Archive of Our Own

The first time Taki had his heat and the only time he has ever had it– his presentation.

Taki was brought up in a family full of betas and alphas, not one omega. His dad is a beta, and his mum is an alpha. Even his younger siblings, who presented after him, are not omegas. 

This makes him stand out. Taki loves to stand out and be different, but this. No one knew how to handle an omega’s heat or anything else. Most of them were betas and a few alphas with way too strong of a scent for Taki’s liking after the presentation, even his mum’s. This made the only small relief he could have possibly got through scenting, was also of no use.

At the age of thirteen, three months after his presentation, he started using suppressant pills. Even with his parents completely against the idea, he said it was a hassle, especially all the shit he had to go through just cause he was an omega, and with him now trying to be an idol, it just made sense.

He came across his favourite Kei Hyung a year later. He was showered with love and affection from the older alpha and some random aggressive headlocks. Taki felt happy that he had a faint scent due to the suppressants, which made him easier to be a beta. 

Fifteen and sixteen-year-old Taki lived in the bliss of not having to worry about his heat as he had other, far more important things to worry about. With the survival show coming, Taki focused on putting his full effort into debuting and making it into the group.

But he was not able to do it. He still hugged his best friend, Niki, the other Riki adopted by Kei hyung. The baby alpha as they all lovingly called him, latched to him like a koala. 

“Promise me you will make it next to me on the stage one day” Taki through all the tears and overwhelming feelings, nodded. He did want to make it along with his best friend and Kei Hyung.

That's when he met Euijoo and Nicholas, alpha and omega, respectively, but not even once did they also question if he was an omega, the reason being the same as Kei’s.

Taki spent the next two years with these amazing people; they loved him for who he was and cherished him. He was their beloved baby, even when Nico and Juju got together, the first person they told was Taki.

The omega was happy as he bounced off the walls with excitement, as he told his Kei Hyung everything as the rest three just watched him with a small smile adorned on their face.

Then came the time they were told they would debut, finally– through another survival show, smaller than the first one, yet this was more harder. There people got eliminated, ranked, and voted out. It was harsh; they had learnt to expect the unexpected at all times. But here, it was sad to see only nine of them on the final stage of &audition instead of fifteen.

The new members who had joined him, Fuma and Maki, were alphas, Harua and Yuma betas, and Jo was another omega.

The first night, as a team-building activity, more like all of them wanting to cuddle, they built a huge nest in the beta’s room. Each scent layered over the other creating a comforting feel. The two other omegas collapsed right in the middle of the nest. The rest of them curled around them. It could not get any cosier than this, Taki thought as he was going to wedge himself between Yuma and Euijoo.

But a hand shot out and pulled him, Jo. He brought Taki between him and Nicholas as they started to slightly scent him, and Taki slept peacefully after a long time.

The memory now seems almost distant. Lately, Taki has not been feeling well. It started with a small throb in his head as they finished their practice. He took a painkiller and moved on, hoping it would subside or go away, if anything, it only became even stronger. 

The headache was slowly accompanied by nausea and dizziness, but nothing Taki couldn't handle. He made sure not to slip up and get into his members' concern for now, over a month, just a little more longer, and then Taki can go visit a doctor after their Yukiakari promotions are over.

But that day never came; he never went to the doctor, nor did he inform the hyungs. He just moved on from it like it was a simple scratch. 

Taki’s condition, somewhat tolerable, remained unnoticed; now hit in full force the minute they were given time off. His body gave up the minute they reached their dorms. He took a shower and went to sleep without having dinner.

And only when Kei walked into tuck him in properly, the extreme warmth from his body alerted the older alpha. He had immediately called out the other members, and all of them set out to tend to him.

Taki woke up the next morning, if anything, worse than when he went to bed last night, the throbbing in his head more violent, and his body felt like a permanent heater was attached to it, not forgetting the nausea accompanying it. He wanted to cry; he felt so sick that he could not even move a limb. 

The door opened to Nicholas standing there with a tray in his hands, and Jo behind him with some tea. Nicholas set the tray on the side table and sat next to him, brushing his hair. He felt bad whenever any one of them got sick, which, although it was on the rarer side, the omegas worried way too much and stayed by their side.

