Wild honeysuckle

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/50186836.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandoms: SEVENTEEN (Band), ENHYPEN (Band)
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Kwon
Soonyoung | Hoshi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon
Wonwoo/Lee Seokmin | DK
Characters: Kim Mingyu (SEVENTEEN), Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Choi Seungcheol |
S.Coups, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Yoon
Jeonghan, Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Jeon Wonwoo, Boo Seungkwan, Lee
Seokmin | DK, Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Xu Ming Hao | The8, Lee Chan |
Dino, Kim Sunoo (ENHYPEN), Phạm Ngọc Hân | Hanni, other side
characters from other groups may appear as well
Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Mpreg, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff,
Fluff and Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Omega Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Alpha
Kim Mingyu (SEVENTEEN), Knotting, Cute, Family Fluff
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-09-19 Updated: 2024-01-16 Words: 41,533 Chapters:
12/?
 Wild honeysuckle
by kuromi_kuro

Summary

Jun and Mingyu have always just been best friends and bros. But a certain spicy encounter
leaves them questioning how they stand in each others lives and how they'll move forward. Is
this really true love? And as Jun and Mingyu walk their journey together, other members also
begin to learn more about themselves and their feelings, and everything collides to form the
crazy beautiful life of the group Seventeen.
___________________________

Hi everyone! I tried to make this fic really cute and sweet so if you ever need a break from
reading the heavy ones, this might be it! I intend to cover quite a number of relationships in
this particular piece as well so there may be quite a number of chapters going into the
different situations that each couple faces. I'll also be including several characters from other
groups as part of the ensemble cast to bring a different dimension to the fic and some of them
may play pretty pivotal roles ;) All in all I hope everyone likes the piece and I promise to
update this as frequently as I can.

Notes
See the end of the work for notes
 Haemin

Jun gazed out of the car’s window pensively, taking in the sight of the small rural town the
group was currently driving through. Darting around, his eyes eventually caught sight of a
small gaggle of children, no more than 6 or 7 years of age (he figured). Giggling loudly, the
kids were running right next to the main road which the cars were driving on, carrying with
them their tiny homemade patchwork kites. They looked like they were trying to chase the
cars to say hello to the strangers inside, whilst propelling their kites as far as possible into the
sky. Jun smiled at the sight of these carefree kids. ‘Man, I wish I were a kid again’ he thought
longingly. Seeing these kids made him miss his childhood home and toys and the little
adventures he’d imagine himself going on while waiting for his mum to return home with
dinner. He’d always be the hero who’d fight some terrifying dragon or bear, and he’d always
find a beautiful princess at the end whom he’d marry. Always the hero…

Content with venturing down memory lane, a loud booming voice shattered Jun’s little
daydream and sent him hurtling back to reality. “15 minutes till we’re there guys! Get ready
to start filming soon. Freshen up your makeup, drink some water or whatever it is you guys
need to do!” Manager Ha nearly yelled. So they were almost at the little seaside town called
Haemin. The producers had chosen the place due it being rural but picturesque, making
filming both convenient (they wouldn’t bother too many people) and easy to keep secret
(there were no prying eyes). Despite being in the enclosed vehicle, Jun’s nose detected faint
whiffs of the briny sea. Reaching Haemin, Jun only had time to let out a soft groan as he
stretched the hours spent on the car away before he got whisked away for a touchup of his
hair and makeup, his fellow members still spilling out of their respective cars and rubbing the
sleep out of their eyes. Even that lasted barely 10 minutes and in no less time, he found
himself standing at the start line (which was conveniently between the pier and the beach)
with the others.

“Alright listen up everyone!! The amazing race will start in exactly 5 minutes. You’re gonna
have to work together with your partner to find all 10 clues scattered around the town in
exactly 1 hour to win the grand prize! The clues have been spread around the place as widely
as possibly and you’ll have to look in all the weird nooks and crannies to get to them. That’s
all the hints I’m gonna be handing out to you rascals. Get ready!” Manager Ha bellowed.

“Dude we have to win this. The grand prize is a literal all you can eat Hanwoo buffet and I’ll
be damned if I’m about to lose an opportunity to eat an entire cow!” Mingyu spluttered to
Jun. The competition would be stiff this time. Wonwoo, Chan and Seungcheol were chanting
what seemed like a war cry for their trio while Seungkwan and Dokyeom had already begun
to draw up a game plan with a broken tree branch, in a conveniently located pile of dirt.
Nonetheless, Jun felt almost certain that he’d be victorious with the help of his favourite
person in the world.

“Relax knucklehead we got this. With my brains and your muscles there’s no way anyone’s
gonna find all the clues before us.” Jun snickered cheekily as he looked at the former. He was
relieved to be paired with his best friend Mingyu. Sweet and steadfast, the gentle giant was
Jun’s rock and his greatest source of comfort all these years. In all the nights spent crying
over keeping up with the demanding schedules and crushing pressures of being an idol,
Mingyu had been the only constant, cradling Jun gingerly and wiping his tears away while
whispering words of comfort.

“It’s gonna be alright. Life’s got ups and downs but we’ll get through them all together
okay?” the younger male would say softly as Jun sniffled. On those nights, Mingyu was a
warm hearth on a frigid winter evening. His warmth and love seeped right into Jun’s bones
and it made Jun feel so safe. Nothing hurt as bad anymore…

Finding himself getting lost in his thoughts again, Jun shook his head violently and waited for
Manager Ha to blow his whistle and signal the start of the race. ‘Damn what’s with the sappy
thoughts today?’ Jun gritted his teeth as the whistle rang out.

Without warning, Jun found himself being yanked away from the start line by his partner.
“We gotta go now!” Mingyu heaved as he dragged Jun down a dusty dirt road towards the
shack near the sea. These actions earned curious stares from the other members, with an
“UM?” Coming from Seungkwan, the king of comedy himself. Why would they waste their
time going down there? That shack looked like it’d collapse if you even breathed near it.
Either that or the air around it would give you a bacterial infection, judging from how filthy
the dilapidated thing was. Either way, the other members only giggled as they watched Jun
flail helplessly in Mingyu’s arms.

“Well, that’s one pair that won’t be competition!” Jihoon guffawed as he sprinted in the
opposite direction, towards the houses with the other members.

“What makes you think there’s a clue down there???” Jun shrieked as he was hauled along by
the larger male. Turning beet red, he pouted in the arms of his best friend like a sulky kid.
Surely they were going in the wrong direction? This was a dead end!

“I can smell a clue!”

“In the shack near the sea?? What if there’s some old sea hag living in there?? Or some weird
disembodied drowned sailor spirit or some shit? Wha-ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING??”

“Relax Junnie there has to be a clue. The producers would definitely choose the most haunted
and evil looking shithole to put a clue in for the views.” Mingyu replied, with a massive
know-it all grin plastered on his face. This self-assured remark earned a glare from Jun,
which softened just as quickly. He felt weird thinking about it, but Mingyu looked even more
handsome than usual when he was confident about something, be it his dancing or the answer
to random trivia quizzes on all the variety shows the group went on. That knowing smile
accentuated all his features. It made his eyes gleam like quartz crystals and he seemed a
thousand times manlier than he already was, which was saying a lot. But Jun would never tell
him that. What kind of best friend would talk about shit like that? It’d just make things
awkward…and…

‘…Meh, he’s actually right this time.’ Jun thought to himself as he snapped out of those
weird thoughts about Mingyu and his attractive confidence, and continued their cautious
approach to the accursed little shack. My god, it looked even worse up close. The crumbling
rotten wood and shattered windows made it look straight out of an 80s horror film. And was
that…moss on the walls??? “GROSS” Jun squealed, this time louder than before.

“Relax you big baby. We’re just gonna open the door and nip in and hopefully find that first
clue” Mingyu said placatingly.

Jun sighed, knowing there was no way out of doing this. In the inevitable scenario where
there was no clue in satan’s locker room, Jun could still gloat and guilt trip Mingyu for
wasting their time. That was always great fun so it’d almost make up for the fact that Jun
would have to touch the filthy doorknob to open the awful thing. “Ok fine. On three. One,
two, THREE!!” Jun yelled as he flung the door open. The figure clad in all black that leapt
out at the two caused Jun to momentarily ascend and let out a garbled scream, as if he were
choking on his own soul. Mingyu jumped backward slightly, but the brave man looked more
puzzled than afraid.

“Congratulations!! You’ve found the first clue!” a cheerful voice chirped. It belonged to none
other than assistant manager Kim, who handed over a tiny little origami octopus to the
shivering Jun.

“You’re an evil evil woman” Jun hissed as he grabbed the octopus out of her hand.

“Only 9 more clues left guys!! Keep going! I honestly didn’t think anyone would bother to
come down here so ya’ll already have a head start!” Manager Kim cheerily said, completely
ignoring Jun’s jab at her morality.

And find those 9 clues they did, albeit with great suffering. After accidentally trespassing into
an elderly (and firmly displeased) grannie’s apricot garden, squirming through an unnaturally
large number of sandy ditches and running from a rabid dog, Jun and Mingyu finally had all
10 clues. Each was folded intricately into a little sea creature. There was an octopus, a sea
turtle, a jellyfish…but what did they mean exactly?

“Maybe the prize is in the sea. Now all we need to do is jump in!” Mingyu suggested, wiping
at the beads of sweat collecting on his brow. They’d been running around for at least 45
minutes by now and the two of them were worn to the bone. They’d finally stopped to sit at
the pier, away from the prying eyes of any fellow members who might mooch off their clues.

“NO NO NO that can’t be right! You think the prize is drowning?!” retorted Jun, earning a
sheepish smile from bashful boy. “Maybe the clues are in the origami sea creatures. We just
need to unfold them.” He continued. While desperately moving his fingers to deconstruct the
first sea creature, Jun unconsciously brushed his silvery hair towards his ears to get a better
look at what he was doing. Despite having been through hell on Earth, Jun looked as
attractive as ever. His hair, kissed by the salty breeze, had acquired a sort of frizz that made it
look extra lustrous and voluminous. It accentuated his large eyes, making them even more
alluring. Like pools of crystal clear water, one would find themselves staring into them for
too long if they were not careful. A mistake Mingyu unknowingly made as he quietly
watched the clueless boy.

“But the sea creatures…”Mingyu finally said as he pouted at Jun after having spent what
seemed like an eternity gazing at the latter’s eyes. He was sad to see them go. All the effort
put into folding them, gone just like that.

“HAH there’s a letter on it! It’s an ’N’” Jun shouted triumphantly, ignoring Mingyu entirely.
Slightly disappointed by Jun’s lack of acknowledgement, Mingyu nonetheless let out a
whoop in both elation and relief and the two got to work instantly, unfolding the helpless
origami creatures with blinding speed. N, U, B, R, 3, M, 8, E and 5…

“Hmm I’m pretty sure the word is number!” Jun said after spending a grand total of 30
seconds staring at the papers. Mingyu chuckled softly. Jun really was the smart one in their
friendship and he wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, it was always fun to let someone
else do the thinking and just tag along. They complemented each other that way. Each was
what the other was not.

“But what’s the 3 digit number…is it 358, 835, 853…” Jun mumbled as he trailed off into the
possibilities. This time, Mingyu had the solution.

“Wait it has to be 358! I saw that number on the gate of this huge house we ran past just now
while trying to avoid that crazy dog!” Mingyu said. Wasting no time, the two sprinted to the
northward, to the very edge of the town. That house was the largest one they’d seen in the
area, sitting just at the top of a small hill so the rest of the town and the sea could be viewed
with ease. It had its own front yard with a never-ending wall of rose bushes, oozing an
intense floral scent that was mellowed by the saltiness of the air. Jun couldn’t help but feel a
wave of relief at Mingyu’s answer. No more disgusting door knobs for this boy.

Reaching the house puffing and panting, the two boys saw defeat stare them in the eyes.
Squabbling right at the gate, Seokmin and Seungkwan looked poised to be the first finishers
and Mingyu could almost see them eating all the Hanwoo that HE should be devouring.
But…they hadn’t won yet. Manager Ha would’ve yelled or blown the whistle by now if they
did. No, they needed to get over the gate and into the house. And that’s what they were
probably squabbling about now, neither wanting to mess their hair or their clothes to climb
the massive steel gate that protected the luscious rose garden house. “Mingyu…” Jun
whispered so the other boys wouldn’t notice his presence. “Here’s what I need you to do…”
Listening to his best friend’s plan, a devious smile crept over Mingyu’s face as he began
inching towards the squabbling pair, ready to seize a shot at victory.

“HEY WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING” shouted Seungkwan as Mingyu grabbed him
firmly, Seokmin held in the bigger man’s other arm.

“THIS IS CHEATING YOU BIG OAF LETS US GO. I’M OLDER THAN YOU!!!”
Seokmin shouted as fiercely as he could, meaning he sounded more annoyed than actually
angry. Thrashing violently, the poor boys really looked like kittens being hauled along by a
large mastiff.

“All’s fair in love and war my darlings.” Mingyu snickered as the two squirmed helplessly in
his arms. Going to the gym had many benefits - looking hot, staying fit and now, wrestling
your friends into submission!

While Mingyu kept the two boys locked in a merciless embrace, Jun had begun scaling the
intimidating gate. It was sturdy for sure, but it still shook slightly under his weight as he
attempted to find his footing between the grills. Gritting his teeth, the silver haired boy began
pulling himself up, fingers wrapped tightly around any exposed metal that could serve as a
means of support. It was cold to the touch and made Jun’s hands clam up slightly.
Nonetheless, it took the boy no time to reach the top with his unmatched dexterity and even
Seungkwan and Seokmin momentarily stopped thrashing to stare at Jun in awe for climbing
the gate so quickly. It was almost like he slithered up there. Looking down into the house, Jun
knew his descent would pose a greater challenge. He had to angle his body just right so he
could catch the grills again with the front of his shoes, before sliding down the gate to claim
the win. Moving quickly, Jun turned to angle himself, catching a part of his shirt on the top of
the gate and ripping it clean open on one side.

“Fuck.” Jun growled as he continued repositioning himself. His abs peeked through the
conveniently ripped shirt, shimmering slightly as pearls of sweat rolled over them.

Finally catching the grills with his feet, Jun slid right down the gate and into the yard, yelling
triumphantly when his feet hit the ground. Whipping his head to the right, he quickly saw the
cause of the locked gate. Sprawled on a too-small deck chair, Manager Ha was fast asleep,
snoring so loudly he made the earth around him shake slightly. He looked…kinda like a
sunbathing walrus. ’So it was locked because of him. I wouldn’t have had to rip my shirt if
this lazy fucker had done his job. But if he did, Seokmin and Seungkwan would’ve won so
maybe his carelessness was a gift in the end…” Jun thought.

“JUNNIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Mingyu yelled, shaking the boy out of his internal
monologue. By this time, Mingyu had let go of the tortured pair, strength entirely spent, and
they were trying to climb up the gate as well, albeit not nearly as gracefully as the serpentine
Jun had.

“THE PRIZE. GIVE IT.” Jun immediately spluttered, shaking Manager Ha violently out of
his deep slumber.

“Ughrb…oh yeah. GAME’S OVER, JUN and MINGYU WON.” Manager Ha bellowed loud
enough for the entire town to hear. Faint groans could be heard across the small town, each
team knowing instantaneously that their chance at an amazing lunch had been snatched from
them. Streaming into the yard pair by pair (Manager Ha having gotten off his ass to unlock
the gate by now and the cameramen having herded any lost members), the group finally
gathered in front of the rose bushes, each looking like they’d seen the worst of humanity.
Poor Chan looked like he had sandfly bites on his nose…

“As you know, Jun and Mingyu won the amazing race. So they’ll be receiving vouchers to
the all you can eat Hanwoo buffet that’s just opened in Mapo-Gu back in Seoul. But the
restaurant’s generously sponsored each of them with two tickets instead so they can each
bring a guest with them. Or eat at the restaurant twice. I’d do that.” Manager Ha said, licking
his lips as the words left his mouth.

“One ticket for Seokmin and one for Seungkwan!” Jun and Mingyu chirped in unison.
Seokmin, who had been staring at his feet in dejection for the past ten minutes, whipped his
head upwards and stared at the pair. A large grin immediately appeared on his face and Jun
and Mingyu knew they’d successfully placated the boy. Seokmin was never one to stay angry
at others for too long. And he had a beautiful smile too. You couldn’t help but feel a rush of
happiness when you saw it and it made you instinctively start smiling too. His positivity was
infectious. Seungkwan on the other hand, only huffed at the statement and looked away while
frowning (though it looked more like a pout). Jun and Mingyu knew he wasn’t angry though.
If he were, Seungkwan wouldn’t even be standing there right now and would’ve walked right
off set to cool off.

“Alright, that wraps up filming for today. You’re all free to do whatever you want now. But
remember, we’re gonna be waking up early tomorrow for the next challenge. Everyone’s
gotta be out here at 8am sharp, hair and makeup DONE. I won’t tolerate any oversleepsers
and I’m looking at you Wonwoo!” Manager Ha said, Wonwoo blushing violently at his
words. And with that, filming for the day was finally over and members were free to live
their lives uncontrolled, just for the night.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________

“Guys, me and Soonyoung are gonna down to the beach to just chill for a bit and wind down.
I think the stars are out tonight and we really wanna see them. Anyone wanna come with?”
The leader Seungcheol said, Soonyoung stuck fast to his arm. Seungcheol and Soonyoung
had been the first couple to form in the group, to the surprise of absolutely no one. When
Seungcheol first presented and entered his rut, bringing with him a strong scent of cinnamon
and nutmeg, Soonyoung had reacted instantaneously and entered his heat as well. His scent
glands spread the smell of fresh apples all throughout the dorm, crisp but almost cloying after
awhile. Ordinarily, two members presenting at the same time would’ve been catastrophic, but
since the two were already romantically inclined, it was incredibly convenient to just send
them both to a special hotel to take care of their rut and heat together. The other members
could’ve only imagined how insane Seungcheol and Soonyoung had been, going at it for
hours with panting, moaning, hair-pulling and everything else in between and outside. When
they returned they both looked like they’d been attacked by tigers, hair a mess and bite marks
covering their necks, but they looked so in love that the image was cute nonetheless. ‘They
complement each other so well. They smell like a warm apple pie together.’ Jun thought to
himself as he saw Seungcheol ruffles Soonyoung’s hair, Soonyoung eyes filled with love and
admiration, glued to the alpha's face.

“That sounds like a pretty good idea. It’s cool tonight too so it’ll be nice!” Minghao
concurred, desperately wanting some fresh air. The other members chimed in, each agreeing
to go down to the beach as well since the weather was so perfect.

“Hmmm…you guys go ahead, I’m tired after that race and I need a shower.” Jun blurted out,
earning curious stares from his fellow members.

“But Hyung, you love the beach. Plus the stars are out tonight! What if there are shooting
stars too? You really wanna risk losing a wish?” Chan replied, tilting his head slightly to the
right and giving Jun his pleading puppy eyes.
“I’m tired today. We’ll be here for a few more nights so I don’t think I’ll be missing out on
much if I just stay in tonight. You have fun though okay?” Jun said as he ruffled Chan’s thick
blonde hair, making the latter smile slightly.

“Alright, suit yourself! Just stay safe okay? Don’t do anything dangerous and lock the front
door once we’ve all left.” Seungcheol reminded Jun in the caring tone of voice he always had
as he walked out of the house, Soonyoung still stuck tight to his arm. The rest of the members
waved goodbye as they walked out of the house too, leaving Jun alone for the first time
today.

‘Finally, some time to myself’ Jun thought as he failed to heed the advice Seungcheol had
just given and left the front door unlocked. He loved his members but after near death
experiences like that amazing race, he definitely needed some alone time to recuperate in his
pyjamas. And anyways, he needed to get all this sand and grime off his body. Scampering
around the house, Jun looked high and low for the elusive shower. There were 2 toilets, but
none of them came attached with showers for some reason. “Do…do I shower in the sink?”
Jun said aloud as he stared at the massive kitchen sink, more tempted than he should’ve been.
Looking up and out of the window in the backyard, Jun finally caught sight of what he most
desperately needed. In the backyard, there was a massive outdoor shower constructed out of
porcelain tiles and what looked like marble. It was surrounded by several conveniently
planted willows, wispy but offering decent cover with their leaves. “Jackpot” Jun said to
himself again, this time in relief and excitement. Wasting no time, Jun ran out the back door
and into the massive shower, willow trees swaying slightly in the wind and their leaves
billowing softly. He peeled the clothes off his body, and turned on the central rain shower at
maximum strength. Hot water blasted from the ceiling, thrumming right onto Jun’s naked
body. The boy let out a sigh of relief as the hot water slid down his back and arms. It felt so
comforting especially on this cold night and after that exhausting game. He could feel
himself regaining his strength as the shower blasted away his exhaustion and the sand that
still clung to his knees.

Finally surveying the shower, Jun let out a whistle as he realised it was far larger than he had
originally thought. It was almost the size of a garage and the three rain showers attached to
the ceiling meant that it was probably meant to be used as a communal bathing space. The
beige tiled floor and marbled walls made it seem like the owner had been inspired by
communal greek baths and wanted to create a modern version he could enjoy anytime. As he
gazed at the space in awe, Jun caught sight of a rack of shampoos and shower gels, arranged
by colour and presumably scent. Walking closer, he found his hands settle on a large off-
white bottle of soap. “Tahitian Vanilla” read the label and Jun instinctively popped the cap
open. The smell of warm vanilla spread throughout the shower. It smelt delicious and
intoxicating, like the most luxurious baked goods you’d only find in the most elegant cafes
scattered around the streets of Paris. ‘Woah’ Jun thought as he found himself lathering the
soap in his hands and spreading it across his chest and through his hair. He wanted to be
enveloped by the scent, to make it last on his skin for as long as possible. Working his way
over his arms and his belly, he suddenly found his hands stop at his groin. ‘Maybe I should
get this done before the other members come back. I might as well since I’m alone and I
won’t get caught.” Jun whispered to himself, as a warm coil formed in his chest and stomach.
He hadn’t jerked off in two weeks since his schedules were always back to back and he
hadn’t realised how horny he was until he’d stepped into this shower. Maybe that was why he
was having all those weird sappy thoughts today.

Gingerly sliding his hand over his dick, Jun moaned softly as he felt a bolt of electricity
travel from his tip and down his shaft into his hips. He grabbed onto his dick firmly, rubbing
it carefully and then more roughly as he felt the thing harden and throb in his right hand. It
felt good, way too good and Jun wanted the feeling to stay as long as possible. Having a cut
dick, he lightly caressed his exposed cock head with his fingers and let out a groan of
pleasure as he felt pre-cum squirt out instantaneously. His body was reacting in such an
extreme manner and Jun didn’t know why but he fucking loved it. Every stroke felt so intense
that he had to clench his abdominal muscles to stop himself from cumming immediately.
Maybe it was the warmth of the shower or the intoxicating smell of vanilla but something
was making him go wild. Finding himself unconsciously stroking faster and faster, Jun let out
soft whimpers as he felt the coil in his belly grow. It felt like he was on fire and his hips were
moving on their own too, smashing his rock hard cock right into his hands. With a final burst
of quick strokes, Jun reached his peak. “FUCK.” Jun groaned as he felt his orgasm tightening
the muscles in his groin and hips. He felt light-headed as his dick gushed cum, shooting it
right onto the marbled wall right in front of him. He’d gave to clean that up later before the
members came but right now he didn’t give a fuck. He wanted to do it again. And since he
was alone…

“Woah…” whispered a voice behind Jun, making the boy freeze and turn a brilliant scarlet.
He dared not turn around. It would be embarrassing if it were one of his members but it’d be
even worse if it were someone else. Crap…did he lock the front door like Seungcheol said to
do? Turning his head painfully slowly and preparing himself for some mocking, Jun found
himself face to face with Mingyu, the bigger man standing as still as a statue, mouth agape.

“MINGYU WHAT THE, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? CREEPY
MUCH?” Jun squealed as he lambasted the awestruck boy.

“I came back to get my phone to take pictures of the stars but then I heard noises…so I came
to investigate…and…” Mingyu spluttered, eyes still on the naked boy who desperately
grabbed at everything around himself for something to cover his shame. The shower was still
on, splashing noisily behind them and making the already awkward situation a million times
worse.

“Well…I’m cleaning up later so don’t worry about it! And you’re still a creep for the record!
If you weren’t my best friend I’d be calling the police right now!!” Jun spluttered back,
glowering at Mingyu, who still hadn’t moved an inch. The larger man was frowning slightly,
looking both shocked but also intrigued. Staring back, Jun noticed that Mingyu’s bulge was
visible through his denim jeans and was forming a small tent. Come to think of it, he was
blushing slightly and if he listened closely, Jun could hear Mingyu panting slightly.

“Dude…you can go now. Don’t you need to get pictures of those stars?” Jun stammered as
stepped back under the shower, scrubbing off some dried cum on his stomach. Mingyu didn’t
move at all, only awkwardly looking at the ground before mumbling something
unintelligible.
“What was that?” Jun queried, his heart starting to race. This was so weird. Why wasn’t
Mingyu leaving? He could feel his stomach cramping in anxiety as he waited for his best
friend to give an answer.

“I said…will you help me Junnie? With…this…” Mingyu shamefully said as he grabbed his
massive bulge with his left hand. Jun’s eyes widened like saucers as he realised what the
larger male was asking him to do. Mingyu looked embarrassed, but his eyes had also
acquired this sort of hungry, primal look. He looked like he was starving and Jun was the
thing he just needed to devour.

‘Help him? This can’t actually be happening. He’s my best friend…I don’t like him like that
at all. I’d understand a little more if we were alphas and omegas but we’re just betas now.
Why…why is he acting this way…” Jun’s mind raced. He’d seen Mingyu naked before, of
course. They’d taken showers together before when they were late for schedules or music
shows but there was nothing sexual about those instances. This felt different. Mingyu looked
horny as fuck and Jun didn’t want or feel that he had to help him with it. It felt taboo. Just
straight up wrong.

