Chapter Text
Hongjoong already has a bad feeling when the phone just merely begins to ring, disrupting the peace of his studio. Not that it was very quiet to begin with. There’s a beat that has been playing in the background for the better part of an hour that has grown from mildly annoying to full on grating and if not for the sudden shrill interruption of his ringtone, he might have just started peeling off his skin.
So you’d think that having Mingi’s name pop up on the little screen would have been a welcoming distraction that would have only made Hongjoong happy.
But instead, he is only left wary.
It’s not just that it’s Mingi calling, which is odd enough seeing as the younger alpha barely ever calls anyone himself. There’s this little knot in his stomach that has been festering in anticipation dread all day which only tightens as he swipes to accept the call, as if it too is baiting its breath and preparing for the worst.
He could just be being paranoid. He’s been scolded for being a worrywart all too many times by his packmates, they’re always on his head for not relaxing enough and-
“Hyung!” Even through the distorted tinley effect, he can hear the fear that layers the tremble in his packmate’s voice. “Hyung, I don’t know what to do! I can’t find him!”
-and this would not be one of those times where he apparently worried for no reason.
“Who?” He asks urgently, his mind doing backflips as it tries to piece together a theory with the limited information he had. A glance at the digi clock almost buried under papers and files showed that it was sometimes after 4, the time the other 4 got free from their classes, which would mean-
“Yeosang!” Mingi confirms and Hongjoongs grip on the phone tightens. He sits there rigidly for a moment, paralysed by the sudden onslaught of overwhelming fear before he shakes himself back up to action, already grabbing his coat as Mingi continues on, “I dropped him here this morning but then he didn’t show up to the gate and Wooyoung and Hyung said they haven’t seen him all day- and then they went back to ask his friends and teachers and apparently no one saw him. And I tried calling him and it won’t go through either! I don’t- hey!”
“Min? Mingi?!?”
“It’s me honey.” Seonghwa’s soft voice washed over him like a cool wave smoothing rough sand. Hongjoong sags against the elevator, suddenly feeling rather weak in the knees with the overwhelming burst of emotions that had tightened around him.
“Hwa….” His voice is strained, so unlike how it should be in moments like this. He needs to be stronger, needs to be the packmate who can be a solid wall of comfort and guidance but-
-but he can’t help being scared.
Seonghwa must have heard the tremble in his voice but he must sense that Hongjoong will not be comforted by simple reassurances. He needs action, he needs to solve the issue before he can take any comfort from it and he’s eternally grateful that Seonghwa can at least keep his head on his shoulder when Hongjoong feels like he’s losing his.
“I talked to the guards too. They don’t exactly remember the students by name but the one on the West gate remembered Yeosang from the photo I showed him and said that he slipped out somewhere around noon.”
“The West gate….where- where does that go to?”
“Into town. We always come from the North gate to go home so Sangie wasn’t trying to go home at least.”
“Someone should still check at home-”
“Yunho already did.”
Hongjoong blew out a slow breath, trying to calm himself, even as he practically ran to his car. “Okay, so he didn’t go home- he just wandered off?” He shook his head in disbelief, aggressively yanking the car door open so he could plop gracelessly into the driving seat. He couldn’t really make himself believe that. As spacey as the omega tended to be, he had been with Hongjoong’s pack for 5 years now, he knew better than to just slip away without so much as a text to his pack, he knew how much they worried-
“I don’t know. He’s- he’s not picking up his calls-”
“-which isn’t out of the ordinary.”
“-exactly. And three guards said they saw him walk out so he honestly probably just slipped out and then….I don’t know, maybe he was planning on coming back before anyone noticed but didn’t pay attention to the time?”
It was a weak explanation but Hongjoong needed the deniable plausibility to keep functioning.
“Yeah….yeah. Maybe. We need to spread out, look for him and keep calling him.”
“We should split up. I’ll go with you, we’ll probably be better at keeping put heads balanced together-”
“You’re not coming with me Seonghwa. Take Wooyoung and go to the nest, I’ll call you when I have any information.” Hongjoong ordered distractedly, so caught up in his head that he somehow managed to miss the long pause and then the icy tone as Seonghwa asks, “You want me to go to the nest and….do what exactly?”
“Stay in one place where I can know you and Wooyoung are safe and sound.” If his head wasn’t so jumbled with his instincts going haywire with anxiety and fear, he would have slapped himself. As it was, he was too preoccupied to register it.
“I will not be doing that.” Seonghwa may sound calm to anyone else but Hongjoong recognised the slight thickness in his voice which meant he was gritting his teeth and definitely angry. It finally managed to penetrate through his haze of stupidity as the other said, “I am coming with you to find Yeosang and Wooyoung will also not be going back. The more people we have out looking for him, the better.”
It was sound logic and it was suicidal to argue but Hongjoong’s stupid mouth hadn’t quite caught up with his dumb brain yet.
“No. The two of you need to go home.” Hongjoong stubbornly decides, a growl slipping into his words as he swerves into the main road.
His ears immediately fill with whirrs of engines and loud boisterous horns but even they couldn’t drown out the pregnant silence that follows his words. He shifts uncomfortably, acutely aware that he’s definitely pissed off his mate as the situation finally sinks in and he has an apology ready at the brink of his tongue when Seonghwa finally speaks again.
“Kim Hongjoong.” Seonghwa’s voice is still quiet, too quiet, but it is so firm and disapproving that Hongjoong’s spine tingles with dread as he immediately straightens. “I understand that you are worried and I’m sure that your instincts are going crazy right now. But you are not going to order me to ignore my own instincts-”
“- Hwa, I didn’t-”
“I’m not done.” Seonghwa’s tone is definitely testy now and Hongjoong swallowed thickly. “I am worried too. I cannot go into the nest and just flitter flatter without knowing where my doegsang is or if he’s safe. So no, I will not be going back to the nest and you can come pick me up at the sunset cafe so that we can go look for him together.”
