dovey

"hello baby girl," he murmured.

you looked at him through heavy eyes and tried to blink away the tiredness. "I didn't think you'd be back tonight..."

fuck, you sounded so surprised when you said it. not accusing, not upset, just pleased. his alpha whined a little, unhappy that he'd left his omega alone for so long. "thought the change of scenery would help," he admitted and ran his scent mark over your cheek, "what are you doing on the floor baby?"

you untangled your arms to hold his hand there, fingers warm and claiming as you dipped your head to nuzzle at his pulse point. you yawned. "smells like woo here," you admitted, shy but honest.

Hongjoong immediately wanted to lower himself and beg for forgiveness. it was comeback season and it was busy. songs that were supposed to be finished had been sent back with a list of changes. more and more photoshoots and filming schedules were put into their calendars. they'd signed on to do a showcase and that meant extra practice. the days seem to stretch on and on with no end in sight.

they'd apologised, warned you in advance. You'd smiled and promised you understood - "just look after yourself, okay?"

and then in the middle of all that, was you seeking the scent of your pack because you missed them so terribly. god, what a shitty fucking alpha he was.

"woo's bed smells like him too," Hongjoong reminded, "and softer."

you shook your head. "its not the same without him there," you confessed, "none of your rooms are."

his alpha whimpered. Hongjoong might have let it slip out.

"come to bed with me," he said as he urged you to your feet. you followed obediently, let him gather you close and tug your blanket around your shoulders.

"don't you have work?" you asked.

he did but there was no way it was going to get done tonight. not with your words in his head, your scent fresh around him and that hopeful light in your eye. "I was just getting water before I sleep," he lied, "so come with me."

you didn't argue with him, let him lead you across the house - half empty with their pack mates on other sides of the country for work - and into his room. the covers were still messy from the last time he'd slept there and you slid into them as if they were your own.

they were, he supposed, just like he was.

You slept with your face pressed against his scent gland, against the mating mark you'd put there. Hongjoong held you tight, anything to make up for lost time.

-

hongjoong: everyone better get their asses home as quick as possible

hongjoong: our girl needs us

-

jongho had never wanted to get home faster in his life. the message from hongjoong sat in the group chat - the one specifically reserved for work, not pack related things - and any follow up message went unanswered. the flight from jeju to Seoul was only an hour and yet it felt like a lifetime, his alpha pacing and tugging at his control.

he barely held back asking his manager to break the speed limit.

you had been theirs for nearly three years and yet he still felt like it was all so fresh when he thought of you. it was like he was still fumbling, trying to find his place with you and desperately afraid of fucking it up.

jongho looked at the group chat again. estimated arrival times and demands for answers still sat without response. he'd be the first one to arrive, the others on later flights because of their schedules.

of course, his mind jumped to the worst - to hurt and pain and death - and he felt sick. but that couldn't be, right? they were all busy but something like that - Hongjoong would have called. his manager wouldn't be humming songs playing on the radio under his breath. the world wouldn't continue turning.

so he tried to breathe through the initial panic, told himself that he was going to curse the pack alpha out for making him nauseous with worry, and assure himself that you were all in one piece.

he barely said goodbye to his manager, stumbling out of the car with his overnight bag slung over his shoulder, and took the steps up two at a time.

and there you were, on the corner of the sofa. your legs were tucked underneath you, a familiar blanket over your feet and clothes that were definitely Mingi's judging by the size on your body. your messy from sleep and your eyebrows were narrowed in concentration as you read something on your phone.

jongho's chest hurt as it always did at the sight of you.

your face lit up as soon as you saw him. "jjong!"

he dropped to his knees in front of you. his hands slid around, desperately seeking for signs of pain or injury, while his eyes jumped over your face. perfect, unblemished and mildly amused by his wandering limbs. he sniffed but couldn't detect any pain - only your sweet honey mixed with the tinges of delight that he was back in front of you.

your own fingers slid up the plains of his chest, hooking in the chain that hung from his neck. "I thought you weren't going to be back until tonight?"

"hongjoong-hyung said you needed us," jongho said softly, "so I came."

he watched the happy surprise dance across your face before it melted into embarrassment. "I didn't," you murmured, shook your head and ducked it low to hide the flush rising on your cheeks. "it could have waited."

jongho let his fingers smooth the creased the fabric at your waist. "nothing waits with you," he said, patient, honest, "what do you need?"

you ducked your head, the top bumping against the centre of his chest. his alpha rumbled at the contact and he dropped his head to press a kiss to the back of your head instinctively.

"I missed you," you whispered, "nothing smells like you anymore and I'm nesting so I was looking your scent and - did you know that the gym still smells like you and sannie?"

understanding hit him then. the tension he still held in his shoulders let him on the next exhale.

"where's hongjoong?" jongho asked patiently.

you smiled shyly. "getting supplies before pre-heat hits properly," you said.

jongho hummed in understanding. "do you need help making your nest?" he asked, "somewhere not on the gym floor."

the tips of your ears went pink. "help me?"

he kissed the curve of your lips. "yeah gorgeous, whatever you need."

your eyes dancing over his shoulders and jongho didn't even need you to ask. he was already shrugging his coat off his shoulders and tugging the jumper off his body. the way you hugged it close, eyes dilating and the way the tension left your shoulders was answer enough.

"Wait," you hesitated, "you said us? Does that mean the others too?"

you looked so adorably excited.

"will be with you in an hour," he promised.

you scrambled onto your feet. "okay, nest. I gotta get it ready. Ready for you."

it was all omega talk, a blabber about a safe place for your alphas to enter. the usual signs that you were about to start your heat. You never spoke that like that normally, never referred to any of them as your alphas in. normal conversation. still, it made jongho's alpha whine in delight and he watched, fond, utterly in love.

their managers would have a field day about the change of schedules, he was sure, and professionally, jongho knew it would cause more trouble later on. right now though, he didn't care. not with his omega reaching for him, his scent mixing with yours and your fingers interlocked with his.

he pressed a kiss to the back of your hand and nudged his nose along the insight of your wrist. "tell me what you need me to do baby," he murmured, "I got you."

-

jongho: no one is hurt or dying, beautiful is nesting

san: he couldn't have said that???

wooyoung: he made sangie cry

yeosang: you cried too!

seonghwa: why didn't he answer?

jongho: Hongjoong let his phone battery die

mingi: it is acceptable to cuss out our pack alpha?

yunho: he's gonna pay for my medical bills from this HEART ATTACK HE GAVE ME

hongjoong: I was half asleep!

hongjoong: it wasn't supposed to be so dramatic

yeosang: have you forgotten who your pack mates are?

jongho: [1 photo attachment]

jongho: our omega says hurry up

mingi: !!!!!!!

yunho: running

wooyoung: i might cry again

----------------------------------------