Irresistible || CL16
Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!reader
Summary: A one night stand comes back to haunt you when your father plans to marry his mother.
Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, smut, cheating, time skipping, kind of taboo (future stepbrother)
WC: 6.1k
F1 Masterlist || One || Two
December 2019
Two years ago you had spent an amazing week in Monaco during a European getaway. It was meant to be a once in a lifetime trip but now you sat opposite your father at the kitchen table in your family home trying to understand what he was saying.
“…the kindest woman. You’ll love her, just like I do.”
He fell in love so now you were expected to leave behind everyone you knew and just start a new life with his new family. You knew he had been happier since the trip but you never would have thought it was because of some long distance relationship. He had kept that to himself for a long time.
“Can’t you just have a midlife crisis like everyone else?” you asked. “Why are you moving us across the world for a stranger?”
“Did you not hear me? Pascale is not a stranger. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I love her.”
Resentment built and you pushed your chair back as you stood up. “You loved mum too, and look how that ended.”
Your father sighed and you immediately felt guilty for the heaviness in that one breath. It wasn’t his fault your mother decided domestic life wasn’t for her and left when you were just a baby. It wasn’t his fault that she met a man who had a motorcycle and flirted with the wrong side of the law. And it certainly wasn’t his fault that they crashed in a high speed police chase when you were 15.
You sank back into your seat and picked at the chipped Formica table top. “I’m sorry, dad.”
A calloused hand from a life of hard work gently patted yours. “It’s a big adjustment, pumpkin, but you said Monaco was a beautiful place. I thought you would be happy.”
“It was, but I’ll never see my friends.”
“I’m not saying you can replace them, but you’ll make new ones. And even with the different timezones I’m sure you can make arrangements to video call each other.”
He was making an effort, you could recognise that at least. “Fine. I suppose it won’t be that bad.”
August 2017
All of the streets seemed to look the same, the stonework buildings towering over you as the afternoon sun dipped even further below the mountains that bordered the place. You had no idea which way it was to get back to the hotel and you weren’t going to risk the international roaming charges to use the internet on your phone, you already spent most of your savings on the clothes in the bags that hung from your wrists.
You were too busy looking up and trying to get a sense of direction that you didn’t see the man getting out of his car. Pain flared in your knee as a door slammed into it and you dropped the bags to clutch your leg that throbbed and drew a groan from your lips. It was worse than hitting your funny bone and you grabbed the hood of the car to balance when you nearly teetered over.
“Mon Dieu, est-ce que tu vas bien?”
You couldn’t understand a word he said but the accent was almost enough to make you feel better, until you looked up. The setting sun cast a golden glow around the man and you swore he was more beautiful than the godlike statues you had seen in Rome the week before.
“I, I,” you stammered stupidly as he knelt down beside you and repacked the bags that had fallen to the street. His bright green eyes lingered on the red lace bra and panty set you had spent a small fortune on before he cleared his throat and shoved them in the bag. “I don’t speak French.”
“You should really be watching where you are walking,” he said as he stood up, his accent saturating his words and making the scolding sound sexy. And it was most definitely a scolding. “You could have been hit by a car.”
“I was,” you pointed out as you tested your leg and winced when you put your weight on it.
“I meant one that was driving past. It was a good thing I was parked.” He looked down his nose and shook his head. Somehow this stranger had managed to make you feel guilty for disappointing him, and it started to infuriate you.
“I really don’t think this is all my fault,” you snapped as you swiped your bags back. “This is a footpath, and that is a no parking zone. Maybe you should concentrate more on where you should be driving than how I should be walking.”
You narrowed your eyes at him and he did the same until his lip twitched and a smirk broke out. “You think I am a bad driver?”
You looked at the double yellow lined he was parked over and squared your shoulders. “Does a duck quack?”
He mouthed the question back before he understood what you were implying and laughed as he took a step closer. “I like you, you are funny, and delusional. What is your name, and what are you doing tonight?”
You were still trying to figure out if he had complimented or insulted you when someone called out and stole his attention before you could answer.
“Charles, dépêche-toi!”
You both turned to the group that had arrived, all of the young men looking almost as handsome as he did. They had to be from the same modelling agency, or there was something seriously strong in the water here.
“Well?”
You looked at Charles and found he was still waiting for an answer. “Probably still trying to find my hotel.”
“Funny,” he chuckled before waving his friends off. “Je te rattraperai plus tard.” He took your bags and stuffed them in the backseat of his car before offering his hand. “I can’t have you walking these streets all night, god knows what trouble you could cause.”
“I was doing fine, until you hit me with your car, and now you want to drive me in it? Nuh-uh, I would rather take my chances on foot.”
You stepped around him to get your bags back, or at least you tried to but your aching knee gave out. You would have fallen to the pavement but a strong arm curled around your waist and pulled you against him.
“You could have just asked if you wanted to hold me, biche.”
“Excuse me?” You pushed away from him and gritted your teeth through the pain. “I’m not sure in what world you think that is flirting, asshole.”
Charles threw his head back with a laugh and easily caught up to you, his palm heating the small of your back as he guided you around to face his car again “Biche, not bitch, it’s a cute little deer. I can call you Bambi instead, I quite like that. Unless you want to tell me your name?”
You rolled your eyes, unsure whether the endearment was an improvement at all, but stepped into the car when he opened the door for you. “No thanks, I don’t know if you are some sort of stalker.”
He laughed again before walking around to the driver's seat. “What hotel are you staying in?”
“The Fairmont.”
The flashy car roared to life and you turned to face Charles when his laughter grew. “So you would tell a stalker where you are staying but not your name?”
“That sounds to me like you are admitting you are a stalker,” you shot back with a daring arch of your brow. “Besides, I’m staying with a man that would snap you like a twig if you tried to turn me into a skin suit. I don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Your boyfriend?”
You snorted at the question and shook your head. “My father.”
He smiled at the news as he pulled out into the traffic and drove the short distance to the hotel. Your meandering had only left you two streets away from it so it was probably more of a nuisance to drive you there but Charles didn’t seem to mind.
“Are you enjoying the city?”
“It’s beautiful,” you said with a nod. “It’s almost a shame to leave tomorrow.”
“Have you been to Jimmyz?”
“Not yet.” You had heard of the club but most nights had consisted of a late dinner with your father and then bed. It was actually the first day you hadn’t spent hanging out with him, he had gone to get a haircut that was long overdue after all the travelling and you had used the alone time for a little girl shopping.
“You should come tonight, my friends and I are going and I owe you for hitting you with my car.”
January 2020
Your father thought it would be a good idea for Pascale to come and stay for a week before the big move. She owned a hair studio so it was easy to take some time off and she was due to arrive any moment. He had all but begged you to make an effort with Pascale before leaving for the airport. He had never brought a woman home, or at least while you were there, so it was strange to see how he fussed over the crumbs in the kitchen sink.
You did a quick final inspection through the house but with most of the belongings already sold or shipped off to Monaco there was next to nothing that could make a mess. You only hoped all your things arrived in time at the other end. It was bad enough you were going to be staying with one of your step brothers to begin with but it was only for a few weeks while the renovations on the new house dad and Pascale had bought were finished. He promised that your room would have a view of the ocean and your own bathroom - it was absolutely a bribe but you were fine with that.
The car pulled into the driveway, past the large real estate sign with an unmissable SOLD sticker across it. You had seen a handful of pictures of Pascale on your dad’s phone but when she stepped out of the car you realised they didn’t do her justice. Despite being on multiple planes that never made for a decent sleep, she looked refreshed and even her hair was still in a perfect blowout. She was really pretty, or maybe it was the bright smile she gave your dad when he parked the car.
“Do I look alright, Peter?” she asked as she touched her hair nervously and straightened her blouse.
“It’s not an interview, sweetheart,” he chuckled as he grabbed her suitcase. “You look beautiful.”
August 2017
The club was unlike anything back home. The music seemed to seep into your skin, the bass vibrating in your bones. Even the air was intoxicating with the promise of a night of bad decisions.
“Bambi, I didn’t think you would actually come.”
You turned away from the bar and found Charles drinking in the sight of your short, tight dress. His eyes followed every line, dip and curve of your body and he bit his lip as he dragged them back up to your face. For the price you had paid you were happy it had the desired effect.
With your confidence bolstered you sent him a smirk and grabbed your drink that had been placed down. “Well you did say you owe me, you can start with my drink.”
Charles didn’t look away as he reached into his pocket and stepped closer, his hand reaching past to slap a bill on the bar top. His scent reached you, the cologne inviting you to lean closer and inhale the decadence of vanilla and bergamot. “The usual, please.”
He could have stepped back while his drink was made but he chose to stay close, his eyes flicking down your cleavage to see the red lace set he had been daydreaming about all evening. “How about we get out of here?”
You had fantasised about a summer romance since the trip began, what young woman wouldn’t when they were going to Europe? But you hadn’t been able to conjure a face as handsome as his when you closed your eyes late at night and your hand drifted beneath the blankets. Now you had the opportunity in the palm of your hands and you weren’t going to let it slip from your fingers.
Tipping your head back, you met his green eyes that dared you rise to the challenge. “Lead the way.”
February 2020
You were jet lagged and exhausted when you finally reached your temporary accommodation.
“Charles is just on his way back from work but he shouldn’t be too far away. Make yourself at home, sweetheart,” Pascale said as she helped you with your bags.
The apartment was bare with mostly blank white walls and a few framed pictures of Ferrari cars. It was a typical boy space that was in desperate need of soft furnishings to liven it up, but that wasn’t your problem to deal with.
“He just bought the place so he’s still finding his ‘vibe’,” Pascale noted when she saw you eying up the empty space, the words sounding like they were verbatim and not her own. “But there’s two bedrooms and two bathrooms so you’ll have your own space. The builder said our house will be finished in a few weeks.”
“It’s great, Pascale,” you assured her as you set your bag down on the bed with a long yawn. You were surprised to find it had a floral duvet and a sheet set already made up - something you were sure she had done for you.
She nodded and placed your other suitcase down before leaving, closing the door most of the way. “I’ll let you rest for a bit.”
You woke to voices down the hall and found a blanket had been draped over you at some point.
“Can’t she sleep on Enzo’s couch? I don’t even know her, she could try to sell my things. There have been stranger things done before.”
“Ah-ah, no, and she doesn't even watch racing. Peter said she had no interest in the sport.” Pascale sighed heavily, the same way your father did when he was having to repeat himself. “She’s a lovely young lady, and she’s going to be family so please treat her as such.”
August 2017
“Where are we going?”
Charles just smiled and kept driving through the quiet streets before pulling into a hotel far nicer than the one you were staying in.
“You live in a hotel?”
He laughed and tossed his car key to the valet driver. “No, but I have a roommate who would probably not be very happy with me if we woke him.”
He already had a room and led the way to the elevators with the confidence of a man who had certainly been here before. You didn’t mind, you were hardly a saint, and you knew exactly what you were doing when you dressed for the night out. You knew how you wanted the night to end.
For a man who looked eager to undress you, like he had done with his eyes, he didn’t touch you until the door was firmly closed behind him. But once that door locked shut it was as if the leash he had kept a hold of himself with was dropped and he pinned you against the wall, his lips finding the hollow of your neck.
The temperature in the room seemed to swell as his kiss climbed higher and he finally reached your lips. You moaned at the feel of his hands roaming your body and his tongue slipped past your parted lips when he dragged the zip down your spine.
“J'ai envie de le faire depuis que je t'ai vu pour la première fois. You are so fucking sexy.” [I have been wanting to do this since I first saw you.] He stepped back and watched the material fall away to reveal the tempting red lace he had been dying to see.
Your heart skipped a beat at the hunger in his eyes and you reached behind your back to unclip the bra. It was thrilling to watch the colour of his eyes fade to black as you revealed more skin to him but when you reached for your panties he spurred forward to stop you.