“Gyu…I don’t think I can help you…You’re my best friend and all but this is crossing
boundaries. It’s gonna be so awkward and weird once you come down from your high right
now and realise how wrong this whole situation is. And besides…we’re still betas. You
should save things like this for your alpha or omega. How’d they feel if they knew you’d
done something like this with your roommate and best friend?” Jun finally said, as calmly
and gently as he could. He’d convince Mingyu that this was an insane and inane proposal.
“Anyways…why can’t you help yourself?”

“I…don’t know.” Mingyu stuttered, crunching on his words. “I was feeling normal before
this but when I got here suddenly…I just felt weird. I feel like I can’t control myself right
now. It almost hurts and I need a release so bad. Doing it by myself won’t be enough right
now, it won’t feel right. I need someone’s help right now and I’m asking you because I trust
you Junnie. I don’t feel any romantic attraction to you either Junnie and I know it’ll be
awkward. But won’t that be better? Things won’t get complicated with feelings and after a bit
we can just pretend like this never happened. But I need your help now…” Mingyu whined
pleadingly. He gazed at the shorter man with a pout on his face, making Jun even more
stressed.

Jun sighed. Mingyu didn’t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon, so it seemed like
he really had no choice but to help the boy. And to his credit, Mingyu had been right. Since
neither of them had feelings, this wouldn’t complicate anything the same way it might with
some of their other members. Besides, with both of them still being betas, it posed less of a
risk. Betas could fuck or mess around with whoever they wanted and still not form any
lasting attachments. If they had been alphas and omegas, they might have ended up mating
and that would mess with them both physically and emotionally. Bonds like that made alphas
and omegas crave each other and it meant serious trouble if they weren’t romantically
attracted because their minds and bodies would never be on the same page. This should
technically be inconsequential. Maybe he’d consider this as a favour to Mingyu for helping
hold back Dokyeom and Seungkwan during the amazing race.
“Fine. But let’s never bring this up again. I don’t wanna talk about this and it better be the last
time you ever ask me for sexual stuff. I’m not your alpha or omega you can use anytime you
want.” Jun replied slightly gruffly.

“Of course! My lips are sealed.” Mingyu beamed at Jun in relief, making the latter blush
again for some reason. Rushing to pull down his pants, Mingyu quickly revealed his hard
dick, its head poking slightly out of his underwear. The sight of it made Jun quiver slightly.
He’d seen Mingyu naked before, but he’d never actually seen (or imagined he would see)
Mingyu naked while hard. As Mingyu pulled down his underwear, Jun only got more and
more nervous as he looked at the thing. It was fucking massive, bigger than any he’d ever
seen (not like he’d seen very many). It was almost the length of his forearm and so thick it
seemed more like a baseball bat than an actual dick. It was almost comically large but it
scared Jun as it throbbed strongly. Feeling a hand pushing on the back of his head, Jun found
himself kneeling at Mingyu’s feet, face to face with his rock hard cock. Instinctively, Jun
opened his mouth wide, wrapping his lips lightly around Mingyu’s cut cock head which was
wet with pre-cum. Mingyu moaned loudly as he felt the warmth of Jun’s mouth and the
sensation of his plush lips around his member and he released a load of pre-cum, which slid
right down Jun’s throat. It tasted almost sweet, which Jun found surprising. Generally, pre-
cum from male alphas or slick from female omegas had never tasted like this in his previous
encounters.

“Fuck yeah just like that…”Mingyu whimpered, as Jun used his tongue to prod at his head.
Something about the way Mingyu sounded made Jun blush again. This felt so wrong. But
why was it so…hot?

Getting more daring, Jun attempted to let more of Mingyu slide down his silky throat. It was
a massive dick and so he only managed about half of it before it felt like his throat would rip.
Nonetheless, the larger male looked like he was in absolute bliss. Shuddering, Mingyu
opened his eyes slightly to gaze at Jun and managed a small circling motion with his fingers.
Understanding the message, Jun began to slide his tongue up and down Mingus shaft and
swirled it around his head. This made Mingyu almost shout in ecstasy and he began to thrust
slowly into Jun’s mouth. This taboo encounter was shaping up to be the best action either of
the two had gotten in awhile.

“Junnie, I’m close..” Mingyu gasped as he felt Jun’s wet mouth suck him in. By now, Jun had
gotten used to Mingyu’s girth and was able to let more of his dick down his throat, making
Mingyu go absolutely crazy from the feeling.

“Alright, let’s just jerk the load out of you so we can get out of here.” Jun whispered after
pulling Mingyu’s length out of his throat, Mingyu nodding slightly with his eyes closed
again. Jun wrapped both his hands around the massive cock and began to stroke it
aggressively, taking extra care to knead at the head and the slit which was still dripping pre-
cum. How Mingyu had so much, Jun would never understand. The larger male squirmed and
groaned as his dick was jerked and massaged by his best friend, panting faster and faster
until…

Jun was hit by a massive wave of cum without warning, covering his face and getting in his
freshly washed hair. It had shot at him like a fire hose at maximum strength, sticky and warm.
Jun gasped slightly as he felt some of it get into his mouth. It tasted even sweeter than the
pre-cum, almost like candy. But his hair…

“Dude…” Jun groaned “I just showered…”

“Sorry…hey at least we’re already in the shower!” Mingyu panted, still attempting to catch
his breath from the massive orgasm Jun just gave him.

“Shut up man.” Jun said as he turned on two rain showers this time, Mingyu still gasping for
his breath as he stood behind him. The showers blasted warm water on command, washing
the bodily fluids off the two boys as they sighed in relief. At least they’d be able to leave this
weird encounter behind them and everything would go back to normal. Or so they thought…
 It's not your fault, darling.
Chapter Summary

Jun didn’t know what to say. He was shocked out of his mind. Was this his fault?
Presenting wasn’t inherently a bad thing, heck, it was something everyone had to go
through like a second puberty. But the fact that his happened right after they had that
awkward incident in the showers made him feel guilty for some reason...

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Jun could’ve never imagined how awkward things would be after the shower incident last
night. If he knew, he would’ve stood his ground and refused the younger male, who was now
sitting at the other end of the dining table and staring into his coagulating bowl of oats. After
finishing their shower the previous night, reality had hit Mingyu and Jun instantaneously and
things went downhill from then on. They didn’t even say good night to each other before
hurrying into their respective rooms, hoping to sleep the awkwardness away. But that
obviously hadn’t worked and the other members could also feel waves of guilt and shame
emanating from the two boys.

“So…what’s the plan for filming today!” Jeonghan bravely ventured, hoping to ease the
tension in the room. Soft hearted and easily worried, the boy knew something odd had
happened the day before between the Mingyu and Jun and he desperately wanted them to feel
better. They were usually so chummy at breakfast, always joking around and occasionally
punching each other on the arms. To see them seated apart, at opposite ends of the table no
less, signalled that something had gone very wrong.

“We’re gonna be playing games on the beach today! I think we’re gonna be digging up razor
clams and whichever team picks the most will win some other prize. I think that’s all for-?”
Seungcheol replied, feigning an air of cheeriness as he took Jeonghan’s bait. He too knew
something was amiss and his scent clearly betrayed his knowledge. The normally comforting
smell of cinnamon and nutmeg had turned slightly bitter, making the other members scrunch
their noses and Soonyoung sweat.

“EVERYONE GET READY WE’RE GOING DOWN TO THE BEACH NOW. 5

MINUTES.” Manager Ha screeched, bursting into the house before the leader could finish
his sentence. Jun had never felt so relieved to see the unkempt and burly man. Who’d ever
thought that his lazy manager who’d made him risk his life climbing a gate, would actually
turn out to be his saviour the very next day? And who would’ve thought he’d sucked his best
friend’s dick in an outdoor shower… Trudging out of the main door, the members made their
way down the small hill the house sat on and to the beach that lay a short distance away. It
was actually a beautiful day. The sun had hidden half its face behind a swarm of large circular
clouds so it was much cooler than it generally would’ve been and there was even small
breeze that blew from the sea itself. Jun sighed as he stepped onto the pristine beach with
golden sand and gazed into the horizon. Perhaps the day wouldn’t be so bad after all. Mingyu
on the other hand, looked worse for wear. Jun was worried. Despite the balmy weather, the
younger male was sweating profusely as if he had a fever and looked incredibly flushed -
both pale but also red. Walking slowly towards him, Jun placed his hand on the bigger man’s
back and stroked it gingerly. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need some water?” Jun asked
gently.

“Nah I’m…I’m all good. Don’t worry about me.” Mingyu replied without even looking at
Jun, seemingly panting slightly.

“Alright guys today the challenge is to pick as many razor clams from the sand as you guys
can in two hours, in your pairs from yesterday of course. You guys know what they are right?
They’re those weird long things you can pull out of the sand if you pour salt into the holes.
Pick the most and you’ll win another prize. Oh and keep the clams when the game finishes so
they can be cooked.” Manager Ha explained as the members began separating into their
groups. Each group was given a large box of salt and a bucket before being allowed to run to
their spot of choice to begin digging for clams.

Jun glanced around at the beach around him. Despite being a small town, the beach in
Haemin was deceptively long and Jun could barely see the end where it tapered off against a
rock face.

“Gyu, let’s start where we’re standing now and work down towards the other end. That way
we’ll be able to try digging up the whole shore before the challenge ends. Sound good?” Jun
offered as he patted Mingyu on the shoulder. Mingyu only nodded silently, staring down at
his flip flops. ‘Man I knew it would be awkward but I didn’t know it’d be this bad…’ Jun
thought to himself, slightly hurt by Mingyu’s cold treatment of him. It didn’t really seem fair
for him to be working so hard to ignore yesterday’s incident and act normal while Mingyu
refused to acknowledge his efforts. Nonetheless, the silver haired boy knew better than to
cause a ruckus and started walking towards the shoreline where the waves were lapping
against the sand.

“Look Gyu there are some holes! Let’s try putting salt in them!” Jun said with as much
enthusiasm as he muster. He immediately opened the box of salt and poured a generous
amount on the 5 small holes in the sand directly in front of his feet. It was oddly pretty
actually, the way the brilliant white salt stood out on the golden brown sand. “It’s weird these
things are supposed to pop out when we pour salt on them. Aren’t they constantly being
covered in sea water and isn’t there salt in sea water?” Jun said mostly to himself while
waiting for any signs of movement in the sand. Suddenly, a long, wiry shell poked its way out
of one of the holes, making the boy yelp in surprise.

“OMG WE GOT ONE” Jun exclaimed, excited for real this time. He grabbed the
unsuspecting razor clam and yanked on it as hard as he could. Surprisingly, the razor clam
put up more of a fight than he had expected and he found himself using a disproportionate
amount of strength to pull it out of the sand. Having finally emerged victorious in the violent
struggle with the bivalve, Jun collapsed dramatically on the sand.
“A little help would’ve been nice Mingyu…” Jun panted, still lying on the sand in an attempt
to humour the younger male. Receiving no answer, Jun pouted and whipped his head around,
fully ready to chastise Mingyu this time for giving him the cold shoulder. But his heart
immediately sank when he saw the state Mingyu was in. The younger male was panting now,
almost as if he’d just finished a full marathon. His face was flushed blood-red and Jun could
almost feel the heat emanating off him. He had to be sick.

“Gyu…I think you’re sick. Let me tell Manager Ha. Then you’ll be able to go back to the
house and rest okay? You can’t continue filming like this it’ll only make you feel worse” Jun
whispered sweetly to the boy.

“N-no. I’m fine. I-It won’t be fair to ev-everyone else.” Mingyu stammered. Jun could tell he
was using every ounce of effort he could muster to speak. It broke his heart.

“Gyu please…Everyone will understand I promise. You need to go back and rest. I’m
begging you.” Jun pleaded, stroking the other boys hair lovingly. Mingyu was always a
stubborn kid. Even back in their trainee days, Mingyu had always stubbornly refused to miss
practice even when he was ill and it made convincing him to take a rest an incredibly difficult
task. But this time, Mingyu only nodded slightly and Jun felt a surge of relief at how easy it
was to convince him this time. Waving wildly to get Manager Ha’s attention, Jun quickly
explained the health crisis Mingyu was currently facing (making no mention of the
happenings from the previous night) to the burly man.

“Yeah he definitely needs to get some rest. He might’ve caught a cold because the weather’s
been so unpredictable these few days. Anyways, it won’t be a huge deal if he’s not here for
filming.” Manager Ha replied Jun, in a far more measure and calm manner than he usually
spoke. Despite being lazy and appearing brutish sometimes, the manager truly cared deeply
for the members and didn’t want them to push themselves beyond their limits merely for the
satisfaction of the public. Feeling so relieved he could cry, Jun thanked Manager Ha
profusely as the latter supported Mingyu by his shoulders.

“Alright big guy, let’s get going.” Manager Ha said as he began walking Mingyu back to the
house, slowly weaving through the members who were showering Mingyu with well wishes
and promising that they’d be home soon with many razor clams for him. Mingyu could only
look at them and smile weakly, trudging heavily through the sand as if his feet were a million
times heavier now. Despite getting Mingyu to go back and rest, Jun just couldn’t shake the
intense worry he felt as his chest clenched intensely. Mingyu rarely fell sick and even if he
did, he was never so ill that he could barely speak. This was something out of the ordinary
and it made Jun deeply concerned. Or maybe he was simply overthinking things and Mingyu
would be right as rain the moment they got back. Either way, he had to focus on filming now
before he could run home and check on his best friend. With his eyebrows still furrowed
deeply in worry, Jun threw the razor clam that was still squirming in his hand into his bucket.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________

Jun simply couldn’t focus on anything that day. The hunt for razor clams had gone poorly
without Mingyu, as expected. Without the big and strong boy helping, Jun found himself
struggling against the unnaturally muscular razor clams, which he believed were actually
placed there to mock him. It wasn’t like Jun wasn’t muscular. Far from it really. But his
muscles just didn’t lend him the same strength that Mingyu possessed. If Mingyu were here,
he’d yank all the razor clams out of the sand in one go, maybe even a few at once. Jun’s heart
ached as he thought about how his best friend must be feeling all alone at home right now,
body burning from the cold he had caught. It didn’t help that they didn’t return home after the
filming at the beach either. Turns out, they had a second game to film at a nearby strawberry
farm and they’d only be able to return at night. Jun found himself scowling the entire time
they were at the strawberry farm and he’d almost lost his temper as he was forced to pick
strawberries with a blindfold on. Was this really the time for games? For all they knew,
Mingyu might be dead in the house by now. But he had no choice but to grit his teeth and
finish the day of filming, Manager Ha having pulled him aside to encourage him.

“Jun-ya, I know you’re worried about Mingyu but he’d gonna be fine okay? When we got
back home, he went back to his room and I made sure he was asleep first before I left. I also
found some fever medication and I left it by his bedside table with some water in case he
needed it. For now, just focus on the filming alright?” Manager Ha had said compassionately.
Jun could only sigh and thank him for his patience. It was what came with being an idol.
Having to mask your emotions for your work. Feeling was only allowed once the cameras
had been shut off.

That was several hours ago and Jun was now bounding up the hill, desperate to check on his
best friend and whether the poor boy was still alive. The sun had set by now and it had grown
so cold Jun felt like ice was forming on his cheeks, But he didn’t care, all that mattered now
was that Mingyu was okay. Flinging open the front door, he ran right to Mingyu’s room and
opened the door as quietly as possible. The boy had swaddled himself in his comforter and
was lying motionlessly in his plush bed. Listening intently, Jun could hear faint snoring and
the awful tightness in his chest finally dissipated. So Mingyu was just fast asleep, not dead.
Placing his hand gingerly on the sick boy’s forehead, Jun found himself nearly yelping in
shock. Mingyu was still burning and he was so warm that Jun thought he’d accidentally
placed his hand on the space heater instead. Tip-toeing to the bedside table, Jun found a half-
empty glass of water and no fever medication. At least Mingyu had taken that and the
medication was probably still taking time to work. Staring helpless at his best friend, Jun
found himself being pulled out of the room slowly by a pair of hands.

“Junnie, it’s not safe for you to be in there.” Joshua said placatingly as Jun began to struggle.

“But why not?” Jun whined softly, as the older male closed the door to Mingyu’s room
silently.

Sighing quietly, Joshua placed his hand on Jun’ shoulder again, rubbing it comfortingly.
“Because he’s presenting Junnie.”

...

Jun felt like he’d been hit by a truck. This didn’t make sense. Mingyu was one of the younger
members. Theoretically, he was still some ways away from presenting, given that many of the
older one’s hadn’t presented their secondary genders yet. “B-But, hyung that doesn’t make
sense. Isn’t he too young?” Jun whispered. Turning to face him, Jun felt slightly comforted as
he looked at Joshua’s face. The older male had such warm and friendly features, with a
smooth lilting voice to complement it that you could never stay stressed for too long in his
presence. Maybe it also helped that Shua was on omega with particularly maternal tendencies
that reflected in the way he took care of his other members. He was perfect for Jeonghan that
way, who was his alpha and a paternal figure to many members in the group. They were the
second couple that had formed in the group and were really the “mum and dad” to their
younger members.

Gazing at Jun with his obsidian irises, Joshua replied sweetly “Presenting is unpredictable
Junnie. Sometimes, it isn’t about age, and external factors may cause it to happen earlier. You
remember Soonyoung presented really early despite being younger than me?

“But…how do you know he’s presenting and this isn’t just a bad flu?” Jun stuttered, his voice
going up several decibels.

Shushing the distressed boy, Joshua began to stroke his hair. “Because he’s giving off a scent
Junnie. You can’t smell it yet because you’re still a beta for now, but me, Jeonghan,
Seungcheol and Soonyoung all smelt him the moment you threw open the front door. From
the way he presented, we’re quite sure he’s an alpha. Remember Jeonghan-hyung and how
sick he was when he first presented, before he started getting aggressive? Alphas tend to
present like that. They’re feverish for one or two days where their bodies save energy before
they start getting sexually aggressive.”

Jun didn’t know what to say. He was shocked out of his mind. Was this his fault? Presenting
wasn’t inherently a bad thing, heck, it was something everyone had to go through like a
second puberty. But the fact that his happened right after they had that awkward incident in
the showers made him feel guilty for some reason.

“So what’s gonna happen now…” Jun blurted out, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Someone’s gonna have to stay behind to take care of him while we do filming at the rice
fields. We’ll be staying in a house near there for two nights and we can’t bring him along in
this condition. We just need to decide who.” Seungcheol said compassionately, as he walked
towards Joshua and Jun. Following closely behind were the other members who’d presented,
Jeonghan and Soonyoung. Jun couldn’t help but smile slightly as he saw Jeonghan
instinctively wrap his arm around Joshua’s waist and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. But
even despite witnessing this cute scene, Jun suddenly feeling tears dripping down his face
and hurriedly attempted to wiped them with his sleeves. The guilt was eating at hime from
the inside out. This didn’t go unnoticed by the two couples, who quickly gathered around Jun
and embraced him, whispering comforting words.

“Junnie what’s wrong?” Seungcheol asked, his voice thick with worry.

“Guys…I have something to tell you…” Jun choked out, this time fully sobbing into
Soonyoung’s arms as he threw himself at the omega. Telling the four the story of what
happened the previous night, Jun found himself calming down slightly as if he were coming
clean to some crime. The couples listened intently and didn’t interrupt him a single time,
nodding occasionally while Jeonghan rubbed Jun’s arm supportively.
 “I see…well I don’t think you should feel bad about it really. Things happen between friends
sometimes, it’s normal. I mean they may be weird situations but that doesn’t mean it’s
anyone’s fault per se.” Seungcheol said as he patted Jun softly on the head. The alpha was
always so patient and forgiving that Jun felt almost guilty.

“I agree. Junnie, just because that happened doesn’t mean that Gyu is in a rut because of you.
In fact, maybe that happened because Gyu was already going into his rut and he felt like he
could trust you and you’d help him.” Jeonghan concurred.

“But it still feels like my fault…is he hurting?” Jun whimpered as he felt tears welling up in
his eyes again.

“No sweetheart it’s not your fault at all. And he isn’t hurting if that’s what you’re worried
about. His body is just overwhelmed with a lot of hormones right now which is what happens
when someone presents. He’s just gonna be like this for a bit and he’ll be back to normal in a
few days. You’ll see!” Joshua lilted.

“And I think you guys would look cute together!” Jeonghan cut in.

“Not now babe.” Joshua warned, making his alpha smile sheepishly.

“For now we just need to decide who’s gonna help take care of Mingyu when the group’s
away. It can’t be me or Shua-hyung because we’re omegas. It can’t be Seungcheol because
Manager Ha has the rule about the leader being there for filming. So…realistically it could be
Jeonghan-hyung or any of the other members. But Jeonghan-hyung may be the best option
since he’s an alpha too and he could help manage Mingyu better. Of course, this is unless
Mingyu himself chooses someone…” Soonyoung said as Seungcheol held his hand and
stroked it gently. By now, the five had found themselves sitting in a circle outside Mingyu’s
room on the carpeted floor, which was extremely comforting to Jun for some reason. It was a
fluffy deep purple carpet and wasn’t something you’d find in many Korean homes and that
probably made it more special to him.

“Right…did he mention anyone while you guys were in the room just now?” Jeonghan
asked, turning to Jun.

“No…not that I could hear…he was just snoring I think?” Jun stammered as he traced tiny
crop circles in the carpet by his feet.

“Wait…snoring? But he’s not snoring now. If not we’d be hearing it?” Seungcheol
exclaimed. Turning their heads to Mingyu’s door simultaneously, the five listened as intently
as they could as Soonyoung cracked the door ajar.

“Junnie…” the five heard Mingyu whisper softly, still fast asleep in his comforter.

“Oh fuck me…” Jun blurted as the couples turned to look at him, eyes filled with concern.

Chapter End Notes

I had this written also so I'm just posting it (0-0)
 Sugar, spice, and everything nice
Chapter Summary

Jun didn’t know how long he stayed in that position, praying that things would
magically return to normal. It could’ve been hours or just 15 minutes, but all of a
sudden, Jun caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent that made his heart leap into his throat.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Jun’s heart sank into his stomach as he watched his members wave out of the windows from
their respective cars, preparing to travel to the rice paddy shoot that was at least 3 hours way
from Haemin. They’d be staying there for two days as part of the challenge and had to work
in the fields to plant rice…or something like that. While avoiding a shoot like that would
normally have been a good thing, Jun was stuck with a far more serious problem to deal with.
Mingyu. Overnight, he’d grown so aggressive and…hungry that the members could hear his
groans and growls clearly through his solid oak bedroom door. Jeonghan and Joshua had
given him a run down of what he’d have to do and expect the previous night as they were
packing their backpacks for the shoot.

“Junnie, since Mingyu has mentioned your name we don’t have any other choice but to leave
you here to look out for him. A newly presented alpha shouldn’t be denied…if we left anyone
else here who knows how much more aggressive he’d become knowing that his wish wasn’t
granted. And he’s so strong too it’s kinda scary to think of what he’d be capable of doing…”
Jeonghan muttered as Jun listened silently, shaking like a leaf from the anxiety. “But of
course that doesn’t mean I’m saying he’ll do anything to you! You just need to be careful
Junnie. Mingyu cares about you very much so I’m sure he won’t attempt to do anything
funny with you without your consent. Plus, if your relationship is entirely platonic the way
you say it is, he might also want to avoid anything sexual with you. Maybe that’s why he
chose you to be here for him because if it were anyone else, things might get weird.”

Jun sighed as he stared out of the window in Joshua and Jeonghan’s room. Their room faced
the town directly and Jun could make out several houses from the lights that were still
switched on within them, making the town glow a warm, gentle shade of orange. While a
sight like this would’ve normally made him feel better, it only made him more anxious
tonight and he grabbed at his hair unconsciously, pulling at it roughly.

“Junnie, I know you’re anxious but things will be alright I’m sure of it. We’ll give you the
key to Mingyu’s room so you can lock it from the outside in case you feel unsafe.” Joshua
cooed as he gently brushed Jun’s hand away from his head to stop him from ripping each
individual silver hair right out of his scalp. “Mingyu’s hormones are in a flux right now and
he’ll be really sexually aggressive. But we’ve told Manager Ha and he’s going to get some
toys delivered tomorrow so Mingyu can relieve himself and that should help with controlling
him. You can leave them outside his room if it’s too scary to go in.”

“…I…I guess…but I just don’t understand. Why me? I’m not Mingyu’s only close friend in
this group…why not Wonwoo or Minghao? It doesn’t feel fair…I’m scared…” Jun squeaked,
tears collecting in his eyes again. He didn’t know why but he felt so afraid of what Mingyu
might say to him or do to him. I mean Mingyu was definitely a wonderful and gentle soul, no
doubt, but Jun had no idea how ruts changed the way alphas thought. It was almost like it
made them one track minded and everything besides the thought of destroying a juicy omega
slipped away…

“Sweetheart, I know things don’t make sense right now and to be honest, I’m not entirely
sure why things are panning out this way either. But it’s only gonna hurt us more if we keep
asking questions that no one, maybe not even Mingyu, can answer. You love him Junnie, I
know that for a fact. And I know that you’ll do what’s right for the both of you. Anytime you
feel like your anxiety is taking over, just take a deep breath and look around you. Pay
attention to the things you can see, the sounds you can hear and the things you can feel. It’ll
ground you and help you calm down. Then send us a text alright?” Joshua said as he pulled
the sniffling boy into a tight hug, not wanting him to fall apart again. “If things get too crazy,
just run out of the house and call us and we’ll tell Manager Ha okay? He’ll get help and we’ll
come down asap too.”

