Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tokuno Yushi, once upon a time, was under the impression that he lived a normal life. Chaotic? Sure. Unconventional? Most certainly. But still painfully normal.

But then he debuted in Wish and ended up being the only beta in a dorm full of pups and alphas and whatever Riku has going on, and sure enough, normal is just about the least fitting descriptor he could use to describe the world he’s been thrown into.

Case in point:

He’s been surrounded by Sion’s stupid alpha for years, at this point, so Yushi can deal with someone who’s picky about his den and gets jealous over someone looking at his omega the wrong way (no matter how much he pretends otherwise) and acts like he birthed the pups of the group himself, biology notwithstanding. He can deal with Riku’s cloyingly sweet smell that clings onto everyone, whether they want it to or not - to the point where people usually think Yushi’s an omega at first simply because he usually has Riku’s scent on him - can deal with the way Riku frets over everyone like a dame, can deal with his frantic nesting and monthly demand for Yushi’s stinkiest hoodie when he’s in pre-heat. He can definitely deal with Sakuya and Ryo, the way they tend to gravitate towards him when the hyungs get riled up and stink up the place, the way he’s usually the one parading the maknaes around when they do challenges with other groups, because the more neutral the scents, the better. 

This, however. 

This is something entirely different. 

Enter Kim Daeyoung - a nineteen year old, newly presented, baby-faced alpha who towers over all of them like an unfortunately sturdy tree. Who has been acting weird. Which, okay, isn’t unusual in itself considering that they’re all a little weird. But he’s been acting weirder.

Yushi wishes he wasn’t the one to notice, but alas. Someone has to. 

Let’s start at the beginning.

They’re fresh out of promotions when Daeyoung’s rut hits, his second one ever, which isn’t the weird part. And Ryo and Riku are the ones who attend to his every need as he stinks up the entire dorm, which isn’t weird either. Yushi and Sakuya both have sensitive noses and Sion, as another alpha, claims he doesn’t want to get mauled to death by walking into Daeyoung’s den. The rut only lasts a few days and Daeyoung is a whiny little baby by the end of it, scenting all of them and demanding cuddles like all alphas post-rut do. Completely normal shit.

But then the rut ends and his hormones calm down, and things are decidedly not normal.

It starts with little things. Daeyoung piling food onto Yushi’s plate. Hovering around after practice is done. Sitting next to him in the van. Leaning into his side in the waiting rooms. Not necessarily unusual in the event that they happen, but in the frequency. The frequency which is steadily increasing. When they’re at work, Daeyoung is practically glued to his side. Basically walks in Yushi’s shadow. Unbearably clingy, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but is weird and new and hey, what the fuck is going on?

“Is it just me,” Sion has the gall to ask, during a water break. “Or has Daeyoungie been awfully attached to you?”

Yushi stares at him. Exasperated beyond belief.

It’s been weeks of this. It can’t be blamed on Daeyoung’s cycle anymore, not based on what Yushi has looked up online (because yes, it’s gotten to the point where he turned to Reddit for answers). Not to mention the fact that Sion - the only other alpha Yushi knows personally - has never gotten to this level of unbearably doting before, not even to Riku, which is saying a lot. Considering that even outside of their cycles, they still lay in their nest together and fantasize about having pups and all that gross mating stuff that Yushi would rather die than think about. 

And no one has addressed it, not outright, not to Yushi. They’ve all somehow come to an unspoken agreement to just ignore the steadily growing elephant in the room. But they’re all definitely thinking about it, because all five of them had let out a collective sigh of relief when Daeyoung unattached himself from Yushi’s side to run to the bathroom the second break was called. 

“Are you only just noticing?” Yushi can’t help but be a little incredulous. Because okay, it’s not that big of a deal, but Sion is their leader, for god’s sake. It’s his job to notice things. “The only time I’m alone is when I’m showering, so I’ve been taking like three a day.”

Riku, from Yushi’s other side, snorts. He’s amused by it all because he’s evil and the worst. And because he’s soft on the pups, and always will be, even though no one in their right mind would call an alpha like Daeyoung a pup anymore. Especially not after his last rut, which was even more potent than any of Sion’s, from what Yushi can remember. He almost begged one of the managers to let him crash at another dorm. 

And yet.

“I think it’s kinda cute,” Riku says. “He’s so puppy-like. Maybe he likes your pheromones.”

Which he should’ve expected from Riku, considering that he’s living in a happy bubble of an alpha who dotes on him and a bunch of pups he scents at every opportunity and Yushi as an only sometimes-willing participant. Yushi frowns. 

As far as he knows, Daeyoung should be attached to an omega’s pheromones - not Yushi’s, whose scent is pretty weak even for a beta. A hint of vanilla with the slightest spice of mint. Daeyoung should be going for Riku’s sweet orange blossom. Or Ryo and Sakuya’s milky pup scents. Hell, even Sion’s espresso should appeal to him, given that Sion’s the pack alpha. 

“I can barely smell Yushi, how would Daeyoung?” Sion wonders. And he’s kind of right. Daeyoung’s nose isn’t the strongest. He’s not attuned to scents as well as the rest of them are, though he can pick up on Sion’s and Riku’s pretty well. But Yushi can’t even smell himself, sometimes, and his nose is as sensitive as it comes. 

“I don’t think you can smell anyone besides Riku, hyung,” Ryo butts in, because he’s nosy and will talk shit if given the opportunity to do so. Though the cherubic smile on his face is almost convincing that it’s for innocent reasons only. 

“That’s not true,” Sion frowns. And then when the rest of them stay silent. “Yah, that’s not true!”

“It’s a little true,” Riku grins. 

“Can we not talk about this?” Sakuya complains. “They get so gross about it.”

“Talk about what?” Daeyoung asks, appearing out of nowhere. The scent of sandalwood accompanies him. He plops down into Yushi’s side, towering over him, filling Yushi’s nose with the stupid alpha teenage boy musk that clings onto his skin no matter how much Riku scents him. “Is it the hyungs again? You’d never guess what I heard last-”

“Okay, hey, let’s start practice back up,” Sion smiles in the menacing way he sometimes does when he decides to act more like a hyung rather than an annoying younger brother. He pinches Daeyoung’s ear, and then Sakuya’s. “One day you guys are gonna find a beautiful omega and you’re gonna go crazy and I’m gonna bully you so, so hard-”

“Doesn’t have to be an omega,” Daeyoung interrupts, rubbing at his ear. Which, okay. Isn’t weird, but they all turn and stare at him anyway. Because Daeyoung hasn’t so much as ever expressed interest in anything besides protein shakes. “Could be a beta.”

Silence settles over the group. Sakuya and Ryo have steadily-growing smiles on their faces as they always do whenever something slightly dramatic happens, which is no doubt Riku’s influence, because he’s doing the same thing.

Yushi can’t help but stare. Sion blinks.

“Um, yeah,” he scratches at his neck. “That too.”

After a second more of hesitancy, they all scramble back to position, practice on their minds again. Yushi is a little… not unnerved. But a little. Um.

Well. He feels weird.

The choreographer gets them all lined up. It’s only been a few days since they started on this new song, and Sion has put Yushi in charge of monitoring as he always does. 

Riku meets his eyes in the mirror. Smirk on his face, like he knows something that Yushi doesn’t. A look that Yushi does not like, not at all. Because that smile means trouble with a capital T.

Yushi doesn’t know what to make of it. So he ignores it. It’s probably nothing. 

-

After a few more weeks of sticking to Yushi like a well-worn jacket, Daeyoung backs off. Mostly. As in, he’s as cuddly and teasing and doting as ever, but he stops following Yushi around like a lost puppy and actually lets him breathe without intruding in on his space. Which should be all fine and dandy, but truthfully, is also a little weird.

Because for some explicable reason, Yushi is upset about it. 

“You look like someone pissed in your ramyeon,” Sion comments as they scarf down a quick meal after a recording day. “What’s wrong? Not spicy enough?”

Normally Yushi would feel touched at Sion’s usual overbearing mothering, but he’s not in the mood, really. It’s been a long day full of high notes and a jumble of Korean and Japanese and the sterile smell of the SM building is kind of giving him a headache. It makes him want to bully his way into Riku’s nest and never smell anything except for their pack omega ever again.

Yushi stabs an egg with his chopsticks and watches the yolk bleed into the broth. “It’s nothing.”

Sion hums, like he’s deciding if he wants to go about this in his usual way - nosy, intrusive, annoying - or in the way he probably should’ve gone about things this whole time - sensitive, gentle, less whiny. Yushi can watch the fight to decide whether he should be a nuisance or a normal person flicker across his expression.

“You want to ask anyways, don’t you,” Yushi says in a flat voice. Just to speed the conversation along. 

Sion’s eyes shine. “So, so bad.”

Yushi suppresses the urge to sigh in the long-suffering way he often finds himself doing. Because it’s not like it’s Sion’s fault that Yushi’s mood is shit and his weak scent has long soured. And it’s not anyone’s fault that he’s upset either.

He’s just upset. For no reason.

(For no reason that he’s willing to admit to.)

