Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He can’t sleep. The silence is too loud and the wind is too quiet. It’s awful. And the stress- that’s awful, too. He saved a life today, and we wasn’t prepared. He still did it. And he wants to be happy about it- the fact that he saved a life and had a wonderful talk with the Luna, and he’s figuring himself out. His feelings are real. He believes the Luna. He believes that the Moon is just a helping hand. He wants to be happy.

But the stress- it’s a lot. And he’s not used to letting himself just be happy.

So all he can really focus on is the fact that it’s night time and Chan and Jisung still haven’t come back yet. There’s no word from them, so he doesn’t even know if they’re safe. And he’s worried that a part of him wants to stay here, explore a different future from himself. How could he even talk to Chan about that? How could he talk to Jisung about that. And if Jisung dies out there- his scar burns just thinking about it- what does he do then? He wonders if Jisung was actually hurt- would the mark hurt, too? Would he feel it? Could he take some of Jisung’s pain away by sharing it? He doesn’t know how it works.

And yet, when he sits back against the headboard and looks at the pictures on the wall, he realizes that with all this stress, all the thoughts in his head and worries swimming their way through his veins… he’s still happier than he normally is. He can’t go back. That place is ruined for him and it’s not his home. He has hope for a better future for himself and he has things- people- he wants.

Oh, he wants.

And the Luna was right- it’s okay to let himself feel it. It’s okay to let the Moon guide him because… he doesn’t put himself first, enough. He knows. He isn’t objective when it comes to what he’s sacrificed for the happiness of everyone but himself.

And he’s happier here. He can breathe here. There isn’t a dam, here.

When he blinks, Seungmin and Hyunjin are sitting beside him on each side of the bed- he forgot they’d come in. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to hear anything they’ve been saying or doing- progress? Or selfishness? He wishes the Moon would tell him that.

He wonders if the Moon hates him for thinking so hard. Hesitating so much.

“I’m worried about Jeongin. If he doesn’t come back-” Hyunjin’s voice catches his attention, breaks the spell.

“You met him like… yesterday.” Seungmin shakes his head. There’s no malice in his tone, but he does still sound worried. They’re all worried. “I’m stressed about Chan. Our pack doesn’t… we don’t fight. We’re not fighters. I don’t understand why he had to go.”

The context is there. This pack- Jisung’s pack. They are fighters. They’ll be fine. They’re probably fine.

“Chan’s a pack alpha. He’s fine. Jeongin though- if he comes back alive, that man is going to be the father of my children. I’m telling you. When you know, you know. And I know. You know?” Hyunjin says, chuckling through the scary thoughts they’re all carrying.

No one’s heard anything, and that’s so much worse than just having the bad news.

Seungmin takes the chance to laugh and smiles. “Have you even said more than three words to the man?”

“He gave me a flower yesterday after we got settled into our rooms. He told me that I’m the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.” Hyunjin gushes, unable to contain the upturn of his lips and the roses dusting his cheeks. “That flower was a ring and you will not convince me otherwise. I’m sold. I’m already planning on telling Chan I’m staying here, if Jeongin wants me to.”

Hyunjin swallows and looks off to the side momentarily. “If he wants me to. He should want me to, right? Time means nothing when you know. And I know.”

Time means nothing when you know.

Minho wonders if he knows and he’s just not letting himself acknowledge it, or if all this overthinking is just… making an informed decision.

“If it doesn’t work out, I can just leave. Chan would obviously take me back.” Hyunjin continues, bouncing his leg. He has no idea how much Minho wants him to continue talking. “But I know. It’ll work out.”

He knows. Does Jeongin know?

Does Jisung?

Judging by the fluttering in Minho’s chest, and the constant whispers in his mind, he knows too. He’s been building this dam so carefully. Trying to keep himself safe. Keep everyone as happy as is humanly possible. He’s been building, and now he has two bricks in his hand. One is cracked, and one is wet and new and needs to be placed to keep its structure. The dam needs one new brick, and he’s holding two bricks.

He knows what the Moon wants him to do, and he knows what he wants to do, but the other brick might crumble from the cracks if he doesn’t find a place for it.

“Can we circle back to Chan, though? I’m worried about him-” Seungmin tries to cut in, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. His frown lines have deepened, and it steals Minho’s focus for just a moment.

“Next time, maybe tell him how you feel before he goes off to fight a rogue pack, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about,” Hyunjin teases. When he sees that Seungmin isn’t smiling again, he stops teasing and takes a deep breath, placing his hand across Minho on Seungmin’s knee. “He’ll be okay, Minnie. And Jeongin will be okay. And Jisung will be okay. They wouldn’t have gone without more help if they didn’t think they could do it.”

Minho wishes he could be that confident. Confident that they’ll all be okay- confident in his decisions. Confident in his choice between ivory and eggshell.

Seungmin keeps looking at him from the side, and Minho knows. At least this- he knows. “I already know how you feel… about him. I think I ignored it for awhile, but I knew. I know. You handle him well. And he listens to you, and tells you things. I don’t…” What Minho definitely doesn’t know is how to have this conversation. But comforting people when he has his own things going on he should be focusing on? He can do that.

“I don’t feel that way about him, and it’s okay that you do. And it’s okay to be worried. But I agree, I think he’ll be fine. Chan’s strong. And he’s a good leader. And it’s okay to be worried, anyway.”

Seungmin’s lips suck inwards and the breaths through his nose become a little shaky and his eyes scrunch closed. He leans onto Minho’s shoulder and the older is about to let that be the end of the conversation. Hyunjin leans into his other side and says, “They’ll be fine. And I’m gonna stay here and fall in love with a man I met yesterday and have children and if he wants me to go, I’ll go. But I don’t think he’ll want me to. I think we’ll all be fine.”

Seungmin hiccups into a chuckle. Minho and Hyunjin are both paying him the respect of not looking at him- none of them like to cry, and none of them like for it to be witnessed. They’ve never talked about it. They just know.

After extended silence and the sound of sleeves wiping wet eyes and cheeks, Seungmin takes a breath and turns to face Minho, continuing the conversation as if it never stopped. Circles don’t have an end point, and there is still a brick to place, so Minho understands.

“You’re right. When you know, you know. And it’s good that you’re putting yourself and your happiness first. It’s your life.” He makes direct eye contact with Minho as if it needs to be said- to him.

Hyunjin’s hand reaches up, still across Minho, and garbs at Seungmin’s chin, turning it in the other’s direction. “I was the last one to speak. We’re talking about me. Look at me when you’re responding to me.” He chuckles out, the grip on his hand loosening. “Look at him,” he turns Seungmin’s head towards Minho, “when you’re being direct. For instance-”

Hyunjin takes a deep breath and swallows, dropping his head and turning toward Minho, his lower lip wobbling. “Pushing yourself to make others happy is the worst way you can live your life. If you want to try something, try it. No one is forcing you into a lifelong commitment by giving something a try when you want it. That’s what dating is for. That’s what new hobbies are for. That’s what life is for. Try what you want, pursue what you want, and give things up if they don’t contribute to a better life for yourself.”

Seungmin finally smiles again, the upturn of one side of his lips turning into a full, soft grin. “You should be the most important person in your life. Always.”

Minho doesn’t know how to explain the turn this conversation took, but he’s grateful for it. It feels like… the emotional part of the equation he was missing. The part that he neglected- his heart. The Luna knew it, and apparently his friends know it. How he feels is important. What excites him- it’s all important.

And they would be okay without him.

That should hurt, but it doesn’t. He wants to live for himself- and he will. He settles on one response after keeping quiet to appreciate his friends. Their ability to care for him when he struggles to do that for himself.

“They have to come back first.”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

It’s like he knows. There’s a sixth or seventh or eighth sense when it comes to Jisung.

He shifts in bed and wakes up, surprised to find that he actually fell asleep, even more surprised to find Seungmin still on his left side, Hyunjin on his right. They’re sleeping peacefully, and he almost rejoins them until a shiver is sent up his spine and he feels almost lightheaded. Almost dizzy. His heart starts to speed up, racing with an excitement he doesn’t quite understand, and he feels like he should get up. He has to get up.

On the second shiver accompanied by goosebumps, he sits straight up and crawls over Seungmin to get out of bed, throwing a robe over his pajamas. He shakes the legs of the two friends laying in his bed and when they wake up grumbling, all he can say is, “I think they’re close? I… I feel it.”

And they’re his friends. They don’t question it.

They jump out of with just their pajamas, since the robes that Jisung’s pack provided are in their own rooms. The three waste no time heading down to the entrance and stepping outside, the chilly air prickling through the fabric against their skin.

“What does it feel like? Is it tingly? Do you get tingles?” Hyunjin asks. Fine- maybe they question a little. Minho chuckles and doesn’t answer, shoving them forward so all three of them can walk through the town. It’s just bright enough to where some of the pack members ranching and tending to animals are already up an about. There are people- hunters, maybe, practicing fighting against dummies made out of wooden logs. People doing their part in the pack, working together at sunrise and smiling, laughing with each other.

Minho loves it here. There are people up this early in Chan’s pack, but here, seeing everyone here doing what they do… it makes him warm. It’s different, and he loves it.

“I don’t see anything.” Seungmin says, wiping the sleep from his eyes with the back of his fist. They’re nearing the clearing for the entrance to the desert but… he’s right. They weren’t close to the home, and they weren’t in town and they aren’t in the clearing. But he still feels the goosebumps.

And just moments of standing still through the jitters wracking his body, sure enough, there are figures trudging through the desert and nearing town. Hyunjin’s excited jumping and Seungmin’s hand grabbing at Minho’s shirt show that they seem them too. The swishing of a long gown is heard behind them, a soft but firm hand on Minho’s shoulder, and the Luna’s voice speaks low. “Did they come tell you all, as well? That our boys were close?”

Minho doesn’t look back, just shakes his head no. “Felt it. I felt him getting close.”