Jun nodded slowly, eyes no longer focused on anything in front of him. His friend needed
him and as scary as it was, he’d be here for him…

“Babe did you pack my sweater?” Was the last thing Jun heard as he closed his eyes, falling
into deep slumber right in Joshua’s arms as the older boy pat his back gently.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

And now he was home alone and trapped with a rabid alpha, his friends having left (of all
reasons) to harvest rice. Jun plopped himself down on the large satin sofa just inches away
from the main door, letting himself go limp as his limbs sprawled across the spongy surface
of the couch. He was way too tired to think of anything else besides how he’d deal with
Mingyu in case he went wild. And anyways, he needed to wait for the special delivery which
was supposed to come right about…

‘DING’ the doorbell rang out glaringly, making the poor boy nearly jump out of his skin.
Swinging open the front door, he came face to face with a deliveryman who looked extremely
sheepish and embarrassed to be there.

“Hi, I’m looking for a Mr Moon Junhwi? I’m supposed to make a delivery for two different
fleshlights, some flavoured lube, a vibrating cock ring and…” the deliveryman stammered,
looking like he was about to collapse from the shame he felt that someone would make such
a depraved order. And all at one go to!
“YES. I mean - yes that…that would be me? Where do I sign?” Jun squealed, cutting off the
deliveryman and wanting him to shut up as quickly as possible. ‘That asshole manager’ Jun
grumbled in his mind. Why did he make the order under my name? Why not his own? Now
the deliveryman must think I’m some ran through, sleazy dude filming a porno or
something!’

“O-Of course. Sign here please.” The deliveryman choked out, still refusing to make eye
contact with Jun. His green uniform was collecting sweat quickly and he furiously wiped at
his forehead with the back of his sleeve, Jun looking equally distressed.

Not wanting to prolong this painful moment any longer, the silver haired boy signed the
deliveryman’s form as quickly as his hand would let him before grabbing the large box and
squeaking a “thanks” before shutting the door right in his face. He didn’t care if it was rude,
it was just way too awkward and Jun would’ve melted right into the ground if he’d stood
there any longer. It wasn’t just the deliveryman too…As he moved to sign the form, Jun had
caught sight of a group of grannies staring at him, faces full of disapproval as they gripped
their canes. “Youngsters these days…always looking for fun…” he’d heard them cluck.

Jun slid to the floor, hands covering his ever reddening face which was turning warmer by the
second. ‘It’s not for me!! I’m not a slut I swear!! My MANAGER ordered this!!’ He thought
to himself as he hurriedly tore the tape off the box to prepare to pass the awful contents to
Mingyu. The box was full to the brim with all the things Mingyu needed. There were two
fleshlights like the deliveryman said, one modelled after a famous male omega porn actor,
and the other after a female omega actress turned smut writer. There were also two massive
bottles of flavoured lube, their garish neon shades standing out against the dark brown
cardboard. “Strawberry and…lime?” Jun mumbled to himself as he stared at them with
bemusement. Why’d manager Ha choose flavoured lube…and these tropical flavours to
boot? Jun’s eyes travelled to the remaining packages in the box, identifying them as several
sizes of vibrating cock rings and a single vibrator. It seemed like a safe bet since no one (but
him for some reason) knew just how large Mingyu was or how he liked to be pleased.

Grimacing at his own thoughts, Jun carefully picked up the box and began climbing the stairs
to Mingyu’s room. The air in the house felt hot and heavy for some reason, even though the
sun wasn’t out at all today, having hidden itself entirely behind a sea of bloated clouds.
Reaching Mingyu’s bedroom door, Jun lurched as his stomach did somersaults, making him
feel nauseous. Something in him felt weird and he didn’t understand how he was so badly
affected when he was still a beta. He couldn’t even smell Mingyu’s pheromones so how was
he feeling so off?

“Gyu…it’s me Junnie. I’m gonna leave the toys outside your room okay? You can come get
them and use them, they’ll make you feel better.” Jun squeaked timidly as he knocked on the
newly-presented alpha’s door. Jun shook as he heard Mingyu growl loudly at the sound of his
voice. The alpha hissed fiercely before seemingly attempting to control himself, choking out
a “Thanks” in response to the quivering boy.

“Ok I’m going now!!! I’ll bring you some food later!!” Jun squawked as he bolted away from
Mingyu’s room and down the staircase, right back to the couch that was close to the door. At
least Mingyu hadn’t come out of his room with murder on his mind and Jun felt a twinge of
relief as he collapsed onto the satin pillows. Making himself comfortable on the couch, Jun
couldn’t help but notice that his heart was still thumping rapidly in his chest and his stomach
hadn’t stopped churning. He attempted to steady his breathing, thinking back to the advice
that Joshua had given him in an attempt to slow his heart rate down but it was just no use.
Something was making him feel weird…

Groaning softly, Jun closed his eyes and told himself that he was probably just tired and
needed some shut eye (an obvious lie with how much sleep he got the night before, Joshua
having to carry him back to his room). As he attempted to soothe himself, Jun could
distinctly make out the sound of Mingyu’s moans coming from his room and they made him
blush violently, as he realised that the alpha must’ve been using the toys he’d left behind.
Mingyu sounded so needy, almost like he was whining as he moaned loudly with no sense of
inhibition. Jun caught himself whimpering softly as if responding to Mingyu’s call. Biting his
tongue, he grabbed two large cushions off the coach and pressed them over his ears. ‘What
the hell is going on??’ The boy thought as he tried once more to will himself to sleep,
begging his body to go back to normal and stop making him feel so uncomfortable. Jun didn’t
know how long he stayed in that position, praying that things would magically return to
normal. It could’ve been hours or just 15 minutes, but all of a sudden, Jun caught a whiff of
an unfamiliar scent that made his heart leap into his throat.

It smelt like…pine. But not the kind of scent that old deciduous trees gave off. This smelt a
thousand, no a million times better than anything Jun had ever smelt. It was so sweet and
crisp but at the same time woody, and it made his nose sting slightly the way the cold did in
winter. The smell made him feel as if he were walking through a moonlit pine forest covered
in a blanket of snow, the cold air rushing into his lungs. He had to know where it was coming
from. Moving as if his body were on autopilot, jun found himself inhaling deeply as he
followed the scent through the house and up the staircase, finally landing outside Mingyu’s
room. By now the moans had stopped and Jun automatically reached to open the door to
Mingyu’s room, this time with no fear or concern in his heart.

Upon seeing Jun, Mingyu let out a growl as he stared at the smaller male, his eyes travelling
all over the boy’s body. His gorgeous eyes, his built chest, his tiny waist…everything was so
perfect and Mingyu found himself going mad with desire. And that scent…Midway through
another round with his toys, Mingyu’s nostrils had suddenly been attacked with a familiar
scent which had caused him to fall even deeper into his alpha space. It smelt like that outdoor
shower…that body wash Jun had been using but…just so much fucking better. It smelt like
warm, fresh vanilla but with spices coming through to cut through the sweetness. Pink
pepper, iris, patchouli, star anise…they all supported the base vanilla scent and created a
symphony of fragrance that Mingyu was dying for. And now he knew, it was coming from
none other than Jun himself. The fact that Jun was his best friend in the world did nothing to
sate Mingyu’s appetite for him. That scent washed away all common sense and inhibitions
and Mingyu had begun licking his lips in anticipation. But even despite his mind being
clouded with lust and that alluring scent, Mingyu still attempted to hold himself steady and
not immediately grab his best friend. He couldn’t…he wouldn’t do anything to him without
his permission.

“Ju-Junnie. What are you doing here…You shouldn’t be in here when I’m like this.” Mingyu
growled as he found himself failing to hold himself back completely, stepping closer and
closer to Jun before wrapping his arms around the silver haired boy’s waist. To Mingyu’s
surprise, instead of squirming away, Jun only leaned his head on the alpha’s shoulder,
nuzzling the bigger man’s scent gland and sighing quietly. This made Mingyu go mad as he
tightened his hold around the boy, sliding his hand over his back and onto his ass before
planting a kiss on his cheek.

“I just…wanted to know what smelled so good…so I came here only to find out that it was
you…sorry…” Jun mumbled despite being entirely unapologetic about interrupting Mingyu’s
playtime. Jun wasn’t stupid. He knew he’d presented unexpectedly, if not he wouldn’t be able
to inhale this luxurious pine scent that was emanating from his best friend’s neck. And he
must’ve been an omega too, if not Mingyu wouldn’t be acting this way. So needy and
possessive…Jun didn’t care how weird everything seemed. So what if Mingyu was his best
friend? Nothing could stop him from nuzzling at the bigger man’s scent gland and licking at
it gingerly. Those growls didn’t scare him anymore. In fact, he wanted to hear them and so he
kept poking at Mingyu’s scent gland with his tongue, making the alpha shudder and growl
louder with each lick.

“Junnie…a-are you sure about this?” Mingyu huffed as he lifted jun up, letting the smaller
man straddle his waist as he carried the omega back to his bed.

“Yes…alpha” Jun mewled, staring intensely into the larger man’s eyes as Mingyu lay him on
his back on the bed. That answer was enough for Mingyu and he immediately pressed his
nose right against Jun’s scent gland, inhaling the alluring scent of spiced vanilla. Moaning at
this, Jun grabbed at Mingyu’s jet black hair, tugging at it while planting kisses on his
forehead. Without warning, Jun felt Mingyu’s canines sink into his neck, right above where
his gland was located.

“AH” Jun squealed as Mingyu placed a mating bite on his neck, the younger male grunting
loudly as he began tearing the clothes off his body. For the second day in a row, Jun saw
Mingyu in all his naked glory, flushed a deep red from head to toe. His dick looked even
bigger today, swollen and throbbing as pre-cum dripped out of the slit and onto the deep blue
bedsheets.

“Take off your clothes Junnie.” Mingyu whispered, his voice thick with desire. Hurrying, Jun
quickly threw off his jumper, then his khakis and finally his underwear until he was finally
lying in the nude, skin pressed up against the smooth fabric of Mingyu’s nest. He’d begun
leaking slick, the sticky, clear fluid soaking into MIngyu’s sheets as the alpha slid his fingers
over Jun’s quivering hole. Moaning at just the slightest touch, Jun blushed as Mingyu slipped
two of his fingers into his mouth, tasting and moaning at the sweetness of the omega’s slick.

“Fuck…you taste so good Junnie, so sweet and rich…Oh? What’s this?” Smirked the alpha
as his hands found the little nub that had appeared between the omega’s dick and hole.
Rubbing on it slightly, the omega squealed in pleasure as he felt his new clit be stimulated for
the first time.

“Fuck…Gyu…whatever you’re doing…keep going…” Jun panted out, letting loose highly
pornographic moans as Mingyu grinned cockily. Rubbing at the little nub aggressively.
Mingyu couldn’t help but groan in pride and pleasure as he saw Jun squirm under him,
squealing and mewling and squirting slick all over the place.
“Gyu…I…I’m gonna…” Jun whimpered as his eyes rolled back into his head. Tensing as his
clit was mercilessly rubbed and flicked harder and harder, the omega screamed as he reached
his massive orgasm. Squirting like a fountain, the omega panted and mewled as the alpha
giggled at what he’d done. He was proud he’d manage to pleasure his omega so easily
without even having fucked him yet. Without waiting for Jun to come down from his high,
Mingyu lubed up his fingers with a puddle of Jun’s slick that had collected on the bed and
shoved three of his fingers right into Jun’s waiting hole.

“OH GYU” Jun moaned as his alpha began finger fucking him, digging deep into his pussy
and jabbing at his guts. Jun’s mewls only served to make Mingyu hornier and hornier as the
alpha revelled in his omega’s whimpers. This felt so right. Jun’s insides were so soft and
warm, almost silky smooth. Mingyu just had to feel them clench around his rock hard cock.
Yes, that was want he wanted-no, needed right now.

“Junnie, spread your legs wide for me.” Mingyu growled, his omega obliging immediately,
spreading his beautiful legs apart as far as he could. The alpha smirked as he stared into his
omega’s beautiful eyes which were clouded with lust. He placed the boy’s feet on his
shoulders before slipping his cock head right into the throbbing boy pussy.

Feeling Mingyu’s head enter him, Jun squealed in pleasure as he gushed another wave of
slick. “Gyu…it’s so big…” Jun mewled, his pussy clenching around Mingyu.

“Heh I know baby. Relax for me okay? You’ll feel even better when its all in…” the alpha
cooed as he gingerly stroked his omega’s face. He was so fucking cute. He wanted nothing
but to pleasure and take care of this boy. And he’d do just that.

Without waiting for a response, Mingyu jammed his entire member right into Jun’s boy
pussy, which somehow managed to take the whole thing right in. Jun squealed, his eyes
rolling back into his head once more as he felt his insides stretch from the girth of his alpha’s
cock. Mingyu growled loudly at the feeling of Jun’s warm walls massaging his dick. They
were so soft and pillowy. His omega was so…perfect. Wasting no time, Mingyu began
thrusting slowly, savouring the sound of Jun’s mewls and squeals as the omega wrapped his
arms around the alpha and dug his nails into his back.

“That feel good baby? You like my cock?” Mingyu snickered as Jun whimpered and gushed
more slick. How Jun’s pussy had so much slick to squirt, Mingyu had no idea. But he fucking
loved it and wanted it to never stop leaking that delicious, sweet ambrosia.

“Yes daddy I feel so fucking good. Fuck me daddy please…” Jun pleaded, biting at Mingyu’s
scent gland and moving his hips gently.

“Alright baby. Daddy’s gonna make you feel so good.” Mingyu growled as he picked up the
pace. Feeling his alpha’s massive cock slide in and out of him with so much speed made Jun
feel like he was losing his mind. He’d had sex before, but it’d never felt like this. This felt
like a special treat and Jun didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it but he sure as fuck
didn’t want it to stop. Feeling Mingyu’s cock head suddenly smash into his g-spot, Jun let out
a high pitched moan as his boy pussy squirted right onto Mingyu’s abs. Knowing he’d found
the sweet spot, Mingyu mercilessly pounded at it, this time using his finger to rub and pinch
his omega’s clit at the same time. The feeling of having his g-spot get mashed up by his
 alpha’s massive cock while his clit was rubbed was so intense Jun couldn’t even speak, only
managing to let out muffled mewls as his boy pussy went into overdrive, soaking the sheets
with what seemed like litres of fresh slick. It was like a continuous orgasm that kept getting
more and more intense and Jun felt like world was finally perfect.

“Baby…I’m gonna cum soon…daddy’s gonna cum in your pussy!” Mingyu growled as he
picked up even more speed, thrusting into Jun with lightning speed.

“Yes…please..daddy..alpha..please cum in my pussy…” Jun managed to squeal, tears

dripping down his cheeks because of the sheer intensity of the non-stop orgasm he couldn’t
get rid of. Hearing his omega so desperate for his load, Mingyu growled as he jammed his
dick as far into Jun as he possibly could. Feeling his knot inflate and lock the two together,
Mingyu screamed as he reached his orgasm, cum gushing out of his cock and right into Jun’s
guts. Jun moaned as he felt his alpha shoot continuously into him. His cum was so warm and
comforting, and there was so much of it too that he could see his stomach inflate slightly
from the sheer amount of semen that was being pumped into him. Panting and collapsing
onto his omega, Mingyu gingerly planted a kiss on Jun’s lips and held the younger boy
protectively, the two still locked together by their know. “You did so good baby…you make
me so happy…” the alpha cooed sweetly as his omega nuzzled his neck. It seemed to be his
new favourite spot.

“I’m happy too alpha” Jun giggled as he let his hands travel up to his alpha’s head, stroking
his hair lovingly and kissing him back strongly, tasting sweet pine all over his lips.

Chapter End Notes

Looks like things between Jun and Mingyu are getting real complicated...
 Hyung, I have a question!
Chapter Summary

“Hey guys?” Chan ventured cautiously, raising his voice slightly to his fellow members
could hear his voice over the wind running through the car’s open windows. “What’s
going on with Mingyu and Jun-hyung exactly? Like what’s this alpha stuff all about?”

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Staring out of the open car window with the cool breeze running through his blonde hair,
Chan sighed wistfully, gazing at the lush greenery just past the main road they were driving
on. He’d piled into a car with his hyungs Joshua, Jeonghan and Vernon today as the group
sped to their filming site. He’d been told briefly this morning that Mingyu-hyung and Jun-
hyung couldn’t come because Mingyu was “presenting” or something like that. Chan himself
didn’t actually know too much about the process of presenting as an alpha or omega. He’d
learnt a little bit about it in biology at school but he’d missed so many classes for schedules
he couldn’t tell you anything about it if you put a gun to his head. But it seemed really
serious…Turning his head around, he saw Jeonghan deep in thought and muttering
something about Jun as Joshua nuzzled his neck, offering placating words in an attempt to
ease his alpha’s worries. Perhaps this was a good time to ask what this was all about…

“Hey guys?” Chan ventured cautiously, raising his voice slightly to his fellow members could
hear his voice over the wind running through the car’s open windows. They all turned their
heads towards him, curious about what sort of strange thing he’d say. Channie had a habit of
saying strange things and laughing at his own musings but this time he seemed genuinely
serious. “What’s going on with Mingyu and Jun-hyung exactly? Like what’s this alpha stuff
all about?”

The silence in the car was defeaning and incredibly awkward. The members never anticipated
Chan would ask for a sort of…bird’s and the bee’s talk and especially not in the car. Then
again, he was the baby of their group and they had to teach him the best they could. Vernon
feigned a cough, glancing at Jeonghan and Joshua. “Ummm, maybe Jeongshua hyungs would
be better at telling you about it Channie” he offered.

“Right…well Channie, what exactly do you know about secondary genders?” Jeonghan said,
with an air of fatherly doting in his voice.

“Well…apparently everyone starts out as a beta. Then you can become either an alpha or an
omega but you can’t choose. And there used to be this hierarchy but I’m not sure if it’s still a
thing or…” Chan trailed off, searching through his brain for any information he could find
from those silly biology classes. It was really no use trying, he’d hate biology because his
teacher was such a boring man that a houseplant would’ve done a better job of engaging him.

“That’s the general idea Channie but presenting is a lot more complex than that. It may come
with age, but it can also be triggered by external factors or internal ones, like stress or
sadness. Alphas may also be induced to present if they’re in the proximity of an omega they
have an emotional connection to and vice versa. That’s pretty much the story of how me and
Joshua hyung went. I presented first and he presented soon after. With Mingyu-hyung, he’s
presented on his own and we’re not really sure why for now but he’s asked for Jun-hyung so
Jun’s got to stay behind and help him deal with things as best as he can. And for the hierarchy
stuff, that isn’t how it goes anymore or rather, that’s not how it should work. Alphas and
omegas have differences in their reproductive organs but that doesn’t make any one superior
to the other. Look at me and Shua! We’re lovers and equals. He’s all that I’m not and I can’t
bear to think of living without him.” Jeonghan lectured the wide-eyed blonde haired boy as
Joshua blushed slightly, feeling mushy at Jeonghan’s proclamation of love. That’s not to say
it didn’t happen everyday of course. Jeonghan never failed to tell him how much he loved
him or kiss him on the forehead the moment the two woke up.

“Woah…hyung you sure do love Shua-hyung alot…but what about the scent thing? I just
remembered that everyone has a unique scent and you can’t smell your own so other people
have to tell you. What does shua-hyung smell like?” Chan asked, deeply invested in the
conversation.

Jeonghan and Joshua both blushed a brilliant scarlet, the latter looking out of the window as a
wry smile crept over his face. This kid…

“Like lavender and honey. The sweetest and most floral you can think of. Almost like a
macaron but so much better.” Jeonghan mumbled, making Joshua blush even harder.

Chan pondered at this statement. Sniffing aggressively, the confused boy only muttered
“But…it only smells like grass here…” as the smell of vegetation wafted from the outside
and into the car.

The three older boys couldn’t help but laugh out loud at their little maknae. The hoped these
moments would continue for as long as possible, getting to watch him grow up and learn
about their world.

“Channie-ya, you generally can’t pick up on people’s scents when you’re still a beta unless
they're feeling really strong emotions. But once you present, you’ll finally be able to!” Joshua
chirped, reaching over to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Ahh…well I hope I smell good!” Chan said, making his hyungs giggle again. Turning his
attention back to the scenery outside the window, Chan couldn’t help but wonder what his
time would be like. Whether he’d be an alpha or an omega, whether he’d have a sweet or
savoury scent and whether he’d find someone who loved him as much as Jeonghan and
Joshua loved each other. He sure hoped he did.
Chapter End Notes

Hi everyone I decided to put in this mini chapter to include an "outsider's" POV and also
to give Channie some screentime hehe
 I'm confused
Chapter Summary

Nobody would’ve looked at the two boys and realised what happened just hours ago.
Mingyu was now staring into space, absentmindedly tracing the mating mark Jun had
placed on his neck. It was deep and he could feel the individual grooves the omega’s
teeth had left on him, the only reminder of what they’d done.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Jun stared at his phone, sitting on one end of the plush satin couch he’d presented on just 2
days ago, while Mingyu sat on the other end. No words could describe the depth of
awkwardness the two felt as they pretended to busy themselves with answering texts and
checking their socials. Jun grimaced as he scrolled through the many messages from his
fellow members which ranged from concern to just downright lewd.

Shua

Jun, it’s been a day since you’ve been online…are you okay? I’m really worried that
something’s happened so please reply me asap…

Minghao

Yo are you still alive Jeonghan and Joshua hyung are freaking the fuck out here. They’re like
gonna call the police and shit or something idk jrbfrjkbf please reply us

Vernon

Dude…you’re getting fucked aren’t you.

Mingyu furrowed his brows as he stared at his own messages, exhaling deeply out of his nose
as he realised the situation they’d gotten themselves into.
Jeonghan

Mingyu-ya, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to see this but hopefully you can when your body is
taking a break. Is everything ok? We’re really worried. Junnie hasn’t been answering his
messages and we really need to know the situation.

Jihoon

Gyu everyone…well almost everyone is really stressed about what’s happening back home.
We can’t rush back until either you or Junnie gives us a signal. Seungcheol tried talking to the
producers about ditching this shoot but they’re insistent about finishing it. Please update….

Vernon

Dude…you’re fucking Junnie aren’t you.

The two sighed simultaneously, Jun curling up into a ball as he pressed his knees to his chest.
When they’d finally realised what they’d done over the course of their heat and rut, neither of
the boys felt any desire to speak about it. They both knew they’d gone beyond the point of
return by having sex (so much of it) despite being entirely platonic just the week before
landing in this accursed house. And neither knew or really wanted to know what the way
forward was either. But just hours ago, things had been so different…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________

Mingyu growled softly as he cuddled Jun, pressing the smaller boy to his chest. He traced the
outline of Jun’s facial features - his cheek, his chin, his lips…they were all perfect and
porcelain smooth. And they all belonged to him. The alpha began planting gentle kisses on
his omega’s cheeks before moving to his plush lips and drinking in the taste of spiced vanilla
as his tongue explored the entirety of Jun’s mouth. No matter how much he licked or bit or
kissed or sucked Jun’s lips, he could never get enough of that addicting taste. He felt like
he’d die without it and the moment the taste began dissipating in his mouth, he dove back in
for more. But there was more he needed to do. Using all of his self-control to wrench his lips
away from his omega, who by now was moaning softly again, the alpha turned his attention
to his omega’s neck. Letting his inner beast run wild, Mingyu sucked violently on the left of
poor Junnie’s neck, as the silver haired boy mewled and moaned from both the pain and
pleasure of being marked again. Releasing his lips after what felt like an eternity, the alpha
smirked as he looked at the massive, deep red mark on his omega’s neck.
“Now everyone will know you’re mine. I’ll never let anyone else have you.” Mingyu
whispered as he traced the outline of the fresh hickey he’d just given Jun.

“Y-yes…I don’t want anyone else either. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine…” Jun
replied, his voice airy and seductive.

Grinning widely, Mingyu used his tongue to trace a path all the way down to Jun’s chest.

“Well baby, I better start marking the rest of you then.” Mingyu said cockily, sucking hard on
Jun’s left pec without warning. The omega squirmed, grabbing at his alpha’s hair while
moaning “alpha” and “daddy” and that drove his alpha absolutely insane. By this time, Jun
had begun leaking slick again and wetting the already soaked bed. He didn’t know how his
body was able to keep up with his sex drive but he was simply insatiable when it came to his
alpha’s dick and affection. The heavy smell of Vanilla only made Mingyu more aggressive, as
he traced his tongue over Jun’s belly before stopping right above his bellybutton.

“One more here?” Mingyu cheekily asked. Jun only nodded slightly, his eyes filled with lust
and admiration before his alpha began sucking again, this time harder than before. Mewling
wildly, Jun felt a coil form in his belly right where Mingyu was sucking, before his squirted
right onto his alpha again, covering the larger man with warm slick. Mingyu chuckled as he
stared at his omega. His perfect little angel had orgasmed just from being marked with
hickeys. It brought him a special kind of pleasure, being able to drive his omega crazy with
so little stimulation. He wanted nothing more than to drive his omega insane with pleasure
and he was succeeding with every passing minute.

“Alpha…wanna…mark you too…” squeaked Jun as he wrapped his arms tightly around his
alpha, pulling him right onto himself and nuzzling at his neck and licking at his scent gland.
Mingyu’s eyes lit up instantly as he nibbled at his omega’s neck.

“Well…it’s only fair baby. Go ahead…” Mingyu said softly, licking at the bite mark he’d left
over Jun’s scent gland. Wasting no time, Jun licked cautiously at his alpha’s neck, tasting and
drinking in the pine scent, before suddenly latching and sucking hard on an open patch of
skin. Mingyu hissed and growled as he felt his omega suck at his neck and he could almost
feel the bruise forming and spreading. It’d be one hell of a hickey and Mingyu fucking loved
that. Turned on more than ever now by his bratty little omega, the alpha pressed his nose
against Jun’s and bumped their foreheads together.
“Will you let me eat you Junnie?” The alpha asked as he caressed his omega’s cheeks.

“Fuck yes. Right now daddy…” Jun moaned as he traced his fingers through his alpha’s hair.

