Chapter Text
They call a pack meeting the second they’re back at the dorms.
Though they hardly needed to go through the effort of fully calling one, as most of the members had hurried out the second that the doors opened to reveal Hao and Hanbin returning, to make sure that they were all right and hear the whole situation.
The story of what occurred at the company comes out as a rambled mess, words stringing together as Hao does his best to remember everything that was said, but he gets the important bits out.
That they’ll be getting a new manager somewhere in the next 48 hours, after the representative from his company vets them to make sure that there’s no chance of anything similar to last time happening again.
That the company isn’t going to be kicking the two of them out or forcing them to break the bond, because the representative from Yuehua covered for him and claimed that it was their idea not to break the bond.
“We might have to discuss it again in a few years once our contract expires, but…” Hao trails off, for now he doesn’t want to think about that future, about the eventuality that he and Hanbin might not be in the same group anymore.
But that’s a problem for future Hao to figure out, and Hao has a feeling that if he still feels the same about Hanbin as he does right now, they’ll find a way to make it work. Even if their pack might not look the same in the future, he refuses to imagine a future where Hanbin isn’t his mate.
“For now, they’re not making us break the mating bond,” Hanbin finishes for him, explaining to the group. “There’s going to be some public statement made and hopefully the choices Hao-hyung and I made won’t affect the group’s success too much,” Hanbin reaches out to take Hao’s hand.
He can feel Hanbin’s nervousness through their mating bond, so he squeezes Hanbin’s hand in reassurance, before telling all the other members of their pack, “I’m sorry for the mess we’ve made of all of this.”
“Don’t apologize,” Jiwoong tells them, ever the reliable eldest, “It’s been a rough journey, but we’re all pack now and bonded, we’ll figure out whatever else comes next together as a team.”
The rest of the boys chime in quickly in agreement.
Hao can’t help himself from smiling in relief that everything did work out in the end, for a while he hadn’t been sure that things would work out. He’d been so sure that he would lose Hanbin, and all of them, that he would have to be the one to leave the pack and the group. Knowing that he gets to keep this, the smiling faces of his pack members around him, is truly the biggest relief of them all.
And finally, everything’s fallen into their place.
It’s like Jiwoong had said, they’re all a pack now, and everyone is bonded together.
Well, almost everyone, except - “Wait, Hanbin and Gunwookie haven’t bonded yet!”
Hanbin shoots him a shocked look, “Hao-hyung, you can’t really be suggesting Gunwook-ah and I-”
“Yeah, no thanks, Hao-hyung, I’m good, really ,” Gunwook insists. “I don’t want to get between you and your mate, I’m okay not bonding with Hanbin-hyung.”
“Perfect, problem solved,” Hanbin says, looking relieved at how quickly Gunwook turned down Hao’s suggestion.
“No, no, not bonding with people is what got us in this mess in the first place,” Hao reminds them. “It doesn’t need to happen now, but it should happen at some point. If you could suffer through watching Jiwoong and Matthew help me with my heat, surely I can handle you pack bonding with Gunwookie.”
Hanbin, however, looks less sure, “I’m not sure that’s the best idea, last time didn’t go so well.”
Hao grimaces at the reminder of how he dropped.
“It didn’t go well because back then, I believed that you didn’t love me, and I thought you were rejecting me,” Hao tells him. “Now, I know the truth, and I know that what’s best for our pack is that everyone is bonded, so we can all look after each other.”
“Hao-hyung, I-”
“It’s no use fighting him when he’s made his mind up on something,” Gyuvin jumps in, to stop Hanbin from trying to reject his plan. “Hao-hyung can be incredibly stubborn when he wants to be.”
At Gyuvin’s side, Ricky nods in agreement.
Hao should probably be a bit offended, especially considering that he’s pretty sure Gyuvin did not mean that as a compliment, but Hao is stubborn and will be getting his way on this matter, so he lets it go.
Especially when he sees Hanbin give in and accept Hao’s plan, at least a little bit.
“Maybe during Gunwook-ah’s next heat, depending on the circumstances, and if he wants,” Hanbin relents.
That’s probably going to be months from now, but Hao figures that’s the best he’s going to get at this point in time, so he doesn’t bother arguing it.
And so it reminds him - “Speaking of which, I wanted to say even though Hanbin and I are mates now, officially, I’m still willing to do my duty as an omega of this pack.”
While Hanbin had been willing to consider the idea of helping Gunwook with his heat to complete their pack bond, the alpha seems to have a very different reaction to the idea of someone other than him fucking Hao.
Hanbin tenses up at once, his scent going so salty with his displeasure that it burns at Hao’s nose.
So clearly this was something that they were not going to be on the same page about.
Hao does his best to ignore Hanbin’s obvious displeasure, as he continues to speak, “If you’re rutting and you need me there, I’ll be there for you. However, outside of your ruts… I think Hanbin and I might like to try a bit of exclusivity.”