“Of course you did.” She says with a small chuckle, running her hand over Minho’s hair as if she’s been doing it all their lives.

“How did you know?” He asks. Both Hyunjin and Seungmin peel their eyes away too look back and forth between the two talking.

“We have lookouts. We just call them Watchers. They waited to see the boys entering the desert and came to let me know this morning.”

He didn’t even notice- that behind him, people had gathered. Only a quick turn of his head, and the realization that there was chatter in the background. People are gathering for Jisung’s return. Seji’s return. Everyone’s.

And then it happens. The distant figures of Jisung and the others crest the horizon in full view, carrying the missing girl in their arms. The town suddenly seems to hold its breath, the remaining chatter ceasing entirely as all eyes turned towards them and people continue to gather- just quietly.

Seungmin and Hyunjin break away from Minho and the Luna as the group comes closer, rushing forward to meet their returning people. They greet Chan and Jeongin respectively with embraces full of relief and questions while Minho remains rooted to his spot. Everyone seems so tired, but Seungmin and Hyunjin hold full smiles in their faces.

Jisung doesn’t. He keeps walking with the girl in his arms- Seji, Minho presumes. The alpha glances towards him three times total before passing him, the last time the longest. Several seconds as he continues walking, and he can’t tear his eyes from Minho either. Minho only breaks the eye contact to rake his gaze over the cuts on honey-tanned skin. Dried and fresh blood splattered through shreds of fabric hanging from his shoulders and harms. A fresh bruise and two small cuts on his face- those pretty cheekbones.

He wordlessly follows Jisung to the infirmary where the alpha lays the girl down on a free bed and Eunchae rushes over, washing her hands before throwing gloves on. She looks at Minho as if waiting for orders, and he realizes he has to focus. He needs to put himself first- when there’s not an emergency he needs to handle. And this is an emergency.

“I’ll leave you to-” Jisung starts, but Minho cuts him off.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He has wounds, too. “Sit in the chair in the corner, please.”

Minho washes his hands, too, putting on gloves and immediately moving to the girl’s side. Eunchae is just standing there, wide-eyed and anxious. She has to be able to move on her own, think things through. She has potential, and Minho knows it by the way she helped him before. “Eunchae, take a deep breath for me. In through your nose- out through your mouth. Deep breath. Four times.”

He breathes with her, using his hands to motion when she should breathe in and out. “Now let’s look at her-”

“Seji.” Eunchae whispers, swallowing before nodding at Minho.

“Let’s look at Seji. What is the first thing we have to do?” He’s been in a teaching position before. People may not have respected him or listened to him but they were happy to learn from him. He can do this.

“Clean… the wounds?” Eunchae’s brows scrunch as her gaze slides up and down the blankets on Seji’s figure.

“Before that- how do we know exactly where the wounds are and how bad they are?” Minho asks, his hands hovering above the pretty girl on the table.

“Assess. We have to asses the damage.” Eunchae’s more confident this time, giving another small nod and taking another deep breath- in through her nose, out through her mouth. Minho can’t help the smile on his face.

“Good job.” He uses his elbows to knock the covers off of her body with his assistant’s help. He checks her pupil response and vitals while Eunchae checks all of her wounds. She’s definitely stable- the unconsciousness likely from stress and lack of proper rest.

If he thinks about it, he and Eunchae are in the same position. He’s not a healer. He hasn’t been fully trained in this. He just knows basics. And tonics and herbs. He knows tonics and herbs.

“Assessment?” He asks his assistant. At the very least, he can help her with the basics. He can do something.

“She’s… in surprisingly good condition. No stitches. Just cleanup and… anti-infection required?” She sounds less confident as she finishes, looking at Minho for the answer.

He nods with a small smile in response. “Now that you know the extent of outside damage- what should you ask me, or check on yourself?”

“Vitals?”

“Vitals.”

They’re able to move quickly, Eunchae asking questions here and there, but mostly sailing through the tasks Minho gives her. He asks her questions along the way, makes her think for herself a bit. He worries. If the normal healer isn’t available, and Minho can’t stay, or can’t be here- she needs to know. She needs to know the basics.

But she does phenomenally once he gives her the room to think for herself. He thinks they’re the same in a lot of ways.

Jisung sits and watches patiently, his face unreadable as his eyes follow Minho. Every time their gazes meet, Jisung looks away, but Minho can’t get answers like that. Can’t figure things out or move forward. He can’t place his brick, so the dam can’t be built.

Once they have Seji cleaned up and bandaged, Minho replaces his gloves, takes a small kit over to Jisung. “Eunchae, why don’t you check on the other boy who came in yesterday?”

She takes a moment to look between Jisung and Minho, not even attempting to hide the grin on her face. “Got it, boss.”

When she’s gone, Minho moves to start cleaning up any visible cuts on Jisung’s face. He watches the way Jisung's brows furrow as he applies a gentle touch around the bruised areas. Minho takes his time, drawing out the silence that seems to grow heavier with each passing second. The room smells sharply of antiseptic, mixed with the earthiness of the herbal concoctions he’s made plenty of.

The kit Minho brought over is small but comprehensive. Inside are tiny glass vials filled with mixtures of marjoram and thyme, chamomile and comfrey, each scent mingling with the harsh tang of alcohol used for sanitizing. There are gauze pads and soft cotton swabs, a small pair of tweezers for removing the fragments of wood and fur lodged in Jisung’s skin and under his nails. Each item has its purpose, its place within the compact space.

Minho dips a cotton swab into a vial of greenish paste, a blend of crushed leaves and sage oil suspended in an antibacterial gel. He moves methodically, swiping it over Jisung's cuts with practiced ease coming from years of experience doing this instead of what he really wanted. It’s almost funny to him that he doesn’t hate it right now. His hands are steady, but there's an undercurrent of tension that lays under his calm façade.

Jisung watches him, his gaze still never straying from Minho's face. His eyes are dark and unreadable as they trace Minho's features; the stern line of his jaw, the concentration etched between his brows. There's a question lingering in Jisung's gaze that goes unspoken for long minutes.

The tension builds until it feels like a physical force pressing down on them, filling every corner of the room and clogging the vents. It hangs heavy in the air until Jisung finally breaks it. "Now that they're back...are you excited to go home?"

Minho hasn’t even noticed. His scent is barely there. Not even recognizable. He’s holding back, and Minho thinks- thinks- he knows why. It makes his heart race. He could be entirely wrong, but he could also be so, so right. He wants to overthink it and tell himself that it’s not worth it to push, to move forward and try to see if that brick fits. But it is worth it. And the overthinking isn’t necessary because… if Jisung doesn’t want him- in any context- he can just leave with Chan and it’ll be over.

He wants the brown sugary molasses and almond scent to fill the air instead of this tense sludge. He wants this. He wants.

“Trying to get rid of me already?” He chuckles, looking down and grabbing cloth bandages for some of the larger cuts. “Right when I was about to ask if I could stay here. I guess I can tell Hyunjin and Seungm-”

“What?” Jisung shakes his head as if shaking himself from a stupor, his eyes wide and his pretty lips parted.

“I mean, if you want me to go that badly…” Minho doesn’t normally tease. He doesn’t know if he’s doing this right, but he’s trying so hard to be playful. At least this approach will make it easier if he does get rejected. His hands are starting to shake, though, shivers being sent up his spine and into his neck. He’s nervous even with the confidence and courage to let this conversation happen.

“You want to stay…?”

Minho can’t focus on Jisung’s soft look and hopeful eyes. He can’t focus on the light touch from Jisung bringing up his other arm and gently holding Minho’s wrist. He can’t focus on the alpha’s sweet tone, because the scent is back. It’s slowly flooding in, the sweet, sweet molasses and nutty blend of fragrances that he hasn’t experienced enough of since the meeting.

Jisung used it so freely back then, back when he didn’t know that Minho was promised to another.

And now it’s slowly enveloping him again, so he closes his eyes to just breathe it in. He could get used to this- genuinely. He wonders if his scent has the same effect, so he lets it flow freely, relaxing himself and opening his eyes to watch Jisung’s eyes grow impossibly wider. The alpha blinks rapidly through the raspberry and honey mixing with his own scent and Minho watches his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he waits on a response.

Right. Minho has to respond. He has choices of his own to make, and a dam to build, and he has to find an endpoint to all these circles. He has to take chances to change the things he doesn’t like. To keep the things he does like.

“Yeah. I want to stay. If you’ll let me.” Minho finishes bandaging the latest cut and takes a moment to rub his thumb over the seam under the guise of making sure it’s attached well. Just touching him like this- at all- it’s giving him goosebumps. It’s furthering the trajectory of his desires. It’s setting his plans into stone, solidifying the fresh brick.

“Yes, you- of course, you can stay.” Jisung says, blinking rapidly again and taking a deep breath. He worries his pretty, pink bottom lip between sets of adorable teeth- Minho didn’t know teeth could be adorable, but they are. “Can I ask why?”

He looks like he wants a specific answer, but Minho can’t be sure. He doesn’t know how far he can push this. If he makes Jisung uncomfortable- no.

No.

The Luna was right- is right, and anxiety is starting to feel like the enemy of progress. He deserves to be happy and the way he was living life is… not happiness. There is a way to answer this that satisfies his need to not push and still be honest.

“I think I could be happy here,” Minho responds, rubbing his thumb over the seam again and making direct eye contact. “And I’d really like to give it a try.” He shouldn’t be surprised that he thinks a little more clearly when he forces himself not to grow anxious over everything.

Jisung nods, slowly, opening his mouth as if to say something before closing it and continuing to nod. He swallows again, and Minho just smiles. He won’t push. “How did it go out there?”

A safe segway. Sudden, but safe. The alpha continues to stare silently for a few minutes before inhaling deeply and responding. “There was a fight, but they didn’t really stand a chance with all of us. Only four were there when we arrived, holding Seji in some sort of cage. The others came back later, but we took care of them too. We rotated sleeping through the night to see if any came back, rubbed mud over our scent glands. They shouldn’t be a problem, and we didn’t lose anyone. What about Chan?”

