Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Something was off with Soobin.

That’s what Beomgyu had told Yeonjun earlier that afternoon, when they had met at the coffee shop for one of their usual group hangouts. The Omega had been quick to pull him aside under the pretence of ordering their drinks and desserts, clinging to his arm and announcing it like a doctor might deliver the news of a great illness.

“Off? How off?” Yeonjun had asked, eloquent, turning back to observe the Alpha.

Beomgyu had tugged on his shoulder to turn him around, hissing to not be so obvious, hyung. Yeonjun had never been subtle. He had never been particularly observant, either, but he trusted Beomgyu’s instincts and attentiveness. He was always the first to clock any uncharacteristic behaviour in their friends.

“I’m not sure yet. Just watch, you’ll see.”

Then they had reached the counter, dropped the topic and gave their order to the barista. Though not without an insistent look from the younger, who kept gesturing at Soobin with his chin as they went back to their table outside.

So Yeonjun had sat next to Soobin and resolved to keep an eye on him.

Soobin had looked up at him with an easy smile, immediately moving his chair closer to Yeonjun’s. So far, so good. Soobin was a cheerful, smile-y person, and he would inevitably shuffle closer when the Beta was holding a slice of cake, eager to devour it.

Then Soobin had put an arm around his shoulders, wielding his spoon with his left hand – the weak one – and Yeonjun wouldn’t have filed this behaviour as odd hadn’t Beomgyu stared at him with wide eyes as if to say ‘see?’. Soobin had always been affectionate and clingy.

Though, his suspicion had grown when he had caught a whiff of Soobin’s scent – cocoa with an undertone of strawberry – surprised by the intensity of it. He couldn’t smell his own pastry. Kai was sitting on his other side, close enough to smell if Yeonjun focused, but even then, the peppermint was hard to discern.

Oh, well. It happened, he had rationalised. Maybe Soobin had caught a cold, sinuses clogged, and wasn’t aware he was emanating such a strong scent. Yeonjun had thought of pointing it out but worried the Alpha might get embarrassed and overcompensate. He would hate for him to feel uncomfortable among friends. It wasn’t a big deal, anyway.

Under the table, Beomgyu had kicked his shin. Ignoring Yeonjun’s glare, the Omega had pointed – very obviously – at Soobin’s legs. They were bouncing up and down furiously. Soobin’s hand on his shoulder was playing with the strap of his tank top, too. Alright, so he was particularly nervous, that day. Restless.

It still hadn’t been enough to set off any urgent alarm in Yeonjun’s mind.

But, now, almost an hour and a half later, Yeonjun was convinced Beomgyu had been right. Not that he had really doubted him in the first place.

Soobin’s strange behaviour wasn’t obvious. Yeonjun had had to observe him diligently to notice the few details, here and there, that added up to Beomgyu’s diagnostic. The scent, the bouncy legs, the clinginess… those could be easily dismissed as habitual, indicating a touch of agitation, at most. But other details were more alarming.

Firstly, Soobin hadn’t finished his slice of cake, instead sliding his plate to Yeonjun after eating less than half of it. Yeonjun might have been a stomach on legs, but a regular Soobin would rather bite off your arm than share his food – except when it came to Taehyun, because the Alpha had a soft spot for him, as well as a justified fear of getting beat up by the gym-rat Beta.

Secondly, in the middle of Taehyun and Beomgyu recounting a funny anecdote about aggressive seagulls and stolen doughnuts, Soobin had zoned out. Only Soobin, the epitome of an immersed listener, never zoned out. He could ignore or not answer, limiting his reactions to nods and hums, but he was way too polite and thoughtful to not pay attention. Yeonjun had had to double check when he had caught Soobin staring at the table, clearly lost in thoughts.

Thirdly, Soobin had stolen multiple sips of Yeonjun’s iced americano throughout the hour, drinking his own overly sweet collation at the pace of a sloth. The thought had been amusing, reminding him of Zootopia and how he couldn’t wait to watch it for the nth time, before Yeonjun had sobered up at the thought of Soobin drinking coffee – bitter, repulsive coffee – out of his own volition.

Then, final nail in the coffin, there was the looks.

Yeonjun might have not noticed hadn’t he been on the lookout, but Soobin kept looking over at him, even when the Beta didn’t talk or do anything worth watching. Looking at his bare shoulders, more exactly. Over and over, brows slightly furrowed, mouth pinched, dimples prominent, obviously bothered. Only Yeonjun had checked in the window of the coffee shop, and there wasn’t anything notable. Soobin was the issue.

Yeonjun was proven right when the younger turned to him, ignoring Kai telling them about drums, and blurted out: “You’re- aren’t you cold?”

Yeonjun raised both eyebrows in surprise, looking down at his tank top. “Mh? No, I’m fine,” he assured with a shrug. It was the middle of spring, the temperatures had gone up, and the light breeze was rather agreeable. Plus, Yeonjun loved wearing tank tops and showing off his arms, the Alpha should have been used to it.

But Soobin wasn’t pacified. The looks got more and more frequent, until Yeonjun arched an eyebrow and asked, a touch of petulance in his voice: “What are you looking at?”

“Do you want my jacket?” Soobin shot back without skipping a beat, nonchalant. Or, rather, trying and failing to appear nonchalant.

Yeonjun frowned at that, puzzled, nibbling at his straw but not drinking. “Huh? Why would I want your jacket? Soobin, I told you I’m not cold.” He was literally nursing a cup of iced coffee.

Soobin opened his mouth, ready to insist, probably, before closing it. He looked like a fish out of water, gaping a bit dumbly.

“Yeah, sorry,” he muttered, rubbing at the back of his head. “I just- sorry.”

Across the table, Yeonjun met Beomgyu’s eyes and nodded at the Omega, silently confirming that, yes, something was off with Soobin.

“Hyung,” Kai said on the other side of the line. “When do you get off work? Soobin-hyung and I will pick you up.”

Yeonjun checked his schedule, squinting at his messy handwriting. He should take up the habit of writing it down in his phone, but he was a proper boomer when it came to technology. “Uh, at six. Where are we going, again?”

“Ah, this hyung…” Kai sighed, though Yeonjun could hear the smile in his voice. “I told you, Gyu-hyung found a new Harry Potter themed coffee shop he wants to check out. He wants us to dress in the colours of our Hogwarts houses. You didn’t forget to pack green clothes, did you?”

Yeonjun remembered, snorting at the Omega’s childishness. Well, he wasn’t about to complain; playing dress up was quite literally his job. “No, don’t worry. I still don’t get why I’m a Slytherin, though. It’s total discrimination based on looks. And why Soobin, of all people, should be in Gryffindor.”

He could make out Soobin’s voice whining in the background as Kai laughed. “Soobin-hyung is telling you a bunch of not-so-nice things. And stop grumbling, hyung, or you’ll get older quicker.” Before Yeonjun could retort and curse at him, the youngest went on: “Anyway, six o’clock, got it. See you later.”

And he hung up. Kai was definitely not a Hufflepuff, no matter how much of an angel the young Alpha looked like at first glance.

By the time six p.m. rolled around, Yeonjun had somehow managed to get busier, collecting projects to finish off in his ongoing quest for perfection, and was absolutely not ready to leave behind his sketches and unfinished pieces, no matter how tempting the idea of eating overpriced desserts while waving around plastic wands was. He was trying on a customised button-up shirt when Kai and Soobin came in, bowing politely at Yeonjun’s coworkers.

They were both clad in yellow and red respectively, from head to toe, and Soobin was still off.

It might have been the colourful clothing setting the Beta on edge, the lack of cardigan and comfortable slacks, which made the Alpha look like an overgrown, uncomfortable kid in disguise. But his scent as he got closer, even stronger than the previous day, confirmed Yeonjun’s suspicions. The strawberry undertones were almost indiscernible, while the cocoa felt slightly overwhelming and a touch more bitter than usual.

Maybe Soobin was in a bad mood. His eyebrows were oh-so-slightly knitted, his forehead creased.

Yeonjun filed the thought away and turned back to his mirror, checking himself out, only to pout at his reflection. He wasn’t satisfied with the shirt.

“Looking good, hyung,” Kai said in lieu of greeting, quick to divert his attention to Yeonjun’s open sketchbooks on his desk. Yeonjun slapped his hand away before the youngest messed with his organised chaos.

Soobin hummed in agreement, coming to stand behind Yeonjun, looking in the mirror over the Beta’s shoulder. Too close to be normal, though Yeonjun didn’t address it, staying put as he straightened some creases, scrunching his nose in distaste.

“Yeah, no,” he replied. “Something’s not right.” Anticipating Kai’s response, he went on: “I know, Gyu and Tyun are waiting, I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

Kai put up two placating hands, unbothered: “I didn’t say anything.”

Soobin hadn’t yet either, seemingly in one of his non-verbal moods. It wasn’t out of the ordinary; he would go silent, from time to time, often when he was tired or preoccupied or simply content with taking the backseat and listening. Yeonjun met his eyes in the mirror and gave him a smile, relieved when Soobin smiled back – though it was small, it didn’t seem forced.

As Yeonjun started unbuttoning his shirt, ready to change into his all-green outfit for their hangout, Soobin shifted behind him, stepping to the right. The Beta frowned at the sudden move, confused. As he shrugged off the shirt, his bare chest on display, the Alpha shot sharp looks over his shoulder at Yeonjun’s coworkers on the other side of the room, and even one in Kai’s direction, lips pressed together.

Was he shielding Yeonjun from potential stares? If he was, it was a sweet gesture, but a completely unnecessary one. Yeonjun wasn’t modest in any way, especially not in front of Kai or his coworkers, whom he saw in various states of undress on the daily. Soobin himself was used to seeing him shirtless, and the Alpha wasn’t one to get prudish either.

While puzzled, Yeonjun was quick to put on his green flannel. Soobin stayed close, but still didn’t comment.

When Yeonjun climbed in the passenger seat of Soobin’s car, sending the maknae to the back with a threatening pointy finger, he was immediately taken aback by the force of the cocoa smell. It wasn’t disagreeable in the slightest, though, and the Beta greedily breathed it in, the familiarity of the scent switching off his work mode completely. He melted against his seat, slumping down further. But, in the back, Kai quietly rolled down his window.

Alphas had sensitive noses. Sucked to be them, honestly.

Yeonjun checked his copper hair in the rear-view mirror, fluffing it up with a pensive moue. As Soobin settled next to him, he reached a large hand to pat down a cowlick strand. Yeonjun smiled at him, ignoring the heat spreading in his chest and on his cheeks.

He stretched and yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth.

“Bin, how about you take the long road to get to the café? I could use a nap. You can drive around the same two blocks a few times or something.”

Soobin snorted, shaking his head with a lopsided grin, and Yeonjun internally fist-bumped himself in celebration.

“A nap? How old are you?” Kai quipped from the back. Yeonjun flipped him off.

Lulled by the rumble of the engine, Yeonjun closed his eyes but didn’t manage to fall asleep. He never could, no matter how exhausted he thought he was. His reserve of energy had never run out, keeping him up and always bouncing about since he was a kid. He couldn’t tell if Soobin had changed the itinerary since he didn’t know the way, but Kai did let out a huff, at some point. If it was because Soobin had taken an unnecessary turn or because of whatever bullshit the younger Alpha was watching on his phone – a long-term victim of brain rot –, Yeonjun didn’t care much.

