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Everyone that saw them always said that they were too young to really be in a pack, but their families were well aware that they were. In the eyes of the law and the general public, they were still pups that would be members of their parents’ packs until they finished going through puberty. Despite that, they were still as close as a pack and had already developed a hierarchy. Mike was the pack leader, with Lucas and Dustin almost always snapping at each other to try and figure out who was the second. Will was happy with being the bottom of the pack because he was able to get affection from the rest of the pack without having to do all the work of keeping them from arguing. The Party spent a lot of time together already as they played DnD and did basically everything else with each other, so it wasn't uncommon to find them curled up in a big nest in the basement after a campaign. When asked, they said that they did it so that they could make up for hurt feelings and get some much needed sleep.
The past couple days had been rather tumultuous to say the least. Thinking that the heart of their pack, their only omega member, had died was absolutely devastating. It was made worse by the fact that they hadn't had their regular pack time to cuddle in the nest because they had to play for so long, and the new sort-of addition to their pack in the form of El. Adding a new member to a pack was always awkward and difficult, but for them it was multiplied based purely on the fact that she was also an alpha in a pack with two other alphas. There had been a moment of relief when they discovered that the heart of their pack was still alive, but it was diminished when they realized that he was suffering. The fighting and scrabbling to get him back that ensued just served to distress them more. After that, they had to deal with their parents desperately wanting them to stay at home where they could be safe while each of them fought to get to sit in the waiting room so they could be there for Will when he woke up.
It was almost two weeks after they had found him in the Upside Down before Joyce felt comfortable letting her son out of her sight. Mrs. Wheeler had to promise a thousand times over that she could keep a close eye on the pack while they were over there, and eventually the omega conceded because she could see how much her son needed it. The Party didn't even bother trying to play a campaign, not that Mike had set one up in the first place. Will was the last to arrive and head down into the basement, since everyone else's parents weren't aware of what really transpired that night.
"Guys?" the omega called out as he took the stairs one at a time to descend into the basement.
"Will!" Mike beamed as he turned to face the omega. "C'mere, we've got some things ready."
The youngest member of their pack hurried down the rest of the way so that he was standing in the frigid air of the basement. "Are we nesting?"
"Do you want to nest? You're the best at it," Dustin said. Betas only naturally got the urge to nest when they were pregnant, and alphas only got the urge to nest when they were the sole caregivers of pups. Omegas nested every time they went into heat, when they were pregnant, and when they or their pack was in need of comfort.
"Yeah!" Will hurried over to them. He picked up the blanket that was on the top of the messy stack. He brought it up to his nose and smiled as he could pick out each of his three other packmates. He missed them so much that he couldn't describe it. They may not have officially been a pack (their pack glands were completely unbroken), but they were bonded to each other in a way that none of the other kids their age were. "Do any of you want to help me?"
"If you want us to help then we will. You’re the best at this so you’re the boss," Mike shrugged. Lucas nodded in agreement next to him. None of them could stop their smiles as the omega began to work on preparing their pack nest.
He started with some of the huge thick blankets that were specifically used just for the base of a nest. Once he had them in a vague circle, getting Dustin to help him weave the two massive, heavy blankets together so that it was large enough to fit all four of them, he began to layer other blankets over the top. He made sure that every bit of the rough base was completely covered. Will carefully chose the blankets that he used for the covering, pausing to feel each one against his pack gland and a few on his more sensitive mating gland. After he had covered the base blankets, he began to spread the pillows around the ground since they weren't on a mattress or anything remotely soft underneath the nest. After that, he began to pile the softer blankets around so that everything was perfect and smelled exactly like their pack.
Will then turned around so that he was looking at their pack leader. "I know we don't have anything that really smells like El since your mom washed the fort, but I hope this is still good," he fidgeted nervously as he spoke.
"Will, I know that you didn't meet her. She couldn't even really be a part of our pack without all of us being here and figuring out the dynamic and stuff," Mike soothed as he reached out and touched the omega's shoulder reassuringly. "Why don't we get into the nest and really relax?"
