#alpha changbin

You were determined to make your house as unwelcoming as possible. Thermostat turned up to 26°C? Check! Belt thrown in the dryer to clank obnoxiously? Check! Salt used instead of sugar for the study snack, along with expired milk? Check and double-check!

You were just admiring your work and de-fluffing the pillows by jumping on them when the doorbell rang. "Coming!" you called... a lie, as you still had to put out the lukewarm water so he wouldn't bother asking for something better (like a lukewarm soda).

Changbin didn't ring again, and you hoped he'd just gone home, but when you opened the door, he was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed to make his biceps larger, and on his face was a devious smirk. "Good evening, beautiful."

"Follow me," you demanded as you rolled your eyes and slammed your door in his face.

Changbin chuckled at the measly attempt to intrude his entrance and marched right in. He kicked off his shoes and followed you to the kitchen, where you had left the trash lid off, making it smell extremely unpleasant. He was completely unfazed, which made you wonder if he lived in filth all the time.

"Here," you ordered as you rammed the glasses into his hands. "If you're going to follow me around, the least you can do is carry something."

"Water? You shouldn't have," he praised as he took a sip.

You watched him in annoyance and cursed yourself for not adding vinegar or something to the glass to make it taste bad. You shoved past him to sit on the sofa, where you promptly pulled open your laptop. You'd already begun working on the presentation by picking a theme and setting up the title page in an effort to make the evening go by as quickly as possible, but you were sure he had the power to stop time somehow. Therefore, you let him watch you work and speed-read any notes he'd need to get by on the presentation part.

Changbin sat as close as humanly possible to you. Your thighs touched, and he leaned back and put his arm behind you on the couch cushion. If you leaned back at all, he'd basically be cuddling you.

"What's wrong, gorgeous? Don't trust me to help with the slide show?"

"Nope," you huffed as you began the slide on pheromones.

Pheromones, Heats & Ruts

"Sexy," Changbin teased as he leaned closer to your shoulder, his breath skating across your skin.

"You picked the topic, dumb ass," you mumbled under your breath.

"And I picked it because it's sexy," he rasped as he watched you type a very biological definition of a very emotional state.

1. Pheromones are chemical signals released through scent glands.

2. They become active during secondary puberty around the ages of 18-21.

3. Omegas experience heats while alphas experience ruts.

4. Heats and ruts temporarily increase pheromone production and fertility.

5. Their biological purpose is to encourage reproduction and pair bonding.

"Mmm, all of this talk about heat is making me thirsty," he hummed while sipping from the glass you'd given him. You bit your tongue and counted through the multitude of ways you could've messed with the water, getting all the way up to 17 before he snapped his hand in front of your zoned-out face.

"What?"

"You daydreaming about me, hot stuff?" he joked, hoping to get a rise out of you.

"If you were in it, then it would be a nightmare," you quipped. "What did you want?"

"You forgot to add a line about the compatibility between omegas and alphas," he corrected.

"No, I didn't," you replied with an eye roll. He had the mental understanding of the heat cycle of a middle schooler.

"Yes, you did...see," he argued as he pointed at the screen. "It's not there."

"It's not there because it's biologically incorrect," you snapped. "Alphas and omegas don't mate simply for their status. They mate when their pheromones present to ideal partners in a favorable way to produce the healthiest offspring."

Changbin stood there with his mouth open before shaking his head and leaning back again. "I can't believe you made heats and ruts sound so...un-sexy."

"Aww, sorry our biology project isn't sexy enough for you. Maybe I'll wear a mini skirt to present in to spice it up," you suggested sarcastically, wishing you could take it back the second he bit his lip and stared at you as if imagining it. You elbowed his side and continued typing.

"What now?"

"We should make a slide on myths vs facts since so many people seem to be confused with the basics," you scathed. Changbin pouted, unhappy with the notion that he wasn't as smart as you, but let you work on the slide in peace while glancing over your shoulder.

Myth vs. Fact

❌ Myth: You'll know your mate the moment you meet them.

✅ Fact: Most people experience attraction over time. Instant mate recognition is extremely rare, though it can indicate a likelihood of powerful offspring.

❌ Myth: Every omega is compatible with every alpha.

✅ Fact: Compatibility varies greatly, and many alpha–omega pairings have little to no attraction whatsoever.

"Like us," you added under your breath.

Changbin furrowed his brows at you, staring as if he couldn't believe you'd say such a thing. You continued typing before he could start a fight.

❌ Myth: Every rut results in knotting.

✅ Fact: Knotting is a physiological response that typically occurs only during arousal and isn't guaranteed in every encounter.

"Myth, (Y/N) knows everything and has never been wrong once in her life."

"Excuse me?" you scoffed.

"You forgot to include the caveat to the first point...omegas can't identify their mates at all until the first heat begins."

"Oh, sorry, I assumed our class was smart enough to know something we learned in the third grade," you snarked before adding the additional info so that everyone with Changbin's reading level could grasp the concept.

"Did I do something to upset you?" he asked, sounding more angry than upset.

"Oh wow, Changbin finally figures out to read the room," you retorted with a mocking clap.

"What's your problem? I haven't even done anything to you," he complained.

"You mean besides the fact that you call me couple-y nicknames all the time? You know I haven't been asked out once because everyone thinks we're dating," you informed him. "You request to be paired with me for every project, and the professors all listen since your father is the Alpha of the pack. You sit beside me during every class and even at lunch like a stalker, and then the one time I spoke to another guy in class this year, you interrupted the conversation."

Changbin sat back with a careless smirk as you described all of the ways he'd tormented you. "So?" he shrugged. "Every omega in class would be grateful for the attention of the future leader of our pack. Why aren't you?"

"For that exact reason," you laughed sarcastically before slamming your laptop shut. "Respect is earned, not given simply because of who your daddy is."

It was clear that Changbin didn't know how to answer that. He observed your crossed arms, and, considering you'd just closed your computer, it was clear you had no intention of continuing to work on the presentation... which was due tomorrow.

"Don't you want to practice how we'll present our slides?"

"No," you said definitively. "It's just a quick explanation of basic biology. If you need to practice, you can do so on your own time."

"But you have the presentation."

"And I added you to the doc when I first started working on it yesterday," you sighed as you collected the glasses to put into the dishwasher.

"Oh..." Changbin muttered as he stood from the couch, finally preparing to leave. "I guess I'll see you in class then."

"Yep."

Changbin glanced back one last time before heading out. You locked the door the second he was outside and fixed everything you'd set up to make your home hostile...not that he'd noticed or even commented on it. You'd put in all that work for nothing...your attitude alone had driven him away.

————————————————————————————

You woke up sweating.

Your hair was drenched, and your head was pounding, and your stomach cramped so badly that you threw up. You glanced at the clock and realized you'd slept through your alarm, too. You only had 20 minutes to get ready for class.

You hopped in the shower to get rid of the stench of whatever nightmare had caused such a reaction (probably one to do with Changbin), and threw on some mascara before running out the door.

You walked into the room right as the bell rang and took your normal seat beside Changbin, who glanced at you in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, upon seeing your hair that was still wet when you were normally so put together.

"Yeah," you answered as you pulled out your laptop to have it ready for the presentation. Thankfully, your group was second, so all you had to do was sit through one measly assignment before giving your speech and cutting the rest of the day short because you were sick.

Chan and Jihyo presented first. You barely heard their scientific analysis of subconscious social rankings thanks to your cramps. It felt like you were being stabbed over and over, and it only numbed a little when you shifted your seat towards Changbin. He didn't breathe when he felt your arm graze his, and you let out a sigh of relief. You didn't need him to get all cocky about it.

Chan finished the presentation with a joke about betas, and before you knew it, Changbin was reaching for your hand. You snatched it away, of course.

"It's our turn," he whispered.

You snapped your head up to find everyone staring at you. With a groan, you stood and walked to the front of the class, unsure why a few students giggled.

While you connected your laptop, Changbin was off whispering with the teacher. She eyed you curiously and walked over to offer you the chance to present another day. "You don't look well, (Y/N)," she said.

"I'm fine," you assured her as you stood tall and prepared to address the class. In the back of your mind, you wondered why Changbin cared so much that you were sick... and then you felt another ache. You stepped closer to him and took a deep breath before beginning. "Pheromones, Heats, and Ruts," you announced as you read the title slide.

"How ironic," someone joked, only for the teacher to hush them as Changbin glared.

"I'll begin by defining what these things are before describing why they exist. Number 1...pheromones are chemical signals released through scent glands."

You nodded towards Changbin who read line 2. "Heats (experienced by omegas) and ruts (experienced by alphas) come to fruition during second puberty around the ages of 18-21.

"Heats are..." you began, when another ache made you stumble forward. You almost passed out from the strong, nauseating wave curling through you.

"(Y/N)," Changbin gasped as he reached out to catch you by your waist. The second his hand touched you, the dizziness vanished.

You didn't even move his hand this time since it was somehow helping whatever weird illness you'd contracted. "Heats are the point of an omega cycle in which their bodies encourage them to breed. Ruts act as the same for an alpha, though they are more likely to be driven by their omega's cycle."

Changbin turned to make sure he was meant to read line four, and you found yourself fixed on his lips as though he were talking in slow motion. "Heats and ruts temporarily increase pheromone production and..." He paused, noticing your gaze fixed on him. You couldn't look away even if you wanted to. It was as though you were under a spell. He smirked and added with a shy blush of his cheeks and delicious lick of his lips, "...fertility."

You moaned. You literally moaned in front of the entire class because of how he said the word. You tried to make up an excuse and blame it on the cramps by claiming it was from pain, but a wetness pooling at your core told another story.

One of the students whistled, and others started laughing at you. Some pointed, and others whispered to themselves, but you knew it was all regarding your embarrassing scent and inappropriate biological response to Changbin's stupid mouth.

Your teacher moved to calm the class and turned briefly to order Changbin to get you home. He nodded and rushed to collect your things, throwing both backpacks over one shoulder before taking your hand and pulling you from the room.

"Where are we going? Why are you taking me out of class?" you complained. You'd only gotten halfway through the presentation.

"You may be book smart, baby, but you haven't experienced much of the real world yet, have you?" he teased as he opened his car door for you.

"I drove myself to school..." you told him. "What about my car?"

"You shouldn't be driving in your...condition," he explained as he shut it and went to round the car.

In his absence, the feeling worsened. You winced and clutched your stomach to send the cramps away, but it did little to make the pain subside. The second Changbin hopped in, the ache dulled to a mere throb.

"I don't know what's happening to me," you cried as he began to drive. You couldn't understand why your body hurt so badly or why Changbin's presence was the only thing that calmed it down when you hated him so much.

"You'll be okay," he promised, placing his hand on your thigh.

Another moan left your lips.

Changbin looked over with wide eyes, the sound a shock to you both. "I...I'm sorry," you whined. The ache grew to a burning need, and you slid down the seat, inching his hand higher on your leg.

"(Y/N), just wait until we get to your place, okay?" Changbin pleaded. He seemed to have a lot more insight into what was going on than you did.

"Why does this feel so good?" you asked breathlessly, a desperate exhale leaving your lips.

Changbin squeezed your thigh to stop you from taking his hand too high, causing you to turn to him with a pout. "Not until we're home," he scolded.

"But Changbin," you complained while leaning closer to him. Your arm wrapped around his bicep, and your nose scooted towards his neck. He smelled so good...he felt so good... "Oh fuck!" you realized, backing away from him in disgust. "I'm in heat."

"No shit, hot stuff," he laughed as he pulled into your driveway. "Now...let's get inside."

"You can't be serious? There's no way you're coming in there with me."

"It hurts when I'm not next to you, doesn't it?" he pointed out.

You bit the inside of your cheek and pulled as far away from him as you could. The stabbing feeling in your stomach must've shown on your face, but you lied and shook your head anyway.

"We're mates, (Y/N). I've known it all year, so if you'll just get your butt in there, then we can finally..."

"No! It's just some weird alpha-omega thing. We aren't mates. I hate you," you argued...though the fact you hadn't left the car yet wasn't lost on him.

"You hate me?" he repeated with a mocking look. "If that were the case, you wouldn't have needed to stand so close to me today; you wouldn't have tried to make me touch you; and you certainly wouldn't have worn the mini skirt you'd teased me about yesterday."

"I'm not..." you began, but when you looked down, you realized he was right. "I don't remember putting this on."

"You woke up thinking about me because of your heat. You knew I could make it better even if you didn't want to admit it yet," he muttered, leaning in carefully to cup your cheek.

Again...you didn't pull away.

"You said so yourself that alphas and omegas aren't just attracted to each other based on social status alone. Our bodies crave one another (Y/N)," he breathed, his words crumbling the wall inside you that was meant to keep him out.

"But you're the alpha...not an alpha...but like, the main one," you complained. "And if you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

Changbin chuckled and moved even closer. His lips were barely hovering above yours, so close that the pain had gone silent. It knew you were in good hands now.

"I am the big, powerful alpha, and I was brought to my knees by my desire to do right by you. You weren't ready to know we were mates yet. You needed to come to me on your own. And now that you have, I can say it freely. You are my mate, (Y/N) like it or not," he said before crashing his lips to yours.

Just 12 hours earlier, the thought of being in the same room as him had set you on edge. You'd spent hours coming up with ways to annoy him and to make him uncomfortable. Now...all you wanted was more of him.

His lips moved in an all-encompassing pace, and your hands began to roam up his chest. Changbin was strong...really strong...and you wanted to be pinned down by him as he rammed his massive...

"Let's get inside before your scent lingers in my car for the next year."

You frowned, tears brimming in your eyes at his words. "Do you not like my scent?" You'd never felt so rejected before, despite his words not even being that harsh.

"Hey, (Y/N), hey," Changbin cooed as he offered you another kiss. "I love your scent. I just don't want everyone I hang out with to know what you smell like on your heat. That's only for me, okay?"

You wiped your cheeks and nodded before following him out of the car by hopping over the console and going through his door. You weren't interested in letting go of his hand.

"You don't seem to hate me very much," he pointed out as you unlocked the door.

"You're making up for it," you breathed as you pushed him back against the door to shut it. You pulled his hoodie off and flew your shirt over your head so that you could feel more of his skin on yours.

Changbin kicked off his shoes and surprised you by picking you up and cradling you all the way to your room. All the while, your lips never left his, and the pain never returned. It was satiated by his body against yours.

"You said that you knew we were mates already...how?" you asked between kisses.

"I felt drawn to you," he confessed as he lay you back, eyes drawn to your chest rising and falling as you fought to catch your breath. "First, it was the way you looked at me. I was curious why you didn't seem to care about my status," he explained as he tore off your bra. "And then I had dreams about your voice as if you were a siren calling me home," he added before unbuttoning his pants.

You tried not to look, but found yourself too curious. Your gaze fell, and you took in the sight of his hardened cock for the first time. "Oh god," you groaned. He was huge.

Changbin seemed pleased by your reaction.

"And I noticed that I would make little suggestions to you, and without meaning to follow orders, you'd obey," he smirked as he eyed the skirt one last time before yanking it off.

"It's just a skirt," you argued, inhaling in shock when his hands pressed to your bare thighs to hold you open.

"No...it's more than that. Even just this week, you could've changed partners and didn't. You could have opted for a different topic, but you went with what I wanted. You complained about adding the line to our Myths section, but included it anyway. The skirt was just my favorite part," he winked.

You tried to find excuses for why you'd done all of those things, but nothing made sense. He was right... You were genetically predisposed to please him... just as he was to please you.

Changbin let his thumb slide up and down your slick, his touch igniting you from the inside out. You could've screamed from how good it felt, and yet, he didn't stop. Not when you arched off the bed...not when your toes curled...not when you looked up at him with eyes so lustful you could've spilled over right then...and especially not when he collected both of your hands to pin them above your head.

He kissed your neck and jaw as your mouth was busy spilling whines, and he mumbled dirty words that made your heart race. "My little mate is all nice and wet for me. I'm going to be gentle since this is our first time, but next time I'm going to splay you out on my bed, and tie each limb to a different corner of my mattress."

"Binnie," you cried out, clit throbbing under his touch.

"Oh, you'll like that, won't you?" he realized when he felt your thighs constrict around his hand. You were getting too sensitive...too turned on. "You spent all year hating me, and now you get to see what it's like to be loved by me. You get to see how cruel I can be," he taunted as he removed his hand just before you came.

You fell back to the bed and let out a breathless, "Why?"

"You have to earn the right to come, my love," he explained as he aligned his cock with your cunt and tilted you to face him. "And the rules are simple...you can come once you admit that you're mine."

"I'm not..." you went to argue as you rolled your eyes, but Changbin slammed in, filling you and stretching you wide in one deep thrust.

"Funny," he teased before licking up your neck to your ear. "Your pussy feels like mine."

You hated the way his words made you feel. You were sweating and desperate and clung to him as he rocked into you while biting your lip. You wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing you moan for him.

"Is my mate denying me her pretty little moans?" he taunted.

"I'm not your mate. You were just the closest alpha to fuck," you spat back. Despite how good he felt, you couldn't imagine a life with someone so annoying.

"Mmm. And yet you walked right past Chan to get to the front of the class," he reminded you. "And yet it was my scent that pulled you in, wasn't it? My scent that made the pain fade away."

"The pain won't really be gone until you make me cum, which I'm sure you're incapable of doing, so..."

"Say what you want, little mate. Your pussy is throbbing around me right now," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"It's a...side effect of heats," you lied. "It's not any indication of how good you are...or bad."

Changbin smirked at your slip-up and increased his pace. The bed rocked beneath you, and the wall echoed from every hit of the headboard. Changbin leaned in to kiss you, only to rudely pull away right as your lips puckered, leaving you wanting more.

"I'll kiss you once you say it, baby. Just tell me you're my mate. Tell me you're mine," he begged as he kissed along your neck.

"Why do I have to be owned by you? Are you mine?" you asked, trying to reason with him.

"Of course I am," he muttered against your skin.

You weren't sure how to feel about that. He was so easily able to admit to being owned, and yet the idea of someone possessing you so finally terrified you.

"Just say it, (Y/N)," he urged. "Say it, and I'll claim you. Say it, and I'll give you more pleasure than you've ever experienced before."

The offer was too tempting to resist. You nuzzled your way back to his lips to kiss them softly before muttering, "I'm yours."

Changbin's face lit up in determination. You weren't sure if it was to do right by you or to finish you off, but he began with a bite. He sank his teeth into your neck, sending sparks of pleasure coursing through every ounce of your body.

It started at the mark and first ascended to your brain, which felt fuzzy and happy. The world looked and sounded brighter, especially Changbin's heavy breaths as he kept his pace strong. The light then moved to your heart, which sped up to match his pace. It inched towards your fingers and toes, making every single cell explode in adoration and sex, and just when you thought you couldn't take any more, it grew, doubling in size and begging to be shared with the one person who would understand how happy you were.

You kissed Changbin and released around him, giving him all of you just as he gave you all of him.

He let go of your hands so he could lovingly hold your cheek, brushing the flushed skin with his thumb as his hips stuttered. You'd never felt so whole before.

"You did so well for your first heat, my mate," he praised as he playfully kissed your nose and cheeks.

You yawned and curled into him. "And what was that thing you said about tying me up next time?"

Your first heat came on suddenly. You had been so jealous of all the other omegas who were being sought after by the alphas for years now, and now that it was your turn, you hated it.

You could've fucked a chair from how horny you were. You even had to wear skirts because the seam of your jeans rubbing even the slightest bit against your core made you a whimpering mess. You felt embarrassed by this desperate feeling and just wanted it to go away. The others seemed to be able to manage the sensations so much better, but you were a mess.

You hoped the selection ceremony tonight would bring you some relief. The alphas would choose their omegas and the betas would pair off with whoever was left. You didn't care who got you as long as they made this needy feeling in the pit of your stomach go away.