Yushi hunches down over his bowl despite the posture lessons SM put him through for years and years. He’s acutely aware of everyone in the room, everyone in the group. Ryo on his phone, head in Sakuya’s lap as Sakuya nibbles on an onigiri (“triangle kimbap!” Sion always insists, but it’s a lost cause on his part). Daeyoung and Riku on the other end of the table, speaking in hushed voices.

And maybe, just maybe, there’s the slightest pang of hurt in Yushi’s chest when he sees the way their heads are leaned in close together, smiling all conspiringly. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a part of him that is a little bitter that he isn’t in on the joke, that Riku is the one Daeyoung is laughing with, that he’s stuck with Sion’s nosiness and awful advice that Yushi has never once asked for, and that-

It’s a line of thinking Yushi actually doesn’t want to explore. Lest he find something he doesn’t like.

So Yushi frowns and breaks the stabbed yolk apart. “It’s actually nothing.”

It’s not a lie, technically, because it is nothing. He’s just being stupid for no reason and it’s frustrating. At least when his bandmates are being stupid, they can blame it on their instincts. On their inner alphas and omegas. Yushi has no inner beta to speak of, only his weak scent and his growing resentment towards the fact that Daeyoung’s been sticking to Riku more and more these days. 

Which is an even stupider reason to be upset. Not when that kind of thing has never upset him before - Jaeri, or whatever they call it these days, is a popular pairing. And that’s not anything Yushi or any of them have any control over, no matter how much Sion bitches and moans about Daeyoung hogging his boyfriend. 

Yushi isn’t willing to ponder on why it’s upsetting him. There’s nothing to be upset about. He should even be happy that Daeyoung has decided to stop using him like a pillow every time they’re driving to MuBank. Right?

(He sometimes thinks about Riku saying that Daeyoung was attached to him because of his pheromones, and the memory puts a bitter taste in his mouth because it must be true. Daeyoung got enough of Yushi’s and has moved on to his next victim.)

(But why he’s upset about that, when Daeyoung is just a baby alpha and is more driven by instinct than anything else… it’s something he elects not to dwell on.)

Yushi is just grateful that Sion is as dense as a rock and has no idea about the evil, evil thoughts plaguing his mind. His hyung pouts and pulls his most pleading eyes at him, which would be more effective if Yushi wasn’t someone who gets a little disgusted by Sion’s aegyo. 

“Please?” He asks, leaning in and batting his eyelashes, which is ugh, gross. “Hyung wants to know so badly, please?” 

“God, Riku is rubbing off on you,” Yushi grumbles as he pushes Sion away. “In more ways than one.”

Well, that at least gets the proper reaction. “Yushi-ah!” Sion gasps, properly scandalized. As if that joke isn’t a low hanging fruit, at this point, from everyone in the group. “At the dinner table? I raised you better than this!”

Yushi rolls his eyes, biting back a comment about how Jungwoo hyung raised them, actually, but whatever. Sion takes his parental role too seriously, even though he’s closer to an annoying older brother than anything else. 

“You raised me to be exactly like this,” Yushi points out. “Just look at Ryo.”

They both sit and ponder about Hirose Ryo and the ways in which he has been influenced. How their sweet and loving second maknae resorts to evil more often than he resorts to good. And usually at the expense of one of his hyungs. He would probably trade their entire group in exchange for a packet of Choco Boys. 

“Alright, I see your point,” Sion concedes, although he doesn’t look happy about it. “Keep your secrets. I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Yushi snorts. Yeah, right. Fat fucking chance.  

Half second later, Yushi hears Riku’s high-pitched giggle from the other end of the table, followed by Daeyoung’s low chuckle in response. Sion is a lost cause, of course. He’s immediately looking over at his omega, expression all wistful as if they won’t be wrapped up in each other the second they’re back at the dorms. 

Yushi stares down at his ramyeon. 

Okay, so maybe he’s a little upset that Daeyoung used him like an air freshener and threw him away for Riku, who they all already knew has one of the most attractive scents an omega can have. He’s allowed to be mad, alright! Maybe he was under the impression that Daeyoung just wanted to spend time with him, maybe even enjoyed his scent, even though Yushi is only a beta. And now reality is crashing back down, and the reality is that alphas like omegas and Yushi is decidedly not an omega.

Not that he wants to be an omega or wants an alpha to like him, of course. Especially not Daeyoung. But it’s the principle of the matter!

Dinner ends with little fanfare, mostly because Ryo has conked out on the table and they’re all exhausted as it is. Sion calls the managers to pick them up and herds them out to the garage. Just as predicted, Riku is immediately tucked into his side, their hands interlaced and swinging back and forth. Not subtle in the slightest, those two. 

Sandalwood soothes his senses as Daeyoung nudges Yushi in the side, the maknaes and hyungs trailing ahead of them. “You okay, hyung?” He asks.

Yushi must be more tired than he thought he was, because all the bitterness and stress seeps out of him the second that Daeyoung is letting out gentle waves of his scent. Since when was Yushi’s sensitive nose so tolerable to the smell of teenage alpha boy? He couldn’t even stand the coffee-twinged scent of Sion’s sweat back when they were trainees. 

“‘M okay,” he mumbles. “Long day.”

Daeyoung puts an arm around his shoulders, drags him in close. “Yeah.”

It’s not anything to be upset about. It’s not anything he’s allowed to be upset about. But Yushi can’t help but think that whichever omega Daeyoung lands one day will be lucky to have him. He’s absurdly caring and attentive. He does whatever his hyungs ask him to do, no questions asked, no matter how ridiculous the request is. His scent is nice. He’s a good kid. He’s a good alpha. 

Must be nice for omegas to get the attention of alphas like Daeyoung. Yushi buries his hands into his hoodie pockets and pouts.

Getting home is a quiet affair, Sakuya and Ryo snoring on each other’s shoulders. Manager hyung and Sion talk about upcoming schedules in the front seat. Riku is zoned out, watching the Seoul nightlife race by as they drive back to the dorm. Yushi leans his head back on the car headrest and closes his eyes. 

“Wake me up when we get there,” Yushi tells Daeyoung. “Gonna nap.”

He’s too tired to do anything but try and sleep off his increasingly delusional thoughts regarding his bandmate, and because Yushi is someone who prides himself on being the only level-headed person in a group full of crazy people, the delusions need to stop right now. Daeyoung hums his reply, squeezing Yushi’s hand. A wave of sandalwood and something distinctly Daeyoung surrounds him like a big, comfy blanket. 

Yushi, who is normally turned off by the mix of scents in the car, just goes pliantly soft. For some reason. 

“Okay, hyung,” Daeyoung says. “I’ll even carry you inside if you want.”

Yushi doesn’t reply, just grins a little as Riku says a little “Oh? What about me?” in the row in front of them, which in turn makes Sion whisper with urgency: “Hey! That’s my job!” Which devolves into squabbling, of course, because it always does. 

Daeyoung huffs out a laugh. Yushi falls asleep not long after that. 

He thinks that Daeyoung’s laugh is quite a nice sound.

-

It’s at the beginning of their next promotions when the first gift comes. 

Yushi doesn’t even notice it at first, tired from dance practice and fending off the maknaes trying to corral him into another movie night, as if they aren’t all dead-tired on their feet. He shucks off his sweaty clothes and takes the quickest shower humanly possible before jumping into bed, when he feels the blunt edge of plastic digging into his back. Confused by the prospect of an object in his bed that isn’t a blanket or pillow or stuffed animal, he rolls over, surprised to see an unopened Switch game laying on his covers.

Skyward Sword, still in its packaging. The only Zelda game that Yushi hadn’t bought on release, mostly because he was busy with debuting when it came out. Too busy with dancing and recording to spend his time getting sucked into Hyrule. But now it’s laying on his bed. Innocuous, innocent.

With a good deal of caution, he picks the case up. 

The plastic wrap is still on, fresh and unopened. Clearly not a bootleg or a prank or anything similar, which would be unusual in their dorm, but you never know. It smells like Daeyoung. Somehow that’s the first thing he notices. The second thing he notices is the note taped to the back, written in Daeyoung’s handwriting. 

Here’s something to pass your time while we’re on tour!!! Fighting!!!!!

Yushi stares down at it. 

A gift in itself isn’t odd. The boys spend their money on each other plenty, whether it’s buying meals or picking up a pair of sunglasses they knew another member was looking at. Every single one of them has even bought a handful of keychains for Sakuya’s bag, and it’s a sweet gesture that the maknae puts them all on without question. But normally gifts within the group are prefaced with texts, or a quick aside, something like hey, got you something.  

And an accessory or keychain is one thing. But a video game? Without any explanation?

Yushi stares at the wall he shares with Daeyoung as if it’ll give him the answers he’s seeking.

It’s not his birthday, although it takes an embarrassingly long moment to double check the date (comeback season is rough, okay?). There are no special anniversaries coming up either. It’s just a gift from Daeyoung, clearly, by both his scent and the handwriting. A gift that’s been given to him for no apparent reason. 

Which isn’t a bad thing, not at all. It’s just kind of… well. He’s not sure, exactly, how to feel.

So Yushi opens his phone and taps on their KakaoChat.

