega’s lips. 

“Good boy,” he cooed, leading the two dirty alphas up the stairs and into the main bathroom connected to the pack bedroom. He maneuvered them to stand side by side in front of the double sinks before going to the large shower and turning it on. 

Mingi flinched at the noise, unable to stop the knee jerk reaction from rearing its ugly head. Hongjoong slowly slipped his hand into Mingi’s, squeezing the younger’s palm gently in silent reassurance.

“Mingi-yah,” Seonghwa called after a few moments, making sure to keep his voice soft as he extended a hand for the alpha again. “Come test the temperature. Joongie isn’t picky so you can decide how cold or warm you want your shower.”

Mingi bit his lip, stepping over to the omega and carefully allowing his hand to be directed under the spray. The water was warm, just on the right side of hot that Mingi knew would turn him into a puddle of goo now that he knew what a hot shower was supposed to feel like. “We’re— we’re showering together?” he asked, bravely reaching down to adjust the controls minutely just because he could.  

“If that’s okay with you,” Hongjoong piped up. “But if you’re not comfortable showering with me I won’t be upset. I can go shower in the other bathroom.”

“No— no. It’s— it’s okay. I want to,” Mingi stuttered, feeling panicked slightly at the idea of Hongjoong leaving. “To shower with... with you.”

Hongjoong smiled, small and patient, careful to make sure his emotions were written clearly across his features so that Mingi knew that what he was requesting was welcomed. 

“Okay,” he started, stepping closer to the pair. “Thank you for trusting me— us. Would you like to get in first or would you like me to?”

Mingi hummed in thought before nodding towards the elder. “You, please,” he replied, earning a proud smile from the alpha at his decision. 

“Of course, sweetie,” Hongjoong replied, stripping himself of his flour-covered clothes and stepping into the spray. He kept the curtain open, allowing Mingi to see him standing directly under the spray and that he wasn’t changing the temperature on the younger. 

Slowly, Mingi shed his clothes too, carefully placing them in the laundry basket on top of Hongjoong’s discarded ones. Seonghwa ruffled his hair fondly, tugging him closer to press a kiss to his cheek before letting him get into the shower as well. 

Hongjoong carefully took Mingi into his arms, letting the water wash over both of them as the flour was rinsed from their skin. “Is the water still good, baby?” he asked softly, his lips almost tickling Mingi’s ear with how close they were. 

Mingi nodded, shifting to press his forehead against Hongjoong’s shoulder and trusting the alpha to take care of him. They stayed under the spray like that for a few minutes, just relaxing against one another before Mingi shifted into action. He straightened out, grabbing the shampoo and lathering up his hands before gently tugging Hongjoong towards him so that he could scrub the flour from the elder’s hair. Hongjoong went easily, closing his eyes in bliss as Mingi’s long fingers scratched gently at his scalp. 

Once he was done with his hair, Mingi’s hand having carefully cupped Hongjoong’s forehead to keep the suds from his eyes as he rinsed it out, he moved onto the elder’s body, taking great pride in being able to care for his alpha like this. 

“Can I take care of you, Mingi-yah?” Hongjoong whispered once the younger alpha was done washing him. 

Mingi nodded shakily, turning his back to the elder in a show of trust that Hongjoong knew took everything in him to do. 

He sucked in the gasp that wanted to escape when he caught sight of Mingi’s back. He had seen it before, of course, but never this close. The criss-crossed lines and circular burns littering the younger’s skin was painful to look at; a lifetime of abuse on display for Hongjoong’s judgment. 

The alpha lathered up his hands before carefully, meticulously, scrubbing Mingi’s hair. The younger melted at his touch, knees shaking as he grabbed for the wall to help hold him up. Hongjoong hummed in concern, one hand leaving his hair to grab a hold of Mingi’s waist in an effort to keep the younger standing. “Mingi?” he murmured, shifting them so that the younger alpha could lean against him fully. “Are you alright?” 

Mingi nodded slowly, grasping at Hongjoong’s arm as he pulled his face away from Hongjoong’s shoulder. “Yeah,” he mumbled, feeling drowsy and seconds away from purring. “Felt— felt good.”

Hongjoong smiled, turning his head to kiss the younger’s cheek. “Good,” he replied. “I’m glad. Do you want me to continue?” 

He nodded again, more hesitant than last time. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, sweetie?” Seonghwa asked gently from outside of the shower, reminding the two that the omega was still present in the bathroom with them. 

“I don't... want this to be over,” he admitted, tucking his face back into Hongjoong’s neck. “Hyung feels— really good and I just... want to stay like this.”

The two elder packmates smiled fondly, Hongjoong wrapping his arms around Mingi in a wet hug. “We can cuddle after our shower too, love,” he murmured. 

“But your hands,” Mingi whined softly, too caught up in his desires to realize that he was being whiny. “Yunho’s didn’t feel like this.... They were good— he was good— but, hyung, I think— I think your hands might be magic.”

Seonghwa bit back the cackle, fondly admiring the blush that rose up Hongjoong’s neck. “I’m— I’m glad you like my hands so much, Mingi-yah,” he stuttered. “I’ll give you head massages whenever you want.”

Mingi’s head shot up, eyes wide as he examined Hongjoong’s face for sincerity. “Really?” he asked. “Do you promise?”

“I promise,” Hongjoong replied easily, wanting nothing more than to keep that sweet smile on the younger alpha’s face. 

“Okay,” he said, relaxing again. “We can keep going.”

Hongjoong nodded, kissing Mingi’s cheek. His hands moved back to the younger’s hair, finishing his task before moving onto Mingi’s body much like the younger had done for him. Mingi was nearly comatose as he stood in the shower with Hongjoong, his back facing the elder and eyes closed in bliss. 

Behind him, Hongjoong was biting back his tears, swallowing down the sobs that threatened to come up, both at seeing the younger’s litany of scars decorating his back and from the absolute trust Mingi was showing him. He knew, of course, that Mingi came with scars, had seen them when he had changed, but he’d never been faced with them so directly, and coupled with the  younger’s trust in him broke something in him and all he wanted to do was cry and hold the alpha to his chest and never let him go. 

He settled for gently washing Mingi’s back before leaning in and kissing right over a large, raised scar cutting across his shoulder blades. Mingi tensed in his arms, making to move away, but Hongjoong didn’t want that— wanted Mingi to see that he was safe— always safe— so he wrapped his arms around Mingi’s waist, carefully laying his cheek across the younger’s back directly over his scar. 

“You’re so strong, Mingi-yah,” he whispered, afraid of speaking any louder and having his voice break on him. 

“I’m sorry,” Mingi replied, choking around his words as he ducked his head under the spray. “I know they’re ugly. I’m so sorry.”

“Never apologize for your scars, love,” Seonghwa chided gently. “You are so brave and have endured so much pain and those scars can attest to that. Your scars are beautiful. Not because of what they are but because of how they show how far you’ve come and how you’ve never let this pain taint your beautiful soul.” He reached one delicate hand into the shower to trace a thin line that curled around Mingi’s side. “You’re beautiful, Mingi. Scars and all.”

Mingi shuddered, turning around and burying his face into Hongjoong’s neck, sobbing softly in the safety of the elder’s arms. Hongjoong held him while Seonghwa rubbed at his back, uncaring of his sleeve that was slowly soaking under the spray of the water. 

Once the youngest’s tears had mostly subsided, Hongjoong pushed him back slightly. “Do you want to get out, now?” he asked gently. “And we can go cuddle in your nest, if you’d like?”

Mingi nodded almost frantically, latching onto the elder tightly as Seonghwa reached in to turn off the water and grab towels for the two of them. The omega helped them out and wrapped a large towel around Mingi, peppering his face in kisses once he was wrapped up properly. 

Once he was dressed, Mingi wrapped his arms around Seonghwa, pressing the smaller omega to his chest in his search for comfort. It was only Hongjoong’s steady hand on his lower back that got him moving towards his bedroom. The elder two packmates let Mingi crawl in first, giving him a few moments to arrange the blankets how he wanted before crouching down and waiting for an invite. Mingi whined when he spotted them, reaching out for them and tugging them in when they got close enough. They bracketed their young alpha, Seonghwa’s fingers combing through Mingi’s wet hair. 

Mingi’s nose was pressed against Hongjoong’s collar, rubbing softly against the soft cotton of his t-shirt. “Hyung?” he whispered. 

Hongjoong hummed, running his hand up and down Mingi’s arm softly. 

“Can you— will you scent me, hyung?” the younger asked, sounding so small and scared of rejection. 

The Alpha released a soft, pleased growl as he tugged Mingi closer to his chest, dropping his head down to press against the younger’s scent gland. Mingi melted into his embrace, his head sinking backwards to rest just under Seonghwa’s chin. “Of course, love,” Hongjoong replied, unable to keep delighted rumbling from his voice. “I’d be honored.”

Mingi whined happily, pressing up slightly to nudge his head against Seonghwa, encouraging the elder to wrap his arms around Mingi’s waist and nuzzle into his hair. 

“Thank you, Alpha,” Mingi mumbled, feeling very content sardined between his two hyungs, his eyes fluttering closed as Hongjoong continued to scent him. “What... what do you smell like?” he asked, not daring to open his eyes after asking that question. 

“Our Joongie smells like coconuts,” Seonghwa sang softly, kissing Mingi’s hair to silently let him know that his question wasn’t poorly received. “Together you two smell like a warm summer’s day— lemonade and coconut— all you’re missing is the ocean breeze.”

Mingi hummed in confusion. “Lemonade?” he asked.

“Mhmm, it’s been coming out more and more recently,” Seonghwa replied as one of the hands encircling his waist began to rub gentle circles against Mingi’s stomach. “Our Mingi smells like freshly squeezed lemonade when he’s happy.”

Mingi couldn’t stop the pleased whine from escaping his lips, unconsciously releasing more of his sweet scent into the air. “It’s not rotten?” he asked.

Hongjoong pulled back to press a soft kiss to Mingi’s cheek. “No, love,” he murmured, cupping Mingi’s cheeks and forcing him to look into the elder’s eyes. “Your scent is beautiful. Just like you.”

 

“Am I in trouble?” Mingi whispered, fingers holding on tightly to Wooyoung’s as the other alpha led him into the living room where the rest of the pack were slowly gathering. 

Wooyoung hummed thoughtfully, shifting to wrap his arm around Mingi’s shoulder as they settled on the couch. “Do you think you did something?”

Mingi nodded. “I fell asleep— with Joong-hyung and Hwa-hyung— instead of cleaning up my mess in the kitchen yesterday.”

The smaller alpha giggled, leaning over to press a kiss to Mingi’s cheek. “Firstly, that was Hongjoong-hyung’s mess— he’s the one that dropped the flour. And secondly, even if it was your mess to clean up, Joong-hyung and Hwa-hyung fell asleep with you so they can’t exactly throw the blame on you if they did the exact same thing— it’s not like you were avoiding responsibilities or something.”

“But Seonghwa-hyung specifically asked me to— to make sure Hongjoong-hyung didn’t make a mess. He was relying on me and I— I failed. And I was the one that asked Hyung to scent me and the reason we fell asleep.”

Wooyoung smiled, squeezing Mingi ever closer to him. “Oh I know,” he cooed. “Joongie-hyung was on cloud nine last night. He told me and Sannie all about it. I think you made his entire year by asking him to scent you.”

Mingi’s eyes widened, staring at the other alpha in shock. “Really?” he breathed feeling a storm of butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

“Really,” San chirped, plopping down on Mingi’s other side and pressing into the alpha’s side. “Alpha loves to scent his pack. If it were feasible, hyung would have all of us reeking of coconut all the time. And besides, cleaning the kitchen gave Yeosangie and Yunho the chance deep clean and reorganize the kitchen that they’ve been waiting for. Those two were practically giddy last night.”

Wooyoung nodded in agreement, pressing a fond kiss to Mingi’s cheek before leaning around him to do the same to San. “This is just a normal family meeting,” he reassured. “We used to have them like clockwork but we’ve gotten out of the habit. I think Joong-hyung is trying to get that bit of normalcy back for all eight of us now that you’re settling in.”

“It was my fault?” Mingi asked nervously.

“Absolutely not,” San stated firmly. “We get out of the routine a lot, any type of life change disrupts the flow. When Yeosangie and Wooyoungie both got new jobs at the same time we didn’t have a family meeting for nearly three months. You did absolutely nothing wrong. This is just how these things naturally fall. Consistency takes work and is an ongoing effort. I’m sure you’ll see us fall out of our meeting cycles again in the future before one of us realizes that we haven’t had one in over a month and calls attention to it again.”

Mingi nodded, sinking into their combined hold in relief as Hongjoong and Yunho entered the living room. The omega paused in the doorway, pouting when he spotted both of Mingi’s sides taken up before smiling devilishly and plopping down on both Wooyoung and Mingi’s laps, squirming until he was comfortably sandwiched between them. 

Wooyoung huffed in faux-annoyance before shifting over slightly to give Yunho more room to settle, making the omega purr in happiness. 

The meeting began and was much less somber than the last time, allowing Mingi to slowly relax as they made their way around the room and the pack expressed grievances and needs with everyone. They were simple things, like Jongho requesting that they don’t borrow his yellow sweatshirt without his permission because it was his favorite and he liked wearing it to work whenever possible and Seonghwa reminding them, rather sternly, that they each had designated towels in the bathroom for a reason and to stop using his just because they liked having his peach scent on them— he was sick of discovering that his towel was wet when he got out of the shower. 

Overall the whole meeting was relaxed and laid back, half of them cradling cups of coffee in their hands while the others were draped over each other like a pack of seals. When it got to Mingi, the alpha bit his lip in uncertainty, having somehow forgotten that he was a part of this meeting as well. 

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong soothed. “You only have to speak up if you want to and no one will judge you if you choose to stay silent but we would love to hear anything you might want to say. ”

Mingi chewed on his lower lip until Yunho’s gentle fingers pried it from his teeth, soothing the abused flesh with the pad of his thumb. “I like...” he started nervously, fingers automatically seeking out Yunho’s for comfort. “I like when you... hold me. Like— like yesterday and— and during my rut and I, um— I like— like holding you too? If that’s— that’s okay? I just— I don’t know... It’s hard to— for me to speak up and... and ask for it but I just really— I really like being close to you all.”

The pack beamed at him simultaneously, San and Yunho squishing him in between them as they kissed his cheeks. 

“We’re happy to be more physically affectionate with you, Mingi-yah,” Seonghwa cooed proudly. “We’ve only held back as much as we did because we weren’t sure what you were comfortable with.”

“Really?” he breathed, staring at the eldest omega in awe. “You— you want to?” 

Yunho snorted, pressing himself impossibly closer to the alpha. “Of course we do, Pingu,” he said. “We want everything with you but we’re happy to go at your pace. With everything you’ve gone through you have the right to decide how you move forward and when. We’re just happy to have you any way we can.”

Mingi blinked rapidly, his vision suddenly becoming blurred as his eyes stung. San trilled, leaning forward to kiss away the few tears that escaped. “We love you, Mingi,” he murmured, lips brushing against Mingi’s closed eyelids as he continued to pepper the alpha’s face in soft kisses. “And we’re happy to give you whatever you need, whenever you need it.”

The alpha sniffled, leaning into the omegas. Eyes still closed, he murmured. “I think I might love you all too.”

Notes:

Enjoy this fluff while it lasts. You never know when something might... happen...<3

See you next Friday!

Chapter 10

Summary:

Mingi and Jongho spend some quality time together.

Notes:

Friendly reminder that this is one of those chapters where you should mind the tags before reading (though to be fair if you've gotten this far you're probably prepared for what's coming) <3

A soft voice filled the kitchen from the pack’s bluetooth, Jongho singing along softly as he washed the dishes from their dinner. Mingi felt frozen in the doorway, unwilling to disturb the youngest and interrupt his singing. He didn’t recognize the song, not that Mingi recognized many songs— Junghwa didn’t allow music with vocals in his house— though the pack had been slowly introducing him to more and more over the last few months. Whatever song it was, though, Mingi thought that the beta sang it better than the artist did and he had no desire to give him any reason to stop. 

Jongho shifted, tilting his head to the side curiously before peeking over his shoulder, shooting Mingi a fond smile. “Hi, hyung,” he said, pausing in his dish washing to face the elder. “Did you need something?”

“I—” Mingi stuttered, feeling as though he had been ripped from the serenity that was Jongho’s voice when the younger greeted him. The radio was still playing softly around them but Mingi couldn’t hear it over the blood rushing in his ears as he tried to remember why he had come into the kitchen in the first place. “I— Can I help you? With the— with the dishes?”

The younger shot him a blinding smile, nodding his head as he turned back to the sink and pointed to the dish towel sitting on the counter. “Sure— thanks, hyung! Would you dry?”

Mingi nodded even though Jongho was no longer looking at him, forcing his legs to push forward as he crossed the kitchen to stand next to the beta. He grabbed the towel, drying the plates sitting in the drying rack mechanically and stacking them up on the counter to put away once he was done. 

They worked in silence, shoulders brushing one another as they moved until eventually Jongho huffed softly, a gentle puff of air that resembled a laugh. “What’s on your mind, hyung?” he asked, amused. “I can practically see the question burning on the tip of your tongue.”

The alpha swallowed. “I— can you— You have a beautiful voice,” he stuttered out. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment but forced himself to keep them open, staring firmly at the glass in his hands. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Jongho whispered, a gentle sort of fondness melting into his tone as the amusement faded. “Did you hear me singing? I have nothing on I.U but—”

“You’re better,” Mingi interrupted, turning to Jongho in his urgency to make sure the beta knew how beautiful his voice was. “I was listening to you singing and couldn’t help but think how you should be the one on the radio instead. Your voice is... enchanting.”

Jongho ducked his head, dropping the sponge in the sudsy water before pressing his face into Mingi’s chest. “Hyung,” he whined. “You can’t just say things like that. Now I’m all embarrassed!”

Mingi swallowed around the lump forming in his throat, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around Jongho and hold him close but unable to push himself just that little bit further to actually do it. “I’m... sorry?”

The younger huffed, wrapping his arms around Mingi’s waist and pressing his wet hands into the fabric at the small of the elder’s back. “You should be,” he teased, tilting his head to press a kiss to Mingi’s shoulder to reassure the alpha that he was indeed not actually upset. “I demand a hug and bedtime cuddles tonight as compensation.”

He smiled, feeling the anxiety in his chest deflate as he wrapped his arms around Jongho’s back and tucked the beta closer to his chest. Jongho hummed contentedly, nosing against his neck as he breathed in the alpha’s sweet lemonade scent he was releasing into the air unknowingly. “That’s fair,” Mingi replied softly, resting his cheek on Jongho’s hair as they held each other for a few more moments. “Though only if you— will you sing again? For me?”

Jongho chuckled, pulling back and bringing his soapy hands up to cup Mingi’s cheek so that he could press a playful kiss to the tip of the alpha’s nose. “Anytime you want, hyung. I’ll sing anything for you.”

Mingi pulled back, smiling widely as he picked up his drying towel again. Jongho, following his lead, returned to the sink full of dishes and got back to work. He glanced over to Mingi, smiling at the elder as he picked up the chorus of the song playing— some boy group ballad that he, once again, outshone easily with his enchanting voice. The alpha nearly closed his eyes, choosing instead to allow Jongho’s voice to wash over him as he worked, lulling him into a relaxed state he usually only ever reached when he was in his nest with a few of the pack pressed against him on all sides.

He felt like a fish on the line, hooked and reeled in by the beta’s voice and he was loving every second of it. And god, did he want to join in but he hadn’t sung since he was a child and, even if he knew the words to the song, he didn’t feel confident enough to even attempt to harmonize with the younger. That didn’t stop him, however, from swaying slightly with the beat, feeling almost lethargic in his movements. He could stay in this moment with Jongho forever. 

Everything came crashing down when he took a deep breath through his nose and Junghwa’s spicy curry scent hit him like a tsunami. He had been so distracted in the moment that Mingi had let his guard down, kept his back to the room and unalert and now Junghwa was there and his... 

His beta was in danger. 

Because of him. 

Mingi’s body reacted on instinct, grabbing Jongho by his shoulders and yanking him down to the floor, tucking him against the corner cabinet as he took a defensive position over the top of the younger. He growled at where he had smelled Junghwa, pressing himself more firmly on top of Jongho to keep him out of harm's way. Mingi would die before he let that alpha touch a single hair on his beta’s head. 

Everything was hazy and out of focus, Mingi running on pure instinct as he tried to catch Junghwa’s figure through his blurred vision. He knew the other alpha had to be close, curry still burning the insides of his nose as he tried to sense where the alpha was going to attack from. 

A whimper broke through the haze, shattering Junghwa’s blurry form until the coat rack next to the backdoor came into startling focus and Mingi blinked away the haze from the corners of his eyes. He whipped his head around, gaze immediately zeroing in on the red dripping down Jongho’s hand where he was clenching his fist to his chest. 

“Shit,” he hissed, dropping from his defensive position to kneel in front of the beta. “Jongho?” he whispered, reaching out with a shaking hand to pull the younger’s bleeding limb away from his body. “What— what happened?” he asked as he ripped the hand towel from the handle of the oven door and pressed it firmly to Jongho’s palm where a large gash had formed. 

“You— I was washing a knife,” Jongho stuttered, pained and scared as he reached out with his uninjured hand to cup Mingi’s cheek. “What happened, hyung? You— one second you were dancing and the next— the next it was like you had gone feral...”

Mingi swallowed, shaking his head as he pulled the towel back to examine Jongho’s injury. “This— This needs stitches.... Hyung!” he called, raising his voice to alert the rest of the pack of the emergency. “Alpha!”

Hongjoong rounded the corner to the kitchen, sounding a bit out of breath as he slid over to them on socked feet, just barely catching himself before he fell to his knees next to the two. He took Jongho’s hand in his, inspecting the damage before determining this was beyond a first aid kit scenario and stood up, helping their maknae up as well. “What happened?” he breathed, already shuffling Jongho towards the door where the rest of the pack was gathering with wide, terrified eyes. The blood staining Jongho’s shirt from when he had held his hand to his chest didn’t help quell their worries either. 

“I hurt him,” Mingi admitted solemnly as he trailed behind them, unable to look away from Jongho’s blood staining his own fingers. 

“He didn’t,” Jongho interrupted. “It was an accident.”

The pack alpha nodded. “Okay,” he said, keeping a level head as he helped Jongho into his shoes while Seonghwa draped a coat over the youngest’s shoulders. “Let’s get this stitched up and then we can talk through what happened as a pack, alright?” He turned to Mingi, shooting the shaking alpha a comforting smile. “No one is in trouble, you hear me, Mingi-yah? No one is in trouble. Take a deep breath and go wash up, alright? We’ll be back soon. Everything is okay.”

Mingi nodded jerkily, feeling himself disconnected from his body as Hongjoong and Seonghwa ushered Jongho out the door as quickly as they could. Mingi wanted to join them but knew that he had no right— not after hurting Jongho. He’d be lucky to still be a free man after tonight. 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat at the thought of being arrested for hurting Jongho. It wasn’t a likely scenario— Hongjoong and the pack were far too kind for their own good— but there was no way Mingi would be allowed to stay with them— continue being their foster— after this monumental fuck-up. 

San was tucked behind Wooyoung’s back, the alpha shielding his omega from the rogue— from Mingi— while Yeosang was standing just behind the alpha’s other shoulder— defensive. Even Yunho— his Yunho— was giving Mingi a wide berth and the space between them hurt worse than any physical pain he’d ever received before. 

“I’m gonna— gonna go...” Mingi trailed off shakily, jerking his hand towards the stairs before he caught sight of Jongho’s drying blood on his fingers and quickly tucked his hand behind his back, making a hasty retreat up the stairs towards his room. 

He thought he heard someone whisper something about space but to be honest his ears were buzzing too loudly for him to comprehend anything. Mingi staggered into his room, shutting the door with a bang that made him full-body flinch at the noise and turn towards the door as if he expected one of the pack members to storm through and punish him for making a racket. When no one came, he grabbed the backpack Officer Choi had gifted him all those months ago from the back of his closet and started to shove clothes into the pack.

There was no doubt in his mind that Hongjoong was calling Taemin at that very second, demanding that the social worker remove Mingi from his home immediately— preferably before they returned from the hospital. He didn’t have a lot of time and Mingi didn’t want to forget anything important. He snatched his wolf from his bed and shoved it into his bag, sending the plush a mental apology for the rough handling.

How could he have been so stupid? Of course Junghwa wasn’t in the pack’s home . And— for god’s sake— Mingi couldn't even smell.  

He had hurt Jongho over nothing.

Because his stupid brain had decided that his lowered defenses were a good excuse to make up an imaginary danger. He was a hazard to the pack. 

Maybe he should just call Taemin himself— tell the beta to stop avoiding the inevitable and just classify him as unplaceable and leave him to go feral. 

It would be a just punishment for hurting Jongho. 

He made to close the drawer he had been digging in, intent on finding his cell phone and calling Taemin, but Mingi didn’t realize his fingers were still inside the drawer as he closed it, slamming them harshly into the door and pulling a pained gasp past his lips. He didn’t draw his hand away as he stared at the drawer contemplatively, hand throbbing as realization flooded through him. 

He deserved that. 

He deserved so much worse for what he did. 

Without another thought, Mingi opened the drawer before slamming it closed on his fingers again. 

And again.

And again. 

And again. 

He was starting to grow numb from the pain, his whole hand just one continuous throb instead of the sharp, piercing it had been at the start. Mingi dug his teeth into his lip as he tried to muffle his sobs. 

“That’s enough, Mingi-yah.”

It wasn’t enough. 

It would never be enough. 

He had hurt Jongho. 

He had hurt Jongho. 

His sweet maknae. His kind little beta who always knew what to say to calm Mingi down and keep his head above the incoming tide of bad thoughts that always plagued the alpha no matter what he did. And he had hurt him.

He deserved this.

“You don’t deserve this, Mingi.”

But he did. He did deserve every ounce of pain and punishment because he was bad.

“You are so good. So good, my sweet Mingi. Look at me, love.”

Mingi shook his head. He didn’t want to open his eyes— and when had he closed them in the first place?— didn’t want to face the disgust that he knew was on Yunho’s face— on Wooyoung’s, on Yeosang’s, San’s— he didn’t want to have to face them.

“Mingi,” Yunho called again, this time accompanied with a gentle hand coming to rest on his forearm— a silent request for him to stop his punishment. And he did. Because Mingi was nothing if not weak for Yunho. “That’s it,” the omega praised. “Good Alpha. Just take a deep breath for me, yeah? Everything is going to be alright.”

Mingi did as he was told— or tried to, at least. But the sobs that were wracking his body prevented him from sucking more than quick, barely-there gasps into his lungs. A hand grasped his uninjured one, bringing it up to a firm chest. 

“Follow me, Alpha. Breathe with me— nice and slow. That’s it. Good Alpha.”

Mingi whimpered, dropping his head forward to rest against Yunho’s chest and... when had they sat down on the floor? Everything felt foggy and disjointed and Mingi whimpered when the pain in his hand flared. 

“We gotta get him to the hospital,” Wooyoung whispered, clearly trying not to disrupt the tentative peace Mingi had found against his omega. “He completely fucked his hand.”

“I know,” Yunho murmured, combing his fingers through Mingi’s hair as he kept the alpha’s head tucked against his chest. “Just give him a few more minutes. His heart is still racing.” He leaned down to press his lips to Mingi’s hair. “You’re doing so good for me, Alpha. Keep breathing nice and slow. That’s it, baby.”

Mingi whined, high and frightened, pressing his nose under Yunho’s chin while the omega continued to reassure him, his words washing over him and calming the raging storm of emotions warring inside of him until all that was left was an empty sort of apathy and pain.  

After a few minutes, Yunho cautiously nudged Mingi upright, accepting the hand from Wooyoung as they carefully got the injured alpha on his feet, bracketing him between them and starting their sad procession downstairs.

“Is he alright?” San whispered, watching Yunho as he carefully led Mingi out of the house, his arm wrapped firmly around the alpha’s waist. 

“I— I don’t know,” Wooyoung admitted sadly, grabbing his wallet and keys and stuffing them in his pocket before collecting their coats from Yeosang’s outstretched arms. “I don’t know what’s going on in his head and he— he really fucked up his hand. And— god— He can’t stop shaking. I’m— I wish hyung was here... he’d know what to do.”

Yeosang stepped forward, cupping Wooyoung’s cheeks gently as he pressed a feather light kiss to the other’s lips. “You’re doing so well, Alpha,” he praised. “You go take care of our Mingi, yeah? Sannie and I will clean up here and join you all at the hospital soon. I’ll call Joong-hyung too and let him know you’re coming. Just focus on Mingi. We’ll get through this just like we always do. As a pack.”

The alpha nodded, dropping his head forward for a moment to rest against Yeosang’s chest when he felt San’s small hand stroke the back of his neck. “As a pack,” he parroted softly, his breath brushing against Yeosang’s skin. He sighed, soaking in his pack’s affections for another moment before pulling back and kissing each of them. “I’ll see you soon,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

“We love you,” San replied, pressing another kiss to Wooyoung’s shoulder before gently nudging him out the door. “Now go take care of our other alpha. We’ll see you soon.”