Beomgyu and Taehyun were waiting for them inside the coffee shop instead of outside, like they had agreed, bickering away in a booth in the far back. They hadn’t ordered yet, still scanning the menu with great attention. Yeonjun oohed at the decorations, his inner child awakening, pointing out details here and there with his wand – a plastic one he had bought online, with a light at the tip.

Taehyun had elected to wear glasses to pull off the Ravenclaw nerd look, but the way he was analysing the dishes’ names to guess the ingredients honestly did the job. Beomgyu hadn’t followed his own dress code, sporting red, yellow and blue garments. He threatened to use an unforgivable spell on Yeonjun when the Beta called him out.

“I’m too complex to fit in only one house, hyung,” the Omega argued. “I’m brave, kind and smart, it happens. Sorry.”

Foregoing complex spells, Yeonjun stepped on his foot and cackled when the younger yelped.

Throughout all the bantering and gushing over Harry Potter lore, Soobin kept quiet, sitting close to Yeonjun, their thighs pressed together. The Beta didn’t dare move away, figuring Soobin might have needed the comfort. It was clear everyone had noticed – especially Beomgyu who kept spewing bullshit to make the mood light and entertaining – though no one addressed it.

Eventually, a waitress came to take their order. She was dressed in witch robes, her scent so subdued Yeonjun guessed she must be a Beta too. She noted down the dishes on a leather notebook with a long, quill-shaped pen, apparently struggling to do so. When it was Yeonjun’s turn to order, she briefly looked up, polite, and lit up when she saw his green attire.

“Oh, you’re a Slytherin? Me too.”

Yeonjun, ever social and enjoying casual chatter, didn’t mention it wasn’t an official sorting and he had been bullied by his friends into choosing the house – something about sharp eyes and intimidating scowls – replying easily: “Really? That’s rare. It’s nice to see a fellow Slytherin, then.” He shot a look at his friends. “The other houses are boring.”

Beomgyu raised two provocative eyebrows and the waitress chuckled good-naturedly. “I completely agree. It’s-”

“I’ll have Hagrid’s dragon eggs and butterbeer corn dogs, please,” Soobin cut in, speaking up for the first time that night.

His tone was unusually sharp, paired with a spike in the cocoa scent, and it left the whole table speechless. The waitress stuttered.

Though, as soon as the Alpha registered his own words, he gasped, slapping a hand to his mouth, eyes wide. “Oh, god, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t- didn’t mean to cut you off. It just-” he bowed the best he could in his seat, cheeks crimson and the scent of overripe strawberries taking over the cocoa one. “I apologise, really-”

The waitress was quick to shake her head, bowing back – probably out of habit – as she reassured: “Oh, no worries, it’s okay. Really. What- um, what did you want again?”

“Hagrid’s dragon eggs and butterbeer corn dogs,” Soobin muttered from behind his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

The waitress gave him another smile as she noted it down, gathering their menus. “It’s okay. Your dishes should be ready in half an hour max.” And with that, she was off.

There was a beat of silence. Then Yeonjun slapped Soobin softly on the back of the head, scowling down at the Alpha who winced, melting further against the table. His hand then combed through the dark hair to soothe him.

“Dumbass,” he mumbled under his breath.

Soobin leaned into his touch.

Gradually, the maknaes sparing their hyung for once, they picked up the conversation where they had left off, each of them taking turns to shoot worried glances Soobin’s way. He had gone back to his muteness, scent still too strong to be dismissed, looking ashamed and exhausted.

The food came and the Alpha made sure to be overly polite with the waitress, who didn’t seem to hold any grudge. They all shared their dishes and drinks, and Yeonjun could almost fool himself into believing it was one of their regular hang-outs, nothing amiss.

But Soobin still didn’t eat much, dropping pieces of food in Yeonjun’s plate when he thought he wasn’t looking and feigning innocence when the Beta stared at him suspiciously. He kept a hand on Yeonjun’s thigh underneath the table, massaging the muscle absent-mindedly, and even stroked the inside of Yeonjun’s wrist once, a casual way of scenting. There was also the glances, again, to Yeonjun’s unbuttoned collar, his collarbones, and the way the Alpha kept looking up at the people passing by their table as if he was on alert, hyper-aware of his surroundings.

As they munched on their desserts, stomachs already full but unable to resist the call of sugar, Yeonjun felt something poke his cheek – which was stuffed with brownies, puffed up like a chipmunk’s. Soobin didn’t remove his finger even as the Beta glared at him, falsely offended. In fact, he didn’t have any reaction, staring at Yeonjun’s cheeks as if in a daze. His own face was a bit flushed, and Yeonjun thought it couldn’t be because of the embarrassment anymore. Soobin looked sick.

Instead of voicing his worry, he mumbled, mouth full: “Whatcha doin’?” Soobin simply hummed non-committally in response, not even bothering to shrug, so Yeonjun swallowed and insisted: “Have you lost your voice? Hang on, let me fix it.”

He took out his wand and waved it in front of Soobin’s face, poking his nose and his dimples in turn and giggling when Soobin wrinkled his nose. “Voces returnus to estupidus Soobinus.” He lit up the toy wand, blinding the Alpha who groaned.

“That’s a stupid spell,” he grumbled.

“But effective,” Yeonjun countered. Finally, he gave in to his worries and dropped the act, bringing a hand to Soobin’s forehead. He was burning. “Bin, I think you have a fever.”

“Hm, probably,” he grunted.

And with that, he dropped his head to Yeonjun’s shoulder, who stroked his back gently even as he complained about the weight. He met Taehyun’s concerned eyes across the table, and didn’t miss the way Kai laughed a bit too loud as Beomgyu humiliated himself for entertainment purposes.

In a silent agreement, they proceeded to finish the desserts in a few minutes, and then Taehyun went to pay at the counter with a solemn promise from the group that they would send him their share of the bill within the next two days. He wasn’t a charitable soul. As they gathered their stuff and went to wait outside for the Beta, Beomgyu smoothly posted himself next to Soobin, releasing calming pheromones as he chatted away. For a brief moment, the sweet scent of vanilla alleviated Soobin’s sharp one, mingling together in a pleasant combination.

Their respective smells had always paired well together. Yeonjun ignored the weight in his stomach, the invasive pang of envy in his chest, and toned down his own scent not to mess with the appeasing mix of aromas.

Except Soobin took his wrist in a loose hold, fingers stroking the inside of it, their arms flush together. The Alpha was the one wearing a short-sleeved graphic tee that time and Yeonjun swore he could feel how hot his skin was even through the fabric of his flannel. His hand was clammy, too, but he wasn’t about to point it out.

His heart beat faster at the contact, but he tried his best not to react. Soobin was feeling sick, was naturally seeking comfort, and Yeonjun simply happened to be standing next to him. The fact that the Alpha had stuck to his side throughout the whole evening was irrelevant.

With the unconscious scenting from the Alpha, the taste of cocoa was quick to flood Yeonjun’s mouth, as if he had eaten a spoon of cocoa powder straight out of the tin, chasing away the vanilla. He hoped it was only his impression and that Beomgyu’s pheromones were effective. There was no reason for them not to be. Yeonjun had an underdeveloped sense of smell, that was all.

Taehyun came out of the coffee shop and it was time to go home.

“Hyung,” Kai called out to Soobin. “Do you think you can drive? You seem pretty… out of it.”

“He can’t,” Taehyun replied instead, matter-of-factly. Beomgyu nodded furiously in agreement.

Yeonjun studied Soobin’s face: the glassy eyes, the subconscious frown, the laboured breathing through parted lips. The distant way in which he observed their friends, as if they weren’t talking to and about him. He was surprised when the Alpha’s eyes flicked to his own, catching him staring. The grip on his wrist tightened.

Yeonjun looked away and turned to Kai. “I’ll drive you home, Hyuka. What about you guys, do you need a lift?”

Beomgyu and Taehyun took him up on his offer readily.

Soobin didn’t say a word all the way to his car. Despite his feverish state, he wasn’t sluggish, instead walking in wide strides with his chin up, busy eyes fleeting all across the place. In a similar fashion as in the coffee shop, he scrutinised every person they crossed paths with, eyeing them up and down in such blatant disrespect Yeonjun had half-a-mind to tug on his ear and make him bow in apology. The oddity of the behaviour was what held him up.

He did pinch his arm with a glare when they reached the car and Soobin straight-up ignored Kai. Their maknae had asked him where he wanted to sit and Soobin had had the guts to turn away, busy side-eyeing some random man on the other side of the street. It probably meant nothing to Kai, his patience and generosity endless, but Yeonjun wouldn’t let anyone disrespect his dongsaeng. Not even the alleged second-parent of the group.

Soobin startled with a wince. Yeonjun absolutely did not soften before his kicked-puppy eyes.

“Kai asked you a question.” He made the comment more out of principle than in the goal of getting a response, so he turned to the younger Alpha without giving Soobin time to answer: “Kai-yah, I think it’s better if he sits in the front. Right, Bin?”

Soobin only nodded. Then Yeonjun held up his free hand – he had allowed the man to keep holding his wrist hostage – and the Alpha peered down at it for a second, before making the obvious decision of engulfing it in his own.

They were holding hands dumbly in front of their dongsaengs. Yeonjun decidedly ignored their presence as well as his burning cheeks.

He shook Soobin’s hand off – gently, he wasn’t an asshole. “No, idiot, give me your car keys.”

Surprisingly, Soobin obliged without any protest. Yeonjun thought maybe the soothing pheromones Beomgyu had kept on emitting the whole time had finally worn him off. He himself felt them cradling his anxiety and putting it to sleep.

Sitting in an enclosed space with an Alpha actively – if unknowingly – asserting his presence felt suffocating. Despite the chill in the air, they rolled down all four windows as Yeonjun drove them home. Beomgyu and Taehyun shivered in the backseats as Kai happily cuddled them and rubbed their arms in turn. Soobin didn’t seem bothered at all, still a bit flushed and collar pulled low, despite his usual sensitivity to the cold.

They kept up a steady, mindless flow of conversation during the ride, anything to keep any awkward silence at bay.

“Are you working tomorrow, hyung?” Taehyun asked him at some point.

Yeonjun hummed, leaning forward to see if a car was approaching before turning left. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You went to the design studio last weekend even though you weren’t supposed to.” Yeonjun didn’t look up but he could hear the frown in Taehyun’s voice. “You told me you’d take a day off this week.”

Yeonjun’s hands tightened on the wheel, but he feigned nonchalance, shrugging a shoulder lazily as he turned on the blinker.

“Well, the week isn’t over.”

He could feel Taehyun’s big, unsettling eyes drilling holes in the back of his skull. “It’s Friday in literally two hours.”

“A majority of working adults work on Saturdays too, for your information. Sometimes the whole weekend.” Yeonjun shot the other Beta a look through the rear view mirror. “And you’re one to talk. I’m not gonna listen to you regarding matters of work-life balance.”

“Will you listen to me if I ask you to take a break?” Beomgyu shot back.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes. “No.”

“That’s dumb,” Taehyun commented. Kai snickered.

“You’re dumb,” Yeonjun retorted, mature. “Why are you guys complaining, anyway? We literally just hung out. It’s not like we don’t see each other every week.”

“You would have worked at least three extra hours if Soobin-hyung and I hadn’t come to pick you up,” Kai said.