“Mine,” he stated as he brushed your hands aside and hooked his fingers into the waistband instead. Falling to one knee, he dragged the lace down your thighs and let them tangle around your ankles before kissing your hip. Your head fell back against the wall with a thud as he nudged your legs apart and pulled one leg over his shoulder. “What’s my name?”
Your forehead crumpled as his breath warmed your cunt and you buried your hands in his hair to hurry him up, but he was too strong.
“What’s my name?” he repeated.
“Ch-Charles,” you stammered as his fingers teased your entrance without delving further, driving you wild with need.
“Good girl, remember that when I make you scream.”
The words left you drunk and you would have dared him to make good on them but his tongue found your clit and two fingers curled into your cunt. All thoughts left your head while he was knelt fully dressed before you and all too soon his name echoed across the room as he brought you to your first of many highs.
You could barely walk by the time you collapsed on the king bed and your head was spinning from the various positions you had found yourself in. You only bothered to move when a phone vibrated on the bedside table and you reached over to see if it was yours.
Giada: When are you coming home?
“Need a break, Bambi?” Charles teased as he returned from the minibar with a bottle of water, cracking the top off and offering it to you first.
You took the bottle with a grateful smile and swallowed a few mouthfuls to ease your dry throat. “Who’s Giada?”
His eyes flicked to his phone and he grabbed it, quickly replying to the message before tossing it aside and caging you beneath his body. “My roommate. Now, where were we?”
You should have been in a dead sleep but something had woken you. It was an ungodly hour given the darkness that was still outside but it did mean you saw the light of Charles' phone. His soft snores were silenced by the pillow he buried his face in and you took a second to admire the sight of his toned body in the moonlight.
Giada: It’s so hard to sleep without you here. I love you xxx
You slipped out of the bed without waking him and hated how good the ache between your legs felt because of him. You should have known a man like him was bound to have a girlfriend. She was probably a model.
You quickly gathered your clothes and dressed on the way to the door, closing it silently behind you. No one had to know you were even there and in a few hours you would be heading to the airport, never to see Charles again.
It took far longer than you expected to find your way back to the hotel and your father was already awake when you entered the room.
“You look like you had a rough night.”
You continued on your way to your bedroom in desperate need of a shower before packing. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Fair enough.”
You reemerged looking refreshed but you still felt contradictory inside. You told yourself that you did nothing wrong but it didn’t help when you knew there was a woman waiting at home for the man you had fucked. Fucked didn’t begin to cover what you had done - he had hung the stars and the moon, he had expanded your mind to the pleasures that could be sought with the right experience and partner. He had ruined you for all the men back home.
You fought to tug the zip of your suitcase closed, more than ready to leave the place behind, and growled in frustration. Your dad knew better than to bring attention to your mood but he gently moved you aside and closed the stubborn zip himself.
“How was your night?” you asked as you went to the kitchenette and made a strong brew of coffee.
He smiled to himself and picked up the suitcase to add it to the pile by the door but his smile dimmed when he saw how miserable you looked. “Nothing special, I just had dinner and a walk by the water.”
Normally you would have picked up on the lie, but you were too self centred to notice how happy he looked. He was glowing.
February 2020
You followed the voices to the living room and found Pascale in the doorway saying her goodbyes. You couldn’t see the face of the man she was talking to, only a head of dark hair, but he turned when his mothers attention was drawn away.
“You…” you breathed as you recognised the green eyes that had haunted your dreams for two years. Pascale frowned and you plastered a fake smile as you held your hand out. “You must be Charles.”
“I am,” he hummed as he looked at your hand before enveloping it in his much larger one. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’ll see you both for dinner tonight, Charles can drive you until we get you a car.”
Charles seemed to be hearing the news for the first time. “I can?”
“Yes, you can. Now make sure she feels at home alright, maybe introduce her to some of your friends.” Pascale blew a kiss and left Charles to close the door.
His eyes sparkled with mischief as he locked it and you realised at that moment just how fucked you were because, despite the quick prayer you had sent, Charles had recognised you too. “Hello again, Bambi.”
“Fuck me,” you muttered beneath your breath.
Charles smirked and booped you on the nose as he walked past you and towards his kitchen. “No thanks, you’re going to be my sister soon.”
You hated that for a second you were disappointed before common sense returned and you went to your room to find your phone. “Dad, I can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“Charles is an asshole, that’s why,” you whispered angrily, your eyes scanning the bottom of your door to see if he was eavesdropping.
“It’s only for two weeks, three at the most, plus he will be heading back to Italy for work on Monday.”
“Who the hell works in Italy and lives in Monaco?”
“He does, you would know that if you had a conversation with him and got to know him.”
“I don’t want to get to know him, I want to go home.”
“This is home now,” your dad said quietly as you heard Pascale arrive home at the other end. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
You flopped onto your bed with a groan as the call ended. Two weeks. Two fucking weeks. You groaned again as you realised that it may be just two weeks of living with him but there would be a lifetime of having him as your step brother. “Fuck!”
“I might have to get a swear jar to cover your half of the utilities.”
You surged upright and found Charles leaning against the balcony door, a balcony you apparently shared with his room next door. “Can I just make one thing very clear? As far as I am concerned, whatever happened two years ago - it didn’t. Nothing happened. I never saw you before today.”
“Nothing happened?” he chuckled as he walked into the room. “You still have that sense of humour because I remember a lot happening. Do I need to jog your memory?”
You hated how your body betrayed you, how your eyes followed his every step as he closed the distance between you. “You’re actually sick. Our parents are getting married.”
He stopped in front of you, his fingers brushing a stray strand of hair from your face and his eyes traced your lips. “You were gone when I woke up.”
“Giada wasn’t your roommate.”
“No, she wasn’t,” he admitted with that same smirk that simultaneously had you wanting to both slap it or kiss it away. “I have a new roommate now.”
“Not for long, I am gone as soon as the house is ready.”
“Oh, Bambi,” he laughed, swaggering his way back to the balcony door. “I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Asshole.”
“Biche.”
“Charles, you should introduce Y/N to Charlotte,” Pascale said as she poured another wine for you. “That’s his girlfriend. You would probably get along with her, she’s about your age and a very nice girl too.”
You bit your tongue as you raised your glass to your lips and stared at Charles over the rim. Placing the glass back down, you smiled sweetly. “Is that right? I could do with making a girlfriend here, someone to talk about boys with. Maybe she can set me up with a handsome Frenchie.”
A foot kicked you under the table and you chuckled at the glare he was sending you over the greek salad.
“We go to brunch on Sunday,” Pascale said with a pat to your hand. “You should come.”
“Count me in.” You stabbed a sweet cherry tomato with your fork before sealing your lips around it and humming in delight. “This was a delicious meal.”
Charles soon declared he was exhausted from the drive back from wherever it was he worked in Italy and Pascale looked a little disappointed that the first family dinner was cut short. Since he was your ride, you had to say goodnight to everyone too and followed him out to the car that was even flashier than what he had two years ago. His Ferrari fixation was more than just pictures of the cars in his apartment but he drove one too.
“You are quite eager to leave,” you noted as you lowered yourself into the passenger seat, your skirt riding up your thighs as you settled into the leather. Charles inhaled sharply as he saw the hint of your panties peek out and slammed the door shut before storming his way around the car.
“I’m in half a mind to take you over my lap and turn your ass red,” he growled as he pulled out of the driveway.
“Arthur is lovely,” you commented as you smiled at your reflection in the window. You were absolutely enjoying the way Charles gritted his teeth, but he had started this dance in your bedroom. “He offered to keep me company while you are away next week. I think I might enjoy his company more than yours.”
“Biche,” he warned as he broke the speed limit and practically skidded to a stop in his reserved parking spot. “You’re mine. No one else touches you. Ever.”
You slipped out of the car and felt his eyes on your ass as you climbed the stairs to the apartment. Though you had a key you waited for him to open the door and kept your voice low while he fumbled with the lock in his frustration. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”
“Everything looks good on me,” he argued as he turned the key and shoved you through the doorway.
“Is that what your girlfriend tells you?”
“No, she prefers me with nothing on.”
You could understand why that was but didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you agree as you went to your room. “Goodnight, Charles.”
“Night, ma biche.”
It was still early but you refused to leave your room, instead opening your laptop to watch a movie. You were halfway through a stupid rom-com when you heard a feminine voice in the apartment and you paused it to check you weren’t hearing things.
“Oh, Charles, bébé, baise-moi!”
You rolled your eyes at the sounds of the headboard banging on the wall you shared and rifled through your bag to find a pair of headphones. It seemed that they grew louder or you became hyper aware of what was happening in the room next door, and a needy throb began between your legs when you heard Charles moan deeply.
Your frustration built until you disappeared into the bathroom and doused yourself in a cold shower, cursing him the entire time you waited for your blood to cool. You could finally think clearly after drying off and recognised he was only making his next move in the game he had started. It was time to start planning yours.
Charles' steps faltered when he emerged from his bedroom shirtless but he recovered quickly and walked past your position on the couch as he went to get himself a drink of water.
“You should try Gatorade,” you suggested as you flipped through the channels leisurely. “I find it better than water after a good fucking.”
“What are you wearing?” he finally asked after emptying the glass in one breath and wiping his lips dry.
“This is how I sleep,” you said as you stretched your legs out onto the ottoman. “Is that a problem for you?”
His eyes followed the line of your legs to the edge of the black and red babydoll you wore and cleared his throat. “No, no problem.”
“Charles, who are you talking to?” A pretty brunette emerged from the room and scanned the room, taking in her half naked boyfriend talking to you who was barely dressed much more than him.
You rose to your feet before Charles could recover and bounced over to the young lady, wrapping her in a hug. “You must be Charlotte, maman’s told me so much about you. I thought I would have to wait until Sunday to meet you.”
“Maman? Sunday?” she asked as she looked at Charles for the answers.
“This is Y/N, my step sister - or soon to be -” he added quietly. “Maman invited her to brunch.”
“We are going to be great friends, Lottie,” you sang as you stepped back with a grin. “I just know it.”
Charles nearly broke his glass as he tossed it in the sink and headed back to his room, returning a moment later with a sweatshirt and jeans on. “Allez, mon amour,” he called to Charlotte as he grabbed his keys.
You pouted playfully as he led her to the door. “She can sleep over, I don’t mind - I have earplugs.”
Charlotte flushed pink and clearly had no idea you were in the house while they were getting down and dirty. It made it all the more entertaining as you waved goodbye. “I’ll see you Sunday.”
Charles waited until Charlotte had passed the doorway before following, casting a final glance your way. “Don’t wait up.”
You felt his presence in your room before you saw him step out of the shadows with just a towel slung low on his hips and the bed dipped under his weight. “Well played,” he admitted, flopping back and making himself comfortable.
Rolling over, you turned to face him and tucked your arm under your head. “Did you think about me when you were with her?”
His lips twitched before he gave in to the smile. “Every fucking second.”
“She’s pretty.”
He reached out and brushed your cheek with his knuckles. “You’re beautiful.”
You could feel yourself falling to the temptation that his lips provided and it was getting harder to resist taking what you wanted. “You should go back to your room.”
“Your lips say one thing but these say another,” he teased as his touch drifted over your collar and down to your breasts, the thin babydoll doing little to hide your nipples that had hardened since he laid down in the bed. “They are begging for something else entirely.”
“Charles,” you whispered as you leaned into his touch before you could think better of it.
“I forgot how good my name sounded on your lips,” he hummed as his hand slipped beneath the material, “but I like it better when you scream it.”
“This is a bad idea.”
It didn’t stop him from rolling your nipple between his finger and thumb and drawing a soft sigh from you. “Why is this a bad idea, biche?”
“Because you have a girlfriend, and you’re my step…step…fuck…” Your eyes fluttered shut as his hand slipped between your legs and he touched you over your panties.
“Let me worry about Charlotte, you just relax and spread those lovely legs wider for me.”
