Chapter Text
Sunghoon wasn’t asleep for long before he was woken up by Jake trying to detangle himself from the cuddle pile. Heeseung seemed to be awake already, scrolling on his phone next to Sunghoon. Jay was still asleep, but he was also jostled awake by Jake as he stood in the nest. Jake’s scent was warm and mild; his rut was definitely over now.
“Gotta pee,” he said, in explanation.
Jay nodded, and he stretched before getting up, too.
“We should all really clean up now, anyway. You take the first shower, Jake.”
Jake nodded and left the room. Sunghoon watched him go, before collapsing back down.
“Why do we only have one bathroom again?”
“To keep us humble,” Heeseung said, at the same time Jay answered, “It builds character.”
Heeseung laughed.
“Well I already pissed while you guys were asleep, so you and Jay-yah can take your showers before me.”
“Hyung, what if Jake had woken up while you were gone?” Jay asked, scandalized.
“It was fine, I waited till he was asleep,” Heeseung smiled. “I already went ahead and ordered dinner. Sunghoon, how about the two of us wait for Jake in the living room? We can throw something on the TV.”
“What about Jay?” Sunghoon asked. He let Heeseung help him up.
“Jay will do the laundry,” Heeseung said with a grin. Jay rolled his eyes.
“I can help,” Sunghoon leaned down to grab the sheets but Jay waved him away.
“I don’t mind, really. Rest, ok?”
Sunghoon nodded. Heeseung stopped off at their bedroom, grabbing two pairs of his pajama pants.
“So we don’t sit naked on the couch,” he explained.
Sunghoon obediently pulled on Heeseung’s pants, before stopping.
“But why am I wearing your pants and not mine?”
“Because I want you to,” Heeseung shrugged. “Me and Jay learned early on that if we want something, there's probably some reason for it. Pack instincts, I guess. I know I’m a beta, but Jay says I can be surprisingly possessive”
“Oh,” Sunghoon said dumbly, letting Heeseung drag him back to the living room. Heeseung directed Sunghoon to sit before he turned on a movie, something mindless and full of action, before sitting next to him. Heeseung rested his head against Sunghoon’s shoulder. Distantly, Sunghoon heard the washing machine start.
“Are you feeling okay?” Heeseung asked. Sunghoon blinked-he must have zoned out for a moment.
“I’m fine,” he said, looking down at Heeseung, wrapping a hand around his shoulders. “I feel really relaxed actually.”
“That’s good,” Heeseung responded, cuddling into Sunghoon’s side. “Jay had so much nervous energy; he was a little cleaning monster after his rut. It’s interesting how you all are so different.”
“Didn’t Jay have different pre-presentation symptoms too?”
“Yep. You and Jake were a lot more spacey… How exactly did you feel today, anyway?”
Sunghoon thought back, all the way back, to Jake feeling tired in the van.
“I was just focused on Jake really. I was worried for him. And then Ni-ki kept shivering during our dual choreo, so I tried to hug him to warm him up, and that’s when he smelled my new scent…”
“Yeah, we should just listen to Ni-ki first next time, huh,” Heeseung chuckled.
“By the time we were filming in the pool, all I could think about was, um, you know. Jake.”
“Full rut brain,” Heeseung nodded. “It seems like yours came on a lot faster than Jay’s, or even Jake’s.”
“But then I got all weird with you and Jay…” Sunghoon trailed off.
Heeseung rubbed his thigh comfortingly.
“I’ll look into that panic attack. Jay panicked during his rut too, but in a different way? Maybe it's an alpha hormone thing…”
“We say that a lot, me and Heeseung,” Jay piped in from the archway. He’d dressed in a tank top and sweats, and he collapsed onto the couch on Sunghoon’s other side. “Alpha hormones are kinda weird sometimes…”
“Don’t the suppressants help?”
Jay waved his hand.
“A little. My sense of smell is probably about as sensitive as Heeseung’s is now; it was a lot stronger during my rut. But my pack instincts, those haven’t really changed. They’re still there, but I’m less likely to obsess over them.”
“What kind of pack instincts?”
“I like making sure everyone is safe. That’s the big one. It has a lot of forms though. Like cooking and cleaning. And scenting the pup’s clothes, and the furniture. And making sure everyone gets in the van first before I do.”
“He’s a total dad now,” Heeseung giggled.
Jay rolled his eyes.
“As if you don’t do it too.”
Heeseung nodded when Sunghoon turned to him.
“Since me and Jay decided to view Enhypen as our pack, I’ve started having weird instincts too.”
“Even as a beta?”
“Yep,” Heeseung nodded. “Beta’s are pack people too, society just sorta… forgot? I tend to focus on individual members more than Jay. Like, if someone is upset or tired, I have to make it right.”
Jay held a throw pillow up to Sunghoon.
“I wanted to scent the dorm after my rut. You wanna try?”
Sunghoon took the pillow slowly.
“Just rub your wrist on it,” Jay pantomimed the motion.
Sunghoon rubbed his wrist on the pillow. He could smell himself a little on the fabric.
“I’m not sure that’s one of my instincts,” Sunghoon handed the pillow back. “I think I like it better when the dorm smells like you, Jay-yah.”
Heeseung made a strange sound behind them.
“No, wait, that’s so cute, ah, my Sunghoonie.” Heeseung buried his face into Sunghoon’s shoulder. Jay rolled his eyes.
“I guess you’ll have different instincts, then.”
Sunghoon nodded.
“What about instincts?” Jake asked, still damp from the shower and toweling his hair.
“All of us have different ones, it seems,” Jay answered. “Sunghoon, go ahead and shower. We’ll catch Jake up.”
Sunghoon nodded, standing up. As he passed Jake, he felt a strong urge to stop him. He grabbed Jake’s wrist lightly as he brushed past; Jake looked up at him curiously.
He smelled clean after his shower, like their shared soap, and his warm spicy scent was pleasant and inviting. Sunghoon pulled Jake’s wrist up to his neck, rubbing it against his scent gland, until he smelled like Sunghoon, too. By the time Sunghoon let go of his wrist, satisfied, Jake was blushing.
“Ah. There it is,” Jay smiled, watching.
“There what is?” Jake asked, pupils blown wide and staring at Sunghoon.
“Alpha hormone things,” Heeseung answered, smirking.
Sunghoon blushed and left for his shower.
The next day, their manager picked all four of them up to take them to the Hybe building.
“Jake and Sunghoon are going to see the doctor first,” he said.
They all nodded. Jay had already told them what to expect of their first alpha health appointment.
“And the company already decided that Enhypen is still releasing its next comeback on time,” he continued, “But, apparently, they have something new that they're going to try out with you.”
Jake tensed next to Sunghoon, his ginger scent colored with anxiety.
“What do they want to try?”
“Nothing bad,” Their manager quickly said. “The producer’s biggest concern about your presentations, other than lost fans of course, was the chance of alpha fights breaking out in the dorm, so they’ve hired a ‘Pack Counselor.’ Apparently, it’s a common position for sports teams, since a lot of contact sports have more alpha players.”
“So like, a family therapist?” Jay asked.
“In a sense, but primarily for non-blood packs,” their manager said. “He was kind enough to make time for us today, and he’s coming to us, so there’s no chance of any pictures of the four of you around an alpha health facility showing up on the internet.”
Jay asked for his name.
“Doctor Cha Yungsoo,” he answered, pulling into the parking garage. “And he requested to see all the presented members, so Heeseung, you’ll have to go, too.”
He seemed apologetic. Heeseung tilted his head.
“I don’t mind. I’d rather be with my members right now anyway.”
Their manager opened the van door for them.
“Of course.”
Something in his tone said that he didn’t really believe Heeseung. Sunghoon watched Heeseung’s face go carefully neutral before he got out of the van. Jake and Sunghoon followed behind, and Jay closed the door behind him.
Their manager let Jay and Heeseung off at the cafe. Sunghoon saw a brief flash of Sunoo’s blonde hair, and his excited voice greeted Heeseung and Jay as the elevator doors closed.
“You’ll get to see them afterward,” their manager said, not unkindly. Sunghoon nodded and stood a little closer to Jake in the elevator.
The doctor could only see one of them at a time. Jake volunteered to go first, which left Sunghoon to wait on his turn alone. When it was finally his turn, the examination was just as quick and uncomfortable as Jay said it would be. Sunghoon was just thankful that the nurse didn’t need to remove his shirt to take his pheromone sample, so they didn’t see the bite marks Jake left on his shoulders.
Although—all things considered—their staff had to know the two of them were lying when they said they went through their ruts alone, right?
When Sunghoon was done soldiering through his knot examination, he was eager to be reunited with Jake. They sat together in the doctor’s office and listened to an explanation on suppressants, although Jay had told them more about suppressants last night than the doctor was telling them now.
Jay had already fought for their management to agree to a six month suppressant regimen that would allow for two rut cycles a year, the minimum number recommended by health specialists for an alpha’s hormone balance and sexual health. Because of that, it was the first suppressant option the doctor offered to them, and they both agreed eagerly.