Wooyoung shot him a grateful look before finally stepping out and hopping in the driver’s seat. He glanced in the back seat, admiring how small Yunho could make Mingi look with the alpha pressed up against the omega’s chest. 

Yunho had Mingi’s damaged hand cradled on his lap, the alpha’s head tucked under his chin as he stroked the other’s hair with his free hand, murmuring soft praises into his ear. He glanced up, nodding once to Wooyoung to let the alpha know that they were ready to go and Wooyoung returned the nod before starting the engine and driving as fast as he could while still obeying traffic laws. Every once in a while, Mingi would release a soft whimper, muffled by Yunho’s hoodie and quickly followed by the omega’s gentle reassurances. 

 

The emergency room was packed when they got there and Wooyoung cursed their luck as he helped Yunho guide Mingi up to the front desk to check in. 

“Mingi!” A voice called out just as they found a spot to sit in the waiting room. All three of their heads shot up at once, spotting a frantic Seonghwa immediately as he weaved his way through other patients. “Baby,” he cooed once he was close enough, dropping down to his knees in front of the alpha and cupping his cheeks. “Oh my sweet love, what happened?”

Mingi sniffled, curling into Seonghwa’s hands. “ ‘m sorry,” he cried, body shaking as he tried to suppress the sobs that were trying to crawl out of him. “ ‘m sorry.”

Seonghwa shook his head, tilting Mingi’s head until the younger was looking at him once more. “You have nothing to be sorry for, my love,” he stated firmly. “Absolutely nothing. No one is mad at you, darling. We’re just worried, alright? We love you so much.”

The alpha shuddered weakly, sagging tiredly into Wooyoung’s side. “I love you too,” he replied, voice barely audible over the hum of the waiting room. 

“Song Mingi?” 

The four men’s heads shot up in unison, Seonghwa helping them to stand up and make their way over to the nurse. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But only one of you can come back with Mingi-ssi. The rest of you will have to wait here.”

Mingi glanced back at the three of them, frantic indecision swimming in his eyes as he silently pleaded with the pack to make the decision for him.

“It’s your choice, love,” Seonghwa murmured, rubbing Mingi’s back. “We won’t be upset no matter who you choose. We just want you to feel safe.”

Mingi’s eyelids fluttered, the throbbing of his hand distracting him from conscious thought. 

“Mingi?” Yunho murmured when the alpha didn’t respond. “Baby?”

“Alpha,” he whimpered, eyes closed as he sank into Wooyoung’s side. “Want Alpha.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened, unconsciously squeezing Mingi’s waist as he glanced over to Seonghwa for confirmation. 

The omega nodded his head. “Go with him, love,” he said. “We’ll stay out here and wait for the rest of the pack.”

“Okay, hyung,” he breathed, feeling as though his heart might beat out of his chest. 

The nurse gave the pack a comforting smile before turning to lead Mingi and Wooyoung into the back, the two alphas glancing back at their omegas one final time before the door closed behind them. 

 

Mingi had six separate breaks in his hand. The entire appendage had to be set and put in a cast. He felt so incredibly small while the doctor and nurses set and put his hand in a cast before tucking it in a sling against his chest and allowing the pack to flood into his room. 

Jongho was missing, still getting care for his own hand injury, along with Seonghwa who had gone to trade places with Hongjoong so that the pack alpha could check in on Mingi. 

“Can you tell us what happened, Mingi?” Hongjoong asked softly once they were all settled around the small hospital room. 

“Was bad,” Mingi replied brokenly. Yunho grumbled under his breath, tucking his nose more firmly into Mingi’s neck from his place behind the alpha’s back. “I hurt Jongho.”

“Did you take the knife and cut him?” Hongjoong prodded. 

Mingi’s head shot up in alarm. “No! I’d never,” he exclaimed, nearly pushing himself out of bed in his urgency if Yunho hadn’t stopped him with strong arms wrapping around his waist. 

The alpha nodded calmly. “And when you pulled him to the ground— did you do that with the intention to hurt him?”

He shook his head, feeling like there was a rubber band tightening around his chest with each question. “No, Alpha,” he whispered. 

“Then you weren’t bad,” Hongjoong stated, as casually as though he were talking about the weather. “You had an accident that resulted in an injury. We just want to know what caused the accident so we can try to prevent this from happening again in the future, okay? Hyung doesn’t like to see any of you hurt.”

Mingi nodded, his chest tight as he tried to swallow down his tears. Yunho purred softly, his chest rumbling soothingly against the alpha’s back. “I thought— I thought I smelled Junghwa,” he stuttered, Yunho’s hands petting his stomach reassuringly. “In the kitchen. We were— I was distracted and I— I thought I smelled him and I panicked because— because I didn’t want him to hurt Jongho but... but I was the one that hurt him.”

“Phantom scents,” Yunho murmured, his lips brushing against the shell of the alpha’s ear. “It’s not the first time it’s happened. It’s the reason we met, remember?” Mingi nodded morosely, sagging in exhaustion against his omega’s chest. 

“I had forgotten,” he admitted softly. “It’s been so long that I— I was caught off guard and I just— I couldn’t let him get to Jongho.”

Hongjoong reached out and threaded their fingers together, squeezing the younger alpha’s uninjured hand tightly. “You protected your beta,” he said. “No one can be upset with you for that. And it really has been a long time since your last phantom scent; it’s not surprising that it caught you off guard.”

Before Hongjoong could continue, the door slowly swung open, revealing a teary-eyed Jongho tucked under Seonghwa’s arm. 

“Hyung—'' Jongho gasped, stumbling over to the bed as he collapsed on the mattress next to Hongjoong and Mingi’s joined hands. He reached out with his uninjured hand to snake his fingers between the two alphas’ and steal Mingi’s hand for his own. “Are you— how are you feeling?” he asked as he sat down more comfortably on the edge of the bed directly in front of where their pack alpha had been sitting.

Mingi swallowed, tentatively squeezing the younger’s hand back as Hongjoong surreptitiously backed away to give the two space. “I’m— I’m fine. Your hand...?” 

Jongho shook his head, shooting the elder a watery smile. “I’m okay, Alpha. It’s only a couple of stitches. But you— you know I don’t blame you, right? I could never. I love you, Mingi,” he admitted. “I know it was an accident. But your hand... it’s—”

The alpha whined, pushing himself forward to nose against Jongho’s cheek. “I’m fine,” he repeated. 

“You’re both okay,” Yunho cut in, reaching around to grip Jongho’s wrist with one of his hands. “You’re both going to be just fine. Your pack will take good care of you.”

“Yeah!” San jumped in, giggling brightly. “You two are going to be sick of all of our coddling before the week is through!”

Their youngest groaned goodnaturedly, tucking his face into Mingi’s chest and surprising the alpha with his action. “Hyung,” he whined. “They’re going to be unbearable. You’re my only hope.”

Mingi smiled, nosing into Jongho’s hair fondly as he relaxed around the younger’s weight against him. He still felt extremely off kilter from the day’s events but Jongho was a welcomed lump on his chest.

“If you think I’m not going to coddle you too, you’re in for a rough awakening,” he croaked, pressing his smile into Jongho’s hair when the maknae groaned playfully. 

“Then I’m coddling you back, hyung,” Jongho declared petulantly, his words muffled against Mingi’s shirt. “We don’t need the rest of these pesky hyungs. We’ll take care of each other.”

There was an affronted “Hey!” from somewhere in the room, descending the pack into peels of laughter. Everything would be okay, Mingi thought. He had the pack looking after him.

Notes:

Did you see that coming? Don't worry nothing else bad can possibly happen next ;)

Thank you all for reading! Feel free to let me know what you thought of this chapter in the comments if you'd like (I absolutely adore seeing your reactions <3) and I'll see you next Friday!

Chapter 11

Summary:

Taemin comes to visit.

Mingi’s hand had been bandaged up for over an hour now and he was a little confused as to why he hadn’t been released yet when Jongho had been free from the doctors for nearly twice as long. His questions were answered when the door to his room opened again and Taemin stepped in, pulling a frantic whine from his lips that was quickly hushed by Yunho’s own. 

“You’re okay,” the omega whispered, rubbing Mingi’s stomach and kissing his neck until Hongjoong’s outstretched hand was too obvious to ignore any longer. “Everything is okay, baby.”

Everything was very much not okay in Mingi’s opinion. Taemin visiting directly after Mingi injured one of his packmates— foster packmates— could only mean one thing. 

He had fucked up— irreparably. 

“Hi, pup,” Taemin greeted, trying and failing to keep the sad tone out of his voice. “Hongjoong-ssi— I need to have a conversation with Mingi-yah, just the two of us.”

Hongjoong nodded sagely, already trying to usher his affronted packmates out of the room. “I know, Taemin-ssi,” he replied. “We’ll be down the hall in the waiting room,” he continued, this time speaking directly to Mingi. “When— if— you are ready for us to come back.” 

Mingi whimpered again, feeling confused and frightened and wanting nothing more than to be in the safety of Hongjoong’s arms despite knowing that Taemin would never hurt him either. 

“I love you, Mingi,” Hongjoong murmured, closing the door and shrouding the two in silence as Taemin took the pack alpha’s abandoned chair next to Mingi’s bed. 

“How are you holding up, pup?” the beta asked, extending his hand, palm up, on the bed in an offer for Mingi to take if he wanted to. 

Mingi lurched forward at the offer for physical comfort, threading his fingers with Taemin’s despite the swirling in his gut telling him that the social worker was about to pull the rug out from under him. 

“Why’d you send them away?” Mingi asked, trying his best to keep the trembling out of his voice. 

“Because I needed to talk to you privately, Mingi-yah,” Taemin murmured, dragging his thumb in little circles across the back of the alpha’s hand. “You’re not in trouble, so I don’t want you to stress about that, alright? I just need to know what happened so that way I can be sure you’re safe.”

Mingi bit his lip, glancing at the door where Hongjoong and the pack had long disappeared. “Hongjoong-hyung isn’t in trouble either right? It was— it was all my fault. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Taemin smiled sadly, nodding his head in understanding. “Can you walk me through what happened? Start to finish, okay? No detail is too small. Hyung wants to know everything.”

Mingi swallowed and shakily began to tell everything to Taemin starting with being mesmerized by Jongho’s voice all the way to the final verdict of his hand by the doctors. Every once in a while, Taemin would gently cut in, asking for more detail or clarification to something Mingi said. 

“I have one more question, Mingi-yah,” Taemin said, sounding relieved and much less tense than when he had first arrived. “Do you still feel safe with Hongjoong’s pack? Or would you rather I find you another foster pack?”

“No!” Mingi exclaimed, nearly throwing himself out of bed in his panic, only being saved by Taemin’s quick reaction time. 

He pressed down across Mingi’s chest, gently pushing the alpha back against the mattress. “Hey,” he cooed softly. “Breathe for me, pup. I’m not taking you away from them unless you want me to. I know you don’t want to leave them but it’s something I have to ask. The last thing I want to do is hurt you or see you get hurt, Mingi.” Taemin sighed, dropping his head down to rest against the alpha’s forearm in a show of vulnerability. “This— this is entirely unprofessional to say but... I’ve come to see you as a little brother and— and my commitment to your happiness and wellbeing goes beyond that of your social worker. You will always be my number one priority, Mingi. And I will do absolutely anything and everything to make sure that you are happy and safe.”

Taemin kept his head down, unable to look Mingi in the eyes after his confession. A sniffle broke the silence that had descended between them, forcing the social worker’s head to shoot up in alarm. Mingi’s cheeks were wet with tears and his lower lip was trembling. “Hyung,” he shuddered. 

“I understand if you— if you want another social worker,” Taemin continued. 

“No,” Mingi cried, shaking his head as he reached out with his good hand to cling onto Taemin. “Don’t leave me, hyung,” he pleaded. He tugged Taemin until the elder was close enough to pull into a hug, pressing his cheek to the social worker’s hair. Taemin sank into his hold, unable to deny the physical affection from the young alpha. “I wish you really were my brother,” Mingi murmured. “But— in a different life. I’d never wish for you to have been raised in my family... I wish I hadn’t been raised in my family.”

A wet laugh escaped Taemin’s lips as he pressed his cheek to Mingi’s collarbone. He shifted after a few moments, settling comfortably on the bed next to the younger and tucking Mingi against his chest instead, pulling a quiet purr from the alpha.. “My eomma would have adored you,” he admitted softly. “Almost as much as I do.”

Mingi shuddered happily, cuddling closer to Taemin as he soaked in the affection from the elder. 

Eventually, Taemin pulled back, gently depositing Mingi back on his bed fully before pulling up a form on his tablet. “I’m really glad you have Hongjoong and his pack,” he admitted as he typed away. “I think you’ve helped them as much as they’ve helped you. I’ve never seen Hongjoong smile as much in the office as I have since you joined them.” After a few minutes, Taemin closed his tablet and turned to face Mingi fully. “Now that all the legalities of this accident are taken care of— would you like me to call Hongjoong and the pack back in?”

The alpha deflated, nodding in relief as Taemin pulled out his phone to text Hongjoong. 

Mingi held Taemin’s hand tightly while they waited for the pack, hesitantly telling the elder about how beautiful Jongho’s voice was at Taemin’s gentle prodding. 

Yunho was the first one back into the room, skidding over to the side of Mingi’s bed opposite of where Taemin was sitting, just barely stopping himself in time to not fall face first into the alpha’s chest. “Mingi,” he breathed, a mix of relief and desperation coloring his tone as he dropped to his knees and grasped at Mingi’s waist, avoiding the alpha’s mangled hand. “Please don’t leave us,” he begged, leaning forward to press his forehead against the other’s hipbone. “We’ll be better, I swear. But please— please, you can’t— don’t leave me. I—”

Mingi whined, tugging his hand from Taemin’s in order to yank Yunho up and onto the bed, pulling his omega as close to him as possible before pressing their lips together in a searing kiss and stealing the words from Yunho’s mouth. 

The omega whined, melting into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Mingi’s neck to pull himself closer, careful not to bump his injured arm in the process. Yunho pulled back slightly to check Mingi’s expression to make sure he was still okay before going back in, pressing a series of tiny pecks against the alpha’s lips until they were both giggling on the hospital bed. 

“I think that’s my cue,” Taemin declared in amusement. He stood up, the chair scraping softly against the linoleum. “I’ll let the nurse know Mingi’s ready to check out on my way down.”

Hongjoong nodded, thanking Taemin as the social worker passed. 

“Oh, Taemin-ssi?” Seonghwa called before the elder could make his exit. Taemin stopped, turning to look at the omega curiously. “We’d love to have you and your pack over for dinner this week, if you’re able. I think it’s about time we all got to know each other a bit better, don’t you think?”

Taemin smiled knowingly and nodded his head. “I’ll check with my pack and text Hongjoong-ah when it works best for us, yeah?” At Seonghwa’s affirmative head bob, Taemin waved one final time to the pack and left the hospital room, the door swinging shut softly behind him. 

 

Coming back home was an eerie experience. There was no physical evidence of either Jongho’s injury nor Mingi’s breakdown but the tense atmosphere followed the pack as though the blood was still visible as a stark reminder. 

San ordered in for dinner and they all sat around the coffee table in the living room sharing dishes with each other while one of Wooyoung’s favorite dramas played quietly in the background. Yunho was attached to Mingi’s side, one arm wrapped around the alpha’s waist while they ate. He refused to let go throughout dinner, pulling fond smiles from the pack every time he leaned over to feed Mingi some meat from his chopsticks. In turn, Yeosang fed Yunho anytime the omega went too long without feeding himself. 

Across the table, Seonghwa had Jongho tucked against his chest while San fed him, neither of the omegas allowing their youngest to grab anything himself. 

It almost felt like a competition to Mingi, the way Yunho and Wooyoung pressed in tighter on either side of him, but a friendly competition— one that was filled with giggles and kisses as the omegas and Wooyoung tried to out-dote their injured pack members. By the time the plates were cleared, the eight of them were warm and piled against each other on the floor. 

Mingi was, unsurprisingly, punished for hurting himself. He took the punishment gratefully, happy to accept the journal that Hongjoong gave him and told him that he needed to write into it every night before he went to sleep. It was to help him sort out his thoughts and get any negative emotions he might be feeling towards himself out in a more positive way. It was a way for him to analyze his own feelings and events that may have transpired during the day and recognize his emotions before they spiraled. 

Mingi was honestly very excited for this punishment, clutching the journal close to his chest when it was given to him. Hongjoong had promised that, unless he gave them permission, no one would read what he had written. It was a safe place for him to decompress without fear of what others may think.

“Alpha,” Yunho whispered, still pressed tightly to Mingi’s side as he addressed Hongjoong. “I— I need to be punished too.”

“Me too,” Wooyoung chimed in, glaring at the coffee table, his hand cupping Mingi’s knee tightly. 

Hongjoong nodded in understanding. “Can you explain why?”

“We left Mingi alone,” Yunho admitted. “We knew he was in a fragile headspace but...”

“But we made the wrong call and he got hurt because of it,” Wooyoung finished. 

Mingi felt like he was watching a tennis match with how fast his head was whipping back and forth between the two men on either side of him. “What?” He breathed in confusion.

Wooyoung squeezed Mingi’s knee. “We were careless in our panic,” he admitted. “And we hurt you because of that.”

The other alpha looked ready to protest until Hongjoong cut in softly. “They need this, Mingi,” he murmured. “Just like we don’t always understand why you need some things punished, sometimes one of us will need a punishment that you might not agree is needed.”

He nodded and swallowed back his protests, instead, pulling Yunho closer with his good hand.

“Since this happened because Mingi was left on his own, why don’t they each have fifteen minutes of designated alone time with him each day— physical contact mandatory— to remind them of who they’re protecting?” Seonghwa suggested, his hand carding through Jongho’s hair.

“Does that sound agreeable?” Hongjoong asked.

All three of the boys nodded in unison, both Wooyoung and Yunho pressing into Mingi’s sides in their relief. “Yes,” Yunho breathed, dropping his cheek onto Mingi’s shoulder. “Thank you hyungs.”

Hongjoong crawled around the table to wrap his omega up in his arms, pressing Yunho securely between himself and Mingi.  

They ended up falling asleep there, the eight of them sprawled over couch cushions and pillows thrown haphazardly on the floor after Yeosang and Wooyoung had pushed the coffee table back to the far wall. Mingi woke up with his head pillowed on Hongjoong’s stomach and San tucked under his good arm. 

From the kitchen, he could hear Seonghwa and Yunho’s soft voices mixed with the clanking of dishes as they made breakfast. He peeked his head up, curious about the whereabouts of the rest of his pack, his instincts refusing to relax until he knew where everyone was. On Hongjoong’s other side, cheek squished against the elder’s shoulder was Yeosang. Wooyoung had a hand wrapped around Mingi’s ankle, his legs tangled with San’s. 

The only one unaccounted for was Jongho and Mingi’s alpha roared at the uncertainty of where the youngest was. He pushed down his worry though, telling himself that the beta was in the bathroom or sitting quietly in the kitchen with Seonghwa and Yunho, but as the minutes ticked by, Mingi grew more and more agitated. 

Eventually he gave in, slowly maneuvering San to Wooyoung’s shoulder as he wiggled his way out from the cuddle pile. It was difficult to do without waking any of them when he only had the use of one arm but he was determined. He padded upstairs, checking first the betas’ room before going to the pack bedroom. Both were empty and when he found the bathrooms empty as well, Mingi’s anxiety skyrocketed. 

He made a second pass of the upstairs, checking every room this time until he reached his. There he found Jongho, the maknae was curled up in his under-the-bed nest, nose pressed into Mingi’s pillow.

“Jongho,” Mingi breathed, beelining over to the beta and dropping to his knees. 

Jongho rolled his head to look up at the alpha, whimpering softly as he reached out to Mingi with his good hand. 

Mingi whined, climbing into his nest with Jongho and tucking the beta against his chest. He was careful not to lay on Mingi’s slinged arm, curling against his shoulder and nosing up under his chest. “Hyung,” he whimpered, his breath tickling Mingi’s neck. “Hyung.”

“Hyung’s here,” Mingi whispered, rubbing up and down Jongho’s spine with his good hand. 

“Please don’t hate me,” Jongho cried. “Please— I can’t—”

Mingi pulled Jongho as close to him as possible, squeezing him tightly. “I could never,” he breathed. “Why would you—”

“Because I triggered your panic attack,” he admitted. “I know it wasn’t my fault exactly but I was there and— and I don’t want you to be— be scared to be with me or— or resent me for... for setting you back.”

“You didn’t set me back,” Mingi murmured, forcing the tears that tried to escape down. “And I could never— never blame you. You... did the opposite. I felt— you made me feel so comfortable and safe and I don’t want to lose that because of this. I don’t want to lose you.”

Jongho sniffled, nuzzling ever-closer. “I don’t want to lose you either,” he admitted. “I love you, hyung. I really— I really love you.”

Mingi shuddered, resting his cheek against Jongho’s hair. He didn’t reply, choosing instead to continue his petting. Jongho grew heavier on his chest, content to just cuddle a bit longer, just the two of them. “I think I love you, too,” Mingi whispered, voice barely audible. 

He wasn’t sure if Jongho was still awake when he admitted that but the younger’s lips on his neck told him that he probably had heard him. 

Yeosang found them a while later. He leaned against the doorframe to Mingi’s room, smiling fondly at the pair. “There you are,” he sang, pushing off of the door and sauntering over to the nest. He dropped down to his knees, cupping first Mingi’s cheek and then Jongho’s. “Breakfast time.”

Jongho groaned, turning away from Yeosang to bury his face back into Mingi’s chest petulantly. “No,” he whined. 

“Come on, baby,” Mingi murmured, trying to keep from laughing at the younger. “You need to eat.” He kissed the crown of Jongho’s head, chuckling when the beta huffed. Jongho did get up though, rolling off of the mattress and onto the floor in front of Yeosang. He smirked up at the other beta, reaching with his good hand towards him.

Yeosang rolled his eyes but grabbed his hand nonetheless, heaving him up and into his arms. Mingi followed behind, pushing himself up with his good arm and leaning into Yeosang’s free side when the beta opened it to him. 

They made their way back downstairs,Yeosang depositing Jongho in Wooyoung’s lap before tugging Mingi into a chair next to his own. San plopped down on Mingi’s other side, nuzzling his cheek before digging in. He and Yeosang took turns helping Mingi eat since his dominant hand was out of commission and Mingi felt like his face was permanently red in embarrassment at being doted on; though he couldn’t deny how loved the attention made him feel. 

“Taemin texted me,” Hongjoong said, passing over a few sausages to Mingi and San’s plates. “He and his pack are free for dinner tonight.”

“Good,” Seonghwa declared. “I’ll make samgyeopsal.”

“All of them?” Mingi asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Hongjoong nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, Taemin-ssi said they’re all looking forward to seeing you again.” 

Mingi smiled, accepting another bite from Yeosang. “I miss the hyungs,” he admitted easily. “I’m— I’m excited for you all to meet them.”

“We are too,” San cooed, cupping Mingi’s cheek fondly. “You talk about them enough— and it’ll be nice to see Taemin-ssi outside of visits.”

Mingi nodded. “Hyungs are really nice,” he declared. Dinner time couldn’t come soon enough. 

 

The doorbell rang later that evening, making Mingi jump up in excitement and run to the front door before freezing, glancing back to where Hongjoong was slowly making his way over as well. 

“Go ahead,” he sang. “It’s for you.”

Mingi grinned, yanking the door open without any more hesitation once he knew it was okay with his alpha. “Hyung,” he breathed, grinning widely when Kibum stepped into the house and wrapped Mingi up in a tight hug.

“Hello there, pup,” he greeted, kissing Mingi’s forehead as he pulled back. “Long time, no see.”

“Hi, hyung,” Mingi chirped, happily allowing the beta to pass him back to Minho who pulled him into an equally tight hug. 

“Pup,” Minho greeted, ruffling Mingi’s hair fondly. “You’re looking good. You know— ‘cept for that sling. These boys taking care of you?”

Mingi nodded, leaning into the touch like a starved puppy. “The best,” he disclosed. 

Minho grinned, pressing a kiss to Mingi’s forehead before passing him back to the others. By the time the alpha was in Taemin’s arms, he was a giggling mess, falling easily into the social worker’s arms. 

“Hi, Mingi-yah,” Taemin greeted, helping Jinki maneuver the alpha further into the house so that they could greet the rest of Mingi’s foster pack. He tugged Mingi over to one of the couches, settling down on one end so that Mingi could curl up as close as he wanted to the elder without feeling forced. 

The alpha seemed to take that as a challenge, nearly climbing in Taemin’s lap when he sat down next to him. The other side of Mingi was claimed by a possessive Yunho, the omega wrapping his arm around Mingi’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. Taemin could hear the low, barely-there growl bubbling in Yunho’s throat and bit back a laugh at the younger. 

They all introduced each other and found spots around the living room as they got to know each other a bit more. Wooyoung settled between Mingi’s legs on the floor, perching his chin on the other alpha’s knee as he started a conversation with Jinki and San. 

As it neared closer to dinner, Seonghwa and Yeosang broke off to go cook what they had prepared earlier in the day. Kibum trailed after them, eagerly offering to help while continuing his conversation with Seonghwa. 

Jonghyun stole Mingi away from Taemin, citing that he wanted to see the alpha’s bedroom. Yunho followed them, keeping his hand around Mingi’s waist as he guided the over-excited alpha upstairs with Jonghyun. 

The beta could tell that Yunho was marking his territory and found him cute in his possessiveness, grateful that Mingi had such devoted men looking after him. He made sure not to get too close to Mingi’s nest while complimenting it from afar just so he could see the alpha preen at his words. 

It was such a night and day difference from the timid, skeletal alpha he had met all those months ago and he couldn’t help the proud smile that had taken up a permanent residence across his lips as Mingi showed him his slow-growing comic book collection. 

Mingi had come a long way and Jonghyun hoped that he could keep moving forward in his healing. And Jonghyun wouldn’t mind being able to continue being a part of Mingi’s life moving forward as well. The alpha was special and he and his pack were smitten. 

 

“Taemin-ssi?” Hongjoong spoke up once Mingi was out of hearing range. 

Taemin turned to look at the pack alpha in inquiry, nodding to the younger man to proceed with his question.

“I— we— we were... hoping to— we would like to...” Hongjoong sighed, feeling the words lodged in his throat. 

Taemin got up, moving to sit next to the alpha and rested a comforting hand on his knee. “Take your time,” he reassured. “Whatever it is, I know it can’t be that bad.”

Hongjoong shook his head. “It’s not bad— at least, I hope it’s not. It’s just that— It’s just that Mingi doesn’t have anyone— legally— and... we want to do this right. He deserves that much. And, since he looks up to you and your pack, we were hoping, with your blessing, that we could invite him into our pack— permanently.”

The beta beamed, pulling Hongjoong into a back breaking hug in his excitement before pulling back. “You know you don’t have to ask my permission, Hongjoong. You could have just filed for a declaration to mate.”

“I know,” Hongjoong stated. “But you’re the closest Mingi has to a family outside of us and— and I don’t want to cut any corners with him. He deserves to be properly courted and mated this time around.”

Taemin’s smile grew soft as he pulled Hongjoong back in for another hug, this time much more gently. “Then I guess it's about time you and your pack start calling me and my packmates ‘hyung,’ don’t you think?” He chuckled, ruffling Hongjoong’s hair fondly. “You have our blessing, kid. Just keep taking care of him like you have been.” 

The alpha deflated, sagging against Taemin’s shoulder in his relief. “Thank you, hyung,” he breathed. “Thank you.”

Around them, their packmates cheered softly, weary of drawing Mingi’s attention from upstairs. “Mingi’s gonna be ours,” Wooyoung crowed, falling heavily on top of San as he nuzzled into the omega’s scent gland.

“Would you like me to file your declaration for you tonight, Hongjoong-ah?” Taemin asked once the alpha had pulled back. 

“If you don’t mind?” he asked. “Otherwise I can do it in the morning. We just— we don’t want to wait anymore. Especially after what happened, I think Mingi could use that assurance that we’re not going anywhere.”

Taemin shook his head. “I’m happy to do it for you,” he said. “And honestly I’m excited to not be his social worker anymore too. It’s been more than a bit difficult to keep a professional distance between us.”

Seonghwa chuckled, stepping up behind the two men and resting a hand on Taemin’s shoulder. “Welcome to the family, then, Taemin-hyung,” he declared. “Come eat. Let’s celebrate.”

Notes:

Happy Friday everyone!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ateez are going to mate and Mingi is finally going to get his happy ending! Isn't that exciting? :D

Thank you for reading! I'll see you all next week <3

Chapter 12

Summary:

Sometimes popping the question doesn't go as smoothly as you initially planned.

Hongjoong didn’t have a chance to pop the question after Taemin and his pack left that night. Mingi had collapsed on the couch once they were gone, plopping his head in Seonghwa’s lap and fell asleep almost instantly. Yeosang had carried him to the pack bed and settled him in with their omegas before falling into bed himself. 

They had all taken an early night, the events of the past few days having more than wore them all out. The next morning, Hongjoong had been called into work for an emergency and had to leave before anyone else was up. He spent the whole day anxiously awaiting the moment he could go home and finally ask Mingi if they could court him. 

