Archive of Our Own

JISUNG

Seungmin could feel the bass vibrating his bones as he watched the excited crowd push against the barricades, their hands raised as they jumped and danced along to the song pulsing through the speakers. It was the second to last one in their set, and he remembered Jisung being stuck on the lyrics for days. Now, though, the beta was belting them beside him like he’d never get to sing again, leaning over the edge of the stage to get closer to the audience, to their fans.

They all shrieked and cried whenever Jisung pointed his microphone at their section, and Seungmin watched as Hyunjin and Felix got the same reactions from the people sitting on the left and right of the stage.

Every one of them smiled and laughed breathlessly from the rush of adrenaline and pure joy, sweating underneath the flashing LED lights.

During the bridge, Seungmin was so preoccupied with harmonizing with Jisung that he didn’t notice the disgruntled shouts from the left side of the audience, nor the burly man reeling his arm back in preparation to throw something.

A hard object hit his leg, and his note ended abruptly as he took a step back, momentarily startled.

Did someone just throw something at him? He was used to seeing that happen to Hyunjin, and sometimes even Felix and Jeongin, but this was his first time being on the receiving end of the unique form of… support.

Jisung stopped singing as well, the rhythmic beating of Changbin’s drums and the guitarists’ crisp notes filling their sudden silence.

Seungmin glanced down at the offending object, expecting a phone or a stuffed animal, maybe even a pair of underwear or a bra.

Instead, he found a sex toy.

A bright pink, overly realistic, knotting dildo.

Seungmin immediately felt his face heat up in mortification, the implications not lost on him. As the only omega in the group, the phallic toy was undoubtedly meant for him.

He wasn’t stupid– he heard the vulgar shouts from certain… fans, he saw the explicit comments under their posts on social media, saw the hungry looks directed at him from coworkers and strangers alike.

He’d learned to keep his head held high, to not engage. But no one had ever gone so far as to humiliate him so publicly. He could look up– couldn’t look at the audience’s reaction, couldn’t look at his boyfriends’ reactions–

“Hey! Who the fuck just threw that?!”

The crowd went still, and the other members’ playing abruptly halted.

The arena was silent, and Seungmin felt the first tear slip down his cheek as he stared at the hot pink sex toy lying at his feet in what could only be described as defeat. 

This just showed that no one would ever take him seriously, even if he was in one of the most promising rookie rock bands the genre had seen in over a decade, all because he was an omega. That was all he was, and it was all he would ever be. He was stupid to think otherwise, to think that he could somehow change anyone’s mind.

“Fine. Show’s over, enjoy the rest of your evening, everybody!”

The mic screeched as Jisung unceremoniously dropped it onto the stage, grabbing Seungmin’s wrist right after and dragging him away. The sounds of the upset crowd gradually faded away as he was led further backstage, Jisung guiding him through the winding halls and past the bustling staff to their greenroom with a gentle hold.

He didn’t hear the others following behind; they were probably doing damage control (or laying into the crowd themselves if the glimpse he got of Minho and Chan’s furious expressions were anything to go by). Hot tears of embarrassment and shame were still leaking down his face when Jisung swung open the door to their greenroom, the place completely deserted.

Jisung kicked the door closed behind them before spinning around and embracing Seungmin tightly. His tears only spilled faster, and the beta cooed sadly as Seungmin’s shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

“Let it out, baby. God, if I find whatever fucking asshole did that shit–”

Seungmin could smell Jisung’s angry scent through the mostly worn off blockers, his normally sweet chocolate scent bitter with fury. He pressed his wet face harder into Jisung’s neck, the beta’s cut up shirt giving him easier access to the scent gland there.

Jisung seemed to sense Seungmin’s discomfort, taking a few deep breaths so his scent would even out. 

As soon as the rich, sweet smell entered his nostrils, Seungmin went boneless against the beta. Jisung stumbled but quickly righted himself, easily bearing Seungmin’s weight.

When Seungmin’s sobs were reduced to sniffles, he took a step back and glanced at Jisung sheepishly. His makeup left black streaks on the beta’s skin and white t-shirt where it ran, and he winced. “‘m sorry, Sungie. Didn’t mean to cry all over you…”

Jisung scoffed disbelievingly, reaching up to cup Seungmin’s cheeks and tenderly wipe his tears away. “Don’t apologize for that, baby. I hope whoever threw that gets jumped on their way home. Hell– I’ll make sure they get banned from the venue. I’m sure Chan-hyung already has that covered, though.”

Seungmin huffed out a laugh, and Jisung smiled at the sound.

“I just– it’s so disappointing, Jisungie. It’s like no matter what I do all they see is an omega, a whore. That’s all I’ll ever be to them and it’s– it’s so frustrating.” Seungmin felt his lip quiver, and he harshly wiped his damp cheeks.

“I know, baby,” Jisung whispered, pressing a long kiss to his temple. His lip rings were cold against Seungmin’s heated skin. “But you’re so fucking talented, Minnie, you can’t let those knotheads get to you. Besides, for whatever it’s worth, I think you’re really fucking cool.”

Jisung’s cheeks were flushed when he pulled back, and Seungmin smiled at him.

“I know, Ji. It’s just hard, you know? Especially when they’re so… in my face about it all the time.”

“We’ll just have to become your personal bodyguards, huh?” Jisung said, not so subtly flexing his arms. “I bet they’ll run away crying!”

Seungmin laughed for real this time, his peach scent brightening.

