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Heeseung likes to think that he’s a good head alpha most of the time. He always prioritizes his packmates to the best of his abilities, he supports Jungwon whenever he struggles with his position as their leader, and he’s a loving courtmate to Jake, their head omega. Perhaps most importantly, he’s managed to keep the other alphas in their pack feeling secure in their rank within their pack, meaning that in three and a half years he’s only had to deal with some posturing, and certainly never an actual fight.
And then Niki presented as an alpha and decided that he was going to attempt to course Jake, regardless of the fact that Jake had already been courting Heeseung at the time. As a result, Heeseung has had more posturing matches with Niki in the weeks since his presentation than he has with Sunghoon and Jay combined, always triggered by Niki either crossing a line or getting jealous of Heeseung. In spite of this, Heeseung has always refrained from being overly harsh with their maknae, and has never forced him into submission the way he would have if it had been anyone else coming onto Jake. Because how could he? He loves Niki, so much that it sometimes makes his teeth hurt. Potentially upsetting him that deeply has seemed completely out of the question.
Except that now it’s been several months since Niki’s presentation and he still doesn’t seem himself. He’s at least stopped flirting with Jake—although if Heeseung is totally honest, there’s a part of him that still feels uneasy whenever Jake and Niki act a little too close—but because it had been Jake to resolve the issue, he really feels like something has been left unfinished between himself and Niki. Something that probably isn’t going to go away easily or without direct intervention, as much as it agonizes him to admit it.
It’s not clear to Heeseung if their other packmates realize just how unsettled Niki is, but the longer it goes on for, the worse Niki gets at hiding it. He growls at trivial things but then immediately crumbles and apologizes like he’s a child about to be scolded, he stays behind after dance practices claiming he feels restless, and he struggles to look directly at any of the other alphas, especially Heeseung. Worst of all, Heeseung gets the sense that Niki himself doesn’t understand why he feels so out of place, and despite knowing that it’s his responsibility as head alpha to help fix it, he finds it difficult to make the step to do so when it’s somewhat his fault that Niki feels this way.
They’re at dance practice when Heeseung is finally forced to face how deeply his negligence is affecting Niki. It’s an independent dance practice, so none of their usual coaches are present, and Niki is the one leading them through the choreography for their upcoming title track, Fatal Trouble. It’s still a relatively new dance to them, so everyone is making their fair share of errors while Niki gently corrects them and has them try again. It’s an extremely normal dance practice, with nothing to suggest that Niki is particularly agitated or on edge, until they’re at a part in the choreography where Heeseung is walking while the other six members dance around him. Heeseung walks just a little bit too slowly, and Niki ends up stepping on the back of his foot as a result, causing Heeseung to stumble forward. He manages to catch himself and not face plant directly into the ground, and after he’s righted himself, he turns around to apologize to Niki, knowing that it was his own fault he got stepped on. Except that Niki is already up on his feet and right in Heeseung’s face.
“What the hell was that, Heeseung?” Niki snarls, a growl already bubbling in the back of his throat as he instinctively straightens his back to emphasize that he’s now several inches taller than Heeseung. He’s so close that Heeseung can feel Niki’s breath on his face, and then before Heeseung can even react to the aggressive behaviour, Niki’s eyes widen and his expression shifts from furious to shocked. He shrinks down from where he was towering over Heeseung and tilts his head just slightly to the side, both to appear even smaller and so that he is baring his neck. “I-I’m sorry hyung, I didn’t mean to say that. I… I don’t-”
Heeseung anxiously glances around to their other packmates, and is embarrassed to see that, while all of them have concern painted on their faces, nobody looks particularly shocked; clearly all of them have noticed how dysregulated Niki has been and have simply not said anything to him. Jake in particular looks quite upset, and Heeseung feels like he can already hear him trying to find a way to make this his fault. The thought of Jake feeling guilty for something that is decidedly Heeseung’s responsibility is what finally pushes him to end this issue with Niki once and for all. It reflects poorly on Heeseung alone as head alpha for another alpha to have an outburst like this, especially with Niki being at the bottom of their hierarchy, and he refuses to let Jake take on any of the blame for it.
“Dance practice is over for today,” Heeseung announces, putting some authority in his voice even though it probably isn’t necessary. He doubts anyone would argue with him after what just happened, but he’s not in the mood to even risk it. Without waiting for a response, he grabs Niki by the back of the neck and ushers him out of the dance room, the action drawing a whimper from Niki as soon as they’re out in the hallway. Nobody attempts to follow them.
