Archive of Our Own

His days have not become very different since Hyunjin left, admittedly. After they'd integrated into Chan's pack alongside Changbin, he'd hung out mainly with Hyunjin at first, but he'd slowly come to befriend the other two unpresented cubs as well. Once Jisung and Hyunjin finally buried the hatchet and started hanging out together more, though, Jeongin soon became his preferred companion.

The youngest's easy nature paired with his constant willingness to play around or go for a run definitely helped. Seungmin thinks Jeongin will most likely get a beta mark, always so easy to accept things and get over them as well. Quick to notice when his pack members are having trouble and good at paying attention from the sidelines. He's the one who somehow talked Jisung out of his slump, after all, but also the one who mediated the most between Hyunjin and Jisung when they were still fighting.

Jeongin always feels safe, easy to talk to and easy to let go of a serious mood again as well once the conversation's over. Easy to make him smile, or to know when he just needs company. Jeongin is hard to get angry, except when he's behind his computer gaming, which is the only time Seungmin has ever heard him yell.

So yes; a beta, most likely. Jisung as an omega was a bit of a surprise, admittedly. With his hotheadedness, Seungmin had expected another alpha. Hyunjin, he thinks, will be marked omega as well. Soft hearted and always wanting to take care of his fellow pack members. Nurturing and sweet, all the qualities of someone who will hold his pack's best interests at heart on an emotional level.

Seungmin himself, well…

He doesn't know what he'd get marked as. Doesn't, perhaps, want to be marked as anything at all, really. Which is not a reality that exists in his world, though. If you tumble out of your mother's womb as a fuzzy cub with eyes welded shut and then take on human shape once you can walk, there's no choice. Presenting is a natural phenomenon, even if it's statistically useless by now. Which means one day, and one day probably relatively soon, Seungmin will go through it as well.

Jisung had to go through it more than a year ago, Hyunjin's most likely gone through it wherever he'd settled for the process, though he hasn't mentioned it to any of them yet. He's a late bloomer as well, of course, no matter what. Seungmin himself; his time is nearing evermore, like an annoying buzzing fly that he can't seem to swat.

He considers just never looking at the mark once it exists, but that's impossible. Unless it appears on his lower back or something crazy like that, and even then mirrors exist and he might be subject to the sight of it regardless.

So that's been a cause of stress to him for the bigger part of a year, carefully kept locked up within the confines of his chest, not spoken aloud except maybe once when he was curled up in Changbin's messy fur, with no way for the alpha to try and make a conversation out of it.

It's better kept that way, he feels, lest it becomes more stressful than it already is and perhaps starts actively hindering his life.

Hyunjin's latest postcard comes from the south again, though a lesser known place at the coastline this time. His familiar handwriting is recognisable from the address alone and Seungmin's smile shapes before he can keep himself from it. He immediately steals the letter with his name on it from the pile of personal notes alongside the postcard and tucks it away into the small bag he uses for this specific purpose.

Once outside, he changes in the shed the way Chan has asked them to, leaving his clothes neatly folded on a little pile. He takes the small bag gently between his teeth and slips through the half open door, charging off into the forest behind their garden. There's a yell from behind him that sounds mainly like Jisung, but he doesn't try to decipher its meaning.

Everyone knows that Seungmin is to be given the time to read in peace whenever Hyunjin's letters come through. Few and far in between as they have become, Seungmin still cherishes them close to his heart and takes his time to read through everything Hyunjin wants to tell him. Every word has its own warmth, a reaffirmation of their bond, of the friendship they'd wrought throughout the hardships of their youth, that has stood the test of time and even their much improved circumstances.

Dear Seungminnie, this one reads at the beginning, and Seungmin briefly wonders what Hyunjin writes to the others. What he writes to Jisung in particular. Does he write dear Jisungie or do they have their own nicknames now, their own terms of endearment and little ways of letting each other know they're fine? For all Hyunjin tells Seungmin nearly everything, whatever is going on between Jisung and him has always been the one unknown factor. Seungmin has never felt jealous about it, has never been able to feel anything but relieved about it since they sorted themselves out. For all they used to be at each other's throats in the past, Jisung had become Hyunjin's biggest source of comfort and reassurance before he left. Seungmin hopes they're still talking properly even now.

Dear Seungminnie,

I wish you could see this beach. You'd love it, I have no doubt. I know I've said it many times before but I wish you were here on this trip with me. There are so many things I have no doubt you'd love to see and experience. I know you wanted to finish your school and stay with the pack, but I can't help but wonder if you're not missing out.

Then again, maybe it is I who's missing out. When we last called, Jeongin told me a little bit about the new class he's in and how Momo noona is teaching him a few things about healing. He said he likes it but that he's not sure whether he wants to do it long term. Can you see Jeongin as a healer? I don't think I'd have it in me, but he knows how to be gentle when necessary.

Bin hyung says you're out running a lot these days. I hope you're taking care of your feet and making sure to keep your skin moisturised. Don't forget to take your camera along sometimes so you can take pretty pictures to send to me. I may not be there right now but that doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse to abandon our little flower garden. When I come back, there'd better be a billion blooms or I will have to scold you sternly for letting them all die. >:(

I still don't know when that'll be. I don't think I feel ready yet, but I also don't think it'll be much longer. I miss you. I miss everyone. It's a real learning experience to discover how I fit into the world by myself and who I am as a person, and I've gained confidence and skills I didn't have before, but I miss my spot between you, Jeongin and the fire. I miss Changbin hyung's ear scratches and Chan's dinner. I miss Jisung's stupid jokes and Jeongin's dry commentary. I miss your soothing scent and your gentle kindness.

I miss my pack.

It's still so unbelievable that we have one now that accepts us and loves us, but being out here and seeing the world, I believe it a little more every day. I'm always grateful that you stuck by my side until the end, Seungmin. I've never had a truer friend than you.

Ah… I guess I'm too emotional today to really tell you about this place, but just believe me when I say that you would've loved it here. I can't wait until I can spend my time with you again, until we can lie on your bed and you can nag at me for things I've never done differently. Maybe now I will be different, though. I hope I have changed at least a little bit throughout this trip. For the better, preferably.

I love you, Seungminnie. Make sure Changbin doesn't steal my spot as your favourite before my return.

Hyunjin

Seungmin smiles down at the letter, giddy and amused, and promptly pulls his phone out of the bag as well. The dial tone only sounds twice before Hyunjin picks up.

"You were never my favourite," he says before Hyunjin can even utter anything, and then laughs at the disgruntled face that appears on his phone screen the second Hyunjin's camera starts working. "I can't believe you'd think Changbin would be the one I'd pick over you, either. Obviously Jeongin's my favourite."

"Jeongin doesn't count," Hyunjin counters with a huff, pouting at his screen. After a moment, Seungmin's camera finally pulls through as well and they become pixelated versions of themselves on each other's screens. "Everybody loves the baby. As long as it's not Jisung, though, I can live with it."

"Why? Afraid I'll steal him from you?" He prods with a huffed out laugh, but Hyunjin's features only darken temporarily before smoothing out again. Closer to the truth than he'd anticipated, then.