“Well, you did so I didn’t. Alright! Gyu, Tyun, I’ll drop you off there. Think you can walk two blocks, Taehyun-ah?”

Yeonjun couldn’t park directly in front of Beomgyu’s apartment building and there was no way he would let the Omega walk home alone, no matter how safe of a city Seoul was. Taehyun could walk ten minutes more. It was left unsaid, but Taehyun knew.

“Sure,” the Beta agreed easily. “See you guys later.” He opened his door before turning to Soobin with a soft smile and an even softer: “Take care, hyung. Rest well.”

The Alpha hummed and that was that. But Beomgyu was another matter.

“Hyung,” the Omega called out, leaning between the front seats to grab Soobin’s arm, lips pinched and big eyes raking his figure to take stock of any discomfort.

Yeonjun took the time to look too, noting that Soobin actually seemed a bit more relaxed than earlier. There was still a tightness to his features and both his legs were bouncing, fingers fidgeting on his lap, but, overall, the haze seemed to have lifted. Mostly.

Soobin managed to smile at Beomgyu, who worried, voice quiet but insistent: “You take care of yourself, yeah? Sleep a lot, eat a lot. You almost didn’t eat anything earlier. And if, uh, if you need, it it helps,” he shot a hesitant look at Yeonjun then at Kai, “we can give you some clothes. You know, with our scents on them. Would it help?”

It was an actual question, but one Yeonjun didn’t have any answers to, so he simply shrugged. Soobin was as unhelpful, watching them attentively as if he wasn’t the one whose opinion mattered most. His eyes were clear and alert. Why the fuck wasn’t he responding?

“Maybe,” Kai hazarded.

“Maybe not,” the Omega sighed. “It helps for me but- well, you call me if you need anything, okay?” When Soobin simply nodded, Beomgyu pouted harder. “Hyung. Okay?”

The Alpha hummed, and finally: “Okay.” His voice was still gruff.

“Okay.” Beomgyu hesitated a few seconds longer, and Yeonjun realised he was still releasing pheromones. He might be afraid Soobin’s own pheromones would go wild the moment he stopped.

“Don’t worry, Gyu,” Yeonjun smiled, ruffling the younger’s hair. “He’ll be fine. And Kai will be there.”

“I know, I just…” Another sigh as he nibbled on his bottom lip. “Should I give him my sweater, hyung?”

Yeonjun didn’t know why he was asking him of all people. Soobin was right there. A bit lost and a lot silent, maybe, but he could probably manage a smile or a grimace to convey his feelings if they shoved the sweater under his nose. Hell, he could most certainly have an actual conversation if he managed to connect his brain for just a moment.

So he turned to the Alpha: “Should he?”

Soobin shrugged. Except Yeonjun didn’t settle for that, raising a brow to prompt him to talk. Under his challenging gaze, Soobin caved in.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Maybe, Gyu. Thanks.”

The Omega nodded furiously and immediately took off his jacket then his sweater, handing it to the Alpha who took a beat too long to accept it. Eventually, though, he took it and put it on his lap. Yeonjun had expected him to bring it to his nose. That was the whole point of having an item with the Omega’s calming vanilla scent.

“Oh, Taehyun, too, he should-” Beomgyu started, ready to call for the Beta, who must have been waiting impatiently for him to get out.

“It’s okay,” Soobin interrupted.

“Go on, hyung,” Kai smiled at the Omega with a reassuring arm rub. “And you better run, or you’re gonna freeze without your sweater.”

“I don’t fear the cold,” Beomgyu huffed. Yeonjun rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll go. You take care of Soobin-hyung, Kai-yah.”

“Of course.”

“Okay.”

And, finally, with a last nod and a smile, Beomgyu got out of the car. The strong vanilla aroma stayed in the vehicle, though, all the way to Soobin and Kai’s shared apartment, despite the rolled down windows. The Omega’s sweater remained untouched of Soobin’s lap as the Alpha’s eyes jumped repeatedly from the road to Yeonjun’s hands on the steering wheel and the gear shifter, back to the road. He should have been dozing off by now.

Yeonjun stubbornly focused on blinkers, red lights and roundabouts.

He parked in Soobin’s reserved spot, turned off the engine and pocketed the car keys. Kai was out of the car in a second, taking in deep breaths with little subtlety. Yeonjun rolled his eyes at the display, unimpressed by the theatrics. Was it an Alpha thing? Beomgyu hadn’t seemed as bothered, though it might have been because he had been releasing his own pheromones.

Still, for all the talk about Omegas being oversensitive, Alphas were put off by the slightest aftertaste.

“Bin-ah!” he called out as he tossed the keys at him.

Soobin’s hand shot up in a flash, catching them mid-air and Yeonjun’s eyebrows reached his hairline. The Alpha’s reflexes had never been the sharpest. He looked surprised himself, eyeing his handful with analytical eyes. It was a far cry from his usual nonchalant and relaxed demeanour.

Yeonjun shrugged his own shock off, commented: “Nice.” Then he turned towards the youngest, already headed towards the building’s entrance. “Kai-yah, can you take it from here? Or do you need my help a bit longer?”

Kai turned to face him, hands in his pockets, going backwards. He threw a glance at Soobin, who hadn’t moved from his spot next to the car, keeping close to Yeonjun as if he had no intention to go home.

“I should be fine,” he assured.

“You can always text me, anyway. Actually, keep me updated,” Yeonjun said.

Kai nodded, offering a comforting smile. “Sure, I will. Don’t worry, hyung. What do you think, Soobin-hyung?” With deliberate enthusiasm, he cheered: “Let’s go home!”

“Yeah,” Soobin agreed.

Then he stayed put.

Yeonjun observed, perplexed, as Soobin stood there, car keys in one hand and Beomgyu’s sweater in the other, back straight and chin up, chest moving up and down quickly and eyes alert. He kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Soobin?”

Soobin’s eyes were on him immediately, attentive. He nodded. “Hm?”

The absurdity of it all caught up to Yeonjun, and he chuckled – an ugly, snort-like laugh he barely tried to keep down. “What are you doing?”

Now that they were out of the car, Beomgyu’s smell was no longer obvious. The Beta had to focus on it to find the fragrances coming from his sweater, engulfed under a heavy coat of cocoa. The dry kind that reminded Yeonjun of stealing spoons from the tin as a kid, away from his parents’ eyes, only to cough out the powder as it stuck to his throat.

Soobin’s eyes widened and he looked around, panicky, as if waking up from a dream. He stuffed the keys in his pocket and took a few steps towards Kai, raking an agitated hand through his hair.

“Sorry. I’m just- I need to sleep.”

“Clearly,” Kai snorted.

Soobin rolled his eyes. “Oh, hush.” Then, he stopped in his tracks, as if struck by an idea. He waved the youngest off. “Go on, Kai, I’ll be right behind you.”

Then he turned to Yeonjun, who raised an eyebrow as a silent prompt. As Kai shrugged, waved and went in, Soobin took wide strides in his direction to stop right in front of him – closer than usual. He gulped, fidgeting. Yeonjun frowned in confusion, waiting for the coming request. Why would he look so nervous?

Then Soobin held up Beomgyu’s sweater, pointing at it then gesturing vaguely with his hand, opening his mouth just to close it, and it clicked.

“Can you giv-”

“Yeah, of course,” Yeonjun nodded. He took the sweater from Soobin’s hands and draped it over the Alpha’s shoulders, pulling it tight so the scent and warmth would cocoon him fast.

As he tied the sleeves together, he looked up to catch Soobin staring down at him. His lips were parted stupidly, brows furrowed as if he wanted to say something but didn’t dare. Yeonjun’s confused pout deepened. “What?”

“Oh, uh, I-” Soobin fumbled. “Nothing, it’s- um… thanks, hyung.”

He sounded off, voice trailing off, barely over a whisper and smile too curt. Dimples too shallow. For the first time that day, his scent retreated, just enough for Beomgyu’s to take more room. Though it was brief.

Yeonjun frowned down at the sweater, pulling at the sleeves. “Does it not work?” he asked.

After a beat of silence, Soobin shrugged. “A bit, yeah. But…‘s not enough,” he muttered. The sudden spurt of energy had died down as quickly as it had emerged.

There was part disappointment that his friend wasn’t soothed and part wrong, cold relief battling in the Beta’s belly. He pushed them both down.

“Yeah, I suspected,” Yeonjun sighed. “You’re an Alpha, not a nesting Omega. Must be different. But what do I know?”

Soobin simply hummed non-committally. It was one of his frustrating habits when he was tired. Yeonjun didn’t have the brains to decode his hums and nods and looks. It was hard enough to understand people when they said shit outright. He couldn’t even read their scents the way Beomgyu would, reading between the lines to uncover the truth.

Really, subtlety wasn’t his forte.

Case in point: after silently observing Soobin’s out-of-it state for a few seconds, he nearly blurted out that his rut must be approaching. Fortunately, he bit his tongue before he could make a fool of himself.

What did he know about ruts? Kai hadn’t mentioned that possibility, most certainly because it wasn’t one: Soobin had had ruts for years and he would have known if those were symptoms of an oncoming rut. Just like Beomgyu would know when his heat was approaching, texting Yeonjun he had sobbed over cute animal videos and would thus soon disappear for a few days while his hormones wrecked him.

Yeonjun loved being a Beta.

But if not a rut, what else could it be? Yeonjun had settled for fever and everyone else had agreed silently, but the word didn’t seem to cover it. Fevers would make people sluggish, zombie-like and prone to bursting into tears for no reason. Soobin looked like his blood was thrumming with electricity.

What the hell kind of virus had he caught?

Before he could ponder aloud, Soobin broke the silence:

“Taehyun’s right.”

Huh? Yeonjun frowned at the change of subject.

“What about?”

“You work too much,” he grumbled.

Yeonjun’s first thought was: ha! so Soobin had been listening in the car. It was a relief, to know the Alpha wasn’t completely trapped in his own mind. His second thought was: fuck, not again.

Guilt reared its hideous head and climbed up his throat, sticky and prickly. The last time he had heard that sentence, months ago, it had been spat out by an angry Taehyun, with crossed arms and glaring eyes, while Beomgyu and Kai stood quietly beside him, their silence absolutely deafening. When they had cornered him outside his apartment, late at night, after a week of radio silence from Yeonjun. When he had realised it had been more than a month since he had spent more than thirty minutes with them.

He crossed his arms and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m doing better.”

Soobin stayed quiet, tilting his head to the side like he often did. Yeonjun didn’t know if it was to convey his scepticism or if he had disconnected because of the fever.

Still, tightening his hold on himself, he insisted: “I hang out with you a lot more. And I do take days off. I’m not- I’m not shutting you guys out.”

It was technically the truth: he had learnt his lesson and had made sure, these past few weeks, to take breaks regularly, to text back under twenty-four hours and to agree to friendly hang-outs even when he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his work. When Beomgyu or Taehyun asked him how he was doing, he didn’t shrug but made the effort to expand beyond a vague, unsatisfactory ‘fine’. Expressing emotions and admitting vulnerability felt like tearing off his own skin, but he endured it.

Truthful as it was, it still didn’t sound convincing, even to his own ears.

Soobin’s mouth was set in a firm line, dimples popping out. His scent pushed outwards. “But I can’t smell you.”

Yeonjun froze for half a second, before letting out a small, awkward huff. “I don’t have a strong scent.”