That was enough in the way of instructions for Mingyu and in a split second, he found
himself with his face nestled right between Jun’s thighs and rubbing at the boy’s hole. It was
swollen from all the fucking they’d been doing over the last couple of days and as a result, it
looked extra plump and juicy. He watched it open and close slightly as if inviting him in,
before immediately proceeding to swirl his tongue around it.

FUCK” Jun screamed as he felt a jolt of electricity travel from his ass and right into the coil
in his belly. Mingyu snickered as he began licking at the poor omega’s boy pussy more
aggressively, causing the omega to cry out his name over and over. He traced his tongue
carefully over the hole, making sure to swirl it around in just the right way to stimulate his
boy just the way he liked. He then stuck his tongue right into the boy pussy, feeling the warm
pillowy walls hug his tongue as he tongue fucked his omega. He alternated between sucking
the outside and tongue fucking the inside, making his darling shake violently from the
overstimulation. He especially liked feeling Jun’s boy pussy squeeze around his tongue. The
slick in there somehow tasted even better than the slick that would squirt out of it when
Junnie orgasmed. Maybe it was because it was warm or closer the source, but Mingyu felt
like he could drink the stuff by the gallon. So slippery and fragrant…

“A-alpha…I…please…your cock in me now…” Jun whimpered, beginning to miss the

feeling of his alpha’s cock in his ass. He felt so empty without it and he just needed to feel
the massive thing rub and poke at his g spot right now. He felt like he’d die without that
massive, throbbing penis fucking into him.

“But baby…let daddy drink some more slick first…be a good boy and give me some more
okay?” Mingyu panted as he didn’t stop sucking and fucking and licking Jun’s swollen hole.
Hearing his alpha’s demands, Jun couldn’t help but moan before squirting right into
Mingyu’s face and open mouth. It was almost like his body reacted at Mingyu’s every
command, and whatever the alpha wanted, he would deliver. Swallowing as much of the load
as he could, Mingyu smile as he downed the delicious omega nectar. So fucking tasty…he
wanted more but his omega’s pleasure was his main priority right now. Taking his rock hard
cock into his hands, he got ready to deliver his end of the bargain.
“Get ready for another orgasm my omega” Mingyu suddenly growled, his alpha instincts
taking over and preparing him to ravish his good little omega’s boy pussy. Sliding half of his
throbbing dick into Jun, Mingyu groaned as he felt his omega clench tightly around him and
whimper. H’ed fucked this pussy so many times already but it always felt so fucking tight
and slippery and he’d cum inside there so many times he could still feel some of his previous
loads on Jun’s walls. He wanted this to last for as long as possible. Sliding his dick out,
Mingyu stared cheekily at Jun who’d begun whimpering even louder.

“Why…why’d you take it out, put it back in…” Jun mewled as he clawed at Mingyu’s
massive chest, leaving red marks all over his pecs.

“Beg for it baby” Mingyu smirked, tugging on Jun’s hair.

“Please…Please put it in me Gyu…I need it. I can’t go without anymore. I want you to
stretch me out so good that my pussy remembers your shape…” Jun squealed, gushing slick
as Mingyu licked his lips, so turned on from hearing the desperation and the cracks in his
omega’s voice. The boy couldn’t live without Mingyu’s dick anymore. Grinning, Mingyu
shoved his entire dick deep into Jun’s hole, his gigantic cock head making Jun’s belly bulge
from the inside. Pulling it out as quickly as he’d shoved it in, Mingyu’s head swam as he
heard Jun’s pathetic, seductive cries.

“Please…keep fucking me...you’re a big meanie Gyu…please I’m begging you…” the
omega wailed, his legs shaking as the coil in his belly grew larger by the second. Laughing
cruelly, Mingyu slammed his dick into Jun at full force before taking it out again. He did it
over and over again. Thrusting his entire cock into his omega with no warning before pulling
it out just as quickly, making the omega cry desperately. But Mingyu wouldn’t give in. It was
just too enjoyable, hearing his omega plead and whine and beg. Adorable and yet so fucking
sexy. Poor Jun found himself on the verge of an orgasm several times, only to not be able to
reach his peak when Mingyu ripped his dick out, leaving him leaking even more slick and his
belly feeling like it was on fire. He’d never be able to orgasm without Mingyu’s cock in him
ever again. His body had grown used to the massive dick inside him, he could feel the
individual veins and the smoothness of the head as it rubbed at his g-spot and there was
nothing better in the world.

“Gyu…I need to cum…I’ll do anything for you just please give it to me….” Jun gasped as
Mingyu pulled his dick out of his boy pussy again, making him shake violently from the loss.
“Say you’ll be mine forever.” Mingyu gritted out, his dick hardening even more as those
words left his mouth.

“Forever. I’ll be alpha’s good omega forever.” Jun cooed. Satisfied with the confirmation,
Mingyu jammed his dick back into Jun and began jackhammering mercilessly. The omega’s
eyes rolled back in their sockets as his alpha grabbed his arms, pinning them against the bed
as he went ape. Letting out a guttural groan, Mingyu thrusted one final time into Jun’s pussy,
feeling his knot engorge and lock him and his alpha together. Thick and steamy cum flooded
Jun’s insides for what was probably the hundredth time as the omega sighed in satisfaction,
having also reached a massive orgasm with his pussy gushing slick in a large stream…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________

Nobody would’ve looked at the two boys and realised what happened just hours ago. Mingyu
was now staring into space, absentmindedly tracing the mating mark Jun had placed on his
neck. It was deep and he could feel the individual grooves the omega’s teeth had left on him,
the only reminder of what they’d done. After finally finishing up their heat and rut, the two
had immediately begun to clear away Mingyu’s sheets and wipe up the room, taking painful
care to leave no evidence that any dirty deeds had been done in that room. They did
everything in silence, each retreating into his own mind in an attempt to process the situation.

“I’m sorry.” Jun whispered suddenly, Mingyu whipping his head towards him at the sound of
his sweet voice cutting through the silence.

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, it would be my fault too.”

“I guess…for even coming into your room. If I didn’t do that this may not have happened and
I don’t know what to do now. I feel really weird. All that horny and lovey lovey stuff…I
never thought I’d say it to you. I never thought of you like that. But what do we do now then?
I feel like…we’ve fucked up the friendship somehow….” Jun sighed, turning to face the
alpha.

Mingyu sighed in response as he furrowed his brows, wiping his face anxiously with his
hand.

“I don’t know Jun. I really don’t know.”

Both boys could feel the waves of helplessness and confusion emanating from each other.
None of it made sense. Feelings don’t change overnight and they can’t be forced either. And
yet they’d done so many things together that friends should never even dream of. It didn’t
add up. Mingyu glanced over at Jun, who’d begun sniffling and tearing up slightly.

Perhaps it was because they were now alphas and omegas, Mingyu felt a deep need to
comfort Jun, moreso than he usually did. Jun wasn’t giving off his alluring spicy vanilla scent
anymore but instead, a bitter and cloying version that made Mingyu’s heart break. Seeing
Mingyu get up from the couch and walk closer to him, Jun found himself being unable to
move. Instead, he felt himself stretch his arms open, wrapping them around the alphas neck
as Mingyu scooped him off the couch and into an embrace. It felt awkward but somehow,
good. Jun couldn’t wrap his mind around what was happening. He’d had sex with his best
friend for days, realised his mistake and was now…enjoying being cuddled by said best
friend? Could he even call Mingyu his best friend anymore? Or was he just a fuck buddy…
or…what if…No. it couldn’t be. Jun sniffled harder as his mind raced.

Feeling Jun tense up in his arms, Mingyu went with his newfound alpha instincts, pulling the
omega in tighter and into his warm chest. Jun let out a sigh against his will and found himself
blushing as he buried his face in Mingyu’s chest. ‘What the actual fuck am I doing…and why
can’t I stop…’ was all that bounced around in Jun’s head. Mingyu grew more at ease as he
smelt his omega letting off waves of his usual spiced vanilla scent again. It was more muted
but he’d take what he could get. At the very least the boy wasn’t as stressed anymore.

“We’ll figure this out somehow.” Mingyu cooed softly, releasing a wave of his pine scent that
made Jun smile slightly, his eyebrows no longer deeply creased.

“HUH???” A voice rang out, making the two shout in surprise, Mingyu nearly dropping Jun
in the process. Standing at the open door were all the members who’d finally gotten back
from the rice paddy shoot, with Jeonghan standing right in front. They were all staring at the
alpha and omega, completely shell shocked apart from Vernon who had a smug smile on his
face.

“Woahhh Jun and Mingyu-hyung are a couple now?” Chan giggled as he whipped out his
phone to take a photo of the pair who were as red as cherries by now.
“No no…it’s not that…” Jun began stammering, still hanging from Mingyu’s arms with his
cheek pressed against the bigger man’s chest.

“Ok everyone to your rooms now. Let hyungs talk to Mingyu and Junnie alright?”
Seungcheol said firmly, alerting his members to the seriousness of the matter. Scrutinising the
two boys, Seungcheol didn’t miss the heavily imprinted bite marks on both their necks. ‘Over
their scent glands too…’the leader pondered.

Sensing some stress in his tone of voice, the other members scampered away to their own
individual rooms, leaving Mingyu and Jun with Seungcheol, Joshua, Soonyoung and
Jeonghan.

“Should we talk in the dining room?” Continued Seungcheol as he walked right to the table,
not waiting for an answer. The other boys instinctively followed, Mingyu finally letting Jun
down albeit sort of unwillingly. The alphas and omegas settled in their pairs, sitting around
the large oak table on cushioned chairs as Soonyoung prepared some corn husk tea, pouring a
glass for each of the boys. The deep nutty smell that emanated from the pot eased the air in
the room slightly.

“Alright, I’m not gonna ask for details about what happened these past few days because I’m
sure it’s extremely personal. And I can tell from your faces that neither of you is ready to talk
about how you feel about any of it either? But what I want to ask you guys is if you know the
consequences of what you did.” Seungcheol queried. Jun and Mingyu could tell that the
leader of their pack wasn’t angry at all. But he seemed so serious that it still made them
stressed. His scent of cinnamon and nutmeg had also taken on a darker smell, with a slight
acidity to it.

“We…we know that everyone is angry about us for not checking our phones…and…”
Mingyu stuttered, anxiously scratching at the table with his index finger.

“No not that. That wasn’t great but I can’t blame you guys at all. Presenting was crazy and I
for one didn’t use my phone at all. What I want to know is if you guys understand the marks
on your necks?” Seungcheol replied, slightly amused by his juniors’ responses. The use of
their phones were the least of their priorities now.

“Honestly…no.” Jun replied, his voice quivering slightly as he stared into his tea. The leader
nodded slowly at those words, as if deciding how much he should say next.
“Well guys, those are mating marks. It’s what alphas and omegas give to each other when
they’re mating. Well of course, that’s self-explanatory. But you guys need to understand that
mating is different from just sex. If an alpha and omega only have intercourse, there isn’t a
strong connection that’s formed. They might smell of each other for awhile but other than
that, the two will be able to leave each other pretty easily and even moreso if they aren’t
familiar with each other. But if both parties have mating marks, it’s an entirely different story.
Mating marks only happen when there is a deep emotional connection and it only deepens
that connection. It makes an alpha and omega more dependent on each other, with the alpha
becoming more protective and the omega becoming more affectionate and nurturing.
Sometimes it’s the other way around but that doesn’t take away from the effect of the mating
marks. Because you two have given each other marks, you guys need to know that there will
be emotional repercussions. You guys will probably be spending much more time together
and act more intimately at that. If you don’t want to, it may still be possible for you guys to
be apart, but you may need some help from trained professionals and the rest of the pack to
help you deal with the aftereffects of going against a mark. It may throw you into emotional
turmoil.” Seungcheol explained slowly, making Mingyu and Jun freeze as they stared at him
in disbelief.

“But…honestly…we weren’t even thinking when we gave each other those marks…” Jun
squeaked as he and his alpha blushed violently again. The couples only smiled and glanced at
each other, exchanging knowing looks of some sort.

“Junnie…Gyu…like Seungcheol-hyung said, mating marks are only given when an alpha and
omega already have a deep emotional connection. The fact that you guys did it to each other
without even agreeing beforehand or asking means that your emotional connection is far
deeper than you think.” Joshua lilted as he looked at the two gobsmacked boys. ‘Is this all
that surprising? Unexpected to some degree yes, but was it really out of the question?’ Joshua
wondered, his eyes glazing over slightly.

“Are you saying that we…may be more than friends?” Mingyu said, looking down and
staring at the table to avoid any eye contact.

“Well that’s still up to you and Junnie to decide. But biologically speaking, your connection
to each other definitely goes far deeper than either of you realises. What you choose to
declare your relationship as is an entirely different exercise.” Soonyoung replied. The two
boys dropped their heads to stare at the table, their faces contorted in confusion. An uneasy
silence fell over the 6 boys as the couples found themselves waiting for an answer to a
question they never actually asked.
“Well…we’ll be a couple from today on!” Mingyu blurted, shattering the silence and making
Jun snap his head astronomically quickly to stare at the alpha. ‘Is he mad? We were
bestfriends and suddenly he’s my boyfriend?? How’s this gonna affect our careers and the
group dynamics? How do we even know if we’re truly compatible yet? And WHAT MADE
YOU THINK YOU COULD ANSWER FOR THE BOTH OF US?’ Jun screeched in his
head as he gawked at Mingyu in bemusement. The couples smiled gently at the alpha and
omega with a mix of affection and bemusement. These two would definitely make one heck
of a couple if that’s what was happening. They weren’t attempting to force the pair into
choosing a label but the heavy scent of pine emanating from Mingyu made them realise the
alpha wasn’t joking. It wouldn’t make sense to make the decision for them then.

“We’ll take your word for it. But if anything ever changes and you guys feel like you’re just
not made out to be a couple, please know that there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re not
forcing you to be a couple here just because of your mating marks. We just wanted to make
sure you guys understood the effects and the significance behind how they were given. You
shouldn’t feel pressured to declare any sort of status now.” Jeonghan said, clarifying the
couples’ position. He really didn’t want to force them into anything, although he suspected
that that wasn’t happening here.

“No we’re gonna try being a couple.” Mingyu spluttered in response, as Jun once again did a
double take. ‘WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING??’ Jun thought to
himself. He wished he could say something but he felt as if his mouth were paralysed.
Mingyu’s pine scent was washing over him in particularly strong waves now and he could
tell that the alpha was resolute in what he was saying. Maybe that was unconsciously pushing
him to stay silent.

“Well alright then, we’ll take your word for it that you guys will try things out for now. We’re
gonna go get some rest okay? But call us if you need to talk about anything. We’ve got some
experience with couple life.” Seungcheol laughed, taking soon young into his arms as they
stood up. Saying their goodbyes to the bashful alpha and the incensed omega, the couples
bounded up the stairs to their respective rooms, eager to finally spend some time alone with
each other.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room as the two set side by side, Mingyu wondering if
this were the day Jun would murder him.
 “You and me. Outside now.” Jun gritted as he walked towards the backdoor, leading into the
backyard.

Chapter End Notes

More spicy Gyujun moments and their confusion as they attempt to figure out what the
hell just happened! Stay tuned for the confrontation ;)
 Mine(?)
Chapter Summary

The sunlight had cast shadows all over Mingyu’s face, accentuating his nose and his
eyes and giving him a nearly statue-esque appearance. ‘He really feels that strongly
about me?’ Jun thought, his heart beginning to race. This was confusing, crazy, stupid…
but then why did he feel so warm inside?

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??” Jun groaned as he plopped himself in front of one of
the willow trees in the backyard. The sun had begun setting when the boys walked out,
bathing the entire backyard in a warm, golden glow that made Jun’s skin tingle. A faint
breeze blew through the yard, making the willows dance in what may have been an attempt to
soothe the omega’s righteous anger. Mingyu sighed as he sat himself right next to Jun,
leaving no gap between them.

“Please just let me explain…” Mingyu said solemnly as he patted the enraged omega’s
shoulder.

“OK THEN DO IT THEN.” Jun shouted at the alpha. No words could describe how
frustrated he felt right now. Nothing and no one gave Mingyu the right to make the decision
he just made and it didn’t seem to make any sense either. Jun squished himself up as small as
he possibly could, his vision turning red and his face searing with heat.

“Look Junnie I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to answer just now. But I think trying to be a
couple in this situation may make more sense than either of us realises. Like Seuncheol-
hyung said, we’ve given each other mating marks. That means serious business for the both
of us and you know it… T-to be honest, before the members got back, when I was carrying
you to comfort you, I couldn’t control myself. It hurt me so badly to see you upset and
sniffling and I just wanted to do anything that I could to make you feel better. I would’ve
done it before all this too, but this time it felt so different. I would’ve done anything for you
in that moment Junnie. Anything. Just to see you smile.” Mingyu said softly, blushing as he
eyed the emerald green grass swaying in the wind. Jun’s eyes softened considerably as he
turned over to gaze at Mingyu. The sunlight had cast shadows all over Mingyu’s face,
accentuating his nose and his eyes and giving him a nearly statue-esque appearance. ‘He
really feels that strongly about me?’ Jun thought, his heart beginning to race. This was
confusing, crazy, stupid…but then why did he feel so warm inside?

“I know it’s weird. Before this I really only thought of you as a best friend. One of my bros I
could always count on for anything. But if I’m being brutally honest right now Junnie, I think
my feelings may actually have been deeper than that. There’s no other explanation for why
things would’ve turned out the way they did. Everyday, I found myself unconsciously making
time just for you. Even if it was just a 5 minute video call, like when I was doing schedules in
Korea and you had that acting project back in China. I never questioned why I did it but in
hindsight, I did all that because it didn’t seem right to go a day without you. I…didn’t feel
complete without you. I never did, not even before all this happened.” Mingyu continued. He
felt more confident now in what he was saying. He could feel the omega releasing heavy
waves of spiced vanilla and he knew he was doing a good job at explaining himself.

“Is this a confession then?” Jun whispered as he stared into the alpha’s eyes. Jun’s nose was
met with a heavy wave of Mingyu’s pine scent, which flooded his head and made his chest
feel funny.

“I…don’t know. I don’t exactly know how I feel. All I know is that I care about you very
deeply Junnie, more than anyone else I know. And I know that I want to see you everyday. I
don’t think it’s consequential to put a label on my feelings now, heck, maybe there aren’t
even words to describe them. But I think we should give this couple thing a try Junnie. For
both biological and emotional reasons. But you can still say no of course, I won’t force you
into anything.” Mingyu cooed as he released another wave of his frosty pine scent that made
Jun blush further.

“I just…I’m afraid gyu. I’m afraid because everything’s changed so suddenly. In just a few
days everything has been turned on its head. We went from being best friends to having sex
and now possibly being boyfriends. I’m scared that we’re only acting this way because of our
hormones and our genders. What if they wear off and we realise we don’t like being a
couple? Or worse, only one of us wants to leave and the other wants to stay. I’m afraid of
losing you Gyu so I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. We can’t go back to the way
things were just a week ago because that wouldn’t be fair to either of us. But I’m also so
scared of being your boyfriend because what if it doesn’t work?” Jun replied, his eyes
welling up slightly. He hated the fact that he was so emotional and he always did his best to
hide behind his dry humour. But Mingyu always saw right through him.

“Well…tell me what you think of me Junnie. Be honest and true to your heart when you reply
me. Think back to all the times before this week.” Mingyu asked, his voice gentle and
patient.

Jun tried to think back to all the good times he had with the alpha before coming to Haemin
like when they’d go the theme parks or arcades, but his mind wandered to slightly different
memories. He remembered when Mingyu would go for long schedules and not come back
home until the wee hours of the morning or even several days after if the filming was far
away. He remembered how he’d miss the alpha so much back then that he’d tear up
sometimes and have to sleep in Mingyu’s bed, covering himself with the boy’s blanket. He
remembered how he always feigned nonchalance when the larger male returned, even though
he really felt like throwing his arms around the boy and telling him how much he missed him
and to not do it again. He didn’t want to tell Mingyu all of this. It would’ve made him sound
like a massive creep and weirdo but this just didn’t feel like the time to lie and deny
everything. That would only make things worse.
“I…care about you very deeply too Gyu. I remember when you went to do that shoot in
Japan so you were gone for five days. Even though we called and bantered over FaceTime it
didn’t feel the same to me and I’d cry real hard after you hung up. I didn’t understand why
but I just missed you so much. I even slept in your bed some of those nights because your
sheets still smelt like your perfume and they made me feel like you were there. I know this is
embarrassing and super lame to admit, but I figure we have nothing to lose at this point.
Since I didn’t get to tell you back then, I’ll tell you now because it's only fair.” Jun replied, a
lone tear dripping down his cheek. He couldn’t bring himself to lie, not after how vulnerable
Mingyu had just been. He didn’t exactly know the significance of telling Mingyu all this
thought, or what these feelings he had really meant. All he knew was that life fucking sucked
without Mingyu.

The alpha had turned completely red and a small smile had crept over his lips as he reached
out a hand to wipe the tears off the omega’s face.

“Thank you for being honest with me Junnie. It seems clear to me now. I care deeply about
you and...you care deeply about me. And judging by what we’ve both said, there’s a good
chance neither of us bothered to really process our feelings for each other until now. They
seem deeper than what regular best friends feel for each other… or maybe they’re not. But
now that we’ve been given this chance to figure things out for ourselves, I want to take it. I
want to walk this road with you. If we care about each other as much as we say we do, we’ll
always find a way to remain close no matter how things turn out. What do you say Junnie…
will you be my boyfriend for now?” Mingyu asked as he brought his face closer to Jun’s, the
two so close they could feel each other’s breath on their lips.

The omega fixed his crystal clear eyes on Mingyu’s, his breath hitching. Somehow, it no
longer felt like the worst idea in the world and Jun felt his heart melting into a puddle in his
ribcage.

“…You know what? Okay. Yes I will. I’ll give this a try.” Jun replied as he found himself
slowly moving his face closer to Mingyu’s, before planting his lips softly on the alpha’s ones.
Mingyu smiled shyly, closing his eyes as he kissed back gingerly but with enough force that
Jun could feel his passion and excitement. This kiss was different from the ones before.
Neither of them could taste any lust in it, only a mixture of affection, relief and excitement.
Jun found himself kissing harder, pushing his tongue into Mingyu’s mouth as the alpha
welcomed him in, their tongues caressing each other gently. The two caught their scents
mingling, creating a spiced vanilla fragrance with an undertone of pine and it smelt…perfect.
Pulling himself away slowly, Mingyu grinned as he bumped his nose with Jun’s. “Mine.” He
cooed as he laced their fingers together, Jun giggling softly.

Unbeknownst to the boys, some of the members had been watching the scene unfold from the
central window on the second floor of the house. They knew it wasn’t right but they had to
know what was going on in the pack and they were glad they’d spied on the two. Jihoon,
Minghao and Seungkwan were squealing at how cute the two were and how much it seemed
like a drama. But not everyone seemed happy for the pair. Someone’s eyes had fallen, glazed
over with a look of deep regret that no one seemed to notice.
Chapter End Notes

Junnie decides to give things a chance with Mingyu! This marks the start of their
unexpected relationship which will be explored in later chapters. But of course, not
everyone is going to be happy about it. Love and hurt unfortunately, come hand in hand,
and Junnie and Mingyu's new relationship is no exception.
 Puhoy
Chapter Summary

"Being a boyfriend comes with emotional responsibilities too and it’s very important to
always keep that in mind. Always remind him that you love him, no matter what."

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Jeez that was a long ride…thank god we’re finally back home…” Jihoon whined as he
stumbled out of the car he’d been driven back to Seoul in, his back absolutely killing him.
The group had finally returned to their dorms the day after finishing the rice paddy shoot,
only to get caught in a massive traffic jam that had lasted five hours because of a minor
landslide that had covered parts of the main road home.

“Fuck yes…” Seungkwan nearly cried, his legs throbbing from the lack of blood circulation,
as he nearly fell while stepping onto the concrete floor. The other members had begun
spilling out of their own cars too, looking sort of like clowns in circus shows that all piled
into a car that seemed far too tiny for so many of them. Slowly, they made their way to the
massive lift in the carpark that would take them to their floors and open directly into their
home.

They lived in an incredibly luxurious apartment located in central Seoul, one with a
cavernous lobby covered with white marble that shimmered like glitter and butlers who’d
assist you at the slightest request. The members lived on the 49th and 50th floor but instead
of being two separate apartments, the two floors had been combined to form a sort of two-
storey suite, with a large central staircase right in the living room that the members could take
up and down to meet each other. The house had floor to ceiling windows as well, revealing
the entirety of the Seoul skyline. It was particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset, especially
when the sun would bathe the sky in shades of orange, pink and purple on certain days closer
to winter. The size of the house meant that while the members still shared rooms, those rooms
were incredibly spacious and well furnished with their own couches and desks and some even
had private balconies. In fact, the house was so massive that there were some areas that the
members barely even remembered existed, like the sitting rooms and the second kitchen.

“Alright everyone good work on the shoots you just did. You guys worked extremely hard so
we’re gonna be having two days of break in your schedules before we announce any
upcoming projects. There’s a huge one that’s currently in discussion with Mnet so we’ll
update you guys on that if anything comes of it. For now, rest well and get your energy back.
Seungcheol, I’ll be updating you by text on anything important.” Manager Ha said as
assistant Manager Kim handed him a stack of papers she’d received in the lobby, probably
about the upcoming project. With that, the managers said goodbye before seeing themselves
out of the gorgeous apartment, taking special care to not slam the large main door that was
intricately carved and adorned with white ivory.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys but I’m going back to my room for a nap…we can just
order food whenever we wake up or something.” Chan said as he rubbed his eyes wearily, his
cream coloured jacket beginning to slip off his shoulders.

“Yeah same…I’m beat…” groaned Jun as he stretched his shoulders. The members all
mumbled in agreement and began streaming away to their bedrooms, ready to pass out for
several hours before ordering some tteokbokki or baeksuk when they finally woke up
famished.