“This is going to end badly.” You knew it but it didn’t stop your knees from parting for him. There was something about him that threw caution to the wind, it had been that way the first time you met too. He was pure temptation. He was the apple and you were Eve, unable to resist taking a bite. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
He bit his lip as he watched how your body danced for his touch. “But not tonight.”
“Not tonight,” you conceded as you watched his eyes darken with lust. “Now please fuck me.”
Charles woke alone for the second time after sleeping with you but he smiled when he heard music playing in the living room. “You stayed,” he teased as he walked down the hall, trying to tame his hair along the way.
“Didn’t have another option but I have found some short term rentals to view next week.”
He froze and his hands dropped to his side. “Wait, you were serious?”
“Yes, this isn’t going to work because if I’m anywhere near you this will just keep happening, and it was a mistake.”
The pop music suddenly grated on Charles' nerves and he grabbed the remote, changing it to another channel before tossing the remote away. You knew he was sulking at the thought of losing his plaything but you ignored him and watched the French news that you couldn’t understand.
Something on the tv caught Charles’ attention though and he sat up straighter, his arms unfolding as his mouth parted in surprise. The breaking news headline was one that was universal and you realised something big was happening.
“What is it?” you asked as he remained fixated on the tv.
“It’s that virus,” he murmured. You had seen it on the news at home before the move, the outbreak reaching all across the globe as it spread person to person. You had been worried about it on the plane with each cough you heard. “It’s spreading here.”
“Okay, and?”
His hand found its way to his mouth and he bit his nails as he listened, translating and relaying the information for you in sporadic bursts. “You won’t need that rental, Bambi.”
“Why?”
He turned to you with an odd look that you couldn’t quite figure out, possibly apprehension or anticipation or a mix of both. “At midnight tonight the whole country is going into lockdown.”
His phone started ringing almost immediately and he excused himself to take the call. “It’s work.”
“Shit, shit, shit.” You grabbed your phone and dialled your dad. “Did you hear what’s happening? What do we do?”
“Relax, pumpkin, it’s going to be fine,” he assured you. “It’ll all blow over quickly, I’m sure. They can’t stop the world from turning, can they?”
You laughed in agreement and felt a little better by the time you hung up the phone, but Charles returned looking stressed as he dropped onto the couch beside you.
“Good news or bad news first?”
You didn’t think it mattered either way and just shrugged.
“Italy is also going into lockdown so there’s no reason to go back on Monday.” He draped his arm over your shoulders and pull you into his side. “Looks like we are going to be seeing a lot more of each other.”
“Is that the good or the bad news?”
“Well, I like my job so not being able to do it is bad for me, but being trapped with you indefinitely certainly sounds good to me.”
“Indefinitely?” you laughed and shook your head. “As soon as the house is done I’m gone.”
Charles' laughter silenced you and his kissed your temple. “Oh, Bambi…The builders will be locked down too, nothing will be finished any time soon. You’re all mine.”
“Shit,” you groaned in realisation. It was going to be impossible to keep your hands off him and from the grin on his face he knew it too.
“This is going to be great.”
Click here for part two.
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this night together - chapter fourteen (j.yh + s.mg)
chapter fourteen: what we mean to each other
chapter summary: making amends is hard, moving on is hard, but you have a home now in a way you've never had before. together, you move forward through it all.
warnings/notes: this chapter still deals with the aftermath of the attack, so all previous warnings apply, but i think you'll see we're coming out of it now and into much happier times. this is the start of an absolute fluff fest, and we'll be back to smut in the next chapter. specific warnings for: discussions of physical attack, anxiety, ptsd, consent conversations, past s*xual assault (mentioned in passing), issues with police and the legal system because lbr the cops aren't doing anything good for assault victims, and reader has a triggering moment with her neck but she works through it just fine
pairings: alpha!yunho x alpha!mingi x omega!reader
genre: smut, a/b/o/omegaverse, angst, fluff, romance, polyamory
word count: 14.3k
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It’s been days. Days of staying safe behind the walls of their apartment, days of dodging calls from your friends, days of cocooned self preservation. They haven’t left you for a single minute. You spent the weekend trading off who’s lap you were cuddled on and bickering over episodes of Single’s Inferno and you’ve never needed anything more.
Slowly though, things start to shift.
You’re showered, for one. And Yunho and Mingi both have settled back into their routines as best they can without leaving the apartment. Video games, mindless scrolling, paging through books and cooking balanced meals instead of another day of takeout.
On Monday, Seonghwa confirms your worst suspicions by texting you a photo of the formal letter he received via Minseok’s attorney. You expect Yunho and Mingi’s are in the mail. Every time your phone chimes you expect it to be the police or some other official legal summons. Your mind has started to turn over every detail of the event with calculated detail, and your internet history stretches long with research.
By Tuesday, you’ve caved and finally started answering Wooyoung’s texts with more than just single word responses or emoji confirmations that you’re still alive. The moment you do, he takes the opening and runs with it just like you knew he would.
As you wait for the hot water for your tea to boil in the kettle, you re-read his most recent text again.
Do you want to get out of the house for a bit? We can try that new spot by the bookstore?
Your stomach feels tight at the idea of going out and you do your best to tap out a reply that you think sounds casual and relaxed - Maybe next time, let’s just catch up and relax here?
You watch the message send and deliver and in nearly real-time it flicks over to read. Dots appear as he types.
Sure - his message reads - I’ll be there in an hour
An hour. You shouldn’t be so nervous to see your best friend, but the idea of opening up your little sanctuary to anyone right now feels a little fraught. The kettle whistles, and you hear feet shuffling against the vinyl flooring as Yunho crosses over into the kitchen and you lock your phone and Wooyoung’s messages away so you can focus.
“Hey,” You murmur, giving him a smile as you pull the kettle off the heat.
“Hey,” Yunho smiles back, leaning against the opposite counter, “everything okay?”
“Mhm,” You tell him, just a little white lie.
“Is Woo still coming by?” He questions.
��Yeah,” You nod, setting the kettle on a pad so it doesn’t damage the countertop, “he said around an hour,”
Yunho nods and then slides a bit closer to you, his hand stroking up and down your back once until he settles it on your hip. “Hey,” he says again, “can we talk?”
A nervous pang strikes in your gut, but he doesn’t look upset, so you take a guess at what he wants, “Is it okay that he’s coming?”
“Wooyoung?” His brows draw together, “Of course, that’s not what I meant,”
“Oh,” You turn towards him more fully, leaning against the counter with him, “okay, what’s up?”
“I want to apologize,” He says, swallowing tightly.
“Apologize,” You blink.
He nods.
“Okay,” You can see how whatever he’s about to say is bothering him, the stress under the surface, but you have no idea what he’s sorry for.
“Listen,” He reaches and takes your hand, pulling you a little closer to him, “I know you know I’m sorry, but I haven’t said it clearly and you deserve that,”
“Oh,” You relax further into his space until you can feel your bodies brushing together, the warmth radiating off his skin.
“The way I reacted at the studio after your last heat was wrong,” He says in a rush of air as he laces your hands together, “and I haven’t gotten the chance to really say that,”
“It’s okay,” You shake your head, soothing him a little, “you don’t have to,”
“No,” He insists with a squeeze of your fingers, “I do. That day, I was worried and jealous and confused, but I let my anger get the better of me and that’s not something I normally do.”
You squeeze his fingers back, letting him know you’re listening.
His eyes flick up from your joined hands to your eyes as he continues, “It’s not something I should have ever put on you or something you should ever see,”
“People get angry,” You start to say.
He’s firm when he shakes his head, “People get angry, but I don’t get angry at you. Ever.”
“Yunho,”
“I yelled at you,” He squeezes your hands, “I cursed at you,”
“I did the same thing right back,” You remind him.
“It’s not the same,” He presses, brushing right past your words, “and I’m apologizing because I’m telling you, y/n, it will never happen again.”
“You think we’ll never have a fight?” You smile, “That’s optimistic,”
“This isn’t a joke,” He sighs, “please,”
“I’m sorry,” You tuck closer to him, unlacing your hands so you can snake your arms around his middle, “and I appreciate you apologizing for that fight, but I was upset you were being possessive and emotional after all the cold shoulder, you yelling wasn’t really high on my list of concerns,”
He’s quiet for a moment, but then he nods, “I’ll get to that in a second, but will you hear me on this one thing?”
“I’m listening,”
“I hate to bring it up again,” He grimaces a little, “but I’ve just spent four days watching you jump at every noise around the apartment and wake up every night fucking terrified,”
Your eyes shoot down.
“And before I apologize for all the other ways I’ve been an ass to you,” His warm hands settle on your skin, thumb brushing along your jaw, “of which I know there are many,”
You smile at that.
“Yelling at you like that,” He sighs, “talking to you like that has been bothering me for months. I need to apologize for it because I need you to know that you’ll never, ever hear it again. Mingi said his peace, but it’s important to me that you know you’re safe with me in every way. If we’re going to do this, I need you to know you can tell me anything, including telling me off when I make mistakes, and I won’t get angry like that again.”
“I already know that,” You look up, meeting his firm gaze and reaching for his cheek, “and I hope you understand that I know the difference between how you were angry then and what he did and how he spoke to me.”
“I just had to say it,” He nods, “I would hate it if anything I ever did made you afraid to be honest with me, or made you feel like you’ve been feeling the past few days, I’d never,”
“Baby,” You cup his cheeks in both hands, holding his eyes so he hears you fully, “I forgive you, and I am not afraid or uncomfortable with you or with Mingi. Not at all.”
“Good,” He exhales hard, his eyes a little shiny and you press forward to wrap your arms around him and hug him close, his arms closing around your back.
“If you’re being idiots,” You kiss his chest through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, “I’ll tell you you’re being idiots,”
He laughs low, the vibration running through your chest, “Good.”
“And if I’m being an idiot,” You add, “I’m not going to freak out if you get pissed at me or yell at me,”
“I appreciate that,” He squeezes your shoulders, “but I don’t want to be the guy that yells, that’s not really an alpha stereotype I’ve ever wanted to fit.”
“Okay,” You nod against him.
He clears his throat a little roughly and you’re about to pull away but he holds you steady for a moment, “There’s one more thing,”
Your hand strokes a line down his back, as you hum softly, “Hmm?”
“I have more to say and to apologize for,” You can feel his heart beating a little faster under your cheek and you stroke his back again, “but I’m still figuring out how to do that, and it might not be fair of me to ask, but I wanted to see if you can be patient with me for that.”
“Yunho,” You murmur, “what’s going on?”
“I, uh,” His fingers flex tightly against your skin, “I started seeing someone,”
“Someone?”
“Professionally,” He adds, “Mingi used to and I know it helped. I didn’t think I needed to, but I think we can both agree I am not the best at managing my own emotions here,”
“Oh,”
“So,” He breathes, “after our fight, when I finally cooled off and realized what we did I asked him for a referral. I’ve been meeting with her once a week and it’s been helpful, but I’m not ready to apologize to you for the rest of it until I understand why I treated you like that,”
Emotion fills your chest like a balloon and you nod into him, “Yunho,”
He clears his throat again, “Sorry,” he says, “this is a little uncomfortable for me to talk about, but I’m working on it,”
You wriggle out of his arms to find his face again and press up on your tiptoes to catch his mouth, kissing him with as much surety as you can before you lean back, “That means everything to me,” you tell him, “everything. You have all the time in the world from me, okay?”
“Yeah,” He smiles, “good, okay,”
“Is it helping?”
“Definitely,” He nods, “it’s almost like the professionals know what they’re talking about,”
You smile up at him.
“I know I mentioned it before,” He adds quickly, “and I won’t press it, but if you do feel like it would be helpful for you too, you can come to me and I can ask my therapist for some numbers for you to call. I’ll even help set up an appointment if you need that,”
Your chest goes tight at the thought, “I’ll let you know,”
“Okay,” He smooths a hand up and down your back, “no pressure,”
“For sure,” You manage.