You abandoned your hut to walk over, another adaption you made since you were incapable of sitting on vibrating horseback right now. As you approached the park entrance, you spotted several betas laughing amongst each other.

Their piney, masculine scent filled the air, and you whined as you walked by, feeling soaked to your core already. They heard and snapped their heads towards you with amused expressions. Your cheeks flushed as you continued moving forward until you felt a hand on your lower back.

You turned and saw Han, a beta who you'd been friends with a few years ago...until you were the only one without a heat. Then, he saw no use for you.

"Look who's finally grown up," he teased.

"It's my first one," you admitted. You were a little embarrassed about how far behind you were.

"Oh I know it's your first one (Y/n)," he sighed as he sniffed the air. "I'd remember your scent if you'd been here before. So fucking sweet. Like cotton candy."

"Really?" you asked with wide eyes.

"Mhm," he groaned and pulled you back against a tree along the walkway. "Why don't you let me have a taste, baby."

The predatory way he looked at you set your skin on fire. Your body was reaching out to him in more ways than one. You gripped his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Instead of leaving a kiss, though, he nibbled your bottom lip, breaking the skin. Han's cock grew hard as the copper scent of blood filled the air between you. You ground against his length, seeking out the friction you'd been craving all week.

"Fuck you're a needy one aren't you," Han growled.

"Touch me!" you cried out. "Please touch me!"

Before he could, he was ripped off of you and flung to the ground. You gasped and watched as Han was scolded for getting his scent all over you by Changbin (an alpha well-known for never choosing an omega). He was ordered to stand down and Changbin turned around and swiped the blood dribble from your lip before snatching your hand and forcing you to follow him.

He said nothing but glared straight down the path, leading you toward the location of the selection ceremony. Your feet could barely keep up and you found yourself tripping over yourself more than once.

"Am I...am I in trouble?" you stuttered.

"No," he said simply.

"Did I do something wrong?" the pit in your stomach was still there, and you tried your best to push aside the way you felt about his hands in yours. So warm... so strong...

He smelled different than the betas, not piney, but fresh. Like almond and vanilla. You couldn't get enough of it and tried to walk as close as possible with your nose nearly buried in his back.

When he suddenly stopped, you rammed against him, and apologized right away, groveling to the ground until he encouraged you to stand. "Stay here, little one. The selection ceremony will begin soon."

And just like that, he left you on your own. Other omegas were lined up as well as if you were all toys on a shelf to be plucked for the taking. The betas walked past you, their eyes dark and desperate to get their hands on whoever was leftover. With so few alphas, most of the betas would get to mate tonight, too.

You caught Han's gaze, and he not-so-subtly brought the hand he'd been holding you with to his nose and breathed in deeply. When he did, his cock grew shamelessly hard. The sight of it made you drool.

A horn sounded in the distance, and the other omegas began to scatter. They ran in every which way with giggling squeals while you watched in confusion, having no idea what was taking place.

The alphas suddenly appeared at the top of the hill, each shirtless and in jeans. They took off in sprints to find their mates or new omegas to breed with, and you stood by in shock, paralyzed to the ground as they chased after omegas who had ducked into the forest.

Amidst all the chaos, one alpha walked calmly down the hill, his eyes glued to you. Your heart pounded as he grew closer, eyes darker than they'd been earlier. Your cunt craved him, craved what he could give you and do for you. You had no inclination to run from such pleasure.

"Sweet little thing you are," Changbin muttered when he reached you. You hadn't noticed how muscular he was before. "Didn't want to run? Didn't want to work up a lovely stench for me to follow?"

"I-I didn't know I was supposed to," you apologized, too distracted by his biceps to even think about jogging away.

"Of course, you didn't, innocent one," he whispered as he brushed your hair out of your face with a delicate hand.

Changbin suddenly pressed his lips to yours, making you lose all thoughts and feelings. His kiss heightened all of the instincts you had, and now, more than ever, you wanted to be bred and filled by him.

"I had dibs on her!" Han called from the other side of the pitch.

Changbin pulled away to whip around with bared teeth. He snarled and stepped closer to Han, who eventually groveled to the ground in submission, profusely apologizing for trying to take claim of what was rightfully his. Changbin stomped on his hand, crushing the bones with a loud snap. Han pleaded to be released and was only granted that freedom when he promised not to lay so much as a single hair on you.

Your eyes were wide and fearful as you realized how scary an alpha could be. But when Changbin turned back around, his gaze was soft and adoring. He stepped back over, and his scent overwhelmed you, as if the tension and anger had opened his glands and made them that much more potent.

"You're shaking, bunny," Changbin commented before taking your legs out from under you to carry you.

You were surprised but adapted quickly, happy to be in his arms when he smelled and looked so good.

"Where are you taking me?" you asked, eyes fluttering as you tried to concentrate while cuddled into his bare chest. The need to breed was overwhelming.

"Up the hill, to my hut."

"You're going to carry me up the hill?" you gasped.

He smirked in amusement at your surprise. "Of course I am."

You couldn't believe it. It was steep and tall. Even when they had run down the hill, some of the alphas had stumbled. But now, as Changbin began the ascent, you could see how stable he was.

His breathing never wavered. His legs never shook. His strong arms carried you as though you weighed no more than an acorn. You wrapped your arms around his neck and breathed in his scent heavily. Each inhale was met with little moans of anticipation.

When he'd lifted you, your skirt had ridden up so you were nearly exposed to him, and yet, he clenched his jaw and maintained control.

"What's going to happen?" you asked when he had finished climbing the hill. He was now walking down a stone path toward his hut, passing by others that were less impressive... likely beta huts.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his cheeks glowing red as he imagined the fun that would take place. "I'm going to fill you with my pups. I'm going to breed you until you're leaking and messy and begging for me to stop while pleading with me for more."

You whined as you pictured it, unable to stop the flood that rushed to your core.

"And if you're extra good, maybe I'll bite you."

You moaned at the thought just as Changbin entered the hut. It was different than you'd thought it would be...simpler. There was a mat on the ground surrounded by pillows kept orderly by a circle of stones. Crystals of all colors were encased in the plaster used to build the hut. Moonlight shone through them, sending colorful shimmers across the floor as he set you down carefully.

You immediately shifted to your knees, trying to keep watch of him as he circled you, and examined you. Each turn around your body enveloped you in more of the almond-vanilla scent you'd grasped onto earlier. It had you dizzied and wet...so, so wet.

"Please," you looked up at him, begging for some relief. It had been a week of torture, and you couldn't take it anymore.

"Such good manners from such a fresh little bunny," he cooed as he crouched down to your level. "Such a sweet girl wearing a skirt and making this so easy for me," he groaned as he pushed you back to the mat, digging his hands up the fabric to pull away your panties.

Now exposed to the air, things felt ten times worse.

"I don't usually take new omegas. My cock is too big, and the knot usually doesn't fit."

You whimpered as you imagined him stretching you. You felt feverish and hot.

"But you'll make it fit won't you bunny?"

Your body was writhing at the mere presence of him near you, and he inhaled sharply as he spread your legs apart, soaking in your cotton candy smell.

"Fuck," he groaned, fisting his hands at his sides as he looked away. 

You briefly worried that you didn't smell good to him anymore and sat up, trying to cover yourself. But Changbin was on you in a second, forcing your hands down by your sides as he slid off his pants to free his cock.

It was so thick just as he'd said, and his balls looked so full and heavy. Even from far away, you worried about the pain it must be causing him.

"I can't stop myself," he grunted as he aligned himself with your heat.

"Then don't," you pleaded.

He paused, assessing your ability to take him and looking pessimistic about it, but he must've decided it was worth a shot anyway as he suddenly pushed his way in, forcing his thick cock through your warm, tight walls in a way you'd never felt before.

"Oh! My! God!" you screamed out, arching into the air.

Changbin must've seen your tits harden beneath your top because he shredded it to pieces sending fabric confetti into the air. His mouth latched onto your nipple as he filled you, and your eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy.

"Pretty tits, and a pretty bunny," he hummed. "Such a pretty pussy, too. Taking me so good," he grunted and pushed in til you felt the knot trying to fit.

"Changbin," you whined and wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him in for a kiss. He obliged and hummed against you, nibbling down on the same spot Han had and cutting back open the skin.

You gasped and wound your fingers through his hair, trying to feel him everywhere. You ran your feet against his calves, you nuzzled into his neck when he began to pick up speed.

You realized he wasn't just fucking you faster, but trying to force the knot inside. It squished against your cunt, too thick to fit.

"Relax bunny," Changbin ordered. "Relax and make it fit for me."

His hips pushed back and forth, and you could do nothing but whine in relief of finally being touched. He gripped your hips tightly and pounded into you, shoving the knot against your hole and sending you over the edge out of nowhere.

You whimpered and cried out his name, but he didn't stop, he couldn't. Even though you were shaking, you were there for a purpose, to be bred.

Your release dropped down his cock to the knot, lubricating it enough that it felt possible. Changbin bit his lip and looked down as he pushed in one last time, finally finding a home for his knot, finding a mate who could take him.

"Oh fuck," he groaned while you whined and trembled beneath him.

Changbin gazed lovingly at you as he rolled his hips forward, pushing his cock toward your womb in a way that had your mouth dropping open in surprise.

"Good bunny," he hummed. "You're fitting me so good. Just stay still. 'M gonna fill you," he promised.

Changbin's jaw went slack as he ground his cock inside your walls, edging you back toward another release. It felt so good, so fucking good.

Your cheeks burned as you pressed kisses to his chest and neck and anywhere else you could see skin. Changbin released loud, feral exhales with each push until finally, his body went still against yours.

He looked down in adoration and you suddenly felt it. The knot was pulsating, sending thick ropes of cum to your womb, filling you with his potential pups.

Changbin moaned and dropped his lips to yours, his breathing heavy and staggered. You whimpered as you absorbed it all and were filled by him. Your insides felt warmer than you ever could've guessed and when the knot was emptied, he pulled away from the kiss with his teeth bared.

"Do you know what this bite means, little one?" he asked with a satisfied twinkle in his eye.

You nodded. "It means I'll be claimed...owned by you

"Mhm," he kissed you again before kissing your jaw and neck. "My bunny," he whispered before sinking his teeth into you.

The immediate feeling was that of pain but it was quickly diminished and replaced by a wave of euphoria that had your mind glowing in a sea of white emptiness. Your mind was blank except for Changbin. He was your alpha. You were his omega.

You would do anything for him, and he would do anything for you.

Your insides lit on fire as you grasped at him, seeking his body inside yours, trying to melt your skin together. Everything felt too hot, like you were on fire in pleasure. You came again, gasping against his chest with joyous whimpers as your cunt throbbed around him.

He licked the wound clean and pulled away, and you could smell him on you. His sweet scent lingered against yours now as if he was a part of you.

"Rub your nose against my neck, bunny," he instructed.

You were confused but listened...listened right away as if you were now bound to do so.

"That's how you claim me," he explained. "My bite will keep other alphas away from you and your scent will keep other omegas away from me."

You nodded, not having realized you could do that. There was so much you didn't know.

"I've been waiting a long time for you, bunny," he cooed as he kissed you again. His kisses were soft and cozy now. They felt like home. Your legs wrapped around him, trying to keep him with you forever.

"Are you feeling better?" he checked.

You nodded with shy, pink cheeks. "So much better. I feel so full now." You'd meant it metaphorically, emotionally...but Changbin chuckled.

"You took years' worth of pups tonight, bun. You're going to sleep so well," he hummed.

"Are you going to walk me back to my hut?" you asked worriedly. You didn't really know how the bite worked and feared some unstable betas might try to take advantage of you if you were all alone.

Changbin laughed, "You live with me now, bun. I'll take you to my castle tomorrow."

"Castle?" you repeated with wide eyes.

"Mhm. But tonight we have to stay here. You have to stay filled by my cock tonight to make sure the pups settle in."

"All night?" you gasped.

Changbin shifted his hips, and you whined at how good it felt.

"All night," he affirmed before flipping you over so you could rest on his chest. It was soft and warm against your cheek. He stroked your back gently, trying to ease your worries. "Go to sleep bunny. You've been very good to me tonight. You deserve sweet dreams and lots of rest."

You yawned, suddenly exhausted. "Goodnight, Changbin."

There are five days left of your holiday break when your heat subsides. Four, when you decide it is safe to go out again.

You had managed to convince Hyunjin to drive down without you. Miraculously, you also made him agree to not tell your parents anything about what had happened. They already worried enough about you as it was, no need to pile up anything else.

Of course that would come with a cost. Not now. Not while you still had worry and care on your side. But your twin was not one to let things go that easily, so you know you will have to talk about it eventually.

The group chat had also been updated about your return to civilisation. Word had gotten around, you’re sure about that, none of you could ever stay out of each other’s business for too long. But the chat itself had been unusually quiet these past few days - which only corroborated with your theory that they had a separate space to talk without you.

You shouldn’t feel uneasy about it. It’s not like the principle of it bothered you at all. You understood that a lot of them had been friends before you, and being the only constant girl in your tight knit group meant you understood that sometimes they just wanted to be boys.

But you also could not avoid the trigger that being chased brought up. You remember how alone you had felt after the first time it happened. The drifting apart from people that just didn’t get it. So you were feeling fragile, what about it? It wouldn’t stop you from texting them, from going out, from being their friend.

Even if they acted a little weird for a bit, a little out of character. You could handle it.

Hyunjin for sure would not have told them about what had happened before. Your brother was many things, but he would never betray your trust like that. Changbin wouldn’t either, you think, but given the recent events you were eager to talk to him about it.

Good thing you wouldn’t have to wait long for that.

Hyunjin had texted you the night before, when you told him you were done with your heat, that Changbin had offered to drive down with you if you were still feeling up for it.

You don’t question it too much. Your hometown was on the way to his and, although you had assumed he would have taken the trip for the holiday earlier in the week, it was also easy to guess that being the owner of a gym and giving all your trusted employees days off at the same time probably left himself with little time off.

Seungmin was the one to finally gossip to you about what had happened. On a video call while you finish packing, your friend was using talking to you as an excuse to run away from his family for a bit. You appreciate how he skips over the whole ordeal, asking a quick you okay? before diving straight into everything that happened on the days you were locked away from everything.

“So then Chan hyung got really mad because apparently he won’t be able to get a refill on time”, your friend finishes his side of the whole thing, as the person who was hanging out with Chan when Jisung had to explain to the oldest why he had stolen the suppressants.

“I didn’t even know Chan took those”, you start, “but it makes sense, he is a control freak”

“You remember I also take them, right?” you don’t even need to look at the screen to know what face he is pulling, one eyebrow raised in defiance.

“Yeah, but when you do it it’s historical reparation”, you don’t even stop your mechanical folding of clothes, “it’s an omega taking matters into his own hands, having ownership over his body, not falling victim to what instincts expects of him”

“And when Chan does it he is a control freak”

“Now you get it,” you wink at him and see that he is fighting back a little grin too.

His expression changes, as if catching up with his thoughts after drifting too far.

“Why are you not asking me about Changbin hyung?”

“What is there to ask? I was in heat, he’s an alpha, I’m not surprised it triggered his rut”

“No, you don’t get it. Changbin has the steadiest cycle I have ever seen, it’s never this early”, he lowers his voice, probably avoiding the prying ears of his younger cousins.

“How would you even know that? Do you have his cycle memorised or something?”

“His scent is sickening, I need to know to stay away when his rut is near”

You somehow feel offended by the statement. What does he mean by Changbin’s scent being sickening? It is, objectively speaking, the best scent you had ever came across. Seungmin is probably just being Seungmin about it. You shake your head, getting back on track.

“Still, that’s how it works”

“If that’s how it works, have you ever triggered anyone else’s rut before?”

“Well, no”, you don’t need to give it much thought, you assume you would know if it had happened, “but still.”

“Nah, it is weird and if you’re not ready for this conversation that’s fine but don’t blame it on biology”, he is letting go of the subject for now, but not for good.

“It’s literally biology”, you insist.

“Yeah, sure honey, you look so pretty when you act dumb”

You roll your eyes. Sometimes you wish Felix was an omega instead of a beta, he’d be much easier to talk to about these things. You know you are not fooling Seungmin. You’re not even sure you’re fooling yourself. But blaming it on biology is a lot less scary than to consider what else it could mean.

A text notification comes through, obscuring part of Seungmin’s forehead on the screen.

changbin leaving now be there in 10

“Ok I have to go, Changbin’s on his way”, you interrupt whatever it is Seungmin has started to complain about. Truth be told, you stopped hearing it the minute the texts popped down.

Good thing he is used to it by now. He doesn’t act offended by the sudden stop to the conversation, your goodbyes are short but sweet enough to wish each other a nice rest of the break.

The time runs out just as you finish shoving clothes inside your backpack, with another text letting you know Changbin is downstairs.

You take deep breaths as you go down the elevator. You should apologize to him, right? Definitely thank him too, as well.

He’s waiting outside of his car, leaning back into it, arms folded in front of his chest. He has a dark shirt on, a cap pushing his hair down so it curls right above his eyebrows. His face is taken by a small smile as you approach, and he moves to open the trunk for you to place down your bag.

“You alright?” is the first thing he asks, and you smile back before nodding.

It’s not confident, but it’s honest.

He lets it slide.

He walks you to the passenger seat, opening the door for you. You can’t contain the giggle at the awkwardness of the moment. That’s not like him.

“Oh what a gentleman”, you tease.

He rolls his eyes but, as he walks over to his own seat, you can see that the corners of his lips betray him in a smile.

The first few minutes of the trip are filled with music discussions and a never ending back and forth over what the road trip soundtrack should be. Once you settle on a fair middle ground, picking some old songs you are both into, the shared space grows quiet, almost uncomfortably so.

You can tell Changbin wants to say something.

You wonder if he’s feeling awkward about the whole situation too.

So you clean your throat to catch his attention, his eyes sneaking away from the road to look at you for an instant.

“Need some water?” he’s already moving to reach for the bottle between the seats.

You stop him, one hand resting on top of his, frozen mid movement.

“No Changbin, listen”, you start.

He keeps his hand still. You’re probably holding him too tightly so you let go. His palm hovers for half a second before he brings it back to the steering wheel. He waits, you don’t know where to start but now it’s too late to go back.

“I wanted to thank you”, your voice is small, you decide facing the road too is better than facing him, “I didn’t mean to bring you guys trouble but I’m glad you were there”

He is quiet, considering your words.

“I was worried about you”, he admits. At least it sounds like an admission, he keeps his voice down, throat raspy.

You don’t know how to reply to that, so you stick to your inicial plan, “and I also wanted to apologize”

This time his reply comes quick and sounds indignant.

“What for?”

“Well, last week”, you still can bring yourself to look at him.

“Why are you apologising for that?” he sounds genuinely confused, “it is literally not your fault.”

“No, not that, the other thing”, you feel your cheeks starting to warm, but you’re confident he also has his eyes on the road, “I know it’s just biology but still, I’m sorry I triggered your rut.”

“You didn’t”, it comes out like a bite.

“I didn’t?” so it’s your turn to sound confused.

“I suppressed it.”

“You suppressed it.”

“Are you a parrot?” he lets amusement bleed through the notes of his words.

“No, sorry”, you’re sure your entire face is red by now, “I mean, I know, Seungmin told me.”

“Of course he did”, you see him shaking his head on the corner of your vision.

You give him a moment to continue, but he doesn’t. You are still curious, though.

“I thought you didn’t do suppressants”

“I don’t”

“Then…?”

“I don’t know, it was just bad timing”

“So I did trigger it”

He goes quiet again.

“Changbin?” you finally look at him, trying to understand the shift in his posture. His shoulders are suddenly tense, the veins on his arms more apparent due to how he’s gripping the wheel.