Taki was too out of it; all he knew was that his body was burning, and he needed to get well soon.

Which he did in two days, thanks to Kei’s constant nagging and feeding him and Harua and Yuma’s cuddles and the rest of the members. But he would rather eat grass than admit that the members being around helped him a lot more than usual.

When they got back to work the next day, everything came back all at once. The members stuck with him, realising that something was wrong with him but had no idea what or why. They did everything they could do to make him feel a little bit better.

The members brought his favourite snacks, cuddled with him and scented him to help him sleep, as that was something Taki’s system refused to do for the past few days.

His scent was turning more muted; the faint sea salt scent he held no longer prominent. No one seemed to give more attention to it; their scents all faint when they were sick and sometimes even more muted when they wore scent patches all day long. As a plus, most beta scents tend to be muted.

The worst of it came when one night he woke with his body spasming, hot and dizzy. He was in the omega’s nest as they wanted him to sleep with them. The warmth from their body made everything more worse.

Nicholas stirred awake as Taki tried to get out of the nest, but soon fell back asleep when he noticed him enter the washroom.

Taki splashed some water on his face and took the vitamin box from the shelf. The box contained his usual supplements. No one bothered to check it out properly due to him telling them it was a medication made just for his body’s needs specifically. 

He popped one into his mouth and swallowed it dry and went back and wedged himself between the two omegas, and they held him, and Taki fell into a restless sleep. 

He could not open his eyes the next morning, with so much effort, he had got dressed and shoved an orange down his throat before getting prepared to dance the soul out of his body. As the day progressed, he felt worse. Sweat trailed down his forehead, his clothes felt icky, and he wanted to throw up despite not eating anything the entire day.

They were doing one last run through before finishing up for the day, just five more minutes, Taki begged his body. 

As the last beat faded into the air, his legs gave up. His body fell limp on the cold floor. He heard multiple voices screaming his name, but everything sounded distant, like he was underwater, and slowly he drifted off. 

It was chaos the minute Taki’s body was on the hard practice room floor. Euijoo and Kei rushed towards him and put his head on his lap. All of the rest were running around, fetching water, some biscuits, anything that would be useful. Jo had the younger beta in a hug, who was crying.

A few minutes and a few splashes of water later, Taki opened his eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the blinding lights. Or maybe not, since all of them hovered above him, blocking the majority of the brightness.

Without a word, Taki latched himself to Kei like a little kid. Slowly, they coaxed him to have a few biscuits and a bit of water. 

They stopped practising and decided that they all needed to rest now. Kei carried him back to the car and to their dorm, cause Taki was clingy. 

Taki being clingy is not new; he is always ready to throw himself over another member for no reason, but this was different. His body looked like it had gone through something traumatic. He was shivering and groaning.

He did not settle down even when he was placed in the nest with all their scents, like he usually does. They were worried, in fact, worried least described what they were feeling. 

Seeing their mood maker and their Taki in pain hurt them so much, and they have no idea as to what would help him either right now. 

Taki suddenly gasped, and with a shaky voice, he asked for his vitamins. Yuma immediately ran and brought the small orange box, helping Taki take it. He asked for two pills just to make sure his omega won't come out when he was vulnerable; he can't and won't be able to handle that. 

Once the pills entered his system, his body relaxed immediately, and he pulled a random hoodie and cuddled it. Slowly, his eyes closed, and his breathing stabilised a little bit. 

The second his eyes closed, Kei had dialled to his mom. Taki’s mom immediately told the members to take him to the TGC hospital if anything happened and look for Doctor Sato, and that she would be there as soon as possible, mostly before tomorrow evening. Kei had assured her they would take care of him. 

That night, none of them slept. The omegas had coconed Taki like a child and held him through all the whimpers. The two betas curled onto Kei as the alpha stroked their hair, trying to give some comfort. The pack leader Euijoo was worried; his entire system was on alert, and he continuously pumped out waves and waves of calming sage and citrus. The other two alphas were out talking with their manager.