Jun and Mingyu walked silently back to their own room, located on the second floor of the
house and facing several mountains in the distance. Jun loved looking at the mountains,
especially on rainy days where they’d be shrouded in a layer of mist that was so thick he
sometimes thought they were just newly formed clouds. That’s why he’d chosen the bed right
next to the window. And that was why he got the shock of his life when he opened the
bedroom door to find only a single, massive king sized bed in the middle of the room instead
of the two super single beds that had once been there.

“What the fuck…” was all that escaped Jun’s mouth as he gawked at how the room had
changed since they’d last been in there. The new single bed had been placed right in the
centre of the room, with two new little bedside tables squeezed on either side. The bed was
massive but looked extremely soft and plush. Adorned with what felt like Egyptian cotton
sheets as Jun traced his fingers over the fabric, the bed also had a mountain of pillows (more
than two people would ever need) stacked right at the head, and located in the centre, was
Jun’s beloved plush octopus he named Puhoy. Jun blushed as he realised that someone had
deliberately posed his childhood plushie while he was gone. Wait…Puhoy was holding a
small note under his tentacles. Pulling the note from his plushie, Jun read the contents aloud
as he felt his face grow hot.

“Congratulations on becoming a couple Jun and Mingyu! We’ve gotten your beds changed
into a large single one so you guys can sleep together comfortably now. We’ve also made
sure you’ve got enough pillows to create your own nest when you need to but don’t hesitate
to tell us if you need more. Once again, congratulations on starting this new chapter together!
Signed, Pledis management team.” Jun squeaked. Mingyu, who’d also been staring in
disbelief, let out a small laugh as he walked over and plopped himself onto the
marshmallowy bed.

“I guess this means no take backs huh.” Mingyu smirked as his omega blushed even harder
and let out a thick wave of his delicious scent.

“This is going too fast!” Jun spluttered as he pouted at the alpha. He thought he and Mingyu
could take things slowly given by how strangely their whole relationship had started out. But
sleeping in the same bed like a pair of married lovebirds…seemed a bit excessive at the
moment and it made him anxious. They started their relationship…yesterday…

“Well, it can’t be helped. Unless you wanna sleep on the floor.” Mingyu teased as the omega
huffed and only pouted more, crossing his arms defiantly across his chest.
“You’re so mean. Why don’t you sleep on the floor!” Jun retorted, only succeeding in making
his alpha smile harder.

“Come here.” Mingyu cooed, as he stretched his arms wide open.

Walking over instinctively, Jun slid himself into the bed and into Mingyu’s arms, pressing his
face right into the alpha’s chest. He could hear the alpha’s heartbeat steadily thrumming in his
chest, which rose and fell with each of his breaths. It felt so comfortable in the bed. Saying
that it was soft was a complete understatement. It had to be the fluffiest thing that Jun had
ever lay on, and the cotton sheets covering the bed were so smooth and buttery that he felt
like he’d fall asleep instantaneously unless he forced his eyes to remain open. And of course,
having Mingyu there made it completely perfect. His best friend turned boyfriend was
cuddling him so affectionately, letting out little coos as he stroked the omega’s back. Jun
found himself mewling in response to those coos, as he slid his hand over his alpha’s chest.

“This is weird. But I like it…” Jun whispered as his eyes began to flutter, a heaviness
accumulating on his eyelids.

“I like it too. Baby.” Mingyu whispered in response as he closed his eyes, feeling his omega
give him a small nuzzle in response.

The two woke to the sound of knocking on their door, making them both jolt upright and
causing several pillows to fall off the bed in the process.

“Jun, Mingyu-ya can we come in? It’s me and Seungcheol-hyung.” Joshua asked as he
rapped on the solid wood door.

“Yes hyung!” The boys both said as they scrambled out of their bed. Like hell they’d be
caught cuddling in bed on their first day back as a couple.

Hearing their agreement, Joshua and Seuncheol pulled open the heavy door before stepping
onto the small daisy shaped rug Jun had put out when they first moved on.

“We’ve got a couple of hours left in the day so we figured it’d be good to start classes early!
The sooner we finish the better.” Seungcheol chirped as he twirled at the hairs on his fringe.

“C…classes?” Mingyu yawned as he continued to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He’d been so
deep in his slumber, dreaming of the past few days he spent with Junnie that he was surprised
he’d managed to wake up at all.

“Yup! When an alpha and omega first present, there’s usually a lot of information they don’t
know since not everything is taught in schools. So it’s the job of the other alphas and omegas
in the pack to teach their juniors about the dos and don’ts when living with your new
secondary gender.” Joshua said, eyes shining brightly. He was way too excited to be on the
other side of the exercise now, as a teacher and not the student. Before this, he’d been the
only student under Soonyoung and it seemed so fun being the senior that he couldn’t wait to
pass all the information he knew to Jun.
“Me and Jeonghan hyung will be taking Mingyu and Soonyoung and Joshua-hyung will be
taking Jun.” Seungcheol continued, already moving to the door. There was much to teach the
newly presented alpha and he wanted to get started right away.

Jun and Mingyu exchanged glances, pouting slightly because they’d have to be apart for a
bit. ‘So this is what they were talking about…’ Jun thought as he found himself holding onto
Mingyu’s hand, with the the alpha lacing their fingers together and grabbing back firmly.
‘I’m so needy it’s insane…’

Noticing this, Joshua laughed softly before cooing “Don’t worry guys you’ll just be apart for
a few hours today! And we’ll be holding the classes in the sitting rooms right next to each
other, so you guys will probably still be able to pick up on each other’s scents. Don’t stress,
you’ll be back together soon.”

Hearing themselves get called out, the newly presented alpha and omega quickly let go of
each other and attempted to appear nonchalant and unbothered, only making their seniors
giggle more.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Seungcheol said, pulling Mingyu out of the door, with Joshua and
Jun following quickly after.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________

“Alright Gyu what exactly do you know about being an alpha?” Jeonghan asked as the three
alphas sat themselves in one of the sitting rooms. It was fairly well decorated, with velvet red
sofas and a large antique looking standing globe placed near the window. The floor had been
covered in vintage inspired carpeting and a small mahogany coffee table stood in the middle
of the couches. Someone had clearly put a great deal of thought into the theme for this room
and Mingyu found it a pity no one used it much. It was simply too…impractical, especially
when the central living room existed.

“Ummmm I know I’m supposed to be the protector in some sense? Other than that…”
Mingyu replied, squinting his eyes as he attempted to glean any other information he’d
previously read about alphas. But it had been years since he’d been in high school and he
simply couldn’t remember much else, causing him to trail off.

“Mmmmm that could be true. Generally, alphas are the more possessive and protective of the
two secondary genders but it can also be the other way around sometimes, depending on the
hormone concentration of the particular individual. But do you know anything about what
you just went through a couple of days ago?” Jeonghan continued, his voice patient and
measured.

Mingyu blushed immediately before shaking his head and looking down at the table,
embarrassed about the whole affair. He was glad Jeonghan-hyung didn’t know the details…or
did he??
“What you experienced is known as a rut, Gyu. It’s when alphas enter their mating season
and have a largely increased sex drive. They also become significantly more aggressive and
possessive and they absolutely hate when anyone else comes near their omega during that
time period. It typically happens once a month and can last anywhere between 3-7 days. The
omega that’s paired with the alpha will also go into their heat at the same time, which is the
omega’s version of a rut. So in those days, it’s generally assumed that a lot of sex happens
between the two. But you have to be careful because both you and the omega are extra fertile
during your heat and rut, so the chance of conceiving is at least fifteen times higher than it
normally would be. So protection or birth control is important.” Jeonghan said as matter-of-
factly as he could albeit still blushing slightly at how vivid the description had been.

Mingyu grew redder, only managing a “Oh..I see..” as he looked at the ceiling in an attempt
to stop himself from feeling so embarrassed about talking about these things so openly.

Noticing this, Seungcheol smiled as he replied gently “Mingyu-ya, there’s no need to feel
embarrassed about this stuff. It’s good that we’re able to talk about it openly. Like what
Jeonghan-hyung said, heats and ruts are the time where most couples conceive. It’s also
important that you learn about…the knot. It’s this part under your dick that inflates when
you’re close to an orgasm that locks you and your omega together. That usually means that
you’ll end up finishing in your omega, and you’re gonna want to avoid doing that if he’s not
on birth control or you’re not wearing a condom. Once you feel it inflating you should be
prepared to either commit or back out.” Seungcheol explained, entirely unbothered by his
words. He’d done this before and this time he was determined to do a good job at being the
teacher. Teaching Jeonghan had been such a disaster, with the both of them blushing at
everything that was said and bursting out laughing at how strange talking about their bodies
felt.

“Oh dang…” Mingyu stuttered, feeling himself flush slightly. ‘That’s lowkey so hot!’ The
boy thought as he thought back to himself breeding Jun back a few days ago. Wait a
second…

“Wait hyung…me and Jun…may have made some mistakes in that aspect a few days ago…
do we go buy plan B now or?” Mingyu stammered, his heart leaping into his throat.

“Don’t worry Gyu, omegas can’t get pregnant during their first heat. If that’s what you’re
worried about.” Jeonghan replied, winking cheekily at Mingyu.

“Ohhh” Mingyu exhaled, laughing slightly at Jeonghan’s wry smile.

“So…how is it that Joshua hyung isn’t pregnant with your kid yet? Back then I always heard
you guys…” Mingyu teased, making his hyung turn a deep red and shake his head
vehemently.

“You…”

“Mingyu-ya.” Seungcheol said just in time as Jeonghan looked like he was about to fling
himself at the larger alpha. Both Mingyu and Jeonghan dropped their smiles, turning to look
at their leader who had a serious expression on his face. “Remember to always do your best
to take care of Junnie alright? Being a boyfriend comes with emotional responsibilities too
and it’s very important to always keep that in mind. Always remind him that you love him,
no matter what. That’s what I always tell Jeonghan too. If you remember that, you’ll both go
really far.”

Mingyu smiled at the leader alpha’s words, as he thought about Jun’s puppy-dog eyes and his
sweet smile. “Don’t worry hyung. I’ll always remember to do that.”

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________

Things were far less calm in the omegas’ room. Jun had blushed so violently at everything
remotely sexual that Joshua and Soonyoung couldn’t stop laughing at him. He looked like he
was in physical pain when they were attempting to explain the clit and how to maintain
hygiene down there. They were relieved that they’d chosen the other sitting room, which had
a far calmer atmosphere. It was a simple one with pale wooden furniture and bookshelves
filled with books no one read, reminiscent of a nordic style of decoration. There were several
pastel coloured pillows on the white couches and covering the windows were translucent
cream coloured drapes you could still faintly see out of. If they’d chosen the velvet sitting
room Jun may have imploded by now from the sensory overload.

“Jun-ya, this part is important. It’s about having kids.” Joshua lilted, rubbing Jun’s shoulder
affectionately in an attempt to calm him down.

“Uhhhh what about them?” Jun replied, finding himself tugging at his silver hair again.

“Junnie, you know you can get pregnant right? When you’re in your heat, you’re much more
likely to get pregnant with your alpha’s baby if he finished in you, than other times outside of
your cycle. So if you wanna avoid that you either have to take birth control or get Gyu to
wear a condom.” Soonyoung said as he pushed Jun’s hand away from his hair. He’d have
none left if this continued.

“H..huh? How does that even work?” Jun replied, this time genuinely curious about what was
being said. He loved kids, he’d been just been reminded of that fact on the drive to Haemin,
so finding out he could actually have them was a pleasant surprise.

“Well, it works almost identically to female omegas. When you’re in heat, you become
significantly more sexually needy and clingy when it comes to your alpha. Your alpha, in this
case Gyu, will also be going through his rut at the same time and he’ll also be much more…
horny and aggressive than normal. He definitely won’t let any other alphas near you because
he wouldn’t want to risk you being taken away from him. That’s why when we’re going
through our heats and ruts, Jeonghan and I and Soonyoung and Seungcheol-hyung never
meet anywhere in the house. Things could turn ugly if either Jeonghan or Seungcheol hyung
thinks that the other is attempting to touch his omega. Something like that would never
happen in day to day life, so you can only imagine how powerful hormones are during heats.”
Joshua said seriously, as Jun tilted his head, listening to his hyung with intense eyes.

“So with all those hormones in your body during your heat, your body will release eggs into
your birth cavity, which is located near your rectum. The number of eggs released at each
time usually ranges from one to four so if you’re lucky (or unlucky), you could have
quadruplets! So if you and Mingyu knot and he…releases in you during your heat, you’re
quite likely to get pregnant.” Joshua continued, keeping his voice as soothing as possible.
“That’s why birth control is important!”

Jun furrowed his eyebrows, pondering over this newly acquired knowledge. He loved kids
and he really did want to have them, that much was true, but he figured he’d have to wait at
least a couple more years before having them. It didn’t make sense to have kids while still
actively promoting in the group. He couldn’t imagine bringing the babies with him on tour
overseas or how he’d sort out daycare options and the like. And besides, he’d only just
started trying out this relationship thing with Mingyu and it was far too early to think about it.

“So how do I get birth control?” Jun asked, whipping out his phone to take down the
necessary contact information.

“Well…the pharmacist that me and Soonyoung see for our prescriptions isn’t working right
now because she’s expecting herself, but we’ve heard of a good pharmacy many idols go to
in Gangnam called Dr Choi’s Pharmaceutical Company. You may wanna go there to get your
prescription!” Joshua replied.

“Dr Choi’s Pharmaceutical Company…got it!” Jun exclaimed as he began googling for
directions to the business.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________

Having finished close to two hours of classes, the alphas and omegas finally decided to call it
a day and head down to the dining room for dinner. The dining room itself was gorgeously
furnished with high chairs and a bar counter and of course, a massive rectangular dining table
capable of seating sixteen guests, made entirely out of black granite and repurposed steel.
Seungkwan had decided to order fried chicken that night and the savoury smell of oil and red
pepper paste made Jun’s stomach rumble as he sat himself at his usual seat, his alpha taking
the seat right next to him. Mingyu found himself automatically reaching his right hand out to
grab his omega’s thigh and caress it gently, before planting a kiss right on the boy’s cheek,
earning an “Aww” from Chan and an “Ew” from Vernon. Throughout the dinner, the alpha
and omega seemed to be in their own bubble, feeding each other pieces of chicken and fried
tteokbokki while oblivious to the many conversations around them (ranging from discussion
and bets about who the next couple would be and who would cook breakfast tomorrow). Jun
felt himself growing a little more at ease with the thought of his relationship. Mingyu had
been showing him so much affection but it didn’t feel artificial at all. It felt…really nice to be
treated so gently.

“Wanna talk on the big balcony after this? I haven’t gotten to spend much time with you
today and I figured some quality time was in order.” Mingyu said as he wrapped his arms
around Jun’s waist from the back, as the omega was washing utensils. The alpha leaned down
to rest his neck on the omega’s shoulder, nuzzling softly at the boy’s scent gland and making
him leak small waves of vanilla.
 “Sure.” Replied Jun, blushing ever so slightly. Feeling Mingyu hold him for no reason other
than to just show him affection was so…cute. Shaking the water off the last set of chopsticks,
Jun removed his bright orange apron before walking with the alpha onto the main balcony.
This balcony was one of the many in the house but it was by far the largest and was located
just next to the main living room on the first floor. It had several deck chairs and large
umbrellas that provided shade in the summer but now that it was the autumn season, the boys
could step out on the balcony decked in their sweaters and pyjama pants.

“So what’d you learn today in class!” Jun started as he sat himself on Mingyu’s lap, the larger
male wrapping his arms around him protectively. It was chilly tonight and the wind was
ruffling both boys’ hair, making everything dance wildly.

“You know about managing your omega’s outbursts, knots, how to avoid getting your omega
pregnant…” Mingyu said as he leaned back on the deck chair, pulling Jun down with him so
the omega was lying face to face with him. “

“Oh…I learnt about stuff like that too…about how to manage your aggression when you’re
in a rut and your overprotectiveness…and how to not get pregnant too. I need to get birth
control asap and I was thinking we could get it tomorrow morning since we’ve go the day
off.” Jun replied as he began nuzzling at Mingyu’s chest, making the alpha’s heartbeat pick
up speed.

“Sure thing. But I wanted to ask you something. After seeing the doctor tomorrow, can I take
you out on a date? I figured that since we’re giving this relationship a good hard try, I may as
well take you out too.” Mingyu said as he stroked his omega’s hair.

Jun pondered for a bit at the proposal. It was a good idea since they were actually boyfriends
now and he could use the time to see how Mingyu acted as a partner rather than just a friend.
But being the cheeky boy that he was, he felt the need to add several conditions. “Sure sure.
But only if you pay for my food and carry my stuff when I’m tired!”

The alpha laughed, his arms tightening around Jun even more as he leaned down to plant a
kiss on the omega’s forehead.

“Anything you want…darling.”

Chapter End Notes

More Mingyu and Junnie fluff hehe :) the heavier bit will be in a few chapters but I
promise it won't be like soul-crushingly bad. I think? HAHAHAAH
 Mikans on the mountain
Chapter Summary

Shooting daggers at his alpha, the omega only grit his teeth and prepared to haul himself
up in silence. He’d decided he’d be difficult with Mingyu for the rest of the day, as
punishment for the alpha making him do such an awful activity under the guise of it
being some date.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“M-Mingyu, you’re g-going too fast…” Jun whined as he used every bit of willpower in his
body to propel himself up the slope. When Mingyu said he’d take him on a date, he didn’t
think it’d involve climbing one of the mountains he could see from his bedroom window.
While it wasn’t hot today, the mountain itself was still incredibly steep, so much so that there
had been warning signs placed before the start of the trail, telling people that climbing would
be a bad idea if they weren’t physically and mentally prepared. The signs Jun should’ve
followed if he’d paid some attention to his surroundings. But he’d been distracted by how
strangely the morning had went at the pharmacy…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________

Jun was tugging on his hair anxiously as he sat waiting to see the pharmacist at Doctor Choi’s
Pharmaceutical Company. The pharmacy’s appearance spoke for its reputation as a premier
medical facility because it simply oozed luxury. It was located on the 30th floor in one of the
tallest buildings in Gangnam and was adorned with sleek metallic furniture and expensive
looking sculptures, making it look more like an art gallery than a drugstore. Jun had let out a
soft whistle as he entered the pharmacy, his eyes drawn to the bird’s eye view of Gangnam
which was visible from the massive windows in the waiting room. How a pharmacy was able
to afford rent in this building, he had no idea. Getting triaged had been fairly straightforward,
he’d only had to speak to a friendly nurse who took down his purpose for visiting and his
identification, before telling him he’d be seen by Dr Choi herself in awhile. Despite the posh
atmosphere of the pharmacy and the attitude of the staff, Jun couldn’t help but feel anxious
and embarrassed about coming all the way just for birth control, and especially because
Mingyu had insisted on coming with him into the doctor’s room. He’d begged the boy to wait
for him downstairs or at a cafe first, but the alpha wouldn’t budge.

“If I’m gonna be a good boyfriend, I gotta know what’s going on with your body too.”
Mingyu had insisted, pouting at Jun’s desperation to shoo him away. Seeing the dejection in
his alpha’s eyes finally made Jun relent and now he found himself sitting on an unnaturally
cold steel chair with Mingyu right by his side, their hands laced together. It was a safe space
for handholding since this pharmacy was pretty much exclusively used by idols and the elite,
making it a haven for public figures to express themselves as they were, but Jun still felt
somewhat nervous about being so public with their new relationship.

“Mr Moon Junhwi?” A voice rang out, startling the silver haired boy and making him stand
up immediately.

“Yes?” Jun quietly answered as he ran to the nurse’s counter, dragging his alpha in hand.

“You may enter Dr Choi’s office now! I’ve given her some notes and she’ll be telling you
about the suitable prescription.” The nurse said vibrantly as she pointed to a large titanium
door.

The omega thanked the kind nurse before knocking on the massive door and stepping in.

“Hello Mr Moon, my name’s Dr Choi and I’ll be handling your prescription today. Would
you…like to take a seat?” Said the wizened alpha as she gesticulated towards the two plush
chairs in front of her. The boys had been taken aback by the beauty of her office which had
been adorned with taxidermied butterflies and small porcelain sculptures of the animals in the
zodiac and they’d have continued gawking if she hadn’t invited them to sit down. Well, it
wasn’t like she wasn’t used to such reactions to her office. She was more surprised that…the
omega’s alpha had come along as well.

“…y-yes.” The boys stammered in unison as they plopped themselves in front of the female
alpha.

“My apologies if I sounded surprised back there boys. It’s just that…I rarely see an alpha
come along to his omega’s consultation. They usually wait at the cafe downstairs or worse,
just don’t even drop their omega’s off at all. So I’m heartened and pleasantly surprised to see
you both come as a couple today.” Dr Choi said warmly, making both the alpha and omega
blush. “I see from the nurse’s notes that you’ve come today for some medication to regulate
your reproductive cycle. Is that right Jun?”

“Y-yes doctor. I’d like that.” Jun replied shyly, Mingyu still refusing to let go of his hand. The
alpha had been stroking it gently ever since they’d gotten into the pharmacy and while he’d
previously felt anxious about the boy’s insistence on coming, he felt infinitely grateful that he
was here right now by his side.

“Understood. I’m gonna be prescribing you a medication called Elysiunone. Each tablet is
25mg and you’ll need to take two tablets a day. One in the morning and one at night. Please
remember to take them on time alright? If not, they may not work as intended.” The elderly
alpha said as she pulled several boxes from under her table, opening one to show Jun what
the tablets looked like. They were sunshine yellow and tiny, nearly the size of grains of rice.
‘I’ve swallowed worse.’ Thought Jun as he watched the doctor pack his prescriptions and a
small explanatory note into a discrete white plastic bag.

“That’s all you’ll need to take for now Jun. Do you have anymore questions?” Dr Choi said
as she pushed the bag over to the couple.
“Um, I have one.” Mingyu stammered as he raised his hand like a kid in a classroom. Dr
Choi raised an eyebrow in response, pleasantly surprised by the alpha’s eagerness. It was a
rarity to find an alpha who cared this much about his omega’s health and it made her feel a
little excited almost. In a generation of casual sexual relations and the mistreatment of both
genders by each other, meeting this couple was like finding a needle in a haystack.

“Ask away!” Dr Choi chirped enthusiastically.

“Will…taking this medication long term affect our chances of having kids?” Mingyu asked as
he turned to look at his omega, who’d turned a shade of crimson. ‘Asking about kids? On the
second day?’ Jun whimpered internally as he attempted to hide his face in his sleeves. Dr
Choi laughed heartily as she gazed at the couple seated in front of her. They didn’t know it
yet, but they had something special. A connection many would kill to have.

“Not in the slightest. In fact, there’s a warning on the note I’ve placed in the bag that if you
miss too many days of taking this medication, your body may overcompensate by flushing
your system with more reproductive hormones. Meaning, you’d be even more likely to end
up having kids.” The doctor explained patiently as Mingyu let out a sigh, seemingly of relief.
It made Jun’s heart skip a beat. He hadn’t expected Mingyu to ever care about kids, not even
as a concept let alone for real. Everything Mingyu was doing was making him feel warm. He
cared enough to learn about Jun’s health and to think about a real future together even though
they were still so new to everything. It made Jun…happy. Jun smiled sweetly as he turned to
steal a glance at his alpha before looking back at Dr Choi.

“Alright then if there’s no more questions, you guys are free to leave. My nurse has checked
and you guy’s won’t have to pay out of pocket for this session since your company covers all
healthcare related expenses. Stay healthy!” Dr Choi continued. Thanking her profusely, the
two boys nipped out of her office and into the next waiting lift. Jun was excited to see what
Mingyu had planned for their date. Mingyu was excited for what would happen on their date.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

“Gyu…this is insane…” Jun continued whining as he used every bit of his strength to haul
himself up the steep rock steps that had been carved right into the face of the mountain by an
undoubtedly better climber. Even in the chilly weather he’d begun sweating and he stopped
often to wipe at his brow, beads of sweat collecting on his eyelashes. If any sweat got into his
eyes he figured it’d actually be the end of him and Mingyu for that matter. He’d jump off the
mountain and take the idiot alpha down with him.

“We’re almost halfway there Junnie, don’t give up! I promise the view’s worth it.” Mingyu
replied as he looked back at the struggling omega. The alpha looked as if he were taking a
casual stroll in a park, without a drop of sweat to be seen on his body and no panting to be
heard either. Shooting daggers at his alpha, the omega only grit his teeth and prepared to haul
himself up in silence. He’d decided he’d be difficult with Mingyu for the rest of the day, as
punishment for the alpha making him do such an awful activity under the guise of it being
some date. But without warning, Jun felt himself being lifted off his feet and placed deftly on
a step directly in front of his alpha. Mingyu had lifted him gently like he’d only weighed five
pounds and placed him right in front of him.

“Why…why’d you do that…” Jun stammered as he turned to look at the grinning alpha.

“If you continue climbing behind me, I won’t be able to know you’re safe unless I keep
turning back. But if you stand in front of me, I can keep my eyes locked on you just in case
you fall or whatever.” Mingyu said with great pride and his omega smiled shyly.

“Th-thanks…I guess…but just so you know I could’ve climbed perfectly fine behind you!”
Jun lied through his teeth as he attempted to go back to being angry. Mingyu was so good
with this romance thing that it actually frustrated him. In all the years they’d been friends,
Jun always knew Mingyu would dote excessively on whoever he dated in the future based on
how affectionate he was even with friends. But he’d never expected to be the lucky lady
receiving all of Mingyu’s affection and he certainly didn’t expect Mingyu to make him feel
so mushy all the time. ‘I’m no better than a lovesick school girl right now…’ Jun scoffed at
himself as he thought about how long he’d be able to keep up his act.

