Work Text:
“Hyung! Can I come in?”
Kai stopped at Soobin’s door. The Gojo poster that Soobin put up last year smiled back at him with a level of determination Kai really wished he could tap into. He waited a moment for a reply and then tried again, his knuckles making a rhythmic thud against the wood.
No response again.
Huffing, Kai nudged the door open. Soobin was sprawled out boneless in his beanbag chair, eyes glued to his PS4’s flashing display as his fingers flew deftly across his controller. The room was pitch black aside from the TV’s glow, shrouding Soobin in all of his glory. He was more focused now than he was during their dance practices.
“Hyung,” he tried again, gritting his teeth. Soobin’s room was nearly pitch black aside from his TV, and Kai’s poor eyes were burning. “Have you seen my hoodie? The one Beomgyu hyung gave me?”
Soobin grunted, clearly worlds away. On-screen, his character—a tall, well-endowed blonde woman with a whip two times her body size—vaulted across a river of lava. Kai sighed.
“Soobin hyung,” he repeated.
Soobin’s button-mashing drowned out Kai’s words. Kai tried to take a step forward and nearly slipped on the obstacle course of clothes and clutter that was Soobin’s floor. He grimaced. For all Soobin’s grumbling about how he always had to clean up after them, he was ironically the most likely of the four of them to misplace things.
Kai had never met somebody so particular about cleanliness and yet so messy in his private space. Yeonjun might be more messy in general, but at least he paid enough attention to keep essential items in their proper places. Soobin was just… Soobin.
Needless to say, he was Kai’s prime suspect for his missing hoodie.
Kai carefully tiptoed across the clothes piles and tapped Soobin’s shoulder. With a yell, Soobin jolted from his chair and whipped around to glare at Kai.
“What the fuck?!”
Kai pouted; after shouting himself hoarse attempting to get Soobin’s attention, being glared at for startling him was hardly fair.
“I called you like ten times,” Kai said.
Soobin groaned, flopping back into place. “You scared me.”
Kai sighed. “I’m looking for my hoodie. The black one with the red heart on the side. Have you seen it?”
Soobin glanced at him from head to toe, like he was trying to envision which hoodie Kai was talking about. Which was stupid, because Kai wore it almost every single day.
After an achingly long second, Soobin turned back to his TV. “I haven’t seen it.”
“Are you sure you didn’t take it by accident?” Kai surveyed Soobin’s room dubiously. In the corner, Odi was sprawled out blissfully like a pancake. Kai absently wished he could live as frivolously as a hedgehog. “Your room is a little…”
“I know where everything is, I just haven’t had time to put it away,” Soobin said defensively. “It’s not here. And why would I take your hoodie?”
“I didn’t say you took it on purpose. But you have similar ones. Maybe you picked it up thinking it was yours? I don’t know.” Kai pursed his lips. “Or maybe I left it here or something. Are you sure you didn’t see it anywhere?”
“Nope, sorry. Can’t help you. But I’ll let you know if I see it,” Soobin said.
His gaze drifted back to the screen, and Kai knew he’d lost him. Honestly, he couldn’t fully blame Soobin—that game was great, as he well knew from co-oping it with Yeonjun. But his precious hoodie deserved more care than this.
He resorted to doing a quick sift of Soobin’s room instead of continuing to pester him, looking through his closet and each of his drawers. He didn’t think Soobin was actively lying to him or anything, but it was possible he’d just forgotten.
There were no traces of Kai’s hoodie, though he did find a shirt of Yeonjun’s that Kai was pretty sure Soobin had stolen during his last heat and never given back. As cute as that was, it wasn’t what he was looking for, and he dragged himself out of Soobin’s room feeling rather defeated.
If Yeonjun didn’t know his hoodie’s whereabouts, he was so fucked.
He found Yeonjun and Taehyun on the couch together, fervently discussing whatever drama series they were watching. Kai leaned over the back of the couch and tapped Yeonjun’s shoulder who—thankfully—didn’t shriek Kai’s ears off like Soobin did.
“Kai-yah,” Yeonjun greeted warmly. “Wanna join us?”
Kai shook his head. “I’m looking for my hoodie. The one with the red heart that Beomgyu hyung sewed on.”
“Ah.” Yeonjun’s lips quirked. “That one. Trust me, we know.”
Something about his gaze unsettled Kai. “Well.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you have it? Or have you seen it?”
“Nope, and nope,” Yeonjun said, tapping his chin. “The last time I saw it was yesterday when you were wearing it.”
“You’re lying,” Kai accused him, with absolutely no proof.
Yeonjun laughed right in his face. “I’m not lying. Why would I take it?”
“I don’t know!” Why would anybody take it? He was rapidly running out of options here. “Stop laughing at me. I’m serious.”
Yeonjun’s laughter died into a small smile. “Sorry. It’s just—we all know why you love that hoodie so much. It’s cute seeing you get all stressed over—”
“Haven’t seen it,” Taehyun interrupted, his voice as smooth and unaffected as ever. At least one of them had the emotional intelligence to not go around announcing Kai’s crush out loud. Sure, it wasn’t exactly a secret, but it wasn’t relevant to the conversation at all.
“Maybe Beomgyu took it back?” Yeonjun looked in the direction of Beomgyu’s room. “Like… to nest with?”
Kai snorted, a slight twitch of his lips betraying his skepticism. “Don’t be silly.”
As if Beomgyu would suddenly go feral and drag belongings around to create some sort of makeshift nest. Kai absentmindedly rubbed the inside of his wrist, where his scent glands were scarred over, like most beta’s were.
Obviously, Beomgyu wouldn’t take his things for scenting, because Kai didn’t have a scent at all. And nesting outside of heat was all about scenting.
Plus, even if Beomgyu had, for some bizarre reason, taken it, he would’ve said something first. He wasn’t a newly presented teenager, prone to impulsively digging through other people’s things.
“It doesn’t have to be for nesting reasons,” Taehyun supplied. “He could have just taken it. End of sentence.”
Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. Beomgyu knew how much he loved that hoodie. God knows his hyung loved to tease him and preen over the fact that his gift received so much use and adoration. He commented every single time Kai wore it, which was every single day. Beomgyu would never take that from him.
Dead ends everywhere, then. He resigned himself to having no leads. With both Soobin and Yeonjun being clueless, he might as well be searching for a needle in a haystack. He could have left it anywhere.
“Sorry, Kai. We’ll keep an eye out for it, okay?” Yeonjun said, patting Kai’s arm.
“Yeah.” Taehyun’s neutral tone softened a fraction. “I’m sure it’ll turn up eventually.”
As if. Kai’s shoulders slumped, weighed down by his own disappointment in himself. Now that his hoodie was well and truly lost, it was beginning to sink in that he’d likely lost it for good. And if none of the other members had it, there was no one left to blame but himself.
Kai summoned a half-hearted smile and flashed them a thumbs up. “Thanks, guys. I’ll… yeah. Have fun with your drama.”
Every step backwards towards his room brought more weight onto his shoulders. How was he going to tell Beomgyu about this? Beomgyu had painstakingly made that gift special—it wasn’t just a hoodie ripped straight off the rack and given straight to him. And Kai had lost it?
Just as Kai was about to escape into the solitude of his room to sulk all evening, a familiar click sounded behind him. He whipped around, colliding with a startled Beomgyu in a tangle of limbs and muffled curses.
Speak of the devil.
“Slow down,” Beomgyu laughed, steadying them both with a firm grip on Kai’s arm. His gaze flickered across Kai’s face, narrowing at the telltale signs of distress. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Are you okay?”
He opened his mouth to lie, but sirens went off in his head telling him that was a horrible idea. He would just find out anyway from one of the others. It seemed easiest to blurt out the truth and grovel for forgiveness.
“I lost the hoodie you gave me,” he said quietly, ears burning under Beomgyu’s scrutiny. “The one with the heart patch on it...”
Beomgyu’s eyes widened, lips pursing into an exaggerated pout.
“What? But I spent forever making that just for you!” He sighed loudly, hands on his hips. “I can’t believe you managed to lose something you almost always have on you. Hyung will have to make you a new one, huh? Else you’ll complain.”
Despite his dramatics, Beomgyu’s eyes twinkled with fondness, anger nowhere in sight. Although in a way, that made Kai feel worse. Beomgyu should be mad at him.
“I know, I know,” Kai mumbled, equal parts annoyed at himself and wishing the stupid carpet would just swallow him whole already. How dumb could he get, losing something so important? “I’ve looked everywhere. Nobody else has seen it either. I… I don’t know what happened to it. I’m sorry, hyung. I promise I’ll find it. Please don’t waste your time making another one.”
Beomgyu’s frown eased into exasperated affection, and he gave Kai’s arm a bracing squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s not a waste of time, but—we’ll find it, alright? Don’t worry.”
Kai nodded, but the gesture was half-hearted at best. He couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that the hoodie was gone for good, and his chest ached horribly at the thought. He shuffled his feet restlessly.
“Kai?” Beomgyu prompted.
“Okay,” Kai said glumly. “I’m sorry, hyung, I swear if—if I get it back, I’ll never take it for granted again. I won’t let it leave my sight—”
A distinct whiff of peach invaded his racing thoughts, and then Beomgyu’s arms were wrapping loosely around his middle. He nudged the back of Kai’s until his nose was pressed to Beomgyu’s shoulder. The warm sweetness enveloped him like a comforting blanket.
Kai’s shoulders relaxed, the tension that had been coiling within him slowly unfurling. He closed his eyes, allowing the comforting fragrance to seep into his senses. His breathing steadied, and a small, involuntary sigh escaped his lips.
When he opened his eyes again, Beomgyu had his eyebrows raised, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Better now?” he asked, his voice lilting and playful.
