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It's not the loud booming of the thunderstorm currently being unleashed outside that wakes Riki up and neither the two bodies he sleeps next to every night, nor the ticking of the digital clock on their nightstand.
It's the pounding, absolutely debilitating headache that's currently pulsing at full force in his head that has him rolling onto the floor. He leans his back against the bed and holds his head in between his bent knees, using his hands to squeeze around his temples. His eyes are tightly shut and he's trying his best to not let out any sounds that could wake the other two up. He knows it's awfully early and he doesn't want to interrupt their well needed rest, especially on a Saturday.
He sits on the floor for a few more minutes before very slowly standing up. Every move makes the headache pound to the rhythm of his heartbeat in his skull to the point he's close to smashing his head open into the nearest wall. He makes it into the living room leaning against the walls and feeling around himself, not having the power to open his eyes yet. He thanks himself for closing all the courtains last night because the whole apartment is void of any natural light which, he thinks now, would've promptly killed him in his current condition.
Another thing he sends a grateful thought to the skies for is leaving the sofa in its extended state. Yesterday was movie night and they always extend it to accomodate all three of them more comfortably. The blankets and pillows are thrown in a messy pile and he doesn't hesitate to lay down right on top of them, letting himself groan in pain knowing he's not bothering anyone anymore. He can't even bring himself to take a painkiller, already feeling exhausted to the core.
These migraines have been plaguing him for almost a year now, having started a bit after he turned 20. He has no idea what triggered them and despite all the doctor appointments he went to and a the blood tests he's done, nothing pointed a plausible cause for them. They appear 4 or 5 times a month or maybe every two months if he's lucky. Usually they last a little bit over 24 hours, sometimes two, or even three days in worst case scenario. More often than not they go away after a few painkillers and a some extra hours of sleep, but today's headache is different. He hasn't felt it to such intensity ever and it's scaring him a little bit.
In his pain induced daze he tries to think what could've possibly triggered it. His week has been relatively okay, no significant stressful moments, no fights, he slept pretty well and ate probably more than he should've. His rut isn't due anytime soon either. Racking his brain to find a cause only worsens everything so he gives up. He lays on his side, hugs one of the pillows to his chest and one of the blankets in between his legs and somehow falls asleep again.
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Sunghoon stirs in his sleep, involuntarily sniffing the air around him. He smells Sunoo's sweet, calming scent and feels more than hears his steady breathing in the juncture between his neck and shoulder. The omega has his nose pushed into his scent gland, sleeping soundly in his arms. A small smile makes its way on Sunghoon's face and he slowly peels his eyes open. He doesn't need to look to his left to realize Riki isn't in bed anymore. He could already tell by his faded scent and the fact that he and Sunoo somehow made it right into the middle of the huge bed.
He doesn't worry too much for now, thinking that maybe the younger alpha was using the bathroom or wanted to get a glass of water. However, when he looks at the clock and sees it's not even 7 in the morning, his thick brows furrow and he's not smiling anymore. Riki wouldn't get out of the bed under any circumstances before 10 am on a Saturday. His scent is so faded, meaning it's been a few hours since he got up. That has Sunghoon panicking for a good second before he decides to calm down and stay rational.
He very gently pushes Sunoo off him, making sure he's nicely nestled in the two blankets that carry the scents of the two alphas and he gets up, making his way to the bathroom first and then to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. It's extremely quiet and he quickly notices that Riki definitely wasn't in the kitchen this morning. While still drinking, he walks into the living room and the sight that greets him when he looks over the back of the couch makes his heart squeeze a bit in his chest. There Riki is, sleeping in a fetal position and he looks anything but peaceful. His bleached brows are deeply furrowed, his eyes tightly shut and his breathing is heavy, almost as if it would pain him to breathe normally. His 6'1 figure looks incredibly small and Sunghoon instantly knows that Riki is definitely having one of those damn migraines.
The older alpha quietly sighs and walks around the couch. He's witnessed Riki's migraines before and while it was usually Sunoo who helped him through them, he knew what he needed to do. Despite him and the younger man not dating, they aren't indifferent to each other. They spend so much time together, with or without Sunoo and they respect each other as the omega's partners. And of course before dating Sunoo, they were friends anyway. Sunoo agreed to date the both of them, and they were okay with dating Sunoo without getting romantically involved with each other. Sounds complicated, maybe even a bit unusual, but it works for them. Anyway, they know each other well enough to take care of one another when needed and right now he's going to do exactly that.
