Chapter Text
When NCT had voted on Johnny to be their head alpha before their debut, it had been a unanimous decision. Only Johnny had doubted his own capabilities, mainly due to lack of experience. He had trained with the EXO members, after all, and they had treated him like a foreign baby brother.
With time though, he naturally became the group’s unofficial pillar of strength. It matched well with Taeil’s beta-like sensibilities and Taeyong’s nurturing directions as head omega. Both physically and mentally, he supported all twenty-something boys whenever they faltered. Even the youngest members flocked to Johnny for guidance, no longer viewing their insecurities as a weakness.
Of course, it also helped that Johnny always kept himself approachable. He had a typical alpha temper…but he could joke around with a complete stranger. He was the tallest and strongest member in the group…but he preferred to wear baggy clothes that made him feel small. His plushie collection also rivaled anything the Dreamies owned.
Johnny blamed his subgender for his preference for cute things. It was in his genetics to want to take care of weaker, more fragile creatures. Stuffed animals, puppies…a certain Chinese omega.
He had expected the infatuation to disappear or at least diminish over time. No such luck. Being part of songs and even reality shows together only kept his attraction alive. It was all Johnny could do to not let his alpha instincts take over and treat the omega like glass, especially when the latter was far from helpless. Distance certainly made the heart grow fonder…but it also prevented Johnny from making a fool of himself.
So, when Taeyong had informed the rest of 127 that WayV would be living with them while their dorm underwent construction, no one was more excited or troubled than the American alpha.
If he had any chance of making it through the next month, Johnny knew he couldn’t do it alone.
He sat on the spare bed across from Jaehyun after locking the bedroom door, much to the younger man’s concern. “Mind telling me what’s so secretive and serious?” he asked, leaning over to see what Johnny was scribbling on Jaehyun’s song-writing notebook.
“I’m trying to figure out the roommate situation with WayV coming tonight,” Johnny muttered distractedly. He scratched out a couple names then drew arrows around others.
Jaehyun cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Like assigning roommates? Just let them figure it out. I’m sure everyone will just go wherever they want.”
Johnny huffed then flipped to a new sheet of paper. “It’s not that simple. Haechan is going to sleep over at the Dream dorm while WayV is here, right? So that means someone will share a room with me. You know Tae and Ten are going to insist they sleep in the same bed--let alone the same room. Yuta will probably bite my hand off if I show him a diagram that doesn’t include Sicheng with him and Taeil.”
“Okay,” Jaehyun snorted. “I still don’t really see the problem. Oh, don’t forget to add that Xiao will be sleeping in here. If Yuta and Taeyong hyungs are playing the boyfriend card, I am too.”
Johnny finally looked up long enough to glare. “Really? You can’t take someone else too? It’s not like Xiaojun will actually spend any time on this bed.”
Jaehyun had the nerve to smirk then, as if Johnny’s life wasn’t currently flashing before his eyes. “His heat is supposed to happen next week. I don’t think anyone wants to be a part of that.”
“Whatever,” Johnny huffed. “Then that leaves Yangyang, Hendery, and Lucas.”
“And Kun.”
Johnny swallowed hard but didn’t comment on Jaehyun’s correction. “Well, there’s enough space in Mark’s room for a spare bed. Jungwoo’s too.”
“Yeah, and you know Jungwoo will demand Lucas stays with him and Yangyang would love to room with Mark. Hendery will probably bounce around. That just puts Kun and you together, and you’re closest in age anyway.”
Johnny shook his head before he could stop himself. “No, Kun can’t stay with me.”
“Why not?” Jaehyun asked curiously. “Kun’s probably the easiest roommate, even easier than Xiao. Did you two have an argument recently?”
Johnny contemplated ignoring the younger alpha’s confusion and pretending he hadn’t said a word. Of course, then Jaehyun would have likely tattled on him to Taeyong, and Johnny was currently too stressed to endure their leader’s wrath. At least if he had to slip up in front of anyone, Jaehyun could keep a secret when it concerned affairs of the heart.
“No, the complete opposite actually,” Johnny mumbled.
“So you don’t want to share a room with Kun because you guys are on good terms?” he teased. “Makes perfect sense.”
Johnny threw a pillow at his confidante’s face, too quickly for Jaehyun to duck. “No, moron! It’s because there’s no way I can trust myself alone with him for an entire month.”
Jaehyun sobered immediately, though he still paused long enough for his brain to catch up with the older man’s confession. “Wait, really? Don’t, like, go into too much detail, but what exactly do you not trust yourself to do with him?”