“It’s a shame your ruts won’t line up with Jay’s… it would be easier to book around them that way,” their manager said, and then blushed in the silence that followed, as he took in the implications of what he said.
“Yes, well,” the doctor moved on quickly. “We’ll have your labs in a few hours, and then I can prescribe you a dosage. Do I need to explain scent blockers to you, or has Jay-ssi already done that?”
“We’ve seen Jay use them enough times,” Jake answered, taking the sheet of adhesive blockers from the doctor.
“Just make sure to follow the instructions on the box. I’ll recommend each of you a strength when I get your results back.”
They nod and help each other put on the scent blockers. It was company policy, after all.
They didn’t have any more questions for the doctor—Heeseung and Jay had already answered all of their questions last night while they ate dinner—so they were allowed to leave.
Their manager led them to a different floor, one full of conference rooms.
“Dr. Cha doesn’t have an office here—he works out of an alpha health facility nearby—but if you guys like him, and we decide to hire him on a long-term basis, then we might give him a more permanent space.”
“‘If we like him’...” Sunghoon repeated. Their manager heard him and gave him a kind look.
“I know it probably feels like you don’t have any choices right now, but there are other pack counselors. If he doesn’t work for you then he doesn’t work. But, the company is requiring you three alphas to see someone.”
Sunghoon nodded, and their manager opened the door. The room had a long conference table that could seat ten. Right now, it was empty, except for Heeseung and Jay.
“The appointment is at eleven. He’s probably already getting checked in downstairs. Wait here while I go get him.”
Sunghoon took a seat next to Jay, and Jake sat next to him. As soon as their manager closed the door, Jay began to sniff at Sunghoon, feeling at the edges of his scent patches with his fingers.
“You smell like the doctor’s…”
“I don’t know how to break this to you…” Jake chuckled, relaxing against Sunghoon.
“Did anything happen there?” Heeseung asked. He was the only one not wearing scent blockers, and his beta scent had the faintest edge of worry to it.
“It was quick,” Jake shook his head. “They were fine giving us the same suppressant schedule as Jay.”
“He made a statement about scheduling around our ruts…” Sunghoon fidgeted his hands in his lap. “Am I the only one who thinks it’s a little weird?”
“What’s weird?” Jay asked.
“That they’re letting us continue…” Sunghoon said. “This—three alphas in an idol group—it’s not normal.”
“It’s because of what happened recently at another company,” Heeseung said, “Well, we think, anyway. Jungwon said that Manager-nim mentioned it when he picked the rest of them up from the hotel this morning.”
“I had heard a company fired a recently debuted idol who presented alpha. Like last month, I think,” Jake tilted his head. “But what does that have to do with us?”
“Turns out, that idol already had quite the international following. A lot of fans in America and Japan are calling to boycott the whole group now.”
“And, as it happens, we have quite a large international following ourselves. And so does TXT and BTS and, well, all of Hybe really,” Jay added. “So, basically, with the current climate on alphas being what it is, they can’t do anything to us, or they’d jeopardize all of our international fans.”
“So, since we’re selling fine now, it doesn’t make sense to disband us completely, so they might as well run with three alphas,” Heeseung finished. “We hope, anyway.”
Jay held up his phone for them to see. He had an article pulled up, but Sunghoon couldn’t read it—it was in English. Jake took it.
“I didn’t know we had this kind of following in America…” Jake said, scrolling through the article.
“What does it say,” Sunghoon squinted at the English, only recognizing their names in the text.
“Apparently, we have a lot of alpha and omega fans in America. They specifically started following us because of Jay.”
“Of course, some people still don’t approve, but with all the Pack Rights activists in the US right now, we’re getting a lot of positive buzz.” Jay smiled wryly. “So—in a way—Hybe found a new market to tap.”
There was a loud knock on the door. Their manager peaked in, and the four boys sat up.
“This is Dr. Cha, from the alpha health center,” their manager held the door open, and a man entered the room. Dr. Cha was taller than average, but rather unassuming with his short black hair and plain sport coat. Nothing about him looked like a doctor, although Sunghoon had never met a psychiatrist before. He bowed politely, and they copied him, bowing back.
“I look forward to working with you,” Dr. Cha said with a small smile.
“We have an hour-long session scheduled for now. Just for you all to get to know each other.” Their manager bowed to the doctor. “I’ll be in my office, don’t be afraid to reach out to me if you need to.”
He closed the door after smiling reassuringly at Sunghoon and the rest. Dr. Cha waited until the door latched to sit down. Since all four of them had sat in a line next to each other on one side of the conference table, Dr. Cha sat across from them on the other side. He opened his notebook in front of him. It was blank.
“How about we start with some introductions? My name is Dr. Cha Yungsoo. I got my bachelor’s degree in medical sciences. I did my residency here in Seoul. I’ve worked as an alpha health specialist for over ten years now. Now, I know that you four are idols, but, I must admit, I don’t follow the industry closely. Can you go down the line and introduce yourselves?”
Sunghoon didn’t know what most of it meant, but the doctor seemed qualified. He had no doubt Jay probably did research while he and Jake were at their appointment for suppressants, and would have told them if he found anything amiss.
“I’m Lee Heeseung,” Heeseung started, bowing slightly in his chair.
“And you are the beta, correct?”
Heeseung nodded.
“I’m also the oldest; I’ve been presented the longest… Do you need to know those kinds of things?”
Dr. Cha nodded, making notes.
“A lot of factors go into establishing pack dynamics. Your primary and secondary gender, age, personality… It all makes a difference.”
Heeseung nodded, before looking at Jay.
“Park Jongseong… My stage name is Jay. I’m the oldest alpha, technically—I presented first. But all three of us are the same Korean age.”
“May I ask when you presented, Jongseong-ssi?” Dr. Cha asked as he wrote.
“Mid October. I don’t remember the exact date…”
“October tenth. Before Jake’s birthday," Heeseung answered for him.
Dr. Cha smiled and nodded at Heeseung, before turning to Jake.
“Um, Sim Jaeyun, but I go by Jake. I, um, presented yesterday, so…”
Dr. Cha stopped writing and looked up. He had a strange look on his face.
“Yesterday?”
“Yes, sir.” Jake nodded, shrinking a bit in his seat. “Is there something…”
Dr. Cha rubbed his eyes, sighing. Sunghoon thought he caught the flash of a scent patch on his wrist as he did.
“I’m not upset at you, Jake-ssi. But you really shouldn’t be here right now.”
The three alphas exchanged a few nervous looks. Heeseung leaned in closer, giving the doctor his full attention.
“This happens a lot, I’m afraid. Older, more established alphas tend to be better at handling their ruts, and it’s true that some alphas can even work during the beginning and ending of their ruts. But presentations… they’re different and really taxing on the body. Frankly, even betas should take more time off to recover after a presentation than they often do.”
“Oh…” Jake looked at Jay, who looked back quietly.
“The company made Jay go to dance practice and fly out for a remote photoshoot after his presentation,” Heeseung said.
Dr. Cha sighed again, picking up his pen and scribbling.
“Why am I not surprised…”
Dr. Cha smiled at Sunghoon.
“Before we get into that, you’d better go ahead and introduce yourself, too.”
“Park Sunghoon,” Sunghoon bowed. “I’m the youngest but only by a month. I, um, also presented yesterday…”
“Let me guess… Jake-ssi showed symptoms first and Sunghoon-ssi followed a few hours after?” Dr. Cha asked.
“Yeah, exactly like that,” Heeseung answered, shocked.
“That usually happens between omegas and alphas, but, depending on dynamics, it's not uncommon,” Dr. Cha explained. “I’m afraid it, um, implies some things about Sunghoon-ssi and Jake-ssi’s particular relationship dynamics that you’d probably rather keep quiet. The good news is, your company doesn’t get to see any of my notes, ever. It would be a doctor/patient confidentiality violation.”
“That’s… good,” Heeseung smiled, nervously.
“May I ask if any of you three had, shall we say, ‘help’ with your ruts? You don’t have to answer if the question makes you uncomfortable.”
Sunghoon looked away, unsure. Between the seven of them, they had already decided to keep their relationships private, between the group. Sunghoon didn’t even know if Jungwon knew that Sunghoon and Jake’s relationship got a whole lot more complicated last night. Sunghoon turned to Jay and Heeseung, surprised to see Jake doing the same. Jay and Heeseung looked at each other for a moment before turning to Dr. Cha.
“Considering the nature of our careers, we’d like to not answer that.”
“Understandable,” Dr. Cha waved it away and wrote something else. “You know, I have to be honest, there really doesn’t seem to be a reason for you boys to see me. The four of you seem to get along fine—unless there’s been any hard feelings or conflicts that I don’t know about?”
“Nothing related to our dynamics,” Heeseung answered. “We do get into disagreements occasionally, but it's nothing we can’t handle.”
Dr. Cha nodded.