“Yes, yes, okay.” He immediately agrees, wishing more than anything to have Seonghwa slip out of using that icy tone. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to invalidate you or- or try to override you.”
He wants to go on and ramble but he bites his tongue. It would only excuse his behaviour and he doesn’t want to pull out any sympathies from his mate. He messed up, pure and simple and if a simple apology is not enough to have Seonghwa forgive him, he’ll just have to come to terms with that and work through it when that time comes.
Fortunately, and to his relief, he hears Seonghwa give a long resounding sigh that had just the hint of fondness. “I’ve divided the others up already. Yunho and Wooyoung are going to check Sangie’s spots, like the gym or the gaming cafe. San and Jongho are going to the mainland by ferry to….basically roam around and hope for the best. I sent Mingi home because he looked like he’s going to keen over and hopefully being in the nest can calm him down. You and I can check what’s left on the island.”
“Okay.” Hongjoong breathes out a bubble of air he hadn’t known was blocking his airways and he slumps a little in his seat. “Okay. I’ll be there in 5 minutes. Thank- thank you for taking charge. I couldn’t have done that without you right now.”
“Good thing that we’re a team then.” Seonghwa says confidently and Hongjoong is endlessly endeared by his mate. It seems to be mirrored in his mate’s voice as Seonghwa softly says, “Take a deep breath, my love. Don’t think the worst. We’ll find him.”
“Okay.” Hongjoong repeats again dumbly, mentally cursing himself for not having said anything useful or even anywhere smart this entire conversation. “I love you.”
“I love you too, pabo. Don’t drive like a maniac.” The call clicks off after that and Hongjoong is at least somewhat satisfied with himself for ending the call on better terms than he’d carried it.
He tries to take Seonghwa’s words to heart, he really does. He does at least slow down and drive a little less like a drunk but he can’t make himself get out of his own head.
He just can’t understand how or why Yeosang would wander off from the campus when he knows very well that Mingi is waiting for them outside.
Yeosang may be a little lost at times but he isn’t stupid. Far from it. And no matter his habit of being a little spacey, even he wouldn’t just randomly forget a routine that he’s been following for 2 years now.
Then there was him leaving early, missing his classes. If he’d had a plan or an errand to run, he would have gone after his classes and he would have told them. At the very least, even if he’d forgotten to inform them, he’d have rushed to do so when he saw the dozens of texts and missed calls he no doubt had littered up on his phone now.
It was the mixture of everything that had him so on edge. Yeosang’s phone being off, the sudden departure, not informing anyone- maybe he’d just gone out to meet a friend or something off campus and he’d gotten hurt. Maybe he’d left to make a quick errand run, maybe something he needed for his classes or something, but something had happened to him.
Or maybe someone had gotten to him.
It wouldn’t be the first time Hongjoong’s pack was targeted as a way of revenge or just because. Half of his pack came from a nasty background, many of whom were unhappy that not only had Hongjoong taken in their victims but had gone out of their way to disgrace those that had hurt his pack. Jongho’s old pack in particular had tried multiple times to seek revenge on the beta and by extension his pack and there had been too many close calls. And then of course, there was the auction house that Seonghwa and Wooyoung had been trapped in before Hongjoong got them. He hadn’t planned on doing anything initially but the abuse his packmates had suffered at their hands enraged him and he’d eventually managed to get a case going and the auction house seized by the authorities. And of course, those that had run the auction house and had managed to slip under the police raider had tried their hands on getting their hands on his pack.
But then of course, it didn’t have to be someone out there seeking revenge. It could just be a bigoted asshole who could have grabbed Yeosang, hurt him just for the sake of hurting an omega. They lived in a fairly good neighborhood but the world was yet to truly and completely accept omegas deserving the same respect as anyone else.
There was a reason Hongjoong was so protective of his pack and was so adamant that he and the others were to always always always know where they were. He had made many enemies, enemies he does not regret because they had come at the expense of protecting and getting his packmates in the first place. There were too many people out there ready to hurt them, especially ready to hurt their omegas and Yeosang knew that.
Which is why he’s finding it hard to believe that Yeosang had just conveniently wandered off.
It took less than 10 minutes to reach the sunset cafe since his call with Seonghwa ended and he’s managed to work himself right back up into the panics and when he barges into the cafeteria with all the grace of a one legged elephant, many people pause to give him astonished stares and he momentarily catches a glimpse of a woman tightening her hold on her toddlers as she ushers them away from him.
He doesn’t pay them any attention though as his eyes zero in on his mate, who sits up a little in alarm as he sees the state of him. He’s acutely aware that he probably looks a bit deranged as he staggers over to the omega but before Seonghwa can stand, he crashes down to cover him and immediately busies himself with nuzzling into the others neck, ignoring the way the prickly fuzz of the scent blocker patch pinches at the bridge of his nose. He just wraps his arms around his mates and breathes in as much of the watermelon scent he can, filling his lungs with it until it overflows into the rest of himself, something within him soothed.
Seonghwa stays rather still for him, neck bared in welcoming submission. Only his arms move, one hugging Hongjoong close and the other stroking up and down his spine, a pillar of solid comfort. Overwhelmed with both a rush of affection and a desire to claim and comfort himself, he mouths at the spot just below Seonghwa’s jawline, scraping his teeth against the skin as a way to ask for permission.
Seonghwa cocks his head to the side, offering Hongjoong more room to work with and gives a hum that trembles with anticipation and it’s all Hongjoong needed to hear. He presses a slightly wet kiss to the area before wrapping his teeth around it and then sinking them in.
