Archive of Our Own

Haechan glanced over to his right side, attempting to focus on his own part in the dance, but not being able to do so as Jungwoo’s anxiously shaky leg was driving him slowly crazy as it hit against the floor of their dance practice room.

Attempting to brush it off, Haechan looked at their dance teacher carefully, still not quite getting what he was saying because of the constant tapping next to him.

Giving up, finally Haechan turned to his hyung placing a hand on his shoulder. The sudden touch woke Jungwoo from his thoughts and he looked back at Haechan with wide eyes.

‘You’re doing it again.’ Haechan reminded the other.

A faint blush spread across Jungwoo’s cheeks as he shook his head. He looked slightly ashamed because of the way that his own body was making him act. But there was no need for him to feel such a way, in the presence of other Omegas.

The rehearsals for their Black on Black performances were slowly coming to an end. Soon they would hit the stage together as eighteen members. But putting this all together was not an easy task.

No one liked to be placed into groups according to their roles, but they really didn't have an option now that spring was getting closer and closer.

It was safer this way, Jungwoo thought as he looked around the smaller practice room, filled only with other Omega members.

Things sometimes got rough, when you had so many members and who all shared the same apartment complex. Especially when SM wanted to form a group that had members from all three role groups. Most of the time they all liked it, and enjoyed the pack that had formed around them naturally over the years.

But like with every pack, there were ups and there were downs.

Mating season was always a rough time for everyone.

The company had naturally given them all enough space and free time around this time of the year, for obvious reasons. But this time it was different, as they were still working hard and preparing for a comeback even when spring was right around the corner.

No matter how many pills he took, to suppress his symptoms, Jungwoo couldn’t lie to himself. He could feel his heat coming. And he wasn’t the only one going through the same.

Just last week, they all had to change dorms. After Jisung went into a rut unexpectedly. It was the maknae’s first and it came as a surprise to them all. What made the situation worse was that the Dreamies dorm room had the most Omegas using it, Haechan, Renjun, Jaemin and Chenle. It all made the situation worse for Jisung, so they were quick to change dorms after that.

Not even a day later, their managers let them know that they would be practicing in groups from now on. Making it easier for them all. But in a way, also harder.

Trying to ignore his own fears of getting his heat, Jungwoo turned back to Haechan and nodded his head.

‘We should practice now.’ He murmured, hoping that the younger would drop the subject and not bother him about it anymore.

Luckily he did, and Jungwoo was able to somewhat focus on his dancing again.

*

Being surrounded only by other Omegas was a first for Jungwoo.

Somehow, it made him calmer. Perhaps because he knew that he was understood better.

When switching dorms, it was odd at first. Because Jungwoo had already gotten used to the unit members of 127 and sharing the same space with them 24/7.

Johnny was the Alpha leader of the pack. He had been the youngest in his previous pack, with other artists like the EXO members. But as he left them and prepared to debut under NCT, he immediately became the Alpha leader thanks to his age and experience. Back then the only other Alpha in the rookies was Jaehyun, who never even attempted to take his spot. Johnny was a natural leader, who has been doing amazingly since the beginning.

One thing that also surprised Jungwoo when getting to know Johnny, was that he never used his position as a way to bring others down, even as a joke.

Some Alphas, like Lucas- would jokingly sometimes raise their voice just the right amount to make the Omegas shut up during some playful argument. Or even make them surround in a mean way, but Jungwoo has been lucky enough that he has never experienced that while being in SM. He cannot say the same about other Alphas that he has met.

Dancing right in front of the mirror next to their teacher was Taeyong. He was the Omega leader of the pack. He also naturally took the place, because of his age and the time that he had spent in the agency.

Jungwoo always found himself to be lucky, to have older Omegas like him be there for him as support. And Taeyong wasn’t the only one who he looked up to, as Jungwoo was lucky enough to have other amazing Omegas around him like Ten and Sichen.