He got home just as Yeosang was putting dinner on the table, deciding that they could ask after dessert. And then, halfway through their meal, the doorbell rang. 

Hongjoong got up to get it and hoped that it was just a solicitor since he could just close the door in their face and not feel bad about being rude when they had interrupted what would hopefully turn into a very important evening for his pack. 

Finding Taemin on the other side of the door was a surprise, especially when the beta stepped out of the way to reveal Officer Choi and a man Hongjoong had never met before. 

“Hyung?” he asked, stepping to the side to let the three men into his house. “What’s going on?”

“Hongjoong-ah,” Taemin replied morosely, making Hongjoong’s blood run cold. “There’s been a... development.”

“A development?” Hongjoong breathed, feeling lightheaded. His hand darted out towards the wall, keeping himself upright. 

“What kind of development?” Seonghwa asked, stepping up behind Hongjoong and wrapping his arms around the alpha’s waist.

Taemin sighed, glancing over to the dining room where he spotted the rest of Hongjoong’s pack watching them intensely. “Perhaps we should sit down,” he suggested, motioning towards the table. 

Hongjoong allowed Seonghwa to lead him back to his seat, reaching out to thread his fingers through Mingi’s once he was close enough to touch. 

“Hyung?” Mingi questioned. He scooted his chair closer to Hongjoong so that he could press their sides together. Hongjoong released his hand, wrapping his arm around the younger’s shoulders instead. 

“This is Ko Shinwon and you might remember Officer Choi Seungcheol,” Taemin introduced wearily. “There’s... no easy way to say this but— and I want to preface it by saying: I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, Mingi— but your birth pack has decided to sue the foster agency to try to regain custody of you.”

“They don’t have any legs to stand on,” Shinwon cut in hurriedly. “But they’re insistent and determined to follow through with a full-blown trial.”

Hongjoong shook his head, squeezing Mingi’s shaking shoulders. “I don’t understand,” he whispered. “I thought Mingi’s old pack had all been arrested. Their trials have already come and gone.”

“That was Ae Junghwa’s pack,” Seungcheol explained. “We’re talking about the Song pack— Mingi’s birth family. Their pack alpha was arrested on accounts of child abuse and child endangerment along with a plethora of other charges, same as Ae Junghwa, but the rest of the pack couldn’t legally be prosecuted for those same crimes.” 

“They’re claiming that, since Mingi was a minor when he was mated off, he’s still under their ‘protection’ now that he’s once again packless,” Shinwon finished. “It’s total blasphemy and complete and utter nonsense.”

Seonghwa shook his head, reaching around Hongjoong to thread his fingers with Mingi’s. “So what’s the problem then?”

Taemin sighed. He hated seeing Mingi and the pack like this; they were all painfully tense and shaking, it was clear how much this news was breaking them up and he despised what was going to happen next. “The problem is the amount of money the Song pack are willing to throw into this lawsuit.”

“We will need to take all precautions in order to keep them from gaining any leverage and winning on a technicality,” Shinwon explained. “This includes... temporarily moving Mingi into a foster pack who is not associated with this investigation.”

Silence settled around the dinner table heavily.

“No,” Yunho declared, standing up from his seat and slamming his hands down onto the table. “Absolutely not. Mingi is staying here. With us.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Hongjoong whispered brokenly, already resigning himself to what had to happen. “If we keep Mingi here during the trial, they could claim obstruction and then they’d win by technicality. If we want to keep Mingi out of those fuckers’ hands then— then we have to let him go.”

“I can’t go back,” Mingi shuddered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t— please don’t make me go back to them. They’re— they’re just as bad as my father— please— they’ll just... they’ll just sell me to another business partner and I can’t— I can’t go through that again, please.” He pressed his nose into Hongjoong’s neck, clinging onto the pack alpha with his one good arm. “I want to stay with you— please.”

Hongjoong closed his eyes. He hated everything about this conversation, wanted nothing more than to go back to that morning when everything was happy and peaceful and good. “We want you to stay too, Mingi-yah,” he murmured, pressing his cheek to the younger’s hair. “We’ll make sure that you never have to go back to those bastards again, baby.”

“But I have to leave,” he cried. 

“Only for a little while,” Taemin soothed. “And I’m going to make sure you’re safe and well taken care of while you can’t be with your pack.”

Mingi sniffled, turning his head so that he could look up at the social worker from across the table. “Can I stay with you and the other hyungs?” he begged.

“I wish it were that simple, Mingi-yah,” Taemin murmured. “But to keep you in impartial hands, the foster pack has to be completely separated from every aspect of this trail.”

“That means that no one in this room can be your guardians for the next few weeks,” Shinwon finished morosely. 

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” Seonghwa asked despondently. 

Seungcheol shook his head. “Not if we want to keep him out of the Song pack’s hands,” he replied. “Taemin and I know of a pack though— I’ve worked with them closely and I trust them to take care of all of my displaced fosters.”

“Do you remember Son Hyunwoo, Hongjoong?” Taemin asked. “He and his pack are the ones who offered to take Mingi for us.” 

Hongjoong sighed, petting Mingi’s hair. “He and his pack are good people,” he agreed reluctantly. He could feel the tight line of Mingi’s body against his own and wanted nothing more than to bundle the younger alpha up and tuck him into their nest and never let him go. “You’ll— you’ll be in safe hands with them, Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong choked out. “And it’ll only be for a few weeks, okay? And then you’ll come home and we can forget all about this little setback.”

Mingi nodded slowly. 

“How... how soon?” Jongho asked. “How soon does he have to leave?”

Taemin swallowed back the tears threatening to escape at having to take Mingi away from his pack. “Tonight,” he said. “We... held them off as long as we could but— but things got dicey today and we have to move him quickly before they retaliate.”

Hongjoong bit his lip, tucking Mingi’s head into his neck. “Shit,” he whispered. “Okay— okay... Mingi-yah? Baby?”

“It’s okay,” he croaked, trying and failing to put on a brave face. “It’s okay, hyung.”

“It’s not,” Hongjoong murmured, pressing his lips to the younger’s temple. “But it will be. Because this isn’t permanent. It’s just— just a road bump, yeah? You’ll be back home before you know it.”

Mingi nodded morosely, pressing his face into Hongjoong’s neck desperately. His gut churned uneasily with his half-eaten dinner as he excused himself to go pack, no longer hungry. Each step away from the dinner table felt like one step close to his execution as he left the seven pieces of his fractured heart behind him with the pack. 

 

“Here,” San murmured, thrusting a mass of orange and white plush into Mingi’s arms. 

“This is— This is Shiber,” Mingi sniffed, petting the soft fabric of the plushie in his hands. “Why— I can’t take this,” he said. He tried to hand the plush back to the omega but San shook his head and stepped back, hiding his hands behind his back. 

“No— you hold onto him for me,” he said. “And then you can cuddle him when you miss me.”

Mingi swallowed, hugging Shiber to his chest. “But he’s yours.”

San smiled sadly, plopping down next to Mingi on his bed. “And he’s still mine,” he reassured. “You can give him back once you’re home again, okay? Because this isn’t goodbye. It’s a ‘see you soon.’ And we will see you soon, my little Pingu.”

“Okay,” Mingi mumbled. He leaned into the kiss San pressed to his lips before tucking Shiber into his backpack and zipping it closed. 

“Do you have everything you need?” San asked, getting up from the bed and making a cursory glance around Mingi’s bedroom as he checked for anything the alpha may have missed. “You got your journal? Joongie-hyung’s sweatshirt?”

A small laugh escaped Mingi’s mouth at San’s question as he nodded his head. “You sure Joong-hyung won’t mind me taking his sweatshirt?” he asked.

San nodded, pressing another kiss to Mingi’s mouth for good measure before leading him out of the bedroom. “For sure,” he declared. “In fact, I think he’ll cry if you don’t take it with you. Alpha’s gotta make sure he’s always with his pack, yeah?”

He shot the omega watery smile, tugging him in for a tight hug, unknowingly squishing his injured arm between them. 

“Ah, ah!” San exclaimed, pulling Mingi away by his shoulders. “Alpha, don’t hurt yourself!” He tugged Mingi back in for a hug, this time controlling where Mingi’s body was and keeping his injured hand out of the way. “You gotta promise me you’ll take care of yourself while you’re away, Alpha,” he whispered, lips brushing against the shell of Mingi’s ear. “You gotta come back to me in pristine condition.”

Mingi nodded shakily, his head heavy on San’s shoulder as he sank into the omega’s hold. 

A knock on the open door pulled them from the moment, forcing them to pull away from one another reluctantly. “Time to go,” Hongjoong declared sadly. It was clear the pack alpha was trying to keep a brave face on for Mingi and the others’ sake. Mingi pressed one more kiss to San’s lips before pulling away and making his way over to Hongjoong. 

“Alpha,” he mumbled, dropping his head down to nose against Hongjoong’s scent gland. 

“It’ll be alright, baby,” he murmured, petting Mingi’s hair. “It’ll be alright.”

He led the two of them back downstairs where the rest of the pack were waiting. Seonghwa tugged him into a tight hug the second he was within reach, kissing each of his cheeks, his forehead, and nose before finally pressing a desperate kiss to his lips. “You’re gonna be just fine,” he breathed against Mingi’s lips before shifting to rub his cheek against the alpha’s neck. “My brave little alpha. Hyung loves you so much.”

“Love you too,” Mingi gasped, doing his best not to break down into gut wrenching sobs. 

Seonghwa pressed one more kiss to Mingi’s lips before passing him over to Wooyoung. The other alpha nearly crushed Mingi with how tightly he was holding him though Mingi couldn't’ find it in himself to care about the restrictive embrace. He rubbed his cheek up and down both sides of Mingi’s neck aggressively. Wooyoung sniffled suspiciously against Mingi’s neck, pressing a few desperate kisses into his skin before passing the alpha over to Jongho. 

The youngest of their pack pressed their foreheads together, holding Mingi’s watery gaze with his own. “I love you, hyung,” he whispered. “And when you come back, you and I are gonna have a movie night in your nest, okay?”

Mingi nodded, leaning in to press their lips together. He hated how Jongho’s lips were wet with his tears and tasted like a sour goodbye so he pushed as much love as he could into the younger despite how much his own heart hurt. 

Jongho let him go, turning him to face Yeosang who just shook his head when Mingi opened his mouth. “This isn’t a goodbye,” he scolded affectionately. “So don’t say goodbye, okay? You’ll be back home before you know it and this will all be behind us.” He wrapped Mingi up in a gentle hug, kissing him just as delicately, as though he were made of glass. “I’ll see you soon, Alpha.”

Mingi’s throat felt like he was being strangled with how badly he was trying not to sob as Yeosang handed him off to an openly-sobbing Yunho. The omega was a mess of snot and tears as he buried his face in Mingi’s chest. Mingi wrapped his arm around Yunho with a fierce sort of reverence, finally allowing the tears to fall en masse. 

They held onto one another for what felt like forever, neither wanting to be the one to pull away. 

“It’s time to go,” Taemin finally spoke up regretfully. 

Yunho shook his head, pressing his face more firmly into Mingi’s shoulder. 

“Yunho-yah,” Hongjoong chided weakly. “You gotta let him go, baby.”

The omega shook his head again, fingers digging into the fabric of Mingi’s hoodie. Mingi took a deep, shuddering breath and used his good arm to gently push Yunho away. He nudged Yunho into Hongjoong’s arms who tugged him away despite the pleading sobs that fell from the omega’s lips. 

“I’ll be home soon, Yunho,” Mingi cried, leaning into Taemin’s gentle embrace when the elder reached out to comfort him. 

Hongjoong passed Yunho back to Wooyoung before he reached up and cupped Mingi’s cheeks, giving him a sweet kiss. “You’re stronger than the ones who have hurt you, Mingi,” he reminded. “And you’re braver than you think. No matter the distance between us, you will never be alone again, okay?” Mingi nodded, leaning into Hongjoong’s embrace. “And when you come back— because you will come back— we have something important to ask you, okay? So look forward to that, yeah? I love you, Mingi-yah. So much.”

“You’re not coming with?” he asked weakly.

“It’s best if he doesn’t,” Shinwon interjected. “Keeping Hongjoong and his pack as far away from the Son pack will keep your birth family from having any leverage during the trial.”

“And there’s no need to make this goodbye any more painful than it has to be,” Taemin said. “Mingi will be in good hands, Hongjoong. You have my word.”

 

The Son pack’s home was on the other side of the city halfway up a residential high-rise. Mingi eyed the intimidating building wearily as he exited the car with Seungcheol and Taemin. The beta wrapped his arm around Mingi’s shoulders as he led the younger boy inside, Seungcheol following behind with the alpha’s backpack. 

A large intimidating alpha greeted them at the door. Mingi wanted to whimper but the alpha’s stern expression melted into a bright, gummy smile as he welcomed them into his home and lodged the knee-jerk reaction in Mingi’s throat. 

“Good to see you again, Cheol-ah, Taemin-ah,” he greeted. “Though I wish it was with happier news.” He turned to face Mingi head on, forcing that kind, welcoming smile directly on the younger alpha. “And you must be Mingi-ssi,” he said. “Welcome to our home. If you need anything while you’re staying with us, just ask and we’ll do everything we can to help you. Your situation isn’t an easy or fair one and we will do everything in our power to make this as painless as possible until we can get you home to your pack, okay?”

Mingi nodded, feeling the tears start to bubble up his throat again. He swallowed desperately in an attempt to keep them at bay though it felt like a small victory when his heart and lungs throbbed in unison. 

“You’re in good hands, Mingi,” Taemin promised. “I’ll still be checking in on you— I’m still your social worker despite all this mess. And you have my number. If you need anything I’m just a phone call away.”

Seungcheol nodded, handing Mingi a business card. “As am I,” he said. “I know you don’t know me very well but I am here if you need anything. You’ve got a lot of people on your side, kid.”

He tucked the business card in his pocket before giving Taemin a tight hug. “A few weeks?” he asked. 

“A few weeks,” the elder promised. “And then this will all be over.”

 

Hyunwoo showed Mingi to his room. It was painted a soft gray with a large window overlooking the city. The bed had a fluffy yellow comforter on top of it and drawers built into the frame. There was an empty dresser and a bookshelf filled with assorted board games and books that Hyunwoo told him he was free to peruse at his leisure if he ever wanted to.

Mingi dropped his bag on the mattress once Hyunwoo left him to get unpacked, promising to come fetch him when the rest of his pack got home. He didn’t want to meet the rest of Hyunwoo’s pack. He didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t curling up with his packmates in his nest. Instead of unpacking, Mingi collapsed on the too-firm mattress and pressed his nose to the smooth pillowcase. 

For the first time, Mingi was grateful that he couldn't smell anymore. He didn’t know what he would have done if he had had to endure foreign scents on top of all of this unwanted newness of Hyunwoo’s home. It was one less thing that he had to miss about his pack and that was both a relief and a disappointment. 

Without his permission, tears made their way from the corners of his eyes and soaked the pillow beneath him. 

Mingi wanted to go home. 

He wanted to go curl up in his nest with Yunho. He wanted to help Seonghwa make dinner and watch movies with Hongjoong and Jongho in the living room. He wanted to sit out on the back porch and watch the stars with Yeosang and cuddle Wooyoung so closely until they resembled one entity instead of two. He wanted to be buried under San and his litany of plushies while they listened to the pack move about in the house around them. 

He pushed himself up and grappled for his bag until he could pull it up into his lap. The zipper got stuck when he went to open it, and he gasped around his tears as he struggled to get into the bag. He nearly threw it out of frustration when the zipper got caught again a few inches later but it finally gave way at the next attempt and he thrust his hand into the bag with a frantic urgency. 

Shiber was just as soft and welcoming as when San had given it to him a few hours ago and he buried his head into the plush’s stomach desperately. He wished he could smell the mangoes that he knew San had embedded into the stuffed animal and glean comfort from the omega’s scent. Instead, Mingi had to trust that the scent was there and revel in the fact that the omega had scented the plush for him despite knowing that Mingi couldn’t smell it simply for the off chance of it rubbing off onto Mingi when he held it. 

He rubbed his cheek into the fabric, desperately hoping to pull some of San’s mango into his skin and hold the omega close to him despite their distance.

From outside of his room, Mingi could hear sounds of life as Hyunwoo’s pack arrived home. They had clearly left to give Mingi time to adjust without being overwhelmed. He heard the rustling of paper bags and gentle clinking of silverware and he realized that they were having a late dinner which reminded him of his half-eaten plate back home, unable to finish eating once Taemin had dropped the bomb. 

There was a gentle knock on his door. “Mingi-yah?” Hyunwoo murmured through the wood. “Kihyun brought home some chicken, if you’re hungry. Would you like some?”

“No, thank you,” he choked out, praying that his voice wasn’t too scratchy from crying to be picked up through the door. 

Hyunwoo was silent for a moment. “Alright,” he said. “That’s fine. You’re welcome to come out and meet my pack if you feel ready, otherwise we can just leave you to rest, if you’d prefer.”

Mingi sniffled into Shiber. “I’d like to go to sleep, if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” the pack alpha replied. “Whatever you need. Is it alright if I open the door to check on you? Just for a moment?”

He nodded before realizing that the elder couldn’t see him through the door and let out a croaky confirmation. 

Hyunwoo opened the door slowly, stepping just inside of the frame and smiled softly. “How are you doing, kid? Do you need anything to help you get settled?”

He shook his head, pressing his cheek into the top of Shiber’s head. 

“If you need anything tonight, I’ll be right across the hall,” he continued, undeterred by Mingi’s silence. “I’ll be sleeping alone, so don't be scared to come to me if you need to, alright? I have to work early tomorrow but the rest of the pack will be here so you won’t be left alone. If you’re up before ten, you’ll probably only run into Kihyun and Changkyun since the rest of my pack will sleep until the afternoon if we let them.”

Mingi nodded, swallowing around the lump he was sure was permanently lodged in his throat. “Thank you, Hyunwoo-ssi.”

Hyunwoo shook his head. “Call me ‘hyung,’” he corrected gently. “We’re all your hyungs here, okay?”

Mingi nodded again, giving Hyunwoo a shaky smile. “Thank you, hyung,” he mumbled.

“Try to get some sleep, alright?” Hyunwoo murmured. “And don't be afraid to ask for whatever you need.” With that, Hyunwoo waved goodnight and left Mingi to his own devices. 

Mingi sighed and got ready for bed, carefully listening at the door before venturing out into the hallway to get to the bathroom. He made it back without running into anyone, whether that was intentional or not on the pack’s part he didn’t know, but he was ever so grateful for that little reprieve. 

Shiber was tucked under his chin as he tried to find a comfortable position on his borrowed bed. He was thankful that he was alone in this room; if there had been anyone else, he would have kept them awake with all of his shifting around. No matter how he laid, the bed felt too wrong. It was too hard and then too soft and always too exposed. After having his nest for so long and pack members to curl up against when he wasn’t sleeping in his little cocoon bed, Mingi felt far too off kilter in a big open bed all by himself. 

It felt like hours that he tossed and turned in the sheets, trying to get comfortable enough to finally succumb to sleep. The red numbers of the alarm clock on his bedside table flashed just past two am when Mingi gave up with the bed. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep there. 

Glancing around the dark bedroom, Mingi’s eyes got caught on the closet door. Perhaps... that would work. 

He tucked Shiber under his arm before grabbing one of the pillows and his blanket before making his way to the closet. There were a few sweatshirts hung up on the rod and a pile of sheets on the shelf above but the floor was blessedly bare. Mingi dropped his things into the corner and went back for the comforter to help make the makeshift nest a bit more comfortable. 

Once he was curled up, he tugged the door closed until only a sliver of moonlight shone through the crack. It wasn’t ideal— definitely wasn’t his nest— but Mingi felt more secure, closed off from the rest of the vast, empty room. A few hot tears trailed down his cheek and settled into his pillow when he closed his eyes, begging for sleep to take him. 

It wasn’t home but it wasn’t forever either, he reminded himself. 

It was only a few weeks. Mingi could make it. 

He could handle a few weeks.

Notes:

Oh dear.... you guys didn't think the angst was over did you? :D Poor Mingi it all alone again. But don't worry, I'm sure the trial will go smoothly and be over before you know it. <3

Thank you guys for reading!! I'll see you all next week!!

Chapter 13

Summary:

Mingi meets his new foster pack.

Mingi could not handle a few weeks. 

His eyes hurt when he finally gave up on sleep the next morning. He rubbed at them in irritation, ignoring Seonghwa’s voice in the back of his head telling him that he would only make the burning worse. Light was streaming blurrily through the curtains when he crawled out of the closet. He made sure to close the door behind him, not wanting Hyunwoo’s pack to see his pathetic little makeshift nest. 

Grabbing clothes from his backpack, Mingi shuffled to the bathroom across the hall to take a quick shower and brush his teeth before finally venturing into the main living area of the apartment. 

As he neared the kitchen, he heard the telltale signs of life from the soft clinking of dishes and sizzling meat. 

“Has the kid woken up yet?” A deep voice asked, making Mingi pause before he could round the corner into the kitchen. 

“No,” another, softer voice responded. “From the sounds of it, he had a rough night. Nunu found him sleeping in the closet when he checked on him this morning.”

There was a soft hiss of someone sucking in air through their teeth. “Aish, poor kid.”

“Yeah,” the gentle voice continued. “I can’t imagine the pain of being ripped from your pack like that. Be gentle with him when he wakes up, okay?”

A scoff, soft and fond. “Of course, hyung,” the deep-voiced man replied. “I’m not an asshole.”

The softer voice snorted. “Could have fooled me. Go pour some coffee for us.”

A chuckle and a shuffling of slippers on linoleum followed the command and Mingi took that as his cue to enter the kitchen before he was caught lurking. There was one man with his back to the door, doing something on the stove. He clearly hadn’t been awake long, bubblegum pink hair still ruffled from sleep and clashing horribly with a silky-looking emerald green robe that hung loosely over his shoulders. Another man was leaning against the counter a few paces away, coffee cup in hand with another one sitting innocently near his elbow, small tendrils of steam creeping out of it. His hair was even more of a bird’s nest, a tangle of dark locks on top of his head. His shirt was clearly a few sizes too big to be his and Mingi suspected it was drenched in one of his packmates’ scents if the hickies littering his neck around his mating bite were any indication. 

He was focused entirely on the coffee in front of him until Mingi took a few hesitant steps into the kitchen. He had no clue what his scent was doing but it must have been potent enough for both of the men’s heads to turn simultaneously to greet him. 

The bubblegum haired man’s face melted into a warm smile, handing his spatula to the other man who was quick to put down his mug in favor of taking over manning the ovens. “Good morning,” he greeted, stepping closer to Mingi but still keeping a respectful distance between them. “How’d you sleep?”

Mingi shrugged one shoulder halfheartedly, shuffling from foot to foot now that he had the older man’s attention. “Alright,” he mumbled. 

He smiled again, though the expression was tinged with a sadness that told Mingi he knew that he was lying but didn’t want to call him out on it. “Are you hungry? Breakfast is almost ready, go ahead and take a seat. Coffee? Or juice? Or I can make you some tea— we have some milk too, I—”

“Hyung,” the other man interrupted, sounding equal parts fond and exasperated as he shot Mingi an amused look who was being ushered into one of the bar stools perched around the island by the bubblegum haired man. “You’re rambling. Maybe start with your name?”

“Fuck— sorry,” the other man said, attention back on Mingi the second his mate had stopped talking. “I’m Yoo Kihyun— pack omega— and this is Im Changkyun— our baby alpha.”

Changkyun huffed, reaching over to turn off the burner before sliding what Mingi realized was bacon onto a plate next to the stove where a pile of eggs was already sitting in an adjacent dish. “Not such a baby now that Mingi-ssi is here,” he grumbled goodnaturedly as he brought the dishes over to the island. 

Kihyun laughed, momentarily distracted from Mingi as he cupped Changkyun’s cheeks aggressively, shaking the alpha’s head back and forth playfully. “You will always be our baby, Kkukkungie. There’s no escaping our love.”

The younger of the two groaned in embarrassment, attempting to escape Kihyun’s hold halfheartedly before sagging in defeat and letting the omega have his fill of teasing him before Kihyun pulled back in contentment. 

“Now,” he said, clearing his throat as he turned his attention back to Mingi. “What would you like to drink, pup?”

Mingi shrugged, feeling a bit overwhelmed by how naturally the two interacted with one another, reminding him painfully of his own pack. Absently, he began to wonder what they were doing at that moment. Was Seonghwa in the kitchen too— making breakfast for the pack before they started their day? Was Wooyoung hanging off of him, begging for scraps as he cooked and kissing him in thanks whenever the omega gave in and fed him a bit whatever he was making? Hongjoong was probably sitting at the table, laptop already open and typing away at it furiously, coffee cooling beside him as he focused on getting as much work done before the rest of the pack roused. He wondered if there was a Mingi-shaped hole in their morning, as glaringly obvious as the holes he was littered with in the wake of their absences. He couldn’t decide if he would rather they were missing him as much as he missed them or if he hoped that they were able to fill his missing place as easily as they had before he had arrived and spare them the pain he was currently feeling. 

“Alright, how about some water?” Kihyun asked, interrupting Mingi’s inner spiral of turmoil. “And if you want something stronger we can get it for you. Eggs?”

Mingi nodded blankly, allowing the omega to scoop up a large portion of eggs and bacon onto his plate and accepting the fork when it was handed to him. It took him a long time to bring a forkful up to his mouth, chewing mechanically and swallowing when he finally did. 

The eggs were a long ways away from being Seonghwa’s, though he was sure they were good, he couldn’t help but mourn the loss of spices his hyung always put in his eggs that set them apart from any he had ever had before. 

“Mingi-yah?” Kihyun murmured, breaking the alpha from his inner spiral. He jerked his head up in surprise, realizing that his fork had been hovering over his plate instead of scooping up more eggs. 

He coughed awkwardly, forcing another forkful into his mouth. “‘s good,” he mumbled once he had finished chewing. 

Changkyun shifted, taking a long sip of his coffee as he pretended to be preoccupied with a note pinned to the refrigerator. 

“Thank you, Mingi-yah,” Kihyun replied softly, his hand twitching where it rested next to the alpha’s on the table. He didn’t say anything more, a heavy silence falling over the three of them as Kihyun prepared a plate for Changkyun and set it down across from Mingi, encouraging the other alpha to sit down and eat as well. 

Changkyun did, shooting Mingi an awkward smile as he dug in. 

“Are you—” Mingi started after a few minutes when he realized Kihyun wasn’t taking any for himself.

The other alpha snorted into his eggs, receiving a smack upside his head for the reaction. “Hyung has a bad habit of eating while he’s cooking,” he explained, completely unbothered by Kihyun’s reprimand. “So he already ate. He’ll eat again for a second breakfast when the rest of the pack wakes up.” 

Kihyun huffed but didn’t dispute Changkyun’s claim, pulling a tiny, hesitant smile from Mingi as he took another bite. 

It wasn’t long before Changkyun excused himself to finish getting ready for work, welcoming Mingi into their home. “I’ll be home sometime in the evening,” he said as he slipped on his shoes before Kihyun pulled him in for a tight hug. “Johnny-hyung said Mrs. Cho is coming to pick up her cat tonight, so as soon as she comes I can close up and come home.”

The omega sighed, pressing his forehead against Changkyun’s cheek. “Tell that big, smelly alpha that he can wait for Mrs. Cho.”

Changkyun rolled his eyes, hugging Kihyun for a moment longer before pulling back. “I’m not telling my boss any of that,” he replied fondly. “And besides, he stayed back last time. It’d be unfair of me to make him work all of the late shifts, especially with their new packmates.”

Kihyun huffed though Mingi could tell that it was just for show as he pressed another kiss to Changkyun’s cheek before the alpha could put on his coat. “Fine, I guess Johnny can have some time with his new packmates,” he griped. “But I’m not promising you dinner if you’re too late.”

“Of course not, hyung,” Changkyun replied, a mischievous smile stretching across his lips as he grabbed for the door handle. “I’ll just ask Johnny-hyung to have one of his packmates bring me dinner.”

“Why you—” The rest of Kihyun’s sentence was cut off as Changkyun ducked out the door, a hurried ‘goodbye’ shouted to Mingi as he ran away from the enraged omega. Kihyun huffed, stomping back to Mingi and dropping down in the seat next to him. “Aish, that kid,” he grumbled. “I’ll show him... little brat.”

Mingi bit his lip, swallowing down the tiny bubble of laughter in his throat in fear of the omega turning his wrath on him. This proved to be unnecessary when, a few moments later, Kihyun fell into his own bout of laughter, leaning forward until his forehead was pressed against his forearms and he was laughing into the table. 

“Kyunnie certainly knows how to rile me up,” he admitted a few moments later, sitting up properly to smile at Mingi. “He’s a good alpha when he’s not being a brat.” Kihyun stood up, offering Mingi a hand when it was clear that the alpha was done with his half-eaten breakfast. “How about a proper tour before the rest of the pack wakes up?” he offered. 

Mingi took it hesitantly, swallowing down the whine when he realized that Kihyun’s hands were about the same size as San’s though they fit completely differently in Mingi’s hand. The reminder, however small, was a harsh slap in the face at what he had lost. 

Kihyun seemed to notice his turmoil and tugged him along, pointing out different areas of the apartment in an attempt to distract Mingi from his thoughts. 