By dawn, none of them has slept properly. Maki, the youngest alpha, finally decided that they needed some food. He set out to make some soup and rice, light yet warm and comforting. The two omegas ushered everyone out of the room, telling them to help Maki out to cook for all nine of them.

Recursively, they all left the nest with Taki snuggled in Nicholas’s chest as Jo weaved his fingers through the boy’s hair.

The kitchen was warm and cosy, with all of them determined to make something good for Taki. Soon, the scent of aromatics took over the kitchen. Maki gave out orders for everyone to do, wash, cut, stir, clean, everything. 

Then Maki decided that the store-bought broth would not be as nice as a homemade one and set out making a homemade one by simmering bones, onions, a few heads of garlic, pepper corns and a few other spices. 

Back in the nest, it had been over an hour since they left, and Nicholas was scrolling through his phone while Jo slept for a bit. Taki was still sprawled across his chest, still sleeping. Jo woke up, and the first thing he did was scent Nicholas.

Jo was not a big fan of scenting, but when he was clingy, that was the first thing he did. After he was sure his scent mixed with Nicholas's, he moved on to Taki.

As he lowered his nose to Taki’s scent gland, he stilled. The muted scent of Taki’s sea salt had seemed to vanish. Completely.

He looked at Nicholas with tears and fear in his eyes, his scent starting to sour around the edges. Nicholas immediately looked up to see Jo's teary eyes and stilled, his nose hovering near Taki’s neck.

“What happened, Jojo?” stuttering, Jo told him how he could not smell Taki anymore. The older omega immediately joined, only for him also to not be able to smell anything.

Panic settled deep in him. Nicholas informed Jo that he was going to let out a keen to see if Taki’s beta would respond to it, since betas respond the quickest to a keen. He did not want to alarm the other omega more than he already is right now. 

Jo held Taki’s limp body in his arms as Nicholas let out a long, keen. 

Nothing. 

Taki’s beta did not respond to the keen. Not even a single twitch of muscle. 

Instead, the door was thrown open, and Yuma and Harua rushed in, immediately followed by Euijoo and the rest of the alphas. The scent of two distressed omegas put the betas to work at full force.

Euijoo carefully approached Nicholas and held him. Slowly, he asked the omega why he keened. Jo let out a horrifying sob at that as he clutched onto Taki even harder, tears flowing more freely now.

Nicholas, with a great effort, told Euijoo everything. The oldest alphas, Kei and Fuma, immediately coaxed Jo, and Fuma took Taki in his arms as Maki and Yuma went along with him to get the car. 

Euijoo pulled Nicholas and Kei, and Harua with a lot of effort and one of Taki’s hoodies, which still had his scent given to him and was finally taken outside.

The entire ride to the hospital was a nightmare. Jo latched onto Taki, who was in Fuma’s arms once again. Nicholas was sniffling in the back seat, leaning onto Harua and Yuma. Maki was next to Jo, rubbing his back as the other omega was hiccupping and heaving. 

Kei was driving like a maniac, a man on a mission. Euijoo, next to him, was sure that they had broken at least twenty traffic laws in the past ten minutes, not that he cared. His favourite dongsaeng was suffering; laws and court can wait for them.

Kei reached the hospital, which was almost a forty-five-minute drive, in around twenty-five to thirty minutes. They rushed in with Taki in their arms. 

One of the nurses who usually tended to Taki recognised him, and she immediately took him to Dr. Sato. Their heart broke as they immediately took Taki to the treatment room. The doctor came rushing very soon and immediately started checking after him.

His pulse, heart rate, breathing rate and scent intensity. After a few more minutes, the doctor pushed a few buttons, and a loud alarm blared through the floor and nurses and a few other doctors came over and wheeled him to the intensive care unit. 

Their breaths hitched as they rushed behind the doctors. 

“I am sorry sir, you can’t come any further than this” The nurse told to Kei, who tried to go behind them. She told them they would be allowed in after a while and that it's best for them to wait for the doctor and not worry.