Kai ducked his head, equal parts reassured and embarrassed. “Sorry—”
“I just don’t want you to freak out over something that’s not that big of a deal.” Beomgyu waved off Kai’s apology. He rubbed his nape, faint colour darkening his ears. “You know you can always ask me to scent you, if you think it’d help your anxiety.”
“Mm.”
He buried his face further into the crook of Beomgyu’s neck. His scent was so rich and sweet, sticking to the inside of Kai’s cheeks. Whenever Kai smelled it, it somehow reminded him of every aspect of Beomgyu that he adored all at once.
They stood there in companionable silence for a moment, the gentle hum of the dormitory filling the space between them. Kai couldn’t think with Beomgyu’s scent flooding him. He supposed that was the point.
Eventually, Beomgyu cleared his throat, taking a step back. “Seriously, Kai. Don’t work yourself up over this. We’ll find it. I promise.” He took a deep breath. “And if not, I’ll make you a new one. Deal?” He patted Kai’s waist.
Kai’s whine of protest died on his tongue when he met Beomgyu’s steadfast stare. Nobody in the world could resist those eyes—especially with Beomgyu’s scent still fogging up Kai’s thoughts.
“Deal,” he said reluctantly.
“You’re so cute,” Beomgyu cooed, pinching his cheek. For once, it didn’t make Kai feel better.
Okay, maybe it made him feel a little better. But not by that much!
Kai stood at the lost and found counter, his hands gripping the edge with white-knuckled intensity. The staff member on the other side of the counter rummaged through a sorry excuse for a box of lost junk, turning back to him every so often with an expression that clearly said “sorry, kid.”
After a few more moments of fruitless searching, she shook her head. “Maybe try checking all the practice rooms?”
Kai’s heart took a nosedive. He’d just returned from the practice rooms, and before that, their staff offices. No trace of his hoodie in any of them.
He sighed hard enough to blow his hair out of his eyes.
“Thanks for checking anyway,” he murmured, trying his best to sound appreciative despite the gaping hole in his chest.
He trudged down the hallway, hunched over. It was fucking freezing in the building, and the chill wasn’t helping his mood. His frozen fingers dug deeper into his pockets, searching for comfort where his favourite hoodie used to be. The pockets weren’t the same. The stiff denim of his jeans did nothing to keep him warm.
Before he knew it, his feet had carried him to the coffee shop a few blocks over. He needed some warmth—and maybe the caffeine and change of setting would settle his frayed nerves. He’d spent all day running around their offices, and it was taking a toll on his mind and body.
He never liked coffee until Soobin presented, and then suddenly their dorm was constantly filled with the scent of it. It made Kai’s nose wrinkle at first, but now, years later, he associated it with his one of his best friends and the comfort of their home.
Thankfully, there was no line out the door at this time in the afternoon. The coffee shop embraced Kai in its warm, bittersweet scent, and the familiarity of it helped loosen some of the tension coiled in his shoulders.
Kai ordered his standard latte, paying and finding a seat by the window without really registering his own actions, lost in thought.
If Beomgyu knew he’d spent their entire day off searching for a single article of clothing, he’d berate him for wasting his time. Kai had no doubts that Beomgyu would happily buy him another black hoodie and sew a heart onto it.
But contrary to the popular belief in their dorm, it wasn’t just the fact the hoodie was from Beomgyu that made it so precious to him. It was that every time he put it on, he remembered the burst of happiness he’d experienced when he’d first unfolded it—noting the heart in the corner, hearing Beomgyu say he learned to sew just for Kai, since he knew Kai liked sentimental gifts.
Kai had been so happy, he swore his soul almost left his body. A new one wouldn’t be the same. Nothing could replicate that feeling.
Plus, if Beomgyu made him another, all it would do is remind Kai about how he lost the first one. And that would probably depress him even more.
He had no farfetched hopes that Beomgyu would ever entertain Kai’s crush on him, he was positive their friendship was important to him. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have spent so much time on the hoodie in the first place.
And how did Kai repay Beomgyu’s kindness? By being careless and ungrateful. His hyung was too nice. If Kai was in Beomgyu’s place, he’d probably be at least a little pissed off. One time, when he was six or seven, he gave his sister a gift. He found it under her bed a few weeks later, forgotten. Seeing his special gift to her sprawled carelessly on the floor had him bawling all night because he felt like she didn’t care. In reality, she’d just lost it.
Now that he thought about it more, that situation was eerily reminiscent of today’s. If Beomgyu was even half as upset as Kai was back then, Kai would never forgive himself.
Honestly, Beomgyu probably was pissed—or depressed, knowing him. He tried not to show those emotions to Kai, but Kai knew better than to assume Beomgyu was entirely unaffected. It caused a physical stab to Kai’s heart to imagine Beomgyu saddened by Kai’s carelessness, downtrodden over how Kai didn’t appreciate his gift enough.
Kai took a bracing sip of his coffee, the bitterness waking him up. He had to stop with the self-pity and actually do something. Whether or not he got his hoodie back eventually, he had to do something to show Beomgyu that he cared. At least until he figured out how to make it up to him properly.
His eyes landed on the cafe’s menu board, and a plan started coming together in his mind.
Before he knew it, he was downing the rest of his latte and hurrying back to the counter to order Beomgyu’s current non-coffee favourite, black tea with lemon. Kai was just about to reach the front of the line when he heard someone call, “Huening-ah? What are you doing here?”
He turned to see one of the managers eyeing him with a frown. Kai tried for a casual wave, but with his hair sticking up every which way from running around all day, he probably looked like death had warmed over.
“Hi, hyung,” he greeted.
“You look terrible,” the manager said, shoving his phone aside. “What happened?”
Kai shuffled his feet, his gaze flicking to the ground. “I lost my hoodie. You know, the one—”
“That Beomgyu gave to you?” their manager finished for him. Kai pouted. He knew everyone was aware of his feelings, but did they have to rub it in Kai’s face. “I know how much that one means to you. Pretty weird that you lost it. Aren’t you always wearing it?”
Kai shrugged, the weight of his unanswered question settling heavily on his shoulders.
“Mhm.”
“Are you sure somebody didn’t take it?” Their manager frowned thoughtfully. “Beomgyu could’ve taken it back? To… you know…”
He made a hand motion that was probably supposed to represent nesting.
“He wouldn’t do that without asking,” Kai said, growing a little frustrated. Did nobody know anything about Beomgyu? Or Kai, for that matter? “And I’m a beta.”
Their manager rolled his eyes at him. “I’ve worked with you for years, Huening. You don’t need to tell me that. But there are reasons other than just scents that an omega might want to—”
Kai was trying not to let himself spiral again, and this was not helping. He had to be logical here.
“He didn’t take it, hyung,” Kai said firmly. “None of them did. I don’t think they’d lie about that.”
“That’s true.” Their manager sighed, plucking his order off the counter. “I have to back quickly, but I’ll keep an eye out for it. And I’ll pass on the message, in case anybody else has seen it.”
“Thanks.” Kai gave a wavering smile.
He bid their manager goodbye before returning to the line, placing an order for a single hot tea to go.
As he waited for the drink, he couldn’t help but overhear snippets of conversation from the other customers. Gossip, laughter, and everyday chatter filled the air, a stark contrast to how utterly miserable he felt inside.
He felt like that meme, the one of the guy standing in the corner. They don’t know I’m an idol having a breakdown because he lost a gift from his crush.
Hilarious.
When the barista finally called his name, Kai took the steaming cup with a grateful nod and hurried back to the dorm. Thankfully, their new dorm was only a short walk away from the company building, and the drink was still warm by the time he arrived. The double-cupping might be bad for the environment, but it was great for insulation.
He approached Beomgyu’s door, the scent of the tea mingling with the lingering traces of Beomgyu’s comforting aroma. He knocked lightly, his heart pounding in his chest.
Beomgyu opened the door, and his scent hit Kai like a truck, making his vision blur momentarily. The only times Kai was ever grateful he was a beta was when he came near Beomgyu’s room. His dull senses were already constantly overwhelmed by Beomgyu’s scent, he couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be if he had good senses.
“Kai?” Beomgyu said. “What’s—”
“I have something for you,” Kai said, fingers tightening around the cup. He winced internally at his own enthusiasm.
“For me?” Beomgyu intoned, his voice pitched a fraction higher than usual.
He looked more confused than enthused, jittery like he’d just been pulled back to Earth. He must have been busy before he opened the door—or worse, sleeping—and Kai interrupted him.
Good going, Kai. Why hadn’t he called first to make sure that Beomgyu even wanted a drink? He was so scatterbrained lately.
A very large part of him wanted to make up an excuse and scurry off, but he forced himself to stand his ground. He was trying to do something good for Beomgyu. He had nothing to be ashamed about, other than the whole losing-his-gift thing. Beomgyu wasn’t going to judge him for being earnest.
He shoved the cup of tea forward before he could change his mind.
“It’s nothing big, just… here. I picked it up like ten minutes ago, so it’s still warm.”
Beomgyu’s eyes widened, and he quickly took the tea from Kai’s hands, cradling it close to his chest. His smile seemed more genuine now, but there was still a hint of unease in his eyes.
“What did I do to deserve this?” Beomgyu questioned, brows raising. “But that’s sweet of you. Thank you.”
“I still feel bad for losing your gift,” Kai mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Bad was an understatement, but he wasn’t about to profess his feelings to Beomgyu in this context. “And I was already at the cafe, so.”
“Are you trying to tell me something, Kai-yah?” Beomgyu teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
Kai’s blush deepened. “I just don’t want you to think that I—that I lost it because I didn’t care, or something.”
It sounded stupid when he said it out loud, considering how much Beomgyu giggled over him wearing it.
“How could I ever think that?” Beomgyu snorted. “I know you loved it, Kai.”