Maybe not a safe segway. “He won’t be happy about it, but it’s my choice. And I think… we’ll both be happier in the long-term. He has someone else who cares about him deeply, and I have-” Minho cuts himself off before speaking too much.

“You have…?” Jisung’s different, though. He pushes softly, tests limits while still trying to maintain comfortability. Minho wants to learn that ability.

“I have hope.” Minho says with a smile. Hope that things will work out with Chan and Seungmin, whether it’s together or separate. Hope that he can figure out this mark and hope that he’s making the right choice. “Can I ask you a question that’s a little personal?”

Jisung blinks in surprise but nods, and Minho figures… if he’s going to learn how to push comfortably, he might as well do it now. Try to get answers before he’s locked into his decision to stay here- not that it will matter. He wants to stay. “Why haven’t you… made any sort of moves towards our… Why haven’t you- Why-”

It’s much harder than it seems without planning what he wants to say ahead of time. Luckily, Jisung seems to understand. “It’s not my place to force you into a decision. We’re marked, yes, but… what happens needs to be your decision, and I didn’t want to sway that by forcing what I want… onto you. I didn’t want to make it harder for you.”

Jisung’s words hang in the air between them, heavy with honesty and respect. Minho can feel his heart rate picking up its rhythm as a warmth spreads through his chest. This is an alpha who understands boundaries, an alpha who pushes but doesn’t push and waits patiently for decisions to be made.

“Thank you,” Minho mumbles, looking down at the now-finished bandage on Jisung’s arm. He takes another moment to run his thumb over the seam again, purely for the sensation of skin on skin. It feels right, it feels good.

Jisung nods, a small smile playing on his lips as he watches Minho. There is something endearing about him – the way he worries about things, the way he treads lightly even when they are marked to be together.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Jisung begins, his voice soft and comforting like a warm blanket in winter, “I just want you to choose what’s best for you without the added pressure of someone else’s feelings. You seem like an incredibly empathetic person.”

Minho lifts his gaze again. His eyes are sparkling with something that could be hope or happiness or perhaps a mix of both as he voices out his next thoughts. “And what if… what if what's best for me… is being with y- being here-?” He sighs, trying not to hold himself back. He has so little to lose in comparison to what he could gain. “Being with you? What if the Moon is right, and what if… I might want that, too?”

There's a pause between them and then Jisung is laughing; it's not mocking, but rather full of relief and joy. The sound reverberates throughout the room and fills Minho’s heart with an indescribable warmth. "That would be wonderful," Jisung says once his laughter subsides, "More than wonderful."

His hand moves to cover Minho's, fingertips brushing gently over his knuckles in a soothing motion that melts away any remaining tension in the omega's body.

"I want to give it a try,” Minho says again, this time with a sense of relief and freedom that he hadn't expected to feel so soon. A chance to start anew, to find happiness when it’s not what he’s used to.

Jisung smiles, his eyes lighting up like the night sky, full of stars and possibilities.

“Then we will,” Jisung agrees, squeezing Minho's hand gently as if sealing their promise. “We’ll give it a try.”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

“Chan, I’m not… asking.” Minho tries to hold his ground, but it’s hard. It’s hard telling Chan no, but it’s harder to see how sad he looks because of this conversation. Chan doesn’t want him to stay, but he so desperately wants to. Especially now. Minho had finished up in the clinic, left Eunchae with instructions, and came to check on Chan and talk to him. He knew what to expect, but it’s hard.

“You should be, though, shouldn’t you?” Chan’s shaking. His words sound harsh, but his hands are shaking and his eyes are brimming with tears. Minho had to ask Seungmin to leave so they could have privacy, but he’s sure it doesn’t matter anymore. The whole house can probably hear Chan. “I’m your- I may not be your fated mate, or the person you’re engaged to anymore, or- but I am your pack alpha and I am your friend.”

He’s scared. Minho understands.

“We're supposed to be… " Chan trails off, his sentence unfinished but his meaning clear. Minho swallows hard. This isn't easy for either of them.

"I know, Chan," Minho says softly, trying to convey all his sincerity and emotion into those three words. Not the words Chan has wanted to hear all this time, but they’re what’s needed right now. His gaze doesn't waver from Chan’s even as the alpha continues to struggle.

"We’re supposed to be… a pack," Chan finally spits out, voice raw from the strain of holding back tears. “You’re meant to be there, with us.”

Minho reaches out, wrapping his arms around the trembling man in a comforting grip. He understands Chan's fear. After all, they've grown together, shared experiences and memories that have shaped them both.

“But I think this is where I’m supposed to be. It’s where I want to be,” he murmurs into Chan's shoulder, feeling the older’s body stiffen at his words. He pulls away just enough to look at Chan's face, taking in the shock and hurt in his eyes before continuing softly. “And I need to see this through, for me. I need to give myself a chance.”

It takes a moment for Chan to react, but when he does it's with a resigned sort of acceptance that tugs at Minho's heartstrings. “What am I supposed to do?”

Minho doesn’t know how to answer. He expected a lot of frustration, anger or feelings of betrayal. He was prepared to talk that out- he knew Chan would be scared and not ready for the change. He didn’t expect him to feel this sad. “About…?” He needs to know- specifically. So he can help aside from the calming pheromones he’s been trying to release.

That doesn’t seem to work as well, anymore.

“You have the moon to guide you. All I have are these feelings and an empty seat that I don’t know how to fill if you’re not there.” Chan sits down, looks lost. Minho knows that comforting words and his scent will only go so far. He takes a deep breath, preparing to lay his heart bare for the alpha.

"We'll figure it out," he begins, his voice resonating with a quiet conviction. "Chan, remember we are not just packmates or friends. We are family. It’s not like I won’t ever see you again. And I’m not the only family you have- you have your mom, dad, sister, friends, and… Seungmin."

He takes a step closer, tentatively reaching out to clasp the alpha's hands in his own. Chan's hands are cold, clammy with anxiety. Minho tightens his grip, silently communicating the heartbreaking empathy he feels.

"We've survived so much together- fights, hunts, loss… loneliness," he continues while looking into the alpha's eyes with an earnestness that compels Chan's attention. "This is new terrain for both of us but it doesn't mean we should fear it. I’m trying not to, at least."

He gives Chan's hands another squeeze before releasing them and stepping back. His gaze never wavers from the alpha’s visage, observing every twitch and flicker in those expressive eyes. “I’ll always try to be there for you, however I can.” He takes a deep breath. Chan’s oak-heavy scent has tinges of rain. Sorrow seeping into his pheromones. He needs more. He needs logic, not emotional comfort.

“Let’s be honest- I was never really a Luna for you and your pack. You did fine without me- the diplomatic handlings, the leadership, the hunts, taking care of everyone… putting all of our arguments aside, you did that. You. And you’ll do fine moving forward as long as you lean on the people around you. Your pack is yours, and you are… theirs. You’re not alone.”

“You wanted to do more. Be more.” Chan says, swallowing and wiping his tears. He’s taking deep breaths. He’s getting there. “I didn’t let that happen because I was scared to lose you, and now you’re leaving by choice.” Chan closes his eyes momentarily, and it feels like a silent surrender. Minho doesn’t know what to say just yet, because he’s right. He chose to leave, but there were many factors involved in that choice. A lot of tears. A lot of talks. A lot of bricks.

And that’s what he chooses to say.

“There were so many factors that were a part of my choice,” he starts, looking away before reconnecting their gaze and continuing. His fingers feel prickly- he doesn’t like being the one to cause Chan any sort of pain. “We’ve already talked about how I feel- how I felt about you trying to keep me safe. Please just continue to listen. Listen to those who talk to you and need you to work with them. Compromise for them.”

“So… I did push you away.” Chan says resolutely, raising his eyebrows and looking at the floor.

“We weren’t meant to be, Chan. But I think you know that. You weren’t happy either. We never even… That life wasn’t meant for us. But you didn’t push me away from your friendship. I still want to be your friend and family- I always will. And like I said… there were many factors that were a part of my choice, not just that.” Minho wants to be honest, but Chan’s already hurting. And he knows. Knows what he did wrong and how to work on it. Knows now that he was not the deciding factor in Minho staying here. He doesn’t need to be any more honest and repeat himself. Chan knows.

“You’ll always be my family.” The alpha looks up at him with fresh tears in his eyes, brows caved in and lower lip pushed up in an unintentional pout. It feels like goodbye. It’s not, but it is, too.

“And you’ll always be mine.” Minho can find ways to be honest that aren’t hurtful. Just like he can push without pushing.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

The conversation with Chan was unexpectedly short. The silence afterwards, when Chan held Minho like he was scared to let go- that was longer than their conversation, and it was unexpected. Minho ended up back in his room, pacing back and forth and wondering what to do in the moment. Talk to Jisung, tell his friends, talk to the Luna… figure out how he can best fit in to this new place, new land. He and Jisung said they would give “it” a try and he thinks they’re on the same page, but… he doesn’t know. And he’s staying.

He’s staying.

“I’m staying!” Hyunjin screams as he bursts into Minho’s room, filling the area with an overwhelming fragrance akin to green apples and toffee. It’s so sweet and Minho will never get used to it, he’s sure. “Jeongin asked, like I said he would. Jisung approved- they apparently talked about it on the walk back from the gray.” He sits on Minho’s bed with a smile, searching for something in Minho’s eyes.

Approval? Excitement? He doesn’t know, but he is excited for Hyunjin. The younger absolutely deserves something good. He hopes- prays to the Moon- that Jeongin will be good for him. Seungmin was right- it’s fast, but if Hyunjin knows, he knows.

Just like Minho knows.

“I’m so happy for you. Have you talked to Chan?” Minho asks, standing in place and worrying his lip between his teeth.