“This is the omegas’ nest,” he whispered, gesturing towards a closed door down the hall from Mingi’s own bedroom. “The boys stole Minhyukie last night as their personal pillow so everyone still left in the house is in there.”

The alpha nodded sagely, making sure to keep his footsteps light as they moved on towards the alphas’ bedroom and their shared office that looked more like a recording studio and a dance studio had an illegitimate love child rather than an actual office. When Mingi accidentally said that out loud, Kihyun barked out a laugh so loudly they both shot a glance towards the omegas’ bedroom to make sure none of the other boys had woken up from the sound. 

“That’s literally the most perfect description of this room,” Kihyun praised as they made their way back towards the main living space. “I can’t wait to tell Minhyukie.”

“He won’t be... mad, right?” Mingi asked nervously, not wanting to step on anyone’s toes because he had accidentally opened his mouth. After so many months with Hongjoong and the pack, speaking up had become monumentally easier and this wasn’t the first time that he had accidentally let a thought slip past his lips, though it was the first time he had done so without one of his packmates present. 

Kihyun shook his head, guiding Mingi over to the large U-shaped couch. “Of course not,” he replied. “He’ll think it’s hilarious. Don’t be surprised when he starts referring to the office as ‘the love child’ or whatever. They all will, honestly.” He turned on the television, flipping through Netflix as he asked if Mingi had any preferences. They eventually landed on a baking show, sitting in comfortable silence as the TV played on in front of them. 

They were interrupted by the sound of bare feet slapping against the hardwood, both of them turning as one to see a thin blonde haired man stumble into the living room. The man b-lined over to Kihyun, flopping boneless into his lap and pressing his face into Kihyun’s stomach. 

“M’rn,” he mumbled, voice muffled by sleep and Kihyun’s shirt. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kihyun teased, threading his fingers through the blonde’s hair. He glanced over to Mingi, smiling at the alpha. “Mingi-yah, this sleepy bean is our resident beta, Minhyuk. He’s not exactly a morning person but he’ll be very excited to meet you once he’s woken up a bit.”

Mingi nodded, not sure if he was ready to meet another one of Kihyun’s pack. Though the few he had met had been more than welcoming, they were a far cry from Hongjoong’s pack. 

Minhyuk hummed in response, burying his nose further into the folds of Kihyun’s sweatshirt. Mingi thought he might have mumbled a “hi” though his words so were muffled beyond recognition by the omega’s body that Mingi wasn’t sure. 

“Can I— Can I make him some coffee?” Mingi stuttered out, wanting to feel useful and less like he was just staring awkwardly at the couple like a spare wheel. “Or tea?”

Kihyun smiled fondly, nodding his head towards the kitchen. “He loves coffee with cream and a little bit of sugar. Mugs are in the cabinet above the sink. Thank you, Mingi-yah,” he replied, his voice oozing with fondness.

Mingi nodded, grateful to feel useful as he stood up. “Can I get you something too?” he asked.

The omega shifted slightly to reach his empty mug from the side table and handed it to Mingi. “I take mine with just cream,” he said. “Get yourself a drink too, okay, pup? We’ve got milk and juice in the fridge if hot drinks aren’t your thing.”

He wasn’t sure what his face was doing but he nodded on command, accepting the mug and making his way into the kitchen. Mingi felt like an imposter as he moved through the Son pack’s kitchen, mechanically filling the two mugs with coffee and fixing them per Kihyun’s instructions before bringing them back out to the two men on the couch. 

While he had been busy, Kihyun had somehow convinced Minhyuk to sit up on his own next to him, though the beta was leaning heavily into the smaller man’s side. The second Mingi came close enough, Minhyuk reached up with grabby hands, humming contentedly once the warm mug was cradled in his palms. 

Kihyun thanked Mingi as he accepted his own refill and looked back at the kitchen pointedly, silently reminding the younger that he needed to treat himself too. 

Mingi did so begrudgingly, not really in the mood for much of anything but not wanting to disappoint the kind omega hosting him. He settled for a cup of chocolate milk he found in the fridge, pulling a fond chuckle from Kihyun when the elder spotted the contents of his mug as he sat back down on the couch next to him. 

“Ah, you and Honey are gonna be good friends if that’s your go-to,” he declared proudly. 

The alpha smiled shakily, secretly hoping that he wouldn’t be there long enough to become ‘good friends’ with anyone but also not opposed to having something to bond over with the rest of the pack; even if it was something as unassuming as a love for chocolate milk. 

 

Kihyun ended up being right about Minhyuk and the second the beta had fully woken up, he had been a whirlwind of genuine greetings and excited introductions. He even went and woke up the last two members of his pack. Jooheon and Hyungwon were both omegas and while the shorter of the two woke up easy enough, Hyungwon immediately went back to sleep once he had greeted Mingi, curling up like a cat in one corner of the couch. 

Mingi tried to get them both drinks too but a pointed look from Kihyun towards his own half-finished mug had him settling down while Minhyuk went and made their coffees. 

Kihyun had also been right about Jooheon bonding over chocolate milk. The second the omega noticed that Mingi had the same drink as him, he squealed, moving to cuddle close to Mingi and playing a rapid fire game of twenty questions. 

It was hard for Mingi to stay tense when he had Jooheon hanging off of him. The omega was bright and cute and pulled laughs out of Mingi without his permission. Minhyuk pulled out some board games after they had made and ate lunch, the open floor plan of the kitchen seeming much too crowded when all five of them occupied the space though Kihyun did a good job of keeping them all in line and busy the whole time.  

The beta had declared that the best way to get to know someone was to play board games together. Mingi didn’t really understand his logic but he agreed to the games nonetheless, hoping that it would help make time go by quicker and quiet the aching void in his chest. He tried his best to play Apples to Apples, but without the pack explaining it to him and him having never played it before, he was quickly getting overwhelmed and embarrassed. His chocolate milk buddy caught on to his plight quickly however and decided that they needed to team up against the rest of the pack. The game was much more fun after that, Jooheon whispering suggestions and giggling over cards with him. 

Mingi almost felt at home. 

 

When Hyunwoo arrived home, the five of them had migrated to the kitchen once again as they worked on dinner. Hyungwon had claimed Mingi’s attention, declaring that Jooheon and Kihyun had ‘hogged the new meat’ all day and he wanted a turn. He received a swift smack to the back of the head for that comment from Minhyuk that had Mingi bristling, biting down on his instinct to pull Hyungwon to his chest and keep him as far away from the beta as he could. 

Hyungwon seemed to sense that and tucked Mingi closer to him, even going as far as nosing into Mingi’s hair. Mingi melted into the touch, closing his eyes and pretending that, just for a moment, it was Seonghwa pressed against his back. Minhyuk coughed awkwardly, sensing the near-disaster and quickly moved to help Kihyun on the other side of the kitchen. 

“I’m home,” Hyunwoo called gently, taking off his shoes and hanging up his coat before joining the rest of the pack in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Jooheon’s back, tucking the youngest omega to his chest as he kissed his cheek in greeting. “How was everyone’s day?”

The omega leaned back against Hyunwoo, tilting his head backwards to smile up at his alpha. “It was good,” he declared. “We played some games and just chilled.”

Hyunwoo smiled, pressing another kiss to Jooheon’s forehead before going over to give Minhyuk and Kihyun greeting kisses as well. One of his hands found the small of Kihyun’s back while the omega focused on the stove, rubbing little circles into his skin that made the omega practically melt until he pushed Hyunwoo away playfully. 

The alpha allowed himself to be moved, chuckling as he made his way over to Hyungwon and Mingi. The younger alpha was still tucked between Hyungwon’s legs, his back pressed against the omega’s chest with Hyungwon’s chin tucked over his shoulder. 

“Hi, Alpha,” Hyungwon greeted, his breath tickling Mingi’s ear. 

Hyunwoo accepted the hand that Hyungwon extended to him from its previous place wrapped around Mingi’s waist. “Hi, pup,” he murmured, squeezing their joined hands before focusing his attention on Mingi. “How are you holding up, Mingi-yah? Settling in?”

Mingi nodded wearily, feeling nervous in the face of Hyunwoo, especially since he had one of his packmates wrapped around him like an octopus. Hyunwoo didn’t seem to mind though, only smiling fondly at the pair before going to wash his hands and help Kihyun with dinner. 

Mingi picked through his dinner, not able to stomach much of anything as the twenty-four hour mark of being separated from Hongjoong’s pack came upon him. It was like a heavy weight lodged in his stomach, a silent dread that clouded around him and made him nauseous. 

He excused himself early, cleaning his plate silently and heading to the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water reminded him of Wooyoung and Yunho and their gentle hands as they taught him how he deserved nice things. His tears mixed with the water raining down on him and he chewed on his lip until he tasted blood in an effort to keep the sobs at bay. 

The apartment was quiet when he exited the bathroom. Mingi could hear the television playing a drama softly from the living room, every once in a while one of the men would comment on something but their voices were too low for Mingi to pick up what they were saying. 

He headed to his bedroom, drying his hair with a towel as he went. Mingi appreciated how kind Hyunwoo and his pack were but they were still a far cry from his own and Mingi’s heart ached. He changed into some sleep clothes and turned off his lights as he made his way to the closet, not even bothering to try with the bed again. 

He froze when he opened the door, immediately noticing the new pile of thick comforters and the few extra pillows sitting innocently on the ground next to his own small nest. Mingi swallowed around the lump in his throat, dropping to his knees as he stroked the soft material. He took a moment to send a silent thank you to whichever pack member snuck these materials into his room before moving to arrange them into a proper nest. It was a far cry from his nest back home but at least it was more comfortable than the night before. 

Mingi pressed his nose into Shiber, pretending that he could smell the mango he knew was clinging to the fabric as he tried to get some sleep.

Notes:

Looks like Mingi's settling in! Hopefully he doesn't have to get too used to the monsta x household though!

Thank you all for reading and please feel free to let me know what you guys thought of this chapter. I read and adore every single comment you guys leave even if I can't always respond to them. <3

See you guys next Friday!!

Chapter 14

Summary:

Time passes and Mingi copes.

The first week had barely passed and already Mingi felt himself slowly losing grip on his sanity. 

Everything was a thousand times harder than they had been in the past. Eating was a chore that Mingi found himself struggling to complete despite Kihyun and the rest of the pack’s gentle prodding to eat more. He could hear Seonghwa and Yunho chiding him in his head, practically begging him to eat but the memory of their voices wasn’t enough to get him to listen. 

Sleep came in small spurts. He was never able to get comfortable enough for more than an hour or two at any given time even with Shiber and his new collection of nesting materials provided by Hyunwoo. It wasn’t the same as his nest back home and, though the nest was small, it felt far too large all on his own. It seemed, ever since he had started sleeping with Hongjoong’s pack every night, Mingi could no longer function on his own.

Mingi even found that speaking was difficult, choosing instead to respond in one word answers or headshakes whenever he possibly could. When he did have to string together a longer answer, Mingi felt worn out and exhausted afterwards, excusing himself to his room and curling away in his nest as soon as he could. 

The worst part, however, was the loneliness. It consumed him from the inside out and every moment away from his pack plunged him further into the suffocating depths of his sadness. Hyunwoo’s pack tried to include him in their daily activities and keep him company, but even when he was surrounded by all six of them, Mingi still felt alone. It gripped at his heart and chilled him to the bone and was just so exhausting. All he wanted to do was cry but even that felt like too much effort nowadays and instead he found himself passing his time more and more by staring blankly at the back wall of his closet. 

He felt like a bow held taut, like one wrong move and he would just snap so he tried to keep to himself, not wanting anyone of Hyunwoo’s pack to be the one he snapped on but of course, Mingi’s break down was inevitable and it came in the form of Jooheon accidentally letting the door slam just a little too loudly when he arrived home. 

Mingi jumped, the glass of water slipping from between his fingers and crashing to the ground beneath him. The cup fractured, a few pieces of it chipping off and scattering across the floor and Mingi— Mingi shattered.

It was like the cup was the dam and now that it had broken, Mingi’s anguish had free reign. He broke down into gut wrenching sobs, dropping to the floor and pulling his knees up to his chest as he cried over the broken cup lying uselessly in a puddle of water in front of him. Vaguely, he heard the others run into the kitchen but he couldn’t register if any of them were saying or doing anything in response to his breakdown. He pulled his knees tighter to his chest, digging his cheek into his knee as he rocked himself back and forth. 

“Mingi,” Kihyun cooed sadly, dropping to his knees next to the alpha and placing one delicate hand between his shoulder blades. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. It’s just a cup. Cups can be replaced. Deep breaths for hyung, okay? Everything is fine.”

“It’s not,” he choked out, shaking his head viciously as another round of sobs got caught in his throat. “Nothing is fine. I can’t— I miss them. I miss them so much it hurts. I want Yunho’s hugs and Hwa-hyung’s cooking and— and Wooyoungie’s cuddles. And I miss Jongho’s singing and Yeosang’s laugh and I wanna— I wanna nest with Sannie and I want Joong-hyung... I want my alpha,” he wailed, leaning into Kihyun’s chest when the omega offered it to him, sinking into the comfort. “And you guys— you’re all— all so nice but I— I miss my pack... I want to go home.”  

Kihyun wrapped his arms fully around Mingi, rocking him in his arms as he rubbed soothing little circles into his back and kissed Mingi’s hair. He didn’t say anything, allowing Mingi to get everything out without interruption or false promises. 

“I’m so sorry, pup,” Kihyun finally murmured when Mingi’s sobs had tapered off to silent tears and soft sniffles. “I wish we could let you go home. Taemin-ssi and Shinwon-ssi are working as hard as they can to help you get home as soon as possible. I know it’s not easy being away from your pack, especially when you are thrust into a new home with complete strangers.” He pressed another kiss to the crown of Mingi’s head as he silently contemplated something before finally speaking up again. “Would you like to call them?” he asked. 

Mingi’s head shot up, nearly catching Kihyun’s chin in his haste. “Really?” he breathed. “I can?” 

Kihyun bit his lip and nodded. He stretched his hand out behind him and Hyunwoo set his phone down in his open palm. “We have to be careful,” he explained as he navigated through his alpha’s phone to a contact labeled: ‘Kim’s Fruit Stand.’ “If the prosecutors find out, they can classify this as a breach of your safety and get a leg up on us in the trial but... But we’ve all taken precautions to make sure the rewards outweigh the risks and as long as we don’t do this every night, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry, Mingi-yah,” he murmured, hitting the green call button. “We’ve all been very careful—they won’t find out. We’ll take care of you.” 

He placed the phone in Mingi’s hands just as the call connected and Hongjoong’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hyung,” Mingi choked out, pulling the phone as close to his face as he could without the image blurring. 

“Baby,” Hongjoong cooed, squinting his eyes as though he were trying to stave off tears. “My pup— don’t cry. Everything’s alright. Hyung’s here.”

“But you’re not,” he cried. “You’re at home and I’m— I’m here. And I just—I miss you so much.”

Hongjoong’s face shuddered, finally allowing himself to cry as he was forced to watch Mingi breakdown through a screen. “We miss you too, baby,” he whispered. “We miss you so much. My little pingu. It’s only for a little while and then you’ll come home and we’re— we’re never going to let you go again.”

“I want that,” Mingi breathed, leaning into Kihyun’s side when the omega started rubbing his back. “Wanna stay with you forever.”

His alpha huffed a choked off laugh. “Good,” he declared. “Then it’s settled. The second you’re back home, we aren’t going to let you leave the nest for at least a week.”

Mingi smiled, whining happily at the thought of being coddled by his pack. “Yes, please,” he mumbled. 

Hongjoong’s expression softened. “What have you been up to, pup?” he asked, changing the subject. “Are Hyunwoo-ssi and his pack treating you well?”

He nodded, telling Hongjoong all about Hyunwoo’s pack though he skipped over his troubles eating and sleeping, not wanting to worry his alpha. By the time they had reluctantly hung up, Mingi felt worlds better. He rubbed at his itchy eyes and handed Hyunwoo’s phone back to Kihyun. 

“Thank you, hyung,” he mumbled, feeling exhausted but relieved. Mingi sank against Kihyun’s side, letting the elder tug him closer to his chest. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his palm rubbing gentle circles into Mingi’s back. 

Mingi hummed. “A little better, hyung.”

Kihyun smiled, pressing a kiss to Mingi’s hair. “Good,” he murmured. “Do you wanna join us for a movie?”

He nodded, shifting slightly to pull away from Kihyun. He went to clean up the glass but Kihyun stopped him with gentle hands. 

“Don’t worry about that, sweetie,” he said, helping Mingi stand up. “Hyung will take care of it. Let’s just get you all tucked in, okay? You’ve had a stressful week.”

Mingi let Kihyun lead him over to the couches where the rest of the pack were politely pretending to watch a drama. Kihyun tucked him into the couch next to Hyungwon, the other omega immediately tucking Mingi against his side with a happy hum. 

He ended up falling asleep like that, cheek squished against Hyungwon’s shoulder as a drama played in the background. 

 

Mingi woke up in his bed, the room still bathed in darkness. He stumbled over to the closet, blanket draped over his shoulders like a cape as he crawled into his nest and fell back asleep. When morning came, Mingi laid in his nest for a moment, heat crawling up his neck as the realization hit that someone must have carried him to bed the night before. 

He was surprised to see Hyunwoo sitting at the kitchen counter when he stumbled out of his bedroom. Usually, the alpha was gone by the time Mingi gave up on sleep so it was strange to see him sitting at a bar stool in pajamas sipping on coffee while he read something on his phone. 

He greeted Mingi warmly when he entered, smiling at the younger alpha and offering Mingi a chair. “Chocolate milk, right?” Hyunwoo asked, already getting up to grab the jug from the fridge. 

Mingi nodded dumbly, plopping down on his own chair in a bit of a stupor as he watched Hyunwoo fix a mug of chocolate milk and set it in front of him along with a blueberry muffin Mingi had helped Kihyun make yesterday afternoon before his breakdown. 

He picked at the pastry as Hyunwoo rejoined him at the counter, the older alpha shooting him another sleepy smile. “How’d you sleep?” he asked when it became clear Mingi wasn’t going to start the conversation. 

Mingi shrugged halfheartedly, picking a blueberry off of the top of the muffin and shoving it in his mouth. “Alright,” he mumbled. For as much time as Mingi had spent with his pack, he had not had a lot of time with just Hyunwoo and he felt quite awkward now that it was just the two of them. 

“That’s good,” the pack alpha murmured, smiling into his coffee fondly. “I’m actually glad you were the first one up this morning,” he continued after a few minutes of silence. “I got a message from Ko Shinwon yesterday. Your first meeting with him and his team is this afternoon.”

The floor felt like it dropped out from under him at those words. Mingi clenched his mug tightly, unsure how to respond to Hyunwoo’s news. 

“If you’re alright with it,” Hyunwoo continued. “I’d like to join you. Court trials are stressful just as they are but in your case I can’t even begin to imagine everything you must be going through. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to be there with you so you don’t feel like you have to walk this alone. We may not be your pack but we’ll take care of you as if we are until we can get you home to yours, yeah?”

Mingi shivered, nodding his head as he traced the rim of his mug. “I— thank you, Hyunwoo-hyung. I’d— I appreciate that.”

Hyunwoo smiled, pulling a small card out from behind his phone case and sliding it over to Mingi. “Hongjoong sent this to me,” he said. “Said you might appreciate having it.” 

Mingi flipped the card over, unable to stifle the gasp that escaped his lips at the small picture in his hands. It was one of all eight of them, smiling at the camera from the pack bed. It was one of San’s selfies, the omega grinning brightly at the camera as he pretended to squeeze Jongho’s head between two of his fingers. Mingi was boxed in by Yunho and Yeosang on the other side of the bed, Seonghwa’s arm reaching around the beta to rest in Mingi’s hair. 

He sniffled, pressing the photo to his chest. “Thank you, hyung,” he whispered. “I— thank you.”

 

Ko Shinwon’s office was only a few minutes drive from Hyunwoo’s apartment. It was in a highrise building overlooking the river, all sleek and minimalist in its design which made Mingi feel out of sorts standing in the lobby with Hyunwoo by his side in his scuffed up sneakers and oversized hoodie. They were ushered into a conference room and left to themselves. Hyunwoo offered Mingi a hand, the younger alpha accepting the comfort gratefully. 

It wasn’t long before the door opened again and Shinwon entered along with a few of his legal team members and, at the very back of the pack, Taemin. 

“Hyung,” Mingi exclaimed, releasing Hyunwoo to go wrap himself around the social worker. 

“Hi, pup,” Taemin greeted, embracing the alpha tightly, one hand coming up to pet through Mingi’s hair. “How are you doing?” 

Mingi shrugged, unwilling to pull away just yet when the elder tried to get a read from his face. He pressed closer, accepting the guiding hand from Hyunwoo when the elder helped them into neighboring chairs. 

Shinwon took control of the room a few moments later, outlining the upcoming trial, investigations and how they were preventing Mingi’s family from even getting a foothold above them. By the time Mingi left with Hyunwoo nearly two hours later, he was feeling a lot more confident that everything would turn out in his favor sooner rather than later. 

Hyunwoo decided that it was worth celebrating and they picked up some fried chicken to go with dinner on their way home. Mingi cradled the box proudly in his good arm as they entered, giggling at the cheers from Jooheon and Changkyun from an egg chair on the opposite side of the room. 

“I take it the meeting went well?” Minhyuk asked playfully, accepting the box of chicken and holding Mingi’s arms to help stabilize him while he took off his shoes. 

Mingi nodded, smiling at the elder as he followed him into the kitchen where Kihyun was just finishing preparing side dishes with Hyungwon. They ate jovially and for the first time since Mingi had arrived, he finally felt like he could fully enjoy himself. 

Shinwon had been hopeful, two to three weeks and they should be able to kick start the trial and wrap it up within a month. Mingi smiled into his chicken at the thought that a month from now he could be eating celebratory chicken with his pack. 

He had a few more meetings with Shinwon and his team in the interim and Hyunwoo had promised that either he or one of his packmates would be with him for each one. 

The next meeting later that week took nearly three hours and Minhyuk stayed by his side the entire time. Mingi was a taut line of anxiety and stress afterwards, the meeting having consisted of picking apart his childhood from start to finish to make sure that they could dispute everything his family pack may throw at the defense. He could tell Minhyuk was stressed as well from the stiff line of his shoulders as they exited the building that evening, though the beta was determined to keep his worries to himself. 

Instead, he smiled at Mingi brightly and offered his hand, leading the alpha to a series of food stalls a few blocks over instead of heading back home. 

“I think today deserves some ice cream, don't you think?” he asked, swinging their hands gently as he led Mingi over to a small dessert stand. 

Mingi frowned, scrunching his nose in a way that had Minhyuk cooing at him. “But we haven’t had dinner yet,” he fretted. “Won’t Kihyun-hyung be mad at us for spoiling our appetite?” 

Minhyuk giggled, tugging Mingi closer to the cart. “Kihyun would agree with me that you deserve to spoil your appetite after this afternoon,” he declared. “You worked hard today so let hyung treat you, okay?”

Mingi nodded, unable to say no to Minhyuk, and the two of them got ice creams, eating them as they walked back to the apartment. 

 

The next meeting, Hyungwon and Jooheon were his escorts. The two omegas bracketed Mingi between them as they went over Junghwa’s trial and the mating contract his family pack had signed on his behalf. They looked sick to their stomach as Shinwon and his team went through all of the evidence with Mingi and the alpha couldn’t help but reach out for their hands to comfort them. 

They ended up at a duck pond in a nearby park afterwards. Hyungwon bought a few packs of duck feed from the local vendor and they spent their evening tossing seeds to eager ducks wading in the water. Mingi didn’t realize how much he had needed that decompression until they were finally on their way home and he felt like the weight pressing on his chest all afternoon had been left behind with the ducks. 

Jooheon and Hyungwon kept Mingi between them, the smaller of the two omegas gently threading their fingers together as they walked. They didn’t say anything about what they had heard in the meeting and Mingi was grateful for their silence. 

Instead, the two omegas filled Mingi in on some of the ins and outs of their pack, making him laugh with stories of their packmates’ antics. By the time they returned home, Mingi had been able to put the heavy topics behind him for the time being.  

 

Mingi shifted nervously on the paper covered bed, chewing on his lip until Kihyun gently pried the appendage from his teeth. “You’re alright, pup,” he cooed, hand moving from Mingi’s mouth to the back of his head and petting the younger’s hair. “It’ll be over before you know it and then we can make Hyunwoo-hyung to get us ice cream, yeah?”

Mingi nodded, shifting so that he could rest his head on Kihyun’s shoulder. He had grown close to the omega over the last few weeks and Kihyun had taken to mothering Mingi with great enthusiasm. “I just— I thought I would have been home by now,” he admitted softly, pressing his face into Kihyun’s neck.

“I know, pup,” the elder murmured. “I had hoped you’d be home by now too. But hyungs are taking good care of you, aren’t we?”

The alpha nodded. “Yes, hyung,” he mumbled. “I really like you guys. I just miss my hyungs and it— it feels wrong getting my cast off without Yunho or Hongjoong-hyung with me.” Kihyun kissed Mingi’s temple, rubbing soothing circles into the younger’s side as he hopped up on the bed next to him in order to cuddle him more comfortably. “I keep— I keep thinking about Jongho and I— I wonder if his stitches are out yet and who— who held his hand while they took them out and kept it clean and— I want to hold him and apologize again even though I know he won’t accept another apology and he’d— he’d probably kiss me to shut me up and I just.... miss him.”

Kihyun nodded, shushing the alpha gently. “I know, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Your pack loves you so much. And they’re going to smother you once you’re together again. I’m sorry they couldn’t be here for this too, pup. But hey, when you do go back home, you’ll be able to hold two of their hands instead of just one!”

Mingi choked out a laugh, wrapping his arms around Kihyun’s waist just as the doctor entered, cutting off their conversation as she began to remove his cast. 

 

“You really did a number on yourself, pup,” Kihyun fretted as they made their way back out to the waiting room, Mingi’s hand cradled between the elder’s as he examined the scars on his fingers. 

Mingi shrugged helplessly as Hyunwoo stood up and joined them. “I wasn’t thinking straight,” he admitted. “But I’ve gotten better.”

Kihyun kissed his shoulder fondly, shifting their hands so that he could thread their fingers together instead as Hyunwoo wrapped an arm around the omega’s shoulders. 

“Ready to go?” he asked, ruffling Mingi’s hair.

Mingi nodded, shoulders dropping in relief as they finally exited the hospital. “Can we get chicken, hyung?” he asked, biting back his smile when he saw Kihyun try to suppress his shock at Mingi asking for something. “And maybe ice cream to share with the pack? Jooheon-hyung was talking about it earlier today and it sounds really good.”

Kihyun sighed exasperatedly as they got in the car. “Aish, how can we say no to that face?” he complained, turning to shoot Mingi a wink to make sure the alpha knew he wasn’t upset. “I guess we’re having chicken and ice cream for dinner, Alpha.”

“At least it’s not ramen,” Hyunwoo teased. 

“Ohhh—”

“No,” Kihyun cut Mingi off as he laughed. “That’s where I draw the line. We are having rice and vegetables—not ramen.” 

Mingi smirked, buckling his seatbelt as Hyunwoo pulled out of the parking lot. “This time,” he teased in a small bout of bravery, being rewarded with Hyunwoo’s loud laughter. 

Kihyun yelped but soon joined them in their laughter, happy to hear Mingi happy after such a rough day. 

Later that night, Mingi was able to call his pack again, excitedly showing them his cast-free wrist and demanding to see Jongho’s hand in return. The beta smiled, showing him the thin scar on his palm. 

“All healed,” he reassured, wiggling his fingers for extra emphasis. “I miss you, hyung.”

Mingi swallowed. “I miss you too,” he whispered. “I want to come home— so badly.” 

“And you will,” Hongjoong reassured from over Jongho’s shoulder. “We’re all working to make sure you can come home as soon as possible, pup. Just stay strong for us, yeah?”

“And eat more,” Seonghwa added, looking very put out. “You look like you’ve lost weight.”

Mingi sniffled, shaking his head. “It’s just the lighting, hyung,” he reassured, tugging on his too-big hoodie. “We had chicken tonight. Hyunwoo-hyung even bought us ice cream.”

San gasped, leaning into frame. “Can we have ice cream, hyung?” he begged. 

Hongjoong laughed, shaking his head. “I’m not going out again tonight,” he said. “If you want ice cream you gotta convince someone else to take you.”

The omega gasped in betrayal, flopping across Jongho’s lap dramatically. “Do you see this abuse, Mingi-yah?” he cried. “You and your pretty puppy eyes need to come back soon, I’m being deprived of snacks without you here.”

The pack alpha smacked his shoulder softly in reprimand. “Mingi-yah can’t do anything about your supposed ‘abuse,’” he chided. “There’s no need to remind him.”

Mingi shook his head. “It’s okay, hyung,” he said. “I’ll cuddle you extra hard when I come home Sannie— and bring you all the snacks you want.”

San grinned, though there was a sad tinge to the expression now. “I look forward to it, Alpha.”