Jisung smiled brightly, his eyes full of so much love it made Seungmin feel shy. He hurriedly pressed a kiss to the mole on Jisung’s cheek, whispering against his skin, “I think you’re really fucking cool, too, Jisungie.”

He felt Jisung’s face heat up underneath his lips and smiled.

JEONGIN

The overhead lights of the studio were dimmed, creating a peaceful atmosphere that Seungmin was grateful for. He and Jeongin sat side by side, and the radio show host, an alpha named Kang Beomseok, was seated across from them.

He was well known within the industry, respected by fans and artists alike because he had a reputation of asking no nonsense questions and actually seemed to appreciate the work of the musicians who featured on his show. The alpha used to be in a band himself, and Seungmin practically grew up on the man’s music, so to say he was excited to be here would be an understatement.

Jeongin himself was practically vibrating beside him with excitement and nerves, squeezing Seungmin’s hand every time Beomseok asked him a question, which was… rather often.

It hadn’t taken long for Seungmin to notice that Beomseok hardly ever directed his questions at him, instead opting to ask Jeongin. The alpha probably didn’t even notice, too overjoyed to talk to one of his idols, and Seungmin wasn’t about to ruin the mood by causing a scene, so he just smiled and nodded along to the youngest’s answers.

“–that was always my favorite part of touring, as well, back when I was still in my band. There’s just nothing like getting to see so many fans face to face, y’know?”

Jeongin nodded along, starry-eyed. “Right? It’s just so amazing to see–”

Before he could finish, Beomseok turned to Seungmin, a look in his eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher but he knew he didn’t like.

“So, Seungmin-ssi–” Jeongin abruptly trailed off, his excitement noticeably dulling as he was cut off. Seungmin had to bite his tongue to avoid saying something that would get him in trouble, willing his scent to remain calm. “–what’s it like being the only omega in the band? I’m sure you have your hands full, huh?”

Seungmin blinked at the sexual innuendo beneath the question, his scent souring at the suggestive way Beomseok raked his eyes over his body. He cleared his throat, trying his best to remain impassive and professional. “It can be difficult, sometimes; there aren’t many other omegas in the industry, so subgender based discrimination is still very common–”

“What about your heats?”

Seungmin stared in disbelief, but Beomseok just kept going.

“I’m sure you get lots of attractive fans asking if they can… ‘help you out,’ let’s just say. Have you ever hooked up with any?”

Seungmin felt his face grow hot in a nauseating mix of anger and embarrassment, but before he could defend himself, Jeongin beat him to it.

“Excuse me?” The alpha’s face was darkened by rage, all traces of his prior excitement gone. Beomseok went silent, clearly caught off guard. Even Seungmin was shocked, staring at the usually even-tempered alpha in surprise.

Jeongin was protective– they all were– but he was never one to confront people, even with his heightened instincts and sensitivity after presenting.

So to see their sweet baby alpha get so angry at someone for disrespecting Seungmin… it sent butterflies through his stomach.

Jeongin’s strong scent of black currant filled the small studio, the cheap scent blockers they were forced to apply doing little to dampen it. Beomseok puffed up, the alpha unwilling to back down from a blatant challenge to his superiority. He made direct eye contact with Jeongin, who snarled at the brazen disrespect.

Before things could escalate further, a beta staff member stepped in, her scent of fresh laundry soft and calming. “Alright, alright– let’s try to calm down, guys.”

When neither alpha moved from their staredown, she shot Seungmin a pleading look. He understood it for what it was– you guys need to leave before security gets called.

While Seungmin would’ve loved to see Jeongin rip Beomseok’s throat out, he did not want to have to watch security forcibly subdue and restrain one of his mates.

So, he nodded at the staff member and stood beside Jeongin, gently grabbing his bicep and releasing the hold he had on his scent to gain the alpha’s attention. The reaction was immediate; Jeongin shivered and his entire body relaxed, his eyes now attentively trained on Seungmin’s face. His normally brown pupils were now a deep red, and Seungmin cooed lovingly.

“Hello, Alpha. It’s time to go now, hm? I think we’re finished here.”

Jeongin looked conflicted, warily glancing back at Beomseok. He kept himself positioned protectively between Seungmin and the foreign alpha, unwilling to move away from what his inner alpha had deemed to be a threat.

Seungmin found his baby alpha’s confusion and protectiveness cute, but quickly took pity on the youngest after he let out a confused whine. Jeongin wanted to go with Seungmin, but he was having a hard time turning away from something he thought would put their omega’s safety at risk.

Seungmin hummed reassuringly, stepping closer to Jeongin and rubbing his wrist over the scent gland on the alpha’s neck. The flesh was scarred from Chan’s pack bite, rough against Seungmin’s sensitive inner wrist.

“Don’t you want to go home to the nest, Alpha? I’m sure Channie-hyung will be so happy to hear how good you were today.”

Jeongin perked up at the mention of their pack alpha, turning back to Seungmin with shining eyes. “Alpha?”

Seungmin nodded, smiling softly. The youngest had always had a special bond with their leader, even before he presented.

Jeongin didn’t wait for Seungmin to move, gently intertwining their hands and dragging him away. “Go see Alpha and nest.”

Their manager followed them out of the studio, and Seungmin knew they would get an earful later, but for now he focused all of his attention on Jeongin, his precious baby alpha.

CHANGBIN

If Seungmin had to pick his favorite boyfriend to cuddle with, Changbin would no doubt be number one. Even with all of his muscles, the alpha was always so soft and gentle with his mates, Seungmin especially.

