Chapter Text
🖤
They should have known everything would change the moment their creative director said the words “leader change”. Jiho had been saying he felt overwhelmed lately and FNC had listened. They should have known this would happen. The group leader change from Jiho to Kamden had been a company decision, made by some bigwigs who knew nothing about the members and their personal lives, only caring about ratings and views. But the pack changes? That had been Jiho. He decided since Kamden was going to be the leader, he felt the older would make a better head alpha as well.
“You know you deserve it, right? I’m asking because I know you can handle it. I trust you. The kids trust you. The company trusts you. Andears trust you. I think you deserve it, hyung.” Jiho had said, offering the older a gentle smile.
The person who needed the most convincing was Brian. Going from just being a member and Kamden’s mate had been enough responsibility for the young Canadian until Siyun had come to him one night in tears from the pressure of taking care of everyone. While Siyun was an amazing omega, he didn’t want to be the head omega. That had been Brian’s catalyst. Seeing his younger omega brother cry in his arms was enough for him to accept the offer.
Now, everything in their little pack had shifted. Not enough to cause anything terminal, but enough that you would notice if you knew where to look. Especially, after Mackiah presented as an alpha on his 18th birthday.
Kyrell, the group's only beta, had been crushed to find out he wasn’t also a beta. Though Mackiah refused to let Kyrell feel a negative impact on their relationship, showing him undying affection he chose to ignore.
They were all trying to keep the peace. But sometimes issues can slip through the cracks, building up over time until it all comes to a head, crumbling down around you.
Or you figure out the cause and handle the issue together as a family.
🐇
Brian stood facing the dormitory’s wide porcelain sink, his hands busy scrubbing at a dirty plate left by one of the maknaes the night before, the 6 am sunlight washing over his face from the window. He hummed along as “natural” by valley played off the speaker of his iPhone perched on the shelf next to him.
“Mmmhmm we’re natural, without even thinking~ living without you…only be breathing~” he sang under his breath, his voice low and steady as he washed the dishes. He had been so wrapped up in his task he hadn’t heard the door to his and Kamden’s shared bedroom nor noticed the faint whiff of a deep woodsy smell filling the air. He hadn’t even heard Kamden’s sock clad feet pattering up behind him until the older male’s strong arms were winding around his waist gently, a puff of warm arm blowing about the skin of his neck, bare as his muscle shirt barely covered the dark pink bite mark sitting on his left shoulder. He felt the shorter lean in and press a gentle kiss to Brian’s mark, leaning against him. Without a word, Brain set down the plate he was washing, leaning into Kamden’s touch.
“Good morning, baby.” The older boy whispered, his deep voice floating into Brian’s ear. He felt him smile against his skin.
“Morning, Kam~” he whispered back, letting the boy hold him endlessly. This was Brian’s favorite part of living with his mate after the months they spent apart too soon after marking each other. They could almost always touch in some way. Debuting with Kamden has been a dream, moving in together has been a blessing.
Sometimes when they’d lay in bed together, snuggled up after a long day of practice and preparation for their next comeback, Brain would lay awake staring at his mate’s sleeping face. He would watch his chest rise and fall in gentle puffs, whatever dream floating through his head causing the older to scrunch his eyebrows every minute or so. Brian would just lay there and enjoy it. The closeness, the way their scents mingled into a beautiful mix of deep woodsy notes and soft vanilla fragrances, the way Kamden held him so close. Brian never felt more safe or at home than when he laid in bed with him, reveling in his touch.
The tall Canadian would also be forever indebted to Kamden for helping him get into FNC. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have met his pack, and even though he didn’t love the idea of being head omega at first, he would do anything for his younger pack mates.
“Ah! It smells like a candle store here. What are you two even doing?” Brian heard one of said younger pack mates say. The two older boys let go of each other's bodies to turn towards the voice. Kyrell stood there, his arms crossed in front of him with a knowing smile on his round squishy face, a bit puffier from sleep.
“Aye. Be respectful, ya lil shit.” Kamden jokes, leaving Brian’s side to go play fight with Kyrell, pushing the younger boy's hair as he hunches over to faux tackle Kamden.
“Hey! Be careful please! We have a performance tomorrow!” Brian hollered before smiling softly to himself, turning back to his sink full of dishes, filled with a new determination to complete his task.
