Chapter Text
Being raised in an alpha only household was definitely prevalent in Minho’s upbringing.
His mother, also from an entire household of alphas, courted Minho’s father in the most untraditional traditional way possible considering they’re both alphas. It’s not unheard of, but definitely rare in this society. Not that courting is common anymore in the first place. His father still wears the bracelet his mother had given him as a courting gift, though, and Minho definitely envies the relationship they share.
So, when Minho was younger, he knew he wanted to be the perfect example of a respectful alpha like his parents were. He wants to find his forever person and court them just like his mother did for his father. Their courting lasted years until they made it official since they were both in school and wanted to sort out their lives before settling down.
Minho’s choice of profession definitely isn’t ideal for his want to court someone, though. Starting as just a dancer to becoming a trainee at JYP could become a problem if he does find someone he wants to court.
He figures he doesn’t have to worry about that right now. He’s nineteen, trying to become an idol to live out his dream of being the center of the stage.
He doesn’t have to worry about it until Chan introduces him to the other boys he’s been gathering to create his group.
Chan, like him, is an alpha. All of the other boys that Chan has introduced him to so far haven’t presented, which isn’t an issue and is actually fairly common in the idol industry. It’s also not uncommon to hide your presentation as an idol.
Minho knows he doesn’t want to go around flaunting his alpha title. The status of being an alpha nowadays is so over exaggerated as something that it’s not. Minho’s not some domineering, mean, heartless alpha who can’t control his ‘instincts’ when it comes to a pretty omega.
He’s just himself and happens to be an alpha. He has ruts and a smell that isn’t very ‘alpha-like’ according to others (he’s been told he smells like lavender and vanilla, which is apparently very sweet for an alpha. Minho doesn’t care).
And, in all of his nineteen years, he’s never come across someone so pretty and precious that he feels the need to exert his alpha instincts in a way to protect .
He has never felt that instinct before. He’s never been threatened or in a position where he feels like he needs to protect someone. This random encounter shouldn’t be any different.
He doesn’t even know this boy’s name yet, just that he’s one of the younger boys that Chan has taken it upon himself to gather for the ‘perfect’ group. This pretty boy with big, dark eyes and round cheeks that are currently puffed up from sipping on the straw in his Americano.
Now is a pretty bad time to get that urge to ‘protect’, because he’s supposed to be greeting these people who could potentially be in a group with him and he kind of just wants to sweep this cute boy off his feet and propose to him right now.
“Minho, these are my producing friends. I’ve mentioned them before. That one with his headphones on is Changbin, and the one glaring at you is Jisung. Don't worry, he’s really sweet,” Chan says.
Jisung stops glaring when Chan calls him out for it and instead starts whining to Chan that he isn’t glaring.
He was, but Minho found it more funny than intimidating.
Jisung stares him down again, but the glaring is less prevalent. It looks more like he’s just analyzing him, making Minho feel a little scrutinized under his gaze, yet, it’s still not the intimidating gesture that Jisung’s trying to make it be. It also doesn’t help that Chan takes that exact moment to pinch his puffy cheek between his fingers. Jisung spits out the Americano he’d been storing there when Chan pinches, and it lands all over the two of them.
Minho laughs when Chan sighs, staring at the new, dark stain all over his white shirt.
Minho doesn’t know Jisung, but if the plan goes through and Chan’s group succeeds, then they will have to spend a lot more time together. Minho wants to spend a lot more time with Jisung, but he worries it may end up not being the best idea for all of them if he’s forced to become close with someone that he’s become so infatuated with already.
Jisung, who is hopefully assessing him to be a good enough person to his standards, eventually reaches a hand out to Minho. Minho shakes his hand maybe a little too excitedly, but if Jisung notices he doesn’t say anything. Jisung’s hand is cold, wet from the condensation of his Americano.
“Minho, I still have to introduce you to Seungmin and Jeongin. They’re finishing up some vocal practice, so we can probably meet up with them and get lunch. You cool with that?”
Minho nods, still refusing to look away from Jisung, who is no longer acknowledging him and has gone back to working with Changbin. He assumes he’ll get a chance to speak to Changbin when he’s not immersed in a song he’s working on.
He turns back to Chan, who somehow managed to slip out of his stained shirt and exchange it for a dark red one. Minho’s eyes don’t leave Jisung until he almost bumps into the wall on the way out of the studio.
JYP approves a survival show for them, and it goes terribly for Minho since he gets eliminated. During the show itself though, he got to know the other members really well and specifically got to know Jisung better.
He’s two years younger than Minho, and he’s unpresented, so currently living as a beta like the rest of the group. Minho could kind of figure out that part on his own considering the lack of scent he releases, but it’s still interesting when he gets to hear Jisung talk about how excited he is to present as whatever the universe has decided for him.
So, now, he has finally debuted as an idol under a big company, and he lives in a dorm with seven other men. No big deal.
Except, it really is, because Chan’s rut started, and the place stinks.
Sadly, there’s not much they can do about it. They can’t afford a hotel to send Chan off to and they’re not well off enough to have thicker walls designed to block strong scents, so Chan just stays in his room and Changbin and Felix just have to deal with it. It’s just lucky that Minho and Chan are the only ones that are presented.
Well, lucky for everyone else since they can’t smell anything. Minho is not having a good time.
Being around Chan in rut sucks . At least for Minho, apparently. He never knew he would get so affected by another alpha’s rut in this way. He’s heard that some people can be affected by other alpha’s ruts like this because of compatibility issues, but he never thought this is how he would be affected. It makes him on alert and all pissy whenever he inhales a lungful of Chan’s smoky scent.
He’s never been around anyone else in rut. He doesn’t have any siblings and his parents are kind enough to leave during theirs, so it’s a new feeling for him. A new feeling that makes him nauseous and not want to leave his bed.
He can hear the door to his room open and turns himself further into the blankets.
“Minho hyung?”
Hearing Han Jisung’s voice when he’s being affected by another alpha’s rut is the last thing he wants right now.
“What do you want Jisung?” he mumbles, voice muffled by the plush of his pillow. If he could sink into the mattress he would. It’s unfortunate that it’s not humanly possible to become one with his bed.
Footsteps echo through the room, and with a glance out of the corner of his eye, Minho can see Jisung standing at the edge of his bed now. He plants his face back into his pillow because the burning scent that’s coming from Chan’s room down the hall is bleeding into his nose.
Normally, Minho likes Chan’s scent a lot. Since they’re the only two alphas in the group currently, they can only participate in pack-like behavior together. Chan is always checking up on him, scenting him to ease each other when they’re stressed. Minho likes to release his scent for Chan when he’s being a stubborn ass and won't leave the studio to sleep. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that’s effective when they can’t get Chan out of work mode.
Right now, his scent smells burnt . The complex ways that scents work confuses Minho, but he’s not too concerned about it right now. All he wants is for Chan’s rut to be over so he can go back to being a functioning member of society.
“Do you want to… hang out?” Jisung whispers, his voice low so as to not disturb Hyunjin who’s asleep in his own bed. He wishes to be Hyunjin, blissfully unbothered by the burning scent of firewood seeping through the dorm's walls.
Minho turns his head, his cheek smushed up against the pillow that’s been useless in blocking out Chan’s burning scent.