“What do you think?” he sighed. Johnny crumpled up one of the discarded papers and tossed it at Jaehyun next. “Remember how horny and obnoxious you were the two weeks before you and Xiaojun got together? Just picture that, but add a month-long sleepover.”
Jaehyun gasped and sat up straighter, finally appreciating the gravity of the elder’s secret. “Dude, are you serious? Since when? That’s awesome! I had no idea you and Kun were a thing!”
“Lower your voice,” Johnny hissed. He shot a paranoid glance toward the door while Jaehyun chuckled. “We’re not a thing.”
“But you like him, right?” Jaehyun urged, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You guys totally need to room together. That’ll bring everything out in the open.”
“I’m trying to not bring anything out,” Johnny argued. .
Jaehyun rolled his eyes at his friend’s stubbornness. “Why not? I never imagined you two as a couple, but I think I understand now that you mentioned it. You’d be cute together--like an old married couple.”
Johnny couldn’t deny the vocalist’s comparison. He’d always been a more traditional alpha, ever since he was old enough to recognize his values. Nothing was more important in his mind than a family or pack. A career was a noble motivation, but only if it supported his future omega.
Kun had acted like a parental figure to the Dreamies and Chinese line since before his debut. Johnny’s alpha had naturally admired him, until one day his admiration became something a little more intimate. Becoming WayV’s leader had only made Kun more confident. Johnny couldn’t help thinking that confidence made the omega beautiful.
“So how long have you been crushing?” Jaehyun demanded, grinning and bouncing excitedly. It wasn’t every day that he got to witness the head alpha looking flustered. He’d have to tell Xiaojun about it later, although he’d leave out Kun’s name to honor some of Johnny’s privacy.
“I don’t even know,” Johnny groaned. “It’s like one day I was interested, then the next day I was obsessed. It’s fine when I’m not around him, but the company keeps pushing all of us together lately. Don’t get me wrong--I love spending time with him and the rest of WayV. It’s just getting harder to not act like a controlling and possessive alpha when I see him hanging out with the other guys or struggling with something. I nearly snapped at Lucas last week when he helped Kun out of the waterslide before I could! That’s not normal!”
“Whoa,” Jaehyun marveled, his eyes shining with laughter he didn’t dare vocalize. “You’ve got it bad, huh?”
His shoulders sagged in defeat. “So bad,” Johnny admitted.
“I think Kun’s great, but why is he the one riling your alpha?” Jaehyun asked next. “Everyone knows you had flings with Taeyong and Ten before those two finally got together. Kun must be fulfilling a different kind of need.”
Johnny suddenly regretted choosing Jaehyun’s room for sanctuary. He hadn’t expected for all of his plans to become a therapy session. “Yeah, I’m probably closer to Taeyong and Ten than I am with most of the group,” he agreed. “And I think they’re wonderful. They would be great partners for anyone, especially an alpha that prefers omegas.”
“Just not you?”
Johnny tilted his head back against the wall and hummed. Truthfully, he hadn’t ever considered why Kun was the one omega who could make his inner alpha bare its throat. “All three of them have a lot in common, at least physically,” he noted. “They’re all really small and pretty. My alpha likes that.”
“Your alpha has a size kink,” Jaehyun snorted. “But go on.”
Johnny wished there was something else for him to throw at the younger man, but he settled for kicking the air between them. “Yeah, but it’s more than that. You know that I lean more toward omegas anyway, so I guess it makes sense that my alpha prefers standard omega behavior. Tae and Ten are a lot of fun, but they don’t always act like the typical omega. Hell, they’ve both told me off more times than I can count. It’s incredible how independent they are…but it doesn’t really stroke my alpha ego, if you know what I mean.”
Jaehyun scoffed, because he always knew what Johnny meant.
“I think my instincts must not really align with theirs,” Johnny continued, speaking more freely as he pieced his own thoughts together. “Not just them either, but any other omega I’ve met. It’s different with Kun because he’s different. I like that he calls me ‘hyung’ and looks at me like he values my judgment as an alpha. I like feeling like an alpha.”
“And he makes you feel like one,” Jaehyun concluded with a low whistle. “That’s impressive, especially since he has no clue. He doesn’t, right?”
Johnny ran a hand over his face and groaned. “He probably doesn’t even know I view him as more than a friend.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jaehyun demanded. “Now’s your chance! Make him your roommate and then confess.”
“This isn’t a k-drama! What would I do if he rejected me or doesn’t feel the same way? Keep sharing a room with him and hope I don't make the next decade of our careers painfully awkward?”
