Chapter Text
Minho was fairly confident that Felix wasn’t in subspace.
He had been before, or at least close to it, but at some point between herding Minho into his nest and force feeding rice down his throat, Felix’s mind had crawled back to the surface.
Hours had passed. Chan had long since arrived home, as the updates from Changbin informed him. Even exhausted and emotionally drained, Chan was acting every ounce of pack alpha that he was by flinging Jisung over his shoulders to carry them both to bed. Minho couldn’t fathom how Chan had the energy to do anything other than collapse on the couch, but he hoped it meant the night hadn’t taken too much of a toll on him.
Seungmin had begun speaking with the police after a long and drawn out wait, and last Minho heard Hyunjin had started downloading the footage for the investigation. Judging by the lack of messages from either of them, it was safe to assume they were still discussing and probably wrapping up soon. Minho hoped, for Felix’s sake, that the time and energy Seungmin and Hyunjin put in meant the justice system wouldn’t fail him like it so often did with most omegas.
Minho wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with Jeongin, though he was certain either Jisung or Changbin had handled that situation. Jisung had a natural gift at lightening the mood, especially when it came to their pack, and Changbin was great at reading a room. Minho had no doubt that, no matter who it was, someone had made sure Jeongin was okay at the end of everything. They would revisit that situation at a later date, when they weren’t shrouded in pheromones and clouded with instincts and emotions.
And then there was Minho, who was still in Felix’s nest, sitting cross legged with their shoulders just an inch away from each other.
The close proximity meant Minho was bombarded with wafts of pheromones, sweetened and masked in sugar. He could feel heat radiating off of the body that sat beside him as it left his own skin clammy and the air musty. Gentle shivers occasionally washed over Felix, knocking their knees together by accident accompanied by the chattering of teeth and the clang of Minho’s collar tag from Felix’s neck.
With each symptom’s rapid progression, Minho could tell his first wave was almost here. His preheat was unusually short, though that was probably due to the triggered heat more than anything else. This was typically the time when the soft edges of subspace had already blurred reality, and by the time the first wave fully washed over, everything was much easier to manage with the blanket of comfort that subspace provided.
But it didn’t seem like Felix was in subspace. In fact, it seemed like Felix was actively avoiding it.
His scent was still fluctuating, as if he was trying and failing to control it. His fingers occasionally squeezed the sleeves of Jeongin’s sweater with enough force to turn them white. His eyelids would close in concentration, and then he would return to blankly staring at the closed bedroom door.
His eyes turned glossy with each blink, and then he’d shake his head into focus.
His mouth parted in a lax expression, and then he’d purse his lips together.
His body listed side to side, nearly falling over a few times, and then he’d grip his ankles to stabilize himself.
Felix was trying not to slip into subspace, but it was so obvious that he was so close to toppling over.
Minho tried not to to worry, because Felix wasn’t his to worry about. As much as he wanted to ease him into subspace, there were limits, boundaries, expectations that he had to be mindful of. He stayed to help Felix through his heat, not to dictate how he spent that heat.
But it would probably be much more bearable if he could let go.
Jisung had said Felix told him he enjoyed subspace, or atleast the one Jisung had induced, but there was still a part of Minho that feared that incident may have something to do with Felix denying himself of it now. He tried to convince himself that couldn’t be true, especially with how Felix had actively interacted with their pack. If Jisung pushing him into subspace made Felix uncomfortable, he would have said something by now.
But if Felix was vulnerable, scared, uncertain, and spending his heat with Jisung’s pack mate… Minho wouldn’t blame him if the idea of slipping into subspace didn’t sound ideal.
No one had to spend their heat in subspace. For some it wasn’t an option. They had responsibilities, or perhaps they didn’t feel safe enough to slip alone. Whatever the reason, Minho has known his own fair share of omegas who would rather spend a heat fully conscious and aware than rely on anyone else, including Minho himself at one point.
Whether that was considered “healthy” was subjective. Enough activist groups against single heats had the mindset that a heat spent out of subspace was just as dangerous as a heat spent with an abusive partner. The toll on an omega’s body was believed to be too strenuous, and the long term effects supposedly leading to infertility among other issues.