His lip quirks up and he presses a long kiss to your forehead as he gives you one more squeeze, “I said I won’t press, don’t panic,”
“Sorry,” You breathe.
He makes a noise dismissing that and then steps back, “So,” his eyes are bright again, everything equalizing back to normal with his smile, “you were making tea, can I help?”
Your shoulders relax, tension bleeding out of you in an instant, “No,” you turn back to the warm kettle, “but can I make you a cup?”
“Sure,” He pulls two teacups down from the cupboard, “so Woo will be here in an hour?”
“Mhm,” You tap your phone to light up the screen to check for any other texts.
“Got it,” He nods, “would you feel alright with Mingi and I stepping out for a while?”
“Out?”
“I need to run by the studio and check in on things,” He explains, “and we need to get some food in here. I figured we could do that while Wooyoung keeps you company,”
“Yeah,” Your heart picks up a little at the thought, but you press that feeling down and drop a teabag in each of your cups, “I’ll be just fine,”
“Good,” He drops another kiss to your hair, keeping his fingers lingering on your skin while you pour hot water into your cups.
“Do you,” You almost stop the question, but you find the words bubbling out of your mouth before you can second guess, “do you need to leave right away?”
Yunho smiles wide, taking the kettle from your hands as he shakes his head, “No,”
Your heart eases a little.
“Let’s have these together,” He nods to the tea and picks up both cups, “we’ll go when Woo gets here,”
You follow him out into the living room, and he sets the cups down on the table before settling himself into the corner cushions and reaching up for you. It’s easy to take his hand and to melt into the familiar position on his lap, and you let him draw you in close and cuddle you, his arms wrapped securely around you as he nuzzles your cheek with his nose.
You sigh, resting your hands on his chest and turning your face a little to catch his mouth in a kiss.
He hums pleasantly against your mouth, “Is it strange to say that I’ll miss you while we’re out?”
You smile, shaking your head, “No,”
“Will you miss us?” He pecks your lips again.
“More than I want to admit,”
“You know,” Yunho smooths his hands over your body to rest in their familiar homes, one on your thigh and the other curled around your waist, “I hate what happened, and I wish I could take all the bad memories away, but I’m also so glad you’re here with us,”
“I know what you mean,” You nod.
“The months we spent apart were terrible,” He confesses, kissing you softly.
“We’ll have to make up for lost time,” You agree quietly.
“A proper date,” He smiles, “or a vacation somewhere warm?”
“Mm,” You hum, thinking of being stretched out on a beach somewhere with your boys on either side of you, “perfect,”
“I’ll think on that,” He runs a hand down your hair and relaxes back into the couch, “you deserve something nice,”
Twisting on his lap you reach for both of your teacups before settling back into the same, comfortable position, “I think it would just be nice to come over here without having something traumatic happen beforehand,”
He frowns a little.
“I’m kidding,” You nudge him softly, “kind of,”
“I know,” He nods, “still,”
“Yeah,” You quietly agree, taking the first sip of your tea.
Yunho takes a sip too, and then hums a short, quick laugh, “This smells like you,”
“Like me?”
“The tea,” He takes another sip and nods, “you smell just the same, but sweeter,”
“Do you like it?” You find yourself asking.
Yunho’s head cocks slightly to the side, a line between his brows, and then he says, “Have I not made it clear how much I love your scent?”
Your cheeks heat and he smiles at the way your skin reddens.
“Sweetheart,” He shifts, pulling you in while still being careful of the tea, pressing warm, lingering kisses over your jaw to the hollow of your ear, “if I could drink you instead, I would.”
You swallow, heat curling in your belly.
“Soothing tea,” He murmurs, “sweet honey,” he adds with a kiss, “and the willow is sharp and fresh. You wake me up and calm me down all at the same time,”
Your pulse quickens, and slowly your head drops to the side, extending the column of your neck to his lips.
He takes it slow, remembering the way you jerked back in bed a few nights before, and he’s careful not to press too firmly or give you any inclination that he’s going to touch you with anything but his lips.
“You smell like home,” He murmurs, his hand coming up to cup your head in his wide palm, kissing just a little lower still.
Your muscles are stiffening up at the feeling of his mouth getting lower towards your exposed gland and your fingers tighten on his shirt where you hold yourself steady.
“I’ve got you,” He whispers, “stay with me,”
You nod, just a little, enough to tell him not to stop, “W-what else?”
He smiles against your throat, “Well,” he kisses again, to punctuate his words, “when you’re happy, really happy or excited, there’s lemon too,”
Your breath feels staggered, thready, and you focus on the feeling of him and the warmth of the teacups against your thigh.
“When you want us,” He takes a deep inhale, sighing hot against your skin, “it’s all honey, thick and syrupy. After your heat I smelled that honey here for weeks,”
You feel a whine building a little in your throat, and you bite down on your lip to keep it buried. Your body feels like it’s fighting itself with every touch of his mouth, hot arousal knots up at his scent mingling with yours and at his words, but the isolated touch alone has you fighting little flashes of a place that isn’t here and isn’t him.
“I’ve got you,” He repeats, “I love you,”
The reply settles on the tip of your tongue, but then he presses one last closed-lipped kiss directly over your gland and withdrawals entirely. You blink hard, a shudder running up your spine.
“Alright?” He checks, smoothing his hand down your hair again.
You nod, letting your fingers unknot from his shirt while you collect yourself.
“Hopefully that answers your question,” He clears his throat softly.
You start to nod, but the sound of the bathroom door opening cuts through the moment and you start, tea spilling over the lip of your cup onto your fingers.
“It’s Mingi, baby,” He assures you.
“I know,” You have to tear your eyes off the hallway though.
His mouth is set in a concerned little line, and you know he’s probably thinking about your conversation in the kitchen again, but he lets it lie and doesn’t push it, just like he promised.
Mingi appears a moment later, a towel slung around his hips and his shoulders and hair wet from the shower. He smiles widely when he sees you both, “What’s going on in here?”
Yunho raises up his cup, “Tea,” he smiles, “nothing much,”
“Mm,” Mingi nods and stretches, “nice,”
“Will you be ready soon?” Yunho asks, “Wooyoung will be here in a bit,”
“Yeah, sure,” He confirms and then glances at you, “you’re good with us going out?”
“I’m good,” You confirm.
“I’ll stay if it would make you feel better,” Mingi adds, “I can hide in the bedroom and listen to music or something if you want privacy,”
You love them both so much in this moment you feel like your chest might crack right open on its own, and you shake your head at him with a smile, “No, I have to get comfortable at some point, it might as well be while Woo is here with me,”
He nods, “Well, we won’t be too far, just call us and we’ll turn around.”
“Thank you,” You reach up to take his hand and he twines his fingers with yours immediately.
Yunho shifts, pressing his lips against your shoulder, “Are you and Woo going out anywhere?”
He’s clearly trying to be subtle, but you hear the anxious note in his voice and it occurs to you that they might be just as nervous leaving you as you are staying here without them.
You shake your head, “No, just staying here,”
“That’s good,” Mingi adds a little too quickly, “if you do go out, would you let us know?”
“I will,” You promise them, “but you don’t have to worry,”
“It’s in our nature to worry over you,” Yunho sighs, “but I think we’re both trying not to be overbearing about this whole thing,”
“Trying,” Mingi shrugs, “but also the idea of not knowing where you are feels like it might give me hives,”
You laugh at the image, easing back into Yunho’s chest.
“To be clear,” Yunho shoots Mingi a look, “that’s in a nice ‘we care about you’ way, not in a ‘controlling boyfriend’ kind of way,”
“Relax,” You tell them both, “I get why you want to know, it’s the same reason I want to know where you are.”
“Studio first,” Mingi offers without you asking and your chest warms, “then groceries, and then I want to swing by that cafe that has that caramel cheesecake you like, then home,”
“Don’t say we don’t have to,” Yunho adds, “we want to,”
You smile as he takes the words right out of your mouth.
“Plus, I want some,” Mingi says with ease.
You’re not used to this type of relationship yet, having alphas of your own who actually want to be with you and take care of you, who worry for you and feel for you in all the deep nervous ways you feel for them. You hush the nagging voice in your mind that tries to tell you not to show them how much you need them, the voice that doesn’t want you to jump too fast, you already know what you get by listening to that voice.
Instead you ask them what you want to ask, “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“Two hours,” Yunho offers, “maybe three at the most,”
“Okay,” You exhale, weight dropping away from your shoulders, “that’s perfect,”
“We’ll let you know,” Mingi adds, “and if you need anything special while we’re out, we can stop,”
You shake your head, “I’m fine,” You assure them, “a little anxious, but you know, it’s good for me.”
Mingi smiles warmly, brushing his hand over your cheek and tilting your face up with his thumb and forefinger on your chin, “We’re a phone call away,”
“I know,” You nod.
Yunho sighs as Mingi’s hand drops away, and he kisses your shoulder again, “It’s funny,” he says, “I really don’t want to leave you,”
“We did just spend three months not seeing each other and in a state of constant relationship limbo,” You point out and give him a squeeze, “we really went from nothing to a whole lot of something fast,”
“Not too fast?” Mingi checks, trying to sound casual.
“No,” You say, “and even if it is, I don’t care,”
“We’ve always felt right together,” Yunho adds, “we’re just letting ourselves enjoy it now,”
He’s never said something so true.
Mingi gets dressed and collapses onto the couch next to both, pushing closer into your space with Yunho until you’re both practically on his lap, but it works. You stay knit close together until there’s a knock on the door and then it’s fast kisses goodbye and big hugs from your best friend, and before you can really process it you’re without them for the first time in days.
Your stomach is fluttering, a nervous quiver deep in your gut that you really don’t want Wooyoung to over-analyze. A moment later you find yourself back on the couch in the warm spot Yunho left, wrapping yourself in the blanket you had all shared the night before. You can smell them on it, earthy, warm, and sweet.
Wooyoung watches as you start to relax, and he takes a seat right next to you to keep close, a closed smile on his lips.
You can’t believe you miss them already.
They must miss you too though, because Mingi only makes it a scant ten minutes before he texts you, his message lighting up your phone - Forgot to say I love you - I love you.
“What?” Wooyoung nudges you under the blanket.
You pass your phone to him and he reads the message, his eyebrows shooting up high, “I leave you alone for a few days and you’re all saying ‘I love you’s?”
You grab the phone back and tuck it away, “That’s the thing about life changing trauma,” you laugh, “it really accelerates the big feelings,”
Wooyoung nods, keeping things light, but finds your hand on the back of the couch so he can hold it.
“Also we’re not all saying it,” You confess, “they’re saying it,”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they’ve told me,” You explain, “the day after the studio we had this big talk,”
“Don’t tell me they put all that shit on you like that,” He wraps his hand around yours, “y/n,”
“Not like that,” You shake your head, “it’s actually hysterical, they thought that Seonghwa and I have been dating,”
His eyes go wide, “What?”
“It’s truly the longest story of miscommunication,” You tell him, “at this point I think someone should write a book about me and make it a romantic comedy,”
“Erotica,” Wooyoung smirks.
“Shut up,” You swat at him.
“There have been too many good orgasms for a romcom,” He shrugs.
You roll your eyes, “Anyways, it turns out the whole not talking period while you were all away was just me pining but feeling like I fucked it up, and them pining but thinking I had moved on with Hwa,”
“Damn,”
“But when they realized that they were wrong about that,” You continue, “we just got it all out there,”
“And they love you,” He smiles a little, “and they actually said it,”
“Yeah,” You soften into the cushions.
“I hate to ask the obvious,” He squeezes your hand, “but if you’re so happy about that, why haven’t you told them? You do love them?”
“So much,” The words fly out like you’re defending something, and you run a hand through your hair as you get your real thoughts steady, “I do, Woo, so much. We’re scent matches,”
“I know,” He nods warmly.
“You do?”
“Anyone with eyes can see that,” Wooyoung smiles, “well, apart from you three.”