"More afraid that you'll pick up each other's habits and I'll return to double the trouble there was when I left," Hyunjin bravely counters and Seungmin laughs fully, letting himself drop down onto the soft green grass beneath him. "Anyway, tell me about what's been going on there. How's school?"

And so, with a free afternoon ahead of him and Hyunjin's smiling face to accompany him, he does exactly that.

The school trip has been on his calendar since forever. He'd been debating whether to go or not for weeks, but eventually Jisung's single-minded enthusiasm and Jeongin's simple agreement had convinced him to go along. He's not usually a fan of being cooped up in an unfamiliar space with few to no familiar people, but it's an opportunity to see Cheong Wa Dae and walk around the beautiful park that surrounds it, so he eventually decided to do it. How bad can three days in Seoul really be? He's still unpresented, too, so as long as he sticks with his classmates and doesn't accidentally tread on someone's pack ground, he should be fine.

Famous last words, of course.

He does make it to Seoul safely, does get to see Cheong Wa Dae and its many rooms now open to public viewing, even gets to have a nice dinner in Seoul and walk around the area with his friends. And then, somewhere around nine thirty in the evening on the second day of the trip, when he's texting updates to his pack while sitting on a small bench near the hostel enjoying the last thirty minutes of his before-curfew freedom, the aching starts.

It appears so lightly at first that he doesn't even realise, but at some point he lifts a hand to rub the sweat off his brow and he suddenly realises how heavy his limbs are. How strange it is for him to be sweating when he's sitting still. How intense the scent of the flowers growing on the three behind him. What flowers are they even? It feels like he should be able to pinpoint it.

He turns his head to look at them, but an ache shoots right up his spine, locking his neck in place and pulling a surprised groan from deep in his chest. He realises that he needs to get back to the hostel so the teachers can help him with whatever it is, and especially so he won't get in trouble for staying out past his curfew. But when he pushes himself up from the bench, his legs nearly give out on him and he has to catch himself on the seat to keep from going face down.

For a moment he sits there in a half-crouch, trying to think through the heaviness of his own mind but failing to come up with anything useful. Then he reacts on instinct, dialling his most recent contact and bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Hey," Hyunjin's voice comes from far away after three rings, as Seungmin tries to bring his blurry sight back into focus. "Was the park so interesting you couldn't just tell me about it in text?" There's a laugh in his best friend's voice, something so light and easy that stands in stark contrast with every other part of himself.

"Jinnie," he croaks through the fog in his brain and the one over his vision, too. "I don't feel-" His voice trails off as a violent shiver wrecks through his body, causing his teeth to chatter and his fingers to lose their grip on his phone. It thuds onto the bench, luckily, not falling to the ground, though the sound is no less booming in his ears.

"Min? Minnie!? What's going on? What was that?" Panic has replaced the laughter, Hyunjin's voice grating on his ears as well, everything too much, too big, too intense. The scents are starting to overlap each other and he groans as he puts hands to his head, clutches at his forehead like that might help against this sudden sickness.

Somewhere in the background, Hyunjin keeps calling for him. Somewhere in the background, the gravel of the path digs into the skin of his knees, his palms, his ankle. There's a high, keening sound as well that only after a little while does he realise is his own voice. He curls into a ball and tries to press his hands to where it hurts, but it's everywhere and nowhere, like his bones are trying to turn his body inside out.

"Hey. Hey, pup, easy. Easy there. You're okay. It's okay, you're all good."

The voice is soft and soothing, pitched lower as if to break through the fog in his head, and accompanied by cool fingers touching his cheek.

"Easy there," the voice continues. "It's all good, you're not in danger. You're safe. You're okay." The reassurances are repeated slowly, the fingers on his cheek brushing over his forehead next, slowly coaxing him out of the ball he'd curled up in. "That's it. Just focus on me, pup."

He lets out a little whine, but some of the fog clears. Not a lot, though, not enough for him to understand what's going on, but just enough for him to breathe in the scent of whoever's crouched in front of him, and to promptly decide it's safe to give himself over to their care. He pitches forward almost immediately, hands clutching at the unknown body, pressing his face against cool skin and closing his eyes in utter relief as he breathes in their minty scent, soothing and refreshing all at once.

"Hi. Sorry, I have no idea who you are, but…" The rest of the stranger's words fade to the background, Seungmin's entire brain zeroing in on the feeling of the hand running gently through his hair and the solid body supporting the rest of his weight easily. The rest of the world darkens, until eventually his consciousness slips away entirely.

When thought returns to him, he feels heavy-limbed and tired, bones aching with a feverish pain that he knows all too well from the many times he'd been sick as a child. When he blinks open his eyes, his surroundings are pleasantly dark, his mind adjusting easily to the change. It takes a few more blinks before he realises he's looking up at a ceiling, though.

He immediately shoots upright, scrambling to push the restraints off himself and get an overview of the space he's in. It doesn't smell familiar, he realises, and yet it does. Still, he's cautious enough not to shift, because he might be in a regular human's home and that's definitely asking for more trouble than any of it's worth.

"Hey, easy, pup, easy," a low, soothing voice tells him, sounding reassuring and familiar. He immediately zeroes in on the person it belongs to, a young man sitting in an armchair on the other side of the bed, a book laid open in his lap that he was clearly reading. "Sit down before you fall over. Your fever's no joke, pup. Looks like you're presenting."

The word washes over him like a bucket of ice water, taking all of his confusion and adrenaline with it and leaving only an exhausted, suddenly fearful emptiness behind. He slumps forward, stumbling until he can collapse onto the bed and let it carry his suddenly overwhelming weight. Still, he doesn't take his eyes off the stranger, trying to stay cautious even when his body doesn't fully cooperate.

"Who are you?" He croaks, licking dry lips and swallowing right after trying to regain some sense of himself.

"Name's Minho. I came upon you at the park. Your scent spiked with your fever and I knew you didn't belong to any of the resident packs so I came to see if you needed help." There's a brief look over his entire pathetic self and then the stranger smirks. "You did."

For a moment all he can do is stare, but then he swallows thickly and tries to push himself onto his elbows a little more.

"Now that you're conscious you should probably call your pack. I talked to the guy you were on the phone with briefly to explain the situation but four different people have called since trying to get a hold of you. I told them I'd make you call them once you were awake again."

Seungmin watches the stranger put a bookmark between the pages of his book before putting it aside. When he pushes to stand, there's no threat in it, nor is there any in the way he slowly steps closer and then gently helps ease him back onto the bed entirely.

"I plugged your phone in to charge. I think your pack leader said he'd inform your teachers that you got sick and went to a family friend for help, so your school knows where you are, too. Here."

The next thing he knows, he's back where he started, on his back on the bed with the blanket pulled over him again. This time, though, the man walks over to the side and returns with his phone, handing it over for him to take. Almost as if on queue, his screen lights up with Chan's name, a picture of his pack leader as the background. He swipes without thinking about it, bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Hyung?"