NCT was weirdly a very different group, as eight of the eighteen members were Omegas. Most Kpop groups today were only formed of Beta and Alpha members.

Out of the remaining ten members, four were Alphas and the other six were Betas.

Due to the change of dorms, the Alphas and Betas now lived together while the Omegas lived on their own.

It was a good idea, and Jungwoo understood why it was decided on. But he couldn’t help but think about something.

In a group of eighteen members, and three different roles. It was no secret that some of them chose to have partners during their heats. Heck, some of them were even mated and even the public knew about it by now.

Everyone knew about Johnny and Ten. They have been official for as long as Jungwoo can remember. They mated kinda young, and have been together ever since.

Taeyong and Jaehyun are also a mated couple, but their relationship has been kept a secret from the public because of some reason.

Jungwoo sometimes felt jealous when he looked at the two couples. Knowing how happy they were and wanting the same for himself too.

If there is something you need to know about Jungwoo, he cannot stand pain. He has hated heats ever since he started getting them when he turned sixteen.

No one else can really understand it, unless they were a Omega too. But the pain that you went through during your heat was just torturous for him. Everyone’s experience was different of course, but Jungwoo has never had it easy.

If he were to try and explain it, you could try and imagine what it felt like going through a normal ovulation cycle that women went through in a month, but that time was shortened to just 5 days instead.

To put it simply, it was not fun at all.

Jungwoo was still young, and has only experienced four heats. The first one was the first. Jungwoo remembers being in school, vomiting in the bathroom because his stomach felt like it was trying to escape his body. He passed out, and remembers waking up in the nurse's office, being explained what had happened. This was also the very first moment that he found out his role, which was an Omega.

Jungwoo took it quite well. It also didn’t come as a surprise, because his family had a lot of Omegas in it. He never thought that he was weak or useless compared to the other two roles.

He had seen enough of strong Omegas in his life to understand that he could become anything that he wanted and do anything he wished. Sure, some people still thought differently and were a bit old school when it came to how Omegas should be treated. But none of that mattered to him.

And Jungwoo wanted to be a good role model to the younger Omegas as well, just like Taeyong and the other's were to him.

*

Practice was finally over for the day.

His shirt was sticking against his skin when Jungwoo collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

He was breathing hard, staring up at the bright lights on the ceiling.

‘You stink.’ A voice spoke out, and Jungwoo turned his head to the side tiredly, eyes barely keeping themselves open.

Ten smiled as he sat down on the floor, hands holding onto an empty water bottle tightly. He stretched his legs, sighing as his operated knee hurt just slightly.

Jungwoo sighed, hearing Chenle laughing loudly in the back, as Jaemin made some joke. ‘I know. Teacher pointed it out too.’ He smiled sadly.

Ten hummed, tapping his skinny fingers against the water bottle. He understood what Jungwoo was going through right now. He has been able to notice the change in the younger ones scent and behaviour for a while now. He even told Jungwoo about it a few days ago, wanting to warn him in case he wasn’t aware of what was about to come. But Jungwoo was very much aware.

Bringing his hands to rub against his sweaty face, Jungwoo let out a tired groan.

‘What are you going to do?’ Ten then asked.

Jungwoo shook his head just slightly. ‘I don’t know.’

‘I guess, that i just have to get through it alone again.’ He continued. ‘We don’t want another chain reaction to happen.’ He added with a whisper.

A chain reaction. Meaning, that once one of them goes into a heat or a rut, they all follow each other.

Ten tilted his head. ‘I think it’s already begun. Jisung was the first one. Who knows, maybe your heat is being started because of him going into rut early.’

Jungwoo started at him blankly for a moment, then slowly nodding his head. ‘I guess that could be why. But i don’t want to continue making it worse. I just need to stay in the Omega dorm, not going near any of the other members. I don’t want to trigger anyone’s rut.’

Ten tapped him against the shoulder, letting out a laugh. ‘Idiot, we need to see them someday. The rest of us can’t just stay inside as well. Your scent is all over us anyways, some of them are going to into rut anyways. Besides, it’s spring. We cannot ignore this.’