Yushi: I got your gift

Yushi: Thanks Daeyoung-ah

They’re maybe not the warmest messages he could’ve sent, but his members know him well enough by now to read in between the lines. When Tokuno Yushi says thank you, he means it.

Although Daeyoung’s response comes quicker than Yushi was expecting, given the fact that Daeyoung is a notoriously slow typer. The hyungs often complain about how long it gets him to respond to messages.

Daeyoung: I’m glad you like it, hyung!

Daeyoung: I saw it in the store and it reminded me of you haha

Daeyoung: It’s not weird, right?

Yushi blinks.

The enthusiasm is maybe something he should’ve seen coming, but the insecurity is something he certainly did not. Daeyoung’s explanation is normal, cute, and very in character. 

But why would he ask if it was weird?

Sure, maybe the gift was a surprise, and maybe it wasn’t as straightforward as Yushi’s favorite snack or a keychain or a bag charm. Maybe it’s not something that the members of their group would typically buy for him. But what could possibly be weird about a bandmate gifting something they like to another bandmate? Especially when said bandmate is a sweetie pie like Daeyoung?

(And Sion had literally gifted Daeyoung condoms when he presented. This isn’t even close to being as weird as that.)

Yushi: Why, should I be weirded out?

Yushi: Did you do something weird to it?

Daeyoung: Noooo T_T

Daeyoung: It’s totally normal!!!!

Daeyoung: I’m totally normal!!!!

Daeyoung: Everything is normal!!!!

Yushi: It’s only weird if you make it weird

Daeyoung: Okay, noted!!

It’s a little strange to see Daeyoung so oddly insecure about something as innocuous as a gift, but Yushi supposes that even Daeyoung must have off days. No matter how sweet and well-mannered he always is. 

Yushi manages a smile. The whole situation may be a little unconventional, but weirder things have happened to him before. Considering that he’s an idol in a foreign country, his dongsaeng gifting him a video game is the least of his worries. 

Yushi: If you want to be generous you can keep the gifts coming lol

Yushi: I’ll be waiting 

Daeyoung: o7

Daeyoung: Your wish is my command

He was joking, of course, but Daeyoung went along with the joke. Of course. Nothing is weird or out of place or abnormal about this after all. 

It’s not something he’s really surprised by, not from someone like Daeyoung. All of his group members are ridiculously attentive when it comes to gift giving, but Daeyoung is the most so. The hyungs like to coo at him and pinch his cheeks for being such a sweetheart, but Yushi mostly just feels… like… in awe of it. How could a single person be so thoughtful? 

Yushi plugs his phone into its charger and gets ready for bed. He puts the game in his travel bag. He could spend some time checking it out during rehearsals tomorrow. He spends a lot of time in the waiting room on his Switch, and redoing his island in Animal Crossing over and over again has gotten kind of boring anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to have the game on standby, just in case.

Yushi: You should probably save your paychecks on important things though

Yushi: Or send money to your parents lol

Daeyoung: This is important too!!

Daeyoung: I have plenty saved up >:(

Yushi: If you insist….

Daeyoung: :)

Yushi smiles before turning his phone off for the night. Daeyoung, of course, is just being his normally sweet self. Nothing’s out of the ordinary, and the gift means nothing more than what it is: a gift. Whether or not Yushi is a little disappointed about that is between himself and god.

Sure, maybe things have been weird with Daeyoung recently, between his newly presented hormones and Yushi’s own emotions, but everything is fine. Just business as usual. As platonic as it gets.

Yushi goes to sleep feeling oddly reassured: there’s nothing to worry about.

-

So, as it turns out, Yushi may have spoken too soon. 

The gift giving, which at first appeared to be a one-off occasion, has now turned into a thing. The second gift comes a week after the first, a jacket from Yushi’s favorite brand. And then a third comes a week after that, more cup ramyeon for Yushi’s quickly dwindling stash.

The gifts are all sweet and thought out, all from Daeyoung. His scent clings onto everything. Whenever Yushi asks the baby alpha why he’s decided to gift him something, Daeyoung gives half-assed answers that range from I just felt like it, to I just wanted to help you out, hyung!

It would be a lie to say that it isn’t weird, on top of the plethora of things about Daeyoung that are already weird, but it would also be a lie to say that Yushi isn’t pleased by these recent developments.

(It’s odd, sure, but it makes him happy to be given gifts that Daeyoung specifically hand-picked for him. For reasons that he very pointedly decides not to dwell on.)

Around a month since the tradition started, Daeyoung gifts him cologne. It’s not one that Yushi has mentioned liking, but it smells strongly of sandalwood and pine and he admittedly doesn’t hate it. Even wears it a few times. 

“Do you like the cologne, hyung?” Daeyoung asks him on their way to rehearsal. “It’s not too strong?”

Yushi blinks at him, before something in his chest goes from uncertain to downright pleased. Daeyoung, of course, is well aware of Yushi’s notoriously sensitive nose. Of course he would remember something like that. Yushi manages a smile.

“I like it,” he says. “Kind of reminds me of your scent.”

He’s pretty sure that’s not a weird thing to say, nor a particularly astute observation, but Daeyoung, for some odd reason, just goes bright red. Yushi watches, kind of entertained, as Daeyoung sputters out his next words. 

“You-” He’s blushing, avoiding Yushi’s eyes. “You like my scent?”

That’s kind of a no-brainer, in Yushi’s opinion. Who wouldn’t like his scent? It’s subtle and earthy and so, so very calm and Daeyoung-like. Even Yushi, who can’t stand the smell of most alphas, is soothed just by the scent of sandalwood. He feels oddly at peace whenever he smells it on either himself or Daeyoung or one of the other members.

Yushi just shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. “Well, duh.”

Daeyoung does not say anything for the rest of the car ride, but his scent smells ridiculously happy. 

“I’m pretty sure Daeyoungie is trying to court you,” Riku says one morning, as the two of them are huddled around the Keurig, half-asleep. “And I’m pretty sure everyone has noticed except for you.”

Yushi doesn’t even spare Riku a glance. “It’s too early for you to be saying nonsense.”

It’s not that Yushi has been trying to hide the gifts from anyone, because that would be a weird thing to do, but he has maybe been avoiding carrying any of them around in Riku’s presence, mostly because the omega has eyes and a nose like a hawk, and is able to sniff out any changes in their group dynamic whether anyone asks him to or not.

This morning, though, Yushi had put on Daeyoung’s most recent gift without thinking much about it. A sweater. It’s kind of big, sleeves hanging over his hands. Sweater paws are cute, sure, but Yushi knows for a fact that Daeyoung knows his size. 

Yushi should’ve washed it, at least. It reeks of Daeyoung. But something primal in him had whined against the idea, so he hadn’t.

(He definitely should’ve, though, because it only took about two seconds for Riku to catch on.)

“Anyone with a brain would say so,” Riku insists. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You reek of him, which is cute and all, but I just want to make sure that you’re aware of it.”

Yushi turns and looks at Riku, who looks… surprisingly earnest. Okay, yeah, maybe there’s a smidge of a smug look on his face. But he mostly just looks insistent. 

“We all smell like each other,” Yushi says, feeling oddly defensive. “And besides, Daeyoung’s not courting me. It’d be ridiculous if he was.”

Sion chooses that moment to stumble into the kitchen - mumbling under his breath about early mornings - and for some reason, Riku switches right into Japanese. Usually they do this when they’re talking shit, since Sion has yet to develop the skills to switch languages before his first cup of coffee. Yushi follows him into their native language, helpless.

“They’re scented gifts,” Riku explains. “Scented gifts! Alphas only do that when they’re trying to court!”

“But…” Yushi frowns. “I’m not an omega. And Sion didn’t do that for you.”

Riku’s face is unimpressed. “Yeah, well, hyung’s knot was kind of already scenting me, if you know what I mean-”

“What are you two talking about?” Sakuya cuts in, scandalized, standing in the doorway of the kitchen and clutching his backpack to his chest like a middle aged ahjumma who heard a Gen-Zer say fuck for the first time. His wide, innocent eyes do not help. “It’s 6 AM! And you’re talking about knots!”

“Earmuffs, Saku-chan,” Riku waves him off. “The adults are talking.”

“This is a communal space-”

“Why are we talking in Japanese,” Sion mutters, hand running down his face. He has finally drank his first sip of coffee, it seems, because there’s a little light in his eyes that usually isn’t there without some caffeine. “Are you guys doing the thing where you’re trying to talk behind my back?”

Everyone in the room stiffens. Besides Riku, of course, who has his mate wrapped around his finger and puts on a placating smile.

“Of course not, hyungie!” He chirps, switching back to Korean, laying it on disgustingly thick for how early it is. “We’re just, you know. Practicing our language integration.”

Yushi has to repress a laugh, mostly because who fucking knows where Riku learned the phrase language integration. Sion, still half-dumb and half-asleep, just squints at them. 

“Language…” He echoes. “Language integration…”

“Nothing for you to worry about!” Riku grins, walking over his boyfriend and throwing an arm around his shoulders. “You know, since we’re still managing both languages, we just want some practice, and I was talking to Yushi-chan since he’s the best at Korean out of all of us…”

Riku leads Sion out of the room, but not before throwing a look over his shoulder at Yushi. One that says: we’re not done talking about this. 