Soobin’s frown deepened. “You do.”

Indeed, saffron was hard to miss, only a whiff enough to saturate the sinuses. It was especially strong for a Beta. But Yeonjun didn’t feel like being called out.

He shook his head, dismissive. “Bin, my scent is fine. If you’re talking about today, I only clamped down on it not to overwhelm you.”

He hadn’t expected Soobin’s eyes to widen in alarm at the revelation, nor for the Alpha to immediately grab his wrist to turn his hand palm-up. He pressed against the scent glands there with two thumbs, jaw set, then levelled Yeonjun with a determined stare:

“Stop it.”

Yeonjun’s stomach was a mess, his heart fluttering in his chest. The cocoa smell had gone up a notch, again. It wasn’t bitter, though, on the contrary. It felt appealing, as if the Alpha was coaxing him out of his shut-down state, encouraging him. The slight pressure on his wrist wasn’t painful, but it did loosen his hold on his scent, whiffs of saffron and thick, sweet honey slipping past.

“Wh-” His voice cracked. “I don’t want to, Soobin.”

Saffron and cacao had no business mixing. It would be unpleasant at best, repulsing at worst. Yeonjun was grateful he typically couldn’t fully smell his own scent to bask in the Alpha’s blissfully.

“Hyung.” Soobin’s voice was surprisingly strict. “You shouldn’t suppress your scent.”

He sounded adamant about that, staring into Yeonjun’s eyes without rest. And, sure, Soobin wasn’t shy around him or any of their friends, rather comfortable, blunt and unapologetic – but he wasn’t one for intense staring off. Yeonjun wasn’t either, at least not with him.

Soobin and him did a lot of not looking at each other, really. Quick glances, casual looks of acknowledgement, being attentive towards each other, yes, but Yeonjun usually avoided staring if he could. Though, now that he thought about it, maybe the lack of staring was of his own doing and it wasn’t an issue for Soobin. Maybe if he dared look, he’d find eyes staring back.

Once more, Yeonjun shied away from the persistent gaze, defending himself: “I don’t always suppress it. You’re sick, it’s different. You’re more sensitive.”

When they met, three years ago, Soobin was the shy one, averting his gaze and stumbling over his words. Why was Yeonjun only ever losing his confidence when faced with the Alpha? He was a certified flirt, for fuck’s sake, known for charming people with his siren eyes. But Soobin only got the dorky, clumsy, weird version of him and it was hurting his ego.

Soobin pouted. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“You have a fever and you’re exhausted, Binnie,” Yeonjun retorted with a huff. “Sorry but I’m not trusting your judgement right now.” Before the Alpha could protest, he brought a hand to his forehead to distract him and busy himself. The burning skin revived the worried lodged deep in his chest, and he sobered up. “It’s really bad. Take some medicine before going to sleep, yeah? And you shouldn’t go to work tomorrow if you’re still sick. Kai said he’d keep me informed so don’t do anything stupid.”

Soobin took the sudden change of subject in stride, peering at him beneath Yeonjun’s hand, cheeks flushed but otherwise unbothered.

“Okay,” he caved in.

It wasn’t unusual for either of them to quickly drop the subject. Most of their conversations were loaded with things unsaid, Yeonjun was aware. It was inevitable when they both avoided confrontations like the plague – or, it had been, back in the beginning, until Soobin had learnt to be confident and prioritise himself and Yeonjun had grown tired of caring about what people thought. Still, for some reason, he remained a coward when it came to Soobin.

It was funny, really, how they would play therapists for their friends, sitting them down to talk it out after fights – be they serious or petty –, only to mope around for days and overwork themselves to exhaustion when they got into an argument. Despite their differences, they shared the same unhealthy habit: avoiding things that mattered.

Soobin was usually the one to reach out and apologise first, even when he wasn’t in the wrong. Then Yeonjun would make it up to him by treating him to meals, buying him clothes and random anime merch and playing video games with him for weeks afterwards. By calling him in the middle of the night to murmur apologies, guilt-ridden and feeling immature as fuck.

He was working on his communication issues, on his pride – stuck-up-ness as Beomgyu would call it – but Soobin was too forgiving, too patient. Sometimes Yeonjun wished he would snap and yell at him when the Beta was being an ass.

Soobin had been the only one not to confront him with sharp eyes and sharper words when Yeonjun had retreated into himself and shut out his friends, a few months ago. Yeonjun had raised his dongsaengs well: all three of them had enough self-respect to be angry at him for disregarding their feelings. Soobin had clenched his jaw, endured it and embraced him with careful arms and a soft grin when Yeonjun had come to him with wet eyes and stuttered apologies. He had whispered ‘I understand’ and ‘I’m not mad at you, Jjunie’ and Yeonjun had cried and fallen asleep in his hold.

They hadn’t talked about it the following day because they never did.

Yeonjun hadn’t meant to get lost in thoughts, especially not so sombre ones. But now the worry had evolved into an ugly feeling of wrongness. The claws of fear tore at his stomach. Like him, Soobin was the type to bottle things up.

“Is everything alright, Binnie?” he murmured, combing Soobin’s fringe from where he had messed it up checking his temperature.

The Alpha tilted his head to the side with an inquisitive hum, a bit confused by the change of tone.

“I mean- are you taking care of yourself? Or have you been stressed, lately? It doesn’t feel like you just caught a cold.”

Soobin opened his mouth then, averting his eyes for a split second, looking torn. When he looked back at Yeonjun, he closed it. Nibbled on his lip, worked his jaw. His breathing sounded slower and deeper than earlier, his eyes clearer, but his cheeks only flushed darker.

“I’m- I’m fine. A bit stressed about work, yeah,” he admitted quietly.

Yeonjun wouldn’t push further, usually. But Soobin was honest, open to conversation, and his fragile state made Yeonjun braver, more protective. “That’s all?”

Silence lingered for a beat. It wasn’t awkward, just a tad heavy, too serious for comfort. But Yeonjun clamped down on his urge to blurt out nonsense just to fill it.

Eventually, Soobin confessed: “There’s been something on my mind. But I’m working on it.”

And Yeonjun only nodded, repeatedly, because he didn’t know what to say to that. If Soobin said he was dealing with it, Yeonjun would take his word for it. He thought it might be different for the Alpha, but he didn’t like people sticking their noses into his business while he was working through an issue. Just in case, he didn’t probe.

“Okay.” He gave Soobin a smile. “Sleep tight, Soobinnie. Keep me posted.”

Then he turned around and out of the Alpha’s grip before he could protest, straight to the nearest subway station without looking back.

Kai🌞: Hi hyung

Kai🌞: Soobin hyung is still out of it but he decided to go to work anw

Kai🌞: Said he felt fine

Kai🌞: I’m not convinced but I wasn’t gonna force him to stay home

Kai🌞: Thought I’d let u know tho

Healing was not linear. Bad habits were hard to shake off, and so Yeonjun embraced the pressure of demanding clients and of his strict hierarchy, completely let in the stress about his upcoming project so it would drown the much more anxiety-inducing concern for Soobin’s well-being.

In between the usual, daily fix-its and touches here and there and the requests from agencies for seasonal collections, Yeonjun had taken on another challenge all by himself. Something to distinguish himself and show off his unique style. His coworkers found it a bit extra, but it was on brand for him, so they had let him be. If he wanted to add to his workload out of his own volition, he was welcome to do so.

Working on his own collection, free of any pre-existing frame and conditions, was exhilarating. It also meant he was baring his soul, for he had no one else to blame for his fashion choices, were they to upset someone.

That was a very reasonable fear. After all, what models would ever agree to carry his vision? He dreamt of eccentric Betas stealing the show, of discreet Alphas in pastels and delicate fabrics, of bossy, unapologetic Omegas – no scent blockers for them.

His theme was: wrong. And he hoped people would stare and squirm and murmur, unsettled and pulled out of their comfort zone.

But it was all hypothetical, at this stage. He hadn’t yet dared talk of his project to his superiors, ask for permission or start looking for sponsors. Only Yoonah and Jihu were in on the secret. His official schedule had been light and should remain so for a few more weeks. Workaholism was a vice, but at least it insured he was always ahead of time.

They didn’t know it, but his friends were right to point out he still worked too much. While he didn’t do any extra hours, there was no need for him to stay at the studio all day.

“Yeonjun-ssi,” Yoonah called out, startling him. “Uh, I think someone’s looking for you.”

The Omega stood at the door, apparently having just entered the room. She looked uncomfortable, shoulders tense and brows knitted, shooting glances behind her.

Yeonjun frowned in confusion. A quick glance at the clock confirmed it was around eleven in the morning. He didn’t have any meeting planned. Who would want to see him suddenly?

“Someone?”

“Your friend,” she clarified. “The tall one.”

All of his friends were tall. Though, he didn’t need to hear more to know who she was talking about, for one was especially tall. Concern tore through his concentration and stress. So he let go of his scissors, thanked her and hurried out of the studio.

Running down the stairs, he didn’t make it to the reception before the overwhelming smell of acrid, bitter cacao slapped him in the face. A few seconds later, he ran into Soobin, who was going up.

The Alpha was panting, hair a mess, cheeks flushed and sweat collecting at his temples, in the hollow of his collarbones. He was still in his work clothes, but his jacket was wrinkled, his shirt’s first few buttons off, tie askew and low as if he had pulled on it harshly.

Yeonjun couldn’t believe his eyes – or his nose.

“Soobin? What the fuck are you doing here?”

The Alpha had instantly frozen at his sight, almost stumbling into the railing. He perked up when Yeonjun hurtled down the few steps separating them, opening his mouth:

“Hyu-”

“Are you not wearing scent blockers?” Yeonjun snapped, irritation and reflexes taking over and eclipsing the bewilderment. “Why aren’t you at work? What the fuck, Soobin, you’re stinking up the whole place!”

He stopped right in front of Soobin, unsure if he wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him, check his temperature and soothe him, or pull him to the nearest restroom to wash off the strong-smelling sweat. His hands itched to follow his first instinct, but he instead settled for the most reasonable option and grabbed Soobin’s forearm without giving him time to answer.

Except the moment he took a step back and pulled, Soobin resisted, instead seizing Yeonjun’s own wrist and keeping him still. His eyes were wide and panicked.

“Don’t.”

Yeonjun’s brows furrowed. He was probably gaping stupidly. “Don’t what? Soo-”

“Wait.”

His grip on Yeonjun’s wrist tightened, and he took a step closer. Yeonjun held back a biting comment, pressing his lips together. He breathed through his nose. Soobin’s scent, while still unusually strong, had sweetened. It wasn’t as intense; the Alpha was no longer projecting it, reaching out like he had been a few seconds ago.

“What are you doing here?” he repeated, more calmly. But jaw still clenched, tense all over. He knew something had been seriously off, yesterday – Beomgyu was never wrong about those things. “Are you feeling sick?”

Soobin took another step forward. Yeonjun would have taken a step back, hadn’t it been for the hand around his wrist. He had let go of Soobin’s forearm, now the one trapped.

The Alpha’s eyes were fleeting all over his figure, from his messed up bangs to his unzipped hoodie- until they settled on his waist. Yeonjun ignored the flare in his scent, the hint of strawberries and the staring, snapping:

“Stop ignoring me.” He huffed. “You’re- what the actual fuck, Choi Soobin, I- you can’t-”

He cut himself, pulled his wrist out of Soobin’s grip to grab his jacket’s lapels and give him a brief but firm shake. It seemed to work to get the Alpha’s attention, at least partially.