Against him, Seonghwa gives a quiet yelp but he’s breathing out little whines of pleasure as Hongjoong keeps the bite firmly, gently nibbling and sucking until he’s sure the world has been done and sure enough, when he pulls away, there is a beautiful mark blooming on the tan skin, proudly branded on his neck as proof of his alpha claiming him.
He finally looks into Seonghwa’s eyes, glad to see that they were mostly clear, only a hint of dreamy haze in them. He pulls him closer to peck his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, relishing in how the watermelon scent seeped through even the scent blocker, no longer being able to hide away under the chemical when it was so overflowing with love.
“I don’t think you did a very good job at calming yourself, my love.” Seonghwa jokes, a little breathless from the sudden onslaught of claiming and scenting.
Hongjoong can only offer a weak smile. “I’m worried.”
Seonghwa returns his smile with his own strained one as he takes Hongjoong’s hand and gives it a little squeeze. “Me too.” He admits, bringing it up to kiss his knuckles. “But you have me now and I have you. We’ll find him.”
They do and Hongjoong instincts feel a little more settled, somewhat appeased by having at least one of his packmates in his line of vision again. It’s not enough really, not even close and he’s itching to herd up the rest of the pack and have them stick together as a group where he can keep an eye on them but he resists the urge to do so. It was more efficient for them to be spread out like this, there was too much space to cover and too much time had already been wasted.
At least Seonghwa was there with him. The eldests mere presence was enough to ground him from getting lost in his head and the firm scenting and claiming had appeased his instincts that they had at least one of their omegas safe and accounted for.
Still, despite Seonghwa’s kind smile, he can’t help feel a surge of guilt and his face must fall because the eldest squeezes his hand again.
“Joongie?”
“I’m sorry.”
“About what? Is this about the conversation we had in the car?”
“That and- and just everything. I’m a mess right now and I- I’m not handling any of this well. You shouldn’t have to support me like this, be a wall when I’m having a meltdown- youch.”
He cringed at the prick of pain that came as a result of Seonghwa suddenly biting him and he clamps his hand over his neck as he looks up at his mate, half glaring, half incredulous. “Why?”
“Because you would have done the same to the rest of us if we were being hard on ourselves for needing help and support. Thought I’d return the favor.”
“Okay but a warning would have been nice.” He sounded extremely petulant and Seonghwa looked endlessly endeared by the whining.
“You’re a big strong alpha, you can handle it. And you can handle this too.”
Hongjoong blew out a slow breath, using the time to calm himself and nodding abashedly. “I’m sorry-”
“No apologies, my love. You do not need to feel sorry for needing other people there for you, especially not me. You have been a rock for me on too many occasions, last week at the latest. And I have never felt sorry for needing to depend on you so you don’t need to either. You’re my mate, I’m here for your best moments and your crazy ones.”
“Lucky for me because if we don’t find Yeosang soon, I’m about to lose my shit.” Hongjoong laugh is a little shaky and Seonghwa gives him a small smile as he pecks his cheek.
“I think we should check the parks. I told Mingi to call up hospitals and ask if anyones been brought in with Yeosang’s description or name.”
Hongjoong nodded slowly, letting the information sink in and eternally grateful for Seonghwa at least being able to keep a level head. “They don’t take a missing person report seriously until 24 hours at least but I have a few sources I can pull to make them start looking if need be sooner.”
Seonghwa doesn’t offer any baseless comforts and promises and with another squeeze of his hand, the two hurry to their car. Seonghwa pulls up lists of parks around while Hongjoong drives to their usual ones. The car ride is far from peaceful or silent, the phone ringing every few minutes from one of the others either exchanging updates on their search or hoping to hear good news.
The sparse moments of tenderness that had brought on hope fleeted rather quickly.
By the time they were driving to their fourth park, Hongjoong was surprised he hadn’t broken the steering wheel with how hard he was knuckling it.
Seonghwa was right. Yeosang’s disappearance did not necessarily mean something sinister had happened but Hongjoong just couldn’t leave it up to fate to be kind. The longer they went without any news, the worst scenarios popped up into his head.
Unwanted images and memories kept popping up. Wooyoung, being cornered by a group of gnarly foul alphas, just barely being able to get away. That awful deep bite on Jongho’s neck that had been given to him by his older cousins, San and Yunho, having arrived just in time to prevent his throat from being pulled out. Mingi, bloody and beaten blue after an unfortunate cornering by the auction owners-
No one had attacked his pack in a long time but maybe that had just been to lure them into a fake sense of security. Maybe Hongjoong had been ignorant of a sinister scheme and he’d unintentionally made his poor omega an easy prey-
“We’ve run out of the usual parks.” He informed Seonghwa with gritted teeth. He felt like they’d been driving in circles now. “Maybe we should go to the mainland now. After telling the police.”
Seonghwa nods, nervously biting away at his thumb. “The police should probably be involved now. But Joong,we haven’t checked any of the smaller parks.”
“What’s even the point?” Hongjoong explodes, voice trembling a little. “Whoever took him won’t just be chilling with him on a park bench!”
He’s immediately sorry for snapping and he opens his mouth to apologise yet again but Seonghwa has clearly lost any calm himself because he snaps, “You don’t have to start taking your frustration out on me, I’m just-”
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry.” Hongjoong interjected and Seonghwa deflated immediately, sagging back in his seat. “I’m sorry. Let’s- let’s check the parks. Maybe two more but then….I really think we should go to the police now. Even if I don’t have any proof that someone took him, I’d rather waste my and their time than be sorry later and-”
“Joong!”
The sudden screech had him swerving blindly at a reflex and it took another rather impressive swerve to avoid crashing the car into the light pole. The tires screech against the road but the car thankfully lurches to a stop and Hongjoong pants, sweaty hands sliding off the wheel as his heart makes a rather good impression of a speeding train.