Notes:

Oh dear... poor Mingi is really having a rough time. Luckily Monsta X is taking good care of him and everyone is doing everything they can to get him home as quickly as possible! His happy ending has to be near, right?? XD

Thank you for reading! I'll see you guys next week <3

Chapter 15

Summary:

Changkyun brings Mingi to work with him and Mingi discovers something new about himself.

“Hey, pup,” Changkyun called, smiling at Mingi from the doorway of his bedroom. 

Mingi glanced up from the book Minhyuk had given him that he had been trying to read. It was a funny book and Mingi was trying his best to enjoy it. He had been with Hyunwoo’s pack for nearly two months now and every day his birth family threw a new wrench in the trial. Everyone was apologetic, promising him that they were doing everything they could to wrap this up as fast as possible. 

Mingi wasn’t upset with them because of the setbacks but he was tired.  

His heart hurt and the short phone calls with Hongjoong and the pack they were able to sneak every few days did little to ease the ache. He found himself secluding himself in his room more and more, the little progress he had made with eating and sleeping had taken a nosedive. He did try though, especially knowing that the pack, both his own and Hyunwoo’s, worried over him whenever he struggled to eat. Every meal he thanked Kihyun, or whoever cooked that night, and tried to eat as much of the plate as he could. 

“Hi, hyung,” he replied, setting the book on his bedside table when Changkyun silently requested to come in. 

The older alpha sat down on the end of Mingi’s bed, turning to face Mingi with a hopeful smile. “Would you like to get out of the house today?” he asked. 

Mingi frowned, eyeing Changkyun’s scrubs in confusion. “Don’t you have to go to work though?” he questioned, nodding towards the elder’s clothes. 

Changkyun chuckled, nodding his head. “I do,” he said. “I was wondering if you’d like to come with me for the day. We just got a litter of kittens the other day that would love some cuddles and I thought you might enjoy the change of scenery.”

“Really?” he asked, eyes widening in excitement. “I— is that okay though? You won’t get in trouble with your boss?”

The elder shook his head fondly, extending a hand for Mingi to take. “Not at all,” he sang. “Johnny-hyung would be a hypocrite if he didn’t allow me to bring a plus one to work. And besides, he’s excited to meet you.”

Mingi took Changkyun’s hand, allowing the elder to pull him up off the bed and put on the sweatshirt the alpha grabbed for him from his dresser before following him out to the main room. 

Kihyun handed them a bag with two lunch boxes with a proud smile, petting back Mingi’s bangs fondly. “Have fun with our Kyunnie, pup, okay?” he said. 

The alpha nodded, accepting the bag and the gentle forehead press Kihyun did with him before moving on to give Changkyun a kiss goodbye. The older alpha led Mingi down to the underground garage and to his blue Audi. 

“Fancy,” Mingi mumbled, sliding into the passenger seat. 

Changkyun snorted, starting up the car and pulling out onto the street. “It was a birthday present,” he explained. “From Hyunwoo-hyung. He didn’t want me driving around a beater once we were mated— said this was safer. I think he just likes seeing his mates with nice things.”

Mingi smiled. He could see Hyunwoo being the type of pack alpha to shower his mates with pretty things. The alpha had a deep sort of love that reminded Mingi of Hongjoong; a strong devotion that told stories of pulling stars down from the heavens for their loved ones. Mingi had no doubt that Hyunwoo would do that in a heartbeat if any of his mates asked for it.

In his time with them, he had seen the eldest bring home more than a few presents for his packmates. Even Mingi had received a few new accessories from the pack alpha. 

Hyunwoo was the CEO of a high class fashion line called Highline. Mingi had never heard of it before but the shirt the alpha had brought home for him was one of the most comfortable shirts he had ever worn. When Hyungwon had told him that it was worth more than six million won he had nearly ripped the fabric off of himself in horror. After that, they all refused to tell him the prices of anything Hyunwoo brought home for him, the pack alpha just telling him to enjoy his presents without worrying about the cost.

It made Mingi feel a little out of sorts, knowing that he was wearing things that could feed his whole pack for more than a month, especially seeing how comfortable Hyunwoo’s pack was while casually wearing six million won shirts to the grocery store. But the pack never tried to flaunt their wealth in a way that made him feel put down or uncomfortable. For them, a six million won shirt was just a shirt; just like Changkyun’s Audi was just a present. 

It was clear they never took for granted what they had. 

Changkyun made idle chit chat with Mingi on their way to the clinic, telling the younger alpha all about the pets currently admitted. “We have a dog named Cheddar. Meanest little spitfire— she only likes her owner. Doing anything with her always results in injuries, I swear. But like— her name is Cheddar. How can you not love her? Especially when she’s got these big droopy ears and really deep bark for such a tiny body.”

Mingi giggled, feeling relaxed in the passenger seat as they traveled through the city. Changkyun had a way of putting Mingi at ease. Maybe it was the fact that Changkyun was the closest in age to him in Hyunwoo’s pack or his easy laid back attitude but either way, Mingi appreciated his company. 

They pulled up to a small, modern building nestled between two taller business complexes. Changkyun parked and got out, leading Mingi towards the front door and walking inside. 

A deep voice greeted them warmly when the bell above the door announced their entrance. “Welcome to— oh, it’s just you.”

Changkyun rolled his eyes, leading Mingi behind the desk where a large man had come out from a backroom. His intimidating stance was negated by the kittens clinging to him. There were at least four climbing over him, meowing softly and clambering clumsily around in his arms. One was nestled in his hair, clinging desperately and making the man wince when its claws tugged at his scalp. 

“Wow, good morning to you too, hyung,” Changkyun grumbled, amusement coloring his tone as he stepped forward to save the elder from the kitten onslaught, plucking the one from his hair and another one trying to make an escape over his shoulder. Changkyun passed the one from the man’s hair to Mingi who scrambled to cradle the tiny crying orange kitten in his hands in a panic. “There you go,” Changkyun soothed, helping Mingi situate the kitten against his chest. “Good job, pup.” He turned back to the other man, smiling widely. “Hyung, this is our foster pup, Mingi. Mingi, this is my boss, Johnny.”

Johnny grinned at Mingi not that the younger noticed, his entire focus on cradling the kitten and making sure he didn’t squish it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mingi-yah,” Johnny said, unbothered by Mingi’s lack of attention. “Kyunnie never shuts up about you.”

Changkyun released a yelp in protest but didn’t dispute the statement. Instead, he wrapped his free arm around Mingi’s back and gently led the younger into the backroom. He helped Mingi sit down on a cushion in a little walled off area where there were three more kittens sleeping. 

Mingi stared at them in awe, still cradling the little orange kitten against his chest. The kitten had stopped wiggling, curling up in Mingi’s hand and falling asleep, its tiny little purr vibrating against his palm. 

Two more kittens clumsily made their way over to Mingi, clambering up onto his lap and falling back asleep on him. 

“You’re a natural,” Changkyun cooed, gently setting his own kitten onto Mingi’s lap as well. “Are you okay hanging out with these little guys while I go do my check ins?”

Mingi nodded, glancing over at Johnny to make sure the boss was okay with him being there. 

“They could use some supervision,” Johnny added as he placed the two in his hands into the pen near Mingi’s feet. “Especially Cheese-it— he’s a troublemaker.” He pointed to another orange kitten with a white-tipped tail who was digging at the blankets ferociously. 

The younger alpha giggled, reaching out with one hand to distract Cheese-it who immediately latched onto his hand and started gnawing on his finger. 

“Fuck, he’s cute,” Johnny whispered under his breath making Changkyun hum in agreement. 

Mingi didn’t hear the older alphas, too enthralled with the tiny creatures crawling all over him to care what was happening around him. Changkyun and Johnny left him to the kittens and went on with their daily tasks in the clinic. 

 

Mingi followed the sounds of growls a few hours later. He had left the kittens to sleep once they had all tired themselves out from climbing all over him. He imagined that the kitten pen was what heaven was like and he didn’t want to leave them but he also hadn’t seen Changkyun in over an hour and he was starting to get a little antsy at being left alone in a foreign place for so long. 

He ended up in an exam room where Changkyun and Johnny were both trying to hold down a snarling basset hound. He stepped closer to the pair hesitantly. 

“Um... the kittens are sleeping,” he reported nervously. Mingi shifted from one foot to the other, feeling very much like he was not supposed to be there. 

“Ah, good to hear,” Johnny grunted, shifting his grip on the dog when it tried to escape. “Aha, Mingi meet— meet Cheddar... our resident ray of sunshine.”

Changkyun huffed when the basset hound howled loudly directly in his ear. “We’re trying to give her her vaccines,” he explained. “And as you can see, it’s going swimmingly.”

Mingi stepped a little closer, watching as Cheddar zeroed in on him, her whine shifting from angry to pitiful. He took another step, glancing at Changkyun nervously. “Can I— Can I try? To... you know— hold her?”

The two veterinarians had a silent conversation between the two of them before they backed off of Cheddar, leaving her tethered to the table only by her leash. 

“Just be careful,” Johnny warned. “I don’t want you getting bit.”

Mingi nodded, taking another step towards Cheddar and smiling when the dog laid down, releasing another pitiful whine. He made a soft cooing noise as he stepped close enough to touch. The room was dead silent around them. It was like he and Cheddar were in their own personal bubble together as he cautiously brought his hand forward for the dog to sniff. 

Cheddar did, giving Mingi’s hand a thorough examination before licking his palm, making him giggle at the slight tickle. Behind him, he heard Changkyun and Johnny release twin gasps.

“You— Cheddar likes you,” Johnny mumbled, flabbergasted. “Mingi you’re— you’re an actual animal whisperer.”

Mingi shrugged, unable to argue Johnny’s declaration. 

Before today, he had never had much of any type of experience with animals. His family pack didn’t believe in pets and his last pack had claimed that animals were disease ridden pests. The beating he had gotten after Junghwa had caught him petting the neighbor’s dog ensured that he never got too close to another animal after that. 

But now— now he was safe to pet Cheddar without repercussions and... her fur was so soft and smooth and she was so warm under his fingers. 

“Beginner’s luck?” he proposed as his hand traveled up to scratch Cheddar between her ears, making her sink boneless onto the table under her.

Johnny slowly approached the dog again, carefully putting his hand on Cheddar’s flank and only receiving an unhappy rumble for his troubles. Mingi started petting her double time, even kissing her nose while Johnny got on with the shots they had been trying to administer. The whole time Cheddar pressed herself against Mingi’s torso but didn’t fight Johnny otherwise. 

“This is more than beginner’s luck,” Johnny chuckled once he was finished, helping Mingi sit down on the floor with Cheddar who buried herself in his lap. “You’re a goddamn natural, kiddo.”

 

Mingi made it a habit to go to work with Changkyun most days. Johnny always welcomed him and his ‘animal charming smile’ with open arms and working with the animals was a good distraction that helped him keep his mind off of his pack. He enjoyed spending time with the animals that came into the clinic and learning how to take care of them. 

Hyunwoo had gifted him a set of veterinarian scrubs once it became obvious that Mingi genuinely enjoyed going to work with Changkyun. They were light blue and had little kittens sitting on clouds and they were the comfiest clothes Mingi had ever worn outside of Hongjoong’s hoodie. 

“What did you used to do for work, Mingi-yah?” Johnny asked over lunch one day, passing a piece of chicken with his chopsticks over to Mingi’s plate. 

“I— I did construction for a bit when I first... when I was first mated,” Mingi admitted quietly. “But my— my alpha said that I was better suited to take care of the house since I was so... so useless.”

Both of the older alphas growled, startling Mingi until he realized their growls weren’t directed at him. “What a fucking bastard,” Johnny growled, putting more chicken onto Mingi’s plate as he fumed. “You are so far from useless, Mingi-yah.”

Mingi nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “I— I know... or— I’m learning, at least.”

Changkyun hummed, shifting so that he could wrap an arm around Mingi’s shoulders. “What about with Hongjoong’s pack?” he asked, rubbing soft circles into Mingi’s arm. 

“I haven’t... asked,” he admitted, picking at his meal as he kept his eyes away from his hyungs. “I’m— I know Hongjoong hyung is— is the complete opposite of Junghwa but I... I’m still scared, I guess.”

Changkyun leaned over to press a kiss to Mingi’s temple. “It’s okay to be scared,” he murmured. “But I definitely think you should talk to Hongjoong about this when you get home, yeah? Everything I know about him and his pack tells me he’d one hundred percent support you in whatever you wanted to pursue.”

Mingi hummed, sinking against his hyung’s side. “He’s a good alpha,” he murmured, accepting a bite from Changkyun’s outstretched chopsticks. “Hyung is a really good alpha.”

“Then you should definitely talk to him about what you want to do in the future,” Johnny said. “And know that if you decide to get your veterinarian certification, I would hire you in an instant. Hell— if I could hire you now I would.”

Mingi’s eyes widened, staring at the alpha in shock. “Really?” he breathed. “You’d— you want... me?”

“I’d take you in a heartbeat,” Johnny declared. “You’re a hard worker and a fast learner and the animals love you. You really are a natural at this.”

“Hyung’s right,” Changkyun added. “But don’t let this influence your decision. When you get home, really think about it and go for something you’re passionate about. We’ll support you no matter what.”

Johnny nodded his head in agreement. “And you’re always welcome to continue volunteering here even if you never choose to go down this career path.”

Mingi chewed on his bottom lip, biting back the smile that was sneaking up on him. “I can?” he asked. “I can keep coming here? Even if— even after I go home?”

The older alpha grinned. “Of course,” he replied easily. “I’d miss you if you didn’t.”

“Then I’ll definitely come back, hyung,” he declared, happily opening his mouth for the roll Changkyun held up to his lips.

They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Johnny got up, chair scraping against the linoleum as he went to open the door. “Oh hey, Taeyongie,” he greeted, his normally cheerful voice turning soft and sweet, the affection dripping in his voice as he opened the door further for a small man to make his way into the break room. He stepped in softly, everything in his stature radiating a delicate, nervous disposition that made Mingi’s protective instincts flare, even without being able to smell the older man. 

Johnny pulled Taeyong in for a gentle kiss, combing his fingers through the other’s brown locks fondly. “What are you doing here, love?” he asked. 

Taeyong shifted a bag off of his shoulder and held it out for Johnny. 

“Ah— My laptop!” Johnny exclaimed, accepting the bag before pulling Taeyong in for a hug. “Such a good alpha. Thank you, baby.”

The man blushed, tucking his face into Johnny’s neck as he returned the hug. 

“You didn’t come here alone, did you?” Johnny asked, pulling back.

Taeyong shook his head and released Johnny in favor of making a small motion with his right hand. 

“Ah, is Ten waiting in the car? He didn’t want to come in and see me too?” he teased. 

The smaller alpha gave Johnny a little smile, shaking his head and making another motion with his hand. 

Johnny laughed, pulling Taeyong close enough to press a firm kiss to his forehead before releasing him again. “You two have fun at lunch, baby,” he replied. “Give Ten a kiss for me, alright?”

Taeyong blushed but nodded bashfully, glancing over to Mingi and Changkyun in embarrassment before he bowed to them and silently excused himself. Changkyun waved to the alpha, grinning at him as he ducked out the door. 

The elder alpha chuckled, shaking his head as he made his way back over to the table. He set his bag on the floor next to him before sitting back down to finish his meal. 

“Hyung is looking good,” Changkyun noted, taking another bite of his own lunch. 

“Yeah,” Johnny agreed proudly. “He’s come really far since you last saw him.”

Mingi chewed on his lip in uncertainty. “Is he okay?” he finally asked after a few minutes of silent contemplation. 

Johnny nodded, reaching over to ruffle Mingi’s hair to reassure the younger alpha his question wasn’t taken badly. “Yeah, he is,” he replied. “Taeyongie can’t talk and he’s not used to going out in public much so he’s a little skittish around strangers, but he’s gotten a lot better.”

“But he’s okay?” Mingi asked nervously. 

“He’s okay,” Johnny reassured. “You two probably have more in common than you’d think.”

Mingi didn’t reply after that, chewing thoughtfully on his rice. Taeyong was the same as him? Or at least similar? He wondered if Taeyong lost his voice to a punishment gone bad from a past alpha like he had lost his sense of smell. If he had gone through the foster system like Mingi too, and finally ended up with Johnny’s pack where he found a real family. Mingi didn’t want to ask though, that was Taeyong’s story to tell and Mingi was content to know that he was healing— just like Mingi has been. 

He just hoped he could go home to his pack soon too.

 

“— and Johnny-hyung said he’d hire me once I finish schooling,” Mingi exclaimed, practically vibrating as he tried to hold the phone steady in front of his face.

Yunho beamed back at him through the screen, his smile squished by Wooyoung and San who were pressed to either side of him. The top of Jongho’s head covered the omega’s chin from his seat in Yunho’s lap while Yeosang was tucked against Wooyoung’s chest. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were just out of frame though they leaned in every once in a while to get a proper peek at Mingi. 

“That’s amazing, sweetheart,” Seonghwa praised, resting his chin on San’s shoulder as he gazed at their missing alpha. “We’re so proud of you.”

Mingi smiled, chewing on his lip. “Does that mean I can— When I come back— can I go to school? And become a vet like Changkyun-hyung and Johnny-hyung?”

“Of course, my love,” Hongjoong murmured. “If that’s something you want to pursue, you have our full support.”

He breathed a sigh of relief he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thank you, Alpha.” His shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the wall next to his bed, pulling his knees up to rest his phone on them. “Have you heard anything about when I can come home? I miss you guys.”

Hongjoong nudged himself into the frame, bracing an arm on Yunho’s shoulder to keep himself from falling over the rest of the boys because of the awkward angle. “Shinwon-ssi is hopeful that the trial can commence in the next few weeks,” he replied. “Your birth pack is running out of things to dispute so hopefully it won’t be too much longer and then we can get you home.”

“And then we’re never letting you out of the nest again, Pingu,” Yunho declared, tilting his head to accept the kiss from Hongjoong. 

That sounded just fine to Mingi.

Notes:

Happy Friday everyone!! The trial is hopefully just around the corner now!

Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and I'll see you all next week!! Thank you for reading!<3

Chapter 16

Summary:

Mingi gets a surprise (one good, one bad).

Mingi was starting to lose hope as the fourth month closed with no end in sight. His birth pack was making the trial very difficult to get off the ground, constantly demanding re-examinations and other runarounds that Mingi was certain were giving Shinwon premature gray hairs. 

He admired Shinwon though, because a lesser man would have given up—taken the payout that Mingi knew his birth family must have offered the lawyer multiple times at this point—and left Mingi to the sharp hands of his mother. But he didn’t and it was clear that Shinwon had no intentions of giving up on Mingi either. 

So as much as Mingi wanted to give up, he wasn’t about to do that to Shinwon either— especially after everything the alpha had done for him thus far and everything Mingi knew he would be doing for him in the future. 

“This isn’t our normal room,” Mingi noted, frowning at the frosted glass of the conference room in front of him. 

Hyunwoo shrugged, unconcerned as he glanced down at his text messages. “302,” he recited. “That’s what Shinwon-ssi sent me. Something about electrical work being done in his office.”

Mingi nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath before pushing the door open, ready to face another grueling trial prep. 

Just one step closer to seeing the pack again, he told himself as he stepped into the room. 

A shocked gasp resounded from further inside the conference room, forcing Mingi’s eyes up from the beige carpeting. His responding gasp was even louder, his knees shaking as he clenched the door handle with everything he had in order to keep his feet under him.

“Alpha?” he whimpered, staggering across the room when Hongjoong stood up, looking just as shocked as he felt. 

“Mingi,” Hongjoong breathed, snatching Mingi to his chest the second the younger alpha was within grasp. “Baby, you’re here. You’re actually—you’re... why are you here?

Shinwon grinned mischievously. “Oh dear,” he sang, sounding far too amused to actually be shocked as he stood up from his seat next to Taemin at the head of the large table. “It appears my assistant double booked me this afternoon. Ah, well, nothing we can do about it now— I guess it’ll just have to be a joint meeting then, eh? We’re far too close to the trial to reschedule. I hope that’s fine with all of you.” 

Hongjoong choked out a laugh, pressing his lips to the shell of Mingi’s ear reverently. 

Someone attached themselves to Mingi’s back, long arms wrapping tightly around the alpha’s waist. “My alpha,” Yunho cried, peppering a string of kisses up Mingi’s neck desperately. “You’re here— I’ve missed you so much.” 

Mingi sobbed, sinking to the floor slowly, Hongjoong and Yunho following him down easily until they were all kneeling on the carpet, the rest of the pack quickly swarming Mingi as they all tried to touch him in some way. He ended up with a lap full of Yeosang and Jongho, the two betas nosing under either side of his chin as they shared his thighs once Hongjoong had scooted backwards enough for them to squeeze in. 

He could feel Wooyoung’s hand in his hair and San’s on his elbow and Seonghwa grasping at his ankle and Mingi grappled to hold onto as many of his boys as he could, hands dancing across each of their bodies as he took in the fact that they were here in front of him after so long only seeing them through the screen of Hyunwoo’s phone. 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he cried, pressing his face into Yeosang’s hair. “You’re actually here.”

“We’re here,” Yunho whispered, his words fanning across Mingi’s neck and making him shiver in delight.

Shinwon turned to the other two older men in the room. “Hyunwoo-ssi, Taemin-ssi, would you two care to get a coffee with me before we begin? I’m suddenly quite parched.”

Hyunwoo nodded, biting back his chuckle. “Please,” he replied. 

“Absolutely,” Taemin agreed, opening the door and leading the way out of the conference room with one final fond glance back at the reunited pack.

“God,” Hyunwoo breathed once they were out of the conference room, taking a few deep gulps of fresh air. “That was stifling.”

Taemin nodded his head in agreement, smiling sadly as they let Shinwon lead them further down the hall. “Those kids really love each other,” he murmured. “It’s not going to be easy to separate them after this though.”

“No,” Shinwon agreed, handing both of the other men coffee mugs. “But they needed this. I can’t imagine having to be separated from my pack like that— especially for as long as Mingi’s had to endure it. The kids deserved a break.”

“That they have,” Hyunwoo agreed sagely. “That they have.”

 

“You’ve lost weight,” Seonghwa fretted, nudging his way between Mingi’s legs as he cupped the younger’s cheeks. “God, look at you, baby— you’re skin and bones.”

“I’ve been trying,” Mingi whimpered, tucking his face into the oldest omega’s chest. “But it’s hard without you.”

Seonghwa shook his head, running his nose along the column of Mingi’s neck. “I’m not blaming you, pup,” he murmured. “I know how hard you’ve been trying— you’ve been so brave, my love.” He kissed Mingi’s neck, his lips traveling up his throat until he was peppering the alpha’s face and making the younger giggle under him.

Yunho was still wrapped around Mingi’s back but now San was draped over him as well, the smaller omega nuzzling his cheek into the top of his alpha’s head. Mingi closed his eyes, basking in the warmth of his pack surrounding him. There were still hands everywhere on him and someone was sniffling— Mingi thought that it might be him but he wasn’t certain. 

Seonghwa stayed in his lap, switching between kissing him and nosing into his scent gland intermittently. It hit Mingi how poorly his eldest omega had taken their separation. Over phone calls and facetimes, Seonghwa had so easily let his younger packmates take control of the conversation, sitting quietly in the background, but now, his desperation was evident and it pained Mingi to know that he had been hurting so much behind his smiles. 

Eventually he was able to get Seonghwa to pull back enough so that he could cup the elder’s cheeks, gently brushing the dark circles under his eyes with the pads of his thumbs. “Have you been sleeping alright, hyung?” he fretted, replacing his thumbs with his lips, taking his turn to litter Seonghwa’s face with his own kisses.

“I’m fine, pup,” he murmured, nuzzling his cheek into Mingi’s hand. “I promise, baby. I’m just ready for you to come home.”

Mingi nodded, tugging Seonghwa against his chest as he tilted his head to the side for Yunho to press his face against his neck. “He just misses you,” Yunho whispered. “We all do. This trial can’t come soon enough.”

He hummed his agreement, giggling when San maneuvered his face upwards so that he could plant his own kiss on Mingi’s lips. 

Eventually Shinwon had to return, shooting the pack a regretful smile as he called their meeting to begin. Mingi ended up sandwiched between Hongjoong and Wooyoung with Seonghwa on his lap, the omega’s nose pressed firmly into his chest. He couldn’t help the pang of worry that thrummed through him at how clingy his hyung was being, not that he’d ever complain about the added attention but it was very out of character for Seonghwa and that didn’t sit right with the alpha at all. 

He kept his arms wrapped firmly around Seonghwa’s waist as much as he could, rubbing circles into his stomach and kissing any part of him that he could reach. The omega was putty in his arms and Hongjoong’s strong hand sitting high on his thigh a comforting presence. 

 

Leaving with Hyunwoo was much more difficult than Mingi could have ever imagined. Their goodbyes took ages and dragged on until every single pack member had said goodbye at least three times. Seonghwa, especially, had clung to him in a way so unlike him that Mingi couldn’t help but cling in return. 

There was also something in the way that Hongjoong and Wooyoung bracketed Seonghwa that set Mingi’s teeth on edge. It wasn’t in a way that made his alpha rear its head at the other alphas but rather made him feel like he should be behind them, taking up the rear in surrounding Seonghwa. For what reason, he didn’t know. 

He looked at Hyunwoo, a grimace firmly on his face. “You’re going to have to make me leave, hyung,” he said. “I don’t think I can get my feet to move on their own.”

Hyunwoo nodded solemnly, looking grim as he gently wrapped an arm around Mingi’s waist and guided him out of the conference room despite the pained whines and angry growls that trailed after them. 

Mingi whined, closing his eyes as he held tightly to Hyunwoo’s hand, trusting the elder to guide him away from his pack. “I don’t know if that made this separation better or worse,” he admitted once they were in the elder’s car and pulling out of the parking lot. 

“I think, regardless, you all needed it,” Hyunwoo murmured. “Even if it did reopen the wound.” He glanced over at Mingi, smiling softly. “And besides,” he added playfully. “You did get a new sweatshirt for your nest.”

The younger alpha glanced down at Seonghwa’s sweatshirt sitting innocently in his lap and smiled. The omega had practically ripped it off of himself as Mingi was leaving, thrusting it into his arms with a final kiss goodbye. He stroked the fabric reverently, bringing it up to his face to rub the sleeve against his cheek. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. “At least I got that.”

 

“God, they’re all so young.”

Mingi slid down the wall, tilting his head towards the living room where Hyunwoo and his pack were. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but hearing Hyunwoo’s tone when he was coming out for a glass of water threw him for a loop. The elder alpha had sounded so sad and awed that Mingi couldn’t help but stop in the middle of the hallway and just listen. 

“You don’t realize just how young they are until you’re faced with all eight of them crying on the floor together. They’re just— they’re just babies and I hated having to bring him back,” Hyunwoo continued morosely. “They’re so devoted to each other and you could see how much this separation has broken all of them.”

“You did good, hyung,” Minhyuk murmured. “Mingi-yah is a good kid, I can only imagine how sweet his pack is.”

Kihyun hummed in agreement. “We’ll have to invite them over for dinner once this is all over with,” he said. 

Jooheon laughed, quickly being shushed by one of the others for being too loud. “Don’t wake the pup,” Minhyuk chided.

“Sorry,” the omega whispered, nearly making Mingi snort at how cowed he sounded. “It’s just— hyung is so cute. He’s literally going to adopt Mingi-yah’s whole pack.”

Kihyun snorted balefully. “Of course I am,” he replied. “I’m not letting Mingi go if I don’t have to so I’m adopting all of them by default. And don’t act like you’re not just as attached to the pup. You’d be devastated if he left us and we never saw him again.”

“Well— yeah,” Jooheon snorted. “He’s basically our pup now. And it’s not like his family pack is worth anything. That kid is stuck with us.”

“Damn right he is,” Changkyun chimed in cheerfully. “We’ll be a much better family pack for him.”

Hyunwoo sighed, making Mingi bite his lip at the exasperated sound. “You can’t just claim him without his permission,” he chided. “If Mingi-yah chooses to claim us as his family pack, that's one thing, but that’s his decision— not ours.”

Jooheon huffed. “But he’s our pup!”

“Of course he is,” the pack alpha agreed easily. “And we’ll love and respect his decision, no matter what it is. I want to keep him just as much as the rest of you, but the kid has had enough choices taken away from him already so choosing the people he surrounds himself with going forward will be his decision. And if he does choose to keep us in his life once he’s back with his pack, we’re going to spoil each and every single one of those pups rotten.”

“Yes,” Kihyun purred, pleased. 

Mingi chewed on his lower lip as he listened to the older men discuss him and his pack. There were butterflies forming in his chest at the pack’s words, warming him from the inside out. He had never thought he could have a new family pack, had always thought he was stuck with his birth pack for the rest of his life, but here Hyunwoo and his pack were claiming him as theirs without knowing Mingi could hear them. He wanted, more than anything, to burst into the living room and tell them that he accepted, to please be his hyungs— his family— for the rest of his life, but embarrassment and apprehension held him to the wall. The last thing Mingi wanted was for them to take back their words because they found out he was listening in on their private conversations.

Realistically, he knew that even if they did find him sitting in the hallway listening in he’d get a reprimand at most. Hyunwoo and his pack were just as kind and gentle as his own pack and he knew that he was safe with them even if he happened to upset them. 