“I have. It was a pretty quick conversation since we was literally walking back with Jeongin and Jisung when they were talking. He looked sad but said he wished the best for me,” Hyunjin said, smiling. Completely oblivious to the irritation and sadness sweeping through Minho at their different experiences. Their situations were different, so it makes sense that Chan would be… more upset over Minho leaving. But… to wish Hyunjin the best was hard to hear. He wishes he could have received that, but he knows better. They had too much built, and too much broken, for there to be a happy conversation about Minho staying with the new pack.

He must have genuinely hurt Chan.

“-nhooo. Hyunnng?” Hyunjin’s sing-song voice brings him back down from his thoughts and he takes a deep breath.

“Sorry. I’m happy for both you and Jeongin. Maybe you can steal some of his scent-repressing patches so I don’t have to smell you across the village,” he teases.

Hyunjin’s smile falls as his face slips into shock and wide eyes. “You’re staying? You’re staying here instead of going back?”

All Minho can do is nod and try to keep his smile down. But he’s excited. He’s hopeful. He has hope.

“And you and Jisung are-” Hyunjin starts, but outside there’s a series of voices all clamoring and the sound of wheels scraping out against rocks and dirt. Minho feels his heart drop immediately.

Chan is leaving now. He’s leaving and going back home. His childhood friend, and the man he was promised to. The man who tried to protect him, even if it was too much- he tried in his own way. Chan wasn’t the only one at fault for their issues. Minho didn’t stress that enough.

And now Chan’s leaving.

He doesn’t even notice that he’s rushing down the hall, down the stairs, his feet hitting the ground at what feels like lightening speed. He doesn’t have time for shoes. He bursts through the doors and runs outside, breathing heavily by the time he reaches the cart, already strapped to the alphas who will be tugging it along.

He doesn’t know how to formulate his thoughts into comprehensible words, so he just tugs on Chan’s sleeve and says “Thank you” through his deep exhales. Chan stares at him, blinking slowly before nodding and swallowing down what he’s feeling.

“You are a good friend. And it’s not your fault,” Minho starts there. He doesn’t want Chan to go home and think everything is on him- it isn’t.

“Weeks,” Chan says. “Just weeks ago, you and I were planning our union. And then the meeting, and the mark, and… it feels like my fault.” He seems so defeated, the way his tone carries a layer of exhaustion in it. His eyes are cast downward, and Minho hates it.

“We weren’t happy. But-” He has to explain. He has to try to explain.

“I couldn’t make you happy. The problem was me.” Chan shakes his head and takes another deep breath, still staring at the ground. Minho knows there are people around them, but it’s not like anything is secret. The whole pack knew there were problems. The whole pack knows he’s staying. And he’s scared to send Chan home like this.

He wraps his arms around Chan’s neck and sighs, letting his scent flow freely again to try and instill comfort and the love he feels. “I couldn’t make you happy either,” he starts. “I should’ve talked to you years ago. I should’ve tried to step up more and take on more responsibility, not take no for an answer. I made excuses. I never… gave you what you needed, either. I could fix you up after a hunt, patch up wounds and make you little tonics. I could let my scent flow a little more strongly and try to help calm and comfort you. I could tell you what you needed to hear. But I never gave you what you needed. Or wanted. We didn’t work, but we tried to.”

Chan buries his face in Minho’s neck and the omega feels his mark. It doesn’t… burn. It doesn’t sting. He just feels it at the same time he smells burning sugar. He can’t focus on that right now.

“You can try like hell to fit a piece into a puzzle… but if it belongs in a different puzzle altogether, it won’t fit no matter what you do. And that’s okay.” He pulls back and fits their foreheads together. “That’s okay. You’re strong. You’re an amazing person. Promise me you’ll try to remember that.”

“I promise.” He says, a small smile gracing his saddened lips. He looks like he means it, and his cherry oak pheromones seem more… accepting.

“Write me when you’re back.”

“You know I will.”

“I will, too.” Seungmin steps up and places a hand on Minho’s shoulder. “I hope you find your happiness, here. And… I’m proud of you.”

Minho smiles between both of them and steps back. “I hope you both find your happiness as well. We’ll have to write and visit, often.”

“Well now that we know these people aren’t savages, and we can make the trip in a day, I don’t see why not.” Seungmin shrugs, a small smirk on the corner of his lips.

“Let our experience with this pack be a reminder not to judge people before we know them. And to listen to those around us when they disagree with us,” Minho says, looking back towards the people who’d come to see them off and wish them well. When he locks eyes with Jisung, he can’t read his face. He looks down before he looks back up, to see Jisung still staring at him, entirely unmoving.

“We’ll do our best.” Chan nods and smiles, before Seungmin pats him on his shoulder and they begin walking off. Minho is staying. He’s watching them leave and he’s staying. For the Moon, for himself, and for hope.

His dam is getting stronger with the new brick he’s placed. He’s sure of it.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

“Okay, let’s get back to you.” Hyunjin says, playfully. He lays on his stomach on Minho’s bed, feet kicking back and forth in the air. “So are you and Jisung a thing, now?”

A thing.

They said they would give “it” a try, but never specified. He has to wonder if Jisung’s on the same page, or if he misinterpreted something. But he’s trying not to overthink everything and let his anxiety controls how he acts. It feels like an impossible balance.

“I’m not sure. I think so. We don’t… I guess we don’t really know each other. But he makes my stomach like… flip? I guess is a good way to put it. He’s pretty, and he seems kind, and he seems like a good leader. Everyone loves him. So… I want to. The Moon wouldn’t lead me to him without a reason, and I want to find out what that is. I want to see if we fit.” He rambles on, his fingers fiddling with the edge of the robe he’s wearing over his pajamas. He has no idea what he’s going to do, here. How he’s going to “belong.” But he wants to.

And he wants to see if he can do it with Jisung. He’s terrified but Jisung makes him want to try.

“Awe, he gives you butterflies,” Hyunjin pouts happily, his lip jutting out through his smile.

"Yeah," Minho admits shyly, looking down at his hands. "I guess he does."

Hyunjin's laughter is melodic, infectious. It brightens up the room more than any lamp could hope to. "I'm so happy for you, Minho," he manages through his giggles, turning on his side to face Minho more directly. "You deserve this. You deserve someone who makes you feel special, and I feel like he will. I feel like you will."

Minho keeps his attention on his fingers, blinking rapidly in an attempt to dispel the sudden moisture in his eyes. He swallows hard. "Thanks, Hyunjin."

The sudden silence stretches on between them until eventually, Hyunjin shifts closer, extending one arm to wrap around Minho's huddled form. “You did the right thing.”

He needed to hear that so much more than he thought he did.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

The first week of staying in the new pack consisted of many talks with Luna and the pack members who all genuinely seem sweet. They seem like they like him. No one's thrown nasty looks his way, or started secretly laughing at him. No one undermines him when he does try to help in the infirmary, teaching Eunchae some of his herbal recipes. Hyunjin and Jeongin are already walking around, hand-in-hand. Hyunjin fits in everywhere right away, but of course he does. He’s Hyunjin. What bothers him about this first week, though, is that Jisung is very civil with him, nodding and acknowledging him, but… nothing else.

The second week, Minho tries harder. It feels like he’s chasing air. When he’s looking for Jisung, no one knows where he is. Minho’s tried to ask him questions about the healer they have on pregnancy leave, and he answers… in a fairly professional matter. His scent is almost entirely hidden. Minho doesn’t know what he did wrong, if anything, or how to do this. He’s never tried to get someone’s attention. He’s never spent two weeks just trying to catch an inkling of someone’s scent or get them to speak to him for longer than a minute or two.

He doesn’t know where he’s going wrong. He thought Jisung was interested, when they spoke and agreed that he could stay here, but… it feels like the opposite is true, now, and it’s tearing him apart.

Week three, Jisung looked apologetic when Minho asked if they could talk, and Jisung said he “just couldn’t right now.” It hurt. Emotionally, too, but his mark… it hurt. It stung. “Soon,” Jisung promised before leaving again.

Nearing week four, Hyunjin knocks on the door to the bedroom he’s had since he arrived. The wafting scent of brown sugar and fragrant almonds blows in through the door and he has to fight the urge to run to it and just breathe it in. He won’t be dramatic. He’s trying not to overdo it. But it feels like that brick he’d placed is growing cracks already, and he doesn’t know how to handle it.

“I need you to know something,” Hyunjin says, resolutely. He doesn’t come sit on the bed, just stands with his back to the door. Minho feels his stomach turn, and not like the pretty little flips it does when he catches sight of Jisung.

“Felix said he stands outside your door every night. Sometimes during the day. Sometimes walks to the infirmary and walks back.” Hyunjin crosses his arms and takes a deep breath before continuing. “Jeongin told me not to say anything, but everyone comes second to you. I found out tonight, so you’re finding out tonight.”

Minho feels his brows creasing and tightening against his forehead as that heavy feeling in his chest begins to grow weighted, again. “But he doesn’t talk to me.”

“I think… you need to force it. I know you don’t really do that, but… from what I understand, he doesn’t know how to say what he wants to say. And if anyone knows how that feels-” Hyunjin tilts his head with an understanding smile.

“It’s me.” Minho nods slowly, wrapping his robe around his figure and standing from the bed.

Nothing to lose. No, he doesn’t typically force people to talk. He can rarely force himself to. But whether Jisung wants to say something good, or bad, it seems they’re both struggling. And he’s been trying to take the first step. So if he has to stomp, instead, he’ll try. He can at least try.

“Is he home?”

Hyunjin nods, opening the door and standing to the side.

At the very least, he can take in Jisung’s scent wafting through hallway. It’s stronger in front of his room, which means they were right- Jisung definitely stood in front of his door, though he didn’t conceal his scent as well this time. Hyunjin leaves Minho with a comforting pat on the back and leaves him to go downstairs- to where, Minho doesn’t know.