“Wha- woah, hey!” Any questions he has remain unanswered as Seonghwa quickly unbuckles himself and jumps out the car, running in the opposite direction.
Alarmed and rather worried for his mates sanity, Hongjoong struggles to do the same, growling in frustration when the seatbelt he forgot he was wearing tightens to keep him in place.
Seonghwa is already a good 10 feet ahead of him by the time he jumps out of the car and he takes off after him.
“Hwa!”
There’s a hint of a growl in there, the one that was a rumbling welcome to an alpha’s omega, a command to come back, stay, relax but Seonghwa is either too far to hear it or he doesn’t care. He just turns and starts running downhill, to a hollow between the sloping streets. There’s a little park nestled between the dip, large trees with some kind of purple fruit hanging from it and a cluster of random strangers lounging around on either the picnic tables or the grass. It’s a park that Hongjoong has seen many times on his way here and there on the island but they never really paid much attention to it but for some reason, it is like a moth to a beacon for Seonghwa right now.
It’s only when Seonghwa leaps through the gate that Hongjoong finally is able to spot what exactly was having his mate act so erratic.
At the centre left table, was a familiar head of brown hair and at the sound of running footsteps, the man finally looks up and his puppy eyes widen rather comically.
It is such a pleasing sight that Hongjoong has to resist the urge to cry.
He’s basically flying with how fast he’s running and Yeosang barely has enough time to stand up from the bench when Seonghwa reaches him. There’s a yelp that has multiple of the other wanderers glancing over in curiosity but Seonghwa pays no heed to the prying eyes as he engulfs the younger omega into a crushing hug.
Seonghwa sounds suspiciously close to tears himself when Hongjoong finally comes to a stop next to the entwined pair and he takes a quick sniff. Yeosang’s apple scent is a little watery but he smells no blood and it doesn’t seem to indicate that the other is hurt at the very least. Seonghwa is peppering little kisses all over Yeosang’s pouty face and Hongjoong takes the time to drag his hand down Yeosang’s back, lifting up the blue sweater subtly to make sure there weren’t any injuries hidden underneath the fabric.
The relief feels crushing and his knees suddenly wobble. He plops down onto the bench that Yeosang had just discarded and listens to Seonghwa ramble, allowing his mind and body some rest from the whirlwind of fear and anxiety they had been battling since that awful call almost 2 hours ago.
He leans back to rest his elbows on the table but startles when it knocks against something solid. He turns to check what he’s bumped into-
Yeosang’s phone, with the screen lit up, was absolutely working. The little battery symbol atop shows he has more than half of it left and the screen is flooded with dozens and dozens of missed calls. Even as Hongjoong picks the incriminating device up, the phone begins to buzz with another call from San. It barely rings 3 times before the device itself shuts the call up, a little pop up innocently reminding that it was in fact on DND.
San’s name joins the array of other notifications that were very diligently informing Yeosang of the pack that had been desperately trying to reach him for hours now. The pack that was still littered all over the island trying to find the very omega who was standing completely unharmed in front of Hongjoong.
“Oh my baby.” Seonghwa cooed, cupping Yeosang’s face between his hands, his watermelon scent sweetening. “I was so worried about you, we’ve been looking all over for you-”
“Are you okay?” Hongjoong asked quietly and despite the calm, anyone could hear how he was controlling himself. It made Seonghwa straighten up on a reflex, knowing that that was not a tone to be messed with and that if Hongjoong was directing that at any of them, they were in deep deep trouble.
Yeosang finally turns to face Hongjoong, his head lowered and his lower lip almost non existent with how hard he was chewing it.
When he receives no response, Hongjoong tempts, “No injuries? You’re not sick or scared or in any danger?”
There’s an image coming to his mind, the reality of what most likely had happened and for Yeosang’s sake, he hoped the younger was smart enough to not attempt to lie and dig himself into a deeper hole.
Slowly, so slowly, Yeosang shook his head.
The relief from before was still there but now Hongjoong had a lot more to deal with. He holds out the phone and behind Yeosang, Seonghwa makes a surprised sound.
“I see your phone is working. And I also see that you did indeed receive all the calls and messages we sent trying to reach you or find you.”
Seonghwa grabs his phone, looking at it in disbelief. “Yeosang, your phone was- why didn’t you pick up?!? Why didn’t you call? We were worried sick, we didn’t know where you were or if someone took you or if you were hurt-”
He paused when it became clear that Yeosang was not planning on answering. The pack luna was clearly recovering from his worry and he gripped the nape of the younger omega’s neck, giving it a small shake as a scruffing. “Why did you leave? Why did you not even tell us where you were? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was?”
Yeosang winces a little at the scruffing and mumbles something incoherent and Hongjoong stands up as he sternly orders, “Speak up, Sangie.”
Yeosang huffs and finally looks up from his chosen spot on the ground and Hongjoong is taken aback by the clear irritation in his gaze. And he was even more unprepared when the younger, instead of explaining or apologising, instead snarls, “I said you’re being dramatic. I wanted a few hours to myself. So what?”
It is not likely that the birds, the trees or the sound of pups clattering around all quietened down at the same time but they might as well have because of the thick silence that fell between the three of them. Seonghwa genuinely looks baffled and Yeosang is glaring at him with heated fire in his eye.
Unfortunately for the younger, Hongjoong has had one too many experiences dealing with recalcitrant doegsangs.
“So…..I was under the impression that you accidentally missed our calls or that you put your phone on dnd and forgot to take it off. But am I right to assume that you were not missing our calls but were ignoring them?”
Now Hongjoong has always thought that his omega was quite an intelligent man but he has to rethink that bit when instead of looking bashful, he actually has the audacity to glare.