Ugh. God.

“He gets weirder by the day,” Sakuya comments, sitting down at the table. “Do you think it’s his pre-heat?”

That makes Yushi shrug. He sits down next to him. Quite frankly, the less they know the better, especially when it comes to Riku and whenever he has… plans. Spoiler alert: it’s never anything good.

“You know what, Saku,” Yushi says with a sigh, sipping his coffee. “I think you might be right.”

-

Yushi has taken it upon himself to insist that this is just his new normal, because things don’t stop. Not at all.

Daeyoung clings on in more subtle ways, like piling on Yushi’s plate with food and opening doors for him and providing. There is an itch in Yushi’s brain that he can’t quite scratch, one that wonders if these are courting behaviors and Riku was right.

(But then he ends up deciding against his stupid brain, because Riku is never right about anything.)

The gifts are as steady as ever, though Daeyoung has started to throw more frequent, smaller ones in. Drinks from the vending machine. Ice cream cones after rehearsals. Yushi’s favorite snacks. He looks pleased as punch whenever Yushi accepts them, which is a little odd, because Yushi can’t possibly fathom a world in which he wouldn’t be happy to be given gifts from the baby alpha. And if it makes Daeyoung stick to his side, constantly looming over him, looking like a puppy ready to be given his next command, that’s perfectly fine too. 

But it’s not courting, okay?!

Yushi isn’t stupid. He knows what courting is, knows what it looks like when alphas do it. He knows that it’s much more of a traditional thing to be doing, nowadays, but he also knows that plenty of alphas still take part in the tradition anyway. And even if he didn’t, the Naver searches he makes would certainly tell him so.

But the thing is that there’s no way Daeyoung is courting him. No fucking way. 

For one, Yushi isn’t an omega who has to be impressed by scents and acts of service. He’s a beta, and as sweet as Daeyoung is, he’s pretty damn sure that an alpha with instincts as strong as Daeyoung’s would be on the hunt for a viable omega. One he could mate with, or whatever their biology desires. Not that Yushi would know. He’s not an omega. And he’ll never be an omega. Which is a thought he tries not to dwell on. 

Secondly, Yushi’s pretty certain that if Daeyoung wanted to court him, he’d just ask. There’s no point in going to all the extra trouble with the gifts and everything when you’re courting your bandmate, since you’re already used to their scents and habits. Courting, in part, exists so alphas can impress their chosen omegas with their scents. Which would make the act of courting useless given their constant proximity to one another. Yushi could probably pick Daeyoung’s scent out of a crowd of a million people, at this point. He’s as used to being covered in the scent of sandalwood as much as he’s used to being covered in his own.

So Yushi comes to the conclusion that not only is Daeyoung not courting him, there would never be any reason for him to do so. The gifts and scenting must mean something else, something that Yushi doesn’t have the courage to ask about quite yet. 

(But the strangest part of it all is when Yushi comes to the realization that if Daeyoung just so happened to be courting him, he wouldn’t mind. He’d probably be happy about it, actually.)

(This is another thing he decides not to dwell on.)

In his defense, it’s only natural to want to be liked by an alpha like Daeyoung, who is tall and oddly strong and has a nice smile. Even if Yushi is a beta, it’s probably hard-wired in his DNA to at least want to be appealing to viable alphas. Even if they have no biological compatibility. 

…Right?

They’re in Japan, on another tour. SM wants them fucking dead, at this rate, but that’s a complaint for another day. They’re piled into a booth at a BBQ restaurant, half draped on top of each other from trying to fit six young men into a four person booth. But they make do.

Riku is basically on Sion’s lap, but obviously neither of them are complaining about that.

An attempt at filming content is being made, as there are two cameras set up at the head of the table, but all of them are too dead on their feet to be very entertaining. Well, Ryo is tired to the point of being a little delirious, but that’s mostly just sad. So they opt to fill themselves up with food and leave the content for the Youtube editors to try and salvage. 

Sion, who is tasked with grilling the meat, hums as he passes it over to Sakuya and Ryo first, and then Riku. Who kisses him on the cheek and ignores it when one of their managers bemoans “Riku-yah, the cameras-” 

(Devious as always. Yushi doesn’t really fault him for that. Riku is in a secure relationship with the alpha of his dreams and it’s only fair for him to flaunt it as he sees fit, though Yushi would never tell the omega that, god forbid he gets teased about it until he dies.)

Yushi himself is too busy eyeing the beef with a level of affection that’s usually only reserved for ramyeon and girl group choreography. And thank god that he’s next in the line-up of getting fed, as is customary for their pack structure. He’s fucking starving.

But then his hyperfocus on the food in front of him is interrupted by the oddest thing happening, when Daeyoung is motioning for the tongs from Sion and saying in a very polite, yet pointed voice: “hyung, can I do it?”

Yushi is too tired to clock on to the edge in his voice, but he can immediately smell it. Sandalwood slightly charred. Impatient. A little petulant.

Sion can clearly smell it too. Yushi watches, a little intrigued, as the two alphas stare at each other.

(Riku is already eating, looking between Daeyoung and Sion with an absurd amount of delight as he stuffs his cheeks full with beef. His eyes meet Yushi’s from across the table: this is gonna be a good one.)

“Um, it’s fine, I can just,” Sion says, sounding a little confused, gesturing for Yushi’s plate. “It’ll just-”

“Hyung, I can do it,” Daeyoung repeats, voice a little gruffer. He’s got a hand very firmly on Yushi’s plate, which Yushi really wishes was full of food right about now. 

Yushi can smell how bewildered Sion is, and honestly kind of gets it, because this whole situation is weird. To the point where he almost forgets just how hungry he is. Sion looks between the two of them, head tilted. Riku’s face has gone from delighted to amused to a little unimpressed.

“Daeyoung-ah,” Sion says slowly. “I don’t know what the issue is, but it’s honestly just food, just let me-”

“But hyung-”

“Yah, let the kid feed Yushi,” Riku cuts in, grabbing the tongs out of Sion’s hands and passing them over to Daeyoung with a huff. “My god, he’s not asking to be pack leader, hyung. It’s fine.”

Sion blinks, obviously confused, as Daeyoung’s scent instantly turns pleasant again, using the tongs to pile meat onto Yushi’s plate. Which Yushi has mixed emotions about, mostly because it is weird, but he’s also not about to complain about getting fed. 

Though Sion’s probably more upset about his ritual as pack alpha getting ruined by one of the pups than he is upset about anything else, given the fact that Daeyoung has never talked back in his life, and his alpha only ever clashes with Sion’s when Riku is in his cycle and Sion is more territorial than usual. 

(But Riku’s self-satisfied smirk certainly isn’t helping. Yushi has a sinking suspicion that he knows something that no one else does.)

“Is there…” Sion says very slowly. “Is there something up? With you guys?”

He’s looking at them in a rotation of Riku-Daeyoung-Yushi, very clearly confused. Yushi shrugs, while Riku grins and Daeyoung’s ears burn red.

“It’s nothing,” Daeyoung mumbles, setting Yushi’s plate down in front of him before handing the tongs back to Sion. “Um, sorry, hyung. I dunno what happened to me just now.”

He bows his head, apologetic to the pack alpha, and that’s that. Mostly because they’re all too tired to really give a shit about any of this anymore. Sion just sends Yushi a sideways glance, as if asking if Yushi knows the answer to what’s going on, which he does not.  

Yushi juts his chin out at Riku. Ask your omega, not me.

Sion narrows his eyes. I don’t know what the fuck any of you are up to.

Yushi very pointedly shrugs, as if to say it’s funny that you think I know what’s going on.

Sion sighs.

“Does it taste good, hyung?” Daeyoung asks Yushi with wide eyes. They’re shining, as if he cooked the meal himself (he didn’t). Maybe he’s just in a weird part of his cycle, wanting to provide.

Yushi manages a smile. “Yeah, Daeyoungie. It’s good.”

-

(There’s a moment later in the dinner when the maknaes and Sion are all in the bathroom, so it’s just Riku and Yushi left at the table. Riku is giving him an unimpressed look. “You’re still sure that he’s not trying to court you?”

Yushi scoffs, ears burning red. “I think I would know if someone was trying to court me.”)

-

The next week is full of performance after performance after performance, and then they’re back in Korea before Yushi has even realized it. Their time in Japan is always bittersweet, although there’s something about being in Korea that makes it a little easier to breathe. Less pressure, perhaps. It’s hard to say when you’re always torn between two countries.

Yushi, of course, just throws himself back into things. They all do. It’s what the job demands from them. 

“Hey, hyung?” Daeyoung is pulling him aside after practice one day. “I was wondering something.”

Yushi ignores the side eye that Riku is sending him from across the room as he and Sion herd the pups out for dinner. Great, the last thing he needed was to give the omega more ammunition to doubt the very platonic nature of Yushi and Daeyoung’s relationship.

