Archive of Our Own

When Changbin first presented, things weren’t very smooth.

He wasn’t bonded to a pack yet and everyone expected him to be an alpha. Nowadays, when he tells people he’s an omega they’re still surprised by it, because somehow maybe as a joke to match people’s expectations of him, he looks just like an alpha, while everything else about him screams omega.

Coming of age like that while being constantly evaluated for a chance to debut was, to say the very least, unpleasant. He was young and presenting earlier than most of his peers made him even more of a focus to expectations and commentary, but that too in the end, helped him realize his opinion should matter the most to himself, he knew himself the best and being a non stereotypical omega was something that could be empowering to both himself, other idols and his fans - if he ever got to debut.

He knew Chan even before he presented, Chan saw the way other trainees both admired and feared Changbin for his confidence, for being a powerful omega trying to succeed and his admiration for Changbin brought then even closer, with Chan, inevitably, came Jisung, who hadn’t presented yet, but just from looking at them, Changbin knew they were meant to be together, they looked like an item before their subgenders claimed anything.

Both of them offered Changbin a sense of belonging from the start, they became inseparable and no one could expect to see Chan and not see Changbin or Jisung, but from that there were rumors about the three of them forming a pack behind the company’s back - which was heavily frowned upon and they got scolded for even if it was a lie.

Then they met Felix, a wildcard. He didn’t intimidate anyone like Changbin’s resting angry face ever did, he was sunshine personified and everyone instantly assumed he was an omega, with his easy smiles and shy demeanor. Whenever he danced or spoke with his natural, almost comical, low voice, everyone assumed he was an alpha, any room full of people would stop to look at him and he could command anyone to do anything for him if he wanted, and they would just obey, almost like an alpha’s siren voice towards weaker omegas, but Felix wasn’t like that. His sweetheart was a beta, which made him both strong and delicate, as most betas were.

He admired Hyunjin from the moment he met him, he was an omega, and he knew how to use that in his favor. He was sweet, even if sometimes abrasive towards other omegas like Jisung would soon come to be, Jisung took Chan’s dream as his own and somehow wanted to guarantee he would debut after being a trainee for so long, criticizing everyone even more than the judges, everything had to be perfect, so he could be with Chan to fulfill his dream.

Jisung and Hyunjin were equally strong, with different qualities that complemented each other whenever they managed to stop bickering and rolling their eyes when the other opened their mouth to speak. Jisung let the rivalry go every time Chan asked him to, just because he would do anything if it was him asking. Hyunjin, on the other hand, used the critiques Jisung and the judges made to get stronger, in his performance and in his mindset, and that was something Changbin appreciated and tried to internalize for himself too. Getting close to him wasn’t the easiest, but once they breached Hyunjin’s once cloudy heart, there was no turning back on his love.

Seungmin, despite his innocent looks, was clearly an alpha from the moment they met him, not the most standard one - which Changbin instantly latched onto him for - but a good one. His voice was soft like cotton candy both while singing and talking, but he was assertive and would never let anyone mistreat him or his friends, not even the head of the company, which granted him his respect from the start, his scent was as strong and comforting as his personality.

Meeting Minho was, to everyone, almost like seeing a beacon of light. So beautiful it was almost dazzling to look at him, it made everyone’s cheeks warm when his gaze met theirs, but Minho was actually very shy and it took him a while to come out of his shell, Chan trusted him from the start and so did everyone else, once he allowed the rest of them to get closer. Everyone thought he would be an alpha too, despite being shy he always looked confident and strong, but luckily for him, as he would say, he was a beta. Changbin and him fought almost like brothers, their bickering healthier than Hyunjin’s and Jisung’s were at the time, and at the end of the day they would always love each other as much as always, never letting the other go to bed without a good night hug.

Then there was Jeongin.

To some trainees the stress and the hardships made presenting happen too early, but to others, like Jeongin, it got postponed to the point where they thought he wasn’t going to present anymore. In all honesty, all of them used way more suppressants in their early adult years than it was advised, sacrificing all they could for their shared dream, even their own health.

But Changbin had an obvious soft spot for him.

He cried on Changbin’s arms after a harsh evaluation once and Changbin’s heart became softer and softer for him ever since - if Jeongin plunged into it, it would feel just like marshmallow to him.

He didn’t fit in most of the time, much like Changbin himself didn’t, one for not having a scent and the other for having one that didn’t match him. And the judges were almost equally as hard on both of them.

“They said I might not debut with everyone,” he said, wiping the tears forming in his eyes.

“Why not?” Changbin had a bad feeling about this but tried to focus on patting Jeongin’s hair, to offer some comfort without breaching their still not set boundaries.

“Because I didn’t present yet… They said- They said it’s too risky to let me debut when they can’t market me.”

Changbin pulls him into a hug then, if Jeongin doesn’t want it he can just push Changbin away but instead he wraps his arms around Changbin’s waist and slots his head on his shoulder - they were almost the same height back then.

“They said that if my scent is not up to standard then I won’t debut… but I- I might not even get to have one,” Jeongin mumbles.

Usually Changbin can hear a smile on Jeongin’s voice even when he speaks but now all he can hear is a pout in a teary voice, and for that Changbin wants to take matters into his own hands. Jeongin is younger than a lot of trainees and he gets harsher evaluations than most of them, Changbin is upset, angry, that someone said those things to him. Presenting is out of anyone’s control and Jeongin shouldn’t be blamed for it, presenting should never be an attribute necessary to debuting.

“It’ll be okay, baby, I’ll make sure of it,” Changbin says, kissing the top of his head. It’s really the first time Changbin calls him baby and the last time he sees him as a kid. It’s the first time Changbin notices that the depths of Jeongin’s concerns aren’t smaller just because he’s younger than the rest of them.

Changbin’s heart breaks too, he knows well how harsh words like those can be but somehow it hurts him more to know Jeongin is going through that pain while being so young than it hurt himself to hear them every month for his own evaluations.

And it doesn’t take long until he hears them again.

The next time they’re being assessed as a group, someone from the judges makes a remark about Jeongin’s performance. He just lowers his head and nods, but Changbin notices how his lips turn downwards and tremble as he hears someone comment on his abilities, asking if he ever thinks about improving.

“He’s been training hard, you know,” Changbin catches himself speaking, his eyes still on Jeongin’s face, vision red with the need to defend him. Usually Seungmin or Chan are ones who say something, but this time Changbin beat them to it and it makes every eye in the room turn to him, some surprised, some angry, some bored and some entertained. “He’s improving fast too, he's just… he was up until late for a class project and he didn't get enough sleep-.”

“What’s your name again?”

“Seo Changbin,” he says, fists tight on his sides as he tries to control himself.

“Ah, the problem omega,” the judge said, it’s not supposed to be a whisper, even if he puts his hand on top of his mouth and turns to his colleague as if it was. Changbin knows the industry works on humiliation, but he’ll shoulder it, he’d rather have their negative attention on himself than on Jeongin. He can take it, Jeongin didn’t even graduate yet, he shouldn’t have to worry about this so much.

“Yeah,” he agrees. He is the problem omega, the omega that looks like an alpha, the strong, opinionated, outgoing, assertive and abrasive omega, everything an alpha is expected to be. And he’ll use it in his favor.

“Don’t you have enough on your plate?” The judge taps their pen on their glasses before writing something down on a post it not and gluing it to his record.

“Hyung-” Jeongin looks at him, asking him to stop trying to take the hit for him but it has the opposite effect, his shiny teary eyes make Changbin decide he would give his life for Jeongin.

Changbin smiles at him, he’ll be fine, he’s been through this before.

“You could have debuted already if your looks and your scent weren’t so… unusual,” one of them says, and he wants to laugh, he never heard that one before, but it’s fine, debuting before Chan and the others wouldn’t have been right for him.

“If you get to debut,” another one of them says, the mean one. “You should wear scent blockers for fan meetings, you wouldn’t want any of your alpha fans to sneeze because of you.”

“Yes, sir,” Changbin says, distaste so clear in his expression that some people in the room take a step back when he looks around.

It works how he intended at first, the attention goes to him and they stop trying to make Jeongin feel bad for things that are out of his control, just like Changbin’s scent making an alpha he was dating sneeze was out of his control, but every trainee knew about that story by now - that alpha wasn’t as nice as they played out to be.

Late at night that same day, Minho cooks something to comfort Changbin after he lets his armor crack on purpose for someone else when said crack walks into the kitchen. Jeongin tiptoes towards the counter and stops by Changbin’s side, he doesn’t know what to say at first and resorts to a hug - words might work more for himself but he remembers how much Changbin appreciates a long hug.

“I’m sorry,” he says, muffled by Changbin returning the hug.

“It’s fine, baby.”

Jeongin tightens the hug momentarily, he doesn’t like being called baby, doesn’t like being treated like a kid, but the way Changbin says it doesn’t make him feel any less than he is.

“You shouldn’t have taken the hit for me.”

“I promise it’s okay, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” Changbin tries to comfort him instead.

“That makes it worse!” Jeongin pulls away from the hug, holding him by the shoulders as Changbin chuckles.

Minho watches them, a small smile on his face as he drops the salsa on the pasta Changbin often daydreams about.

“Do you want to eat with us, Innie?” He asks and Jeongin nods, really just wanting to be around his hyungs for a little longer.

Minho serves for both of them, judging how much they should eat by how much comfort they need - which means he fills both plates and doesn’t leave that much for himself, but that’s just how he is. He’s hurting to see them in pain, so his comfort comes from comforting them.

It’s a comfortable silence at first, usually loud Changbin and equally as loud Minho not filling the ambient like Jeongin is used to, so he takes it as his clue to fill it.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Hm?”

“To make you feel better.” Jeongin presses.

Changbin pretends to think as Minho watches them like he’s watching one of his shows. He always does that, paying so much attention to others around him it allows him to take care of everyone quietly, just like he prefers it, and sometimes it allows him to discover things he can use to tease them too, like now.

“Smile?”

“Smile?” Jeongin asks, confused.

“Yeah, when you smile… It makes me feel lighter.”

Jeongin shoves him away but there’s a smile on his face, and that’s good enough for Changbin, there’s also a blush, but Minho doesn’t think Changbin notices that as he laughs with a matching blush in the dim light of the kitchen.

“Thank you for dinner, Minho hyung… And thank you for standing up for me today, Binnie hyung, you didn’t have to but- thank you.”

“We’re a team, Innie,” Changbin points from his heart to Jeongin’s. “Can I have another hug?”

Jeongin sighs, allowing Changbin to hug him again before making his way to his room, bidding them good night.

Minho barely waits for the door to close before saying: “So Innie’s smile…”

“Shut up-” Changbin says, but all the heat from his voice went to his cheeks, he really loves Jeongin’s smile.

Even without presenting, Jeongin was an essential part of their pack, before they knew they were one.

For the fans and for the industry, he debuted as a wildcard. And in the next few years into their career, being without a subgender turned him into "whatever you might want him to be," he had characteristics of everything, fitting so well into everything that even their fans would make dissertations trying to explain what Jeongin would present as and somehow it all made sense. Jeongin didn't care about it much, but Changbin secretly paid attention to him the most and he knew from the crease of his eyebrows when he laughed along in interviews that such a narrative weighed on him too.

On one hand, Jeongin worried that not presenting would make him less relevant in the pack, that it would make the fans, his pack, himself or the industry, think he was incomplete. On the other hand, if he ever presented, he would lose his wildcard narrative and he thought that could make them lose fans and sponsorships.

His scent wasn't even as strong as a beta's and he couldn't attune to packs emotions like everyone else did, nor they could attune to his, after years together they adapted to it - but that’s also why, more often than not, Changbin would catch himself zoning out while staring at Jeongin, trying to capture all his microexpressions so he could read him like his omega easily read everyone else.

What Changbin found instead, in all those times he lost track of time while staring at Jeongin, was how much he liked him, his soft spot for Jeongin and his dazzling smile only growing as the years went by. Changbin would constantly find himself wanting to take care of him, to give him advice and bring him comfort, wishing to be the one closest to him, but he didn’t think that was always the case - wishful thinking only took him so far. Regardless, he would always do his best to take care of Jeongin, he could excuse himself by saying that was his role as the oldest omega in the pack, but he couldn't really hide his fondness from anyone, it was obvious in his scent every time Jeongin was around, obvious to everyone, except Jeongin himself.

Jeongin saw him as an older brother, as the closest thing to a father figure in the group, so Changbin considered himself lucky that Jeongin didn’t know that his affections towards him were much different than that, he considered himself lucky because if Jeongin didn’t suspect him he couldn’t be disappointed by how Changbin loved him.

He already thought he pushed himself on Jeongin enough with how much he tried to hug him and kiss his cheeks, running after him in a way he knew was bound to make Jeongin laugh, and sometimes that was good enough, seeing Jeongin happy made him happy too.

When Jeongin admitted Changbin was his favorite to hug Changbin promised to be forever soft for him, so Jeongin would forever show him affection, and sometimes when he saw Jeongin seek someone else first Changbin would be surprised by his own possessiveness, which he always blamed on his omega, that purred whenever Jeongin was around and whined every time Jeongin was too far.

