Chapter Text
One month later
Felix has been trying; he really has been trying to bond with the rest of the pack, but it feels like the more he tries, the more it refuses to happen. He’s been spending time with everyone individually as well as in pairs or as groups, but it just won’t happen. It’s frustrating because he wants it so bad. He wants to feel that connection that he has with Chan and Hyunjin with all of them. And while the others may not admit it, he knows they want it too, but no matter how hard he tries, he isn’t able to give them that particular gift.
Speaking of gifts, Chan just told Felix that they booked a reservation at a restaurant for Felix and Jisung’s baby shower. They’d decided it makes sense to do them both at the same time, even though Felix is only about two months into his pregnancy. Chan also told him that they invited another pack that they’re close friends with. Felix is a bit nervous about the idea of meeting so many new people, but he’s mostly excited, considering his mates seem to be very excited about finally getting to meet up with them again, since it’s been so long.
They’ve just finished lunch, where Chan announced the surprise baby shower to the rest of the pack. For the most part, Felix trusts that if his pack likes and trusts this other pack, then he’ll be fine. Though there’s another part of him that wants to know what he’s walking into and what to expect tonight.
With that thought in mind, Felix follows Seungmin into the kitchen, where he’s working on cleaning up after their lunch. He sits quietly on one of the barstools, trying to decide the most polite way to ask about the pack they’ll be meeting tonight.
Seungmin speaks before he can, though not even looking up from the dish he’s washing, “You’re overthinking something. What’s up?”
Felix sighs and decides to just go for it, “The pack we’re meeting tonight, how many people are in it?”
“They have eight people in the pack, same as ours now.”
“Tell me about them.” Felix requests.
“Hongjoong is their main alpha, like Chan is for our pack. Seonghwa is the oldest; he’s an omega, but he tends to take the lead when needed sometimes. They also have three other omegas, Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San. Then there’s Jongho, he’s a beta. The last two are alphas, Mingi and Yunho. I think you’ll like them, especially the omegas. Wooyoung can get a bit wild, but Hongjoong keeps him in line. If anything makes you uncomfortable, though, just let us know. Their dynamic is pretty similar to ours; everyone pitches in, and there’s no stereotypical subgender roles.”
His words make Felix feel a bit better, but he’s still a bit nervous. When Felix doesn’t respond, Seungmin looks over at him and finds him lost in thought. After finishing the dish he’s washing, the beta dries his hands and walks around the bar to stand in front of Felix.
He cups his cheeks gently and says to him, “You don’t have to worry, Angel. We’ll be with you the whole time, and we wouldn’t have invited anyone we don’t completely trust.”
Felix looks up at him and leans into his hand, “Thank you, Minnie. I trust you. It’s just going to be a new experience for me, but I'm trying to remind myself that new doesn’t always mean bad.”
“You’re welcome.” Seungmin drops a quick kiss on Felix's cheek before he goes to continue the dishes.
~~~
Felix is panicking, just a little bit. Though he doesn’t know why, it really is the stupidest thing ever. He shouldn’t be this worked up over not having anything to wear to dinner. He’s looked through both his closet and dresser about three times, but can’t seem to find anything nice enough for this occasion. Chan told everyone to dress nicely, but not exactly formal, and until this exact moment, Felix had no need for nicer clothes. Most of what he owns is casual or just a step above, but still not quite nice enough for this event.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Felix pulls on his bond with Hyunjin, asking him to come see him without having to yell or go find him. It’s pretty convenient, especially for moments like this. Very soon after, the other omega enters his room and finds Felix surrounded by clothes, some tossed on the floor, others laid out on the bed, and in the middle of it all is a very upset-looking Felix. Feeling the need to comfort the pregnant omega, Hyunjin quickly moves into the room and wraps Felix in a hug, being careful not to step on the clothes tossed about.
Felix sniffles slightly, trying not cry and blaming any tears that do escape on his hormones as he mumbles into Hyunjin’s neck, “I don’t have anything to wear.”