It was stronger in front of his door, but dissipated as he crossed by the stairs. As he gets closer to Jisung’s room, it’s stronger again. It’s so much stronger, and Minho can feel himself almost getting lightheaded by it. He is drinking it in the way he wanted to earlier, his steps getting heavier and slower with each breath full of the pheromones he’d been craving to smell. He’s almost drooling.

It’s pathetic.

He stands in front of Jisung’s door and tries to control his scent as best as possible, not letting it give away who’s at the door.

A stomp, not a step. A stomp.

He knocks loudly, and hears a groan from the other side. It sends shaky shivers down his spine in a way he hasn’t ever experienced before. He stands up straighter and knocks again. Dizzy. He’s starting to feel dizzy and he loves it. It’s hard to keep his scent in. He wants it to mingle with the almond and molasses. He wants the raspberry and honey to swirl around in it so one scent isn’t without the other.

When there’s no answer, he knocks again. The door swings open and in all of three seconds, the shirtless pack alpha goes from looking incredibly irritable to confused, to shocked and nervous. He steps back, one hand still on the door, white-knuckling his grip.

“Minho?”

Stay focused. He has to stay focused on the task at hand. He has to talk to Jisung and figure things out, get some answers and look at his broad shoulders and the softly defined lines of his abdomen and his biceps. Dear god, his biceps. No- focused. He has to stay focused. He blinks rapidly and looks up to the ceiling, to the door, then back to the alpha.

“Do you want me to leave? Did I misinterpret something at the infirmary?” He manages to get out. He wishes he could pat himself on the back. He was able to speak through the scent, and the shoulders, and the biceps. He has no idea why he’s being affected like this, but he doesn’t hate it. Not even a little.

“What?” Jisung’s brows scrunch together as he swallows hard and takes deep breaths.

He realizes his cheeks feel warm. Actually, he just feels warm everywhere. The robe may have been a bad idea. He would think he was in pre-heat if it weren’t literally weeks away. The effect Jisung has on him is insane. He has to answer. Has to keep the conversation going and staying in the vicinity of his pheromones. He didn’t realize just how badly he missed them.

“You don’t talk to me. You don’t look at me. I had to control my scent because I was worried you wouldn’t open the door-” He starts to ramble before Jisung cuts him off.

“Don’t hold your scent back.” Jisung says, his eyes looking dark and almost glossed over. He’s still breathing heavily, holding onto the door with the grip coloring his knuckles and fingers.

“But-”

“Please.” Jisung says, his face no longer shocked and nervous but again, entirely unreadable. He does as requested, and stops putting effort into holding his scent back. When he lets it go, it does exactly what Minho wanted. It begins mingling with Jisung’s and god it’s as good as he thought it’d be. He watches Jisung close his eyes for a moment before inhaling deeply and staring at Minho again.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Minho says, growing warmer and more lightheaded by the moment. If it’s possible for someone to pass out from pheromone overload- he’s definitely going to experience it soon.

“I don’t want you to leave. I didn’t… I’m in pre-rut.” Jisung says, as if that solves everything. “Didn’t want you to feel… you have a hard time saying no. I was trying to help.” Jisung’s voice lowers a bit, and his eyes seem to grow heavier as their scents take over the hallway, over the entrance to his room. His blinks become just a little more slow, a little more heavy, each time he takes a deep breath.

“There are… so many different ways you could have handled that,” Minho laughs comfortably. No anxiety. He feels a weight lifted immediately, and it’s just Jisung. He doesn’t need to know the alpha’s favorite color, or his favorite flower, or his favorite food. He wants to, but he doesn’t need to- not yet. Right now, it’s so much more important that Minho feels comfortable responding how he wants to. Right now, it’s important that they’re just talking and letting their scents-

“Pre-rut?”

It hit him a little late, sure, but he can’t let that go unacknowledged. The second the words leave his mouth, his feels a pooling in his abdomen, and his body gets just a little warmer.

Jisung nods, and Minho has to ask. “Were you going to ask someone else to-”

Before he can even finish, Jisung is shaking his head and saying, “No. No, definitely not. It wouldn’t… I have before. I’m sure you have, too. Scent suppressants work wonders.” He chuckles as if it’s forced, but he can’t take his eyes off Minho’s mark and his neck, his gaze traveling back and forth between them. “I planned to court you after, but it hit late. Two weeks late.”

Ah. So Jisung wasn’t putting cracks in his dam, he was just standing on the other side of it, waiting. It’s not ideal, but Minho can understand.

The longer he stands here, the more he doesn’t want to move. He should leave. He’s inexperienced. He’s never had sex in a normal setting, let alone during an alpha’s rut. He should leave. He should say he understands. He’ll talk to Jisung after. Move his feet back down the hallway and back into his room and go to bed.

“I haven’t,” is what he mutters out, instead. “We don’t have scent patches like you guys do. So… I haven’t.” He’s not jealous. He’s not mad. He’s not worried that Jisung will turn him away permanently for having no experience. He just can’t bring himself to move. He wants to know what happens next. What happens when he lets his anxiety sit behind him instead of controlling the ride.

Jisung groans and lays his forehead against the hand on his door, keeping his eyes closed as his breathing becomes a little less slow.

“If you want me to go-” Minho starts, but he doesn’t want to finish. The thought of Jisung going through his rut alone makes him unhappy. Makes the omega inside of him, his omega, unhappy. If it were a separate entity entirely, it’d be yelling at Minho that leaving is not an option. He doesn’t really want it to be, anyway, if he’s being honest. Their scents together… it’s too good.

Jisung groans again, this time like he’s almost in pain. He purses his lips and scrunches his eyes closed for a few seconds until he stands back up straight and looks at Minho. “Tell me what you want very clearly and I will… support it.” He musters out, as if taking a lot of effort. “If you want to go back to your room and let me court you the way I want to after my rut, we’ll do that. If you… if you want differently, I need you to be very, very clear with me.”

Minho has to swallow the saliva pooling under his tongue as a flare of warmth shoots up his spine to his neck. He feels the smallest amount of slick- it has to be- sliding down to calf and he jolts just slightly. Jisung knows. He absolutely knows because his eyes widen significantly and his nostrils flare as he takes another step back.

Minho needs this. Of all his wants and needs- this is now at the top of his list. Courting- can wait. A conversation about how to handle these situations so Minho doesn’t spend weeks thinking he did something wrong- can wait. Everything else can wait. Right now, he needs. And he wants. And he’s so warm.

He silently takes a step into Jisung’s room, gauging his reaction. The alpha takes a step back, his Adam’s apple bobbing harshly as he lets go of the door.

“Is this an option you’d be okay with?” Minho asks as he takes Jisung’s place on the door, holding it before he closes it like he so desperately wants to. His stomach is flipping again. Butterflies, Hyunjin called them. “Would you want this?”

Jisung tilts his head slowly, unblinking as his jaw clenches tightly. “Do you think I don’t want you?” He nearly growls out, seeming almost offended with the way his eyes narrow and his brows scrunch again.

“If you do want me…” Minho closes the door, finally, letting it click shut behind him before he reaches back and locks it. “Will you show me?”

Jisung only stares for a minute more before taking those few steps forward silently. He stands in front of Minho, looking between his eyes and searching for something before cupping his face with both hands. Minho feels his stomach flipping rapidly, turning over and over, and he wets his lips with his tongue, feeling his breathing becoming just slightly more erratic.

But Jisung removes his hands one at a time and looks at them, confused. “You’re really warm. Are you… okay?” He tilts his head again and lets one of his hands fall to Minho’s waist, slipping under the robe and his pajama shirt to ghost his fingers over bare skin. “Warm… you’re warm here, too.”

Minho feels more wetness sliding down his legs and he gasps lightly, letting the back of his head hit the door. No one’s touch- a simple touch- should feel like this. It should not be this electric. It should not send shivers through his body. It shouldn’t make more slick slip out of him like this.

“Minho… I think…” Jisung’s jaw clenches again before he continues. “Are you…”

“In heat. I think I’m in heat.” Minho bites his lip and feels the alpha’s hand grip his waist just a little harder, making his breath hitch and a small whimper leave his throat. It’d be embarrassing if he didn’t have other priorities. “I think you’re… making me go into heat.”

“Are you sure-” Jisung starts, but his breathing is picking up and his jaw won’t seem to unclench. He’s holding himself back and Minho doesn’t want him to.

“I’m sure. I’m so sure.” He doesn’t mean to keep cutting him off, but Jisung asked him to be very clear, so he will be. He didn’t know what he was walking into when he was on his way to Jisung’s room, but he knows now. “Court me after. Right now- this. I want this if you do.”

His bricks are making him stronger. Bolder. His dam is fully built, he’s sure.

Jisung’s grip tightens even further and his other hand comes back up to Minho’s neck, pulling him in until their lips are so close. So, so close. “How did you think I didn’t want you?” He leans forward and captures Minho’s lips in his own, in a hungry kiss that sends Minho's senses spiraling. As Jisung's hands explore his body with a newfound fervor, Minho can't help but tremble beneath his touch.

It’s unlike anything Minho’s ever experienced. It’s searing, and just as warm as his body feels. His brings his hand to Jisung’s chest and feels his heart beating wildly under his skin. He can barely breathe, but he really doesn’t care about oxygen anymore. Jisung’s lips are addicting. All-consuming.

He’s propped against the door, sliding down slightly with the way the alpha is pulling his waist in towards his own body. He brings his other arm up and wraps around Jisung’s neck when a tongue swipes against the seam of his lips. He doesn’t know why until he parts his lips and he feels Jisung’s tongue against his own, licking against the muscle and behind his teeth. He gasps and feels his knees buckling, but Jisung's firm grip around his waist doesn’t allow him to fall.

Jisung's tongue is warm and insistent; it explores every crevice of Minho’s mouth, and he can't help but let out a moan. His blood is thundering in his ears, his heart pounding against his chest, and all he can focus on is Jisung—his scent, his taste, the heat radiating off him in overwhelming waves.

