Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Jay woke up groggy, forced awake by his alarm clock telling him it was time to get ready for school. Playing catch up after three months in I-land was hell on earth. He felt it was a little bullshit since he was confirmed to debut now, but his parents didn’t want him to be a high school dropout, which… fair.

He rolled out of bed and made sure Jungwon was awake in the bunk across from him. He was hyper aware of the cameras filming for Enhypen&Hi, their pre-debut show, so he made sure his morning wood was covered the whole time it took for him nudge Jungwon awake, make eye contact that conveyed how disgusted both boys felt about the time, and stumble into the bathroom to piss and change.

It was early, and all of them were running off of nothing but pure adrenaline and caffeine as their debut approached. So Jay wasn’t surprised that he felt a little off as he wandered into the kitchen, drinking soda straight from the bottle and then staring at the wall for five minutes while trying to pull the fog in his mind back long enough to decide what he wanted to eat for breakfast.

He never did manage to get any complex thoughts together before their manager was rushing them out the door and to the waiting driver. Bless Jungwon for having grabbed an extra protein bar to shove into his hand or he wouldn’t have anything to eat.

It didn’t get any better throughout the school day.

Jay had turned 18 over six months ago, but he still hadn’t presented yet, which meant he was still considered a pup. A pup’s sense of smell wasn’t as strong as a fully developed alpha, beta, or omega, but, even still, Jay felt like all the students and teachers smelled extra strong today. Pups were still capable of smelling developed scents, so Jay figured he must have just gotten used to living in the dorm with only his other members and was now sensitive to any foreign scents.

In their group, Heeseung was the only presented member—a beta. He had presented before I-Land. Jay remembered when it had happened; Heeseung took one day off practice and came back the next day with a bright smile and a new smell. It was no surprise he was a beta, over 95% of the population was, and all of the trainees were required to fill out their family’s dynamic history when they applied in hopes of guessing how they might present.

Hybe never said it out loud, but it was clear they were trying to create an all beta boy band with their I-land choices. K was the only alpha there, and while he almost made it in on popularity, when push came to shove, the producers opted for an unpresented pup with beta parents.

Even so, Heeseung had taken to calling the dorm their “Pack Den”. Packs used to be far more common when alphas and omegas were predominant in society, but declining birth rates and the perception that they would be too hormonal to occupy leadership positions led to one-couple family units becoming the norm. Large packs with a pack leader, multiple couplings, and huge intermingled relationships were a thing of the past. Now packs mostly formed when a group of peers lived and worked together.

Which actually described idols pretty well, so Heeseung had a point.

And he was the only presented member, so the rest of them tended to follow his lead on these things. Jay remembered BTS referred to themselves as a pack once in an interview, so he figured Heeseung was just jumpstarting the inevitable–even if they were just going to be a pack of betas.

The thinking must be rubbing off on Jay, because all throughout the school day he had a prickling under his skin and he couldn’t wait to get back to the safety of his pack den away from all of these strangers.

After school, the same driver that dropped them off picked them up to take them to the Hybe building. They were still learning their new songs and choreography, so Jay and Jungwon couldn’t get the rest of the day off just because they were still going to school. One might argue that Jay and Jungwon needed to work harder than everyone else since they didn’t have as much time to practice, but it was a brutal schedule to keep.

Jay entered the van first, and then they picked up Jungwon. As soon as the younger member was in Jay’s sight, he felt a sense of calm envelop him. All pups had the same clean, powdery scent, but there were small differences unique to each pup, like a fingerprint, and Jay could recognize Jungwon’s clearly–it was a balm to his psyche after the hectic day he had.

They weren’t close yet, not in any traditional sense. But they were slated to debut together, which meant that they’d be working together for a long time. The knowledge that it would be easier for them the closer they became was breaking down a lot of barriers, so Jay didn’t hesitate to lean into Jungwon’s shoulder once he was settled in the van. Jay closed his eyes and sighed loudly, and, after a moment, Jungwon brought his arm to wrap around Jay’s waist.

“Long day?”

Jay nodded against Jungwon’s neck. Between his rough morning and overstimulating school day, he was feeling particularly tired. It wasn’t the most comfortable pillow in the world, but, despite that, Jay fell asleep surrounded by the softness of Jungwon’s clean pup scent. He was shaken awake after they had already parked in the Hybe building. Jay panicked for a moment—he really hadn’t meant to doze off—but Jungwon didn’t seem to mind that his hyung was being extra clingy that day. Jungwon even held his hand as they made their way up to their dedicated practice room. Jay simply hoped he wasn’t coming down with anything.

They were greeted warmly by their members, who were already sweaty and tired from hours of dance practice. They took a break to allow time for Jay and Jungwon to change and stretch, and all the while Jay relished the scent of their practice room in a way he never had before.

Before, Jay had thought that the smell of seven boy’s sweat was an unpleasant byproduct of the career he had chosen. Now, he swore he could smell hints of a distinctive scent intermingled amongst all of them—their pack scent. Over all of it was Heeseung, their beta, who had a uniquely fresh scent: a mix of floral and herbal underneath his organic human musk. Jay never thought scents were particularly interesting; his parents had said that once he was presented and could smell pheromones he would change his opinion. He might be beginning to understand how people could describe others as smelling good, because Heeseung smelled delightful today.

It spoke to how thick the fog in his brain was that it was only after two more hours of dancing and a visit from Producer Bang, who’s intruding beta scent made Jay bristle, for Jay to finally realize that he might be presenting. Beta presentations were usually mild—Heeseung only had a light fever for less than twenty-four hours—so no one ever really talked about the symptoms of pre-presentation. But an increased sense of smell and a sensitivity to non-pack members surely seemed like presentation symptoms to Jay.

Jay made sure to sit next to Heeseung on the ride back to ask him about it. Sure, he could look it up on his phone, but his friend of over four years was sitting right there.

“Sensitivity to scents?” Heeseung said thoughtfully, after Jay had explained his day so far. “I guess so. The night before I presented I could smell my parent’s scents a lot stronger.”

“So I’m probably going to present soon,” Jay sighed, “That’s a relief.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re right at the average age to present,” Heeseung frowned, “Although, I will say, I never had any negative feelings about non-family scents before my presentation.”

“It’s probably just stress,” Jay mused, looking down at where he and Heeseung’s knees were touching. “That’s a thing, right? My hormones might be out of whack because I’ve been in a rapidly changing environment.”

“Sounds like a thing,” Heeseung leaned into Jay and sniffed at his neck. They were waiting to shower when they got home, so Jay was still sweaty from dance practice. “I can’t smell your scent yet. If you get a fever tonight we’ll make sure to tell Manager so you can have tomorrow off.”

Jay nodded and leaned against Heeseung like he had with Jungwon. He fell asleep again, surrounded by Heeseung’s light beta scent, but he felt much calmer about his exhaustion this time knowing he wasn’t sick or overworked, just presenting.