With a sigh, Mingi pushed himself up and padded out to the living room, intent on letting the pack know he was there and hopefully getting that glass of water he had been originally after. 

“Puppy!” Minhyuk cooed, catching sight of Mingi the second he rounded the corner. “Come here, baby.”

Mingi did as he was told, giggling when he was tugged unceremoniously into the elder’s lap. “Hi, hyung,” he mumbled, sinking against the beta easily. 

“What are you doing up, pup?” Kihyun asked, tugging a throw off of the back of the couch and draping it over Mingi and Minhyuk before cuddling into the alpha’s back. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“Was thirsty,” he explained, eyes fluttering closed once Minhyuk started combing his fingers through his hair. “Heard you guys talking.”

Minhyuk kissed his forehead, nudging his head down to rest on his chest. “How much did you hear?”

Mingi hummed, nuzzling closer, already feeling two seconds away from falling back asleep in Minhyuk’s arms. “Enough,” he mumbled. “Would— I would love to be your pup.”

Kihyun cooed, wrapping his arms around Mingi as he shifted forward to pepper his cheeks with kisses. “Good,” he sang, pulling sleepy giggles from the alpha. “Because we would love to have you as our pup.”

The baby alpha whined happily, curling closer to Minhyuk as Kihyun gently nosed against his back, lulling him to sleep, water forgotten. 

 

“Hey, hyung?” Mingi called, padding out of his bedroom softly. 

Hyunwoo and Kihyun turned towards him in unison, the omega opening his arms for Mingi to fall into when he reached them. “What’s up, pup?” he asked, petting the baby alpha’s hair when Mingi nosed against his cheek. 

Mingi sighed, pressing close to Kihyun for another few seconds before pulling back as much as the elder’s arms would allow him to. “Have you seen my hoodie?” he asked. “The purple one with the yellow ducks Hyungwon-hyung got me?”

“You mean the one you never take off?” Kihyun teased, poking Mingi’s cheek when the younger pouted cutely. 

“I take it off,” he argued weakly. “I put it in my dirty laundry and wore Hongjoong-hyung’s yesterday instead.”

Hyunwoo snorted, pressing his face into Kihyun’s hair to hide his laughter. The omega swatted at him playfully. “Don’t laugh at the baby,” he chided. “If you put it in your hamper then it should be in your clean bin in the laundry room,” he continued, as he turned his attention back to the younger alpha. “Did you check that?”

Mingi nodded, pouting harder. “Yes, hyung. I put all of my clothes away this morning and it wasn’t in there.”

“Are you sure you put it in your basket?” Kihyun asked, petting Mingi’s shoulders to try and help him relax some. “It didn’t end up in your nest?”

The younger shook his head, pouting at Kihyun and making him laugh. “Aish,” he teased. “What are we going to do with you, pup? Did you need it right now? Otherwise hyung will help you search your room for it after dinner.”

“It’s fine, hyung,” Mingi mumbled, moving away from Kihyun to see what the elders were cooking before he had interrupted. “I was just a bit cold, that’s all.”

“Here,” Hyunwoo said, tugging off his own sweatshirt and handing it to a startled Mingi. “Until we can find yours.”

Mingi took the hoodie cautiously, holding the body-warmed fabric in his hands reverently. “Are you sure, hyung?” he breathed.

“Of course, pup,” he replied easily, ruffling Mingi’s hair as he helped the younger get the hoodie over his head. “Until we find your sweatshirt I don’t want you to be cold.”

He tucked his nose into the neck of the hoodie, hiding his smile. “Thank you, hyung,” he mumbled happily. “Can I help with dinner?”

Kihyun cooed, hooking his elbow through Mingi’s and pulling him over to the counter. “Want to cut the veggies for me?”

“Yes please, hyung.”

 

Mingi slid the sleeves of Hyunwoo’s hoodie over his fingers as he shifted on his bed, careful to keep the phone steady where it was resting on his pillow. He tried to keep the frown off of his face as he examined Seonghwa’s sweaty brow through the screen. The omega was clearly unwell and his and Hongjoong’s flippant brushing off of that unsettled him. Any time Mingi mentioned Seonghwa’s health one of them chimed in and told him that it was nothing to worry about. 

It’d only been four days since he had finally seen them again. He liked to imagine that their scents still clung to his skin even though he knew they had been long-since washed off. He liked to daydream about his scent sticking to his pack’s skin too— hoped that they had kept him on them for as long as they could before they inevitably had to wash themselves. 

Jongho was in the middle of telling Mingi about what one of his coworkers did the other day when the alpha couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you in heat, hyung?” he asked, cutting the beta off. 

“No, he’s not,” Hongjoong replied, tightening his arm around Seonghwa’s shoulders as the omega turned to press his face into his pack alpha’s neck. “He’s just a little under the weather. It’s nothing to worry about though, baby.”

Seonghwa turned to face the screen again, shooting Mingi a shaky smile that only served to worry the alpha more. “I’m okay, alpha,” he croaked. “I just missed you— wanted to see your pretty face for a few minutes. You weren’t busy were you?”

“I’m never too busy for you, hyung,” Mingi replied softly. 

The omega purred, the noise barely audible through the phone’s tiny speakers. “I know you are, baby. Such a thoughtful alpha we have. My good boy, hyung loves you so much.”

Mingi whined, pressing his fist to his cheek as he tried to suppress the noise. “I love you too, hyung,” he murmured. “Love you all so much. I just wish this trial could be over soon so I can come home already.”

“God, we want the same thing,” Hongjoong breathed, nosing against Seonghwa’s sweaty bangs. “You have no idea how much we miss you, pup. The second this fucking trial is concluded, we’re bringing you straight back to the nest.”

“And you’re not leaving ever again,” Yunho added, pouting from his place against Yeosang’s chest. 

Seonghwa hummed in agreement, reaching out with a shaking hand towards the screen. Hongjoong caught his fingers, bringing them up to his lips instead and ignoring the soft whine the omega released at being denied. 

Mingi wanted to reach out too. Wanted to pull Seonghwa through the screen and tuck him close against his chest and never let him go. But he couldn’t because his birth pack was trying to claim ownership of him so that way they could use him for another alliance mating. He couldn’t, because if he got caught with them, his birth pack would win and then he’d never see any of them ever again. 

“I’d like that,” he mumbled, eyes never leaving Seonghwa even as he responded to Yunho. “Wanna stay with you guys forever.”

“We want that too, pup,” Hongjoong murmured. “We want that too.”

Before Mingi could say anything else, there was a knock on his door. He turned, frowning when Kihyun’s face popped in through the cracked door. “Time’s up, pup,” he said, looking just as sad as Mingi felt at having to put an end to their conversation. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong replied, shifting Seonghwa in his arms to tuck the omega snugly to his chest. Mingi could barely hear the elder’s whine through the phone which had undoubtedly been Hongjoong’s goal to keep him from feeling worse about being separated from his sick packmate. “We should start on dinner anyways. Take care of yourself, Mingi-yah. We love you.”

“Love you too, hyung,” Mingi said. “Talk to you soon.”

The rest of the pack waved, blowing kisses exclaiming how much they loved him in an effort to hide the fact that Seonghwa didn’t move from Hongjoong’s chest before San moved forward to end the call. 

Mingi stared at the end call screen until it went black and he suddenly found himself blinking back tears. 

“Pup?” Kihyun murmured, stepping into the room and perching on the bed next to the alpha. He brought a hand to Mingi’s shoulder, rubbing small circles into the muscle until Mingi leaned against his chest and finally let the tears fall. “Did something happen?”

“Seonghwa-hyung is in heat,” he whispered, sniffling into Kihyun’s sweater. 

Kihyun hummed worriedly, dropping a kiss onto Mingi’s hair. “Did they tell you that?”

Mingi shook his head. “No, they denied it,” he said. “But he is. I can tell, hyung. Why would they— why would they lie to me about that?”

The elder sighed and shifted the two of them up the bed so that they were more comfortably curled against each other. “Sometimes... it’s easier to hide these things when a packmate can’t be with them. I don’t think your pack was trying to hurt you by hiding this. I think they were just trying to keep you from being hurt by knowing that your omega was in heat while you couldn’t be there.”

“I want to be there,” Mingi cried. “He looked so— so sad and I just— I want to hold him and kiss him and give him a massage when his cramps get too bad but I can’t because I’m here.”

Kihyun nodded, tucking Mingi further into his chest. “Your pack loves you,” he reminded the younger. “And they know how much you care for them too. I think they just didn’t want you to stress out about something out of your control.”

“Then why— would they call?” Mingi asked, pressing his nose to the column of Kihyun’s throat desperately. “I—it was so obvious and now I’m just— I’m just sad.”

He sighed, rubbing Mingi’s back. “It can be painful to go through a heat with part of your pack missing,” he admitted reluctantly. “If I had to guess, it was probably Seonghwa who demanded the phone call. The... need for your pack can be unbearable during heat.”

Mingi whined, shifting so that he could look up at Kihyun’s face. “Has— have you ever had to go through a heat without your whole pack?”

Kihyun glanced over to the door, shifting out from underneath Mingi to pad over and close it the rest of the way before crawling back into bed with the alpha. “I have,” he admitted softly, voice barely above a whisper. “But if I tell you, you can’t tell Nunu, alright? It would break his heart— I’m sure you can understand?”

The younger nodded, pressing his face back into Kihyun’s chest. “I won’t say anything,” he whispered. “But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I think it might be nice to tell someone.” He shifted so that they were lying down and started to comb his fingers through Mingi’s hair, staring at the ceiling. “It was back before we had met Changkyun and Hyungwon. Nunu was a dancer for a really shitty company and at one of his performances a faulty rig collapsed the stage with him on it. He broke his back and had to spend weeks in the hospital. I fell into heat only a few days after the accident. Honey, Min and I agreed that it would be best to not tell him about it because he was barely conscious at the time and in constant pain when he was and— and none of us wanted to add to that pain by not being able to be there for my heat too. Minhyuk and Honey took turns switching between me and Hyunwoo so that way he wouldn’t notice anything was wrong. It hurt— to be separated from him during my heat but we knew that it would hurt him more if he knew I needed him and he couldn’t be there for me. He never found out and we— we never told him.”

Mingi frowned. “Even now?” he asked. “Even after all this time?”

Kihyun nodded guiltily. “How do you casually bring something like that up?” he asked. “Especially after so long. Sometimes it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie, wouldn’t you say?”

“I think,” Mingi mumbled, closing his eyes as he pressed his ear to Kihyun’s sternum. “That even if it hurts him to know, it’d hurt him more to find out later through someone else, you know? I know I don’t like not knowing— even though I know it’d hurt to know too— and I think Hyunwoo-hyung would feel the same way.” 

Kihyun hummed thoughtfully as he nosed into Mingi’s hair. “Yeah,” he breathed. “You’re probably right. I suppose— I suppose we were protecting our own hearts as well as his, hmm?”

“I think he’d want to protect your heart too,” Mingi murmured. “And— and apologize for not being there for you even though he couldn’t. Because— because that’s what I want to do for Hwa-hyung right now.” He sighed heavily. “That’s what I’m going to do the second I can hold him in my arms again.”

“I have no doubt,” Kihyun cooed, dropping another kiss to Mingi’s head. “You’re a good alpha, pup.”

Notes:

Poor Mingi can never have anything good for too long it seems.

Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! We're nearly at the end of this fic and I'm happy to report it's all uphill from here :D

See you guys on Monday! ;D

Chapter 17: Bonus: Seonghwa's Heat

Summary:

The last chapter from the Ateez pack's point of view.

Seonghwa barely got through the door before he was gasping for breath. Wooyoung was right behind him, holding him up around his waist as he guided the omega towards the couch. 

“Fuck,” he hissed, fanning at his overheated skin. 

“Your heat’s coming early,” Wooyoung murmured, petting back the omega’s hair as he tried to settle Seonghwa in his lap. 

The omega whined, shifting around in his lap until he could press his nose against Wooyoung’s neck, inhaling the younger’s tangy scent of oranges. Seonghwa trailed his nose up and down Wooyoung’s neck and shoulders, trying to pull more of Mingi’s lemonade from the alpha’s clothes as he tried to soothe himself. 

“No, it’s not,” he growled, nipping in warning at Wooyoung’s neck. “Not without Mingi.”

“I don’t think we have a choice anymore, love,” Hongjoong chimed in morosely, pulling a blanket off of the back of the couch and cocooning their omega in it. “Your heat’s already here.”

Seonghwa growled, struggling fruitlessly in his fabric prison. “No,” he hissed, snapping his teeth at Hongjoong when the alpha moved to cup his cheeks. “Not. Without. Mingi.”  

“Hyung,” Jongho spoke up gently, carefully sliding in next to the enraged omega and tucking him against his chest as he pushed his own cherry scent into the room in an attempt to calm Seonghwa. “There’s no stopping your heat. It’s too late for that.”

“Then go get Mingi,” he demanded, a whine building in his throat as he wiggled his arms out of the blanket to cup Jongho’s cheeks. “You’ll do that for, hyung, right, baby? You’ll go get our alpha and we’ll all snuggle in the nest for my heat, right?”

Hongjoong sighed, gently taking Seonghwa’s hands in his when he spotted Jongho’s wavering eyes. “You know we can’t, baby,” he murmured. 

“No,” Seonghwa gasped out shakily. “No— they’ll— they have to make an exception. It’s my heat. I need him— I need my alpha. They can’t keep him from me.”

“I’m sorry,” the pack alpha whispered, resting his lips against Seonghwa’s sweaty forehead. “I’m so sorry... but Mingi has to stay with Hyunwoo. You’ll— you’ll have to bear this heat without him.”

“No,” he cried, losing all fight as the first cramp hit. “Please— no.”

Hongjoong just held him tighter, apologies falling like tears onto Seonghwa’s skin.

 

“Please don’t make me do this without him,” Seonghwa begged, his sticky cheek resting against Wooyoung’s bare chest. They were nearing the twenty-four hour mark since Seonghwa’s heat hit full force after their joint meeting and none of them had ever witnessed a heat as bad as this one. Seonghwa was nearly delirious from the pain and nothing helped no matter how much they scented, cuddled, or massaged him. “Please— I can’t— I need him. He’s not here and I need him.”

“I know,” San whispered, bracketing Seonghwa’s overheated body from behind as he combed his fingers through the older omega’s sweaty hair. “You’re doing so well, hyung. So well. You’re so strong.”

Seonghwa whimpered, pressing his nose more firmly against Wooyoung’s scent gland. “It’s not fair,” he cried. “I just want him to be home.”

Wooyoung kissed his hair, trying to push out more of his orange scent to distract the omega with little success. The omega just continued to cry into his chest as he was hit with wave after wave of painful cramps that no amount of massaging could help. His pained sobs collected his pack to him, each laying on or around him in an attempt to soothe him. 

The only one missing besides Mingi was Hongjoong who couldn’t take Seonghwa’s cries anymore and was ready to kidnap their missing alpha himself if it meant Seonghwa’s heat could calm down to normal levels. He had never seen someone in so much pain during a cycle and it worried him. He wasn’t sure how long Seonghwa could last like this and, as the pack alpha, he was determined to fix it. 

After an intensive googling on how to help omegas with missing mates, Hongjoong had rushed to call Hyunwoo, already in his car as he began to make his way across town, still in his pajamas. 

Hyunwoo, thankfully, answered on the second ring, sounding groggy and just woken from sleep. A quick glance at the clock told Hongjoong that that was a very likely scenario seeing as it was just ticking over five o'clock in the morning. 

“‘llo?” Hyunwoo rasped, clearing his throat. There was shuffling through the phone’s speaker, telling Hongjoong that the other alpha was most likely trying to get out of bed without waking any of his packmates.

“Hey, it’s Hongjoong,” he replied, trying and failing to keep the trembling out of his voice. 

Immediately Hyunwoo was more alert, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Hongjoong sucked in a deep shuddering breath as he stopped at the stoplight. “It’s Seonghwa,” he breathed. “He fell into heat after seeing Mingi and it’s— it’s bad— really bad.”

“How can I help?” Hyunwoo murmured, the soft snick of a door echoing through the phone as he obviously made his way to an area of the flat where there were no packmates. 

“I know I can’t take Mingi to him,” Hongjoong said. “It’s too close to the trial and the prosecutors will eat us alive if they even get a whiff of him near us but— but Seonghwa needs something of his— a blanket from his nest or some dirty clothes— something for him to convince his omega Mingi’s in the nest with him.”

“Of course,” Hyunwoo replied, shuffling through something that sounded like it could be clothes. “Are you on your way? Or would you like to meet somewhere?” 

Hongjoong thought for a moment, already in Hyunwoo’s neighborhood. He couldn’t go to the pack’s apartment, it was far too suspicious, but— “Do you know the 24-hour diner? Madam Cho’s?” he asked, pulling into a parking spot. 

Hyunwoo chuckled. “I do,” he said. “It’s one of Mingi’s favorite places to eat when we go out. I’ll get a bag together and be there in fifteen minutes. But Hongjoong— take a deep breath for me, yeah? You sound like you’ve just finished a marathon. You’re going to start hyperventilating if you keep that up.”

“Yeah— yeah, of course,” he stuttered out, trying and failing to get his breathing under control. Seonghwa’s cries were rattling around in his head, making him jittery with the need to fix and knowing that he was so close and yet so far from Mingi was sending his alpha into a panic. 

“Stay on the phone with me,” Hyunwoo murmured softly. “Keep breathing with me, pup.”

Hongjoong nodded, feeling himself copying Hyunwoo’s exaggerated breathing through the phone until his heart calmed and he could finally feel himself shaking instead of just the numb panic that had been building for the last several hours. “Thank you, Hyunwoo-ssi,” he rasped out, leaning forward to rest his forehead on the steering wheel. 

“I’m at the stoplight now,” the older alpha replied. “I’ll be there in a minute. Keep up your breathing until then, okay?” 

He hummed, unable to form much in the way of physical words in the come-down of his panic. Without even realizing it, he had closed his eyes, only noticing when they flew open again at the gentle knock on his window. He spotted Hyunwoo’s large frame, silhouetted by the streetlights behind him as he stepped back in order to let Hongjoong out of the car. 

“Hey,” Hyunwoo murmured, putting a gentle hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder as he helped him out of the car. He gently nudged Hongjoong to lean against the back door before leaning in and setting a duffel bag on the passenger seat. “How are you holding up?” he asked. 

“I’m alright,” Hongjoong rasped out. 

Hyunwoo nodded, hands returning to Hongjoong’s narrow shoulders and rubbing gentle circles into his arms with his thumbs. “You’re doing so well,” he said. “You’re taking such good care of your pack, Hongjoong-ah."

The younger released a shaky breath before nodding his head jerkily, his head sagging forward until he was unconsciously resting it against Hyunwoo’s chest. “Thank you, Hyunwoo-ssi.”

“Hyung,” the elder corrected. “Call me hyung. And no thanks necessary, yeah?”

Hongjoong nodded his head again, looking up at Hyunwoo with an unreadable expression on his face. “Yes, hyung,” he replied obediently. 

Hyunwoo pulled him into his chest for a firm hug, feeling the way Hongjoong sagged against him and held him tighter in response. 

“Hyung?” Hongjoong whispered when they had pulled back a few minutes later. “Can you— would you do me one more favor?”

“Of course, pup,” Hyunwoo murmured, one hand coming up to cup the back of the younger’s head like he always did for Mingi. “Anything you need.”

Hongjoong’s eyes fluttered closed, taking another shuddering breath. “Don’t— don’t tell Mingi?” he requested. “I don’t want him to worry. He has enough on his plate right now and if he finds out about how bad Seonghwa’s heat is he’ll just stress himself out more and I.... I just—”

“You’re a good alpha,” Hyunwoo soothed. “I won’t tell him as long as you promise to tell him once he’s back home with you again. I understand where you’re coming from and why you don’t want to say anything but it’s not fair to him to be kept in the dark forever. Once the trial is over he deserves to know. He’d want to know.”

Hongjoong nodded his head easily. “Thank you, hyung,” he breathed out in relief. “I planned on it. I just— I don’t want him to worry when he can’t do anything to help. I think it would kill him inside.”

“I know, pup,” he soothed, kissing the top of Hongjoong’s head before releasing him and helping him back into his car. “You go take care of your omega. I’ll keep your alpha safe until he can come home.”

The younger shot Hyunwoo a shaky smile before starting up the car and waving to the elder as he shut his door and pulled away. 

 

The duffel was heavier than he expected when he took it out of the car, silently sending Hyunwoo a thank you in his head for the elder’s thoughtfulness. Yeosang met him at the door, looking irate as he tugged the alpha inside. 

“Where the hell have you been? Mingi being gone is already bad enough and now you just— just disappear?! What were you thinking?” he scolded, tugging Hongjoong up the stairs. 

Before he could pull the alpha into the omegas’ nesting room, however, Hongjoong dug his heels in. “I need to take a shower,” he explained when Yeosang shot him an irritated look. “Hyunwoo-hyung hugged me.”

Yeosang paused, turning to look at Hongjoong in confusion. “Hyunwoo-hyung?” he asked.

Hongjoong nodded, setting the duffel bag against the wall next to the bedroom door. “Yeah,” he whispered, careful not to alert Seonghwa to his return. “I was researching ways to help Hwa and I read that having missing packmates’ scents help to soothe distressed omegas in heat. So I called Hyunwoo-hyung and asked him to collect some of Mingi’s scented things for me.”

“Hyung,” Yeosang deadpanned. “Since when is Hyunwoo-ssi ‘hyung?’” 

The elder scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment. “He insisted,” he mumbled. 

“And the hugging?” 

“I was... panicking,” he admitted. “He kissed my hair and called me ‘pup,’ too. But that’s not the point— the point is, that bag is filled with Mingi’s things for Seonghwa and I need to shower before I send Seonghwa in a rage because I smell like Hyunwoo.”

Yeosang snorted, tugging Hongjoong to his chest and inhaling deeply. “It’s not too strong,” he said. “Hyunwoo-ssi must have put on a deodorizer before meeting you. Just take off your hoodie, hyung. We don’t have time for you to shower. Seonghwa-hyung needs you.”

Hongjoong nodded robotically, doing as he was told and ripping his sweatshirt off before tossing it onto the ground carelessly knowing that one of them would have to clean it up before Seonghwa came out of his heat or there would be hell to pay. 

Yeosang tugged him back into his chest and started to rub his cheek against the top of Hongjoong’s head, covering the faint scent left behind by Hyunwoo with his own sweet watermelon scent. He pulled back after a few moments, taking a long sniff before nodding his head. “Better,” he declared. “Come on.” 

Hongjoong nodded, collecting the duffel bag and following Yeosang into the room. 

Seonghwa’s peaches were stifling and he nearly recoiled at how thick the scent was. Wooyoung was sitting next to the open window, shirt off and panting heavily as he tried to take in fresh air while the rest of the pack were pressed against every side of their omega, trying to soothe his pained whimpers.

“Alpha,” Seonghwa cried, reaching out for Hongjoong the second he stepped into the room. 

“I’m here,” he murmured, stepping closer to the bed. The pack made room for him, parting like water around Seonghwa so Hongjoong could crawl into the nest and bracket himself over the top of their omega. “I’m here.”

Seonghwa grappled at his shoulders, pulling Hongjoong down on top of him and inhaling deeply. He purred in content, though it only lasted a few moments before Seonghwa was whining again. “Did you go out to find our Mingi, alpha?” he begged. 

“Mingi is safe,” Hongjoong whispered, closing his eyes when Seonghwa released a wail at his response. “You know he can’t be here right now, love. But he’s safe and he loves you and the rest of your pack are here and we love you.” He sighed when Seonghwa continued to sob, sitting up as he straddled the omega’s hips. “I do have something for you though, my love. Close your eyes,” he demanded as he reached backwards in a silent request for the duffel bag. One of his packmates slid the strap in his hands and he pulled it up to rest on the bed next to them. 

The second Hongjoong unzipped the duffel bag, Seonghwa gasped, eyes fluttering. “Mingi?”

“Keep your eyes closed,” Hongjoong whispered, pulling out the first piece of clothing his hand could reach. It ended up being a purple hoodie with yellow ducks all over it that he didn’t recognize but that was so saturated with Mingi’s scent it was clearly a favorite of his. “I’m going to put something to your nose and I just want you to breathe, yeah? Can you do that for Alpha?”

Seonghwa nodded, squeezing his eyes shut as his heat demanded that he be good and follow his alpha’s directions.  

“Words, baby.”

The omega shuddered. “Yes, Alpha,” he breathed. 

Hongjoong hummed in approval and brought the sweatshirt up to Seonghwa’s face. His omega gasped, fingers darting out at super speed to snatch the hoodie from Hongjoong. 

His eyelids fluttered again, like he was going to open his eyes, but before Hongjoong could say anything, Yunho gently covered their oldest omega’s eyes with one of his large hands, kissing the shell of his ear in apology when Seonghwa whined at being blinded. 

“Just breathe and think about Mingi, baby,” Hongjoong murmured, pulling the rest of the clothes out of the duffel bag and settling them around Seonghwa’s nest just like how he knew the other liked it. “Imagine he’s here in the nest with us, cuddling you from behind.” 

Seonghwa pressed the hoodie to his face, whining pitifully. “Mingi,” he cried, sniffling into the fabric. “My Mingi.”

“He scented this just for you,” Hongjoong whispered. “Your alpha is taking care of you even when he can’t be with you, my love.”

The omega sighed, finally untensing and sagging back against Yunho’s chest for the first time since his heat started. The rest of the pack breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, all of them slumping down where they were when Seonghwa’s scent mellowed out into a more contented smell. 

 

They made it through the next few days of Seonghwa’s heat with Mingi’s clothes pressed against the omega’s face and the pack surrounding him on all sides. They ran into trouble when Mingi’s scent started to fade from the fabric, becoming too saturated with Seonghwa’s own scent. Seonghwa became more agitated and anxious the more Mingi’s scent disappeared from his nest. 

“I need to see him,” he begged, clinging to Hongjoong’s shoulders as he kneeled on the bed in front of the alpha. Jongho was behind him, holding him up by his hips as he swayed dangerously. “Please. Just for— just for five minutes— just enough to see that he’s okay. I need to see him. Just— just call him— call him for me... please.”

Hongjoong cupped Seonghwa’s cheeks, peppering the omega’s face in kisses before pulling back. “Alright,” he conceded. “But it can only be for a few minutes and you need to take a shower first, okay?”

Seonghwa nodded, bouncing in excitement as Jongho helped him out of the nest. It was the most energy their omega had had since the start of his heat and the pack breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw him so lively again even though they knew that his good mood probably wasn’t going to last long. Seonghwa snagged San’s wrist as Jongho led him to the bathroom, pulling the other omega into the shower with him and peppering his younger two packmates in kisses as they washed the sweat off of him. 

His short burst of energy was waning by the time they got dressed and were curled up in Seonghwa’s nest again, surrounded in fresh sheets and the rest of his pack while Yunho set up the tripod at the end of the bed so they could all comfortably fit in the frame. 

“Maybe we... shouldn’t mention your heat,” Hongjoong suggested hesitantly once he had a lapful of Seonghwa. “We don’t want him to stress about it, yeah?”

Seonghwa sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his head against his alpha’s shoulder for a minute. “He doesn’t know, does he?” he asked. “You lied about him scenting those clothes for me.”

“I didn’t want him to stress about something out of his control,” Hongjoong admitted sadly. “And you were too deep into your cycle to understand that logically. I had no intention of not telling either one of you. Just— it wasn’t the time.”

The omega frowned, staring at Hongjoong with an unreadable expression for a few minutes before nodding his head in understanding. “I get it,” he mumbled. “I don’t like it but I know why you did it. And I know why we can’t tell him yet. My Mingi has enough to worry about right now.” He pressed his nose against Hongjoong’s neck. “I don’t know if I can lie to him though.”

Hongjoong petted his hair fondly. “Then let me tell him, my love,” he whispered. “You just reassure yourself that our Mingi is safe and healthy.”

 

The phone call was hard. Especially when their smart, intuitive Mingi hit the nail on the head first try and the pack had to lie to his face. Mingi didn’t look like he believed them either, which broke Seonghwa’s heart and sent him spiraling back down into another heatwave by the time San had hit the end call button. 

Seonghwa wrapped himself up in Mingi’s duck sweatshirt and huddled between Yunho and Yeosang as the cramps took him once more. 

His heat lasted another three days and Hongjoong was hours away from calling a doctor when the omega’s heat finally broke and he started to come up. 

“Never again,” Seonghwa grumbled as he sat in Wooyoung’s lap while they ate a late breakfast. “I’m never going through another heat without my entire pack with me. I love you all and I appreciate everything you did for me but this was absolutely horrible.”

San nodded tiredly, nearly face planting in his eggs when his cheek slipped from where his palm was holding his head up. Yeosang was quick to catch him though, gently sliding him into his own lap and feeding him so he didn’t have to. 

“I’m going to be sore for days,” Seonghwa continued, opening his mouth when Wooyoung brought a forkful of eggs to his lips. “I think I’d be in less pain if I had been hit by a truck. If Mingi’s not home by my next heat, we’re kidnapping him. I’m not going through this again.”

“I’m so glad my next heat is still months away,” San chimed in tiredly. 