“Still.” Kai swallowed. “I guess I’m mad at myself for losing it. I dunno. Just take the tea, it’ll make me feel better.”
Beomgyu’s fingers tightened around the cup, and he glanced away for a moment, his expression unreadable.
“You really don’t need to do all this.” He repeated Taehyun’s words from earlier, “I’m sure it’ll turn up eventually.”
He took a sip of the tea, a little smile curling his lips upwards when the taste washed over his tongue. His scent took on a mellow, pleased tinge, and Kai inhaled slowly, letting it fill up his tense chest.
As much as he wanted to believe Beomgyu, the chances of finding it seemed incredibly low. But, maybe… if someone had taken it by accident, like a staff member, they’d find out soon and return it. It’d only been a day. He couldn’t lose hope completely.
Maybe tomorrow he’d enter work and it would be waiting for him. He pictured Beomgyu’s face lighting up with joy at its return, and the way he’d eagerly pull it on again, enveloping himself in its warmth. Kai’s heart swelled as he thought of Beomgyu being relieved as well, being happy that Kai was happy—though maybe it was a bit presumptuous of him to assume Beomgyu cared that much about his happiness—though, then again, Beomgyu really was that nice of a person—and maybe Kai would somehow work up the courage to ask Beomgyu to scent the hoodie again, and—
“Anyway—” Beomgyu coughed. “Is there anything else you need?”
Kai blinked, his cheeks flushing as he realized he’d been caught daydreaming. He scrambled for a response, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a flustered rush.
“I was just thinking about work,” he lied. Poorly, at that. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone now.”
Beomgyu’s warm smile didn’t fall off his face as he watched Kai scramble for an excuse. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
Kai mumbled a quick “thanks” and practically bolted from the room, his heart pounding in his chest. He slammed the door to his own room shut and buried his face against his pillow, hugging one of the plushies nearby to his chest just to have something to squeeze. He held it so tightly his knuckles went white.
“Uh, are you okay?” Taehyun asked.
Kai screamed into his pillow.
Two weeks.
It’d been two whole weeks since Kai’s hoodie disappeared, and there was no trace of it. No leads. Not a single person claimed to have seen it other than the last time Kai wore it. It was like it’d vanished into thin air.
He’d been so stupid for ever believing it’d show up. He promised himself he’d be logical. Of course everybody was telling him he’d find it—they were trying to cheer him up. But the weight of reality was beginning to crush him, and he had no choice but to stop running from what he knew deep down.
So. New plan.
Almost every day when they got off work, Kai would rush to the cafe near their company building and order two teas, one for him and one for Beomgyu. He’d only ordered lattes for himself at first, but Beomgyu had managed to convince him to try his tea, and he’d fallen in love with it. So tea for him it was.
Then he’d return home to the dorms, where he’d stand in front of Beomgyu’s room, teas in hand, with a nervous smile and yet another fumbling apology. Beomgyu, for his part, had come to expect these little visits. He always seemed a little put off when opening the door, but his befuddlement melted away into open affection.
“Another peace offering?” Beomgyu would chuckle, accepting the tea from Kai’s outstretched hands. “You really don’t have to, you know. I’m not mad about the hoodie.”
Kai would shift from foot to foot, his cheeks tinted with pink. “I know,” he’d reply, avoiding Beomgyu’s gaze. “But I still feel bad about it.”
Despite Beomgyu’s reassurances, Kai couldn’t help the guilt that gnawed at him each time he thought about it. At this rate, it was likely never going away. It’d become one of those stories they told on variety shows to make fun of Kai and, deep inside, Kai would have to laugh through his tears.
Beomgyu would pat Kai on the shoulder, his laughter warm and melodic. “Well, I won’t say no to free tea,” he’d say, taking a sip and sighing contentedly. “Even if I think you’re being silly. It’s just a hoodie.”
Kai would hum noncommittally, because it wasn’t just a hoodie to him, but he couldn’t say that out loud without causing more questions. So he’d sip on his tea until Beomgyu cleared his throat and asked, “Anyway, do you want to watch something with me while we finish these?”
His persistence in buying Beomgyu tea definitely had nothing to do with the fact Beomgyu had started inviting him into his room to hang out.
Nothing at all.
Before this, Kai could count on one hand the number of times he’d spent actual time with Beomgyu in his room. It wasn’t that they never spent time together in general—they’d known each other for years, it would be incredibly odd if they never spent time together—but it was almost always limited to the living room, and usually with Soobin between them.
Being alone together felt much more intimate, and Kai kept catching himself sneaking glances at the side of Beomgyu’s head as they watched anime on Kai’s iPad together. Thankfully, Beomgyu fixated easily on whatever they were watching and never noticed, too busy with the show.
Other times, they’d sit side by side on Beomgyu’s bed, chatting about anything and everything, sipping their tea and giggling over each other’s antics. Other times, they’d sprawl on the floor, engaged in heated debates over their favourite movies or music.
And in rare, quiet moments, they’d sit in companionable silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence.
Kai missed hearing Beomgyu’s voice during those times, but it made him all giddy at the same time. Beomgyu only calmed down when he was truly comfortable with someone, and no longer felt like he needed to keep up his energy. His heart swelled whenever he realised he was becoming one of those people for Beomgyu. Tonight was one of the nights they were watching something, the sides of their feet pressed together under Beomgyu’s heavy blanket. Kai gazed at Beomgyu out of the corner of his eye, admiring how the flashes of light from the iPad screen lit up his face. Stress and exhaustion had made him lose weight recently, and his cheekbones were hollower than normal. Kai longed to wrap Beomgyu up in his arms and hand-feed him, but he had a feeling Beomgyu wouldn’t appreciate being babied like that.
There were a lot of things Kai wanted to do with Beomgyu that he doubted Beomgyu wouldn’t appreciate. It was hard, sometimes, having emotions. If this whole hoodie ordeal had taught him anything, it was that he wasn’t as good at compartmentalizing his crush as he thought he was.
Whenever they got close like this, Beomgyu’s sweet scent easing the hard edges of his defensive walls, he found himself sulking over it. His mind would drift to all the things they could have, in some alternate reality where Beomgyu liked him back—holding hands, shy kisses, tender embraces. But whenever those wistful thoughts surfaced, he tried reminding himself that what they had now was already precious.
As long as they could keep getting closer as friends, he’d be content. As another burst of laughter escaped Beomgyu and he playfully shoved at Kai, a warmth blossomed in his chest.
As long as they could continue like this—Kai would be happy.
The dance studio’s mirrors reflected the sheen of sweat on Kai’s brow as he sank down against the cool wall, gratefully accepting Soobin’s call for a break. The room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional groan. Yeonjun flung himself into the nearest chair, faceplanting into its seat, while Taehyun immediately curled up on the floor, using his backpack as an impromptu pillow.
Lately their rigorous schedule left Kai feeling as if he was running a perpetual deficit, pushing himself past the point of what his body could handle. But they were all aware the sacrifices were necessary—more work meant edging closer to their goal. When their efforts finally paid off, the struggle would retroactively become worthwhile.
Kai fumbled for his water bottle, eager to replenish what he’d sweated out. As he took a grateful sip and opened his eyes, they were drawn to Beomgyu sitting across from him. Beomgyu tugged at the hem of his shirt, a nervous habit when he was thinking deeply about something.
At the motion, a hint of Beomgyu’s scent seeped past the inhibitor patches on his nape and Kai almost choked on his water.
“Kai?” Soobin said, ducking in front of him. “Are you okay?”
“F—Fine,” Kai choked. Seriously, how did everyone else cope with this? Was his nose insanely attuned to Beomgyu’s scent, or were the others just immune to it? “Sorry.”
Soobin narrowed his eyes at him. “Uh, if you say s—”
“Guys, can we talk for a second?” Beomgyu interrupted, looking unusually serious as he stood in the center of the room.
Kai scrambled onto his feet, Taehyun quickly behind him, previous exhaustion momentarily forgotten. If it was possible, the ache in Kai’s muscles went from simple exhausted to bone-deep terror. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his throat.
“Beomgyu-yah?” Yeonjun said gently, stopping a metre away from Beomgyu. “Is everything alright?”
“Hyung?”
Soobin’s gaze flitted toward their managers with the same wariness nagging at Kai. But their handlers appeared as composed as ever, betraying no alarm. The sight helped unwind the tension coiling through Kai. If their managers weren’t concerned, then his anxiety was likely misplaced.
Though Beomgyu’s incessant tugging at his sleeves said otherwise.
With a deep breath, Beomgyu finally spoke up. “My heat is this weekend, so our schedules will have to be adjusted.”
Yeonjun’s brows furrowed. “Isn’t that a bit early?”
Beomgyu bit his lip. “A little, yeah,” he said. “Sorry, hyung, I know it’s inconvenient for you to have to—”
Yeonjun brushed off his words with a wave. “You can’t control it. Two nights in a hotel is no big deal for me.”
Even though they were a pack, it was technically against company rules for an unmated alpha to be near an unmated omega during a heat. Beomgyu swore up and down Yeonjun would never do anything untoward to him, but their managers weren’t about to let them skirt the rules.
Beomgyu sighed. “I guess.”
Taehyun chimed in with an encouraging smile. “Just take it easy, hyung. It’s better to get it over with now than later.”
“Mm,” Yeonjun hummed in agreement.
“The nesting materials are still in my room. I’ll… find them later,” Soobin said, flushing. Kai held back a laugh at Soobin’s flustered words, recalling the disaster zone Soobin’s room had resembled on his last visit. If their nesting materials were in that mess, Soobin would be excavating for a while.
Kai couldn’t laugh for long, however, even as he saw Beomgyu’s face brighten a fraction.