“Heeseung-hyung, I swear I didn’t mean to posture at you, I don’t know why I did that,” Niki says, his voice pitching up anxiously. Heeseung can smell the fear rolling off of their maknae as he drags him through the halls of the HYBE building, a specific destination in mind. It’s a place that he knows exists for this exact purpose, but he’s never needed to utilize it before, so he has to think about where the room is for a moment.
“You’re not in trouble, Niki-yah,” Heeseung says, doing his best to sound reassuring while also keeping a more stern tone of voice. “This is my fault, I should have done this sooner.”
Niki gives him a confused glance and opens his mouth to speak when Heeseung suddenly turns them sharply towards a door. It doesn’t have a room number or any kind of label at all, with the exception of a little sign that reads ‘Open For Use’ hanging off of a hook beside the door frame. Heeseung pushes the door open and flips the sign so it instead reads ‘Closed For Cleaning’ , then leads Niki inside and finally lets go of his neck. He shuts and locks the door while Niki takes in the space: it has frankly terrible vibes, the room unnaturally devoid of smells with both padded walls and floors and absolutely no furniture.
“Hyung, what is going on?” he asks as he turns back to Heeseung, not sounding reassured by the look of the room in the slightest. Heeseung takes in a breath, knowing that this will likely end up being an embarrassing and awkward conversation for both of them, but also that it’s completely necessary, if not overdue.
“You haven’t really been yourself ever since your presentation, Niki-yah. Most people have a handle on their alphas within a few months, but we’re four months out and you’re still acting like you presented yesterday," Heeseung says, deciding to just put it as bluntly as possible rather than trying to sugarcoat the problem. Niki’s cheeks burn red at the accusation, but he doesn’t dispute it either. “The first thing you did as an alpha was go after your head alpha’s courtmate, and because I don’t know how to say no to you, I let it happen. Now your wolf doesn’t know where he stands in our pack anymore.”
Niki seems taken aback by Heeseung’s assessment of the issue, taking a few seconds to process it. “But you always corrected me? I had to submit to you once,” Niki says eventually, although he doesn’t sound that sure of himself. Heeseung shakes his head.
“We were already past that point by then,” he says. He turns to a part of the wall where the padding looks a bit irregular to reveal there is a small shelving unit hidden behind it, and then starts to strip off his shirt while also toeing off his shoes. Niki’s eyes widen, and Heeseung gestures towards Niki. “Take off anything you don’t want to get damaged.”
Niki obediently starts to remove his own shirt and shoes despite his confusion, also electing to copy Heeseung when the older alpha cuffs his baggy sweatpants up to his knees. Heeseung takes his and Niki’s belongings and tucks them into the shelving unit before handing him a ratty white tank top; it has also been completely wiped of any scents, despite the fact that it has clearly been worn many times, as it is covered in rips and holes. Upon closer inspection, Niki realizes that many of them look suspiciously like they’ve been created by teeth.
Heeseung watches Niki carefully as realization dawns on his face. At first he looks a little hurt, before it morphs into something more severe. “We… you’re going to try to make me feel better by fighting me?” Niki asks. He sounds deeply skeptical, almost accusing, as though Heeseung might just be looking for an excuse to attack him. Heeseung nods, pulling a tank top on as well.
“Yep. I think it’s exactly what your wolf needs, and probably mine too. Our pack hierarchy is out of whack, and this is the most effective way to fix it,” he says, finally closing the shelf. When he turns back to Niki, the younger alpha once again looks anxious, and Heeseung’s heart instantly softens. “You trust me, don’t you, Niki-yah?”
Niki swallows thickly, but nods right away. “Yeah. Yeah, of course I trust you, hyung.”
Heeseung nods once as well, then guides them more to the middle of the room. Niki continues to stare at Heeseung expectantly with his shoulders up near his ears, like he thinks Heeseung might just start whaling on him without warning, but Heeseung feels they need to set some rules first. “Remember that we’re still idols, yeah? No aiming for the face, no bites anywhere that will be visible, nothing that will break any limbs. Avoid drawing blood if you can.”
Niki nods in agreement, but still doesn’t move, nor does Heeseung. He’d been hoping Niki would initiate, since he was technically the one who challenged Heeseung to begin with, but he still seems unsure. “… So we just fight now?” Niki asks awkwardly. Heeseung huffs and decides he needs to push some buttons.
“Yeah, whenever you’re ready. You’re not scared of me, right?” Heeseung teases, shifting his weight so that he is now posturing properly at the younger alpha. Niki tenses, his eyes narrowing. “You wanted to court Jake, right? You thought you had a shot with my omega? Prove it then, pup.”