Changbin ignored his possessiveness when Jeongin stopped denying them physical affection, he felt proud of how far Jeongin came, feeling more comfortable and worthy of affection to the point that when Changbin (or any of them) wanted a hug, he would just open his arms and pat his back, that when Changbin wanted to use his thighs as his pillow, Jeongin would pat his soft curls, cheek kisses were still mostly a no (sometimes Felix managed to sneak in a few, and Changbin would watch with his jaw on the floor) and kisses on his lips… were only in Changbin’s dreams.

It was even nicer though when Jeongin started it all, Changbin would be delighted every time Jeongin told him to sit still so he could use his thighs as his pillow instead, when he leaned over to rest his head on his shoulder, when he appreciated Changbin’s muscles by squeezing his arms and even more when he massaged Changbin’s tummy before his heats, making his cramps seem almost non existent, sometimes he would wear Changbin’s coat to go out or steal one of his hoodies on the days he wasn’t at his best, and Changbin would secretly cheer every time he could smell himself on Jeongin.

Changbin would gladly lend him everything, he would strip his heart bare if Jeongin wanted him to.

But he never really expected Jeongin to want anything to do with him. 

Even if Jeongin was to present as an alpha, it didn’t mean he would consider Changbin as a mate. People said Changbin smelled like strawberries and lemon, but to some sensitive alphas he often smelled almost artificial - like he had spilled cough syrup on himself.

Even with all his confidence, sometimes Changbin’s approaching heat would make him feel insecure and he would try to hide the fact that said heat was approaching so the pack wouldn’t worry about making time for him, but no one would let him be by himself, they all knew how much he hated being alone.

Jeongin was never part of his actual heat or anyone's rut, but he was always there in other ways, taking care of them before by often helping omegas built their nests, by making sure they stayed hydrated and ate something during their heats and ruts and sometimes he would take care of them after everything was over. He was always gentle but firm, and sometimes Changbin's best memories of his most intense heats were how at the end of it all Jeongin would give him a bath, caressing his bruised body gently with a wet washcloth, how he would sit behind Changbin on the bathtub, just in his underwear, and let him doze off on his chest until the water turned lukewarm, sometimes he would wash Changbin's hair, massaging his scalp, his neck and his shoulders and even if Changbin was already part of a platonic pack, it made him feel like he belonged to something - to someone - even more. There, he would kiss Changbin’s cheeks softly, making sure he knew he deserved the gentleness and the comfort after what his almost uncomfortable heats would put him through. 

Changbin would always love the aftercare from his heats, when he would have not only Jeongin bathing him, but him and all the others within cuddling distance on his bed, on the couch and even the kitchen chairs.

Despite all that, Changbin still never expected Jeongin to see him as anything other than platonic, almost fraternal.

Another thing Changbin didn’t expect was to come home to a new scent on a random weekday after working out, but somehow he instantly knew who it belonged to.

“Innie is presenting.”

He’s excited for it, he knows Jeongin was scared it would never happen, so at least in a way, that’s a relief for him. Then his traitorous heart reminds him Jeongin will choose someone from their pack to be with him for his first rut and he’ll be the last option on his list- He gently slaps his cheek to interrupt his thoughts, this isn’t about him, so he takes a deep breath, filled with Jeongin’s still weak scent, and heads to his own room so he can change clothes, he’ll think about all of this later and maybe cry in the shower.

Chan stops him when he enters the kitchen to get some water and says:

“Innie is in a sour mood.”

“Oh,” Changbin expected that would happen.

“He's not aggressive or anything, but… He's losing his temper quickly and he shuts down when he notices he was mean to someone for something silly.”

“Should I talk to him?” Changbin knows that could not help at all, and he thinks he would actually start crying if Jeongin sneezed at his scent too now.

“I don't know, you could try, I think he's in his room.”

“Did anyone…?”

“Yeah, we tried talking and scenting him, the one who's succeeded the most so far was Minho. He growled at the rest of us and then felt bad about it, closed the door to his room and he’s been there since.”

“Oh, poor Innie…”

“Yeah, I think he'll be fine, it's just hard to control at the start,” Chan says, knowing on his own first rut he was aggressive and irritable towards everyone except Jisung. “I don't think he wants to be touched though, he's feeling more sensitive than usual and when we tried to scent him so he would feel calmer, he snarled at us.”

“Okay, I'll be cautious…” Changbin says, realizing maybe Jeongin would prefer to not even see him during his pre-hut. Changbin always tries to hug Jeongin when he’s upset and he doesn’t think he would be able to see him in pain and not get close, even if he got growled at and bitten. So he makes a silent promise to try and give Jeongin as much space as he often needs when he’s upset. “I'm gonna take a shower first and then I'll go talk to him.”

“Alright, goodnight Binnie.”

“Goodnight, hyung.”

Changbin takes nervous steps towards his own room, he just needs to grab some pajamas, take a shower and go say hello to Jeongin, nothing out of the ordinary, he can do it.

When he opens the door to his room, he's met with a sight he never expected to see: Jeongin is asleep on his bed, hugging one of his pillows with a serene expression on his face, like he has no worries in the world, he even has a barely there smile, making his dimples show in the softest way possible. He's so shocked by the it that he stops on his doorstep for a few seconds, wondering if for some reason he opened the door to the wrong room, but those are his things, his own white sheets, his own plushies on his nightstand, his own massage equipment on his desk near the window, his dumbbells on the floor… This is his room and for some reason, Jeongin is sleeping soundly on his bed.

At first he thinks he shouldn't bother him, that he should let him sleep there and go to the couch or someone else's room, but his instincts are louder and he checks up on him before he planned to.

“Baby?” Changbin gently touches his arm, he's a bit cold, so he pulls the covers up to his chest.

“Hm?” Jeongin stirs awake slowly, with a small smile when he makes out Changbin's face above his, his voice is rough from sleep so he must have been here a while. “Hi, hyung.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Changbin pats his head, combing his hair away from his face and Jeongin nuzzles into his touch.

It's normal that the others seek the omegas for comfort, even when the omegas are not home, they often come back to find the alphas and betas wearing their hoodies or curled up with their blankets, it's a way of nesting for all subgenders and it offers them comfort when they're stressed or anxious. So it's normal that Jeongin is doing this, Changbin tells himself, it's normal that he's doing this even if he growled at everyone else in their pack. He's not screaming internally with how much he wants to kiss and cuddle Jeongin, he isn't - but he looks so cute when he’s this sleepy, Changbin can't stop admiring his soft cheeks, beautiful eyes and his puffy lips, as if he was biting them in his sleep too.

“I couldn't sleep… Can I stay here tonight?”

He knows Jeongin isn't much of a cuddler and he promised he would give him space since he's not feeling that well, so he offers:

“Of course, baby. Do you want me to go?”

Before Changbin even finishes the phrase Jeongin is tugging at the end of his sleeve and his eyes glisten with a hint of possessiveness particular to alphas - warm and almost overbearing but still soft in Jeongin's sleepy tone - it makes the omega in Changbin shudder.

“Do you have to?”

“I- No, I don't…”

“Then stay with me, please,” Jeongin adds the “please” as an afterthought, letting go of his sleeve, letting him choose.

“I'll just- I'll take a shower and I'll come back,” Changbin says, he's been out all day and he's all sweaty from the gym.

“Hm… I like you scent the way it is now,” Jeongin replies, nonchalantly, nuzzling into Changbin's pillow again,

“I'll be quick-” Changbin whispers, when the compliment makes his knees feel weak, he justifies it on the fact that he got more weights for his leg exercises today, but he gathers himself and goes take a shower as his thoughts run a marathon.

Maybe Jeongin is just being this soft towards him because he's sleepy, maybe it doesn't really mean anything, maybe Changbin will be up in the morning and Jeongin will growl at him too, then it would convince him that this was actually a dream and Jeongin was never entranced by his scent to the point his faded smell on a pillow was enough to calm him down.

Hell, maybe he would come out of the shower and Jeongin would be getting up to go back to his own room.

He walks back slowly when he’s done, trying to ignore the thoughts that drag him low and finds Jeongin still on his bed, scrolling on his phone. He doesn't look at Changbin when he enters, but he loosens his grip on the pillow he was holding close to his chest and sighs.

When Changbin lies down, he still tries to give Jeongin a bit of space, he seems content hugging one of the pillows and Changbin doesn't wanna bother him. He turns to the side, back towards Jeongin, and tries to calm down his racing heart enough to sleep, but he feels a light touch on his waist and feels the mattress move with Jeongin, who scoots over to him, discarding the pillow completely and nuzzling his cheek and his chin on Changbin's neck instead as he places his arm on top of Changbin's waist, slotting his chest to his back.

He doesn't say anything and Changbin doesn't trust himself enough to say anything either, knowing his voice would come out as steady as a squeaky toy if he tried to speak. At the same time, his omega feels delighted, purring under the attention and Jeongin's touch.

The next morning Changbin wakes up alone and rolls over to stare at the ceiling, wondering since when he’s able to have dreams as lucid as this one, thinks what a cruel joke from his subconscious it is that he vividly remembers the feather light kiss on his neck and that he can still feel Jeongin's scent mixed with his on his pillow.

He sits up on a whim, trying to divert his energy from overthinking to getting up for breakfast. 

It’s unusual that the kitchen is so silent when they’re all eating but he understands when he gets there: Jeongin is sulking at the end of the table and Chan sits by his side, as if to create a barrier between his sour mood and everyone else.

“Good morning,” Changbin mumbles, eyes still heavy with sleep, the replies he gets from everyone are just as sleepy. He sits down in front of Jeongin, who looks up at him with bright eyes, sour mood suddenly sweeter.

Chan looks between them, noticing the sudden shift, but doesn't comment on it. He doesn't comment either when Changbin asks for a piece of bread to find the bowl empty and Jeongin slides two pieces from his own plate into his as if he was just keeping them for Changbin, just like he didn't comment when Jeongin growled at Seungmin for getting the last coffee before he could refill his own cup, but he does raise an eyebrow when he sees Jeongin smile when Changbin smiles at him, dimples still present as he chews on his food.

Changbin thinks maybe the night before wasn't a dream, but that the light blush on Jeongin's cheeks is definitely the fever from his approaching rut.

They cancel practice in favor of Seungmin’s approaching rut and Jeongin presenting so Changbin decides it’s a good idea to use that time to go to the gym instead. Chan and Jisung go with him and Jeongin thinks it might be a good idea to blow out some steam there, that maybe it will make him relax a bit more - he doesn't admit that Changbin’s scent makes him relax just enough, that he's just going because he feels the sudden need to keep an eye on him, but from the way Chan looks at him, he doesn't really need to say it outloud.

It’s just a regular day at the gym for them, Chan and Jisung go through their similar routine as Changbin and Jeongin go through their own and they watch as the two steal glances at each other, averting their gazes anytime they almost get caught, it's torturous - it's been going on for years now. But Chan notices the way Jeongin’s gaze grows hazy the longer he's next to Changbin, to the point he barely bothers averting his eyes when Changbin glances at him briefly, he doesn't step back when Changbin gets up from a bench and they're almost eye to eye, from where he's standing, Chan could swear their lips touched amd from the blush on Changbin cheeks as he almost falls back on the bench again, he guesses they didn't.

Jeongin holds Changbin’s waist before he trips and Jisung stops to watch how close they are again, the way Jeongin looks down, clearly staring only at his lips, the way he licks his own and murmurs something they can't hear and Changbin nods dumbly, lost in Jeongin’s sharp eyes. Jisung’s heart skips a beat in sympathy, knowing exactly what Jeongin is going through.

“He's scent drunk,” he murmurs to Chan, low even if he knows Jeongin and Changbin can’t hear them.

“He what?” Chan says, in his usual tone.

“Innie, he's scent drunk, look,” Jisung says and walks towards them, Chan trails behind him in case Jeongin attacks.

“Sungie…” Chan tries to stop him, but Jisung is too much of a tease to both of them on their regular days not to be one now.

“Alright, good job! Let's go home,” he walks towards them with his arms open.

Jeongin’s murderous gaze passes straight to him and goes towards Chan, as if he's to blame and not the bratty omega walking towards them.

He tightens his hold on Changbin’s waist for a brief moment, like Changbin is also one of his belongings like Chan and Jisung are any sort of threat towards him - and in that same moment Changbin doesn't wanna leave, the hug is sweaty and the hold on his waist almost too tight, but he could stay here, making sure Jeongin knows he would belong to him if he wanted.

Jeongin blinks a few times, loosening his hold and taking a step back, his voice is hoarse when he says:

“Yeah, let's hm- go home.”

Changbin stays in place as Jeongin goes to the back to grab their bags, hurrying like he has something to hide, Jisung snickers as he tells Chan an “I told you so” and Chan shakes his head, pretending to scold him even if he has a smile on his face.

“What?” Changbin asks.

“He's hard,” Jisung says.

“Oh, must be his rut.”

“It's you,” Jisung tries to reason.

Changbin laughs and Chan just watches them go “It's not”, “It is!”, “It's his rut!” and “Yeah, and you!” until Jeongin comes back, trying to subtly cover himself with his bag. 

