Chapter Text
they hadn't seen it coming, not really, but jeongin couldn't deny that a part of him still held out hope over time to be reconnected with the first love of his life. the fact that he met him after having found their other six packmates was a case he wanted to take up with destiny, when the tryst happened.
it had started out as a disaster, what with chan forgetting the fact that he ought to have informed the omega-turned-beta about the possibility of an alpha being around his nest.
chan had appropriately disparaged himself for it.
what they had seen coming even less was changbin's state after coming back to the office. no amount of scenting had been enough to calm him down, and felix had to send him back to the pack home with hyunjin to have some amount of stability in the building.
changbin hadn't gone into a rut, as seungmin had been worried about, but it came close. turned out that his alpha had been severely distress at the sight of minho's home, and the little disagreement they had had left him keening in pain internally because he was hurting their omega.
jeongin had laughed wetly when jisung joked how it only made sense that changbin had imprinted on jeongin's omega hyung, what with all the kisses and hugs he kept asking the younger for.
'innie, he was basically trying to get to minho via you.'
things had gone by a little faster after changbin's pheromones had finally settled and their doctor had cleared him for work again. apparently staying away post imprinting wasn't good for the alpha, even though the omega wouldn't sense anything.
small mercies, the pack had decided. they hadn't wanted another source of distress for minho.
with no one willing to have him suffer longer, they worked fast, and got minho's bed-cum-nest ready before their actual giveaway winner's.
chan had been the one to deliver it in the truck, reassuring multiple times that it would be only him, and even then minho had made him keep it outside, and that he would assemble it himself. he was not too happy about the thought of minho having to carry the multiple cartons of ply board, vacuum sealed mattresses and pillows, extra sheets, toys - stuffed as well as ones meant to ease any heats that arose, but there was only so much he could do without explicit permission.
it had been hyunjin who had noticed minho lingering outside their office building in the upcoming days. it didn't look like he was wanting to come in, or that he even realized where he was, he'd just walk over, pause for some minutes, walk some more steps, pause some more, and then leave. it had also been hyunjin who had asked him to step inside, to sit down, on a day that minho looked a little out of it. he had been sweaty, even in the chill of the autumn evening, and his face looked flushed.
entering the building had gone differently than hyunjin's purpose, but in a way all their predictions had come true.
the vanilla and tobacco that bloomed through the reception area confirmed it all.
later they realized that the scent neutralizers that jeongin was meant to spray over everything pre-delivery had been of an expired batch, and hadn't done much to hide their own scents that underlay and coated every single part of the nest that had been packed with intention and so much care. minho had slept the best in years, and woke up with the urge to go somewhere without quite knowing where. his feet had inadverently led him to their office, and he found his wolf resurfacing slowly.
over years he'd gotten used to saying that he was okay with not having heats, okay with his body readjusting to the current circumstances, okay with the one benefit the endless stress had caused his body. but not everything could be faked until true. the first time he had actively caught the scents, it had been while he was half asleep in his new nest, hand having curled subconsciously around the bunny plush toy that had been added. after that, it was only a matter of time before his wolf decided to identify and lay claim on all who had formed his nest. strawberries here, hazelnut there, a fresh orange, and a nutmeg too.
he had to get to them.
he couldn't get to them.
he couldn't burden them with his existence.
they already knew how he lived.
he couldn't burden them with a broken omega.
they had built a nest for him and left their traces.
they would never want him.
changbin had sent an apology note some days later, and chan had sent his own along with an invite to visit.
when jeongin saw minho in the reception, with hyunjin kneeling beside him, he couldn't help but fall to his knees too. minho had reached out a hand to touch his cheek, a slight poke where the dimple hid, a tug at his hair.
'innie?'