Jungwoo let out a annoyed whine, rolling onto his side. ‘I know.’ He murmured. ‘But i still don’t like it.’

‘I know.’ Ten murmured, now sounding more apologetic. ‘But you do know that i’m going to help you however i can right?’

Jungwoo nodded his head slowly, remembering the time Ten and the rest of the Omega members all brought him painkillers, heating pads and stole some shirts from the dorm that he could sleep with so the scent would calm him down slightly. It did help, but it was never enough.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Ten asked him this.

‘Have you thought about it? You know- mating with him?’

*

The situation in the other dance practice room wasn’t any better.

It was quite the mess actually, as the teacher had called in sick and they were left on their own to make sure that everyone knew their moves and were prepared.

Jisung was back in the dorms, fighting through his first rut, and Betas Mark and Kun were there to look after him.

Johnny had his hands tried as he was trying to make everyone listen to him, and it was sometimes tough. Though he was a Omega, Taeyong often had better skills when it came to making other's listen to him.

Lucas was currently joking around with Taeil and Yuta, keeping the two Betas company. It really looked like only Johnny, Jaehyun and Jeno were paying attention. Doyoung couldn’t put himself in the same category as them, as he clearly had his head in the clouds.

But he blamed it all on Lucas, because that damn Alpha had to go ahead and open his wide mouth once again.

‘Jisung's rut caused someone to go into heat.’ He had claimed with a smirk as soon as he entered the practice room, late as usual. Doyoung had been listening to music with his headphones, but he was still able to hear him loud and clear.

Lucas obviously found the situation amusing and was laughing about with Jeno as soon as he found the younger one, but Johnny immediately looked worried.

‘Really? That’s not good…’ He murmured, digging for his phone that was in his pocket. This made Doyoung do the same, checking every group chat that he was in incase someone had told something there. But there was nothing.

‘How do you know that?’ Jaehyun then asked, still looking through his own phone with a frown. Doyoung knew what the two mated Alphas were thinking about, worried for their own mates.

Lucas dropped his backpack on the corner of the room, opening his water bottle and taking a sip. ‘Mark said so, because Haechan had texted him.’

Removing his earphones, Doyoung found himself being more interested in the conversation than his music.

Everyone was clearly interested in the topic, as all of them looked at Lucas for more answers.

‘Did he say who it was?’ Johnny then asked, walking away from the large mirrored wall, forgetting about dancing for now.

Lucas suddenly burst into laughter, slapping Jeno’s shoulder playfully. Jaehyun rolled his eyes, finding the younger Alpha slightly immature at times. Especially when it came to the topic of heats and ruts.

‘Was it Sichen?’ Yuta then asked, looking at Taeil with a worried expression as the thought of their mate being in pain entered their mind.

Lucas managed to calm down quickly, shaking his head. ‘No no no, it wasn’t WinWinnie hyung.’

‘It was Jungwoo.’

And just like that, everyone turned to look at Doyoung.

The Beta felt like everything stopped for a moment, the words ringing in his head. Jungwoo was in heat. His Jungwoo.

Except that he wasn’t his.

Doyoung cleared his throat, turning away from the croup looking directly at him. Turning his music back on, he could still feel the eyes that were staring at him and the quiet whispers. He felt his cheeks turning red.

Thankfully Johnny understood that this was not the time to discuss this topic. He quickly got everyone else's attention and ordered them to practice. Doyoung followed behind quickly, but he wasn’t able to keep up. Not when his mind was filled with worry.

*

No matter how hard he tried to scrub his skin, Doyoung still felt dirty. It didn’t matter how hot the water got, he still felt shivers go down his spine. Frustrated, he stepped out of the shower and began drying himself with a clean towel.

Exiting the foggy shower room, Doyoung walked past the busy living room where the other Betas and Alphas were enjoying their free time before sleeping. Some variety show was running on the tv, as Doyoung could recognize the loud voice of MC Kang Ho Dong. He would join them, but he was feeling very agitated today.