“Your company is concerned about alpha fighting, but—just for your knowledge—alpha fighting is only common in temporary packs between alphas who don’t know each other well. Like a pro sport team, for instance, where players frequently get traded. Fighting can occur as the alphas attempt to establish a pecking order in the new pack. In family packs, however, pecking orders aren’t harshly enforced, so it's not likely to cause fighting. And, since you all are so young, you’ll imprint on each other much easier. You’ve also already started to establish a pack bond amongst the four of you, so you’ll be less likely to experience the hormonal urge to infight going forward.”
“What do you mean by pack bond?” Jake asked, obviously a little nervous.
“I can smell it,” Dr. Cha said. “I know you all are wearing blockers, but he’s not, and you clearly all scented each other before you put your blockers on. You all smell like each other—that’s one sign of a pack bond.”
“Can… any alpha or omega smell that,” Jay asked, also nervous. Alphas and omegas were so rare in the entertainment industry, but, even still, they needed to be as discreet as possible.
“Yes, but to be fair, I was actively looking for it. Most alphas and omegas don’t care what you smell like, actually,” He said smiling. “It’s good that you're participating in pack behaviors. It’ll make the four of you closer and help satisfy any alpha instincts you might have.”
“Can I ask a quick question?” Jay asked, hand raised shyly. “So, I was told suppressants would curb pack instincts… but I don't think mine have been doing anything, really. Is that normal?”
“It’s different for every alpha and every pack. Suppressants don't make you less of an alpha; they just lower certain hormone spikes, so you’ll be less likely to have physical reactions to your alpha nature. Alphas can get physical symptoms similar to a panic attack when their instincts are ignored, or their needs aren't met within their pack. Suppressants help you control those reactions, but the needs and urges that caused them will still be there.” Dr. Cha squinted at them. “Did you guys not have anyone to explain this to you?”
“Our company doctor is a beta… I don’t think he knows a ton about it,” Jay fidgeted. “And we all expected to be betas so… it's not like we have any alpha family members to explain this either.”
“I see,” Dr. Cha put his notebook down. “Well, in that case, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. About any pack or alpha related issues.”
They all three shared a look before Heeseung broke the silence.
“I have a question about packs. Even if you say that alphas are more comfortable around each other in family packs, wouldn’t they still want to establish a pack alpha? Like, as an instinct thing?”
“It’s actually a pack leader. The pack leader doesn’t have to be an alpha, just a presented pack member whose authority everyone respects. And I’m afraid it's fairly obvious they already have picked one.”
“Really. Who?”
“You, Heeseung-ssi,” Dr. Cha smiled. “They unconsciously look to you before they answer my questions. I’m sure they don’t even notice that they do it. Even as a beta, you probably have an easy time commanding them.”
Heeseung’s eyes went wide.
“Oh… I guess that makes sense.”
“Honestly, that’s why I’m confident none of your alphas will ever fight each other. They know they won't win anything, since the pack leader has already been established and accepted.”
“Dr. Cha, you're an alpha right?” Jay asked.
“Oh sorry, did I not say? Yes, I’m an alpha,” he pulls his coat sleeve down enough to show off the scent patch on his wrist. “A lot of us at the health center are. The general beta population isn’t very interested in specialized alpha health care.”
“Can I ask about alpha instincts? I, um, scent our dorm a lot. That’s one right?”
Dr. Cha nodded.
“Scenting is generally the most common pack behavior alphas have. Since alpha pheromones are the strongest of all the subgenders, it helps an alpha identify their own pack and informs others that this pack has an alpha protecting it. Some alphas scent furniture—to claim a pack den, some scent clothes, and some prefer to scent the people themselves.”
“Are there any other alpha behaviors?”
“Looking after the other pack members, for one. Alphas usually feel very protective of their pack, but actually fighting others over them is rare, especially in modern society. Since you boys are going to be in public a lot, you might find yourself unconsciously shielding your pack to protect them in crowds, or you might feel anxious whenever you're separated from your pack for too long. However, alphas in packs tend to look after their pack in more subtle ways, like making sure younger members have food and are healthy and safe. You might feel urges to feed others off your own plate, or fetch things they might need, like blankets, hats, scarves…”
“I thought omegas usually did that kind of domestic stuff. If those are alpha instincts, what do omegas act like?” Jake asked.
“They act the same, mostly,” Dr. Cha chuckled. “Alphas, omegas, and betas aren’t that different, really. Your pheromones are different, though. Alpha pheromones command pack members to obey them, and omega pheromones are more like, convincing you to obey them. But the goals of both are usually the same.”
“And betas,” Heeseung asked. “What is their role?”
“Anything. No, really—their pheromones can mimic both alphas and omegas, so betas are great at adapting to any situation and filling any role. Outside of that, beta pheromones are really good at calming those hormone spikes we talked about earlier.”
Heeseung nodded.
“Now then, my recommendation for you four,” Dr. Cha said, closing his notebook, “is to take it easy and settle in around each other. You're getting along fine for now, but if you guys are going to have any disagreements, it’ll take some time for those to crop up. If it’s alright with you, I can schedule another appointment with you all for a month from now. Just to check in. We can cut this session short since we don’t really need it.”
“That time might be close to my rut,” Jay said, his phone out and calendar open. “And we planned on having our comeback shortly after.”
“A high-stress time is perfect for a little therapy session,” Dr. Cha said with a bright smile. “I’ll try to schedule it shortly after your rut ends, but before you comeback. I assume it’s your manager who makes your schedule?”
Heeseung nodded, and Dr. Cha stood up and bowed once more.
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you.”
Sunghoon subtly checked his phone. An hour went by so fast.
They all stood up to bow as well. Before he left, Dr. Cha presented Heeseung with his business card.
“Feel free to call me if you have any more questions, ok? That goes for all of you, alpha or beta. I’m here to help with any pack or alpha problems.”
“We will,” Heeseung smiled, putting the business card away in his pocket.
Their first pack counseling session was far less painless than the doctor’s visit, Sunghoon thought. And it had left them with plenty to discuss.
“I’m the pack leader?” Heeseung asked, eyes wide. “Why me?”
“I’m fine with it,” Jay smirked at Heeseung. “Frankly, I don’t want that kind of pressure.”
“All hail the pack leader,” Jake laughed, poking Heeseung’s sides, forcing him to smile too.
“What now?” Sunghoon asked, “Are we supposed to go back to our schedules?”
“Pack Leader-nim. What next?” Jake teased.
“I don’t know our schedule, I’m not Jungwon,” Heeseung sighed. “And don’t call me Pack Leader-nim.”
“Whatever you say, Pack Leader-nim,” Jake chuckled, pulling out his phone and messaging their group chat. “They're at the dance studio right now.”
“Then let’s meet them. Jake, since you're already texting, let Manager-nim know where we are, ok?”
Jake smirked, but, before he could say anything, Heeseung grabbed his wrist and pulled him close.
“Oh, and be a good boy and stop calling me ‘Pack Leader-nim’,” he whispered, lips inches away from Jake’s ear. Jake froze, pupils dilating at Heeseung’s scent, a playful, floral mix.
“Not fair,” Jake whined, blushing as Heeseung laughed, before kissing him and pulling away. He patted Jake’s butt.
“Consider it payback,” Heeseung grinned. “Now come on, even if Dr. Cha says you should have the day off, we gotta get back to work for now. So let’s go.”
Later that day, after dance practice ended, their manager picked Sunghoon up early at an outfit fitting. He pulled Sunghoon away, alone, while the others watched.
“Something was wrong with your hormone tests,” he explained. “So they want to run another to verify the results. They’ll just need another urine sample.”
“What was wrong with it,” Sunghoon asked, a little nervous.
“It was a little below normal levels, but apparently not by much,” he explained, leading Sunghoon back to medical. “Since you just presented, the doctor wants to verify that it wasn’t a random fluctuation before he gives you a prescription.”
Sunghoon nodded, and soon the nurse was taking him away and handing him a sample cup. Not five minutes later, Sunghoon had already been returned to the others. While he had been gone giving a new sample, his manager had picked up Jake’s prescription from the company pharmacy.
“Where’s your prescription, Sunghoon-ah?” Jay asked.
“There was a problem with my labs,” Sunghoon explained. “I already gave a new sample. They’ll have it sorted tomorrow.”
The next morning, the doctor had a prescription for Sunghoon, waiting for him to pick up as soon as he got to work.
“Your levels are in the normal range now,” he assured. Sunghoon noted that his dosage seemed to be lower than both Jay's and Jake’s, and it was a different brand. The doctor waved him off when he brought it up. “Everyone's hormones are different. Yours are still normal, but lower than your bandmates, that's all, so you need a different suppressant.”
Sunghoon reported all of this to his pack and put his suppressants away in his backpack. Jay had recommended that they take their pills at night since their wake-up calls were inconsistent, but they usually tried to sleep at the same time. So, Sunghoon practiced for their music show appearances and took his first suppressant dose that night when he got home.