“What is it?” Yushi asks, patting his neck down with a sweat towel. He attempts to come across as nonchalant, but he can’t help the way that he instinctively preens under Daeyoung’s undivided attention. “Are you having issues with the cheoreo?”

Yushi is aware that that was probably a stupid-ass thing to say, given the way Daeyoung’s face falls ever so slightly. He chides himself for being so obsessed with monitoring their choreography. Pay attention, Yushi! The handsome alpha is talking to you! 

“Ah, it’s not that,” Daeyoung avoids his eyes, scratching at his neck. “Though maybe a few pointers wouldn’t hurt. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to… um…”

Yushi stares up at him, intrigued beyond belief. He’s never seen Daeyoung’s face this shade of red, nor his eyebrows furrowed in that way. 

“Yes…?”

“I was wondering if you’d want to, like… go out, maybe tomorrow… and do something…?” Daeyoung asks, voice quiet, still avoiding eye contact. And then he’s glancing at Yushi’s face for just a second before looking away. “Or not! We don't have to! I was just wondering, really…”

Yushi stares, a little helpless, at Daeyoung’s red ears. The baby alpha certainly isn’t the most calm and collected person in the world, and he’s definitely prone to embarrassment when it comes to the more unsavory aspects of their profession, but he’s never seen Daeyoung so hesitant. So unsure of himself. 

“Of course we can,” Yushi says, a smile playing on his lips. It’s kind of funny, this whole situation, because he’s literally wearing one of Daeyoung’s gifts, a t-shirt that distinctively smells like him. Asking to hang out is such an odd thing to be embarrassed about. “It sounds fun. Maybe we can go to the Han?”

“Oh, yeah, of course!” Like a switch has been flipped, Daeyoung looks happy again, happy beyond belief. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging. “We can go after recording, if you’re not too tired.”

Yushi grins. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

The nervous energy seems to dissipate after that. They make their way back to the dorm and talk idly about what they’d like to do together. It’s not a date, of course not, but Yushi kind of feels like it is, because he’s delusional and also the worst person alive. He blames it partially on that fact that it’s rarely just the two of them together, alone without being surrounded by nosy hyungs and clingy maknaes, and partially on the fact that he has his own gross feelings where all he wants to do is be tucked under Daeyoung’s chin and wrapped up in his scent.

So it’s not like Yushi would mind if it was a date. But it’s not, so it doesn’t matter!

…And yet he still finds himself to be mildly worried about what to wear, not even twenty-four hours later. He’s the only one back at the dorm after recording, since he got done first. There is perhaps the urge in him to ask Riku or even Shotaro hyung for fashion advice, but he quickly decides against that idea because he doesn’t want to be bullied to death, actually. Because no matter how nice Shotaro hyung is, there’s no way he would keep it a secret from the others. And god forbid he let something slip to Sungchan, who lets something slip to Sion, who eagerly tells Riku, and then Yushi’s life is over.

So yeah. This is something he has to figure out on his own. 

There’s no reason to be stressed about what he’s wearing when it isn’t a date - because it’s not! - but Yushi’s still stressed anyway because he wants the alpha to, like, at least… he’s not sure.

Look at him, maybe. Consider him.

(As a mate! Yushi’s stupid idiot brain squeals. So he wants us as a mate!)

(Yushi tells his brain to shut the fuck up.)

Daeyoung texts him that he’s on the way back to the dorm while Yushi is deciding between hoodies. They’re both gifts from Daeyoung, and while it may be a bit presumptuous that Daeyoung would want to see Yushi wearing his gifts, he has taken note of the way the alpha lights up whenever Yushi smells like him. 

So he ends up deciding on the hoodie he thinks is softer on top of a baggy pair of jeans and a hat that hides a good portion of his face, and paces the length of the living room while waiting for Daeyoung to get home.

Not even ten minutes later, Daeyoung beeps in the door code and is grinning so, so wide when he sees Yushi already waiting for him. “Ah, hyung!” He says, and then he’s bringing out a fucking bouquet of flowers from behind his back to give to… Yushi?

“These are for you. Sorry it took me a while to get home, I had to stop and get them.”

Yushi stares down at the bouquet that’s being offered to him. Tulips, pink ones. He takes it with hesitant fingers, a little confused but mostly pleased.

“For me?” Yushi looks up and asks him, just for clarification.

“Yeah,” Daeyoung, smile faltering. “But if you don’t like them, I could always-”

“No, they’re perfect,” Yushi says quickly, snatching the whole thing out of Daeyoung’s hand. “They’re mine, now. Okay? No take backs.”

Daeyoung’s smile returns in full force. “Alright,” he says. “No take backs.”

So Yushi stumbles back to his room to leave the flowers on top of his bedside table - fuck, he needs a vase, what twenty year old owns a vase? - and then returns to Daeyoung in the living room. His heart is beating at a million miles an hour. Face warm, feeling oddly flushed. 

Flowers can be a platonic thing, right?

…Right!

Nothing weird at all!

“Should we go?” Yushi asks, feeling a little overwhelmed and itching to get out of the dorm that reeks of Sion and Riku and things that are not Daeyoung, which sucks, because everything should smell like Daeyoung. 

Daeyoung grins, looping an arm around Yushi’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

They have to sneak out as subtly as they can, because technically they’re not supposed to go anywhere without a manager or two, but all of them do it all the time when they’re bored or hungry (or both), so it’s not that big of a deal. They both mask up and pull their hats low over their eyes and hail a taxi to the nearest Han River park. 

Yushi can count the times he’s actually been able to spend alone time with Daeyoung on one hand, and he can’t think of a single time it wasn’t under the pretext of practicing their dancing or singing, especially since Daeyoung had so much to catch up on in the period between LaStart and their debut. Back then, Yushi was often put in charge of tracking his progress. 

Though it’s not like the alpha needs his help much anymore, not since they’ve been going nonstop since debuting and the skill level between them all has blurred to whoever spends the most time in the studio. Yushi sometimes misses it - the two of them together, working one-on-one.

Though this is infinitely better than being stuck in the practice rooms at 3 AM. This is much, much better.

They stumble out of the taxi and immediately head to the convenience store once they’ve arrived at the park. Daeyoung pays for the both of them to get ramyeon and sodas. Yushi knows how stereotypical it is to eat ramyeon at the Han River, but it’s something he’s always wanted to do. He never got the chance, between training and stuck in the cycle of dorms-SM-dorms-SM on repeat for years and years. 

Plus getting to do it with Daeyoung is a little romantic in itself. Not that Yushi would ever admit that to anyone.

Evening sunlight rays cast a warm glow over the two of them as they sit together in little plastic chairs and blow on their noodles. It’s funny, how Daeyoung prepared Yushi’s food just the way he likes it. The fact that he just knows what Yushi likes. It puts a warm feeling in his chest, makes him feel like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush on the most handsome guy in school. 

“Is it tasty, hyung?” Daeyoung asks, watching him fondly, as Yushi slurps down his food. 

“‘S good,” Yushi compliments his efforts. Sion had once said that Yushi is happiest when he’s eating ramyeon, and he still can’t quite dispute that claim. “How’s yours?”

“Good,” Daeyoung smiles.

His smile is nice. So, so handsome. Yushi’s ears burn red as goes back to eating. 

After they finish their food, they start walking. Which is such a simple thing, but feels so peaceful to do together. They’re both wearing scent patches, just in case, but Yushi can still smell the sandalwood on his clothes, the way Daeyoung’s scent curls around them in satisfaction when Yushi hooks their pinkies together. Touching casually and going on a walk together feels so much like a date, and it’d be a lie if Yushi said that he wasn’t disappointed that it’s not actually a date.

But he can see Daeyoung’s eyes crinkle into a smile even with the mask on, feels their warm fingers interlace, can feel the peace of simply being together, and he supposes that this is good enough.

They agree to head back before it’s too late. The other boys will be back at the dorms soon, and the less Sion knows about their escapades, the better. Maybe they should’ve told him, considering that Sion is their pack alpha, but Yushi had insisted that their hyung would be too annoying about it and Daeyoung had reluctantly agreed to keep it a secret, so that’s that.

Yushi puts his head on Daeyoung’s shoulder on the taxi ride back to the dorm. Sleepy from the food and good company and long day of working. Daeyoung squeezes his hand to the beat of the slow ballad playing on the car radio. It’s nice.

They make it back to the dorm without running into anyone. So their secret is safe for now. Even though they’re pink-cheeked from the cold night air and the general proximity of each other, it’s a little exhilarating to have done this kind of thing. Sneak around. Sneak around together.

“Did you have fun, hyung?” Daeyoung asks him, grabbing his hand before Yushi retreats to his room. “Would you wanna do it again?”

“Of course, Daeyoung-ah,” Yushi smiles. “Let’s do this again soon.”

They make their goodbyes short and sweet so as to not arouse suspicion for when the other boys get back, but not before Daeyoung wraps him into a quick hug. He’s tall enough that he can rest his cheek against Yushi’s temple, standing so close that Yushi can't smell anything for the alpha holding him in his arms.

Being surrounded by Daeyoung and his scent and his warmth is the nicest thing in the world. Yushi can’t even find it within himself to feel guilty for thinking so. 