Opening the door to his and Marks room, he hadn’t been expecting to see Johnny sitting there on his bed, looking back at him.

Doyoung stopped for a moment, standing still before slowly closing the door behind him. Ignoring the look that the Alpha leader was giving him, Doyoung turned to look through his clothes. But he couldn’t ignore the eyes basically staring through the back of his head.

Turning around with a sigh, Doyoung looked at Johnny with tired eyes. ‘Can we just not have this conversation today?’

‘Then when would you like to have it?’ Johnny asked, smiling just slightly. He knew that Doyoung wasn’t in the mood for his jokes, but he couldn’t keep looking at his current expression. Doyoung looked like he had aged by a few years after hearing the news.

Sighing Doyoung adjusted the towel around his lower body and sat down next to Johnny, hands limp in his lap.

Johnny looked at him carefully, studying his expression and movements. He understood what Doyoung was going through, and wanted to help. But Doyoung never wanted to be helped.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Johnny asked, the sound of the rest of the guys laughing ringing in their ears.

Staring down at his hands, Doyoung shrugs his shoulders. ‘I’m not sure.’ He whispered. ‘Him.’

Johnny nodded his head with a kind smile.

‘You know, i’m pretty sure he’s thinking about you too.’ He then added.

Doyoung didn’t even want to think about that. Even though he was going through a fight with himself in his head, Jungwoo was the one going through the actual fight because of his body. Doyoung wanted to ignore it all, just forget about it for good. But he couldn’t. He hasn’t been able to do that for a long time.

Doyoung still remembers the day when he came back to the dorms from his rehearsals and found out that Jungwoo had gone into heat for the first time in school. Finding out that his best friend was an Omega wasn’t supposed to be such a big deal. But for some reason it was.

Doyoung slept in the practice room for the next few days after that, wanting to avoid the younger with all his might.

He was scared.

Doyoung hasn’t thought of them being friends for a while now. But he still doesn’t know what they are. What he knows for sure, is that friends don’t just kiss each other when they get a little tipsy and hug each other until they fall asleep on cold winter nights.

Doyoung was the one to say fuck gender roles and werewolf roles in general, but he would be lying if he were to say that he felt confident in courting Jungwoo when there were other options for him to choose from. Lucas as an example. Doyoung was nothing compared to the younger Alpha. Now, if he were to ever say that outloud, he would get beat up by the other Betas and for a good reason. Doyoung knows he is dumb for thinking that way, but he cannot help but feel insecure.

Sure, he might look cold and strong in the outside, but that was all just a wall that he had built around him over the years. Getting behind that wall was not an easy job, but Jungwoo had done it easily.

Just thinking about the younger makes Doyoung’s heart melt, imagining his wide smile and sparkling eyes looking back at him.

Doyoung let’s out a pained groan. ‘It’s really difficult.’ He confesses. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

Johnny nods his head, understanding his situation well. He had gone through the exact same thoughts when thinking about courting Ten back in the day. The situation was not an easy one, as they all had an image to hold up. They couldn’t just think about themselves, but had to think about the company as well as the other members. Fans could get upset and stop supporting them, if they didn’t take the news well. Ten and Johnny took all of that into consideration, and followed their feelings.

When he looks at them, Doyoung thinks that maybe things will turn out just fine. But there is always that ‘what if’ hanging around in the back of his mind, anxiously reminding him that everything could go wrong.

They have all spent way too much time, strength and years off of their lives growing their careers. They didn’t want to just throw it all away.

This is something that Doyoung has been thinking about for a long while already. The topic has made him lose so much sleep, when he stays up, rolling around in his bed after midnight.

He wishes things would be simpler.

‘I want you to do what’s right. For you, and for Jungwoo.’ Johnny explains, looking at Doyoung. ‘I don’t want you to worry about this anymore. Leave that for me and the company. You have the right to live your life.’

