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Minho loved Changbin. He loved Changbin so much and sometimes he couldn’t show it the way Changbin probably wanted. He couldn’t be the lovey and cuddly Omega that Jisung and Felix were. And he couldn’t be strong and dominant as Chan was with him. But that didn’t mean that Changbin wasn’t his favorite Alpha.
Changbin had been there for him through thick and thin. He’d been his biggest support when he and Felix had been eliminated from the survival show and the group as a whole. Immediately after they had finished filming for the day, Changbin had gone in search of Minho to try and comfort him, despite the fact that Changbin was younger than him and it wasn’t his fault Minho had been eliminated. At first, Minho had been angry at Changbin for seeking him out when all he wanted was to be alone. In fact, when Changbin had found him and tried to hug him, he’d shouted at him to worry about Felix instead – as the younger Omega was much more sensitive and much more upset than Minho was. But Changbin had merely informed him that Chan was already looking for Felix and would take care of the younger boy and Changbin wanted to worry about Minho instead.
Reluctantly, Minho had allowed Changbin to hug and hold him as he finally let himself feel his sorrow and disappointment and cried into Changbin’s chest. They sat there for almost an hour, even after Minho’s tears had dried up and he was coming to terms with the end of his dream. The only reason Changbin let him go was because he had to, being informed by Chan that they needed to go home. And even though Minho wasn’t returning to the same dorm as them this time, he didn’t feel as upset parting as he thought he would. Instead, he threw himself fully into getting better, being more confident, and helping Felix to come to terms with the elimination as well and to get better.
And then, when JYPE allowed him and Felix to return to the survival show, Minho had found himself cuddling with Changbin again. This time in celebration instead of sorrow. On the other couch, Felix was surrounded by the group, getting all the cuddles and love he could ask for. And Minho couldn’t be happier to see the younger boy being doted on so much even if all he had was Changbin. He was perfectly fine with having the Alpha to himself. And he let himself indulge in the comfort of Changbin’s presence for longer than he probably had before the elimination or any time after that. Even when Woojin left, Minho hadn’t let himself be comforted by anyone despite Changbin trying to help. It was his job as Pack Omega to take care of the pups alongside Chan, not let himself fall into his despair.
That was why when Changbin fought with Chan and didn’t come home for months, Minho felt like a piece of himself was dying. Even when he was allowed to visit Changbin at the Ateez dorm and cuddle him for the few hours he did, things still felt wrong. And now that Changbin was home, Minho had been more focused on making sure his Alpha was happy and safe and comfortable than on his own comfort and happiness. Really, he was just happy to have his Alpha home, but there was still that deeply unsettled feeling deep in his chest and stomach that was too much like a reminder of the feeling he’d had when he and Felix had been eliminated and when Woojin had left.
“Hyung?” Minho couldn’t say when he had stopped paying attention to the movie they were watching or when he’d become so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Changbin looking over at him worried while the movie was paused on the screen. The rest of the pack was out at dinner, but Changbin had said he was tired and had just wanted to go home, and in an effort not to leave the Alpha they had just gotten back alone, Minho decided to go with him while insisting the rest of the group get dinner like they had planned. Minho had made them both a quick dinner, and they settled on the couch after showering to watch a movie while they ate. And at some point Minho had completely spaced out. He quickly turned his gaze to Changbin and hummed. “You okay? I think I lost you there for a bit.”
“I’m okay. Just thinking.” As soon as the reason slipped out of his mouth, he regretted saying it and wished he’d come up with any other excuse for his spacing. Because –
“About what?” Changbin always asked when he got lost in his thoughts like that. Minho sighed. He could never lie to his favorite Alpha so there wasn’t even a chance he could make something else up to sate Changbin’s curiosity.
“It’s silly.” And it was. Why should Minho be worried about missing Changbin now when he was right there next to him? He shook his head and before Changbin could ask him to elaborate, he stood up and ordered the Alpha to lie down. Changbin didn’t protest and instead laid down and immediately opened his arms for Minho to lie on him. Which Minho did happily, taking in his deep sandalwood scent and purring. Minho rarely purred outside of his heats but just being close to Changbin like this was enough to sate the deep, unsettled feeling that he had pushed away for months.
“Whatever you were thinking about couldn’t be that silly hyung. You’re not the type to entertain silly thoughts.” Minho let out a huff of laughter before nuzzling his face further into Changbin’s chest. He loved that Changbin held onto the belief that Minho could never do something so stupid. Minho had done plenty of stupid things in his life.
“Nah it was definitely silly. I have you right here with me so there’s no need to worry about how much I missed you when you were gone.” As much as Minho would have liked to say that they had talked through the issues they all had when Changbin was gone, they hadn’t. It was like the subject was taboo to them. The younger pups were afraid of saying anything that could potentially upset or set Changbin off and cause him to leave them again, and Chan was afraid to open that wound again when they had just gotten Changbin back. He’d admitted his own faults in the situation but it was a sensitive subject. Changbin himself had no problem bringing up what he did with Ateez while staying with them, but when he’d noticed how uncomfortable and upset everyone else in the pack seemed at the mention of that time away, he stopped.
Minho didn’t mind hearing about it, because as much as it had upset him and the rest of the pack, he knew Changbin had been safe and that was all he could ask for. So he encouraged Changbin to talk about his time with the other pack, including what he did with them, how he felt around them, and how he felt without his pack. He didn’t mind hearing about how much he loved Wooyoung and getting to share a bed with the Omega – or anyone else in the pack because Minho was well aware that the entire pack doted on him and he would share a bed with whoever wanted him that night – because Changbin came back to him. In fact, Changbin’s friendship and love for Wooyoung had never bothered Minho the way it had bothered Hyunjin or any of the other pups. He knew it was something they couldn’t change, and trying to force the feelings away would have just hurt both pups. Minho couldn’t even think about the possibility of hurting Wooyoung, as the consequences were as frightening as someone hurting his pups.