“You’ll have to drag me out of this bed if you want me to go anywhere.”
He can finally get a decent look at Jisung now that he has his head turned. His hair is a tad messy, likely from having his head buried in his own bed, recently dyed a pretty shade of orange in preparation for their next comeback. He has an oversized hoodie on that looks like it belongs to Hyunjin with a pair of black shorts that peek out from underneath just a tad.
He’s too cute, and Minho is in too much distress to deal with his budding feelings right now. He turns back into his pillow and muffles a shout.
“Let’s go out, hyung. It’ll be good for you,” Jisung mumbles, and it’s then that Minho feels a delicate hand placed on his shoulder. Minho attempts to shrug it off, about to reject the offer again, when Jisung moves his hand to rest against his scent gland.
Jisung may not be presented, but even as a beta he obviously has an idea of alpha/omega anatomy. Of course he understands the idea of scenting, even if he isn't able to.
The press of Jisung’s fingers against his neck gets him to release a small hum, rubbing himself further into the touch.
Minho doesn’t let it go on for too long, because he soon realizes he feels much better. He can still smell the burning flames that is Chan’s unbearable rut scent, but it’s much fainter now that his head is a bit cloudy from the constant pressure against his scent gland.
He sits up from his face-planted position, finally turning around to face Jisung for the first time since he entered the room.
“You just want hyung to buy you food.”
“I do not ! I want to spend time with you, hyung! Get up and let’s go!” Jisung says, stomping his foot like a petulant child.
Minho barely has time to change into anything presentable, since he knows if he takes too long Chan’s unbearable rut scent will have him getting right back into bed. Instead, he grabs the nearest hoodie (he thinks it’s also Hyunjin’s, so both Jisung and he will not hear the end of it from him when he wakes up and realizes he’s missing multiple hoodies).
Jisung leads him out the door before Minho can consider changing into a different pair of sweatpants that aren’t wrinkled from rolling around in bed.
They don’t end up going far, just to a small café down the street that has Jisung’s favorite pastries, and even though Jisung had claimed that he didn't invite Minho just to pay, Minho shoves his card into the cashier’s hands before Jisung can argue with him.
Minho doesn’t have much of an appetite after the whole ‘finding out he can’t deal with Chan’s rut’ thing, so he just orders an iced Americano for himself.
Jisung sits across from him with a wide smile on his face and frosting from his cheesecake splattered across his lower lip.
Minho watches him with a poorly concealed smile, but Jisung either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, since he doesn't mention it when he finally looks up with his cheeks stuffed to the max.
“So, is that a normal thing? Are alpha’s, like, repulsed by each other’s scents when they get ruts?” Jisung asks, eyes wide in the way they get when his curiosity is piqued or he’s confused.
“No, it’s just a me with Chan thing, I think. I’ve heard that sometimes when people aren’t, well, compatible , they react badly to their heats or ruts. Must just mean Chan and I aren’t meant to be,” Minho says with a faked exasperated sigh. He sips away at his Americano, the bitter taste of espresso taking away the burnt taste that’s clinging to his mouth. Why can he taste it?
He wants to throw up, but he doesn’t. That feels a little dramatic for just being around an alpha in rut. He hasn’t even seen Chan since he started holing up in his room yesterday.
Jisung hums.
“Ah, I hope I present as an alpha. My parents are both beta’s though, so I’m probably out of luck,” Jisung says, his cheeks still stuffed with cheesecake. Minho waves his hands at him so he stops talking with his mouth full. Jisung just laughs, still refusing to unstuff his cheeks.
Minho shrugs.
“It’s not impossible. You can really present as anything. Both my parents are alphas, though, so it was pretty set for me to be one too,” Minho says. Jisung perks up at that.
“Your parents are both alphas? I’ve never seen an alpha couple. They must be so cool!” Jisung says, eyes wide. His Americano is squished between his fingers, almost spilling over the top from his unawareness. Minho reaches over to set it down for him before he makes a mess of the table.
“They are cool. I’ll take you to meet them sometime.”
God damn it.
Minho hasn’t even tried to properly court him yet. He can’t be trying to take Jisung home to meet his parents. That wouldn’t go particularly well when his parents try bombarding him with questions.
“Does that mean I can meet your cats?” Jisung says, eyes wide and full of excitement.
“Of course, you can meet my cats. They would love you,” Minho says. He doesn’t mention their stubbornness around newcomers. Somehow, he feels as if it will be fine.
Jisung stuffs his cheeks with frosting this time, a giant spoonful of just the icing that lines the sides of the cake. It leaves a giant marking from his spoon behind. He washes it down quickly with a large gulp of bitter Americano.
“I'll have to take you to meet Bbama sometime then, too,” he says.
Minho hums with a slight nod, sipping up the last of his Americano. They fall into a pleasant silence after that while Jisung finishes up his cake. Minho dreads going back to the dorms, but he realizes that he’ll have to eventually.
It had never bothered Minho before that the rest of the boys had yet to present. Changbin will probably start his presentation sometime soon, and if Minho has to guess, he presumes that Changbin will join Chan and him as an alpha.
There’s not exactly a set age at which presentations are meant to start. It’s completely random and ranges from person to person. So many factors can be involved such as genetics, stress levels, health, and environment.
Minho himself had presented at a pretty early age, newly seventeen when he started showing early signs of rut. His mother told him that she had also presented at a similar age, so it didn’t surprise him too much. Chan told him he had also presented pretty early.
“Why do you want to be an alpha?” Minho asks before he can stop himself from saying it. Jisung looks up from his now empty plate, eyebrows raised.
“Why wouldn’t I want to be an alpha? They’re so cool!” Jisung says, eyes sparkling so bright that Minho swears he sees stars reflecting in them.
“Cool? What’s cool about being an alpha?”
“Aren’t you, like, naturally dominant?” Jisung asks, leaning on his hands on the table. Minho drops his empty cup on the table, the ice clinking when it hits the surface. He’s lucky that it doesn’t tip over.
“ Dominant ? I mean, sure, by nature, but that doesn’t mean I’m always like that,” Minho splutters, shocked by Jisung’s blunt response.
“Yeah! And you get to bite someone to claim them! That’s so cool!”
“You can claim someone as an omega, too. It’s just not as common because alphas are stubborn asses,” Minho says, sticking the straw into his mouth to suck up the melted ice. It just tastes like water with a hint of espresso to it. It’s pretty nasty, actually, despite the fact that Americanos are just watered-down espresso in the first place.
“Sure, but it’s just so cool to be an alpha! They’re sexy!” Jisung says. His voice is a little loud for the quaint cafe, but luckily no one really seems to be looking their way, or else Minho would have to reach over and shut Jisung up before they draw too much attention to themselves.
With a smug look, Minho asks, “Am I sexy?”
Jisung’s face turns bright red once he registers Minho’s words. He reaches up to cover his face with his hands but it does little to hide the quickly rising flush of his cheeks.
He nods.
“I mean, not in a weird way, but hyung is really attractive. But, so is Chan hyung, so I really don’t mean it in a weird way! I swear!” Jisung says. He keeps his hands on his face.