Breakfast and getting everyone ready for the day was always Brian’s favorite part of being head omega, though he’d barely be in this position for more than a month. It made him feel needed as he fixed Mackiah and Seungmo’s ties for class, helped Jiho find his other shoe one of the kids had hidden, and nagged Kyrell to eat something other than a protein bar before the gym. Kamden had also been his biggest supporter through the transition to now, reminding the kids to listen to their hyung, helping him clean up after meals, keeping the kids distracted when Brain needed space. They were slowly learning to be a pack together. But it wasn’t without bickering.
“Brian! Kyrell keeps taking my clothes!”
“Seungmo won’t stop talking about my mother. I don’t care if you’re joking! It’s not funny.”
“Jiho stole my shaving cream!”
So much bickering. Brian loved his pack, don’t get him wrong. But they drove him mad most days as well.
“Kyrell, you need to ask first, love.”
“Seungmo. Mack doesn’t like when you make those jokes. Please stop offending him.”
“Jiho ASK FIRST!”
He would say, keeping a calm and collected head. The only one who saw his stress and frustration building was his mate. They would just talk it out before bed and get through it together. That or let out their frustrations in bed in a less wholesome form, leaving marks on each other's skin akin to the mate mark on each of their left shoulders.
🦦
Kyrell waltzed back into their shared dorm sometime around 9 am, kicking his gym shoes off next to the door. He had taken extra care at the gym today, getting lost in thought as he exercised, then went for a quick breakfast before heading home to relax for a while. He looked around the apartment, keeping his ears open for any chance someone was home. He padded into the kitchen, fishing a water bottle out of the fridge then looked over towards Kamden and Brian’s bedroom, noticing the door propped open, no one in sight. He must be home alone.
He waddled over to his own room and pushed the door open, jumping in shock when he saw Mackiah laying on his bed with his earbuds in, watching something on what looked to be Kyrell’s own iPad.
“Hey, aren't you supposed to be at school?” Kyrell asked, tilting his head at the younger male. The Australian looked up and flashed him his ever goofy smile, shrugging his broad shoulders.
“I won’t tell the hyungs if you don’t!” Mackiah said, scooting over on his bed to make room for Kyrell, offering him one of the earbuds. “I started getting pre-rut symptoms, so my teacher sent me home.”
Kyrell smiled back, shutting the door behind him before he clambered onto the bed with Mackiah. He scooched closer till they sat shoulder to shoulder, putting the earbud in his ear. He leaned his head down against Mackiah’s shoulder, taking in the ocean breeze smell radiating from the younger boy's pulse point.
“Your rut starts on Thursday. It’s off from the others so I can stay with you or Seungmo can or we can room with the others.” Kyrell mumbled off his usual beta pre-cycle speech only for Mackiah to turn towards him with a coy smirk.
“Ooo you wanna spend my rut with me?~” he teased, one of his hands pinching at Kyrell's side who rolled his eyes and pushed him away.
“No. Just pre rut. You know damn well you’re on your own for the dirty part.”
“You can stay then. I think I could use some calming beta vibes.” Mack jokes, pulling Kyrell closer so they are squished together.
“Bro shut up.” Kyrell groaned, letting the other boy pull him into his side, clicking play on the anime Mackiah had been watching before. He smiled when he heard Mackiah chuckle, nosing his pulse point again with a grin.
🐇
“Do you normally just sit here and watch your own fancams all day? Or is this just a today thing?” Brian said from the doorway of Kamden’s studio. The Seattlite turned around his chair to face where his boyfriend was standing in the doorway, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m just trying to see how I could do better.” He mumbled, leaning back in the chair as Brian shut the door, moving to sit himself on Kamden’s lap and slowly swinging his long lanky legs over the male with a soft grin.
“You’re doing great, baby.” He whispered, moving his arms around Kamden’s neck. The older boy smiled back, moving his own arms around Brian’s waist, scooting them back towards the desk.
“Yeah but I could be better. I want to be better.” Kamden mumbled, leaning in to drag his nose over Brian’s scent gland, the male's gentle vanilla smell filling his body with warmth.
“You are, baby~ you’re so fucking talented it’s crazy. You're insanely good at our job. And an amazing leader. And an even more amazing pack leader! Not to mention the best alpha I could have ever asked for~” Brian rambled, letting the male scent him as he spoke. The Canadian was not a sappy person, though in times like this, he knew Kamden needed the extra sugar. He felt the older boy sniffle and pulled away to look down at his glossy eyes. “Awe baby~ don’t cry~” he added.
“You’re just like…so perfect, Bri. I just love you so much. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how I got so lucky.” Kamden said, leaning up to kiss Brian’s flushed cheek. The taller boy shook his head, turning it to catch Kamden in a peck.