Kei’s shoulder sagged as he leaned against Fuma. The next two hours were hell, they all sat outside with no idea what was happening to him. All they knew was that something was wrong with Taki and it hurt their hearts for not noticing it before itself. 

The doctor finally came out of the room.

“He is stable now. His wolf was in the second stage of being completely suppressed. The reason is up to him to let you all know. We have treated him, although the effect will be seen only after a few more hours at least. You all can meet him once he is transferred to a separate unit.” They all nodded as they took a breath of relief. 

They heard loud footsteps and saw Taki’s mum and dad come there. The doctor informed them of his condition and let them know everything. Taki’s mum teared up as she understood everything. They thanked the doctor as they turned to the boys.

Taki’s mum, on seeing the omega’s pulled them into a hug as they both broke down. Jo sobbed as he asked about what Taki would have gone through that he suppressed his beta to this extent. His voice pained for Taki, heart heavy and guilty. 

Taki’s mother grimaced at that. 

She turned to the rest of the boys as she held Jo and Nicholas. 

“About that, please don't ask him about it until he tells you, and please don’t react to it badly. That's all I ask from you. It's his to share with you, and I can't tell anything about it. All I can tell is he suffered a lot because of it. Please don't add to it”

Kei stepped forward, assuring Taki’s mother that they love Taki no matter what, that he will always be their sunshine, Taki and they would not trade anything for that. 

A nurse came out and asked for them. She gave them instructions on keeping their scents calm as the patient inside has gone through a full system reset, and any medications he had taken have been fully flushed out of his system. Due to this, he will be sensitive, and it must be taken care of.

The minute they entered, their bodies relaxed from finally being able to smell the fresh scent of sea salt. But as they took another step in a deep, sweet, almost cloying scent hit them, knocking them down with its intensity.

“It must be someone else's scent?” one of them told, but Taki was alone in the room. They quickly made their way next to his bed, and that's when the scent became clear.

Sea salt and Caramel.

There was no trace of the soft beta scent he carried, but rather a rich and potent sweetness engulfed them. Their chest tightened, not from instincts, but the sheer weight of the truth that was laid bare in front of them. 

The scent was not supposed to roll off him, after all these years of hiding and struggling. 

Kei broke down right there; tears were freely falling at that point. Every cell in his body ached for all the times his Taki had lived in the fear of being found out, of being deemed of not worthy. How could he not have noticed his baby suffering for so long?

Taki was not a beta, he never was.

Footsteps were heard down the hall, and there was a knock on the door as the doctor entered. He came in and looked at them.

“I am sure you understand what has happened. He can be taken home once he wakes up. I just wanted to let you know that Taki might go into a heat in the next three to four days. Make sure you take care of him; lots of fluids and fibre should be given to him. There will be a very small chance of this heat having any sort of sexual instincts.” He paused and took a deep breath.

“His body and omega have been a mess for the past six to seven years. This reset will be hard on his body. Be careful of what you tell his omega; one step wrong, and everything will go back down. In some way, you have made him feel safe, that he agreed to flush the suppressants out of his system, which is rare in these cases. If anything happens during that time, call me immediately.”

The doctor took his leave after checking on him one last time. The room filled with silence after the doctor stepped out of the door. Taki’s parents took a leave, promising to visit them very soon and to take care of themselves. 

They sat there, watching the slow yet steady rise and fall of Taki’s chest, just like last night. But now, they knew why. 

Taki slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. The first thing he saw was all his members sitting there leaning against the wall and each other's shoulders, sleeping peacefully. The next thing that hit him was his own scent. He had almost forgotten how sweet he smelled; he missed it, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. 

His mind at the same time registered that his members knew it by now. Panic coursed through his body. What would they do now, what if they told to the higher authorities, what if they…hated him?

Tears welled in his eyes as his chest started to tighten, cutting out his air flow. Suddenly, he was pulled into a warm embrace, and chocolates and wine filled his lungs. Fuma had wrapped him up in his arms as he cradled his head. 

Taki relaxed as everyone let out the scents. His omega chirped at how well his scent got along with the pack’s.

“Let's get you home, yeah” Fuma picked him up in his arms despite all the protests he made. Fuma was warm and undeniably comforting.