“And I was under the impression that when your last ten calls went unanswered, you’d get the hint and just leave me the fuck alone.”
“Yeosang!” Seonghwa interjected angrily and gave Yeosang a firmer scruff. “You could have-”
“Get off me!” Yeosang snapped and to Hongjoong’s horror, the brunette turned his head and actually snapped at Seonghwa’s arm.
Hongjoong tears forward at a speed that would have definitely made Wooyoung whistle in admiration and he yanks Yeosang towards him and holds him at arm's length, brows narrowed. “Kang Yeosang. I don’t know what has gotten into you and if something is upsetting you, I want to help. But so help me god, if you try to bite your hyung or me again, I will punish you right here until you settle.”
The warning would have usually been enough to settle Yeosang, even Wooyoung. Neither of them thrived on public scenes, not like Seonghwa did and Yeosang especially was always too sweet and eager to please to actually misbehave to the point of punishment.
Yet again, he was completely taken by shock when Yeosang glares at him and then jerks his head to sink his teeth into Hongjoong’s wrist-
Or at least he begins to before Hongjoong decides enough is enough.
He spins Yeosang around and props his foot up on the picnic bench and then manoeuvres the omega over his knee and makes sure he was balanced properly before raising his hand and bringing it down in a hard smack against Yeosang’s coated bottom.
His heart ached at the immediate squeak the younger man let out at the smack and he almost uprighted him there and then but then Yeosang gave a small growl.
Hongjoong startled a little and despite the rather precarious position Yeosang had found himself in that would usually take all of the pack alphas attention, he can’t help himself from pausing to share an incredulous look with Seonghwa.
Because not only had Yeosang been incredibly thoughtless and had worried his whole pack all day, he was now being rude and insensitive, so unlike his usual self.
And then to top it off, he was actually challenging his pack leaders instead of submitting to them.
Hongjoong’s hand is raised but he hesitates, head running a mile a minute. It wasn’t unusual for Seonghwa or Wooyoung to continue challenging him even when they were in….compromising positions but that was just them bratting out. Hongjoong never had to worry about that, it was a healthy act, a clear sign that his packmates were feeling safe enough to push the boundaries and fuss until they got settled.
The issue with this particular situation was that Yeosang didn’t brat.
Yeosang had never been one. He didn’t seek settling scenes or reassurances through domination, not like the other subs. Even Jongho, shy, headstrong Jongho, would act out as a way to have the alphas play a firm hand and settle them but Hongjoong had never ever had Yeosang do anything close to that. In fact, most of the times the sub had been in trouble had been because he’d gotten dragged in on the others shenanigans or had just broken a few rules out of carelessness.
Yeosang just didn’t pick fights or didn’t ever choose to be rude to his doms. Or to anyone for that matter. He was too sweet for that.
Which was making Hongjoong worry.
This whole day…..sneaking off, ignoring the packs attempts of contact, snarking and growling and biting at the two of them- it was too out of character. Nothing he could have expected from the sub currently balanced over his propped up knee.
Maybe something did happen. Something the omega isn’t telling them, something unexpected that could explain this absurd scene.
Deciding to talk now rather than later, Hongjoong moves his hand to have Yeosang stand again but before he could so much as place it on the small of his back, Yeosang suddenly starts thrashing around and Hongjoong just about pulls his fingers away from the youngers snapping teeth.
His lips pursing into a thin line, he tips the younger off his knee and then, before the other even has a chance to get his bearing, he sits properly on the bench and pulls Yeosang down, now tilting him over his lap and quickly entrapping his legs with one of his.
“Let me g- ow!”
Yeosang’s yelp of pain is followed immediately with whines as Hongjoong rains down smack after smack, keeping up a steady rhythm as he spanks the squirming bottom. At his head, Seonghwa makes a sympathetic sound and sits down next to them, reaching for Yeosangs upper body and coaxing it to drape over his lap rather than just be hanging in the air.
Yeosang doesn’t nuzzle into his hyungs stomach or reach for his hands, like he usually would. Which only reestablishes it further for Hongjoong that his omega isn’t acting like his usual self.
And he desperately wants to get to the bottom of it and for that, he needs to settle Yeosang. Despite the unusualness of having to discipline Yeosang publicly to enforce his sub to settle, Hongjoong is quite an expert in having brief scenes to have his subs relax or calm down.
“I do not know what is going on with you.” He scolds, watching Yeosangs eyes dart in his direction, an indication that he was listening. “And I want to get to the bottom of this but I can’t have a conversation with you when you’re snapping at us. If you can be civil, I’ll let you up right now so we can talk and then deal with all this when we get home.”
Yeosang mutters something that he may have hoped would go unheard but unfortunately for the omega, Hongjoong had excellent hearing and he heard the directed curse just fine.
Seonghwa gives a reprimanding scowl and Yeosang tenses but he stubbornly keeps his mouth shut, not offering any apologies or retractions.
Hongjoong sympathises with what’s to come but he supposes the younger man bought it on himself. Winding his arm and tucking Yeosang’s upturned bottom closer, he prepares himself, “Suit yourself then.”
Hongjoong keeps his arm rounded around Yeosangs waist to keep him close as the other winds up and then comes down with a painful smack that even has Seonghwa wincing. Around them, people go about their own business, only sparing Yeosang some sympathetic glances. Yeosang for his part, didn’t notice and probably wouldn’t have cared, a little too preoccupied.
Hongjoong didn’t want to push his luck. While it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to have an omega be briefly disciplined in public, the key word remained briefly. A few smacks, a quick nip or a somewhat secluded area for the sub to kneel or be put in the corner barely got a bat of an eye but a proper blown out scene was considered improper, mainly due to it not being considered safe. Subs usually went down after a punishment or an intense scene and when that wouldn’t be very settling with them being surrounded by strangers. Not only did it leave them physically vulnerable, it did more harm than good, as the omegas were not surrounded by the familiarity of their nests or homes and struggled to relax, straining themselves in subspace.
