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It was hard on all of them having their two eldest gone.
Onlookers, even some more casual fans might see the group and not bat an eyelash because - let’s be real - eleven is still a lot of people. But as far as Seventeen was concerned, it was nowhere near enough.
Seungcheol was usually the one to stand up to the managers and other staff when they overstepped their welcome, and Jeonghan was always so tender and caring when someone’s feelings were hurt. Without the two of them, things were barely holding together.
___
Jihoon wandered around the backstage area. Of course, it was just as it usually is, lots of booming bass from the current performers, interviewers shoving cameras in your face, and managers yelling out names. But this time was different. There were only eleven of them performing, and everything seemed to be slipping. Everything was a convoluted mess of sounds and smells and Jihoon sat with his head in his hands as he tried to cope with it all when suddenly, his phone rang. Seungcheol.
“Eung~” Jihoon answered, covering his free ear with his palm.
“Jihoonie-yah, is everything okay?”
The younger sputtered a moment before replying. “Yes, hyung. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Hoonie-yah. You know I don’t like it when you lie to me.” Seungcheol’s words were stern but his tone was soft and pliable. It made Jihoon’s face flush bright red.
“How would you even know?”
“I bit you in the neck, Lee Jihoon. I did it to every member of our team. It forms this thing - maybe you’ve heard of it? - called a pack bond-”
“Yah, yah-”
“And as the leader of this pack, Jihoon, I just know these things. When someone’s feeling strung out or overwhelmed. I can’t tell you why but I just do.”
Jihoon knew.
“I know.”
He did. And of course Seungcheol would call to check in about it.
“I know you do. And now that I know that you know that I know this, you aren’t allowed to stress out about stressing me out with your stress. Just a preface.”
“Jesus, Seungcheol-hyung. This is getting hard to follow.” Jihoon joked, but it was obvious what the older was doing. Taking the younger omega’s mind off of his surroundings, focusing it onto himself, Jihoon’s leader, Jihoon’s alpha.
“I know, Hoonie. But you’re smart. If anyone can figure it out it’s you. I know things might be a lot to take in right now, but that’s perfectly okay. You’re not any less of a friend, pack member, omega, or person because of it.”
Jihoon sat and breathed as he took in everything his leader was saying.
“Jihoonie.” The producer blinked. Seungcheol’s voice had changed. It was rougher now. Intentful. “I can’t wait to have you all back at the dorm, all to myself. I can’t stand watching all these stages and behind the scenes clips knowing I can’t put my scent on you.”
Jihoon shoved his hand at his mouth, urgently stifling a long, high whine.
“Tell me who you smell like now, Jihoonie.”
The younger took a settling breath. A question he can deal with. Seungcheol getting possessive and territorial with him on the phone, not so much. That would be dealt with later tonight.
He looked down at his shirt and blushed. Mingyu’s. And not just any shirt of Mingyu’s, this was his rut shirt, an old, thoroughly worn, massively-oversized-on-Jihoon gray tee shirt.
“I’ll bet it’s Mingyu~” Jeonghan’s voice rang through the phone, obviously more in the background, as if he’d been sitting next to him the whole time. The comment made Jihoon let out a small, breathy laugh.
“That hyung is right…” Jihoon answered.
It was no secret that Jihoon was small. And in his omega nature was to seek the feeling of being small and protected, so when he got stressed out he always turned to the tallest member’s wardrobe.
Jihoon heard some shuffling on the other end of the line.
“Our Jihoonie~” It was Jeonghan now, holding the phone.
“Hi, Jeonghannie-hyung.”
“Wahh, you sound so tired, Jihoonie! Why don’t you come home and take a nap with me straight away, I’ll draw a nice warm bath, and buy you your favorite chocolates…”
Jihoon zoned out. To think of that, a candlelit bath scented with his favorite rose bubble bath, with his lead omega’s arms wrapped around him, pressed up against his back, calming scent filling Jihoon’s senses as he spoke sweet praises into JIhoon’s ears.
Jeonghan was still talking, and Jihoon on some plane of existence was aware of this, though his imagination had gotten away from him. Besides, it didn’t matter much in the long run because the older boy stopped talking immediately after he noticed a soft, high-pitched whine coming from his dongsaeng.
“Oh, Jihoonie~” Jeonghan let out a low chuckle. “Are you getting all worked up thinking about it? Why don’t we plan on that for tonight, then, since you’ve been working so hard lately. Our little busy bee, always on top of everything. You deserve to just let go for a little while, Hoonie. Let hyungs take care of you for a little while.”
Jihoon was speechless, the praise heating his cheeks to a pretty pink. “Ah- yes- okay…”
Seungcheol took the phone back. “You probably should be going, Hoonie-yah. The managers are probably looking for you.”
Jihoon looked up, finally acknowledging his actual surroundings for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. He hummed his affirmation.
“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful performance. We love you!”
___
The ride home seemed to last forever. Jihoon was antsy, knowing what Jeonghan had planned, and he was trying his best not to show it, but he had always been bad about these sorts of things.
To make matters worse, he was in the middle seat, wedged between Seokmin and Mingyu, sporting a burning blush on his cheeks.
“Why does hyung smell weird?” Seokmin finally inquired after a quarter-hour of silence, piquing the two other boys seated to his left. “Usually after a performance everyone is tired. But hyung smells excited!” Seokmin laughed, poking at the older boy in his stomach
Jihoon burned an impossibly brighter shade of red as his two dongsaengs giggled next to him. He brought his headphones up to his ears, electing to try and sleep the rest of the way and not embarrass himself any further.
“Hey, is that my shirt?”