Like home.

Once they were in their house, they all set to work. Taki was asleep in Fuma’s arms. The rest of them rearranged the living room to make a huge makeshift nest in the middle. 

Maki and Kei came in with the orders they had placed. The scent of the food filled the air, making Taki stir and mutter something before getting upright.

Soon they all settled in, each cradling a warm bowl as a movie played in the background. The sound of their spoons against the porcelain bowl faded towards the end of the meal. They all settled back, relaxing in the newfound warmth.

“I’m sorry” Taki muttered softly. 

They all cut him out in their own ways. Kei pulled him in a headlock as Nicholas tickled him. Yuma and Maki joined Nicholas, adding to the omega’s suffering. Fuma placed a soft kiss on his forehead as Harua and Eujoo pulled him into a hug. Jo pulled him into his lap as he cuddled Taki’s smaller frame. 

“You don't need to be sorry, Taki. We should have noticed that you were not feeling well” Harua voiced out as he threw himself on top of Taki, squishing poor Jo under their weight.

“I did not mean to hide it, but….” his voice trailed off as he thought of that incident. 

“You don't have to, Taki, we understand”

Taki sat quietly for a moment, rubbing his thumb over the seam of Jo’s sleeve. The room felt warm, dim, and safe… safe enough for things he wouldn’t usually say out loud.

“My parents are good people,” he started softly. “They never made me feel wrong for being an omega. They worried, sure, but they never… judged.”

He glanced up briefly, as if checking whether they believed him. They all nodded.

“It wasn’t them,” he continued. “It was someone else. A relative we don’t even see often.” He let out a small, humourless laugh. “Funny how people you barely know can still get into your head.”

Kei tilted his head in quiet encouragement.

“He’d say things like, ‘Didn’t expect an omega in this family,’ or ‘That’ll be tricky for him later,’” Taki said. “He said it casually,  like telling a toddler the sky is blue. And I wasn’t supposed to hear, but.. I always did.”

Nicholas muttered something under his breath, too low to catch.

Taki shrugged, shoulders tight. “I knew my parents didn’t agree with him and they never will. They would always shut him down whenever they caught it. But when you’re that young, even one person saying something like that makes it stick.”

Harua squished himself closer to Taki as if that would take away all the heavy feelings.

“And then… the thing that happened when I was thirteen…” Taki swallowed, choosing his words carefully. 

“It was just a really bad situation with some older boys. They trapped me, messed with me, tried to scare me. Nothing happened beyond that, but… it felt like everything he’d said was suddenly proven true.”

The others went quiet, but not in a tense way. Just listening.

“At thirteen, it made sense in my head,” Taki continued. 

“I thought, if I was not an omega, maybe they wouldn’t have picked me. Maybe I wouldn’t have panicked. Maybe I would’ve known what to do.” He winced at the memory. 

“And that relative’s voice was louder in my head than my parents’ reassurance.”

Jo rubbed Taki’s arm slowly, grounding him. “That’s a lot for a kid to deal with alone.”

“Yeah,” Taki whispered. “It was.”

Fuma leaned forward, elbows on his knees, voice low. “Kids believe the wrong people sometimes. Especially when the wrong people speak with stupid confidence.”

Yuma nodded softly. “And older boys picking on someone younger has nothing to do with you being an omega— or anything remotely like that. It’s about them being cruel, egoistic, and you being alone .”

“That’s it,” Eujoo agreed. “Anyone in that situation would’ve been terrified Taki.”

Kei spoke next, calm but firm. “You weren’t weak for being scared, Taki. You are also not weak for hiding it. You were young, and you reacted like a human being who went through something overwhelming.”

Taki’s breath trembled, but he didn’t look away this time.

“I didn’t want any of you to look at me differently,” he admitted.

Nicholas gave a small smile, soft around the eyes. “The only thing I’m looking at differently is how strong you actually are.”

Harua added, “Same. You carry yourself like someone who tries so hard not to burden anyone. But you deserve people who help carry things with you.”

Jo rested his head gently against the omega. “You don’t have to ever pretend with us.”