“Dude, you’re the one who made me tell Xiaojun how I felt,” Jaehyun reminded earnestly. “And I still regret not confessing a year sooner. We wasted a lot of time wishing we were together instead of just getting together.”
Johnny only shook his head again. “First of all, everyone knew Xiaojun had a huge crush on you too,” he deadpanned. “You really didn’t have anything to lose. Secondly, I’ve never felt this way before--at least, my alpha’s never felt like this. I really don’t trust myself to not act like I’ve already claimed him.”
Smiling sympathetically, Jaehyun stood and patted his friend’s shoulder. “Well, I trust you and I know Kun does too. If it’ll make you feel better though, I’ll help keep Kun out of your room. Just put him with Yangyang and Mark and let Hendery sleep in your room.”
Johnny doubted the next month would actually go so smoothly, but ignorance was bliss.
Xxx
While there were only seven idols in WayV, the younger members barged inside the 127 dorm like a stampede of wild animals. Johnny vaguely heard Kun scolding his boys from the back of the group, though his voice sang softly with fondness. His alpha practically purred at the sound.
Until construction was finished, Kun--and the rest of the Chinese subunit--was his guest. Johnny could hardly wait to pamper the dimpled omega or see the latter make himself at home. He wanted Kun to feel comfortable…even if he had to rely on the American alpha for the first couple of weeks.
“No running!” Kun called to deaf ears. “We can’t afford to renovate this dorm too!”
Like a magnet, he suddenly turned to the side to find the alpha staring at him. Kun’s face instantly brightened and erased all remnants of exhaustion. If seeing Johnny revived him, then Kun couldn’t imagine what the omega’s smile did to him.
Johnny swore he glided across the floor, more like an angel than a mere mortal. “Hello, hyung!” Kun greeted cheerfully. “Thank you again for letting us stay here. Where’s Taeyong hyung? I’ll have to thank him too.”
“No need to thank us. You’re welcome here any time,” Johnny offered. A moment later he added, “All of you are.”
Kun only flashed a warm smile and bowed respectfully. He must not have noticed the way Johnny bit his lip to bite back a pleased growl. If he did, he couldn’t comment on it before they had company.
“Come on, Kun ge!” Hendery cried, while Yangyang and Xiaojun each took a hand to pull Kun farther inside. “We told the others that we’d order pizza for everyone. It’s your treat this time!”
Kun rolled his eyes and mumbled a few harsh words in Chinese that Johnny couldn't understand. However, he also couldn’t miss the good-natured smile that Kun gave the hyper trio. He truly was a perfect parent, even without a child or mate to call his own.
“Hyung? Johnny hyung did you hear me? Are you okay?”
Johnny shook the unexpected fantasies out of his head then glanced down to find Kun staring up at him with wide, concerned eyes. “Um, sorry. I was just distracted for a second,” Johnny apologized and cleared his throat. “What did you say?”
Kun frowned, not fully convinced, but accepted the alpha’s words as gospel.
Just like the good omega he was.
“I asked where I should set my bags?” Kun repeated patiently.
Before Johnny could send Kun to the opposite side of the dorm at a safe distance from any alpha instincts, Jaehyun walked up. No doubt he tried to save Johnny from everyone’s attention. Whatever he wanted to say, though, disappeared as soon as Xiaojun noticed him.
“Lover!” he gasped and ran directly into the 97-liner’s arms. Xiaojun moaned happily the second he made contact with the elder’s chest. “God, you smell good.” Jaehyun flushed red all the way up to his ears before guiding his Chinese boyfriend somewhere private.
“Well, I guess we know who Xiaojun’s rooming with,” Yangyang snorted.
Mark came up then as well. “Hey, guys! Yeah, we’ve all got our rooms ready to share. We figured all the couples would be nesting up anyway. There’s enough space in my room for both of you guys, and I already set up the gaming consoles. Kun hyung, you’re welcome to stay with us too, but you’d probably be more comfortable in your own bed in Johnny’s room. Come on, guys!” Hendery and Yangyang didn’t need to be told twice to follow Mark to his room, effectively abandoning their leader with the American alpha.
Kun reminded them to behave once more, but even he knew they were ignoring him. He sighed to himself then turned around again, his attention fully on Johnny now. “I guess it’s just us then, hyung,” he laughed softly. “Can you show me the way to your room?”
Johnny doubted Kun knew how deadly his words were.
If he did, then there was no way he’d survive an entire month.
“Sure,” he answered and hoped Kun didn’t hear the way he stuttered. “Just follow me.”