There were lots of downsides to having a crush, but the worst one had to be jealousy. Kai wasn’t a jealous person normally. And he wasn’t, still—he wasn’t envious of any particular person. He just…
He tried to brush it off, forcing a smile and nodding along with the others, yet the more he thought about Beomgyu going through his heat alone, the more his heart ached.
Maybe jealous wasn’t the right word. Self-hatred may be a bit too strong, but it was more in line with his frustrations. He just wished he could be there for Beomgyu in the ways that the others could.
Yeonjun’s clothes could help ease some of Beomgyu’s pain, and Taehyun and Soobin could crawl into bed and hold him, but all Kai could do was watch. It wasn’t like he had a scent to comfort Beomgyu with.
Kai didn’t realize he was clenching his fists at his sides until he felt the sting of his nails digging into his palms. He winced as he unfurled his hands.
“Kai?” Beomgyu prompted.
Kai blinked a few times. Yeonjun wandered off, and Soobin pulled Taehyun into a conversation with their manager about something else.
“Yeah?”
“... Nothing, you just hadn’t said anything,” Beomgyu said, rubbing the back of his wrist. “If you’re worried about our schedules being impacted, don’t be, you—”
“I know, hyung.” Kai sighed. Unlike Taehyun and Soobin, who had cause to stay home with Beomgyu, or Yeonjun, who was being herded into a hotel, Kai’s life was not impacted whatsoever by Beomgyu going into heat. The reminder made his words taste bitter, “Sorry, I’m just tired.”
Beomgyu tilted his head at him. “Do you want to go together today?”
“Together to… what?” Kai’s eyebrows knit together.
“The cafe,” Beomgyu clarified. He offered Kai a small smile. “I know you usually go and pick it up for the both of us, but maybe today we could go together. The caffeine might help. They have food there too.” He ran his fingers through his bangs. “But if you don’t want to—”
“I want to,” Kai said, a little too quickly. He didn’t want Beomgyu to think Kai was avoiding him or something, god forbid. “That would be nice.”
Beomgyu’s whisker dimples appeared as he said, “If we can get through this practice, that is. I’m about to pass out, honestly.”
Kai laughed, but it sounded shrill to his own ears.
Not for the first time that day, Kai longed for his missing hoodie.
It sounded overdramatic, but he always felt like he had more strength when he wore it. And yeah, it was definitely all in his head, but he swore he danced better with it too. The lighter weight of his current hoodie wasn’t the resistance he was used to when he moved his arms, and he kept messing up for the rest of the day.
Thankfully, the other members were too nice to comment, everybody acting more lenient than usual because of Beomgyu’s announcement. It left Kai pouting for what felt like the billionth time that day, though, and he glared at himself in the mirror as he tied his shoelaces.
“What did the mirror do to you?” Beomgyu laughed, bending over to insert himself into Kai’s vision. He stood behind him, nudging the back of Kai’s neck with his knee. “Get up already, lazy ass. I’m hungry.”
“Oh, are you guys going to get coffee?” Yeonjun perked up from across the room. “Can I—”
“Nope,” Beomgyu said cheerily. “I refuse to be the third wheel!”
Yeonjun scowled. “Yah, I was going to ask you to pick something up and bring it home for me. I have no intentions on intruding on your guys’ date.”
Kai coughed so hard his throat felt like it turned inside out. “Hyung—”
Beomgyu stuck his tongue out at him. “Text me what you want, loser.”
Yeonjun did the same back, and Kai groaned, hiding his face. Was he really the youngest here?
“Don’t be back too late,” Soobin chided as Kai grabbed his bag off the ground. “We need to get up early tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Beomgyu said flippantly. “It’s four in the afternoon, how long do you expect us to drink tea for? C’mon, Huening-ah.”
He reached for Kai’s hand, grabbing it without warning, and Kai could only look helplessly at the other members’ amused expressions as Beomgyu dragged him out of the practice room.
They reached the coffee shop after a few minutes of speedwalking, and Kai held the door open for Beomgyu, who flashed him a grateful smile. Inside, the warm scent of freshly brewed coffee enveloped them, and Kai felt his earlier unease slowly dissipate. They placed their orders and found a quiet corner to sit in, a large slice of vanilla cake sitting in between them.
“I’m happy we had time to come here today,” Beomgyu said, nibbling on the end of his fork. “I’m tired of drinking tea inside my room. It’s a waste when it’s springtime.”
Kai snorted, ducking his head to take a sip of his tea. “You’re the one who hates going out, hyung.”
“You’re just as bad as I am!” Beomgyu countered loudly. He smiled from ear to ear. “You know what? I’m proud of us.”
“For what, going out?”
“When was the last time either of us actually went out and sat down somewhere that wasn’t work-related?” Beomgyu pointed out. “We should be proud.”
He had a point. “To us, then,” Kai said, holding up his drink. Beomgyu tapped his cup against Kai’s, then threw it back like it was an actual drink. Kai giggled watching him and did the same.
Beomgyu launched into a tirade about Soobin’s inability to get one of the moves they’d learned that day right, and Kai laughed despite the fact he’d been far worse than Soobin. Beomgyu was trying to pull him out of his bad mood, and it was working.
It was so hard to be depressed around Beomgyu. Stupid Beomgyu and his stupid ability to make Kai smile all the time. Beomgyu didn’t even know why he was upset in the first place, and yet he was going through all this effort to cheer Kai up.
The way the sunlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow around Beomgyu, made Kai’s heart flutter. He found himself entranced by the way Beomgyu’s lips curled into a smile or the soft crinkles that formed around his eyes when he laughed.
“—If only my heat wasn’t coming, I would have suggested we have a movie night this weekend,” Beomgyu continued, pressing his cheek against his palm. “I doubt we’ll get another chance any time soon.”
“I’m sure we will,” Kai said. “Is… is it being early going to cause any problems?”
Beomgyu spoke around the rim of his tea cup, “What do you mean?”
Kai fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, feeling a slight heat creep up his neck. “Like—I don’t know. Will it be more painful? Is it normal for it to come early?”
Beomgyu shook his head, his expression turning thoughtful. “I doubt it could get more painful than it usually is. But the doctor didn’t seem worried, so I won’t be either.”
That’s not what Kai wanted to hear. “Hyung…”
Beomgyu saw his face and laughed loudly, reaching over the table to lightly slap Kai’s arm. “Don’t make that face. It’ll be fine. I’m used to it.”
“Still.” Kai swallowed. The inside of his mouth tasted like warm black tea, but he swore he could catch a hint of Beomgyu’s sugary scent as well. “If there’s any way I can help—”
“I’ll tell you, I know, I know. Our maknae is so sweet,” Beomgyu cooed. He tried to move his hand to pinch Kai’s cheek, but Kai managed to dodge him.
“I’m serious!”
“I know you are,” Beomgyu said, amusement obvious by the way his lips quirked. “But I am too. You’re just…” He sighed, not unkindly. “I mean, you buy me tea almost every day because you feel bad about something that happened like, what, a month ago now? I know you’ll help me if I ask.”
Kai wasn’t sure whether he should be mortified or preen.
“Of course I feel bad,” he said, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers against the side of his cup. “You made that hoodie for me.”
“I didn’t make the hoodie,” Beomgyu scoffed. “I sewed the heart onto it. There’s a huge difference.”
“The hoodie wouldn’t matter to me if hyung didn’t contribute to making it,” Kai corrected petulantly.
Beomgyu smiled at him sympathetically. “Maybe it’ll still show up.”
“Maybe,” Kai said, with absolutely zero enthusiasm behind it. “But even if it does, I still feel like I need to apologise.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about all the free tea,” Beomgyu said, raising a brow. “And I like getting to spend time with you.”
Kai felt his face go from a reasonable level of warmth to absolutely burning hot.
“I like spending time with you too, hyung,” he said, throat hoarse.
As they continued to chat, their voices low and their laughter filling the air, Kai almost forgot about all the petty things he’d been complaining about in his head all day. The way their hands brushed against each other when reaching for their cups, or the way their eyes met and held for just a moment longer than necessary, all made Kai’s heart do backflips.
Beomgyu was just being attentive; he was a good listener, the best out of all of them, and he knew how to engage people in conversation. That didn’t make Kai any less happy to have all of Beomgyu’s attention.
As they drained the last drops of their tea and finished picking at the cake, the atmosphere around them felt warm and comfortable, like a soft blanket on a chilly day. Beomgyu stood up, but before picking his jacket off the back of his chair, he paused.
“I wanted to ask you something before we went home,” he said, shuffling his feet. “Can I have one of your hoodies?”
Kai blinked up at him from where he was still sitting. “For your nest?”
“Mm.” Beomgyu nodded. “Or your shirt, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course,” Kai said quickly, standing up as well, barely missing stepping on his own shoe laces. “But you don’t like, have to, if you don’t want to—”
Beomgyu shot him a baffled look. “What?”
“Like—” Kai stammered. “You don’t need to ask me out of obligation.”
The others might be worried about Kai feeling left out, but honestly, he was used to it. As pathetic as that sounded. It was just a fact of life, not a personal slight against him by anybody else. Being scentless, he didn’t have much to offer anybody looking for a dose of comforting pheromones.
“... I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Beomgyu said. “It’s not about your scent, or—your not-scent. I just want something to remind me of you.”
Kai’s voice came out as a squeak, “Oh.”
Beomgyu smiled, plucking Kai’s empty cup off the table. “Is that a yes?”
“I already said yes,” Kai huffed, in a poor attempt to hide his embarrassment.
“True. You did.” Beomgyu leaned in and ruffled Kai’s hair, his fingers briefly brushing along Kai’s scalp by accident. “Thank you, Kai.”