It was for this reason that Seungmin always clung to the alpha after shows, when he was still too keyed up and high on the adrenaline rush to relax. He trusted Changbin to bring him back to earth, to calm him down with a steady hand and sweet words.

Sometimes, Seungmin liked to push and prod just so Changbin would be a little rougher with him, just to make him fit his teeth in the mating bite on the back of Seungmin’s neck and force him to go limp.

Other times he just crawled into the alpha’s space, not needing to express his wants in words because Changbin had a way of just knowing.

This was one of those times.

Seungmin had plopped into Changbin’s lap as soon as they got home, pressing his face into the alpha’s tattooed shoulder. His scent of petrichor washed over him, but it did little to relax his tense muscles. He pressed his nose into Changbin’s scent gland further, the alpha jolting when Seungmin licked over it to coax more of his scent out.

Changbin brought his hand up to the back of Seungmin’s neck, gently pressing his thumb into the omega’s sensitive scent gland. He immediately went boneless against his hyung, a deep purr vibrating inside his chest. Changbin rumbled in response, and Seungmin shivered happily.

Alas, they were in the middle of the living room, so it wasn’t long before someone discovered them.

“Aww! You two are so cute!”

The sickeningly sweet voice belonged to Hyunjin, and Seungmin heard a camera shutter go off a few seconds later. He and Changbin groaned at the disturbance, curling into each other further.

This didn’t deter the beta in the slightest, and it took Felix dragging him off to help him and the others decide what to order for dinner for them to return to quietly cuddling.

But Seungmin was still restless, his omega beginning to crave the comfort of a nest.

He gave in quickly– shaking Changbin’s shoulder to rouse him from his light doze. “Hyung. Wanna nest.”

The alpha immediately sat up, compliant with his omega’s wishes. “Of course, baby. Do you want to go to yours or build a new one?”

Seungmin blinked, his hazy mind taking a second to process the question. “…Your room? Wan’ to make a new one.”

Changbin positively beamed, pressing a kiss to Seungmin’s forehead. “That's fine with me. Do you want to grab anything for it?”

Seungmin answered faster this time, more sure of himself. “No. Just want Alpha’s scent.”

Changbin blushed, his scent flaring out in happiness and pride. In response, Seungmin relaxed further into the alpha’s chest, letting the smell of petrichor fill his mind with cotton. Changbin chuckled as the omega became a deadweight, scooping him into his thick, tattooed arms and standing from the couch.

Less than a minute later, Seungmin was being carefully deposited onto the alpha’s bed. The entire room was saturated with Changbin’s strong scent, and his mind was already growing steadily foggier after just a few inhales. Still, he did his best to make a sufficient nest. He used the pillows and blankets on the bed to craft the base before suddenly pausing, glancing over at his hyung pleadingly.

Luckily, Changbin had watched enough of Seungmin’s nests be built to know what he wanted, and he immediately dragged over his dirty laundry basket. The omega beamed and started looking through it, deeply sniffing each piece of clothing before deeming it worthy of being added to his nest or not. By the time he went through the entire basket, over half of it had been added into the nest.

Seungmin was purring up a storm by that point, quickly reaching out and tugging Changbin down onto the mattress with him. The alpha went willingly, carefully positioning himself so as to not mess anything up. Seungmin was immediately all over him; pressing their wrists and necks together so their scents mixed pleasantly before flopping down on top of him.

His chest vibrated with the force of his content purrs, and he fell asleep surrounded by strong arms and the scent of petrichor.

FELIX

Seungmin cleared his throat for the fifth time in no more than two minutes, humming through a few vocal scales like that would help quell the sharp ache in his throat.

The pain had first started last night, but after drinking a cup of hot tea and taking more than the advised amount of cold medicine, he’d thought he would be in the clear by now.

Obviously, that wasn’t the case, because his voice cracked and came out as barely more than a hoarse whisper no less than five seconds after he stepped into the recording booth. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he reached down for the bottle of room temperature water at his feet, grimacing as he swallowed down a few mouthfuls. It felt like swallowing glass.

Chan and Changbin shared a worried glance outside of the booth, the eldest reaching forward to press the button so Seungmin could hear him.

“Are you alright, Minnie? Do you need a few minutes to warm up more?”

Seungmin appreciated the offer, but shook his head. He’d already warmed up as much as he could, and he doubted a few minutes of doing more vocal exercises would suddenly heal his throat.

“Okay,” it was obvious Chan was concerned, but he trusted Seungmin, “let us know when you’re ready to start again, then.”

Seungmin took a few deep breaths and another painful sip of water before nodding and giving Chan and Changbin a thumbs up. The track played in his headphones and he got ready for his part, opening his mouth to sing his line… only to have his voice completely give out on him with a pitiful squeak.

He shook his hands out, adjusting his headphones.

“Again, hyung.”

He ignored the silent conversation between the two alphas on the other side of the glass, closing his eyes as the track replayed in his ears.

The next few takes went about the same way, until Changbin finally had enough, stopping the music before Seungmin’s part.

“Minnie-baby, why don’t you take a break? It’s lunch time anyway, and we still have a few more days before the deadline.”

Seungmin exhaled harshly through his nose, but he knew Changbin was right. He couldn’t sing like this, and he would only hurt himself more if he kept trying. 

“Okay, hyung.” He sounded defeated even to his own ears, his voice raspy and weak. 