He sets the glass on the coffee table in front of the couch and slowly lays down behind Riki. The younger slightly stirs and if Sunghoon wouldn't have been so close to him, he probably would've missed the tiny "Hyung?" the younger barely whispered out. He makes sure to keep his voice as low as possible when he answers.
"Yeah, Riki-yah. It's hyung. Are you okay with me hugging you?" They always make sure to ask each other for consent before having any sort of physical interaction, but this time it's also because sometimes, Riki's headaches are bad enough that he can't stand anyone touching him (Sunoo hates those headaches the most).
Riki slowly nods his head in a yes motion and Sunghoon wastes no time in engulfing the other in a gentle back hug, releasing calming pheromones. He knows they don't have the same effect as Sunoo's but he knows both his and Riki's alpha got accustomed with each other well enough to accept mutual comfort when needed. He instantly feels Riki relaxing in his arms and he doesn't hesitate to run a hand through his bleached strands, carefully massaging the scalp here and there. He can clearly smell Riki's scent now and it stings his nose. His usual dark chocolate and cinnamon scent smells nearly burnt and slightly sour, indicating clear distress and something akin to anguish, making it very clear to Sunghoon how bad Riki's migraine is this time.
The blond lets out a relieved breath and after a few minutes, he turns in the other's embrace, now facing each other. Sunghoon immediately notices the dark circles under Riki's swollen eyes and he feels his heart squeezing helplessly in his chest once again. Riki slowly lowers his head, burrowing it in Sunghoon's neck, which has the older's eyes widening in shock. He didn't expect Riki to do something like this, especially out of his own initiative. He probably let his surprise slip into his scent because Riki speaks just as tiredly in the next second:
"Is this okay, hyung? I'm sorry it just... Hurts so fucking bad, i don't know what to do."
"Of course it's okay." Sunghoon doesn't have it in him to reject the pained alpha, especially now. So he gently pushes Riki's head until his nose is tightly pressed into his scent gland and releases pheromones as soothing as he can. His scent, according to Sunoo, is refreshing, with a minty tint accompanying the prevailing sandalwood and does wonders when any kind of nausea hits, so he hopes it helps Riki or at least gives him the comfort he's seeking for now. It's still raining cats and dogs outside, he's getting warm while cuddling Riki and he doesn't even realize he's falling asleep once again.
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You'd think having two boyfriends means never being left alone, or at least it happens very rarely. And it's true, Sunoo is rarely seen without any of the two big alphas trailing behind him, no matter where he goes and he's definitely not complaining, but waking up all alone in his bed after going to sleep in between the two is something he'll definitely complain about. He gets into a sitting position, looking left and right and seeing no trace of any of his beloveds. Both of their phones are still on the nightstand, meaning they're still inside and if Sunoo would have the strength to focus hard enough, he'd immediately feel Sunghoon's scent wafting around the house and the lack of Riki's usually overpowering one. He's too sleepy for that though, so he gets up, takes his and his boyfriends' phones and starts searching for them.
He doesn't need to search for too long because he spots them as soon as he enters the living room. The sight that greets has him stopping in his tracks, a very surprised look making its appearance on his face. Not only are his alphas sleeping on the couch, they're sleeping in each other's arms, tightly pressed against each other. Sunghoon's head is resting on top of Riki's, his left arm being used as a pillow by the younger, while his right one is around Riki's head, fingers tangled in the blond's hair, indicating that he definitely fell asleep while playing with it. Riki's left arm is draped over his hyung's waist, while the other is probably squished in between the two, and their legs are tangled together along with a blanket in between them.
Sunoo doesn't know if he wants to squeal or feel a bit jealous because he was left out like this, but before any of these emotions take over him, he makes sure to snap a quick picture of this maybe once in a lifetime moment. A little bit more awake now, he finally notices their scents. Sunghoon's calming pheromones almost completely covering Riki's barely there (awfully distressed) scent. It has Sunoo sobering up, putting the phones on the table next to Sunghoon's unfinished glass of water and climbing next to his boyfriends on the couch. Sunghoon is at the edge of it, leaving Sunoo to lay in between Riki and the back of the sofa. He's being as careful and as quiet as possible, but the moment he positions himself behind his younger boyfriend, Sunghoon opens his eyes and gives him a small smile.