“Let's go,” Jeongin clears his throat and the two omegas stop their bickering until they get home.

In their living room, Changbin takes of his sweaty shirt so it can dry before he puts it in the laundry basket, it reeks of his own scent, more lemon than strawberry when he’s tired like this and he waits for his turn in the shower while sitting leaning against the back of the couch. Jeongin gets out of the shower and Changbin watches as he goes to his own room, foolishly hoping he would go to his instead like he did the night before.

Changbin tries not to let his mind wander to what Jisung said before but it’s undeniable how Jeongin walked funnily on the way home, the way his bag never left his front until he was inside in his own room, and Changbin tries so hard not to think about it that it ends up being the only thing he thinks of. His hand wanders down, collecting his own slick to stroke his cock, angle allowing only the tips of his fingers to breach past his rim… and it’s not enough, his forehead rests against the cold tiles, trying to cool himself but he only gets harder.

“Innie…” he murmurs, eyes closed as he tries to imagine what it would feel like to feel Jeongin inside of him-

“Hyung!” Jeongin calls from the other side of the door, Changbin screams, taking his hands away from himself and raising them in the air like he’s doing something incredibly wrong. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just- sorry, what’s wrong?”

“We’re gonna order food, do you want anything specific?”

“I- No- Choose for me please!”

“Okay!”

And as he hears the steps fading away, guilt crashes down on his shoulders, he shouldn’t be doing this. Jeongin is only being affected by his rut, nothing more, maybe any omega would have made Jeongin get hard.

He finishes his shower as quickly as he can and then joins them to eat in the living room. He doesn’t find his shirt to put it in the laundry basket, but he just assumes someone took it away from the back of the couch so it wouldn’t reek of him too.

When they’re all done Changbin luck with games gets him the task of washing the dishes again, but this time it doesn’t seem so bad.

“I’ll help you, hyung,” Jeongin says, looking up at him when Changbin gets up.

“It's okay, baby. You should get some rest, you must be tired.”

Jeongin shakes his head and gets up too, gathering the plates, bowls and chopsticks from everyone who’s already done and carrying it from the living room to the kitchen sink so Changbin won't have to do it.

“I want to,” he says and the puppy eyes he makes strike right on Changbin's heart, split between the guilt of what he almost did earlier and his desire to be around Jeongin at all times. He promised to give him space but how can he deny him anything?

“Okay,” Changbin folds. He always folds when it comes to Jeongin.

“What do you want me to do?”

Changbin pretends to think while his head is flooded with images of him kissing Jeongin's pout away, he looks so pretty with his hair still drying after the shower, his eyes sharp even without make up and he chooses that moment to lick his lips, making Changbin force himself to look away and remember that Jeongin only sees him as a good hyung, nothing more.

“You can… hm- just keep me company?”

Jeongin nods but he still puts away the dishes and pots that were on the drying rack to free up more space for the few pieces Changbin washes. They're in silence in the kitchen, so it's easy to hear the footsteps approaching them, Seungmin leaves a glass on the sink and tiredly, almost mindlessly, scents Changbin in the process, rubbing his cheek on Changbin's before he steps away, his rut is approaching and he gets more needy - unlike most alphas who get more aggressive and possessive, Seungmin just wants to be taken care of when his rut hits.

Jeongin watches them with a frown, putting away the cutlery and his eyes follow Seungmin as he leaves.

“Hyung, can I hug you?” Jeongin asks when Seungmin goes away.

Changbin almost drops a bowl in the sink.

“Now?” Changbin asks, already lifting his soapy bubbly hands so Jeongin can fit against him - he would never pass on the chance to hug him.

“Yeah- not like this…” Jeongin stands behind him, wrapping his arms around Changbin's waist and slotting his face against his neck. Changbin's knees feel like jelly when Jeongin takes a whiff of his scent. “Is this uncomfortable?”

Changbin suddenly thinks he could wash dishes for hours and hours, but he's stunned and doesn't reply nor move, hands still in the air and he can hear the soap bubbles evaporating from them, he only manages to blink, processing how warm Jeongin feels against his back, pressed so close. Jeongin's hands move away from his waist and Changbin rushes to say something before Jeongin thinks he dislikes it - which means he wouldn't do it again, given how thoughtful he is.

“No, it's nice- it's good, baby,” Changbin tries to convince himself he doesn’t need to feel guilty about this - even if it makes him wet with slick.

Jeongin chuckles and Changbin can feel the vibrations on his back, he shivers when Jeongin scents him again, rubbing his cheek lightly on Changbin's scent gland before resting his chin on his shoulder, his omega almost purrs.

“I like it…” Jeongin says, his voice sounds dreamy and far away, almost like he's drunk and Changbin doesn't know if he's talking about his scent or the hug.

“Oh my…! Sorry,” Hyunjin stops at the doorway when brings his own glass over.

Jeongin doesn't say anything, nor growls like usual, but he tightens his hold on his waist again when Hyunjin gets closer and Changbin suddenly can feel his hips against his ass, having to remind himself and his omega that Jeongin is probably just indulging his alpha too much, that this is just momentaneous.

But his omega doesn't get the message. It's like Jeongin's alpha and Changbin’s omega are having a completely different conversation behind Jeongin's and Changbin's backs - he feels himself getting wetter, slick running down and soaking his underwear. His hands shake and he almost asks Hyunjin to stay and try to kick some sense into him but Hyunjin skips back to the living room avoiding eye contact with both of them.

He's almost done with the dishes and he regrets telling himself he could do this for hours, it's barely been ten minutes and he wants to rip off his clothes and have Jeongin fuck him over the counter. He takes a deep breath to calm himself, and another and then one more after that, trying to remind himself between each one that this is not what Jeongin would want if he was clear headed.

He thinks he's almost under control again - his hands aren't trembling anymore - when he starts to feel watched.

He looks back as best as he can with Jeongin still stuck to him like glue and from the doorway to the living room he can see six pairs of eyes on them, all with varying degrees of surprise, Minho has a smirk on his face and Hyunjin looks more eager than anything, like this is a personal novela for him, Seungmin looks as surprised as he looks smug and Felix is right behind him, looking like he never suspected this outcome, but Chan and Jisung don’t look surprised at all after working out together.

Jeongin doesn't let go of him, instead, when he notices everyone looking he does what Changbin least expects and kisses his neck - Changbin’s omega decides that's a good moment to let more slick rush down his thighs, and he has to hold to the edge of the sink so he won’t thrown his hips back towards Jeongin’s.

“Alright, let's go to bed everyone,” Chan hurries them all away from the kitchen, and Changbin is both relieved and desperate, he doesn't want them to watch but he doesn't want to be alone when he's so close to confessing his attraction in the worst way possible.

He hears mumbles of complaint through the ringing in his ears and Jeongin's sleepy voice cutting through it:

“We should sleep too,” he yawns and Changbin nods, desperate for any relief.

He lets go of Changbin but still trails after him as if they were glued, not even looking at the door to his own room.

“You're not going to your room?” Equally hoping for Jeongin to keep following him and to have a peaceful night of sleep, something he probably won't have with Jeongin near him.

“Can I sleep in your room again?” Jeongin asks, with the bright eyes and pout that would make Changbin give him the entire world.

“I- Of course, baby. Let's go to bed,” Changbin says.

He doesn't ask again and this becomes a silent arrangement between them, Jeongin sleeps on his bed and Changbin gets almost the amount of cuddles he ever wished to have from him.

It's great. Changbin loves it.

He just thinks his heart will leap from his chest every time Jeongin lies by his side and his thoughts of kissing him are stronger than ever before but Jeongin seems content, so he’s content too.

“Innie is much more relaxed when you're around lately,” Chan says the next day, when they’re at the gym. Jeongin couldn’t come with them and Chan took his chance to talk about it away from him.

“Yeah,” Changbin says, letting go of his weights and preparing himself for a conversation he doesn't really want to have.

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Jisung asks in a teasing tone, raising his eyebrows.

“Did you finally confess?” Chan asks, tone just as teasing.

“No and no. He's just- I think he's scent drunk.”

“We suspected it,” both of them say, and Changbin rolls his eyes when he's hit with just how connected his two friends are, finishing each other's phrases and sharing the same thoughts and emotions - he envies them sometimes, wishing his story would go down like theirs.

Changbin opens his mouth to ask, but they interrupt him:

“We just wanted to know if you knew.”

“I started suspecting after, you know-”

“That was cute,” Chan continues.

“It's driving me insane, that's what it is. Madness.”

“Oh, c'mon. Innie likes you.”

“Yeah, but- not like I like him.”

“You don't know that,” Jisung's smile is smug, Changbin wants to shake him by the shoulders and ask him: what does he know?

“He just thinks I'm a good hyung,” Changbin says, getting more weights to lift in his frustration, Jisung and Chan look at him with the exact same surprised expression. “Besides, I don't think he's going to want anything with me when his rut is over.”

“But hyung-”

“You know he had never kissed me before?”

“Did he kiss you!?” Chan asks, almost dropping a dumbbell.

“No- I mean, yes, not on the lips,” Changbin shakes his head, realigning his thoughts. “Point is: He never kissed me before and I don't think he actually wants to kiss me now but I can't stop thinking about kissing him,” Changbin finishes by pressing his forehead to the bar in front of him.

“Hey, it might not be that bad,” Jisung pats his head, a habit he got after seeing Chan doing it so often. “Like, I got scent drunk with Chan-”

“Innie is just so pretty,” Changbin continues with eyes closed, barely listening to them. “His eyes are so sharp… he’s so strong even if people might not suspect because of how cute he is… and then his hair is so soft and he smells so good and it’s getting even worse for me now that he’s presenting- and his lips, god, his lips are so pretty, they look so soft, I mean, they felt so soft too when he kissed my neck and- ugh,” Changbin lightly hits his forehead on the bar a few times, cursing his creative mind for making him see Jeongin’s wet lips with such clarity.

“They are soft- I mean-”

“I know he kissed both of you before, it’s fine,” it wasn’t fine, “I’ll get over him. I think I’m being affected by his scent too. Do I have a fever? My heat was a month ago, I still have two months-”

“As I was saying,” Jisung says, loudly cutting through Changbin’s dark cloud of thoughts. “I got scent drunk too and I’ve been with Chan ever since, so it might not be that bad.”

Changbin raises his head from the metal bar, there’s a red mark where his forehead was pressed to it, it makes Jisung chuckle while Chan coos at him.

“Yeah, but you and Chan were idiots pining over each other since you met. No offense,” he looks up at Chan, who’s still holding his face and smoothing his forehead.

“None taken,” Chan says, at the same time that Jisung goes: “You’re the idiot!”

“Okay, hear me out,” Jisung continues.

“Nothing good comes when he says ‘hear me out’,” Changbin mumbles, but Jisung pouts and he immediately relents, kissing his cheek. “Sorry, sorry, continue.”

“This might just be the push you both need to realize your feelings for each other,” Jisung crosses his arms despite the kisses he received.

“Maybe being scent drunk is just making him act on feelings he already had,” Chan adds, knowing it was partially what happened to him and Jisung.

Changbin sighs. They aren’t wrong but he doesn’t want to keep his hopes up, whenever he indulges his own hope, an echo of his their conversation and his own lie from years ago sounds inside his head:

“You seem most like an actual brother,” young and wide eyed Jeongin had said.

“That’s… Is that a good thing?” he asked.

“It can be a good or a bad thing, depends on how you look at it,” Jeongin had said, hugging his pillow. To Changbin, it was terrible. A bucket of cold water on top of his head, at that time he didn’t even know what he felt, he just knew being compared to Jeongin’s brother made him uneasy. “Your personality feels a bit like my brother’s, so I feel comfortable,” Jeongin didn’t look at him when he said.

“Comfort is the best thing.”

“My brother and my dad actually have similar personalities,” if he thought being compared to Jeongin’s brother was bad, this was worse.

“So I’m like a brother that’s also like your dad… I’m satisfied,” Changbin lied, looking at the grapes in front of them. When Jeongin changed the subject, he gladly swerved too, eager to talk about anything else.

“Yeah, I hope you’re right…”

Jisung smiles at him, he, better than anyone else in the pack, understands what he’s going through, Changbin remembers when he first presented, how much he struggled with his own feelings and how much he doubted if Chan liked him back. He’s happy for his friends, he’s happy they have each other and that they’re part of the same pack.

He still feels dejected on his way home, stepping down on his own hope with every step they take, but at the same time he thinks about Jeongin’s scent with every breath, thinks about how warm and comfortable his hugs feel whenever the wind licks his skin - and secretly, he hopes Jeongin will want to scent him again, hopes he’ll praise him again.

When he gets home he smells popcorn, the others probably decided it’s movie night. He opens the door and is immediately thrown back out, Jeongin’s weight in his arms making him stumble back, he smells even better than he did that morning and Changbin feels lightheaded, almost enough to forget everything they discussed at the gym just a few moments before, he wants to kiss him, his cheeks, his sharp cheekbones, his neck, his forehead, his beautiful lips…

“We were just waiting for you,” Jeongin says, and Changbin can feel the puffs of air against his skin, can feel when Jeongin inhales his scent, how it makes him shudder slightly on his arms and Changbin is just a step away from fucking everything up for a kiss.