“Thanks,”
He nudges your thigh with his foot under the blanket, “Honestly, though, after what happened I could see it on them. You couldn’t keep your hands off each other, and they kept flanking you, watching you like you might disappear,”
A memory of the studio plays like a clip in your mind, the way they held you between them, the three of you against everything. You nod, “They’ve been doing that for days,”
“Which…” Wooyoung trails off, trying to guess where your head is, “you’re happy about?”
“I am,” You nod emphatically, “and I love them, I just… I can’t get the fucking words out of my mouth,”
He sobers a little, sliding closer to you on the couch so he can draw your legs over his lap and give you exactly the kind of comfort you need, “I’m listening, babe, talk to me,”
“I don’t know why,” You hold his hand tighter, “but every time they say it, and I think I’m going to say it back, I’m right back in that room with Minseok’s teeth on my neck and I can’t,” your chest feels tight, “I can’t get it out,”
His eyes soften, empathetic in the way that only he can be, “Does being in love with them scare you?”
“No!” You pull your hand back from his.
“Babe,” He takes your hand back and holds tight, “I’m not saying they scare you, I’m saying does being in love, being vulnerable like that scare you?”
Your shoulders drop, “A little, but,”
“But?”
“I thought about it for three months,” You argue, “I had it rehearsed, I knew exactly what I wanted to say and the big reveal was supposed to be the ‘I love you’ part not the ‘I’m sorry’ part,”
“Your plans on that kind of fell apart when that asshole tried to claim you,” Wooyoung pushes back a little.
“Yeah, no shit,” A flurry of anger bubbles in your belly.
He nods, “And now you’re off kilter,”
“You could say that,”
“You rarely do anything without thinking it through,” He offers, this thumb drawing a comforting line over your palm, “and your plan got fucked, and you’re emotionally vulnerable, and traumatized, and stressed. You feel like you’re out here without a life vest,”
His words stun you silent.
“And this thing you worked up in your mind for three months is now totally derailed,” He continues, “am I on the money?”
You nod.
“Can I ask you something?” He says.
You nod again.
Wooyoung asks this question softly, his voice quiet and gentle, “Do you want to bond with them?”
Your heart thumps in your chest.
“It’s just you and me,” Wooyoung soothes you, “and whether or not you bond with them is your choice, okay? But, babe, is that something you think you’ll want?”
Suddenly you remember the feeling of your heat with them. The way you begged for them, the way it felt so right and so sure that you belonged to each other. You remember how your mind spun imaginary futures that all ended the same way.
Silently, you nod.
“Loving them isn’t bonding,” He murmurs, “you can just love them for now at your own pace.”
Tears prick at the back of your eyes, “What if I can never do it? They can barely touch my neck without me falling apart, what if I can never take a real claim?”
“Oh, babe,” He pulls you towards him, crushing you to his chest, “I wish you called me earlier, you shouldn’t be thinking like this,”
“It was so terrible,” You confess into his shoulder, “I can’t even tell you, I don’t even know how to explain,”
“You don’t have to,” He hushes you, a hand stroking up and down your back, “and I don’t know if this is going to help or hurt, but I know right now you feel like there’s no way you’d ever be able to take a claim without it being scary and awful, but someday you might be able to without even thinking of him.”
A few hot tears escape your eyes.
“And I know I give Yunho and Mingi shit,” He adds, “but you know that both of them would rather die than do something to hurt you or scare you,”
“And if I can never bond?” You manage.
“Then I’d say thank god your scent matches are two men who would never, ever push you into a bond you weren’t ready for,” He says, squeezing you tight, “and I think if you asked them, they’d tell you that they’d rather be with you unbonded and happy than bonded and in pain.”
“You’re right,” You wipe away the wetness on your cheeks, “I know you’re right,”
“They’re not going to try to push you into a bond just because you love each other,” He lets you lean back but he slides his hand back into yours, “especially not now,”
“I know that,” You sigh, “rationally, I was just,”
“I’m telling you, I get it,” He eases you, “sometimes you go through something and you think a part of you is wrecked forever, that you’ll never be able to do something again or feel normal again, but you will. I promise,”
You know the truth of him so suddenly you can’t stop the words, “Woo,” you feel your heart beating faster, “did something happen?”
“A long, long time ago,” He says softly, “and today’s not the day for that story, but I’m telling you it does get better and it does soften in your memory and someday your alphas are going to touch your neck and you won’t even think about it, it just won’t be there anymore.”
Grief and relief mingle in your gut at his words, and you want to ask him more, to be there for him like he’s been there for you but you can see it in his face, today isn’t the day for that story.
You squeeze his hand, “I love you, Woo,”
“I love you too,” He assures you.
Silence sits between you for a moment while you turn over his words, and though you can’t imagine the day he’s describing, you still believe him. You have to. You don’t know what happened to him or when, but you’ve never met someone as bright and open and happy as him, and you have to hold onto that truth.
You look down at your combined hands, “Yunho offered to make an appointment with a therapist for me,”
“Say yes,” Wooyoung replies without a thought, “I waited years and I wish I hadn’t,”
“Yeah?”
“Does he have a contact?” Wooyoung asks, drawing your eyes back up, “I have some options for you if not,”
“He said he can ask his therapist for a referral,”
“His therapist?” Wooyoung grins, “I knew I liked him,”
“You’ve been friends for years,” You nudge him.
“Liked him for you,” He corrects, “that’s different,”
“Yeah, yeah,”
“My best friend deserves an alpha who is fully therapized and capable of complex emotions,” Wooyoung says with confidence, “nothing less.”
“Don’t mention that I told you,” You add quickly, “he told me that in confidence, it just slipped out,”
“I wouldn’t,” Wooyoung shakes his head, “that’s private. But between you and me, I’m glad to hear it.”
“Me too,” You sigh.
“And as far as you going?” Wooyoung circles back to the real question at hand, “Say yes, the sooner the better. If Yunho’s offering to help set it up, let him. Making that call is hard, and if he can make it easier, just say yes.”
“Okay,” You sigh, your shoulders dropping.
“And tell them how you’re feeling about bonding,” He adds, “trust me.”
“Maybe,” You say, “I know you’re right. We’re just moving so fast,”
“So slow down,” He offers.
“I don’t know if I want to,” You admit, warmth and nervous energy filling your chest, “it feels right like this, I just don’t know if I can handle a claim,”
“Tell them,” He reiterates, “don’t let them stumble into that one, they might hurt you without even knowing it if they bring it up sooner than you’re ready for.”
“Right,” You nod, “you’re right,”
He huffs a laugh, “Usually am,”
You flick his arm, rolling your eyes, so grateful at him for helping you work through something this hard while still keeping you smiling. You should have called him earlier, he’s right about that too.
You let silence stretch around you both for a moment, and then something occurs to you.
“Do you know anything about the charges Minseok is filing?” You run a hand through your hair, “Not to bring up yet another pleasant subject,”
Wooyoung snorts a little air through his nose and shrugs, “I probably know what you know, have you talked to Hwa?”
You shake your head.
“At all?” He seems surprised.
“I have,” You correct, “but it was quick and we were all on the call. I haven’t been to my place to see if there’s any mail, but I’d guess Yunho and Mingi will get a summons soon.”
Wooyoung nods, “That’s what the police said,”
Your eyebrows raise, “You talked to the police?”
“Seonghwa did,” He clarifies, “and he gave San and I the run down.”
“Why is no one telling me what’s going on?” You exhale heavily.
“Because last we heard you were having nightmares,” Wooyoung rests a hand on your folded legs, “and we don’t have a lot of information to give, and I don’t think any of us want to cause you more stress than you need.”
“Do Yunho and Mingi know?” You press.
“Not exactly,” Wooyoung says, “though, I guess Seonghwa might be telling them now if they stopped by the studio,”
You wait for him to continue, but you’re a little relieved at least that your boys aren’t keeping anything from you directly.
“Seonghwa spoke to the police who explained the charges. Minseok is alleging that the guys misunderstood what they saw and ignored his attempts to explain, and that they used unnecessary force intervening on your behalf.” He says it plainly.
“Misunderstood?” You repeat the word.
“I know,” Wooyoung nods, “we all know, but that’s what he’s saying. The police advised Seonghwa to get an attorney and let him know that further charges were being filed. I think we can safely assume that’s Yunho and Mingi, maybe San if he’s really going after it.”
“Maybe me too,” You add.
“Maybe,” He nods, “but that would be tough to prove I think,”
“Hmm,” Your eyes feel a little unfocused.
“Hey,” Wooyoung gets your attention with a squeeze, “we don’t know anything yet, and we thought this might happen. It doesn’t change the truth and it doesn’t mean any of them regret what they did to make sure you were safe, okay?”
“Yeah,”
“Tell me you understand,” He presses, “because I’m not letting you put this one on yourself,”
“I do, I understand,” You nod, “it just sucks,”
“That’s fair,” He gives you a soft smile, “but it’s going to take a lot more than this to fuck us over,”
“Yeah,” You murmur, “you’re probably right.”
Wooyoung says something else but you hardly hear it, in the back of your mind all you can think of is that first night at the hospital. The detectives who interviewed you were kind, but bordered on dismissive, and you know Minseok and his family have deeper pockets than you do. You have to figure this out, you have to.
“Babe?” Wooyoung nudges you.
“Yeah,” You snap up, coming back to the present moment and letting those anxieties fade into the background until you can really think them through, “sorry,”
“It’s okay,” He soothes you.
Your phone buzzes on your lap again and you pull it up to see the message. It’s Mingi again - Budae Jjigae for dinner, ask Wooyoung if he wants to stay? We’ll have plenty
It’s like he felt your anxiety from miles away and you can feel the tense knot of your shoulders unlocking. You send back a quick heart emoji and then look back up to your friend, “You want to stay for dinner?”
He smiles, “Who’s cooking?”
“Mingi,” You tell him, “he’s been on a comfort food kick for me,”
Wooyoung smiles, “I’ll stay,”
“Great,” You tap out a reply to Mingi letting him know and take a big sigh.
“They make you happy,” Wooyoung says, “it’s nice to see,”
“It’s nice to feel,” You tell him, “after all this time, and after everything,”
“You deserve it,” He murmurs.
You smile, a little tease at the corner of your mouth when you nudge him, “So do you, and speaking of,”
His face lights up fast, “I wasn’t trying to bring my too-good mood over here if things weren’t going well,” he sighs, “but now that I know you’re all in love,”
“So you and Yeosang?” You turn the conversation to something so much happier, and feel lighter the second you do.
“It’s so good,” He gushes, head falling back against the cushions, “he’s kind of quiet, kind of hard to get to know at first, but y/n, he’s so funny,”
“Yeah?” You smile.
“And smart,” He adds, “and considerate, he’s always getting me coffees or refilling my water, just like, those little things,”
“Wow, look at you,” You squeeze his hand, “serial dater of alphas, turned into a blushy mess over a funny, smart, considerate beta,”
“He’s packing like an alpha, I’ll say that,” Wooyoung grins wolfishly.
You smack his chest, “Woo! Literally that is too much information,”
“Please,” He rolls his eyes, “I share a locker room with your boyfriends, I know what you’re working with,”
You feel your face flush red.
“Cute,” He teases.
“So,” You divert, “does Yeosang feel as strongly?”
His smile drops a little, “I mean,” he says, “I think so? But he’s not really an oversharer,”
“Have you told anyone else?” You try to be casual about that question, but if you’re being honest you’re dying to know where things will land with San and Seonghwa.
Wooyoung shakes his head though, “Not yet, but I think when everything calms down I might have him pick me up at the studio or something? I want you to meet him and I want everyone to know, I just,”
“I get it,” You assure him, “you go at your own pace.”
“Yeah,” He sighs.
“Just don’t follow my lead,” You smile, “if you like him, don’t run away in a panic,”
“Noted,” He laughs.
He looks so happy, bright from the inside in a way that matches his sunny scent, and you think he’s not far from sharing ‘I love you’s of his own at this rate.