His alphas were all over him as soon as he left the recording booth, petting his hair and massaging his scent glands to get him to relax.

“Lix should be here in a few minutes to record his part, but why don’t you two go get some lunch? Bin and I have a few edits to make, anyway.” Chan spoke once Seungmin became soft and pliant under their gentle touches.

“Hm… you guys’ll eat too?” The omega mumbled, his nose filled with the smell of a pine forest on a rainy day.

They both chuckled, cooing at how cute he was. Normally he would complain, but he was far too relaxed to care.

“Yes, baby, we’ll eat too. We can probably just order some takeout, right, Bin?”

Changbin nodded and a few more words were exchanged, but it was all white noise to Seungmin. He didn’t know how much time passed before a new set of arms embraced him, the salty smell of the ocean diffusing through the room. He easily shifted into Felix’s hold, blinking at the blonde with glassy eyes.

The alpha smiled and pressed a featherlight kiss to Seungmin’s nose, leading him out of the studio with an arm around his waist. By the time they made it downstairs to the cafeteria Seungmin’s head was much clearer, but his throat still felt raw and sore. He told Felix as much, and he frowned in sympathy.

“They probably have soup here… Or I can get you some tea? The chamomile is really good, I always get some after recording sessions to soothe my throat. We could try that for yours, too.”

Seungmin nodded, agreeing. He would try anything at this point, and he trusted Felix. The alpha often featured in some of the band’s tracks as a vocalist because of his deep voice, which had quickly enraptured their fans and the media, so he was no stranger to singing himself hoarse.

True to his word, Felix ordered a tea and something light to eat for Seungmin, along with something for himself. They sat at their usual table in the corner, pushing their chairs close together so they could be near each other. Hyunjin always joked that they all had separation anxiety, and Seungmin didn’t think he was too far off.

Felix carried the conversation while they ate, understanding that Seungmin’s throat ached too much for him to talk.

The tea and warm soup helped tremendously, and by the time they finished eating he was drooping tiredly into Felix’s side.

“Tired, baby?” The alpha laughed, gently pushing Seungmin’s bangs off of his forehead to plant a sweet kiss there. He pulled back and paused, reaching up to press his other hand against Seungmin’s face with furrowed brows.

“You feel kinda warm… are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”

Seungmin shrugged. That would make sense, but he was too comfortable in the other’s hold to put much thought into it.

“Hmm,” Felix hummed, lips pursed in worry. “Okay. C’mon, baby, let’s go lay down.”

Seungmin followed his boyfriend out of the cafeteria, stopping at the counter along the way to leave their dishes. They went back upstairs to the studios, coming to a stop outside the third door on the left side of the hall. Felix entered the code and swung the door open, and Seungmin went boneless against the doorframe at the sweet smell of chocolate that saturated the entire room. Jisung.

The beta’s studio was nice, with soft lighting and humidifier gently humming in the corner. There were multiple fuzzy blankets draped over the back of a large dark blue couch, along with a few scented clothing items from other pack members. But mostly, everything smelled like chocolate, gooey and rich and oh so comforting.

Felix left him on the couch to grab a bottle of water from the minifridge and something else off of Jisung’s desk. Seungmin was too sleepy and scent-drunk to question what he was doing, so he sunk back into the couch cushions and allowed his mind to drift.

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before he was gently being roused, and he blinked to see Felix crouched in front of him, two white tablets and a bottle of water cradled in his hands. His cheek dermal glinted in the low lighting, like a twinkling star.

“Here’s some Tylenol, Minnie. For your fever. Just take it and drink a little water and then I’ll let you sleep, promise.”

Seungmin huffed, but accepted the pills without a fight. Inside, his omega swooned at being taken care of by one of their alphas.

The water was hard to swallow and hurt his raw throat on the way down, but the soft praise from Felix made it easier. The blonde helped him lay down and tucked him in with a particularly strongly scented blanket, and Seungmin was out like a light.

CHAN

Seungmin giggled into his beer, looking over the rim of the glass to watch as Jeongin tried to push a tipsy Hyunjin off of his shoulder.

The pack had just left an award ceremony, where they won two whole awards. The first was for the most promising rookie rock band of the year, and the other was a fan’s choice award. The wins had been surprising, and they were all still riding the high.

Chan had led them out of the afterparty early to take them out for a celebratory dinner at a nearby restaurant, and they were all already on their second or third drinks of the night. Jisung was red in the face and giggly, and Changbin was cuddling up to anyone he could reach. Seungmin himself felt pleasantly buzzed, his stomach warm and everything appearing soft around the edges. Chan sat beside him at the edge of the table, and Changbin and Felix were engrossed in a vaguely sexual conversation on his other side.

He felt cold and a little lonely, so he leaned into his oldest hyung’s side, half-heartedly listening to him and Minho talk. This went on for a few minutes before he grew impatient. Why wasn’t his hyung paying attention to him?

He shifted his head up onto the alpha’s shoulder, digging his chin into his scent gland to get his attention.

“Ah–! Minnie, don’t do that!” Chan scolded gently, flinching away from the pressure on his sensitive neck.

Seungmin pouted petulantly when the alpha went back to talking with Minho. He had barely even glanced at him!

He moved back into Chan’s side, humming when the alpha wrapped his arm around his shoulders and surrounded them in the scent of a pine forest. He waited for a lull in his and Minho’s conversation before he spoke, voice quiet and whiny in the way he knew all of his mates were weak for.

“Hyung, I miss you.”