“Nothing will change, Taki, I will still duel you to death over the last chocolate bar” Maki said, making the entire pack laugh and getting a pretty bad smack on his head, making him wince.

And for the first time that night, Taki let himself lean into them fully, not because he was breaking down, but because he finally felt strong enough not to break them with his weight.

And for now, that warm feeling of all of them surrounding him, protecting him, is all he could ever ask for. 

Morning came softly, gently, the way sunlight spreads across a room without asking permission. It filtered through thin curtains and cast a faint glow across the living room, warming every corner that had seen far too many restless nights in the past week. 

Someone, probably Harua, had opened the window just a crack, letting in a breeze that carried the quiet hush of morning air.

By breakfast, everyone was gathered around the table in various states of consciousness. Kei was bright-eyed and excited in a way that was for sure not legal at eight in the morning, already nagging someone about adding too much sugar to their tea. 

Nicholas was half-asleep with his cheek pressed to the table, his morning allergies hitting him in full force. 

Maki and Yuma were arguing over who had made the better scrambled eggs, even though neither of them remembered who actually cooked what. 

And poor Eujoo was trying to mediate the chaos with the patience of a saint and someone who has lived at least thirteen lives like this.

And then there was Taki.

He stumbled into the room, wrapped in one of Yuma’s oversized hoodies, sleeves covering his hands, hood drooping across one eye. He looked soft, warm, and so small compared to the others—like exhaustion itself had decided to live rent-free behind his eyes. 

Still, his steps were steadier than the days before, and that alone made half the table breathe easier.

“Morning,” he murmured, voice still raspy and scratchy from sleep.

“Baby, sit. Before you fall,” Kei ordered, already pulling out a chair beside him.

Taki nodded but didn’t make it that far before he drifted sideways, eyes fluttering shut mid-step. Kei caught him easily, guiding him by the shoulders until he could plop into his seat. 

Taki barely lasted, three bites in, and he was already slumping against Kei’s side, tucking himself into his arms. The older alpha instantly wrapped an arm around Taki and pulled him closer.

“Unfair,” Nicholas croaked, pointing weakly and the duo. “They both are totally gonna skip clean-up duty again.”

“I don’t make the rules,” Kei sniffed proudly, tightening his hold. “I’m just holding what belongs with me.”

Taki groaned into Kei’s sleeve. “I don’t belong to anyone right now. I belong to my bed and sleep.”

They all burst into laughter. Even half-conscious, Taki still knew how to land a perfectly timed joke.

Breakfast turned into a mess of chatter, teasing, and the clinking of plates. Every now and then, someone would lean over to ruffle Taki’s hair, poke his cheek, or slide another piece of food onto his plate. He barely noticed, too focused on staying awake long enough to swallow his food.

By the end of it, Kei lifted him bridal-style from the chair because Taki looked like a dying kitten,’ and no one objected, not even Taki, who was already half-asleep against Kei’s chest mumbling something random.

They all collapsed back onto the couch with enough blankets to bury a grown adult, the said grown adult being Taki. A movie played in the background, something light and colourful, though no one really watched it properly. 

Maki and Harua had decided it was their personal mission to provide loud and dramatic commentary, acting out scenes, adding unnecessary sound effects, and misinterpreting lines on purpose.

“Why is he running like that?” Maki demanded.

“Because the plot is running faster than him,” Harua answered with a peace of a sage.

Nicholas nearly fell off the couch laughing at that.

Taki didn’t. He simply melted deeper into the blanket pile, letting the warmth seep into his tired limbs. Every laugh around him felt like a medicine, one that pushed away all the heaviness that had clung to him for days.

He thought the worst was over. He was wrong.

By noon, something shifted inside him, something quiet but unmistakable. A warmth unfurled in his body, not burning, not frightening, but impossible to ignore. 

It settled deep in his chest first, then spread outward, slow and unavoidable. He swallowed, trying to sit up, but the motion made everything swell within him.

Of course, Kei noticed it instantly. “Taki? Hey. Look at me.”