The van was small and most everyone overheard Heeseung’s and his conversation, so all the member’s knew about Jay’s probably-presentation when they sat down to eat. The maknaes kept close to his side to try and catch a hint of a new scent, while Jake and Heeseung made sure to give him extra food off of their plates, citing his need for extra calories. Jay put up with all of it with a wealth of patience. His anxiety from that afternoon was completely gone now that he was back at the dorm, surrounded by the scents of home. The blinking camera lights bothered him a little, but he also knew his presentation would be good content for the fans, since it was such a cultural touchstone to become an adult.

After dinner, Jay felt a second wind come on after his otherwise lethargic day. He did the dishes that the younger members left out, cleaning up the kitchen as he went.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Heeseung asked him while he wiped down counter tops.

“I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the kitchen dirty,” Jay responded and, after a moment, realized that was his honest answer. The thought of leaving his pack den a mess was unacceptable, so as soon as he had finished eating, he had started cleaning. Heeseung frowned, but Jay just shrugged and went back to it.

When he finished, Ni-ki tried to smell him again and the maknae ended up pulling him into an impromptu Mario Kart match. The other members joined them on the couch, cheering and sharing controllers so they could all play. Jay inhaled a deep breath and sighed at the scent of happy pups surrounding him. This was all he had wanted all day.

He ended up falling asleep on Ni-ki, sometime after giving his controller to Jake. He woke up to the feeling of a cold hand on his forehead. He looked up to see Ni-ki’s concerned baby face turned away from him.

“Hyung has a fever!”

“Let me see,” Heeseung’s face replaced Ni-ki’s. Two hands grabbed his cheeks and directed Jay to sit up. The brain fog was back, and now Jay also felt a dull ache throughout his whole body. He blinked up at Heeseung slowly.

“Yep, he’s presenting,” Heeseung tugged on Jay’s arms lightly. “Let’s get you to bed, ok?”

Jay groaned but let Heeseung lead him away from the pups and into their shared bedroom. He burrowed under the covers of his bunk immediately, until only his head peaked out. Heeseung smiled at him, but hung around, fidgeting nervously.

“I don’t know if this is weird to ask but… I can smell your scent changing, and you smell a little bit like you’re sick. Can I… scent you? It might make you feel better?”

Jay definitely felt like he was sick, with the fever and ache combining and growing stronger as he laid in bed. Jay nodded his head, and, when Heeseung didn’t move, he responded.

“I don’t mind. You can scent me.”

Heeseung smiled with relief—this must’ve been a pack thing. Jay knew that betas didn’t have overly strong instincts like alphas and omegas did, but they did still have some unique to their roles in pack dynamics.

Betas’ roles in packs were complicated. They weren’t just peace keepers, but also caretakers and protectors all rolled into one. It was one of the main reasons why small family units of just betas were the vast majority of households these days; betas were capable of filling almost any family role while alphas and omegas were more one-note with their instincts. A lot of betas described presenting as feeling more like themselves, their natural personalities being strengthened by their hormones. Jay thought it sounded nice to present as a beta and become a better version of yourself.

Heeseung’s presentation hadn’t changed him at all. Jay knew that even before Heeseung presented he would’ve hovered to check in on sick members. And now, his beta instincts simply took it one step further, encouraging him to scent Jay, both to calm Jay’s mind and his own.

Heeseung leaned over Jay’s bunk, and Jay untangled himself from his blankets so he could sit up straighter. Heeseung brought one hand to rest on Jay’s lower back and the other gripped his neck lightly and pushed Jay’s head to rest on Heeseung’s shoulder, positioning his nose against his neck. Jay rubbed his nose lightly against Heeseung’s scent gland and was met with the smell of calming beta pheromones. They were light and sweet, almost herbal. Some had described Heeseung’s calming scent like lavender, and Jay supposed it was a close enough comparison. As soon as he smelled it, Jay instantly melted against Heeseung. The ache in his muscles receded and was replaced by a bone-deep sense of stillness.

Heeseung was thorough, and he made sure to saturate Jay in his pheromones; he would probably smell like Heeseung for the rest of the night, guaranteeing him a full night’s sleep. After a minute, Heeseung pulled away and Jay collapsed back into his bed, eyes already half closed. Heeseung ruffled his hair fondly.

“G’night,” Jay slurred.

“Goodnight,” Heeseung smiled, “I can’t wait to smell your new scent in the morning.”

Jay fell asleep with a smile on his face at the thought.

-----

Jay woke up and the first thing he was aware of was his erection.

He was no stranger to morning wood–all guys got it–but something today was different, and his mind was too cloudy with sleep to pinpoint why. His boxers felt tighter, the pressure on his dick foreign in a way he wasn’t used to. His eyes were still closed when he lazily pushed his hand down under the covers to reach beneath his pajamas and palm himself over his underwear. It felt good, more sensitive than usual. He gasped and lightly ground into his palm, stilling when he felt a tight burst of pleasure as his dick caught on his hand in a way it never had before. He rubbed his palm around in an attempt to find it again, and gasped for a different reason when he pressed against swollen skin at the base of his cock.

He had a knot.

His eyes snapped open and he instantly became aware of his surroundings. He felt like he was burning up, sweat pooling against his back under the covers and heat radiating off his skin. And he could smell now, really smell. He could smell the individual scents of five pups, and he could smell that their scents were faint enough to indicate that they had slept there, but were gone now. He could smell the scent of their manager, who must have come in to get them, and, while his balsam-beta scent wasn’t offensive, it burned Jay’s nose at how foreign it was around the scents of his packmates. And then he smelled the floral and earthy scent of Heeseung. There was the faint, herbal scent still on his pillow from last night, but a more neutral beta scent was still thick in the room, almost as if…

Jay turned his head and confirmed what his nose was telling him: that Heeseung was still there, sleeping in his bunk across the room. Jay knew he had asked for the day off for him, but he must have also convinced Manager-nim to let him stay back so Jay wouldn’t be in the dorm alone.

Jay tried to be quiet and calm, not wanting to wake Heeseung up as he pressed back against his hard cock, this time making doubly sure what he was feeling was a knot. And no matter how many times he ran his fingers against his base it remained there. Jay was presenting, alright.

As an alpha.

Jay took a deep breath and tried not to panic, but as it sunk in that he really was an alpha his anxiety started to grow, until it felt like a ton of bricks on his chest. Alphas made up less than five percent of the population. Their hormones made them more aggressive, more dangerous, than regular beta males. As a result, they struggled to fit into society and were generally outcasts among the rest of the population. The k-pop industry was all about marketing individual personalities, and alphas in the k-pop industry were largely un-marketable. Whole groups had failed just because one popular member had presented as an alpha. And Jay knew that Be:Lift had wanted Enhypen to be an all beta boy band. But here he was, pre-debut, presenting as an alpha.