Chan looked down at where he was nestled against his side, practically in the alpha’s lap. “You miss me? But I’m right here, baby,” the words were spoken with a slight chuckle, and Seungmin’s pout returned.

He was being childish, he knew, but he just couldn’t help it. He missed his alpha and his nest, and he felt cold but kind of hot at the same time, and– oh.

It seemed like the realization dawned on Chan at the same time, because he blinked once before his face split into a fond smile. Seungmin had the strong urge to poke his dimples, but he refrained. He was supposed to be sulking right now.

“Ah, I get it now,” Seungmin huffed, already knowing what Chan was about to say. “Our pretty omega’s in preheat, hmm?”

He nuzzled into Seungmin’s hair, planting kiss after kiss on his warm face. He soon worked his way down Seungmin’s neck with soft nips and licks, his tongue piercing startlingly cold compared to his skin. He nosed Seungmin’s shirt out of the way to reach his scent gland, teasingly fitting his teeth into the healed mating bite there and applying a gentle pressure. Seungmin shivered against him violently, the smell of ripe peaches, almost cloyingly sweet and syrupy, quickly filling the space between them.

“Hyung! Don’t– you can’t just do that!”

Chan leaned back, laughing at Seungmin’s flustered expression. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, baby. That was mean.”

Seungmin pouted, and Chan leaned over to kiss it off of him. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Seungmin tapped his chin, dramatically pensive. “I guess I can… if you stop holing yourself up in the studio every night and actually start coming home in time for dinner.”

Chan grew sheepish, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. “You got me there, Minnie. Alright, I’ll do it. Minho keeps sending me threatening texts whenever I stay out too late, anyway.” He sent a wayward glance to the mentioned alpha, who was laughing about something with Jeongin.

Seungmin smiled, wanting to see how far he could drag this out. “And you have to sleep with me in my nest for the next week.” He hadn’t been lying earlier when he told Chan he missed him.

The alpha laughed, eyes filled with so much love and adoration that Seungmin found himself growing shy under its weight. “I suppose that can be arranged.”

“Hey, no fair! I want to sleep in Minnie’s nest!” Jisung slurred drunkenly from across the table, a little too loud for the relatively quiet atmosphere of the restaurant.

Minho shushed the beta with a laugh, trying to tame his wild, gel-filled hair. “You can sleep with me tonight, Ji, how about that?”

Jisung said something flirtatious in return, but Seungmin couldn’t focus on anything except for the overwhelming scent of pine that surrounded him. There was a faint trace of tree sap in the alpha’s scent, and he smiled knowing the other was just as happy as he was.

He shifted into Chan’s side more, trusting that the alpha would be there to catch him, because he always was.

MINHO

One of the benefits of being in a relatively small band was that they never had to deal with the hassle of flying. For every show so far in their career, they’d all been able to cram into their tour bus and drive in shifts until they reached their destination.

But now, two years after their debut, they were beginning their first ever world tour in only a few months. They had stops spread out all over the globe in cities they used to only be able to dream of performing in, and they were ecstatic. When their manager told them they would be flying out to Europe first, they were all far too excited to think about anything other than the fact that they would finally be meeting their fans overseas.

Those few months flew by in late night practices and long hours spent running through their entire setlist over and over, until finally, the day they were leaving arrived.

The airport was busy, the early hour doing nothing to quell the rush of traffic. When they made it inside, they had to shove their way through a large crowd of eager fans just to reach the baggage check area. Hyunjin nearly had his hat ripped off his head by an overexcited girl, and Seungmin had seen Chan get his arms and clothes grabbed multiple times.

They were surrounded and being pushed on all sides, and Seungmin briefly wondered if this was what their fans felt like in the pit.

Luckily for him, the pack had immediately formed a protective circle around him when they saw the mob waiting for them inside, and nobody dared to try and touch him with his pack surrounding him like that.

They had a moment of reprieve while they got their bags checked, and Seungmin easily leaned into Hyunjin’s embrace when the beta hugged him from behind.

“We had quite the turnout, eh?”

Seungmin snickered, rolling his eyes at the subtle pride in his voice. “Yeah… I wasn’t expecting it, honestly. When did we get so… big?”

Hyunjin hummed, seeming to mull it over. “I don’t know, Min. It feels so surreal.”

“Sure does,” Changbin said, walking over to wrap his arms around them both. “They just gave us the all clear, so we’re gonna try to find our gate now.”

Seungmin nodded, untangling himself from Hyunjin, who whined but eventually let him go.

The pack resumed their protective stance around Seungmin when they ventured back out into the crowd, and he snickered at the menacing glares Jeongin sent towards the particularly pushy fans. Their baby alpha was so cute.

In his moment of distraction, Seungmin didn’t notice the lanky beta steadily shifting closer to a gap in their formation, until he was suddenly pressing against Seungmin’s back.

He jumped when the man grabbed at his backside and nosed along the side of his neck, a vicious snarl on the tip of his tongue. “Hey–!”

Before he could shove the guy off of him, Minho appeared in front of them, face dark and furious as he reeled his arm back. Seungmin heard the moment his fist connected with the beta’s face, the crack deafening even in the loud airport.

The man fell backward, sprawling out at Seungmin’s feet as he reached up to cover his bleeding nose. “What the fuck?! The hell’s your problem, man?!”

Minho pushed Seungmin behind him, his irises shining ruby red in the harsh fluorescent lighting. His scent curled around them angrily, the normally calming sandalwood burnt and smoldering with rage.

