Chapter Text
The overwhelming warmth of the heat hit Martin like a physical wall, it left his mind feeling like it was wrapped in thick, fuzzy layers of cotton candy.
Wrapped tightly in Keonho’s oversized hoodie, he inhaled the comforting, grounding scent of his Alpha, completely buried in his nest of blankets.
In the living room, the Alphas were already on high alert. Martin’s sweet, distressed whines were echoing through the dorm, making their protective instincts skyrocket.
"He sounds so overwhelmed," Seonghyeon said, pacing back and forth with a worried frown. "Should we check on him?"
"Only if he wants us there. We don't want to crowd him while he's dealing with a heat," Juhoon reminded the group, though he was already hovering near the hallway.
As if on cue, a louder, desperate whine echoed from the bedroom: "Alphas!!"
In the blink of an eye, all of them were at the door.
"Martin, baby, are you okay?" Juhoon asked gently, tapping on the wood.
The door clicked open, revealing Martin looking incredibly small, his blonde hair a messy halo, clad in his favorite pajamas and completely flushed from head to toe. "I need you... all of you, please," he breathed, leaning heavily against the doorframe as another wave of warmth made his knees go a bit weak.
James moved first, easily catching him and scooping him up. He carried Martin over to the bed, carefully settling him right into the center of his blanket nest so he wouldn’t lose his comfortable spot.
"Martin, hey, look at me, sweetheart," James murmured, kneeling by the bedside and gently brushing a stray blonde curl away from his sweaty forehead. "You are running a really high fever right now. Are you sure about what you're asking for? We want to make sure you're completely clear-headed."
Martin whimpered, trying to nod quickly. "No, no, please, James Hyung, I want... I want my Alphas. I'm sane, I promise..."
But as he spoke, his eyes drifted, unfocused, and he giggled softly at nothing before whining again, his hands clumsily tugging at James’s sleeve. He was clearly entirely in the grip of his heat instincts, his usual sharp mind temporarily offline.
Juhoon crawled onto the edge of the bed, gently taking Martin’s hands in his own to stop his restless tugging. He looked into Martin's glassy, dazed eyes with a soft, sympathetic smile. "Oh, sweetie. You're completely out of it. You're not in any state to be making big decisions right now, okay?"
Martin blinked up at him, a pout forming on his lips. "But it's hot..."
Keonho stepped forward, sitting down on the other side of the nest and placing a cool hand against Martin’s flushed cheek. "We know it is, princess. And we are right here with you. But we're not going to do anything intimate while you're feeling this fuzzy. You can't give us real consent like this, and your safety comes first. Always."
Hearing the firm but incredibly tender tone in Keonho's voice, the fog in Martin’s brain seemed to shift just enough for the words to sink in. He let out a long, dramatic sigh, realizing they were right—he could barely remember what day of the week it was, let alone make sound choices.
"Okay..." Martin mumbled, pulling Keonho's hoodie tighter around himself. "But it's lonely."
"Well, nobody said anything about leaving you alone," Seonghyeon chimed in with a bright grin, kicking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed. "How about a massive Alpha cuddle pile instead?"
Martin’s face instantly lit up. "Cuddles?"
"The best cuddles you've ever had," Juhoon promised.
Within minutes, the Alphas executed a flawless, tactical comfort mission:
* Keonho anchored the back, letting Martin lean entirely against his chest so he could wrap his arms securely around the smaller boy.
* James settled at the foot of the bed, gently rubbing Martin’s calves and ankles to soothe the ache from the heat waves.
* Seonghyeon and Juhoon bracketed him on either side, creating a literal human fortress of warmth and safety.
"Better?" Keonho murmured, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the crown of Martin's blonde head.
"So much better," Martin sighed, completely melting into the pile of affection. He was still warm, and the heat was still running its course, but the anxiety and loneliness were entirely gone.
Juhoon leaned over, planting a sweet kiss on Martin’s pink nose, making the younger boy scrunch his face up and giggle. Seonghyeon followed up by peppering his cheeks with tiny, butterfly kisses until Martin was smiling from ear to ear.