Yunho was suspiciously silent as he pushed his eggs around on his plate and Hongjoong gently threaded their fingers together under the table. It was no secret that Yunho’s heat almost always followed right after Seonghwa’s. 

Hongjoong prayed that Shinwon’s predictions about the trial date were correct otherwise he wasn’t sure what they were going to do for Yunho. With as attached as he was to Mingi and how much he was struggling already with the alpha’s prolonged absence, Hongjoong feared what a heat without him would do to his psyche, let alone his physical health. He was already worried about the lasting effects Seonghwa might have due to the stress of his heat; the pack didn’t need to worry about Yunho’s as well. 

 

“Jongho-yah,” Yunho called softly, startling the beta who quickly turned around to greet the elder. 

“What’s up, hyung?” he asked, patting a spot on the bed next to him in invitation. 

Yunho closed the door behind him before padding over to the bed and curling up next to his younger mate. “I need a favor,” he started nervously. 

Jongho wrapped his arm around Yunho’s shoulders, pulling him backwards until they were both resting against the headboard. “Of course, hyung,” he murmured. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

“I know, I— But this favor... you can’t tell the hyungs about it.”

Jongho frowned, tensing under the omega as he pulled back so he could look into Yunho’s eyes. “Hyung?”

Yunho shook his head. “You have to promise me, Jongho,” he demanded, voice trembling as he gently cupped the younger’s shoulders. “Hyungs can never find out.”

“You’re scaring me, hyung,” Jongho admitted, his hands creeping up to cradle the elder’s waist. “What’s going on?”

“I need suppressants,” he stated, determination melting the fear off of his face. “I can’t— I can’t do what Seonghwa did. It’ll kill me, Jongho.”

Jongho shook his head, horrified. “So will suppressants!” he exclaimed, trying and failing to pull away from the omega. “I can’t— I won’t help you kill yourself, hyung.”

“Suppressing one heat won’t kill me, Jongie,” Yunho murmured, tugging Jongho to his chest so the younger couldn’t see the grimace on his face. “But having a heat without Mingi might.”

“We should talk to Alpha,” Jongho insisted, pulling back again so Yunho couldn’t hide. 

Yunho shook his head. “No, it’ll only worry him if he knew,” he said. “That’s why I came to you, Jongho-yah. I trust you with this. You’ll help me won’t you, baby?”

“I’m— Hyung, I—” Jongho stuttered, eyes wide as saucers as he gaped at his hyung.

“Please,” Yunho begged, cupping the younger’s cheeks as tears started to make his way down his face. “Jongho-yah, please.”

Notes:

A little bonus chapter with the missing details from the last chapter for you all. :)

Hope you enjoyed! See you Friday! <3

Chapter 18

Summary:

Mingi finally goes home.

The day of the start of the trial dawned dark and rainy and matched Mingi’s mood perfectly. He was a shaking mess as Hyunwoo fixed his tie outside of the courtroom. “Everything is going to be fine, pup,” the alpha reassured, petting down Mingi’s hair to try and calm his nerves. “We’ve prepared for this day for months. Be honest and remember what Shinwon taught you and this will be all over before you know it.” He tugged Mingi in for a tight hug that the younger alpha sank into gratefully. “You can do it, kid. You’re so brave and I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, hyung,” Mingi breathed, giving Hyunwoo one more tight squeeze before pulling back and stepping into the courtroom with the elder alpha at his heels. 

He ignored the calls of his mother when he entered, using Hyunwoo’s guiding hand to keep him grounded as they made their way over to Shinwon. His mother had no right to act like she cared about him now and he wanted, desperately, to spit in her face for what she’s made him go through already but he needed to stay civil and professional in order for this to all go away so instead he sought out Yunho in the crowd, shooting the omega— his omega, the first person after Taemin’s pack to show him kindness and teach him how to be his own person— a brave smile before greeting Shinwon and Taemin at their table. 

The trial spanned nearly a week, his birth pack were relentless and had clearly thrown a lot of money at their lawyers in order to try to gain custody of Mingi but, in the end, a slip up by his own mother was their downfall. Shinwon caught her in a lie and had dismantled her entire fabricated story of being a loving mother and a victim to her mate in a matter of minutes. After that, the trial wrapped up quickly and Mingi was granted autonomy from family and state and his mother was put into cuffs when she leapt over the podium to attack the judge at his verdict. 

The second it was over, Mingi shot up, racing across the courtroom and falling into Hongjoong’s waiting arms, sobbing openly at finally being able to be reunited with his pack. The rest of his boys quickly followed, holding onto whatever part of the alpha they could get their hands on. 

“You were so brave, Mingi-yah,” Seonghwa cooed, cupping Mingi’s cheeks from over Hongjoong’s shoulder. “Such a strong alpha. I’m so happy to have you back.”

Yunho hummed in agreement from his place octopused on Mingi’s back, his nose tickling the baby hairs at the base of his scalp. “Damn right we are,” he crowed. “We’re never letting you go again, alpha.”

“Please,” Mingi breathed, boneless in the arms of his pack. “Can we go home now, hyung? I wanna come home.”

“Of course, love,” Hongjoong murmured, gently encouraging the pack to back away slightly. “We just need to get your things from Hyunwoo-ssi’s house.”

“Actually,” a voice cut in, drawing everyone’s attention to the alpha in question. “Most of Mingi-yah’s stuff is in the car already.” Hyunwoo shot Mingi a mischievous grin. “I had a good feeling about today and wanted to make sure you could reunite with your pack as soon as possible.”

Kihyun popped out from behind the large alpha, one dainty arm wrapped around his waist as he smiled at Mingi adoringly. “And anything we missed, you can come pick up when you and your pack come back for dinner later this week, yeah?”

Mingi beamed, nodding his head in excitement as he snaked his arm around San’s waist, tucking his omega to his chest. “Yeah, hyung,” he agreed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the two packs made their way out of the building. 

Behind them, Shinwon and Taemin trailed after them, clearly giving Mingi his time with his pack. After everything was loaded up into Hongjoong’s car and Hyunwoo and his pack had their own, only slightly teary, goodbye with Mingi before they left the courthouse, Mingi finally turned to Taemin and Shinwon. He dove at the beta, wrapping his arms around Taemin’s waist and twirling him in the air despite the elder’s halfhearted protests. 

“Thank you, hyung,” he whispered into the beta’s ear as he finally let Taemin’s feet touch the ground again. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.”

Taemin smiled, brushing away the few tears trickling down Mingi’s face. “Just keep me on speed dial, yeah? I’m no longer your social worker, Mingi-yah— that means I’m free to be your friend and your hyung properly now.” He kissed the tip of Mingi’s nose, pulling a teary giggle from the younger. “If you’ll let me, of course. You’re your own man now, pup. You’re in charge of your future— no one else.”

Mingi smiled, nodding his head as he pressed his cheek to Taemin’s. “Thank you— for being my social worker and a friend and just— thank you, hyung.”

The elder squeezed Mingi tighter, pressing a litany of kisses to the younger’s face. “Thank you,” he murmured. “You’ve changed my life, pup. For the better. I hope you know that— how much you mean to me.”

“I do, hyung,” he whispered. “You changed my life too.” 

They pulled back from one another with watery laughs. Mingi turned to Shinwon, bowing to the alpha in thanks. Shinwon chuckled, shaking his head as he opened his arms for a hug from the younger. 

“Congratulations, Mingi-yah,” he said once he had dove into Shinwon’s arms. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, Shinwon-ssi,” he replied, pulling back from the hug in order to give the elder another bow. “I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me and my pack.”

“Live a good life,” he said. He turned to Hongjoong, gently nudging Mingi into the other alpha’s arms fondly. “You take good care of this kid, Hongjoong-ssi,” he demanded, his fond smile detracting from the sharp tone of his voice. “Otherwise I might just snatch him up myself.”

Hongjoong laughed stiffly, tucking Mingi closer to his chest. “That won’t be necessary,” he replied. “We have no intention of letting Mingi out of our sights ever again.”

“Good man,” Shinwon declared proudly, giving the smaller alpha a pat on the back before taking his leave. 

Taemin followed shortly after him after securing a promise for future dinner with both of their packs later that week, much to Mingi’s excitement— it had been far too long since he had last seen Taemin’s pack. 

“Can we go home now?” Mingi asked once it was just the eight of them left in the parking lot. 

“God— please,” Wooyoung exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Mingi’s waist from behind and tucking his chin over the other alpha’s shoulder. “I need Mingi-yah in our nest now.”

Their pack alpha chuckled, nodding towards the car indulgently. “Let’s hit the road then,” he declared. The rest of the pack immediately clung to Mingi, arguing over the top of one another as they tried to figure out who would get the privilege of sitting next to their newly-returned alpha. 

Without even meaning to, Mingi reached out for their youngest, who was standing a bit further away than the rest, silently watching his pack with a fond sort of adoration that ignited a fire inside of Mingi’s chest. He threaded their fingers together, pulling a curious hum from the younger as he tugged the beta to his chest. 

“Hi, alpha,” Jongho whispered, tilting his head up to press a kiss to the underside of Mingi’s chin. 

Mingi growled, nosing against Jongho’s ear before allowing Wooyoung to guide them to Hongjoong’s car along with Seonghwa who had won the intense game of rock, paper, scissors for the final seat. The other four reluctantly clambered into Wooyoung’s car, pouting even as they pulled out into traffic. 

Mingi had Jongho next to him in the back seat, the younger practically on his lap as much as the seat belts allowed, as he traced the thin white scar on the palm of his hand. “It healed well,” he noted softly, bringing the palm up to his lips and kissing the scar. 

“It did,” Jongho agreed, tucking his head into Mingi’s neck and inhaling deeply. “How’s your hand? Any long term effects?”

“None,” he replied, flexing his previously broken fingers to showcase their full mobility. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he stroked the scar again. “I hurt you.”

“It was an accident,” Jongho reminded. “And none of us— especially me— blame you for what happened that night. I’m just glad that you’re alright and that you’re finally home.”

Seonghwa hummed his agreement loudly from the front seat, pulling soft giggles from the younger two boys in the back. He turned in his seat to smile at Mingi, one hand holding onto Hongjoong’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, baby,” he murmured. 

“Very good,” Hongjoong agreed, pulling into their driveway. They got out, each grabbing a bag from the trunk, and made their way up to the front door just as Wooyoung’s car pulled into the driveway and parked behind Hongjoong’s car. 

“We got stuck at a red light,” San whined, clambering out of the car and darting into Mingi’s arms. 

The alpha caught him easily, dropping his duffel bag onto the pavement in order to hold his omega up with both hands. San giggled, nuzzling into Mingi’s neck as Yeosang came up to put a gentle hand on the alpha’s back as he led the two of them into the house. Behind them, Wooyoung picked up the discarded bag, grumbling playfully about how Mingi owed him kisses for cleaning up after him. 

“Anytime you want my kisses, you got ‘em Woo,” Mingi declared confidently, plopping down on the sofa with San curling up in his lap. 

Wooyoung dropped the duffel next to their coat rack and darted over to the couch, practically dismounting San from his perch as he pressed in close to Mingi’s face and puckered his lips. “Pay up, puppy,” he sang, making kissy noises at the other alpha.

Mingi giggled, shifting San to one side of his lap as he tugged Wooyoung closer, pressing their lips together with a bright laugh. San whined from Mingi’s other side, nosing between their mouths to steal Mingi’s kiss from Wooyoung. The three of them broke down into giggles, none of them able to go further than pressing their lips together before falling into another round of laughter. 

Suddenly, San disappeared from his lap, landing on the cushion next to him as Yeosang plopped down in the open space. “Hi, alpha,” he sang, wrapping his arms around Mingi’s neck. He ignored San’s whine as he stole Mingi’s lips for a searing kiss that left the alpha breathless, making the rest of the pack cackle at the dumbfounded look on his face when Yeosang finally pulled back. “Welcome home,” he whispered, his breath tickling Mingi’s lips. 

“It’s good to be home, Sangie,” he said, leaning in to press another kiss to Yeosang’s lips. 

Yunho clambered into Mingi’s arms next, booting Yeosang into Wooyoung’s lap in favor of claiming the alpha’s full attention for himself. He nuzzled Mingi’s scent gland, giggling when he got the alpha to start purring at the action. “My alpha,” Yunho purred, running his teeth up and down the column of Mingi’s neck. He hummed happily when Mingi shivered. “My alpha is home.” 

“I’m home,” Mingi reassured softly, tilting his head to rest against Yunho’s as he closed his eyes to the omega’s soft ministrations. He could hear Seonghwa in the kitchen, the gentle clanging of pots and pans as he made dinner a welcomed sound. 

“Come eat,” Seonghwa called a little while later, interrupting the rest of the pack’s quiet reunion. They all got up slowly, Yunho draping himself over Mingi’s shoulders as they entered the dining room. Seonghwa quickly collected Mingi into his own arms and guided him to a chair right next to his. The omega kept an arm on Mingi’s thigh as he loaded the alpha’s plate with an assortment of meat, rice, and veggies. “You’ve gotten far too skinny while you were away,” he tutted as he brought a spoonful of rice up to Mingi’s mouth.

The alpha accepted the bite easily, chewing and swallowing before kissing Seonghwa’s cheek in apology. “I tried,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry, hyung.”

Seonghwa sighed, turning his head so that he could press another kiss to Mingi’s lips. “I know you did, baby,” he cooed. “Hyung isn’t mad at you. I just worry about you.”

Mingi whined, pressing his nose into Seonghwa’s hair and not moving despite the elder’s best efforts to get him to eat more. 

“Mingi-yah,” Hongjoong sang teasingly. “Seonghwa needs to eat too. But he told me he’ll only eat if you do.” The pack alpha grinned when Mingi immediately jumped into action, tugging Seonghwa into his lap and pulling the elder’s plate closer to his own. Hongjoong cackled when Seonghwa sighed exasperatedly but accepted the bite Mingi put up to his lips. 

Seonghwa quickly fed Mingi some more, tuning out the rest of their pack’s gentle teasing. “Good alpha,” he cooed when Mingi opened his mouth for another bite. They continued on with dinner by feeding each other, the rest of the pack slowly going back to their own meals, though they continued to shoot fond glances at the two as they ate. 

Every once in a while, Seonghwa’s hands would trail down to caress Mingi’s ribs, pouting at the sharp bones under his fingertips. And every time he did that, Mingi would lean forward to kiss away the pout, earning a fond giggle from the elder. The pack left their dinner dishes in the sink, too focused on getting Mingi to the nest to care about cleaning up after themselves. Mingi tried to protest, albeit weakly, and was quickly overridden by his desire to have his pack surround him in a nest. 

They ended up in the alphas’ nest, Mingi tucked in the center of the massive bed with the omegas on every side of him. Wooyoung laid over their feet, one hand wrapped securely around Mingi’s ankle while Hongjoong took the defensive position closest to the door, behind San. Yeosang crawled into the nest of the other side, nosing against the back of Seonghwa’s neck while Jongho crawled up to the top of the nest and laid down just above all of their heads. Yunho was directly on top of Mingi, pinning down the alpha and purring steadily against his chest making Mingi preen. 

He fell asleep easily like that for the first time since he had had to leave the pack’s house, finally feeling safe enough to relax out in the open surrounded by his packmates. 

Mingi woke up the next morning warm.

Most of the pack had already left the nest and he could hear the soft clinking of dishes from downstairs so his alpha didn’t immediately rear its head at his missing packmates. Hongjoong was still in bed with him, having saddled up to Mingi’s side in the absence of San. On his other side, Jongho had snaked his way down the pillows and was holding onto Mingi’s arm for dear life, his entire body pressed up against the alpha’s side as though they were super-glued together. 

The source of the warmth, however, was Yunho still sprawled out on top of him, his arms around Mingi’s waist and his nose buried in his neck. Mingi snaked his arm out from between himself and Hongjoong to bring it up to the back of Yunho’s neck, noting the sticky heat radiating from the omega’s skin. 

The heat under his hand felt different from the heat of a sickness and it took him a few moments to recognize it as heat. He bit back the whine of terror at having an omega in pre-heat sprawled on top of him. He wasn’t in his old pack, hadn’t been for over a year, but the fear of a territorial alpha finding Mingi with their in-heat omega was bone chilling. 

His scent must have done something because Hongjoong’s nose scrunched up in his sleep before he blinked himself awake sleepily, rubbing his nose against Mingi’s shoulder a few times as he woke up. “Baby?” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to Mingi’s arm. “What’s wrong?”

Mingi swallowed, reminding himself that this was Hongjoong. That, no matter what, his pack alpha wasn’t going to be mad at him for holding his omega. It was hard to fight off his initial instincts to run and hide but he turned his head to face the alpha and pushed down his fears. “I think Yunho’s going into heat.”

Hongjoong took a deep breath through his nose before humming in agreement. “Ah, he is,” he mumbled, shifting so that he could rest his cheek on Mingi’s arm and unknowingly smother the bubble of fear in the younger alpha’s throat at his easy acceptance of him with Yunho while in heat. “You’re so observant. Such a good alpha.”

He breathed a sigh of relief at the elder’s words, his head flopping back against the pillow, making Hongjoong chuckle. “Thank you, alpha,” he whispered. “Can I— do you think he’ll want...”

“Do I think Yunho will want you in his nest for his heat?” Hongjoong finished for the younger, sounding far too amused. Mingi nodded, making Hongjoong chuckle as he shifted to press a kiss to the younger’s cheek. “I think he won’t let you out of his sight, let alone out of his nest,” he said. “You’re going to have a very attached puppy on your hands in a few hours, Mingi-yah. We should probably get some breakfast before his heat fully hits.”

“You really think so?” Mingi asked, unsure. 

“I know so, baby,” he replied, pressing another kiss, this time to Mingi’s lips, as he pushed himself up and out of bed.

Yunho released a soft whine at the movement in his sleep, nosing closer to Mingi’s neck. 

“Come on, puppy,” Hongjoong sang, softly. “Let’s get ready for our baby’s heat.”

Mingi nodded, gently nudging Yunho off of his chest and into Jongho’s arms. Their maknae hummed in confusion at the disruption, nosing into Yunho’s hair as he scrubbed his eyes with one hand. “‘s goin’ on?” he asked, shifting easily to accommodate for the omega’s long limbs as Yunho octopused himself around him. 

“Breakfast, baby,” Hongjoong murmured, chuckling at the way Yunho snuffled against the beta’s chest. 

“No,” Yunho grumbled, refusing to open his eyes. 

“Too bad, pup,” Hongjoong sang, patting the omega’s butt a few times to rile him up. “You need to eat before your heat sets in fully— so do the rest of us, baby.”

Yunho huffed but pushed himself up, padding over to Mingi and wrapping his arms around the alpha. “Carry me,” he demanded, pouting up at him. 

Mingi compiled easily, scooping Yunho up and tucking him against his chest much to the omega’s pleasure. 

“You got him?” Hongjoong asked, one hand automatically coming up to rest at the small of Mingi’s back as he braced the younger. 

“Yes, hyung,” Mingi replied easily, hitching Yunho higher as he made his way downstairs with Hongjoong and Jongho following behind him. He sat down in one of the dining chairs, Yunho sitting in his lap when it became clear the omega had no intention of letting him go. He nodded his head in thanks to Wooyoung when the alpha brought over two plates stacked high with pancakes for them and began to feed Yunho. 

The omega’s heat was hitting fast and hard and Mingi’s anxiety was skyrocketing. He didn’t want to say anything though, not wanting to disrupt anyone’s preparations for Yunho’s heat. Instead, he held the omega close and continuously fed him bite after bite of pancake until his plate was clear. 

Yunho then shifted his attention to Mingi’s still full plate and took the fork from the alpha and began to feed him instead despite the other’s weak protests. Around them, the pack was busy gathering supplies and moving them into the main nest in preparation for Yunho’s heat.

The omega's eyes were already starting to glaze over in that pre-heat headspace as he nosed into Mingi’s neck now that both of their plates were cleared. 

“Come on, love,” Seonghwa called out, breaking the silence that had engulfed the both of them. “Let's get our Yuyu into the nest.” 

Mingi nodded, scooping the omega back up into his arms and following his hyung back up the stairs and into the main nest where Jongho and Yeosang had added more blankets and pillows to the nest that Mingi recognized from the others’ beds. 

Yunho whined when he laid eyes on the nest, wiggling in Mingi’s arms until he let him down on his own feet. The omega stumbled over to the nest, immediately crawling in and starting the arduous process of rearranging the nest to his liking. 

Mingi watched on from the doorway, unable to step further into the room without feeling like he wasn’t supposed to be there. Behind him, San wrapped his arms around his waist and gently nudged him further into the room until he was leaning against the wall and the omega had gravitated to hug him chest to chest while they watched Yunho work on his nest.

By the time he was finished, the whole pack had made their way back into the room and were all waiting for Yunho to invite them into the nest. Mingi had never seen this part before. He had always been kicked out before the omegas in his old pack had even begun to nest, being forced to sleep out in the backyard for the duration of their heat. 

It was slightly terrifying being so close to an in-heat omega and he felt very much like a fish out of water. San was a grounding force against his chest as Yunho finally settled down and came to the edge of the nest in search of his packmates. 

He whined reaching a hand out of the nest. “Who do you want first, baby?” Hongjoong asked, standing closest to the nest. 

“Mingi,” Yunho declared, eyes already fully glazed over in heat. 

San went to release Mingi but the alpha clung to him in desperation. “I can’t,” he breathed, careful not to speak loud enough for Yunho to hear him. “I’ve never—”

“You’ll do fine, sweetheart,” Seonghwa cooed, gently wrapping an arm around Mingi’s back as he and San took careful steps over to the nest with the shaking alpha. “Just let Yunho guide you where he wants you. You’re meant to be here.”

Yunho whined at them for taking too long, encouraging Mingi to step closer until he was within reach of his omega. The second he could, Yunho snatched Mingi’s arm and pulled him into the nest causing the alpha to collapse in an ungraceful heap. He could hear the soft chuckles of his packmates around him but he only had eyes for Yunho who was quickly repositioning him until he was lying in the center of the bed. 

He crawled on top of him and began to scent every inch of Mingi’s skin. If he could smell, Mingi knew that he would have gone into a pheromone high from how much Yunho must have been putting out. From the corner of his eye, he could see San and Wooyoung swaying dangerously, only being held up by Hongjoong and Jongho. 

Hongjoong slowly brought San to the edge of the nest once Yunho had come to a stop. “Can Sanie come in, angel?” he asked softly. “You got him all sleepy with your apple cider.”

Yunho hummed, carefully pulling away from Mingi as he made his way towards the edge of the nest again though his eyes didn’t leave the alpha’s form for more than a few moments at a time. He picked San up and settled him in the nest on Mingi’s right, tucking two blankets around the other omega and turning him into a burrito. 

Next came Seonghwa, getting the same treatment as San on Mingi’s left and then he tugged the rest of the pack in almost simultaneously, humming in content as they automatically moved to where he wanted them. 

Mingi felt buried and surrounded in the center of all of his packmates, especially once Yunho retook his place on top of him, his nose pressed firmly against Mingi’s neck. He stayed pliantly limp for Yunho, carefully wrapping his arms around the omega’s waist when he was prompted to. 

Throughout his heat, Yunho didn’t let Mingi leave the nest for anything except bathroom breaks and he had to take Hongjoong or Wooyoung with him for the omega to not immediately pull him back in, bladder be damned. Yunho was unbelievably territorial with Minho, barely even letting the others touch him as he kept him underneath him as much as possible. 

Mingi’s heart had felt like it might explode when he first laid down in the nest but the longer he spent cuddled up surrounded by his omegas the more he began to relax. He did his best to be the best alpha possible for Yunho, making sure to rub his stomach whenever the cramps flared and scented him until he was a puddle of contented omega underneath him every time he started to whine. 

The rest of the pack gave him soft praises any time he did anything for Yunho, reaffirming the fact that he was doing the right thing with their omega. 

Spending a heat with Yunho was very different from what he had heard and seen in the past with his old pack. There was no heavy petting or anything of the sorts and Yunho didn’t seem like that was what he was after either. When he cautiously brought that up to Wooyoung who had the privilege of laying behind them while Yunho slept on Mingi’s chest, the alpha hummed thoughtfully. 

“Our omegas have had a few sexual heats since we’ve gotten together, but they’re not common. Usually, omegas have ‘cuddle heats.’ It’s a lot like our ruts— where they just want to be close and be held by their pack and reaffirm that everyone is whole and healthy with them.” Wooyoung chuckled, shifting so that he could press a kiss to Mingi’s cheek despite the soft, barely-there growl Yunho released at the action in his sleep. “It’s not really surprising Yuyu is holding onto you so tightly,” he admitted. “You’ve been away for months and he was terrified we weren’t going to be able to get you back in time for his heat. He really loves you— we all do— and without you here it was like we were missing a limb.”

“I missed you guys too,” Mingi whispered, threading his fingers through Yunho’s hair and pulling a contented purr from the other’s lips. “I don’t think I could have survived much longer without you. Hyunwoo-hyung and his pack are great and I love them a lot but they’re not— they can’t replace you guys.”

Wooyoung pulled Mingi’s face around and kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad you held on, baby,” he whispered, careful not to wake Yunho. “We wouldn’t have survived without you either.”

Mingi returned the kiss, giggling against Wooyoung’s lips when Yunho snuffled awake and nudged his way in between the two of them to steal his own kiss from Mingi. 

“Love you, alpha,” Yunho mumbled against Mingi’s lips. “Love you.”

Notes:

Mingi is finally home :) Only good things from here on out (in this fic at least)! I pinkie swear

Thank you for reading! I'll see you guys next Friday for the second to last chapter <3

Chapter 19

Summary:

The pack missed Mingi.... and they have a very important question to ask him.

Yunho’s heat dragged on much longer than the pack expected and when he finally came up, he was still just as clingy to Mingi as when he went under though he, at least, was coherent now. He was a little more apt to allow his packmates to leave the bed but Mingi was still confined to the nest, having been relegated as Yunho’s personal seat as he pressed his nose into the alpha’s neck. 

Eventually, Yunho started to shift around in Mingi’s lap, prompting him to gently take the omega by the waist to get his attention. “Do you want to take a bath, Yu?” he asked, pressing a kiss to the shell of his ear. 

Yunho hummed, nodding his head sleepily as he wrapped his arm around Mingi’s neck so the alpha could carry him into the bathroom more easily. “Stay with me?” he asked as Mingi brought him into the bathroom. 

The alpha kissed his hair, gently setting him on the closed lid of the toilet seat. “Always,” he whispered, feeling the heat crawling up his cheeks when he caught sight of a fond Yeosang watching them from the doorway. “As long as you’ll have me.”

“Mhmm,” he hummed, raising his arms for Mingi to pull off his t-shirt. “Forever then.” 

Mingi started the water, having Yunho check the temperature of it before allowing it to fill up. Yunho went into the bath easily, practically purring at the warm water as he stretched out a hand to hold onto Mingi’s forearm. Behind them, Yeosang smiled at the two before disappearing down the hall. 

The alpha didn’t pay him much mind, instead reaching out for Yunho’s tea tree and mint shampoo only for the omega to stop him with a gentle hand. “I want the lemon one,” he said. 

“The... lemon?” Mingi asked, feeling the heat creeping up his cheeks again as he changed direction to do as Yunho said. 

“Mhmm, wanna smell as much like you as possible,” he mumbled happily as Mingi began to suds up his hair. “You’ll scent me afterwards too, right?”

Mingi nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “Of course, Yu,” he stuttered out. “Whatever you want.”

Yunho hummed in lieu of replying, relaxing back against the tub while Mingi painstakingly washed every part of his body. By the time they were done, Yeosang had come and gone again, dropping off a change of clothes for Yunho. Mingi helped his omega get dressed, making Yunho giggle at his determined insistence to help even though he was more than capable of doing it himself. 

They meandered downstairs, Yunho guiding Mingi to the overstuffed armchair in the living room and curling up in his lap as he began to scent the alpha once again. 

“I missed you so much,” he breathed against Mingi’s skin. “I’m so glad you’re back... I’m so glad you came back in time for my heat.” He pressed his nose into the hollow under Mingi’s ear, humming softly. “I was so scared you weren’t going to make it. That— that I was gonna have to spend my heat without you like Seonghwa-hyung. I— I was— I was trying to find suppressants to hold off my heat when the trial date was announced.”

Mingi growled, tightening his hold on Yunho as he pressed his face into the omega’s hair. “No,” he growled. 

“I know,” Yunho whispered. “I know I shouldn’t have but— but watching Seonghwa-hyung go through his heat without you was painful enough and— and I’m not as strong as him. Not having you now that you’re in my life— I... I couldn’t bear it.”

“You can’t take those,” Mingi growled protectively. “No matter what.” He tugged Yunho upwards for a kiss, their lips lingering against one another’s. “You can’t hurt yourself like that, Yunho.”

Yunho pressed his cheek against Mingi’s chest, sighing deeply. “I know,” he breathed. “And I couldn’t— not really. The pack wouldn’t have let me but— but I’d rather just not have to be in that situation again. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

Mingi knocked on the frame of San’s bedroom, Shiber tucked against his chest. “Sanie?” he called, garnering the omega's attention. 

“Pingu!” San sang, opening his arms for the alpha from where he was sprawled out across his bed, phone laying discarded on the pillow next to him. “Come ‘ere, Alpha. I want cuddles.”