Minho isn’t sure whether to feel flattered or jealous. On one hand, Jisung thinks he’s attractive . He thinks he’s sexy . He has a chance of Jisung accepting his courting advances.
On the other hand, he also thinks Chan is hot.
Would Jisung accept a courting offer from Chan? Would he accept a courting offer from any alpha that came along?
Minho suppresses a growl and he really hates himself for it. He’s not some feral fucking animal.
Jisung isn’t his . He’s not his mate or even his partner. He’s a friend. His bandmate. A coworker.
A really, really, cute coworker. But a coworker, nonetheless.
He can’t be acting like that just because he has a stupid little hopeless crush on his friend.
“ Hyung ! Don’t just stare at me like that! I swear I don’t mean it in a weird way! I take it back! Hyung is super weird and ugly!” Jisung whines, slapping him on the shoulder. Minho chuckles.
“You already said it, Jisungie. You can’t take it back now,” Minho says. He stands up with his cup and grabs Jisung’s trash as well. “We should head back now.”
Jisung stares up at him with a pouty look etched on his face.
“Will you be okay? We can stay out a little longer.”
Minho shakes his head.
“No, we have a long day tomorrow. I wanna sleep,” Minho says. He can’t lie and say he’s excited to go back to the dorm, but unfortunately, there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s just going to have to suck it up and try to keep his eyes closed long enough to get some rest.
Jisung nods, standing up next to Minho.
They walk in silence back to the dorms, and the second that Minho gets the door open, he’s overwhelmed by Chan’s rut stench. It makes him want to shove his nose into a lit candle just to extinguish the scent of burnt wood and ashes. Chan’s usually musky scent isn’t pleasant when it’s like this.
Jisung grabs his arm, and Minho didn’t even notice that he was losing balance. He looks up slightly, staring at the pure look of pain etched on Minho’s face.
“You look horrible, hyung. Let’s get you to bed,” Jisung says, keeping hold of Minho’s arm to drag him back to his room.
He starts feeling nauseous again, but somehow, the pressure of Jisung’s hand around his bicep calms him. Jisung doesn’t even have a distinct scent to him, just smells human and like his shampoo, but it’s enough to keep Minho from retching at the burnt smell permeating the hallway.
Minho barely remembers Jisung pushing him onto his mattress. He reaches for his blanket instantly, wanting to hide himself from the scent as if that’s even possible. He at least enjoys that he can avoid Jisung’s look of pity.
”Do you want me to stay? I can sleep here.”
”No, it’s okay. I'll be fine,” Minho mumbles.
It seems to be enough because Minho hears the door open and close. He takes a deep breath, and instantly regrets it because Chan’s rut scent seeps into his senses and overtakes his nose. He tries to remember Jisung’s normal scent, but it’s gone from his radius. He muffles a groan into his pillow.
The door to his room opens again, and he assumes it’s Seungmin returning from vocal lessons. He remembers him saying he’d be back later tonight, so it’s still a little early, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to slip out a bit before planned.
But, then there’s a pressure against his hand, and a weight sinking into his mattress. Soon, the blanket he has resided under is lifted, and the pressure he felt on his hand is soon spread across his arm. Arms wrap around his torso, and he is soon engulfed in warmth.
Jisung seems like he’s been using Hyunjin’s shampoo because he smells flowery. Or maybe he stole one of his bath bombs. Either way, he smells amazing and minimizes the rut stench that seeps through the walls. Minho buries himself into Jisung’s neck faster than he can think.
Soon enough, they maneuvered themselves so Minho has Jisung’s back pressed against him, cradling Jisung in his arms with his nose shoved into Jisung’s neck. Even with the distinct lack of scent, it soothes Minho enough to forget about the dreadful nausea plaguing him.
He sleeps the best he has since they moved into the dorms, content with Jisung securely wrapped up in his scent (he’ll pretend that doesn’t soothe his alpha instincts, though).
And when Chan’s rut is over, and he asks why Jisung stinks of Minho, Minho refuses to answer. Chan teases him about it until he gets bored.
Changbin starts his presentation soon after they release their newest album “I am WHO.” Minho had been correct when he assumed Changbin’s alpha status, and although there’s nothing wrong with that, the lack of diversity in their group will probably start to catch up with them.
It’s not unheard of to have a pack completely of alphas, however, the lack of balance isn’t fun for anyone. Chan and Changbin aren’t inherently aggressive, and neither is Minho. He considers himself pretty passive, but having a bunch of alphas contained in a small place can be challenging.
Minho personally doesn’t feel the need to constantly assert himself, but Changbin and Chan have been getting at each other’s throats since Changbin’s rut ended.
It’s always small things, like misplacing things in the dorm or stealing each other's clothes, but their arguing has been constant.
Once Changbin settles into his alpha role, the fighting will likely die down. Neither of them has tried to argue with Minho, and he’s thankful for that, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the members.
The only reason Minho leaves his room is because he’d been trying to get some sleep. They finally have a day off after constant stages, and he wanted to catch up a little on sleep with a midday nap, but the screaming coming from the kitchen has been keeping him awake.
”Changbin! Some of us are trying to sleep ! Go take out your anger at the gym instead of taking it out on the kids!” Minho yells, grabbing a throw pillow and tossing it across the room. It hits the back of Changbin’s head, but the pressure barely moves him.
Sitting at the island counter is Kim Seungmin, sipping out of a straw, completely immersed in something on his phone. Whoever Changbin had been yelling at, it clearly hadn’t been Seungmin.
Changbin turns around, and he reeks of his new alpha scent, something just as musky as Chan, but with a hint of blueberries underneath. It’s pleasant when he isn’t stinking up the dorm from failing to suppress his anger.
”It’s fine. He’s probably done now that Jisung left,” Seungmin says, glancing up from his phone to lock eyes with Minho. Seungmin stands from his chair. “I’m going to take a nap. Good luck, hyungs.”
“Why were you and Jisung fighting?” Minho asks, glancing around the kitchen. There’s nothing out of place so he can’t imagine what happened. Jisung tends to let his anger get the better of him, lashing out irrationally since he never learned to properly deal with his anger in a healthy manner. He’s not surprised that he managed to rile up Changbin when he’s easily agitated in his current state.
Changbin’s scent grows sour, and when Minho catches a glimpse of his face, it’s full of regret.
“Fuck, I made him cry, hyung,” Changbin whispers.
Jisung’s crying?
Minho likes to think he’s done a pretty decent job at keeping his weird feelings for his bandmate repressed. Jisung is just his friend. He’s far too young to be on the receiving end of Minho’s fucked up desires for him as his mate.
Hearing that Jisung is crying, however, makes his blood boil.
He’s not aggressive, even if that’s the stereotype for alphas. He’s never been in a physical fight his entire life and he doesn’t plan to start now.
The urge to rip off Changbin’s head, however, is very strong.
Changbin’s eyes catch him, and his entire body goes stiff.
“Fuck, I forgot you’ve, like, claimed him as yours or whatever. I didn’t hurt him. Physically,” Changbin explains, putting his hands up in the form of surrender. He doesn’t dare to walk closer, even if Minho can tell he wants to.
“What did you do?” Minho asks, taking a deep breath, attempting to calm his mind. It’s impossible, though, because all he can think of is Jisung being hurt . Jisung being alone .