A low growl rumbles from deep within Jisung’s chest and Minho can feel the vibration against his own body as they press closer together. It's animalistic, primal, and it rattles something deep within Minho that only Jisung has ever been able to touch.

In the span of seconds, everything shifts. Jisung flips Minho so his chest is against the door and his robe is being slipped off. He wastes no time in slipping Minho’s pajama shirt off next, kissing the back of his neck and his shoulder near his scent gland, licking over it slowly. Minho can’t fight the loud whine that escapes him, his cheek pressed against the wood again as he lets the kisses continue down his back.

“You want me to show you how much I want you?” Jisung mutters out breathily, his fingers slipping into the waistband of Minho’s pajama pants and underwear and pulling them down. “I’ll show you. I can’t wait to show you.”

He kisses the omega’s backside, both of his cheeks, plush and soft, before lightly sinking his teeth into one and licking over it. If Minho comes out of this entirely bitten and bruised and ruined, it still might not be enough. He feels like he’s going to cum within seconds- everything Jisung’s doing is bringing a new sensation he is so happy he’s never experienced with anyone else.

“I’ll show you.” Jisung murmurs again, breath hot against the curve of his backside before sinking his teeth gently into the firm flesh of the other cheek. The act draws a gasp from Minho, the sharp burst of pain melting into pleasure again as the alpha licks over the marks he's left behind. His tongue is warm and wet, tracing paths down to where Minho needs him most.

He feels Jisung’s hand parting him slowly, his breath hitching as his slick is exposed to air. A soft groan escapes Jisung when his tongue finally laps over Minho’s entrance, gathering slick onto his tongue before swallowing. The feeling is electric even when he does it again, like a bolt of lightning shooting through his veins, making him arch his back and push against Jisung's mouth until the alpha begins to speed up, sucking on his rim in between licking at the slick leaking out of him. Tears well up in his eyes from the sheer intensity as Jisung continues to lap at him fervently.

It takes no time at all for him to cum, ropes splashing against the door as Jisung works him through it, his whimpers bouncing from wall to wall as they echo throughout the room.

"You're so pretty," Jisung mumbles around licks and teeth-nips as he speeds up little by little, making Minho whimper again. The pleasure is so sharp that it's almost painful, and he wants more. He needs more. There's no reprieve after that momentary high. Jisung doesn't stop; instead he goes faster, harder, drawing improper sounds from Minho with every stroke of his tongue. It's too much, it's overstimulating, but Minho doesn't want him to stop. The afterglow of his orgasm is quickly replaced by the mounting pressure of another one.

Jisung lifts Minho's right leg, resting it against the door for better access. His other hand keeps a firm grip on Minho's hip, ensuring he stays in place as Jisung thrusts his tongue, pointing the end to be able to reach as deeply as he can go. Minho’s legs begin shaking as much as his breaths, but Jisung continues to plunge his tongue deeper and deeper, working more in each time. The new angle brings with it different sensations that have Minho crying out in pleasure, his body fully trembling.

A new sensation suddenly makes him gasp as Jisung pushes a finger inside him. It's a strange feeling, different from the sensations he's been experiencing, but not unpleasant in the slightest. He’s never had much luck with his own fingers- awkward angles and he can’t reach very deep. He gave up trying a long time ago. But this- this- it’s so good. Minho tightens around it reflexively, drawing a low chuckle from Jisung which vibrates against his skin. As he slowly adjusts, Jisung begins to move his finger together with his tongue, creating a rhythm that sends waves of pleasure coursing through him.

Jisung adds another finger, stretching him just enough to make him moan out loud. He scissors them inside Minho, coating them with slick before adding a third one. Minho whimpers at the stretch, biting his lower lip to keep himself quiet as Jisung continues to prepare him. The pace is punishingly slow but necessary, for each added finger brings with it an extra stretch that has Minho breathing raggedly.

The pressure builds again, climbing higher and higher until he's on the edge once more. The moment Jisung hits a weird spot inside of him, his nerves feel like they’re exploding and he has to cover his mouth, tears slipping from his eyes as he comes undone in an instant. His vision whitens for a moment, pleasure coursing through every fiber of his being as he whimpers through his orgasm, Jisung massaging the spot tenderly and sucking at his rim like he can’t stand to be away from it.

When he opens his eyes, Jisung turns him and is staring at him intently, softly, licking his lips as if tasting the remnants of Minho's slick. "You did good," he praises in that husky voice of his, both hands running up and down Minho's trembling body in soothing motions. "You taste so good."

Minho can’t fight his blush at the compliment while Jisung kisses him lightly, letting him taste himself as if it’s a treat Jisung can’t wait to share. The alpha picks him up bridal-style and carries him towards the bed. He watches through half-lidded eyes as Jisung takes off his pants and climbs over him, his eyes still dark and full of the same want Minho feels. His body still hums with satisfaction as he feels Jisung's weight settling over him. His breath hitches as he realizes this is happening. His first time. And Jisung’s already made him feel so good twice.

He’s definitely in heat.

His slick is pouring out of him, readying him for more. He needs more. His hands travel up from Jisung’s waist to his chest, his neck, his hair, his cheeks. He just wants to feel him. Touching him is so unreal. When Jisung kisses him again, he feels the alpha’s hardened cock rubbing against his own and he jolts, arching his back to feel more, more more. He let’s out a sound somewhere between a moan and a whine when Jisung gives him exactly what he wants, positioning him so that their erections are directly against each other.

He feels fingers at his entrance and thighs, gathering up slick and rubbing it between their cocks before lightly thrusting. Minho is so angry. Angry that he’s gone so long without this- without Jisung. So glad that he waited. So glad that he came to Jisung’s room. So glad that Hyunjin pushed him to.

Jisung kisses him again, and he feels half-gone. The lightheadedness, their scents, the amount of continued pleasure his body is experiencing- he feels high. He has to feel high. He didn’t even notice there was movement until Jisung lowered himself and aligned his cock with Minho’s hole, comforting hands rubbing circles into the omega’s waist and thigh.

“Gonna show you.” Jisung mutters out again, his rut fully taking over as he watches his tip slide past Minho’s rim. Minho tenses at the intrusion, not expecting the size as he slides forward slowly- much more slowly than he would expect an alpha in rut to move.

But Jisung is careful, oh so careful, and Minho finds that in his own painful need, he appreciates that control. He grips onto Jisung’s biceps, hanging on tight as Jisung enters him fully, the stretch more than anything he's felt before. He squeezes his eyes shut, a small whimper escaping his lips. Jisung stills immediately, his breath hitching as he fights to control his instincts and give Minho the time he needs.

“Are you okay?” His voice is strained, the question barely more than a whisper.

“Yes,” Minho manages to gasp out, “Yes, just… just give me a moment.”

Jisung stays still above him, his body trembling with the effort to remain motionless in the tense seconds that follow. When finally Minho adjusts to the new sensation, he gives a small nod of approval and Jisung moves again, although it's more pulling back slightly than thrusting forward. Minho’s breath hitches at the change in pressure and he can’t stop himself from wrapping his legs around Jisung’s waist, pulling him in closer.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jisung begins to move inside him. The pace is maddeningly sluggish yet absolutely necessary. Each draw out and thrust back feels like a brand new kind of pleasure for Minho, each movement sending waves of pleasure rippling through him.

Jisung's movements become more desperate as time wears on; each thrust sends them both spiraling higher and higher into uncharted territories of pleasure until he is slamming into Minho at a scream-inducing pace, reaching depths Minho didn’t know was possible. His back feels permanently arched, his head indenting the pillow underneath it while his body is taken care of so well.

Jisung's pace is relentless, his hips snapping forward in a rhythm that leaves Minho breathless. His hands anchor on Jisung's broad shoulders as he tries to match the pace, but each thrust pushes him higher and higher, turning everything else insignificant. The only thing that matters in this moment is their connection, the way Jisung feels inside him, claiming every inch of him.

The room is filled with the intoxicating scent of their bodies melding together, the sounds of skin slapping against skin, low moans and gasps reverberating off the walls. Each grunt and groan from Jisung sends Minho spiraling further into ecstasy, his body responding instinctively to every sound and touch. When he feels Jisung’s knot catching at his rim, being pushed in and pulled out as it grows, he gasps.

"Look at me," Jisung urges him, his voice barely above a whisper. Minho catches his eyes with parted lips and a half-lidded gaze. “It’s okay, darling. You were made for this. You are a stunning, perfect omega. Perfect person. You can take it.”

Minho nods and wraps his legs around Jisung tighter. He needs to be closer. “Need it.” Something inside Jisung snaps and he leans down to lick at Minho’s scent gland, teeth grazing the untouched skin as he begins thrusting again at a brutal pace. Minho can only scream and moan so much before his voice goes nearly silent with heavy gasps, just trying to breathe through the insanely good pace. The feeling. The pressure. The size of his knot as it catches fully inside of him.

It's not long before he can't hold back any longer. The pleasure surges through him like a live wire, radiating outwards from where they are joined in an explosion of sensation that makes his vision blur at the edges. He clenches around Jisung instinctively as he comes undone beneath him for the third time- he thinks. He might have lost count. He just knows that the knot has caught fully and he has cum on his chest and stomach and Jisung is still thrusting as deep and hard as he can with the knot inside of him, filling him and painting the walls surrounding his cock and knot.

Minho can’t help the shaking. He’s shaking so much. It’s so good. He doesn’t have the pain that normally comes with his heat. It’s so good. He feels full, and Jisung is panting above him and looking at him with such care and comfort.

It’s so good.

He feels barely conscious as Jisung cleans his stomach and somehow flips them over so that Minho is laying on top of him. He thinks he’s moving in-and-out of a sleep state when he opens his eyes and the alpha’s fingers are carding through his hair softly, as if Minho is a precious thing he can’t stop touching.