Being with only one alpha or omega wasn’t the norm as far as society was concerned, especially in a pack like theirs, where the subgenders were so unbalanced, but he knows how possessive Hanbin can be. Enough to try to forbid everyone from touching Hao, even if it included himself, because he didn’t want to share Hao with the rest of them.
And while he has a feeling his offer to help with their pack member’s ruts will be something Hanbin will try to get Hao to change his mind on in private later, Hao still wants to do his duty to his pack and to his mate.
“No offense meant, hyung, but we actually all discussed it while you two were gone, and we’re good with you and Hanbin-hyung being completely exclusive,” Matthew tells them. “Even during our ruts.”
This time Hao is the surprised one, “What!?”
“We’ve got Gunwook-ah now to help us when we need it,” Taerae reminds him, “And actually… Prior to Boys Planet, I sort of had someone before, and if the rest of the pack would be open to it, I’d like to see if he’d still be willing to be my rut partner when the time comes.”
“Oh, okay, well, what about you two,” Hao asks, turning to look at Ricky and Gyuvin.
He’d been the one to help them both with their first ever ruts and had been there for every one since then. Hao hadn’t expected that anything would change once they’d all been announced to be in the same group together.
Though as he says the words, suddenly both young alphas look nervous. Gyuvin’s matcha scent takes a bitter edge to it as he curls in on himself a little, while Ricky’s strawberry scent is much the same.
It hits him before he speaks that he knows what their answer is going to be.
In truth, he’s known about the two of them for years, before they’d even presented he’d been sure that they’d be mates one day, and while both of them presenting as alphas had complicated things… Hao supposes the answer was always there in front of him. Whenever he was in between the two of them in bed, they’d really only ever had eyes for each other.
It’s Gyuvin that eventually speaks, breaking the silence, “I think that I might prefer the company of other alphas, well, not all other alphas, just…”
“Just Ricky,” Hao finishes for him.
The two boys both nod.
Their journey will be harder than his. Society still has a hard time dealing with the idea of two alphas wanting each other. But he can tell how sincere they both are, and anyone with eyes surely would have noticed how intune the two are to each other. If anyone can make a relationship between two alphas work, he’s sure they can.
“It might be a good idea to have Hao-hyung on standby to help with your next ruts,” Hanbin suggests. “I don’t want either of you hurting each other. Even if you enjoy it, I can’t imagine being around another alpha when you’re rutting will be easy.”
Hanbin’s suggestion surprises him. He’s well aware how possessive Hanbin is of him, but Hanbin is also a good leader, and while he may not have known Gyuvin and Ricky as long as Hao has. He can tell that Hanbin wants to do right by them and keep them safe.
Still Gyuvin and Ricky both seem nervous at Hanbin’s suggestion.
“Just on standby,” Hao tells them, “Just in case.”
Ricky shifts to whisper something into Gyuvin’s ear, and whatever he says seems to convince Gyuvin, because a second later, he can see the tension slip away from the young alpha’s shoulders.
“Okay.”
“What about you, Jiwoong-hyung,” Hao says.
Jiwoong, however, just shrugs, “Hao-yah, look at me, you and I both know that I’m not struggling to find an omega to fill my bed. If I needed someone to help me with my rut, I’m pretty sure I could have ten different omegas volunteering by the end of the night.”
He knows that Jiwoong is right. There had been no shortage of omegas throwing themselves at Jiwoong during Boys Planet. And having been with the alpha himself, Hao can’t blame them at all.
“I guess that’s it then,” Hao says, once everyone’s said their piece. “None of you need me.”
He can’t help but feel sad. It’s not a rejection exactly, but it still stings a little how quickly the rest of their pack has found a way to adjust around him.
It’s a silly thing to be sad about, considering that he knows everyone is doing this so that he and Hanbin can be together, exclusively, as mates, but at the same time, a part of him can’t help but feel that he’s failing as their pack omega.
“We still need you, Hao-hyung,” Matthew tells him. The lemon scented alpha moves across the room so that he can squeeze onto the couch next to Hao, “You’re still our omega, and we still care about you. It’s just, Hanbin-hyung can be a bit terrifying when it comes to you, and we just want to keep the peace in our pack.”
Hao turns, taking a glance at Hanbin, who to be fair, does have a bit of a stormy expression.
“Be nice,” Hao warns him. “If they need my help, then I will help them, that’s my choice, not yours, even if you are my mate.”
Hanbin’s expression melts at the first sign of Hao’s displeasure, the alpha pouting a little, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Hao kisses the pout off of his lips.
Because he can.
Because Hanbin is his mate.
And - “Oh my god, you two are going to be all gross and romantic all the time from now on aren’t you!”
Hao ignores them.
He just smiles and presses another kiss to Hanbin’s lips.
Before pulling back to say, “You better get used to it, I’ve got two and a half more years worth of this.”