Jeongin pulls away and from the crevices of their hug, Changbin’s guilt oozes out. What’s he even thinking? Jeongin is just scent drunk, Changbin can’t take advantage of him.

“I’m gonna- I’ll take a shower and I’ll be right back,” he says, sounding more curt than he intended.

“Rough day,” he hears Jisung saying behind him.

He takes a while in the shower, thinking about how the past few days were nothing like he imagined.

He thought that when Jeongin presented, he would barely get to see him, as he supposed Jeongin would be too busy with other omegas and the betas from their pack, he expected to be Jeongin’s last choice, not to cuddle him to sleep every night from the first sign of his rut. He never hoped to be his first choice, and it’s a sick, twisted joke from fate, that Jeongin wants him now just because his subgender orders him to and not of his own volition.

Sulking won’t change anything, so he turns off the water and puts on some pajamas, slapping on the moisturizer Jeongin got him as a gift a while ago, when he was mortified about Changbin using the same lotion on his face and body.

He goes back to the living room, dragging his feet to the first empty seat he finds, completely missing the way Jeongin was spreading himself over two seats just to save him a place. Jeongin furrows his eyebrows and sits properly as he watches Changbin make himself comfortable between Jisung and Hyunjin. Chan takes the place he saved for Changbin, even if he gets growled at for it first. Jeongin feels guilty every time he lets that happen, but the closer he gets to presenting the harder it is to control, he clasps his hands over his mouth and apologizes, and that comes out growly too, deep from his chest.

Jeongin doesn’t pay much attention to the movie, his attention gets sidetracked first when Hyunjin puts his head on Changbin’s shoulder, he barely contains himself, wanting nothing more than to just yank Changbin away from them and rub himself all over him, just so Changbin will smell like him, like them, his, but he breathes in and even amidst all the other scents, Changbin’s still manage to calm him down, even if just a bit. Almost, but not enough when Jisung decides it’s a good time to rest his head on Changbin’s legs instead of the back of the couch, he throws his legs over the armrest and hugs a pillow to his chest.

Jeongin growls.

Changbin finally looks up, locking eyes with a scowling Jeongin and offering him a small smile. Jeongin breathes in again, he knows there’s nothing different from any movie night, all of them throw themselves at Changbin for comfort and he knows Changbin enjoys that too, he loves being close to his pack members, Jeongin suddenly just wishes he could do that more naturally too. 

He smiles back at Changbin the best he can, but there’s a low rumble on his chest every time one of them moves. Chan is the only one to notice and he offers Jeongin a comforting hand to hold, and it’s good, he’s glad Chan is their pack leader, but it’s not what his alpha wants.

What his alpha wants comes later, when he instinctively follows Changbin to the bed he calls theirs, and he tries to make sure every other scent that isn’t his or Changbin’s is gone from his skin, from his clothes, from their sheets.

Changbin thinks that if he didn’t lose control before, this will definitely tip him over.

Jeongin’s hands are all over him, he thinks about stopping him, afraid that Jeongin’s alpha will force him into something he’ll regret but Changbin barely has any strength, right now he’s almost as affected by Jeongin as Jeongin is affected by him. His hands find purchase on Jeongin’s loose shirt, that shows too much of his defined arms and his chest and Changbin tries very hard not to think about mapping every inch of his skin with his tongue but it’s a lost battle, his thoughts circle them like a planet, like they’ll become a new gravity center if he finally kisses Jeongin.

And he wants it, he wants to create a whole new universe with him.

Jeongin holds him by the back of his head, pulling his hair just enough to expose his neck, so he can bury himself there on his scent glands, he kisses it and Changbin feels himself leak, hard in his underwear he pulls his hips away from Jeongin before he ruins everything. Jeongin interlaces their fingers, bringing Changbin’s wrist to his lips, kissing where he’s sensitive, feeling his pulse under his lips.

He’s burning up with want, his eyes roll back, he wants to give in, he wants to kiss Jeongin until he forgets his own name, he wants-

“Hyung… Can I kiss you?” Jeongin whispers against his ear, Changbin feels the press of his lips against his earlobe and yes, yes, that’s all he wants Jeongin to do…

“Baby, we should… We should sleep,” Changbin says, giving him a cheek kiss that requires all the self control he never thought he had.

Jeongin looks confused, looking from Changbin’s lips to his eyes and then far away.

“You don’t want to?” He sounds drunk when he asks.

“We shouldn’t…”

He takes his hands away from Changbin, it’s one of the hardest things he’s had to do, and he instantly feels cold.

“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable... I shouldn’t- Do you want me to leave?” he sounds more clear headed but hurt, like offering to be away from Changbin pains him.

Jeongin looks beautiful, he always does, but right now his messy hair falls on his cheek like a soft feather and Changbin wants nothing more than to kiss the furrow between his eyebrows, to smooth it and give him only soft, pleasurable expressions.

“No- it’s okay, baby…” Changbin pushes his hair away from his eyes. His pupils look dilated.

“Then-”

“Your rut is approaching and you- I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later.”

“Like what…?”

“Like kissing me, being with me,” the furrow between his eyebrows grows the moment Changbin finishes the phrase.

“Nothing I’m doing now is something I’ll regret later,” Jeongin whispers, he sounds upset, annoyed, angry, the flicker in his eyes tells Changbin he has more to say but Changbin doesn't push.

“You’re scent drunk, of course you’d say that.”

“I’m not,” Changbin gives him a soft, pained look.

Jeongin knows he’s wrong, Changbin’s scent feels almost like a drug to him, it’s addictive and it feels like he could live on that alone but he wouldn’t regret it- maybe this is something Changbin would regret, not him.

“Let’s keep things like this for now, ok?” Changbin says, his own heart breaking in his chest, he doesn’t think Jeongin would regret one single kiss and he would give him that if he knew they could stop, but he doesn’t think either of them could, Jeongin would be too high on his scent and he would give himself up if Jeongin pushed him just a bit more. So he stops them while he can still think for himself.

They don’t cuddle that night, Changbin keeps his distance and Jeongin respects it, but their wolves don’t care about whatever conflict they might have right now and Changbin wakes up with his head on Jeongin’s chest, with their legs tangled under the sheets, with Jeongin’s hand around his waist, and before his guilt can consume him, his sleep does, and he falls asleep again as the first lights of the morning fill their bedroom.

Jeongin slowly shakes him awake in what feels like seconds later, in his gym clothes and scent blocker stickers on his neck and wrists, Changbin already got used to his scent and it’s foreign to him now how Jeongin smells like his old perfume and not like his own scent. Changbin buries his nose on the pillow Jeongin was using before, closing his eyes again for another nap.

“Hyung.”

“Five more minutes…” he mumbles, closing his eyes again, he feels his hair being caressed and hears a light chuckle and he thinks he could stay in bed all day like this, Jeongin’s touch is soft and Changbin feels himself melting more into the pillows with each pat.

“Jisung and Chan already came home from the gym,” Jeongin whispers, not to disturb Changbin’s sleep if he really wants to stay in.

“How late are we?” Changbin suddenly sits up.

“Just a couple hours.”

“You could have woken me up,” he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

“I know,” Jeongin smooths his hair again, even if Changbin will end up wearing a cap. “But you looked so pretty.”

Changbin gets his feet stuck on the sheet as he tries to get up, too stunned by the compliment to pay attention, and it’s worse when Jeongin is right there to hold him, he thinks he would be glad face planting on the ground, maybe his face would be less red then.

“It looked like you needed to rest too,” Changbin looks up at him and suddenly feels out of breath, but breathing in fills him with Jeongin's scent despite the blockers on his neck, his room is filled with things that now smell just like Jeongin.

“Yeah, I- I should get ready,” Changbin says, but he can't concentrate, he can still feel the ghost of Jeongin's touches on his skin, the kiss on his trembling wrist, his chest under his cheek from a memory he almost thinks he made up.

He splashes some cold water on his face, tries to regain his balance, both physically and mentally, and goes out again after he changes into work out clothes, Jeongin is sitting on his bed, scrolling on his phone and looking like he was carefully carved out of a piece of marble.

Changbin thinks going out with Jeongin today, or any other day after he presents, is going to be a struggle: he gets distracted by how Jeongin's lips move when he asks a question, how he licks his lips before speaking, how soft and shiny they look when wet, how they form a slight pout when he finishes speaking - Changbin doesn't hear a word he says -, he gets distracted by his scent, by the way his arms move, the way his adam’s apple goes up and down when he swallows, the way his eyes get sharper when he's concentrating.

But he has to remember Jeongin's attraction to him is just temporary before he does something that will eventually push Jeongin away, so he nods to whatever Jeongin asks and they go out - even if all Changbin wants is to stay in bed and do something about the slick that's bound to coat his gym shorts before he gets to finish his work out session.

He and Jeongin don't have the same routine today, he moves to his arm and chest exercises while Jeongin starts core exercises - which the doctors said could help with possible cramps. He loses sight of Jeongin for a while and finds one of his friends doing almost the same routine as him, they spot each other in a few exercises and Changbin feels a looming presence near them, but he just thinks it could be a fan and it wouldn't be the first time, even if this gym isn't really open for everyone sometimes a fan manages to sneak in.

He spots Jeongin from a few machines away, sweat beading on his forehead and rolling down his rosy cheeks, he locks his jaw and grunts when he turns for his bicycle crunches and Changbin almost loses his grip on the chest press machine, his heart skips a beat when he notices that despite being concentrated on his exercise, Jeongin's eyes never leave him.

He’s the ominous presence near them, watching over him and his friend with a possessive gaze.

It gets worse when his friend corrects his posture after he almost loses his grip, that’s his first mistake. He loses sight of Jeongin until he's standing too close to them, there's a low rumble on his chest when he says:

"I'll take it from here," and puts his hand right where Changbin's friend had put his.

"It's no problem!" His friend smiles, putting his hand on Changbin’s shoulder to correct him again, his second mistake.

Jeongin's glare deepens and it seems his scent blockers work on everyone except Changbin, because his friend, another alpha, doesn't get intimidated by him in the slightest while Changbin feels the aggression leaking out of Jeongin's every pore. He should intervene but he's so surprised by Jeongin's reaction that he barely moves, never in a million years thinking he would have two alphas in conflict because of him, his omega feels desired and it makes his reactions sluggish, just watching as Jeongin mutters something he can't quite believe leaves his mouth:

"He's my omega."

Changbin's friend looks between them, to his bewildered face and Jeongin's angry one. He finally gets up when his friend doesn’t move, thinking Changbin’s surprised face means he doesn’t feel safe.

"Okay, alright. I think we should go home," he says, dragging Jeongin with him to the back so he can get his bag.

There’s a rumble in his own chest that almost matches Jeongin's growl, his omega purrs over the display of possessiveness, Jeongin puts his arm over Changbin's shoulders, giving the same glare as before to everyone that crosses paths with them while Changbin sports an apologetic smile that contrasts with his warm cheeks and his purr.

In the end he really didn't manage to finish his work out session without his shorts getting wet with slick.

Jeongin smells it, his hand from Changbin's shoulder going down to his lower back and to the back pocket of his shorts, his hand burns him even through the fabric and Changbin wants him to rip it off and-

"Go change," Jeongin whispers through gritted teeth, his grip tightening before he lets go.

Changbin nods, grabbing his bag and going to the omega's bathroom so he can put on the spare pair of shorts he brought.

Jeongin waits for him by the door, as if he's daring anyone to try and come close to Changbin ( his omega , Changbin's mind chants while he tries to think logically).

Jeongin’s pupils are fluctuating between normal and dilated when he looks at Changbin again and that’s… not a good sign. His rut should take a few more days to strike but whatever happened at the gym today is making it arrive faster.

Jeongin takes off one of the blockers on his wrist, cupping Changbin's neck to place it right on his scent glands, and it makes him shudder, Jeongin wants Changbin to smell like him. He leans closer and this time Changbin is too out of it to pull away before Jeongin plants a kiss on the corner of his lips.

"Hyung," Jeongin whispers, almost into his lips and Changbin has to force himself to hear through the white noise the almost kiss ignited on his brain. "Be with me for my rut."

It's not a question. It's a demand.

"I can't…" He hears his own voice saying, white noise so loud in his brain he almost doesn't hear himself continuing: "I don't want you to regret your first rut."

Changbin tries to focus again, they're still in public. He needs his scent to be calmer, so it can help Jeongin focus too, but he shifts from feet to feet, feeling himself getting wet again.

"Why would I regret being with you?" Jeongin sounds pained, matching how Changbin feels.

He can make a big list with all the reasons, but none that he can tell Jeongin without admitting his own feelings. Changbin would fall for him even more and it would be a problem for the whole pack when Jeongin comes to his senses again.

"You should be with someone you like even when you're not scent drunk," Changbin closes his eyes when he says. "So if you accidentally mark them, there won't be… unwanted bonds."

“Unwanted-?”

Jeongin gets it then.

Changbin doesn’t want him. Not like this.

To Changbin, Jeongin will always be a baby.