As Felix takes a big inhale of his scent, Hyunjin replies, “I’ll find you something. What’s your favorite color?”
“Probably blue. Light blue specifically.” Felix answers as he pulls away and wipes the tears that escaped without his permission.
Hyunjin lights up and pulls Felix behind him as he tells him, “I’ve got just the thing, come with me.”
When they enter Hyunjin’s room, the omega quickly dashes into his closet and digs around for a moment. Felix hears the sound of shuffling and hangers clacking together before Hyunjin exits with a pair of white dress pants, a light blue shirt with ornate silver buttons on it, along with a pair of white dress shoes.
He holds the shirt and pants over each other and asks, “What do you think? All of these should fit you, except maybe the shoes, but you’ll have to try them on and see.”
Felix lets out a relieved sigh and feels like he can finally breathe again, “That’s perfect. I really should get some nicer clothes, so I don’t have to borrow yours, though.”
Hyunjin chuckles a bit as he hands the clothes to Felix and directs him to the bathroom, “We can do that another day, but for now, go get changed, and then I’ll do your hair.”
Felix places a thankful kiss on his cheek before going to get changed. He makes quick work of pulling on the clothes. Thankfully, everything fits, though once they’re on, he almost feels like he’s playing dress up as a kid. The clothes seem too nice for him, like he shouldn’t be wearing them. He pushes the negative thoughts out of his mind and walks back into the bedroom when Hyunjin is waiting for him, a chair pushed in front of his vanity mirror.
“Come sit,” Hyunjin instructs as he points to the chair in front of him.
Felix obeys easily and sits down carefully, not wanting to wrinkle the clothes too much. Hyunjin looks into the mirror as he runs his hands over his mate’s hair, a thoughtful look on his face.
“How do you feel about some braids?” The omega asks.
“I’ve never had them, so I’m not really sure. Do what you think will look good.”
Hyunjin nods and gets to work. He pulls a small section of hair from the right side and braids it before pinning it to the side. He then does the same on the other side. Then he pins the two braided sections together at the back with a sparkly silver clip. It’s fairly simple but adds a nice touch to the outfit, making it feel more elegant and complete.
Bringing his face next to Felix’s, Hyunjin says to him, “You look beautiful. Chan’s not going to know what to do with himself. ”
Felix blushes slightly as he answers, “Thank you for the save.”
“Always,” Hyunjin says before standing and leading Felix downstairs, where everyone else is already waiting for them.
He’s a bit embarrassed that he’s the last one ready, but the looks of love in his mates’ eyes wash away any negative feelings he had. They’re all looking at him like he’s the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen, and for once, Felix feels worthy of those looks.
When the two omegas reach the bottom of the stairs, Chan walks over to Felix and pulls him against his body, whispering in his ear, “You look lovely, Angel.”
Felix just smiles at him and allows himself ot be led outside to the car. Instead of taking the two separate cars like they normally do, they’ve decided to take the larger van so everyone can ride together. It’ll make it easier and ensure they all arrive at the same time.
The whole ride there, Felix is a bundle of nerves. He tries to remember Seungmin’s words from earlier that day, but he can’t help being nervous anyway. He tries to get out of the house as often as he can, but he’s never gone out with the intention of meeting new people, let alone a whole pack of them. The fact that most of them are omegas helps his anxiety a bit. It’s easier for him to trust omegas, but alphas and even betas are more difficult.
Before he knows it, the van is parked, and everyone starts piling out. As if he can sense Felix’s anxiety, Seungmin waits for him instead of walking ahead with some of the others. The beta guides Felix with a hand on his back. It acts as a grounding presence and actually does a good bit to calm him. Just knowing someone is there for him makes Felix feel much better.
The hostess guides them to a private room with a large table where the other pack is already waiting for them. They all stand to greet each other warmly, but Felix stays back with Seungmin for a moment before being introduced.