Suppressing instincts wasn’t good for the body or mind, Minho was adamant on that, but he also couldn’t deny the fact that there were omegas that simply couldn’t. Some couldn’t afford to miss work so they took some suppressants and dealt with the pain from their work desks. Some felt too vulnerable, and the idea of letting go of control was almost scary enough to send them into a subdrop instead. Some just felt uncomfortable with it, preferring to enjoy their heat to its fullest with every pain and pleasure.
In Minho’s case, he couldn’t trust anyone to take care of him besides himself for the longest time. He couldn’t fault himself for that.
Felix not hitting subspace wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, though after the day he had, it would probably do Felix a lot of good. Being pursued by an aggressive alpha was enough to bring omega instincts out of hiding, but tacking on the incident with Hyunjin and the triggered heat… Minho would honestly prefer it if Felix could hit subspace at least once.
But he couldn’t force him, and he didn’t feel comfortable enough to suggest it just yet either. There had to be a reason Felix was trying, and struggling, to keep a grasp on reality. If he was that desperate to avoid subspace, that was enough of a reason for Minho to push his worries aside.
The least he could do was attempt to make Felix a little more comfortable.
“Hey, Sweetheart,” Minho watched as Felix pulled himself forward by his ankles once again, eyelids shut tight and head tilted down to his chest, “Do you want to lay down with me?”
Felix had already almost toppled over himself too many times. If he kept this up, he was going to fall flat on his face. But having him lay down alone, below Minho, could be too intimidating, too submissive. If Minho laid down with him, then they’d still be on a level playing field and Felix wouldn’t wind up falling over.
Felix pressed his lips together again, his top teeth poking out to bite down in what looked like a nervous distraction. His eyes darted around the room until his gaze landed on Minho, helplessly blinking down at the nest beneath them yet not making a move to lay down.
But he wanted to.
Minho moved first. He lowered himself to his elbows, shimmied his legs down the nest and rested his head on the ball of fabric that had been behind him. He placed his hand flat on his chest, then directed a light smile at Felix who was watching with the parted lips.
“Would you like to join me? You made such a great nest to relax in.”
And it wasn’t a lie, Felix made a damn comfortable nest.
Felix lit up at that, making Minho’s heart flutter in his chest. He loved seeing that look on Felix’s face instead of the nervous uncertainty that had just been there. He deserved so much praise, love, affection, and it pained Minho to know he probably didn’t get enough of it. He never got to be told that his nest was beautiful, that he was beautiful, that even if he was sweaty and whiney and soon to be covered in slick, he was perfect in every way.
Felix was perfect, and Minho needed Felix to know it.
“Come on, pretty baby,” Minho patted the nest floor beside him, “I need a buddy to lay next to.”
That was all Minho needed to say before Felix let himself fall beside Minho, facing the other omega with a blinding smile.
Chan couldn’t sleep.
He was trying to. Every inch of him wanted to sink into the mattress and lull himself into unconsciousness. The room was just cold enough to enjoy the warmth of Jisung’s arms wrapped around his waist, and the blankets had been recently doused in half of his pack's pheromones. The room was dark and quiet save for Jisung’s soft breathing, just how Chan liked it.
Yet he couldn’t get his brain to stop roaring to life.
Felix was the culprit, as he was most of the time lately, though it was hardly his fault. Chan hadn’t been able to get Felix out of his mind for weeks now. His existence tested Chan’s self control. He uprooted the balance in their pack and left them realizing that something was missing. Their pack of seven suddenly didn’t feel big enough, and Chan’s wolf was actively aware of it.
Having his omega, and another omega that Chan’s alpha associated as his , so far away and vulnerable left his heart in shambles. His alpha wasn’t happy with the separation, reminding him of how wrong it was for him to be here and them to be there, all alone. He was going against all laws of nature, denying himself and his wolf of what he desperately wanted, which was to march straight over to Felix’s apartment.
And he would, if he didn’t already know how terrible of an idea that was.
Minho would be furious if Chan appeared at Felix’s front door without so much as a warning, no matter how good his intentions. Chan would be risking any progress Minho had made in the short amount of time he was with Felix. This was a delicate situation for all of them. Chan didn’t want to imagine all of the boundaries they may have crossed already, about the police interview he couldn’t supervise, about the mountains of paperwork that would be waiting on his desk for him tomorrow morning. The last thing he needed to do was add an angry omega on top of it, all because his wolf was raging with pent up emotion.