A shiny thing to keep in his pocket for his worst days, something he’ll love and appreciate but never want, never desire.

Jeongin remembers the night before more clearly now and realizes Changbin probably just let Jeongin scent him because his rut is close and his alpha chose him, he was just being  nice and Jeongin took too many liberties with that, they were in the same pack and all of them belonged together in one way or another, but he realizes now that his relationship with Changbin will never go beyond platonic.

He takes his hand away from his neck and steps away from Changbin, heart aching more with every step he takes. Why was he even trying? He kept taking one step forward and Changbin took two steps back.

"I'm so sorry, hyung," Jeongin covers his wrist with the blocker again and walks away. Changbin calls for him but he cuts him off with a: "I'm gonna go home, I need- I need some time to think."

He doesn't look back, he doesn't see the way Changbin's fingers trace the place their lips connected, the place Jeongin's hand connected with his nape, where his scent still lingers on his skin. He only sees Changbin's words rotating in his mind, how he failed to notice before that all of this was never what Changbin wanted. Changbin has always treated him well, treated him sweetly, done everything Jeongin wanted him to do, but maybe this had been making Changbin uncomfortable all along, he never wanted Jeongin to be that close to him - all the kiss attempts and the hugs from before he started presenting were just jokes and Changbin would never consider him a potential mate.

At home, he doesn’t enter their- Changbin’s room. He goes to his own even if it feels wrong. It feels wrong not to lay on the bed he shared with Changbin for the last few days, to not be surrounded by his calming and addictive scent but still, he takes a shower, rips off the scent blockers, washes away every trace of Changbin’s scent from his skin and tries not to cry.

The words “unwanted bonds” echo around in his skull as the water washes away the soap from his sensitive skin - every touch feels like a burn now while every graze of Changbin’s body on his felt soothing.

It’s there in the lukewarm shower, that he decides it’s best for himself and for the pack if he spends his rut by himself. He doesn’t want anyone right now except Changbin. His alpha doesn’t want to mark anyone except Changbin right now and Changbin doesn’t want any of it. He doesn’t want Jeongin’s kisses, or his touches, much less have a permanent mark on him to showcase their bond. It makes sense now - it did before, but Jeongin refused to see.

After his shower, when his eyes and his skin are less red, he talks to Chan, knocks on the door to his room and Chan urges him to come in, sensing the anxiety on his scent.

“What’s wrong?” He sits at the foot of his bed with Jeongin, holding one of his hands. Jeongin forgets that having a subgender makes him constantly vulnerable to be read by others with ease. But if so, then why can’t Changbin believe him when Jeongin says he wants him? Isn’t his scent being obvious enough?

“I decided that I’m gonna spend my rut on my own,” Jeongin looks down, he doesn’t want it, he doesn’t want any of it. For years before he presented he worried if he would ever have a subgender and now that he does, he wishes he could go unpresented for all his life, maybe things would be easier.

“Why? What about Changbin?”

“‘When I asked, he said… he said I should be with someone I like, so I won’t regret it,” his leg bounces nervously.

“But you asked him-”

“Yeah,” Jeongin replies, knowing the rest of Chan’s phrase before he speaks, and yes, that means he likes Changbin, that he wants him. But there’s nothing he can do about it.

“But why wouldn’t-” Chan cuts himself off and Jeongin feels how his mood shifts, the sudden bitterness to his scent that denounces his annoyance, his anger. Jeongin thinks he provoked it and tries to shorten his stay in his room, his own alpha feels beaten down, not even mustering a growl as it usually would whenever it felt threatened before. It gets calmer again in a couple seconds and Jeongin is amazed by Chan’s self control. “Would you still want him to be with you if he changed his mind?”

Jeongin looks down, he shouldn’t want him, not when he knows Changbin doesn’t want him back, but if Changbin changed his mind, Jeongin couldn’t deny his desire, he can barely deny it now. He nods and Chan sighs - Jeongin doesn’t think it’s for him this time.

“Other than that you could use toys, might not be as good or as efficient, but it’s helpful.”

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll do that,” Jeongin smiles.

“It’ll be fine, Innie. Whatever you need, we’re here with you,” Chan puts a comforting hand on his thigh.

And Jeongin knows - he’s glad his pack feels like home, it’s his fault that he likes Changbin beyond their platonic agreement, but even then he’s happy to have a pack as good as this one.

On his way back, Changbin is overthinking.

He promised himself he would always take care of Jeongin, told himself he focused on him the most so he would be able to tell how he felt even without a subgender to denounce him and now he realizes just how much he failed at it.

The whole time Jeongin was infatuated with his scent, Changbin focused so much on his own heartbreak that he forgot to consider how Jeongin could be feeling beyond that, how conflicted he could be feeling - and today he almost believed Jisung and Chan were right, that Jeongin liked him even without the influence of his rut.

He still couldn’t shake the feeling. The face Jeongin made when Changbin said he couldn’t spend his rut with him shattered his heart more than a possible rejection would, and he was trying to muster enough courage to knock on Jeongin’s door and give him whatever he needed, whatever he wanted. His own heart be damned, he could mend it later.

When he opens the door to their house, he stumbles on Minho and impulsively asks:

“Hyung, can we talk?”

“Yeah,” Minho says, furrowing his eyebrows, sensitive to the distress in Changbin's scent. “But I'm on my way to buy groceries, Seungmin's rut hit and Felix is helping him out, I need to buy some fruits for Jeongin to eat during his rut too.”

“I'll go with you.”

Minho gives a cat-like smile and nods, which means he would love some company - especially to carry the weights.

“I think I did something stupid,” Changbin admits after a comfortable silence settles.

“Are you hurt?” Minho gives him a once over, walking backwards in front of him.

“No, I'm fine-”

“Is someone else hurt?”

“No, wait, lemme start from the beginning.”

So Changbin tells him everything. How he found Jeongin on his bed at the start of the week, how Jeongin praised his scent, how possessive Jeongin had been the past week, to the point of putting himself between Changbin and the others, and Minho hums, remembering tidbits he was there to see, he tells Minho about the talk he had with Chan and Jisung, about the movie night, about his torment when Jeongin scented him and asked to kiss him, how his heart broke when he denied him the night before, how it broke even more because today Jeongin asked him to be with him for his rut-

“And you said no?” Minho asks, putting a few more fruits on the basket he's making Changbin carry for them, it's his price to hear him being a fool.

“He's scent drunk! He won't care about me when it's over!” Changbin defends himself.

“He's gonna care for you as much as he does now, isn't that enough?”

“Ah,” Changbin opens his mouth but closes again when he doesn't know what to say.

“He's not going to suddenly dislike you if he fucks you,” Minho says, an old lady passing by gives them a weird look, Changbin gives her an apologetic smile. “Even if he didn't want you, he's still your friend and part of our pack, he wouldn't avoid you, things wouldn't be weird.”

“But I- I don't think I can do it without getting attached.”

“You can get even more attached?”

“Hyung!”

Minho chuckles before he continues:

“I don't think Innie can either… But you're a fool, Changbin-ah,” Minho shakes his head. “If he got scent drunk, like you said-”

“You saw it-”

“I wish I hadn't,” Minho says, despite the gentle, fond smile he had whenever he saw the two together. “My point is: If he got scent drunk, he probably liked you before.” 

“I thought that was a myth.”

Minho chuckles as he chooses a few mandarins, he takes longer than needed, flipping them over and squeezing the porous skin, putting off what else he has to say.

“Hyunjinnie… he loves to tell me about those things when we stay up talking, he likes how people's omegas and alphas make a choice for them when they take too long to act on their attraction,” Minho closes the mandarin bag. “He likes the idea of how it makes you helpless until you admit to your love.”

Changbin eyes him, how quiet his voice gets at the end, the slight change in his scent, the shake of his bottom lip.

“Hyung, I think we need to talk about you two too…” He offers, putting a hand on Minho's shoulder, Minho shakes his head.

“It's fine, I hope he finds the love he dreams about,” Minho cools his expression again, giving Changbin another kitten-like smile.

“You're a fool,” Changbin says and with Minho's expression he adds: “Hyung-nim.”

“We'll be fine.”

“You're the love he dreamed about.”

Minho makes a face at that, like he ate a sour lime, but his scent gets smoother again and his shoulders relax a little.

“Innie loves you, Changbin-ah. Even if you're too focused on your pain to see it, he loved you before he was scent drunk and he’ll still love you afterwards…” Minho says, walking down the bread aisle, like it's just a regular comment and not something that shatters Changbin and confirms his suspicions.

He fucked up.

He doesn't reply at first but when they finish paying and walk back home Changbin realizes why he was so insecure about this whole thing, why he doubted Jeongin’s affection so much:

“I didn't think it was possible for someone to like my scent to that point,” he mumbles and with the light rain around them Minho almost doesn't hear.

“What's wrong with your scent?”

“It's bad-”

“It's good! What are you on about!?”

“It's bad! It's not soft like an omega's should be.”

“It matches you, so it's perfect. You're also not what a stereotypical omega looks like and everyone loves you for it.”

“Minho-hyung!” Changbin stops in his tracks, not ready to be reassured and given confidence in the middle of the street.

“What?” Minho blinks, stopping to turn back towards him.

“Thank you,” Changbin hugs him, or tries to, it's hard with so many eco bags on their hands.

“Don't get home smelling like me, I don't want the fox to be upset again.”

Changbin chuckles, walking beside him again.

“You really think my scent is likable?”

Changbin came a long way with it, from being a trainee who almost didn't debut because his scent wasn't marketable enough, to having other trainees bully him for it and then finally to being in a loving pack, who loved him the way he was, with fans who loved him for what he was too, but sometimes he would still get too in his head about it all, when the plushies with his scent would stay on the shelves for longer than others, when someone passed by him and sneezed… his good days were more frequent than his bad ones, but he still got them from time to time.

“I think your scent is lovely, we're all happy when you scent us.”

Changbin doesn't do that often, he doesn't think anyone would want to smell like him.

“Really?”

“Uhum,” Minho says with a raise of his eyebrows, he doesn't want to be questioned on this.

Coming home in the opposite direction they came from is Jeongin, carrying a bag from the drug store, with a mask on a cap, not in the mood to be recognized by fans - Changbin however, would recognize even the shape of his shadows in a dim lit room.

“Baby,” Changbin says with a gentle smile, planning to talk to Jeongin about earlier, wanting to fix things.

“Hyung,” Jeongin says along the rumble in his chest, he looks down at it, like his own body is betraying him and walks inside before Changbin or Minho can say anything else.

Changbin goes after him and by the time he's inside, Jeongin is already closing the door to his own room behind him. Changbin then realizes how weird it feels to not have Jeongin in his own room for once.

Even through the wood of the door he can feel the spike of possessiveness in Jeongin's scent, he spreads his own scent, calmly and softly, and notices how it almost immediately makes Jeongin calmer, he didn't expect it to work so well, even with all the evidence he had before.

On the other side of the door Jeongin is conflicted, while Changbin's scent calms him to the point he almost feels dizzy, it upsets him how much power Changbin has over him, how even on the outskirts of his rut Changbin still manages to make his alpha not be feral.

“Baby,” Jeongin hears muffled by the door. 

“Hm?” He doesn't want to reply and that's all his alpha manages to force out of him.

“Can we talk?”

“Hm… I'm not feeling well, hyung,” technically, it's not a lie.

He rests his forehead against the door, trying to keep himself away from Changbin. With his rut knocking on his door too, he doesn’t think being this close to Changbin is good for him, he can’t think about anything else other than kissing him, biting him, tasting his slick, feeling his warmth, knotting him… He doesn’t even know what knotting someone feels like, but it’s all he’s able to think about.

“Let me help-”

“You don't have to…” Jeongin feels all the hairs in his body standing up the more Changbin spreads his scent to try and calm him down, he’s calm now, but the desire burns in his bloodstream, he shakes and forces himself to take one step away from the door - on the other side, Changbin does the same.

“But I want to-”

“I'll be fine,” Jeongin tries to sound reassuring but he's anxious and he doesn't think he can mask his scent at this point in his rut.

“C'mon,” he hears another voice and the sounds of steps fading away.

He’s shaking when he opens the bag with the lube bottles he got from the pharmacy, he can’t help but chuckle to himself noticing he only got the strawberry scented ones - it reminds him of Changbin, even if these are too sweet, not as good or as tangy as his scent.

He tries to get some sleep before his rut makes him too jittery, he knows from what his hyungs said that he won’t be able to get much sleep after it hits, so a nap sounds ideal.

But he can’t sleep.

His room doesn’t smell right and he tosses and turns, trying to convince his brain that he can sleep without Changbin around. But he can’t, he got used to the warmth and the scent, the sound of Changbin breathing deeply beside him, showing he was already asleep so Jeongin should follow soon.

He gets up and paces, one finger crooked between his teeth to try and keep himself from tearing his door from the hinges just to cuddle Changbin on their- his bed. Not Jeongin’s anymore - never was. He breathes in again and feels a faint strawberry and lime scent coming from somewhere in his room he can’t quite pinpoint… until he remembers the sweaty shirt he stole from Changbin one day after the gym, it’s deep in closet now, but it’s the scent his brain locks on and keeps him from running away from his own room.