He needs to be with Jisung.
Changbin motions for Minho to sit down on one of the stools, seating himself on one of the other ones. Hesitantly, Minho sits beside him, forcibly restraining himself from socking Changbin in the face.
“Jisung is fine . I just yelled at him for drinking my last protein shake. I think I just scared him,” Changbin explains, his voice soft and slow. It’s the softest Minho has heard Changbin’s voice since his presentation. It’s likely that he’s finally settling down with his alpha status now that he's taken his anger out on their innocent bandmates.
“That's it? I'll buy you some fucking protein shakes. What did you say to make him cry? I don’t believe that he was just scared.”
Changbin’s eyes drift away from Minho’s, breaking their eye contact. His eyes lock on the floor, feet lightly kicking Minho’s chair.
“I may have… in a moment of weakness… told him that he isn’t… part of our pack.”
Minho’s chair falls from under him because of how abruptly he stands up. Changbin would probably have a black eye if it hadn’t been for the fact that Hyunjin decided to leave his room at that moment.
Hyunjin grabs Minho from underneath his arms, pulling him back from Changbin, who simply stares wide-eyed in his seat.
“Calm the fuck down, hyung. Changbin hyung may be an idiot, but we have schedules tomorrow. How are we gonna explain his bruised face to the managers?”
“I'll explain that he made my mate cry.”
Minho stops squirming in Hyunjin’s arms when the words leave his own lips. He looks to meet Changbin’s eyes, his expression smug as he watches Minho’s flustered state.
“Does your mate know he’s your mate?”
It’s clear in Hyunjin’s voice that he’s holding back a laugh, which causes his grip on Minho to loosen.
Minho escapes, mind cleared from the lighter energy filling the room. Before he speaks again, Minho shuts his eyes and takes a long, deep breath.
“Why did you say that?”
“I was mad, okay? He was, like, threatening my alpha status, or whatever.”
Minho glares.
“You’re going to apologize to him. Everyone in this group is a pack, even if it’s not official yet. Chan already said he wants to wait until most of us present.”
Minho’s anger has bubbled down at least. Instead, his thoughts fill with worry for Jisung.
Changbin nods.
“Yeah, I'll talk to him. He probably doesn’t want to see me right now, though.”
Minho glances at the clock above the stove. It’s only midday. Jisung will probably calm down in a few hours.
But, Minho doesn’t want him to be alone.
“Hyunjin, make sure that Changbin doesn’t rip Chan’s head off or make any more of the kids cry. I'm going to talk to Jisung.”
Hyunjin hums as he picks up Minho’s fallen chair.
“Let’s go watch a movie, okay?” Hyunjin says cheerfully, giving Changbin no room to argue as he drags him to the couch.
Minho runs to his room to grab a hoodie since it’s been raining a lot more than usual recently. He hasn’t checked the weather and he’d rather not risk it.
He’d thrown his hoodie on the floor in front of his dresser. It definitely needs to be washed, but Jisung’s not going to be the one to judge him for not doing his laundry.
As he slips the hoodie over his head, Minho catches a glimpse of a tiny box he left on his dresser.
It was an impulse purchase. A custom bracelet with tiny red and black beads. There’s a singular red bead in the shape of a rose that’s bigger than the rest of the others. It’s not noticeable unless you look at it very closely, but Minho’s initials are engraved within the petals.
He designed it himself, which took hours because of the not-very-user-friendly UI on the website.
He regretted the purchase once it arrived. He’s being too hasty. Jisung hasn’t presented and he also hasn’t shown any explicit interest in Minho. Trying to court him now would likely end in a rejection that Minho is not prepared to take.
Still, he slips the box into the pocket of his sweatpants and heads out to find Jisung.
The only place that Minho can imagine him being is at the company, locked away in the studio where no one will come find him because Chan and Changbin have been trying to cool down in the dorms after Changbin’s presentation.
Minho finds himself frozen in front of the studio door.
He could knock, but would Jisung answer? He can’t hear anything going on inside since the studio is soundproof, but he can only imagine how much of a mess Jisung probably is right now.
Is he still crying?
Minho stares at the takeaway bag of cheesecake hanging off of his arm, wondering if maybe this is too much.
It looks like a clear offer of courting. Jisung will obviously understand what this looks like. He’s going to understand what this is. He would be an idiot to not understand that Minho is trying to claim him as his own.
Would he be okay with that? Jisung doesn’t seem like the type to have insanely traditional values when it comes to courting. He hasn’t presented, and with the chance that Jisung could also be an alpha, how would he feel about another alpha courting him? Especially since Jisung is hoping to present as an alpha.
There’s not even a guarantee that Jisung will present at all and will just continue life as a beta.
But, Minho doesn’t care about any of that. Alpha, beta, omega; Minho just wants Han Jisung. He wants to be able to stake his claim on him to keep him out of anyone else's reach.
It’s such an awful and overwhelming feeling. What would Jisung think if he knew Minho was having these thoughts about him? They’re both so young. Jisung is clearly not ready to be contained in an everlasting relationship.
Trying to clear the overbearing thoughts from his head, Minho raises his fist to the door. The knock sounds loud in his own ears, the anxiety eating him up as he impatiently waits for Jisung to answer.
What if he’s not even here? What if Jisung ran off somewhere else, somewhere secluded where Minho would never know where to find him?
The thought is laugh-worthy. Jisung would never go somewhere unfamiliar. He’d either hole away in his room or come to the company. Jisung would get too overwhelmed somewhere unfamiliar.
His impatience shows when he reaches up to knock again. The lack of an answer is worrying, because what if he’s actually not here? What if Jisung made the dumb decision to run off somewhere he doesn’t know well? What if he gets hurt?
Minho’s about to pester an employee for a spare key when the door starts to creak open. Only an eye appears in the small crack of the door, but even with the small sneak peek, Minho can tell he’s been crying.
“Jisungie… can I come in?”
Minho keeps his hands behind his back, holding the cheesecake out of Jisung’s view.
“Why would you want to?” Jisung asks, his voice cracking when the words leave his lips. It feels like getting stabbed right in the heart when Minho hears how broken his voice sounds.
“Let me in, Jisung.”
Jisung huffs, but the door opens up just enough for Minho to slip through. Jisung turns around immediately, falling onto the couch in the corner of the room. He immediately grabs the blanket to cover himself with, so Minho assumes that this is how Jisung has been spending his time here.
At least he’s not overworking himself.
“I brought you cheesecake.”
Jisung’s head peeks up from under the blanket, his red cheeks and fluffy hair almost evoking a sob from Minho. His heart absolutely aches at the sight.
“Why?” Jisung whispers, but he still reaches out for Minho to hand him the treat. Smiling, Minho takes the box out of the takeout bag and hands Jisung the slice of cake from one of his favorite cafes. He swears he sees Jisung’s eyes water at the sight of the cake, but maybe he’s just overwhelmed with a lot of emotions right now.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard about what Changbin said.”
Jisung nods, spoon hanging out of his mouth, frosting already starting to make a mess on his lips. His red cheeks puff out as he looks up at Minho, looking comfortable as he stays cuddled up under the fluffy blanket he’s been using to shield himself.