Jay had at some point started to cry. He shoved his hand into his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sounds and winced at the feeling of sharp canines digging into his skin–another change of his betraying body. He thought he heard the sound of shifting sheets coming from Heeseung’s bunk, but he ignored it and instead tried to ground himself, letting the pain of his teeth digging into his hand clear his mind.

Some alphas did debut successfully in boy bands. Yeonjun from TomorrowxTogether was the perfect example. He took suppressants and wore scent patches and largely never talked about his alpha nature and he was wildly popular. It wasn’t ideal, but maybe he could convince Producer Bang to have another alpha idol under Hybe. He could take suppressants and he could act however they wanted him to on camera.

Modern suppressants should dull a lot of his alpha instincts. They would also suppress his ruts and act as birth control, since alphas could only reproduce during their rut. Taking suppressants long term could cause personality changes and infertility, but that was a small price to pay to debut.

Jay sat up in his bed, furiously searching for his phone. Maybe if he messaged Manager-nim now and got on suppressants as fast as possible, no one at the company would care that he had presented as an alpha at all. Hell, maybe he could even pretend to be a beta to the fans; after all, it’s not like they would ever find out—

“Jay, are you awake?”

Jay froze in his bed, hand still in his mouth and scent turned bitter with fear. He looked up to see Heeseung sitting on the edge of his bunk, eyes filled with concern and his mouth open, scenting the air. He’ll know. He’ll smell that Jay is an alpha and he’ll know.

Jay could smell it this time, as his own scent became thick with fear, acrid and burnt. The pressure on his chest was back and he bit down harder on his hand as more tears leaked from his eyes. He didn’t know how to respond or what to do. He was alone, there was a camera positioned above his bed catching his entire breakdown on film, and he was an alpha. He felt exposed, scared, and, to top it off, he still had a fever.

Jay was taught that omegas were the only gender who nested, but, as Heeseung approached him and the camera stayed glued to his bunk, he wanted nothing more than to burrow somewhere safe, surrounded by pleasant smells and enough coverage that no one could see him so much as move. He felt so naked in their shared room, with just his bunk and a blanket covering him.

“Oh my god, Jay…” Heeseung spoke softly, and approached Jay’s bed slowly. Jay closed his eyes tight and scrunched himself up against the wall. He felt the bed dip as Heeseung sat next to him on the mattress. “You’re an alpha.”

Jay nodded.

Heeseung placed a hand on his blanketed knee and squeezed.

“That’s fine. We can handle this. I really need you to let go of your hand, though. It’s bleeding.”

Jay’s jaw tightened, and the pain kicked up again, grounding him. Now that Heeseung mentioned it, he could taste the iron tang of blood in his mouth. But he couldn’t just let go. If he let go of his hand, then he would start crying again or say something embarrassing or—

He growled, deep and instinctual as Heeseung’s hand came close to his mouth. Heeseung’s eyes widened, a flash of fear crossing his face; the growl died in Jay’s throat, his blood turning cold as he realized that he had put it there.

They stared at each other a moment longer.

Heeseung hardened his eyes and sharpened his scent.

“Jay, I know you’re scared but you can’t start growling at me. It’s just me, I’m here to help.”

Jay had smelled Heeseung’s scent before–of course he had. He smelled it when it was calm and sweet, and when it was sad and rotting. His scent now didn’t seem angry, not really. It carried a sharpness that Jay would have previously only applied to alphas. It cut through his panic though, even if it was just from the shock of his friend smelling so authoritative.

The second Jay went slack from the beta’s pheromones, Heeseung wasted no time in pulling Jay’s poor hand from his mouth. There were deep imprints of teeth marks and tiny beads of blood where Jay’s sharpening alpha canines had managed to break the skin. Heeseung gently massaged the skin in his own hands, and his scent became soft once more. Jay had never been able to smell pheromones before today, so he wasn’t the best at pinpointing what the scents meant. But if he didn’t know any better, he’d think that Heeseung was just as scared as him.

“Ok, now what do you need? Your smell... Jay I can smell how badly you’re freaking out right now and I really want to calm you down but I don’t know how. What do you need?”

“I… I need,” Jays voice was quiet and, without his hand stopping it, he was crying again, his body shaking with the need to breathe as powerful sobs began to overtake him.

“I need to not be an alpha.” he finally managed to say between sobs, his voice high-pitched and miserable.

“Oh, Jay-yah.”

Heeseung pulled Jay forward into a bone crushing hug. Jay’s face was pushed into Heeseung’s neck so close that he couldn’t smell anything other than Heeseung. It was the first pleasant thing Jay had experienced all day, so he buried his nose into Heeseung’s scent glands and inhaled, focusing on breathing between his sobs. He was pretty sure Heeseung had started crying too, but he was more certain of Heeseung’s gentle rocking and his hands digging into his back, pushing him into the embrace as if Heeseung wanted to completely cover his body with his own.

They stayed like that for a while, Heeseung rocking and whispering to Jay while he broke down, until he finally felt too tired and worn out to cry anymore. Heeseung kept holding him as Jay caught his breath. He trembled as his thoughts refocused outside of his panic and back to his body. He felt too warm, completely covered and wrapped up in his friend’s arms, and his erection had never actually gone away.

Jay squeezed Heeseung’s shoulder and pushed the beta back. Heeseung kept a hand on Jay’s knee as he pulled away, squeezing it reassuringly. There were dried tear tracks on his cheeks, but he kept smiling at Jay.

“Are you feeling calmer now?”

Jay nodded. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, unsure of what to say.

“I know there’s a lot we need to do, but you’re going through a presentation rut; we need to handle that first. I guess I should probably…” Heeseung stood up, leaving only long enough to grab his phone before sprinting back. “I’m going to see if I can find any advice online. I’ve never actually learned about alpha ruts before.”

Jay watched as Heeseung typed. He spoke up, his voice shaky. “I don’t…” Jay took a deep breath and tried again, rushing to get his thoughts out. “I don’t feel safe here. There are cameras and the bed is exposed and it just all makes me feel… wrong.”

Jay wrung his hands together, eyeing the angry bite marks. “I know only omegas nest but… I need something more covered than this bed.”

“Omegas build nests, but alphas still like to use them. That’s what this article says,” Heeseung patted Jay’s knee. “So it makes sense you panicked out here in this big room full of cameras. But the only room without cameras is the…” Heeseung trailed off, looking at the bathroom door.

Jay sighed.

“It locks, at least. I think I could lie down in the tub…”

“Ok, don’t move,” Heeseung said, pocketing his phone and going to his bunk bed. He quickly stripped the blanket and sheets.

“What are you doing?” Jay started to unravel from his cocoon. “It’s my rut, we should use my blankets.”

“Nests are supposed to smell like pack,” Heeseung explained brightly. He stopped in front of their shared hampers and began to root around in them. “It’s supposed to consist of scents from your whole pack. If you want a nest, Jay, we need to make you a real nest.”