They were extremely busy as the date of their first comeback drew nearer. The company decided to wait to announce Sunghoon and Jake’s presentation at the comeback showcase, hoping it would be a pleasant surprise for Engenes. It wouldn’t be hard to hide their subgender in the meantime since COVID fears kept their fan interactions digital; Sunghoon practiced and worked out and did everything as normal. They just had to be careful of what they said on live streams.
Everything was fine.
Everything was fine—for about a week.
Sunghoon had felt tired after his rut, but after talking with Dr. Cha, he knew that was normal post-presentation. But, exactly one week after his presentation, he slept through his alarm. Even Heeseung beat him up; Jungwon had to physically shake him awake.
“Hyung, we’re going to be late,” Jungwon whispered, urgent.
Sunghoon squinted at his phone, blearily realizing he was supposed to get out of bed thirty minutes ago. He scrambled down the steps of his bunk, apologizing and grabbing random clothes.
Jay stopped him as he boarded the van, only five minutes later.
“You ok?” he asked, looking him up and down. “Are you sleeping well?”
“I just slept in,” Sunghoon answered. “I’m fine.”
Jay scented the air, mouth open, but since they all had their patches on already, it was useless. Jay had to let Sunghoon get on the bus, whether he believed him or not.
Sunghoon was definitely having an off day. He moved through his schedules like a zombie, half-asleep. It didn’t get better, and he was never able to fully wake up. He decided to skip his evening workout that day. He headed back with the other members instead.
That night, Sunghoon went to bed early and set extra alarms for the next morning. It worked—he woke up on time—but the fog that seemed to hang over him persisted. He was still tired, and, as a result, he was slow to respond to questions and commands. Jay and Heeseung definitely noticed. They kept close to him, repeating questions for him and helping him throughout the day. He debated trying for his workout but ultimately decided to skip it a second day in a row.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jake asked over dinner. Sunghoon was pushing his fried chicken around his plate—not really eating at all.
“I’m not really hungry…”
“I hope you’re not getting sick…” Heeseung said, pressing a hand over Sunghoon’s forehead. He didn’t have a fever; he had already checked.
“Maybe we should see if you can get a day off. I can text Manager-nim,” Jungwon said, pulling his phone out.
“Our comeback is at the end of April, and Jay’s rut is only a few weeks away… We’ll have a day off then,” Sunghoon put his hand over Jungwon’s, over his phone.
“Can you wait that long, though?”
“If I get worse, then we can call Manager-nim,” Sunghoon said, pushing the rest of his dinner away. “I just don’t want to bother him if nothing’s wrong.”
“We’ll keep an eye on it then,” Heeseung said, smiling reassuringly. “I’m sure you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep, Sunghoonie.”
Sunghoon did not feel any better after sleeping; if anything, he felt worse. He couldn’t stomach any breakfast that morning—he was too nauseous. Jay made him eat half a protein bar, before Sunghoon pushed it away, refusing any more. He still didn’t have a fever, so he insisted on going to work. Heeseung let him, but only after the pack leader subjected him to a vigorous scenting session, longer than Sunghoon thought was necessary.
“I can’t explain it, but I want to, and remember-“
“Weird hormone things, I know,” Sunghoon grumbled. He didn’t like being doted on, but he supposed being held by Heeseung and meticulously drenched with his beta scent was a fair consolation prize for dealing with his concern.
For whatever reason, the beta scent did make him feel a bit better. He bravely finished the other half of his protein bar in the van.
He regretted it, hours later in the middle of dance rehearsal. Heeseung’s scent had weakened around the smell of their exertion and sweat. He was beyond exhausted, and as he danced, he became lightheaded and dizzy. They were rehearsing Drunk-Dazed when he suddenly began sweating excessively, and black spots circled his vision. He stopped dancing, feeling Ni-ki bump into him as he tried to switch positions.
“Hyung?” Ni-ki held his arm loosely—Sunghoon was still swaying from getting bumped, finding it hard to regain his balance. Their instructor stopped the music, and Heeseung approached him and gripped Sunghoon’s wrists tightly, trying to ground him.
“Sunghoon, what’s wrong?”
Sunghoon tried to focus on the floor since the whole world seemed to be swaying, the way it used to when he took a triple toe loop a little too fast. He breathed in deep through his nose and smelled the sickly sweet scent of Heeseung’s worry and his stomach turned.
“Move,” Sunghoon said, urgently pulling away from Heeseung’s grip. He ran from the practice room and barely made it to the men’s room in time. He lost what little breakfast he had eaten, and then some stomach bile, until he was left dry heaving over the toilet bowl, stomach clenching painfully.
Jungwon, Heeseung, and Jake rushed into the bathroom a minute later. He was still on his knees, gasping over the toilet, the stall door left open in his haste. Jake rubbed his sweaty back, trying to comfort him with his touch.
“I’m calling Manager-nim,” Jungwon said. “No more excuses. You need a break.”
Jake and Heeseung helped him stand and clean up at the sinks. He rinsed his mouth and splashed his face with cold water. He was still shaky, but the room wasn’t spinning so violently anymore.
“You’re definitely warmer now,” Heeseung said as he pressed his hands along Sunghoon’s flushed face and neck.
“It could just be from throwing up,” Jake pointed out, nervously pressed against Sunghoon’s side.
Jungwon reentered the bathroom, his phone put away.
“Manager-nim says to go ahead and meet him in medical,” Jungwon said, taking Sunghoon’s other side. “Heeseung, can you grab Sunghoon’s bag from the practice room? He’s not going back to practice.”
Heeseung nodded and took off, leaving Jungwon and Jake to help Sunghoon to the elevator.
“I’m fine. I can walk on my own, really.”
“Well. I want to help,” Jake said, and he looked so cute that Sunghoon had no choice but to sigh and let Jake support his weight.
“I bet Jay’s not happy, being left behind…” Sunghoon murmured.
“They both wanted to check on you—Heeseung and Jay, that is—but they also didn’t want to abandon the pups,” Jake smiled a little as Heeseung ran to rejoin them at the elevator doors, Sunghoon’s gym bag slung over his shoulder. “And Jay is technically out-ranked by Heeseung, so…”
“And what about you?”
“Boyfriend privileges,” Jake grinned, and Heeseung giggled. Jungwon just rolled his eyes.
Since his and Jake’s ruts ended, the four of them hadn’t done anything else sexual together; they were far too busy for it. Even still, it was rich for Jake to call “boyfriend privileges” when now they all stole kisses from each other in the morning. Heeseung had even started planning out Jay’s approaching rut with both Jake and Sunghoon; while they certainly had started as two separate couples, the lines between them were getting blurrier every day.
Their manager was waiting for them outside of medical, and Sunghoon found himself in the doctor's office once again. The doctor listened to his symptoms and ran some tests, while his manager got him a water bottle from the nearest vending machine.
“It doesn't seem like you have any virus or infection; maybe it was something you ate?” The doctor eventually came back with. Sunghoon was hunched over in the waiting room, miserable, with Jake and Heeseung on either side. Jake rubbed his back, and Heeseung stood up.
“His symptoms don’t line up with food poisoning at all, though.” Heeseung seemed upset, and if Sunghoon focused, he could smell his scent, sharp with anger.
“It’s possible it's a twenty-four hour thing. Maybe whatever caused it has already been flushed from his system,” the doctor shrugged. “He still doesn’t have a fever. My recommendation is for Sunghoon to take the rest of the day off and see if he feels better tomorrow.”
Their manager nodded, standing up, too.
“It’s good that there’s nothing seriously wrong with Sunghoon-ah. It’s most likely exhaustion and stress from the comeback, nothing good rest can’t fix.”
Their manager smoothly picked up Sunghoon’s bag from the floor next to Heeseung’s feet and wrapped a hand around Heeseung’s shoulders. He looked back at Jake.
“Let’s go home, ok?”
Jake nodded and helped Sunghoon stand, and with Jungwon trailing behind, they exited after Manager-nim and Heeseung. Sunghoon blinked in surprise to find Heeseung frozen outside the door with their manager’s hand tight on his shoulder, his foreign beta scent full of calming pheromones, all directed at Heeseung.
“I understand that you’re worried, but you need to calm down. They didn’t find anything, he’s fine,” their manager was saying.
“Something’s wrong,” Heeseung shot back, eying Sunghoon as he was led out. “I don’t know how I know, but I know something’s wrong. He’s been exhausted, he can’t eat, he’s been skipping his workouts, he hasn’t been staying up with us anymore…”
“Exhaustion and stress can cause physical symptoms,” their manager spoke slowly. His scent was now stronger than Heeseung’s; the smell of balsam and sharp herbals made Sunghoon’s stomach churn.
“Can we…” Sunghoon mumbled. Heeseung turned away from their manager to look at him. “Can we just go home? It’s fine, really.”
“They can’t just dismiss your symptoms like that,” Heeseung said firmly.
“If I’m still sick tomorrow, we can figure it out then. Right, Manager-nim?”
Their manager was quick to nod.
“If you feel worse tomorrow, then we can order more tests. For now, let’s give it some time, see if it passes on its own. Ok?”