Seungmin was honestly scared Minho would kill the guy, but he didn’t move any closer. He just stood in front of him, puffing his chest out so the beta would barely be able to see Seungmin behind him.

The noise around them had only increased during the altercation, and he was already dreading the backlash they would face for this.

But a much bigger part of him only felt cared for, protected. Minho knew what would happen as soon as he put his hands on someone, they all did, but he chose to do it anyway. For Seungmin.

His scent bloomed around them happily, and he saw Minho’s shoulders relax a little.

The rest of the pack crowded around them anxiously, trying to simultaneously protect them from the fans’ prying eyes and see if they were both okay. Seungmin distantly heard security pushing their way through the crowd, but all he could focus on was Minho.

The alpha’s bright red eyes were still locked on the cowering beta, who spat insults and curses in his face, trying to goad him into doing something more. Minho never took the bait, continuing to stare unnervingly with a steady growl growing in his chest.

He didn’t look away until the man was escorted away by security, and only then did the growl finally taper off and he turned around to face Seungmin. His pupils were dilated and glazed over, and he barely even flinched at the shouting and flashing cameras around them. He simply latched onto Seungmin, rubbing his wrists and neck on any part of the omega he could.

The pack was soon led to a private waiting area by security, and Minho refused to separate from him even while they walked.

Seungmin thought it was cute, but he was also slightly worried. Minho usually had a tight leash on his instincts as the group’s second oldest and the pack’s second in command, so seeing him lose control was rare. He’s heard of people fully reverting back to their base instincts after traumatic events, and he hoped that wouldn’t happen to the alpha.

At least he was still mostly coherent– he responded to his name and seemed to recognize the voices and scents around him, but he still refused to leave Seungmin’s side.

As soon as they reached the private lounge, Minho led Seungmin to the seats in the far corner of the room. He gently sat Seungmin down in the chair against the wall, sitting himself down in the one next to it. Now, he watched the others and the door with a sharp, focused gaze, and it took Seungmin an embarrassingly long second to understand what he was doing.

He was protecting him. He’d placed himself between Seungmin and the rest of the room and was now diligently watching for any threats, body tense like he was ready to pounce at any second.

Seungmin cooed, pushing his scent out to hopefully calm Minho down and show him that the threat had been taken care of. The alpha glanced over at him, a pleased rumble starting in his chest. Seungmin smiled encouragingly, reaching out to push the other’s messy black hair away from his face. His eyes flickered between red and brown.

“That’s right, Minho-hyung, come back to me. You did such a good job protecting me out there, hm? I’m so lucky to have you as one of my alphas.”

The rumbling only picked up in volume, and Minho made a soft noise in the back of his throat.

“Alpha good?” His voice came out weak and raspy, but it was progress.

“Yes, Alpha was very, very good. Did such a good job at protecting Omega.”

Minho rumbled happily, tucking Seungmin into his side to vigorously scent him.

Twenty minutes passed like that, with Minho clinging and scenting to his heart's content and Seungmin being more than happy to indulge the alpha.

Eventually, Minho pulled back, a slightly sheepish look on his face. His eyes were back to their normal brown. “I’m sor–”

Seungmin shushed him before he could finish, taking Minho’s hands in his. “Don’t apologize, hyung. You protected me. I don’t know what that guy would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

Minho’s scent rotted slightly at the mention of the beta, a cute pout forming on his lips. “Don’t talk about him. Just the thought of him touching you makes me mad all over again.”

Seungmin laughed, shaking his head. “I love you, Minho-hyung.”

“What happened to Alpha?” Minho spoke confidently, but the flush on his cheeks exposed him. He was shy.

Seungmin had to hold back his coo lest he got hit. “I love you, Alpha.”

The flush rose up to Minho’s ears, and he scrunched his nose.

“…Love you too, Minnie.”

HYUNJIN

When Seungmin woke up to someone slamming on the door of their tour bus, his first thought was that whoever it was definitely wasn’t someone that he wanted inside. His second thought was that he really, really hoped that at least one of his mates was still here.

He knew most of them had left around an hour ago to stretch their legs and get some breakfast before they started the long drive to the next city, but Seungmin had opted to sleep in after the exhausting show yesterday. There was no telling how long they would take to get back, and he didn’t know how long their shitty door would hold back whoever was outside.

So he quietly rolled out of the top bunk, glancing around to see if anyone else had stayed behind. Most of the bunks had their curtains drawn, so he briefly peered into each one. Minho was gone, Jeongin was gone, Jisung and Felix were gone, Hyunjin was– 

–dead asleep, his long hair fanned out across his pillow as he drooled on the satin case.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. Hyunjin could probably sleep through an earthquake if they let him.

He rubbed his wrist against the beta’s neck, tropical coconut seeping out to mix with his scent of ripe peaches. Hyunjin shifted, blinking his bleary eyes open to stare at Seungmin.

“Mmm… Minnie?”

“Welcome to the land of the living Jinnie,” he paused, “…I think someone’s trying to break in.”

That got the beta’s attention, as did the bangs on the bus door picking up in intensity. Seungmin thought he heard a male voice yell something, but he wasn’t sure.

Hyunjin’s coconut scent toasted in protectiveness and slight confusion, and he slipped out of his bunk to stand beside him. “Wait back here, Minnie. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

The beta moved to the front of the bus, glancing out of the window above the sink to try and get a look at who was banging on their door. He apparently didn’t like what he saw, because his scent grew burnt and smokey. He ripped the door open, putting an abrupt halt to the insistent knocking, a snarl already forming on his face.