"Seungmin!?" The response is immediate and slightly louder than intended, most likely. Seungmin flinches away from his phone briefly, the noise cutting through his head painfully. Less loud, he can immediately hear the sounds of the rest of his pack scrambling to ask about him. He must make some kind of noise, because seconds later everything goes quiet.

Then he realises it's because the man has put his hands over Seungmin's ears, lessening the sounds of the outside world.

"May I remind you that your pup's presenting," the man speaks, sound of his voice muffled by the hands over his ears, but still perfectly understandable. "The noise is grating to him today. Try to speak more quietly or you'll overwhelm him."

"Sorry, Min, we're just very worried. Are you alright? Is everything okay? Minho-ssi told us he found you at the park. I called your teachers and made up some excuse. Changbin's on his way to come get you. He should only be another hour or so."

The thought of his pack coming to get him makes him sag with relief, all of his tense muscles relaxing seemingly at once, only to make way for the bone deep exhaustion all over again.

"I'm fine," he says, hoping to aim it in the direction of his phone. His eyes are still closed, but he realises that he's moved his free hand to rest on top of that of Minho's, making sure he'll keep covering his ears. "Just- Fever. Sluggish. Scents are big. Sounds are pain."

There's a sympathetic noise that might be Jisung, and then Chan's familiar, reassuring voice again. "Changbin will be there soon, Min. He took some of our stuff in case you want to nest in the car on the way back. You'll be home before you know it, okay?"

He must make some sort of affirmative noise this time, because he can hear Chan breathe out a smile even across the entire distance. "Minho-ssi gave us his address and Bin's going to pick up your stuff from the hostel as well before getting you. Just relax for now, try to sleep some more that'll be easier and don't worry too much, okay?"

"Okay, hyung. Did Jin…?"

"Jeongin's talking to him right now to let him know you're okay, don't worry. Everyone's fine. Just focus on yourself for now. Drink some water if you can, then rest. We'll be here if you want to talk to any of us, just call whoever you need, we all have our phones with us, okay?"

"Okay, hyung. I- Thank you. I'll be fine until hyung gets here. Minho hyung is very kind. Thank you."

There's a few more greetings but eventually the phone goes silent again, and Minho slowly removes his hands from his ears. When he opens his eyes again, he gets to watch the man sit down on the edge of the bed he's in.

"Minho hyung, huh?" He asks and Seungmin promptly flushes.

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm not- I didn't mean to presume."

"It's fine, pup," Minho says easily, an amused smile returning to his features. "You can call me hyung. It's good that you feel comfortable around me. But your other hyung's right, too, you should drink some water and try to sleep. Presentation can be exhausting and painful, and it's definitely never fun. I got you a bottle of water here."

He's offered a plastic, unopened bottle that he has to ask Minho to unscrew the lid off for him, which he then proceeds to empty entirely. Once he's done, breathing hard with the effort of it, he lies back down and noses into the blankets a little more.

"You smell nice," he blurts, because apparently presenting means his brain to mouth filter's shot, but he can't even feel embarrassed about it.

"Thanks," Minho says dryly. "You smell a little sweaty but not too bad either. Fresh cotton, I'd say. Laundry detergent. The good kind, at least."

He wrinkles his nose at the words, but can't really contradict them anyway, because he is sweaty, but he has no idea what he smells like otherwise.

"Anyway, I will let you sleep," Minho adds then, and moves to stand. Seungmin's fingers are clamped around his arm within milliseconds, digging into Minho's muscle almost desperately.

"Stay," he whispers, unable to make more sound than that in order to get his point across. "Please."

Minho looks down at his face for a moment, then smiles reassuringly as he nods over to the armchair that Seungmin doesn't have to look at to know it's there. "I'll just be over there, pup, no worries."

"No!" He whines, pitiful and half delirious, but he knows that he needs more than the man guarding at his bedside. "Stay. Here. Stay." He tugs on the arm in his grip until the other man relents, slowly moving forward, putting a knee on the mattress, sliding a little closer, then putting his second leg up too.

Only when the man lowers himself down alongside Seungmin does he stop his insistent tugging, deciding instead to lean in and press his face to the cool skin of Minho's neck, nuzzling against his shoulder and breathing in the minty freshness of his scent. There's a peculiar sound, but Minho's hand soon finds its way back into his hair, patting it softly.

From there, things grow a bit hazy again. He must fall into slumber and wake up again several times over, but what feels like infinities can't be more than a few minutes at a time because by the fifth time he startles awake again, Changbin's still not there and he grows more and more uncomfortable.

The sixth time he wakes, he's more clear headed again, and he almost immediately rolls onto his side to face Minho, who's now sitting on the bed next to him, reading his book again.

"Hyung," he whines. "Hyung, I don't want to present." He reaches out a hand to take hold of Minho's pants and pull on them lightly as if to prove his point. "Hyung, I don't want it, I don't want it." He wishes he could shift, but he doesn't feel comfortable to, and he's still wearing his clothes. It just feels like high pitched whining and some heartfelt growling might get his point across better right now.

"It's nothing bad, pup, just a bit feverish for a couple of days, but you'll feel much better once you're with your pack. Once it breaks, you'll be good as new."

"No," he protests. "No, I don't want to. I don't want to." His voice sounds weak to his own ears, his words pitiful and whiny, but he doesn't relinquish his grip on Minho's pants, and keeps tugging on them, making the man's leg move lightly with it. "I want to be nothing. I don't want to be marked. I don't want to know. I'm not anything. I'm not any of these things. I don't want to be anything."

Minho looks at him in what he can only imagine must be disbelief. If he had any control over his emotions, he'd feel embarrassed to no end, no doubt, but as it is all he can feel is the lingering dread he never quite managed to shake now grabbing him by the throat and squeezing.

"Hey, pup, listen. Listen, hey. Seungmin-ah, that's your name, right?" Minho's hand settles in his hair carefully, before running over it once in reassurance. He melts under its touch, even with the haze clouding his mind. "Seungminnie, you don't have to be anything. The mark's just a mark. It doesn't have to mean anything, you can be whoever you want. You can do whatever you want." There's a hand closing over his then, squeezing gently before just resting there, not even trying to loosen the grip of his fingers.

He lifts his gaze up to meet Minho's serious one down at him, desperate for consolation, for someone to soothe the ever growing fear. "But it'll be there," he protests. "I will know. I don't want to know."

Another moment of silence, then Minho sighs. "Let go, pup, I want to show you something," he says, gently shifting his leg to indicate what needs to be let go of. Once Seungmin relinquishes his hold, Minho starts to roll up his pant leg, until he reveals not only smooth skin, but the dark lines of a mark as well.

"This is mine," he says, turning his leg so Seungmin can see it better. It's an intricately designed flower. Beautiful with a few leaves. It's not coloured, but that only adds to the design, really. There's not a single sign of a presentation mark, not a single indication that what Minho says is the truth.

"You don't have to know if you don't want to, pup. You can just get a tattoo over it before you ever look at it and never acknowledge it ever happened at all."

"Is that what you did?"

