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Taesan was the best Alpha.
If anyone asked Leehan, that was exactly what he would tell them. In a group with four Alphas, it was probably a heavy-handed statement to make but it was one that Leehan would stand by without hesitation. As much as Leehan valued and trusted Sungho, Jaehyun and Woonhak as members of his pack and Alphas in their own right they didn't hold a candle to Taesan.
Riwoo— the only other non-Alpha in their group, the sole Beta— said it was because he'd never looked at the three of them the way he looked at Taesan, which Leehan would admit was the truth.
Taesan really always had been the one to shine brightest in his eyes.
Even before they got together, Taesan understood him better than most. From their first meeting it had been clear to Leehan: this was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Taesan balanced him, his direct, playful demeanor a perfect foil to Leehan's admittedly more random yet placid disposition.
(It hadn't been a surprise to anyone who knew them when they'd revealed their relationship, even if their pack had teased them relentlessly about it for days afterwards that they'd been obvious anyways. Their families had been over the moon as well, obviously, mothers already planning joint group events and deciding which house they'd visit on holidays while the rest of them looked on in amusement.
The long lecture they'd had to sit through with Zico and their manager about responsibility and "being careful" in a very specific way had been mildly embarrassing but ultimately worth it when they'd received their unwavering support.
They weren't out to the public yet but they'd been toying with the idea more and more lately as their second anniversary approached, the thought as exciting as it was terrifying because they knew how mixed the reactions might be.)
He loved Taesan, plain and simple.
More than fish, music or dance; no other interest captivated him quite as much as his Alpha did.
Despite his cold visuals, he was one of the warmest people Leehan had ever known. He was kind, caring, playful and he took care of Leehan in little ways that he often forget to do for himself.
He always had a couple protein bars alongside a pack of gummies into his bag because he knew Leehan's appetite came at strange times and that he preferred snacks to full meals. If he got too lost in his own thoughts Taesan would coax him out of them, usually with some kind of teasing remark meant to encourage a reaction out of him— whether that be a smile, a pout or anything in between. There were casual offers to go out for a walk when the dorms were getting a little too loud for either of their likings and late nights sharing ramen in the dim light of the upstairs dorm kitchen while the rest of the world slept around them.
Taesan's tender fingers had taken to sweeping errant curls out of Leehan's face when was too tired to do it himself. The gentle sparkle in his eyes deepened whenever he listened to Leehan ramble on about fish for hours on end like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever heard. The Alpha's broad chest had become a solid wall against his back when he put himself behind Leehan when they were in a crowded area, as much for Leehan's peace of mind as his own.
They were all instances of quiet care that screamed love and devotion and made Leehan feel known and seen in the best of ways, a feeling he hoped that Taesan received from him in return.
But for one usually so calm and stoic Taesan also had a protective streak a mile long, one that occasionally erred on the side of possessive, that would probably take a lot of people by surprise.
It didn't happen often because Taesan wasn't by nature an overbearing person— certainly not the type of Alpha who saw Omegas as lesser-than by any means who didn't think that Leehan couldn't fend off any undesired attention on his own— but sometimes there were instances where those latent instincts came to life.
Honestly, Leehan probably liked those rare moments a little more than would be considered proper.
There was just something attractive in a deeply primal way about watching Taesan's eyes darken those times when an unfamiliar Alpha strayed a bit too close, obviously not catching the very obvious hints that Leehan was happily taken.
Leehan couldn't help but bask in the heady buzz under his skin whenever the older would drape a long arm over his shoulders, purposefully drawing him close while keeping his heavy gaze locked on the other Alpha. The scent of mountain air and cedar would flair around them like an avalanche, blending seamlessly with his ocean waves and vanilla until they were one. The combination acted like a blatant dare for anyone to challenge who each of them belonged to and it never failed to make Leehan's mating scar tingle at the base of his neck.
More than once he'd had to fight back the very real urge to bare his throat to his Alpha in a wanton gesture of willing submission and adoration while they were in a public place.
Who could blame him though? Taesan was hot at the best of times. The unflinching aura of bravado and strength that surrounded him whenever he felt his position as Leehan's Alpha was being questioned… Leehan's legs felt weak just thinking about it.
But as much as he couldn't get enough of Taesan's possessive side, it was his true soft-hearted nature that appealed to Leehan the most which was especially most prevalent when there were kids around.
Like right now.
They'd been asked to babysit Kibong's sons again, not for content this time but as a genuine favor for their favorite camera director. The older man's faced had been frantic and apologetic when he'd come across them just as they'd been about to leave the company building a little while ago, having finished their schedules for the day earlier than expected. Doyun and Reoun had trailed behind him, their little hands clasped in their dad's while looking around the place with wide, curious eyes.
"I'm seriously so sorry to ask this of the two of you but my wife had to drop the boys off with me because of a family emergency: would you mind watching them for a little while so I can finish up some work before I take them home? I promise, it shouldn't take very long at all. Maybe an hour? Please, I wouldn't normally do this but I was in the middle of a meeting and—"
Leehan had stopped him in his tracks right then, hating the stressed-out look on his kind face.
"Don't even worry about it, hyung. Head back to work, we've got this."
In hindsight, he probably should have asked Taesan first instead of just volunteering him to help but watching him now it didn't look like the Alpha minded so much.
"So you're still following your hyung around, huh Roeun-ah?"