Jay was so dumbfounded he could do nothing but grab his cell phone from its charger and follow after Heeseung as his hyung walked into the en suite, dumping his blankets and clothes into the large bathtub.

“These forums say it’s more comfortable if you’re naked for your ruts, so you change. I’m going to text Manager-Nim and let him know what’s happening.”

“I can’t just… get naked in front of you!”

“Why not?”

“This isn’t like getting dressed in the morning, Hyung, I’m…” Jay trailed off, his hands gesturing towards his crotch. Heeseung glanced back long enough to see his bulge, and, even though his ears turned red, his opinion didn’t change.

“You’re an alpha in rut. It's normal. We’re a pack now, right? This is what packs do. Now strip.”

And with that Heeseung excused himself from the bathroom, phone already pressed to his ear. Jay’s anxiety returned as soon as he was alone. He didn’t take his clothes off yet; instead, he sat gingerly on the edge of the bathtub and pulled his own cellphone from the pocket of his pajama pants.

He googled something probably very similar to Heeseung: “Presentation rut help.” There were a few official-looking medical articles, and, further down, some forums written by alphas sharing their first rut experiences. Jay opted for a medical looking one: “Your Presentation Rut: What to Expect for the First Twenty-four Hours.”

He honestly didn’t know anything about ruts other than alphas were more aggressive during them and they were overcome with the need to knot. Roughly thirty minutes into his first rut, Jay found neither of these things to be true: He felt strangely subdued, and knotting was the last thing he wanted to do.

The article outlined some symptoms of rising alpha pheromones to expect before the rut, such as a desire to prepare the pack den for a rut and a strong aversion to any scent that could be viewed as a threat–which would’ve been nice to have known yesterday. The start of the rut itself was usually marked by a fever and feelings of confusion and fear. The article explained the importance of a nest for the presenting alpha to feel safe enough for their body to finish the presentation naturally.

The article then described an increase in sensitivity in the skin and pelvic region. When it mentioned an erection that wouldn’t go down without knotting, Jay almost dropped his phone, but he’d rather learn about this part without Heeseung in the room so he kept reading.

The article went into more detail, explaining that the presentation erection could be painful, since the previously dormant knot glands were swelling for the first time. The erection would probably be bigger than previous ones and last longer until the first knot was achieved. A presentation rut was shorter than a usual rut as its main purpose was to flood his body with enough hormones to confirm his secondary biology as “alpha.” Knotting released a large hormonal load. The more orgasms the presenting alpha could reach in a small time frame, the shorter the presentation would last.

However, the article warned that alphas who didn’t feel safe enough to knot may not present completely, which was very dangerous. For presentations, it recommended seeking medical help if you had an erection that lasts four hours without achieving a knot.

Jay placed his phone down on the edge of the tub. He knew that unfinished presentations could cause long term health risks, or else he’d be tempted to lock himself outside the dorm for twenty four hours until his body decided to give up on the whole thing. But the article stressed the importance of completing the presentation rut naturally, so Jay figured he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He could get his rut over with, and then immediately go on suppressants that would dull his hormone production and make him more like a beta.

Heeseung still wasn’t back yet. If Jay strained, he could hear his voice in the bedroom, but if Jay thought too hard about how their manager was reacting to a pre-debut idol presenting as an alpha, he might have a panic attack again. Instead, he finally raised his legs over the lip of the tub and slid in. The sheets and laundry were still just in a pile, so Jay began to spread them out. At first, he figured he’d just unfold the sheet so he wouldn’t have to sit on cold porcelain, but as soon as Heeseung’s scent came out Jay knew what he wanted to do. He used the sheets to line the tub and bundled the comforter up against the side of the tub to make a place to lay comfortably. Then, he brought the laundry up to his nose; even though all the shirts smelled like powdery fresh pup, he could still smell the nuances of each member within the smell. The laundry he placed folded around the lip of the tub, the smell of his pack forming the barrier of the nest, and Heeseung’s sweet beta scent made up the innards.

The comforter was warm and soft, and Jay was suddenly overrun by the desire to have it against his bare skin. Without a second thought, Jay stripped his shirt off, tossing the sweaty garment out of the nest. He wrapped his fevered skin in the comforter, and it felt so good that his shorts soon followed; shimmied off and tossed aside. He was suddenly aware of his erection again. It twitched demandingly in his boxers.

Jay wasn’t sure how much longer Heeseung would be, but the article said that the best way to end a presentation quickly was to knot quickly. With one eye on the closed door, Jay maneuvered himself to be cocooned within the comforter before he pulled his boxers down just enough to free his cock and balls. Just the feeling of his hand gripping the base lightly and the head rubbing dry against the soft comforter already had Jay seeing stars. He felt his body heat up again, and his hips began to thrust into his grip on their own. It felt like he had zero control of his body, and he wondered now how he had managed to ignore his erection for so long.

He began to pump his dick properly, quicker than he normally would at the start. The dry tug wasn’t his favorite, but any pressure was better than no pressure. He twisted his wrist lightly on the upstroke, applying extra pressure to his head in a move that usually got him off quick and he finally started to leak some precum. Jay sank deeper in the comforter and sped up his hand. If he could get a knot out before Heeseung got back then maybe this whole thing wouldn’t be so mortifying.

Almost as soon as he thought that, he felt a burning in the base of his cock, a spike of pain that felt like it was just under the skin. Jay gasped, his hand going still. The pain pulsed in time with his heart and didn’t go away. He moved his hand to cover just the base, massaging lightly as he did. The ache intensified, turning into a burning sensation. He cried out and dropped his dick.

The pain died down, if only a little.

“Fuck,” Jay whispered against the sheets.

Knots were supposed to be pleasurable, not painful.

He laid back and caught his breath before retrieving his phone from the side of the nest. A brief google search later and this time he clicked on one of the alpha-only forums, where an alpha was complaining about a painful knot and he was freaking out because he couldn’t finish his presentation. All of the answers assured that painful knots during the first rut were normal, explaining that your anatomy was changing rapidly, and that the knot glands were sensitive because they were new. They all said that, after the first twenty-four hours, knotting became very pleasurable. They all also said that if they couldn’t knot themselves during their first rut because it was too painful, they needed someone who would help them or they’d have to go to the hospital–which was just great.

Jay sighed and dropped his phone again, turning over to bury his head in the blanket and resist the urge to cry. He really didn’t want to go to the hospital because he was struggling with his presentation. But he was an idol. He didn’t have a romantic partner.

Who was supposed to help him with his rut?

The door to the bathroom opened, and Jay lifted his head to see Heeseung coming back in, still dressed in an oversized t-shirt and his stupid soft Winnie the Pooh sleep pants. He was carrying a water bottle and a protein bar, his phone call evidently ended.

“You’re probably dehydrated, and I know you haven’t eaten yet, so…”

Heeseung’s eyes darted to Jay’s discarded clothes, but he didn’t say anything as he approached his nest. Jay held his arm out of the blankets to grab at the water. He left Heeseung holding the protein bar; he didn’t feel particularly hungry.

