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It started as a day like any other.
Leehan was awoken by Jaehyun knocking on his door and telling him they had to get ready to leave for their schedules. He showered, got dressed and politely accepted the piece of toast that Sungho held out to him after he tied his shoelaces at the front door. They met the others downstairs and piled into the van when their manager pulled up to take them to the broadcasting station.
In hindsight, Leehan probably should have noticed something was wrong sooner.
Firstly, the shower had hurt. The water pressure in their dorm wasn't terrible but it wasn't overly strong either and yet it had felt like pellets made of lead were raining down on his body to the point that he'd felt bruised all over after getting out. Second, his clothes— the typical combination of casual pants and a hoodie since it was chilly out— had felt like sandpaper being dragged over his skin when he'd put them on. And lastly, he'd actually eaten the toast that Sungho had forced on him instead of handing it off to Woonhak when they got in the car like he usually would. Even the eldest had looked shocked by that but hadn't passed comment, probably just glad that Leehan had for once decided to eat something that resembled a normal breakfast.
Throughout the day his focus felt like it walked a tightrope but Leehan did his best not to show effected he was. He smiled at all the right moments during interviews, laughed at the others' jokes and antics while they were waiting backstage and hit all of his cues during their performance without messing up too noticeably. He was unsure of how successful he was but he didn't receive a scolding so he figured he must have done fine. As the day progressed things oscillated between being razor-sharp to him feeling like a balloon barely tethered to the ground. It became harder and harder to concentrate on anything other than the relentless itch building under his skin.
It all came to a head hours later when they were back at the company building for practice.
They were in the middle of running through some altered choreography for 'I Feel Good' when it hit. A myriad of scents suddenly exploded in Leehan's senses, like somebody had dropped several bottles of perfume all at once. Dark chocolate, denim, sandalwood, cinnamon— it was all too much.
His body jolted from the sensory overload and it felt like he was burning from the inside out. He couldn't catch his breath even though he heard himself desperately gasping in heaving mouthfuls of air over the ringing in his ears. His knees hit the floorboards with a painful thud and Leehan clutched at his chest that suddenly felt too tight. There was noise all around him; voices shouting, shoes squeaking against the practice room floor as they moved frantically. Music was still playing through the speakers, the bass of it vibrating in the air and under his skin in painful, unyielding throbs. Leehan wanted to scream for it all to stop but couldn't make his voice cooperate to do so.
Just when he was sure he was about to pass out from the overwhelming onslaught a voice rose above the din and cut through everything else.
"Donghyun."
The voice was familiar, even through its growling tone, one that Leehan would recognize anywhere with its raspy timbre and the way it stretched around the vowels of his name. It was Taesan.
A large hand settled at the base of his neck in a firm grip, the grounding effect it had settling some unfamiliar, primal part of his brain, and careful fingers brushed some hair out of Leehan's face. Taesan let out a low hum of approval when Leehan instinctively relaxed under his touch, "Good, that's good Donghyunie. Just settle down for me and breathe."
The tender rumble of Taesan's voice brushed against his heated skin like a soothing breeze, low and firm with enough gentle command in it that Leehan felt the panic that had been threatening to choke him start to recede. Taesan had put himself between Leehan and the others like a shield— a very, very nice smelling shield. Breathing suddenly didn't feel like a herculean task as took in a lungful of Taesan's scent. The blazing inferno inside of him subsided into a small brush fire as clean mountain air, cedar trees and cold river water combined with something dark and earthy that was unmistakably Alpha washed over him.
Taesan had been an Alpha since before Leehan had met him, already settled into his nature and sure of himself even at 16 when they'd first crossed paths. In a group that included three other Alphas Taesan had always seemed a cut above, no offense to Sungho, Jaehyun or Woonhak. Maybe it was his tall stature or the athletic grace with which he executed nearly every gesture but he exuded control and dominance in a way that was never overbearing. Despite his blunt nature Taesan was kind at his core and had never once in the time Leehan had he been anything but good to him, his teasing nature aside. There had always been a strange gravity about him, a hypnotic, unignorable pull that Leehan had felt towards him since the very first day they'd met.
While Leehan lost himself in thought Taesan moved one hand to cradle his chin and tilt his head up until they were looking each other in the eyes. Taesan's were steady and clear but through the building fog in his mind Leehan thought he could see something else in those dark depths, something fierce and protective that made a pitiful whimper slip past his lips unbidden.
"Shh, Donghyunie," Taesan's voice was low and tender, "You're gonna be okay Omega, I've got you."
So that's what this was. Leehan was finally presenting, just not as the Beta he'd always thought he'd be.
Somehow it didn't bother him as much as he thought it should but a lot of things suddenly didn't seem to matter so much as Taesan's pheromones wrapped around him like a weighted blanket and the world blurred around the edges.
He fell against Taesan's chest, trusting his Alpha to take care of him as he finally allowed himself to succumb to the haze.