"No. I had my mark for a while. I was fine with it, but I got tired of other people judging me by what it indicated when I have always been my own person. Now no one can tell."

Seungmin stares at the flower, at the smoothly drawn lines and the inconspicuous design of it all. He stares and thinks I don't have to know. No one has to know. It doesn't have to exist. The relief of that thought is immense, washing through him so suddenly that his breath briefly catches.

"Hyung," he says, reaching out slowly until his fingers touch Minho's skin. The other wolf doesn't so much as flinch.

"All fine, you see?" He says lightly instead, lifting his hand to run it over Seungmin's hair again. "Totally okay, pup. You can wear a bandaid over your mark until you get your tattoo as well, so you won't accidentally see it."

The tense line of his shoulders briefly relaxes as he considers the idea. Never knowing what he was marked as, never having to live up to any expectations. Always ever just being himself. Then he tries to think it through better, and though his brain's still foggy, he realises one thing.

"Someone would have to know," he says. "Someone would have to see. To put the bandaid on. And the tattoo artist would see."

"Yeah, but he'd have no idea what it means, right? He'll think it's an old tattoo you want covered up. It's not that hard to make it work if you just make sure you know what to say. And you can let one of your pack members help you. Someone you trust to keep a secret."

Seungmin stares up at Minho's calm and unaffected expression, fever-burned and sweaty. "Will you help me, hyung?" He asks. "Can I stay here? Will you put the bandaid on and help me plan what to say?"

For the first time since he woke up in the other wolf's bed, Minho's expression shifts into amusement. A soft laugh leaves him, not mocking, simply amused. He shakes his head a little.

"You can't stay here, pup," he says lightly, tapping Seungmin's nose with a finger. "For one your pack is worried about you and wants you to be home, and none of the Seoul packs will be too happy with having a presented wolf in their territory all of a sudden."

Seungmin can only pout, pushing his head further into Minho's touch and pleading with his eyes alone. "Can't you ask your pack to allow me for a while? Just until it's done?"

Minho's laugh is soft, warm. A little piece of comfort placed directly into Seungmin's chest. It's almost like Jeongin curling up to sleep with him: a rare and invaluable gift.

"I don't have a pack, pup," the wolf says calmly. "I've simply been granted permission to travel through."

Seungmin's entire expression immediately brightens at the words. "Then you can come with us," he says, reaching up and taking hold of Minho's arm, thumb pressing to the vein on his wrist. "You can stay with us and help me. Won't you, hyung?"

Minho's eyes soften when they look at each other, his entire demeanour quieting. For a moment, Seungmin is certain Minho will accept, but then the wolf sighs and thumbs his cheek gently.

"We'll see when your pack gets here, mhm pup? You should really try to sleep some more before they make it here. I can see the fever dancing in your eyes. Drink some more water and then try for some more sleep, okay?"

With Minho's gentle hands already offering him the opened bottle of water again, there's not much Seungmin can do but obey, his eyes closing of their own accord once he settles his head back down on the pillow.

When he wakes up the next time, there's a familiar scent in the air. He shifts under the blanket and suddenly he's too hot, it's too scratchy, he can't focus but he knows he needs to get out. It's the sudden thump of him quite literally falling out of the bed that seems to alert Minho to his waking. The door opens and soon there's two pairs of feet around him.

"Mhm, guess that's a no to a run, huh?" Someone says, and Seungmin could weep with how familiar that voice is, how gentle this person's scent is among the onslaught of cedarwood and peppermint from the two closer to him.

Strong hands help move him into an upright position and he starts to shiver, teeth chattering with the force of it.

"Hey darling," Changbin's warm voice says and Seungmin keens, leaning his entire body in the direction of his hyung. Changbin catches him easily and some more of the tension in Seungmin's body lessens now that one of his pack alphas is here. "That's okay, little one," Changbin says softly, mutters it into his hair while he loops an arm around his frame.

And yet no matter how soothing the cedar and pine scent usually is, it's too intense for him right now. He wrinkles his nose, fights to be let go of and whines when every scent around him is harsh and burning.

"Seems like he's in the thick of it," a not so familiar voice says and Changbin's hum is agreement.

"Innie," his hyung says, the word unrecognisable in the haze of his mind. "Do you think you can carry him to the car?"

"What?" That's Jeongin's voice, alright, the one who'd spoken earlier too. "Hyung, I don't know if you noticed but my arms aren't tree trunks like yours. They're saplings at best. You make me try to lift Seungmin we're both going to fall down those stairs."

There's a laugh, something bright and amused, and then a hand reaching carefully to brush the hair away from his forehead. It's cool to the touch, but Seungmin's still shivering as well, so he yearns forward.

The arms that wrap around him next are equally warm as Changbin's, and Seungmin keens again as he tries to bury himself away in them, searching for warmth. This scent is less overpowering, so he doesn't feel like choking when he breathes in. As he's carefully gathered up in the warm arms, he buries away into the warmth, tucking his nose against the warmest spot he can find and humming out his contentment when he finds the shivering lessens.

"Come on, pup," a voice says. "Let's get you to the car so you can go home, mhm?"

He curls his fingers a little more around the fabric he's holding on to, muttering words that his brain can't even comprehend himself, before he succumbs to the pull of warm, comfortable, safe, and slips into unconsciousness again.

"Ssh, ssh, sshh, you're okay. It's okay."

The soothing voice is warm, a gentle hand carding fingers through his hair. The scent of melted chocolate and grilled chestnuts cocoons him, soothing and familiar.

"J's'ng?" He murmurs, and feels the body next to him shift slightly.

"Hey Seung," he's told, the smile audible in his friend's voice. "You're home, it's cool, you're just presenting. I know it probably hurts like a bitch but you're okay. It'll be okay."

He whines a little, grumbles something, discomfort coating his spine. His jaw aches and his bones feel too small for his body, like it's pressing on them from all sides. His muscles ache, too, something nagging and aiming to drive him crazy.

The door opens, the scent of a coniferous forest trickles in. Seungmin's only warning is the way all his muscles tense at once and then he's snarling, scrabbling to get at the intruder.

"Seungmin!" Someone calls, arms restricting him, wrapping around his chest. He'd turn his anger on this person as well, but Jisung's scent is still soothing, his grip tight but his voice pitched just right to not be annoying. "Hey, hey, it's okay. He's gone. He left. Okay? You chased him away, it's all good. You did well."

Jisung's hands card through his fur and he settles down at the praise, whining as he pushes his head into his friend's touch. After a moment, the fog clears enough for him to realise what he's done and then his whining promptly turns embarrassed and guilty. He walks a few circles on the bed, but Jisung still reaches for him, runs fingers through his fur undisturbed.

"It's okay, Ming," the omega says, and Seungmin's never been happier that they're friends, somehow. "Chan says we're worse to those we really like when presenting. Bin means a lot to you, that's all you've proven. It's a good thing Hyunjin's not here or you would've gone for his throat, mhm? He wanted to immediately rush over but I told him there was nothing he could do."

Seungmin whines again, and then finally rediscovers the presence of mind to shift back to his human form. "It hurts, Jisung," he says, a matter of fact but also a cry for help. "I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it."