“What’s your favorite… color?” Minho mutters out, half-asleep.

Jisung chuckles and presses a kiss into Minho’s forehead. “Red. Like a pinkish red.”

“Mm.” He hums in acknowledgement, slowly nodding off again. “Mine’s green.”

Another chuckle and an affectionate brush of his hair before Jisung’s hand is rubbing circles into his upper back.

“I know.”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Three days, countless orgasms, five or six showers in the gorgeous bathroom attached to Jisung’s room, about thirteen different positions, and twenty prayers of thanks to the Moon, and Minho is ready to do anything the Moon asks of him for the rest of his life. He has no way to prove how his heat came early and Jisung’s came late, just enough to sync up with each other perfectly, but he knows she has a hand in that.

She’s been slowly pushing him, and she hasn’t been wrong. The Luna wasn’t wrong, the Moon wasn’t wrong. He feels rewarded for not holding himself back.

Jisung had to explain aftercare to him when Minho woke up to the alpha wiping his body down and covering him with a heat blanket, scattering their clothes around the bed in a makeshift nest because Minho was absolutely too tired to do it, himself. Between waves of heat and rut, they slept or just talked. Jisung would make jokes about waiting until he could properly court Minho, so they have things to talk about on dates, but Minho is so positive they’ll never run out of topics.

They have so much in common- and what they don’t have in common somehow complements each other. It doesn’t feel real. Something like this doesn’t even seem possible, even when Minho is happily living in the proof of its existence.

As their cycles come to an end, he’s sleepily, lazily running his fingers over Jisung’s chest. His muscles are sore, even with the bubble bath Jisung had just run for them a couple of hours ago while massaging his muscles. “How did you know about my favorite color?” He asks, letting his eyes close temporarily just because of their heaviness.

“Ah.” Jisung clears his throat and rubs circles into Minho’s upper back with his thumb. “I asked. I spent your first week here trying to figure out how I was going to court you. If you preferred grand gestures or subtlety. What things you like and don’t like… that kind of thing. I mostly asked Hyunjin, to be honest. I asked Eunchae if she knew anything, since you worked with her off and on, but she could only tell me about things you’d taught her. That was incredible on it’s on, though.”

His arm pulls Minho in tighter, and he takes a deep breath like he’s trying to fill his lungs full of the omega’s pheromones. When Minho doesn’t know how to respond, doesn’t know how to react or express the amount of warmth he feels in his chest, Jisung gives him the time to figure it out. He stays quiet and rolls his thumb in this soothing, perfect little motions. Circles. Comforting circles.

He can do it. He can put his concern forward and they can talk about it. He feels- he hopes- Jisung will be receptive to that.

“It’s sweet- you’re sweet. That’s more than I considered- more than I thought you’d do. Anyone would do.” It’s true. Out of all the possibilities swimming around in his head, he didn’t expect that Jisung was just… freaking out as much as he was. Trying to figure out how to actually do what they both want to do. The situation is unprecedented. “But I… don’t want to spend weeks feeling like… I did something wrong. I couldn’t tell if I misread the situation, if you didn’t actually want me here, if now you were feeling more pressure or things had changed-”

“Not at all.” Jisung pulls Minho as if he weighs nothing so Minho is laying atop his chest properly, holding himself up to look at the alpha and trying to control the faint rosiness he can feel dusting his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t- I didn’t even consider you could feel like that. I was in my own head and then just stressed.” He chuckled before continuing.

“I can’t promise that won’t happen again, because I don’t want to lie to you and I know how… distant I get when stressed. But I can promise I’ll try. I’ll try to talk to you more. I’ll consider how you’re feeling, more. I can promise I’ll work on it so I don’t make you feel like that again.” He clears his throat and the tinge in his face matches Minho’s, he’s sure. “You are wanted. You’re wanted here, and by me.”

“Just like that?” Minho can’t help but ask. It’s weird. It’s definitely weird, right? That he just immediately apologizes and says he’ll focus on how he’s making Minho feel. That he promises to try and work on himself, while explaining that he typically acts a certain way when stressed.

“Just like that.” The alpha repeats with a soft smile before it twitches downward suddenly. “Unless… I missed something?”

“You didn’t miss anything.” Minho shakes his head, slightly. Their last wave passed in sync before the bubble bath, but they laid in bed together anyway. It’s the type of intimacy he didn’t know he was missing. It felt right, and he’s positive it wouldn’t feel right with anyone else. He knows like Hyunjin knew for Jeongin. And Seungmin knows for Chan. He just knows. “You’re just very sweet.”

“Not really.” Jisung’s smile disappears altogether and he looks away from Minho to shake his head no the way Minho had. It feels less endearing, more worrisome. “I shouldn’t have- when you said you hadn’t done… anything- been with anyone before, I should have just made you go back to your room.”

“I didn’t want to.” He says, simply. And it’s true. There’s nothing he wanted more, in that moment standing outside of Jisung’s door and breathing him in, than to stay there with him. “You triggered my heat. I wanted to.”

“That’s even more reason,” The alpha chuckles. “We don’t exactly think with our brains during a heat or rut cycle.”

“Mm.” Minho hummed, nodding slowly as he processed what to say next. How to be honest and hopefully make Jisung understand. “I’m not in heat now, though. And I’m okay with it, still. I’m okay with what happened. We’re drawn to each other, and… I’m okay with it. I enjoyed having you to spend it with. I enjoyed being there with you to work through your rut together.”

He takes a deep breath. “I would have said yes, either way, is what I’m getting at. My… lack of inexperience was purposeful. I’ve said no plenty of times during my heats prior to coming here. You gave me the choice, and I chose.”

Jisung let’s our a short but heavy exhale and wraps both of his arms around the small of Minho’s back and waist, tugging him down fully to lay flat on the alpha’s chest. He buries his nose in Minho’s neck and it sends a shiver through the both of them.

“Promise?” Jisung's question is so soft, so hesitant, it barely registers as a whisper against Minho’s skin.

“Promise.” Minho replies without hesitation. His heart is pounding in his chest. This is what he wants. He knows it's still new, that he and Jisung haven't figured everything out yet, but that doesn't stop him from knowing - this feels right.

Jisung lets out a quiet sigh that sounded more relieved than anything else. “Good… It would have sucked, otherwise.”

Minho can't help the laugh that bubbles up at that, an honest-to-god giggle that makes Jisung's chest vibrate under him. It’s all a little ridiculous when he thinks about it- them overthinking every gesture, every word, every look. When all along, the answer was as simple as this: wanting each other. So, so badly.

He traces a lazy pattern on Jisung's chest as his laughter subsides into a content hum. “Silly Alpha,” he murmurs against Jisung’s neck, his breath hitching slightly as Jisung’s fingers tighten around his waist.

“I guess we're both silly then.” Jisung whispers back, nuzzling further into Minho’s neck. They lay there for what feels like hours, fingers lazily tracing patterns on skin and their warmth seeping into one another. They don’t speak any more words out loud - there's no need to. Everything they need to say is communicated through the soft brush of skin on skin, the steady tempo of two hearts beating in sync, the comfortable silence that speaks volumes.

One of Jisung’s arms travels up to caress the back of Minho’s head, softly brushing through air-dried hair. When Minho looks up, he glances at Jisung’s lips and back to his eyes, waiting a beat. They just had… days of physical intimacy. It’s weird that a kiss seems so anxiety-inducing to accomplish, but he is who he is. Jisung somehow just knows. He takes the reins and pulls Minho forward just a little, reaching up to lightly slot their lips together. Soft, short- too short- and so sweet.

Jisung's arms tighten around Minho, pulling him back into laying down, until there isn't any space left between them. Minho nestles deeper into his embrace, feeling the rumble of Jisung’s contented sigh against his skin. This feels right, feels like home. And he knows, down to his bones, that this is where he belongs.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

“We should go check on everyone,” Jisung says, tracing invisible shapes into the skin on Minho’s upper back. “It’s time to re-enter sunlight.”

Minho lets out a small, playful groan and chuckles. “Fine.” He stands up and allows Jisung to do the same so they can both get dressed. It still feels intimate, even though they’re not doing anything. They’re not even touching. Domestic- it feels domestic, too. He loves it. He doesn’t feel like he’s playing a part. He doesn’t feel like he’s trying too hard to act a certain way. He’s just being.

When they’re fully dressed, Minho looks at the bed and pulls his bottom lip between his teeth briefly, letting it bounce back before saying the first thing that comes to mind. “Next time, though- my room. I need a proper nest and I need you scent clothes for me because-” Too comfortable. Maybe he’s too comfortable. It’s unlike him to make demands out of someone, especially someone he’s not officially with. Sure, the Moon says they’re mates. And sure, they said they would give it a try. But they didn’t put a label on it or make anything official.

“Because…?” Jisung raises his eyebrows with a tilted smile reaching his cheek. Pushy, but not too pushy. Just enough pushy. Minho can do this. He can answer. If Jisung is pushing, it’s because he wants to know. Minho can give that to him.

“Because I think I want our scents stronger. And when you’re asleep, I can’t… I can’t scent you. Or have you scent me. I’d just end up feeling bad for waking you up.” He looks down briefly and clears his throat before heading close to the door. Just looking at it gives him flashbacks of a few days ago. They’d cleaned the door directly after their first wave subsided, but… it still smells like both of them. And just looking at it is a reminder of the first time he’s wanted someone- anyone- in the capacity that he does.

Jisung hums and nods, unable to fight the smile growing on his face. “Next time, huh?” Minho feels his cheeks growing red, but he doesn’t want to overthink. He doesn’t want to be anxious and worry. Jisung is here, smiling after spending his heat with him. Smiling, after saying he still wants to court Minho. Smiling, after days of reassuring Minho that he wants just as badly as the omega does. There’s nothing to overthink.

“Next time.”

