Chapter Text
“And you’re sure you’re fine with living with seven other boys? I just want to make sure before you sign the papers.”
“I’m positive. This is the best possible scenario for me. I get my own space, cheaper rent, and new friends. What’s not to like?”
Hyunjin observed as the older woman in front of him sat down behind the desk with a grunt. She quickly flipped through the application papers and marked the places he needed to sign with a highlighter.
She handed them over with a smile, saying, “I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t feel pressured or anything. Sign your full name where I highlighted for you please.”
As he began to go through the pages, the old woman said, “and these boys are really sweet. They’re probably my favorite tenants, but don’t tell the girls on level three that I said that. They’re very responsible and pay their rent on time. I don’t expect you to have trouble with them.”
Hyunjin finished signing the last paper and slid them over. The woman went over them once more before nodding and putting them in a file folder.
“The rent is due every month on the fifth, and you have one grace period in case you miss a payment. Just make sure to notify me if you’re going to be late…do you have any questions?”
Hyunjin tilted his head and thought for a moment.
“No, I think we covered everything during the tour. I’m just excited to move in and get settled.” His inner omega was itching for a place to call home so he could cozy up and nest.
The woman smiled at him sweetly, “I’m sure you are, well, let me go grab your key and then you can begin moving in!”
Hyunjin sat there with his hands folded in his lap as she wandered into the next room. He pulled out his phone and checked his text messages. Besides a notification about a hair appointment, his phone was quiet.
He stood up as he heard the woman approach. She held out a silver key and dropped it into his waiting hand. Immediately he attached it to his key ring along with his chapstick and hair tie.
“Now if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call. We’re more than happy to be of service if anything breaks or needs upkeep. And don’t forget to take out your trash! You growing boys eat a lot so don’t let it pile up!”
Hyunjin nodded adamantly.
The woman sighed, “well, I think that’s all I need from you! You’re free to go and move in if you’d like. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
Hyunjin bowed respectfully and waved as he exited the small building. He hurriedly approached the car idling waiting in the parking spot closet to the building.
The window rolled down as he ran up to it.
“Sorry Hongjoong! That took longer than I expected!”
The red haired man sitting in the drivers seat shrugged, “it’s fine, are we all good to get you moved in?”
“Yep!” Hyunjin said as he climbed into the passengers seat, “here’s the address, it’s only five minutes away.”
Hongjoong rolled down the windows and put the address into the gps. The spring breeze played with their hair as they rode to the apartment complex. Hyunjin bounced his legs in excitement as he saw the building come into view.
“What’s the apartment number?” Hongjoong asked around his chewing gum.
Hyunjin looked at the silver key, “202D.”
They circled the complex twice before they managed to find the two hundred level building.
Hongjoong parked the car and put his sunglasses on. He grabbed Hyunjin’s wrist as he tried to climb out of the car.
“Ah ah! You need to reapply your scent blockers. Don’t want those alphas getting a fresh whiff of you do ya?”
Hyunjin sighed and dug into his duffel bag for the tube, quickly rubbing it on and fanning the side of his neck.
Once the other man had approved, they were stepping out of the car and opening the trunk. In total, all Hyunjin had packed was his duffel, four boxes, and the mattress that should have arrived yesterday.
“Let’s carry one box each and come back for the rest,” Hongjoong said.
Hyunjin nodded and grabbed a box, huffing as his arms strained with the weight.
Hongjoong smirked, “need me to get that one for ya?”
“Nope! My strong dancer arms can handle it!”
Hongjoong shut the trunk and locked it, following Hyunjin up the stairs.
‘201A…a bit further,’ he thought as his arm muscles began to complain.
‘201B, 201C…’ “There it is!”
He hurriedly shuffled to the door and placed the box down, flapping his arms around. Hongjoong snickered next to him, still holding onto his box.
“Do I look nice?” Hyunjin asked.
“What? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
“I want to make a good first impression!” He pouted his lips to his friend and crossed his arms.
Hongjoong rolled his eyes and tried to contain his blush, “yeah, you look cute, now open the door.”
Hyunjin hesitated, “won’t it be weird if I unlock it? What if they aren’t expecting me yet? I’m just gonna knock,” so he knocked timidly on the door, waiting for a response.
They heard shuffling coming from the other side of the door. It opened just a crack, and the person just blinked at them.
“Um, hi! I’m Hyunjin, your new roommate? I’m here to move in.”
The person opened the door all the way before leaning against the door frame.
“I see who you are, but who’s your friend?”
“Oh, this is Hongjoong, he drove me here since I don’t have a car. Is it alright if we come in?”
The man and Hongjoong stared at one another.
“Stop trying to look intimidating Joong!!”
The man stepped aside and nodded, “come on in.”
Hyunjin picked up his box and stepped inside, immediately removing his shoes. Inhaling, he was quickly hit with a myriad of scents.
He opened his mouth to breathe instead, and shook his head to clear the fog.
“I’m Seungmin, let me lead you to your room,” the man said.