Knowing that Johnny was ready take the blame, and figure things out with the company made Doyoung’s heart break just slightly. It was exactly something that Johnny would do, as he loves his pack so much. He just wants everyone to be happy.

Johnny has told the same thing to him many times before, and to other members as well. But whenever spring arrives, Johnny’s responsibility as the Alpha leader grows by a huge amount. He needs to be there for everyone- with the help of Taeyong. The two of them make sure that everything will be take care of, so that there doesn’t need to be a scandal under their name.

That is also one thing that Doyoung worries about at times. He knows he has been avoiding this for way too long. It is only a matter of time before Jungwoo has had enough of suffering during his heats and asks someone else to court him, mating him. Just the thought of that makes Doyoung’s blood boil.

‘Yeah.’ Doyoung sighs. ‘Thanks.’ He says to Johnny and hopes the other leaves him alone for the night. And it seems to work, as Johnny stands up to leave. But not before he turns around and looks back at him from the open door.

‘Don’t ignore this for too long again. You might end up regretting it.’

*

Jungwoo goes into full heat the very next day.

They all know this, since their manager texts them all in the huge group chat, telling that their comeback release will be fully moved back by a month. They too were able to predict the upcoming chain reaction. It would be dangerous to begin promoting for the comeback when some members were still in rut or heat, or some of them hadn’t even gone through it yet.

Their managers also gave them permission to see each other again, in their communal spaces. The dorms were still kept separated, so that everyone had a safe space to go to in case they would go into rut or heat. But for now, the company wanted them all to get through their mating season fast. So that the comeback wouldn’t be moved back again.

The chain reaction needed to start, and continue fast.

*

Looking through his phone, Doyoung adjusts his position and sighs deeply, reading through some articles. There is a knock on his door, and he glances over to Mark, to see that the other Beta was asleep and unable to open the door. Pushing himself up, Doyoung goes ahead and opens the door.

Surprised, he stares back at Taeyong who is stood in front of him. Remembering the rule about keeping the dorms separated immediately pops up into his mind, and he’s anxious to find out why Taeyong decided to break the rule and come see him.

Blinking a few times, he finally manages to open his mouth. ‘Is everything alright?’

Taeyong stands still for a moment, then sighing. ‘No. Why else do you think i would be here?’

Doyoung swallows nervously, stepping to the side so Taeyong can get inside the room. He can see Jaehyun looking from the living room, keeping an eye out for his mate. But he didn’t look anxious, and that calmed Doyoung down a bit too.

Closing the door, he turns to see Taeyong going through the pile of clothes on his bed. Not bothering to even ask, he just stands still and waits for the Omega to start speaking.

Grabbing one of the hoodies tossed to the side, Taeyong folds it in his arms and keeps it there. He stares at Doyoung for a moment, before gesturing towards the hoodie.

‘Jungwoo begged me to come pick something up.’ He whispers, aware that Mark is sleeping in the room too. ‘You don’t mind it do you?’

Doyoung knows that the other is waiting for an answer, but he is unable to give one. His head is currently filled with the image of Jungwoo in pain, writhing in bed and begging for Taeyong to come and get him something to hold onto and get comforting scent off of. Doyoung feels horrible guilt building up inside of him.

Doyoung shakes his head. ‘I don’t mind.’ He finally says, nails digging into the palms of his hands as he squeezes them so hard.

Taeyong nods his head slowly. ‘Good.’ He adds quickly, beginning to walk away. Before he can. Doyoung suddenly finds himself reaching out and grabbing his wrist.

Forcing himself to relax a bit, he holds onto the other more carefully, teeth grinding together.

‘How bad is it?’

The sad look on Taeyong’s face is enough to answer him.

*

The small sounds, the smells and the textures against his skin are all painful. There is another sharp pain travelling through his stomach, a knife being pushed in and turned in a sick way.

Jungwoo lets out a broke cry, fingers tight around the pillow he is hugging. Knuckles turning white and fingertips turning numb.