Minho wants to squish him.
“He didn't say anything that isn’t true.”
“No, all of us are a pack. Your presentations don’t matter. Chan brought us all together, so even if we aren’t officially a pack, we still are in his eyes. Changbin is just being irrational because he’s not settled as an alpha yet.”
Jisung nods, spoon still hanging from his lips. His orange hair is an absolute mess and Minho has to physically restrain himself from going ahead and running his fingers through to settle the knots forming.
Even though he clearly took in everything Minho said, he obviously doesn’t seem convinced.
Minho regrets not ripping Changbin’s head off. Chan’s going to be hearing every word of what happened. Chan is not fun when he’s angry.
Minho knows Changbin didn’t mean it. He loves Jisung, and all the kids, even if he may not show it as much as he could. He looks out for them all silently, encouraging and helping them in any way that he can.
He’s now just also a dumb alpha, and from experience, Minho knows that presenting can feel like ass. It makes you hormonal and emotional and the overall experience is not fun. Minho would never recommend it to anyone. He’s a bit jealous of betas.
At least it’s not as bad as presenting as an omega can be. Minho’s thankful he’ll never have to experience that. Ruts are bad enough, so he can’t imagine going through heats. The frequency of heats is unbearable compared to the few ruts he gets a year.
“Jisungie, I'm serious.”
Minho hesitantly sits down beside Jisung, who lifts the blanket up to accommodate him. The fluffy material is warm from Jisung’s body heat and feels amazing against his cool skin. It hadn’t been raining today, but the weather had been on the colder side. The warmth radiating off of Jisung is enough to calm his mind and relax his body. It feels like melting, being so close to Jisung like this. It feels like he can truly have him .
He has to refocus his thoughts, not needing to get off track with the current matter he’s been presented with. The weight of the box in his pocket is heavier than it had felt before. The daunting idea of whipping it out right now for Jisung weighs on his thoughts like a taunt.
Jisung doesn’t need an alpha chasing after him right now. He needs a friend, someone to let him know that he’s cared for. Platonically.
When Minho glances at Jisung, he’s met with wide eyes and a vibrant smile. He still has a glob of white frosting stuck to his lips, and a small smidge splattered across his puffy cheeks.
God, Minho is going to throw himself against the wall at this rate. His heart is practically trying to break free from the confines of his chest. He pushes his hand against his chest like it’ll actually stop the frantic rate of his heartbeat. Jisung doesn’t seem to notice his predicament, his face blissed out as he takes another bite of cake.
Minho tugs the blanket over himself even further, jostling Jisung’s side of the blanket. He turns to look at Minho with the same wide eyes that he’s seen a hundred times.
“Do you think I’ll present soon, hyung?”
“It doesn’t matter when you present. You’ll always be my little Jisungie,” Minho says, smirking as he reaches up to ruffle Jisung’s knotted hair. Jisung pouts at him, dropping his spoon into the empty container, frosting sticking to all sides. Minho expects him to start just eating the frosting soon, and then maybe whine about wanting more.
Minho will buy him more if he asks.
“But, I want to be like hyung. I want to be an alpha,” Jisung mumbles, kicking his feet out from under himself. He lets his feet touch the floor, letting the blanket fall off of him as he stands. He leaves Minho cuddled up under the blanket alone. He tugs it further around himself.
“I'm sure you’ll be amazing no matter what you are,” Minho mumbles.
“Yeah, but alphas are so cool! Don't you like alphas?”
Minho blinks up at Jisung, the intense look in Jisung’s eyes piercing him.
Does he like alphas?
Minho’s not sure where that idea came from. Maybe it’s the fact that Jisung knows his parents are both alphas or maybe it’s because he’s told Jisung about his past flings when he was a backup dancer for BTS. When he was a backup dancer, they didn’t hire omegas. He’s not completely sure why (a pure idol image for the fans perhaps?), but he didn’t care and just dealt with being in close vicinities with dozens of hormonal alphas.
At least some of them were hot.
“I don't care about stuff like that,” Minho says. Jisung doesn’t look convinced as he glares down at him.
“It doesn’t matter. I just… want to feel like I'm actually part of the pack.”
“You realize most of the group hasn’t presented and it’s possible that some of them will be betas? It’s just been me and Chan for a while. Hyunjin will probably present next if we’re talking age-wise.”
Jisung nods, but his eyes meet the floor instead of locking gazes with Minho.
“I just… want to be able to take care of hyung…”
Minho blinks. Jisung still won’t meet his gaze, but the red blush on his cheeks blooms like roses as it covers his plush cheeks. The pouty look on his face makes Minho want to giggle, take Jisung’s cute little face in his hands, and kiss him until he’s left breathless.
He doesn’t do that, though. He just reaches out for Jisung’s hands and Jisung lets him intertwine their fingers easily. Minho doesn’t miss the tiny smile that forces its way onto Jisung’s lips.
“Why do you need to be an alpha to do that? I like you just the way you are, and I'll like you the way you present, too,” Minho mumbles. He keeps one hand intertwined with Jisung’s and uses his other hand to poke Jisung’s cheek. Minho takes the plush skin between his fingers and squeezes. Jisung bats his hand away.
“But wouldn't it be better if we could actually do pack things together? I see you and Chan do things all the time. I want to be a part of that,” Jisung says.
He steps closer to Minho, and if Minho didn’t know any better, he would think that Jisung was going to sit down. On his lap.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you view it, Jisung just stands there, staring down at Minho. His eyes look a little glossy like he’s going to start crying again. If another tear comes out of Jisung’s eyes, Minho will personally go back and choke Changbin out. Not before kissing Jisung’s tears away.
God, he’s turned into a sap . If he wasn't so utterly infatuated with Jisung he’d actually gag at his own thoughts.
“We can still do that? You should’ve just told me. And Chan. I mean, it’s a little different, but I can still scent you. If that’s what you want. Chan can too.”
“I can't scent you though. If we were really a pack, I could reciprocate,” Jisung says, swinging their connected arms back and forth. For Jisung’s sake, Minho doesn’t correct the fact that if Jisung happens to just stay a beta, he’ll never be able to do that. Minho pulls Jisung so he’s standing between Minho’s legs, closing them around Jisung’s legs so he can’t run away. Not that he thinks Jisung would try to run away right now.
“Do you want me to scent you?”
Jisung doesn’t give him any verbal confirmation. He just nods his head slowly, inching forward so that the space between them is non-existent.
Carefully, Minho pulls Jisung down to rest in his lap. It’s not the first time they’ve been in a position like this, but it feels different this time. It’s intimate. It feels like Jisung is his, even if just for a moment. Even if he has to pretend that Jisung wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.
Would he want to sit in Chan’s lap like this? Would he let him rub himself all over him, let his scent linger on him, and never let it fade?
Minho doesn’t let himself think about it and pushes forward. He rests his neck against Jisung’s, right where his scent gland would be. Hesitantly, he rubs his neck there, sighing at the immediate comfort that courses through him. He doesn’t let Jisung’s little sighs go unnoticed.
Minho scents Chan all the time, so this shouldn’t be any different. Yet, it is different. It’s different because it’s Jisung that he’s leaving his scent on. It’s Jisung that wants Minho’s scent on him. It’s Jisung who wants to smell like Minho, even if he himself can't make Minho smell like him.