You squeeze his hand again and catch his attention back, “You really look so happy,” you tell him.
“I am,” He sighs, “he’s exactly what I needed,”
You smile, and then push his legs to the side, “Move over, I know you have pictures, you’re holding out,”
He laughs sharply, head falling back but letting you manhandle him a little so you can snuggle into his side. Wooyoung tugs the blanket around you both and pulls out his phone, “Fine,”
“Like it’s a burden to show your best friend pictures of your hot new boyfriend,” You smack his chest, “come on,”
Wooyoung drops his arm around your shoulders until you’re slotted together on the corner of the couch, but he still hasn’t lit up his phone. You’re about to nudge him again, but then you feel him press a soft kiss to your hair.
“You know,” He says softly, “when Sannie called me and told me what happened, I just felt so sick,”
You find his other hand under the covers and lace your fingers together, “I’m okay,”
He nods, sighing into your skin, “I just want you to know,” he says, his voice a little tight, “you mean so much to me, and I’ll be grateful to them forever for stopping him,”
You blink back a few tears and nod, “I am okay, though,”
He nods again and clears his throat, “I know,”
“I think you’re avoiding my questions about Yeosang,” You squeeze his hand tightly, an acknowledgement of his emotions and his words, while steering the conversation back to happier topics.
“You’re right,” He laughs, “you caught me.”
“Come on,” You nudge him again, pushing down the little swell of emotion that his words brought up.
“He’s not really a selfie guy,” Wooyoung slides his finger across his phone screen until he finds Instagram and then navigates to his new man’s page, “but, I don’t know, I think you’ll like his vibe.”
Your face cracks into a wide smile when you see the profile, clearly that of an artist, a photographer. The first post on his page is of Wooyoung, though you’d have to know Wooyoung well to know it. He’s walking away from camera through a dark Itaewon street, the lines of his body accented by the neon club signs.
“Oh, Woo,” You relax against him and open that photo to see it larger, “he really likes you,”
He snatches the phone away, a little pink in his cheeks as he rushes to downplay the truth of what you can see plain as day, and you fight to get back the phone, your cheeks starting to hurt from how much you’ve been laughing.
You and Wooyoung stay like this for ages, warmly locked together as you swap stories and funny things on both your phones. By the time your phone chimes with another text from Mingi, at least two hours have gone by.
Almost home! His message reads.
Your chest feels warm, your heart whole at the words.
“They’ll be back in a minute,” You tell Wooyoung as you set your phone aside.
“Perfect,” He grins, “so exactly how much teasing can I get away with before you get mad?”
You fall apart again into laughter, happy tears stinging at your eyes. You don’t hear the front door open at first, but when you finally look up you see them standing frozen in the doorway with such softness in their expressions. You feel the words bubble up at the sight of them, but again they stay resting at the tip of your tongue.
Wooyoung rolls his eyes and pushes off the couch, “Alright, alright stop making heart eyes at each other and tell me what’s in the box,”
Your eyes flick down to the large white box in Mingi’s hand, the perfect cheesecake nestled inside waiting just for you. Wooyoung takes a few grocery bags out of their hands and heads off to the kitchen, and just like that your night falls together naturally.
You don’t think about Minseok again until later that night. For a beautiful, blissful four hours you just laughed and ate and relaxed with your best friend and your boyfriends, and he doesn’t enter your brain at all.
It isn’t until you’re lying in bed alone with your thoughts, Yunho and Mingi deep asleep on either side of you, that you realize what you have to do.
In the morning you wake from a dreamless sleep, and you start to put your plan in motion. You slip out of bed and leave them to their rest, light only just stretching its way through the Seoul skies outside. Seeing Wooyoung made you feel lighter in a way that you can’t explain, and within minutes you’re scrawling out a note, stealing Mingi’s key, and lacing up your sneakers.
Out for a walk, be back in a little while, don’t worry too much x
You leave it on their kitchen counter and you hope it’s enough to keep them from looking for you. You need a little space from your own scared reflection in the mirror, and a new perspective on the plan you’ve been turning over since your head hit the pillows last night.
The note isn’t a lie, strictly speaking, you are out for a walk, but you also know if you told them exactly where you were on a walk to, they'd worry. They wouldn’t just worry, they would have insisted on coming with you, but this is something you have to do alone.
You take the long way to the hospital down the river path, letting the cool day calm your mind and keep you centered. You go over in your mind all the things you want to say to him when you see him, assuming you actually make it into his room. You wonder how hard it will be to convince him. You wonder if you’ll even be able to get a single word out of your mouth.
You have to try.
Yunho’s words from yesterday morning in the kitchen sink into you. The tenderness in his eyes when he mentioned how jumpy you’ve been around the apartment. You hadn’t even realized it, but now you feel it in your shoulders and your stomach with the sound of every opening door, every squeak of a shoe on vinyl flooring. Everytime you look up into a mirror you expect to see a face over your shoulder, to feel hands on your hips.
Minseok had taken so many little things from you in the span of three minutes.
You need to take something back.
Every step leading into the hospital is heart pounding and nerve wracking, stress inducing on a level you’ve never experienced, but standing in front of reception you suddenly feel an overwhelming calm. Your mind is clear, operating on something wholly unconscious and you don’t know where you’ve mustered this feeling from, but you let it take you.
You give over Minseok’s full name and provide the kindest smile you can to the woman behind the desk,“I’m his sister,” you tell her. The lie rolls right off your tongue, so clean and easy you surprise yourself.
“Oh,” The nurse nods, “well visiting hours don’t start until eleven,”
“I have work,” You counter, softening your face, “I’m sorry, but do you think you could make an exception? I’ll be very quick, I just want to see him for a few minutes before I have to run,”
She considers it, and you know you have her the minute she checks the nurse’s station to see who else is there with her before she breaks a rule, “Alright, but just be quick, five minutes,”
“Thank you so much,” You smile, “really, you’re so kind,”
She waves you off, glancing around her again, “He’s in 305, the third door down on your left when I open the doors,”
“Thank you,”
She presses a button on the wall and the lock springs free, opening the heavy security door to your side. With one last smile and deeply grateful bow, you slip through the door and make it through into the hospital hallway where you are most definitely not supposed to be.
Third door on the left.
You have to be quick, not so you don’t get caught, but so you don’t chicken out. If you stand in this hallway and let yourself really think about what you’re doing, you’ll turn right around and go home. Steeling yourself, you rush forwards and find the door to 305 and with a deep breath you slip inside.
Private rooms are expensive, that thought occurs to you as you shut the door tightly behind you. That fact, plus the reality that he’s already talking about pressing his own charges, tells you Seonghwa was right, he has some kind of family money. You hope that when you turn around and actually face the room you won’t have to contend with his mother or father or god forbid some girlfriend you know nothing about. You need him to be alone.
Blissfully, the room is quiet, the only sounds are medical and simple. With your palms flat against the door you take a deep breath, and if Minseok is awake he says nothing, makes no sound, while you gather the nerve to do this.
Finally, you turn.
He is awake, studying you with a careful expression, but then your eyes flick over him. He’s more than injured, he’s completely incapacitated. You catalog it all quickly - his leg suspended in an elevating sling, ankle wrapped up tight, wrist sprained and in a brace, his face is bruised and battered and you realize in seconds that his broken jaw is wired shut. He has an oxygen cannula tucked into his bandaged nose, and you remember that his ribs are broken too.
You wonder which of your boys delivered each piece of punishment.
Your mouth feels dry, and your pulse is quickening, the sight of him so close is enough to induce panic but he can’t really do anything to you in this state so you have to just be brave. You push yourself off the wall and walk to the end of his hospital bed, “Hey,”
He gestures to his jaw and shrugs to communicate that he can’t really talk.
“I know,” You nod, “I heard.”
It’s strange to be here with him like this when last week you were working side by side. It’s bizarre to suddenly feel this bubble of uncomfortable space and distance, and to feel the fear underneath it all.
He gestures towards you with his bandaged hand and you know he’s asking why you’re here.
“I heard about the counter charges,” You came here with a purpose and you have to stick to it, “and I came here to ask you to drop them.”
He shakes his head and looks down at himself and then back up to you.
“After what you did?” Anger curls up in your belly, “I think they took it pretty easy on you.”
He huffs, a puff of air from his closed lips.
“Listen,” You try, “you and I both know what you tried to do, and whatever your excuse is, it doesn’t matter. If they hadn’t gotten you off me… I guess what I’m saying is do the right thing now. You said you were sorry, just drop these charges and we can all move on.”
His eyes harden and he shakes his head.
You thought he was apologetic after, coming to his senses and realizing in the haze of his rut he almost broke someone’s mind, but now you’re starting to think he was just pleading for his own beating to stop.
“You won’t consider it?” You ask, stomach clenching tightly.
He shakes his head again and points to his injuries. Jaw, ribs, leg.
You want to hit him yourself, so suddenly that your fingers curl tight into fists, “You tried to fucking claim me because I wouldn’t go out on a date with you, and you think you’re the victim here?”
He seems irritated by your question, and he reaches for something on the tray table to his side. He pulls up a small whiteboard and marker, clearly given to him by hospital staff to communicate, and he wipes away the words that were there to write out his message to you.
I’m the one in a hospital bed.
“You bastard,” The words just slip out, “why do you think? They put you here for a fucking reason, Minseok,”
He wipes the message away and writes something else.
Keep your alphas on a leash.
You’ve never understood the phrase ‘seeing red’ before, but now it’s meaning is crystal clear, “You should keep yourself on a leash.”
He huffs.
“Using tone to submit an omega is illegal, Minseok,” You round the corner of the bed, “the prison time for something like that is long. It’s not even just assault, I think that’s something like three or four years? But using tone… claiming against an omega’s will? That’s irreparable damage. I wonder how many charges they’d stack on top in court? Psychological trauma? Sexual assault?”
His eyes darken and he wipes the board again, his marker squeaking roughly against it as he angrily writes out the next message.
I never touched you like that.
“You would have,” You shake your head, “as soon as I was your nice obedient omega and couldn’t say no.”
He stares daggers, but says nothing.
“They might be able to prove intent,” You tell him, “throw a few more years on top for good measure. How old do you think you’ll be when they let you out? Do you think a dance studio would hire a forty year old man?”
His face pales, he looks sick suddenly.
“You’ll drop the charges,” You tell him, “and when you do, I’ll drop mine.”
His eyes widen.
“You’ll never set foot in the studio again, and you’ll go find another job somewhere else.”
His eyes skim over you, trying to gauge your honesty.
“Do you understand me?” You don’t know what’s possessing you, what’s holding you up so you can get these words out, but you’ve never felt more sure.
He says nothing.
You lean in closer, close enough that if he was uninjured he could easily have you back in control, but with his jaw wired shut and his lack of mobility, he can’t do a thing. Nerves flutter up your body as you lean in, and you’re sure he can smell Yunho and Mingi on you, but the guarantee that he can’t touch you is filling you with a sick sense of power, of sure joy.
“You tried and you failed,” You tell him, and he huffs, “and that’s on you.”
His cheek twitches and you’re sure he’d be clenching his jaw if he could do it without exceptional pain.
“You’ll do this for me, you owe me,” You hold his gaze despite the flutter of fear it brings you, “and if you don’t, I don’t care what it takes. I’ll see you in court and if that doesn’t work, I’ll make sure that you never, ever get hired again. Every studio in Korea will know what you did, and every omega in Seoul will know what you really are, and if you ever get close to me again after today I’ll break your jaw myself.”
His eyes flick down.
“Do you understand me?” You repeat, enunciating clearly.
He nods once.
“Good,” You push back from him and get some distance, “get the charges against all of them dropped by tomorrow and I’ll call and withdraw mine. Don’t ever come back to the studio, if you left stuff there consider it gone.”
He holds your gaze, and then he writes out a question - How do I know you’ll keep your word?
“You don’t,” You shrug, “but I promise you I wouldn’t be here in this room with you at all if I wasn’t willing to drop them.”