Soon Chan turns to him and motions him forward, and he speaks to the other pack, “This Felix. He’s another one of our mates and is the second pregnant omega I told you all about.”
The shortest of the alphas speaks, though Felix can’t tell if he’s excited or complaining a bit, “Chan, why didn’t you tell us you found another of your mates and that this party was for him. We thought we were shopping for Hyunjin.”
Chan chuckles at him, “I wanted to surprise everyone.”
Next, one of the omegas speaks, seeming to finally snap out of his initial shock at the news, “It’s nice to meet you, Felix. Apologies in advance if any of the gifts aren’t to your liking.”
Felix forces a response out through his nerves, “That’s okay. I’m not very picky, and I’m sure I’ll love whatever you brought."
The alpha from before speaks up again, “Why don’t we sit down and do some introductions?”
The others agree and take their seats. The table is huge, but Felix finds himself sandwiched between Chan and Minho in the middle of the long side. Beside Minho on his right is Jisung and Jeongin, then to his left, on the other side of Chan, are Seungmin and Changbin. Then Hyunjin is at the end of the table.
Once everyone is seated, the beta sitting beside Hyunjin introduces himself, “I’m Jongho.”
Next to him, the omega with toned arms speaks next, “Yeosang.”
They continue down the line, introducing themselves, “Yunho.”
The next omega nearly shouts, and Felix has a hunch as to who it is before he even speaks, “I’m Wooyoung!”
“Woo, you don’t have to shout. I’m Hongjoong.” The alpha speaks kindly despite his reprimand.
“I’m San.”
“Mingi.”
Then at the other end of the table, the last, more feminine-looking omega introduces himself, “And I’m Seonghwa.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you. If you don’t mind me asking, how did all of you meet?” Felix finds himself genuinely curious about this, rather than just asking to make small talk.
Seomghwa looks at Hongjoong with a smile and speaks up, “Our two workaholic alphas met when they were studying music production in college. Hyunjin and I met each other by chance, going to drag the two of them home from campus one night, and became fast friends. When we found that both of our mates were friends too, we decided to set up a hangout for the whole pack.”
To his left, Chan adds, “At that time, our pack only had me, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Seungmin, but we found most of the others over the next few years. Well, actually, Minho found me around the time I started working with JYP. His family has brought Jisung home, and when he found out the facility was a fake one, he wanted to help get it closed down. That’s how he and Jisung joined our pack. Jeongin was the last to join before you. I met him through my producing work, and when we realized we were mates too, he asked to join the pack.” Chan pauses for a moment before adding, “I can’t believe you’ve been with us all these months and we’ve never told you how we all met.”
After Chan Wooyoung asks Felix, “On that note, how did you join the pack, Felix?”
Felix knew this would likely come up, and he’s fine with answering, but he knows it’ll ruin the mood: “They rescued me from a fake care facility.”
Yeosnag’s head whips up at his words, “No way. That’s how San and I joined Hongjoong’s pack.”
“Are you serious?” Felix asks, genuinely surprised.
He’s shocked because his words didn’t seem to ruin anything; in fact, Yeosang seems excited to know he’s found someone with a shared background. He looks over at San as well, and he can hardly imagine that this incredibly buff omega came from the same background as him, too. He looks between the two of them, on opposite ends of the table, trying to figure out if they’re being serious. He doesn’t have to wonder for long, though, because San nods at the same time as Yeosang.
“That’s insane. How long were you two there?” Felix asks, not even thinking that this could be an inappropriate topic for dinner.
“I was there for about 5 or 6 years.” Yeosang answers.
San speaks next, “I came from the same facility, but I was only there for 3 years. They actually got us at the same time. God, that sounds so wrong, but it was truly the best thing that happened to me.”
“I completely agree. It’s been rough, but I’m doing much better, especially after being there for ten years.”