“Sleep well, hyung, alright?” Daeyoung smiles when he pulls away. “Don’t go to bed too late!”

Yushi grins as he retreats to his own room. Because god, what a silly alpha. What a silly boy who makes Yushi want to do silly things. Makes him feel silly things.

He can feel the beat of his heart in his chest, thump, thump, thump. Yushi can’t stop his smile. 

Fuck. He’s fucked. 

-

(“So who gave you the flowers?” Riku asks the next day with a shit-eating grin. “Because I’m pretty sure-”

Yushi throws a pillow at his stupid face.)

-

Their not-dates continue.

Yushi knows for a fact that they’re not dates. Mostly because he would know if they were, thank you very much, Riku. And Daeyoung still brings him flowers, which Yushi is certain is also a platonic thing (even though he looks up the meanings of tulips and Naver tells him that they mean perfect and deep love, what the fuck?).

(It must be a coincidence or something.)

Against his better judgement, Yushi buys a vase. Ryo sees him sneak the purchase into the dorm and asks him what the fuck he he’s doing with a vase. 

Yushi does not answer him, face burning red.

Him and Daeyoung go out shopping, go to cafes, walk around parks. It’s by sheer luck that they’re never recognized in public, though they both dress head to toe as inconspicuously as they can. And Daeyoung pays for everything, every time, no matter how much Yushi insists on contributing. 

(They’re starting to feel a lot like dates. It’s too bad that they aren’t.)

It doesn’t help that Yushi feels so ridiculously pleased when Daeyoung’s attention is solely on him, even when they’re around the others. It makes something in his chest slot into place, smug as hell, when even the social media noonas comment that the Jaeri content doesn’t feel the same as usual. The chemistry is different, apparently.

Riku rolls his eyes about it, but Yushi could not care less. The less Jaeri, the better.

The more not-dates they go on and the more gifts Daeyoung gives him, the more Yushi’s delusions regarding their relationship increase in both frequency and level of insanity, because there are times when it just feels like he’s being truly, really courted. Like the times when Daeyoung compliments his scent, or smiles when Yushi is wearing his clothes, or grins when Yushi eats the food he buys.

It feels so much like something. It feels so much more than the thing it really is. Yushi really wishes he could be normal about it. 

(But the truth is that it isn’t anything, because he’s not an omega. He’s a beta, and he’s just Yushi. He doesn’t smell good like Riku, he isn’t breathtaking like Taeyong hyung, he isn’t alluring like Ten hyung, he’s just Yushi. Plain and simple.

An alpha like Daeyoung deserves an omega who can give him everything he wants, everything an alpha could want. Yushi can’t give him pups. Can’t give him heats. All he has is his weak scent and the fondness he has for the stupidly tall alpha in his heart.

Which isn’t enough, he knows. But he wishes it was enough anyway.)

“He likes you,” Riku keeps insisting, at every possible second. “He wants you, just tell him you like him back.”

(And Yushi can’t. He can’t. He wishes he could, but he can’t.)

He knows that he’s only getting more greedy for more of Daeyoung’s time and scent and gifts. He knows that he’s reveling too much in it. He knows that he’s taking it all for granted. But he can’t help it, he fucking likes Daeyoung - he wants him. Wants him to be his stupid alpha, no matter how incompatible they are. Wants him all the time. Likes him so much that it hurts.

It hurts knowing that one day Daeyoung will find the omega of his dreams and settle down with them and Yushi will just be an afterthought. That he’ll one day just be practice, or whatever the hell it is that they are.

Yushi just hopes it’ll never stop. 

-

As always, it takes Sion an embarrassing amount of time to notice that something is up.

While Yushi has been running out of hiding spots in the SM building to use against Riku’s increasing demands that Yushi confess his feelings to Daeyoung, he didn’t take into account the omega’s stupid mate, or the fact that said mate has been Yushi’s best friend for the better part of a decade, or the fact that Sion has caught on to anything in the first place.

But of course, his luck had to run out eventually.

“You,” Sion announces, butting his way into the practice room where Yushi has taken refuge while avoiding Riku’s knowing glances. He doesn’t even say so much as a hi. “You and Daeyoung!”

“Oh, god,” Yushi groans, electing to lay sprawled out on the floor while having this conversation. Sion is fuming, as evident by his scent. Burnt coffee smells awful, by the way. “Please, not now.”

“Yes, right now!” Sion stands over him, hands on his hips, not looking angry but a little upset. Petulant, like he’s been left out. “How long has this been going on!”

Yushi chooses to close his eyes.

“There’s nothing going on.”

“There is!”

“There’s not.”

“Yes, there is!”

“Okay, it’s been a few months.”

Yushi cracks an eye open to see Sion’s jaw drop, mouth agape. Which is admittedly pretty funny and exactly what he was aiming for. He tries and fails to stifle a laugh.

“Yah, what the fuck do you mean a few months?” Sion kicks at him. “Why are you laughing! I had to find out that Daeyoung was courting you from Sakuya!”

Yushi sits up on his elbows and makes a show of rolling his eyes. “Daeyoung isn’t courting me, he’s just…” Yushi tries to find the correct word to describe whatever the hell this whole thing has been and fails. “Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know what he’s doing. But it’s not courting.”

It’s the truth, because it’s not. Daeyoung is just giving him gifts as a friend, and taking him out on hang outs as a friend, and secenting him as a friend. Perfectly platonic activities between two friends and group mates. 

Sion’s scent goes murderous. “In what way is scent marking gifts not courting?”

Yushi wishes he had an answer for that.

He shrugs, which isn’t helpful in the slightest, and Sion sighs and throws his hands up in the air like this is the most stressful thing to ever happen to him. Which can’t possibly be true, because Sion is the one who has decided to date Maeda Riku and one day mate him. And Yushi has witnessed the stress of that coupling first hand.

“God, you all drive me crazy,” he groans, plopping down on the floor next to Yushi. “I tried talking to Riku about it, and you can guess how that went.”

Yushi manages a smile. “He pleaded no involvement?”

“No, he said he gave Daeyoung permission as the pack omega so he wouldn’t have to ask me,” Sion sighs. “Which I’m not mad about. But god, all the drama is unnecessary.”

Yushi, at first, just hums. Because yeah, that seems like a Riku thing to do. Go over the head of the pack because why not, and then plead innocence afterwards. But then Sion’s words sink in, like really sink in, and Yushi is blinking at the floor before turning to Sion with a stare.

“Wait, what do you mean, he gave him permission?” He asks. “Permission for what?”

Sure, there are plenty of things the pups have to ask permission for when it comes to their pack. And there are plenty of instances where even Yushi has to consult with one of the hyungs before doing something, although he isn’t an omega or alpha. But why in the world would Daeyoung need permission to hang out with Yushi? Or whatever they’ve been doing? 

“To court you, duh,” Sion says, eyes narrow. “What else?”

Yushi’s eyes go wide as saucers. Hold on, pause?!

There is a good chance that Riku was joking about the permission thing, except also not, because there would be no reason for him to joke about it to Sion. But it also must be a joke, because there’s literally no courting happening. 

“But Daeyoung isn’t courting me!” Yushi points out. “I’m a beta, and he’s an alpha, and I would know if someone was courting me-”

“Oh my god, Riku wasn’t kidding when he said that you didn’t know,” Sion laughs. “Holy shit-”

Yushi, for all intents and purposes, knows that he’s a smart guy. Sometimes single-focused and occasionally a little absent-minded, yes. But he’s smart, and one of the only level-headed members of their whole group, and surely he would know if someone was fucking courting him, would know if his group mate was interested in him-

“Oh my god?” Sion isn’t laughing anymore, realization dawning on him as he stares at Yushi’s face. He looks genuinely shocked. “Are you serious?”

Nothing else in the history of the world has been more obvious than the fact that Yushi is fucking serious. Not when he’s spent the past few months of his life convincing himself that Daeyoung’s courting behaviors were an act of platonic affection. Not when he’s spent the better part of the last six months avoiding every voice in his head that says maybe, just maybe, the alpha feels the same.

Yushi isn’t freaking out, but Sion has never been the best at diffusing tension, despite his role as their goddamn leader. No, he’s better at riling them up and then dealing with the consequences. The consequence currently being the fact that okay, maybe Yushi is kind of starting to freak out. A little bit. Maybe just a little bit.

“Am I serious about what?” Yushi asks, a little defensive. Okay, a lot defensive. “Daeyoung isn’t courting me!”

“The scented gifts? The dates?” Sion is looking at him like he’s grown three heads. “Maybe I only found out about the dates, like, yesterday, but even Sakuya was asking me if you guys were gonna bond-”

“Bond?” Yushi screeches. “Bonding?!”

“Courting is what leads to bonding!” Sion screeches back. “And you’re too young for that but never say never-”

“Oh my god!” Yushi is freaking out. Because ew, but also aww, really? Because he’s disgusted by the idea of Sakuya asking Sion if Yushi is going to bond, but then his brain is shouting alpha wants to bond with me!! Which- no! Is not true! “What the hell are you talking about?”

“So when an alpha likes a beta,” Sion starts, “usually it means that-”

“Shut up!” Yushi yells, face red, still freaking out. “What are you saying! Shut up!”