There is a hand going through his hair, gentle and soft. Jungwoo hears Chenle whisper something, probably to Renjun who was sitting on the other side of the room.

Jungwoo bites against the inside of his cheek, not wanting to scare off the two young Omegas. But the pain is too much to handle and he finds himself crying quietly.

He has lost count on how many painkillers he has taken by now, and what time it even is. He has emptied the inside of his stomach too many times to have any kind of appetite left because of the nauseating pain.

He can barely even remember himself crying out for Taeyong a moment ago, begging and crying for him to help him in any way. Ten looked over them with a worried expression.

Taeyong had cursed, pushed a hand through his hair as he decided he had enough. He didn’t care about the rules anymore, and even Ten couldn’t make him change his mind when he was already going out off the front door.

He is brought back into reality when Haechan is holding his face between his hands, calling his name gently, asking him to open his eyes. Jungwoo does so, but just barely manages to open his eyes to see well enough.

‘Hyung. We need to move you.’ Haechan says, moving the hair that has stuck against Jungwoo’s sweaty forehead.

Jungwoo swallows dryly, not knowing why, but he nodded his head.

Ten is the one who forces him to take a bath. Though Jungwoo cried and didn’t want to do so, he agreed with the older Omega soon and was helped to the bathroom by the rest of the boys.

He gasped when his skin hit the cool water in the tub. It felt bad, and it hurt his sensitive skin, but it would help to bring down the fever. Teeth chattering, he sat lifelessly in the tub, letting Jaemin wash his matted hair carefully.

There was commotion going on behind the bathroom door, and Jungwoo couldn’t make out what they were saying. But he does know that he can hear Taeyong’s voice again. He grabs Jaemin’s hand gently, begging him to finish quickly so he can exit the bathroom.

It is strong. So strong.

Jungwoo can smell Doyoung’s scent, and he begins to wonder if a piece of clothing can really have such a strong scent, for him to be able to smell it through the door. But that scent alone makes it possible for him to gain the strength to get up with Jaemin’s help after he has been dressed.

Opening the door hurriedly, Jungwoo stumbles from Jaemin’s arms into a stronger pair.

This is it, hugging him tightly.

‘Jungwoo.’ Doyoung speaks, holding onto him tightly. The Omega doesn’t say anything, hiding his whole face in the crook of Doyoung’s neck. Jungwoo smells like soap and shampoo, but Doyoung is still able to distinguish the naturally sweet aroma that the younger produces, not stronger thanks to his heat.

Jungwoo whines against him, making Doyoung look around himself worriedly. This is the first time he has seen the other so distressed.

Taeyong smiles understanding. ‘He will feel better now that you’re here.’

‘Okay.’ Doyoung says, feeling a bit overwhelmed as Jungwoo breathes against his neck.

Ten catches their attention. ‘Come on. We can’t have you guys stay here, in case you trigger someone else's heat. And the managers will kill us if we let you stay here.’ He says, pointing at Doyoung. ‘We need you guys to stay at one of the recording studios.’

Nodding is head, Doyoung agrees with the idea. It would be way too dangerous for him to stay in the Omegas dorm. And bringing Jungwoo over to the other one was not an option either. The small recording studio would work just fine. Haechan already told how he and Chenle brought a lot of blankets and pillows in there and removed all of the mics and stuff out of the way. Sichen had also bought a load of stuff from the convenience store right next door and brought some things there that they could need.

Now they just needed to move. Jungwoo however was unable to, as he leaned against Doyoung’s frame weakly. Without Doyoung holding onto him, he would be on the floor by now.

‘Can you carry him?’ Taeyong asked, looking at Jungwoo worriedly.

Doyoung nodded his head. ‘Yes, of course.’ Jungwoo might be slightly taller than him, but he was way skinnier and weighed less. Doyoung also felt a rush of adrenaline go through his veins because of the sweet scent that was intruding his system.

‘Okay, now let’s go.’