Growing up as an omega, Seungmin had learned to be cautious around strangers. Especially alpha strangers. So when the putrid stench of alcohol and burnt leather wafted into the bus through the open door, Seungmin quickly ducked into the tiny bathroom, heart racing.

He’d left his phone charging in his bunk, so he had no way to call for help if things went south. He trusted Hyunjin and knew the beta could hold his own, but there was no telling what a drunk alpha was capable of. They were volatile and unpredictable, and Seungmin was scared. He didn’t want to leave Hyunjin out there by himself, but fear and worry had frozen him in place.

He could hear their raised voices through the thin walls, and the scent of angry alphas seeped under the bathroom door. He felt bile rise in his throat as he curled up in the corner of the shower, his breaths coming out in short pants.

The door slammed shut a minute later, and the voices cut off.

Soft footsteps approached the bathroom door, and the angry scents were slowly replaced by Hyunjin’s normal coconut, sweet and milky. There was a gentle knock, and Seungmin whined pleadingly, his vocal cords not working enough to speak.

Hyunjin appeared in front of him a second later, hands hovering over him worriedly. He appeared to be unharmed, and Seungmin allowed himself to relax a little more.

“Are you okay, baby? I threatened to call the cops and that got him to leave, but he was like, wasted.”

Seungmin thought as much, the guy had reeked of cheap alcohol.

“‘M okay, Hyunie,” he said softly, smiling against Hyunjin’s neck when the beta embraced him tightly. “Thank you for protecting me. Sorry I left you all by yourself…”

“Don’t apologize, Seungminnie. I didn’t want you to have to deal with that knothead,” he pressed a kiss to Seungmin’s temple, “I’ll always protect you. Always.”

Seungmin hummed, butterflies erupting in his stomach.

No matter what happened, he knew his pack would be there for him.

He was so lucky to have them.

THE PACK

Seungmin wasn’t the biggest fan of afterparties, but they had become a frequent occurrence in his life as the band steadily grew more and more popular. Whenever they had to attend one, he usually just stuck by whoever was the designated ‘responsible one’ of the night, counting down the minutes until they left.

He knew he technically didn’t have to go, but he didn’t want to give off the impression that he was ungrateful, and he also didn’t want to have to venture back to their tour bus alone in the dark (not that he thought the pack would ever let him do that, but still).

But tonight, he decided to let go and have fun, just a little bit. Their performance went well earlier, earning them multiple compliments from other bands, and their newest album was even nominated for a few awards. They didn’t win any, but just being nominated was already more than enough.

Their work was finally starting to be recognized, and they couldn’t be happier.

So Seungmin followed a rowdy Hyunjin and Jisung to the bar, ordering a round of shots for the group.

And, less than five minutes later, another round. And another, and another, until he was slurring his words and laughing too loudly at Changbin’s stupid jokes.

After an hour of drunk dancing with Minho and Felix, Chan herded them all back to their table to drink some water and, hopefully, sober up a little. Seungmin gulped his glass down in a few big mouthfuls, and he found that he was still thirsty. He hummed, tapping Jeongin on the shoulder to tell him he was going to go grab another glass, receiving a nod and a quiet be careful in return.

He didn’t even make it to the bar before he was stopped in his tracks by an alpha easily a head taller than him. He could barely make out his scent through all the muddled smells in the room, but it smelled strong and spicy, masculine in a way he knew a lot of people enjoyed.

“Hi there! Sorry to bother you, but do you need some water? I noticed you ran out, and I accidentally ordered two, so you can have one of mine,” the man spoke politely, laughing self-deprecatingly as he pushed a full glass out towards him.

Seungmin blinked, his drunken mind taking a few seconds to comprehend what the other was saying. “Oh– no thanks. I was just going to get one myself…” He trailed off, subtly trying to move around the alpha.

He almost wanted to laugh at how stupid the man was. Did he think Seungmin was going to accept a drink from some stranger just because he was drunk?

“Oh, okay,” he paused briefly, eyeing Seungmin up and down. “Here, why don’t I walk you to the bar to make sure nobody tries anything? You know how these parties can get, especially for pretty omegas such as yourself,” he laughed again, and Seungmin scrunched his nose in distaste.

But he didn’t want to potentially make a scene or upset the alpha (because he did, in fact, know how these parties could get), so he just nodded, humming noncommittedly.

He stepped past the man, not looking back to see if he was following as he made his way up to the bar. He caught the attention of the bartender and asked for another water, handing over his dirty glass so she could get him a new one.

“Seungmin?”

He blinked, turning from where he was watching the beta woman fill his glass up with tap water. He met eyes with another woman, this one smelling sweet and sugary, almost like… like an omega.

He smiled brightly at the realization, and she easily returned the expression.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you!” He said cheerfully, reaching out to shake her hand. He vaguely recognized her as the main vocalist of another rookie group, and he remembered liking her vocal tone during their performance earlier.

He told her as much and she blushed, tucking a strand of bright red hair behind her ear. “Oh, stop it, you’re literally like, my idol. I can’t even begin to tell you how much you’ve inspired me.”

Now it was Seungmin’s turn to blush and duck his head, his omega preening at the genuine praise. It wasn’t often that he got to meet another omega, but whenever he did he always made the effort to form even the smallest connection with them. They had to stick together, safety in numbers and all that.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before she had to rejoin her group, and Seungmin gently rubbed their wrists together in goodbye. He felt a jolt go through him at the contact and swallowed, unused to the touch and scent of another omega. It sent pleasant tingles down his spine and he smiled softly, turning to grab his glass of water off the bar.