Jisung's sigh is a soft thing, apology and sympathy blending on his features. "Seems like you're in more pain than I was," he says softly. "I'm so sorry. We got you clothes, though, mhm? I dug out one of Hyunjin's old shirts. Since he wasn't presented at the time I'm sure it'll be okay."

The piece of clothing is reached out to him and Seungmin immediately reaches back for it. The subtle, lingering scent of his best friend is soothing indeed and he breathes it in deeply. The next piece of clothing he's offered smells just as vaguely of cherry blossoms, Jeongin's unpresented scent. The absence of anything too harsh is making Seungmin's brain fog recede a little more and he lifts his head from where he'd buried it in the two shirts.

"Yours," he says as his eyes zero in on his friend, reaching out a demanding hand immediately and motioning for something to be handed over. "Give me."

Jisung laughs, but he's clearly endeared, and clearly a little touched as well. "You want mine in your pile too?" He asks, making Seungmin nod brusquely. Why is Jisung asking stupid questions?

He receives the shirt Jisung is currently wearing, which still smells of their detergent, but is also already drenched with Jisung's gentle chocolate and chestnut scent. He adds it to his growing collection, and then noses around briefly.

"Hyung," he demands. "The old one."

This time, Jisung laughs. "Alright. Let me get it from outside, okay? We weren't sure whether you'd want it."

Jisung pushes himself to stand, reopening the door. It's not Changbin's scent that washes back in when he does, but rather a different one that immediately sparks his memory.

"Minho hyung!" He exclaims, and then he's out of the bed again, bare feet padding through the hall and headed for the stairs. "Hyung," he calls, eager and slightly desperate. "Minho hyung!"

To his surprise he's not even halfway down the stairs when the man he called for appears in the door opening downstairs. His expression is surprised, a little bit stunned by Seungmin's need, too, he'd say. Or maybe by the fact that Seungmin's not wearing any clothes anymore after his earlier shift. Oops.

"Hey there, pup," the man still speaks with the same warmth and reassurance as before. "You awake again?"

He doesn't reply, simply throws himself down the last of the steps and right against Minho's frame, wrapping the older wolf up in a tight hug. It takes three seconds and then he's sniffling. Minho's arms move much slower, though they do eventually wrap around him as well, almost hesitant to hurt him, it seems.

"You came," he says, giddy and relieved both. "You're here to help me. You'll help me, right, hyung? I don't want it. Please help me."

Minho's hand in his hair is soothing as well, the slender fingers brushing through the strands. The way his hair flops tells him he's in dire need of a shower, but even that only comes second to his need to know that he won't have to be permanently marked and thrown into a designated box of expectations. So he lifts his head again to meet Minho's gaze, who sends him an incredibly reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, pup, you're going to be just fine. I'll help you if you want me to, okay? How are you feeling?"

He wrinkles his nose, trying to take stock of himself, but there's really only one thought on his brain right now. "Your shirt," he says, and he's certain he'll be mortified about his behaviour later, but he doesn't even care now. "Give me." He reaches out for it, fingers grabbing at the fabric and tugging, but Minho's hands almost immediately come down to stop him.

"I'm wearing it, pup," he denies, but it's said in such a way Seungmin hardly even feels guilty about presuming. Gentle and patient, like Minho knows exactly what it takes to soothe a distressed wolf, like he understands and will never hold it against him. Seungmin feels safe and comfortable in his care. "Let go and I'll get you a different one from my bag, alright?"

He relaxes his fingers almost immediately, his hands dropping down to his sides. Minho's expression shifts, the smile that pulls up the corners of his lips is clearly amused, as if he's holding back laughter. Seungmin feels himself flush this time, a whine escaping his throat and Minho almost immediately reaches up to ruffle his hair.

"You're sweaty and rumpled, pup," he says lightly. "You want to take a shower while I get you a shirt? Then you can be clean when you put your nest together, hm?"

It sounds divine, honestly, so he nods his head and promptly turns around to dart back up the stairs. Jisung's standing at the top, his expression even and blank as he looks down, but when Seungmin stops next to him, it immediately shifts back into a smile as their eyes meet. Seungmin can't help it, he leans forward, sticking his face into the crook of Jisung's neck and shoulder and breathing in the familiar, soothing scent of their pack's omega.

He feels Jisung tense at first, but then immediately relax after, an arm moving up to be put around his shoulders. "Come on, Seung," he says lightly, and he sounds almost giddy now, a giggle following the words. "Let's get you showered, then we can cuddle on the bed if you want. Jeonginnie will be back soon, so he can join us if you want."

He's not sure what sound he lets out, but it must be agreement, because Jisung casually leads him down the hallway to the bathroom. He's brought towels and a set of fresh clothes while he washes the sweat and grime off his skin. Jisung's there again when he steps out of the shower, handing him one of the towels and just watching him with a fond little smile as he dries his body.

He wonders then, briefly, if this is what it means to be cared for, cherished, loved. He wonders if this is what he'd never gotten back home, where Hyunjin was always ever more important. Yet here is Jisung, who's arguably in love with Hyunjin, and yet he told him not to come over because he'd probably stress out Seungmin more, and he's taking care of Seungmin, looking at Seungmin like he's the whole world.

"Jisung?" He ventures carefully, and watches the way Jisung seems to startle from his reverie, looking at him with more present awareness.

"Yes, Ming?"

"I love you."

He gets to watch in real time the way the words sink in, get processed and promptly turn Jisung into mush. The omega's expression turns pleased, delighted, a little flushed, his body curling in on itself slightly with shyness. The next moment, Jisung seems to regain control of himself, though, because he breathes out a small smile.

"I love you too, Seungmin," he says, sounding as giddy and delighted as he looks. He opens his arms next, but still doesn't move closer and Seungmin is hit with the realisation of how much Jisung has grown since they met. "Can I hug you?"

Rather than answer, Seungmin simply walks closer, burying himself in Jisung's arms. They stand there hugging for however long it takes for Seungmin's body to hate him again. When the first ache shoots up his spine, he groans and curls in on himself a little, and Jisung immediately shifts back into helping mode.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed. Put on your clothes, I'll dry your hair," he says and Seungmin obediently reaches for the clothes Jisung brought in, pulling the sweatpants and tugging the shirt over his head. Jisung runs a towel over his hair a few more times and then leads him back into the hallway.

When they make it to his bedroom, Minho's waiting right outside, Jeongin standing next to him. The keening sound that makes it out Seungmin's throat is entirely outside of his own will, but he's reaching for the youngest before he can stop it.

"Innie," he mumbles, somehow nearly in tears. "Jeonginnie."

"Hyung," Jeongin says, letting him wrap three separate limbs around him without protest, though he does make a face at it. "Hey. Please let go of me again, you can't walk into your room on one leg. Don't you want to make a nest?"

He does, surprisingly, so he lets go of the youngest again and turns to the door. Minho holds up a shirt and he immediately reaches for it, pressing the fabric to his face and breathing in the minty freshness of it, interlaced with a hint of ginger and an undertone of clean cotton detergent.