Hongjoong doesn’t want to risk pushing Yeosang to that point, especially when he was clearly already upset but any time he slowed down or thought to round the spanking up, Yeosang would thrash harder or give a small growl and he’d have to start back up again. He needed the younger man to settle and submit, just enough to calm down. He doesn’t think stopping midway when Yeosang is agitated and scruffed is going to be of any help to them or the younger omega. If anything, stopping a settling scene before it can take proper effect will only leave Yeosang feeling untethered.
Knowing all that should have had Hongjoong relax into the role but he’s still on edge. He’s not hitting very hard, seeing as this isn’t meant to be a proper punishment and he’s sure that the three or four layers of clothes between his swinging hand and the omegas upturned rear is not making for a particularly biting spanking but even then, Yeosang should have been a lot more calm than he currently is.
Yeosang is still actively challenging him, squirming, kicking, hissing out angry words- all so out of nature for him.
Hongjoong desperately wants to get to the bottom of the others out of character behavior but he can’t do that when the younger is acting so erratic.
But the spanking isn’t enough to settle the younger. Yeosang, who usually only needed a warning look, or a light nip on his ear to behave, was acting worse than Hongjoong’s biggest brats.
If the settling spanking isn’t enough than he has to-
Seonghwa suddenly shifts and bends his head over and Hongjoong blinks in surprise when, instead of him delivering a punishing nip, its Seonghwa who wraps his teeth around Yeosangs left scent gland and bites down. Hard.
Yeosang tenses up, the rigidity of his body making him stiff like a board over Hongjoongs lap and he pauses the spanking immediately to steady the younger, rubbing his back.
Seonghwa whacks his knee with his own and when Hongjoong glances at his mate, he gives a waving signal that clearly indicates that Hongjoong is to continue.
He places his hand back over the now wrinkled fabric of Yeosang’s coat that had taken the brunt of the smacks but despite his mate’s urging, he hesitated. If it was Wooyoung or even Seonghwa in this position and who had behaved so rudely, he would have absolutely kept the spanking up, would have probably found a private area to perhaps have an even more intense scene.
But that was because he knew the two could handle it, ravished in it even. Seonghwa especially pushed his buttons and toed the line for no other reason than to have his dom reinforce his power over him, endlessly comforted by knowing Hongjoong was there, that he could handle whatever Seonghwa threw his way.
Seonghwa bratted mostly out of a need for reassurance and because he was a big spoiled baby with too much sass. Wooyoung bratted because he liked causing trouble and because he found it rather charming when his doms reigned him in. Jongho was somewhere in between those two.
But Yeosang wasn’t- Yeosang didn’t brat.
How could Hongjoong be sure that what worked for his other three subs worked for Yeosang? When he’d never had to test Yeosang before.
Seonghwa hit his knee with his again, a little more pointed and Hongjoong studied the omega draped over their laps. Despite being caught up in a punishing bite and his eyes slightly fogged over, his brows are still furrowed. He’s not squirming or flailing but his feet weakly stomp against the ground and Hongjoong knows that if he wasn’t caught up in the bite, the omega would have kept up his impetuous flailing.
He still wasn’t settled. Not enough. Hongjoong doesn’t really understand how Yeosang still isn’t so despite having both his pack leaders disciplining and settling him wasn’t enough. A few minutes ago, he would have guessed that just a handful of smacks would be enough to settle a sub who has never even needed to kneel publicly to be settled.
But clearly, it wasn’t. Clearly, Yeosang needed a firmer hand and he wasn’t doing the omega a favor by underestimating him and going easy on him.
He turns back to the job at hand and, keeping a mental count in his head, brings his hand down with more force behind it than he had put in before. Yeosang gives another yelp at the resounding spank and a few of the people lounging around glance over, some with a slightly disapproving look for the trio to be disturbing the peace.
Hongjoong pays neither of the two any mind and, keeping the same force and putting some strength into the swing, he lands a flurry of seven stinging spanks to Yeosang’s squirming rear. At his side, Seonghwa still has Yeosangs hand tilted with his hand firmly curled over some locks of his brunette hair as he holds the bite.
Yeosang squirms and lets out a meep of protest at the eight hit and Hongjoong shushes him, unwinding his arm from around Yeosangs waist to give a quick scenting with his wrist against the youngers temple and his eyes flutter in response to the soft grazes.
He turns back and lands three more smacks and then finally, Yeosang gives a small gasp and sags in his lap, no longer fighting them. The scent wasn’t the usual warm apple pie but it wafted in a more cohesive sweeter tone as compared to before, a sure indication that the settling had been a success.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he watches as Seonghwa slowly pulls away, pausing to kiss the deep teeth marks rounded on his neck and then his cheek before Hongjoong finally moves to get the hug he hadn’t been able to before Yeosang exploded on them.
He tipped Yeosang back up so that he’s sitting in his lap and wraps his arms around him in a tight hug and is immensely relieved when the younger nuzzles into his chest, a complete 180 from how he was behaving just a few minutes ago.
Yeosang was no longer snarling or being snappy and he held none of the previous bite. Instead he was quiet, snuggled against Hongjoong and blinking softly, a hand coming up to softly graze the bite mark left behind. It was rather red and it would likely mark up rather intensely and last for quite a few days.
Seonghwa patted Yeosang's head, quickly pulling off his scent patch so that he could pump out comforting pheromones towards the two. Seonghwa’s scent was naturally stronger than most people, attracting attention at the intense smell and even now, a couple walking to the side turned their heads, breathing in the refreshing tones of watermelon and honey.