Like a switch has flipped, Niki’s lip curls back and a growl ripples through the room. He crouches down like a puma hunting its prey, and something about the stance unlocks a primal part of Heeseung that he’s managed to keep control over thus far. While he’s aware that it’s still Niki, their maknae who is sweet and affectionate and shy behind his cool exterior, it’s also another alpha, one who wants Heeseung’s omega, and he is not going to let him off easy anymore.
“You knew,” Niki hisses, angry and accusatory. He sounds feral . “You knew I wanted him before you ever started courting and you did it anyway.”
Heeseung snorts, and Niki growls again in response. “He was mine long before you decided you wanted him. You never had a chance,” Heeseung taunts, and finally Niki moves, lunging at Heeseung’s neck with a snarl. Heeseung intercepts the action, grabbing him by the forearms and shoving him backwards hard enough that Niki stumbles and nearly falls on his ass. He quickly springs back into a defensive stance, only slightly rattled by how easily Heeseung deflected him. “Come on, puppy. If you think you can challenge your head alpha, then fucking do it.”
A thunderous, deep growl rips itself from Niki’s throat as he pounces at Heeseung again, this time putting enough of his body weight behind the action that it sends them tumbling to the ground. Heeseung finally snarls back as Niki pins him to the ground, nails digging into Heeseung’s shoulders as he bares his teeth in Heeseung’s face. Heeseung is quick to grab Niki’s wrists and push him away to create more space between their bodies, allowing him to bring up a leg and kick Niki off of him. Niki yelps as he hits the ground, but stands up once he realizes Heeseung is already getting back on his feet too.
Heeseung doesn’t wait for Niki this time, tackling the younger alpha and pinning him to the ground at the hips. Niki snaps and hisses at Heeseung like a wild animal, nails scratching at the older alpha’s body until Heeseung is able to grab his hands and interlock their fingers. They struggle against each other for a few seconds, Niki bucking his hips up to try to destabilize Heeseung, but all it does is cause Niki himself to be distracted long enough that Heeseung is able to grab his wrists again and pin them on the ground beside his head. Niki continues to fight against Heeseung’s hold, a distressed whine slipping out as Heeseung only further intertwines their legs, making it truly impossible for Niki to move. Heeseung lets out a warning growl and ducks down to let his teeth graze against Niki’s neck, which causes Niki to completely freeze. Heeseung also stops moving, taking a moment to catch his breath, when he suddenly catches the faintest smell of arousal in the air. He’s initially a little surprised and not sure how to react, but the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks that it’s kind of cute that the younger alpha is getting off on submitting to him.
“Done already, pup?” he asks, voice dripping with condescension as he smirks against Niki’s neck, but that only fires Niki up all over again. The maknae roars and thrashes violently, taking Heeseung by surprise so that he loses his grip and tumbles off, although he is fast to get back on his feet and into a defensive position. They circle each other for a few seconds, both heaving and growling, until Niki once again pounces forward. He doesn’t make any attempts to knock Heeseung over this time, instead grabbing one of his arms and using it as leverage to wrench him forward. He wraps his arms around Heeseung’s chest from behind, one of the older alpha’s wrists still trapped in a tight grip, and then latches onto Heeseung with his teeth, leaving several bites across his shoulder. Heeseung cries out loudly, fighting the urge to immediately yank himself away; if he does that while Niki’s teeth are still embedded in his skin, it will only result in ripping off a chunk of flesh from his shoulder, and that would be infinitely worse than a series of shallow bites. It becomes significantly more difficult to fight the urge when the arousal in Niki’s scent becomes stronger, his alpha thrashing furiously in his chest at the implication that the other alpha wants to dominate him in such a personal way.
There is a moment where Niki seems to forget what he’s doing, so caught up in biting Heeseung that he pauses to lick over one of the reddened indents while a short rumble erupts from his chest, and Heeseung takes it as an opportunity to forcefully shove Niki away with his shoulder. It causes Niki to fall backwards enough that Heeseung is able to escape his arms, but Niki’s grip on his wrist causes him to stumble as he pulls himself away. He hits the ground hard as a result, landing on his hands and knees, and for a moment he is very thankful that the floor is covered in padding. He moves to stand up, but is forced back down as Niki reattaches to his back. He gasps in surprise as Niki tries to press his shoulders towards the floor, the younger alpha properly aligning their bodies until the front of his thighs are pressed into the back of Heeseung’s. It makes Heeseung’s already enraged alpha even more frenzied to end up in such a position, and then he feels a hand move from his shoulder to his hip, followed by Niki’s erection pressing against his ass, and Heeseung decides he’s done messing around.