He puts the shirt on, feeling a bit more settled than before when he lies down now. Finally being able to catch some sleep, even if he doesn’t rest as much as he wishes, his dreams are full of Changbin, of strawberries and lime, of loud moans and shaky kisses. But also full of embarrassment, of unwanted possessiveness and rejection, of Changbin saying he doesn’t want to see him anymore after the way he behaved that morning, almost baring his teeth for a friend, claiming something that wasn’t his even if he was pack.

He wakes up to knocking on his door, with sweat making Changbin’s shirt cling to his body and his hair clinging to his head.

When Changbin was driven away from Jeongin’s door earlier, he wanted to fight back, he wanted to make things right, he needed to be there for him. Then he wants to fight himself when Chan tells him Jeongin decided to spend his rut alone because he doesn’t want to give anyone any unwanted bonds. His own words echo in his head with his regret, knowing he should have never said that to someone he cherished so much, to someone he wanted so close…

Just like Minho had said, Changbin was a fool.

He thought he was a fool to want someone that didn’t want him but he was a bigger fool to deny Jeongin any sort of help when he always promised to be there for him - and being there for him includes his first rut too.

So while he knows Jeongin is trying to sleep before his rut starts, Changbin worries: he knows being by yourself for a first rut or heat can be very intense when you barely know how to seek relief for yourself, it’s not the same as having sex without the influence, it feels like your body burns from inside out if you don’t get the relief you seek and he doesn’t want Jeongin to go through the same things he did, especially not when he has the safety net Changbin didn’t have as a teenager presenting too early, and now Changbin wants to hit his head against the wall for making Jeongin feel like he shouldn’t have that help. It’s all his fault.

He tries to take a nap too, but his thoughts are too heavy and no amount of weightlifting can get the guilt away from his shoulders. So he paces, he thinks and overthinks, if he can’t sleep while surrounded by Jeongin’s scent he wonders if Jeongin is being able to sleep well without him around - then he slaps his own forehead for being so conceited, Jeongin must be sleeping just fine without him, even better maybe.

He lies down on their bed again, holding the pillow Jeongin was using this past week, inhaling his deep scent and trying to calm his racing, anxious heart. It’s the middle of the night by now and Changbin doesn’t even remember if he managed to sleep or not but like in a frenzy he gets up, and when he realizes he’s knocking on Jeongin’s door again, almost like he sleepwalked, guided by his subconscious towards what he was craving the most.

Even through the door, Changbin is overwhelmed by Jeongin’s scent and now that he’s not trying to be in complete control of his desire anymore, all he wants is to submit.

He’s almost taken aback by how much he wants to crawl into Jeongin’s bed, with his ass in the air for Jeongin to use him however he wants - he had those thoughts before, his heats would flood him with thoughts like those even more than his wet dreams and daydreams did, but never with this intensity.

When the door opens he forgets everything he had planned to say:

“Is that my shirt?” He says instead, jaw slack seeing the shirt he thought he had lost.

“Sorry, I can give it back,” Jeongin says, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and Changbin stops him from removing it, he’s burning up.

“No, you can- keep it… I’m sorry that I woke you up.”

“What’s wrong?”

Changbin feels guilty, he should be the one asking that, taking care of him, but Jeongin blurts it out first. Changbin notices a shiver running down his body, his arm hairs standing up, the way he’s breathing through his mouth to avoid being affected by Changbin’s scent - and he knows that’s normal, that Jeongin is just trying to keep his alpha from instinctively pouncing on him, but he’s so nervous about suggesting being with him after rejecting him early, that it takes him back to the time he was with an alpha for the first time, the one who sneezed because of his scent and then made sure everyone knew his taste was worse than his smell.

But none of that matters now. Jeongin looks at him with so much lust, so much desire, that Changbin has to cross his legs to keep slick from rushing down.

“I can’t sleep… I wanted to check on you,” Changbin suddenly needs to breathe through his mouth too. “Do you need anything, baby? Hyung can get it for you.”

Jeongin visibly winces and Changbin worries again, is something wrong? Is he in pain? His scent denounces him but is it physical or is it the heartbreak Changbin refused to acknowledge before?

He takes a step closer and Jeongin takes a step back.

“I need- I-” Jeongin sighs, he’s tired, he doesn’t know what he needs, he only knows what he wants and how he wants, and he wants Changbin, under him, locked on his knot. He shakes his head, breathes through his mouth again.

Right now, if Changbin doesn’t intend on staying, Jeongin needs him to leave, there’s crescent moons on his palms from trying to hold himself back.

“Do you want me to stay?”

Jeongin starts to nod, dominated by his need, but he furrows his eyebrows, why is Changbin even offering?

“Why?”

“I changed my mind- I want to be here for you, if you still want me to be.”

“Changed your mind?” Jeongin doesn’t sound convinced, he shakes his head, mirroring Changbin’s words from earlier: “I don’t want you to regret anything later.”

“My only regret would be not staying with you,” Changbin takes another step forward and this time Jeongin doesn’t back away.

“I don’t know, hyung…” Jeongin says against his alpha’s will.

“Innie, if you promise me you’ll still want to be around me after this, then I won’t regret a thing,” Changbin takes another step forward, Jeongin doesn’t back away again.

“Why wouldn’t I want to be around you?” He looks puzzled and his confusion is clear in his voice, even if he sounds more out of breath the closer Changbin gets to him.

“I thought you… Since you’re scent drunk,” Jeongin tsks and looks away when he says it, “I thought you’d be upset if helped you with your rut, that you’d regret if you accidentally bit me, I mean, you never even kissed me before and-”

Changbin finds out it feels like sunlight, being kissed by Jeongin feels like basking in the warmth of sunlight.

He holds Changbin’s cheeks on his palms, caressing his cheekbones with his thumb as he pulls away, and Changbin is still processing the velvety feel of Jeongin’s tongue against his when he’s pulled into reality again as Jeongin says:

“I could never regret being with you. The way I feel right now is how I felt even before I started presenting…”

Changbin shakes his head slightly, he doesn’t realize he’s doing it until Jeongin holds him in place, but he doesn’t believe him, for a second he thinks Jeongin is just saying this to make him feel better, even if he knows Jeongin would never lie about something like this, not when it means so much to both of them.

“Baby…”

“I'm not just a baby, you know… I wish you'd want me too” Jeongin continues.

“It’s not- I want all of it, baby, I want you…”

“Then promise me you won’t regret this,” Jeongin asks.

“I promise,” Changbin nods, mumbling into Jeongin’s lips.

If the first kiss felt like sunlight, the second one feels like flying too close to the sun.

He feels hot against Jeongin’s body and all he wants is to shed himself of everything and become one with the sun, with Jeongin and his blinding smile that always clear the biggest storms on Changbin’s cloudy brain.

Right now, feeling his lips move against his own, Jeongin's hand on his jaw and his grip on his waist, drawing him closer and closer, he wipes out every thought from Changbin's brain. It feels so good that for a second he regrets not risking everything for a chance of kissing him before, it would have been worth a heartache.

“Then stay with me,” Jeongin pleads and Changbin feels the movements against the corner of his lips, he nods.

“For as long as you want me,” Changbin closes the door behind him.

“You’d never leave,” Jeongin whispers, more aware than he was a few moments before.

Jeongin brings him closer, flushing  their bodies together but still tentative, not sure of how much of Changbin he can touch.

“I’m all yours,” Changbin replies, and Jeongin isn’t sure if he said his question outloud or not, but at this point there isn't much he can care about except the man in front of him. “Everything is yours.”

The next kiss is desperate, Jeongin bites Changbin’s lower lip, dragging it and then kissing it again to soothe the ache when he hears a moan, he flushes their hips together and he can't even be embarrassed about how hard he is when Changbin is in the same state.

He loses control, kiss by kiss he feels his grip slipping away and his instincts taking over, he never felt like this before and he wonders if Changbin brought him to such a state, with his sinful plumpy lips slotting so perfectly against his own, or if it’s his rut, breaking before he thought it would. In the end it’s a mix of both, he feels lightheaded the closer he gets to Changbin, he wants to consume him, bite into him, feel his scent on his tongue, his moans on his lips, his warmth all around him.

He takes hold of Changbin's hips and lifts him, he yelps in surprise, wrapping his arms around Jeongin's shoulders, legs around his hips and somehow it's worse like this, with Jeongin's dick pressing into his now too tight pants, he moans again and Jeongin ruts against him when his back is pressed to the wall, he throws his head back, exposing his neck for Jeongin to bite - he wants it, he wants Jeongin to mate him so bad - but when he feels his teeth graze his neck, he pulls Jeongin away by the hair, it just makes him groan and want more, it feels good when Changbin is rough, it feels good to be rough.

It’s a silent agreement to no bites and when they lock eyes for a brief second, it's like another silent agreement is made: they'll talk about it later.

Jeongin walks them to his bed and kneels between Changbin's open legs, pressing one of his knees against him as he lowers himself for another kiss, opening Changbin's pants and pulling them off, removing his shirt by kissing every part of his belly that he exposes until it's completely off, it makes Changbin laugh, sensitive to the fluttering touches, but Jeongin kisses the smile away, making Changbin moan into his lips when he presses their hips together.

Every part of him that touches Changbin is aflame, and it feels good , unlike before when all he could do was feel Changbin's faint scent on his sweaty shirt, now he could become one with the fire and live to tell the story - and even then he would keep it all to himself.

His fire, his Changbin, his mate .

Jeongin stops, backs away.

Changbin props himself on his elbows to look at him properly and realizes Jeongin is biting his own hand.

“What's wrong?” he kneels too, wobbly from being kissed for so long but worried when he sees a droplet of blood staining Jeongin's lips as he pulls his hand away. His own lips almost matching the redness from the pressure of their kisses, from pulling Jeongin closer, closer, until they could fuse together.

“I want you- I want to mark you…” Jeongin whispers, his voice sounds coarse, like he's far away, his pupils are dilated and sweat beads on his forehead.

Changbin almost lets him, almost begs for it, but he needs to be clear headed for them both. If Jeongin's rut took over him, Changbin can't let it take over himself too.

He softly kisses the bite mark right where his canines broke the skin, and Jeongin shivers when he licks the blood away from his lips, deepening the kiss when he brings Changbin to sit on his lap.

“Take a breath,” Changbin whispers.

“That's a terrible idea,” Jeongin chuckles as he nips his shoulder, as close as he should get to where a mating mark should be. “I wanna bite you enough as it is.”

“Innie…”

“Hyung…” Jeongin bites his own lips and rubs his cheek on Changbin's neck, getting more of Changbin's scent on his skin, making them become one the way he can now. “Can I eat you out?”

Changbin shivers when he feels the movements of Jeongin's lips and the puffs of air against his ear, his heart almost beating out of his chest when he hears the question. He loves being eaten out, but he hates asking for it and almost always denies when offered, denies the orgarms that make him shake to his core in favor of not having to fear that they'll be disgusted by his taste.

“You- you don't have to,” Changbin pulls away a little, so affected by how sure of his own desire Jeongin sounds that he stutters when trying to reject him.

“You don't like it?” Jeongin asks between the kisses he lays on Changbin's chest, and for a moment Changbin is scared Jeongin will hear how fast and how strongly his heart is beating.

Changbin still expects a heartbreak at the end of all of this, but it might come sooner than he expected if Jeongin dislikes his taste too. He tries to convince himself that if Jeongin likes his scent that much, he won't be displeased by his slick but he takes so long to reply, just blinking as he tries to process his thoughts, that Jeongin takes it as a negative reply.

“It's alright,” he says, sounding more clear headed than he actually is. “I won't do it if you don't want-”

“It's not that,” Changbin hurries. “What if you don't like it?”

Jeongin chuckles again: “I've been dreaming about eating you out ever since before I presented.”

His cheeks are warm by the admission that almost breaking their silent agreement and Changbin widens his eyes, having too much to process at once: the admission that maybe Jeongin desired him even before, his scent overflowing with want now, his sharp eyes that stare into his own, flickering to stare at his lips as if he can't be away from his kiss for too long.

“I bet your taste is even better than your scent, hyung,” Jeongin looks right into his eyes, defying Changbin to disagree with him, and he can't. Jeongin's confidence spills into him and he finds himself agreeing to it, nodding into their next kiss, getting lost into it until he feels Jeongin's hand slipping under his underwear, and he instinctively ruts against him when a finger circles his slicked hole - the hand is gone quickly and he whines, wanting more, wanting Jeongin to take everything he wants and then more and more.

Jeongin brings the wet finger to his lips, licking it like it’s his favorite lollipop, humming around it with his eyes closed and Changbin feels out of breath just watching his reactions.

“I was right,” Jeongin smiles and Changbin kisses him again, feeling his own taste on his tongue and for the first time he agrees, kissing him until he loses track of time, until his taste fades, until Changbin finds himself on his back with Jeongin kissing down his torso, removing his underwear as he grazes his hipbones with his teeth, making Changbin’s legs quiver on his sides.