“You smell upset again. Did something happen?”

“What did the manager say?” Jay asked, pointedly ignoring Heeseung’s question. The older boy sighed, placing the protein bar at the edge of the nest.

“He’s on his way now.” Jay felt his heart rate pick up and he almost dropped his water bottle. Heeseung let out a comforting scent. “Not to make you leave or anything. He just wants to make sure you’re ok. Like, medically. And he said he’s running by a drugstore to get you things to help your rut, which, I didn’t ask.”

“Did he say anything about my position? In Enhypen?”

“It didn’t come up. He’s concerned for you, that’s all. The rest of the boys were already going to eat lunch at the company. Manager-nim said he’d take them out for dinner too to buy you more time alone to finish up your presentation, or at least get the… explicit part done.”

Jay shrank back at that, sipping from his water. Heeseung eyed him critically.

“Did something happen while I was gone?”

Jay sighed loudly.

“It hurts too much for me to get off. Like… when I get close my knot starts to ache, but not in a good way.”

“Is that normal?” Heeseung asked, concerned. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“I looked it up and it’s normal,” Jay answered, ears burning. “I just have to get over myself and do it. It just surprised me the first time, that’s all.”

Heeseung nodded, but seemed unconvinced. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Lotion?” Jay looked sheepishly at Heeseung, who finally cracked a bit of a smile. A moment later Heeseung came back with unscented body lotion.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Jay hesitated. It would be beyond mortifying for Heeseung to watch, but some part of him still didn’t feel safe without him nearby.

“I could leave the door to the bathroom open, but stay right outside. I could hear you if you called, you could see my back if you looked, and I can warn you when Manager-nim gets here.”

Jay nodded, and Heeseung smiled before making his way out; sitting with his back against the door frame, facing out towards the bedroom, and looking pointedly at his phone.

Jay finally stripped his boxers off, so he was completely naked under the covers. He took a deep breath before grabbing at his dick again, this time with the extra glide from the lotion. It certainly helped him speed up his movements and apply slightly more pressure. He teased his head and brought himself back to the edge as quickly as he could, and again the ache at his base flared into something more. Jay gasped, but this time didn’t falter. He tried to ignore the pain and focused on making himself feel good, squeezing and pulling his hand up and down his shaft. The pain flared and stayed, a constant pulse. He sped up his pace and almost sobbed at the sensation. But the pleasure never seemed to overtake the hurt. His frustration mounted, and his wrist was getting tired.

“Jay,” Heeseung spoke loudly, his face still turned away from the door. “Manager-nim says he’s coming up now.”

Jay released his grip with a groan, letting his head fall back to hit the tub. His balls were absolutely aching with the need to cum, but his stupid knot was making it impossible.

“He can come in,” Jay called back. “I’m covered.”

Heeseung stayed in Jay’s eyesight, which he was grateful for. The second the front door unlocked however, Jay felt himself tense. Their manager was a beta, and he was a very nice man. But he smelled different; he didn’t smell like pack. And Jay could smell him from all the way inside the bathroom; a new symptom of his heightened alpha senses. Against his will, he began to growl. It was a quiet sound, broken and inconsistent, his throat not used to it. Jay knew he certainly hadn’t been capable of making this sound yesterday. He slapped a hand over his throat, trying to stop the vibrations with force. Heeseung had frozen by the door too, and sent Jay a nervous look. He must have heard it too.

“Can I come in?” Jay heard their manager ask, although he wasn’t sure if the question was for him or Heeseung. Heeseung cast a questioning look at him, and Jay nodded, his hand still on his throat. It was just Manager-nim.

Heeseung and their manager entered the bathroom at the same time. Jay began to growl again, louder this time in spite of his hand. Heeseung moved to stand between Jay and their manager and released his calming pheromones. It helped.

“I’m sorry,” Jay said, as soon as he had control of himself again. “I can’t help it.”

“That’s fine. You’re adjusting. It’ll be easier once your rut is over. Which,” Manager-nim held up a bag from a local pharmacy. “There are drinks in here, you need to stay hydrated. I also got a thermometer, make sure you keep an eye on your fever; it can’t go above 39 °C or you’ll have to take some reducers, which are also in here.”

He handed the bag to Heeseung, not coming any closer to Jay. “There are some things in there to help with your rut. Now, I have to ask, have you knotted yet?”

Jay blushed furiously, and shook his head no.

“How long since your presentation started?”

Jay shrugged, so Heeseung answered for him.

“About an hour.”

“It’s not quite noon yet. I can keep the boys out until about eight pm, but that’s all the time I can buy you alone. I don’t know if you know, but the first rut is based on the amount of knots, not a specific length of time. It usually takes four. If you don’t want the other members to see you like this, then you’ll have to finish up before they get back.”

Jay nodded his head, his eyes locked on the floor. Four? He was still trying to get one done.

“And of course, if you can’t knot at all, let me know and I’ll take you to the hospital. We can make it discreet.”

Jay nodded again.

“Ok. Heeseung, it would be a huge help if you could make sure Jay stays safe while he presents.”

Heeseung stood up a little taller and nodded.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving him.”

“Well,” their manager clapped his hands together a little nervously. “If that’s everything—“

“Do you think I’m going to lose my spot in Enhypen?” Jay blurted out. All eyes in the room turned to him. Their manager was silent for a moment.

“You’re presenting, please don’t worry about that right now.”

Jay looked panicked at the lack of a direct response, so he hastened to add.

“We won’t know until tomorrow; we have a meeting scheduled with Producer Bang. But your album’s not out yet, and I-Land just ended. Frankly, to kick you out without any fan input would be a bad look, and it’s not like your band dynamic will be affected; you all don’t even have a dynamic yet. So, honestly, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Jay relaxed back into his nest, feeling like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

“I’ll be headed out now,” the manager said. “Good luck, Jay-ssi.”

Heeseung walked the manager out. While he was gone, since Jay was in a good mood knowing he probably wouldn’t get kicked out of the group, he experimented with scenting, trying to override the scent their manager had left in his wake. He wasn’t sure how to release pheromones yet, so he just thought about how this space was his and he wanted everyone to know that. If his pheromones matched his moods, maybe that was enough.

Heeseung certainly reacted when he re-entered the bathroom. His eyes went wide and he took a deep breath.

“I guess alpha pheromones are stronger than beta pheromones.”

“Is it too strong?”

“It’s fine. It smells like you.”

Jay wasn’t sure how to respond to that, and Heeseung didn’t say anything. He walked back in with the pharmacy bag and took a seat next to the bathtub and began pulling items out. There were a few sports drinks, a thermometer, and fever reducers. Heeseung had a weird look on his face when he pulled out the next item, a bottle that he handed to Jay. Jay spun it around to read its label: Personal Lubricant.