“I know, Junnie.” Mingyu only smiled as he gently rubbed Jun’s back, only making the
omega more frustrated at just how good the alpha was at playing this game. Continuing their
ascent, Jun only struggled more as the path became steeper and narrower and he often felt his
hands clam up in anxiety as he spotted the sheer cliff drops at the corner of his eyes. One
wrong step in this area and he’d be dead in a ravine. He was so glad that Mingyu had plopped
him in the front now, if not the alpha might’ve not even noticed if Jun had fallen off the
mountain right behind him. ‘Imagine falling…’ Jun gulped as he moved to propel himself up
the next step -

“FUCK” Jun yelled as his foot missed the steep stone step right in front of him. He’d
underestimated just how high the step had been and consequently, hadn’t raised his foot high
enough and now he was gonna fall off the face of the mountain and end up pancaked in the
ravine. As he lost his balance, Jun’s life flashed before his eyes. ‘My life has been…so
embarrassing…’ Jun thought as his mind raced to when he’d make cat poses for his fans
during fan meets, with an aegyo voice to boot. As the omega went through all seven stages of
grief in an attempt to accept his quickly approaching demise, his alpha had deftly reached out
his arms, grabbing Jun and steadying him in a firm grasp. Scooping his omega up, the alpha
carried Jun like a baby up several more steps until they reached an area where the ground was
level, before letting the shaking omega down.

“Still angry?” Mingyu smirked as he pulled the omega into his chest. He did his best to not
show it, but he was just as shocked as Jun was and his brows had furrowed themselves,
forming a slight frown. If he’d reacted any slower…he shuddered to think about how bad
things might’ve actually turned out.

“W-well, I-if you hadn’t br-brought me here, t-then that wouldn’t have happened…” Jun
stuttered as he attempted to steady his breathing. Being in Mingyu’s arms was doing wonders
for his nerves and he felt his heart rate gradually slowing to its baseline. He both loved and
hated how good Mingyu made him feel.
Mingyu snorted, pulling his omega in closer and planting a huge kiss on his forehead. “So
difficult…okay it was my fault. But I saved your life so…maybe alpha deserves some
thanks?” Expecting nothing, Mingyu was pleasantly surprised as he felt Jun kiss him on the
lips, the omega biting his lower lip and letting out a small whimper. It made him giddy with
joy and he pulled away from the kiss, grinning a his omega like an idiot.

“Thanks…and that’s all for now…” Jun blushed as Mingyu pinched one of his cheeks. Good
thing about steep, nearly unclimbable mountains, there’s usually no one else around…

“Aigoo so cute!” Rang out a voice ahead of them, making Mingyu and Jun whip their heads
in that direction. A group of elderly grandmas had been gathered at another clearing further
up the mountain path, their eyes fixed on the blushing couple that still hadn’t let go of each
other. How a group of senior citizens had managed to hike faster than them while carrying
purses and wearing regular jogging shoes made little sense, but the boys were not inclined to
question the fitness of the ajummas with infinite free time to train. Seeing one of the ladies
walk towards them, the couple let go of each other and bowed deeply as a sign of respect.
This lady must’ve been the leader of the group. Wearing a faded purple blazer displaying
signs of excessive sun exposure and a large straw hat, the lady’s kind, wrinkled eyes
immediately filled the boys with a sense of ease as she gazed at them.

“How long have you too been together?” Asked the old lady slowly, her voice deep and
melodic.

“Like…two days?” Mingyu replied.

“Two days?! I would’ve guessed much longer by the way you two acted, and the scent you
guys were giving off together. It was really strong and it smelt a lot like vanilla with a woody
sort of scent. Sorry if we spooked you guys, but the scent really caught our attention.” The
old lady continued, nodding apologetically as the boys frantically waved their arms.

“No need to worry ma’am you weren’t being intrusive at all. Sorry that we didn’t wear scent
blockers today, that was our fault.” Jun responded using his idol voice.

The old lady only laughed as she shifted her straw hat and moved to take something from her
bag. “In any case, please take this from us as an apology. They’re little oranges that I’m sure
you boys will enjoy together.” Shaking their heads quickly, the boys still found the old lady
pushing the small white plastic bag into their hands as she too shook her head. “No need to
be shy boys. We’ve got many in our purses. Plus, we’re going down the mountain already
and it always helps to have a lighter bag when doing that.” Giving in, the boys graciously
accepted the plastic bag and bowed to the old ladies as they bid their goodbyes, the group
slinking down the mountain with their leader right in front.

“Shall we?” Said Mingyu as he held Jun’s hand, pulling him up with him. They hadn’t
realised it, but where the old ladies were standing was actually the clearing of the peak of the
mountain. After several hours of heaving and pouting, and a near death experience, the boys
had finally reached their goal. Groaning, Jun walked through the clearing, only to have his
breath taken away just as quickly. Past the clearing, the view from the mountain was
something you’d think only existed in AI-generated photos. The lilac sky was dappled with
wispy white clouds, and right beneath it was a massive pine forest that had been painted with
various shades of green. Emerald, shamrock, Juniper…the varied shades gave the forest an
illusion of movement. It fluxed and undulated under the gentle sunlight, looking like waves
in a green ocean. And in the distance, Jun could make out some neighbouring cities, their
skyscrapers poking through the clouds. Mingyu only smiled as he watched his omega gawk
at the view. He knew Jun loved scenic spots and while this date hadn’t been perfect, at least
Jun had gotten to see what was most important.

“You like the view?” Mingyu lilted as he walked to stand next to the omega, wrapping his
right arm around the boy’s waist.

“I LOVE IT!” squealed Jun as he broke out of his trance, quickly whipping out his phone to
take a photo of the Elysium that stood before him.

Smiling, the alpha waited for his omega to finish filling a gallery in his photo album before
lightly guiding him to a large stone bench right in the centre of the clearing. Finally sitting to
rest their busted knees, the boys sighed in relief as Jun held up the small white plastic bag the
old lady had given them. “Shall we have these?” The boy asked as his alpha nodded in
response. Pulling an orange out of the bag, Jun rubbed its skin lightly with his fingers. This
orange wasn’t the ordinary sort you’d get in any regular supermarket. Its skin was smooth
with nearly no bumps and it was the colour of rich, golden honey rather than the usual
tangerine shade most oranges were. Sniffing lightly, Jun caught whiffs of the tiny orange
which made him salivate instantaneously. Tart, citrusy and mildly floral, the tiny oranges
smelt extraordinary.

“These are a type of Mikan, a Japanese Tangerine.” Mingyu said as he took the tiny orange
from his omega, peeling it gingerly with his calloused hands. Taking a small slice of the
mikan, Mingyu gestured for his omega to open his mouth before feeding Jun the slice. Jun’s
eyes widened in astonishment as the slice burst in his mouth, letting out waves of juice. The
mikan was juicy and tart, but also sugary sweet and floral. It tasted better than any of the
oranges he’d grown up eating and Jun was certain the lady must’ve bought them overseas.
She was a saint to have given them a bunch, they were probably so expensive.

“How does it taste?” Mingyu asked gently, gazing at Jun’s lip as the boy swallowed.

“Juicy, flowery, sweet…sweet like you.” Jun cheekily replied as he flashed his alpha a grin.
He may as well take the chance to tease the alpha too. It’d be fun to see the boy flustered for
once.

“Let me taste it then.” Mingyu smirked (completely unflustered, much to Jun’s annoyance) as
his planted his lips right on the omega’s ones. The omega opened his mouth slightly, allowing
Mingyu to explore the insides with his tongue, which found itself entangled with Jun’s. Jun
was right. It was sweet and floral but tasting it on Jun’s lips gave it a hint of vanilla, making it
taste almost like an orange pound cake. Blushing heavily, the omega pulled himself away
from the kiss gently.

“Pervert. You could’ve eaten the orange.” Jun scoffed, feigning annoyance. Laughing
heartily, the alpha only leaned in for another kiss, pecking the omega’s lips and leaving his
pine scent all over them.
 “I didn’t want to. I thought I’d save them for when we get down the mountain. Which we
kind of need to start doing…right now before the mountain lions come out.”

“FUCK”

Chapter End Notes

Mingyu and Junnie have gone on their first date! So far everything's smooth sailing for
them. For now ;)
 The boy who loved strawberries and matcha
Chapter Summary

"I hate them together". His face felt like it was on fire and he could feel warm, fat tears
forming in his eyes. He hated this. He never cried, but he just couldn’t fucking help it
this time.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Lying under a mountain of pillows and blankets, Wonwoo sighed as he stared at the ceiling of
his bedroom. He’d drawn his blinds to stop any sunlight from reaching him, and had shut his
door firmly to let his other members know that today wasn’t the day to talk to him. “I bet…
they’re out having fun…with each other right now.” He whispered to himself as he shut his
eyes, willing his brain to expel the image of Mingyu and Jun being in love. It had all
happened so fast that it just wasn’t fair. He hadn’t had time to prepare his heart and now it lay
shattered in his ribcage, shards of it digging into his lungs and every time he saw them
together, the shards would only burrow deeper. The day they’d returned to the house,
Wonwoo had begun putting away all the pictures and gifts both Jun and Mingyu had gotten
him into a little box that now lay under his bed, doomed to collect dust for the rest of eternity,
if he could help it. Having them out in the open would only hurt him more…

“Dude, why is it so dark in here?” A voice said slowly, making Wonwoo squirm out of his
nest to glare at the statement-maker in annoyance. It was none other than Seokmin, his
roommate who had every right to be in the room and so Wonwoo could only sigh and dive
back under the covers. “You know it’s not good to keep yourself holed up in here where it’s
all dark. It does shit to your mind.” Continued Seokmin, as he sat himself on his own bed.
Wonwoo and Seokmin’s room had two super single beds, much like many of the other
member’s rooms, but their beds were situated much closer to each other due to the
rectangular shape of their room. The beds were close enough that their knees would touch if
they sat across each other with their legs dangling off the side.

Hearing no response from the boy apart from the sounds of his shallow breathing, Seokmin
could only groan as he continued his monologue. “You’ve been like this for two days
Wonnie. I know something’s wrong. You know you need to talk about it or it’ll keep eating at
you from the inside out. Even if it’s not me, you’ll have to talk to someone about it.” Whilst
generally carefree and unbothered, Seokmin always felt worried when Wonwoo withdrew
completely into himself. Sure, the boy was quiet, but he’d usually still add quips here and
there that reminded you he was still a part of the conversation and actively listening. But it
was another thing for Wonwoo to not speak at all. Complete and utter silence was terrifying.
It meant that he was hurting and that’s he’d put up his walls, walls that no one was ever able
to chip through to reach the broken boy behind them. Well, almost no one.
A loud clack made Wonwoo jump slightly in his bed.

“Did you just lock the fucking door?” Wonwoo asked, his face contorted in confusion.

“Yeah, and I’m not gonna fuckin unlock it until you tell me what’s bothering you.” Seokmin
said as he sat himself on his bed again, humming slightly as he made himself comfortable.

“You know I can just unlock it myself right? Like I could just…walk over to the door and
turn the lock?” Wonwoo retorted, flabbergasted that Seokmin would choose to play one of his
games at this trying time. The extroverted boy always found some way to squeeze his secrets
out of him and while he usually hated it, he acknowledged that sometimes it felt good to be
heard.

“I’d like to see you fucking try!” Smirked Seokmin as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to
wrestle Wonwoo into submission if he attempted to make a break for the door. Wonwoo
immediately slid back under the covers, groaning in defeat. He’d never be able to outwrestle
the boy and that meant he’d…actually have to talk about his feelings. “So…what’s been
bugging you.” Seokmin continued, his voice softening.

“It’s literally nothing.” Wonwoo lied, grunting as he attempted to retreat further under his
covers.

“You know you’re a really shitty liar, Won. I’m gonna ask you one more time before I wrestle
it out of you. What’s wrong?” Seokmin asked, his voice crackling slightly. Even though he
sounded harsh, Wonwoo knew Seokmin only wanted to know because he cared about him.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to tell him…a part of it. He’d keep the worst to himself though, he’d
only say enough to placate the boy and get him off his back.

“Min, what do you think of Jun and Mingyu choosing to date after that incident at Haemin?”
Wonwoo sighed as he sat up in his bed, scooching over to sit directly in front of Seokmin,
their knees bumping softly. Seokmin’s eyes glazed over as he searched for the words to tell
Wonwoo. He knew any mistake could prove fatal to the older boy’s mental state now and he
had to put things across as gently as possible.

“Honestly, I don’t have an opinion about it. If they want to experiment with a relationship I
think it’s fine I mean, it’s all up to them right? Yeah sure it’s a bit…strange I mean I never
really thought of them as anything more than just pals but…it’s not my place to say anything
either. I mean I don’t know their relationship as well as they do so I wouldn’t know if this is
truly unexpected or not.” Seokmin replied slowly as he gazed at Wonwoo’s face, watching
for any sign of distress. But Wonwoo only sighed as he curled his legs up, pressing them
against his chest and hanging his head.

“I hate them together, Min.” Wonwoo whispered, biting his bottom lip as those words left his
mouth. His face felt like it was on fire and he could feel warm, fat tears forming in his eyes.
He hated this. He never cried, but he just couldn’t fucking help it this time. Seokmin’s mouth
had formed an ‘o’, his face betraying his shock and confusion.

“But, why? I thought they were your best friends in the group.” Seokmin responded, his
voice as soft and gentle as he could make it.
“I just…I…” Wonwoo stuttered, his words failing him. Tears had begun streaming down his
face, splattering carelessly on his bed sheets and forming little ripples on the fabric. Shocked,
Seokmin walked towards Wonwoo’s bed and sat himself next to the him, wrapping one of his
arms around the crying boy and stroking his shoulder affectionately. This only made the older
boy cry harder and soon, Seokmin found himself wrapping both his arms around Wonwoo,
the boy crying right into his chest.

“It’s okay Wonnie, I’m here. I’m sorry if I hurt you by making you tell me anything…”
Seokmin whispered as he stroked the older boy’s hair, rocking him slightly in his arms in an
attempt to soothe the poor boy.

“I…I’ve lost them both, Min. Two nights…and they’re gone…” Wonwoo choked out, his
tears still falling like rain and wetting Seokmin’s shirt. Seokmin’s eyes glazed over as he
realised what Wonwoo must’ve meant by losing both Jun and Mingyu at the same time. He
wasn’t upset about losing them as friends because well, they were still here and wouldn’t be
leaving anytime soon. He was upset about losing one…or both of them as potential lovers.
That’s why he hated them together. Seeing someone you love be happy with someone else
was excruciating. But seeing TWO people you loved be happy with each other was a whole
different world of pain. Thinking back to all the interactions between the three, Seokmin’s
mind raced as all the puzzle pieces began to fit themselves together. He remembered the way
Wonwoo would always choose Mingyu for games when Jun wasn’t around and how he’d
insisted on going to Japan to film with Mingyu for that special project. He remembered how
Wonwoo would always hug Jun for longer than necessary, and how the two would nuzzle on
the couch sometimes when the group was chilling in the living room after dinner. But
generally, it was always Jun and Mingyu…and only sometimes Wonwoo. Jun and Mingyu
dating each other necessarily meant that…Wonwoo was the forgotten one. The one thrown to
the dogs. The one whose feelings never amounted to anything. The afterthought.

Seokmin felt his own eyes turning wet as he realised how much pain Wonwoo had been in
since finding out about the two. That nest of pillows and blankets in this dark room was the
only safety Wonwoo felt now.

“Wonnie, I’m sorry things turned out the way they did. But I guess…that’s life isn’t it? Sure,
it fucking sucks and it’s depressing to say that life is just shit sometimes but that’s the truth of
it. I know you loved one, or both of them Wonnie. But…they’re not the only people you’ll
ever love. Think about it. There are trillions of people on this planet. It’s statistically
impossible for there to only be one or two people in the world made just for you. I know you
can’t see it now and it doesn’t exactly make it feel better, but there are so many other people
out there for you, Wonnie. You’re smart, you’re kind, you’re handsome…there are so many
people in the world who’d kill to be with you. With Jun and Mingyu…things’ll definitely be
hard for awhile. You shouldn’t expect yourself to let go of your feelings overnight. But at the
end of the day, just because there isn’t a romantic connection doesn’t change anything else
about your relationship with them. You guys are still awesome friends. You can talk and
laugh about anything under the sun and you’re always there for each other through
everything. That won’t change, Wonnie. It’s like…when kids leave toys out in the sun before
taking them back in the next day. The toys are darker on one side but the toy is still…well,
the same toy. Everything changes but everything also stays, just the way it was. I care about
you Wonnie and I know you’re hurt. But even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.
Things will just suck for awhile but in no time, you’ll be okay again.” Seokmin said, as he
continued rocking Wonwoo gently in his arms. As he’d explained his thoughts, Seokmin
realised that Wonwoo had gradually cried less and less, until there were only slight sniffles
now.

“How’d…you know all of that. When I didn’t even say anything specific…” Wonwoo asked,
his voice quivering as he used his hand to rub at his eyes. They still stung but he didn’t want
them to be bright red in case anyone else saw them.

“Because I know you, Wonnie. I’ve been your roommate for a hot minute. You don’t have to
open your mouth most of the time, I just look at you and I know how you feel.” Seokmin
replied as he rubbed Wonwoo’s back, relieved that the boy was no longer inconsolable.
Wonwoo laughed slightly at this, hugging the younger boy with some strength.

“Thank you, Min.” Wonwoo whispered as he let go of Seokmin, letting his body go limp as
he lay back on his bed. “I...think it’s gonna take me a long time to be okay with them. I don’t
even wanna talk to them right now. But, thank you for talking to me about this. I feel a little
better.”

“Anything, Wonnie. And…I know you’re still hurting but…being cooped up in here isn’t
gonna make you feel better, like I said just now. Do you wanna take a short walk outside? It
doesn’t have to be far. Just a little distance to help you get some sunlight and movement. I’m
sure you’ll feel better.” Seokmin said soothingly, as he rubbed the older boy’s hand. Wonwoo
sighed, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

“Fine.” Was all he said, as Seokmin beamed in response. Getting ready took a little while.
Wonwoo had gotten dressed slowly and took special care to wash his face and eyes so they
wouldn’t look so red. Despite his best efforts, they still remained pinkish and so the boys had
to dart quickly around the house so the other members wouldn’t see Wonwoo and bombard
him with concern. After 30 minutes, they finally found themselves out of the building and on
the streets of Seoul. It was actually a pretty nice day today, and Wonwoo felt himself coming
to life a little as he walked in the soothing sunlight that was shining through the clouds. A
flock of migratory birds had nestled themselves in one of the large trees on the sidewalk and
Wonwoo found himself smiling slightly as he heard them sing. His eyes fixed on the boy,
Seokmin smiled in relief as he mentally pat himself on the back for doing such a good job at
soothing the elder.

“Let’s get you something from here.” Seokmin said, breaking the silence and directing
Wonwoo into a small convenience store. Analysing the shelves, Seokmin’s eyes settled on a
little bottle of strawberry milk and a pack of matcha mochi, which he deftly grabbed and paid
for at the counter.

“Again…how’d you know that’s stuff I like? I never eat that in front of you…” Wonwoo said
softly, as he stared at the items Seokmin had bought for him.

Laughing gently, the younger boy only said “A little sweet, a little bitter. Opposites but they
complement each other. It’s what you’re made of, Wonnie.”
Blushing slightly at that description, Wonwoo took the food eagerly from Seokmin as they
walked out the store and back home.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________

Wonwoo and Seokmin arrived home the same time Jun and Mingyu did, with Wonwoo only
giving a brief nod to the couple before opening up the packet of mochi and stuffing one into
his mouth. Seated at the dining table were all the other members and Manager Ha and
assistant manager Kim. Were they late for some meeting?

“Guys come sit quickly, Manager Ha has some important info for us. He just dropped by.”
Seungcheol said, the leader’s tone hinting towards his excitement. Sitting themselves quickly,
the remaining four boys directed their attention to their Manager, who looked slightly more
presentable than usual today.

“Everyone, I’m pleased to announce that negotiations with Mnet for the huge project were
successful! In a week you guys will be going to…film for a new iteration of Battle Trip. You
guys know the gist of the show right? Ya’ll will be sent on all expense paid holidays to
different locations for about a week and at the end, the judges for the show will decide whose
trip looked the best and the winners get an additional prize.” Said the Manager, beaming with
pride. He’d haggled and negotiated non-stop with the media-giant. Convincing them to pay
for holidays for 13 boys to different locations was a nightmare but he’d finally managed to
get them to fork over the money to give the boys some semblance of a break, even if there
was filming. By now, the members had begun chattering excitedly about where they’d be sent
and Manager Ha felt his head swim from the sheer amount of noise generated by these unruly
boys.

“BUT…but. We’ve had to split you into four different groups for the four locations that Mnet
and Pledis has chosen. The first group is…Jun, Mingyu and Chan. You guys will be going
around Hokkaido.”

Upon hearing this, Jun and Mingyu whipped their heads to stare at each other in disbelief,
Mingyu’s face contorted in confusion. Generally, they’d always hung around with Wonwoo
on shows with similar concepts because he was like a part of their clique (or what it then was
before this whole couple thing came up). But they’d…never really been around Chan for
these things. Despite the years they’d spent together as a group, Chan was still the maknae at
the end of the day - naive, messy and sometimes pouty. Going along with him for the trip
would introduce a whole new set of challenges the couple had never faced before. Taking
care of…a kid…kind of.

“Ahem the next group will be Soonyoung, Seungcheol, Seokmin and Wonwoo. You guys will
be travelling around Italy, mostly around Florence and Venice. The next group will be Joshua,
Jeonghan and Vernon, you guys will be in Shanghai. Lots of shopping and food…And last
but not least, our funniest boys Minghao, Seungkwan and Jihoon will be spending their week
in Taipei. Those are the fixed groupings we made. No switching allowed.” Manager Ha
continued. The members resumed their discussions, this time with some confusion about why
 the groupings this time were so…different. But sensing the bewilderment among the
members, Manager Ha had one final trick up his sleeve.

“We have to go for another meeting now. Bye!”

Chapter End Notes

Wonnie's in a bad place right now. He's got a lot of things to work through and think
about and its a sharp contrast to the fairytale Mingyu and Jun are currently living :(
 What you said in Otaru
Chapter Summary

He was so patient, so forgiving…thinking about it made Jun’s chest swell with affection
and admiration. The silver haired boy smiled to himself as he thought about how he still
had so much to learn from his alpha.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Guys, I’m 21 and an adult. I promise I’ll be good on the trip!” Chan had said to the couple,
as he haphazardly shoved his clothes into his teal coloured suitcase just a week ago. Jun
should’ve known that was an absolute lie and the first two days of their trip in Hokkaido had
been really rough. Like any other university-aged student, Chan loved sleeping late into the
afternoon so being forced out of the hotel at nine in the morning made him grouchy and
cranky and he threw several mini tantrums about “being tired” and “not getting enough
sleep”. But even in the midst of all of Chan’s mini outbursts, it was Mingyu’s behaviour
towards the younger boy that truly shocked Jun…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________

Chan sat himself on a weather-beaten wooden bench and curled his knees up to his chest as
he stared at the pond directly in front of him. It was a gorgeous, massive pond that glowed a
soft Marian blue, with a family of swans that paddled around languidly, only occasionally
darting to the edges of the pond when visitors threw them hunks of stale bread. The couple
had decided to take a walk in Nakajima Koen, a park that had been suggested by the
producers as a nice romantic spot for couple shots. Chan certainly saw the appeal - it wasn’t
just the beautiful pond, but also the look of the trees that had begun shedding their leaves for
the winter. The persimmon coloured leaves fell in waves with every breath of the wind,
bathing the park in warm shades of brown and orange. Sure it was pretty and all but…this
was all for Jun and Mingyu-hyung. Not him. It didn’t feel fair to him that for the past few
days, they’d only been visiting places that the producers thought were good for Jun and
Mingyu-hyung’s new relationship, and that he didn’t get to see anything that he wanted. It
didn’t help that he was utterly exhausted. When the older boys had gone to sleep, he’d used
the small table lamp provided by the hotel to work on his university assignments and
projects. Being a communications major while being an idol was tough work and he had
several presentations due in a week’s time. Just because the group was on holiday didn’t
mean his school was on the same page.

Chan sighed as he stared at the water, spotting several pond skaters skim across the surface,
leaving a trail of concentric ripples as they sped away. Feeling his eyelids droop, the boy
started as he felt the weight of someone sitting next to him. It was none other than Mingyu,
who was holding a cup of milk ice cream. In the distance, Chan could see Jun doing a
photoshoot in front of a particularly large acorn tree, meaning they’d have at least a couple of
minutes to sit around.

“For you.” Mingyu said gently as he handed the cup of ice cream to Chan, before putting his
arm around the younger boy’s back.

“T-Thanks.” Chan replied as he stuck a spoon of the ice cream into his mouth. It was
deliciously smooth and creamy, the taste of freshly skimmed milk trickling down his throat as
he swallowed. Mingyu smiled slightly as he saw Chan light up at the taste of the ice cream.

“Channie, you’ve been acting strange ever since the first day we landed here. Is something
wrong?” Mingyu asked, keeping his voice gentle. Chan winced as he bit onto the wooden
spoon, which cracked slightly between his teeth. He didn’t want to make the older boy
angry…

“I’m not mad Channie, I’m worried. I just wanna know why you’re acting this way.” Mingyu
continued, sensing the younger boy’s apprehension. He always thought his stern features and
muscular build sent out the wrong message at times like this and it made showing concern for
his members much harder than it should’ve been.

“It’s just…I’m really tired. I’ve been staying up late to finish my school work for my graded
presentations next week so I’m just sleepy all the time. And…I feel like…like I haven’t
gotten to do anything I want yet. We’ve gone to lots of couple spots and that’s all fine but
like…I still wanna do something else y’know?” Chan answered, shoving another spoonful of
ice cream into his mouth as he finished his sentence. Chan felt Mingyu’s hand travel to his
head and the older boy began to ruffle his hair soothingly, tracing his calloused fingers
through the boy’s blonde hair.