“ I’m the lucky one, hyung. Sometimes I wonder if it was just dumb luck. I mean if I hadn’t been up late that night, we wouldn’t have synced up and then maybe we might not be mates.” Brian whispered, shifting himself until he sat straddling Kamden’s hips, leaning his head against the male’s marked shoulder. The older boy shook his head quickly.
“Brian~ we only ended up like that because we’re meant to be. I don’t think it was dumb luck. I think it was fate.”
“Yeah?” Brian asked with a smile against Kamden’s shirt, the older boy's hands moving to caress his back slowly.
“Yeah.” He said quietly, pressing a kiss to Brian’s forehead before leaning back against the chair, enjoying the moment a little longer.
Brian sat up again, looking down into his mate’s eyes before leaning in, this time pressing their lips together in a firm yet sweet kiss. He set his hands on Kamden’s cheeks, rubbing their noses against each other when he pulled away.
“These rooms are sound proof right?” Brain asked with a soft smirk. Kamden cocked a brow before nodding.
“Yeah? Why?”
Brian stood up off Kamden’s lap, walking over to lock the door, shut the curtain, and turn back to his boyfriend.
“Take your pants off.”
🦦
An hour or so passed before either one of the boys felt the need to move, Mackiah eventually getting up to go to the bathroom, leaving Kyrell in his bed. The older boy looked around, eyes landing on one of Mackiah’s hoodies sitting at the foot of the bed, a dark woodsy green color with white lettering that Kyrell couldn’t quite make out. He sat up on the bed, leaning over to pull it onto his lap. He stared at the fabric for a moment. Kyrell lifted it to his nose and took a deep breath, the ocean scent running through him once more. He sighed softly as Mackiah walked back into the room. He stopped, eyebrows raised at Kyrell's current situation.
“What are you doing, Ky?” he asked, the Australian twang in his voice ever present in english. Kyrell felt his cheeks flush, eyes looking everywhere but Mackiah, hands dropping the hoodie.
“Uh, I… I dunno.” the American whispered, looking down at the bed. Mackiah chuckled, walking back over to him. The younger male clambered onto the mattress, taking the same space he’d sat in before, though this time he sat criss-cross facing Kyrell.
“I can scent you if you want.” Mackiah said gently, his head tilting like a puppy, eye smile visible when Kyrell looked up at him.
“Ah- no, you don’t have to, I'm okay. I just like how you all smell.” he mumbled, shaking his head with a soft grin. Mackiah smiled back, leaning closer.
“You know we like how you smell too right?” His voice was so gentle to Ky's ears, accent a bit more relaxed with the gentle mood in the air. “Actually, you should scent me!”
Ky felt his smile widen again. “Aw, dude, I mean, I could but it wouldn’t be very strong.”
“I don’t care. I think it might be nice. You don't have to though. Obviously.”
“Nah, I can.”
Kyrell turned his body toward Mackiah, moving his wrist to the other male’s neck. He rubbed it across Mackiah’s scent gland gently. The younger boy smiled again, rolling his eyes.
“Just lay down, ky.” he mumbled, swatting Kyrell's hand away. The older boy raised a brow in confusion, leaning back against the headboard anyways. Not because Mackiah was an alpha. Because he himself wanted Mackiah to be happy.
The taller boy grinned, laying down on Kyrell’s chest gently, slinging an arm over his stomach haphazardly. He set his head on Ky's shoulder, his nose brushing against the male’s neck, inhaling his soft rainy day fragrance. “You smell like a rainy spring day. It’s super sick.” he mumbled, letting Kyrell's gentle scent wash over him.
Kyrell looked down at him with pink cheeks and a wide grin. Only Mackiah would refer to someone’s scent as ‘sick’, especially Kyrell’s beta self. “Thanks man.” he said, one of his arms wrapping over Mackiah’s shoulder.
“You know beta smells should get more recognition. I think you smell killer, dude.” Mack said, pulling out his earbuds once more so they could continue their show.
Kyrell bit his lip to try and hide his smile, his cheeks bunching up under his eyes. “You smell good too, Kiah.” he mumbled, accepting Mackiah’s earbud once again. The younger male smiled at him before turning back to the ipad he’d set against Kyrell's propped up knees.
“Did you know they took six months to animate this?” Kyrell mumbled, watching the show as Mackiah leaned back against him more.
They sat that way until Seungmo got home from school, though they only moved over and let the youngest climb into their cuddle pile, sharing little comments on the anime as they existed in their own little bubble of peace.