“Oh my god, my manager bought me lube?”

“It’s better than lotion,” Heeseung snickered.

Jay looked over at Heeseung. He was smiling now at their awkward situation, the initial embarrassment having worn off. Jay suddenly realized that this Heeseung, who was teasing him about masturbation, was the same Heeseung who would tease him while they learned new choreography. Who would walk back home with him if they stayed at the company too late. Who would tell him he was a good dancer after a particularly harsh review and eat ramen with him after, even if the salt would make them puffy the next day. This was still Heeseung. His friend since they were trainees. His friend who his parents still asked after. His best friend.

“I’m not sure I can do this on my own,” Jay confessed. “But I don’t want to ask you for help.”

“Because you’re embarrassed?”

“Because I like you,” Jay admitted, and watched Heeseung’s easy smile fall into something else. “And I don’t want you to be pressured into doing something with me because you think you have to, because we’re pack and I’m an alpha in rut, or whatever.”

Heeseung stared thoughtfully at Jay for a moment, before reaching over to grab the thermometer. He held it out for Jay, and didn’t speak until Jay had it in his mouth, under his tongue.

“You know the time we stayed so late the trains had shut down? And I had to call Heedo-hyung to pick us up?”

Jay nodded, kept silent by the thermometer.

“After we dropped you off, Heedo asked me if I was gay. He said he didn’t care either way, but he wanted to know.”

Jay’s eyes widened, but the damn thermometer hadn’t beeped yet, so he couldn’t interrupt.

“He said he saw the way I looked at you, that he could tell I was in love with you. I denied it, of course. But after that I started thinking about it more. And self-reflecting. Do you remember that letter you wrote me in I-Land? ‘I was your life’s turning point?’ I’m pretty sure you’re my turning point too.”

The thermometer finally beeped. Heeseung pulled it out to read it, his face calm but his cheeks a dusty rose.

“What the fuck,” Jay said weakly.

“Thirty-seven degrees. Your fever is really light; I don’t think you need to take anything for it right now.”

“Did you just confess to me?”

“Yes, Jay, I did,” Heeseung smiled. “So, it turns out our feelings are mutual. And you’re an alpha in distress; will you please let me help you?”

Jay took a deep breath and released it. Heeseung, who he liked, just confessed to liking him back. He wanted to help Jay through his first rut, and Jay knew he wouldn’t be able to complete his presentation alone. So really, why would he say no?

“Yes, please.”

Heeseung leaned over and grabbed Jay’s face, pulling him into a kiss. Jay was a little shocked, but let himself be led forward until their lips locked. It was chaste, sweet, and so close that Jay could smell Heeseung’s beta scent turning warm and spicy with arousal.

“I figured it would be more romantic to have our first kiss before I make you knot.”

Heeseung then turned around to fully face Jay’s tub nest. He didn’t hesitate as he reached his hand in and flipped the comforter, exposing him. The cold air of the bathroom shocked his heated skin, and he gasped. Heeseung’s eyes locked onto Jay’s hard cock, dark red and leaking, the base swollen painfully, but not yet fully hardened into a knot.

Heeseung grabbed the lube and poured some into his hand. Jay watched, a little dazed at how fast this morning turned from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life. He let himself relax against the tub and just followed his hyung’s lead. Heeseung awkwardly leaned over the lip of the tub and finally, finally, grabbed hold of his cock.

Jay couldn’t help but whine at the feeling. He’d been unintentionally edging himself for an hour, and the feeling of someone else’s hand was divine. Heeseung kept his grip firm and started pumping his fist slowly over Jay’s cock, stopping at the top. His thumb teased the head, pressing against the glans, while his second hand moved lower to cup Jay’s balls, squeezing lightly. Jay whined, high and needy; he felt ready to burst and Heeseung was teasing him. He thrust his hips up and tried to growl at his hyung, but only a whimper came out.

“I know, I know, but it’s your first knot it should at least be good, right?” Heeseung said. “This angle isn’t the best though.”

“Just come in the nest,” Jay answered, still trying to wiggle his hips to get more stimulation from Heeseung.

“Really? You’ll let me in your nest? Because I know earlier you were—“

“Get into this nest before I drag you in,” Jay growled, actually growled, this time. He would have been more surprised at the sharp edge his voice had taken if he weren’t so preoccupied on getting off. Heeseung’s eyes widened at the deep alpha tone—a tone that demanded submission. Heeseung scrambled over the edge of the tub and ended up kneeling between Jay’s legs, trying to make room for the both of them. Jay felt the heat radiating off of his body, and couldn’t help rising up to meet it. Jay grabbed Heeseung’s neck, pulling him down into a kiss. Jay had never had time for a girlfriend when he was a trainee, so he was flying blind here. He nipped and sucked on Heeseung’s lips the way his inner alpha directed him, all the while humping up into Heeseung’s hips which had been forced down against Jay’s naked groin.

Jay eventually broke away from the kiss to breathe, and he was met with the sight of Heeseung’s lips all red and puffy, face flushed, and breathing heavily through his open mouth.

“Jay, I think your rut has really set in now. You smell… different.”

Jay kept panting, keeping his hands on Heeseung’s neck to hold him close. His hips kept up their soft circles, finding delicious friction against Heeseung’s fleece pajama pants. He could smell Heeseung’s arousal in his scent. He could almost taste it on his tongue. He pulled Heeseung down toward him, pressing his nose against the scent gland on his neck and breathing in deep. He gently licked it. Heeseung gasped, and Jay felt himself get even hotter at the flavor that burst on his tongue.

“Jay,” Heeseung said softly, “Let go of me so I can help you, yeah. You can’t knot like this.”

Jay whimpered and tightened his grip on Heeseung’s neck, his nails digging in.

“Jay,” this time he spoke sharply. Jay stilled. Heeseung’s voice had that power to it that it had before, in the bedroom. It wasn’t full of compulsion like an alpha tone was, but it was full of authority, as if warning the listener of consequences yet to come.

“I’m the one taking care of you right now. Let go.”

And Jay did. But not before placing one final kiss against Heeseung’s scent gland, because he wanted to. His head felt a little clearer when Heeseung pulled away, the smell of beta pheromones leaving with it. At some point, Jay had lifted his legs to wrap around the beta’s clothed back. Heeseung gripped them and pulled them apart. He pushed Jay’s legs back and hooked them on the rim of the tub; Jay simply let himself be maneuvered. Just an hour ago, he had been shy about being naked in the same room as Heeseung, and now he was leaning back, legs spread obscenely wide with everything on display. Jay thrust his cock towards Heeseung, who was unmoving, looking down at Jay in awe.

“Hyung,” was all Jay managed to say. All his thoughts felt far away. His whole world had shrunk down to the heat between his legs and Heeseung. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. The last hour felt like a warm up compared to this.

So this was what a rut really felt like.