"Morning, Sunoo-yah." Seeing how careful and low the alpha speaks, Sunoo immediately understands that their Riki is definitely having a migraine, so he makes sure to respond just as softly.
"Morning, hyung. Riki is having a migraine, isn't he?" it's a rhetorical question, but Sunghoon's affirmative nod comes as an answer either way.
"Sigh... I'm assuming it's bad enough that it got him all snuggled up to you like this. How long have you been sleeping here for?" as he speaks, Sunoo gently runs his hand up and down Riki's back, all the way up to his head.
"It was around 7 am when I found him already sleeping here, so who knows how much earlier he woke up." Sunoo bites his lip, a worried expression etching into his puffy face. The thought of Riki having to get out of their nest and endure the pain all alone doesn't sit right with him at all. He's about to answer, but suddenly Riki is once again turning around, tucking his head in Sunoo's neck and deeply inhaling his peachy vanilla scent. Sunoo wastes no time in releasing pheromones, the whole living room being covered in a fresh, yet cozy and grounding fragrance.
Riki drapes his arm over his waist, bringing him as close as humanly possible and pushes his nose even more into Sunoo's neck, almost as if he'd want to get under his skin and become one. Sunoo gently puts one of his legs over Riki's hip and, due to their close proximity, his foot rests on Sunghoon's thigh.
The older alpha was about to shift onto his back and maybe scroll on his phone, wanting to give the other two a bit of space, but suddenly Riki reaches back, feeling around and when he finally gets a hold of Sunghoon's arm, he puts it over his waist, tugging softly in an attempt to get him even closer. Sunghoon looks at Sunoo and they're both wearing the same stunned expression on their faces. Before any of them gets to say anything, Riki speaks in the same raspy and tired manner.
"Sorry, it's just... Fuck, it hurts and i just... If you don't mind staying like this at least for a little bit..." He's struggling to properly articulate his words and Sunoo shushes him, his hand starting to gently pet his tousled hair.
"Of course it's okay." He looks at Sunghoon while saying this, trying to gauge his reaction. He even prepares to give him his best puppy eyes, but he quickly realizes it won't be needed because Sunghoon is slowly making himself even more comfortable, basically squishing Riki's figure in between them. The arm he had draped over the youngest's waist starts rubbing his tummy in circular motions and his scent is slowly being released, nicely molding with Sunoo's.
"I told you not to apologize Riki-yah. We'll stay like this the entire day if it makes you feel even just a little bit better." Sunoo smiles at his words, and after another round of minimal shuffling they're finally settled comfortably, arms and legs intertwined and right before falling asleep, Riki exhales a tiny "Thank you".
Sunoo and Sunghoon surprisingly fall asleep once again and the next time they wake up the storm is gone, the tiniest bit of sun rays are peeking behind the dark curtains, illuminating the apartment in a muted light. Sunoo is the first to open his eyes, immediately followed by Sunghoon who looks like he's been awake for a while, but has been sitting with his eyes closed.
Smiles involuntarily make their way on their faces the moment their eyes lock and after a few seconds of quiet staring, Sunghoon finally speaks.
"Hi again... Slept well?"
Sunoo nods, trying to stretch without bothering the younger one still tightly wrapped around him. He successfully stretches enough to loosen his body up. Riki doesn't show any signs of waking up and it has Sunoo worriedly glancing down at him. He doesn't remember ever seeing the blond in such a bad state, even in his most stressful moments. It has him feeling genuinely concerned while tears unconsciously well up in his eyes and his scent instantly sours.
"Sun? What's wrong, baby?" Sunghoon is slightly panicking, not expecting Sunoo to suddenly burst into tears just like that. Despite his subgender, it takes a lot for his strong omega to start crying, especially so suddenly and seemingly unprovoked.
"It-It's just that.. I feel so useless, Hoon... And I'm so fucking worried. I've never seen him like this and I have no idea what to do to make him feel better" The sobs are violently racking the smaller one's body and his hiccups are so loud he struggles greatly to keep his voice from being too loud. It pains Sunghoon to see the omega looking so helpless, but he knows he needs to calm him down or else Riki will wake up.
Between the two of them, Riki has always been a little bit more sensitive and perceptive to Sunoo's moods, sensing any upcoming shift even before Sunghoon has the chance to suspect something. He knows Riki will wake up if he lets Sunoo stay distressed for any longer, but he doesn't even get to attempt something when they both feel the younger stirring in between them. His long arms wrap tightly around Sunoo's trembling body and he oh so gently lets his scent envelop them in a warm, calming fragrance. Sunoo becomes putty and he tightly hugs the young alpha while tears continue to run down his face.