Kai’s bare feet padded softly against the cool floor as he emerged from his bedroom, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. The first thing he noticed when he entered the common area was the choking hold of Beomgyu’s scent in the air. The second thing he noticed was the ginormous pile of toasted hazelnut sandwiches on the counter.
Taehyun stood by the toaster, baby blue apron around his waist, two empty and one-half full jar of nutella by his side.
Kai was positive Taehyun wasn’t making a dozen sweet sandwiches for himself, so it didn’t take long to clue in as to what was happening.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice squeaky from sleep. He coughed into his arm. “Did Yeonjun hyung already leave?”
Taehyun gave Kai a small smile. “For work, yeah. I’m going soon too, but I thought I’d help prepare before I left.”
He pulled two more pieces of toast out and laid them flat on the plate in front of him to spread nutella over. Kai adored Beomgyu’s scent—he would gladly submerge himself in it twenty-four-seven if he could—but the combination of it and the hazelnut was making him nauseous from all the sugar.
“Is all of that for Beomgyu hyung?”
Taehyun hummed. “He said he was craving nutella sandwiches.”
“That doesn’t seem healthy,” Kai mumbled.
Taehyun snorted. “It’s not, but the only other things he wants to eat are even worse. And we don’t have a stash of gummies just for his heat.” He finished the sandwich and tugged off his apron, tossing it onto the counter. “Do you want to help me package them up?”
Kai perked up, nodding. “Okay.”
He rarely had the opportunity to help with any of their heats even in this manner. The last heat they went through was Soobin’s, around Yeonjun’s birthday, and Kai had felt so awful about Yeonjun being barred from the dorm during his birthday week he ended up joining him in the hotel.
He was careful not to ruin Taehyun’s hard work as he slipped the sandwiches into little bags for safekeeping. Sure, they were just two slices of toast with some chocolate on them, but they were good slices of toast with chocolate on them. Beomgyu should only have the best unhealthy food possible.
It nagged at him that he couldn’t do more, but… oh, well. He would do what he could. This was about Beomgyu, not him.
Though for purely selfish reasons, he really, really wanted to see Beomgyu before he left for work. Just to make sure he was okay and quell some of his irrational fear.
He held onto one of the bags, straightening his back. “Has he eaten already? Can I—should I bring one to him?”
“Soobin hyung is with him right now,” Taehyun said, as an answer. “It’s almost nine, you should just get ready. Isn’t the van coming soon?”
Kai deflated, looking at the sandwich in his hands. He couldn’t find an excuse to go to Beomgyu’s room when he had places to be and Beomgyu was already being comforted—by someone closer and more helpful for him than Kai, no less.
He sighed and placed the sandwich on top of all the others. “Yeah, it is,” he said.
“I’m staying home too, just in case. Soobin hyung was really tired this morning, so we agreed it’d be better for both of us to be on hand.”
Kai’s heart plummeted. Taehyun caught one glimpse of his expression and began rubbed Kai’s upper arm soothingly. Kai grumbled, though he didn’t push him off.
“I don’t need comforting,” he said, lifting his chin. “I’m just annoyed all of you guys get to miss work for a day while Yeonjun hyung and I have to continue slaving away.”
“You look like a kicked puppy,” Taehyun admitted. He saw right through Kai, because duh. Of course he did. “He’ll be fine. You know that. He’s in good hands.”
“I know,” Kai whined. That was the problem. He wanted to help too. “I just—”
There was no way to say his thoughts out loud without coming off as self-centered.
“He wouldn’t want you to miss any schedules because of him,” Taehyun said.
“I know.” Kai slumped over. “Whatever. Just… text if anything happens.”
“We will,” Taehyun promised. He poked Kai in the side. “Go get ready or you’re going to be yelled at for being late.”
Kai spent a solid two minutes searching their room for his favourite hoodie before remembering it didn’t exist anymore. And while that realisation always stung, it felt particularly awful today, when helplessness weighed down his every step.
Most of the time, he longed for the physical comfort it gave. Today, he needed the mental comfort too.
He imagined his sweater in Beomgyu’s nest, the one he’d given him the other day after they went out, and that cheered him up a fraction. Even if he was pretty useless otherwise, both as a person and as a friend, he hoped it brought Beomgyu some comfort.
That was being optimistic as to how much Beomgyu cared about a single scentless piece of clothing, but he wanted to believe that Beomgyu was being honest when he said his nest wouldn’t feel right without a part of Kai being there. That was all Kai could really ask for.
The living room was empty when Kai exited the bathroom, fully freshened up; Taehyun must have moved to Beomgyu’s room to be with him and Soobin.
Kai checked his phone and saw a dozen texts from their manager telling him to come downstairs already. He’d spent too long trying to find his lost hoodie. He needed to get it through his head that it was gone forever.
The front door closed behind him, leaving the dorm silent and empty aside from Beomgyu’s sticky scent wafting from behind his closed bedroom door.
The day progressed in a blur for Kai as he and Yeonjun attended all the meetings they had lined up. Soobin being missing meant they had to share the burden of representing their group, which wasn’t a good combination with Kai’s plummeting mental state.
His body went through the motions, but his mind was elsewhere. He barely remembered anything they did all morning.
During a short break between their appointments, Kai found himself staring blankly at the wall, his fingers drumming a distracted rhythm on the table. The constant worry gnawed at the edges of his consciousness, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. Yet, at the same time, he refused to give into his worrying, since he’d inevitably jump to conclusions.
Staring at the wall it was.
Yeonjun glanced over at Kai, his lips quirking into a teasing grin. “It’s almost like you’re the one in heat,” he joked, nudging Kai playfully with his elbow. “You’re so jittery.”
Kai blinked, pulled from his reverie by Yeonjun’s remark. He attempted to laugh it off, but the sound was hollow and forced. “I’m just worried.”
Yeonjun’s teasing expression softened into one of understanding. “I am too,” he reassured, placing a comforting hand on Kai’s shoulder. “But nothing you and I can do right now. Try to focus on our work, okay?”
While Kai appreciated Yeonjun’s empathy, it did little to alleviate his concern. As they moved on to their next appointment, Kai found himself counting down the minutes until he could return home and check on Beomgyu.
Their phones stayed silent all day, aside from a single text from Soobin after lunch time, saying Beomgyu had finally fallen asleep. Another one came just as they were finishing up their last meeting, of Taehyun complaining that he was sick of the sandwiches—despite him having been the one to ask for them in the first place.
Kai stared at the message while Yeonjun chatted up their managers, squinting at the bright screen of his phone until he suddenly felt a burst of determination, more energy than he’d felt all day.
Sure, he couldn’t fulfil the same role as Taehyun or Soobin, but he had a working pair of legs, and unlike all of the other members, the ability to enter and exit the dorm at will right now with zero obligations or rules.
“Hyung,” Kai said, rushing to tug on Yeonjun’s sleeve, interrupting his conversation with their managers.
“Sorry, I’m almost done here—” Yeonjun started, turning to him. Kai shook his head.
“No, no, you don’t need to hurry. I’m going to run to the store, so you can take the van by yourself. I’ll just walk home.”
“The convenience store?” Yeonjun’s eyebrows lifted. “I mean, if you’re sure, but I really don’t mind if—”
“We’re not going to the same place anyway, so don’t worry about it,” Kai said. He grabbed his bag off the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow, hyung!”
He could tell he was acting strangely by how their managers and Yeonjun all looked at him like he was crazy, but he just gave a bright smile and bounded off.
The convenience store they frequented was in between their dorm and the company building, and always packed with fans trying to catch glimpses of idols. Kai ignored them and made a beeline for the warm snack aisle. He grabbed Beomgyu’s favourite cream custard buns and the chocolate chip cookies he always stole from Soobin’s stash. Then he went to the frozen section and added a tub of vanilla ice cream to his basket.
And, naturally, he couldn’t leave without picking up a basketful of gummies. He paid for everything with a smile, already imagining Beomgyu’s reaction when Kai turned up with his arms full of treats. Maybe it was silly to think about junk food when Beomgyu most definitely had more important things on his mind, but Kai really hoped it would lift Beomgyu’s mood even just a little.
The sun was setting as he made his way back to the dorm, the sky awash with hues of pink and orange that seemed to cast a warm glow over everything. When he finally reached the dorm, the door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior.
Kai was immediately enveloped by Beomgyu’s scent, which seemed to permeate even more strongly than it had in the morning, and that was saying something. The soothing aroma, usually so light and subtle, had grown more potent due to Beomgyu’s heat. Kai’s heart ached—he didn’t need to be able to pick out pheromones to know the scent was strong because of discomfort, not pleasure.
Nobody greeted him, and a quick peek into his own room showed Taehyun wasn’t in there. He checked Soobin’s room instead and found the two of them curled up, fast asleep, exhausted from tending to Beomgyu all day.
It was a good sign if they were sleeping; it meant Beomgyu was in stable enough condition that they didn’t feel bad about getting some rest. Spurred on, Kai unpacked all the food onto the kitchen table, pulled out a bowl, and dumped as many snacks as he could into it.
Then, he retrieved a few of his plushies from his room, carefully selecting the ones he knew Beomgyu loved the most. Fitting everything in his arms at once wasn’t easy, but he sucked it up and figured it out for Beomgyu’s sake.
More than likely, Beomgyu was sleeping. Kai could tiptoe in, place everything by his bedside, take a good, long look at him to ensure he was safe, then leave without being noticed.
It took some maneuvering to nudge open Beomgyu’s door with his toes without losing his balance and dropping everything on the floor. The door made a sharp creaking noise as it opened, but Kai didn’t hear anybody stir, not from Soobin’s room nor Beomgyu’s.
The scent that hit him when he opened the door fully was overpowering, and sweat beaded all over his body in an instant. His eyes momentarily fluttered shut. He had to pause to take a deep breath.