Heeseung sighed, accepting his defeat. “I’m going back with him.”
Manager-nim nodded, before turning to Jungwon.
“I’ll take these three back. I want you to go ahead and meet up with the others. Tell them to follow the rest of your schedules as normal, ok?”
Jungwon looked at them with wide eyes and nodded. He was just a pup; Sunghoon wondered if the warring beta scents in the hall were overwhelming to him too.
Jungwon headed back, alone, and their manager led Sunghoon, Heeseung, and Jake down to the parking garage. Sunghoon felt awful, but he rested his head on Heeseung’s shoulder, trying to calm him with his presence. Heeseung’s usually relaxing lavender scent stayed bitter with anger all throughout the drive, and it only made Sunghoon’s headache worse.
Jake caught on to Heeseung’s bad mood. He reached back from the front seat, placed a hand on Heeseung’s knee, and started to purr. Heeseung took a deep breath, and his scent finally evened out. Sunghoon felt his chest tighten, why didn’t he think of doing something like that? He already felt bad for disrupting practice, and now he was making his pack leader upset too. His stomach rolled and his heart squeezed inside his chest, but he did his best to ignore it. He didn’t want to panic again like he did during his rut.
Back at their dorm, Sunghoon pulled away from Jake and Heeseung.
“I want to take a shower,” he explained.
“We’ll make you something to eat, then,” Jake said with a smile. Sunghoon nodded, even though he didn’t feel hungry.
It was just pack behavior; Jake and Heeseung needed to know that Sunghoon was ok. But Sunghoon didn’t feel okay. He took a hot shower, finally peeling off his sweaty scent patches under the spray. After, he brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth clean. Usually, a shower was a nice break for him. It always made him feel refreshed. As he dried his hair, looking at the paleness of his skin in the mirror, he just felt cold.
Sunghoon skipped his skin care, pulling on his warmest sweats before heading to the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to smell ramen cooking in the kitchen; it’s not like Jake and Heeseung were ever going to make him anything else.
“Here,” Heeseung pushed a bowl close to him. The noodles were overcooked and soft, and the soup smelled like chicken. “At least have some of the broth, if nothing else.”
“Thanks,” Sunghoon murmured, mixing the soup with his chopsticks, still not hungry.
Jake sat down soon after, with two more bowls for him and Heeseung to share. They seemed to be watching him, so Sunghoon slowly slurped his noodles, and the other two followed behind.
He had some more noodles and sipped some of the chicken broth with his spoon, which garnered a smile and more happy pheromones from Heeseung. Strangely, the pressure in his chest remained, even after he pleased his pack leader. Sunghoon frowned and pushed his bowl away.
“I’m not hungry,” he said, quietly. Heeseung pressed a hand against his forehead, frowning.
“I wish we knew why you felt like this…”
“It’s most likely stress,” Sunghoon echoed their manager, although he wasn’t sure himself anymore. He had never felt like this the night before a big skate. He didn’t even feel like this the night before their debut, when they were all too excited and nervous to sleep. “I’ll rest, and be better in the morning.”
“Can I, uh—” Jake started, nervously poking his ramen. “Is it okay if I stay with you while you nap? It just… made me nervous seeing you run out of the practice room like that.”
“That’s fine,” Sunghoon said, smiling at how Jake perked up. Maybe Jake would help him feel less miserable—less cold.
“I’ll be out here, I think. I’m not really tired yet,” Heeseung said, taking Sunghoon’s ramen bowl from him.
Jake led them to their bedroom and gestured for Sunghoon to get into Jay’s bunk, the one under Sunghoon’s own.
“Jay won’t mind, and if you feel sick again you won't have to climb down the ladder.”
Sunghoon nodded. He couldn’t argue with that logic; already, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep the ramen down. Jake tried to crawl in immediately after him, but Sunghoon stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Change out of your sweaty practice clothes, at least,” Sunghoon said. “It’s Jay’s bed, be respectful.”
“I got my cum on those sheets, Jay can deal,” Jake grumbled, and it earned a smile from Sunghoon. Jake did change into house clothes, skipping a shower and changing right in the bedroom. He left his scent patches on, too eager to hold Sunghoon.
Sunghoon was right; he did feel warm with Jake wrapped around his back, holding him close. With how tired he had felt all day, and the day before, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep.
When he was awoken by voices outside the bedroom, it was already dark outside. He could hear the other members opening bags and talking quietly—distributing takeout, most likely. Sunghoon was still feeling foggy and only half awake, so he turned away from the door and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep.
Light flooded the room as someone opened the bedroom door.
“Jakey, wake up. We brought dinner.” It was Jay. His scent patches must have stopped working; Sunghoon could faintly smell his woodsy scent diffusing throughout the room.
“I’m awake,” Jake slurred, and Sunghoon felt the mattress shift. “He just moved. I think he’s awake, too.”
“I’m awake,” Sunghoon sighed. “But I’m tired, I wanna sleep more.”
“That’s fine. Jake, you should eat some dinner at least—did you go to sleep with your scent blockers on?”
“It was only a nap…”
“Sure, sure. Here, let me help, I just took mine off, I have the solvent right here.”
The mattress shifted again and Jay’s shadow blocked the light from the open door as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Sunghoon turned around to watch Jay soak Jake’s scent patches, dripping solvent from his almost empty bottle and melting the adhesive away, before carefully rolling the patches off.
“I’ll do you next, Sunghoon. You really shouldn’t sleep with scent blockers on.”
Sunghoon furrowed his brow as Jake’s patches were removed. Usually, their scents were especially strong immediately after their blockers came off. But he could barely smell Jake’s scent. And Jay was right; he had already taken his blockers off. Then why did he smell so muted?
“I took my patches off in the shower,” Sunghoon mumbled.
He knew he was supposed to use the solvent, but his bottle remained mostly full since he discovered how easy it was to peel the patches off once he saturated them under the spray of his nightly shower.
Jay looked at him, and his expression was hard to read. He opened his mouth, scenting the air.
“Then why can’t I smell you?”
Sunghoon blinked slowly, confused. Jay should be able to smell him—
Jake took one of his arms and rolled back his sweatshirt sleeve. His wrist was bare—like he said it would be. Jake pressed his nose directly against his scent gland and breathed deep.
He sniffed again, before turning to Jay with a look of panic.
“NI-KI!” Jay shouted, pulling away urgently from the bed to stick his head out into the hallway.
“What’s wrong?” Sunghoon felt the weight from earlier return to his chest. Jake still had an iron grip on his wrist.
“You—you don't have a scent…”
“What do you mean?” Sunghoon sat up in the bunk. He was fully awake now, but the scent of Jake’s panic still seemed muted and far away. “I don’t have a scent at all?”
Jake shook his head. He rubbed his fingers against Sunghon’s wrist, trying to activate the scent glands. He pressed Sunghoon’s wrist to his nose again, but his facial expression didn’t change.
“Ni-ki, can you smell anything? Your nose is so strong…” Jay was leading Ni-ki into the bedroom. Heeseueng was tight on their heels. Someone turned on the bedroom light and Sunghoon closed his eyes, his headache pounding against his eyes.
Jake didn’t move from his side, so Ni-ki had to squeeze next to him in the bunk to smell Sunghoon’s wrist. Usually, Ni-ki could smell the presented members as long as they were in the same building as him. The fact he was getting so close to Sunghoon was concerning.
“I can smell him,” Ni-ki said slowly. “But it’s really dull. Sunghoon has a really, like, spicy scent usually? And he doesn’t smell like that. It’s all muted.”
“I knew something was wrong,” Heeseung murmured, his phone out and typing furiously. Jungwon watched them from the doorway.
“I’ll call Manager-nim,” Jungwon said, before sipping back into the hallway.
“Can sickness really prevent an alpha from making pheromones?” Jay asked.
“You can smell sickness in scents, why not?” Heeseung said, no doubt scrolling through webMD.
“Maybe we should call Dr. Cha…” Jay said, thoughtfully. Jake and Heeseung turned to him, listening intently. “He works as an alpha health care specialist, right? He might know about Sunghoon’s scent better than the Hybe medical team, or Manager-nim.”
“He did give us his number, but do you really think he’ll pick up? It’s pretty late,” Jake asked, but Heeseung was already lifting his phone against his ear, a serious expression on his face.
Jake held Sunghoon tight against his side and watched Heeseung pace the floor. His expression changed and soon he was rapidly talking into his phone.
“Dr. Cha? I know it’s late, but Sunghoon has started having weird symptoms. We’re very worried…”
Jungwon’s quiet voice from the hall overlapped with Heeseung's urgent tone. They were both listing off symptoms—his symptoms. Sunghoon hid against Jake’s shoulder, wishing everything would just go back to normal, how it was before he presented.
“Sunghoon?” Heeseung kneeled next to the bunk, pulling Sunghoon back to reality. “Do you think you can answer some questions?”
Sunghoon nodded, and Heeseung held his phone out between them.