"Hyung," he utters, because it's all he knows how to say, and then he's already stepping into his room, taking stock of the freshly made bed with his pack member's clothes carefully put with the pillows for him to spread out. Jisung's doing, no doubt.

He adds the shirt to the growing collection of his pack members' clothes on his bed and grumbles about putting them in their place without ever finding a right mix, until Jeongin brings him one of Changbin's shirts. He tucks it at the foot end of the bed, still close enough for its faint scent to mingle with the others, but far enough away that it doesn't set of Seungmin's instincts.

Only when he's satisfied with it does he settle on his space, burying his face in his pillow and groaning softly at the renewed ache starting in his bones. He doesn't even realise how tired he is, simply closes his eyes and promptly slips back into unconsciousness.

Minho ends up staying for the rest of his struggle. The fever reaches another height overnight where he squirms and whines until Jisung spends time rubbing gentle circles into his back while Chan sits on the edge of his bed and gently holds his hand - the closest Seungmin will allow him to come while simultaneously the furthest away he wants him to be.

Around sunrise, the ache finally lessens again and he burrows back into the now gathered pile of clothes, soothed by the mixed scents of his pack.

Chan's fresh earth gives him a sense of belonging, the knowledge that the pack leader has accepted him and he truly belongs. Changbin's pine trees offer safety, no matter how faint he needs them to be for now. Jisung's chocolate chestnut soothes his anxiety, knowing he'll be taken care of, while Hyunjin's faint flowery scent reassures him that he's not alone and will never be. Jeongin's cherry blossom brightens him, makes him smile and think of all their times running through the woods.

And then there's Minho's peppermint and ginger. A promise of protection from that which he's dreaded most since he knew it would eventually happen. The certainty that he won't have to be a victim of labels and expectations, but will always be able to be exactly what he wants to be, without anyone ever questioning it, because they have no undeniable proof.

Minho's shirt is the one he clings to the hardest in the heavy throes of his fever, and when he's finally lucid enough to join the others in the living room after taking another shower, it's Minho's lap he lays his head down in. There's an amused huff coming from the wolf, and a snort from Jeongin on the other couch.

"Why don't you rent a billboard that says 'Chan, this one is part of the pack now' with a huge picture of Minho hyung's face next to it," the youngest teases him moments later. "It'd be less obvious than this and maybe Jisung would look less constipated about it, too."

Seungmin immediately looks over at his friend upon hearing the words, but Jisung's already sputtering, aiming a pillow at Jeongin's face with about eighty percent accuracy despite Jeongin's attempt to avoid it.

Minho huffs out another laugh. "By all means, take this pup away from me, Jisungie," he says lightly, clearly finding this all very amusing, and yet when Seungmin tries to move, thinking the man's not okay with his clinginess, Minho's hand settles in his hair, gently pushing his head back down and running over his hair right after.

Jisung's face has shifted to playful disgust as he shakes his head. It warms Seungmin's heart, because Jisung's not quick to accept new people, but he seems comfortable with Minho. "No thanks," the omega says, "I've had him in my lap for the last two nights, I'm happy to let you take over for a bit."

"Alright," Minho huffs, gently scratching Seungmin's scalp. The feeling is so nice that he closes his eyes and leans into the touch entirely, a soft rumble of contentment leaving him. "...until dinner," is the end of Minho's second sentence, but Seungmin can't even be bothered to wonder what he's talking about, too comfortable to care.

He dozes like that for a good hour more, until Minho gets up to go prepare dinner, which is when Changbin tentatively offers to take his place and Seungmin immediately presses his face into his friend's stomach, whining for all of his affection. The pets continue soon after, this time while he's bathed in fresh pine trees and warm cedar, their scent at least no longer making him want to jump out of his skin.

His fever breaks as suddenly as it came on, coincidentally also while he's on the phone with Hyunjin. One moment he's doing his very best to listen properly to his best friend's explanation of a day in the life of a factory worker, the next he's suddenly wide awake and extremely alert. He sits up so suddenly even Hyunjin falls quiet, but before he can ask anything, Seungmin blanches in realisation.

"I've got to go, Jin," he says through clenched teeth. "My fever broke." He doesn't even wait for his best friend to respond, ending the call and dropping his phone on his bed as he moves to stand.

"Hyung!" He calls loudly into the house once he steps into the hallway. "Minho hyung!"

His heartbeat's speeding up already and he can smell the way his own scent's souring with fear, because he has that now. An actual scent of his own, something that very obviously broadcasts his emotions. He's not sure what it smells like, except it's souring ever more with each passing second.

"Hyung!" He calls again, more desperate. A door opens down the hall but he doesn't care about that, walking towards the stairs. "Minho hyung!"

There's the sudden clatter of nails on tile, then, and the next moment a large grey wolf takes the stairs five at a time until it's standing right in front of him, ears pricked forward, tail moving from left to right in an almost calculating way, nose twitching as it sniffs the air.

"Hyung, help me," is all Seungmin can manage, motioning at the entirety of himself. Rather than shift to talk to him, Minho simply steps closer, nudging his entire head against Seungmin's stomach until he moves and herding him towards the bathroom like that. Only once they're both inside and the door has closed behind them does the wolf shift back to his human form, casually grabbing a towel to tie around his middle and only then turning to face him.

"Alright, pup," Minho says with the same casual and unbothered inflection he's always had. "Take off your clothes and close your eyes, I'll make sure to cover it with the tape."

He's still trembling with the adrenaline when he starts to take off his shirt, biting his lower lip to keep it from wobbling as well. Minho wrinkles his nose at his scent, though, and shakes his head lightly. "Honestly, pup, you're stinking up the place. Relax. I'm here to help, aren't I? I won't let you or anyone see it ever, don't worry. Have you thought about which design you want to get?"

The thought of the tattoo designs eases some of his stress and he nods his head a few times before closing his eyes. "I found one with a baseball bat," he says and Minho almost immediately laughs. He moves to take off his sweatpants as well, keeping his eyes now firmly closed in order not to accidentally spot the mark on any part of himself.

Minho's fingers are gentle but certain as they take hold of his wrist once he's lost his sweatpants. He makes a noise of protest, but the older wolf simply flicks his forehead. "It's not going to be on your dick, Seungmin. If I can't find it on the rest of you, you can take off your underwear too. Have some modesty, would you?"

He lets out a whine of protest, but lets Minho inspect his skin as he wants to. Any awkwardness about his own body is something he lost a long time ago, but it's clear Minho hasn't judging by the towel wrapped around himself so quickly. It's not something Seungmin judges him for, though. In fact, he doesn't think there's anything he'd judge Minho for, so he stays quiet.

"What about the baseball bat, are you getting that one?" The older wolf questions when he turns his inspection to Seungmin's legs and Seungmin hums but shakes his head.

"No, it seems too specific a thing to get a tattoo of, but I don't know what else to get."

"How do you feel about birds?" Minho asks softly, his voice sounding up from somewhere around Seungmin's sternum. "They're seen as a sign of freedom. You could get a few very minimal looking birds tattooed, flying up over the side of your body where the mark is."