“Yeah, I guess”, he nods only once, slow and defeated.

“So can you accept my apology?”

He nods once more, curtly.

“Thank you, was that so hard?” you try to keep your voice light, dust off the last bits of awkwardness. That’s not how it usually is between the two of you.

The silence grows roots anyway. You can’t think of a way to break it again, so you focus on the road, ears turning to the soft music coming out of the radio. There are barely any cars around, you don’t really know where you are. Changbin probably took an alternative route, you knew he appreciated the scenic views of a long drive.

“It’s not just biology”, he pulls you back from your thoughts.

“What?”

“It’s not just biology”

“I got it the first time, but what do you mean?”

“You triggered my rut”

“Yeah, we’ve been over that, I’m sorry” and you mean it. You don’t know why he’s going back to that but you don’t mind apologising a few more times if needed.

“It was not because of biology”, his knuckles are turning white, he’s gripping the wheel again.

You soften your voice, “of course it’s because of biology, Bin”

“Minho hyung never triggered my rut. Neither did Seungmin”.

“Ok, so?” cheeks burning again, you’re glad that you had put on the stronger blockers that morning, otherwise the scent of mango would be overpowering by now, “I was an omega openly in heat, it’s not the same”

“I’ve been around Seungmin when he’s in heat”, and that’s news to you but you don’t allow your mind to latch onto that for too long.

“So what are you saying?”, your voice is small now.

You don’t mean to, but the conversation went on for longer than you anticipated. Even if you were comfortable with each other, having discussed similar things before, it was still a bit embarrassing - specially considering the dramatics of recent events.

“I’m saying you triggered my rut”, he takes a deep breath in, adjusts his hands on the steering wheel, “because I like you”

Your breath hitches.

You’re quiet.

Too quiet.

Changbin sneaks a glance over but he can’t keep his eyes from the road for too long.

“Please say something?” he pleads.

“Sorry I’m processing”, it’s closer to a mumble than to proper words.

He nods along, “you’re processing”

“You like me”, you are laser focused on his hands, still gripping.

“I like you.”

“Stop that”, you finally look at his face.

“Stop liking you?” he frowns.

“No, the parroting”, please don’t stop liking me.

“Sorry”, his ears turn red. His shoulders relax, if only just slightly.

“So…?” you want him to say more, you need him to say more.

“Yeah”, it sounds almost defeated, like he’s been pushing against something heavy for a long while and finally realised his strength alone is not enough this time.

“You like me”, you push. Because you can. Because you need a little more time to process. Because your stomach is tied in knots already.

“A lot, yeah”, it’s such an easy confirmation coming from him, no longer defeated. Resigned. Like accepting his fate.

“Since when?”

“I don’t know”, he’s lying, he has a tell.

“You don’t know”, so you push, again.

“Since the papers”, you have no idea what he’s talking about and the lack of a quick reply for once gives you away. “That time I drove Felix to drop off your papers? You kept his hoodie for your heat”

It triggers the memory. You bring your attention back to the road, you can’t concentrate if you keep looking at his face. That had happened a few months ago, it’s not like you kept thinking about it once you managed to hand in your assignment. You would never have guessed, he kept acting the same as always.

“Since then?” you’re still processing, trying to trace back to see if there were any signs.

“Yup, I got jealous”, your head snaps back towards him. He’s still frowning.

“You got jealous? I didn’t think you got jealous”

“I don’t”, you force your eyes away again.

Changbin had introduced people he was seeing to you and your friends before. Never something serious, but there were times when they lingered for a little bit. He never seemed like the jealous type though. The group had talks about it every now and then, funny enough the betas were usually the jealous ones, even if alphas had the fame of being possessive. Jeongin and Felix reacted like polar opposites to it, with the maknae growing cold while the other acted up, giving whoever was making him jealous a taste of their own medicine.

Your brother was the most clingy to whoever it was he was seeing, most of the time. Then Jisung, probably, even if it had been a while since he last brought someone to a hang out. Chan and Changbin would be on even grounds, for different reasons. Chan was too good of a guy - and too busy to waste time on jealousy. Changbin just didn’t seem to care that much, a quiet confidence that was honestly sexy.

You’ve gone quiet again, so he takes it as a sign to continue, like he needs to explain himself. Defend himself. He’s humorous but you can tell it means a lot to him that you know.

“It was the first time, sent me into a whole spiral, Chan hyung had to give me way too many pep talks about it”

Your brain latches onto the wrong thing, “Chan knew?”

“Not really, but he might have guessed,” Changbin pauses, considers if he should go on. Does it anyway, “I asked him if he liked you”

“What?” your mind goes back to the talk from a few weeks back.

His seem to do the same, “that was before you told me you were not into him, ok?”

Both of you allow the silence to settle that time. You still need a bit more.

“Does Chan like me?”

Changbin remains quiet, eyebrows creased. Did you say the wrong thing? He doesn’t give you enough time to rephrase it, though.

“He thinks you are annoying”

You give that thought a spin, see what it makes you feel. Did you like Chan? You had been spending a lot more time with him recently, growing to learn a lot more about why he acted like he did. But no, you didn’t like Chan, not like you liked Changbin. Oh.

“That checks out, I also think he’s annoying”, you say and sees Changbin visibly relax, “and did you talk to Felix?”

He glances at you again, confusion taking over.

“When you got jealous, did you talk to Felix about it?” you were probably asking the wrong questions, but this felt safer, this line of conversation kept you comfortably away from the elephant in the room.

“Not really,” he replies, considers if he should go on again but it’s not like there’s any point keeping something from you now, “I think he did have a crush on you, though, so I didn’t want to be an asshole about it”

And once more you take time to consider that. It’s a quicker dismissal than Chan’s. Felix flirts for sport, you don’t think he really likes anyone. And you knew he helped your brother through his ruts sometimes so that’s an immediate and strong no from your part.

“I didn’t take the hoodie because of Felix”, you feel like you owe him something back, he had been nothing but honest until now.

His attention flicks back to you again, quicker this time.

“So why?”

“I took the hoodie because it smelled like you”, you admit. You don’t dare to turn, don’t want to see how he reacts to that.

You had known that for a little while. Truth be told, probably longer than ‘a little’ while.

Changbin’s scent was always your favorite. At first you noted it down as it just being the alpha smell, rich and comforting. But that idea was discarded soon enough into your relationship. He was always friendly with you, even on that very beginning, amidst the awkwardness of being thrown into a group of new people. But then again, he was friendly to everyone.

Whenever he brought someone he was seeing to meet the group, it always seemed casual. He didn’t act as if he was looking for anything serious so you kind of assumed he would never be the type to pursue someone, to confess his feelings and all that. You, however, was a romantic at heart. You craved the attention and the commitment. So even though Changbin was your type to the very core, you never allowed yourself to think too deeply about it. Yes, you were attracted to him. He was probably your favorite person to talk to. You felt a pull towards him you couldn’t really explain.

And here he is, saying he likes you. Like a teenager confessing to his crush, but once again with that quiet confidence you so admire.

“I think I like you too”, you blurt out.

The car swerves but he’s quick to regain control.

“You do?” his pitch goes a little bit high.

“I do”, and you sound confident. You are confident. He deserves confidence on the matter.

“Ok”, you still can’t look at him, but the lack of words almost breaks your resolve.

“That’s it?”

“I didn’t expect you to say that”, that makes you look, he’s still relaxed.

“What was your plan, then? Confess your feelings just to be stuck in a car with me for hours after I rejected you?”

“Are you rejecting me?” a corner of his lips lift up.

“Clearly not”, you roll your eyes. You want more. Fuck his quiet confidence. Fuck the good blockers.

“Then it doesn’t matter what my plan was”

That’s annoying, so you voice it, “you’re annoying”

“And you like me”, his smile grows.

“Well you like me too so that’s on you”, what you say doesn’t even make sense, so you look away.

Cross your arms in front of your chest. Pouts. Why are you pouting? You feel like pouting. Changbin likes you and he’s being annoying about it. And you like him too but he’s still being annoying about it. It’s thrilling and confusing and if you don’t pout you’ll end up smiling so you force your face to remain frowned.

You turn the volume of the radio up. He allows half a song before reaching to turn it down again, you twist towards him, ready to protest, but he’s smiling too big. It disarms you.

“Since when do you like me?”

“I don’t know, dude”, you say before you give it much thought. Back to annoyed it is.

“I told you mine, now tell me yours”, it’s his turn to push.

“I don’t have a specific moment like that”

“Oh, c’mon, there must have been a turning point”

He allows you a beat of silence. You consider his question but comes up empty.

“I kinda always liked you”, is where you settle.

“Always?” his tone switches from playful to serious, you don’t let that intimidate you.

You nod your head yes, because you realize it is true.

When you first met Changbin you also met a lot of other people all at once. That had been after your brother was already renting the studio space, but before they moved in together. Hyunjin had literally known you all your life, so he knew you had a crush even before you admitted it to yourself. He had asked you to cool it from the get go, warning you against making any sort of move.

“Hyunjin told me I shouldn’t go for you”, you decide, instead of going into the details of how you became a giggly mess whenever Changbin talked to you back then. If he doesn’t remember, you won’t be the one to trigger his memory.

“What?”

“He thought it would ruin the friend group”, you add and Changbin can’t hide the disbelief.

You allow him a minute to process before continuing.

“Would we ruin the friend group?” and you feel a little pang on your stomach, different from the butterflies that have taken over. Maybe you’re actually anxious about that possibility.

“Did Hyunjin sleeping with Felix ruin the friend group?” he shoots back a question of his own.

“No…” you admit, at least not yet.

“Did Chan hyung hooking up with Jeongin ruin the friend group?”

“No”, you finish processing the information, “wait, what? When?”

“Not relevant” he rolls his eyes, but you can tell he finds it funny that you didn’t know.

“I can’t believe Jeongin didn’t tell me about it”, you whisper, more to yourself than to him.

“I only know because it happened at mine’s”

“Uh, what?” look! another tangent you can hop on to avoid the elephant in the room!

“Long story, focus on the now”, boo! good things never last for long.

You give him a pointed look, something that you hope he understands as a we will definitely gossip about this later, and not as a why won’t you let me deflect?

“Ok so our friends exchanged bodily fluids and it didn’t ruin the friend group.”

“Not the best way to put it”

“But would we ruin the friend group?” Because at the end of the day, that’s the real issue. Different people have different dynamics, it didn’t really matter whether your friends had or had not fucked each other. It matters what would happen when you do it. If you do it, you mean.

Changbin actually thinks about it and you’re grateful that he seems to pick up that his answer really matters to you.

“I don’t think so”, is what he decides on.

You let the confirmation settle.

“I don’t think we would either”

Might be wishful thinking, but you want it to be true enough to make an effort about it.

“Ok”, he says.

“Ok”, you say it back, out of habit by this point.

“So…”

“So I think you should pull over”

“What?” he looks at you for long enough to see that you mean it.

“Pull over.”

To his credit, he really does.

He drives maybe another five minutes before coming across a deactivated rest station where he could safely stop.

The sun is high in the sky but the place is covered in shadows. The trees that must’ve been kept at bay once, now take over. It casts shadows on the ground, covering your view of the road. If the highway had been empty, this place looks like a ghost town. You wait for Changbin to fully stop the car.

He looks at you, waiting for your next move.

You unbuckle you seatbelt and in one swift motion, so unlike you that you take a beat to feel proud over how smooth it was, you drag a leg over him. Use his shoulders as leverage to drag your entire body in between his chest and the steering wheel. He’s caught off guard but moves anyway, placing both hands on your waist to help you settle. Just like that, you’re straddling him.

“I’m going to kiss you now”, you say. Not a question, but you wait for him to confirm it anyway.

“Ok”, it’s barely a whisper, but that’s all you need.

First you take off his cap, discards it on the seat you left empty. Keeps one hand on his shoulder while the other ruffles his fringe. It’s a familiar touch, something you had done before many times, usually to try and get a reaction out of him. Sometimes just as an excuse to touch him, although you had never admitted it before.

You study his face. He’s completely unguarded. Looking at you with a mix of trust and wonder. So you lean in slowly, giving him time to pull back. He doesn’t. Changbin holds very still, not even breathing. The anticipation builds.

Your first touch to his lips is featherlike.

Touching, but barely.

The weight of his hands feel heavier on your waist. All the encouragement you need to press harder into him.

He moves first, a little push of his neck, but you’re the one to set the pace.

It’s tentative at first.

You ignore how your heart is hammering, how his hold on you feels tighter. You adjust the angle, slides your hands to the back of his neck, waving your fingers on his hair.

He responds to the first touch of your tongue, allowing you space to explore.

It is slow. It is careful. But it is certain.

There’s no coming back from this.

One of your hands move back to his shoulder, glazing over his covered scent gland on its way. You wish you could smell him. He shivers at the contact, a low hum escaping his throat.

Your body reacts, your chest pressing closer to his front, you grind down.

He holds you in place, stopping the movement. He forces his head back.

“We’re not doing this here”, he closes his eyes, as if looking at you would be enough to break his resolve.

“But-”

“No.” it’s final, his eyebrows draw together, you move your hand to smooth over it. He breaths out, “I’m not fucking you for the first time in the middle of nowhere on our way to your parent’s place”

You pout, even if he still has his eyes closed. You grind down again, the tiniest move but enough to pull out another rumble from his throat, something closer to a growl than a moan.

“You’re unbearable”, he rests his forehead against yours.

“But you like me”, you sound teasing but you are oh so happy.

“Yeah I do”, he opens his eyes, all the remnants of the frown gone.

He takes you in. Scans your entire face. You respond with a small smile, something unguarded too, just for him.

You kiss him again, gentler this time.

Forces yourself to keep your hips still, even if you really really want to grind on him. You feel like a teenager.

Your lips move to the corners of his mouth, his cheek, the curve of his jaw. He allows it, still keeping a tight grip on your waist, his hands like warm iron.

“Can I take this off?” you ask when you come across the border of his scent blocker, voice muffled, lips pressed against his skin.

You feel him nod and uses your teeth to rip the corner of the adhesive. At first you still get a little bit of the chemical note of the patch, but as you finish ripping it off you’re hit with the full magnitude of his smell.

It makes you melt. Even his grip on you is not enough to keep you from setting your hips down, feeling him through his pants. The extra contact combined with the way his presence takes over the car is enough to make you shiver.

He cranes his neck back, giving you more access, hand pressing you down harder. You’re connected, but he stops you from moving.

Your kisses turn into licking. Then into small bites. This time his growl is unmistakable, he makes no effort to stop it.

You have no time to react when he finally lets go of your waist, putting some space between you to find your own patch.

He rips it off unceremoniously, immediately latching onto the curve of your neck with open mouthed kisses.

When his teeth brush your skin, you reach your breaking point.

One of your hands start moving down his front, ready to undo his pants. He holds your wrist before you can make past his abs.

Changbin stops, resting his forehead on your shoulder.

“C’mon”, you whine. You never wanted someone as much as you want him.

“Not like this”, he breathes out and it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as much as you.

You press your cheek on him, he circles your waist with his arms. Is somewhat a hug, something to keep you pressed close together, but not heated. It allows you to take control of your breathing again.

He taps your hip, a gentle sign for you to move.

You’re not happy about it, but you comply, reversing the move from earlier to sit on the passenger side again, pulling out his cap from under you as you do.

Changbin looks at you. Really looks at you.

You don’t know how to react so you place the cap back on his head, avoids looking down to his lap where you know you will find him hard. It would crack your resolve. Again.

He seems to have a similar train of thought as you, keeping his gaze solely on your face. He sighs before turning forward again, starting the car.

You’re not even an hour away from home now, starting to recognise the way once he goes back to the main road, taking the next exit.

At first you keep quiet because you’re cooling down. Then, you keep quiet because you are processing.

So that just happened.

The funny thing is that it’s not weird at all. You have just kissed your friend, someone you have known for literal years, someone who never crossed any lines with you, not even flirted that extensively when compared to some of the others you’re constantly with, and it doesn’t feel weird at all.

It just feels right.

Every traffic sign counting down the milage until your hometown marks another way your heart has settled. It doesn’t feel like any other hook up. It feels like certainty.

You can smell how content he is now that both of you had gotten rid of your blockers. His scent flares bright, comforting, at ease.

“You smell like me”, he says, just as you’re crossing the border of your town.

“Do you like that?” you turn to him, sees him smiling.

“More than you imagine”

You hum, acknowledging it.

Now that the silence was broken, you go back to casual conversation for a little bit. Changbin has visited before, his town is close enough to yours that he knows his way around fairly well. You still guide him through a different path, something to extend your time together, even if just by a little bit.

You point out places you used to frequent, tell little anecdotes about the trouble you and your brother would get into as kids.

Talking about him gives you pause.

“How should I explain this to Hyunjin?”

It catches him off guard, the change in cadence. You had been excited only a second before, the seriousness of the question doesn’t land.

“This what?” he asks, already turning into your neighbourhood.

You wave a hand between the two of you, “this”

Changbin shrugs, “however you like”

“He will not approve”

“He doesn’t need to approve”, the little crease on his forehead is back. You hate it.

“Bin”, you insist, “you’re his best friend, don’t you think we should think this through?”

“Do you think we should think this through?” he’s guarded again.

“Yes”, you say straight away, before catching on that his question had landed a little different than yours, meant something else than what you were thinking, “I mean, no”

He parks the car in front of your parent’s place. Unbuckles his seatbelt, turns as much towards you as the space allows it. Waits.

“I mean no I don’t think we should think about this” you wave your hand between the two of you again, “but I do think we need to figure it out before telling anyone”

That puts him at ease. The crease is gone, his expression softens.

“Then we take some time”, he says it so easily. You stare at him in disbelief.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“You don’t mind if we take a little bit to tell him? Or anyone else?”

“I don’t need anyone else to know, as long as you do”

He looks at you like you mean everything. You can see how his eyes travel across your features, taking you in. You do the same.

“Oh, I know”, there’s a hint of something on your voice that drags out a certain glint on his eyes in response.

“And what is it that you know?” he bites.

“That you like me soooooooo much”

He leans in, barely allowing you to finish your sentence. Steals another kiss.

“Yes I do”, he confirms, still pressed against your lips.

That’s it.

He will be the end of you.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

The few days at home go by in a daze of too much food, rehashing the same disagreements and laughing at jokes that only make sense if said amongst your family.

It’s familiar but also utterly foreign.

You outgrew all this.

It is wonderful knowing you’d always have a place to run back to, if needed. But even if your place at the city was much smaller, even if the food was not always as well seasoned, even if the comfort of a mother’s care was not so easily available, it was still yours, and you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Both your mom and brother commented on you smelling so much like Changbin when you arrived, your mom going as far as to say it almost smelled like you were the one that lived with him, not Hyunjin.

Your father kept his peace and quiet. He was never one to comment on things like that, the classic stoic beta who didn’t pay that much attention to the scents of everyone around. But he was always good at picking up the little clues, so when he joins you outside after dinner on your last night home, you shouldn’t have been surprised about it.

“Hey, honey”, he sits beside you on the porch.

The old house had been an inheritance from his own parents, who died way too young, before you could meet them. It was small and cramped, specially now that you were all grown up. But it had a porch and a backyard, where you had spent many nights as a teen, specially through those lonely years, looking up at the moon for comfort.

“Hi dad”, you scoot a little to the side. He wraps an arm around you, you lean into it, resting your head on him.

“How’s everything at school?”

“Good, good”, you have stopped correcting him about calling it ‘school’ years ago.

You could have ten different PhDs and he’d still ask about what you had to eat on your snack break. It evolved from being annoying, to a little cringe, into being endearing.

The wonders of growing up.

“Are you all packed already?” you nod your head yes. Hyunjin was inside with your mom right that second, going over the pantry to see how much food he could sneak away with. You had stopped doing that a few years ago, so your packing process became easier.