He silently thanked his beta status for allowing him to remain clearheaded. Any other person in their group would already be racing over to Beomgyu’s bedside, waking him up, but Kai had enough of his wits in tact to steel himself and focus on what he’d come for.
Carefully, he placed all of the plushies down in a row on Beomgyu’s bedside table, and then the bowl of snacks on the floor. Once everything was secure, he looked at Beomgyu properly, doing his best not to breathe in his scent.
Beomgyu lay curled up in bed, his flushed cheeks and disheveled hair a clear testament to the toll his heat was taking on him. Kai swallowed and tried to inch forward to get a closer look; except his foot hit one of the squeaky floorboards, and Beomgyu jolted at the noise.
“Sorry,” Kai said quickly. “Go back to sleep.”
Beomgyu’s eyes, usually bright and full of mischief, seemed glazed over as they met Kai’s gaze.
“‘S okay,” Beomgyu slurred. “How were the meetings?”
Kai hesitated before sitting down on the edge of Beomgyu’s bed, in one of the empty spots that wasn’t covered by piles of blankets and clothing. He half-expected Beomgyu to roll back over or tell him to go away, but Beomgyu just blinked at him drowsily. Maybe he was lonely with Soobin and Taehyun gone. If Beomgyu wanted company, Kai was happy to stick around.
“They were okay,” Kai answered. Beomgyu hummed, rolling slightly closer to listen. “I wish you guys had been there.”
“Let me guess,” Beomgyu gave a half-exhale, half-laugh, “Yeonjun hyung almost lost his temper at Cho Jinwook?”
Kai giggled. He wished Beomgyu had been there to see it.
“As always,” he said.
Beomgyu’s eyes met his, and Kai attempted to tell how lucid Beomgyu was. He seemed mostly alert, but there was a rim of red in the corner of his eyes, and his face was covered in a sheen of sweat.
Kai scrambled to reach down and pick the bag of snacks up off the floor. “Taehyun told me you were complaining about the, ahem, quality of the food, so I—”
Beomgyu gasped, sitting up so fast that Kai became worried he was about to fall over. He kept one hand hovering around Beomgyu’s waist just in case. Beomgyu went straight for the candy, like Kai suspected he would.
He felt rather proud of his initiative as Beomgyu took the first bite, decapitating an orange gummy bear in the process.
“Thank you, Kai-yah,” Beomgyu said warmly. With great effort, he reached out to ruffle Kai’s hair. His hand only lingered on Kai for a moment, but he was so hot that it turned Kai’s own body temperature up a notch as well. “I was so sick of sandwiches.”
Kai giggled, “Taehyun told me that you asked him to make those.”
“Yeah, well—” Beomgyu puffed his cheeks out. “I got sick of them after a few hours. My craving got satisfied.”
Kai kept laughing, though it tapered off after a few seconds. He kept his eyes fixed on his own feet, unsure whether or not he should be looking at Beomgyu or if that would be overstepping.
“Is, um.” How did he phrase a question like this without coming off as rude? “How… is it so far?”
“They’re really fresh,” Beomgyu said, in a reassuring tone. Kai was confused for a moment before he burst into laughter.
“I meant your heat, hyung, not the snacks.”
There were no lights on in Beomgyu’s room, but Kai could still see his face warm—and feel it, in how his scent thickened.
“Oh,” he intoned. “It’s fine. Just, you know. Tedious.”
Kai didn’t know. He nodded anyway. “I brought some other things too,” he said, scooping all of the little plushies back up. “You don’t need to take them, but I thought that maybe—maybe for your nest, or something—”
Beomgyu dropped the package of gummy bears onto his lap and accepted the plushies from him, setting them down beside his pillow. “You thought of everything, huh?”
Kai rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
He could hear the roll of Beomgyu’s eyes in his voice. “You’re already doing enough,” he said firmly. “I was getting lonely by myself. I’m glad you came.”
Kai shifted in his spot, ready to stand. “Should I get Soobin hyung? Or Taehyun? Or—”
Beomgyu’s head whipped back towards him, and he almost looked like he was glaring for half a second before his face relaxed into a pout. “You don’t want to stay?”
Kai’s eyes widened. “I—I do, but—I’m not sure what I could help with—”
“What do you think we do while in heat? Fuck each other?” Beomgyu asked.
Kai squeaked involuntarily. “Well, no, but—”
“It gets lonely, and the company helps,” Beomgyu said with a sigh. “But I know you must be tired after all those meetings. I don’t want to pressure you.”
As if Kai could leave after that. He shook his head quickly.
“I just thought that… you guys always mention scenting, so…”
Beomgyu hummed. “I guess that is one thing you can’t do,” he agreed, and Kai tried not to let his face crumple. “But they’ve been scenting me all day, so it’s okay. I just want a distraction from all the cramping.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Kai inched closer to where Beomgyu was lying down. Beomgyu rolled over slightly, making room for him, and Kai took the empty spot.
“You’re so stiff,” Beomgyu grumbled. He left a respectable centimeter between their bodies, but this close, Kai could feel every wave of heat radiate off his skin.
“You’re so feverish,” Kai countered. “Do you need water?”
“Mm, no,” Beomgyu said, stifling a yawn. “Water won’t help. I’m not that thirsty.”
“If you say so,” Kai said, dubious.
He wasn’t sure if he could trust Beomgyu’s judgement, but he was too terrified to move even just to reach behind him and grab the water bottle. He was so big and out of place, taking up more than half of Beomgyu’s bed with nothing really to show for it. It felt like one movement would cause the entire bed to cave in from his weight. He was so unused to being in this position.
Beomgyu only continued to nibble on his gummy bears, unperturbed and oblivious to Kai’s plight. They lay there for a while, Kai staring holes into the space between them, focusing on anything other than Beomgyu’s scent threatening to take over his mind, until Beomgyu spoke up again.
“You smell like Yeonjun hyung,” he commented. Kai jostled, frowning.
“Do I?” He sniffed his wrist, but he couldn’t smell anything other than Beomgyu.
“A little,” Beomgyu said. He grabbed Kai’s wrist before he could lower it. Kai froze like a statue.
“Is… is that a good or bad thing?” he asked.
Beomgyu brought Kai’s wrist to his face and slowly dragged his nose over his scarred scent glands. Kai held his breath the entire time—even if he tried to breathe, he didn’t think his lungs were working anymore.
“Kind of a bad thing,” Beomgyu admitted, sounding embarrassed at his own words. “It makes me feel like I need to scent you so you’ll be covered in my scent instead. Like… something is off about you being in my nest but not smelling like me.”
Kai couldn’t manage to get any words out, let alone react at all as Beomgyu looked at him over the edge of his wrist. He was probably closer to passing out than Beomgyu was.
With no response from Kai, Beomgyu continued, “Sorry. That’s weird, isn’t it?”
“No, no—” Kai rushed to say. “It’s normal, right? For omegas to be… possessive… during their heats…”
He trailed off, unsure. He’d never had Soobin or Taehyun ask for anything similar, but the three of them were so unlike each other that he hesitated to compare them at all.
Instead of giving a straight answer, Beomgyu asked, “Can I scent you a little?”
He was becoming more and more breathless, and Kai wondered if the next real wave of his heat was beginning. That would explain his behaviour.
What was the best option here? Should he go get one of the others? Or… would letting Beomgyu scent him help enough?
Logically, there wasn’t anything strange about Beomgyu scenting him, both during his heat or outside of it. Kai had zero reaction to his pheromones, so if anything, he was an even safer choice than Soobin or Taehyun. He was the perfect blank canvas for Beomgyu to satiate his urge to claim with. But, at the same time—
It felt like he was taking advantage of Beomgyu. His hyung had no idea that Kai’s heart was about to jump out of his throat, not in a platonic way. Beomgyu’s lips were right beside the pulse on his wrist, on Kai’s skin. It felt like a dream when in reality it was just Beomgyu succumbing to instinct.
They’d become closer recently, between their tea sessions and movie nights together afterwards, but not this close. Not scenting-close. The last time he’d been this close to being overwhelmed by Beomgyu’s scent was the day he’d lost his hoodie and Beomgyu had hugged him. That was weeks ago now.
“Just a little,” Kai acquiesced.
Beomgyu made a low, guttural noise, almost like a growl, and shut his eyes. He looked unbearably pretty, running his nose along Kai’s wrist. Kai doubted he could leave this room without reeking of Beomgyu, but he understood that it was the principle of it—the action of scenting someone—more than the scent itself.
It’s just because of his heat, he reminded himself. It’s for his comfort. Calm down.
Kai’s willpower was being seriously tested.
Beomgyu’s tongue darted out to lap at Kai’s pulse point, making him shiver. Beomgyu was careful, even in the grip of his heat, keeping his touches light. His lips brushed Kai’s skin in the barest of kisses, more the idea of a kiss than anything else. And when he drew back, Kai felt the loss of that feather-light contact like an ache.
The heat suffused Beomgyu’s face, but his eyes were a little clearer when they met Kai’s again. “I should stop there,” Beomgyu muttered. His hands clenched into fists on the sheets. “I don’t want to lose control with you.”
“I can handle it,” Kai said.
Beomgyu shook his head.
“Not when I’m like this,” he said gruffly.
Kai tried for a reassuring smile, heart flip-flopping. He wanted to pull Beomgyu in and tell him it was okay, but Beomgyu was restraining himself because he didn’t want to. Kai wasn’t going to argue with that.
Beomgyu’s awareness seemed to be fading, and even though Beomgyu likely didn’t actively want Kai to leave, he knew better than to stick around. It would just be embarrassing for Beomgyu after his heat was over, to realise he’d shown that side of himself to Kai.