*

‘The bathroom across the hallways is unlocked now too.’ Haechan explained while brushing away the sweat drops covering his forehead. ‘Well, not unlocked- but more like we just broke the door so you can get inside it, because we didn’t have the keys- but what is important is that it’s now open.’ He laughed tiredly.

Doyoung nodded his head, grateful for all the effort that the other's had done for Jungwoo. It was times like this that he really appreciated having a close pack around himself. He could have never done any of this for Jungwoo without the other members.

‘I think we finally have everything here.’ Taeyong sighed, looking over at Jaehyun who had joined them. ‘You both have your phones. So give us a call if you need anything. And don’t be shy, you can always ask me and Ten anything when it comes to Omega stuff.’ Taeyong said, pointing at Doyoung.

Doyoung nodded his head, not even getting embarrassed this time, as he just held onto Jungwoo’s sleeping figure tightly. ‘I will.’

And that was all. Soon the other's began leaving one by one, turning off the lights in the long hallway outside. There was something good in having personal recording rooms, and they were sure that no one else would be coming in there, like a manager.

A while ago Doyoung wanted nothing more than to be alone with Jungwoo, but now that the other's left, he couldn’t help but feel worry rise over him. Could he really help Jungwoo get through his heat?

Looking over at Jungwoo, who was sleeping calmly against his lap, Doyoung finally found the time to check his phone that had been buzzing against his pocket all this time with continuous text messages.

He dug it out carefully, and looked at the notifications.

Both Johnny and Jaehyun had left him worried messages, asking if he was doing alright. Which Doyoung found funny, as it was Jungwoo who was in pain. But he understood their meaning behind asking that, as Doyoung was indeed close to losing his mind due to being so worried.

He didn’t bother answering Jaehyun, as the Alpha had already seen him a moment ago as he joined them for a short while. But he did text Johnny, letting him know about the situation. The other just sent him a thumbs up emoji, wishing him good luck.

He opened the group chat that he was in, quickly scrolling through the texts from everyone, but he closed it as soon as he saw the eggplant emojis being spammed by Lucas.

Doyoung wasn’t going to lie, even as a Beta Jungwoo’s scent had an effect on him. But it was absolutely impossible to think about anything like that when he knew how much discomfort Jungwoo was in.

Jungwoo looked so calm like this, which was a relief. Taeyong already told him that Jungwoo would be much more calmer when he would just get to be near Doyoung, as his scent had a calming effect on him during his heat.

Doyoung couldn’t really understand why, and why him. To which Taeyong laughed and called him an idiot.

It sounded kinda creepy when he thought about it, but this wasn’t the first time that he has studied Jungwoo’s face from close while he was sleeping. The two of them have shared the same bed before, and just like he remembers- even kissed each other.

Just like then, when lying next to each other, faces only inches away from each other's- Doyoung feels the need to connect their lips gently. For now, he fights that urge and watches Jungwoo sleep calmly before he will be woken up.

*

Jungwoo must be dreaming.

Yes, that’s it.

A dream.

Taeyong had went and stolen and piece of clothing from the Betas room, bringing it to Jungwoo while he was sleeping. Moving slightly, he pressed his face against the comfortable material and enjoyed the calming scent that was filling his system.

It felt so nice, so lovely. Too good to be true.

His hands grabbed onto the material tighter, too afraid to let go. It almost felt like Doyoung was really there this time. His dreams must be turning more realistic, he thought. When he really focused hard enough, he could hear him breathing. He could feel a pair of arms around his figure.

Jungwoo opened his eyes slowly, looking in front of himself.

He wasn’t dreaming after all. He was on top of Doyoung, who was currently sleeping calmly. Slowly but surely, Jungwoo was able to remember what had happened and where he was.

Moving slowly, he pushed himself up carefully with shaky hands. Letting out a small grunt as he felt himself go weak. Instead of falling flat on his face against Doyoung’s chest, a pair of arms caught him and held him up.