When they finally leave the alpha’s room together, it’s hand-in-hand. Out of all the situations Minho was expecting to happen when they left the room, he couldn’t have expected that the house would be entirely silent. No one in sight, no other scents in the air other than their own- not that he minds.

When they step outside in the breezy air, they see tents- tents- set up outside. Two of them, both zipped open with visible clothes, blankets, and bedding. Jisung’s friends and even Hyunjin are all sitting in the grass, outside of the tents, talking and laughing. When Hyunjin sees Minho he smiles and stands up, brushing himself off before nearly tripping himself to run over.

“Are you okay? How do you feel? Was he sweet? Did he hurt you at all? Pack alpha or not, I’ll fuck him up.” Hyunjin blurts out, looking over Minho as if inspecting his skin. Luckily, he can’t see the bruises lightening on his hips, waist, and thighs. Minho doesn’t want those to be worried about- he doesn’t want questions, because then he’ll have to explain that he likes it.

Jisung clears his throat, looking up to the sky as if to say that he’s right there, listening. Hyunjin’s brows furrow in response. “Did you not hear me say pack alpha or not?”

Within what seems like milliseconds, Jeongin is at his side, arm around Hyunjin’s waist. “Jin, please.” Before anyone can say anything further, and Minho has more of a situation to control, he clears his own throat and looks at Hyunjin.

“If he was anything less than perfectly respectful, I wouldn’t be out here holding his hand. Since when have you seen me hold someone’s hand and just walk around?” Minho responds lightly, letting his scent flow a little more heavily to show that it’s okay. Everything is okay and Minho is happy and he has hope.

Jeongin grimaces and ducks his head in a small apology to both of them. Before things can get anymore awkward, Jisung gestures to the tents with confusion and leads the conversation.

“Why all the tents? Everyone’s families live here, they could have stayed with families if we were… bothersome.”

“Hyunjin refused to be too far from Minho at any point, and I stay with him,” Jeongin answered. “But then Changbin and Felix didn’t want to be too far from you in case something did happen and Hyunjin lost it.”

Loyal. They’re all so loyal. Jisung picked his people well, and Minho is grateful that Hyunjin stayed. Felix walks over and smiles, leans against Changbin when he joins. “I would’ve kicked Jisung’s ass too, if he did anything- for the record. We just know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t hurt you. Hyunjin doesn’t know that yet.” Changbin cards his fingers through Felix’s hair, ruffling it before kissing his cheek.

So loyal.

“We have to protect our future Luna, too. Didn’t wanna be too far,” Changbin adds.

Minho freezes, but quickly recovers in an attempt not to show the thought process that just hit him like a train. He smiles and ducks his head- a small nod of gratitude that hopefully speaks more volumes than his words could.

Future Luna.

It makes sense. It’s something he should have put more thought into, considering the situation and relationship he just left. From one pack’s Luna to another. He swallows heavily, hopes he can do better this time. Hopes he won’t let everyone down. Hopes he’s not being given a title he doesn’t deserve.

He’s brought back from his thoughts when Jisung squeezes his hand softly and leans down to his ear to speak. He knows. Of course he knows the hesitation, the anxiety. He just knows.

“Leave your worries in the future, when we can tackle them together. Right now, just be you. That’s all anyone’s asking.”

He’s everything. Jisung is everything.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───                                                                ─── ∘°❉°∘ ───                                                   ─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Before their first date, Jisung was gone for nearly three days with no word to Minho. Felix and Changbin would giggle, but not tell him anything. It was hard not to let worry stir in his gut, but when he saw Jisung again after what Hyunjin calls “The disappearing act,” he melted. Jisung ran up to him, worry all over his face. Before Minho could say anything, Jisung started rambling that he wasn’t ignoring Minho, at least on purpose, and he needed something to be a surprise but it required him to be away from the pack and he couldn’t risk Minho asking about it, because he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t cave and just tell the omega everything.

“It’s really hard not to just tell you now, with the way that you’re looking at me, because I desperately want to give you what you want. But it has to wait and I need you to try and trust me just a little because I think you’ll like this. Hopefully. Please stop looking at me like that or I’m going to ruin the surprise I worked three days on because I don’t know if I can hold back.” He rambled with wide eyes and furrowed brows. Minho had chuckled and rolled his eyes, nodding before Jisung had Hyunjin bring out two bags to throw on their backs- one for each of them.

Their first date was nothing less than perfect. It was everything Minho needed to feel secure in his hope- to know that he’d made the right choice. Without explanation, he followed Jisung through the desert and into the gray. Jisung begged Minho to just trust him, trying to reassure him throughout their journey. He didn’t need to. Minho never second-guessed it, although he wouldn’t tell that to Jisung until later.

They walked until they reached a clearing near a gently flowing riverbed, the water sparkling as the sun went down. Minho’s breath caught when he saw what Jisung had prepared. Cosmos flowers, their delicate petals glowing softly in the silvery light, lined the edges of the river. At the center of the clearing stood a large tent, its sides bolted into the ground. Fairy lights twinkled like captured starlight, strung between the surrounding trees and framing the tent in a warm, golden glow. More petals, different petals than the cosmos, were scattered across the ground, their placement seemingly haphazard but undoubtedly deliberate. The scene felt like a dream brought to life.

Jisung turned to him, his expression equal parts nervous and proud. “Do you remember this place?” he asked softly.

Minho took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the tent and the surrounding beauty. Memories flooded back- paws sticky with the juice of fresh berries, nose full of cosmos flowers that seemed too bright to be real. The first scent he’d enjoyed from another wolf. A swipe at his face leaving the smallest trace of a pretty scar, one that had him crying, even as a child. The first time he’d met Jisung, right here in the heart of the gray. He nodded, his throat tight with emotion.

“You remembered the exact location,” Minho whispered, his voice trembling.

“How could I forget?” Jisung replied, his eyes searching Minho’s face. “This is where it all began. I wanted our first date to be here, where we first met. I knew, then. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Your scent. Who you were. You felt like… a fairy tale. I thought… I hoped it would mean as much to you as it does to me.”

Minho’s lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, he closed the distance between them and took Jisung’s hands in his own. The warmth of Jisung’s skin against his was grounding, a reminder that this moment was real. “It’s perfect,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re perfect.”

Jisung’s cheeks flushed, but he didn’t look away. Instead, he pulled Minho closer, leading him toward the tent. Inside, the magic continued. A soft blanket covered the ground, surrounded by lanterns casting a warm, flickering light. A small spread of food was laid out, simple yet thoughtful: fresh bread, cheeses, and fruits that looked as though they’d been picked that morning.

The soft fabric of the blanket, the sounds of crickets and rustling tree leaves... it all wrapped around their little tent like a protective cocoon. Their conversation flowed like the river did- endlessly. Flawlessly. They threw questions at each other to get to know one another as if it were a competition. It was perfect. Jisung shared stories about his three-day absence, his eyes lighting up as he recounted his efforts to make everything perfect. Minho listened intently, his heart swelling with every word.

Time means nothing. Minho knew he was in love before they left the tent the next morning.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───                                                                ─── ∘°❉°∘ ───                                                   ─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Planning another wedding wasn’t on Minho’s to-do list. He didn’t even like planning the union with Chan. It didn’t feel like him. He was never the type to get excited over color schemes and seating charts. A simple declaration of vows in front of friends and family would have been enough. But he did it for Chan, and he could do it for Jisung. He would.

Daisies and Cosmos. He picked their favorite flowers, and was prepared to argue about it. He’d worked up the nerve for days to tell the Luna that he didn’t want Carnations. Didn’t want Chrysanthemums. He wanted their favorite flowers.

There was no fight. She asked if he had a preference for the flowers, and he told her. She nodded once, with a smile on her face, and added them to the list of decorations to give to Felix for collecting. She apologized that this had to be a big wedding- unions with pack leaders always would be, since the pack would gather- and said that she’d make this as painless as possible. She understood him almost as well as her son did.

Eunchae’s wedding gift was a recipe she’d come up with all on her own, utilizing more traditional flowers and herbs as a healing concoction. She wanted to turn the infirmary into more of an apothecary, using more natural remedies like Minho had taught her, now that their healer was focusing on her family. Eunchae stepped up to show Minho what he’d taught her- what he’d inspired her to do.

Jisung pressed kisses into his neck while he cried that night, laying on their bed feeling overwhelmed with pure joy. He’d never been this happy. He never thought he could be this happy, or that he deserved to be.

He cried again when Chan accepted the invite to his wedding, noting Seungmin as his plus one. Chan had sent a letter back with the acceptance- wishing them congratulations and saying he was excited for Minho to start the next stage of his life. His friend- his family- would all be there. His parents never sent a letter back to accept or reject the invitation, but it didn’t matter. His family would be there.

The day before the wedding, Felix burst into their room and said they needed to choose a color for the lace- the previous lace they had was damaged in the shipment from Freelan. He held up two swatches and Minho had to bite back a completely inappropriate laugh.

“Ivory, or Eggshell?” Felix panted, like this were the most important decision he could possibly make for the wedding.

Minho was just going to say Ivory- it always sounded fancier, anyway. If he had to choose between two colors that looked exactly alike, he would pick the one that sounded classier. Before he got a chance to open his mouth and act like he could tell the difference again, Jisung chuckled beside him and whispered into his ear.

“Is he trying to tell us those are two different colors?”

Minho couldn’t help the giggle that erupted in his chest, even while Felix stood there, stressed. “I feel like it’s a trick question.” He couldn’t ever help being just himself with Jisung. It was more than enough for his mate.

“Ivory. Sounds classier.” Jisung nodded before they broke out into laughter again. Felix shook his head in disbelief and turned around, closing their door on the way out.

Dams made of bricks and built in circles are still weak to time. Anxiety and swatches of ivory and eggshell lace are still weak to time. Cosmos and Daisies- weak to time.

But time means nothing when you find the love of your life. It melds together and you appreciate the good and the bad, the flowers and the dams, all the same.