You stay like that for a little bit. Up in the sky, the new moon smiles down at you.

Your father sighs into your hair, his light scent enveloping you.

“You know you can tell us anything, right?”

You nod yes again. Did Hyunjin say anything? You feel like your mom would’ve been the one to bring it up if he did. So you let him continue, gives him space to map out his words, like he did so many times with you growing up.

“Including if you’re seeing anyone”, and your breath hitches. You give yourself away. He chuckles, you feel how his chest moves with the repressed laugh.

“Please don’t tell mom”, your voice is small, “or Hyunjin”

“Your brother doesn’t know?” he sounds surprised and you push your body away, straightens your back. He keeps his hand placed on your back, moves it in a gentle up and down.

“It’s new”, is all that you give him.

It’s his turn to nod, understanding taking over his features.

And in that moment you want to tell him. You want him to know that it’s not just a crush, but that it started as one. You want to tell him about how it feels safe, comfortable.

It’s funny. Your dad had met Changbin before, many times. They got along well, your… boyfriend? Sure. Your boyfriend even stayed over a few times, like many of the others in your friend group. Changbin was the one to always laugh at your dad’s jokes, the first to offer his help over every small job around the house - even if he was honestly terrible at it. But then, once your father and brother found a way to gently push him away, he’d join you and your mother, giggling and gossiping like one of the girls.

He fit.

So perfectly you were a little disappointed at yourself for not seeing it sooner.

But you tell your dad none of that.

And when faced with your silence, he gives you a final squeeze on the back of your neck, the gentlest scruffing, helping you physically relax, and stands up.

“Don’t stay out too late, it will probably rain soon”

You look up at the night, clearer as ever. Looks back at him, one eyebrow raised in question. He just winks at you and goes back inside.

You pull your phone out of your pocket the moment you’re alone again.

you are you my boyfriend?

His reply comes not even a full minute later.

changbin do you want me to be your boyfriend?

Yes. Yes you do. But that’s probably a conversation worth having face to face.

you can you come by tomorrow?

changbin i’ll probably be back at around 5ish

You appreciate him not pushing. Appreciate that, right after you react to his last message with a little heart, he sends you a silly video on a different social media chat. Appreciates that he didn’t make you feel nervous, at least not the bad kind.

Only one more sleep and a few hours on the road with your twin to go.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

You’re waiting with your door open for the elevator to finally make it into your floor.

The thing is old and dodgy, spends as much time out of service as working on any regular month. You’re only on the third floor but the wait feels interminable.

You glance down your phone one more time, sees the minute change.

The elevator makes it.

He steps out and is right in front of you in three long strides.

Changbin stops. You bite your lip, considers playing it cool.

Decides against it.

Your arms are around him before you can measure your own strength. He catches you with a huff, embraces you back, holds you close to him.

The kiss is desperate at first. It was only a few days but it felt like longer. Even with the constant texting. Even if he occupied your every thought. You can’t get enough.

Changbin pulls back just enough to look at you, and there's something fierce in his expression now. Something possessive and protective and utterly focused on you.

“I missed you”, you mouth, no sound coming out.

He kisses you one more time, gentler.

“Me too”, and you’re already stepping back, dragging him in with you.

Changbin looks around your place as if seeing it for the first time.

He had been here before, but it was always short visits, usually doing a drop off or a pick up, being one of the few in your group with a car.

But he was probably never here for long enough to really look around.

It’s a small place. Old, very old. Way too cold during the rainy season, way too hot during the warmer months. You had been meaning to move out for a while, but your rent was stable and your landlord didn’t bother you too much, so you always ended up renewing the lease.

There was also the matter of the window. You didn’t have a proper balcony - and always wanted one. But the big window on your living room went almost all the way to the floor. You placed a rug and a sofa there, no TV. That’s where you spent most of your time, either working on your thesis or just lounging in the sun, as it hit the spot perfectly during the morning.

Whenever you thought about giving the place up, the window came to mind.

Changbin had never been over during the early hours of the day, but he walks all the way to the exact spot you like to stand at during the mornings, while drinking your coffee. It’s not much of a view, but at least there is not another building blocking your line of sight. So you can see the street, a little bit of the skyline. You’re too far away from anything interesting to try and find a landmark in the distance. Even if it’s closer to evening than dawn, you can picture him there while the first rays of day reach your home. It makes your heart do a little funny dance in your chest.

You give him a second before you join him.

“So, are you?” you ask, as if in the middle of a conversation.

He catches up straight away.

“If you’ll have me”

You nod, solemn, definite. Keeps a straight face for a second. Breaks it in a fit of giggles just in time for him to pull you into him again.

You kiss with his arms around your waist, yours around his neck.

You throw your weigh back, makes him step forward until you feel the back of your legs hit the sofa. You sit, dragging him down with you, unwilling to break the kiss. You have to, to allow him to sit, to breathe.

“Hi girlfriend”, his cheeks are flushed.

You adore him.

It takes you seconds to throw your leg over him, finding a position similar enough to your first make out session.

“Hi”, it’s quiet, soft, breathless. Your hair is lose, he brushes it behind your ear. Leans in again.

You’re in no rush as you kiss him, varying the pace, turning your head, placing your hands.

He does the same.

There’s no such thing as time, all that exists is him and you.

You had showered before he came over, didn’t bother with patches. It seemed like he didn’t either.

Your scents mixed together deliciously.

This time he lets you grind on him, hands still firmly on your waist, but not holding you in place. You have room to move.

While he is wearing jeans, all you have is a delicate pair of loose pants on, something you usually feel comfortable in while at home. Not really pyjamas, but close enough. Because of that, you feel everything of the rough material. At his first gasp you can’t hold back anymore, slowly bringing your hand down between you.

Again, he doesn’t stop you this time.

You just place it over his bulge, feels how hard he is but keeps your hand still.

Something like a whine escapes him between kisses.

You place your lips on his neck, just under his scent gland. Nibbles.

“My room?” you barely recognise your voice. It’s raspy, sensual.

His response comes as a movement, he stands up with an arm wrapped around you, bringing you with him. You yelp, but holds on, hiding another giggle on the curve of his neck, legs circling his waist.

The giggle turns into something closer to a moan as he walks.

Changbin has never been inside your room, there was an unspoken rule between alphas and omegas. Territory was still important.

He puts you down once in but doesn’t move any closer to your bed. It’s made, you changed the sheets once you got back.

Not at all in anticipation of what Changbin coming over could mean.

You don’t nest much outside of your heat. You still appreciate the space he gives you.

The walk over to your bed is slow. Maybe you swerve your hips a little more dramatically, urging him to look. You don’t sit, instead reaching a hand out to him. He intertwines his fingers to yours, lets you pull him closer. You push his shoulder, forces him down. Straddles him again.

His scent takes a turn, something much sweeter, gentler, appreciative.

This is trust.

You kiss again. And again. And again.

You’ll never tire of kissing him. His lips are already reddened, swollen. Yours are probably the same.

Changbin’s hand slides lower, past the curve of your back. At first is just to help guide you, but then he can’t resist giving it a tentative squeeze. Then another.

You hum into his lips, approval.

His finger’s reach lower, down your ass, and-

Oh.

You can feel the wetness there, slick soaking through the fabric of your flimsy pants. The realisation makes your face burn in equal parts embarrassment and arousal.

Changbin just smiles, moves his hands back up.

He slides his hands under your shirt, the touch of his fingertips giving you goosebumps.

You help him take off the piece of clothing. Although you didn’t bother much with your outerwear, you had chosen a nice pair of lingerie. Nothing too fancy, but not something you’d wear any other day either. The bra matches the panties, lace and ribbons decorating the cups. His hands reach for your boobs before his eyes do.

Changbin stops kissing you to look when he feels the details of the fabric.

You can see the moment he short-circuits, trying to wrap his head around the vision in front of him. It makes you blush. You move to kiss him again, anything to make him stop looking, but he’s faster and, just as eager as his hands were, his mouth approaches your chest.

He starts at your clavicles, gentle kisses that become harsher the closer he gets to the borders of your bra. His tongue gives the softer skin a tentative try, and your appreciative hum is all the permission he needs to move his hands up on your back, unclasping the piece to free you.

“I love this but it’s getting in the way”

You chuckle and allows the straps to slide down your arms.

You’re too naked now.

He’s not naked enough.

Changbin reads your mind and, in one fluid movement, takes off his own shirt and throws it somewhere behind you.

You hope he never finds it again.

It should be weird to see each other this naked. This close.

You have known each other for years and yes, you have been to the pool and the beach together before, with little clothing on. But not like this, never like this.

Not with his hands over your boobs, his fingers pinching your nipples. Not with the feel of his defined shoulders at your reach.

You try to slid down, to kneel in front of him. He stops you.

“No, let me”, he flips you over.

His mouth is tracking down your front in an instant. A trace of wet kisses marking your under boobs, your stomach, the hem of your pants. Changbin pulls them down without much ceremony, you wiggle to help him slide them past your knees, all the way down your ankles.

“You too”, you can barely recognise your voice. Raspy, sexy.

He unbuckles his pants while kneeling down between your legs, but makes no further movement to remove them. You’re about to complain again when he wraps a hand under your thigh, pulling you closer to him. He lowers himself so his chest is over yours, kisses you once.

“If we keep going, there’s no going back”, he whispers against your mouth.

You nod.

You know.

You don’t want to go back.

He slides down again, retracing the same spots, marking them again with wetter kisses.

When he reaches your underwear you’re not sure if you should feel ashamed over how wet it is. There’s nothing wrong with a little slick.

That’s not a little.

It only seems to encourage him further, his tongue darting out to give you a tentative lick, still over the fabric.

He hums in appreciation. Your scent takes over, sickening sweet.

You want him to live between your legs. You look down to see him focused. Eyes closed, his hair is disheveled. You can see the shape of his shoulders, a peak of his back. The sight alone is so sinful you start to feel that characteristic coil in your stomach, the build up of pleasure.

Hands growing restless, you touch his arms, his hands, his hair. Everywhere you can reach him. You pull on the strands, lightly, and he hums again in approval.

The first feel of his tongue agains bare skin makes your back arch.

“Don’t stop”, you don’t need to say it, your moans alone are enough for him to know the time to fasten the pace. Tongue flat. More pressure.

You’re in the brink of falling, the sensation almost too much.

And yet not enough.

“More”, your voice is so raspy you’re surprised he even understood you.

His tongue breaches your entrance first, to be quickly replaced by a finger.

A single digit, barely to the knuckle, but then he turns it and all you can see are stars.

The second finger follows fast, curving to find that spot again and again.

He stops his movements over your clit, kissing the inside of your thighs while keeping the motion of his hands going. You feel wetness dripping down, you can’t remember ever feeling this turned on over anyone else.

Your orgasm hits you out of nowhere, toes curling, mouth opening without a sound. His tongue finds you again once his fingers are out, and he licks you clean, gentle not to overstimulate you, helping you through the curve of pleasure and the come down.

You feel his body hovering over you, even with your eyes closed. The weigh is an unbelievable comfort, and you wrap your arms around him, his cheek resting on your chest. You kiss his forehead.

“I am ruined”, you say out loud, once you find your voice again.

Changbin chuckles, kisses your shoulder.

“Give me a second and we’ll keep going”, you run your hands over his back, feel the definition of the muscles.

“You don’t have to”, his voice is certain but you can feel the hardness of him against your thigh.

“Oh but I want to” you squeeze him closer to you.

It’s quiet for a second while you even out your breathing again.

“Do you have condoms?” he asks and you draw back to stare at him.

You probably should’ve thought of that but no, you don’t.

“Don’t you?” you don’t want to sound desperate but you don’t think you’re doing a good job.

He shakes his head no, bashful.

“I didn’t want to assume”

“Oh my goddess, why?”

“It’s not like you have condoms either!”

“I’m not the one with a dick!”

It shouldn’t sound so funny but it does. You laugh. He laughs too.

“Ok, I’m on birth control”, you say, once the giggles die out.

“…so am I” he admits, probably afraid to let his mind run towards where yours already is.

“I trust you”, you bring your hand to his face, making him look up at you.

“Ok”, he nods, kisses you again.

The absence of his warmth on top of you is missed immediately, but he takes mere seconds to remove the rest of his clothing and you make a mental note to ask for longer next time, so you could take him in.

When he lines himself between your legs again though, you forget all about it.

You feel his tip press to your entrance, a new wave of slick already tinkling down. You’ve never done this without the barrier of protection before. It takes a whole other level of trust you never thought you’d reach. But with Changbin it is easy, trusting comes as natural as taking a breath.

He pushes forward deliciously slow. You take him in bit by bit and hope to never forget the feeling.

He’s thick. His fingers not even coming close to preparing you fully. But you’re so wet the stretch just feels good.

Once you feel his pelvis hit yours, you finally allow the moan that’s been building on your chest to escape.

He’s not far behind you.

His movements are shallow at first, wanting to make sure you can take him.

You have never felt anything like it before.

He starts kissing your neck, you bite his ear, he shivers.

His hips buckle involuntarily and you gasp, the movement making him hit the spot inside you that makes you see stars. He catches that and keeps doing it on purpose.

You’re already sensitive so, as he picks up his pace, finally sliding in and out of you with more certainty, you claw at his back and bite his shoulders.

He growls.

It’s enough to push you over the edge, the sensation taking over you so strongly you black out for a second. When you come to it, he’s sliding out of you, giving himself a few more pumps with his hand before coming all over your belly.

Changbin is sweaty, his hairline dripping. You pull him closer anyway, to hell with the mess, you need him all over you if he’s no longer inside you.

“You could’ve come inside”, it’s the first thing you say and he groans on your neck, you feel it as much as you hear it.

“Don’t say shit like that”

“I mean it”

He groans again. You feel his cock twitch, a little more cum leaking out of it.

You chuckle, fond and a little drunk with power.

“Have you ever done this before?” he asks.

You shake your head no, bringing one of his hands to his hair, brushing it away from his face.

“Me neither”, he admits, “I think you ruined me”

“That’s my line”

You’re fully naked. Wet, sticky, sweaty. It should be weird, right? A part of you keeps saying that it should be weird. But it’s not. It’s just natural. His body is like an extension of the person, not something inherently sexual. As you both lay there, matching your breathing to one another, the nakedness of the moment feels more emotional than physical. It is intimate. It is yours.

And both of you are forever ruined.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

It’s downhill from there.

Well, uphill, actually, considering the facts.

Every chance you get, you’re making out.

In his car when he keeps offering you rides after departing from your other friends. So frequently now that people just assume you’ll ride with him. The roads that lead to your place are suddenly as familiar to him as the streets to his childhood home, a path taken so many times he could probably do it in his sleep.

At your apartment, whenever he drops you off.

He avoids sleeping over - it still hasn’t happened. You’re afraid of Hyunjin figuring something out if Changbin keeps taking so long to go back every time he offers you a ride.

Their apartment, for a similar reason, is mostly off limits.

That is, unless you keep it fast. A few stolen kisses at the door when you come over, a quick kneeling down at the restroom during movie night, shutting you up for a few minutes while keeping your mouth occupied. A squeeze of his ass when making more popcorn.

You also start spending a lot more time at the gym. At first you thought that would be the one thing to raise suspicions but, after Jeongin recounts to your group all the ways you’ve been beating his ass at boxing, no one really questions it as much. The maknae is a good sport about it, specially when your boyfriend keeps letting him off work early whenever you come over to train. What he doesn’t know is how Changbin drags you to one of the back room after you’re done making punches rain on Jeongin. How his boss bends you over his desk and murmurs about how sweet you are, how well you take him.

The sneaking around makes it more exciting.

It’s a whirlwind but no one seems to catch on. Changbin is friendly to everyone. You’re loud and flirty with everyone. Your dynamic is not that different from what it always was - you just kiss more when you’re alone together.

You’re more careful with your blockers, making sure to not accidentally give yourselves away by flaring sweet whenever Changbin is nearby, but then again, you always had a hard time controlling your pheromones anyway. Every now and then someone teases him about smelling too much like you or vice versa, but everything is easily explained.

That is, until Chan finds out.

It’s a complete accident, really.

Was it not for the fact that you were making out at his place.

At his studio.

Chan was supposed to be away all day. He knew you and Changbin were coming over, going as far as to say he had some left over pizza in the refrigerator if you got hungry while working. Because that’s what you were supposed to be doing. Working.

You were recording the instruments for a track Changbin came up with. He needed to finish writing the lyrics. It made sense that you were there together.

But then he looked so hot with his thick rimmed glasses and his fluffy hair, the sleeves of his shirt straining over the muscles of his arms. One second he was biting down the end of a pen and next thing you knew your mouth was on his neck, one of your hands inside his pants.

The studio is sound proof, of course, so there wasn’t any warning before the door was sliding open, Chan’s voice filling the air with curses as he took your state of disarray.

“What the fuck”, is loud at first, then it turns into disbelief, “what the fuck?”

You scramble away from Changbin, sitting on the couch by his side while he adjusts his pants, tries to conceal the bulge there.

“No way, what the fuck?” Chan keeps repeating from the door, neck growing red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

“In my defense, you fucked Jeongin on my bed”, Changbin is not half as shy about it as you, making full eye contact with the other alpha while sitting with his knees spread apart, one of his hands finding your leg and staying there.

You, however, can feel how warm your face is. Legs pressed together with your hands intertwined over them, posture so straight you could break your back in half. It’s worse than being caught by a parent.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Chan still sports that look of disbelief, unable to hold his gaze on a single place, going from you to your boyfriend and back to you.

“Well, this is payback. Karma, if you may”, Changbin is way too relaxed.

“That was different, Jeongin lives with his parents, it’s not as if I could just go to his place”, Chan defends himself and Changbin looks smug about it- oooooooh. This is diversion. Chan hates to be misunderstood.

You wonder how long Changbin kept that information safely stored, locked and loaded for a time like this.

“And you didn’t come here then, because…?” your boyfriend pushes, Chan focuses on him, forgets you’re there.

“The renovations, dude”

The famous renovations, when Chan realised that it would be cheaper to build his own studio than to keep renting out spaces. It made the control freak producer have to jump from couch to couch while the construction team was working. Drove half of your group insane while at it. The famous renovations took way longer than anticipated and he was constantly stressed about it back then.

He seems to catch on that he’s being distracted though, as he shakes his head and looks over your way again before returning to your boyfriend.

“What is your excuse?” it sounds accusing but you know him enough by now to see that he’s also amused about it.

“She looked cute”, Changbin shrugs. You relax.

You kiss your boyfriend’s cheek.

“Oh my goddess, that’s disgusting”, Chan groans, looking away from the pair of you, “how long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know, a few weeks?” you reply, innocent as an angel. You know exactly how long, though. It’s been thirty-four days. Not that Chan needs to know that.

“A few weeks?” his voice pitches high and that’s exactly why he does not need to know details.

“Yeah and no one knows”, Changbin adds.

“Are you sure about that?” Chan doesn’t seem convinced in the slightly.

“Pretty much, yeah”, Changbin shrugs again.

“Actually,” you start, both alphas turning to you, “my dad knows”

“What? Since when?” you may have forgotten to tell your boyfriend about it, though.

“Pretty much from the beginning”, you pat his thigh, a little ‘there, there’ touch, “we don’t need to talk about that now.”

“Ok,” Chan seems to be assessing the situation, taking in the smallest interaction to make his final decision, “I won’t tell anyone but I won’t lie if they ask.”

You consider that for a second, but Changbin replies first.

“That seems fair.”

You agree. And you are sure no one would ask anyway, you were being careful, all things considered.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

You are on your seventh outfit change when you decide enough is enough.

There’s a networking event happening for people in the industry. Your university was one of the sponsors so you managed to sneak yourself in. On paper it sounded really cool, a chance for small artists to meet potential managers, people interested in working behind the scenes on all sorts of fronts.