He turns your words over.
“Minseok,” You sigh, “they mean more to me than watching you go to jail, please, just do the right thing.”
He wipes his hand again across the whiteboard and then he shifts, looking back up to you to nod in agreement.
“You’ll do it?”
He nods again and then picks the marker back up to write something.
“Don’t,” You stop him, “there’s nothing you can say I want to hear. Just do this and we’ll be done.”
He looks away and without meeting your eyes again, he nods.
“Don’t make me come back,” You press him, but he doesn’t respond and that will have to be enough. You’ve done what you came to do.
You’re out of his room in a flash, back through the security doors and quick past the front desk. You don’t spare a single glance at the nurse who broke the rules for you, you just need to get out of here before you let the reality of what you’ve done hit you sideways. You don’t let a single thing consume you until you’re out of the hospital and on the street again, and you sink down onto the first available bench.
Your heart is pounding, hands trembling. You need to get this under control before you go home because the last thing you want is to cause Yunho and Mingi anymore stress or heartache. You give yourself some time to come back into your body, to forget the hard set of Minseok’s eyes and the way his fingers twitched when you got too close, the way you fought the curling panic in your gut to get the words out.
When you do feel whole again, you order a taxi back. You’ve been gone a while, probably a little longer than they expected, and you hope they’re not worried.
Using Mingi’s borrowed key, you slip into the apartment and let their scents wash over you, soothing you instantly. You shut the door quietly behind you and toe off your shoes before calling out, “Is anyone home?”
You hear movement immediately, Mingi from the kitchen and Yunho from his bedroom and it fills you with warmth.
“Hey,” Mingi gets to the living room first, “how was your walk?”
“Really good,” You tell him, and that’s the truth. The walk itself was nice until you cut it short with your little errand.
“You look good,” He smiles, and Yunho appears from his side of the apartment as Mingi continues, “fresher,”
“Yeah,” You sigh, “it’s a beautiful morning out,”
“Hey,” Yunho says, smiling at the sight of you.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wake you,” You say, “I just wanted to clear my head a bit, so I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your key,”
Mingi shakes his head as you hang his keyring up by the door.
“We’ll have to get one made for you,” Yunho says, “if you want,”
You let the implication of that lie and you nod, but excitement sparks in your belly.
“Is there any coffee?” You ask, moving into the apartment and heading towards the kitchen. You need to tell them where you’ve been, but you just need a breath before you can.
“Mhm,” Mingi says, “I just made a cup,”
“Oh,” You shake your head, “I don’t want to take yours, I’ll make my own.”
“No, no,” He slides behind you and presses a kiss to your hair as he does, “take it, I’ll make another. Yunho, do you want one?”
“I’m good,” He replies, coming to stand next to you at the small kitchen island.
Mingi looks like he’s thinking about something as he finishes off your cup of coffee and throws an electric kettle back on to make another pourover, but Yunho draws your attention away.
“Jagi,” He starts, “I don’t mean to… well, can we talk to you about something?”
“Sure,” You angle towards him, his words making you a little nervous, “is everything okay?”
“Absolutely,” He assures you, brushing his hand down the length of your arm, “but Mingi and I were talking while you were gone, about how to handle everything with these charges,”
“Oh,” His timing is impeccable.
“We just want to include you,” He says, squeezing your hand, “and make sure we’re handling things the way we should, but it might be smart to try and hire a lawyer before this goes any further,”
You’re not sure how you’re supposed to say this.
“We talked to Seonghwa and he agrees,” Yunho continues, “this will be the easiest way to protect all of us,”
“Yunho,” You start, “hang on,”
“If this is upsetting we can talk about it later,” Yunho adds, “but Seonghwa has some connections through his parents, he wants to make some calls.”
Your stomach twists at the idea of Seonghwa needing to lean on a favor from his parents, and every choice you made that morning becomes perfectly validated with just that thought. You would never, ever let him do that, not after everything he’s done for you.
“It’s not upsetting,” You assure Yunho, trying to interject, “I just don’t think that will be necessary,”
“Getting a lawyer?” He clarifies.
“Yeah,” You swallow hard and glance at Mingi, “I don’t think we’ll need to.”
“I mean, having representation would be best,” Yunho says, “I know it’s stressful, but we need to be careful,”
“Right,” You sigh, needing him to give you a breath to explain, “that’s if there’s a suit,”
“Well sure, but,” Yunho starts but the penny drops for Mingi.
“Tell me you didn’t,” Mingi turns to you fully and the words die on Yunho’s lips as he plays catch up.
You stay quiet, holding his gaze, but when you let out a soft breath he sets his coffee back down.
“y/n,” Mingi says, voice serious and leaving Yunho visibly more and more confused, “tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.”
“I took care of it,” You settle on the most neutral words you can.
“No,” He shakes his head, “you can’t just say that, you have to give us more than that.”
“I was planning on it,” You push past Yunho to approach Mingi, resting your hands on his upper arms as you get closer into his space, “I swear, you just guessed it too fast,”
“You smell like the hospital,” He explains, his nose crinkled up.
“Whoa, whoa,” Yunho finally catches up, “why were you at the hospital?”
You just have to say it, “I talked to Minseok,”
“Absolutely not,” Yunho pushes around the island and closer to you, “are you insane?”
“He’s completely incapacitated,” You tell them both, “he couldn’t have touched me even if he wanted to,”
“Yes, but you didn’t know that!” Yunho presses, his voice running high in surprise, but you can see he’s doing his best to keep level and cool.
“Look at me,” You settle him, “do I look hurt? Upset?”
“No,” He admits with a puff of dejected air.
“Am I myself?” You take both their hands in yours.
“Yes,” Mingi admits.
“Okay,” You sigh, “now stop freaking out and listen to me, because I promise you I’m perfectly fine,”
Mingi nods once, and Yunho stays silent, which is enough for you to do what you need to do.
“I went there to talk him out of the charges he’s filing,” You explain, “and I guess… I just wanted to understand what he did, so I wanted to talk to him.”
“And?” Yunho prompts.
“He’s an asshole,” You start.
“Did he touch you?” Mingi asks, his voice a little tight and thready, “Say anything to you?”
“No,” You promise, tugging him closer until his hands are properly on you, “come here,”
“You can tell us if he did,” Yunho’s fingertips stroke a gentle pattern over the back of your neck, “we’re not angry, we just want to help,”
“Speak for yourself, I still want to kill him,” Mingi says sharply.
“Hey,” Yunho nudges him, “chill,”
“Both of you relax,” You interject and they fall silent, “he didn’t do anything, he couldn’t even talk, his jaw is fully wired shut,”
Yunho huffs a laugh, “Good,”
You smile, “Honestly, he looked pretty pathetic,”
“He is pretty pathetic,” Mingi points out.
“Right,” You sigh, “well, aside from some choice words written out on a whiteboard, he didn’t have much to say or do. I explained that if he didn’t drop his charges things would be much worse for him in the long run… and he saw reason.”
“He agreed to that?” Mingi’s eyes go wide.
“Mhm,”
“Why?” Yunho’s brows draw together, “Not out of the goodness of his heart, I assume,”
“No,” You shake your head, “but when I tell you, I need you both to promise me you won’t be angry.”
“That’s unfair,” Yunho says.
“Just say it,” Mingi nods, “we won’t know until we know.”
You chew the inside of your lip as you search for the right way to say this, and you know they’ll be upset no matter what, but they deserve honesty. You nod, “I agreed to drop my charges if he drops his,”
They’re silent, deathly silent.
“y/n,” Yunho swallows tightly as he gets his voice even, “why would you do that?”
“He didn’t want to listen to me at first,” You explain, “and I thought it through on the walk. That’s the only piece of leverage we have right now,”
“But he did something wrong, he should be held accountable,” Mingi exclaims, taking a full step away from you and running a hand through his hair.
“You heard the questions the police asked me,” You interject, “how close was I to my next heat? Did I know Minseok was in pre-rut? Why did I stay in the room if he was making me uncomfortable? What was I wearing?”
“But it wasn’t your fault,” Yunho insists, “he used tone, that’s fucking illegal,”
“I said he used tone,” You counter quietly, “but he’ll say he didn’t and he’ll say I got confused or misunderstood. He’ll use our relationship against you both, and my relationship with Seonghwa to paint… a very particular kind of picture about me. We all know what he did but I’m telling you, legally? We’re on the losing side,”
“But,” Mingi shakes his head, “that’s…”
“I know,” You nod, “believe me, I know.”
“You should have taken us with you,” Yunho says quietly, “we could have talked to him for you,”
You shake your head, “No,” you need them to understand, “you got to hit him… you got to do something, I didn’t get to do anything but be fucking scared,”
His expression softens, “Oh,”
“You protected me when I needed you,” You feel tears welling up now at the thought of it, “it’s my turn to protect you,”
They’re so quiet, watching you carefully.
“Nothing is taking you away from me again,” You say it, plain and clear, “nothing is taking away you or my friends, I won’t let that happen,”
Mingi’s arms fold around you fast as he tucks you into his chest and you feel Yunho step close too, laying a warm palm on your back as he leans into you both.
“Whatever you want, we’ll do it,” Mingi murmurs, “okay?”
You nod, closing your eyes as you snuggle into the warmth of him.
“And we’ll handle it together,” Yunho says, “but don’t make this decision for us, make it for you. We,” Yunho’s voice trails, but then he clears his throat and says what he wants to say anyways, “we love you. No matter what happens,”
“I know,” You sigh, snaking an arm out of Mingi’s hold to find Yunho’s hand and tuck him a little closer too, “but I’m sure,”
“I hate to state the obvious here,” Mingi pulls back from you so he can look at you both, “but if he’s not charged with anything, then he’s a free man.”
That thought does make your stomach flip, but you knew that when you walked into the hospital room, “I know,”
“It’s your choice,” Mingi reiterates, “but I still don’t know if I’m comfortable taking that kind of risk with you.”
“I don’t even want to think about that,” Yunho says, his hands finding your shoulders as he tucks closer behind you.
The image of Minseok’s face when you asked about his dance career flickers through your mind and you smile, “I think he got the picture,”
“y/n,” Mingi’s voice is hesitant.
“I told him in no uncertain terms,” You can’t get the smile off your face now, “that if he came anywhere near me again I’d break his jaw myself.”
“You didn’t,” Yunho looks down to see your face.
“I did,” You nod, “and before you freak out again, please remember that I’m here and totally fine in front of you,”
Mingi gives you a truly withering look but lets you speak.
“Honestly,” You breathe, “you should have seen him, he was lying there and could barely move, and when he didn’t want to drop the charges at first, I kind of got in his face,”
Yunho’s hands tighten on your shoulders and Mingi scrubs a hand over his face, “Don’t tell me that,”
“But I did,” You press your palms flat against Mingi’s chest, “I told him that if he didn’t drop his charges he would never get rid of me, I told him I’d make his life hell, and he couldn’t even move. He couldn’t touch me,”
Mingi’s quiet, his eyes flicking up to Yunho behind you. Yunho sighs, dropping his forehead to rest against your hair and then his arms relax, wrapping around you from behind.
“I really hate this story,” Yunho says, “but I’m also really proud of you,”
“Me too,” Mingi’s hand closes over both of yours to give you a squeeze.
“I just wish you had told us,” Yunho admits.
“If I had told you I was going there you would have never let me go alone,” You point out.
“Exactly,” Yunho’s arms tighten.
You turn your head to press your lips to his arm where it wraps around your shoulder, and you nuzzle a little into his warm skin, “You know why I had to go though, right? You get it?”
He nods against your head.
Mingi smooths his hand up and down your forearm, “We do,”
“I just hate the thought of him seeing you again,” Yunho admits, lifting his head and readjusting you in his arms, “or being close to you at all,”
“I know,” You lean back into his embrace, “but this is the thing, he got to see me be fine after what he did,”
“And you got to see him,” Mingi puts two and two together with ease and nods, “and he looked pathetic?”