Heeseung swings a leg forward to plant his foot on the ground, then uses all of his body weight to throw Niki off of him as he stands up again. The speed of it takes an already distracted Niki completely off guard, and the younger alpha ends up on his back as a result. Heeseung spins around and lets out a truly threatening snarl as he towers over the maknae, enough that the hairs on the back of Niki’s neck stand up and he seems to be unable to move from his spot on the floor. With that, Heeseung lunges onto Niki and immediately sinks his teeth into the first thing his teeth come into contact with, which happens to be Niki’s collarbone. Niki thrashes and wails as Heeseung leaves a trail of nasty bites on his chest and shoulder, his hands eventually coming up in an attempt to shove Heeseung away, but the older grabs his wrists once more and pins them to the ground as easily as he had before.
Heeseung can smell that Niki is starting to feel frantic as his flailing fails to shake off the older alpha this time, but the smell of arousal that had already started to permeate the air also gets even stronger. Niki bucks his hips up in another attempt to throw Heeseung off, but it only makes Heeseung squeeze his legs tighter on either side of him. Niki moans loudly at this, his hips coming up again in a way that feels less like he’s trying to escape from Heeseung and more like a deliberate roll, his cock in search of stimulation. Heeseung huffs and shoves Niki’s hips down more forcefully, eliciting a snappy growl that trails off into a submissive whine. He lifts his head from Niki’s shoulder, unsure what to make of such a noise, and finds his maknae practically shaking from his inner turmoil; the muscles in his arms and torso keep relaxing for a few seconds only to immediately tense up again, and tears have welled up in his waterline. He’s so close to submitting, but his alpha just won’t let him.
Submit to me, pup, submit to me.
“Let it go, Niki-yah,” Heeseung says, using his full authoritative voice and rocking his hips down into Niki’s as he does. Niki’s back arches up at the command and he whimpers pitifully, and for the first time Heeseung realizes just how badly he wants Niki to submit to him. He may have started this fight to help Niki feel better, but he’s now possessed with the need to see Niki give up and fall limp underneath him.
And then instead Niki growls, shaking his head as the arch in his back collapses back onto the floor. He strains against Heeseung’s grip on his wrists, but it’s half-hearted, and as soon as he stops, Heeseung lets go of them entirely so that he can grab Niki’s waist and flip him over. Niki squawks at the sudden movement, his whole body falling flat against the floor, and Heeseung uses his shock to his advantage, grabbing both of the maknae’s wrists in one hand to pin them against the floor while using his other hand to tug Niki’s hips up off the floor. He shoves a leg in between Niki’s and it immediately draws a soft keen from the younger alpha, his hips instinctively relaxing backwards as he tries to increase the friction against his cock. The arousal is so thick in the air that Heeseung has to swallow his own moan as Niki stops fighting him, but his body is still tense in a way that Heeseung isn’t satisfied with. He drags his hand up to rest on Niki’s stomach, nails scratching pale marks into the skin, and then growls into the junction between Niki’s neck and shoulder.
“Come on, pup. That’s enough,” Heeseung says, his tone soothing but still authoritative, and then as if possessed, he sinks his teeth into Niki’s scent gland. It’s not enough to break the skin, but it’s a much harder bite than any of his previous ones, and instantly Niki goes limp like a ragdoll. Heeseung groans loudly into Niki’s neck at the display, happy to see Niki finally give in, and gets a series of submissive chirps in response. He stays still for a minute, waiting for Niki to relax even further, before eventually letting go so that he can sit up and actually assess how the younger alpha is doing. Niki doesn’t move even after Heeseung stops pinning him in place, and despite the arousal still clouding the room, his expression is calm and relaxed.
Heeseung’s alpha preens in his chest, pleased that he was able to settle his packmate and properly establish his rank in their pack. He thrusts his hips one time against Niki’s to see if he’ll get any resistance, but the only response he receives is a breathy whimper. Heeseung’s heart pounds as he moves away from Niki entirely to stand in front of him, the other still not moving even as Heeseung stares down at him.
“You’re fine now,” Heeseung says once he’s satisfied by Niki’s obedience. His hushed voice feels like it booms with how quiet the room is, especially in contrast to how loud it had been during their fight. Niki slowly starts to move, although he doesn’t stand all the way up, instead electing to kneel at Heeseung’s feet and rest his forehead against the other alpha’s thigh. It sends a thrill down Heeseung’s spine, so he runs his fingers through Niki’s hair fondly and lets out a happy rumble from his chest, which Niki is quick to respond to with his own rumble. He tugs gently on Niki’s hair until he looks up at Heeseung with starry eyes that make the older alpha’s stomach feel molten; all he can think about is how much he likes seeing Niki like this, completely pliant and submissive. “Do you feel any better?”