You had tried everything on your wardrobe that gave off a trusting vibe. Pants, skirts, dresses. It all looked wrong. It was time to ask the professionals for help.

you [2 photos attached] @ jeongin @ felix pls resident fashionistas help

hyunjin i’m also a fashionista

you yes but your opinion doesn’t matter

hyunjin why?????

You don’t reply. The first notification comes from Chan, fire reacting to both photos. Wow, so helpful.

Jisung is next, also adding fire reactions to both photos.

hyunjin stop fire reacting to my sister’s photos

The next text comes directly to you, in a private chat.

changbin are you trying to drive me insane?

You start typing your reply, something flirty and sexy, maybe you’ll even add one more photo just for him? But your train of thought is stopped with Jeongin finally replying on the group chat.

jeongin you look hot in both but the second one is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

you i don’t want to look hot i want to look professional

jisung i would hire you

felix i would too

minho you both think with your dicks so it doesn’t count @ you just add a shirt over the second one and you’re good

hyunjin don’t think with your dick about my sister

felix can i think with my dick about you?

And again, another text on a private chat.

changbin i’m respectfully thinking with my dick about you

That steals a little laugh from you, but you have to stop paying attention to your phone to finish getting ready if you want to get there on time. Minho’s suggestion proves useful and you find a safe option that makes you feel confident while also remaining professional. A little more formal and well fitted than you usually pull off, but casual enough to not completely leave you out of your comfort zone.

Your phone keeps buzzing and you peak the group chat every now and then while doing your make up, only to find that most of the boys just keep using you to rile up your brother. It’s funny and you wish you could help, maybe throw a couple flirty lines back to some of them only to see Hyunjin squirm, but then you get another private text. A name flashing you don’t usually get many messages from.

chan hey is this the event you’re going? [1 screenshot attached]

you that’s the one!

chan cool i’ll be there too

you really???

chan yeah need a ride?

you why are you being nice to me?

chan i’m just offering you a ride

you what do you want?

chan you’re so annoying

you i’ve been told

chan i’m kinda nervous

Oh, Chan, you think to yourself, your entire need to relentlessly tease him melting away.

you meet you at the cafe? i need a coffee before we go

chan i’ll be there in 30 and thank you

When you step into the cafe you have the outfit that the boys helped you choose but the shirt folded over your arm, it’s a bit too warm outside to put it on just yet. The top you have on had been your biggest issue before the shirt, it complimented your sleek skirt colorwise, and fit your body well. A little too well. Sleeveless and a little more low cut than usual. The shirt really was a genius move, something simple that gave off professional while also making your cleavage less of a focal point.

And, most importantly, it makes you feel good.

You’re going straight to the counter where Minho stands behind the register when you hear a high pitched whistle.

When you turn, reacting to the sound, Jisung is coming over with a couple of empty mugs on his hand. He points behind him at where Felix is sitting alongside your boyfriend. Felix still has two finger on the sides of his mouth, making it easy for you to assume he’s the culprit.

“I would definitely hire you”, the blonde says while Changbin just stares, mouth hanging slightly open.

Usually you’d have a quick reply for that, something snarky and flirty. But the way Changbin was looking at you? It had you imagining just what he would do to you later that day. So you resort to turning back around to face the counter, cheeks burning. Minho smiles knowingly at you.

“Americano to go?”, he says in lieu of a hello.

“Please” you’re about to rub your face when you remember you actually made an effort with your make up today and don’t want to mess it up.

Hyunjin comes from the back, probably after a visit to the staff bathroom instead of using the customer’s one like a normal person. You wonder if Minho regrets ever allowing your group to do that. Your brother looks you from head to toll and rolls his eyes, moving past you to go sit with your other friends, but you never hear the sound of the chair scraping the floor, instead noticing the ding above the door, indicating someone walked in.

Chan still has his car keys in hand, wearing a black dress shirt instead of his usual oversized hoodie. He comes over to you straight away, placing a hand on your waist and giving it a light friendly squeeze. It tickles, so you yelp in surprise. That manages to get a little smile out of him and, again, if it was any other day you would take pleasure wiping it off his face, but for him to admit to you that he was nervous about how the day would go? He needed to have an out for that stress and you didn’t mind being the punching bag this time.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

“Just waiting for my coffee”, you start, but Hyunjin pipes in from behind you at the same time,

“What do you mean, ready to go?” he asks loud enough for all your friends to look up from their various activities.

“Chan is driving me”, you don’t think you need to explain it but Hyunjin sounds actually pissed off for once, instead of just playing it up as his usual funny dramatics.

“No he’s not”

“Yes he is”

“No he’s not.” he puts more emphasis on it.

“Yes he is”, you do too.

“Oh my god children, don’t fight” Jisung pipes in.

“Stay out of it, Han”, and your twin is so close to a growl it makes you take a step back.

You recover quickly, shifting your postures like you would when he started to grow taller than you during your teen years.

“What is wrong with you?” you lower your voice, there is a clear confrontation brewing.

“What is wrong with you?” he doesn’t bulge and you’re genuinely confused, to say the least.

He catches on that you’re not following.

“They’re my friends”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means they’re off limits”

The laughter spills out of you before you can think to stop it, real and bitter. Everyone is tense now, you’re not one to easily anger, at least not for real. But then neither is your sibling.

“Oh that’s rich coming from you”, you see that both Felix and Changbin have stood up, approaching carefully.

Hyunjin says your name like a warning.

“What?”

“I mean it”

“So do I, I will hang out with whoever I want Hyunjin, they’re my friends too”

“Oh fuck off no they’re not”

“Hey, hey, maybe let’s take a breather about this”, Chan interferes, a gentle hand extending to be placed on Hyunjin’s chest, but your brother sweats it away.

“No dude, I told all of you not to mess with my sister so many times”, you haven’t seen him this frustrated since your teenage years.

It only makes you angrier.

What are you? Sixteen again? Needing your brother’s protection to walk out of the house? That’s not fair to you at all, after all you have done to overcome the years of self isolation.

“Hyunjin I am my own person, I can fuck whoever I want”, and that’s playing low but you no longer care.

“But not my friends!” he’s almost screaming.

“I won’t have this conversation with you right now”, you take a hold of Chan’s forearm and tugs it gently.

He follows without any complaints, but not before giving Minho a look you can’t quite read.

You sneak a glance at Changbin as well, but you can’t place the feeling taking over his face either.

Maybe you’re just seeing everything a little red tinted right now, makes it hard to understand the world around you clearly.

You get a text as soon as Chan starts driving.

changbin u okay?

you yea idk what the fuck was that

He doesn’t reply anymore but you don’t think much about it, instead turning up the volume on the radio so you don’t have to make conversation with Chan. As much as your older friend was always busy, and had little energy to engage with most of your silly dramas, he always had time to meddle when something serious happened. You did not want to think about the argument with Hyunjin as something serious, even though you knew it looked that way. Your brother just needs to get his head out of his own ass - and everyone else needs to mind their own business.

The rest of the evening plays out smoothly. You get yourself a few contacts and get to witness Chan’s rare charming side as well.

When he approaches you at the end of the night, with a drink in hand, his neck and ears slightly blushed from the alcohol intake, you’re less frazzled. You were not drinking - having agreed to take the car back for Chan so he could ease his own nerves. But after the many hours engaging in conversation with all sorts of artists and industry people, you half forgot about your twin’s outburst.

“So, Hyunjin”

“Don’t.”

“Are you going to tell him about Changbin?”

“After all that?”

“It will just get worse if you take longer to say anything”

You exhale, defeated.

“Yeah, I know”

He takes another sip of his drink. You wish you could do the same. When you offered to be the sober driver you were planning on staying over at Changbin’s after, knowing your brother had something planned with Felix. The walk from Chan’s to your boyfriend’s was so minimal it didn’t even count. Now you were not so sure. You didn’t want to grab a taxi. You really really wanted a glass of wine. Instead, you reach for a passing tray and gets yourself another glass of water.

The waves of the crowd coming and going captures your attention, so you stay like that, side by side, just watching people be people for a while.

“What did he mean by ‘telling you all I was off limits’”, you make air quotes with your fingers.

It’s Chan’s turn to sigh in defeat, “he never said it seriously but yeah, seems like it was”

“He really warned you off?”

Your friend nods, “when he first brought you over, I think Felix asked if you were single, maybe I did too”

“Did you?” you turn to look at him, but he keeps his focus on the crowd. You study his side profile.

“I think Felix was genuinely just curious, but Hyunjin did not take it that way”

“What about you?” you push.

Chan is quiet.

“Don’t tell me you thought about hitting on me”, your smile grows, this will be a goldmine of teasing.

“That was before you opened you mouth for the first time”

“Chan! You thought I was hot!”

“For like a second” he rolls his eyes.

“Ohhhh you so had a crush on me!”

Chan laughs and you try to not be offended at the truthiness of it.

“You and Changbin really are a perfect pair”

“Are we?” and your voice sounds foreign even to yourself. Dreamlike. Hopeful. Losing all the teasing tone from before.

“Yeah, both of you are loud and annoying”

“You know what? I take pride in that”

He clinks his glass to yours.

By the time you reach his apartment, you feel much lighter. He tells you to park on the street - his parking space was horrible and you appreciate him remembering you hate having to squeeze a car in there. He was also probably worried about you scratching his big nice shiny black car.

“Are you still going over to Bin’s?”

“I should probably call him first, we haven’t really talked all night”, you pull out your phone while both of you get out of the car, walking towards the front of his building.

“What about Hyunjinie?”

You consider it.

There’s no longer anger clouding your mind.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if he found out about me and Changbin by hearing me moan through the walls?” and you actually consider it.

“That’s it, I’m ejecting myself from this conversation”, he turns away from you but only takes two steps before stopping. He takes a breath, lets his head hang back, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips.

“Chan?”

“I can’t just leave you alone on the street in the middle of the night”, it almost sounds like he’s saying more to himself than to you.

It makes you chuckle but you don’t want to push his patience, finding your boyfriends contact on your phone.

He picks up on the second ring.

“Want the bad news or the good news first?”

“Well lucky me, I didn’t even know there were news to begin with”

“I’m full of surprises”

“Okay, good news then”

“You can come over”, he almost sings it and you giggle in response. Chan makes a face of disgust.

“And the bad news?”

“Hyunjin’s in rut”

Oh.

That would explain a lot, you think to yourself. Your next thought is ‘he didn’t even text me about it?’ It’s an unspoken thing between the two of you. His cycle is not as messed up as yours but it’s still inconsistent enough to make it hard to keep track. Ever since moving out of your parent’s house, you were each other’s emergency contact. Even when Hyunjin had someone to help him with his rut, which was most of the time, he’d still let you know what was going on.

“Did he go to Felix?” your voice must give away that the news shook you a little bit, Chan losing his nonchalant mask and raising an eyebrow in concern.

“Yup”

“Is he okay?”

“Well it took like three of us to hold him back once you left with Channie hyung but after that he just buried his face in Felix’s neck and did everything he was told”

“Good boy”, that makes Changbin snort and you relax, at last. If he’s laughing it means everything will fall into place. “So I just dropped Chan”

“I’ll come meet you down, is he still with you?”

You look at your friend, crossed armed and still questioning with his gaze, “against his will but yes”

While you wait for your boyfriend, you relay the information you were given. Chan is equal parts bothered that no had had told him about it sooner and glad to know the rest of your friends could manage it without him.

It takes Changbin exactly four minutes to arrive in front of Chan’s apartment.

You get on your tippy toes to meet your lips to him on a quick peck, his arms circle you waist immediately.

“People would think you haven’t seen each other in weeks”, Chan says, teasing again.

“It felt like it”, you poke your tongue out towards him, childish.

“Thanks for waiting with her, man” Changbin gives Chan a friendly punch on the arm.

The older massages the place he was hit, “well, I am her friend too.”

It doesn’t escape you what was left unsaid.

You’re not one with an insecurity streak, some might even say you have a bit of an ego problem nowadays. But it still hurt for your brother to insinuate that this little group of people you cared so much about were not your friends as much as they were his. You might have started with just Seungmin, but you earned their love just as much as they gained yours.

You appreciate Chan voicing something to ease your nerves. Changbin helps further, by pushing out his scent, a steady flow of cinnamon and clover. You’re lucky.

The walk back to Changbin’s place happens with your hand in his. You kiss on the elevator. Barely make it to his room before you are already undressed to your bra.

“I’ve been thinking about this skirt all day”, he whispers in your ear, pressed against your back with hand firmly on your hips.

He places you on the bed. Well, throws you on the bed. You go down with a huff, looks at him appalled but he’s not even slightly embarrassed about it. You have very little time to react before his hands are pulling your shirt up, before he’s struggling to get the fabric over your chest, freeing your boobs.

He’s already hard. His lips crash to yours and one of your hands wanders down his abs towards the hem of his grey sweatpants. He separates from you to get rid of his white shirt, you hold a hand up, making him stand back so you can run your eyes over him.

You’ve never gotten the meaning of the expression ‘sex on legs’ until you looked at him. Chest heaving, pants hanging so low you could see the lines of his pelvis. Hair a mess, hands twitching, eager to touch.

From where you lay on the bed, holding yourself up by relying on your elbows, you can’t quite place where his eyes are stuck.

He puts one leg on the bed, knee between your thighs, forcing them open. You oblige, happily.

He’s usually gentle, keen on using words, scared of abusing his strength.

You’ve been brainstorming ways to break him for weeks.

All it took, apparently, was a business skirt.

The hem slid up when you spread your knees for him, but he helps you by bunching up more of the fabric on his fist, lifting until he can almost see your panties.

He’s too far away, you start the motion to sit, to bring him closer, but he pushes you back, gentle again.

“No baby, tonight you do as I say”

You gulp, this is new.

You nod.

“Use your words”

“Yeah. Yes. Ok.”

He looks down at your legs. Grabs one of your ankles and lifts it until it is resting on his shoulder.

“Arms up” you obey, hypnotised by the vision of sin in front of you, “good girl”

You start feeling the wetness between your legs. It will start to become uncomfortable soon.

“Do you trust me, baby?”

You nod.

“Words”

“Yes”

He slides a hand over your covered center. It makes you shiver, knees trying to lock back in - but he still has a stronghold on the leg you have up.

He starts drawing circles with his thumb. You wish he could unzip the skirt, the hem is starting to cave into your skin with the position you’re in. You forget all about it the second he stops touching you.

You whine.

“Patience”, he’s unlacing his pants, letting them drag on the floor. He had not been wearing boxers.

He is painfully hard, tip red and dripping. It makes your mouth water but he seems to have other plans.

“Now, deep breath for me” when he pulls you closer to the edge of the bed, adjusting your position, your eyes widen.

He lines himself to you and, as wet as you are, slick is not enough to prepare you for him.

“Shhh, trust me, I’ll make it feel good” he seems to read your thoughts, cooing as he massages the thigh propping you up.

He slides a pillow under your ass, giving you an angle. You’ve been keeping your arms up for him and, with the new position, you can feel the strain on your neck.

He lines himself again, keeps massaging your clit as he starts to put gentle pressure on your entrance.

You moan, mostly in pleasure.

“Good girl, I’ll do just the tip, okay?”

“Bin, I can’t” your voice is raspy.

“But I think you can” the pressure increases, he holds your other knee open, forcing you to arch your back.

When you feel him inside you, you free a noise you’ve never made before. Wild, animalistic.

“There she is,” he praises, hand going from your thigh to your waist, following the curve of your back.

He slides the rest of the way in slowly, thumb back on your clit, gentle kisses on your ankle. Maybe it’s his voice singing you praises but the discomfort turns into pure bliss and you melt under him.

When he stops, all the way in, he places a hand on your lower belly. The skirt is now rolled all the way up, still secured at your waist but no longer covering any of your lower parts. The panties he had slid out of the way and, was it not for the overwhelming feeling of him inside you, it would bother the way the piece of clothing was dragging in your skin.

As things were, however, all you could pay attention to was the slow drag of him, out of you just a little only to press in again.

He could see your tummy bulge out where he’s pressing inside you and the sight alone almost makes him come.

“Told you you could take it baby”, he caresses your skin, you shiver. “My pretty girl is so tight for me”

When he finally starts moving, it’s relentless.

You come first, something closer to a scream than to a moan ripping out of your throat. He doesn’t let you rest, keeps ramming into you, faster.

Your second orgasm starts to build up right after, “want to come on my dick again? C’mon baby, take what you need.”

No longer able to hold your hands above your head, you reach down to touch him, bending forward to the best of your ability. He allows it for a second before his hips buckle. He’s close. You never want this to end.

Changbin lets go of your leg, finding your clit again. Your peak is not as intense this time, but all your strength leave your body, going limp under him. He leans forward, increases his pace.

“My pretty omega, will fill up my pretty omega, make her round and full of me” he babbles, closer to your ear, sweet nothings mixed with wet kisses on your neck.

You’re completely folded under him, out of it.

“Do you like that baby? Want to smell like me for months? For everyone to know you’re mine?”

You shiver, reacting to the words. Something instinctual making you cross your legs around him, not letting him out like so many other times before.

He groans on the curve of your neck, his hips moving one more time before he spasms. You feel him deep inside you, so much it takes a second before it starts leaking out.

He stays inside you for a little bit, you’re almost scared he will pop a knot but he slides out easily enough.

Changbin drops his weigh on top of you, you wrap your arms around him on instinct.

“You okay?” you feel his breath on your neck.

“Are you okay?” you throw the question back to him, tired and amused.

He nods, nuzzling his nose on your hair while doing it.

“That was new”, you lightly scratch his back with your nails, feeling the goosebumps from on his skin.

“It’s this damn skirt”, his hands find your waist, where the fabric is still attached to your middle section.

You chuckle. Of course it was the skirts fault, and not his possessive streak acting up after a day spend with another alpha that was not him.

After a minute, he lets go of you, going to his bathroom and returning with a towel to clean yourselves up. You’re overly sensitive but seeing his release come out of you almost makes you want to go again. You don’t, though, content with receiving him in your arms, naked and spent, for a good night of sleep.

You’re tangled in a mess of blankets, absentmindedly tracing patterns on the skin of his forearms. Fingers lacing together only to untangle and explore each other’s skin. It’s no longer sexual, just gentle on the way you trace the veins under his skin, the way he places careful kisses to the back of your hand.

“So, how was the networking thingy?” he asks.

“It was okay, met some interesting people and a lot of wannabes, as usual, but it was fun, free food and all that”, it makes him chuckle. You had that in common, the appeal of free food could always get you.

“Sounds good, do you think you’ll get some clients from that?”

“Don’t know, I think I’ll probably just bully Chan until he allows me to work with him” you’ve been joking about that more and more lately, to the point where your friends are starting to catch on that it’s not really a joke for you.

Changbin, of course, knew that, “I can help”

You kiss him, softly and smiley, “I’m counting on that.”

It’s quiet now. The sounds of the city have died down, it must be the middle of the night already. Every now and then you’ll hear a distant siren, a car speeding past. But other than that most bars around downtown are already closed, most people fast asleep. It allows your mind to wonder, the up and down of your boyfriend’s chest starting to lull you into sleep. A thought makes you open your eyes again.

“Do you want to perform again?”

He doesn’t startle at your voice, although you know he’s probably close to slumber as well, the movement of his hand on your back is growing slow, lazy.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I like writing, I like producing. I haven’t been on stage much but I do think it’s fun, it’s just-” he sighs. “When I was building up the gym I couldn’t really give music that much attention, I was not a really good friend for Chan back then”

That’s the first you have ever heard of that.

“I don’t think he holds it against you”

“Oh he doesn’t, but that’s just because he’s too good of a guy with a superhero complex”

His chest pulses with a half laugh. You match it with your own. You would never have put it like that but it made sense.