Leehan watched Taesan follow the twins, Roeun clinging to the bottom of Doyun's sweater as they toddled around the practice room. He giggled to himself as they approached the prop doors along the back wall, looking up at the array of colorful stickers that decorated the blue door with sparkling eyes. They hadn't seen the twins in a while but obviously they'd lost none of their adorable charms. (It also probably helped that they weren't crying this time, something that Leehan desperately hoped they could avoid today.) Taesan looked like a proper dad, hovering just close enough to reach out if he needed to stop one of them from doing something dangerous but standing far enough back so he could watch them with fond eyes. Even from his seat across the room Leehan could smell his pheromones, calm and soothing like a fall breeze on a picturesque hiking trail.
The Alpha looked over just then, like he'd felt the weight of Leehan's gaze on his face. His expression was soft with amusement, a tilted grin curling the corners of his mouth before he looked back down to keep an eye on the twins.
Leehan was so lost in his admiring of his mate that he didn't notice he had company approaching until a pair of small feet had carried their owner right in front of him.
"Hi."
Big boba eyes blinked at him innocently, Doyun's little voice soft and cute as he greeted him with a gap-toothed grin. Leehan's inner Omega purred at the adorable expression and he reached out to gently stroke Doyun's chubby cheeks, cooing softly when the little boy leaned into his touch.
"Hi Doyunie. Are you having fun with Uncle Taesanie?"
"Mm!"
Doyun's eyes squished under a broad, quokka-like smile and Leehan managed to internalise the squeal that threatened to rip out of him but only just. Leehan pulled the little boy into his lap to hug him and Doyun went easily, happily snuggling into his arms with another happy hum. He smelled like baby powder and the clean, cottony scent of an unpresented pup. A fond pang echoed in Leehan's chest, recalling that not so long ago Woonhak had smelled like this. As much as he liked the youngest's new spicy, cinnamon scent he'd kind of missed his old one. He inhaled deeply to get a lungful of it, just for nostalgia's sake.
Across the practice room Taesan was in the process of attempting to teach Roeun the choreography to Hollywood Action, which seemed to be going well. Or as well as it could since Roeun was only 3 and had the coordination to match his age. If nothing else, he seemed to be enjoying the performance Taesan was putting on for him as he showed off his killing part in the initial chorus.
Not for the first time, Leehan thought about one day when it would be their own kids they'd be holding and playing with like this. He imagined an excitable little girl with wild black curls and a sharp grin chasing a dog around on a beach with Taesan at their heels while an introspective boy with tousled brown strands falling into sparkling eyes built castles in the sand while humming random tunes under his breath as Leehan helped him dig the moat.
As much as he knew that day was many years away for now, it still warmed Leehan to his very core to think about it. There was something comforting about the knowledge of a future with Taesan, of a family and home that was all their own even long after their times as idols has ended— which would still involve their packmates, of course. They'd all already been gifted the title of uncles to their future kids anyways, it seemed impossible to imagine any kind of life without them in it now.
A long shadow falling over his eyes, followed swiftly by another small body making itself at home in his lap, jarred him from his thoughts.
Leehan smiled down at Roeun and chuckled as he watched him latch onto Doyun, the pair immediately losing themselves in their own little world. He looked up to meet Taesan's eyes from where he was now crouched in front of them, a look of adoration shining in them as he watched the three of them with an infatuated grin. After a quick glance down to see if the twins were still distracted Leehan leaned forward a bit to kiss that smile, tasting the remnants of Taesan's coffee on his tongue when the older kissed him back just as eagerly.
"Love you."
Taesan mouthed the words at him. Despite their soundless nature, they echoed in Leehan's chest like a battle cry and made his chest fill with warmth. Before he could respond a litany of bright giggles cut him off and both his and Taesan's eyes shot down to find Doyun and Roeun watching them with big smiles on their faces. Leehan felt his cheeks flush when they started clapping their hands and buried his face in Taesan's shoulder, muffling a groan into the fabric of his hoodie as his mate burst into laughter above him. He smacked his chest weakly with one hand, the other still keeping the twins cradled safely in his lap.
"It's not funny, Dongmin! They totally just saw us kiss. We just kissed in front of Kibong-hyung's babies. Oh my god… He's never gonna let us look after them ever again."
Taesan snorted, "Donghyun-ah calm down, it's not like we had se—!"
Leehan quickly pushed him back with a garbled shriek, carefully swinging the boys out of his lap to set them down on the foam mat beneath them before launching himself into Taesan's arms to shut him up. Despite being stronger, Taesan let Leehan topple him with a playful snicker and they ended up rolling on the floor for a minute until Taesan had him pinned to the practice room floor. The Alpha's eyes sparkled as he held himself up on his elbows, arms bracketing themselves on either side of Leehan's head. He looked handsome like that— his dark hair messy under the cap he was wearing, a light sheen of sweat on his neck from dancing with Roeun, smiling wide and joyful in the way that Leehan loved best.
A pair of tiny shadows fell over them and in the blink of an eye the twins wiggled between them, giggling even harder than before when Taesan curled his arms around all three of them and rolled them again. It ended up with Taesan on his back, Leehan pressed against his side with the twins on top of his chest. The practice room was warm, filled with the scents of cedar, vanilla and baby powder and it quickly lulled the four of them to sleep.
And if when Kibong found them like that an hour later the heartwarming scene encouraged him to sneak a picture to show to his wife later, well that wasn't the worst thing in the world.