Chapter Text
“People see idols on stage and think they know everything about us. But the truth is, the stage is only a few minutes long. The rest of our lives… those are the parts people don’t see.” - Lee Heeseung
“Come on, hyung, just one more time,” Jungwon said, grabbing his towel and wiping at the sweat on his neck. “We can land the choreo this time, and then we can go home.”
Heeseung nodded, hands on his knees as he tried to stretch out his back, taking deep breaths. His skin felt prickly, a telltale sign that his omega was very overstimulated at the moment. He stared at the grain in the wood flooring below him, trying to internally calm his omega just so they could make it through this practice.
He saw the shoes next to his own, but he would’ve known who’d moved to stand next to him anyway. Jake’s deep cedar and orange scent floated around him, his omega reacting instantly. Jake hesitated for a moment, glancing at the upper management who’d gathered to see their final choreography before their newest comeback, before putting his hand on Heeseung’s back, rubbing gently. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Heeseung closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, letting Jake’s scent settle inside him. Over the past six years, he’d come to rely on it more and more. When Heeseung had presented as an omega shortly after their debut, he’d been as shocked as the rest of the group. He’d always expected himself to be an alpha or, as he got older and presentation grew less likely, he’d imagined himself to be a beta. So when he’d felt the first trickles of slick and realized the cramps weren’t from the huge amount of ramen he’d consumed the night before, he’d freaked out to say the least. Jay and Jake had stayed with him through his heat, never doing anything beyond giving him cuddles, and he assumed that was part of the reason he was still so attached to them. He’d stayed with Sunoo when he presented, so he didn’t have the same connection.
Jake glanced at the managers again before rubbing his wrist against Heeseung’s scent gland. It didn’t work as well as true scenting when Jake would guide Heeseung’s face to his scent gland and let him breathe in his scent until he was pliant and relaxed, but it would do in a pinch.
Heeseung let out a slow breath, his eyes fluttering open. “We’ve got this.” He stood up and looked at Jake, thankfulness shining in his eyes.
Jake smiled, “Great, let’s go, hyung.”
They all moved into positions, and the music started. Heeseung smiled, mouthing along with the words, giving the performance his all now that he felt a bit more comfortable in his own skin. He couldn’t help but feel the manager’s eyes on him as they whispered amongst themselves, a ball of anxiety settling in the pit of his stomach.
The song ended, and they broke formation, grabbing towels and waters again to wind down as they finally nailed it. Heeseung stepped closer to the managers, stretching out his arms, trying to seem lost in his own world so he could hear what they were saying.
“One omega is bad enough,” one said quietly, “But now this group has two.”
“The older one would be fine as a soloist.” Another murmured.
“We need to tell the others to keep an eye on that alpha.” The one who seemed to be in charge said. Heeseung glanced briefly towards them, but their eyes were on Jake. The pit in his stomach grew. Had they seen the brief wrist scenting? He knew they weren’t allowed to date, let alone bond, but what they were doing wasn’t wrong. Jake was just helping him stay calm. And even though Heeseung had been in love with Jake since the young alpha walked into the Hybe building, or that once he’d presented his omega, seemed to scream Mine every time Jake was around (a fact Heeseung clearly ignored) that didn’t mean it was anything.
Heeseung bit his lip, moving away. He didn’t want to hear any more of what they were saying. He did want to make solo music, he did want his own career, but he would never leave Enhypen. He loved all the other boys. They were his family. They’d survived I-Land together, and they were just starting to make a name for themselves. This was his pack, no matter the solo music, he always wanted to be with them too.
Jake, seeming to sense his distress, came over to him. “You okay hyung?”
Heeseung nodded, staring blankly at the wall. “Yeah, just tired. Are we ready to go?”
“I think so. Jungwon still has a couple solo leader things to do, but all the rest of us are heading back to the dorm.”
Heeseung nodded. “Okay, let me grab my stuff.” He picked up his towel and water bottle, taking care of the towel and grabbing his bag and hoodie before following Niki out the door and down to the waiting cars.