Minho gets lost in the pleasure that is Jisung’s nonexistent scent gland. It feels euphoric to finally have what he’s been craving, even if it’s only a small dose of it. Even if it doesn’t mean what Minho wants it to mean.
Feeling a little dizzy, Minho releases himself from Jisung’s neck and meets Jisung’s dazed expression. The glossy effect from crying is still there, but his lips are quirked into a tiny smile and his cheeks are practically glowing a pretty pink.
“Good? You know you can always ask for that, yeah? From me or Chan. And even Changbin. You know he would, too.”
Jisung just nods again. He looks like he can’t speak words into existence anymore. He never thought that scenting could actually affect someone who’s unpresented, but Jisung looks like Chan after Minho scents him.
Dazed. Flushed. A little happy puddle.
Then, Jisung reaches up for Minho’s neck. Slowly, he runs his fingers along Minho’s scent gland, a silent search for confirmation.
Is this okay?
Jisung had done it before when Chan was going through rut. Minho had been a bit too out of it to really give Jisung the okay on the whole thing. He wouldn’t have said no anyway.
When Minho sees the look flashing in Jisung’s eyes, he finds himself nodding. It’s the only confirmation that Jisung needs to stick his head into Minho’s neck, his puffy cheek hovering over where Minho’s scent gland is.
Technically, an action like this wouldn’t really do anything since Jisung hasn't gone through his presentation. Jisung can’t scent him, and the only thing this is really doing is scenting Jisung even more, but just the thought has Minho reeling.
He mirrors what Minho had done to him for a while, and then moves so he can rest his head on Minho’s shoulder. Jisung lets out a sweet little hum at the feeling, wrapping himself around Minho.
Minho starts to wonder if he’s dreaming. The boy of his dreams sitting safely in his arms, smelling of him and only him.
With that little bit of courage and his brain a little foggy from the action of scenting, Minho reaches into his pocket. The little box has been taunting him since he bought it, and the worst that can happen is that Jisung says no (Minho still doesn’t think he could handle that kind of rejection from Jisung).
Jisung lifts his head out of Minho’s neck at the suddenness of his movements, tilting his head to the side as he watches Minho’s hand dig something out from his pocket.
With a deep breath, Minho holds the box in between their bodies. Jisung stares at it with wide eyes filled with confusion. He furrows his eyebrows, his gaze locked onto the box like he’s trying to burn a hole in it.
“You can say no. Please say no if you’re uncomfortable,” Minho says, trying to keep his voice steady. His voice breaks a little in the end because he really doesn’t want Jisung to say no. His entire world will shatter if he does.
This was a horrible idea. He can feel his world cracking as Jisung stares at the box in his hands, blinking as he waits for Minho to open it.
He flips the top open and the little black and red beaded bracelet sits untouched and brand new inside. Jisung gasps at the sight of it and Minho pretends that the way he instantly reaches for it doesn’t make his heart flutter. The tiny bit of hope he had spreads into immediate joy when Jisung holds it between his long, delicate fingers.
“Hyung! It’s so pretty! Why would you buy this for me?” Jisung asks as if he really doesn’t understand what all of this means. Minho can’t help the huge smile from breaking out on his face. The edges of his lips practically reach his eyes because of how exhilarating this all feels.
It doesn’t feel real.
“Then… you’ll wear it?” Minho asks, already reaching out to take the bracelet from Jisung so he can put it on him properly.
Smiling, Jisung nods frantically, holding his wrist out for Minho.
Minho actually feels like he’s going to scream.
This means Jisung probably wants him too. Or he’s at least giving Minho the chance to prove himself. Either way, Minho is not going to fumble whatever this is.
He clasps the bracelet around Jisung’s wrist, loving how it fits snuggly against his small wrist.
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I swear I won't fuck it up,” Minho says.
Jisung tilts his head, eyes wide and it almost looks like he is confused. If he is confused, he doesn’t voice it, just smiles prettily at Minho as he admires the new jewelry.
“Don't thank me! I should be thanking you, hyung! So, thank you!”
Jisung reaches around to hug him, and Minho can practically feel the happiness radiating off of him. At least it seems like he isn’t upset about Changbin’s words from earlier.
Minho manages to get Jisung to return to the dorm and when they get there, Changbin is still sitting with Hyunjin on the couch. Now, though, Chan is sitting beside Changbin, an arm wrapped around his shoulders with his fingers rubbing lightly against his neck.
At least it seems like he’s calmed down a bit now.
Minho lets Jisung stay in the living room with them, escaping to his room. He’s still bursting with nerves and excitement, his stomach tied up in knots. It still hasn’t really set in that Jisung will exclusively be his. At least for as long as Jisung allows him to court him.
Immediately, Minho calls the first person who needs to hear that he’s courting Jisung. He’d told her before that she’d be the first to know when he found someone, though it may have happened earlier than both of them expected.
“Minho? Is something the matter?” she asks, voice sounding distant through the speaker. She probably put him on speaker so she could continue doing whatever she must've been busy with.
“Mom, I'm courting Jisung.”
Saying it out loud sounds insane. He’s spoken it into existence, and though it’s been true since Jisung accepted him, it really feels true now.
Oh, God. He’s courting Han Jisung.
“Jisung? As in one of those boys you’re in the band with? Wait, I didn't even know you were interested in anyone. When are you bringing him home?” The assault of questions is less than surprising, especially since Minho usually tells his mother everything. They’ve been swamped with promotions so he hasn’t had the chance to update her on his life. He especially hasn't had the chance to update her on Jisung and how much he’s been pining over the younger man.
“I just started courting him, like, twenty minutes ago. He accepted my courting gift.” Minho makes sure to take note that he needs to send his mother a picture of the bracelet, and maybe also a picture of Jisung wearing it.
“Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. Bring him home immediately when you have the chance. Your father and I would love to meet him,” she says.
Minho actually feels tears forming in his eyes, but he doesn’t let them fall. His body just can’t contain the emotions that are overwhelming him completely.
“Yeah, I'll bring him home. I can’t wait for you guys to meet him.”
Jisung never takes the bracelet off.
At least, Minho hasn’t seen him without it.
The other members don't say anything about it. He didn't expect any of them to. They don't know that Minho is the one who gifted it to Jisung anyway. Besides, their private life is none of the other members’ business.
They’ve just finished up an interview, and now have to change back into their own clothes and go back to the company for practice. After hours of dance practice, Minho has some vocal lessons he needs to attend.
He’s exhausted and it isn’t going to get much easier from here.
He has his shirt halfway over his head when an insanely sweet scent hits his nose. Something sweet, like honey, and the tangy taste of citrus. He hates being able to taste scents.
Blocking his nose doesn’t help much since he can literally taste sweet honey on his tongue, burning his throat with how strongly it resonates in the room.
With a quick glance at Chan and Changbin, he can tell that they’re having a similar reaction to the insane intensity of the scent, both of them blocking their noses as it permeates the room.
The rest of the members, though, are just laughing about, Felix and Jisung jokingly feeling up each other which is delaying their outfit change, and Seungmin and Jeongin already dressed and ready, sitting next to each other on the couch and engaging in a quiet chat.