“Wow. That’s a long time. I don’t think I’d have made it that long, honestly.” San says in response.
The rest of the pack falls into quieter conversations as their omegas talk more about their backgrounds amongst themselves. Despite the heavy topic, the others are so proud of them for being able to openly discuss their stories. It definitely hasn’t always been that easy, especially for Felix, who was rescued more recently. Every now and then, Chan looks over at him as he talks and smiles, feeling incredibly proud to call him his mate.
~~~
By the time the dinner celebration is over, Felix feels comfortable with the majority of Hongjoong’s pack, especially the omegas. True to Seungmin’s words, he really does enjoy them and their company. They all gave great gifts to both him and Jisung despite the fact that they thought the gifts were for Hyunjin. Between the two of them, they received lots of diapers, wipes, pacifiers, travel bags, bottles, a monitor for the nursery, onesies, car seats, and a few extra smaller items. Felix is so grateful that these are things he doesn’t have to stress about buying, and his omega is very pleased with both the gifts and the attention he got tonight.
As they get ready to leave, Felix decides to exchange numbers with the omegas so they can keep in touch. Wooyoung suggests making a group chat for them, which Felix instantly agrees to. He’s never had friends, at least not in a long time, so having the opportunity to have them now feels so freeing and perfect.
All too soon, they’re parting ways and piling into the van to head home. As they start driving, though, Felix can feel his omega start to get agitated and tense, though he’s not sure why. Everyone is accounted for, and he has everything he came with and then some. Remembering what Hyunjin told him, Felix closes his eyes and tries to focus on his omega and figure out what it’s trying to tell him. When he does, he finds that she's much more panicked than he thought she was originally. He observes it, trying to keep himself calm to pick up on the message. For the life of him, he can't figure it out until a voice rings out with one word in his head.
STOP.
Felix can’t quite explain how he knows what to do next, but he just does, and shouts, “Stop the car. Right now!”
Chan slams the brakes and gets the van to a complete stop just in time to avoid a car that ran the red light at the intersection they were about to cross. The car honks its horn as it passes at full speed. Everyone in the car is a bit breathless when they realize that they narrowly missed being in a terrible accident. Chan pulls the car over to give everyone a moment to calm down.
The alpha then turns around and asks Felix, “How’d you know about that?”
“My omega was practically screaming at me. I swear she even managed to yell stop.” Felix admits.
From the seat behind him with Jisung, Minho speaks up, “Good job. I’m glad you're listening to her now. She probably just saved our lives.”
Everyone mumbles some form of agreement as Chan gets back on the road, much slower than before, though. Felix himself even finds himself agreeing with Minho’s words. He doesn’t even want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t listened to or tuned into what his omega was saying when he did. For a moment, he just allows himself to bask in the praise from his alpha and let himself feel proud of his actions.
~~~
When they arrive home, Felix doesn’t get far into the house before his wrist is gently held by Chan’s hand, and he’s pulled to the side.
Still standing in the foyer of the house, Chan speaks to him quietly, “I know my scent has been calming for you lately, but… I talked with Minho and Jisung tonight, and as long as you’re okay with it, we thought Minho could stay with you tonight, and I could stay with Jisung. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to be with Jisung like this, but if you’re not okay with it, that’s fine-”
Felix cuts off Chan’s rambling with a gentle kiss to his lips, when he pulls away, he reassures him, “Chan, it’s okay. My nest is full of your scent, so I’ll be okay for a night or even two or three if you want. I’d also love some time with Minho as well.”
Chan rests his forehead on Felix’s, “Are you sure, baby?”
“Yes. I promise I’ll be okay. I can always come steal a sweater if I need to as well.”
“Okay. If you change your mind, just come let me know, and we can switch back.”
Felis pushes him towards the stairs playfully at his worry and insistence, “I’ll be fine, Channie. Go on.”