Heeseung poured more lube onto his hands. This time his left hand reached down to wrap around Jay’s swollen knot glands with a firm grip. The other hand worked from base to tip and back again, making a quick rhythm with all the extra lube. Jay cried out, his hands gripping uselessly at the comforter under him. His orgasm felt so close he could taste it. His balls tightened, but, right as he felt he was about to fall over the edge, his knot glands began to hurt again.

Jay groaned, but Heeseung kept going.

Heeseung could feel the knot growing under his hand, and from the way Jay had begun to shift and moan he knew it must be bothering him. Heeseung hadn’t been just sitting and staring at the wall while Jay had been going through his rut alone; he had been researching. So, as Jay got close, Heeseung tightened the hand around the knot, letting his fingers dig into the glands with force. At the same time, he used his other hand to give quick and powerful tugs along the length.

As soon as Heeseung’s fingers pressed into his knot, Jay saw stars. He might’ve screamed; he wasn’t entirely sure. The pain peaked, and then, suddenly, finally, his knot expanded into Heeseung’s tight fist. It was the strongest orgasm he had ever had; his knot felt like it pushed him past an edge he never knew existed. His whole sense of feeling had boiled down to his knot. He knew he was coming, but even as his cock twitched and convulsed in Heeseung’s hands, all he could feel was intense pleasure as his knot was enveloped in tight, warm heat.

Jay didn’t know how long he laid still after, dazed and fucked out. He came back to himself slowly. First, he felt his hands and their death grip on the comforter. Then his feet, pressed into the edge of cold porcelain. His legs, and the soreness that came from having them spread so long. Then he became aware of his neck, more importantly, Heeseung licking and sucking along his scent gland. He breathed out, and tried to ignore the pleasure that came with the feeling of a warm tongue teasing his neck.

“Hey,” He said, although it sounded more like a croak.

Heeseung lifted himself up to look down at Jay. His hand was still between them, fisted around Jay’s expanded knot.

“Welcome back.”

“That was…” Jay trailed off; eyes locked onto Heeseung’s fist over his cock. Then the absolute mess of cum that was all over his sleep shirt. Some had even gotten on his chin. Jay didn’t think he had ever cum that much in his life.

“I think you actually passed out there for a couple of seconds. And then you went a little unresponsive so I was just trying to, you know, wake you back up.”

Jay nodded his head. He reached a shaky hand out to touch Heeseung’s chin, swiping the spot of cum away. Before Jay could react, his hyung’s eyes glinted mischievously and he leaned forward and sucked Jay’s finger into his mouth. Jay felt his cock pulse, twitching in Heeseung’s hand and even more pleasure flooded his brain, almost like coming a second time. He tried to jerk away from the grip on his knot but that only made the oversensitivity worse so he just whined and fell back boneless against the tub, waiting for the tingling in his groin to subside. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel warmth around his knot–a gentle thrum of pleasure constantly burning in the back of his mind. If he didn’t move, it stayed enjoyable, but any movement of his hips resulted in a quick burst of oversensitivity.

“You ok?” Heeseung asked, placing his free hand down to still Jay’s hips where they were twitching, trying to test the limits of his knot.

“How long are we going to have to stay like this again?” Jay asked weakly.

“If there’s an omega nearby or you were having a proper rut: up to thirty minutes. But since this is your presentation rut and there’s no omega around and you didn’t knot a real hole all the forums online say ten minutes.”

Jay nodded and pulled his feet down from the edges of the tub, hissing at the stretch in his inner thighs. There really wasn’t a ton of room in the tub, so he had no choice but to let his legs rest loosely against Heeseung’s sides.

Heeseung couldn’t have been comfortable either, forced to sit with his knees tucked under him, his wrist twisted to keep its grip on Jay’s knot. Despite that, Jay couldn’t help but notice the tent that had formed in his pajama pants.

“Can I…” Jay reached a hand out to touch, but Heeseung pushed it away.

“Later, after your knot goes down. You still need to knot a few more times, figured I could cum with you once or twice, if that’s ok.”

Jay nodded dumbly. “Sounds great.”

Heeseung directed him to test his temperature again, and, when his fever was higher, told him to take medicine–all with his hand still clamped over Jay’s knot. In turn, Jay got more used to moving and existing with his knot out and in Heeseung’s hands, even if it still felt amazing every time he so much as shifted his weight.

Eventually, the pressure on his knot stopped feeling as good and instead started to just feel tight. Jay tapped his foot against Heeseung’s back.

“I think it’s gone down now.”

Heeseung nodded and released his hand, shaking out his wrist with a grimace. Jay was surprised to see that, while the swelling of his knot had gone down considerably, his erection hadn’t. That was a side effect of the rut, he supposed. He wasn’t a horny mess like earlier though. Small mercies.

Jay reached up to tug on Heeseung’s shirt. “Take this off.”

Heeseung stood up slowly, stretching as he went, before peeling off his cum-stained shirt and tossing it from the nest. Jay got up too, to stretch. He knew Heeseung’s eyes were glued on him as he reached his arms up and back, stretching out after being folded in a tub for over an hour. It made Jay feel better as he peeked at his friend’s exposed chest and abdomen, knowing that Heeseung was checking him out too. Heeseung was thin and toned from dancing, and Jay wanted to taste the skin of his abs. He gulped at the thought.

Jay took a seat on the edge of the tub while Heeseung fingered the waistband of his pants.

“I’m naked, you should be naked too,” Jay said confidently.

Heeseung steeled himself before pulling his pants and underwear down in one go. Jay unconsciously spread his legs as he eyed Heeseung’s hard cock. He was big for a beta; Jay was pretty sure Heeseung was bigger than he had been before his alpha presentation had literally grown his dick overnight. Because of course Heeseung had to have a perfect cock too, on top of being their ace. Heeseung tossed his pants out of the nest and stepped forward to stand between Jay’s spread legs, gripping his chin to make eye contact. Jay gulped. For being an alpha in rut, he never really felt in control.

“What if I wanted your underwear for my nest,” Jay joked, doing his best not to look at Heeseung’s dick, bobbing very close to his face.

“You don’t need it, you’ve got the real thing right here,” Heeseung smirked, and all the shyness he had over stripping was gone at Jay’s reaction. Jay’s scent was turning musky with arousal again, and his cock was getting even harder, the knot beginning to swell.

“But I had something different in mind for now,” Heeseung let go of Jay’s chin and knelt down, the comforter bunched up to provide cushion for his knees. Jay instinctively pushed his hips out a bit, pushing his cock closer to Heeseung’s face. Heeseung placed his hand on Jay’s cock and guided it till it brushed his lips. “May I?”

Jay shivered at the sensation of warm breath and lips moving against his slit. His mind was growing hazy with need again, and he nodded, not sure if he was capable of speech anymore.