Minho’s eyes meet Hyunjin, face red, sweat dripping down his neck making him glow under the fluorescent lighting.
“Hyunjin, are you feeling okay?” Chan asks, breaking the awkward tension that’s been created by Hyunjin’s new and intoxicating scent.
Hyunjin looks up from where his gaze has been locked onto the tiled floor. When he meets Chan’s eyes, they’re wide and full of utter confusion.
“ No , why does everything smell so strong ?” he whines, letting himself fall backward onto the couch. His eyes shine under the lights, tears starting to line his lower eyelids. “I don't like it, hyung.”
Chan approaches Hyunjin carefully, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“It’s alright, Hyunjinnie. I'm gonna call someone to come get you. Do you want me to come back with you or would you feel more comfortable with one of the kids?”
Hyunjin sniffles, pulling on Chan’s arm to get him to sit beside him. Chan goes easily, letting Hyunjin rest his head on Chan’s shoulder.
“What do you mean more comfortable? What’s going on?” he asks, barely looking up from Chan’s shoulder. He’s not even rubbing himself where Chan’s scent gland is, just cuddling himself into Chan’s exposed shoulder, since the man hadn’t even changed back into his shirt after the interview.
“You’re presenting. As an omega. Since we’re all alphas, I thought you might want one of the kids to go back with you. Up to you,” Chan explains, rubbing a hand down Hyunjin’s back carefully. Hyunjin lets out a quiet sigh, then shakes his head.
“No, it’s fine. Chan hyung can come back with me,” he mumbles into Chan’s shoulder, showing no signs of moving from his current position.
Chan nods and takes out his phone to make a call. The rest of the kids finally start to pay attention to what is happening, and Minho isn’t surprised when Jisung and Felix approach him.
“Hyunjinnie’s presenting?” Felix asks, eyes wide and full of obvious excitement. “Our first non-alpha?”
“Yeah, our first omega in the pack…” Minho pauses, then groans. “Our dorms gonna stink of heat, now.”
The stereotype that alphas can’t control themselves around omegas is completely false. Omegas definitely have a tempting scent, especially during heat, so Minho won’t deny that Hyunjin smells amazing right now, but he’s not overwhelmed with the overbearing need to jump him. Maybe they’re not compatible or something, because honestly, it’s not really doing anything for him.
Truthfully, Minho’s excited to finally have an omega in the group. It’ll balance out the dominant alpha pheromones of Changbin and Chan, because, God, can they be annoying. Their fighting has calmed down since Changbin has settled into being an alpha, but he definitely unintentionally challenges Chan more than he should.
Minho on the other hand, doesn’t care about stuff like that. Maybe he’s just a fake alpha or something. He doesn’t feel the need to fight other alphas over dominance, completely fine with just going along with whatever Chan wants.
It’ll also just be nice to have the calming presence of an omega. Sure, the entire idea that omegas are calm and delicate is terrible and definitely does not apply to Hyunjin, but having someone who isn’t an alpha in the group will surely be comforting. He’ll still be as dramatic as ever, anything but calm and delicate.
Felix starts talking about how excited he is to present, but Minho tunes him out when he looks at Jisung beside him. His eyes are downcast, locked onto his feet.
Is he hurt?
Minho doesn’t get to ask when he feels someone sneak up behind him. Hands connect on his stomach, arms stretched around his waist. Hair tickles his neck, and someone's breath hits his ear.
“Sorry, hyung. I'm seeing what you guys all smell like. You smell so sweet, holy shit. You sure you’re an alpha, hyung?” Hyunjin says teasingly. Minho can’t see his face, but he can feel him vibrating with giggles on his shoulder.
“Fuck off. Get off of me, Hyunjin. Your scent is so strong it’s gonna make me pass out,” Minho groans, shrugging his shoulders to force Hyunjin off of him. Hyunjin barely budges and tightens his hold around Minho’s middle.
When Minho turns back to assess the original predicament of Jisung potentially being hurt or upset, he finds that Jisung is no longer in front of him.
Actually, Jisung is no longer in the room. And neither is Felix. Both of them had disappeared while Hyunjin was distracting him.
He can just ask Jisung later.
“Weren’t you crying two seconds ago because everything smells too much?” Minho asks, glaring over his shoulder at the smug man wrapped around him.
“Yeah, I'm not liking this at all. I’m just curious what everyone smells like, though. Channie hyung smells so good. You’ve been gatekeeping him.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. You didn’t know because you hadn’t presented.”
Minho groans. He’s still thinking about Jisung.
Hyunjin finally lets go, letting his arms fall to his side, but only because Chan yells that their ride has arrived. And because he caught Minho glancing at the box of tissues on one of the vanities. Hyunjin winks as he skips away, looking completely fine compared to how distraught he looked literally five minutes ago. His face still shines with sweat though, and his scent is extremely unstable.
Minho can only assume that practice is canceled since Chan will be at the dorm with Hyunjin. He could take the kids to work on some minor details in the choreography, but then he would have to go search for Jisung and Felix, and Changbin seems to already be preparing for a spur-of-the-moment gym trip.
He decides to just go to vocal practice early, letting his coach know that his schedule cleared up. It’s entirely uneventful.
The practice gets cut short when his coach gets an emergency call and has to leave. He dreads returning to the dorms, expecting Hyunjin to clog the air with his cavity-inducing scent.
Luckily, Hyunjin’s heat does not force him to be bedridden in a hibernation-like state like Chan’s rut does, but he soon realizes that he shares a room with Hyunjin. A major detail that had slipped his mind until he stepped into the honey and citrus scented dorm.
He almost decides to punch a wall. This band is bringing out the most aggressive side of himself. He’s never been like this before, but Minho’s also never been in such close quarters with a variety of hormonal men apart from when he was on tour with BTS. In that case, though, it was only for short periods of time.
He lives with these men and will be living with them for a long time.
Minho tries to stall going into his room, but he’s lost on what else to do. There’s no one hanging out in the living room, so people either aren’t home, which is a wonderful idea by the way, or they’re holed up in their own rooms.
The honey scent is overbearing when Minho cracks the door open. When he looks over at Hyunjin’s bunk, it seems like he’s asleep, so at least he doesn’t have to talk to him.
This entire situation is not ideal in the slightest.
“Ah, Minho.”
A hand rests on his shoulder and he knows without looking that it’s Seungmin.
“They’re going to send Hyunjin to a hotel tomorrow, but they couldn’t get one on such short notice. I’m sure Jisung will offer his bed to you if you don’t wanna sleep in here, though,” Seungmin explains.
It seems like the best course of action. There’s no way in hell Minho’s going to be able to sleep with Hyunjin’s developing scent clogging his nostrils. Never mind sleep; there’s no way he’s going to be able to relax.
Tomorrow, Hyunjin will be escorted to a secure hotel to wait out his heat and then he will get prescribed suppressants. It’s unfortunate, honestly, but there’s no other way to do it in the industry. Minho’s also expecting a call from Chan about the company wanting them to start wearing scent blockers.
It was fine before since it was only him and Chan for a while, and then Changbin. They only needed to wear the blockers when performing or interacting with fans, but the company will probably pull some bullshit now that Hyunjin is an omega and will spread a narrative to them about how unsafe it is to have an omega around a bunch of alphas.