Truthfully, having Jisung’s arms wrapped around him was as much of a deterrent as it was a comfort, because if he didn’t have spicy cinnamon tickling his nose to remind him of his presence, Chan would have escaped thirty minutes ago.
He tried to relax, closing his eyes with a heavy breath ghosting his lips.
It was times like these that Chan wished he had a way to mentally track all of his pack mates. Like a link between each other, one that let him feel them each one by one tethered onto his consciousness. He’d be able to tell whenever Jisung got anxious, whenever Hyunjin got hurt, when Seungmin was overtired or Minho was irritated. Maybe then he would have had some type of forewarning prior to all of the coincidental accidents that had occurred recently.
Sadly, life wasn’t a fairy tale. He couldn’t magically feel whatever Minho was feeling half way across town, let alone what Changbin and Jeongin were feeling down the hall. He was stuck in his mind, wondering how long Hyunjin and Seungmin were going to be stuck at the company and whether Minho and Felix were okay.
“Thinkin’ too much.”
Chan twitched as Jisung’s mumbled, sleep riddled voice vibrated against his shoulder.
“Hm?” Chan tilted his head to the side to let his cheek rest on top of Jisung’s head.
“You,” Jisung clarified with a light squeeze around Chan’s abdomen, “Stop thinkin’.”
“How do you know I’m thinking?” Chan smiled fondly at the drowsy tone that slurred Jisung’s syllables.
“You move when you’re thinkin’,” Jisung hand slid from his side down to his leg which he hadn’t realized he had been shaking side to side while he was deep in thought, “Shakin’ the whole bed.”
“Sorry, Sung,” Chan stilled his leg, which Jisung took as an opportunity to drape his own leg over Chan’s.
“Is okay,” Jisung brought his hand back up to wrap around Chan’s waist again, effectively pinning Chan down to the bed, “Everything’ll be good, Channie.”
“You think so?” Chan asked a little more grim than intended, though Jisung didn’t seem to notice in his half asleep state.
“Mhm, Minho knows what he’s doin’,” Jisung hummed, “And I know Lix. He won’t be mad. Promise.”
Chan had no doubt Minho knew exactly what to do. Minho was smart, experienced in ways he shouldn’t have to be, which made him the only person in their pack truly suited to handle such a delicate situation. He was the closest out of all of them that could relate to Felix in some way, and the only one that would be able to help another omega in heat without instincts getting in the way.
It was a mantra Chan had been repeating in his head in an attempt to sooth the anxiety brewing inside him.
“You’re right,” Chan whispered back, “I just need to remind myself, is all.”
Jisung didn’t offer much back besides an undecipherable sound. A silent chuckle escaped Chan’s lips as he took his free hand to run through Jisung’s hair, and for a brief moment Chan thought how he might not have been able to do this if Felix hadn’t forgiven Jisung in the first place.
Chan never once imagined that he could potentially lose one of the people that made him so happy. Jisung was one of his first loves. He was a part of every pack addition, every dynamic change, every step as they climbed the ladder of their careers. Life for all of them could have been much different had Felix pressed charges against Jisung like Chan assumed he would. Their flat would have one less boisterous alpha bouncing around, an extra seat left empty at the table, and a lack of spicy cinnamon invading every single piece of fabric it could reach.
It’s only because of Felix's generosity and kindness that Chan could still hold Jisung in his arms like this.
Chan had come to understand just how much they owed Felix. With how much chaos their pack contributed to Felix’s life, Chan figured he’d never be able to repay him for everything. The next thirty years could be dedicated to showing Felix how appreciated he was and it still wouldn’t feel like enough. Chan wanted to do so much more than that, so much more than was appropriate given their current situation.
He wanted Felix in his arms with Jisung. He wanted honey and cinnamon tickling his nose when he woke up to two pairs of freezing feet pressed against his legs. He wanted to see Felix’s smile crease into his eyes with silent laughter. He wanted to walk into a room to see his two omegas nesting together while watching a movie with Hyunjin watching along off to the side, just waiting for the invitation that’ll come when Minho eventually conceded.