Something flickers in him and Hongjoong glares at the couple, growling deeply as he clutches Yeosang closer.
Seonghwa’s brows furrowed and he too glances over his shoulder at the offending couple, who were already hurrying away with apologetic looks but even then Hongjoong couldn’t stop growling, eyes glinting in anger at someone else looking at his mate, enjoying the scent that was only meant for them-
He doesn’t even realise he’s going to get up until Seonghwa grabs his arm, keeping him in place.
“Honey, calm down.”
“They were-”
“They were not doing anything, they noticed a new scent and reacted to it, that’s all.”
“They shouldn’t have!” Seonghwa gives him an incredulous look and in his lap, Yeosang shifts nervously. He can’t blame them, he sounds like a crazy person to even himself.
“My scent is strong, it catches peoples attention. It’s nothing new, you know that.” Seonghwa speaks slowly to him, wary almost and it just irritates Hongjoong further.
His chest feels tight, like it's been stuffed full of cotton and there's not enough space for air anymore and he’s still upset at Yeosang and the scene wasn’t enough and he needed to get Yeosang home and discipline him and then scent him in the nest until he goes cross eyed because he was so scared and his baby was safe but Hongjoong still couldn’t believe it and he wouldn’t till they were home, where it was safe and he had his den and he could see his other packmates-
He shakes his head, forcing himself to pull himself out of his thoughts as he slumps a little in his seat.
He’s not being rational and he knows it. And by the knowing look Seonghwa is giving him, he’s not fooled either.
He was glad Yeosang was feeling settled but Hongjoong was very much not.
“I’m sorry.” God, he feels like he should stamp the phrase on his head and save both their time. How many times could he apologise to his mate today for being a screw up?
And yet, despite Seonghwa having every right to sniff and turn away from him, be angry or tell him off, the eldest only smiles, his eyes kind, always kind. He rubs Hongjoong’s arm, spreading warmth on the tensed muscle.
“It’s been a long day.” Seonghwa sighs, giving him that smile that made Hongjoong’s heart thump like an engine, still as dazed by his beauty as he’d been the first time he’d seen him laugh, all those years ago at a random lake in the middle of nowhere.
He hadn’t even comprehended then how lucky he was going to get to have such an incredible man fall in love with him.
Seonghwa’s smile grows a little teasing, probably being able to decipher where Hongjoong’s head had gone thanks to the sloppy smile smacks on his face. “Rein in your crazy now.” He teases softly and Hongjoong chuckles, leaning forward to share a quick kiss. This close, he can smell out the undertone of the worry and stress Seonghwa himself held but was shielding in favor of pushing out comforting pheromones for the sake of his distressed packmates.
Speaking of distressed….
Yeosang was clearly avoiding their gazes, unable to hide the guilt plastered over his face. He tried to smoothen his expression out when Hongjoong ducks his head to catch his eye but he wasn’t quick enough and one look at his teary cheeks had Hongjoong melting.
He pressed a lingering kiss to the omega’s hairline and collects himself before gently urging yeosang to his feet. “Let’s get you home now mister. You’re not off the hook yet and I’m sure your other packmates are eagerly waiting to see you and…..deal with all this properly.”
Yeosang flushes and as the two eldest turn to grab his scattered belongings and out of the corner of his eye, Hongjoong sees the younger rub his behind, pouting a bit. It’s an endearing sight and Hongjoong feels such a rush of affection that he turns right back to wrap his hand around the nape of the youngers neck to pull him forward for some comfort scenting-
-only to pause midway when his fingers brush against the bare skin of Yeosang’s neck.
He frowns, straightening his arms and holding the brunette away as he questions, “Kang Yeosang, where is your collar?”
Seonghwa whips around and Yeosang freezes, a deer caught in headlights. He nervously looks between the two before slowly, at a snail's pace, he ducks his hand into his coat pocket.
Hongjoong is left speechless when he sees the state of the blue collar he had clipped on so lovingly in the morning from where it hangs flimsily from Yeosang’s fingers.
It was torn into two, the parts clinging to one another with only a few sparse pieces of thread. The clip itself was intact, the silver clasp glittering innocently in the late sun. As he watches, the threads finally give away and a part of the silk collar drops, easily evading Yeosangs scrambling hands before curling up in a worthless mound on the ground.
Yeosang is almost falling over himself to pick it up and Hongjoong can just stare, a small lump forming in his throat as he tries to make sense of what he just saw.
Seonghwa knelt with Yeosang and snagged the torn piece of fabric, holding it up between them and Yeosang sat back on his heels, shoulders hunched.
“What happened to your collar?” Seonghwa asked quite calmly but neither of the two missed the dangerous undertone accompanying his words. Yeosang gives a small flinch, eyes averted and Hongjoong heart sinks at the silent confirmation.
“I- hyung, I’m sorry-”
“Answer my question, please.” Seonghwa interjects sternly and Yeosang’s eyes fill with tears, face screwed up in regret. He opens his mouth a few times but closes it before any words can come out. His scent, one Hongjoong was attuned to as his own, reeked of guilt and regret.
Seonghwa’s words drip ice as he sternly asks, “.....did you tear your collar apart, Yeosang?”
Yeosang flushes a deep red and drops his chin lower, head bowed in confirmation. Hongjoong sucks in a breath and turns away, refusing to let the sudden tears that sprang up come out.
“Did you do it when you saw me running to you? I saw you grab your neck for a second.”
Hongjoong glances over his shoulder, shocked at the information. He had been a few paces behind, he must have just missed the scene.
He wished he could miss this one. Yeosang has wrapped his arms around himself and he gives the tiniest, most imperceptible nods, confirming his deed.