“I missed you too hyung. All of you.” It wasn’t the first time hearing it, but this time Minho believed it more than the others. Not that he had ever not believed his Alpha when he said those words, but this time he could hear the pain he probably felt without them there.
“But you’re here now, and I have at least another couple hours to cuddle you before Chan and the pups get back and you’re stolen by Sungie and Lixie.” Changbin laughed and Minho could hear the laugh rumble in his chest. They both knew that was likely what would happen when the two younger Omegas got home, but for now Minho just wanted to enjoy being so close to his favorite Alpha.
“Have I ever told you how much I love having you as my Pack Omega?” Minho hummed at the question. It wasn’t something that any of them have actually talked to him about but he’d always just assumed that everyone in the pack besides Chan didn’t have particularly strong opinions one way or the other about his position.
“I don’t think anyone has told me they love having me as Pack Omega.” It made sense when they started forming the pack because Minho was the only Omega at the time and the third oldest. Now he was second oldest and one of three Omegas but he wasn’t sure Felix or Jisung would even want the role if he offered it to them. Changbin hummed.
“When I was with Ateez, Hongjoong-hyung did his best and I can definitely see why Wooyoung and Mingi love him as their Pack Omega but all I could think of was that he wasn’t you. He didn’t bully me into taking care of myself the way you would. And while I did like how comforting their pack nest felt and smelled, it wasn’t yours.” Minho hummed thoughtfully before tilting his head to look at the Alpha. He wasn’t aware that Changbin knew he’d been told about his melt down surrounding the pack nest, but he was happy the Alpha wasn’t embarrassed or shy about his feelings.
“I’m sure he’s a great Pack Omega. He has to be to not only handle San and Wooyoung, but to also threaten Chan so intensely that even I was scared after he finished. We have different personalities and that’s what makes us different Pack Omegas. I’m sure if you asked Wooyoung he’d probably say that Hongjoong bullies him into taking care of himself too.” Minho didn’t even need Changbin to ask Wooyoung that, because Seonghwa had already told him so when they talked about their pack dynamics before. “Besides, at that time you didn’t need me or Hongjoong bullying you into taking care of yourself. You needed a gentler approach and Hongjoong asked me repeatedly to make sure it was okay so he didn’t overstep any boundaries.”
“He did?” Changbin sounded surprised by the information, and Minho wasn’t going to tell him that it was after Hongjoong had already overstepped boundaries when he threatened Chan. So he nodded his head slightly in answer.
“He did. He and Seonghwa kept me up to date on a lot of what you guys were doing. They both promised me that if I was uncomfortable with something happening, they would stop but I just wanted you to relax and feel comfortable.” Changbin was silent for a moment as he thought over what Minho said. He could almost see the exact moment when Changbin started to feel bad for how he had left them and he immediately reached up to make Changbin look at him. “If you’re about to apologize for something we’ve told you multiple times you don’t need to be sorry for, save it. I’m glad you had someone who you felt comfortable and safe enough to go to when you didn’t feel safe here. And I’ll never fault you for feeling that way. Ever. If anyone else does, tell me and I’ll set them straight. Understand?”
Changbin hesitated, but ultimately nodded his head in agreement. Minho held his gaze for a moment longer before offering him a small smile and letting his chin go. “Good, now cuddle me more before the rest of the pack gets home.”
Of course, by the time the rest of the pack returned home from dinner, Minho was already half asleep after they had turned on another movie and Changbin was fully asleep. At some point after their conversation, Changbin had begun scenting Minho, and the Omega didn’t stop him. Scenting wasn’t his love language the way it was Jisung’s or Felix’s but he knew it settled something in them both.
The pack was loud when they entered but as soon as Jeongin saw the two of them on the couch he hushed everyone so as not to wake either of them up. The maknae probably thought Minho was asleep as well, as he carefully collected their dishes from the coffee table and brought them into the kitchen. Minho was perfectly happy to let everyone think he was asleep as well and made sure to keep his breathing even and his eyes relaxed shut. Not that he was ever ashamed of when he showed love to his packmates, but he knew if he showed it too often they’d all expect it of him all the time. And that was just something he could not handle.
“Should we wake them up hyung?” Jisung’s voice was soft in a way Minho almost didn’t expect to hear from him but he appreciated the Omega’s conscious attempt to be quiet. Chan must have answered silently as Minho then heard more shuffling as feet pattered down the hall and then back again before a blanket was placed over them. He had to fight a smile at how thoughtful his packmates were.
“I washed their dishes and put the food away so Minho-hyung doesn’t have to do it when he wakes up.” Jeongin was sweet to do that, as Minho had definitely forgotten to clean up in his haste to cuddle Changbin.
“Thank you Innie. Go take a shower and head to bed. All of you.” There was more shuffling as five sets of feet shuffled down the hallways. Moments later, the shower turned on in both bathrooms. Chan hovered over them for a moment longer, something Minho didn’t even need to see to know he was doing, before pressing a kiss to both of their faces.
“Sleep well.” When Minho was certain Chan was gone, he allowed himself to smile and cuddle further into Changbin’s hold, pulling the blanket further over them so it covered Changbin as well.
Yeah, Changbin was his absolute favorite Alpha and he would take the cuddles he got from him whenever he could. And he was definitely thankful and happy to hear that Changbin loved him as his Pack Omega.