“Do you want me to get—”
“Yes, please,” Beomgyu interrupted. His eyes widened at his own interruption, and he mumbled an apology, “Sorry, I think I’m…”
“It’s okay, hyung.” Kai rolled off the bed, stretching out his muscles. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Beomgyu spared him a brief smile and then shoved his face into his pillow. “Yeah,” he said, muffled. “Thank you for bringing everything.”
“Of course,” Kai said, hoping he sounded as warm as his body and heart felt. “Just get some rest, hyung.”
Beomgyu hummed, the sound muffled, and Kai lingered by his bedside, making sure he had his phone in his pocket and that Beomgyu’s own phone was charging before stepping back.
As he stepped towards the door, his eyes roamed over Beomgyu’s nest. Everything was packed into the corners of his beds, all of the shirts and sweaters they’d given him rolled together into one giant mess. He spotted Taehyun’s favourite work-out shirt, Yeonjun’s sweater, Kai’s own hoodie, Soobin’s button-up—
Wait.
Everything seemed to stop for a moment, and Kai stood there with zero thoughts in his head. His eyes were registering his hoodie, slung over Beomgyu’s headboard, but his mind wasn’t. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut.
Kai had given Beomgyu one of his hoodies for his nest, as per request—one of the ones he’d been wearing often lately, so that Beomgyu felt like Kai was giving up something precious.
But the hoodie Kai was staring at wasn’t that one. That one was grey with black stripes. The hoodie Kai was staring at right now was black, with a hint of red peeking out from where it was folded haphazardly.
That shade of red was burned into Kai’s mind. He’d spent the past month trying to find it; he could never miss it.
“Kai?” Beomgyu called groggily. He lifted his head just enough to look at Kai. His brow was damp with sweat. “Are you leaving?”
“Y—Yeah,” Kai said, stumbling backwards. The room spun around him; he couldn’t tell if he was dizzy or nauseous or both. “I’ll get—yeah. Sorry.”
Beomgyu managed a weak nod, his eyelids drooping as his body succumbed to the onslaught of heat-induced discomfort. Kai practically sprinted out of the room, his gaze lingering on the hoodie as he closed the door behind him.
His legs couldn’t carry him all the way to Soobin’s room. He slumped against the wall outside Beomgyu’s room, covering his mouth with his hand. A thousand questions clamored for attention in his head, but the most prominent one was just—Why?
He refuses to entertain the thought that Beomgyu didn’t know he had Kai’s hoodie. Even just now, on the verge of going into another heat wave, he was more than coherent enough to recognise something that Kai wore every day—that Kai had been talking about for weeks.
The only answer was that Beomgyu had hidden it on purpose. He’d had it this entire time.
What the fuck?
He stood there for what could have been hours, until Soobin wandered out of his room, rubbing his eyes and scratching his belly.
“Oh, you’re home,” Soobin mumbled. “Did you check on Beomgyu? When did you get back?”
The movement of Kai’s eyes were like a zombie’s. He pushed himself to his full height, unsteady on his feet.
“... Kai?” Soobin asked, frowning. “You okay?”
“Fine,” Kai said hoarsely. “I’ll be in my room.”
“What—” Soobin started, but Kai found the energy to push past him and rush into his and Taehyun’s room.
He locked the door behind him; Taehyun wouldn’t be sleeping here tonight anyway. Kai needed the space to scream into his pillow in frustration. For real this time.
If someone asked him if he slept that night, he wouldn’t be able to answer. He couldn’t tell himself. He spent hours staring at his ceiling, still in shock, replaying the past month’s events over and over in his mind.
And yet it felt like he blinked and it was morning again. The sun filtered through the window on Taehyun’s side of the room, the curtains pulled back from yesterday morning. Kai never bothered to close them the previous night after he’d run in, too overtaken by confusion.
He still didn’t understand. He’d mulled it over and he couldn’t find a single explanation for why Beomgyu would hide this from him. What was so important about Kai’s hoodie that Beomgyu would lie to him? Repeatedly, at that? Did he want it back? Did he regret giving it to Kai?
Kai would have just gifted it back to him! Reluctantly, and miserably, but he would have done it if Beomgyu asked.
But he didn’t. Instead he hid it. And now Kai was back at square one of questioning.
“Huening! Get your lazy ass out of bed! It’s like ten in the morning!”
Walking into the kitchen had him wondering if he’d dreamt up the entirety of yesterday. Taehyun stood in front of the counter, clad in his apron with a bowl of bread beside him. A look of concern was etched into his features.
“Where’s Soobin hyung?” Kai mumbled, dazed. Beomgyu’s scent had mostly faded from the air, leaving just a hint of sweetness in its wake. Someone must have opened the windows overnight to let the smell air out. “Is Beomgyu hyung’s heat over?”
“I think he went to shower,” Taehyun answered. He flipped an egg onto a piece of toast. “Yeah, it’s pretty much over.”
Kai peered over Taehyun’s head at the breakfast he’d amassed. “Is that for him?”
“Yep,” Taehyun said. “Do you want s—”
“I’ll take it to him,” Kai said, his voice firm. Taehyun looked at him, surprised by his eagerness.
“... Alright,” he said slowly, pushing the plate towards Kai. “Just make sure he eats it all. He’s not allowed to only eat junk food anymore.”
Kai snatched it from him and turned on his heel before Taehyun could make a snide comment about Kai having a crush or something. Kai did have a crush, but more than that, he had questions.
His stomach was in knots. He should’ve thought of what to say beforehand. Beomgyu’s scent became sharper right in front of his room, and Kai took one, long breath away from the door in an attempt to clear his head, before he knocked gently.
His knuckles tapped softly against the wood. “Hyung, it’s Kai,” he called out. His voice wavered a bit. Thank god he didn’t have a scent for Beomgyu to pick up on. “I brought you breakfast.”
The sound of shuffling came from within the room, followed by Beomgyu’s raspy voice calling out, “It’s unlocked.”
Kai turned the doorknob and stepped inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the familiar hoodie that still lay on Beomgyu’s bed.
Beomgyu sat up, his eyes bloodshot but his expression filled with appreciation when he saw the food Kai was carrying. He didn’t look nervous, or embarrassed, or otherwise unhappy—and while Kai was relieved Beomgyu wasn’t regretting having briefly scented Kai, it also meant Beomgyu was unaware that Kai had seen the hoodie.
Should he just blurt it out? Would Beomgyu get defensive? Beomgyu had lied to him this entire time, he’d told Kai over and over again that it would show up—Kai was allowed to be upset. He was allowed to want answers!
He wipes his free hand on the side of his sweatpants. He couldn’t stop sweating.
He placed the breakfast tray on Beomgyu’s lap, his fingers brushing against the fabric of the hoodie for a moment before he pulled away.
Beomgyu hummed in delight, more focused on picking up the toast than paying attention to Kai. His scent burst with sweetness as he took the first bite, eyes sparkling.
A part of Kai felt bad for ruining Beomgyu’s post-heat bliss. But not that bad.
“Hyung,” he began, his voice barely more than a whisper, “there’s something I need to ask you about.”
Beomgyu’s paused, mid-bite into the toast. Kai fought the urge to chuckle at the adorable sight, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. Over Beomgyu’s shoulder was his nest, still mostly in tact, and Kai’s hoodie in the same place it was last night. In the daylight, the red heart sewn on was even more visible.
Their gazes locked for a brief moment before Beomgyu followed the direction of Kai’s eyes, which had drifted back to the hoodie resting on the pillow.
Beomgyu’s reaction was instantaneous. “It’s not what you think, I—” He dropped the tray and sat up, holding his hands out as if trying to stop Kai from speaking. “Kai—”
Kai crossed his arms, his heart aching with an indescribable mix of hurt and confusion. If the hoodie itself didn’t tell Kai that Beomgyu had been hiding it on purpose, his reaction did.
“Why would you lie to me? I—you know how worried I was, and yet you—”
He cut himself off, scared he would say something he’d regret. The only reason he cared so much about the hoodie in the first place was because it was from Beomgyu. He should at least hear him out.
Beomgyu hesitated, biting his lip as if weighing his options. Finally, he let out a shaky breath, refusing to meet Kai’s eyes.
“I meant to give it back,” was all he said.
“So you had it the entire time?” Kai breathed out.
Beomgyu’s eyes flickered with something unspoken, a silent plea for understanding.
“I didn’t realise I had it until later that evening,” he said, wringing his hands together. “I think it got mixed into my laundry or something. I don’t know.”
“And you didn’t think to give it back?” Kai said, feeling like he was verging on hysterics. “Why did you let me think it was lost?”
“I... I really was going to give it back.”
Evidently not. “But?”
“But I… wore it for a while. Not realising it was yours, because I wasn’t paying attention.” Beomgyu winced. His voice cracked with embarrassment. Kai had no idea Beomgyu wouldn’t have been able to tell. The heart patch on it was too distinct. “And it ended up covered in my scent. I meant to wash it and give it back, but...”
Kai was at a loss for words. His mind reeled as he tried to process the implications of Beomgyu’s admission.
“Did you think I’d be mad about something like that?” he said, awed. “Hyung, I don’t give a shit about your scent being on it.”
Beomgyu played with the frayed edges of his sleeves. “I could make you a new one, so why did it matter so much?”
“Hyung,” Kai begged. Don’t be stupid. You can’t seriously think it’s only about the hoodie itself. Beomgyu was the most sentimental person Kai knew; he had to know it was about the memories, not just the clothing. “That’s it? You were too embarrassed to give it back because—what, it smelled like you? I find that really hard to believe.”
“Kai—”
“No,” Kai whined. He felt like a child throwing a tantrum, but he thought his frustration was warranted. “That’s ridiculous. I almost cried over losing it. You have to give me a better answer than that.”
Beomgyu took a deep breath, his shoulders tensing.
“You can’t let this change anything,” he said, ominously. Kai didn’t know how to take that.