“Channie, why didn’t you tell us? We would’ve told the producers to start filming later. Or let
you sleep in at the hotel and just film us first. You gotta tell us this stuff Channie, we’re
supposed to take care of you. And about the couple stuff as well. I’m really sorry about that,
I…didn’t really notice how much the producers were pushing it on this trip. But this trip isn’t
just about me and Junnie-hyung, it’s about you as well. I’ll talk to the producers about it,
we’ll work something out.” Mingyu said soothingly, as he patted Chan on the head. Both
boys felt a sense of relief, although Chan still appeared sheepish and guilty.

“You…you don’t have to hyung…it’s - “ Chan began before he was shushed by Mingyu.
“No, it’s only fair to you that you get to enjoy this trip too. The only catch is, you gotta
explain to Junnie-hyung as well why you’ve been acting this way. I’m sure he’s been really
worried too. You know he’s even more of a worrier than me.” Mingyu whispered as he
glanced at the producers. They were signalling for him to come over and Chan realised it
must’ve been the older boy’s turn to have the photoshoot. Mingyu looked back at Chan and
nodded before running to the massive oak tree, Jun walking over to the bench slowly. Sitting
himself silently next to Chan, Jun stared out into the pond as well, humming softly. They’d
barely spoken over the last couple of days, with Jun getting annoyed and turning silent
whenever Chan acted up. Chan had sensed this and things had been painfully awkward.
“Hyung…I have something to tell you…” Chan said, bravely breaking the silence and
causing Jun to turn and face him inquisitively. Listening to his junior apologise and explain
his behaviour, Jun’s eyes softened considerably as he reached to hug the younger boy.

“Silly boy…why didn’t you say something sooner?” Jun chided as he pinched Chan’s cheeks,
earning a whine from the younger boy. It made sense now. He knew Channie was never a brat
for no reason so having an explanation made the boy’s behaviour much easier to stomach. He
felt bad too. Like his alpha, the oblivious omega hadn’t noticed that most of the trip so far
had been dedicated to cute-sy locations that he and his boyfriend could create content in,
which was incredibly unfair to Chan who would have to sit there and wait for all of it to
finish before getting a short solo moment on camera.

“So where do you wanna go! Or what do you wanna see?” Jun asked as both boys turned to
stare at the pond again. As Chan pondered, Jun stared out into the water, feeling his mind
race to Mingyu. During his photoshoot, he’d seen how Mingyu had sat himself with Chan
and treated him so gently, despite having been frustrated by the boy’s behaviour as well. He
was so patient, so forgiving…thinking about it made Jun’s chest swell with affection and
admiration. The silver haired boy smiled to himself as he thought about how he still had so
much to learn from his alpha.

“I wanna see knick-knacks!” squealed the younger boy suddenly, as he kicked his legs along
the edge of the bench.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________

The three boys sat in a train on their way to the location Chan had chosen, with Jun
attempting to hide the look of bemusement on his face. ‘Knick-knacks…can be seen
anywhere though? Why does Channie want to see them, we’ve got plenty at home…and of
all places, why some town an hour away from the city?” Jun thought to himself as he looked
out the window. Through the yellowed glass, Jun could make out little suburban
neighbourhoods and small plots of farmland, the crops already harvested and the ground
bare.

“Next stop, Otaru.” The speakers blared, making Jun get up from his seat immediately to join
Mingyu and Chan near the train doors. The boys were met with a strong cold breeze as they
stepped out of the train, the air rushing into their lungs and making them sigh. The air away
from the city was so incredibly fresh and Jun found himself relishing its brightness. Walking
speedily to the Main Street Chan had read about, the boys gasped at the beauty of the quaint
little town. The street was lined with colonial styled brick houses, their walls decorated with
small snowflakes that glistened under the sunlight. The smell of freshly baked taiyaki
mingled with the scent of sugar coated strawberries, and wafted throughout the little town,
making the boys instantaneously salivate. And the music…soft, angelic notes were coming
from somewhere, adding to the town’s fairytale vibe. Turning his head to the left, Jun caught
sight of the source of the music. The large stone building decorated with wooden furniture
and colourful windmills turned out to be a music box factory, and Jun found himself walking
towards it as Chan squealed, running ahead of him and right into the store.
As Chan went wild winding up as many music boxes as he could find, Mingyu’s eyes settled
on a shelf labelled “K-pop”. Picking up one shaped like a giant red heart, he snorted softly as
he read the name of the song out loud. “I don’t understand but I luv you by…Seventeen”
Mingyu giggled as he wound it up slowly, Jun blushing slightly next to him. The music box
version of the song sounded much sweeter than the original, almost whimsical.

“Well I know why I love you.” Mingyu snickered as he placed the music box back on the
shelf before pecking his omega’s lips, making Jun blush violently.

“Gy-baby…not in public…” Jun gushed as he sheepishly hid his face, pushing Mingyu away
softly and making his alpha laugh at his shyness.

The rest of the day went by in a flash, with Chan dragging the couple around to the different
spots in the town he’d read up about. It turned out that the town was known for its production
of incredibly delicate but sturdy glassware and the boys found themselves in countless shops,
marvelling at different glass sculptures and ornaments. Mingyu had picked out one of a pair
of brown and white lovebirds seated on a branch, the larger one nuzzling the smaller. “I’m
gonna put this in our room.” Mingyu had said teasingly, making Jun splutter bashfully as his
face burned. He didn’t know why but it was so fun teasing his omega, there was just
something so satisfying about seeing him blush and whine about Mingyu being too open. But
Mingyu and Jun were more relieved to find that Channie looked like he was genuinely
enjoying himself this time. The look of excitement had never left his face as he ran along the
streets, tugging at their arms as he told them to walk quicker because there were more things
he wanted to see. He’d even picked out a colour changing glass mug for himself, the sakura
blossoms on the glass changing their colours according to the temperature of the drink they
were holding.

After several hours, the boys finally sat themselves down at a table to rest their feet. They’d
chosen one near a little store with a charming little mural of a man with the head of a crescent
moon, smiling as he walked across a tight rope. Sighing in relief, Jun propped his feet up
slightly on one of the table legs as Mingyu sat next to him, the alpha grabbing and squeezing
his thigh gently. Chan had sat himself opposite the couple with a large smile plastered on his
face, arranging the little knick-knacks he’d bought around the town. He looked up suddenly,
squinting at the couple before looking at Mingyu and saying “Mingyu-hyung, what do you
like most about Jun-hyung?”

Jun’s mouth fell open as he stared at the boy in disbelief while Mingyu only chuckled softly.
“Why did you ask all of a sudden, Channie?”

“Well I just suddenly thought about it after I kept seeing you guys do couple-y stuff today.
Like the thing at the music box museum, the little kisses in the cake shop, the birds in the
glass shop…I’m just curious about what makes you like him so much!” Chan replied matter
of factly, entirely unaware of the bluntness of his question. It was Mingyu’s turn to blush as
he hadn’t realised that the younger boy had been paying attention to his actions throughout
the day. By now Jun had turned the colour of a ripe tomato as he stared into the distance,
attempting to dissociate and thereby escape the conversation. ‘Then again, I wanna know
too.’ Jun thought as he stole a glance at his alpha.

“Well…I love Junnie’s honesty. He’ll never lie to you or keep things from you. He’ll always
show you how he really feels in his own way, so I never doubt him ever. And…I love his
eyes. I never get tired of looking into them.” Mingyu replied with a bashful smile. Jun felt his
heart leap into his throat. ‘How the hell is he so good at this?’ Jun screamed in his head as he
found himself grabbing onto Mingyu’s hand. Mingyu only laughed as he grabbed back,
stroking Jun’s hand gingerly.

“Hmmmm I see that. Jun-hyung is very honest. Well then, what about you Jun-hyung? What
do you like most about Mingyu-hyung?” Chan asked, entirely absorbed in the interrogation
he’d started.

Jun’s eyes darted wildly between Mingyu and Chan as he searched for the words.

“Um…his muscles.” Jun spluttered, making both Mingyu and Chan smile and roll their eyes.

“BUT - but I also love his gentleness. Mingyu seems like the kind of guy that’d be rough and
mean at first. But he’s actually a gentle giant that cares about everyone and…I love that
Mingyu always cares about me no matter what I say and do, or whether I deserve it or not.”
Jun continued as he played with Mingyu’s fingers. Jun suddenly felt a hand under his chin as
Mingyu pushed his face towards him, giving him a quick but deep kiss on his lips. Jun’s head
spun as he tasted Mingyu’s pine scent on his lips, smiling as he pulled away from the kiss.

“Um…uh…I think that’s enough for now guys…” Chan muttered as he looked down at his
thumbs.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________

Jun sat himself down on the bed he and Mingyu were sharing as the alpha clumsily stuffed
the things they’d bought into their luggage. Chan had decided to go with the producers to a
famous ramen shop for dinner so they’d be alone for at least an hour. Sighing as he lay back
on the bed, Jun let his eyes close as he felt the the pressure in his feet and legs subside.

“Junnie, I’m gonna run a bath.” Mingyu cooed as he walked into the bathroom, switching on
the taps and causing the water to splash noisily into the empty tub. The steam from the hot
water wafted out of the bathroom lazily, creating changing shapes under the ceiling lights.

“Okay but don’t be too long I need to shower too.” Jun replied, his eyes still closed.
“I meant run a bath for both of us baby. So get in here.” Mingyu replied. Jun’s eyes snapped
open and he timidly trudged to the bathroom, making sure to put on his pair of fluffy bunny
slippers first. Smiling at the omega as he entered the bathroom, Mingyu reached over to shut
and lock the door behind him as Jun blushed and looked at his slippers nervously.

“Why so shy babe? You’ve seen me naked before.” Mingyu teased as he pulled Jun into his
arms. Jun only whined as he buried his face in Mingyu’s shoulder, making the alpha’s chest
tighten.
“Yeah but that was during my heat…now’s the first time where I’ve got all my senses about
me.” Jun replied shyly as he bit Mingyu’s shoulder softly. Mingyu guided his omega’s face
away from his shoulder and in front of his own, before planting a soft kiss on the boy’s
forehead.
“Well then let’s make it a good first time.” Mingyu cooed. Instinctively, both boys threw off
their clothes, leaving them strewn across the bathroom floor. Just as Jun was about to step
into the bath, Mingyu stuck his arm out in front of the boy.
“Wait, I need to do something first.” Mingyu said solemnly, before reaching for an object
next to the sink and tossing it into the bathtub. Upon closer inspection, Jun realised it was a
hot pink bath bomb in the shape of a…unicorn?”

“Uhhh Gyu, where’d you get this?” Jun asked, perplexed by the bath bomb.

“I uhhh…bought it back in Seoul to take on the trip. I figured you’d like it…” Mingyu
replied, smiling sheepishly. Jun blushed as he heard those words.

“So you were thinking of having a bath with me even back home?” Jun cheekily asked as he
nuzzled at Mingyu’s neck.

“Well, of course pretty.” Mingyu replied as he stepped into the bath. Jun got in after him,
sitting directly in front of the alpha before leaning back and into his chest. Both boys sighed
as they felt the warm water lap at their skin, washing away all the exhaustion of the day and
easing the soreness in their limbs. Jun turned his head to nuzzle at his alpha’s scent gland as
Mingyu wrapped his arms around his omega protectively, using his hands to rub the boy’s
abdomen. Jun whimpered softly at the touch and Mingyu felt his heartbeat race at how cute
the boy sounded. He thanked the heavens everyday for the twist of fate that made his best
friend his boyfriend. Best plot twist ever.

“Babe…did you mean what you said about me in Otaru just now?” Jun asked as he closed his
eyes, his hands moving through the water and settling on top of Mingyu’s.

“Of course, pretty. I meant everything. I would’ve said more but I didn’t want Channie to
cringe at everything I said.” Mingyu cooed softly. “Did I say anything wrong?”

“No, of course not. I…loved everything you said. And…I meant everything I said about you
too. I know things started out weird and I still can’t believe we’re here now but…I love it. I
fucking love it. And it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Jun replied as he pressed
his nose into the alpha’s scent gland again. The omega felt himself being turned around in the
tub before the alpha pressed his lips directly on Jun’s.

“I love it too. I love…you. Now kiss me baby.” Mingyu whispered needily as he smashed his
lips back on Jun’s. Jun kissed back desperately, sticking his tongue into Mingyu’s open
mouth. The two kissed and bit at each other’s lips, only breaking apart when they’d run out of
air, gasping as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Baby I need you now. Please.” Jun whined as he pressed his chest against Mingyu’s.
Mingyu growled in response, wrapping his arms tightly around his omega.

“Baby if you ask me like this I won’t be able to hold myself back…” the alpha said, his eyes
darkening.

“Don’t” Jun whispered.

Hearing his omega’s agreement, Mingyu made Jun get on his hands and knees in the tub.
Rubbing at Jun’s hole, Mingyu was pleased to find that Jun had already begun leaking slick,
with a ton collecting right inside his hole. Sticking in two fingers immediately, Mingyu
relished the sound of Jun’s moans as the boy arched his back and moved his hips back,
rocking right into his alpha’s fingers. The sight turned Mingyu on the maximum and he added
another finger, arching his fingers to press on Jun’s prostate. Jun gasped and gushed another
wave of slick right into the water, before moaning loudly and making Mingyu even more mad
with desire.
“You sound so pretty baby. You’re doing so good for me. Such a good boy.” Mingyu cooed as
Jun fucked himself with his alpha’s fingers.
“Baby please…I need your dick…right fucking now…” Jun whined desperately. Mingyu’s
eyes glinted as he pulled his fingers out of his darling’s boy pussy.

“Ride me baby.” Mingyu smirked. Without warning, Mingyu felt himself being pushed
against the side of the tub, his rock hard dick arching vertically. It was so big that part of his
head poked right out of the water. In a flash, Mingyu felt Jun’s warm walls clench around his
dick and he groaned at the feeling, electricity coursing through his body. Jun whimpered as
he lowered himself on Mingyu’s pole and the alpha’s dick hit his spot, and he rubbed himself
against it, whining with every movement of his hips. Mingyu hissed at the sheer pleasure of
having his beautiful omega pleasure him and he experimentally thrusted upwards once,
making Jun gasp and his eyes roll back into his head. Smirking at the effect he had on Jun,
Mingyu began thrusting upwards quickly, all the while smashing right into Jun’s g-spot. Jun
whimpered and gushed slick into the water, which was now splashing right over the porcelain
tub and onto the floor from the movement. A coil of heat formed in Jun’s belly as he moaned
from Mingyu’s fucking, the alpha now grunting with every thrust.

“B-baby…I’m gonna cum…” Jun squeaked as Mingyu continued thrusting. Stopping

suddenly, Mingyu carefully lifted Jun off him, making the omega whine from the loss.
Laying the omega against the side of the tub and folding his body, Mingyu shoved his dick
back into Jun as the omega lay in missionary position. The sudden re-entrance made Jun
squeal again as he grabbed at Mingyu, scratching the alpha’s back.

“I wanna see your pretty face when I breed you.” Mingyu lilted as he thrusted into Jun, his
eyes fixed on the omega’s. Whimpering even more loudly, the omega closed his eyes before
feeling the coil in his belly explode. Jun’s orgasm was massive, slick squirting so hard that
Mingyu could feel it hit his abs even underwater. In several seconds, Jun felt Mingyu’s knot
inflate in him, making him moan and his belly bulge slightly. Before long, Jun felt waves of
Mingyu’s cum gush right into him and he sighed contentedly, pleased that both of them had
orgasmed so hard.

“Are you okay darling?” Mingyu cooed as he pushed Jun’s fringe out of his eyes, the two still
locked together by their knot.

“Of course, that was amazing…” Jun gasped as he attempted to steady his breathing. Sex
with his alpha was always a workout but it was now his favourite form of exercise.

“You’re amazing baby. You did so well for me.” Mingyu whispered as he folded Jun further
into himself, kissing his sweet omega deeply. “Also…I think we’re gonna have to take
 another bath…”

Chapter End Notes

Junnie and Mingyu say their "I love you's" for the first time! And Junnie learns about
how to sorta deal with kiddy tantrums which may...or may not be significant in future ;)
also Otaru is a real place! It's really pretty and I did my best to do it justice HAHA
Also sorry for taking so long to write this chapter :((( I've been fighting demons with
school work so I think this chapter is missing a bit of detail. But I'll def do much better
for the next chapter!
 The Unequal Marriage
Chapter Summary

“You’re right. I just…haven’t been able to get them off my mind ever since Haemin.
They’ve been in my head a lot and I’m tired of hurting myself everytime I think of them.
I think…it’s really time to let some things go. I think I’m ready.” Wonwoo replied,
breaking the silence, his breath shaky as he fought to hold himself together.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Wonwoo and Seokmin stood silently, staring into the river stream, a tiny offshoot of the Arno
river that ran languidly in front of them, as dawn quickly approached. The first rays of tuscan
yellow sunlight had begun to pierce through the veil of night, and the world around them
stirred in waking.

“Are you ready?” Seokmin asked gently, his eyes scanning Wonwoo’s face. The older boy
sighed softly, his eyes betraying an odd mixture of deep sadness and sweet relief.
“…yeah” Wonwoo finally replied resolutely, stepping gingerly toward the water.
___________________________________________________________________________
____________

Wonwoo had been more quiet than usual this trip, and no one but Seokmin knew why.
Soonyoung and Seungcheol could only helplessly ask him if he was okay, only to be rebuffed
with Wonwoo’s usual “Yeah of course.” and his humourless laugh which only worried them
more. Of course, that didn’t stop the couple from enjoying each other’s company while
surrounded by Italy’s natural beauty, and they spent a great deal of time lost in their own little
world, the noises of the busy streets of Florence drowned out in favour of each other’s voices.
They could hear each other and each other only, and Wonwoo knew that. Seokmin knew that
Soonyoung and Seungcheol’s constant PDAing was doing nothing to help with Wonwoo’s
mental state, and his heart broke every time he saw the older boy glance heavenward, the
corners of his eyes glistening. “Caught in between.” Seokmin would think, as he stared at the
three members. It wouldn’t be fair to tell the couple to stop because well, how was he in any
position to? And yet, Wonwoo didn’t deserve this…

“Wonnie, do you wanna tell them about it?” Seokmin gingerly asked one night as he sat
himself next to the older boy, who was lying on his bed and staring at the peeling paint on the
ceiling.

“…tell them what?” Wonwoo replied, his voice cracking slightly as he pretended to not
understand what the other boy was referring to.
“About how you feel about couple stuff right now, Wonnie. I see the way you look at
Soonyoung and Cheol-hyung. I know they’re reminding you of Junnie and Gyu and that isn’t
working out great for you right now. It’s not fair to you, that you’ve got to be miserable every
time you look at them clinging to each other like their lives depend on it. Maybe if…you let
them know then they’ll tone it down a little?” Seokmin ventured hopefully, making sure to
keep his voice as soothing as he possibly could.

“Do you have any idea how selfish that would be Min? They don’t owe me shit.” Wonwoo
responded, a little gruffly. He appreciated the thought though.

“Yeah I know but…maybe it’s fine to be selfish just this once.” Seokmin sighed as he
scooched closer to older boy, placing his hand softly on his arm and rubbing smooth,
soothing circles into his skin.

“Don’t worry about me, Min. It’s just the way life is.” Wonwoo replied, his voice barely
above a whisper. “But I’m curious...how are you ok with it? Don’t they remind you…of…
well, Sion?”

Seokmin’s eyes fell and a bittersweet smile stretched over his face as he lowered himself to
lie next to Wonwoo. Sion, the one who got away. Sion, the girl with the most beguiling eyes
and the softest black hair you wanted to thread your fingers through. Sion, his first love. They
were inseparable. She’d be at every Seventeen concert, standing right in front of the stage as
she cheered for the man she loved so much. And every break they had between promotions,
Seokmin would be found on home dates with her, kept secret from the prying eyes of the
public. But just a month before the group had gone to film in Haemin, Sion had called him
suddenly, asking to talk to him at their usual spot in a park near the group’s apartment. Under
the pale, glowing street lamps, and accompanied by the chirps of the cicadas, she’d shattered
him. “I just don’t think we’re right for each other.” “I’m sorry to hurt you this way, I don’t
deserve you.” “He just makes me feel different…I can’t explain how.” Every sentence that
left her mouth was an arrow that burrowed its way into Seokmin’s heart. He’d begged her,
telling her that he’d do better and to tell him what the other boy had that he didn’t. Yet, she’d
only looked at him with a mixture of pity and regret, before walking into the darkness of the
night. The poor boy couldn’t function for days after that and Wonwoo remembered seeing
him scroll through her private Instagram account, watching photos they’d taken together
slowly disappear.

“I’m sorry…fuck…that was insensitive…” Wonwoo stammered before Seokmin shushed

him.

“It’s alright. Honestly, Cheol-hyun and Soonyoung really don’t bother me. I’m happy when I
see them like that.” Seokmin replied, his voice thick.

“What?” Wonwoo gasped, arching his brow as he turned to face the younger boy.

“Sure, they remind me of her. A lot of things do. I mean, we were together for three years.
But…it’s over now. I can’t say I don’t miss her sometimes or that I’m completely okay again.
But for the most part, I’ve let her go. So I don’t really think of her anymore when I see
couples.” Seokmin responded, turning to make eye contact with the older boy.
“Oh…” was all Wonwoo could say, his brows now creased as he unpacked the younger boy’s
words.

“Anyways…I think I know what we should do tomorrow to make you feel better.” Seokmin
suddenly said, flashing Wonwoo a little smirk.
___________________________________________________________________________
____________

“Really? I understand going to an art museum and all but…with them??” Wonwoo spluttered
in bemusement as Seokmin dragged him to the entrance of the Uffizi, the lovebirds trailing a
distance behind them.

“Well you love art and they…don’t. So you’ll get to pay attention to the art and they won’t
end up hanging around you and making you feel like shit because they’ll get bored and go
somewhere else!” Seokmin giggled slightly as they passed through the grand doors of the
world famous museum. Photographs did not do the place justice. It had countless windows,
which flooded the gallery with soothing sunlight that gifted each painting an additional air of
life. Wonwoo swore some of the artworks looked like they were moving and breathing, and
he immediately lost himself in them, to Seokmin’s relief. Seokmin and the couple walked
around leisurely, taking in the artworks peripherally while waiting for Wonwoo to finish his
deep dives into each individual piece. The Birth of Venus, Da Vinci’s ‘Annunciation’,
Giotto’s ‘Ognisanti Madonna’…Wonwoo marvelled at each world famous painting he’d
studied in his art history degree, and soon, the three members found themselves sat on a
random bench in the special exhibition wing three hours since having arrived, waiting for
Wonwoo to finish before moving to the next wing. While somewhat bored, Seokmin couldn’t
help but heave a sigh of relief. Wonwoo was finally enjoying himself, at least a little. And
Seungcheol and Soonyoung didn’t need to be entertained because they had each other and
were busy jabbering about which paintings they’d be, so the boys had all the time in the
world to let Wonwoo go wild.

Wonwoo’s inner fanboy squealed as he set his eyes on the artworks that had been loaned
from the State Tretyakov Gallery. They were masterpieces, crafted by the elite of Russia’s
aesthetic intelligentsia and Wonwoo marvelled at them, pring over each of them individually,
until suddenly…
The boy froze in his tracks as his eyes locked onto a painting sequestered in the corner of the
room. It was fairly large, but it has been placed in a strange corner so many people would’ve
paid it no mind if they hadn’t known what it was. But Wonwoo did.

“The unequal marriage…” Wonwoo whispered as he stepped closer to the painting, staring at
it intently. It was the most painful work he’d ever studied and seeing it in real life knocked
the air right out of his lungs. In the painting stood a man, face harsh and reeking of
disapproval as he stared at the bride next to him. His angular, awkward features clashed
nosily with that of the soft, angelic bride next to him. On his suit was the Order of Saint
Vladimir which signified his status as a deeply respected military man. But why would he
wear this to a wedding, if not to remind his future wife of his position above her? Only
cruelty could be seen in his soulless eyes. And yet, this horrific portrayal of the man was not
what tugged at Wonwoo the most.
It was the bride.

She was holding back tears, her hand extended to the priest as he was about to put the
wedding ring on her gaunt finger. The beauty of her dress and the jewels that adorned her hair
did nothing to distract anyone from her misery. She knew she was being married away for
status, for monetary gain that would surely benefit her parents. But most of all, she knew she
was marrying someone…who did not love her. Her feelings clearly didn’t matter. She was
nothing but an inconvenience who wouldn’t be treated with the love Wonwoo believed she
wanted.

She reminded Wonwoo of himself. Of course, he wasn’t being married away to some haughty
aristocrat. But just like her, Wonwoo knew when he wasn’t loved. Junnie and Gyu had made
that clear, even if they hadn’t intended to.

Wonwoo felt hot, fat tears slide down his cheeks as he dropped his head to stare at his feet.
He covered his mouth with his hand, grabbing at it violently to stop any noises from escaping
as he cried bitterly. Without warning, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around
him from the back.

“Wonnie…let’s go.” Seokmin whispered, his voice firm.

Wonwoo turned to look at Seokmin, retort sitting on the tip of his tongue. But the younger
boy’s expression shut him up instantaneously. The boy’s eyes were filled with so much
concern and his brows were heavily furrowed with worry, as if he’d been told devastating
news or witnessed an accident. The two were facing each other now and Seokmin had
wrapped the older boy in an embrace, his fingers rubbing circles in his back. Wonwoo
realised the younger boy must have been watching him like a hawk to realise he’d been
crying, especially from this awkward corner.

“Please. Wonnie let’s go, this isn’t good for you.” Seokmin begged as he stared into the
broken boy’s eyes.

“…okay.” Wonwoo finally replied. Wasting no time, Seokmin grabbed his hand and pulled
him towards the closest exit, running out of the museum and into the streets. By now the sun
had begun to set and Seokmin found himself dragging Wonwoo through the dinner crowd,
pulling him through countless alleys before finally stopping in one where it was silent. The
alley was between several houses, and above the boys hung the laundry of the inhabitants,
fluttering in the wind like multi-coloured flags.