"C'mon, baby, don't cry..." Riki's voice sounds so clipped and his throat feels like he swallowed sand, his head is still mercilessly pounding and controlling his scent takes an insane amount of energy he currently doesn't have, but he'll die before he lets his omega cry in his arms because of him.
Sunghoon stretches one of his arms to wipe Sunoo's tears off his now rosy cheeks. Sunoo tries his best to calm down, knowing he's only worsening Riki's predicament. He deeply inhales the alpha's scent and nearly chokes on another sob when he feels the lingering sourness underneath the thick layer of comforting spicy dark chocolate. He's about to say something, but Riki beats him to it.
"You've no idea how much this helped me. Just having the two of you so close and your scents being the only ones I could smell." Riki shifts then, letting go of the omega and rolling on his back, pressing the heels of his palms into his eye sockets as he continues:
"Sunghoon hyung, I'm sorry if it was a bit... Out of place for me to demand this from you, but i really just... Needed some familiar comfort." He sounds genuinely apologetic and that only makes Sunghoon's frown to deepen.
"I told you there's nothing to apologize for. I'm more than glad that I could be of any help. Never be afraid of asking for it, no matter what okay?" his tone leaves no room for argument so Riki nods, feeling as if a big weight has been lifted off his chest. He suspects it has something to do with the tension that has been slightly building in between him and Sunghoon recently, accompanied by accidental touches, attentive gestures and longer than necessary eye contacts. He knows they'll have to talk about everything, but that's something he'll worry about another day.
"Have the two of you eaten something today?" Sunoo bites back a scoff at Riki's question.
"We haven't, but I'll order something for us." At Sunghoon's words, Riki wants to protest, to tell him that he'll literally die if he even thinks too much about food, let alone attempt to eat something, but Sunoo's commanding voice breaks his train of thoughts.
"I don't even want to hear it, Riki. You haven't eaten nor drank anything since you woke up at the ass crack of dawn. A soup won't kill you." The omega looks pointedly at him and even though Riki's still covering his eyes with his hands, he knows the alpha feels his gaze on him. Riki lets out a resigned sigh and slowly nods his head. He won't risk upsetting his boyfriend more than he already is.
Sunghoon gets up then, grabbing his phone and starting to put in their order. He tries getting some not so strong smelling meals for him and Sunoo as well, to not bother Riki more than necessary. He checks everything with them and once the payment gets through, he goes to the kitchen to bring his boyfriend and his boyfriend's boyfriend a glass of water. They have to beg Riki to sit up and have a sip, but once he does they get back to snuggling, Sunghoon and Sunoo gently speaking enough to keep the youngest awake until their food comes.
Twenty minutes later their food arrives and it suddenly hits Sunoo that he is, indeed, very hungry. They coax Riki to sit up again and even though they can't get him to eat the entire bowl of soup, he goes through half of it which, for now, is relatively enough. Sunoo gives him a painkiller and he's out like a light in the next second. The other two finish eating in silence and after Sunghoon throws the takeout boxes away, they lay down next to Riki, in their initial positions. Riki immediately buries his head in Sunoo's chest and relaxes even more when he feels Sunghoon's arm back on his waist, the older's chest pressed against his back. Sunoo uses one hand to pet Riki's head and the other to run it through Sunghoon's dark locks, an endearing look suddenly taking over his features.
"What?" Sunghoon asks, avoiding eye contact and nuzzling Sunoo's palm.
"Nothing, just... I'm happy you were there for Riki." Sunoo's voice slightly trembles, suddenly overwhelmed by a plethora of feelings for his alphas. He knows this relationship isn't always easy for the two of them, even he has his own struggles, but it's been nearly six months since they started dating and somehow they got over all the obstacles and hardships so far.
He's beyond grateful the two made and
continue to make so many efforts and sacrifices for this relationship because he genuinely couldn't imagine choosing only one of them. It was either both or none, but even this wouldn't have given him peace of mind.