Seonghwa purses his lips, and he shoves the torn pieces in his pocket. He pulls both him and Yeosang to his feet, his face twisted in anger on Hongjoong’s behalf. Yeosang is crying now, shoulders shaking as he whimpers, “Hyung, I’m-”
“Go to the car.” Seonghwa interrupts sternly, pointing to the gate. “You can explain yourself to us at home and can take the car ride to think about what a spiteful act this was.”
Yeosang flinches and turns his head desperately to look at Hongjoong but the alpha turns away. He doesn’t have a good enough hold on his emotions and he’s afraid of doing something that he can’t predict. Like bursting into tears or snapping at his dongsang. He doesn’t want to alarm or scare Yeosang, no matter how badly his heart hurts right now.
“I-”
“Now.”
Seonghwa hisses the simple word with just vehement firmness that it even makes Hongjoong tighten up, as if it was directed at him.
Yeosang sniffs behind him and mumbles a shaky, “Yes sir.” The dried leaves crunch under his feet as he walks away and gets quieter the further he gets.
Hongjoong waits until he can barely hear the sound of his departing steps before turning back around. None of the earlier amour hung around anymore, a deep sadness settled over the pair.
Hongjoong was glad that Yeosang had been safe and that no one had attacked or overpowered him or snapped the collar off. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
But right now, the knowledge that the omega had defiled it himself was breaking his heart in a whole other way.
A collar gifted by your head alpha had the same value of scent aids. Defiling any was….disrespectful at the least, soul crushingly heartbreaking at the worst. A pack collar was a symbol of love, something to be cherished and worn with pride.
Hongjoong had always been a rather traditional alpha when it came to alpha quirks over claiming. He enjoyed dressing his subs up, spending hours and days devoted to designing their closets and their accessories, heart swelling in pride when they would be adorned in a piece he had made and chosen for them. He enjoyed marking them, either through marks left by ropes and spanks when it came to punishments or love bites over their necks and shoulders. And of course, collaring.
Dressing ones submissives, lovebites and collaring were all very traditional alpha behavior. And Hongjoong’s packs had always been accepting of his rather intense streak when it comes to these quirks, even enjoying it. And Hongjoong had been thrilled so he put in all the more effort into creating pieces for not just his omegas, but for the rest of his pack too. There was no better feeling than seeing something he had borne in his bare hands or chosen himself be worn with such pride and love.
And he’d always been extra meticulous when it came to the collars.
Each of the omegas probably had a dozen of them, varying in texture, sizes, thickness- Hongjoong had spoiled them with options, overjoyed that his omegas would let him spoil and claim them.
Which is why to destroy one was so jarring to him.
It was widely understood in the pack that once the collar was clipped on, it was to stay on their necks until it would be removed by Hongjoong, his possessive side appeased by being the one to mark his omegas. If, in any situation, the collar became bothersome or uncomfortable, it was obviously okay to take it off themselves. It wasn’t a hardcore rule, they would never face punishment. The collars were not meant to be symbols of control or power, but merely love and comfort. If Yeosang had just merely taken it off, he would have been teasingly scolded a little before Hongjoong would attack him with love bites and kisses before clipping it on, reclaiming him.
But it was a different story when it was destroyed. It sent a clear message. That Yeosang just didn’t care.
The collar hadn’t just been removed. Yeosang had ripped it into pieces.
Even if he had been angry or upset with Hongjoong, there were less painful ways to express that.
Yeosang hadn’t just rejected Hongjoong’s claiming, he’d stomped and torn it to pieces.
He rejected the collar and by extension, he’d rejected Hongjoong.
And Hongjoong’s heart was breaking at that knowledge.
A hand cupped his face and Hongjoong jumped, so lost in his self pity party that he’d almost forgotten where they were. Seonghwa looked at him worriedly, trying to smile as he thumbs softly under Hongjoong’s eye.
“Are you alright, my love?”
Hongjoong tries to answer but all that comes out is an embarrassing croak.
Seonghwa looks at him sadly and draws him in, kissing his forehead. His scent is a mess, a maelstrom of anger, confusion, sadness but Hongjoong smells twinges of his sweet watermelon scent as he tries to push his more intense emotion away in favor of comforting his alpha.
Hongjoong appreciated the attempt now more than ever.
“Don’t take this to your heart, my love. I know what he did was…..was hurtful but I really don’t think he was trying to actively hurt you. At least not anymore. It feels like a lapse of judgement more than anything.”
Hongjoong nods, trying to be understanding but not quite able to move past how hollow his chest feels. “Still hurts.” He admits to his mate, feeling a little pathetic but Seonghwa just hums.
“I’m sure, my love.” Seonghwa soothes, his scent flickering as he gets angry again. “I will deal with this one, okay? This is….this is just unacceptable and he can’t treat you or any of the pack like this.”
Hongjoong sighs, a long exhausted one as the two pull away. “Okay, just….not immediately. You’re upset and angry and- I don’t want to scare or hurt Yeosang in a moment of high emotion.”
Seonghwa nods, though his eyes haven’t lost that fiery blaze, miffed at having his mate be hurt like that. Still, he knows that Hongjoong is right. He can never allow himself in a position where his anger gets the better of him and he ends up hurting his packmates. No matter how angry he was at Yeosang, the last thing he wanted was for the omega to get hurt or worse, to be the one to hurt him.
Hongjoong squeezes his hand, grounding both of them. “Just take a few breathers before we deal with this. Just till we’ve calmed down enough and we can be objective in the punishment.”
“Gonna need more than a few breathers then.” Seonghwa quipped sarcastically before he sagged, suddenly rather exhausted. “God, this day has been awful.”
Hongjoong nods in agreement. “For all of us.”
And the worst part was that it was far from over.