. ₊ ✧₊ .
Taesan felt Leehan go slack in his arms and tightened his hold so he didn't slip from his embrace.
He'd known something was off with the younger all day; Leehan had been quiet in ways he normally wasn't, his brightness dimmed like he'd forgotten how to shine. Taesan had kept an eye on him through everything but in all the possibilities he'd come up for Leehan's odd— well, odder than usual— behavior he hadn't considered this.
Leehan was presenting. Leehan was an Omega.
The thought rang loud in his head, underneath it his inner Alpha growling a litany of Omega, my Omega. Mine to protect. Mine to take care of. Mine.
The declaration of Leehan being his came so easily, like it was something already written in stone. Taesan remembered his mom telling him stories when he was a kid about fated mates and soul bonds and idly wondered if that was the case here. It would make sense; Leehan had always felt like an extension of himself in some ways. They'd always just kind of fit together even though it seemed like they shouldn't. The idea that they were meant for each other made Taesan's Alpha rumble deeply with contentment and had a giddy smile working its way across his lips without his permission.
"Is he alright?"
Sungho crouched down next to them, his cashmere and sandalwood scent turning acrid with concern. Taesan felt his good mood sour instantly and had to bite back a snarl at the other Alpha's proximity, trying to be considerate of the fact that the older was only worried about Leehan. To Sungho, Leehan was nothing more than a packmate and little brother, someone he wanted to look after and keep safe. Leehan presenting so suddenly was like throwing a boulder into a previously calm lake so it was no wonder Sungho was on edge. As the eldest Sungho had always taken his duties to look after their pack very seriously, especially when it came to the two youngest members. Taesan knew all of that logically but logic didn't stop him from bristling at the blond being so close right now.
"Call manager-hyung," Taesan told Sungho, trying his best to keep his voice from coming out too aggressive, "Let him know what's happening and tell him that Donghyun and I are going to need the next few days off or however long it takes for his heat to subside."
He wasn't going to be leaving Leehan, that wasn't even an option.
Taesan glanced up; Riwoo, Jaehyun and Woonhak had formed a circle around them, their eyes wide with concern, scents a mess and combining in an unpleasant maelstrom that made Taesan's nose twitch, "Relax, all of you. I know it's a shock but freaking out will do nothing to help him."
"Dongmin-ah," Jaehyun spoke up, the usually confident leader's voice uncharacteristically hesitant, "It's so late though. And sudden. There've been no signs or anything. Even you thought he was a Beta."
The point was valid. Leehan was a few months shy of his twenty-first birthday, well past the typical age to present, and by every measure it had seemed like he was a Beta, something the younger had been entirely content with even without the biological confirmation to reassure him. But now Taesan could feel the fever of Leehan's presentation burning through both of their clothes and the cloyingly sweet scent of Omega coupled with vanilla and ocean perfumed the air around them, the source of it Leehan's flushed skin.
"Well late or not, he's obviously presenting as an Omega and playing hypotheticals about it isn't going to change that. The only question I have is: are you going to help or are you just going to get in my way?"
Normally Taesan deferred to Jaehyun in terms of leadership and Alpha hierarchy but Leehan's fever-like warmth and the heavy, overly-sweet heat scent rolling off his skin in waves had him on edge. He wanted to take the Omega somewhere safe where Taesan could look after him and protect him like any proper Alpha should. He was expending every ounce of control he had not to cave into the deep, gnawing urge that screamed mate, claim, mine in the back of his head like a melody that he couldn't get unstuck.
If Jaehyun wasn't going to be part of the solution, Taesan's Alpha was content to label him as an obstacle to be dealt with without prejudice if it meant keeping the Omega— his Omega— safe.
(For the record: Taesan didn't actually care about Leehan's updated status as an Omega. Secondary genders had never meant much to him in the grand scheme of things. Just because someone was biologically designated a certain way didn't mean that that was all they were. He liked Leehan because he was Leehan: weird, fun to tease, thoughtful and kind but with a core made of steel. Taesan had never had to worry about trying to be someone else with the younger, from the start he'd been accepted as is. Leehan's big heart had made room for him naturally, allowing Taesan to carve out a space to call his own. Even if Leehan had presented as an Alpha or just stayed as the Beta he'd been until now, Taesan would have loved him no matter what.)
Not waiting for any further response Taesan hefted Leehan up in his arms, an easy task since Leehan didn't actually weigh all that much and Taesan had gotten back into working out again recently. In his heat-dazed state Leehan let out a soft purr that sent sparks of electricity through Taesan's veins— Omegas purred when they felt safe, when they were with people they trusted— and he shifted closer to nuzzle his nose into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent and sighing again, contentment radiating through his scent.
The explicit trust was a heady thing but Taesan vowed not to take it for granted.
They had a lot to discuss once Leehan's heat had passed but for now…
Taesan kissed the top of Leehan's head, "Let's get you home, huh baby?"