He wanted to learn Felix inside and out. What ticked him off and what made the room saturate in honey. He wanted to find out Felix’s deepest fears and his biggest dreams. He wanted to be Felix’s confidant, his rock, an alpha he could rely on.
Chan wanted to spend the next hundred years showing Felix how loved he was by all of them. How he’d taken a piece of their heart and kept it locked up with him. He wanted to clasp his pack tag on Felix's collar, and he wanted to see the shine in Felix’s eyes when he did so.
He wanted to treat Felix like a cherished member of their pack, because he had become something so special so fast.
Chan can’t do much now, especially not with him bound by a cute alpha in a koala hold. He can’t jump into the deep end and expect the waves to ride out smoothly. Just like every other addition to their pack, Chan needed to be careful and calculated.
Establishing trust was important. Showing that they could be dependable would make their relationship stronger, and that would start by ensuring Felix’s workspace was as safe as possible.
Then there was Soobin and his pack's connection with Felix. Chan needed to get that cleared up, and begin the process of rekindling a work-friendly relationship. Ideally, Chan wanted them to get along well, especially if Felix was as close with them as it appeared, but Chan would take what he could get. There was still too much tension between Soobin and Seungmin to be comfortable, and until they could have a sit down, heart-to-heart, it would take too long to clear up.
Chan took a deep breath, careful to avoid jostling Jisung too much.
There was a lot to do.
Felix was still fighting.
Minho could smell it under the sugar laced pheromones, a tinge of defiance that battled with sugar laced honey. His scent was strong enough for Minho to be drowning in it, gulping in lungfuls of omega-in-heat that grew more and more distressed with each passing minute. Felix’s body shivered beside him, and it took all of Minho’s willpower to resist stroking his overheated, sensitive skin in an attempt at comfort.
Felix’s heat had already been progressing rapidly, and predicting what the next few days had in store was impossible. Minho had absolutely nothing to go off of when it came to what Felix’s typical heats looked like. He didn’t have a stash of supplies to dig through in order to gauge Felix’s likes and dislikes, nor did he have any idea what foods could entice him eat when he eventually got too far in his head.
No nesting materials, no medicine, no food-
Minho was convinced Felix might not have survived a heat like this, unprepared and unstable, without someone here to make sure he stayed alive.
That thought became more prevalent as Felix continued to fight against his instincts with every last ounce of energy he had. It had only been an hour, yet the room was saturated in Felix’s scent. Jeongin’s sweater clung to Felix’s sweaty skin, his face flushed with damp hair stuck to his cheeks, and his knees knocked together with every violent shiver that wracked his body. He was awkwardly curled into himself with his arms crossed over his chest, desperately trying to will his body to stop.
It was only a matter of time until Felix lost the fight against his biology. As much as Minho understood the struggle Felix was facing, and even wished it was possible to physically stop the process that had already begun, it was inevitably going to happen. It was going to be an unstable heat full of surprises, and there wasn’t much Felix could do to prevent it.
The only thing he could do was try to make it easier, but he couldn’t do that if Felix was actively fighting it.
Minho had debated on his options. Distraction was always a possibility, but that wouldn’t necessarily fix the problem. It would only mask it until Felix was able to focus on it again, creating a vicious cycle bound to be repeated. Physical intervention was a better plan, especially if he could get Felix more comfortable with Minho’s presence. Being invited into his nest was already a huge sign of trust, but having another person actively participating in an omega’s heat was another thing entirely.
He just needed to bridge the gap, if Felix would let him.
“Hey, Lix,” Minho called out softly, earning a jolt of surprise from the body next to him. He turned his head to the left, facing Felix’s side profile. His eyes were closed with his bottom lip between his teeth, and though he hadn’t physically acknowledged Minho, his locked shoulders told another story.
“I want to try something,” Minho continued, “I think it might help.”
Minho didn’t elaborate right away. He waited patiently as Felix processed his words. Tiny fingers danced away in thought, pronounced by the extra wave of anxious pheromones that washed over Minho. Minho was careful not to react. He didn’t want to show any uncertainty, nothing that could validate the fears that had to be invading Felix’s mind.