“Ok, Dr. Cha, you’re on speaker phone.”
“Sunghoon-ssi,” the doctor's voice crackled from the phone. “What was the first symptom you felt? Nausea, or fatigue?”
“Fatigue. The nausea is really not that bad,” Sunghoon answered. Heeseung just sighed.
“He couldn’t keep his breakfast down…”
“Are you experiencing any feelings of confusion, or difficulty concentrating?”
“I think so. I’ve had a lot of problems following conversations.”
“Do you have problems regulating your body temperature?”
“Yes, actually,” Sunghoon said after a moment of thinking. “I’ve been very cold recently.
“Last question. Have you experienced any new or worsening symptoms of depression?”
“Depression?” Sunghoon felt Jake go rigid next to him, looking at him with puppy dog eyes. “I don’t think so? I’ve just felt tired like I want to sleep all the time.”
“Okay. I don’t have access to your medical records right now, do you remember what your hormone levels were? Or do you maybe have your lab results on hand?”
“I have them,” Heeseung pulled the phone away, scrambling to the kitchen, where everything related to their medical records was stored. Jay had actually thrown his first lab results away, after his presentation, before Heeseung saw and fished them out of the trash can.
“We could need this!” he had said, dusting it off. “I’ve read too many horror stories on r/Alpha about doctors not listening to their alpha patients.”
Heeseung had personally collected Jake’s lab results, and then Sunghoon’s the next day.
Heeseung came back to the bedroom, listing off numbers from the papers.
“These are his second test results,” Heeseung explained as he kneeled back down by Sunghoon. “They didn’t give us a copy of his first results.”
“Why did he have two labs run? And why don’t you have the first results?”
“They said my numbers were too low,” Sunghoon explained. “They thought it was just an error; that's why they didn’t give me the results, I guess.”
“Ah. I see,” Dr. Cha said. “I think I understand now. Sunghoon, have you taken your suppressant today?”
“Not yet. I take it before I go to sleep.”
“Well, don’t,” Dr. Cha said simply. “I’ll contact your manager. I need to order some labs to confirm, but I have a good idea what’s wrong. It’s not uncommon for alphas and omegas to be sensitive to hormonal changes. Your cregeno gland is what produces all of your subgender hormones. I think you have a cregeno deficiency; basically, your body isn’t doing a good job creating and absorbing hormones. If I’m right, then your suppressants are making it worse and throwing your body’s entire endocrine system out of order, which can cause all sorts of issues, fatigue being the first indicator.”
They all did their best to follow, and Jay belatedly typed notes on his phone at Heeseung’s urging.
“So, my suppressants are making me sick?” Sunghoon asked.
“I can’t diagnose you for sure until I take another look at your current hormone levels. But I suspect, since your primary doctor did a good job eliminating any viral or bacterial cause. And your timeline of symptoms lines up with it; actually, if it is a cregeno deficiency, I’m surprised it took you this long to seek out my help. A lot of patients start feeling poorly within forty-eight hours of their first suppressant dose.”
“Well, I was very tired after my presentation. It just kind of kept getting worse, slowly, until… well…”
“Well, doctor’s orders. Don’t take your suppressants for now. I’ll call your manager, and we’ll schedule a time for you to come in for tests tomorrow.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Heeseung pulled away from the bunk, taking his phone off speaker before he politely signed off. Jungwon had gotten off the phone with their manager at some point too, and was now sitting in his bunk, furiously texting.
“I updated Manager-nim as much as I could,” Jungwon explained. “He was talking about coming to get Sunghoon and take him to the hospital, but this changes things…”
“A hormonal deficiency?” Jake said. “Is it really that simple?”
“Maybe, but Dr. Cha didn’t mention any treatment,” Jay said. “And Sunghoon needs to take suppressants, it's company policy.”
“But if they make him sick, couldn’t he get a medical exemption?” Sunoo asked. Sunghoon hadn’t noticed him enter, but he was sitting with Jungwon as if he had been with him for some time.
“Or they could just fire me,” Sunghoon said. He strangely didn’t feel any better after hearing Dr. Cha’s diagnosis. He’d honestly rather have just been sick, that would have been easier to treat. They had never said it to their faces, but, ever since Jay presented, it had been obvious in the way their producers and managers talked that they were taking a risk on debuting an alpha, and now choosing to continue with three. If it was Sunghoon’s own subgender that was making him sick, preventing him from working…
“None of that,” Heeseung commanded, voice sharp. “We won’t even entertain the idea. They said Enhypen would comeback and that hasn’t happened yet. There’s no point in stressing. We focus on making Sunghoon better first, then we can deal with the rest.”
Sunghoon could tell Heeseung’s pheromones were strong by the way Jake and Jay flinched, but he could still barely smell the beta’s scent.
“Of course, one thing at a time,” Jay said, standing up. “Well, did any of us actually end up eating? We should have dinner. Sunghoon, you too.”
Sunghoon’s stomach rolled. He winced and pouted.
“You were fine with me missing dinner before.”
“I was also going to make you eat, just after I let you rest a bit more. But it’s gotten late,” Jay said, grinning a little. “So you might as well eat something now. Come on.”
Jake and Jay both pulled Sunghoon out of the bunk. Meanwhile, the other members started to trickle back to the kitchen, reheating their take-out dinner. Jungwon followed behind Sunghoon.
“Manager-nim is going to be here at six am to pick you up, hyung,” Jungwon said. “He wants those tests run as soon as possible.”
Sunghoon just groaned in response, folding into a kitchen chair.
“I hope you feel better soon, hyung,” Jungwon said, hesitating before resting a hand on Sunghoon’s shoulder. Jungwon’s face was pinched with worry. Sunghoon smiled, hoping to put him at ease.
“We’ll figure it out,” Heeseung rubbed Jungwon’s back, pulling him away to sit in front of his own food. Jay swept into the space they left behind, placing a take-out container of miso soup in front of him.
“Try to eat at least half, okay?”
Sunghoon nodded and took a spoonful.
“You look so cute, Sunghoon-hyung,” Sunoo giggled. “Like a kicked puppy.”
“Be nice to me. I'm sick,” Sunghoon said, but he was grinning now.
“Yeah, but you won’t be sick forever,” Sunoo shot back. “And right now, I think you look cute.”
Sunghoon did manage half of the soup, and, after a verification from Jay, he was allowed to go back to bed.
“I’ll go with you to your appointment tomorrow,” Heeseung said, stopping Sunghoon before he could leave. “Is it weird if I ask you to sleep with me in my bunk tonight? It’s just—”
“Weird hormone things?” Sunghoon finished for him. “I don’t mind, but what about Jake and Jay?”
“Jake was with you all afternoon, now I want a turn. And regardless of how we tease, I know Jay trusts me to look after you. Although, if three people could fit on a twin mattress, I’m sure it would be a different story.”
“Two people barely fit,” Sunghoon smiled. “But yes, I’ll sleep with you tonight.”
Sunghoon slipped into Heeseung’s bed alone. He drifted in and out of sleep as the other members took showers and started to go to their beds. Heeseung was the last to go to sleep. Regardless of how weak Sunghoon’s nose was, the presence of the beta did make him feel better, and Sunghoon finally was able to fall asleep.
Sunghoon felt like a zombie the next morning, although he wasn’t sure if it was a result of his current hormone predicament or Heeseung’s five-thirty alarm. Heeseung didn’t look any better, but he didn’t complain as he got dressed in the dark. He even grabbed a fresh set of practice clothes for Sunghoon and bundled him in a jacket that definitely belonged to Jay.
Sunghoon catnapped on Heeseung’s shoulder as their manager drove them to the Hybe building. He didn’t say anything about Heeseung being there, so Sunghoon figured Jungwon must have told him last night. He also didn’t say anything when Heeseung went with Sunghoon into the exam, which Sunghoon doubted was allowed.
The doctor asked for Sunghoon’s symptoms again, and he repeated the fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and his new inability to smell and lack of a scent. Then they took more blood, another pheromone sample (Heeseung flinched when he saw them pierce his scent gland with a needle), and another urine sample. The doctor even sniffed at Sunghoon’s bare scent glands—wrist and neck—to verify the weakened scent. Heeseung tensed at how close the doctor got to Sunghoon, but he stayed professional.
“We’re going to run these to the labs, and hopefully we can have the results by the end of the day,” the doctor told them. “I will admit, based on your lack of scent, I think Dr. Cha might be onto something.”
“Do you want to go ahead and go back to the dorms, Sunghoon?” Their manager asked as they left medical.
“I feel tired, but I don't feel as bad as yesterday… Would it be ok if I just sat in on practice today? I don’t want to fall behind.”
“That’s fine,” their manager said, at the same time Heeseung said, “You should rest.”
Sunghoon sighed. “I know you want to take care of me hyung, but I do feel a little better, and I’ll still be resting. Just. Resting with you.”
Heeseung still seemed unsure, so Sunghoon continued.
“And Dr. Cha is going to be coming here with my test results as soon as they’re available, right? So if I’m here, I can speak with him directly.”