Hyunjin nodded and quickly followed, not pausing to look around the apartment. Seungmin led them to the end of a hallway, stopping at the last door on the left. He swung open the door and waved his hand.
“Ta-da! Your mattress arrived yesterday so Changbin hyung and I brought it in here for you. We assumed you wouldn’t want a bunch of random scents on your new bed.”
Hyunjin gave his thanks and stepped into the room, finally setting the box down. Hongjoong did the same before leisurely walking around the room, inspecting it.
Seungmin had stayed on the threshold, and he gave Hongjoong a final look before addressing Hyunjin.
“I’ll let you get unpacked. Most of the others are at work but I’ll let them know you’re here. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”
Hyunjin bowed slightly and looked around the room. His room. It looked a little smaller now that the mattress was here, but it was a cozy type of small.
The walls were an off-white color, and the bed was centered in the middle of the room. He walked to the closet and stepped inside. It looked big now, but with all of his clothes it would probably shrink.
“Let’s get the other boxes,” Hongjoong said. Hyunjin nodded and as they left the bedroom, he took the time to observe the apartment. He had taken a tour before, when it was vacant and everyone had been at work, but now he got to see what it looked like being lived in.
There seemed to be five bedrooms in total, and Hyunjin’s room was located directly across from the bathroom. They exited the hallway and entered the main area. The living room was large and open, with a giant couch facing an even bigger tv.
The apartment was open concept, so he could see the kitchen and dining room from where he was standing. Seungmin was sitting at the table eating a sandwich along with another boy.
Hyunjin pointed to the front door and Seungmin nodded. The pair headed back down to the car and grabbed the rest of his things. Once back in his room with everything that he owned, Hyunjin sat back on the mattress and blinked.
Hongjoong decided to take initiative. “I’ll hang up your clothes and you make the bed how you like it.”
Hyunjin nodded and dug through the boxes until he found his sheets and nesting supplies. His sheets were just plain white, so he made the bed simply. His nesting supplies, however, were bright. He laid his pastel yellow blanket across the bed, along with his stuffed cat.
He wanted to jump on the bed and rub his scent onto it, but that would have to wait. Hongjoong was still busy with his clothes, so Hyunjin began to dig through the boxes, pulling everything out.
He had a few posters and wall hangings that he stuck up with hooks, and the rest of it he left sitting on the floor. The remaining items were his painting supplies, an essential oil diffuser, and some photos with his family and friends.
“I think I need a desk,” he told Hongjoong, “maybe we could go and get one after classes one day?”
Hongjoong came out of the closet and nodded, “sure thing, we just might have to enlist Mingi and Jongho for assistance.”
Hongjoong stacked up the empty boxes and put them in a corner. Hyunjin sat on the bed, tired.
Hongjoong walked over and stood in front of him, bending over to get eye to eye with him.
“Look, I know I’m helping you out and all that, but I don’t really like the idea of you moving in with complete strangers. And some of them are alphas! Just…make sure to lock your door at night. The second you get bad vibes I want you to come back to our place, okay?”
Hyunjin opened his mouth to respond when a knock on the doorframe interrupted them.
A new face was peeking around the door shyly.
It was the man who had been eating with Seungmin.
“Hi, I’m Han, I thought it would be rude of me if I didn’t come and introduce myself…so hi.”
Hyunjin smiled and returned the greeting, while Hongjoong just eyed him warily.
“The rest of the guys will be here soon, they’re just finishing up something at work, you know how it is…have you eaten lunch yet? We have stuff for sandwiches if you want…”
Hyunjin smiled at his shyness, “I haven’t eaten, so yeah I’d love a sandwich if that’s okay!”
Han went to walk down the hall, waiting for them to follow him. Entering the kitchen, Han gestured to the counter where various meats, cheeses, and vegetables were sitting.
Hyunjin began to make himself lunch, and saw Hongjoong lingering at the table.
“Hyunjin, I wanted to wait until one of the alphas got here, but Woo has a dentist appointment that I have to take him to. Are you alright if I leave?”
“Sure hyung, thanks again for helping me, it means a lot!”
Hongjoong nodded, “you’re welcome, remember what I told you, I’ll see you tomorrow.” And then it was just Hyunjin, Han, and Seungmin.
There was awkward silence for a moment.
“Do you like your room?” Han asked.
Around a bite of his sandwich, he said, “very much! I’ll have to get a desk though I think.”
“We actually might have one at work, I can check tomorrow,” Seungmin said while brushing past him to clean up the counter.
As he passed by, Hyunjin inhaled, but didn’t smell a scent coming from him.
‘A beta,’ Hyunjin thought. However, he could smell the other man very strongly. Han smelled like oranges, and while it was a pleasant scent, it was a bit overwhelming. He would get used to it though.
He suddenly heard loud noises coming from the entranceway. He looked up as five people entered the room. They were shuffling their shoes off and pushing one another around.
“Hey! Be careful of Felix’s back!” One of them warned.
The rough housing stopped and everyone began to sniff the air. It was then that they noticed Hyunjin.