He had to be strong. A rock Felix could lean on, someone his omega could trust in a time of need. Calm, trustworthy, and secure, or else he wouldn’t be anything besides a hindrance in Felix’s progress.
As the wave of honey died down, Felix cracked open his eyes. He turned his head just slightly, enough that Minho was able to see the color of his eyes.
A gentle smile grew on Minho’s face, one genuine and full of relief, “Before I suggest this, I want you to know you can absolutely tell me no.”
“Am I allowed to touch you?”
He didn’t make the question overly extensive. Adding in too many variables, too many “if’s” and “maybe’s” would just over complicate things. He wanted to get straight to the point so Felix knew exactly what Minho was asking for.
Felix didn’t outwardly react to his question, but his scent absolutely did. It seemed almost like his wolf was doing somersaults in the air, twirling in excitement and desire that Minho was a little surprised by. If it wasn’t for the overexcited honey in the air, Minho would’ve mistook the pensive stare Felix was giving him for one of discomfort rather than one highly considering Minho’s question.
Perhaps Felix wasn’t as uncomfortable with Minho’s presence as he thought he might be.
“What do you think?” Minho prodded further with a bit more confidence, “I can always stop if you want me to, I promise.”
This time Felix did react with a hard swallow. His eyes darted away from Minho, and if Felix’s skin wasn’t already flushed Minho was sure he would have seen the apples of his cheeks burning red. His scent spiked, full of desire that was amplified by preheat accompanied by a minor, jerky nod that counted as a major victory to Minho.
“Thank you,” Minho felt pride well up in his chest, mixed in with the relief and adoration that had been building up all evening, “You can kick me if you ever want me to stop, okay?”
After receiving another nod from Felix, Minho felt his shoulder relax.
He started with sliding a palm against the blanket beneath them.
By the time the sun broke through the windows, Changbin was awake.
He wasn’t all “bright eyed and bushy tailed”, armed and ready to take on the day. He was more of a “ghostly pale and pronounced eye bags” kind of morning person, debating on diving back under the covers at any given moment. No one dared to approach him before nine in the morning without some form of caffeine in hand.
Yet here he was at the brink of dawn, nursing his own coffee mug as he hunched over the kitchen table and attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes.
He wanted to be irritated, as he would be any other day. Sleep deprivation was never something Changbin handled well, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand how Chan could function on such a minimal amount of sleep as he did. In fact, he had another cup of coffee sitting directly across from him, waiting for Chan to indulge in a rare morning dose of caffeine with him, yet the pack alpha hadn’t so much as touched his mug since he’d emerged from their master bedroom.
“It’s gonna get cold,” Changbin mumbled into the ridge of his cup as he stared in the general direction of where Chan should be sitting.
“Then you drink it for me,” Chan rattled over his shoulder from their pantry where he was hastily piling various food items into a backpack, “We all know you need it more than me.”
Changbin forgot Chan wasn’t much of a coffee person.
“You’re gonna crash by noon,” Changbin sighed as he rested the bridge of his nose against the cup, “I’m calling it now.”
“I’ve handled worse, Binnie,” a loud clang sounded from the pantry, followed by a string of expletives and the sound of shuffling as Chan tried to quickly place things back where they belonged, “I work well under pressure.”
“That’s not a good thing, you know.”
Chan didn’t respond to that, and Changbin decided not to add on to it. Instead he downed the liquid in his cup and reached over for Chan’s since it was only going to go to waste.
“Have you heard from Minho yet?” Chan asked as he emerged from the pantry with a full backpack.
“Not yet,” Changbin turned on his homescreen on his phone to double check, “I doubt they’re even awake yet. Yesterday was a pretty eventful day, and who knows how much sleep they got last night.”
“If they got any at all,” Changbin thought aloud with a solemn nod from Chan.
“What about Seungmin or Hyunjin?”
“Still asleep,” Changbin mumbled between sips, wincing as another stack of cans toppled over, “Are you trying to wake the whole house?”
“Half the house is missing,” Chan helpfully informed him, and Changbin hung his head in defeat.
“Whatever, why are you rustling through our pantry? You know we’re stopping by the store, right?”