Niki nods, dislodging Heeseung’s hand from his hair. He cups Niki’s chin instead, and the younger alpha automatically nuzzles into the hand offered. Heeseung has to bite back another moan. “Yes. Quieter inside my head,” Niki says, his words short and clipped in a way that Heeseung can’t help but compare to how Jake talks when he’s nearing an orgasm. Niki settles a little further on his knees, making himself look smaller, and tilts his head back slightly so that he’s baring his neck to Heeseung properly. The new position also makes Heeseung aware of the fact that Niki is still hard. “Thank you, alpha.”
Heeseung nearly chokes on a sharp inhale of air. Niki’s voice addressing him as ‘alpha’ bounces around in his head until he is suddenly consumed with the urge to kiss Niki, and that snaps him back into reality. He doesn’t give in to that impulse, but does use his grip on Niki’s face to pull him upwards until Niki is more upright on his knees. Then he leans in—luckily not that far, due to how tall Niki is—and gently presses their nose bridges and foreheads together. It’s something he’s seen Jake do with Niki many times despite not really being an actual pack gesture, so he’s not entirely sure that Niki will let him do it, but the younger alpha reciprocates it enthusiastically, letting out a few more happy chirps.
After a few seconds, Heeseung straightens up again. “Let’s go home, pup,” he says, suddenly exhausted. Niki nods in agreement, letting Heeseung help him stand back up. They’re completely silent as they return to the hidden shelving unit, removing the borrowed tank tops that are now even more ruined, and changing into their own clothes. Heeseung finds a small bottle of lotion in the cupboard meant to partially mask a person’s scent—not enough that they will smell scentless, but enough to cover intense smells like aggression or arousal—and puts some of it into his hands, rubbing it into the scent glands on his neck. Then he pours more into his hands and turns to Niki, pleased when he stands still obediently and lets Heeseung put it on him as well. They abandon the dirty tank tops on the floor near the door, having nowhere else to put them, and then finally leave the room.
They both continue with their silence during the ride home, Niki resting his head on Heeseung’s shoulder while Heeseung ignores the throbbing from the bite marks littering that same shoulder. It’s not until they’re back at the alpha den and go to their own rooms that Heeseung allows himself to process how good he’d felt when Niki had finally submitted to him. It’s perfectly natural for a head alpha to feel pleased when an alpha lower in the hierarchy submits, and getting aroused during an alpha fight isn’t particularly unusual either, so he hadn’t thought anything of it initially. But as soon as he’d seen Niki on his knees, cock hard from submitting and the title alpha falling from his lips, Heeseung knew that he was facing a different beast. He’s very confident that he wouldn’t have felt the same way if it had been Sunghoon or Jay kneeling for him, but it was also entirely different from the arousal he feels when he’s with Jake. This is something new altogether, and unfortunately, something that he may not ever have the opportunity to fully sort out.
A knock on his door pulls Heeseung out of the pit he’d been sinking into. He sits up straighter on his bed and calls for whoever knocked to come in, and then a moment later, Niki is slipping into his bedroom. He looks a little embarrassed as he closes the door behind him, contrasting with how calm he’d been when they’d gone their separate ways earlier. It takes all of Heeseung’s willpower not to stare at Niki’s neck, an angry red bite mark on full display in his sleep clothes. It almost looks like a claiming bite.
“I was having trouble falling asleep,” Niki admits quietly. His facial expression makes Heeseung feel like he’s not being entirely truthful, plus it’s still kind of early to be going to bed, but he also can’t bring himself to call his maknae’s bluff. “Can I sleep in here? Just for tonight.”
Heeseung starts making space before Niki even finishes asking. Relief floods Niki’s face as Heeseung lifts the edge of his blanket in invitation, and he happily climbs into the bed, snuggling into Heeseung’s side as the older alpha lays down beside him.
“Thanks, hyung,” Niki mumbles eventually. Heeseung smiles to himself, knowing that Niki isn’t talking about the bed.
“Always, pup.”
~ * ~
Later that night, as Heeseung lays on his back with Niki sprawled out on top of him, nose digging into the scent gland on Heeseung’s neck and clinging to his torso like a koala bear, he can’t help but feel that he may be deeply fucked.