It’s one thing for Yushi to be under the delusional impression that Daeyoung’s behaviors over the past few months have been indicative of courting, but then it’s another thing for Riku to encourage it, and then it’s another, completely separate thing, for Sion to be so adamant about it. Because even though Sion isn’t the most mentally sound guy Yushi knows, he’s supposed to at least be impartial about things like this! As their leader!

And for the maknaes to comment on it, too! What the fuck!

“He wants to court you!” Sion is insisting. “Come on! When has Daeyoung ever been interested in anyone, when has he ever given anyone the time of day except for you-”

“Riku!” Yushi argues. “You and Riku!”

“I’m his pack alpha and Riku is his pack omega, of course he listens to us!” Sion groans. “But he, like, is whipped for you, attends to your every need, keeps his scent on you-”

Yushi frowns. Desperately trying to convince himself that this isn’t true, that Sion is lying, but also isn’t it? Isn’t he exactly right? Daeyoung has never so much as glanced at an omega from another group. All of his focus is on Yushi, all of the time. 

“But- but I’m a beta?” Yushi tries, voice hoarse. “What would he want from a beta?”

Sion rolls his eyes. “Maybe because he likes you?”

It shouldn’t be a revelation, not really, because Yushi has known Daeyoung the better part of a couple years and they all obviously like each other. Except the way Yushi likes Daeyoung is not in the platonic way, is not in the way bandmates are supposed to, is not in the way he’s allowed to. But Sion says it so simply, like it’s an easy thing, and Yushi’s stupid, traitorous heart is thinking maybe.

Maybe, maybe, maybe-

“But he doesn’t,” Yushi says in a meek, nearly-defeated voice. “He doesn’t.”

Sion’s expression softens into a smile. 

“Yushi-ah,” he says, gentler than he’s ever been before. “He does.”

When the realization hits him, Yushi’s world does not end. It’s not like the movies, where everything slots into place and everything just feels so right. For a brief, fleeting second, it is the most terrifying thing in the world. Like free-falling off of the Tokyo Tower. Something that sends his stomach hurling. 

But then he is realizing. And it is like a warmth growing in his chest. He thinks about Daeyoung’s cologne - his scent - and his clothes - covered in his scent - and the snacks - provided for him by an alpha! 

He thinks about Daeyoung’s hand in his - large, warm, all encompassing. 

He thinks about Daeyoung’s cheek resting atop of Yushi’s head, nuzzling into his space, their scents bleeding together. 

He thinks about the smiles, the looks, the laughs secretly exchanged. When Daeyoung leans into his side and starts harmonizing with whatever Yushi is singing, like it’s a duet they’ve had planned all along. Their voices in tandem. 

The realization does bring his world to an end. It brings it alive.  

“Holy shit,” Yushi says very, very slowly. “Holy shit.”

“You’re realizing, aren’t you?” Sion is smiling, leaning into his space. “Please tell me that you’re realizing. I don’t think I can take this anymore.”

He’s only a beta, and there’s no reason that Daeyoung would be interested in betas. But he said it himself all those months ago, didn’t he? That there was a chance? And he’s done all the typical courting stuff an alpha would do for an omega, hasn’t he? The scenting and the providing and everything?

It dawns on Yushi so, so slowly. But he’s certain as hell.

Holy shit. He’s being courted.

“I’m being courted,” Yushi turns to Sion, eyes wide. “He’s courting me? Has been this whole time?”

“For months,” Sion confirms. “Allegedly.”

“And it’s Riku’s fault?”

Sion’s smile is fond. “It always is.”

It hits him like a train, like a car crash, like everything piling down on him all at once. Kim Daeyoung, the alpha of his dreams, who wants to be his. 

“Oh my god?” Yushi can’t help but screech, the loudest noise he has made in his entire life. “OH MY GOD?”

“OH MY GOD!” Sion is screaming back. “OH MY GOD!”

Both he and Sion are sufficiently freaking each other out when Riku bangs open the door to the practice room, looking like the most exhausted person in the world. “Okay, I can smell you guys from like three floors away,” Riku interrupts. “What the fuck are you two crying for?”

Yushi and Sion turn towards each other to see genuine tears in each other’s eyes. Because of course.

“What do you have to cry for!” Yushi shrieks. “I’m the one being courted!”

“I’m so proud of you!” Sion wails, lunging for him with his arms open. “My Yushi-chan has found the alpha of his dreams-”

“Oh my god,” Riku groans, as the two of them collapse into a hug. Gross and messy and snot-ridden. “Hyung, I told you to get his shit together, not make him cry.”

Sion makes a sound that very specifically sounds like a whale dying. And Yushi’s voice is doing something similar. Much to his complete and utter dismay. 

“Are they done yet?” Ryo asks from the doorway, poking his head in. “Jesus, hyung, why do you look like that?”

Sion’s eyes water as he folds Yushi into his arms, and Yushi lets him, never mind the audience watching from the doorway. Sakuya walks right in, munching on a corn dog.

“Oh, ew,” he makes a face. “What’s going on?”

Sion starts laughing and Yushi is clinging onto him like an anchor. This is the most surreal moment of his life, even more surreal than their first win, even more surreal than their first debut stage. It’s Yushi realizing for the very first time that he’s loved, that he’s wanted, that the guy he’s fallen head-first for likes him back, enough to court him for months and months, to the point where everyone else knew about it-

“I’m being courted!” Yushi can’t help his grin, nor his excitement.

Three voices yell back at him: “WE KNOW!”

-

You would think that Tokuno Yushi - beta, early twenties, being courted by the alpha of his dreams - would get his shit together after the Realization.

No, he only gets worse.

As far as he’s aware, no one has told Daeyoung about the recent developments they have all made as a group. But even if they had, it’s not like Yushi is doing a great job at hiding it. He blushes like a schoolgirl every time Daeyoung so much as brushes their fingers against each other. He turns into a sputtering mess when Daeyoung buys him a snack after lunch. He becomes almost incomprehensible when Daeyoung gifts him a new scented sweater from his favorite streetwear brand. 

(“God!” Riku whispers to him, furious as all hell. “How useless are you!”)

(Very useless, as it turns out. So, so useless.)

It’s one of the most insane things in his life, meeting Daeyoung’s eyes in the practice room mirror and realizing that that smile is just for him. Always has been. Hopefully always will be.

Taking the next step, however, is apparently becoming a bit of a struggle.

“Alright,” Riku is the one to gather them in a spare practice room while Daeyoung is stuck in the recording booth for the next several hours. “This is getting dire. Let’s put our heads together and figure this one out.”

“Is this about the Yushi thing?” Ryo asks, as if his head isn’t literally laying in Yushi’s lap.

“Yes,” Riku replies with a saccharine smile. “It’s about the Yushi-Predicament.”

Of course Riku has a name for it. Of course.

Sakuya raises his hand. “Can I opt out of this one?” He asks, turning to Yushi. “No offense, hyung, there’s nothing I wanna see more than you and Daeyoungie being as gross as the hyungs.” He grins as Sion and Riku both make indignant protests. “But it actually smells rancid whenever Daeyoung is horny and I’d really rather not-”

“No one is horny!” Sion cuts him off. “No one is horny and this is a group effort!”

Various complaints rise up against that claim.  

“Um, do I have any say in this?” Yushi asks, a little exasperated. “I’ve got everything under control. I don’t need your help.”

Four heads turn to look at him with the most disbelieving expressions on their faces. Yushi frowns. Okay, maybe not.

“Does that mean you plan on confessing to Daeyoungie while we’re still in our twenties, Yushi-chan?” Riku grins, deceptively sweet. “Or will it take another six months of pining before you even consider the idea?”

Yushi opens his mouth. Then closes it.

Damn, he’s got a point.

“In all fairness, I don’t think Daeyoung would confess unless Yushi made the first move,” Sion cuts in. “He’s a bit… how do I say this…”

“Whipped?” Ryo supplies.

“Stupid,” Sakuya says solemnly.

“Nervous!” Riku announces. “Our poor baby alpha is nervous and Yushi has to make the first move, or else you’ll be courting until NCT’s fiftieth anniversary.”

Yushi does not pout, but he certainly isn’t happy with their claims. Not because they’re wrong, but because they’re right.

“But I don’t wanna be the one to do it,” he complains. “Why can’t Daeyoung just do all the work?”

“Because he’s the one courting you, which means you have to be the one to accept his advances!” Riku reminds him. “I didn’t think Daeyoungie was so traditional, but it’s kinda cute.” he sighs wistfully. “I wish an alpha would court me like that.”

“Oh my god,” Sakuya mutters.

“Please don’t,” Ryo sighs.

“Have I not done enough?” Sion asks, staring at his mate with wide, kicked-puppy eyes. “With all the nesting supplies and the scented clothes and the food and the figurines, which by the way, cost an arm and a leg-”

Yushi tunes them out, like, immediately. As he says, the less they know the better. “Let me know when they’re done,” he mutters to Ryo.

Ryo closes his eyes. “I’m just gonna take a nap real quick.”