He thinks about it, tries to picture it, lifting the hand Minho's not manoeuvring to cover his own eyes lest he accidentally opens them. "I like birds, I think," he says as he considers it, the gentle call of different kinds of birds when he goes out for a run, the smaller ones that brave flying up to him or hopping around near him when he's resting in the forest. "I like freedom." The knowledge of choice, that he's not obliged to be anything, to look like anything.

"Yeah?" Minho's hand lets go of his hand, footsteps move away from him. There's the sound of the medicine cabinet, the sound of scissors snipping through tape. He tenses again, unable to keep from panicking slightly again when he realises Minho must have found his mark. He wonders briefly what it is, whether Minho will look at him any differently because of it. Whether it'll change anything about him.

Minho's hand is back on his body before he can spiral too far, the sudden touch to his abdomen causing him to suck in his stomach in surprise. Minho seems unbothered, his movements calm and calculated. Not long after, the tape is pressed onto his skin, halfway up the side of his torso.

"Here," Minho says after a moment, pressing a finger to his hip bone. "Let the smallest one start here, and then another one here and here." His finger points at different spots, so Seungmin blinks open his eyes, dropping his hand to his side as he looks down at where Minho points. The skin-coloured physio tape covers up any sign of anything and Seungmin's tense relief is so dual he doesn't even know anymore what to feel.

"Yeah?" He asks, trying to imagine it instead of feeling anything at all. And really, he doesn't care much, while simultaneously he thinks it's the best idea ever, multiple small tattoos so no one will ever even actually know where his mark appeared unless he tells them. Unless they know beforehand. "That sounds nice."

Minho's smile is the same gentle reassurance it's always been, his eyes bright in the bathroom light. Seungmin feels a surge of gratitude wash through him, and lets it guide him into wrapping his arms around Minho's frame again, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, hyung." He nearly chokes on the words, but Minho still casually pats his back before starting to extricate himself from the hug.

"It's fine, pup," he says, taking a step back and away from him. Somehow, Seungmin knows this isn't necessarily a rejection of his gratitude, rather Minho's discomfort with hugs themselves. "You're fine."

"Not a pup anymore," Seungmin protests, making an aborted motion at the tape on his side, which makes Minho huff out another one of his unimpressed laughs.

"You'll always be a pup to me, pup," he counters. "Let's go find you a good tattoo artist and see when they have a spot for you. Come on."

By some sort of miracle, they find a tattoo artist with the skills to execute his tattoo well, who has a spot for him three days down the line because someone else cancelled. He goes to class again as normal, the physio tape sticking to his skin so well he doesn't even need to replace it. Though he also refuses to shift to his wolf form to make sure it stays.

His pack members don't ask him about his mark, simply returning to their usual routines as well, and Seungmin finds himself wondering if he spoke about his apprehension so often, or if Minho has informed them while he was out.

On the evening before his appointment, though, Jeongin suddenly barges into his room when he's getting ready for bed and walks into him rather bodily.

"Hyung, what's going on?" The youngest asks from where his face is pressed into the crook of Seungmin's neck. His scent is faint, but it has still dimmed with something like sadness, so Seungmin immediately wraps his arms around him and pulls him close.

"Nothing's going on. Why?"

Jeongin lets out a noise of annoyance and actually nips at Seungmin's skin with his teeth. "Why?" He echoes, incredulous as he straightens up to face him. "You drag a strange wolf home with you from Seoul, refusing to let him stay behind even when you're half delirious. You spend half of your feverish haze whining and panicking, only soothed by this very same wolf's presence. Then when your fever finally passes, you call for him so desperately even the neighbours must have heard, but we know nothing. The hyungs think you no longer trust them and are considering leaving the pack with him. Jisung thinks you might be matched and that's why you're so clingy. I think that's all bullshit but you don't tell any of us anything and you won't even go running with me anymore, so I don't know what to think about all this. So tell me; what's going on!?"

Honestly, Seungmin's still stuck on the part where Chan and Changbin think he wants to leave the pack to go travel with Minho, a thought so completely out there that he doesn't even know how they got it into their heads. Maybe he can see where Jisung's coming from if he looks at his own behaviour from an outsider's perspective, but…

"Hyung!" Jeongin whines and Seungmin startles back to awareness, blinking and taking in the youngest, who's looking up at him with what would be a pout if he were literally anyone else. "Are you leaving? Are you matched? Do you hate us? Are you ashamed of your mark? Do you think we'll hate you for it? You know you can stay no matter what it is, right? We don't care, we love you."

As he looks down into Jeongin's face, Seungmin realises that words are not enough. His arms solidly wrapped around Jeongin's frame are not enough. Within a blink, he's turned them around, throwing the both of them onto the bed. Jeongin seems to feel what's coming because it's not human bodies that hit the mattress, and the next second Seungmin is grooming his friend thoroughly, professing his love in the only way he really knows how.

There's some grumbled protests and bratty whines from the youngest, but he lets the grooming happen, as if he knows what it really means, as if he's glad to have some of Seungmin's attention again.

Eventually Jeongin gets tired of it, though, and then his teeth are sinking in Seungmin's fur and Seungmin chases him around his room once before they burst out the door and rush down the stairs, taking their little play fight to the outside garden as per the rules. It's not long before Jisung pounces on top of them as well, and then even Changbin comes nosing among them, joining their play.

Chan stays an end away, simply looking on with a contently wagging tail as he watches them chase each other around, and that simply won't do, so Seungmin makes him the next target. Before long, everyone's chasing everyone, tails wagging, happy yips falling from their mouths until eventually they collapse onto a pile. Jeongin flops down on top as always, Chan the bottom of the pile this time around, though his still wagging tail indicates he doesn't mind.

They stay like that for a while, just breathing together, sharing warmth. It's only now that he's in it again that Seungmin realises how much he's missed this. The comfort of having his pack close, of being able to chew on Jisung's ear one moment, then be smothered by Changbin's grooming the next. So it's only after a long time that he extricates himself.

And then he has to leave them, giving a soft bark to indicate he's coming back before jogging into the house. He finds Minho reading a book on the couch, so he gives a little bark and waits for him to look up. When Minho's attention's on him, he hopefully tilts his head, tail wagging slowly. After a moment, Minho looks back down at his book so Seungmin huffs and jogs over, setting his teeth carefully in Minho's pants to tug.

"If you tear my clothes I'm going to make new pants from your skin, you hear me?" The man deadpans, but there's no actual anger in his scent so Seungmin tugs again, whining lightly.

"It's not my problem that you couldn't keep yourself from roughhousing, you can wait until I've finished my chapter before I come help you," Minho intones at his insistence, moving a hand to swat him away from his legs. Seungmin lets go, of course, but then steps forward again to rest his head on Minho's knee. He waits just long enough for the man to glance at him and then lets his tongue loll out of his mouth, starting to wag his tail comfortably.

He can see the way Minho's annoyed pretence cracks, his smile breaking through. He can also see when the man decides to stop pretending and starts just grinning at him.