It’s common knowledge that Chan’s an alpha, but Minho prefers to keep that part of himself private. It’s not important for fans to know about stuff like that and he doesn’t want to just be viewed as an alpha.
Being an alpha has nothing to do with his idol career.
Just as expected, his phone dings with a text from Chan, and with only a quick glance he can tell it’s about the prospect of wearing scent blockers more often. He knows that it won’t be heavily enforced in their own dorm, but they’re not going to be able to leave without wearing them like they could before.
It’s not a big deal, but he’s also not entirely excited about it. Scent blockers are uncomfortable, just sticky patches that sit on the scent gland. Peeling them off is like taking off a bandaid, so having to do that every day is a hassle.
Seungmin is gone by the time he manages to escape his thoughts, but he never went into their room. The door is still held open by Minho’s hand.
He takes Seungmin’s advice and seeks out Jisung’s room, not bothering to knock. He kicks open the door to find a lump hidden under a blanket on Jisung’s bed which is a pretty common sight for Minho. If Jisung has no schedules, he’ll either be in the studio or in bed.
Jisung doesn’t react to the door opening, and Minho hadn’t expected him to. It’s entirely likely that Jisung’s asleep. He looked out of it the last time Minho had seen him. He hopes Felix was able to help with whatever had been bothering him.
“Sungie?” he whispers.
Jisung’s blanket pile rustles, a patch of matted hair peeking from underneath the mess.
“Hyung?” he mumbles, finally showing his face. His face is a little red, probably irritated from the weird position he’d fallen asleep in. “Don't you have vocal practice?”
“Yeah, it ended early.”
Jisung hums. He really doesn’t look any better than earlier, the same confused and sad looking expression clear in his features.
“Can I sleep here tonight?”
Jisung shrugs and takes a glance over at Jeongin’s empty bed.
“Innie won’t be home tonight if you want his bed. We’re getting a couple of free days because of Hyunjin’s heat so he went home,” Jisung mutters, letting his head fall back into his messy pile of plush pillows and blankets.
Minho takes a look at Jeongin’s bed, the sheets stripped from the laundry he must’ve been in the process of doing, but left on hold when he went home. Then, he looks back at the puddle of Jisung curled up in bed.
“We sleep together all the time.”
He tries not to glare, but it’s hard when Jisung is being a little unreasonable.
Is it possible that now that they’re courting he wants to go back a few steps? Does Jisung want to take everything really slow? Minho doesn’t mind if that’s the case, however, he would love it if Jisung could communicate that instead of acting a little bratty.
Minho receives no response from Jisung, just the sight of him trying to melt into his bedding.
He tries to think back to earlier in the day, wondering what could’ve sent Jisung spiraling like this.
A little lightbulb flashes in his head.
“You’re not upset about Hyunjin presenting, right?”
Jisung’s head whips up from the bed, hair mussed up in knots, sticking up in every way possible. He has a little mark from his pillow on his face from laying in bed for too long.
“I'm not! You and Hyunjin can do whatever you want!”
“Me and Hyunjin ? Where did that come from?”
The pout that Jisung gives him is absolutely irresistible. His lips puff out, cheeks rosy red and squishy. The urge to grab his face and kiss the annoying little pout right off his lips is an urge that he uses the last of his willpower to suppress.
Han Jisung will be the death of him. Screw living a healthy, fulfilling life and dying of old age. Put it on his tombstone. Death by Han Jisung .
“He’s an omega. Channie said it’s normal for alphas and omegas in groups to help each other out with heats and ruts because it’s safer.”
“That doesn’t mean I'm going to have sex with Hyunjin. I would never do that,” Minho says. Hesitantly, he reaches over for Jisung’s wrist. Jisung lets him take it in his hold, allowing Minho to hold onto him tightly.
He brushes a finger over the bracelet on his wrist, a soft smile overtaking his lips.
“But Hyunjinnie was all over you talking about your scent and everything!” Jisung yells. His voice is loud in the mostly silent room, only a mini fan on Jisung’s nightstand running quietly. Jisung has his hands waving around in the air dramatically for a moment until he lets them fall to his side and looks down at his crossed legs on the bed. “There’s no reason I should be upset over this, I'm sorry.”
Jisung keeps that little pout on his lips that makes Minho want to squeeze the living hell out of him.
“No, you can be upset. But, I would never help Hyunjin out with a heat. And he will not be helping me with any ruts either. Chan, Changbin, and Hyunjin can decide if that’s something they want to do together.” Minho explains. He grabs Jisung’s hand that he’d taken away to wave around dramatically to intertwine their fingers.
Jisung keeps his head turned down, but it’s clear that his eyes are locked onto their fingers. His legs shift underneath him.
“What does hyung smell like? Hyunjin said you smell sweet.”
Minho lets his fingers tighten around Jisung’s.
“Hm? Don't you want that to be a surprise? You can find out what hyung smells like when you present as a big, strong alpha, yeah?”
The little pout on Jisung’s lips turns into a tiny smile. He pulls Minho by the hand until he falls into bed with Jisung. He only whines about being in gross clothes for a second when he finally gets to enjoy the warmth of Jisung’s body heat.
“I'll start going to the gym with Changbin so I can be a big, muscular alpha for hyung.”
Minho will deny that his face is red from blushing to the grave. He’s just warm. Jisung’s fan must be broken or something. Totally. Yeah.
“Hyung, can I ask you something?”
Minho has somehow found himself with a Jisung wrapped up in his arms and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s so glad that Jisung lets him have this. He’s glad that Jisung wants this.
With his face buried in Jisung’s neck, he nods.
“Why don't you take suppressants but Hyunjin has to? Seems kinda unfair.”
“It is unfair. But heats are more frequent than ruts. And alphas just have an unfair advantage in life anyway. You know how things are for omegas in the industry.” Minho takes a deep breath, hoping that he’s subtle in inhaling Jisung’s normal scent. He’s definitely not, but Jisung doesn’t call him out on it.
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Jisung pauses, and the red flush on his face is enough to tell Minho that his questions aren’t over. “Isn’t being so close to an omega in heat not a good idea?”
Minho lifts his head out of Jisung’s neck reluctantly. He raises an eyebrow at Jisung.
“What are you trying to imply?”
Minho traps one of Jisung’s thin legs between his thighs, loving the way Jisung’s breath hitches when his thigh is trapped so close to Minho’s crotch.
The blush on his face seems to intensify when he asks, “Doesn’t it make you horny?”
Minho wants to laugh at how red his face is, but he doesn’t want to embarrass Jisung much more. He just shrugs.
“Chan and Changbin went to the studio for the night because they said it was too much for them. Isn’t it the same for you?”
Minho places a finger on his chin as he lets his brain wander.
Sure, Hyunjin smells great, and when he first caught a whiff of the sweet scent it was very intoxicating, but it really didn’t make him feel any other way. Especially not right now when he has Jisung pressed against him and wrapped up in his embrace.
“No, I'm fine. It’s not too bad when I'm in here. Besides, Sungie helps a lot when the other members stink up the dorms during their cycles.”
Jisung’s eyes crinkle as he smiles.