“Uh Min…where are we?” Wonwoo whimpered as he rubbed at his eyes, the tears collecting
in his sleeves. He’d been blinded by his tears most of they way here and getting mugged in
an alley would be his last straw.

“I don’t know and I don’t really care. As long as it’s quiet and we can help you calm down.”
Seokmin replied as he typed a message to Seungcheol, telling him that he’d taken Wonwoo
away for awhile but would meet them back at the hotel.

“I just…got a little carried away with the art is all…” Wonwoo lied as he sat himself on the
cobble-stoned ground, burying his head in his knees.
“Do you want to know how I let go of Sion?” Seokmin said as he sat himself next to the older
boy. Wonwoo’s shoulder tensed and he turned to look at the younger boy in bewilderment.

“How did you-“

“Like I said before, I’ve been your roommate for a hot minute. I know you Wonnie and I
know you were thinking of them. Now do you wanna know how I let her, and everything else
go?” Seokmin said as he smiled softly at Wonwoo. By now Wonwoo had stopped crying,
only sniffling softly as he nodded at Seokmin.

“Whenever I thought of her, I’d think back to the good times we spent together. I’d look at
those memories with fondness and love, and when I was done I’d imagine sending them
away. Like folding a note into a paper airplane and throwing it out the window. Little by
little, I sorted out the memories we shared. The good, the bad, the sweet, the bitter, I went
through them bit by bit every time I missed her, folding them up and tossing them out into the
world. I didn’t do that out of bitterness. I did it with gratitude. I’m grateful for what me and
Sion had, but when the time came to move on, some memories just weren’t worth worth
keeping because all they did was hurt me and remind me of what I’d lost, or made me think
of what could have been. I’m not saying you should toss out every memory you have of
Mingyu and Jun. They’re some of your best friends. But…maybe it’s time to fold some of
them up and toss them out. Retrace those…lovey-dovey memories when they come. Turn
them over in your hands and admire them for what they are. And when you’re done, let them
go.” Seokmin explained. He’d wrapped his arm around Wonwoo’s shoulders, and the older
boy had stopped sniffling at this point and was listening intently. Wonwoo’s eyes had glazed
over and he sighed as he turned to look at Seokmin. The boys sat in silence for awhile, as
Seokmin began to softly massage the older boy’s shoulder.

“You’re right. I just…haven’t been able to get them off my mind ever since Haemin. They’ve
been in my head a lot and I’m tired of hurting myself everytime I think of them. I think…it’s
really time to let some things go. I think I’m ready.” Wonwoo replied, breaking the silence,
his breath shaky as he fought to hold himself together.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Seokmin asked, his breath hitching.
“You know…maybe there is.” The older boy replied, as he stood up and dusted himself off.
___________________________________________________________________________
_________

Seokmin watched Wonwoo walk closer to the stream, his chest filled with a mixture of pride
and relief. The older boy held a small origami paper boat in his hands. He’d folded it out of a
letter he’d written back at the hotel before the boys snuck out again. In it he’d written about
some of the semi-romantic memories he’d shared with Junnie and Gyu but most importantly,
he’d written out a confession of his feelings. Wonwoo felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he
placed the tiny boat into the stream, watching it drift along as it began its journey. Hopefully
it’d run through the river, sailing along until it finally reached the Tyrrhenian Sea, where the
water and the sky were one.

“I wasn’t for either of you…and I’ll be okay with that soon. I promise.” Wonwoo finally
whispered after watching the boat disappear from sight, before turning to walk back to
Seokmin. As Wonwoo stepped closer, the two boys made eye contact. For a moment, it
 seemed like the world had stopped turning on its axis, and time stood still. They both had a
curious expression in their eyes, neither of them understanding what it meant except that it
made them feel…something.

Breaking the silence, Seokmin whispered “I’m proud of you.” to the older boy, Wonwoo
beaming in response. Walking together, closer than needed, the two boys set off back to the
hotel, where they knew they’d get an earful from their leader for sneaking out.

Chapter End Notes

HI EVERYONE I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE :((((( I've been

losing my shit over my schoolwork and its my finals season so everything has been
stopping me from writing. But I took a break to get this chapter out before I can start
writing seriously again after finals! Also, I just wanted to say I really appreciate
everyone's comments :,,,) I always wanna reply but get distracted because of school but
I really appreciate them and they really motivate me to keep writing.
Once again, I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you guys loved this chapter!
 Past lives
Chapter Summary

In every life - past, current, or future, I have and always will love you.”

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Jeonghan sighed softly, a gentle dopey smile stretched across his face as he squeezed through
a narrow street on the outskirts of Shanghai. In a sea of people - skewer vendors with their
deep booming voices, shrieking children in their garish red winter coats, old grannies
generating endless chitter-chatter…Jeonghan only had eyes for one thing. Well, one person to
be specific. Joshua. Jisoo. The absolute love of his life. Even though they’d been dating for
awhile, Jeonghan couldn’t help but grin every time he stared at his omega. Those Bambi
eyes, those rounded cheeks touched with kisses of pink and peony, and that sweet scent of
fresh lavender. His heartbeat tripled as he skipped along after his mate, who was busy
lecturing Vernon about the importance of haggling in night markets. He loved everything
about Joshua, no doubt. But somehow, he felt like his feelings…preceded his very existence
itself…

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
Han dragged himself through the bustling market, the cacophony of sounds doing nothing to
soothe his already frayed nerves. The horses kicking up dust into the mountains of steamed
buns, the screaming children chasing ducklings…it was all too overstimulating for a man
who exhausted every fibre of his being in his service to the Emperor. Han knew he was
extremely privileged to serve Emperor Yan without having to lose his manhood in the process
(the screams of his colleagues selected to serve the empress reminded him that life could
always be worse) and that he was guaranteed a level of wealth and power the ordinary
commoner could only ever dream of possessing. However, that didn’t take away from the fact
that Emperor Yan was an absolute nightmare to work for, particularly as one of his main
aides. The sullen, bad-tempered man was constantly yelling and belittling his servants,
throwing his used napkins at their faces after his mealtimes, demanding constant updates on
military ventures the servants themselves had not been notified about and screaming at them
when they could not answer, having some of them thrown into the palace prison for minor
“infractions” like serving him tea minutes too late…the list was endless. The misery
inducing, constant threat of violence weighed on Han like a sack of mud bricks and he felt
himself grow desperate for some way out each day. While it was true he hated running
errands in the market, it was also the only time he had away from the palace and its
intimidating blood red walls. These 30 minutes a day were all he had to “himself”, as he
scurried around the market seeking ingredients for the royal kitchen.
“I’ve gotten the duck eggs…now I just need some tofu…” Han absentmindedly murmured to
himself as he moved on auto-pilot to the usual vendor he visited. That was until…

Han stopped short, his feet rooted in place as his breath hitched. In front of him stood what
was quite possibly the most beautiful human being he’d ever seen, which was truly saying
something, considering that all the most gorgeous people in empire had already been
crammed into the palace compounds to serve as concubines or eunuchs. This man…no this
angel…Han couldn’t begin to comprehend what he saw. Skin as pale and smooth as the
brightest, most delicate porcelain. Bewitching eyes that bore right into your chest. Luscious
fuchsia lips that glistened slightly when the sunlight hit them. This man had everything. As
Han inched closer to the man, he realised he was selling soy products - including tofu.
Sprinting as fast as his legs would move, Han pushed past the throngs of people before
throwing himself at the beautiful stranger’s store.

“Oh…hello sir. Do…you need some help?” The stranger lilted, his brows arched in concern.
The man’s voice only made Han more nervous. It was so melodious and soft, and the wind
carried it like birdsong to his ears…was this man some sort of succubus?

“Oh uh yeah I just need 3 blocks of firm tofu and…I’ve never seen you here before are you
new??” Han spluttered as his head throbbed. His eagerness only made the stranger giggle, the
image of his smile burning itself onto Han’s frontal cortex.

“You’re very sharp! Yeah I just moved here a few days ago with my uncle from the Bo
village. Are you working for the emperor by any chance?” The beautiful man replied, his
smile never wavering as he stared at Han’s golden silk uniform.

“I uh um I - y-yeah I am.” Han gurgled, his face growing redder with each passing second. It
seemed like this beautiful stranger was teasing him and yet, it was a good sign that he’d
bothered to make small talk with the nervous palace official. Any other stall owner would’ve
simply thrown him the tofu and asked for payment.

“It must be hard…I’ve heard some scary stories about being a servant there. I just assumed
they were all stories though…I’ve never seen servant outside the palace until today. The gold
silk uniform really gives it away.” The stranger lilted, his head tilting slightly as he made eye
contact with Han. Han swore he could feel his ribcage rattling in his chest.

“Y-yeah…” was all Han could say as he took the bag of tofu from the beautiful man. He felt a
wave of electricity race up his arm as their fingers brushed against each other.

“Well, do you like it?” The stranger ventured, as he received some silver coins from the
trembling servant.

“Of course, serving the emperor is always a privilege.” Han replied while crossing his fingers
in front of the stranger, smirking slightly. This earned a soft laugh from the man and it made
Han’s heart go nuts.

“What’s your name?” The stranger whispered.

“Han. And you?” Han whispered in reply, his breath catching on every word.
“Shu. You don’t work here to waste time talking to everyone who comes along. For God’s
sake can you think for once in - Oh! Oh my, sir. I apologise. Was my nephew distracting you.
You must forgive him he doesn’t know the importance of not getting in the way of palace
servants yet. Please, is there anything more we could provide for the emperor?” Growled a
large, burly man who returned to the store, taking his place next to Shu. The man reeked of
opium and cheap wine, and Han saw Shu visibly wince as the oaf stepped near him, the poor
boy averting his gaze immediately. Anger bubbled up Han’s windpipe as he glowered at the
ogre. “No, actually we were just having a pleasant conversation. Until you arrived but well…
you must have been on break. And no, the emperor does not require anything else. Not from
you.” Han spat as he smirked at the burly man. It brought him great satisfaction when he saw
the fake smile drop from the oafish creature’s face, the man grunting slightly as he turned to
walk away from the stall. He’d decided two things that day - that he really liked Shu and he
absolutely fucking hated the boy’s uncle.

“I’ll see you soon…Shu.” Han smiled as he slowly turned his back to begin his trek back to
the palace. Shu only smiled slightly as he waved, his long sleeves flapping around in the
wind.

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
For days after the encounter, Han struggled to keep his mind from drifting to images of Shu.
Whenever he closed his eyes in bed, his brain immediately conjured up images of the man,
and Han felt his heart ache with yearning. In fact, it would’ve been fairly accurate to say that
the enamoured servant never stopped thinking of Shu. Even when the Emperor was throwing
his tantrums, Han’s mind was only filled with images of the tofu seller. He didn’t know it yet,
but he made palace life far more bearable and Han found himself feeling increasingly less
bothered by the constant belittling. And it was a good thing the Emperor and Empress were
large eaters, because in a day, he’d have to get more tofu…

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
Han skipped through the crowd in the market, a large grin plastered over his face. The
annoying crowd of sweaty people no longer bothered him at all and he wove deftly around
them, his steps picking up in pace as he raced to the tofu stall.

“What the fuck…” was all the enraged palace servant could think as he arrived at the stall
expecting to see his infatuation, only to be greeted by the ugly brute of an uncle he’d had the
displeasure of meeting the last time.

“Good afternoon, Sir. Would the Emperor care for anything we have?” The oaf grunted, his
eyes betraying the disdain he felt for the servant. Seems like he hadn’t taken well to the harsh
words he’d been handed at the previous encounter.

“Two blocks of firm tofu. And where is Shu?” Han replied, his voice steady as he presented
the large man with a deadpan stare.

“I can surely give you the tofu, but what business do you have knowing where my nephew
is? How would I know you wouldn’t do something to him if I tell you about his
whereabouts?” The uncle taunted, his face smug.
“It is none of YOUR business who I choose to ask about. Also, is that poppyseed opium I
smell on your clothes? The kind that Emperor Yan banned from the city just two weeks ago?
My, it would cause such a commotion if my suspicions turned out to be true. Us palace
servants are trained to spot illegal material and report it back to the Emperor. It would be…a
crying shame if he were to conduct…random searches of stalls in the market for illegal
material.” Han retorted, his eyes glimmer in contempt as he stared daggers at the larger man.
The man scowled, pointing into an alleyway as he handed the victorious servant his tofu.
Grabbing the tofu quickly and flashing the burly man a final, disingenuous smirk, Han
sprinted right into the alleyway, his head darting about wildly. His eyes settled on the boy,
crouched in a corner as he disinterestedly played with a steamed bun in his hands.

“Shu…” Han said as he stepped closer. The boy’s head immediately bolted up and a sweet
smile spread itself right over his cheeks.

“H-Han. How’d you know I was here?” Shu babbled as the palace servant sat himself right
next to him, not noticing that he’d left no gap between them.

“…instinct.” Han replied, laughing slightly as he gazed at the younger boy. Shu only giggled
in response, hands still rolling around the bun in his hands.

“Is that all you have for lunch?” Asked Han, his voice thick with concern as he ventured to
break the silence that had enveloped the two. Shu blushed a brilliant scarlet, his heart rate
skyrocketing as he heard the worry in the servant’s voice.

“Well…yeah. There’s not a whole lot of money for anything else. But this isn’t all that
appetising either so sometimes I just kinda play with it.” Shu replied softly as he spun the bun
in his palm like a toy. Han’s back straightened upon hearing this. He’d seen the coins behind
the counter when that oaf had moved away to grab the tofu. There was no way there “wasn’t
a whole lot of money.” He scowled as he realised the dishonest seller must be mistreating the
poor boy, probably worse than he thought.

“It…it wasn’t always like this.” Shu said as he grabbed Han’s hand. Han’s foxy eyes flashed
as they quickly met Shu’s doe eyes. “When mom and dad were still around, things were
much better. I can’t say I ever had any worries growing up in the village. I mean everyday I’d
just draw, work in the fields for a bit, harvest some fruit to share with the neighbours…simple
stuff. But then the sickness came…the one that causes all those large welts on your body. I’m
sure you know about it…the Emperor released that edict about it. In two weeks…mom and
dad were gone. My whole world turned upside down. I…we…didn’t have much. I couldn’t
survive on my own and it hurt to return home everyday to an empty house. So I went to live
with…him. It’s not great but…at the very least I have a roof over my head and I don’t always
feel lonely.” Shu said as his eyes grew wet.

“But he treats you so badly. I’ve only seen the way he talks to you once, but that’s all I
needed to know.” Han replied, his voice cracking. Shu only smiled slightly as he stared at the
wall in front of him, his eyes tracing the cracks over the terracotta brick. “I guess I’d rather
get hit and starve than be left alone with my thoughts.” He replied softly.

“Look I…I know this is only the second time I’m seeing you. And I’m glad you feel it in
your heart to trust me with your story even if you don’t know anything about me. But…I
don’t know I just…I want you to be alright. And you shouldn’t think that way. You don’t
deserve to be hit or mistreated or spoken to like that by anyone. Please believe me.” Han
continued as he reached his hand out to pat the younger boy’s shoulder. To his surprise, the
younger boy grabbed his hand before it could settle on him, lacing their fingers together
softly. Han felt like he’d passed out and woken up at the gates of heaven. Surely, he must be
dreaming.

“I’m glad I met you, Han. I can’t explain why I trust you either but it feels…safe. And I can’t
say I don’t admire your standing up to my uncle like that. He’s not easy to deal with. Ah! I’m
sorry I didn’t mean to do that…” the boy blushed violently as he attempted to yank his
fingers away from Han. But the servant didn’t budge, only stroking the back of Shu’s hand
gently as he smiled warmly.

“I like it.” Han laughed as he watched the younger boy attempt to hid his face in his shoulder.
He swore he’d do anything humanly possible to help the boy out of this mess.

“I…need to go now. Before uncle gets upset. But I’ll see you soon. Some days I may need to
run errands but…I’ll leave a note here in the alley, between these two thingies.” The boy
gestured at two odd coloured terracotta bricks. Han found himself pouting slightly as the
boy’s words. Giggling at the servant’s reaction, Shu dared to plant a soft kiss on the man’s
cheek, turning to sprint back towards the tofu stall without realising how red he’d left Han.

And so the meetings continued. Every few days, Han would eagerly bolt into the alleyway.
On good days he’d be met with Shu’s endearing smile and the two would sit together for as
much time as they could, talking about their days and everything and anything else that came
to mind, although many conversations consisted of Han rambling aout how much he hated
the palace and how the royals treated many servants as members of their personal “pleasure
squads”, and Shu listening to him monologue with eager eyes.

“Is there anything else you wish you could do?” Shu had asked one day as he ventured to
lean his head on the older boy’s shoulder.

“I just want to be around you.” Was all Han said as he awkwardly wrapped an arm around the
younger boy, fearing rejection he implicitly knew would never come. Shu giggled softly at
that. “what about you?”

“I…one day I want to get out of this city. My uncle got a letter that day from one of my aunts
who lives a few provinces away from here and he made me read it to him. I’m glad I did
because whatever she said sounded amazing. Apparently, her province is known for roses and
they grow everywhere and the whole place just sounds like a multi-coloured wonderland. I
wanna go there one day. The world sounds so big. When…I’m brave enough one day, I’m
gonna ditch my uncle to explore the rest of the Kingdom.” Shu babbled, his eyes shining with
enthusiasm. Han only listened with a smile of contentment, although he felt a heavy pang in
his chest when he realised he couldn’t be there with Shu if that happened.

Still, he only wanted Shu to be happy.

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
Several months after they’d first begun meeting, Han set off the market on what he believed
was a day like any other. Creeping into the alleyway with a basketful of ingredients, he’d
been slightly disappointed as he realised Shu must have been on errands that day. Still, he
loved reading the boy’s notes which he wedged into the wall. They were cute, filled with
scrawly handwriting and occasional drawings of little characters Shu must’ve created. Waling
towards the wall, Han felt his heart sink as he picked the unusually short letter from between
the terracotta earth.

“Please come to my house tonight. It’s urgent. My address is on the back.”

Han could feel the sweat pouring off him as he approached the narrow, two-storey brick
house. He thanked the heavens he’d somehow managed to convince the Emperor that he’d
dropped an important seal on the ground in the market and had to retrieve it at nightfall, and
for the self-control he’d manage to exercise in not socking the elderly autocrat in the nose for
the language that left his mouth. But the idiot Emperor wasn’t the concern right now (nor was
he ever). Where was Shu?

“Han…” the servant whipped his head around as he heard the Shu’s whispers. Darting his
eyes around wildly, the bewildered servant realised that the whispers must be coming from
the nearby peony shrubs. Climbing in with a bemused expression, the servant felt Shu throw
his arms around him as the boy buried his face in his chest.

“You made it…” the boy sobbed softly, his tears clinging to his eyelashes.

“Of…of course I did. Now tell me, why did you ask me to come here?” Han replied gently,
threading his hands through Shu’s silken hair.

“I…I have really bad news Han. I…I was just told today that I need to report to the palace
tomorrow evening. Some official came to the stall and told me I’d been selected to join as a
servant and my uncle accepted the position for me before I could say that I’d consider it. I…I
really don’t think I can do it. At first I was happy because I thought I’d be closer to you. But
then they told me about all that I’d have to do and that…I’d never be able to leave. They
want me to serve the Empress, and you told me how she acts towards her servants. I don’t
want to be her plaything or some boy toy that’s part of her harem forever. And if I join the
palace…I’ll never be able to see anything other than its four walls ever again. I don’t know if
I can do that Han. I’ve lost so much already…I don’t know if I can give up my freedom
too…I don’t know what to do…” Shu wept softly, shaking slightly as he struggled to keep his
voice down. Han felt his heart shatter as he pulled the boy in closer, wrapping his arms
around him and kissing his forehead gingerly. So feather-soft.

“You’re…you’re not angry with me for not wanting to join you?” Shu whimpered as he
stared at Han in disbelief.

“Why would I ever be angry with you, Shu. You know how I feel about the palace. I fucking
hate it. You not wanting to be a servant like me doesn’t hurt me. What hurts me is seeing you
like this.” Han replied as steadily as he could while cuddling the younger boy. The two sat in
the bush for what felt like hours, cherishing what they believed might be their last few hours
together before Shu would have to somehow disappear. But as he held Shu, an idea started to
take root in Han’s head. It was absolutely insane, and fucking dangerous. But if they
succeeded…

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
The following night, Han took his allotted space in the grand courtyard as dusk descended on
the city. The grand welcome ceremony for newly selected servants would soon commence,
after which all palace gates would be locked. He fidgeted slightly as he watched the Emperor
take his place in the centre, the existing servants standing behind him, and the new ones
standing before him, still clothed in their commoner garments. As he stared at the small
crowd of people before him, Han caught sight of Shu and flashed him a reassuring smile. Shu
could only nod in response, his fingers trembling violently as he struggled to steady himself.

“Congratulations on being selected.” The Emperor began, as he trudged towards the

newcomers. Han began to count the minutes in his head.

“As you know, it is a great honour to be part of the palace. You should know that there will
be many things expected of you…” the wizened brat continued, his voice echoing around the
courtyard in long drawls. “3 minutes…” Han muttered as he began to wriggle his toes in his
leather shoes, willing the blood to rush into them and give them as much strength as possible.

“You will need to learn to cook, clean…” the Emperor continued, his voice rising in several
octaves for (presumably) dramatic effect. “2 minutes…” Shu gulped as he stared at Han. His
legs were trembling and he feared that they’d give way under him. But they couldn’t fail. Not
this time.

“…but most of all…you must learn that the Empress’ wishes and mine must always be
granted. There is never a wish too ridiculous nor difficult. If you were to refuse…” the
Emperor boomed. “1 minute” Han whispered under his breath as adrenaline rushed through
his veins.

“There will be consequences. Guards, if you will.” The Emperor turned towards the sentries,
gesticulating for them to close the gates.

“NOW” Han yelled, breaking the sombre air of silence as he sprinted as fast as his legs
would move, rushing into the crowd of newly selected servants and grabbing Shu by the arm.
Audible gasps resonated within the crowd as everyone was too flabbergasted to do anything
but freeze in place. In the entire history of the Emperor’s rule, no one had ever dared to make
such a brazen escape. Then again, love makes people do crazy things.

Wasting no time, the two raced towards the closest side gate, taking advantage of the shock
they’d created to push past the sentries and out into the surrounding woods.

“Stop them!” They’d heard the emperor shriek. But neither turned to look behind them, too
afraid that the time taken for that action would allow their pursuers to catch up to them,
guaranteeing them certain death. And so they ran. And ran. And ran some more. Neither boy
seemed to run out of breath, their legs moving with blinding speed. Neither knew where their
energy came from, but if they are to hazard a guess, it would be the other. As dawn broke and
the sun began to rise, the two boys sprinted out of the forest and into an empty, expansive
plain of shimmering grass, where they finally collapsed in a heap. The end of the forest was
the end of Empire’s boundaries. No one, not even the Emperor could get them now. Breaking
down in tears of relief, the two stared into each other’s eyes with deep affection.

“I love you…” they both whispered to each other….

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
“..Hannie? Earth to Jeonghan? Alpha!” Joshua yelled, causing Jeonghan to finally snap to his
senses. The alpha grinned sheepishly as he took in his surroundings, his omega staring at him
in confusion.

“Do you even know where we are?” Joshua chided. Jeonghan only laughed, coughing so he
could avoid admitting that he’d been zoned out the entire time and did not even know what
country they were in. They were seated at a table covered with a pearl white cloth, decorated
with dainty flowers and electric candles. Turning to look out the window, Jeonghan could see
the entirety of Shanghai’s skyline, the multi coloured LED lights from large signboards and
advertisements bathing the surrounding waters in a rainbow slurry.

“We’re on the river cruise? The one on the yellow river? The one you wanted to go on?”
Joshua scolded as he groaned in exasperation. “What’s been going on with you today?”

“Honestly, I was just staring at you this morning and…do you believe in past lives?”
Jeonghan replied, his smile never faltering.

“…what do you mean babe?” Joshua replied, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.
‘Maybe he’s got a fever…’ the omega thought, frustration shifting to concern.

“I don’t know if this makes sense but…I kinda feel like in every past life, you were mine.”
Jeonghan continued, his smile widening as he watched his mate turn as red as a pomegranate.

“Oh wh-why are you suddenly talking like this?” The confused omega stammered, his heart
fluttering.

“I was just thinking about it today when I saw you this morning. I’m just reminded everyday
that I’m with the person I was always meant to be with, and I’m so grateful that I get to spend
everyday by your side. In every life - past, current, or future, I have and always will love
you.” Jeonghan continued as he stood up, holding out his hand for his mate. Walking slowly,
the two made their way out onto the deck of the cruise. A cool breeze accompanied the
sounds of the cruise sailing slowly through the gentle waters and the lovers found themselves
alone, their surroundings bathed in iridescent moonlight. With a flourish, Jeonghan lowered
himself to the ground, his hand reaching to pull an olive green ring case from his back
pocket. Opening it, Joshua should only marvel at the wondrous sapphire ring that lay inside.
Covered with tiny pearls and sapphires, the ring looked like it held all the stars in space.

“Hong Jisoo, will you marry me?” Jeonghan asked, grinning wildly as he could almost hear
his mates’ heartbeat hammering in his head. In any case, his scent gave away his answer
immediately.
 “What a silly question…” Joshua giggled, tearing up as he let his alpha slip the ring onto his
fourth finger.

“Here’s to spending the rest of this life together, my darling.” Jeonghan cooed.

Chapter End Notes

I AM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONGGGG 😭😭😭 I took a long

mental health break over winter but I’m back now refreshed and ready to write! This is
the second last story of the overseas arc and I hope you guys like it!!
End Notes

This is just the beginning :)

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!