The omega calmed a little bit. He climbed over the edge of the nest and then reached for Dustin to climb in as well. The beta went quickly, laying down so that he was in the middle of the nest. Will laughed before he turned around so that his head was resting on Dustin's shoulder. Mike got in and laid down on the other side of Dustin so that his legs were bent over the edge of the nest and his head was resting on the beta's stomach. Lucas was the last person to get into the nest and it took him a moment to settle down with his left side pressed with Will's right.
"I missed this," Mike sighed. "I'm glad that we can do it again."
"I promise I'll never go missing again," Will joked. He let out a small frown as the pack went quiet instead of laughing like he was expecting him to. They moved slightly so that they were pressed tighter to him like someone was going to steal him away if they didn't. "Sorry," he whispered.
Lucas placed his forehead on the back of the younger boy's head. "It's not your fault. We just really want to make sure that you never have to go through something like that again. We're a pack, and we have to stick together."
Dustin and Mike let out small noises of affirmation. After a little while they were able to calm down so that they were cuddling like they had been before everything had gone down. There were a couple of arguments about people's arms being in the wrong spot or a blanket that someone wanted over another, but nothing that meant they got out of the nest. Despite the fight that Mike and Lucas had, despite everything Will had gone through, despite the fifth member that was almost added to their pack, it was almost like the before. They were able to fall into their old patters in such a way that Will felt well and truly safe.
It had been about two hours when Mike spoke up, "Do you guys want something to eat? My mom left some french toast from the morning in the fridge that I could bring down."
Will opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by his stomach growling loudly for him. The rest of the Party laughed while their leader got up and carefully exited the nest. Dustin and Lucas shifted a little bit so that they could keep their omega warm without the other member of their pack. Will had been so cold for so long when he was in the Upside Down that he couldn't stand it now.
Mike walked up the stairs as quickly as he could. He had kind of made up the offer to go get something so that he could get a break from his pack. He loved them all to death, so much that he would do incredibly stupid things for each of them, but he was struggling with some emotions that he couldn't quite place. He opened the fridge and began to dig around to find the food he had offered to get.
"Hey dork," Nancy said, knocking her foot against the doorframe into the kitchen so that he knew she was there. The older alpha peaked into the fridge and then took out the plastic bag containing the french toast out. "This what you looking for?"
"Yeah, thanks Nancy," he smiled. They hadn't gotten along well before the incident because they were both alphas and he was beginning to come into his instincts as puberty began. Nancy had also been fighting with her nuclear family pack while she tried to find people to fill her own. After realizing that they both could have died, they had gotten a lot closer and not fought with each other the normal amount for siblings. Mike paused, opening his mouth to say something before he let it close. Nancy grabbed a drink from the fridge before she let it shut and made a move to leave the kitchen. "Nancy?"
"Yeah?" she asked as she turned to look at him.
"Am I a bad pack leader?" he looked up from the bag in his hands.
"Oh, Mike," she whispered. She set the soda down on the counter and then gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "You're an amazing pack leader and you guys haven't even pack bonded yet. Why would you think that you aren't?"
"Because I let Will get stolen. Lucas and I got into a fight and even though I know the rules of the party and he knows the rules of the hierarchy we still refused to make up with each other. And then El got… I don't know. She's gone too. I didn't even really get to bring her into my pack and I promised that I would protect her and make sure that she was okay. I wasn't able to," he scowled.
"Sometimes you just can't," Nancy shrugged. "You did your best to make sure that you got Will back, and you did all that work to find his favorite nesting blankets today. You're even getting them food. You're a wonderful pack leader and you take good care of your pack."
He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Thanks," he wrapped his arms around her in a brief hug.
"Of course, dork. Now go enjoy your pack," she shoved him towards the basement.
He let out a small laugh before he hurried down. Mike was unable to stop the smile that formed on his face when he smelled them. He was met by cheers once they were finally able to see him coming down into the basement. They all moved around so that they were able to fit him while they doled out their snack. He may have not felt completely confident about his abilities to lead the pack and keep them all safe, but he felt a bit more confident than he had before he spoke with his sister.
"I wish that we could just stay together forever," Will yawned.
"You have a nest at home, don't you?" Lucas asked, his mouth full.
The omega whined and leaned into Dustin's side while he tried not to fall asleep. "It's not the same. This one is better because it has you guys. I like spending time with you guys."
Mike felt his heart swell in his chest and a proud scent leaked from him immediately. He had made his pack happy and comfortable.