Changbin had already mapped out the day, starting with a grocery run for Felix per Minho’s request. Chan had offered to join him, especially when it was mentioned that Changbin intended to pick up Seungmin and Hyunjin from the company afterwards. Changbin had a feeling Chan was planning to remain at the company to iron out his plan of action, because Chan was far too put together today to not have a plan.
But truthfully, Changbin was too exhausted to pull that out of Chan right now.
“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what we already had,” Chan explained with the sound of a zipper signaling he was finished, “I don’t want to clean out the store if we can avoid it.”
“Ah,” Changbin chuckled, “So we were thinking the same thing? Felix is gonna have enough food to last him months.”
“That’s the plan.” Chan came out of the pantry, duffle bag slung over his shoulder and looking way too awake for Changbin’s liking, “You almost ready?”
Changbin froze, mug halfway to his mouth. He glanced down to his slippered feet with his checkered pajama pants draped past his ankles, then raised his gaze back to Chan’s rather impatient stare.
“Do I look ready?”
Seungmin startled awake.
The shrill sound of a ringtone harshly interrupted the dreamless slumber he had sunk into. It was almost embarrassing how many rings it took him to process that it was his phone ringing, right next to his head and nearly dead from being left off the charger all night.
He groaned as he blindly flung his hand up to grab it. He answered it without looking at the caller ID, which may have been poor planning on his part. For all he knew it could have been one of his classmates, or the hospital contacting him about his hours for the next week, which both could have been awkward and difficult to respond to in a professional manner when his head was pounding and his body felt like he was hit by a bus.
Luckily, it was only Changbin on the other end.
“ Seungmin? You there? ”
“Mmhm,” Seungmin closed his eyes and turned himself towards the back of the leather couch he was laying on. The morning sun was obnoxiously bright and warm on his skin.
“ Are you still at the company? ”
“Mhmm,” Seungmin repeated. His phone was so hot against his cheek. Did he leave his screen on all night again?
“ Are you ready to come home? ”
The idea of moving didn’t sound appealing to Seungmin, though the idea of laying in an actual bed definitely seemed much more preferred than the leather cushion his face was smashed into.
“ I’m gonna go take groceries to Minho and Felix, then I’m coming by to pick up you and Hyunjin. ”
Hyunjin was still here, he nearly forgot. Seungmin kicked his foot out, feeling for the other alpha’s presence, but was met with only empty air.
Seungmin groaned again, this time in frustration at the idea that he had to move because he needed to know where Hyunjin was.
“ Minnie? ”
Seungmin ignored Changbin for the time being. He simply didn’t have the mental capacity at the moment to do two things at once. Turning his body to look over his shoulder did two things. It let the light seeping through windows make his eyes sting, but it also gave him a clear view of Hyunjin slumped over and passed out in Chan’s office chair.
Seungmin flopped himself back where he was previously with a heavy exhale. His hand slid down to the base of his phone which let his cheek bear most of the responsibility of holding the device to his ear.
He was just so, so tired.
“ I’m bringing Chan with me, ” Changbin spoke again, “ I have a feeling we’re gonna need two sets of hands to get you two out of there. ”
Seungmin laughed internally, because that was absolutely true, but he couldn’t bring himself to verbally make any noise besides a low hum that only told Changbin he’d at least heard him.
“ Go back to sleep, Minnie. We’ll be there soon. ”
Seungmin didn’t need to be told twice. He barely heard the three beeps indicating the phone call was over before he returned to his dreamless slumber.
When Felix woke up, it was like getting hit by a truck.
The sound of birds chirping were like tiny hammers pounding in his head, chipping away at his patience. He was hot, too hot, and suffocating in the stench of his own sweat. His pheromones pulsed out uncontrollably, reeking of sex and invading the cocoon of cinnamon and lavender sprinkled with pine and rainwater he’d so carefully crafted. A puddle of slick had formed under him, coating his thighs and ruining the blanket he was laying on.
He wanted to groan in discomfort, but he couldn’t muster up the energy. His body was sapped of everything he had, and it wasn’t like a few hours of sleep would do much to recuperate the damage done to his body the night before.
Running barefoot through the streets, scenting Hyunjin, sending his wolf reeling…
Felix really got himself in deep this time.