They stayed just like that for the rest of the evening—scenting him, kissing his forehead, and whispering sweet words to keep him distracted. No touching, no pressure, just pure, wholesome comfort until the worst of the heat finally broke, and Martin safely drifted off to sleep surrounded by the people who loved him most.
The next day was the easiest and most anticipated, it was the last day of Martin’s heat. He was already doing so much better, his head was clearer, his appetite was back to normal and so were his hormones.
At first all he wanted was to get fucked senseless but thank god that didn't happen. The five of them needed to have a serious conversation about where they stood as a group now. Like were they mates? I mean none of his Alphas had claimed him yesterday.
“I can see the gears turning in your head babe” Keonho plopped beside Martin holding out a bowl of yogurt mixed with cut-up strawberries. It’s all they could get him to eat without hearing their omega constantly whine.
“Thank you.” Martin took a big bite of yogurt and smiled shyly, suddenly all eyes were on him again and he didn't know what to do.
“I do have a question though, what does me presenting mean for the group?”
Keonho reached over and nudged Martin’s shoulder playfully. “Well, for starters, it means we have to drastically upgrade the snack budget. Look at you, demanding organic strawberries at nine in the morning.”
Martin gasped, offended, but his mouth was full of yogurt so it just came out as a soft puff of air.
James chuckled from the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. “It means everything and nothing all at once, Martin. We’re still us. But it also means we finally get to do what we’ve all been secretly wanting to do for months.”
Martin blinked, swallowing his food. “Which is?”
Juhoon slid onto the edge of the mattress, a completely serious but incredibly warm look in his eyes. “It means we are going to court you. Properly. No rushing, no taking shortcuts just because a heat happened. We want to earn our spots as your Alphas, fair and square.”
The word court sent a massive wave of pink straight from Martin’s neck right up to the tips of his ears. He hid his face behind the yogurt bowl for a second, his heart doing a little flip-flop. “Court me? All of you?”
“Every single one of us,” Seonghyeon chimed in, leaning over to gently boop Martin’s flushed nose. “That is, if you’ll have us? We promise we’re house-trained.”
Martin let out a shy giggle, looking around at the four faces watching him with so much hope and affection. The lingering anxiety he’d carried about presenting as an omega completely melted away. With them, it didn't feel like a burden or a label; it just felt like coming home.
“Okay,” Martin whispered, a bright, genuine smile breaking across his face. “You can court me.”
The room practically erupted with alpha energy. Before Martin could even process his own permission, James leaned over and pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to his forehead.
Juhoon claimed a soft kiss on his cheek, Seonghyeon kissed the other, and Keonho stole a quick, gentle one right on his lips that left Martin dazed and grinning like an idiot.
Then, the peace shattered.
“Right! Step one of courting: Provisioning!” Seonghyeon shouted, suddenly standing up so fast his joints popped. “I’m getting him the good blankets from the hall closet. The cashmere ones.”
“Oh, please, blankets?” Juhoon scoffed, already on his feet and shoving Seonghyeon out of the way. “He needs actual sustenance. I’m making that chicken soup he likes from scratch. Out of my way, beta-Alpha!”
“I am literally the dominant one here, Juhoon, do not test me!” Seonghyeon yelled back, already racing him down the hallway.
“Both of you are idiots,” Keonho muttered, though he was already frantically scrolling on his phone. “Martin, do you want that limited-edition gaming headset? The pink one? I’m buying it right now. Express shipping. It’ll be here in two hours. Boom. Better Alpha.”
“Hey! No fair using your savings account to buy his love!” James barked, already raiding the kitchen cabinets loudly. “Martin! Do you want hot chocolate or iced coffee?! I can make the iced coffee with the fancy sweet foam!”
From the comfort of his bed, Martin propped his chin up on his knees, watching the absolute chaos unfold in the dorm. Juhoon and Seonghyeon were practically wrestling in the kitchen over who got to use the good cutting board, Keonho was aggressively entering his credit card info like his life depended on it, and James was accidentally spilling milk on the counter in his haste.
Martin’s chest swelled with a warmth that had absolutely nothing to do with a heat wave. For the longest time, he’d been terrified of what presenting would change. But watching his ridiculous, protective, overly competitive Alphas scramble just to make him smile, he realized he wouldn't trade being their omega for anything in the world.