His heart leaps out of his chest when he feels Jeongin giving him a tentative lick, he tries to close his legs in surprise but Jeongin holds him open. Changbin feels his worries fading away faster and faster the more Jeongin seems to enjoy his taste, he hums when his licks are still timid, but when he really tastes Changbin, he moans, collecting slick on his tongue, lapping at him like he was starving, his eyes roll back and Changbin tries to remember how to breathe, so overwhelmed by how good it feels that he’d trash around if not for Jeongin’s bruising grip on his thighs.

“So good-” Jeongin hums and the warm air against his hole makes him clench around nothing, he kisses Changbin’s inner thighs, who shakes even if he hasn't come once yet. “I could spend my whole rut eating you out…”

Changbin feels tears prickling his eyes, from pleasure, from how this is so much better than he imagined, from knowing Jeongin is the one enjoying this as much as he does. He lets himself believe this could go on like this, that all Jeongin’s ruts and all his next heats could go just like this.

He cries out when he feels Jeongin’s tongue on his rim again, his moans send shivers all over Changbin’s body and he can’t- he can’t take it, it’s too much, it feels too good, he tries to push himself away so he won’t come so soon, but the change in angle just makes it feel even better.

“Innie, please- stop, I’m gonna come- Innie-” He doesn’t really want Jeongin to stop, he just wanted to last more. But Jeongin doesn’t care about how long he lasts, he only cares about how much Changbin enjoys this.

He tongue fucks Changbin until he’s melting, until his cheeks and his chin are wet with slick and it’s messy but it’s perfect, it’s even better than all his fantasies and daydreams to have Changbin coming undone against him, around him, so good that he can’t help but rut against the mattress the whole time, seeking his own relief without taking his mind away from Changbin’s taste.

When Changbin’s legs stop shaking on either side of his shoulders, Jeongin licks away the cum that stains his tummy - and even that tastes good to him.

He kisses Changbin’s lips, letting him see for himself just how good his taste is and Changbin feels it, he knows, he expects not to like it but having Jeongin get so much pleasure from it makes him unable to deny it’s good. He’s good, his taste is good and his scent is good, he’s a good omega.

“Do you- do you want to fuck me?” He whispers against Jeongin’s lips, trying to think of the best way to reciprocate what Jeongin made him feel.

“I do, so much…” Jeongin says but puts distance between them. “But I kinda-”

He scratches the back of his head, cheeks a deep red as Changbin takes in his body, covered by his own shirt, his toned arms and thighs that he sees whenever they exercise together but never gets tired of looking at… and the big wet spot on his boxers.

“You-” Changbin can’t really believe that Jeongin came from eating him out, he can’t. Something he worried about so much made the alpha in front of him get as much pleasure as he did. He blinks a few times, expecting the wet spot to be a product of his imagination, but it’s still there every time he opens his eyes and Jeongin’s cheeks just get warmer and warmer.

“Sorry, hyung-”

“No, don’t- don’t apologize for that!”

“It’s just- when I said I really like your scent and your taste, I really meant it,” he says, kissing Changbin again after each sentence.

“I believe you now-”

Changbin also realizes then, that Jeongin’s feelings might have been true all along, that maybe Jeongin really just likes him that much and Changbin was the one being an asshole, stopping himself from having Jeongin and prohibiting Jeongin from having him because of his own assumptions.

“Come here,” he opens his arms, so Jeongin can slot against his side, to use his chest as his pillow, he doesn’t even care now if Jeongin hears his running heart now. “Do you wanna try to sleep a bit while you’re still clear headed?”

Jeongin nods, yawning, he still feels feverish and a bit out of control, but after coming he feels like he could sleep. The sun is almost rising, but it’s not like either of them made any plans for the next day that forces them to leave this room or this bed - or each other’s arms - and he sleeps fast when he’s surrounded by Changbin’s scent again, and he sleeps content just from having Jeongin in his arms.

If Changbin wasn’t still in his hold in the morning Jeongin would think he dreamed everything that happened the night before, he feels warm and Changbin’s scent makes him feel dizzy with want, his body aches and he throbs where their bodies meet, where he mindlessly ruts against his thigh, Changbin is still asleep and Jeongin tries to pull away but just the thought of being apart from Changbin right now makes his head ache.

He whimpers, it’s not enough, it feels so good but it’s not enough. It’s like his tongue is tied and all he can do is moan and growl but fuck, he needs to fuck Changbin so bad-

“Innie?” Changbin's sleepy voice awakens something in Jeongin, who moves to kneel between his legs, burying his face on his neck without warning, inhaling the scent that somehow calms him and drives him insane at once.

“Need you,” Jeongin hears himself saying despite the heaviness of his tongue.

“I'm yours, Innie,” Changbin exposes his neck more.

“Mine,” Jeongin licks his neck, the only way he can keep himself from biting it, and he fully pulls back when Changbin whines in complaint, his omega defying everything he really wants.

“Take off your shirt,” Changbin says, moving to remove his own shirt from Jeongin’s torso, it barely smells like him at this point, but he takes his hands away when Jeongin growls. “Alright, the shirt stays.”

“Mine, just like you.”

Changbin nods dumbly, like a bobhead toy, he's anything Jeongin wants him to be and right now Jeongin wants him spread open. His long fingers circle Changbin's hole as he peppers kisses down his chest, leaving love bites all over his pecks, his eyes have an almost reddish glow that Changbin is mesmerized by.

Jeongin moves down, as if he's going to eat him out again and Changbin finds himself asking:

“You don't want to fuck me?” Almost as if his omega is offended that Jeongin doesn't want to knot him at the first chance he gets.

Jeongin blinks like a lost puppy for a second, like his rut won’t let him concentrate on so many choices at once, and after what seems like the hardest choice of his life, he takes off his underwear, rubbing the head of his dick on Changbin’s slick and it makes Changbin share in anticipation. Jeongin finds enough control to press just the tip inside and that’s enough to have the omega under him gasping for air, but he pulls out, and puts two of his fingers inside of him instead, Changbin is so wet that he can hear the squelching when Jeongin fingers him, he’s mesmerized by the way Changbin leaks all over his hand and the sheets underneath, and Changbin wants to be embarrassed by it, he never gets this wet unless it’s his own heat - and by his lack of control, he wouldn’t doubt that his heat came two months earlier than expected - but Jeongin speeds up his touches and Changbin can’t get any words out that aren’t pleas for more or Jeongin’s name.

Changbin has a brief moment of self doubt, thinking he should be the one taking care of Jeongin and making him cum, but Jeongin adds another finger with a smirk on his face and every thought leaves his head, his omega is at his mercy and if this is what Jeongin’s alpha wants, Changbin won’t deny him anything.

“Innie-”

Jeongin removes his fingers, licking the slick away from them as he uses his other hand to align himself to Changbin, slowly pressing inside until he bottoms out. They sigh in relief together, like this it doesn’t feel like the fire in Jeongin’s loin will consume him whole, like this it doesn’t feel like Changbin will melt away in a puddle of slick anymore.

He wraps his legs around Jeongin’s waist, trying to get him deeper, even if he feels full to the brim. Jeongin spreads his asscheeks, wanting to be deeper too even if his hips are already touching Changbin’s ass, even if he can feel the tip of his cock if he presses down on Changbin’s lower belly. He stays still for a few seconds, remembering through the haziness of his rut how long he’s wanted to do this, biting his own lips to keep himself with a semblance of control.

“You feel so good around me,” he mumbles, feeling Changbin clench around him with the praise.

“Please-” Changbin starts, interrupted by Jeongin almost pulling out and thrusting back in, and whatever he had to say gets reduced to the mess of moans that leaves his lips the harder Jeongin thrusts into him.

Changbin wraps his hands around his shoulders, trying to balance himself not to be jostled up in bed with the force of his thrusts and Jeongin holds him too, with a bruising grip on his asscheeks, holding him open, holding him there for him to use. It feels too good, to finally have Jeongin for himself in a way he thought would only happens in his dreams, to be used like this and feel like he’s being a good omega for his alpha, even the pain feels good and he hopes Jeongin’s grip leaves marks on him to remember fondly afterwards.

Jeongin groans praises in his ear, telling him how good he feels, how perfect he is, his taste, his scent, his warmth, how wet he is for him, the squelch being heard between the sharp thrusts and the praise but Changbin can’t ever be embarrassed about it anymore, and he doesn’t last long, eyes rolling back when he feels Jeongin’s knot forming at the base of his dick, teasing his rim but never going in-

He closes his eyes so hard when he comes that he sees stars, biting the pillow to keep himself from biting Jeongin, to keep him free of a mating mark he might not want afterwards, his legs shake around Jeongin’s slim waist as he stains their stomachs with cum and he’s almost too out of it to feel the disappointment, but he feels Jeongin pulling out, his knot never breaching past his rim, and he’s still out of breath when he mumbles:

“Knot me...”

“Don’t wanna hurt you,” Jeongin kisses him, his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, with such devotion that Changbin almost doesn’t feel bad about it. Almost.

“It’s not gonna hurt, please-” his eyes suddenly brim with tears, he wants it, he wants Jeongin to knot him, he wants to be a good omega.

“Next time,” Jeongin says, fucking between his closed thighs as he puts Changbin on his side, Changbin feels his knot between them, and squeezes his legs tighter so it will feel better.

Jeongin’s thrusts stutter and he holds himself on top of Changbin as he spills his knot between his thighs, so much cum painting them and the sheets underneath in white that Jeongin almost feels embarrassed by it, it hurts and he whimpers when his cock stops leaking.

“It hurts less if you cum inside,” Changbin murmurs against his lips, holding him by the back of his neck as they kiss, distracting Jeongin from any pain by licking into his mouth.

“Can we stay like this for a bit?” Jeongin asks, with more clarity now that his rut isn’t commanding his actions.

“Of course, baby,” Changbin says, keeping Jeongin’s cock slotted between his thighs, trying to dismiss his omega’s hurt from not being used like he’s meant to.

“Sorry,” Jeongin says, already too sleepy to make much sense.

“It’s fine.”

“You’re in pain,” he mumbles.

“You too,” Changbin kisses his frown away. “We’ll be fine.”

Jeongin nods, lying down behind Changbin and wrapping his arms around his waist, getting comfort from feeling his soft belly under his palms, from feeling his scent where his mouth meets the back of his neck in a peck, he doesn’t say “I love you” because they agreed not to, but he thinks with enough intent that he hopes his alpha translates it to Changbin’s omega before he falls asleep again.

Later, Changbin wakes up to growling.

They’re still covered with the sheet he pulled over them before falling asleep but Jeongin is sitting up, placing his body between Changbin on the bed and the open door. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, trying to make sense of everything, he sees the tray with food and water on the bedside table and understands. He tries to move, but Jeongin keeps him behind his torso until whoever is at the door mumbles a “calm down, I’ll leave” before closing the door.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Changbin says, feeling a bit dizzy over how much Jeongin’s scent oozes possessiveness. He puts a hand on his hair, at the back of his neck and Jeongin’s growls subside.

Jeongin looks at him with so much adoration, so much want, that Changbin barely knows what to say next. He doesn’t often feel out of words, even in times like these, but Jeongin has managed to leave him speechless many times since he started presenting.

“I don’t wanna share you,” Jeongin says, speech a bit slurred, and Changbin knows he’s halfway through lost to lust.

“You don’t have to,” he says, kissing Jeongin’s temple. “Are you hungry?”

Jeongin nods, pecking Changbin’s lips.

“Let’s eat something.”

He moves to get up but Jeongin stops him, bringing the wooden tray to bed, placing it in front of them so he can stay pressed to Changbin’s side. He’s not wearing his shirt anymore and Changbin wonders if it felt too warm, or if Jeongin just wanted to feel him against his torso properly.

“This isn’t so bad,” Jeongin says.

“The food?” Changbin asks, hand feeding Jeongin some grapes, he shakes his head while he munches.

“Presenting.”

“Ah-”

“But it’s gonna be weird… not being their mystery card anymore,” Jeongin says with a small smile.

“Are you worried?” Changbin pats his hair with his clean hand.

“Not really… It can’t be so bad, right?”

Changbin shakes his head with a smile, feeling proud of how far he came, a couple years back Jeongin would secretly get worried every time he got a fever, thinking he was presenting and that their career would be ruined by it, the fever would subside after a few hours or days, but Jeongin’s worry would make him sicker every time.

“I have you with me,” he smiles, kissing the palm of Changbin’s hand that cups his cheek.

And somehow, the soft spot Changbin has in his chest just for Jeongin gets even softer, he bites a slice of an apple before he says anything, before his mouth blurts out for him how much he wants Jeongin to be his mate.

“For a while back then I thought neither of us would even debut,” Jeongin mindlessly picks apart a piece of sweet bread. “But I’m glad we got here together.”

“I wouldn’t go anywhere without you, Innie.”

“I know…” Jeongin says, thinking back to all the times Changbin defended him in the evaluations only to be scolded about his own condition. It made him angry back then and it still makes him angry now that he can actually feel all the notes in Changbin’s scent, he hates the supervisors for criticizing Changbin to the point it made him feel unsure about his own value in the group and as an omega. Changbin always played the confident role well, but Jeongin knew all his cracks and he wanted to fill all of them with gold. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything,” Changbin smiles, eating the piece of bread Jeongin picked apart.