“Okay, but no strenuous activity, and let me know if you start to feel any worse,” Heeseung allowed. Sunghoon purred, small and quiet, before cutting himself off. Their manager was watching the exchange closely.
“Well… now that that’s settled, I’ll take you to get breakfast, and the others should be getting here soon.”
Sunghoon felt mortified, purring in front of their manager. Heeseung seemed pleased.
“If you're doing pack behaviors again, maybe your suppressant is already leaving your system,” he said as he stuffed his face with a pastry in the cafe.
“Yeah, but what do you think Manager-nim thinks of me now, hearing me purr at you like that? I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay,” Sunghoon hid his face in his arms, his chocolate croissant untouched. Their manager had left to pick up the others; the two of them were alone in the cafe.
“He doesn’t know anything about pack behavior, don’t worry about it.”
“I guess he must realize you’re our pack leader now…”
“Eat your breakfast,” Heeseung said, and Sunghoon reluctantly took a bite. Heeseung grinned. “See, I am the pack leader. And it doesn’t matter if he knows it, it won’t change anything.”
Sunghoon rolled his eyes, but he supposed Heeseung had a point.
“It’s good you're acting on your instincts again, that's all I’m saying,” Heeseung sipped his coffee. “When I researched that ‘Cregeno Definiciancy’ last night, I read that one symptom can be subdued instincts. And you haven’t been doing many ‘alpha’ things since you presented. You scented Jake, like, the day of, but you haven't scented any of us since. And Jake and Jay vocalize all the time, but you purring just now was the first time I've heard you purr since your rut.”
“Please keep your voice down,” Sunghoon whined. “It’s embarrassing.”
“And I think I can smell you a bit stronger now. But it’s really faint; I think Jay smells more than you when he wears his scent blockers.”
Sunghoon sighed and settled for finishing his breakfast. It was only a croissant and juice, but it was the most solid food he had eaten in two days. Heeseung was practically beaming at him for it.
The other members were happy to see him moving around when they arrived at their practice room. And, like he promised, Sunghoon only watched their practice, chiming in to ask questions, and occasionally standing in formation to check positions. As his members danced harder and started to sweat, Sunghoon could smell their pack scent getting stronger—all seven of them melding into something uniquely theirs. He hadn’t been able to smell the pups at all last night, so it was definitely an improvement.
He even managed to eat a light salad for lunch. Sunoo and Jake stayed glued to his side, sniffing at his unblocked scent glands.
“I can smell it a bit,” Jake said, his lunch untouched.
“I might be tricking myself into smelling it,” Sunoo whined. “I want to present already so I can smell, too.”
“It’ll happen,” Jay chuckled at him.
Sunghoon felt warmth spread in his chest at the smiles and laughter from his members. He knew it had been the right decision to stay with them. They were always happiest when the pack was complete.
After their dance rehearsal, they had vocal lessons. Sunghoon figured he could participate in this schedule just fine since it wasn’t so physically taxing. About midway in the lesson, their manager peaked in.
“Sunghoon? Could you come with me, please? Dr. Cha is here.”
The calm aura the seven of them had rebuilt cracked immediately. Heeseung stood up.
“I’m coming with him.”
“Sunghoon? Is that okay with you?”
“Of course,” Sunghoon said, walking towards the door. “He can come.”
Their manager nodded, and they headed to the elevator. Sunghoon noticed that the floor their manager hit wasn’t for the medical offices.
“Where are we going?” Sunghoon asked. He hoped his scent wasn’t strong enough yet to betray his nervousness.
“We’re still meeting Dr. Cha; we’re just also meeting with some producers.”
Sunghoon suddenly felt light-headed. Heeseung pressed close to him, placing a steadying hand around his waist.
“I thought we had until our comeback before they started to consider splitting the group? Have they changed their mind?”
“It’s nothing like that,” their manager soothed. “I promise, we just need to make sure we make the best decision for Sunghoon and Enhypen.”
“The best decision for both of them is Sunghoon staying at the company,” Heeseung said, voice getting louder. The elevator doors opened.
“I know, I know. Please, it’ll work out, I promise.”
Heeseung glared at their manager for a moment, before leading Sunghoon out of the elevator. He was shakey from the adrenaline, and he moved on autopilot as their manager led them to a meeting room. Dr. Cha was there, talking quietly with Bang Si-hyuk He wasn’t alone, all of their producers were there, as well as multiple Be:Lift executives Sunghoon had only met in passing.
All eyes turned to the three of them when they walked into the room. Sunghoon contemplated running away.
“Sunghoon-ssi,” Dr. Cha walked away from Bang, heading their way. “May I speak with you privately for a moment?”
“Can Heeseung be there, too?”
“Of course,” Dr. Cha pulled Sunghoon out with a hand on his elbow. “We’ll only be a moment.”
Almost as soon as he entered, Sunghoon found himself outside again. Only now with Dr. Cha.
“I apologize for all this. I just wanted to give you the dignity of hearing your diagnosis in private first.”
“So you’ve figured it out, then?” Heeseung asked.
“Confirmed it in our labs. Cregeno Deficiency. I made the mistake of informing your manager first, hoping to schedule a meeting with you, Sunghoon-ssi, but, apparently, we needed this whole circus.”
“So, what exactly does a hormone deficiency mean?” Sunghoon asked after a moment.
“It just means that for whatever reason, we think it's genetic, your Cregeno gland doesn’t produce and detect hormones well. As a result, your body has large reactions to sudden changes in hormone levels, like those caused from a rut or a hormone suppressant. Was your behavior erratic during your presentation?”
Sunghoon nodded, thinking of his growling match with Jay, and his subsequent panic attack later that day.
“The problem is, your alpha hormones control a lot more than just your scent and your knot. Your Cregeno gland being dysregulated can result in all of your hormones becoming dysregulated in turn, and it can make you sick.”
“So how do we treat it?” Heeseung asked. His scent was tinged with anxiety; Sunghoon’s nose had sharpened enough to smell it.
“I already told your manager: my recommendation is to keep you off hormonal suppressants, and I’d like to test your levels again in a week, and then again in a month. If your body settles back into normal and consistent levels, then there's no need to prescribe medication. If your levels don’t balance on their own, we may need to start you on hormone medication to raise your levels, but I’d rather see if your body can level out naturally first.”
“But, I need to take suppressants. It’s company policy.”
“Hence the circus,” Dr. Cha sighed. “I’ve already given all those people in there a crash course in alpha biology. I’ve made it very clear you will need a medical exemption to that policy.”
“Maybe I could just try a different brand of suppressants?” Sunghoon suggested. Dr. Cha shook his head.
“In all the studies I’ve read, alphas with your condition experience the same symptoms regardless of the brand or dosage. May I ask why you want to stay on suppressants so badly, Sunghoon-ssi?”
“If they’re going to make you sick, just stop taking them,” Heeseung said, holding Sunghoon’s hand.
“What about my ruts?” Sunghoon asked. “ If I can’t take suppressants, I’ll have to have twice the number of ruts as everyone else. I can’t afford to miss so many days of work. And didn’t you say my body would freak out during my ruts, too? Isn’t that bad?”
“Ruts are a necessary part of your breeding cycle. Your first few might be a bit rough, true, but soon your body will settle into its natural rhythm, and they shouldn’t affect you as strongly. And since your unmedicated hormone levels were so low, chances are your ruts will be short anyway; you won’t miss that much time,” Dr. Cha explained. “I already explained all of this to your bosses in there, too. They had the same concerns as you. Accommodating alpha health honestly shouldn’t be this big of a deal.”
“I can email you your test results for your own records and some more information about your condition later today, Sunghoon-ssi. It’s going to make your life more inconvenient than your pack mates, but it’s really not that bad, I promise,” Dr. Cha said. Then he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Okay, now that we’ve done that, let’s see what those company men have decided. I know they said they wanted to keep you on, Sunghoon-ssi, but let’s see if they took my recommendation.”
Dr. Cha opened the meeting room door and gestured for Sunghoon and Heeseung to head in first. The conversation in the room died down as they came in. Bang stood up, smiling slightly, even if it seemed forced.
“Good afternoon, Heeseung-ah. Sunghoon-ah. I’m sure you boys have had quite an eventful comeback period. Take a seat.”
Sunghoon bowed slightly, before sitting down, self-conscious of his and Heeseung’s casual practice clothes next to all the suits in the room.
“I’ll be honest: not a lot of thought was put into our company policy concerning alphas and omegas. There aren’t many alphas and omegas in this industry, so we adopted blanket policies,” Bang sighed. “I know we could simply draw you a new contract, Sunghoon-ah, or give you a medical exemption. But after everything that happened recently, we’ve been discussing simply changing the alpha policies on our books.”
“Really?” Heeseung asked, shocked.
“We still would prefer if our alphas took hormonal suppressants and scent blockers, but that’s more of a practical concern. We want to be able to predict the start time of ruts so we can schedule around them. It would be very awkward for both the idol and the company if an idol were to start a rut live on stage, or at a fan meet.”