"As I said... I'm here for him as well, no matter what. Plus..." The alpha trails off and Sunoo patiently waits for him to continue, but the older male just shakes his head and closes his eyes, nudging Sunoo to continue stroking his hair. The omega doesn't push, he has a feeling he already knows what this is about, but he's aware that's something his alphas have to sort out together. He'll patiently wait for them to figure everything out and he prays the outcome will be the one he oh so desperately hopes for. But for now he closes his eyes as well, not being able to fight the sleep that's once again taking over him.
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The next time Riki wakes up, he can tell it's already dark outside. He somehow ended up facing Sunghoon, who was now sleeping on his back. Riki's forehead is resting on his shoulder and his left arm and leg are thrown over the alphas upper body. He feels Sunoo tightly pressed against his back, his smaller body completely wrapped around him. He's sure they look like a tangled mess of limbs, hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, but Riki feels so comfortable and safe, he wouldn't have it any other way.
He can tell the two are deep in their sleep, but he still makes sure to get up as gently as possible. His headache has finally subdued, it's not completely gone, but for now it's enough for him to be able to stand up and move on his own. After a quick bathroom stop, he comes back in the kitchen and drinks a glass of water while slowly opening the curtains enough for him to be able to look outside. As he suspected it's night already and it's drizzling. Riki basks in the peacefulness of it, closing his eyes and listening to the steady sound of the raindrops hitting the window that he doesn't even hear Sunghoon entering the kitchen until he stops right next to him. Riki opens his eyes and finds the older alpha already looking at him.
"Hi."
"Hi, hyung."
"Feeling better?"
"Still hurts, but at least I'm partially functional now."
Their voices don't go above a whisper, not because they don't want to wake Sunoo up, but because it feels just right to talk like this. Their shoulders are touching and they're still looking into each other's eyes. This time it's not tension that settles between them, but a feeling of mutual acceptance.
Before Sunghoon can answer, they hear shuffling behind them and they both turn their heads, seeing Sunoo entering the kitchen, a hand rubbing at his barely open eyes.
"I swear to God if I wake up alone one more time..." He sleepily grumbles, squishing himself between the taller ones with no shame.
"You feeling better?" He looks up at Riki and brings one of his hands to caress the younger's cheek. The blond alpha hums in response and with one hand he pulls Sunoo closer by the waist, while the other grabs Sunghoon's arm and now they're all huddled in the middle of their kitchen, as close as their bodies allow. Riki starts nuzzling his nose in Sunoo's hair and then, to the other two's surprise, he nuzzles Sunghoon's cheek, tentatively scenting him. Sunghoon nearly lets out a gasp, but he refrains, not wanting to give the wrong impression. Instead, he gently reciprocates, letting his nose run on the expanse of Riki's cheek. Sunoo watches them with wide eyes, trying his best to not tear up because this is probably the first time his alphas have scented each other since they got together.
So many emotions unfold inside him, but the adoration he feels for the two prevails all the others. He dares to do something he wouldn't have even thought of doing until now, but after today he knows his alphas will have no problem with it: he grasps both of their faces in each of his hands, slightly lowering their heads and moving them until Riki's left cheek is squished against Sunghoon's right one. Sunoo then gets on his tippy toes, scenting the both of them while dropping kisses on their slightly puckered lips. He feels Sunghoon wrapping one arm around him as well, joining Riki's, and they both pull him even closer, taking turns in kissing him back.
This is probably the most intimate moment they've ever shared outside the bedroom and Sunoo's scent suddenly spikes, filling the entire kitchen, making the alphas' heads spin. They haven't moved from the position the omega put them in, so they gaze at each other through half lidded eyes. They both feel the pull, the sudden and new urge to kiss each other, but they don't because there are things that need to he cleared up and clearly settled in between them. So they look back at Sunoo, who has his eyes closed and, at the same time, they lower their heads on each side of his neck and continue to scent him.
Sunoo nearly moans, being scented at the same like this by his boyfriends being another first. He hopes they'll sort everything out as soon as possible because this is something he wants to experience every day. No competition, jealousy, unnecessary possessiveness and angry remarks anymore.
As much as they'd like to take this further, Riki's head is still hurting so he reluctantly steps back, immediately followed by Sunghoon. Sunoo pouts, but doesn't get to sulk for too long cause suddenly they're back on the couch, this time with Sunoo trapped in between his boyfriends. He settles comfortably on his back, opens his arms and the alphas waste no time in lowering themselves until they can put their heads on the omega's chest, close to his neck. The tree fall asleep once again to the sound of rain and Sunoo's content purrs.