“Sorry,” Soobin finally said, still taking tiny steps forward and crowding into Yeonjun’s personal space. “I came to see you, hyung.”

The calm, almost nonchalant tone, left the Beta speechless. His eyebrows shot up.

If it wasn’t for the sweaty bangs sticking to his forehead and his dishevelled state, Soobin would have looked perfectly composed. He was now standing straight, shoulders relaxed, breathing regular. To the nose, it was another story. The pheromones consistently pouring out of him made it clear he wasn’t even close to being composed.

“Yeah, I can see that, Sherlock. I’m asking why.” With a sigh, Yeonjun loosened his hold on the lapels. “You’re sick, obviously, but- Kai told me you went to the office this morning. Why didn’t you stay home? You’re still- and why did you come here of all places?”

His eyes fell on Soobin’s neck, more specifically on a patch of reddened skin where he would normally wear his scent blocker for work. He had torn them off. Yeonjun’s chest tightened.

“Why the fuck did you take off your blockers?”

It was incredibly irresponsible. Forbidden by the rules of Soobin’s workplace, for one, but also dangerous for people around him – Omegas especially. Dangerous for Soobin himself if it triggered another Alpha’s instincts. One could not simply let their pheromones loose in a public space. All of the risks were multiplied by ten when taking into account Soobin’s unusual state and his particularly strong scent. Yeonjun wondered how he had made it all the way there, in that staircase, through the crowded streets and the reception.

He didn’t know if he was more angry because of the recklessness or scared for Soobin. It was all extremely out-of-character.

Then, out of nowhere, the Alpha muttered:

“Are you getting paid by Calvin Klein?”

Yeonjun frowned in confusion, getting whiplash from the sudden change of topic and the nonsensical question. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he grumbled.

“Your boxers,” Soobin said. “They’re always pulled up. Always visible.”

He reached out and ran two large hands along Yeonjun’s waistband, eyes stuck on where his underwear stuck out of his jeans. The Beta’s mind lagged, words stuck in his throat.

“I just like it this way,” he eventually blurted, dumbly.

“Why?”

Yeonjun scoffed. “Why do you wear glasses when you don’t need them?”

But Soobin wasn’t undeterred by the question, too out of it to figure out it had been rhetorical. “Because they make me look handsome.”

Yeonjun wasn’t going to argue with that. Glasses multiplied Soobin’s charisma by twenty and he already had plenty.

He rolled his eyes, shook his head, at a loss. “Why do you care, anyway?”

“It’s distracting,” Soobin said, pouting like a petulant kid. He still hadn’t looked away from his underwear to meet Yeonjun’s eyes.

The Beta didn’t understand why they were having this conversation in the first place. It felt like his words weren’t reaching the Alpha, like he was in another dimension, completely disconnected from reality.

It didn’t help soothe his nerves, his stomach in knots. Thank god for his own scent blockers – he always struggled to bridle his smell when overwhelmed. Though, Soobin’s touch, if slightly invasive, was strangely comforting.

From above, resonating in the staircase, he heard a voice calling his name.

Yeonjun startled when the hands on his waist slid down to grip his pants, two fingers hooking into the belt loops and tugging. He let out a yelp as he stumbled forward. Soobin’s skin was burning even through his shirt, his chest rumbling under Yeonjun’s hands. The Beta inhaled sharply as the smell of cocoa, dry and bitter, thickened. It flared, expanding suddenly.

Soobin had raised his head and was looking up, brows furrowed, on high alert. He was now actively releasing pheromones out in public.

“Soobin-ah!” Yeonjun scowled. He grew irritated when the Alpha ignored him, pinching him a bit meanly.

He had had enough of the lack of answers, strange behaviour and overbearing smell.

“Choi Soobin!”

The younger finally registered his glare and let up with the scent and the pheromones, loosening his hold immediately. But he didn’t step away, didn’t remove his hands.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Yeonjun didn’t answer, letting out a harsh breath as he finally took a step back and turned to go up and back to the design studio from which Yoonah had just called out to him. Soobin’s hands followed closely, clumsy and eager, grabbing at his pants by the fingertips but not fully closing down. The Alpha was hesitant to hold him properly, stumbling behind him as Yeonjun climbed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, miffed.

Any other day, Yeonjun would have either cracked a joke at his expense, snickering over his clinginess, or melted at the sweetness and into his touch. With Soobin’s bitter scent coming off of him in waves, strong then brutally restrained, and his controlling attitude, he settled for indifference. Rather, he attempted indifference – Soobin had most certainly clocked his annoyance.

“Hyung,” he called out, voice gruff but tone soft. “Hyung.”

“What?”

Soobin sped up to catch up with him, finally withdrawing his hands to shove them deep into his pockets. “I’m really sorry,” he said, though he kept clenching his jaw nervously, eyes flying all over the place now that they weren’t fixated on Yeonjun. “I don’t know why- why I’m like that. I didn’t mean to. I just-” a harsh sigh, “feel, uh, feel unsettled.”

It was enough to appease the Beta. Soobin rarely admitted to vulnerability or unease and never asked for help. He was what young people called a tetonam, if Yeonjun trusted Beomgyu and Kai’s judgement – himself didn’t follow the internet trends very well – meaning Soobin could handle himself. There was usually no use fussing over him.

So Yeonjun slowed down – though his quick strides had down little to outdistance Soobin and his giant limbs –, spared a look at the younger man and made up his mind.

Soobin had been off and, for whatever reason, he had sought Yeonjun for help. He wasn’t an Omega, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have some nurturing instincts of his own. After all, he was the oldest of the group. They were all so good at taking care of themselves, unproblematic and responsible, that he rarely had the occasion to step up to the role.

Beyond that, it was Soobin.

“Did you just… leave work? Suddenly?” he inquired.

The Alpha frowned, lips pursed cutely in thought, as if Yeonjun had asked him the answer to all questions. For all his hyper-alertness, his mind seemed completely hazy.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I-” he eventually stuttered. “I just left.”

Yeonjun sighed, more in disbelief than anything else. “Yah, Choi Soobin. You can’t just do that. They can fire you over stupid things like that.”

Soobin nodded slowly, back to staring at him. “Hm.”

It didn’t seem to click in his brain. Yeonjun was going to pass out if he kept sighing this often. He didn’t insist, announced: “I’ll get you home.”

“Yeonjun-ssi? Is everything alright?” Yoonah asked the instant he came back to the studio.

He had left Soobin at the end of the corridor, with a clear instruction to keep his scent in check and be discreet, promising in return he would hurry to pack his things and leave.

“Yeah, perfect,” he assured with a smile – though he knew she wouldn’t buy the lie. “Just… a slight issue. I have to go home.”

Polite as ever, she simply acquiesced. Even in here, Yeonjun could smell the cocoa, and his senses weren’t as sharp as hers. He wondered if Soobin’s scent was simply so strong it reached the studio, or if the Beta was now carrying it with him.

“Do you want me to inform the hierarchy?” Yoonah asked.

As Yeonjun carelessly threw his belongings into his bag, stuffing his spring jacket in, he looked up and smiled gratefully. “I was going to do it, but it’d be adorable. Thank you so much.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s mes-”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted gently. “No need to apologise. You should hurry to go back to your friend. I think he’s getting impatient.”

Yeonjun cursed under his breath. His zipped up his bag, threw it over his shoulder and promptly left the room with another thank-you and sorry to the Omega.

In the corridor, it became obvious Soobin hadn’t kept his scent and pheromones under control. People were sticking their heads out of their doors, sending wary looks in his direction. Yeonjun jogged past them, head down, embarrassed and worried. When he found the Alpha walking in circles at the top of the stairs, he caught his wrist and pulled him all the way down to the parking lot, keeping his eyes stuck to the floor when they passed the reception desk.

Stepping outside, in the parking lot, was a relief. Yeonjun let go of Soobin’s wrist and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He looked around.

“Where’s your car?”

It took Soobin a frustratingly long time to process the question and answer, only to blurt out: “At home.”

Yeonjun shook his head, disappointed with himself: Soobin wouldn’t have taken the wheel in that state. “Of course, I’m so dumb.” Then it clicked and he stopped in his tracks, Soobin almost bumping into him. “Wait- how did you come here?”

The Alpha at least had the decency to look bashful. “I, uh, I walked. Ran.”

Yeonjun had half-a-mind to call 911. For if he knew one thing for sure about his friend, it was that Soobin hated running with burning passion. He refused to go on morning runs with anyone, disregarding Taehyun’s orders, Kai’s blackmail or Yeonjun’s threats with admirable resolution and one strong hand wrapped around his bed’s frame, ready to get into a fight to stay buried under the sheets.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered.

Soobin chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah.”

The Beta put his hands on his hips, nibbling on his bottom lip as he thought it through. Soobin’s pheromones had calmed down significantly and the tangy touch of his scent had become more of an aftertaste, clinging to the palate but not flooding the mouth. Still, Yeonjun could only smell cocoa, strong and invasive. And though the Alpha wasn’t clinging to him anymore, he still looked entirely uncomfortable, long fingers fiddling with his sleeves, stretching them out, and slight winces and ticks he tried and failed to hide.

If his scent was subdued now, it was through sheer willpower.

They were alone, then, standing in the middle of the empty parking lot, but the subway would be crowded. Taking the bus was not an option; no sane driver would let them in.

“Bin, think you can wait for me here for a few minutes? I’ll go buy you scent blockers at the drug store around the cor-”

Soobin shook his head with vehemence. “No.”

“Wha- Soobin, it’s fine, I’ll be quick-”

But Soobin didn’t let him finish, taking a step closer, still shaking his head. “No, no, no, hyung,” he insisted, suddenly so breathless Yeonjun feared he was about to have a panic attack. “No scent blockers.”

“But-”

“No, no. I can’t,” he stressed. His scent had turned bitter again, leaving Yeonjun feeling distressed.

He stuttered. “But- you- why not?”

“I’ll go crazy,” Soobin said. His eyes were so wide, almost fearful, Yeonjun was inclined to believe him. Frantically, he yapped: “I can’t. It’s unbearable. I swear, hyung, I was wearing them earlier and I thought I could endure it but it was too much, I felt like I was suffocating and I needed to smell and you know how they subdue your senses-” Yeonjun didn’t know, no. “I felt so isolated, cut off from others and earlier when I came in I couldn’t smell you and-”

“Alright, alright,” Yeonjun cut in, holding out his hands in front of him. “I get it. Breathe, yeah?”

“I won’t wear scent blockers,” the Alpha declared with resolve.

“I said I get it. Don’t worry, we’ll, uh, we’ll find another solution, but…”

Yeonjun trailed off as an alarming thought screamed out in his mind, ringing every alarm bell. In theory, he knew scent blockers had secondary effects for Alphas and Omegas, whose olfactory senses were sharper, pheromones more sensitive and likely to go haywire over slight hormonal changes. But rarely did they become unbearable, as Soobin had stressed, or else life in society would quickly get insupportable.

To Yeonjun’s knowledge, the only instances in which instincts overrode the social boundaries and rejected any kind of scent blocking coincided with Alphas and Omegas’ mating cycles. The few days during which their secondary gender took the wheel and forced them to isolate.