“This means that we can leave, right?” Sakuya asks. “Right?”

The meeting is swiftly forgotten about as their hyungs devolve into their bickering about heats and ruts and all the normal gross shit. Yushi sighs. So much for trying to help him.

-

Over the next few weeks, Yushi finds himself aching to confess his feelings, and yet can never muster the courage to do so. It’s partially because he knows he’s constantly being watched by his group mates, partially because he doesn’t even know how to go about things. No matter what Riku insists, his advice is useless. Any words of wisdom that come from a man whose own boyfriend didn’t know they were dating is invalid.

So Yushi waits.

He waits while Daeyoung hums in the waiting room, watching him get his makeup put on. He waits during dance practice, watching Daeyoung’s moves become more fluid in the mirror. He waits in the early mornings, watching Daeyoung tie his shoes up and pass Yushi his jacket. He waits. And waits.

He waits for so long, desperate for an opportunity, dissecting their every move, to the point where he doesn’t even realize it when it happens. 

It’s 2 AM and he’s in the dance studio, working on a new dance break. It has to be perfect, because Yushi has never performed as anything less than perfect. And it’s his job as their unofficial performance leader to ensure that they reach perfection and do even better than that.

He’s so focused on watching his last run-through back on his phone that he doesn’t even realize Daeyoung has entered the room until he smells sandalwood and spots the tired alpha in the mirror. 

“Hyung, you’re still here?” Daeyoung chides, voice tired yet light as air. He’s carrying a takeout bag. Beanie low over his eyes and bundled up in a coat that makes him look a bit like marshmallow. 

Yushi blinks at him. Turns off his phone, the music cutting off on the speakers. 

“What are you doing here?” He asks. “It’s-” he checks his phone. “It’s almost 3. You should be asleep.”

Daeyoung just smiles. Shrugs his coat off and pads over to Yushi, sitting down on the floor.

“Well, you were still here and I wanted to check on you.” He says it like it’s no big deal. Like it’s something anyone would do. “Are you hungry?”

It’s not a big gesture in the grand scheme of things, not when the six of them are always together, always tired, always leaning on each other. But Yushi watches Daeyoung untie the takeout bag and open two pristine boxes full of bulgogi and samgyeopsal and rice and all of a sudden, his chest is filling up with an emotion he can’t even name.

There are words that he knows that come close. Fondness. Affection. Maybe even love. But those are still not enough, as Yushi stares at the alpha in front of him, the alpha who wants him.

Because it’s not a grand gesture, it’s not anything that changes his life, but it’s Daeyoung, who likes him, and that’s enough. Daeyoung, who has been courting him for the better half of a year, who brings him food instead of sleeping, who buys him gifts and never expects anything in return, who has waited for months with never-ending patience for Yushi to return his affection-

“I like you so much,” Yushi is saying before he can stop himself. He’s so tired and feels a little vulnerable and he just knows that if he doesn’t say it now, they’ll be in this courting limbo for forever. 

Daeyoung stares at him, eyes wide. Frozen. Mouth agape.

“You know that, right?” Yushi whispers. Managing a smile. “You know that I like you?”

He didn’t think he had it in him to voice the truth, but yet he does it anyway. And he can’t help but smile even wider as he watches Daeyoung take what feels like years to start working again. He’s blinking, and then his face is going bright red, and Yushi can’t help but grin so, so wide when Daeyoung sets the food in his hand carefully onto the floor and buries his face in his hands.

“Oh my god,” Daeyoung’s voice comes out muffled. “Oh my god, oh my god-”

“Is it really that big of a surprise?” Yushi laughs. Daeyoung being shy makes him feel brave, oddly enough. He leans into his space. “I mean, I let you court me, I let you scent me, I let you-”

“Hyung, please,” Daeyoung wails. He flops onto the group, ears burning. “Now? Right now?”

“You’re telling me that I’m supposed to watch a handsome, doting alpha bring me food at 2 AM and not tell him I like him?” Yushi laughs. He feels a little delirious with the affection he feels for this silly boy, this obnoxiously tall alpha who makes Yushi feel like the most well-loved person on the planet. “Why? Do you not like me too? Were the flowers meant to be platonic? Am I-”

“Oh my god,” Daeyoung mumbles. He reaches over for Yushi’s hand, grips it tightly in his. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“How are you so shy?” Yushi coos. He leans into Daeyoung’s side, pressing them together. 

Daeyoung wails again, as Yushi wraps him up into a hug. It’s a little awkward because Yushi is half-laying on top of him, laughing with his face in Daeyoung’s neck, while Daeyoung clings onto him for dear life. Still unable to look him in the face. 

It’s so, so awful. It’s the best thing in the world.

“You know that I can’t give you pups, or heats, or anything, and you still like me,” Yushi muses. “Isn’t that right?”

“Mhmm,” Daeyoung mumbles, eyes refusing to meet his.

“I’ll never want to take your knot, and you’ll still like me, won’t you?” Yushi grins.

Daeyoung groans. “Don’t talk to me about knots.”

Yushi laughs. Daeyoung’s arms snake around his waist and hold him tight. He’s breathing in Yushi’s scent, even though Yushi barely has a scent at all, and his pheromones go so, so pleased and happy. What a silly kid. He’s so fucking easy to please.

“If you don’t like me,” Daeyoung tells him. “This is your last chance to get away before I act really stupid and want you forever.”

Yushi just grins. “You don’t already?”

The past six months of gifts and barely concealed affection and blatant fondness come to a head as Daeyoung meets his eyes. Yushi watches the way they shine under the bright lights of the practice room. Full of love and all the giddy feelings in his chest.

“No, I do,” Daeyoung insists, smile wobbly and eyes wet. “I really, really do.”

-

That night they stumble back to the dorms closer to 4 AM. They had spent an hour eating and talking, Yushi half in Daeyoung’s lap so they would always be touching. It was nice to get their feelings out, and it was even nicer to see Daeyoung flush red whenever Yushi complimented him. 

They collapse into Yushi’s bed together and immediately pass out. 

When he wakes up the next morning, the light bleeding through his curtains shines right on Daeyoung’s peaceful face as he snores, arms still wrapped securely around Yushi’s waist. He looks boyish and handsome and so, so wonderful. Yushi doesn’t even get to wake him up with a kiss before he’s being interrupted.

“Hey, Yu-chan, are you- OH MY GOD?” It’s Riku, of course, poking his head in through Yushi’s bedroom door. Of course. He zeroes in on Daeyoung immediately, and then looks back and forth between the two of them, snuggled up together. “Are you guys- did you-”

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Yushi tells him with narrowed eyes, “it wasn’t that.”

Too late. Riku is immediately throwing the door wide open and lunging at them. “Oof,” Daeyoung jolts awake to the weight of fucking Maeda Riku sprawling across them. It takes a second for him to realize what’s going on, but then he’s turning red and whining in distress. 

“Yushi!” Riku is screeching, ignoring Daeyoung’s agony. “You did it, didn’t you! I knew you could! No one had faith but I had faith-”

“It’s 7 AM, what’s going on?” Ryo yawns as he pokes his head into the room. He looks at the three of them, and then pointedly at Daeyoung’s flushing red face buried into Yushi’s neck. “Oh, no shit?”

“Language!” Yushi chides. 

Well, it’s too late for that, too. “SION HYUNG!” Ryo is screaming into the depths of the dorm. “YUSHI GOT HIS SHIT TOGETHER!”

“Ryo-chan, language!” Riku scolds. But again. Too late.

News travels fast when your dorm is small and everyone is nosy as all hell. Within a few minutes, there are six bodies piled in Yushi’s tiny bed, four people excitedly talking over each other as they marvel at the beauty of his new relationship.

“Who told who?” Riku asks. “Wait, no, it definitely wasn’t Daeyoung.”

“Hyung,” Daeyoung whines, clinging onto Yushi like an overgrown puppy, ears burning red. “Stop.”

“It was the reason you left the dorm at 2 AM, right?” Sion joins in, grinning. “To chase after your beta-”

Yushi laughs as Daeyoung lets out an admonished “hyung, please!”

Of course their group mates are all annoying as all hell, but they’re all overly excited and definitely way too riled up and 100% overjoyed at their new relationship. Unfortunately, it is everything Yushi has ever dreamed of. Having his alpha and being happy.

“Ah, young love,” Ryo sniffles, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

“Please tell me you won’t be super gross about this,” Sakuya whines.

“You’re welcome, the both of you!” Riku insists. “You’re welcome!”

“Daeyoung-ah,” Sion says sagely. “Now that you’re in your first relationship, there’s some things we need to discuss. As your pack alpha-”

Daeyoung groans, arms around Yushi’s shoulders, face buried in his neck. He’s big and overgrown and a whiny mess, but Yushi loves him all the same. It’s hard not to. It’s what he’s spent the better half of the past year doing, after all. He can’t help but smile as he hugs his big dumb alpha and takes in the chaos of his pack.

No, Tokuno Yushi may not live a normal life by any means. Especially when you’re the only beta in a pack of alphas and pups and whatever Riku has going on. But honestly, that’s alright. 

A little bit of weirdness never hurt anyone, after all.