The weight of Minho’s chest pressed against his back, reminding him of the other omega’s presence. Their skin stuck together, Minho’s feeling cool against the heat radiating off every surface of Felix’s body. His arm hung limply over Felix’s waist, anchoring him down in a way his wolf liked too much.
And what’s worse, Felix couldn’t bring himself to care.
He was so incredibly tired . He was tired of fighting his wolf on every miniscule thing. Tired of spending each day rethinking and overthinking every interaction, wondering why he found himself face to face with someone from Bang Chan’s pack every time his life got difficult. He was tired of being so scared while his wolf wanted to dive head first into something Felix could only describe as terrifying.
And he was still terrified, but he didn’t have the strength to fight it.
He was lying in a nest made of the scents of random people his wolf craved, cuddling up with an omega he just met, and it couldn’t feel more right.
How deranged did that sound?
“Someone’s awake.”
Felix would have flinched if he had the energy. Instead, his heart lurched in his chest, and he’s sure his scent reacted accordingly.
“I think your heat finally hit,” Minho’s morning voice was much deeper than Felix was used to, “Are you feeling okay?”
No, he was absolutely not feeling okay.
“You probably feel like shit, hm?”
Yes, he wanted to cry.
“I can make you some breakfast and get some painkillers. Give me one minute.”
It was as if Minho had read his mind. Without Felix so much as lifting a finger, Minho was already raising himself from Felix’s carefully crafted nest, exposing Felix’s back to the air and he stepped over Felix’s body and towards his bedroom door.
In the depths of his mind, Felix could register that he didn’t own any painkillers, at least not at the moment. And after double portions of rice being consumed the night before, he definitely couldn’t afford another double serving for breakfast. He should care, and he was certain he’d be furious with himself for standing idly by as Minho used up his food reserves when he felt capable of lifting his head from his cushion of pheromones.
He blamed his lack of concern on the cinnamon that tickled his nose.
His bedroom door opened after what seemed like only a minute. Minho entered with too many items for Felix to process. A bowl was one of them, and then two bottles of… something. A napkin folded up between fingers, something in a bag under his armpit.
Too many things.
Felix wanted to go back to sleep.
“I need you to try to sit up for me.”
God dammit.
It took several minutes for Felix to sit up, and once he did, he wanted nothing more than to collapse back in the cloud he raised himself from. Minho had suggested he lean back against the wall, which he could do while remaining in his nest, while he shakily ate spoonfuls of rice.
There was too much in the bowl again.
Felix didn’t care.
“Drink this,” Minho instructed after the rice was gone, and Felix was handed something he was absolutely certain he did not have in his fridge, but it was cold and sweet and Felix downed it faster than he probably should have.
“The painkillers should kick in soon,” Minho explained as he took back the bottle, “Do you want to sleep some more?”
Sleep sounded wonderful if Felix was honest. His pounding headache, scratchy throat, and achy body would appreciate it. Especially since Felix was certain he’d only be feeling worse as time went on.
But there was always the possibility that Felix fell asleep and woke up in subspace.
You didn’t though.
“I could put on a movie for us if you want,” Minho suggested, and Felix once again was amazed at Minho’s ability to read his mind, “Changbin brought me my laptop a few hours ago.”
Felix knew his pheromones jerked at the mention of Changbin, though Minho didn’t seem to react. Felix only had a moment to be surprised at the knowledge that not only was it already that late in the day, but that Changbin had been here.
Changbin had been in his apartment, today, and Felix missed it?
Why the fuck had he been asleep?
“He didn’t come inside,” Minho explained, like he was trying to reassure him, though Felix didn’t know why he was trying.
Felix didn’t mind that Changbin was here, he was upset that he’d missed it.
Would he be able to smell him still? Did his scent linger in the doorway? Sneak through the opening and settle on his countertops?
“I have a better idea,” Felix felt guilty for not responding, and tried to focus his attention back on Minho who was pulling out his laptop, “Did you know Changbin, Chan, and Jisung write their own music?”
Oh, did Felix know.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Minho smiled, and Felix couldn’t even feel embarrassed by the way his scent reacted, “Would you like to have a little listening party with me?”