Taki shook his head, fingers clutching the edges of the blankets. The warmth intensified again, curling and twisting inside him, and he felt his breath hitch. 

His body wasn’t crashing anymore—but it wasn’t calm, either. It was reacting, adjusting, remembering how to function after years of being silenced and hidden.

The first cramp hit without any warning.

Taki folded forward, arms wrapped around his abdomen as a broken gasp escaped him. He didn’t feel embarrassed, there was no room for that now, just overwhelmed, twisted with something that was neither sickness nor fear, but still too much.

Jo was beside him instantly, hand rubbing small, careful circles into Taki’s lower back. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t need to. His touch was warm, grounding, steady.

“You’re okay,” Jo murmured. “I’m right here.”

Another wave struck, sharper this time. Taki’s nails dug into the blanket as he tried to breathe through it, but the pain wrung a sound out of him, and a thin, strained whimper he couldn’t swallow down left his throat. Tears swelled, blurring the edges of the room.

Jo leaned close, wiping them away with soft thumbs, like a mother tending to her child.

“Hey,” he whispered, voice featherlight, “you’re doing so well. Just breathe, okay?”

Taki tried, but the next cramp forced a cry out of him. His whole body shook with it, and Jo cupped his face gently, brushing his forehead with a soft, steady pressure. 

He didn’t even realise he was crying properly until Jo kissed each of his eyelids, barely a touch, the kind of gesture meant to soothe and not startle. The care hit him harder than the pain itself, and he cried harder for an entirely different reason.

“Can I scent you? It will help you settle and calm down a bit,” Jo asked quietly, still holding him. “Only if you want. You can make your own nest… something comfortable. Something yours.”

Taki nodded through the shivering breaths.

That was all it took.

Jo leaned forward, bringing his nose to the dip between his neck and shoulder. His fingers slowly traced the area before gliding his nose, layering his scent over Taki’s own, wrapping him in a cocoon.

Taki’s breathing seemed to stabilise. He slowly lifted his hand to Jo’s shoulder and rubbed his wrists there in an attempt to smother Jo down in his scent. 

The air around them filled with intense notes of sweet caramel and bright jasmine

Jo helped him stand, slowly, carefully, and together they set out to raid every wardrobe in the dorm. Blankets, pillows, hoodies, shirts, anything soft, anything familiar, anything that felt safe and drenched with others' scents. Taki moved with surprising purpose, gathering things that brought him comfort, even though his limbs still trembled.

By the time they reached to Taki’s bedroom , arms overflowing with clothes, Taki looked brighter. Exhausted, but focused. Determined.

Kei was waiting for him with puffy eyes.Not from sleep. From overwhelming emotion.

“It’s your first time doing this with us,” he whispered. “Properly.”

Taki pressed one of Kei’s shirts into his hands without a word.

“Scent it.”

That did it. Kei’s face crumpled like paper in the rain, tears escaping before he could stop them. He clutched the shirt like it held the meaning of life, maybe it did.

The others joined in too, offering shirts, jackets, or freshly worn hoodies—anything that might offer warmth or familiarity. The room slowly filled with soft fabrics and soft feelings, overlapping in a way that made the old walls inside Taki crack open.

Together, they built a nest. Not something very structured. Just something instinct-coded and intimate.

A resting space, warm, layered, comforting. A place for healing. With a piece of everyone.

Taki sank into the middle of it, burying his face in Eujoo’s blanket, breathing out for what felt like the first time in days. Every muscle in his body unclenched one by one. The room blurred at the edges, softened into something like a sunset.

“Someone will stay with you,” Kei said softly, brushing Taki’s hair back from his forehead. “Who do you want?”

Taki blinked, heavy-lidded, scanning the room.
His gaze landed on Jo.

And that was it.

Jo settled beside him, arranging the blankets around them with delicate care. Before long, the room fell into a peaceful hush. Jo hummed a lullaby, low, steady, comforting, familiar, and Taki drifted off, breath evening out and body finally relaxing.

The next several days passed in a quiet rhythm.

Taki rested for all the time he never did, and Jo stayed with him.