Sunghoon nodded.
“But, we are going to change the wording to allow for medical and executive exemptions directly into the contract, so we won’t have to worry about any special circumstances in the future.”
“That’s good,” Sunghoon said, quietly.
“We’re also going to change our sick day policy,” Bang said, flipping through his paperwork. “Well, sick days will be the same, but we’ll be increasing the paid days off we’ll be offering for ruts. This is for any alpha in the company, of course, not just you, Sunghoon-ah.”
“We’ll now be giving twenty-one days off, three weeks for the year, instead of seven days. That should give you up to five days off a cycle, and a bonus. Of course, you don’t have to take them all, but this way no one will feel pressured to work if they're not capable.”
“That’s a very generous policy,” Heeseung said. Bang nodded and waved a hand toward some of the others present.
“Our lawyers recommended being generous with it. After talking with Dr. Cha here, we realized unmedicated cycles can be very fickle things. Chances are, Sunghoon-ah, you won’t need all of them, and for Jay and Jake, well, they definitely won’t need all of the days. We just want to make sure we’ve covered all of our bases. And frankly, we have so few alphas employed, there’s not a huge worry of employees abusing the policy.”
Sunghoon nodded, and Bang continued.
“We’ve decided to embrace all of this. Um, you all being alphas, that is. We were hoping to talk to all of Enhypen about this, but your medical emergency took precedence. We were already experimenting with Enhypen, and, weirdly, the large amount of alphas in the group will give us just another chance to experiment. A lot of public perception on alphas is starting to turn; this is a great opportunity to see if it can be capitalized on.”
“That’s…good?” Sunghoon wasn’t sure to be confused or relieved. It was, ultimately the best case scenario, though: the company trying to market them specifically because of their alphas, instead of trying to pretend that they weren’t alphas.
“We have some time yet until your official comeback, so focus on your recovery with Dr. Cha. I’ve been told by your manager that Jay-yah will be having his rut right before the comeback? If you feel the need, you can catch up on any practice time you missed recovering then. If all goes well, you’ll comeback on time.”
Bang smiled a little, looking around.
“Any questions?”
“Can I see a copy of the new contract?” Heeseung asked.
“It’s not finished yet. We only started discussing it today. It will take a week or so to draw up the amendments. In the meantime, we’ll say that Dr. Cha’s diagnosis is enough for us to give Sunghoon a medical exemption to his suppressant.”
“I think that’s it then,” Heeseung said, looking at Sunghoon.
“Perfect,” Bang smiled, clapping his hands together. “Since we’re going to embrace your secondary genders going forward, we might start encouraging more ‘alpha-like’ behaviors from the rest of you in your coming programs, but that depends on how fans react. We’ll keep you informed.”
Bang stood up, and Manager-nim followed. Heeseung and Sunghoon stood up too, and bowed.
“Thank you for supporting me,” Sunghoon said after a moment, words stilted with disbelief.
“Of course. You’re very talented, Sunghoon. I look forward to seeing how you grow,” Bang said with a smile.
Their manager herded them out the door, a small smile on his face.
“See? I told you it would be fine.”
“You knew they were going to be fine with Sunghoon’s diagnosis and you didn’t tell us,” Heeseung looked scandalized. Their manager laughed.
“I didn’t know for sure. Look, today was very hectic. I didn’t want to tell you anything in case they changed their mind, but I knew that everyone went into this meeting wanting to keep you on, Sunghoon-ah. They were willing to bend policy to allow it.”
Heeseung ruffled his hair, breathing a sigh of relief as they headed back towards the elevator.
“This is good.”
“I’ll let you two update the others,” their manager said. “But then I’m going to take Sunghoon home so that he can rest. Okay?”
Sunghoon nodded, still dazed.
“Yeah that works.”
“Good,” the elevator doors opened, and their manager gestured. “Go on then, tell everyone the good news.”
Sunghoon stopped in front of the door to their studio. He still felt disconnected from his body, adrenaline rapidly leaving his system and leaving him vacant.
A warm hand pressed reassuringly against his lower back, the gentle scent of lavender following close behind.
“Come on then, Sunghoon. Let’s not keep them waiting too long.”
Sunghoon nodded. Heeseung’s scent was much stronger now, even after one day off his suppressants. It calmed him, the beta pheromones working to counteract his own. Sunghoon opened the door and wasn’t too surprised to see all his members sitting and talking softly instead of working. All eyes snapped to him once he entered. Jay stood up, his body radiating worry.
“Well, what happened?”
Sunghoon smiled.
“They’re not splitting us up.”
“Good news, Sunghoon-ssi,” Dr. Cha said, handing his blood work back. “Your numbers are back in the normal range. They are at the bottom of what's considered normal, but it seems your body has settled and is regulating itself fine.”
Sunghoon nodded and immediately handed the papers to Heeseung next to him.
“I feel like how I felt before I presented. I honestly felt better a couple of days after I stopped the suppressants.”
It had been one week since Sunghoon’s diagnosis. He was eager to be medically cleared by Dr. Cha. He was plenty rested and was honestly starting to get bored.
“We caught it so quick, it thankfully didn't take your body long to flush the suppressants,” Dr. Cha explained. “This means you shouldn’t need extra hormones to regulate your cycle. I’d like to schedule a follow-up for after your first normal rut, so I can check your hormones again, but you should be good to go now, Sunghoon-ssi.”
“I have a question,” Heeseung interrupted. “One of our other alphas, Jay, will be having his first full rut next week. I know that sometimes rut and heat pheromones can trigger a breeding cycle to start early; is that something we’ll have to worry about with Sunghoon now that he’s off suppressants?”
“Usually heats can trigger ruts and ruts can trigger heats. A rut triggering a rut is rare, but considering how Sunghoon’s presentation was triggered…” Dr. Cha raised an eyebrow. Sunghoon glared daggers at Heeseung for bringing up the topic at all. “That being said, maybe keep your distance from Jay for the first day of his rut, just to see how you react around a rutting alpha. After that first day, you should be good though, especially since you're early in your rut cycle right now.”
“That’s good,” Heeseung smiled brightly, and Sunghoon wanted to disappear into the floor. Heeseung was very eager to make Jay’s first rut enjoyable, and while Sunghoon was very interested, he didn’t really want his doctor to know why he was so eager to be around his rutting bandmate.
“Well, Sunghoon-ssi, you have my permission to resume normal activities,”
Dr. Cha stood up, leading them to the door. “Don’t be afraid to call if anything changes, or if any of you—Jay included—have any questions about your ruts or any other behavior changes.”
“Of course,” Heeseung said, bowing politely as he passed Dr. Cha out the door. “Thank you so much for your support.”
“Just doing my job,” Dr. Cha smiled and gestured for their manager, who had been waiting outside, to enter.
“You two go ahead and meet up with the others in hair and makeup,” their manager said, before pulling his planner out, no doubt about to schedule all of the followups they had talked about with Dr. Cha.
Heeseung tucked Sunghoon’s lab papers under his arm for now as they headed down the hall to the elevators. His scent was bright and refreshing. Happy.
“I’m glad everything worked out,” Sunghoon said, rubbing the edges of his scent patches. He was wearing them again—his scent had returned to its full strength and would definitely turn some heads if he went without them.
“I’m just glad you're feeling better now,” Heeseung said, bumping his shoulder against Sunghoon as they walked. “I don’t know what would have happened if they hadn’t thought to put us in contact with an alpha doctor.”
“Well, we figured it out in the end,” Sunghoon smiled. “And, now, Jay can take more days off for his next rut.”
“I’m excited for that,” Heeseung grinned. “Although, it sucks you can’t spend the first day with us.”
Sunghoon glanced around, making sure they were alone as they waited for the elevator.
“I think I’ll survive missing you and your boyfriend fucking for twenty-four hours straight…”
“Oh please, you know you want it,” Heeseung chuckled. “I was hoping to have you and Jake as backup. I have no idea what Jay will be like during a real, non-presentation rut cycle. I know he’s nervous.”
“Jake would love to help. Me and Sunoo can go shopping or something. Jay will be okay without me for one day.”
“That could work,” Heeseung smiled. “And, please, don’t feel pressured to do anything for Jay’s rut anyway. We’ll be okay no matter what.”
“I do want to help out with Jay’s rut,” Sunghoon admitted, quietly, as they got into an empty elevator. “I know we haven't really defined us yet but… I do want to be there with you.”
“We did define us,” Heeseung said, gently grasping Sunghoon’s hand and filling the elevator car with the scent of lavender. “We’re pack.”
Sunghoon leaned over and pressed a kiss against Heeseung’s lips impulsively, because he wanted to.
“Fine then. We’re pack,” Sunghoon answered, squeezing Heeseung’s hand before the elevator doors opened, and the loud sounds of their members' laughter could be heard from all the way down the hall.
They were a pack now. No matter how complicated things got, they could work through it. They’d be okay.
It was the first time since his presentation that Sunghoon believed it.