"How could I ever stop calling you pup when you do things like this, pup?" He asks, reaching out and ruffling a hand over Seungmin's head. He makes sure to close his eyes and really lean into it, wagging his tail with more enthusiasm. When Minho puts his book aside to lean forward and run a hand over more of his fur, Seungmin automatically lets himself slowly keel over until he can roll onto his back and have the hand pet his stomach properly.

"Idiot," Minho mutters, but Seungmin's quite certain there's fondness laced in his tone, and the man's hand ruffles the fur on his belly a little more before he straightens up. "Alright, you spoiled pup, you've distracted me from my reading. Let's go."

He moves to stand, and Seungmin immediately rolls back onto his paws, shaking out his fur and then trotting over to the hallway. He waits to make sure Minho is following before stepping into the downstairs bathroom. Almost immediately, Minho's scent intensifies, and Seungmin realises the man's most likely been using their downstairs guest room and bathroom while staying with them. He didn't even think about the logistics, didn't even consider that Chan must have arranged this with him while Seungmin was out cold.

All of a sudden, he realises things beyond the present moment as well. Is Minho staying? Seungmin doesn't really want to - he's been comfortable with the idea that the one person who knew his mark would be far, far away - but at the same time he feels bad for wanting the other wolf to leave. What if he's comfortable here, what if he wants to stay? Everyone else seems to like him fine, too. What if he stays and the one person who knows his mark is right there, all the time?

"What are you fretting about now, pup?" Minho asks as he steps inside the bathroom as well, gently tugging on one of his ears in passing and already walking over to the medicine cabinet to get some more tape. Seungmin realises, looking at the man's easy movements, that Minho's just not the kind of person who'd make a big deal out of it. Even if he stays, even if he integrates with the pack completely, he'll keep Seungmin's secret, just like he's keeping his own.

Seungmin shifts, keeping his gaze on the other man and not looking down at his side, where currently no more tape sticks to his skin. "Do you want to stay, hyung, with us? Do you want to- Do you want to be part of the pack?"

Minho turns around slowly, giving him an almost calculating look before huffing out a laugh and shaking his head lightly. "I thought you didn't want me to," he says simply, not as an accusation but more like a question. "I thought you'd want me far away."

And Seungmin can't deny that, of course, it's true, but he can shake his head now. "You won't tell anyone," he says, like he's convinced, because he is. "You won't tell anyone if I don't want you to and I want you to stay, hyung. If you want to, I want you to."

Minho's eyes stay on him for a while, the silence deepening. Then the older puts himself in motion again, walking over while already cutting off a piece of tape.

"You know your leader already offered," he says as he nudges is for Seungmin to lift his arm, and then goes about pressing the tape over Seungmin's side, covering up any evidence of what he doesn't want to know. "I said I'd consider it."

"Okay," Seungmin says, dropping his arm when Minho straightens up again, their gazes locking once more. "I want you to," he can't help from repeating, and the way Minho's expression gentles into a smile is almost gratitude.

"Alright, pup," is all he says, patting Seungmin's shoulder and then moving away to put the tape and scissors away again as well. "I'll keep that in mind."

Seungmin nods, running a hand over his once again covered mark and then looking back towards the door. "I have to go tell them," he says then, already starting to think of the words he'll use for it. "They think I might leave them with you."

"Hah," Minho responds dryly. "Why would they think I'd take you with me?" But as he walks back over to the door, he runs a hand through Seungmin's hair in passing. I'm here if you need me, or I'll explain it to them if you want me to, or both.

"I don't know either, hyung," he deadpans in return, pushing his head into the touch. Thank you.

"I don't want to leave the pack," he says some time later, when they're all fully clothed again and sitting on the couches. Changbin with his thigh pressed against Chan's in one, Jisung having wrestled Jeongin into a hug in the other, Minho kindly having given them their space by going for a run.

"I'm not matched with hyung, either," he adds, glancing over at Jisung, who immediately grins and shamelessly shrugs off his own assumption.

"Then what's been going on, Seungmin-ah?" Chan asks after a moment in which they're all seemingly letting his words sink in.

For a long second, he has no idea what to say, how to explain. Then he catches Changbin's gaze, who nods at him reassuringly, before he glances over to see Jisung's encouraging smile.

You're safe here, all these faces say, whatever you say, we'll love you anyway. We just want to know. Even without Hyunjin around to make him important, even when he's just… him. His next exhale releases some of the tension inside of him and he bites the bullet.

"I never wanted to present," he says. "I didn't want to be marked as anything. I didn't want to even know myself what I'd be marked with. It's been grating on me ever since I knew I'd present one day, and it only got worse the closer I came to my age." He sucks his cheek in to bite on it, trying to gather his words before continuing. "I told Minho hyung this when he found me, and he showed me his own mark." He pauses briefly, considering. "He got a tattoo right over it. You can't see it. So I'm- That's what I'm doing tomorrow. Getting a tattoo over it. So I can't see it. So I will never have to see it and no one will ever know."

"Why?" Jisung asks, seeming surprised. Seungmin gets it, honestly. Before Minho, no other wolf has ever seemed to understand why.

"It's always felt like shackles to me," he says quietly. "Alphas thinking they owned the whole world, omegas expected to listen and help, betas meant to be mediators to a point where they weren't allowed their own opinion. It feels restricting. I don't want to be judged on my entire being based on a mark the size of my thumbprint. I don't- I don't want to be expected to behave a certain way, I don't want people to think I should be whatever the stupid mark says I am. I want to just be- Just be me. And knowing that I'll be able to do just that gives me peace."

He pauses, glances away awkwardly, then back at his pack members, his pack leader. "So that's why- That's why I cling to him, because he can give me the peace of mind I want. He's the only one who knows, but he won't treat me differently because of it, and I know he won't tell anyone else."

"We wouldn't treat you differently either," Chan says, sounding almost sad. Seungmin feels guilt curling in his gut, but he pushes through bravely.

"I know, but I wanted an outsider, someone I would never have to see again after, so that my secret would be held far away from me." He breathes out a self-deprecating smile. "By now I don't want hyung to leave anymore either, though. But it still feels better if there's only one person who knows."

"I get that," Jeongin immediately pipes up, smiling at him. Jisung's pouting, but not in a bad way per se.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asks.

It's Changbin who speaks before Seungmin has to. "He did. Or he tried. I didn't realise it went quite so deep, that you felt it quite so intensely. I'm sorry, Ming."

He shakes his head, waving off the apology. "Don't be. I didn't know how to articulate it properly anyway. I just knew I was going to present and I didn't want to." He shrugs, then thinks of something else. "Hyung's been putting tape over my mark so I wouldn't accidentally see it," he admits then. "Which is why I yelled for him when my fever broke. I just don't- I just really don't want to know, don't want anyone else to know either. But I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to leave and I don't want you to treat me any differently, and once I got my tattoo I'll go back to normal. Promise."

Jeongin huffs. "Please," he says with a roll of his eyes. "You were never normal."

Seungmin's pillow-to-face accuracy is about ninety-five percent this time.