“And anyway,” he goes on, “Chan has Jisung now, I think they’re more aligned to work with each other”

“Have you ever tried doing anything with them?”

“Like, a little?” you crane your neck to see his face, he keeps his gaze on the ceiling. “I hang out at the studio when they’re both there but I’m mostly just watching”

“You should give it a try, maybe with the three of you it wouldn’t feel like the work was not equal?” you suggest and he meets your eyes.

He kisses your forehead, you lean into the touch.

“I might do that”, he whispers.

It grows quiet again. You close your eyes. It’s so warm, it won’t take long for you to fall asleep at all. You inhale his scent, releases all the air in your lungs, snuggle in closer.

“Do you think I’m a terrible friend?” it’s his turn to break the silence.

Your eyes snap open, you turn to him again, “Changbin, no, what? Chan adores you, he really doesn’t-”

“No, to Hyunjin”

That gives you pause.

“Don’t go there”

“I mean, he was not wrong to warn us off, after all”

You push away from him, rest your weigh on your elbow so you’re able to turn your entire body towards him.

“And I am no one’s property to be warned off about” you can’t find it in you to soften the statement.

It doesn’t stop him from pulling you closer again. You let him.

“I know, I know baby, I’m sorry”, he kisses the top of your head, “I just didn’t expect him to act like that”

He’s pressing you so close to his chest your voice comes out a little mumbled, “Hyunjin was in pre rut, he will probably come out of it and apologize, it wouldn’t be the first time we told each other something awful because of hormones”

He seems to consider that, keeping his lips on the crowd of your head. You feel his breath move your hair before he speaks, “it got in my head a little bit, I think you were right to ask us to keep this quiet, we can maybe work him up to the idea a little bit more”

“We can do that,” you kiss the top of his chest, “or, you can fuck me really good when he’s back so he can hear me through the walls”

He laughs and wraps both arms around you, pulling you on top of him to kiss you a little more.

You don’t remember falling asleep.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

> a/n | me: oh I'm not good at writing smut! also me: what if I put in TWO smut scenes on the same chapter? Idk Changbin is driving me a bit mental lately. Also in my perfect abo universe, everyone has an alternative of birth control medication, no matter their gender.

> taglist | @soumyeaig @i-bitch-you-bitch @leeknowsbigtoe @goatsareawesomesstuff @strawberristhings @cyrenescave @chasingxran @binsown @luneviia

Hyunjin had been blabbering about it for a week already. It started out tame, a little comment here and there, a casual drop in conversation, the mention of an idea. It took him a couple of days to ask it straight away. Right now we had reached begging territory. Your personal favorite.

“Please please please it sounds perfect, I have the entire thing thought out”

“No”, you barely lift your lips from your coffee mug to say it.

“On the moon, literally what do I have to dooooooo?”

You can’t lie and say you are not enjoying it. It’s rare that you have such an upper hand against him. And you can tell it’s just as entertaining to your other friends, sitting at the table with you.

Jeongin leans closer to Seungmin, “I thought she didn’t mind people listening to her songs?”

“I don’t think she does, she’s just seeing how har he is willing to go”, your friend replies. Seungmin knows you too well. You have to refrain from smiling, overhearing them but keeping your eyes locked with your twin.

“Can you two shut up?” Hyunjin’s neck snap towards your friends anyway.

“Whoa, calm down flower boy, it’s not that serious”, you knew how much your brother disliked the nickname but, as if on cue, his scent flares up, the predominant whiff of roses hitting your nose alongside the burned leaves he usually sports when his mood has gone sour.

“Well you gigantic fruit salad”, he starts, giving you a taste of your own medicine, “can you just tell me what it would take?”

“It’s an orchard”, Changbin’s voice is small and he keeps scrolling on his phone, it’s like a thought that ran astray, not meant to be said out loud. Every single person at the table turns their attention to him. The quiet makes him look up, “what?”

Jeongin looks from Changbin to you and back, “an orchard?”

Changbin catches on, cheeks going slightly pink. He eyes you and your brother first before turning to your friends, “yeah, the Hwangs have like a grass smell? His is more flowery, like a garden. Hers is fruity, like an orchard.”

“Huh”, is all Seungmin says.

Hyunjin’s expression softens, probably thinking about the same thing as you. Your family all had fresh nature smells, yours was by far the sweetest. Your grandma used to say the same thing about the orchard smell, adding that it reminded her of her childhood on the countryside. But no one else in your closer circle ever reached that same conclusion. It made your heart do a little flip, something light and happy.

You’re afraid someone might say something and ruin the moment, so you turn your attention back to your twin.

“Hmm you know what, little brother?” you have a certain glint to your eyes.

All softness is erased from his face in a second. He squints at you.

“No”, Hyunjin’s entire demeanor changes.

“Well that’s fine by me”, you shrug your shoulders, takes another sip, starts to turn towards your other friends.

“You are SO annoying, dude”, he says, and that’s how you know you won.

A lifetime of actually being annoying thought you that it usually gets you places. That’s part of the reason why you keep it up. It is also very fun.

“Hmm?”, is all you give him, unbothered. You see Seungmin forcing down his own smile. He knows what’s coming too. It’s been a topic of conversation a few times amongst those the same age as you.

Hyunjin takes a deep breath, closes his eyes.

Even Chan looks away from his computer to watch.

You can see Jisung over your brother’s shoulder, leaning in at the counter, trying to hear it too.

“Please noona, can I use your song for the dance contest?” he spits it out. You consider denying it again, to make him repeat it, to say it once more but with a little more heart to it. But you also know your limits.

“Of course, baby brother, you should have asked sooner”, your voice is as sweet as you can make it.

“Wait so you’re the oldest?” Changbin is not phased by Hyunjin’s dramatics, your twin having dropped his forehead to rest at the table, gently but rhythmically pounding it against the wood of the surface.

“We don’t know”, you both say it at the same time. One of those weird twin synchronicities both of you hate but can’t escape.

“Mum never told us” Hyunjin mumbles, his face too closely pressed to the table for the words to come out right.

“But don’t I give off older sister vibes?” you smile triumphantly, trying to ignore Chan’s huff across from you, keeping your eyes locked to Changbin.

“They’ve been doing this for years, how have you never noticed it?” Jisung pipes in, coming closer to bring Hyunjin a sweet treat. A sweet treat your brother had not ordered. A clear show of favouritism. You’re about to point that out when Changbin’s reply distracts you.

“I think I only assumed Hyunjin was older”

“What?” you say at the same time as Hyunjin lifts his head, his smile almost splitting his face in half.

“I don’t know, you just give off ‘needs to be looked after’ vibes?” Changbin seems confused but you are genuinely irritated now.

Hyunjin is almost floating off of his seat.

“What the fuck, that is such a prejudiced mindset”, you know it’s not that deep, but old habits die hard and you had similar discussions all your life.

“What? Why?” Changbin seems genuinely confused. It does nothing to appraise your anger.

“I need looking after? That’s such an alpha thing to say, specially to an omega”

Jeongin and Seungmin start to act out eating popcorn out of imaginary bowls.

“That’s not what I mean!” Changbin starts to smell very gingerly all of a sudden. Chan gets a wrinkle on his nose, clearly sensing it too. You’ve been told that’s what Changbin smells like when he’s nervous, embarrassed, although you had never smelled it properly like that yourself. Good.

“Besides, you know that the person who munches off of you is him, right?” You point to your brother, who has joined the other two youngest boys in their popcorn-eating antics.

“Hey!” Hyunjin breaks the act to protest.

“He doesn’t munch off of me” Changbin tries to defend himself, but the tip of his ears are turning red. You didn’t mean to scold him but it didn’t feel wrong, exactly, to be doing it.

“He does”, Seungmin comes to your aid.

Hyunjin pauses, looks at his friend, relents. “…I do”.

“I, however, am my sole caretaker”, and you’re proud of that.

Your parents would not have had enough to help you through university, so you did it all yourself. You got multiple scholarships to help through your undergrad and was now almost done with your post-grad doing just the same. You lived at a cheap apartment far from everything, but you had furnished it entirely by yourself. The life you led was not one that would have been allowed even as soon as fifty years ago. It was something to brag about.

You open your mouth to say just that but are interrupted by an alarm going off. Seungmin quickly pulls out his phone to silence it.

He then takes out his backpack, fishes a pill bottle from inside and throws one of the little white circles down his throat before storing it away again.

“What is that?” Hyunjin asks. The whole table had watched the ritual in silence.

“Suppressants”, Minho replies, instead of Seungmin himself, having approached to signal Jisung he needed the younger back behind the counter.

“I didn’t know you took those?” Hyunjin is confused but not judgmental.

You knew. Those kinds of talks always came around when it was just the omegas together, eventually. You had always had an irregular cycle and, early into your friendship with Seungmin, he had asked you why you didn’t take heat suppressants to help every now and then.

As much as you appreciated his concern, you had a bad track with those, so you preferred to stay away. There was a phrase during your late teens when you were constantly on them. It didn’t do you any good, and it only rewarded you with a couple of trips to the hospital. Safe to say your body did not like that and you almost seriously injured yourself.

Seungmin’s cycles were shorter than yours and, for someone who took his routine so seriously, it made sense that he would take the suppressant route that many omegas did, to only get his heat every other month, like doctors considered healthy for someone your age. You sometimes got yours every month, sometimes went without one for three or four months. It would drive Seungmin insane.

“You shouldn’t take those too frequently”, Hyunjin pipes in. He witnessed it first hand what suppressing every single heat for a year could do. That alone kept him away from taking rut suppressants, even when it would really benefit him.

“As long as he’s being safe”, it’s your turn to come to your friend’s defense.

“I don’t know man, why would you even have to take those? They can really fuck you up” Changbin, apparently recovered from you earlier scolding, seems to think it’s safe to butt in again.

It isn’t.

“Well not every omega is lucky enough to only get their heats every once in a while, or not have them for months like her” he points at you and you try to not feel attacked, this is not about you.

“I get taking them every now and then but like-”

“At least I’m not stinking up the place all the time” Seungmin cuts Changbin off, almost snarling at the older man.

“I’m not stinking up the place” Changbin deflates immediately, tries to say it confidently but turns to Hyunjin next, leaning closer, lowering his voice, “am I stinking up the place?”

“No, baby, you’re fine” Hyunjin pats his friend’s thigh and you can’t hold back your snort.

“What?” Changbin’s head snaps to you, ears going red once more.

“Hyunjin is also always stinking up the place so how would he know?” Seungmin provides the answer, voicing your exact thoughts.

“No I’m not”

“Yes you are”, you confirm.

“You can’t even smell me that well, how would you know?” and he’s right.

Although you could read his moods depending on how his scent flared just like you could your own, biology and the whole growing-up-together made his smell a lot more muted for you.

“I have ears and Minho likes bitching about your dance practices”

“That doesn’t count!”

“You kinda overdo it with the territorial thing at the studio, mate” Chan is the one to add, joining the conversation briefly but standing up to head for the register, probably getting himself another drink.

“But that’s the one place I have to!” Hyunjin tries to defend himself, “Minho is an omega and Lix is treated as if he was one too, I’m just keeping it safe for them!”

“Safe for them?” you point over his shoulder, towards the counter, where Minho prepares a drink for Felix who had just came in, both chatting amicably with Chan, “those two over there?”

Hyunjin doesn’t even turn to look at them, “yes, why is that so hard to believe?”

“You mean to tell me that the boxer and the taekwondo black belt need your scent to feel safe?”

And it’s Hyunjin’s turn to visibly deflate.

Seungmin high fives you, childishly.

Jeongin looks between the two of you.

“You’re scary”, he says, eyeing the alphas beside him, suddenly very small on their own frames.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

When Minho is not at the cafe, he is at the gym.

He started going just to lift, maybe do some light cardio, more as a friendly gesture towards Changbin on those early days of the business than anything else. But then Changbin added the boxing ring and Minho started spending more time there after work. That was around the time you first met him, after your brother dragged you and your friends to the cafe, using you as proof that he was a chill cool alpha, when trying to convince Minho to join his dance team. The older later got roped into a dance competition with Felix and Hyunjin. You had the theory that he only did it to get closer to Jisung - who, at the time, was very antisocial and only really hung out with people he already knew, but again, you’d have to find the time to broach that conversation with one of them later.

No matter the details though, years later Minho would still come straight to the gym after closing the cafe, sometimes to box, sometimes to join the dancers. You, however, was never one to be at the gym. Therefore Minho, after hearing your whole ‘I don’t need protection’ speech a few weeks ago, was convinced that you could use with a personal defense class.

You don’t tell him that you’ve taken those before when you agree to come with.

It could be fun and you had been feeling a little anxious lately. A little exercise couldn’t hurt. So you meet him at the cafe, just in time to hear him instructing Jisung on what should be done before closing. You get his last pour of the day, gladly taking the americano as part of the bribe to walk across the street and into the gym with him.

“Ya hyung, you’re late” Changbin is saying, before he spots you besides Minho.

He says your name with confusion written all over his face.

You smile brightly back at him, lifts your takeaway coffee cup in a little cheer, “hi to you too!”

“What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I visit?”

Before he can reply, Jeongin walks in from the back room, “noona? You really made it?”

“Why is everyone surprised that I came?”

“I thought you were joking when you said you were coming by earlier”

You had a meeting with a professor earlier and bumped into Jeongin and Seungmin at the university. You mentioned to the younger that you’d see him again later and both of them joked about it, but you assumed they took you seriously after you kept confirming it over and over again.

Jeongin had his training attire on as well. Minho had been sparing with him lately and thought the maknae could use someone with less experience to practice with, hence you.

“We had a bet going on”, Felix chimes in from behind the front desk. You look at him quizzically and he continues, “we thought you didn’t even have workout clothes.”

You look down to check your own body. Running shoes? Check. A pair of sweatpants? Normal enough. Large T-Shirt you stole from your brother forever ago? Not specially fitness-guru appropriate but you had a gym top on underneath in case you got too warm while boxing as well. Seemed good enough for you.

So you do a twirl and finish it off with a little pose, popping out your hip.

Changbin is standing right in front of you and his eyes follow the line of your body. You half expect him to make a joke about you not having proper clothes to work out on but he locks his jaw and remains quiet, his adam’s apple moving as he forces down a gulp.

Minho nudges you, “stop playing around, let’s fight”

“You know just how to charm a girl”, you say back, but follow him nonetheless.

He makes you and Jeongin stretch and run in place to warm up for a bit, before taking your hand to wrap it up, preparing it for the gloves. He completes your right hand but then Jeongin calls him over to help, so you stay in place, holding the gloves and the tape on the corner of the mat, like an NPC whose turn to interact had not came yet.

You feel a light tap on your leg and look down to see Changbin leaning in on the ropes.

“Need help with that?”

You wordlessly lift the rope to help him step up and in, handing him the tape so he can finish wrapping your other hand for you.

He’s focused on getting it right but you can tell he doesn’t have much practice with it. You could help him but that would blow your cover way too soon. So you just keep your silent watch. It’s endearing, really, how much attention he’s giving to the menial task.

“Is that too tight?”

You shake your head no. Can’t help the small smile that escapes you, directed at the big men holding your hand who’s too scared of hurting you.

His patches have probably already worn out. It starts to smell warm, almost like a chai latte - your personal favorite. All of Changbin’s usual spices, but sweeter. If it was anyone else you’d probably warn him about it. But you knew it was almost closing time for the general public as well, your friends making for the majority of the people still around.

And you knew Changbin had a long day.

And he has such a nice smell, you couldn’t really imagine anyone complaining about it.

“Hey, you ready?” Minho calls you over from the center of the mat.

Changbin steps aside and moves out of the ring again, allowing you to join the other two at the center.

At first Minho goes over a couple basic moves. You control your strength, takes in his corrections, plays it dumb but takes it seriously. He’s a good teacher. Jeongin is also holding back, you can tell. But you think he’s none the wiser about how you’re mapping out his actions with precision because of that.

Minho finally allows you to spar without much guidance, and you can’t help but get a punch in when you see an opening.

Jeongin steps back with betrayal written all over his face. You know your eyes are sparkling with victory right back. You sneak a glance at Minho and he’s already watching you with his eyebrows raised. You don’t see Changbin but you can sense him behind you, too. His scent taking a turn to something you can’t quite place. You tilt your head facing Jeongin, faking innocence. Beginners luck, surely.

He scoffs and adjust his feet. You resume the game, keep going at each other. You go back to holding back and keeps your focus mostly at avoiding Jeongin’s punches. You smell your brother before you see him as well, his patches also having reached the end of their life after hours of sweating through them.

“What are they doing?” You hear his voice behind you, probably having joined Changbin in watching. You keep your focus on Jeongin.

“Boxing,” Changbin says, a distracted sound to the reply.

“Ok, but why?” Hyunjin insists, and Jeongin almost manages to sneak in a punch while your attention shifts to the conversation happening behind you.

“I don’t know, Minho hyung wanted your sister to be able to defend herself”, Changin’s reply comes with more words but keep that aloof characteristic to it. He has probably seen how you barely escaped Jeongin’s touch.

Hyunjin cackles and it almost allows for your attention to slip, but you lean out of Jeongin’s reach again just in time.

“Her!?” Your brothers voice is loud, he wants you to hear it. You feel your cheeks begin to heat up, your cover is about to be blown and you prepare for it, “she’s been boxing for years!”

No reason to hold back anymore, so you choose to square a lethal punch that breaks into Jeongin’s defenses.

“Ya, noona!” the younger boy spits as you turn back to your sibling, already starting to free your hands.

“Why can’t you ever let me have fun?” you throw one of the gloves at Hyunjin at the same time as he’s extending a water bottle to you, old routine, old habits. He used to come watch you practice often enough for the motion to feel natural.

“It’s not fair to them,” he points dramatically at what you can only assume are two very confused men behind you. Changbin is still leaning onto the ropes, staring up at you with his mouth hanging open.

“Yeah noona, what the fuck?” Jeongin sounds winded and you turn to see him also taking off his gloves and passing them on to Minho, who already has his own hands wrapped.

“My turn then”, the older lifts an eyebrow, challenging. A smile takes over your face. Now that would be much more fun.

“That hardly sounds fair either”, Changbin finally breaks his silence.

“Huh, I think I’ll be alright”, you shrug your shoulders, trading the water back for the gloves with Hyunjin, turning to wink at Changbin at the last second.

He blushes, but you’re already focused on the omega in front of you, posture locked in place.

Neither you nor Minho hold back this time. Both sneaking enough hits that you’re sure you’ll have a couple of bruises the next morning.

When he finally gives you a signal to stop, Hyunjin and Changbin are still where you last left them, joined by Jeongin, Felix and Chan.

“That was hot”, the oldest one says, earning himself an elbow to the side from your brother, “what?”

“He’s right”, Jeongin adds, and Hyunjin has to reach behind Changbin to slap the younger boy behind his head.

“Thats my sister, please shut up”

“I was talking about Minho hyung”, Jeongin replies, patting his head where Hyunjin had hit him.

“I was not”, Chan doubles down, with a rare glint of mischief on his eyes.

You blow him a kiss once you have your hands free. Again Changbin’s scent flares, a different smell you never got from him before.

“I recorded if you want to see it later”, Felix adds, directed at Chan but meant for you to hear. Or so you think.

“Don’t”, Minho says, approaching to hand you a water bottle.

“But hyung, Jisung would love to see it”, Felix puts on his best puppy face, the effect being enhanced by the fact that you were still standing above him on the ring.

Minho rolls his eyes but says nothing as he steps down. Felix and Chan exchange a look that communicates more than you are able to decipher. You start to follow Minho out of the ring when you see Changbin’s hand suddenly extended to you, helping you out.

“Thank you”, you murmur, not willing to admit your legs do feel wobbly after all that exercise. It’s been a while since you last practiced and Minho really was much better than you, you could admit as much.