He felt dread climb up his throat. He knew he had dismissed that option the previous day, but-

“Are you- are you in rut?” Yeonjun blurted out.

There was no other explanation, he thought. He had never seen an Alpha in rut, nor an Omega in heat, but it wasn’t so hard to imagine the way they’d act. Soobin had been acting more animalistic than reasonably.

It was a sobering thought, crashing down on him brutally.

He gulped, took a step back, unease settling in his belly. “Oh, fuck- okay, who do I call?”

Soobin just stared at him stupidly. “Huh?”

“Who do you usually spend it with?” Yeonjun clarified, thankful for the scent blockers. It wasn’t a conversation he had planned to have and he really didn’t want to know the answer.

But the Alpha took a step forward, reaching out to Yeonjun with careful hands and wide eyes, as if afraid to scare him away. The strawberry undertone had returned. His mouth opened and closed a few times, before he stammered:

“I’m not- I’m not in rut, hyung.”

Yeonjun shook his head. “Soobin, you-”

“No, really,” Soobin cut in, pitch high. “I swear. I- my rut’s supposed to hit in July. Not now.”

That made Yeonjun pause. His jaw clicked shut and he stared Soobin down, trying to read his eyes and find any trace of uncertainty. Focusing on the Alpha made him more aware of the cocoa scent once again pouring out of him, as intense as in the staircase earlier. It was only when Yeonjun stilled to observe him that he realised he had kept taking tiny steps back, trying to create some distance between them. Soobin had followed diligently, keeping close.

They were in April, cherry blossoms all over the place, bordering the parking lot. July was far away, and Soobin, if unorganised, was serious enough to follow his ruts’ cycle. There was no way he would mix up dates so far apart.

Yeonjun took a deep breath to settle his nerves. He didn’t register the cocoa helped. “Then- what’s happening to you?”

The Alpha’s scent thickened, spreading out, and Yeonjun found himself thankful they were alone and overwhelmed by the intensity of it. He couldn’t discern his own saffron smell. Soobin just shook his head helplessly, breathing hard.

“I don’t know,” he whispered.

It trickled down Yeonjun’s spine and resonated in his chest. He clamped down on the staggering wave of worry and panic which crashed over him, buried it deep inside to stay somewhat reasonable.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay, let’s just… go home. Then we’ll figure it out.”

Soobin nodded frantically. “Yeah. Yes.” Then his brows furrowed as he ground out, voice dropping to a lower pitch: “There are too many smells, here.”

As if to prove his point, he released another wave of pheromones, consciously or not. Yeonjun’s jaw dropped. Standing so close, it felt as if Soobin’s scent was flooding the whole district, even in the open air.

“Soobin, you gotta stop that.”

Soobin frowned, confused pout making him look cute while the Alpha pheromones gave his mere presence a weight Yeonjun struggled to comprehend. “Stop what?”

Yeonjun stared, dumbfounded. “Stop with the scent! The pheromones, Soobin. Cut it out.”

“No. Why?” It sounded like a genuine question.

The Beta scoffed. “Because we’re in public, and we’re going to take the subway.”

“Can’t we walk?”

“It’s too far,” Yeonjun retorted. He sighed. “You have to constrain yourself until we get home.”

Soobin started to protest: “I can’t-”

But Yeonjun had made up his mind. This time, he was the one to step forward, copying his earlier strategy, which had proved effective, and grabbing the Alpha’s jacket’s lapels to get his attention. Though with less force than earlier: the goal was simply to ground him, bring him back down to Earth.

“You don’t have a choice. So, yes, you can do it.”

“Hyung,” Soobin pleaded, even as he let Yeonjun shake him. His own hands found Yeonjun’s zip-up hoodie, fingers hooking into its pockets.

Yeonjun put on one of his serious expressions, sharp brows furrowed, sharper eyes squinting into a hopefully authoritative stare. He would usually soften his features around the Alpha, but he wasn’t above using his intimidating aura. He tightened his hold on the lapels.

“Choi Soobin,” he said. “Listen to me: you’re going to tell that Alpha of yours to shut up for a bit. Pull yourself together. You’re more than capable, so suck it up for ten minutes, yeah?”

Soobin stared at him in silence for a bit, mouth agape, looking mesmerised. Then he gulped, licked his lips, nodded.

“Yeah.”

Yeonjun let go of him, took a step back and turned in the direction of the subway station. “Good.”

Soobin was immediately on his heels, following like a lost puppy. His scent had receded at once, the change so sudden and so stark it impressed the Beta. He kept it to himself, not looking back as he strode to the station, almost running.

He trusted Soobin could control himself all the way home, but it wouldn’t hurt to make it as short as possible.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long for the train to arrive. It wasn’t as crowded as Yeonjun had feared, and so they found themselves two seats. Soobin sat at the end of the row. In a similar fashion as the previous day, his hand found Yeonjun’s wrist, thumb brushing against his scent glands. His hold was tighter this time around, but the Beta thought the pain was a small price to pay for Soobin’s impeccable self-control.

The Alpha kept close, sticking to his side, on high alert, eyes darting all around the place, but not once did his scent slip out. Some people shot him wary looks, though it was probably because of the glowering. Yeonjun didn’t comment on it, unwilling to ask more of him. It was already impressive; hadn’t he known the whole situation, he would never have guessed Soobin wasn’t wearing scent blockers.

Exiting the subway station, they practically ran to Soobin’s apartment building. In the lobby, Yeonjun called for the lift, but after a few agonising seconds of the Alpha vibrating in his skin next to him, he pulled him to the stairs and they climbed up to the fourth floor in silence.

They were both panting when Yeonjun finally unlocked the door to Soobin and Kai’s shared apartment.

Soobin immediately stumbled against the door, sliding to the floor, eyes clenched shut. He groaned, and then his scent exploded.

It was so powerful it nearly knocked Yeonjun off-balance.

One breath and his mind went blank. His senses were saturated, his heart galloping wildly in his chest, breath stuck in his throat. It left him dizzy.

For a moment, he was frozen, assailed by dry, pungent cocoa. Then he brought a hand to cover his nose and mouth, overwhelmed. His next exhale was shaky.

He had never felt anything like it. Pheromones so intoxicating, so domineering they had robbed him of his will, of his control. They had gotten rid of every thought, every worry, every intention, leaving him bare and vulnerable. It had been a handful of seconds, at most, but Yeonjun felt its echo in his soul, suspected it would never entirely fade.

Then Soobin growled.

“It hurts.”

It instantly pulled Yeonjun out of his thoughts, broke his daze.

Throwing the keys wherever, he dropped to his knees next to the Alpha, who was half curled up, head pressed against his knees. His fingers were gripping at his hair, pulling harshly, so Yeonjun disentangled them, running a soothing hand through the strands instead.

“What hurts, darling?”

One of Soobin’s hands grabbed his, squeezing painfully hard. Yeonjun bit down on his lip to repress a wince.

“Soobin?” When no answer came, he tried to nudge him to lift his head. “Soobin, look at me.”

Eventually, Soobin’s unfolded his legs and straightened up, enough to look up at him from beneath his fringe. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears and Yeonjun’s heart broke.

“Where does it hurt?” he repeated, in a murmur.

“Everywhere,” Soobin grunted. Well, shit. “Hyung, I-”

But then he cut himself off, squeezing his eyes shut and biting down on his lip. Another dizzying wave of bitter, bitter cocoa washed over the room.

Yeonjun felt his breath catch in his throat, panic bubbling up in his chest. “Bin, you’re worrying me.”

Soobin pulled on his arm, his other hand grabbing Yeonjun’s hoodie and tugging harshly.

“Come closer,” he demanded.

Yeonjun hiccuped. “Huh?”

The Alpha’s face crunched up and a first tear slipped, sliding down his cheek. His respiration had grown erratic, chest moving up and down quickly, almost hyperventilating. His voice, lower than Yeonjun had ever heard, broke on his next word:

“Please.”

Yeonjun’s resolve went out the window. He let himself be pulled against Soobin, the Alpha winding two arms around his waist in a vice grip, beneath his sweatshirt, so close he could feel his heart against his own. He cradled Soobin’s head, letting him snuggle against his shoulder, combing soothing fingers through his hair, stroking his nape.

“Alright, alright,” he murmured. “Everything’s fine, Binnie. You’re fine.”

A sob tore through Soobin and Yeonjun clenched his eyes shut to keep his own tears at bay. He couldn’t break down now.

“Hurts,” Soobin gritted.

Yeonjun hummed. “I know, I’m sorry. You did so well.”

Then the Alpha pushed against his chest, and Yeonjun’s heart stopped. He feared he had something wrong-

Until Soobin reached and tore the Beta’s scent blocker off.

Only to immediately pull him in again, closer still, almost onto his lap, taking in deep breaths. Yeonjun’s jaw dropped, his heart pounding furiously, heat flooding his face. His guts were a mess of mixing emotions, his mind inundated by a flow of contradicting, incoherent thoughts. Until Soobin’s intoxicating scent got a hold of him, pulling his attention back to him.

So Yeonjun let himself be handled and resumed his soothing, murmuring mindless words of comfort in Soobin’s hair. He could panic later.

“S’okay, darling. I’m here.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed by the time Soobin finally calmed down.

His respiration had gone back to normal, slower and steadier, his hold loosened, tears dried, scent and pheromones still strong but no longer going crazy. When Yeonjun adjusted his position, slightly uncomfortable, and Soobin let him without complaint, leaning his back fully against the door, the Beta decided to move on to the next step: actively searching for a solution. And an explanation, but it wasn’t as urgent.

He took his phone out of his pocket, checking the time. It was almost half past noon. He figured their friends must be on their lunch break. After debating with himself, he finally opened his contacts and pressed on Taehyun’s.

The younger Beta picked up on the third ring.

“Hyung? Is there a problem?”

For once, Yeonjun didn’t beat around the bush. “Yes. I’m with Soobin, at his place. It’s an emergency.”

The Alpha peered up at him through his fringe, tightening his hold on his waist, but Yeonjun couldn’t muster the force to give him a smile. He brushed a lock of jet-black hair away from his eye.

“An emergency? What happened?” He could picture Taehyun frowning, big eyes widened in alert.

“He barged in at work- at my work, scent going crazy,” Yeonjun explained. “I don’t know what’s happening. Are you busy-”

“No. I’m on my break. I’m coming.”

Yeonjun exhaled in relief. “Thanks. Be quick.”

“Of course.”

Then Taehyun hung up. Any other time, Yeonjun would have been vexed by the sudden disconnection, the evident lack of respect. This time, he discarded his phone with little care, focusing back on Soobin, who was looking at him with a slight pout.

“I wasn’t going crazy,” he protested.

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, incredulous. “Yes, you were. You still are.” He brought a hand to Soobin’s forehead, not surprised in the slightest to find it burning. Every inch of him was scalding hot, even through their clothes. “You’re burning up, you’re hurting. Your scent is still…” He gulped. “A lot, and you keep manhandling me.”

As if to prove him right, Soobin adjusted their position, extending his legs and pulling Yeonjun impossibly closer – he was basically straddling the Alpha, at this point. Soobin’s hands grabbed his pants’ waistband.

“It’s okay, you can kick my ass anytime,” he mumbled.

Yeonjun’s lips curled up in a small grin. He let out a puff of laughter. “Of course I can.”