He doesn’t have to, but he knows in many ways, he wouldn’t be where he is now without him. Changbin who tried to get to know him so well that Jeongin was comfortable enough to break down in front of him again and again after every bad evaluation before he felt comfortable to cry in front of the others too, Changbin who made him feel important when their value was measured by their secondary genders, Changbin who would seek his advice and hear his opinions even when he thought he was too young to be helpful, Changbin who helped him mold himself into what he was now - and he knows he helped Changbin into being who he is just as much.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, baby. I’d do anything for you.”

“I’ll remember that next time you ask me for a favor in return, Changbin-ah,” Jeongin says, playful so he won’t open his whole chest for Changbin to hold his beating heart in his hands.

“Hey,” Changbin levels him with a playful scowl, glad Jeongin didn’t elaborate on what he said, he’s not ready. “It’s hyung-nim for you now, it’s hyung-nim.”

“Changbin-ah,” Jeongin comes closer to him, saying his name almost against his lips.

“I love you,” Changbin thinks - and the same words echo in Jeongin’s mind.

Changbin isn’t so scared anymore about how this will end, he doesn’t think there will be an end to them.

He doesn’t think either of them will regret spending it together - but he does think he’ll regret not telling Jeongin about his feelings earlier, he wants to be completely sure but he thinks all the pain that preceded this was just a big misunderstanding and he wants to smack himself on the forehead for always being so oblivious about other’s feelings towards him. Jeongin has looked at him with nothing but love and adoration since his rut hit and Changbin realizes now, that’s just how Jeongin always looked at him, now he just happens to be able to smell it in his scent too.

He stops admiring Jeongin’s side profile so he can eat some more too, they’ll have plenty of time to talk after his rut is over - their whole lives, Changbin hopes.

They finish eating and share a water bottle, placing the tray and bottle on the nightstand when they’re done, lying down again as they try to avoid the wet spots from the morning, Changbin tries not to dwell on why Jeongin didn’t want to knot him and ends up getting distracted when Jeongin brings him into his lap.

Jeongin feels more out of control than before but somehow, this time, his alpha is softer, like Changbin already belongs to him, like he doesn’t need to prove anything or claim him despite still wanting to. Like their alpha and omega already decided they belong to each other.

It builds up slowly when Jeongin kisses him, tracing his bottom lip with his tongue before softly biting into it, kissing Changbin just as slowly and softly, until he’s the one whimpering for more, as if he’s the one in heat instead, mindlessly rutting against Jeongin’s thigh, soaking it with his slick as he feels Jeongin get hard again against the curve of his ass.

Jeongin’s hands shake and his eyes unfocus, almost losing his grip when he kisses Changbin’s neck one more time, he didn’t bite it, not once, but it’s peppered in hickeys that he hopes to renew as soon as they fade.

Changbin rides him lazily at first, so he can keep kissing Jeongin but soon, when Jeongin grabs his hips to control his thrusts, they can do nothing but moan into each other’s mouths, movements too fast, too hard to allow them to kiss properly, but it feels too good to stop.

Changbin isn’t even able to close his mouth properly, tasting the droplets of his own sweat mixed with Jeongin’s, feeling the hot puffs of air against his neck, so close to where he wants Jeongin to bite him, so close, it makes Jeongin even more desperate for release when Changbin throws his head back, keeping his own balance by holding to Jeongin’s shoulders. It’s such a sight: having Changbin bouncing on his cock like his life depends on it, beads of sweat rolling down his face and his toned arms and chest, cock bouncing between as it leaks pathetically, not having been touched once…

Jeongin wraps his hand around it so easily, fingers almost meeting around it, his large hand engulfing his small but thick cock, and Changbin’s movements stutter as Jeongin presses his thumb to the head of his dick.

“Keep going,” Jeongin whispers, collecting the precum and bringing it to his lips, but he pouts… it’s not as good as Changbin’s slick.

“Innie- I’m gonna-”

Changbin feels Jeongin’s knot teasing his rim again and he stays still when Jeongin tries to pull him off.

“Hyung, I don’t think it’s gonna fit,” Jeongin manages to say, worried as he looks at how big his knot feels against Changbin’s pink, puckered hole.

“I’ll make it fit,” Changbin looks into his eyes. “I was made for you.”

Changbin bends back a little, placing his hands on Jeongin’s knees, forcing himself down a bit more with every thrust until he feels the pressure from his knot inside, his legs tremble as his orgasm rips through him so suddenly, cock spurting his release all over Jeongin’s hand, who still sits there wide eyed, mesmerized by how Changbin looks, by how he feels around him, the warmth, the pressure around him almost tipping him over, but what does it, what makes him fill Changbin up is seeing how his tummy bulges from his knot when he’s not even fully inside of him, when he can still see the base of his dick against Changbin’s ass, wet with slick.

He holds Changbin as he changes their position, as careful as he can be with how much he feels at once, he buries his face on his neck and almost loses control, biting the pillow under Changbin instead. Jeongin feels his own cum slip out around his thrusts as he fucks Changbin through his orgasm, hearing Changbin’s pained but satisfied moans right against his ear, the bed creaking as the headboard hits the wall, the messy squelch the mix of his cum and Changbin’s slick make where they connect… 

It feels like he’s never going to come down from this high.

“Told you I was made for you,” Changbin holds him by the cheeks, bringing him in for another kiss. “Ah- don’t pull out.”

“Sorry,” Jeongin says, kissing his cheeks, mind still an echo of Changbin’s words, not being able to think of anything but his: “I was made for you.”

Jeongin tentatively moves his hand down, pressing lightly on Changbin’s belly, still feeling his own knot through it as he still spurts cum inside of him.

“Oh, fuck,” Changbin whines with his movement, still hard between them even if he came just a few moments before. Jeongin wraps his hand around him again, stroking him until Changbin is out of breath again, the pressure of his knot making him feel weak from pleasure and it’s almost too much when he cums again, for both of them.

Changbin’s eyes roll back, scratching Jeongin’s back with his blunt nails and Jeongin collapses on top of him, the clenching around his knot almost making him pass out from how good it feels.

He almost can’t believe everything that’s happening and when he falls asleep, still inside of Changbin as his knot goes down, he half expects to wake up to realize this was just a fever dream.

But instead he wakes up in the middle of the night with Changbin still half under him, the tip of his cock still inside of him. There’s more water and food on their bedside table, some wet wipes too, but there’s no rush now.

If Changbin was made for him, he was made for Changbin too. So there’s no rush to do anything.

He cleans the leaking cum from Changbin with the wet wipes and dozes off again, settling himself behind him like they did the whole past week, pecking the back of his neck in a way he did nervously before but that he does comfortably now, it seems foolish compared to everything they did since then. But now that he thinks about it that's how their love is, foolish. They held back so much out of fear to end up in each other’s arms anyway.

When Changbin wakes up later the sun is almost rising, they feed each other again and till the end of his rut they go from fucking like desperate to slowly making love, his alpha relieving control the more he feels like Changbin belongs to him and by then, even if they don’t sport a matching bite, their thoughts are attuned and there’s almost no doubts about their feelings for each other anymore, even if they agreed not to talk about it while Jeongin’s rut made them high they still understand each other with a look, still trust each other the same as they reminisce about their past and everything that brought them here, to the realization that they belong to each other.

When it’s over, Changbin almost has a flashback to the end of his every heat: Now Jeongin helps him to a bath, taking care of him and cleaning the stains from his skin, washing his hair gently… but this time Changbin gets to do the same for him, he’s trembling a little when Jeongin kisses him, a peck on his lips, a kiss on each cheek and on his forehead, and he’s still trembling when he returns the kisses with as much devotion. Jeongin brings Changbin to his chest, letting him rest there, and he doesn’t see the tears prickling his eyes from here, but he feels Changbin’s lazy smile against his chest. He worried so much and now he’s sure, almost completely sure, that he was just suffering in anticipation. That sometimes the anxiety is just a strong excitement that he doesn’t know how to translate.

Jeongin combs his wet hair with his fingers, kissing the top of his head before relaxing against the side of the tub, they’re both so tired after the past days that all they want to do is sleep, and they bask in the comfortable for so long that Jeongin thinks Changbin did actually fall asleep on his lap, and still, he finds it in himself to tease:

“I’m not scent drunk anymore, hyung, do you believe in my feelings for you now?”

And Changbin chuckles at that, because it feels like nothing changed when they talk like this, the intimacy and the teasing is still the same, it was the same throughout Jeongin’s whole rut, and apparently it won’t change either now that it’s over, but everything else is different, more intense, more in sync, he’s not scared of rejection anymore because he knows it will never come.

“I think I was scared… before.”

“I know,” Jeongin kisses him gently. “I could feel it in your scent, I didn’t know how to name it, but I knew- I also knew you wouldn’t believe me if I said anything.”

“You were scent drunk!” Changbin says, his voice is hoarse but he finds it in himself to be his usual loud self to his throat’s limitations.

“I know that too,” Jeongin laughs. “That doesn’t make my feelings any less real. I was aware the whole time, it just made it… more impossible to resist you.”

“I know that now,” Changbin pouts, thinking back to how he should have talked to Minho and Hyunjin too about all of this before being so reckless with Jeongin’s love. “I’ve always liked you, Innie.”

“I know,” Jeongin laughs at the way they’re replying to everything as if they had this talk before, as if their comprehension of each other’s feelings went beyond the words they exchanged. “I didn’t think you saw me as anything other than, you know, an annoying kid constantly trailing after you.”

“Innie…” Changbin cups his cheeks, kissing the pout that forms when he squeezes them, punctuating every sentence with another peck. “It was never like that to me, you’re my baby, my sunshine… but you’re also my best friend, the water to my fire-”

Jeongin chuckles at that, remembering when Seungmin and Minho talked about them on the radio show and how scared he was that they would accidentally expose his feelings for Changbin for everyone to know. Maybe it would have been good if they did.

“But then…” Jeongin sees the teasing smile on Changbin’s face and tries to shut him up with a kiss before he says anything, but Changbin pulls back and his kiss lands on his adam’s apple instead. “You’re the one that kept going on about how I’m like an older brother to you, you even compared me to your dad!”

Jeongin groans, frustrated.

“Shut up, I’m gonna bite you,” he says against his neck, cheeks a warm pink as Changbin giggles in front of him.

“Keep that for my next heat,” Changbin whispers and Jeongin pulls back to look at him. It’s another silent promise, he nods, pecking Changbin’s lips once again.

“I was just trying to… make it hurt less if I was rejected.” Jeongin scratches the back of his head, the logic made sense to him at the time, but now with Changbin in his lap it only seems foolish. “I thought that if I tried to convince myself that you were just like an older brother, it would hurt less if you never wanted to spend a heat with me or even kiss me. I could just take care of you after you were done and try to wash away the marks the others left.”

“Oh, baby…” Changbin brings Jeongin’s head to his shoulder, patting his hair as he kisses his temple, he never thought that could have hurt him this much, he always craved Jeongin’s affection after his heats were over but he never thought that bathing him every time felt like a constant reminder of his rejection to Jeongin. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay now,” Jeongin nuzzles against his neck, tightening his hold on Changbin’s waist.

“And I’m sorry for rejecting you when you asked me to be with you for your rut, that was dumb of me.”

“It’s okay, I don’t think I would have accepted either if it was the other way around.”

They’re silent for a few moments, then Changbin whispers:

“And I’m sorry I doubted your feelings.”

Jeongin pulls back to look into his eyes, and it’s like he sees right through him, and perhaps he does now. Before, Innie didn't have his alpha to read into Changbin's omega like everyone else in the pack, because of that, everyone knew how much Changbin liked Innie except Jeongin himself, and no one knew how much Jeongin liked Changbin until he started presenting, because there was no subgender to denounce him.

“I’m sorry I doubted yours.”

Changbin gives him a small smile, closing his eyes in contentment as he nods.

“I love you,” it’s the first time he really says it out loud with all the meaning behind it that wishes to put, and he thinks he’ll never grow tired of saying it.

“I love you too,” Jeongin kisses his cheek, his neck, and his lips. “And your scent and your taste…”

“You know- Every time I called you baby, I wish I could have kissed you right after.”

“You can, now,” Jeongin noses along his jawline. “Make up for lost time.”

"Baby-"

"Hm," Jeongin hums, leaning in for a kiss, both of them are smiling into it and their movements are sloppy, but they're happy and that's good enough.

They kiss lazily in the bathtub until the water grows cold and a bit more after that too. They change clothes and ignore the mess they made on his bed, going to Changbin’s bedroom - their bedroom - instead.

“You know, I was counting,” Jeongin starts, helping Changbin make the bed and close the curtains so they can sleep after the sunrise that already illuminates the walls.

“Hm?”

“And if you want to make up for lost time and kiss me for every time you called me baby… then you’d probably have to kiss me forever,” Jeongin says with a cheeky smile, knowing he’s being a tease - knowing Changbin loves it.

And they settle in bed together, not wanting to be apart any longer, before Changbin kisses him again and says:

“Then I can’t wait for it, baby.”