“Same time next week?” your new boxing instructor calls from across the place, where he’s already following your brother and Felix up to the dance studio.

You nod and wave him goodbye, moving the other way behind Jeongin, with Changbin still by your side. He must have taken control of his scent, as you could barely smell him now, even standing much closer. You hate how much you immediately miss it.

“How are you getting home?” He asks quietly, just for you to hear.

“I’ll probably take the bus”, he reaches behind the counter where you had dropped your bag earlier, hands it to you.

“Want me to drive you?” he offers, already grabbing his keys and backpack too, “Jeongin can finish closing up”

“Hey!” the younger complains, but that’s as far as it goes when Changbin looks his way, a whole conversation happening within those looks. You hate being left out of it, again. Jeongin exhales, defeated, “okay, yeah, I can close”

“Than yeah, that’d be great”, you agree, shaking away the odd feeling. You try to dismiss your insecurities about the way you must smell. You probably had sweated through your scent patches too, and your hair is sticking to your forehead and to the back of your neck. There’s an uncomfortable feeling creeping up your spine that you can’t place. Maybe just your anxiety acting up again, so much for exercise helping you with it.

Changbin pulls something out of his backpack before handing it to you, “it will be cold out and you’re still warm, you should put this on”

It’s his hoodie.

You smile in appreciation and immediately puts it on.

The smell is overwhelming in the best way possible. You feel a lot calmer already, the anxiety melting away. You have to hold back a purr, what the fuck?

Trying to play it cool, you follow him to his car in silence but, just as you make yourself comfortable in the passenger seat, your stomach grumbles loudly.

“Oh my god, that’s embarrassing”, you say out loud, an arm crossing over your midsection, the other covering your eyes.

Changbin laughs. It’s not a mocking laugh though, its something different. Familiar, gentle, fond.

“I could eat”, is all he says.

“There’s this pizza place near my apartment that’s pretty good”, you offer back, appreciative of his indirect offer.

So you help guide the way, directing him through the weird twists and turns of your neighbourhood. The restaurant is not full, but you take a seat outside anyway. It’s starting to grow chilly so you keep his hoodie on. If you bring your nose closer to the collar every now and then to sniff it, is nobody’s business.

You have a pretty similar taste in food, is what you find out. You have eaten together before many times, but it was usually more of a group setting. It’s amazing how fast you decide on flavours to share - specially knowing Changbin was not much of a sharer himself.

And it never got awkward.

The two of you could talk for hours and not run out of things to say, which was nice. And you knew that already, of course, but you are glad to find out that it didn’t only hold up when you were all hanging out at the cafe or at a house party, with your other friends around you. It remained just the same when it was only you and him.

“So, how did you become so good at boxing?” he finally breaches the subject, moving from the previous topic seamlessly. You feel a slight awkwardness though, try to mask it as best as you could.

“Have you ever seen my brother? He has such a punchable face, I couldn’t help it”, you joke. Changbin laughs politely but waits for you to continue.

You force your shoulder to relax. This is not a story you like to share, part of the reason why only your brother knew about your early adulthood hyper fixation in fighting styles. When you said yes to boxing with Minho you thought it would be something you could keep from the others. And truth be told, you missed the freedom, the release that fighting allowed you.

“It’s not that interesting of a story”, you start, and Changbin waves his hand, signalling for you to keep going, before picking up the final slice of pizza.

You look around. The restaurant was not particularly packed but there were still enough people around you to overhear.

“It’s not really light dinner conversation either”, you insist. You hope he drops it, but you also know him better than that.

“That’s alright, I could walk for a bit, I ate too much”, and once again, you appreciate the out he gives you, so you nod along.

He asks for the tab and insists on paying, “Minho hyung’s face when he realised you could actually fight was priceless, this is the least I can do.”

He then forfeits his car for the sake of waking you home.

It is a nice evening, the skies are clear and the moon is out, almost full. You can feel your omega happy while you look up at the bright orb during your stroll.

Changbin keeps his hands on his pockets but walks a little bit closer, his body warmth reaching you. Your hands also stay on your pockets but, every now and then, you allow your shoulder to brush his side.

He doesn’t push the subject but you can feel it hanging between you.

“So, the boxing”, you start.

He hums, letting you know he’s listening.

It’s been a while since you last told the story, so you try to not overthink as the words come to you.

“There was this accident, when I was younger”

You give yourself time, Changbin moves a little bit closer.

“I presented a bit late”, you start again, “everyone kinda thought I’d be an alpha like Hyunjin”

Changbin puffs out air in amusement, “I can see that”

“Yeah, he presented almost a whole year before me and when I finally did it, it was a surprise for everyone”, you allow the amusement to show on your voice.

Back then it had been really confusing, but now you could laugh at the expectations, the way everyone had tried to mask their shock when you shared the news of what the goddess had assigned you.

“When was that?”

“I was sixteen, almost seventeen”, you keep going, not giving your brain time to process before you move on, “it was our last year of school and I was having a little bit of trouble keeping up”

“You?” he exaggerates the ask, trying to keep the mood light, probably feeling the switch on your posture.

“Yeah, I know, shocker! I’m the brains and Hyunjin is the looks”, you roll your eyes but it’s in good humor, you don’t really mind the distinction, Changbin opens his mouth to protest but you don’t let him, “it’s fine, I’ve heard that all my life”

He closes his mouth but shakes his head in disagreement. You don’t want to decipher what that means so you move on.

“But you know I have really irregular heats, right?” you ask and he nods his acknowledgment, it was a pretty well known fact amongst your friend group, with you flaking on enough plans last minute for them to notice.

“Has it always been like that?”

“Pretty much, yeah”, you confirm and he nods in understanding, “but back then I couldn’t really tell when it was coming up, I still can’t, a lot of the times, but I got used to skipping pre-heat entirely and nowadays I’m better prepared for it, I can pick up on the signs faster”

You stop in place. Is it weird to be discussing this with an alpha? Even if society has moved to a point where omegas talking about their heats was no longer a big taboo, it was not really something discussed that straightforward. And here you are, sun already long set, out in the open with an alpha, talking about one of your biggest insecurities like it is nothing.

“You alright?” Changbin stops a couple steps ahead of you when he notices you’re not following.

“Is this weird?”

“What?”

“Us. Talking about this?”

He seems to think about it for an instant before lightly shrugging his shoulder, “I don’t think so”.

“Would you talk about your ruts like this?” You’re still not convinced.

“With you?” You nod your head yes, “probably, yeah”

That checks out. You feel comfortable with him, always had. You were glad to know it seemed to go both ways, so you resume your walking. There’s a little bit of extra trust placed there, it feels like a step forward between the friendship the two of you share.

“So there was this one time, right”, you continue as if you had never stopped, “I had to stay late to study because my heats had been making me miss a lot of classes and I couldn’t keep up that well”

He keeps his pace beside you, looking straight ahead instead of at you.

“I really wanted to go to university and so did Hyunjinnie. My parents had already said they could only afford to send one of us, so I was doing my best to try and get some sort of financial aid. I wanted to find a way so that we both could go. We both know Hyunjin never had the grades for a scholarship so I assumed I was our best shot. All of a sudden I present and like, six months in and my grades are already slipping. And! And! It’s my final year, yeah? So the worst possible timing for it to happen.”

Changbin suddenly places a hand on the small of your back, guiding you closer to him so you don’t step on a cracked piece of the sidewalk you didn’t even realize you were heading towards. His hand retreats immediately as you move past it. You have to swallow the urge to ask for the touch back.

“Thank you”, you murmur, shake your head, gets back to the story, “Hyunjin had left already, that day. My parents were still at work and there was some sort of strike going on, so no buses were running. I had been alone at the library for most of the afternoon so I couldn’t really tell anything was weird at first”

You laugh at yourself, thinking back to the day. How you barely had any appetite, how your brain had felt scattered even as you tried to stay focused on the books in front of you.

“It was the fucking librarian that said I should probably go home. She just came up to my table and said, loud and clear, ‘hey honey I think your heat is starting, can you get home safely?’” you do air quotes while remembering it, mimics the tone of her voice.

You had replayed that interaction many times over the years, always reaching the conclusion that it was that moment where something could’ve gone differently. If you had not felt so immediately embarrassed maybe you could’ve sensed the care on her voice, the gentle way she had approached you.

“And I felt so ashamed because I knew she was right, I don’t even know if I said anything back, I just packed my stuff and left as fast as possible. I think it was alright at first”, you pause, considering how to put it, “do you remember how patches used to be back then? And they were expeeeeeensive so I could never afford the really good ones. But I remember thinking it should be alright, it was just a few blocks and the street was mostly empty anyway.”

You can tell Changbin is growing tense, he has stopped controlling his scent a while ago, and you could smell it becoming more and more sour after every word you said. So you decide to cut to the chase, it felt like you were dragging both of you along at that point.

“Nothing really bad happened”, you start and he finally turns to look at you, he does not believe it, not really.

You take a deep breath in, you never like remembering this part.

“There were these guys, you know, I think they were coming back from the park near my house, one of them was carrying a basketball, they must’ve been only a couple years older than me”

A whole group of alphas. Their smell reaching you even before they turned the street corner. You had to urge your feet to keep going because what would they do, anyway? It was the modern world, omegas should not feel unsafe just walking on the street anymore.

But you were a young omega in heat and, when met with bad people, instincts could easily take over.

It had started out with looks. You kept your head down towards the pavement, avoided eye contact. But then one called to you. At first you could ignore it, even as other voices joined him. But when the calls grew more specific, you looked up.

They were right in front of you. One reached to touch your face. You stepped back and noticed every little change of his expression.

Two of them exchanged a look behind the first one. To this day you could not decipher what it meant. A warning? An agreement? A question?

Even if your brain had trouble following, your body knew what to do. And you ran.

You were fast but not that fast. Adrenaline made you sprint at first, but you grew tired way too quickly. You could still smell them behind you, so you took the first turn into an alley and kept going. While jumping over a fence you felt the wire cut into the material of your pants. That’s when your own smell hit you, the pain making it hard for you to control the roll out of your own scent.

That only seemed to entice them more. They kept chasing you, the fence only slightly slowing them down. You reach the park near your house and just as your legs are threatening to give out, you see your brother.

Hyunjin is already running towards you, a mixture of fear and anger written all over his face, an expression you had never seen before, and witnessed very few times since.

The man chasing you slow down, but don’t fully stop. Hyunjin might have been an alpha, but he was a scrawny teenager just like yourself. Not far behind him, however, you recognised the ajumma that ran the grocery shop nearby. There were a few older woman with her, people you had seen around the neighbourhood before but never talked to.

Later you would learn that, in your dazed confusion, blinded by fear, you ran right past the grocery shop - and didn’t even think of coming in, of asking for help. The ajumma recognised you and called your place immediately, having the number from the recurring orders your mom placed with her. Pure dumb luck was the fact that your brother had been at home and picked up, leaving in a hurry. He had detected your scent straight away, so strong he had no trouble tracking you. The other women had been either at the store or nearby, and recognized the smell of a scared omega, coming along to see what was the trouble. And thank goodness for them.

The small crowd dispersed the men. One of the older woman had called the cops, you all had to give out statements. You remember your parents’ hushed voices those following days. How Hyunjin had been, loudly voicing his anger, his words carrying through the door and into your room, where you were locked in dealing with your heat. Because it’s not like it went away. Even after waiting at the police station, even after shaking on the back of your parent’s car.

You had never heard them so defeated. Nothing ever came out of the police search but a little bit of acquired trauma. Hyunjin would go on to never let you walk from school alone again, the habit bleeding into your first year of college. You were the one that had to finally put an end to it, well into your second year at the university you both coincidentally chose. Truth be told, you knew he followed you there.

You had studied hard, the anxiety about going out after the accident ended up helping you in that sense. Of course there were downsides. Most of your friends didn’t stick around, you started to depend on Hyunjin’s social life a lot. He had always been popular and pretty and fun. The rare times you went out, you were always with him. His friends saw you as his weird skittish sister, you knew as much. It took you years to find your sense of humor again.

But you did, eventually.

You went through therapy and picked up a couple of self defense classes, later going into boxing. That was encouraged by your parents, the only way you knew they’d feel okay with you living away. If that was not enough, though, you still had your twin.

When you got in, it took him only a couple of days to convince your mum and dad that the dance program your university offered was the best idea for him as well. Both of you lived at the dorms during that first year, separate quarters, based on your secondary genders, but still close enough.

You kept to yourself, most of the time, but could feel Hyunjin starting to grow tired of that once your first year had wrapped. He had thrived in uni. Well, not academically, that was more your realm. But socially? He was at every party, every event, every club. And he didn’t have as much time for you anymore. He never said anything, but you knew. You had the freakish twin powers, after all. He was tired of having to babysit you. Of having to drag you along.

So you decided you could look after yourself.

And you did.

It started right after summer.

There was a shared class with Seungmin, a professor that had slotted you two together for a project when you didn’t really know each other. The friendship seemed to have grown out of nowhere, you went from bickering and disagreeing to meeting up for breakfast before classes. It had been years since you last had a friend like him. Seungmin knew your brother already - who didn’t? They shared a friend you would later meet yourself, going on to share many post-grad classes with Jeongin years down the line. Seungmin also introduced you to Jisung, another anxious mess, and it was only when your brother took an immediate dislike to the other alpha that you decided enough was enough and that Hyunjin no longer needed to shadow you everywhere.

Little did you know that Hyunjin and Jisung would later become thick as thieves, but only after many years of you and Seungmin bringing Jisung along - partially only to mess with them.

“And thats it, the big villain origin story”, you say, trying to lighten the mood.

Changbin’s jaw is set and you can see him take a few breaths before finally turning to look at you.

“I’m sorry that happened”

You tap his arm a couple of times, lean in closer, “you have nothing to be sorry for, Bin, you weren’t there”

“Still.”

“And besides, because of that I stopped fighting with Hyunjin as much”, you take the liberty of lacing your arm through his, almost resting your head on his shoulder as both of you slow down the pace. You walk like that for a while.

“We’re almost at your place”, he says, quietly, almost scared to break the moment.

At least you think its a moment. Most of your friends don’t know any of that. You think Seungmin picked up on some of it over the years, but it was the first time you told the whole story out loud. It explained a lot about your dynamic with your sibling, about what your friend group meant to you, about why you were always deflecting with humor. You had many years without it, no point depraving yourself of it now. But it was still hard to talk about.

“Could you like”, you start, voice steady but with less of a bite than usual, “not tell anyone about this? It doesn’t really affect me too much nowadays but it ruins my whole badass persona.”

He side eyes you, a glint of humor back in his eyes.

“You have a badass persona?”

You draw back, unlacing your arm from his. He makes a movement to follow you, to maybe keep you where you were? But you’re not sure because, just as soon as the movement starts, it ceases. You pretend you don’t notice.

“Of course I have, why do you think Jisung is afraid of me?”

That drags a laugh out of him, “Jisung is not afraid of you”

“Yes he is, have you seen how he looks at me lately?”

“That’s not fear, that’s jealousy”

And the information surprises you, “what?”

“Yeah, notice how it only happens at the cafe.”

You think about it for a second. He’s right. Whenever the two of you hang out in there, he seems to avoid you, to make himself smaller. But that doesn’t really hold up anywhere else, in the few classes you share or at the studio - where you’ve been spending more and more time.

“Huh?” you fully stop on your tracks, “is it because of Minho?”

“Ding ding ding”, he says, mimicking sounding a bell with his hands as well, “we have a winner!”

“Oh my goddess, why?”

“I don’t know either, you’re clearly into Chan.”

That makes you stop again but this time you hold onto his shirt, making him stop with you, “what?”

“What?” it takes him half a second to notice you’re holding into him, dragging you along for another step before stopping.

“I’m not into Chan?” you say, holding eye contact.

Chan is cool and everything, but too burdened by the horrors of the world to be your type. You’re more into people that are steady, better at keeping things fun. Someone you can chat with and not feel like you’re being bothersome, who can distract you and keep your mind from spiralling even when you’re being sensitive or annoying or dramatic, someone like-

“You’re not?” He seems genuinely surprised, “but you’re always flirting with him”

“No I’m not”

“Yes you are”

“What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know, you’re always invading his personal space”

You look at the way the two of you are standing, your hand clinging into the fabric of his shirt, holding him as close to yourself as the position allows.

“Am I flirting with you?” you ask, genuinely, but the question makes you realize that yeah, maybe you are a little bit.

Changbin’s cheeks turn bright pink, “what, no, what?”

“I invade everyone’s personal space, that’s my whole thing when I get comfortable with people”, and you let go of his shirt, takes half a step back, “I didn’t know people were reading it differently”

Maybe you wanted Changbin to read it differently.

He grows quiet, you resume your walking, he follows.

“I’m not into Chan”, you say once more, as you reach the entrance to your building.

“I believe you”, he says.

But you’re not sure if he means it.

“Thank you for walking me home”, you’re about to open the door when his scent flares, making you think of what you’re still wearing, “oh yeah, I almost forgot…”

You start to take off his hoodie but he places a hand on your arm, stopping your movement midway.

“No, it’s alright, you can give it back to me later”

“Ok”, you won’t insist.

“Goodnight”, he says, voice unusually small for Changbin.

“Night, Bin”

The door closes behind you and you start missing his warmth immediately.

You bring the hem of the hoodie to your nose, it still smells like him.

After your shower, you put it back on. No one needs to know how you’re about to go to sleep wearing your friend’s scent. Something about the way his cinnamon clings to your skin, mixing perfectly with your fresh apples, reminds you of a time before life got in the way. It makes you feel like it could all be simple again.

Sleep is still avoiding you, and you take the time to think back on your entire night. It’s only then that you notice how the subject had shifted. How he went from bothered at your story to joking with you again, bantering back and forth, gossiping, distracting you. He always had a way with making you more comfortable then most.

He is always so kind, but so sturdy.

The memory of the weigh of his hand on your lower back makes your omega feel soothed, protected. You eventually fall asleep, thinking about the sound of his laugh.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

You had been feeling good the entire night up to that point.

It is the end of the semester - and the first time you properly got to dress up in what feels like forever. The university gala was at full force around you.

At first you laughed at the concept of attending. Some fancy event most of the faculty had to go to but despised, with some post-grad and PHD students being dragged along. You had always seen it as just a way for the university to show off their scholarship students - well, the successful ones. To parole them around so that investors could see where their money was going.

That was before you were one of those success cases.

At least you had Jeongin with you too, which made the night less unbearable. Even fun.

Free food, unlimited drinks and even a photobooth that was hired for the event. You could think of worst ways to spend an evening. So what if you had to entertain some old guy in a suit for a little bit, talk about your research, your aspirations, while they pretended to care? You were easily bought, all it took was the offer of a couple glasses of wine.

Jeongin had just stepped out of the photobooth, waiting with you as it finished printing your images. It was four shots, you had your faces pressed together, glasses in hand, pulling faces from goofy to serious. You hold the strip of photos for him to take a picture with his own phone to send it to the group chat, trying your best to avoid the reflection of the light, the tips of your manicured fingers unavoidably staying in frame.

felix  you look so gooooooood

jisung  i should try for a scholarship next semester

you  i think its too late for you buddy

jisung  ☹️

chan  have fun!

You were feeling light, a little buzzed from the alcohol. The night was still young, the party had started before sunset but it was only just picking up. The speeches had been closed, the drinks were flowing and you were happily laughing with one of your favorite people, both avoiding your own professors.

So that’s why it takes you way too long to realize what is happening.

There’s a waiter passing by Jeongin holding tiny snacks, you have barely eaten all day and, although you’re not hungry, you know you should put some food in you, drink some water - otherwise the next day would be hell. You reach to get the waiters attention, ends up getting a little too close to Jeongin. He smells vaguely citrusy, like lemons and oranges mixed together.