Mingi found that his feet moved of their own accord, landing him right on the edge of the big bed before he was crawling in amidst the pillows and stuffies. “Hi, Sanie,” he whispered once he had San curled up against his chest. 

San purred, nosing against Mingi’s scent gland. “Hi, Alpha,” he replied softly. 

They stayed curled around each other until Mingi remembered what he had been doing in the omega’s room in the first place. He reached around the edge of the bed blindly, careful not to dislodge San, until he grasped onto one of Shiber’s limbs and pulled the stuffed animal up towards them. 

“Thank you for letting me borrow him,” he said bashfully, handing the plushie to San, who had pulled back to see what Mingi was handing him with wide eyes. 

“Oh,” he breathed as he accepted the plush. “Thank you.” San pressed his nose into Shiber’s head, humming happily. “He smells like you,” he chirped. 

Mingi ducked his head, embarrassed, until suddenly he had an armful of happy omega as San had discarded Shiber to bury his nose into the real scent. The alpha didn’t say anything as he shifted to allow San more room to snuggle against his chest. 

“I’m glad you’re back, my little pingu,” San cooed. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” Mingi whispered, closing his eyes as San started to rhythmically scent him. “I missed you too.”

They were interrupted a while later by Seonghwa knocking on the door frame before making his way over to the bed. “So this is where the two of you were hiding,” he teased as he crawled into the bed on Mingi’s other side. “What have you two been doing?”

San hummed, nose still firmly stuck in Mingi’s neck. “Cuddling,” he mumbled sleepily. 

“Can I join?” 

The younger omega huffed out a laugh. “Haven’t you already, hyung?”

Seonghwa smirked. “Well when you put it like that,” he sang, pressing his cheek to Mingi’s shoulder. 

Mingi giggled, pressing his cheek to the top of Seonghwa’s head. “You’re welcome to join us, hyung,” he said, earning himself a fond nuzzle from the elder. 

Seonghwa hummed happily, pressing himself closer to the younger. “How are you doing?” he asked after a few moments of quiet. “After Yunho’s heat?”

“Really good,” he replied softly. “I— I had never gotten to take care of an omega’s heat before—not— not like that— and it was— it was really nice. I’m really sorry I couldn't be there for your heat, hyung.”

“It wasn’t your fault, my love,” Seonghwa murmured. “ Though I hope you know that during my next heat I’m not letting you out of my arms.”

Mingi smiled into the omega’s hair. “I’d like that,” he whispered. “I’d like that a lot.”

 

“Mingi,” Wooyoung called, giggling when Mingi came over to where he was sitting on the couch. The second the taller alpha was in reach, Wooyoung tugged him onto his lap, giggling at the little “ oof” the other released when he fell down. “Hi, baby,” he chirped, pressing a kiss to Mingi’s cheek once he had settled comfortably on the smaller alpha’s lap. 

“Hi, Alpha,” Mingi hummed, pressing his nose into Wooyoung’s scent gland. 

“Missed you,” he breathed, cuddling Mingi closer as they devolved into a messy scenting of one another. Wooyoung burst into happy giggles a little while later, face still firmly planted in Mingi’s neck.

“What’s so funny?” Mingi asked, swallowing back the infectious giggles. 

Wooyoung giggled again, nosing up until his lips were brushing Mingi’s ear. “I just love how happy cuddling me makes you,” he admitted softly. 

Mingi cocked his head in confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked. 

“Your lemonade scent— it’s so sweet,” Wooyoung chirped happily. “It’s completely enveloped the room.”

The taller alpha frowned, growing somber as he tried— unsuccessfully— to pull away. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled morosely. “I know it’s not a pleasant scent— I’ll— I’ll try to keep it in.”

Wooyoung gasped, tugging Mingi closer to his chest. “Don’t you dare, baby,” he chided. “Your scent is so beautiful and sweet. Please— never hide it from us.”

“Are you sure?” Mingi questioned hesitantly. “It’s not too rotten?”

“Your scent hasn’t been rotten for a long time, baby,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Mingi’s temple. “It’s so lovely and we all love it. I promise.” He leaned backwards until they were falling onto their backs and he could cage the larger alpha against the back of the couch with his body. “I love you, Mingi-yah,” he whispered as he flung his leg over the other man’s. “Every part of you.”

Mingi closed his eyes, basking in Wooyoung’s warmth. “I love you too.”

Mingi crawled directly into Hongjoong’s arms, purring at how the alpha readily accepted him the second he saw him coming. “Hi, baby,” Hongjoong murmured, kissing his cheek as he settled down against his shoulder. “Good day?” 

The younger nodded, humming happily. “Johnny-hyung accepted my internship application,” he sang. “And he and Changkyun-hyung took me out for lunch to celebrate. And then Taemin-hyung texted me and asked if we could go over for dinner on Saturday, he said Jonghyun-hyung found a new recipe that he wants to try out for us. Do you think we can go?”

“That sounds great, sweetie,” he murmured. “I would love to come with and I know the rest of the pack would as well.”

Mingi beamed, nuzzling closer to Hongjoong’s scent gland. “I’m really glad I have you guys,” he whispered. “Thank you— for being patient with me and teaching me and— and loving me.”

Hongjoong nudged Mingi’s head away from his neck and pressed a sweet kiss to the younger’s lips. “It’s our pleasure,” he whispered once they had separated. “You are everything to us, Mingi-yah. Absolutely everything.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the open door, both of their heads turning in sync to find Seonghwa leaning against the door frame with a fond smile on his face. “Do you have room for six more?” he asked teasingly. 

Mingi looked around the cramped sleeper-sofa in Hongjoong’s office in despair, trying to calculate how they were going to fit six more grown men on the small couch. 

Seonghwa laughed, stepping into the room and caging Mingi in between him and Hongjoong. “How about you two come down instead?” he suggested, pressing a series of kisses up and down Mingi’s neck. “San and Yunho made a nest in the living room for all of us.”

“That sounds lovely,” Hongjoong murmured. “Does that sound alright with you, Mingi-yah?” He asked. 

Mingi nodded readily, already nudging the two older packmates off of the couch and towards the door. “I wanna see their nest,” he declared. “Cause I know it’s gonna be beautiful.”

“That you’re right, baby,” Seonghwa sang, threading their fingers together as they descended the staircase. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Mingi paused in the archway to the living room, a soft gasp escaping his lips when he saw the transformed space. He hadn’t come through the living room when he got home that afternoon, having come in through the garage entrance and had gone straight upstairs to cuddle with Hongjoong and tell him the good news. Now, though, Mingi wished he hadn’t because the living room was a thing of beauty. 

The boys had strung up fairy lights all around the room and turned off the overhead lamps, casting the whole space in a warm glow. Nearly every blanket the pack owned was scattered across the floor between the couch and television along with so many pillows Mingi knew that the nest would feel like he was laying on a cloud. The rest of the pack was already cuddled up in the nest, the menu screen of a disney film queued up on the TV. 

Yunho opened his arms for the three of them when he spotted them, whining softly and triggering the alphas into following their instincts straight into his embrace. The omega purred once he had Mingi and Hongjoong on either side of him, giggling at San’s petulant huff from Mingi’s other side where he was sitting on Wooyoung’s lap. 

“Your nest is beautiful, babies” Hongjoong complimented, kissing Yunho’s temple fondly. “Absolutely perfect.”

Mingi hummed his agreement, nosing against Jongho’s cheek when their youngest crawled into his lap. Everyone got themselves comfortable around the nest while Yeosang hit play on the remote. Mingi found himself watching the pack more than the movie itself, just so grateful to have them here, with him, in that moment. 

When the credits rolled, Wooyoung clambered out of the nest clumsily, pulling fond laughter from his packmates as he collected something from behind the side of the couch. Mingi watched on in interest, confused at the small box the other alpha pulled out and brought back to the nest. 

Wooyoung handed the box to Hongjoong, practically vibrating in excitement as he clambered to sit behind Mingi and wrap his arms around the other’s waist. The rest of the pack moved to sit around the pair, creating a circle with Mingi at the center. 

“What’s going on?” Mingi asked, relaxing back against Wooyoung’s chest. 

“We wanted to ask you something,” Hongjoong started, sounding nervous and excited and everything in between, making Mingi shift in his own rising nervousness. “Something that we’ve wanted to do for months— since before you had to leave— and we’ve finally... everything has finally settled down again and I’d— we’d— like to, you know— ask you if—”

Seonghwa snorted, tugging Hongjoong back against his chest and pulling a huff from the alpha. “You’re rambling, Joongie,” he teased, kissing the other’s cheek to soothe the sting of his words. “Out with it love.”

Hongjoong sighed, closing his eyes as he collected himself before turning his attention fully back on Mingi. “We’d like to invite you to join our pack— officially.”

Mingi gasped, staring at the pack alpha in shock as the rest of the pack sat around him in tense silence. “You want— you really want me to— to be your... your mate?” he asked. “For... forever?”

“We’re not complete without you, Mingi,” Hongjoong stated. “Our hearts belong to you. Ever since I first saw you on the floor of the grocery store clinging onto Yunho like your life depended on it I knew you’d be with us forever. I can’t imagine my life without you in it— any of you— and, if you’ll accept, we’d like to make you our mate. Permanently.”

It was so silent you could hear a pin drop, the silence stretching out as the pack started to shift around nervously at Mingi’s unreadable expression. 

“Mingi-hyung?” Jongho called nervously. “Are you— are you alright?”

“It’s okay if you need time to think about it,” Seonghwa murmured, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. 

“Yes,” Mingi whispered, voice barely audible even in the silence that followed. His head was tipped down, eyes hidden behind his bangs as he looked down at the floor. 

Hongjoong leaned forward slightly, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “What was that, love?”

“Yes,” he whispered again. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Wooyoung asked, unable to stop the hope from creeping into his voice. 

“Yes,” Mingi said again, raising his head to meet Hongjoong’s with watery eyes. “Yes, I want to be your mate.”

There was a moment of silence before the entire room burst into excited hollering, toppling over one another as they all tried to hug Mingi at once. Mingi was at the bottom of the dogpile, cackling giddily as San peppered his face in kisses. 

“Do it now,” Yunho insisted, nuzzling against Mingi’s neck. “Hongjoong-hyung— Alpha— do it now.”

Hongjoong chuckled, gently tugging Mingi from the pile to situate him between his legs. “No,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss the skin of Mingi’s scent gland gently. “We’re going to do this right.”

Mingi cocked his head in confusion, trying to tilt enough to look up at Hongjoong. “What do you mean, hyung? He asked. 

“It means,” the alpha sang, helping Mingi turn enough so that they could press their lips together in a gentle kiss. “That we should call Taemin-hyung. Because we have a wedding to plan.”

Mingi’s eyes widened. “A wedding?” he asked. “Like a real— a real wedding?”

Hongjoong nodded, pressing another kiss to Mingi’s lips as he pulled out a set of extravagant chains from the box Wooyoung had given him, setting them in Mingi’s hands. “Exactly like a real wedding,” he said. “We’ve had one to welcome each mate into our pack. And we’ll do the same for you. Is that okay?”

The younger smiled bashfully, immediately hiding his face in Hongjoong’s chest as he nodded, fingers playing with the links of the chain thoughtfully. After a few moments he pulled back, confusion painting his face once again. “But why do we need to call Taemin-hyung?” he asked. 

“I thought you might appreciate being given away by him,” Hongjoong murmured. “Since he’s been— you know...”

Mingi nodded, smiling. “Since he’s the first family I had that was actually family,” he finished. “But aren’t pack members traditionally given away by two family members? Can I— would it be okay if we asked Kihyun-hyung to be my other family?”

Hongjoong nodded, beaming at the younger. “Absolutely,” he murmured, unable to resist leaning down to steal another kiss from Mingi. “As long as we can be there when you ask. I’m pretty sure you’re going to make him cry.”

“Oh, definitely,” Mingi sang, sinking backwards against Hongjoong as the rest of the pack got comfortable around him. “I can’t wait.”

Notes:

Welcome to the end!! This is the last Friday update for this fic and I promise, I'm not crying-- you're crying ;)

Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and don't worry, I'll see you guys on Monday for the wedding <3

Chapter 20: Bonus: The Wedding

Summary:

Did you know Taemin cries at weddings?

“Hyung?” Mingi called hesitantly, instantly turning five separate heads. “Ah— Hyunwoo-hyung,” he corrected himself, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

Hyunwoo smiled, making his way across the small room to where Mingi was struggling to clasp his bracelet. “How can I help, pup?” he asked, chuckling when the younger alpha thrust out his wrist with a pout. Hyunwoo took the limb, gently turning it so he could fasten the intricate series of bracelets winding up Mingi’s wrist. “Want me to help you with the rest?” he offered once they were all clasped. 

Mingi nodded, handing the alpha his other wrist. “You’re not mad at me, are you, hyung?” he asked nervously. 

Hyunwoo’s head shot up, fingers frozen on the bracelet as he stared at the younger in horror. “Of course not,” he exclaimed softly. “What reason could I possibly have to be mad at you for? You’re my pup, Mingi. I don’t think there’s a single thing you could do that would make me angry with you.”

“I didn’t ask you to give me away,” Mingi admitted, staring resolutely at the floor.

“I never expected you to,” Hyunwoo reassured, releasing Mingi’s wrist in favor of cupping the younger’s cheeks. He gently tilted Mingi’s head up so their eyes met. “I know I’m just as much part of your family as Kihyun or Taemin, puppy. And I understand why you chose them to send you off. I’m not upset by your choices, Mingi-yah. I’m proud of you.”

Mingi sighed, eyes fluttering closed in relief. “You’re sure, hyung?” he checked. 

“Positive,” the elder murmured, pulling Mingi close and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I love you, pup.”

He smiled, eyes suspiciously wet as he pulled back and placed his wrist back in Hyunwoo’s hand. “Thank you, hyung. I love you too.”

 

Mingi had never been to a wedding before. When he had been mated off to Junghwa’s pack it had only been a fifteen minute affair in a courthouse where he signed whatever was thrust in front of him. But this— this was completely different. 

Their backyard had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale as the sun set behind the trees. There were trellises covered in sheer fabric and fairy lights everywhere, candles flickering softly on each table, and quiet violin music playing from a speaker further into the yard. 

He and the rest of his future mates were all wearing white hanboks that were traditional to Yunho, Jongho, and Hongjoong’s upbringing. And intricately woven gold chains around their wrists and necks that came from Seonghwa’s family traditions. They each had their own set that connected with each other’s and would be connected during the ceremony, Seonghwa had explained. 

The large circular cushion in the center of the yard was from Wooyoung’s traditions and the sheer fabric that hung over the open gazebo overhead was San’s. 

Mingi could see the pack through the fabric, vision only slightly obscured by the fabric, but he could still pick out each individual member as easily as breathing. He stood by the backdoor, hands shaking in Hyunwoo’s as he watched their guests settle down on their own cushions around the gazebo, all eyes turning to him one by one. 

“Ready, pup?” Kihyun asked, gently taking one of Mingi’s hands from Hyunwoo.

He nodded shakily, shooting the omega a smile filled with nerves and excitement. This moment was everything he had ever wanted and had never thought he could ever have and he was more than ready to spend the rest of his life with the men he knew he was truly meant to be with. 

“Ready,” he replied. 

Another hand slid into Mingi’s free one, startling him as he whipped his head around to see who had stolen his hand. Taemin smiled back at him, making him giggle as the elder leaned in to press a feather light kiss to Mingi’s cheek.

“Hyung, are you crying again?” Mingi asked teasingly, the elder’s wet face breaking him from his nervous jitters.

Taemin snorted, rolling his teary eyes fondly as he leaned over to press another kiss to Mingi’s temple. “Of course I am, pup,” he croaked. “I’m giving away a pup I never even imagined I’d get to have. I’m so incredibly happy right now that there’s no stopping these tears. You’ll just have to deal with this over-emotional hyung.”

Mingi smiled, squeezing their hands together. “I wouldn’t have you any other way, hyung,” he murmured. 

A hush fell over the crowd, Mingi spotting his pack tensing up behind the curtains as the music changed and Kihyun and Taemin gently nudged Mingi to start the slow procession to the center circle. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hyunwoo ducking away and settling down on his own cushion where the rest of his pack were already seated and watching. Jooheon was crying, head tucked against Changkyun’s shoulder and smiling as widely as his face would allow. 

Mingi shot him a smile, receiving a thumbs up from both Jooheon and Minhyuk, making him giggle before turning his eyes forward again. A little closer to the gazebo, Taemin’s pack sat, curled around each other, as they watched him make his way to his packmates. 

His bare feet were cushioned by soft white rose petals, a tradition Yeosang had chosen for himself since he had grown up in the same kind of life as Mingi and had never had anything from his past to bring to their wedding. When he was told that he, too, could choose his own tradition if he had wanted to, Mingi had cried, sobbing into Yeosang’s chest for what felt like hours before pulling him into one of their bedrooms to brainstorm ideas for his own tradition to add to their pack. 

And god, was Mingi excited to add his tradition. The only people who knew what it was were Yeosang and Hyunwoo and he couldn’t wait to see the rest of the pack’s faces when they found out. 

He reached the gazebo and Sicheng bowed to him in greeting. Sicheng was one of Johnny’s packmates and had officiated three of his mates into Hongjoong’s pack and now he was welcoming Mingi into their pack too. The omega shot Mingi a playful smile, accepting the alpha’s hands from Taemin and Kihyun who bowed before turning and rejoining their packs in the crowd. 

“Hi,” Sicheng greeted softly, smiling at Mingi.

“Hi,” he parroted, his return smile wide if a little shaky. 

“Ready for the rest of your life?”

Mingi released a relieved laugh as he nodded his head. “ So ready.”

Sicheng chuckled, squeezing Mingi’s hands before turning to face the crowd. “Song Mingi,” he declared, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. “Child of Yoo Kihyun and Lee Taemin. By stepping into this circle you are committing yourself to the seven other men who have already stepped inside this ring. This bonding is a promise to love and care for these souls with your whole being as they promise to do the same for you.” Mingi nodded his head, unable to get any words past his lips as the reality of what he was doing crashed down around him. Sicheng smiled and pulled back the curtain, allowing Mingi into the center gazebo, following behind and making sure that the fabric fell back into place to give the pack privacy during the mating. 

He led Mingi to the singular cushion not taken up by the rest of his pack and helped him kneel down before taking a step back— out of the circle but still close. 

Everything after that felt like it was going in slow motion and at a million miles an hour simultaneously. He heard Sicheng talking, heard the loving promises as each of his packmates took their turn to verbally accept Mingi into their pack, and then it was Mingi’s turn and he felt like the floor had just opened up underneath him. 

Sicheng nodded to Mingi, shooting the younger man an encouraging smile that grounded him enough to not pass out. He sucked in a deep breath, already feeling his throat constricting at the swell of emotions bubbling in his stomach.

“Every corner of my heart has been healed and filled by your love,” Mingi choked out, trying to blink the tears from his eyes. “You taught me how to love not only others but more importantly myself. You taught me to value my own self-worth and my value to others— to you— and that my imperfections are not something to be ashamed of or are something that can make me worth less. And I now know, without a shadow of a doubt, the love that you carry for me in your hearts is the same love that you carry for each other.” He paused, sniffling as he tried to see through the tears. His only consolation was that his mates were crying just as hard. 

Sicheng handed him a long slender box, nodding his head fondly before sliding back out of the circle. Mingi could see the confusion on Seonghwa’s face and the excitement on Yeosang’s as he perked up on his cushion. He carefully took the lid off of the box, presenting the line of eight custom engraved rings to his packmates, making them gasp in awe. “With these rings, I commit myself to you, wholly and unconditionally; a physical reminder each and every day of the love I carry in my heart for each and every one of you and now choose to carry openly for the world to see. You have made me a better person and I never want anyone to doubt where my heart resides.”

“Mingi,” Hongjoong croaked, shaking hands coming up to rest over top of the younger alpha’s. 

“I don’t come from a pack with traditions,” he continued, turning over one of his hands to squeeze Hongjoong’s. “But I wanted to bring something to this wedding that we can carry with us for the rest of our lives together. This isn’t just a ring but a promise— a promise to love you like you have always loved me for the rest of my life and the eternity that awaits us after.”

He set the box on his thighs before carefully pulling Hongjoong’s hand towards himself, plucking the personalized silver band he had made for Hongjoong from the liner and sliding it on his finger. 

“An eternity with you sounds like a dream come true,” Hongjoong murmured, gently cupping Mingi’s cheeks and kissing him on the lips before pulling back and allowing Seonghwa to slide into place.

Mingi went through the pack, sliding their rings on each of their fingers in succession before receiving a kiss from them. By the time he got to Jongho, the youngest member of their pack was a sobbing mess, falling into Mingi’s arms the second he was in reach. 

He cradled the beta to his chest for a moment, kissing his hair before gently pulling back. “Can I put this on you, Jongie?” he asked, holding up the ring for Jongho to inspect. 

Jongho nodded his head, thrusting his shaking hand into Mingi’s grip. “Please,” he sobbed. 

Yunho reached forward to rub at their youngest’s back as Mingi slid the ring onto his finger, renewing Jongho’s tears. “I love you, Jongho,” Mingi murmured, thumb tracing the pink scar on the beta’s palm before bringing the hand up to press a feather light kiss into the skin. 

The younger leapt forward and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss that pulled a few laughs from their guests at his exuberance before he ducked back into his proper seat. 

Hongjoong slid forward again, taking the final ring from the box and gently sliding it onto Mingi’s own finger. “A beautiful promise,” he whispered, kissing the alpha’s knuckles. 

Sicheng gave them a few more moments before continuing with the ceremony. “As the day closes around us, as does the chapter in this pack’s life as seven. With the exchanging of bites, Kim Hongjoong, you accept Song Mingi into your heart and into your pack to forever be a cherished mate under your protection. Do you accept these duties bestowed upon you as the pack alpha?”

“I do,” Hongjoong stated, holding Mingi’s hands in his as he stared into the younger alpha’s eyes. Mingi nearly closed his eyes at the intensity of Hongjoong’s expression but he didn’t want to miss a single second of this so instead he just shuddered and kept eye contact with his pack alpha. 

“And Song Mingi, will you, as an alpha under Kim Hongjoong, love and care for not only your pack alpha but each member of your pack to the best of your abilities for as long as you walk this earth?”

“I will,” Mingi whispered. 

Sicheng smiled, stepping backwards to the edge of the gazebo. “Then I, Dong Sicheng, of the Seo-Lee pack, testify as witness to this bonding as true. Song Mingi— I hereby congratulate you and welcome you to the Kim pack.” As the crowd clapped, Sicheng bowed to them and exited the gazebo, making sure the sheer curtain covered them fully before joining his own pack. 

Hongjoong cupped Mingi’s cheeks, kissing him one more time before smiling at the teary alpha. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“So ready,” Mingi replied, laughing when San tackled him from the side and nearly toppled the three of them. 

San quickly righted himself as Jongho situated himself in front of Mingi once again. He tilted his head to the side and grinned up at the alpha. “Make me yours, hyung,” he demanded, making the whole pack giggle at the unseriousness of it all. 

“I’ve never done this before,” he admitted as he gently cupped Jongho’s neck, his thumb rubbing the younger’s mating bite admiringly. 

“It’s instinctual,” Hongjoong reassured, sliding in behind the younger alpha and kissing his cheek as he gently brought Mingi’s mouth down to rest against Jongho’s neck. “Just let your alpha guide you.” He squeezed the back of Mingi’s neck and his mouth opened automatically, teeth slotting into Jongho’s mating bite perfectly. 

He held on for a few moments before releasing Jongho and feeling Hongjoong tilting Mingi’s neck to the side as Seonghwa guided their youngest’s mouth to Mingi’s neck. The bite felt only a little more painful than a needle, quickly melting into euphoria as Jongho’s consciousness nestled into the corner of his mind. 

They went up in age order, Hongjoong having explained before the ceremony that they chose not to follow secondary gender hierarchy as part of their customs. When it was Yunho’s turn to bite Mingi, his lips hovered over his skin for a few breaths, whispering a nearly inaudible “my alpha” before kissing the mating mark and sinking his canines into his flesh. 

By the time it was only Seonghwa and Hongjoong left, Mingi felt like he was barely coherent, so much having happened in the last few hours had turned his brain to soup in the best way possible. 

There was no one to hold Seonghwa so Mingi took the initiative and cradled the elder’s hips in his hands as he bit into the pack omega’s neck, feeling him slot himself into his consciousness next to the rest of his pack. 

His pack.

Seonghwa kissed Mingi’s lips and returned the bite without preamble. Afterwards, he gently tugged Mingi until the alpha’s back was against his chest. He cupped Mingi’s neck, kissing his mating mark before gently nudging him forward to where Hongjoong was displaying his mating bite for Mingi. 

“Go on,” Seonghwa murmured, kissing Mingi’s cheek. “Give our alpha some love.”

Hongjoong’s hand came up to cup the back of Mingi’s neck, guiding him the rest of his way to his pulse point as Mingi’s instincts took over and he bit into his pack alpha’s neck. The second he released his neck, Hongjoong’s long fingers were gently guiding his head to the side as Seonghwa hugged him from behind. The rest of the pack closed in around him, each reaching out to hold onto some part of him as Hongjoong kissed his neck one, two, three times before biting. 

He gasped, feeling everything slot into place, and sank, boneless, against Seonghwa as Hongjoong continued to hold on. Somewhere behind him, someone snorted, probably Wooyoung if Mingi had to guess. “Looks like Joongie-hyung’s rut is going to make an appearance sooner than we thought,” he chuckled, keeping his voice low enough that the guests couldn’t hear his comment. 

“Shut up,” Hongjoong grumbled as he pulled back. He turned his attention back to Mingi, cupping the younger’s cheeks and kissing him gently. “Welcome to our pack, Pingu,” he whispered against his lips. “Welcome home.”

They basked in each other for a few more moments before getting up, Yunho coming behind Mingi to help hold him up since his legs were doing a rather spot-on impression of jello. They divided themselves and pulled back the sheer curtains, fastening them to the support beams of the gazebo as the crowd cheered, some throwing more of Yeosang’s white rose petals as they stepped out of the circle as eight.  

Music started up, something upbeat and lively and their guests quickly made their cushions disappear as they made room to celebrate properly. 

The first dance was for the eight of them where Sicheng came up once again and carefully took the chains from each of their wrists and clasped them together so the only comfortable way to stand together was to hold hands with one another. Yunho was on one side of Mingi, their fingers threaded together tightly while Hongjoong was on his other side, grinning broadly as he kept a firm hold on Mingi’s hand. 

It was an odd sort of swaying dance, coming together and backing away, never fully coming apart as they spun in circles and their guests threw more of Yeosang’s flower petals into the air over their heads. Mingi found himself laughing as they danced, wiggling in time with San and Wooyoung across from him as they went. As the song came to an end, Hongjoong brought their hands up to his lips and kissed Mingi’s fingers before gently undoing the clasp of his chain and hooking it onto Mingi’s bracelet before doing the same to Mingi’s chain. They all exchanged chains as they undid the circle, kissing one another as they separated fully for the first time since they had stepped into the gazebo. 

Time seemed to speed up as the night progressed. He got to dance with each one of his boys before Kihyun stole him away, with a “it’s my turn to dance with my pup” shot playfully over his shoulder. He was passed around first through Hyunwoo’s pack and then Taemin’s, finally ending on a slow song with the beta, himself. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Taemin murmured, resting his cheek on Mingi’s shoulder as they swayed together. “You’ve come so far, Mingi-yah.”

“It’s thanks to you,” Mingi replied, resting his head on Taemin’s. “Thank you for not giving up on me and for being the rock I needed— for being my family. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

Taemin laughed wetly, shaking his head as he pulled back enough to look the alpha in the eyes. “You saved yourself,” he corrected. “I’m grateful to have been able to be a part of your journey and recovery but never think that your success was anyone’s accomplishment but your own. I’m proud to call you my child, Mingi. And I’m so grateful to see you with a pack to call your own.”

Mingi nodded, kissing Taemin’s cheek before pulling back as the music came to a soft end. “Thank you, hyung,” he murmured. “I love you.”

The beta smacked his arm gently, huffing dramatically as Minho came up to hug his mate from behind. “Stop making me cry,” Taemin scolded playfully. And then, “I love you too, pup.”

Mingi felt someone’s hand slip into his. Turning his head, he found San as the culprit, the omega bringing their joined hands up to his mouth and placing a feather light kiss to Mingi’s ring. “The guests are leaving,” he announced, chuckling when Minho nodded his head, the elder beta clearly trying to pull Taemin away from Mingi unsuccessfully. “And we are saving clean-up for the morning.”

Minho chuckled, tucking Taemin under his arm. “We’ll come over after breakfast to help,” he said.

“Make it after lunch, hyung” Seonghwa declared, coming up to wrap his arm around Mingi’s waist on his other side. “We’re not going to be getting up early so you shouldn’t either.”

The beta nodded, smiling fondly. “Noted,” he chirped. “Have a good night, boys.”

San giggled, squeezing Mingi’s hand tightly. “Oh, we will,” he sang. “We have a new mate to spoil. Tonight, and every night after for the rest of our lives.”

Notes:

And that's a wrap!

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Until the next fic <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Parastin