Chan smiles and blows him a kiss as he leaves. Felix pretends to catch it and puts his hand over his heart, holding it close. He loves moments like these; they make him feel more alive and remind him of how much progress he’s made. Just as he thinks that, a pair of arms wrap around him from behind, and he feels someone rub their nose into his scent gland and take a big inhale. Despite not knowing who it is yet, he doesn’t startle, knowing he’s safe in the house.
“Hi, beautiful.” He recognizes that the voice belongs to Minho and leans back into his body.
“Hi, alpha,” Felix replies softly.
He doesn’t use that term very much, but for some reason, it felt right, so he allowed it. He turns around in Minho's arms and looks up at him. There’s an unreadable look in the alpha's eyes, but he smiles at him anyway.
Minho leans impossibly closer and asks, “Can I kiss you?”
Felix nods, and almost immediately, Minho’s lips are on his. They’re gentle and soft with just the right amount of intensity. Felix sighs into the kiss and relaxes fully into the alpha’s body, feeling blissful and loved. All too soon, Minho pulls away, but Felix doesn’t get the chance to protest before he’s picked up bridal style and carried up the stairs. He lets out a surprised scream but quickly relaxes in the alpha’s arms and leans his head onto his shoulder.
It’s at that moment that he realizes how tired he is. The only thing he wants right now is to curl up in his nest with Minho and sleep. When they enter his room, which Minho has only been in a handful of times, the alpha's eyes fall on Felix's nest. It catches him off guard, and he wonders how he missed the fact that he made his first real nest. When did this happen? How did he not know? He’s so lost in thought that he hardly realizes he’s stopped in the entrance to Felix’s room and is just staring at the omega’s nest.
Felix suddenly feels self-conscious about it from the way he’s staring and asks, “Do you not like it?”
Minho is quick to fix what he did by staring, “No. I actually love it; it looks beautiful. I was just thinking of how proud I am of you for making it.”
He walks further into the room and carefully sets Felix in his nest, and the omega tells him, “Innie helped a bit.”
“Maybe he did, but I still think it looks lovely,” Minho responds
“Thank you.” Felix says, blushing a bit before asking, “Will you join me?”
“Of course,” Minho says as he carefully enters the nest and pulls Felix close.
The two of them hardly talk, just lying there enjoying each other’s company and the silence. They stay cuddled up for quite a while, Minho running his hands through Felix’s hair or over his back every now and then. The omega is practically purring at the attention he’s getting. Chan has been staying with him most nights, and Hyunjin joins them sometimes, but the care he gets from Chan is so different from what Minho is giving him. It’s difficult to explain the difference, but with Minho it feels softer, more reverent, almost. It’s rare that Felix is able to spend time with him like this, considering he’s almost always with Jisung at night, so this moment is even more precious with that in mind.
At some point, Minho starts talking quietly, almost absentmindedly, “I meant what I said earlier. That I’m proud of you. You’ve grown and healed so much since you first got here. You’ve also been through a lot, but you’re still standing, and that’s another thing I’m proud of you for. I think I could talk all night listing everything I’m proud of you for and telling you all the reasons I love you.”
“Wait, what?” He asks to confirm the last of Minho’s words.
Felix was half asleep when he started speaking, but perked up at those last few words. Sure, he and Chan and some of the others have thrown out I love yous, but this one feels different for many reasons. Felix also realizes that the whole time they’ve been in his nest, that familiar warmth started growing in his chest. Instead of hoping too much or trying to force the bond, Felix just lets it happen.
Minho blushes but confirms his words, nudging Felix with his nose as he does, “I love you.”
The moment those words leave his mouth, Felix feels that amazing click in his chest signaling he’s formed his third bond in this pack. Minho feels it too and is so happy he now gets to share this with Felix. Through their new bond, he can tell Felix feels the same and is almost relieved to have this connection with him, too.
“I love you too, Min,” Felix says sleepily as he lets the warmth pull him under just as he had after bonding with both Hyunjin and Chan.