The others checked in constantly, each bringing snacks, water, bad jokes that still made him laugh, movies, anything to make the time pass more gently.

Taki slept more than he was awake, exhaustion pulling  him down like gravity. Whenever discomfort hit him, Jo was already there, talking softly, playing something funny, brushing hair away from Taki’s damp forehead, guiding him through every difficult moment.

He rarely left the nest, except to shower or stretch. Even then, one of them hovered nearby, not out of worry, but out of affection.

Harua told dramatic stories until Taki’s stomach hurt so much from laughing, and Kei had to pull him out of the room.

Maki made paper stars and sprinkled them across the nest, and then got punished by Jo to clean up the mess he made.

Yuma showed up with a playlist labelled “Songs To Distract You From Wanting To Cry.” which made him cry

Nicholas brought snacks that Taki couldn’t eat but appreciated anyway and stored them for later, another day.

Eujoo left gentle notes in the corners of the blankets, which Taki had no idea of when he slipped them in.

Fuma kept bringing him hot packs for his cramps, diligently reheating them when Taki complained that they were going cold every other thirty minutes.

Kei was the worst of all. He kept insisting on drinking water, showing the few protein bars Taki could stomach down his throat and mother-henning him into oblivion.

And Jo… Jo simply stayed.

Every day. Every night. Quiet, steady, calm and always there.

By the sixth day, Taki finally stirred with real energy in his muscles. The heaviness had lifted. The world felt less sharp, less overwhelming. He stepped out of the nest for the first time, stretching his stiff limbs as though he had just woken from a long winter.

He made his way to the kitchen, guided more by the smell of food than anything else. What he found froze him in place.

The table was completely covered.

Steaming broth from his mum.

Braised meat from Kei’s mother.

Fruit bowls stacked like miniature mountains.

Fresh salad.

Warm bread.

Maki was flipping pancakes at lightning speed.

Yuma running around trying to stop Nicholas from eating early.

Harua arranging cutlery like it was a mission that would completely save or destroy the earth no in between.

“Are we feeding a whole village?” Taki asked weakly.

Kei smacked the back of his head without missing a beat. “That’s for you.”

“For me? This is enough food to revive an entire army and feed four more families.” Flabbergasted was the best word Taki could come up with to explain his feelings at the moment.

“You’ve lost cheek fat,” Kei declared dramatically. “That's unacceptable according to nature.”

Taki groaned but still let himself be guided to the chair with no other option. Within seconds, his plate was overflowing, with some food he chose, but mostly added by everyone else.

“If you all fuss like this, I’ll get fat,” he protested.

Nicholas grinned. “Good. Then Kei hyung can squish your cheeks more.”

“And Jo,” Yuma added, elbow nudging Jo’s.

Jo’s ears immediately turned bright red. Taki wasn’t far behind his face, putting up equal competition. Both of them looked like tomatoes.

The chaos that followed was loud, ridiculous, and so full of love that Taki felt his heart ache in the best way possible.

Throughout the day, they all cared for him in quiet little ways, refilling his water, massaging his shoulders when he stiffened, teasing him just enough to make him laugh. The heaviness that used to cling to him had loosened, replaced with something warm and steady.

As the sun dipped behind the buildings and the lights in the living room glowed soft and golden, Taki found himself looking around at each of them, really looking.

Harua wrestling Yuma for stealing his blanket.

Nicholas trying to put grapes in Maki’s hair.

Kei fussing over the dishes.

Eujoo humming softly as he dried cups.

Fuma rolling his sleeves up to help.

And Jo…

Jo watching Taki with quiet, gentle eyes and a smile on his face.

And Taki realised something.

They loved him.

Not for what he pretended to be. Not for what he hid. Not for what he feared.

They loved him as he was, tired, recovering, emotional, soft.

A little messy. A little overwhelmed. But theirs, in the way family chooses each other.

And he loved them too.

Every chaotic, kind, loud, gentle piece of them.

For the first time in a long time, the future didn’t feel frightening.

It felt manageable. It felt possible.

With them beside him,

Taki believed. No, he knew, he could survive anything.

And for now…

That is more than enough.