“It’s a little too late for that.”
Kai put on a brave face, although inside his pulse was racing from nerves.
Beomgyu rubbed the bridge of his nose. Kai waited with all of his muscles tensed, giving Beomgyu time to collect his thoughts. Every second felt like an eternity.
Finally, he began, “You started to come to my room every day because you felt bad about losing it. So, I didn’t want to give it back because…” His voice became so quiet that Kai couldn’t hear him at all.
“What?” Kai said, bewildered. Because what? Was Kai supposed to know how that sentence ended?
“... I was afraid you’d stop hanging out with me. If I gave it back. You wouldn’t have any reason to bring me tea anymore, and then we’d end up going back to normal.” Beomgyu rolled his lower lip between his teeth.
Kai’s breath caught in his throat as Beomgyu continued speaking. A flurry of emotions rushed through him, too tangled and rapid to discern individually. Something between pure astonishment and tentative joy mixed together in such a heady rush that it left him lightheaded. He didn’t want to assume, or put words into Beomgyu’s mouth, but—but—it almost sounded like he was saying that—
After so many sleepless nights spent dreaming of this moment, could it be possible that—
“Please stop looking at me like that,” Beomgyu said, shrinking back. “I’m sorry. You can have it back, and we never have to talk about this again.”
Kai shook his head furiously. No, no, no. Please, let’s talk about it. He didn’t trust his voice.
His hand trembled slightly as he reached out, placing it gently on Beomgyu’s arm, in a way he hoped comfort and reassurance. Beomgyu’s scent mellowed at the contact, his body relaxing ever so slightly, and some of the tension seeped out of his face.
”I would’ve wanted to hang out with you anyway, hyung,” Kai finally managed. It wasn’t as eloquent as he wanted, but he had to say something. For once, he didn’t care about how red his face was. “I always want to hang out with you. Like—like all the time. I was just using the tea as an excuse.”
Beomgyu’s lips formed a smile, then a little pout right after, jutting outwards. “You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve just asked me.”
“You didn’t have to steal my hoodie either!” Kai huffed, shaking him lightly. Beomgyu gawked at him, squirming.
“Well—” Beomgyu coughed. “It’s also that I wanted it for… my heat, and I didn’t know if you would part with it.” His face fell. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me.”
“Why would you want my hoodie?” Kai’s brows furrowed. “And that one specifically?”
“Because it means something to you,” Beomgyu said, the softness of his words not matching his glare at all. Kai wanted to reach out and pinch his red cheeks. “So it means something to me too.”
“But I don’t have a—”
“I like spending time with you because I like you, not because of your scent or lack thereof.” Beomgyu sounded so genuinely offended that it made Kai feel stupid for saying anything at all. But in like… a good way. If it that was possible. “When will you get that through your head?”
Nevermind. Kai knew what he was feeling. Happiness. It was definitely happiness.
“Oh my god, hyung,” Kai groaned, pulling Beomgyu closer. Beomgyu stumbled forward, catching himself against Kai’s chest. “I can’t believe you.”
“Shut up,” Beomgyu said half-heartedly, one hand clutching Kai’s shirt. Kai breathed in the faint smell of Beomgyu’s shampoo mixed with the remnants of his heat scent. It was everything he associated with warmth. “I didn’t start all of this on purpose. I don’t even know how it got in my room.”
Beomgyu didn’t start it on purpose, sure, but he kept it on purpose. That meant a lot more than just taking it by accident.
“I was so scared you were finding me annoying,” Kai said quietly into Beomgyu’s hair, slumping over him.
“I was scared you were finding me annoying,” Beomgyu countered, tightening his grip on Kai. “Like… that you’d find me needy or something. It’s not like Soobin or Taehyun are like this.”
Kai chanced asking before he could lose his nerve, “Like what?”
“Like…”
Their eyes met, and Kai felt helpless as Beomgyu caught the hem of his shirt, the edges of his nails scraping against Kai’s skin.
“Kai,” Beomgyu said. His eyes flickered downwards, to Kai's lips, and Kai felt all of his thoughts disappear.
Without warning, he closed the remaining distance between them, pressing his lips softly against Beomgyu’s in a tender, hesitant kiss.
“Kai,” Beomgyu whispered again, his voice cracking.
Kai’s hands slid down Beomgyu’s arms until he reached his wrists. Beomgyu’s scent glands were still swollen from his heat, and a quick brush of his thumb over one had Beomgyu keening and rising onto his toes to kiss Kai harder.
He’d dreamed of this moment countless times, but his imagination paled in comparison to the reality of Beomgyu in his arms, chapped lips parting against his own to gasp as Kai nuzzle their noses together. He held Beomgyu tightly, afraid that if he let go even for a second it would all disappear. But no—Beomgyu was there, sighing into his mouth, solid and real and so, so soft under Kai’s fingertips.
A soft giggle bubbled up from Kai’s chest as he leaned in, nestling his face against the crook of Beomgyu’s neck. He smelled like cake. Kai wanted to bite into him.
Not in an instinctual way. In a I like you so much way.
“We’re stupid, huh?” Beomgyu said, running his fingers leisurely through Kai’s hair.
“Speak for yourself,” Kai mumbled, and Beomgyu laughed so hard that his whole body shook, his sweet scent blooming.
“You found it,” Yeonjun said, jaw dropping. “After a month? Let me guess, it was hiding under all your plushies?”
A smug smile played on Kai’s lips, and he puffed out his chest, showing off the heart patch over his… well, heart. The hoodie had shrunk in the wash, but the fact that it dripped with Beomgyu’s scent more than made up for the tight fit. And he doubted Beomgyu minded.
“Nope,” Kai said. “I actually—”
“About fucking time.” Taehyun marched into the kitchen, half-asleep, a wide smile on his face. “I was hoping you’d notice it was in his nest.”
“What?” Yeonjun said.
“Get closer,” Taehyun said. Yeonjun raised a brow, sliding off the stool by the kitchen island, slowly making his way over to Kai. Kai diligently held out his arm, bubbling with excitement. “Can you smell it?”
It took a few moments and a nose crinkle from Yeonjun for his eyes to widen and him to go, “Oh, shit. Is that—”
“Good morning,” Beomgyu sang, slamming his door behind him. He skipped over, far too chipper for eight in the morning. “Oh, you’re back, hyung.”
Yeonjun put a pause on his confusion to scowl, “Yah, why do you sound disappointed, you brat—”
Beomgyu’s scent had dulled now with his heat no longer affecting his body, but Kai knew the notes of his scent well enough to tell when he was in pure joy. He smiled to himself, reaching for Beomgyu without thinking, and Beomgyu happily leaned into him.
“I’m not,” he said cheerily. “I missed you.”
“You better have,” Yeonjun grumbled. He side-eyed them both. “So you were the one who had his hoodie?”
Beomgyu twiddled his thumbs together. “It’s a long story,” he said.
“Not really,” Kai said, flashing Yeonjun an even bigger grin. “He actually just wanted to spend time with m—mmfff—”
“Okay, that’s enough of that!” Beomgyu yelled. “Please tell me we’re having something other than sandwiches for breakfast.”
“Here to remind you again that you’re the one who asked for them in the first place,” Soobin muttered, stalking out of his room. He spared Kai half a second’s worth of a glance before continuing on to the fridge. “You reek.”
“Um, you mean he smells great,” Beomgyu said, pressing his hand down on Kai’s mouth.
“Wait, I want to hear the story,” Yeonjun whined.
“Mmmf,” Kai said.
“Maybe later,” Beomgyu hummed. He finally released Kai’s poor mouth. “We’re going out.”
“We are?” Kai questioned, narrowing his eyes.
“Yep.” Beomgyu lightly smacked Kai’s ass. “Go and put on some real pants.” Kai stifled a half-disgruntled, half-elated sound, stumbling away.
“Please be back by noon,” Soobin said, giving a long-suffering sigh.
“We will,” Beomgyu promised, glancing at Kai and smiling. “We’re just getting tea.”
“We can get something else,” Kai said, eyes flitting over the menu board. “I just got tea because I know you like it, but like—we don’t have to get tea.”
Beomgyu leaned against him, holding onto Kai’s sleeve. He hadn’t let go since they left the apartment. Kai couldn’t wrap his arm around Beomgyu like he wanted, since they were in public, so instead he knocked the side of his head against Beomgyu’s and hoped that conveyed the same level of affection.
“At first, I kind of wished you got me coffee instead,” Beomgyu laughed. “But now I prefer the tea.”
“Are you sure?” Kai asked, frowning down at him.
“Of course. It reminds me of you.” Beomgyu tugged on one of the drawstrings of Kai’s hoodie. “Just like how this hoodie reminds you of me.”
“A bit arrogant of you, don’t you think?” Kai pretended to scoff. His chest was so full of adoration that he thought it might burst.
“Absolutely,” Beomgyu agreed haughtily. “Now get us two teas. I’ll find us a place to sit.”
“Mmkay.” Kai turned his head, and the first thing he saw was the tips of Beomgyu’s ears flushed red. “I love you, hyung.”
He didn’t mean to say it. It just came out of his mouth. They both froze, and Kai barely noticed as the person behind them in line pushed past them, grumbling about them not moving.
The biggest, brightest smile Kai had ever seen split Beomgyu’s face, his whisker dimples etched into his cheeks.
“We’ve been dating for one day!” he whisper-yelled, shaking Kai’s arm. “You’re the worst!”
“I know,” Kai giggled. “But I love you.”
“You can’t just—” Beomgyu’s lower lip wobbled, and he smacked Kai on the chest. “You’re letting me scent you when we get home. I can’t—oh my god. I need to scent you when we get home.”
Kai squeezed Beomgyu’s hand and said, “Nothing would make me happier, hyung.”