‘Doyoung hyung.’ Jungwoo said quietly, looking down at the Beta.

Going weak, Jungwoo let Doyoung flip them both on their side. Doyoung said something, but he wasn’t able to hear it at all. He was too focused on keeping his eyes on Doyoung, making sure he wasn’t dreaming or seeing things.

Doyoung reached and brushed away his overgrown bangs, smiling as he repeated himself. ‘How are you feeling?’

Looking at Doyoung in awe, Jungwoo blinked his eyes a few times. ‘You’re here.’ He finally said, ignoring Doyoung’s question.

‘Yeah.’ Doyoung smiled slightly. ‘I’m sorry it took me so long.’ He added, guilt still stirring in his stomach.

Still not believing it, Jungwoo moved closer, snuggling closer to Doyoung’s embrace. ‘But you’re here now.’ He murmured, burying his face against Doyoung’s chest.

‘And i’m not going anywhere.’ Doyoung reminded him, hugging him tightly. ‘I’m not running away anymore.’

Jungwoo knew that Doyoung had been thinking about this all for a long time. Though he was usually very shy, Jungwoo was never shy to show his feelings towards his loved ones. He had been close to Doyoung for years now, and he had always known that he had feelings for him.

Not to say that the kisses that they shared before were because of him, but Jungwoo liked to take full credit for those. If it was left for Doyoung, he would have never done it. But Jungwoo understands why, as he knows how insecure and shy Doyoung can get at times. But he had no reason to feel that way. Jungwoo only ever saw him.

Jungwoo was looking at him with stars in his eyes, sparkling and waiting. Doyoung licked over his own lips quickly, his heart rate becoming faster.

‘Can… Can i?’ Doyoung whispered, pushing himself up just slightly. Jungwoo followed and laid fully down against the soft pillow that was placed on the floor.

He was gorgeous in Doyoung’s eyes. The glow that his heat gave him was sadistically beautiful. Jungwoo whined as he moved underneath him, whispering quietly. ‘Yes. Please.’

Doyoung wasted no time. He had been thinking about this for way too long already. He connected their lips together, breaking the space between them and pressing himself close to Jungwoo’s warm frame.

It was magical, to feel Jungwoo’s velvety soft lips against his own. It was gentle, but desperate at the same time when Jungwoo moved his lips against his own. The small sounds that Jungwoo was letting were music to Doyoung’s ears.

Being careful with his movements, Doyoung slowly moved his hand up Jungwoo’s slender figure. He felt the other shiver underneath him just slightly. Testing the waters, Doyoung moved back down, snaking his fingers underneath Jungwoo’s t-shirt. His skin was hot against his fingers.

Jungwoo sighed into the kiss when Doyoung’s fingers pressed up against his stomach, gently massaging the tender skin. Pulling away, Jungwoo closed his eyes and let out a low whine.

‘It hurts?’ Doyoung asked quietly, watching Jungwoo’s reaction as he moved his fingers carefully. Jungwoo didn’t say anything, but he nodded his head slowly. It broke Doyoung’s heart, seeing him in pain.

Leaning back down, he placed a kiss over Jungwoo’s cheek. ‘I’ll make sure you feel better.’ He whispered. ‘And i promise to never let you go through this alone again.’

Jungwoo opened his tired eyes again, looking up at Doyoung. ‘Promise?’ He asked, like an innocent child.

Doyoung smiled, nodding his head while leaning down on the blanket next to Jungwoo.

‘I promise.’

*

Like that, Jungwoo’s heat was soon over.

It took a few days, but he got over it faster than usually. But that was all thanks to Doyoung being there.

Having never understood why he had a calming effect on Jungwoo during his heat, it finally made sense to Doyoung when he saw Taeyong again after it was all over.

‘You idiots have been courting each other for years already! It took you all this time to finally realize it.’

Oh. Well, that did indeed make sense.

They weren’t the most intelligent people. But that was alright, because like Jungwoo said- they were here now.

No longer as strangers or confused friends, but as mates.