He was quick to turn serious. He cupped Soobin’s face, brushing the drying tears off, as he worried his lip between his teeth. Soobin’s brows were still furrowed, jaw tense, lines tight.

“Does it still hurt?”

Confirming his fears, the Alpha nodded, exhaling shakily. So the Beta steeled himself, took a deep breath and shut down the invasive thoughts which pushed for him to keep his suggestion to himself. He didn’t want to ask the question running through his mind, would rather bite off his tongue, but seeing Soobin’s state was enough of a motivation to bypass his pride and selfishness.

“Should I- should I find you an Omega?” he suggested.

Soobin’s frown deepened. He titled his head to the side.

“No.”

Yeonjun sighed. He tried to scooch out of Soobin’s lap, to sit next to him, but the Alpha’s arms kept him in place.

“I can’t release soothing pheromones, Bin-ah.”

Soobin gave a weak shrug. “It’s okay.”

He looked exhausted, overheated and uncomfortable, a light veil over his eyes. It obviously wasn’t okay. But Yeonjun couldn’t gather the courage to insist, to fight Soobin on that, not when the idea itself was painful. How selfish. He swallowed down the self-resentment, focused on the Alpha.

“Alright. How about we get out of the entryway, for now?”

He didn’t give Soobin time to answer, extracting himself out of his hold and standing up. Before he could offer him a hand to help him up, Soobin had jumped to his feet, full of energy despite his feverish appearance. Vigilant as he was, watching Yeonjun’s every move with attentive eyes, lips ajar, he looked like an overgrown bunny on the look-out. The thought made him smile.

Forcing cheerfulness to diffuse the tense atmosphere, the Beta clapped in his hands. “Okay! The couch will be way comfier. Tyun will be here soon, and we’ll figure out what’s happening and how to solve it.”

His optimism didn’t seem to have much impact on Soobin, who didn’t react to his words. Though, the moment Yeonjun slipped out of his shoes to take a step towards the living room, the Alpha followed.

“Are you thirsty? Hungry? It’s lunch time.”

Soobin hummed in acknowledgement, shook his head. Yeonjun frowned, resolved to bring him a glass of water anyway, and medicine to soothe the pain.

He wasn’t surprised to note that Kai’s peppermint scent was almost indiscernible, but it was still a bit unsettling. The Alphas’ shared apartment, being the largest, was where the group hung out most often when they didn’t fancy going out. And so the Beta was used to a mix of odours, in the living room especially, soaking the couch and the fluffy rug. He spared a thought for Kai and how he would react upon coming home later that day. Yeonjun ought to send him a text in warning.

Soobin collapsed onto the couch without needing any instruction. With a grunt, he stretched and settled more comfortably against the cushions. Yeonjun chuckled when he realised he had taken up his usual napping position. But it only made it more obvious he wasn’t wearing adequate lounging wear.

“You should take off the tie or you’re gonna strangle yourself somehow.”

He received a non-committal hum in return. Soobin had draped an arm over his eyes, the other dangling from the couch. It occurred to Yeonjun that the Alpha might be comfortable enough to fall asleep, so he dropped the subject and instead headed for the kitchen.

“Where are you going?”

The alertness in Soobin’s tone startled him. He found the Alpha’s gaze easily, worried and searching.

“I’ll make you a pot of ramyeon.” He scowled upon seeing Soobin sit up, pointing a commanding finger at him. “Nope, you rest.” Soobin opened his mouth- “I don’t wanna hear it. Rest.”

With that, he turned on his heels and made a beeline for the kitchen. Soobin didn’t follow him.

He had navigated the two Alphas’ kitchen often enough to know his way around, raiding their cupboards and – alarmingly unorganised and understocked – fridge for a copious meal. Not being a picky eater, he didn’t have one of those magical ramyeon recipes with key ingredients, so he just focused on adding as many vegetables and other healthy aliments as he could, consciously cutting down on spices. The smell of the broth was unsettling, a bit out of place, even though he was staring right down into the pot. It had slipped past the lingering cocoa scent, and he scrunched up his nose.

Maybe he was sick too, if he was starting to dislike ramyeon.

Annoyed, he took a sip to prove to himself it had been an anomaly, was relieved to find he still relished in the taste, then promptly chided himself for being so childish – even in his own mind.

He carried out the two servings of ramyeon on a wooden tray and was surprised to observe Soobin was still awake. Though he felt strangely proud when the Alpha stayed laying down, apparently no longer itching to jump to his feet and stand to attention.

He set the tray down on the coffee table, sat cross-legged next to it, moving one bowl closer to Soobin, as well as a glass of water and medicine.

“Here. If you’re hungry.”

Soobin complied without a word.

The ramyeon tasted strange in the sea of cocoa, but Yeonjun slurped away, unbothered. Having emptied the spice packet into his own bowl, he was quick to warm up beyond comfort. He contemplated opening the window – they were in Spring, after all – but decided against it as he feared any odour from the outside might bother Soobin.

As he shrugged off his zip-up hoodie and went to drape it over the arm of the armchair, his eyebrows shot up upon noticing Beomgyu’s neatly folded sweater. He had expected to find it in Soobin’s bedroom rather than in the living room; that was the point of the gift: having a comforting, familiar scent in your private space.

Soobin tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hyung. Give it.”

Yeonjun hesitated, eyes going back and forth between the two pieces of clothing. “Huh?”

“Your sweater,” Soobin clarified.

“It’s a hoodie,” he corrected even as he handed it.

The Alpha rolled his eyes. He finally got rid of his tie and suit jacket, laying back down on the couch and draping the unzipped hoodie over his chest. He pulled on the hood so it covered the bottom of his face.

Yeonjun wisely chose not to ask him if he was cold. He wasn’t that foolish. He instead focused on emptying his bowl, hoping that the smell of the ramyeon and of his hoodie masked the probable flare of honey in his own scent, that the steam justified the heat in his cheeks.

“I like the crop-top,” came Soobin’s voice, a bit muffled under the hood.

Yeonjun snorted. “I wouldn’t consider it a crop-top.” It wasn’t that short, barely revealing his underwear – as Soobin had pointed out earlier – and a strip of skin. “But thank you.”

As he set his chopsticks down, he saw Soobin hadn’t finished his own portion. He frowned.

“You didn’t eat everything? You took the medicine, right? You should drink the whole glass.”

A hum. “You eat it. I’m-”

He was cut off by a knock at the door, short but loud.

Taehyun pushed in the code and opened the door before Yeonjun could stand up, but not as quickly as Soobin straightened, glaring towards the entryway with a snarl.

The growl in his throat died as soon as he recognised Taehyun’s scent. He slumped back against the cushion. Yeonjun spared two seconds to stare at the Alpha with wide eyes, bewildered by the reaction, before he jumped to his feet and went to welcome the younger Beta.

Taehyun raised one neat eyebrow when their eyes met. “It stinks in here.”

Yeonjun grimaced. He wouldn’t have worded it this way but the cocoa was indeed overpowering. “Yeah.”

“I thought about it,” Taehyun said, always one to cut to the chase. “And it’s a rut. It has to be.”

He started towards the living room but Yeonjun caught his arm before he could enter, nibbling on his lip.

“It’s not, Tyun, he said his next rut would be in July.”

“Well, maybe something triggered it,” Taehyun said, shrugging. He gently slipped out of Yeonjun’s grip and went through the doorway.

Yeonjun hadn’t thought of that. Did accidental ruts really exist? He had never heard of them, but then again, hormones were messy. He didn’t understand shit about them. All of his lessons on biology and secondary genders had gone down the drain when he had presented as a Beta, assuming he wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.

So he opted to keep his mouth shut and follow Taehyun.

The younger Beta stopped a few feet away from the Alpha, eyeing him with obvious concern. But Taehyun wasn’t one for mushy feelings and useless worrying, so he quickly grabbed a stool, dragged it to the other side of the room and sat down.

“How do you feel, hyung?” he asked.

Soobin groaned, eyes clenched shut and grinding his teeth. “Like shit.”

As Yeonjun sat back down next to the couch, he met Soobin’s half-lidded eyes and gave him a small smile. He felt like a parent accompanying his kid to the doctor for moral support. The Alpha beckoned him closer with a lazy wave of the hand, so he scooched to the right.

“Can you expand on that?” Taehyun insisted. It was a bit weird, seeing him sitting so far away. His serious expression and neat posture unknowingly endorsed Yeonjun’s internal comparison.

Soobin’s only answer was another grunt and a hand rubbing his face as he shifted, most certainly in pain. The cocoa smell turned bitter once more, but there was no sudden flare up. He pulled the hood of Yeonjun’s zip-up hoodie further up his face.

Yeonjun barely caught the whispered ‘hurts’ from beneath the fabric, but it was enough to pull at his heartstrings. He moved closer to rake careful fingers through Soobin’s hair. The Alpha’s eyes, the only visible part of his face, gazed at him with something like… gratitude, maybe. They were still a bit hazy, barely open, and Yeonjun found himself wishing he could release soothing pheromones and put him to sleep.

There was a loud sigh from the other side of the room.

“Yeonjun-hyung said your next rut is in July, but it’s clearly not a simple fever, hyung.” Taehyun crossed his arms. “From what I see, your symptoms are very similar to those of a rut, so something probably triggered-”

“Not a rut,” Soobin cut in.

Taehyun titled his head to the side. “What is it, then? If you figured it out, tell us. We’ll help you recover faster.”

Soobin didn’t answer. In fact, he completed ignored their dongsaeng, wincing again. His fingers dug into the couch’s cushion as he leaned into Yeonjun’s touch. He was still burning up, sweating profusely, and the Beta suspected the additional hoodie didn’t help. He hoped the medicine would take effect soon.

“I think it’s a rut,” Taehyun said softly, taking the hint Soobin wouldn’t reply any time soon. “There’s no other explanation. The, uh, intense pheromones are the biggest hint. I don’t know of any illness that makes you lose control like that.” Then, he heaved a long sigh. “And, if it’s the case…”

He trailed off, let the silence linger for a beat, then announced, louder:

“Hyung, you need an Omega.”

Yeonjun’s hand froze. He tensed up, looking down at the rug, not registering Soobin’s reaction.

Of course Taehyun had come to that conclusion: it was the correct one, the logical one. Yeonjun had reached the same one earlier and even though Soobin had shut it down, it still seemed like the most plausible explanation. An abnormal, triggered rut would explain the Alpha being caught off guard and utterly unprepared. Yeonjun had no idea what the body went through during a rut, but he guessed that the mind anticipating it helped the body adjust more easily. The pain ought to be the result of Soobin’s shock and denial.

A triggered rut sounded reasonable; except it felt weird to Yeonjun, to potentially be taking care of an Alpha in rut. He hadn’t clocked any sign of arousal yet, but the mere thought of it made him burn from inside. Though, he had heard they weren’t inherently lustful, contrary to one might think. But it still constituted the moment where Alphas reached their most vulnerable state, overpowered by hormones and instincts, nearly animalistic.

Assisting them was the ultimate level of intimacy – but it also required some specific qualities. Qualities which Betas lacked and Omegas provided, starting with calming pheromones who would appease the Alpha’s discomfort and clear their mind. Or something along the lines.

Beomgyu had briefly explained to him a heat’s logic and Yeonjun figured a rut was similar. Him and Soobin never talked about those kinds of things, and he would rather die than breach the topic with Kai, who was his baby.