He straightened up and gave them a small wave, “hello!”
Everyone stood there for an awkward moment before the tallest one was stepping forward and introducing himself.
“Hi, I’m Chan, it’s nice to meet you! This is Changbin, Minho, Felix and Jeongin. Say hi everyone.”
There was a chorus of hellos, but then the small one named Felix was approaching Hyunjin and wrapping his arms around him in a hug.
Surprised, Hyunjin patted his back and inhaled his scent.
‘Freshly baked bread,’ he smiled.
“Felix, you should have asked before hugging him,” Chan said, gently pulling the smaller one away.
“I’m sorry, it’s just so nice to meet you finally, I’m excited to have a new omega friend!”
Hyunjin genuinely smiled, “yeah it’s nice to meet you guys too!”
The others were standing too far away for him to smell, but the one named Minho was still sniffing the air.
“It smells…like an alpha in here. Did you bring anyone in here with you?” He asked Hyunjin.
“Oh, yeah my alpha friend came in and helped me get settled in.”
Minho turned to Seungmin and Han, “you let a strange alpha into the apartment?? That’s so dangerous, he could’ve done something to Han!”
Seungmin just shrugged, “he seemed fine to me, a little overprotective but that’s normal.”
Minho huffed out a breath and shook his head, clearly annoyed.
“Okay, let’s not fight while our new roommate is here. Did you get everything moved in? Was the room okay?” Chan asked.
Hyunjin nodded, “yep, everything is perfect! Thank you for allowing me to move in with you all!”
Chan opened his mouth to say something but then Jeongin was quickly walking up to Hyunjin and sniffing him.
Hyunjin leaned back against the table away from him, smelling the strong peppermint scent coming from the boy.
Chan and Changbin were quick to pull him back, giving Hyunjin his personal space bubble back.
“I’m so sorry, Jeongin here just recently presented as an alpha, we’re having to teach him how to behave properly around new people. He’s harmless though,” Chan said.
“Oh, that’s okay I guess. He just startled me,” Hyunjin chuckled.
“You smell nice,” Jeongin said, taking a seat on the couch.
Hyunjin smiled and said thanks. He could see that the boy was trying to control himself, and he appreciated the effort. He knew how hard it was for newly presented alphas.
“What do you do Hyunjin? For work and school?” Felix asked.
Hyunjin grinned, “I’m a dance major with an art minor. I love to paint in my free time, and go out with my friends. I’m planning to graduate by the end of fall.”
“I love to dance too! But I’m taking a break right now because I hurt my back but that’s so exciting,” Felix said with bright eyes.
“Well, I guess we should tell you a little bit about ourselves. We all work in the music industry as singers and songwriters, and some of us take online classes as well. We all might not always be around, but we’re a tight pack. As the pack leader I try to make sure that everyone is taken care of, so if you need anything, come to me first,” Chan told him nicely.
Hyunjin nodded along before tensing.
“Did you say that you’re the pack leader? As in, this is your pack?”
Chan nodded.
“Oh-oh my god, I had no idea I was intruding on a pack! The landlady didn’t mention that you were together in that way, I’m sorry, I really don’t want to intrude!” Hyunjin babbled.
Chan shook his hands, “no no! You aren’t intruding at all! We decided as a pack to rent out the spare room because it looked really lonely in there. Plus, it will be nice to make a new friend, but if it bothers you, you’re free to go. I don’t know why she didn’t tell you…”
Hyunjin sat there and contemplated for a moment, “if you really don’t mind me being here, then I’ll stay.”
Everyone nodded and agreed. Hyunjin let the tension go and relaxed, breathing in all the different scents.
“Can I see how you decorated your room?” Felix asked.
Before Chan could interject, Hyunjin said, “sure!”
Then he was leading him down the hall and into his bedroom.
“Oh it’s so cozy in here! Wow,” Felix said while looking around.
Hyunjin hopped onto the bed and patted the spot next to him. Felix hesitated before climbing on, resting his back against the pillows.
“I’m so excited to have a new omega friend! While I love Han, I truly do, I’m happy to have someone new to talk with everyday.”
Hyunjin smiled and agreed, “yeah most of my friends are alphas or betas so it’s nice to have someone who gets me, you know?”
They began to talk about anything and everything, bonding quickly. Before he knew it, Hyunjin found himself tangled up with Felix on the bed, lightly scenting one another.
Hyunjin perked up at the sound of footsteps. Chan peeked his head into the room and gave a polite smile.
“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I need Felix for a moment. I like what you did with the room.”
Felix climbed off the bed with the promise to come back, and then Hyunjin was left alone. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he began to roll around on the bed, making sure his scent covered the blanket and bedding.
After he was satisfied, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled his stuffed cat into his lap. Despite what Hongjoong had said, he couldn’t help but have a good feeling about the move.
Everyone seemed so nice and welcoming, and it was already starting to feel like a safe place to stay. He couldn’t wait to build friendships and have new experiences with his new housemates.