He said thank you to the bartender and left, forgetting all about the strange encounter with the alpha from earlier. The only people left at the table when he got back were Jeongin, Jisung, and Changbin, with the beta seemingly having reached his limit for the night.

“There you are! I was starting to think you got lost,” Jeongin said, tucking Seungmin against his side when he sat down.

He took a long sip of his water before responding. “I met another omega at the bar and we talked for a bit. She’s from that new coed group… Cosmic Fall I think is their name?”

Jeongin hummed, pushing his sweaty hair back from his face.

Seungmin felt a bead of sweat bead along his brow and reached up to wipe it off, suddenly hot even though he’d stopped dancing almost an hour ago. He drank more of his water to cool down, glancing around the room for his other packmates.

Most of them were on the dance floor again, but they looked to be slowly winding down. That was good; Seungmin was ready to take a nice, long shower and fall asleep buried in his nest.

“Hey, Minnie, I’m going to take Jisung to the bathroom before we head out, do you want to come?”

Changbin’s voice sounded like it was underwater, and Seungmin had to blink back the sudden bout of vertigo he got when he turned his head to look at him.

He guessed he said yes, because in the next second he was being led down a dim hallway to the bathrooms. Jisung hung off his shoulder, humming one of their tracks as he tried to keep his balance. Seungmin was probably no help, he felt off-balance himself. Maybe all the shots were finally catching up to him.

Changbin and Jisung disappeared into the handicap stall at the end, the alpha not trusting the drowsy beta to not fall over and hurt himself somehow.

Seungmin leaned against the cool tile wall, wincing when he realized how sweaty he suddenly was. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it before his stomach suddenly lurched, vision going spotty as he threw himself into the nearest stall to avoid throwing up all over the linoleum floor.

His throat burned from the stomach acid and alcohol that came up, retching and coughing loudly over the filthy toilet. He felt like he had no control over his body, and he could barely hear anything past the ringing in his ears.

There were hands on his back and holding his hair out of his face, and his skin burned at the contact. Worried voices went back and forth over his curled up body, and he distantly heard the rusty bathroom door opening as more people stepped in.

When he finally stopped throwing up everything in his stomach, he was heaving for breath, snot dripping over his top lip and down his chin. He could smell his pack around him, their scents mixing into a cocktail of worry and anger.

“–I’m gonna kill the bastard that did this, I swear–”

“–did you see what he drank?”

“–fuck! How did this even fucking happen?”

“Minho-hyung, wait–”

The bathroom door opened and closed again, taking some of the voices and scents with it. He didn’t want his pack to leave him, but he was too weak to do much more than whine softly in the back of his throat.

“C’mon, Minnie-baby, let’s get you out of here–”

Before he knew it, he was being lifted onto someone’s back, and the smell of a salty ocean breeze washed over him.

“L’xie,” he mumbled, feeling like his tongue was too big for his mouth.

“I got you, baby. We’re gonna help you feel better, okay? Just hold on for one more minute.” Felix spoke, a constant stream of praises leaving his mouth as he carried Seungmin out of the bathroom. He felt another hand on his back and one more combing through his hair, and he sighed happily when someone took his hand in theirs and gently massaged his palm, leaving kisses on the scent gland on his wrist every so often.

They walked through what seemed like a loud, angry crowd, and Seungmin gagged again at the overwhelming stench in the air.

Felix quickened his pace, never once loosening his hold on Seungmin’s thighs. “I know, I know, we’ll be outside in just a second, sweet boy–”

A gust of cold night air washed over him as Felix pushed through the doors, and he was set down on the curb just in time for him to choke up more stomach acid. He felt so sick, and he didn’t know why.

He didn’t have the energy to stop the oncoming tears, sniffling and whimpering sadly into his palms before someone quickly wrapped their arms around him. He recognized Changbin’s warm, steady hold and clear scent, immediately going boneless in the alpha’s embrace.

He heard the distant wail of sirens down the street and felt Changbin pull back a little, blinking open his glassy eyes to stare at the alpha.

“Hi, baby,” he cooed, gently rubbing his thumbs underneath Seungmin’s eyes to wipe away the residual wetness, “The ambulance will be here soon, but only one of us can ride with you. Do you have anyone in mind?”

He blinked, his overwhelmed mind taking a second to process. When he did, the decision was immediate.

“I w-want Channie-hyung. Want Alpha.”

Changbin nodded, glancing at someone behind him. He heard footsteps and the sound of the bar door opening and closing, but he was too tired to ask what was happening.

Less than a minute later, the door opened again, and Chan suddenly appeared at his side, easily taking Changbin’s place.

“Hi, my sweet omega,” he crooned, and Seungmin felt tears build in his eyes once more.

“Hyung. I feel so– so sick.” 

Chan made a soft sound in the back of his throat, pulling Seungmin into his arms. “I know, baby, I know. The ambulance is right there, I see them. They’ll give you something that’ll make you feel better, hm?”

Seungmin hummed, burying his face in Chan’s shirt. It smelled of smoke and alcohol, but most of all, him.

He barely even noticed when Chan picked him up and carried him into the ambulance. He trusted his alpha and his pack to help him feel better, so he didn’t fight the fogginess that steadily took over his mind.

He could worry about what happened later– Alpha had him now.