“More than that,” You smile, “he looked… afraid.”
“Good,” Mingi says firmly.
You remember the way he looked in that hospital bed, his eyes darting around the room. He shrank back when you got close, no doubt the scent of Yunho and Mingi lingering on your skin, and you smile up at them at the thought, “He was terrified my alphas were with me,”
Yunho’s lips quirk and he leans around you to meet your eyes, “He wasn’t afraid of us, sweetheart, he was afraid of you.”
“No,” You laugh that off, but they don’t join in and Mingi makes a funny expression at your words.
Yunho slides away, shoulder to shoulder with Mingi now as he looks down at you, “Yes, y/n,” he shakes his head, “he was vulnerable and alone and stuck in a hospital bed, and you’re…”
“A powerful fucking omega,” Mingi supplies.
Yunho nods, “And he knows that you could ruin the rest of his life.”
You don’t know what to say.
“y/n,” Mingi sighs, tugging you in until your bodies are close together, “if you ever do something that reckless again, I’ll lose my mind,”
You move to lift your head and push back, to keep trying to get him to understand why this was so important for you to do alone and why you made the choices you made, but he stops you short.
“But,” He adds, kissing the top of your head, “it was also very brave, and I love you for it.”
“Yeah?” You nudge him.
“Yeah,” He admits.
��I do wish I could have seen it,” Yunho grins, “that asshole scared of you,”
Mingi’s hands slide to your hips, tightening their grip and he swallows hard, “Our fierce little omega,”
A ripple of something needy and unexpected passes through your belly, “Is that what I am?”
Yunho steps closer, finding a home for his hands on your body too, “You called us your alphas,” he says softly, “isn’t that what we are?”
Mingi’s thumbs brush a warm steady pattern into your hips and you feel yourself melting into their hands, “Yes,”
“That makes you our omega, sweetheart,” Yunho eyes flick from yours to your lips.
The way they say omega to you doesn’t sound cold. It doesn’t sound cruel or commanding, no undertone of ownership despite the content of their words. When they say it all you hear is love.
“Say that again,” You murmur softly.
Mingi smiles, lifting his eyes to watch you.
Yunho dips closer, his lips dangerously close, “Our omega?”
You nod a little, heat flushing your cheeks.
“Our omega,” He repeats, pressing his lips to yours. He waits to make sure you want it, he waits to feel you twist in their arms and reach up for him, and then he lets his body follow his thoughts, lips opening and his tongue dipping into your mouth.
Mingi’s hand shifts, spreading wide over your lower belly, his fingertips at the waistband of your pants. You’re not ready for that, and you hope he doesn’t notice the way you twitched in his hands when he first adjusted his grip, but either way he makes no move to take anything further. Neither of them do. Despite Yunho’s lips on yours, and the breath between you both, his hands stay put on your back and your cheek while Mingi just holds you, patient and soft at your side.
When your lips break from Yunho, settling back down your heels after pushing up on tiptoe, Mingi uses his grip on you to spin you to face him, his mouth finding yours with ease.
You hum pleasantly against his mouth, your hands gripping his broad shoulders for balance.
“Ours,” Mingi murmurs between kisses, and then his hands spread to your backside, maneuvering you up into his arms in one quick motion, “you’re ours,”
You wrap your legs around his middle and sink into the kiss, “I’m yours,”
“Fuck, I missed you,” He mumbles between kisses, nuzzling your cheek with his nose.
You nod against him, stealing one more kiss before you lean back, still perched comfortably with your legs around his waist. You smooth a hand over Mingi’s cheek and then reach for your other lover to bring him close, drawing him in by the hand until he’s nestled against both of your sides. Yunho’s hand reaches around to cup under your thigh and you settle your own hand on the back of Yunho’s neck, fingers stroking the shaggy bottom of his dark hair.
“This is nice,” Mingi smiles a little, eyes flicking between you and Yunho.
Yunho nods, his free hand settling on Mingi’s back.
“I can’t believe I convinced myself that we weren’t scent sympathetic,” You sigh a small, unfunny laugh, “this just feels so right,”
“Knowing it and knowing it are two different things,” Mingi says, emphasizing the word.
“I guess so,”
“And it’s not like all scent matches work out,” Yunho adds, “we still have to work at it,”
You nod, relaxing into their hold, “I want that,”
“We do too,” Mingi squeezes your thigh a little with his wide hand.
It’s funny how different it all feels now than months ago during your first panicked heat here, how settled you are with everything. You glance between them and ask the obvious, “When we go back to work, what are we this time?”
“Pack,” Mingi says easily and your head snaps to his, eyebrows high.
“Mingi,” You blink at him, surprised at his easy reference to such a permanent state of being. Scent matches and compatibility is one thing, but pack is something so much more. All of it flickers in your mind - claims, bonds, tying you together permanently.
“Someday,” Yunho interjects smoothly, giving you a soft, reassuring kiss to the head, “far in the future, if you’ll have us.”
“Someday,” The word slips out of you like an agreement, and despite all the fears shared with Wooyoung earlier, you do want them like that. You want to someday be able to give each other that.
“Then we’re pack,” Mingi lights up at your words, “officially, unofficially, I don’t care. You’re with us, we’re with you.”
Your body fills with warmth, but you can feel your heart rate picking up.
Yunho smiles, “What did they used to call that back in the day?”
“Courting,” You fill in the blank for him, and the word feels strangely old fashioned considering the fact that you’ve already spent a heat with them. When packs were more common, groups of alphas would court compatible omegas until it was sure they were a good match in more ways than just scent. The implication then was something more akin to a modern engagement and you can’t believe after everything you’ve been through with these two men, this is the conversation you’re having suddenly so casually in their kitchen.
“Well,” Yunho laughs, “we don’t have to call it that,”
“We’re,” You trail off, trying to find the words, “dating?”
“Partners?” Yunho offers a slightly less casual word.
“Together,” Mingi cuts in, “that’s what we are. We’re your alphas, we belong to you, and you,” he draws you closer in his arms to press a soft kiss on your lips, “are our omega.”
“And at work?” You trail off.
“We’ll be ourselves,” Yunho suggests, “people probably already know after last week anyways,”
Mingi nods, dipping forward and pressing a kiss to your lips, “No more pretending we don’t mean something to each other,”
“No more pretending,” You shift in his arms, wrapping your arms properly around his shoulders so that you’re hugging each other tightly.
Mingi hums appreciatively, his breath warm against your hair and then he chuckles a little as he readjusts you in his arms, “Is it too fast if I start calling you yeobo, though? I feel like it suits you,”
You pull back from the hug, “We’re not married, Mingi,” you remind him, “and I didn’t hear a proposal,”
“You want to get proposed to, baby?” He teases and you shove his chest.
“Knock it off,” Yunho smacks the back of Mingi’s head, “our relationship doesn’t have to break the sound barrier,”
“I’m kidding,” Mingi squeezes you, shifting to take a few steps and deposit you on the kitchen counter before stepping back with a quick peck on your lips.
“Hmm,” Yunho rolls his eyes and slumps back against the counter next to you, one wide hand smoothing over your thigh, “we just got you back, I’d like to avoid scaring you off,”
“I’m not scared,” You shake your head, and as you say it, you realize it’s true. Six months ago you would have balked at Mingi’s veiled promise of his intentions, you would have told them all their hormones were mixed up and confused. You would have told yourself the same. It feels strange to feel completely at peace with the idea of a real someday with them.
Yunho’s eyebrow quirks up in a question at your words and Mingi grins, a little self satisfied.
“Actually,” You exhale heavily and straighten up, “I talked to Wooyoung yesterday and he helped me figure some things out,”
“Things?” Mingi asks.
“Um,” Your pounds in your chest, “yeah,”
Yunho gives you an encouraging squeeze to keep going.
You meet his eyes and take the leap, “Can you make that call? For me to talk with someone?”
He softens and nods, “I’ll do it first thing,”
“Okay,” You say, taking another deep breath, “then there’s one more thing to tell you,”
Mingi doesn’t say anything, but he steps back closer to you, resting his hand on your opposite thigh.
“It’s my turn to ask you to be patient,” You give them both an anxious, close lipped smile.
“We’re listening,” Mingi soothes you.
“Okay,” You take both their hands in yours, “here goes. The idea of bonding with you both is kind of sending me into a tailspin right now, and I’m terrified that it’s something I’m never going to get over. Wooyoung told me to talk to someone to work through that and I want to. I thought about it all day, and the truth is that I want to be with you both for as long as you’ll have me. You feel like you’re mine, now more than ever, and I’m scared, but I’m also scared of not trying,”
“And if I can be yours like this for now,” You continue, “without bonds like you said, pack even if it’s unofficial, then maybe I can work through this and make it official someday. I’m just scared your definition of ‘far in the future’ and my definition are different though, and I,”
“Fuck bonds,” Mingi interrupts, moving to cup both your cheeks and draw your eyes to his, “that shit doesn’t matter to me at all. We’re together by choice, not by claim. If you want my bite someday, I’ll give it to you, but you won’t ever hear me ask, alright? Never.”
“Me too,” Yunho’s hand brushes down your hair, coming to rest on the back of your neck, “as far as I’m concerned it’s secondary, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’d sooner leave you than push you into a bond you aren’t ready for,”
You jolt forwards, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders and nearly slipping off the counter when you do, but they hold you steady as you pull them in.
“We just want you,” Mingi’s rough, low voice murmurs, “just this.”
You feel their warmth, the steady thrum of each of their heartbeats, their scents curling around you like a safe, easy memory. The words find themselves right on the tip of your tongue again, only this time, this time they come.
“I love you,” You take in a sharp, emotional breath as you get yourself together, overwhelmed by their words, “I love you both so much,”
Yunho dips back to find your mouth, locking his lips on yours and sighing a breath of true relief against your mouth, “I love you too, sweetheart,”
Mingi redirects your gaze with his fingers on your jaw the moment Yunho starts to lean back and he kisses you hard, leaving you gripping his shirt for balance, “I love you,”
“God,” You smile, every part of your body alight with joy, “I think we might be crazy, but I don’t care,”
“Good,” Yunho glances between you both, “because I think I’m having a crazy idea,”
“What idea?”
“Move in,” He blurts out, and he can’t stop smiling, “fuck giving you a key, fuck calling you our girlfriend. Move in properly, be ours. If we’re together, let’s be together, we’ve lost enough time,”
“Who’s moving fast now?” Mingi says, but he’s smiling too.
Everything in your body feels right, feels safe. You’ve been calling this home for days, and you’ve been calling them yours in your head for so much longer.
You’re nodding before your mouth can catch up with your brain, “Okay, okay, yes, let’s do it,”
Yunho pulls you up into his arms and holds you close, peppering kisses across your temple, “We’ll figure everything else out later, but at least we’ll be together,”
“Thank God,” You melt into his embrace, meeting Mingi’s eyes over Yunho’s shoulder, “because I really didn’t want to leave,”
“No leaving this time,” Mingi smiles softly as Yunho nods his head against yours.
“Mm-mm,” You shake your head, agreeing with his words.
“We’ll get everything from your place as soon as we can, make it official,” Mingi adds.
You nod, and then a thought occurs to you, “Is there even enough room for me here?”
Yunho unwraps himself from around you and nods, “We’ll need a bigger bed,”
“For a start,” Mingi nods, “and you need a nest,”
“Yeah?” Your very own nest, a real one.
“Oh, babe,” Mingi finds your hand, tugging you in, “you’re about to get fucking spoiled, anything you want, we’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t have to, I just want to be here,” You tell them.
“Doesn’t matter,” Yunho says, “we’ve waited for you for so long,”
“Too long,” Mingi wraps his arms around you both, “way too long,”
It doesn’t matter anymore what pushed you into their arms, what kind of day you’ve had, everything you’ve had to get through. Not a thing in the world matters but this choice, the safe home of their arms, three of you against the world like it was always meant to be.
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