Still, for all he agreed on with Taehyun, the other Beta’s solution didn’t sit well with him.

He was jealous, he was envious, he felt embarrassed by the implications, annoyed and insecure that Taehyun made it sound like Yeonjun was useless, like he could not provide any comfort when himself had thought the exact same thing twenty minutes earlier, and the thought of an Omega doting on Soobin made him sick to the stomach- but, above all, he hated himself for feeling that way when Soobin was squirming in pain.

Taehyun was probably right.

“No.”

The Alpha’s response pulled him out of his thoughts: almost a growl, aggressive in a way Soobin never was. Definitive.

Taehyun frowned. “But-”

“No,” Soobin repeated, louder, paired with a burst of bitterness in his scent. He let out a sharp breath through a clenched jaw. “I’m not in rut. I’m not.”

Yeonjun felt inclined to believe him, against all reason, willing to feed into his own delusion. He realised he had dropped his hand to the couch when he looked up and saw Soobin’s frown. The Alpha took his wrist and brought the Beta’s hand back to his hair. Yeonjun indulged in a fond huff as he resumed his stroking.

“Okay, you’re not,” Taehyun conceded. “You still need one.”

“No-”

“Not to fuck them, hyung, it’s the 21^st Century,” Taehyun interrupted, rolling his eyes. He rubbed his face, obviously upset to have to contradict Soobin. Yeonjun knew they needed a voice of reason, and he wasn’t willing to take on the role. “Just so they can take care of you. Make sure you’re eating, drinking, giving you medicine… like Yeonjun-hyung’s doi-”

“No.”

The speed of Soobin’s refusal soothed the sting of the comparison before Yeonjun could dwell on it. He sounded like a cheap stand-in in Taehyun’s reasoning.

“If it’s them being a stranger that bothers you,” Taehyun continued, undeterred by Soobin’s intensifying pheromones. “Beomgyu-hyung said he’d do it. He’s willing to help.”

Yeonjun looked up. “He said that?”

“Yeah,” Taehyun nodded. “I figured you’d be too busy to inform him and Huening, so I called them on my way here. They’ll come here after work, around 6. Anyway, Beomgyu-hyung said he could take time off work and play the nurse. What do you think, Soobin-hyung?”

Yeonjun didn’t know how to feel about that. There was a twinge of jealousy, sure, but he brushed it aside to worry instead. Beomgyu, as an Omega, would be more helpful indeed; but he would also be way more vulnerable to the pheromones. Taehyun and him were just sitting around, merely a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of the scent, but they were Betas.

What effect would Soobin’s pheromones have on Beomgyu? What if Soobin lost control and his instincts took over and he ordered the Omega around just with his scent? What if the scent of an Omega nearby finally unlocked the last stage of his rut and lust kicked in? Yeonjun wasn’t in Beomgyu’s head, but he figured sleeping with his best friend was a step too far.

Yeonjun would do anything to help Soobin get better, except put any of his dongsaengs in a vulnerable situation. Especially not Beomgyu with his self-sacrificing tendencies.

So he didn’t wait for Soobin’s reply, interjected: “I don’t know, isn’t it dangerous for Gyu?”

“Well, I’d hope not,” Taehyun sighed. “I don’t think so. Alphas and Omegas spend their mating periods together most of the time.”

Yeonjun wasn’t convinced. “Maybe, but when they’re together or when, you know, they agreed to. Beforehand, fully conscious and not… pressured into it. Beomgyu’s offering because he cares for Soobin, but-”

“Like I said, it’s nothing sexual, hyung,” Taehyun insisted, torn firm but gentle. “I get where you’re coming from, and it’s a reasonable worry, but I don’t think Soobin-hyung would ever represent a danger for any of us, even in this state. I trust him. And, if I’m right and this is… some sort of rut, an Omega’s pheromones should actually calm him and make him more lucid. Hopefully, it can’t get worse than his current state.”

It was hard to argue against Taehyun’s sensible words, but they hadn’t eased any of Yeonjun’s worries.

“I…” he sighed, sparing a glance to Soobin, who was still looking at him through half-lidded eyes. He didn’t seem to be registering any of the conversation, even though they were talking about him. “I don’t know, Tyun. I trust him too, of course, but earlier, his scent was really going crazy. It was…” He shook his head, feeling at a loss. “A lot, even for me.”

Taehyun gave him a sympathetic smile and a hum. “I’m not sure either. I’m kind of out of my depth,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But I feel like we have to follow our biology lessons on that one.”

Yeonjun snorted. “I didn’t listen in biology.”

“And now Soobin-hyung is not listening to us,” Taehyun sighed. The Alpha didn’t react to being mentioned. “It’s like he’s high or something… Has he been this way all morning?”

“Well, not really, no. He’s actually quite calm right now,” Yeonjun mused. “But- when he came to find me this morning, he didn’t seem to be in pain at all. But he was being, like, territorial, releasing pheromones like crazy,” he huffed. “The first signs of pain appeared just an hour ago, maybe, right as we came in. I think it’s because he had to suppress his scent in the subway.”

At that, the younger Beta perked up. “He suppressed his scent? How did he manage to do that? Yesterday he couldn’t control shit.”

“Don’t know.” Yeonjun shrugged. “I just told him to and he did.” Taehyun’s eyebrows shot up, but the oldest didn’t let him comment, continuing: “He’s a bit of in a daze, right now, but he was more or less lucid earlier. It’s not constant, just bits of clarity here and there. Right, Soobinnie?” he hummed, lower.

The Alpha echoed his hum, though Yeonjun couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or a simple reflex to being spoken to. The Beta stroked his cheekbone and massaged the area between his brows in an attempt to get rid of the frown there. It was pointless.

“And the hoodie?” Taehyun inquired. “Was it your idea?”

Yeonjun eyed his hoodie splayed over the Alpha’s torso like a tiny blanket. “No, he asked for it.”

“And not Beomgyu-hyung’s?”

“Nah. Maybe because Gyu’s scent faded.”

Taehyun just hummed thoughtfully, observing them with his big, inquisitive eyes. Eventually, he let out a sigh – it seemed that’s all he had done since he had come in –, checking his watch and standing up.

“I gotta go back to work, hyung. I’m sorry I wasn’t helpful, I thought we would have a more… in-depth conversation and I’d have thought of a concrete solution by now, but he’s too out of it. I didn’t think he’d be so against getting help from an Omega, either.” He crossed his arms, frowning. “He said it’s not a rut, but I don’t know to what extent we can trust his judgment, right now. Cause from what I saw yesterday and what I see now, it fits the symptoms of a rut. Especially the territorial part. He growled when I came in.”

Yeonjun pouted, confused and worried. “But what would he be territorial about?”

Taehyun shrugged with a snort. “Don’t try to understand an Alpha’s brain when instincts take over, hyung. There’s no logic to it, it’s purely animalistic. I’m not sure he even realises what he’s doing.”

That was Yeonjun’s biggest fear. The idea of Soobin’s body on autopilot, driven by his Alpha instincts alone, with his consciousness taking a nap in the backseat, was terrifying. The Beta saw it like a drug, like being stripped of any free will, which would mean Soobin himself wasn’t consenting to his own actions.

It made Yeonjun feel dirty for even holding him. Maybe he ought to be firmer and keep his distance from the Alpha- but he couldn’t just let him hurt, could he?

“Okay, I’m leaving. I’ll see you tonight, hyung, with Huening and Beomgyu-hyung. Keep me posted.”

With a wave and a last worried glance at Soobin, Taehyun got out of the living room, then out of the apartment. The automatic lock activated with a soft beep.

The sudden silence felt deafening, but paradoxically made Soobin’s harsh breathing and winces ten times louder. Yeonjun let out a shaky breath, resting his chin on his arm, curling closer to the couch.

The Alpha was still looking at him, but his eyes seemed so hazy the Beta wondered if he actually saw him.

“Soobinnie?” he whispered. “You with me?”

He counted ten seconds and Soobin didn’t reply. So he tried again, voice weaker: “Binnie?”

One second, two second, three sec-

“Yeah?”

Soobin’s voice was deeper than Yeonjun had ever heard.

“You with me?” he repeated.

This time, the Alpha nodded with a soft hum. “Yeah, sorry.”

Relief washed over him and Yeonjun smiled.

“Don’t be sorry. How do you feel, darling? Sleepy?”

“No.”

The Beta believed him; while Soobin’s eyelids seemed heavy, he was never entirely still, respiration too quick, hands clenching and unclenching, somehow still thrumming with energy after laying down for a while.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

The Alpha shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Maybe he was being truthful – Yeonjun hoped he was being truthful. Maybe the medicine had finally kicked in and dulled the pain. He chose to let it go for now, straightening from his slouched position and stretching. His back cracked and he groaned.

He stood up and, before Soobin could worry, offered with a grin: “Wanna watch some anime, Binnie?”

Yeonjun didn’t care much for anime. If he were to be honest, he found them quite boring or too unnecessarily violent. Disney movies and trashy romcoms were more to his liking, as well as cartoons and straightforward action movies. He would never subject himself to the heartbreak of a tragedy or to the horror of a thriller. What he expected out of fiction was entertainment and relief from the harshness of reality. He would binge-watch Tom and Jerry when he was sick.

Soobin absolutely loved anime, and though he shrieked before horror movies and sobbed over unhappy love stories, he still chose to watch them, out of his own volition. Said the pain was enjoyable, or some similar bullshit. Yeonjun didn’t understand that. He was a weak man, and there was no appeal in grieving for fictional characters.

Since the Alpha was probably too out of it to follow a storyline, Yeonjun chose an anime he knew Soobin had already watched and really enjoyed: Jujutsu Kaisen. Making themselves comfortable on the couch, with water and – healthy – snacks to munch on within reach, they went through the first season in a few hours.

Turned out the story was a bit depressing, and entirely too gore-y for Yeonjun’s taste. He really didn’t get Soobin and Kai’s hype; sure, the fights were well-animated, but wasn’t watching people beat each another up for hours on end pointless and tedious? The fillers were his favourite parts.

Still, Yeonjun endured it, with minimal yawning and sighing.

As the hours went by, Soobin actually seemed to settle, the bitterness in his scent subduing and the strawberries making a welcomed reappearance, even as a discreet aftertaste. He wasn’t constantly twitching and shifting because of the pain anymore.

But Yeonjun had expected him to fall asleep, and Soobin was wide awake, his scent and pheromones still as intense. The Beta was the one dozing off, fighting a losing war against his eyes falling shut.

He had nodded off a first time four episodes in, only to promptly startle awake, pulled out of it by a burst of his own strong scent. He had gotten used to stifling his saffron smell, but his sleepy brain wasn’t conscious enough to keep it on a leash. He had shaken himself awake, focusing on the anime with all his might.

Soobin had scooched closer. Yeonjun could feel his eyes like two burning lasers on the side of his face.

The second time he had dozed off was near the end of the first season, and he would have toppled over the couch, falling forward, hadn’t Soobin caught him with his unusually sharp reflexes. It had been so sudden Yeonjun had almost had a heart attack.

The Alpha had manhandled him until Yeonjun’s back was resting against his front, arms winding around his middle in a firm hug and resting his chin on the Beta’s shoulder.

Unfortunately for Yeonjun, it was the perfect position for falling asleep. And so, in the middle of the first episode of season two, he definitely lost the war against Hypnos and slipped into dreamland.