Next thing you know, you have your cheek pressed against his neck, eyes closed, drowning in his scent.

To his merit, he only rests a hand on your waist to help hold you in place, completely unfazed by how you are so openly scenting him.

“Sorry”, you murmur, finding your balance again.

“You good?” He keeps his voice down but his expression has changed into something filled with concern.

“It’s my damn heat coming out of nowhere again”, you were not good at noticing the very first signs but, had you not been drinking, you could probably have figured it out sooner.

Your last heat was a little over two months ago, so you should’ve been more in tune with it coming again soon. The rare times you kept a somehow regulated cycle, it would usually be on a sixty-days rotation.

“You should leave, right?” Jeongin was far from an expert, everything he knew about omegas he had picked up from your friends, but an omega openly in heat was far from ideal. That was basic common sense.

“Probably, yeah, if I don’t want to embarrass myself and lose this sponsorship”

“I can go with you”, his hand is still gently on your lower back, you appreciate how it helps ground you.

“No, no, they will notice if the two of us leave, you still have to make us poor smart people look good”

The joke doesn’t have the effect you hope, Jeongin frowns.

“Are you sure? I don’t like the idea of you leaving by yourself”

“I’ll take a taxi, it’ll be fine”, you squeeze his hand this time, bringing it away from your body but holding onto it, “I’d appreciate if you could, like…”

You don’t need to finish, he moves closer, steps into your orbit. Presses his own cheek to yours, rubs your necks together as discreetly as he can. People that didn’t know you would just assume you were dating, people that knew you would not find it weird at all, you were always smelling a bit like each other anyway.

Jeongin’s scent is comforting. It lands somewhere between your fruity one and Hyunjin’s fresh cut grass on an early spring day. It’s not as strong, or as sweet, with the maknae being a beta. But it gets the job done. It’s familiar, fraternal. You try not to cling to it too much.

It takes you longer than you would like to admit to get yourself under control. You gently push him back, he still doesn’t seem fully convinced about letting you go by yourself. There’s a staring contest in place before you realize it, a battle of wills. You win. You usually do. He breathes out.

“Please be safe?”

You nod, kisses his cheek goodbye.

“You know that I can defend myself”, and you punch him lightly on the belly, for good measure.

He lets go of you to massage the place your fist connected to him, exaggerating his reaction for your benefit. It works, makes you giggle. Jeongin has your back.

On your way out you avoid making eye contact with anyone you knew, trying to keep your head down. You don’t have much time before your scent starts giving you away, before it’s so strong not even the recent scenting would be enough to cover it up. You hear a colleague wish you goodbye, you wave back without slowing down or turning back. Someone else wishes you a good break. You don’t respond to that.

Because of course your heat would arrive right before the university break. You were looking forward to making the trip back home for the week. Now you would probably spend at least half of the days off stuck at your shitty apartment, while Hyunjin drives down for days of being pampered by your parents. And then, after having to deal with the hell that was another heat alone, you would have to take the bus home. Hours stuck with strangers right when you were at your most sensitive, just for the sake of being a filial daughter.

A nightmare.

But you had to keep your place as the favorite.

You only have to wait a couple of minutes for the taxi you called on the app to pull in. You slide in already confirming your address to the driver, not really bothering to look up as you are distracted drafting a message to your brother. You had just hit send on the text letting him know he’d have to drive by himself tomorrow when the smell hits you.

The man is not wearing blockers at all. His scent is so strong you physically recoil. It smells metallic, rusty, wrong. It feels like a punch to your senses, and it’s unmistakably alpha.

He seems to sense a shift, looking you over the rearview mirror. That look is all it takes to set off all your internal alarms.

You have to get out of this taxi.

But it’s already moving and the guy knows where you live. This is not good.

You look down to your lap again, unlocks your phone, swipes into the group chat.

you  where is everyone?

chan  studio

seungmin  home

jisung  hell

It all comes in quick succession. You sneak a glance to the man again, try to keep your breathing steady, control your scent. Your phone buzzes again.

jisung  i mean the cafe

Ok. That’s good. You can figure something out with that.

you  can you meet me at the door?

jisung  ughhhhh i’m closing up will you take too long?

Jisung probably thinks you want a free coffee. You should not have been taking advantage of that. There’s no time to clarify what you mean before your phone starts ringing. It’s Minho. You pick up, hating how you know what you should do immediately. Hating that you’re put in that situation at all. You make your voice saccharine sweet, pitch high.

“Hey baby!”

Minho says your name back, confused. You can imagine him pulling the phone away from his ear to check if he has the right person. It’s not like you could explain it. You hope he catches on.

“Yeah, I’m almost home, just got in the taxi”, you start, as if your friend had asked you a question. The driver looks through the rearview mirror again, you look away fast but try to play it cool, push the next words out as confidently as possible, “should I come over?”

Minho does catch on, voice as serious as you ever heard, “are you safe?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” you keep your tone light.

“Can you make it to the cafe?”

“Yeah, sure, it’s on my way home anyway”, you guard you expression and holds in your scent as much as possible when you direct your attention to the driver, “sorry, do you think you can drop me off at a different location?”

He does not look pleased, his scent sours, “I don’t know, miss”

“You don’t have to change the route, just drop me off a little earlier”, you play it naively, “I’ll pay for the full ride anyway”.

The driver gives you a short nod but keeps his face stone cold, starting to look at you through the rearview mirror at every turn. You pretend that you don’t notice.

“Is it the driver?” Minho’s voice drags your attention back.

“Yeah”, you reply as you would, tone slightly off, you recognise the trace of fear in your own voice. You recover, remembering that you must keep the facade up, relax your face, ”I should be there in five minutes, babe”

“Can you stay on the line with me?”

You know you are about to run out of battery. Jeongin and you really took a lot of pictures during the few hours at the event. You don’t want to say any of that out lout though, don’t want to risk having your phone turn off while you’re still inside the taxi.

“Love you too, see you in a bit”, and you hang up, still hearing Minho’s voice protesting on the other side.

The streets are already familiar, you’re close enough to the cafe to be able to get there by yourself already. Your heart starts to calm down.

“Was that your boyfriend, miss?” the driver asks.

You fake a smile and nods your head yes.

“Why was he not with you at the party?” he presses.

You look at the darkened screen of your phone. 2% left. You can make it.

It lights up again.

hyunjin  home, why?

And again.

changbin  just leaving the gym

jeongin  did you make it home noona?

You shouldn’t text back. Can’t risk your battery running out.

minho  she’s coming to the cafe something’s wrong

The texts keep coming. Your battery flashes 1%. You lock your phone and flips it on your lap. You should say something back to the driver. You look up to see him already staring at you.

“He had to work.”

He doesn’t seem phased by the late reply, “if I had an omega like you, I’d never let her out of my sight”

You keep your lips pressed together, as close to a smile as you can muster.

“Is that so?”, your voice is light.

You’re almost there.

“You could find a better alpha if you tried”, his scent grows stronger, he’s one push away from choking you to death with it.

You can’t take it anymore.

“Hey you can drop me off here”, you try to not sound panicked but is not sure if it worked.

The cafe is close enough. It’s dark out but some places are still open, even if there is not a lot of people outside. You can make it, Minho should be waiting for you, probably Jisung too.

The car slows down. He doesn’t seem pleased by your request, but pulls over anyway. You undo the seatbelt before the vehicle has fully stopped, reaching for your purse, fishing for your wallet. All as fast as you can while trying to remain natural.

You hand him enough to cover two times the trip, hoping it will distract him for long enough to allow you to step out. He seems to sense something is off. Instead of reaching for the money, he holds onto your wrist.

Hand open immediately, the bills fall to his lap and instincts kick in. Years of practice for moments like this, paying off. You turn your arm, a swift but forceful motion, setting yourself free. Your other hand is already pulling the door open, feet hitting the floor.

You force yourself to walk. Don’t run, don’t run, don’t run. Because that’s basic safety knowledge every omega learns early in life. You had learned it through experience. If you trigger their chase instinct, specially when you know your scent smells like it does now, you’re as good as gone. Don’t turn yourself into prey.

But then his smell reaches you, because he also stepped out of the car.

And suddenly you’re a teenager again, the ugly scar on your leg, long healed, aches as if it is brand new. Your scent flares rotten, like fruits that dropped to the floor and had been taken over by maggots. But it seems like he doesn’t care, because his scent turns stronger, a direct reaction.

You run against your better judgement.

The chase is immediate. Are you about to become a statistic? You are wearing a long dress and strappy heels, coming back from a gala, for fuck’s sake! It feels so unfair, you never even had a chance.

You can already see the police report. The line about how you were drunk. How you were in active heat at a public place. How you pretty much asked for it.

He’s close. But the cafe is right around the corner. One turn, two more blocks. You could make it.

His smell is overpowering you, it almost makes you slow down. You can hear him too, now. His breathing is steady, a raspiness to it. If he decides to voice that growl building up on his chest, you don’t know how your body would react. You know your omega feels cornered, but would she make you stop if commanded by an alpha?

Your legs are starting to tire, your stomach is starting to cramp. You’re about to give up and fight, before he can do anything else. Maybe the surprise element will give you an advantage. The basic forms are running through your mind when someone runs past you. You hear the moment their bodies collide, but doesn’t dare to stop and look back. A path of black pepper guides you forward.

When your eyes focus, Minho and Jisung are running towards you. Minho opens his arms and you thrown yourself on his chest. You’re shaking but he circles your form and holds tight.

Safe. safe. safe. safe.

He screams something but you can only tell because of how his chest vibrates. It feels like you’re drowning, already too far away from the surface to understand what’s above it.

“You’re okay, I got you”, he whispers right on your ear, not a trace of the anger. It feels like a hand reaching out to pull you out of the deep end, “can you walk?”

You nod faintly and tries to take a step, your knees almost give out.

“I’ll pick you up, okay?” He doesn’t wait for your reply, lifting you in one swift motion, one hand under your knees, another behind your back.

You hide your face on his neck. You’re scared and hurt and embarrassed, but Minho smells like caramel coffee and bourbon. It had aways been considered strong for an omega but to you it is comforting, familiar, safe.

He starts walking towards the cafe, you look over his shoulder in time to see a police car approaching. Both Jisung and Changbin are holding the man down. Changbin looks up at you for a second, as if feeling your eyes on him. You can’t hold his gaze, the concern it holds almost makes you gasp, so close to the surface but not there yet. You hide your face on Minho again.

He keeps a steady pace, you should be only a block away from the safety of his cafe. But, when you hear Jisung’s voice calling, Minho freezes. You look up to find that your goofy producer friend has a black eye. It breaks your heart and Minho’s entire posture shifts.

You want to tell him to put you down, you know he wants to tend to Jisung, but you’re selfish - and too scared that your legs won’t be able to hold you up still.

“Here, can I help?” it’s Changbin, stepping closer to Minho, arms already held out. Minho hesitates until you nod, and then he passes you over as if you weigh nothing.

The effect is immediate. You can finally breath. Minho’s arms had felt safe, but now it feels like nothing could ever touch you again.

Changbin doesn’t straight out react at all when you rub your cheek to the soft spot on his neck, needing to be rid of any smell remaining from the driver. But his scent flares. It’s all black peppers for a moment still, pure anger. But the cinnamon slowly creeps back in and, as you stay longer, it mixes with the overly sweet apples of your heat.

He turns his head so you can have more access and you hungrily takes it.

It smells like the late afternoon on the countryside. A cozy night in, disconnected from the world. A freshly baked apple pie at the end of the summer, when the cold breeze makes your body shiver after a day laying in the sun.

You make it to the cafe. You feel the vibration of Changbin’s throat as he explains to Minho what has happened, but you can barely focus on the words, too busy lost in the mental image you have created.

All you care about is that your safe, that his arms are holding you, that his smell is enveloping you.

You’re sure that if anyone were to look, your eyes would be flashing blue in that unique way they do when your omega is too close to the surface. It has happened before. She’s in distress still but biology is letting her take over and all she cares about is her alpha, to keep her alpha’s scent close to-. Not an alpha. Changbin. Changbin’s scent. Changbin, who’s your friend who just happens to be an alpha.

The bell over the door of the cafe chimes again, Hyunjin’s voice calls for you with a tone so unlike him it forces you away from the farm during nightfall, back to the real world.

Your cheeks are wet but you have no idea when you had started to cry.

Changbin tenses for a moment, as if caught between what his body and what his mind wants, but he puts you down, gently, just in time for your brother to reach you.

Hyunjin holds you closer than any time recent memory can recall. You feel his heart thrumming on his chest.

“I’m okay”, you don’t sound convincing, but he nods.

“You’re okay”, he says back. You nod.

None of you fully believe it.

You feel Minho’s presence behind you, he’s purposefully letting out calming pheromones and you are so grateful for it.

“Come, I’ll take you home”, his voice is gentle but commanding.

Hyunjin does not let go of you for a second, going as far as climbing into the backseat, leaving Minho in the front to drive alone. The older looks back at every red light to check on you. Your brother is the one to help with the directions to your place, besides yourself, he’s probably the only one that has the path fully memorised.

Your body feels too warm. You know you are about to hit a peak on your heat but your nervous system is too fried to care.

When you park in front of your building, Hyunjin stays in the car while Minho walks up with you.

You appreciate the silent care, another omega on your space has never been an issue. Your brother wouldn’t usually be a bother either, but this time around you would rather play it safe. You don’t need to say any of that, though, both man falling into their roles unprompted.

“Go to your room, I’ll make you some food so you can have that in hand”

You nod weekly and goes in.

When you look at your bed, it is already halfway there to a perfect nest. Maybe this time there were signs, after all, you were just too dumb to notice them. You don’t dwell on it, instead making your way directly to the shower. There are too many smells clinging to you and it’s slowly building up to a sensory nightmare.

As you start to undress, however, you catch another wave of Changbin on your dress, and think twice before putting it away with the rest of the laundry.

You ride the first wave of your heat in pain, more than anything else. Your body is trying to recover from the chock while also experiencing all types of early heat effects. So you curl on the floor of the shower, switches from the cold water helping with the burn of your skin, to warm water, helping alleviate the stabbing of the cramps.

When you finally make it onto the kitchen again, your phone has been plugged in to charge and Minho had left you enough food prepared for a few days. There’s a note stuck on your fridge, his small handwriting letting you know he’d be back on the next day to check on you.

And he does, but you don’t really see him, only noticing his presence after he is gone, when food is waiting for you at the counter and water had been left on the other side of your door.

You text him and the others in between waves, letting them know you are okay - even if you are far from it.

It’s a weird heat. You’re skittish, anxious, sad, mopey and mostly in pain for the better part of it. The cramps never give you a break. You use your toys but your brain is attached to the whole being chased thing, and the mixed messages confuse your omega. So you are never satisfied, but never really needy either. You just feel like something is missing, most of all.

By the end of it, you’re just glad it’s over and you can forget the whole thing.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

Once the door swings to a close after Minho and Hyunjin leave with you, Changbin feels like he is about to go insane.

He is so angry.

He had managed for a little bit there, when you were pressing your face to him so hard he thought for a second you might merge into him. Move in inside his chest. Live where he could always make sure you were alright.

You’re out of danger and Minho did the right thing by calling the cops before you even got there, they had seen what happened while it happened, so not a lot of explanation was required on their part - much less from yours.

Changbin kept thinking about how this time it should be different.

The driver had other offences under his name, he would definitely be behind bars for a little while and the cops said they’d be in touch if they needed any more information from anyone involved.

But it didn’t feel like enough.

Changbin had managed a couple of hits before they had the guy pinned down.

Jisung got the short end of the stick by having a lot of strength but zero coordination. At least the black eye got him pity points with Minho immediately.

But Changbin still feels the adrenaline coursing through him.

His alpha is like a trapped animal.

He smells like you. You scented him so thoroughly he can’t really move without getting a whiff of apples drenched in syrup.

Hyunjin and Minho are pack, his alpha has never seen either of them as threats. It still took him all of his willpower to let you go with them.

Why couldn’t you stay with him?

He would make sure you were safe.

He would cover you in his scent so no other alpha would ever dare to even look your way again.

He would -oh

He is about to go into rut.

It is at least a fortnight too early but the signs are all there.

“Dude, you okay?” Jisung asks and Changbin realises he had been quiet for too long. He unclenches his fists.

“I think I’m going into rut”

“What?” Jisung eyes widen.

“Do you know if Minho has suppressants over anywhere?”

“His won’t work on you”

Changbin knows Jisung is right, omega suppressants and alpha suppressants are very different. But he’s about to lose it, he is willing to try anything.

“Fuck my life”, Changbin starts pacing back and forth.

He didn’t want to go into rut, he couldn’t go into rut. What if you needed anything? He needs to be ready, to be available if you need him. If only he could go to your place, only to make sure-

Get a hold of yourself.

“Chan has suppressants”, Jisung blurts out.

It makes Changbin stops his aimless walking, “what?”

“He has them, I’ve seen him taking it before”, and Jisung is already moving towards the door.

Changbin tries to remain calm, work on his breathing. If he allows his body to overheat it will only speed up the process.

Chan lives nearby, closer than Changbin’s own place.

When Jisung makes it back, Changbin is halfway through becoming a monk with how deep he has been breathing.

“Here”, the younger hands over the prescription bottle.

Changbin does not bother trying to remember what his recommended dose is. He shakes what looks like enough onto his own hand and throws it back, swallowing without water.

It’s quiet but he can feel Jisung’s eyes on him.

“That was intense”, his friend breaks the silence.

Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but Changbin can already feel the pills starting to work, his mind becoming more grounded.

“Yeah…”

“Are you okay? What was that?”

“I don’t know, I think it was the scenting, it drove me over the edge”, Changbin can only guess.

“Minho hyung should not have passed her to you”, and Jisung looks regretful, as if he knows it only happened because he got hurt.

“No, I’m glad he did, I think it would drive me mad if he didn’t”, a truth he had known before.

He studies it in his mind. Even if you were not in heat, even if biology was not pulling him in, he would still feel the need to hold you, to make sure you were not hurt.

“You like her.” Jisung says it as a statement, not a question, so Changbin doesn’t feel like he needs to respond.

“Have they said anything?” Changbin doesn’t know where his phone is. He is pretty sure he left it at the gym, after calling Minho to understand what was going on once he read the texts that had been sent to the group chat. He sprinted over as soon as the call disconnected.

“Minho hyung told me they dropped her off, he’s just making her some food while Hyunjin waits in the car”

“Good, good”

The silence stretches.

“Do you feel better?” Jisung is not one to pry, their dynamic is usually one of banter, not heart to heart.

“Yeah”, he doesn’t want to elaborate.

“Have you ever taken those before?” Jisung points at the pill bottle.

Changbin nods his head yes but the younger man is waiting for more, so he continues, “when I was younger, I don’t get many side effects besides my next rut being absolutely miserable”

“Why did you take them now?”

Changbin considers lying but ends up giving up, it’s been a long day, he’s tired. Hiding his feelings is too much of a hassle right now and Jisung has already guessed close enough anyway, “in case she needs me, I want to be around”.

“Oh you really like her”

This time Changbin acknowledges it with a nod.

Jisung pats him on the shoulder and fishes his keys out of his pocket.

“Let’s go you big softie, I have to put these back in Chan’s studio before he notices it. Then we’ll get some food, my treat”

And it’s so unlike Jisung that Changbin just follows him out of the cafe on a daze, still wondering if you’ll really be alright.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

> a/n | This is the one actually angsty chapter of this fic, promise! Also, I'm having so much fun writing the bickering parts I sometimes lose track of how long the chapters turn out lol

> taglist | @soumyeaig @i-bitch-you-bitch @leeknowsbigtoe @goatsareawesomesstuff @strawberristhings @cyrenescave @chasingxran @binsown