Heeseung tentatively kissed the head, and then continued with little kisses down over the shaft, close to the base. He had to bow his head to really get around Jay’s cock, the position not ideal, but Jay still thought it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. Heeseung moved back to the head. He wrapped one hand around the base of Jay’s cock over the knot, the other he used to position the head in front of his lips again. With Jay where he wanted him, Heeseung then lapped at the slit, tasting the pre-cum collected there. Jay whined at the feeling of something so hot and wet near his cock. He pushed his hips lightly, bumping Heeseung’s lips in a quiet plea for more.

Heeseung licked more around the head, teasing his tongue against the ridge and making Jay moan. He took his time licking all over until Jay was truly wet and panting, before finally opening his mouth wider to suck the head of Jay’s cock inside.

Jay gasped, fingers tightening at the edge of the tub. It was so wet and so hot, the feeling of hands could never compare to the sensation of being in someone’s mouth. And then Heeseung hollowed his cheeks, sucking on his cock head; Jay cried out and tried to thrust deeper into his throat. Heeseung reacted quickly, moving a hand onto Jay’s hips in an effort to keep him back. His other hand stayed wrapped around Jay’s knot. He pulled off briefly to look up at Jay. His lips were swollen and covered his spit. Jay stared.

“I know you’re in rut but you have to control yourself, ok? If you keep trying to fuck my mouth, I’m going to stop, understand?”

Jay whined at being commanded by Heeseung again. There was a dark part of Jay’s mind that knew his alpha tone would overpower Heeseung. With a well-timed growl and a command, Jay could do whatever he wanted. He knew he was capable of it. But all it took was Heeseung looking at him sternly and saying “stop” and Jay would never, could never, disobey his hyung. So he just nodded his head, and tightened his hands on the rim of the bathtub, taking deep breaths to calm down.

When Jay had calmed enough, Heeseung took his cock back into his mouth. Jay tilted his head back and let his mouth hang open, letting out little sighs and gasps as Heeseung slowly took him deeper. The hand around his knot began to squeeze and release, massaging the glands as Heeseung began to bob his head over the part of Jay’s cock he could fit comfortably in his mouth. Jay felt himself growing closer; this orgasm was coming way faster than the last one.

Jay looked back down to take in Heeseung, on his knees and mouth full of cock. He kept working his grip over Jay’s knot, alternating between squeezing it tight and teasing it with just his palm while he began to trace his tongue over Jay’s slit and glans. Jay panted, squeezing his eyes shut again and resisting the urge to thrust deep down Heeseung’s throat. Heeseung rolled his palm across Jay’s knot and Jay managed to stutter out a breathy “please.”

Heeseung took that as his cue to stop teasing. He tightened his grip on Jay’s knot like he had before, finger tips purposefully digging into the knot glands. He sucked his cock in a little deeper, and Jay finally came at the feeling of the pressure on his cockhead and knot combined with the sight of Heeseung on his knees, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Heeseung had wanted to swallow all of Jay’s cum, but he hadn’t fully realized the amount of ejaculate a knotting alpha could produce. The salty taste of cum flooded his mouth, and then kept coming, forcing him off with a cough. Jay still wasn’t finished yet, and the remainder landed on Heeseung’s face and chest.

The feeling of knotting wasn’t quite as intense the second time around; even still, Jay was blown away by the sensation of an even stronger orgasm than usual. But he didn’t pass out, and, after only a moment of labored breathing, he was able to look down and check on Heeseung.

The sight of Heeseung’s spit swollen lips pouting while cum dripped down his face was almost enough to make Jay pass out on its own.

“S-sorry,” Jay breathed out. He reached out a hand to try and clean some off Heeseung’s face, but Heeseung beat him to it, collecting Jay’s cum on his finger and bringing it to his lips.

“You’re going to kill me,” Jay whined. Heeseung just smirked and rose up to meet Jay in a kiss. Jay could taste his own cum on Heeseung’s tongue and it drove him crazy. After only a moment, Heeseung pulled away and nuzzled Jay’s neck, pressing his nose against the scent gland there.

“You smell so good after you knot,” he explained. “It makes me feel so…”

Heeseung trailed off, but his blissed out expression told the story for him. He licked Jay’s scent glands, as if trying to taste the pheromones themselves. He reached down with his free hand, the other still trapped on Jay’s knot, to palm himself where he was rock hard between his legs.

“I thought rut pheromones only affected omegas like that,” Jay said, feeling drunk as he watched Heeseung start to unconsciously hump his own hand.

“Maybe it’s because I like you. I don’t know why, but you smell like how sex feels.”

“High praise,” Jay chuckled, before reaching out a hand to shyly touch Heeseung’s cock. He gasped, and tightened his grip on Jay’s knot even more, making the alpha cry out at the new mix of pleasure-pain.

“Sorry,” Heeseung adjusted his grip frantically, but now his hand was considerably looser. Jay frowned and shifted, pressing his hand down over his knot to replace Heeseung’s.

“Lay down in the tub,” he said. Or maybe the better word was commanded, because Heeseung scrambled to comply, head resting against the edge and legs stretched long, looking up at Jay waiting. Jay knew that an alpha’s pheromones were capable of commanding others, but so far Heeseung had seemed mostly immune. Although maybe it’s changed now that Heeseung had huffed his post-knot scent. He was still palming his erection even as he waited.

Jay slowly lowered himself back into the tub and on his knees between Heeseung’s legs, a reversal of their very first position. The whole time, Jay tried to keep his hand over his still expanded knot; as evidenced by Heeseung’s loss of control earlier, no pressure around it resulted in an unsatisfied feeling, almost like an itch you couldn’t scratch.

Once he was settled, he reached out to push Heeseung’s hand away and wrapped his own around the shaft. His hyung moaned and nudged his hips further down, closer to Jay.

“You don’t have to,” he said, although his sigh of pleasure when Jay began to pump his hand slowly definitely said he wanted it.

“I want to. I know it’s my rut but you’ve been doing all the hard work so far, and I’ve got some time before I can go again,” Jay said, thumbing the head.

One-handed Jay wasn’t going to be able to open the abandoned lube bottle behind him in the tub. And while he really wanted to taste Heeseung and return the favor, he wouldn’t have enough room in their current position. So instead, he settled for collecting Heeseung’s pre-cum on his thumb and bringing it up to his lips, sucking it in to taste. He grinned at the guttural sound Heeseung made in response, before making a show of licking his hand, tongue flat against his palm before sucking on each finger. Once Jay was finished, he wrapped his now spit-slick hand around Heeseung’s prick and started jerking him off for real. He wasn’t used to this angle, but, like any eighteen year old boy, he had plenty of experience jerking off a cock. And Heeseung’s didn’t have a pesky knot to figure out, so Jay made short work of reducing his hyung to a panting mess between long strokes of the shaft, palming his balls, and teasing the head.

Jay leaned forward, aggressively working Heeseung over as he did so, unconsciously tightening his own hold on his knot.

“Later, when I’m not in rut, we can share a shower and I can pay you back for real, see how you taste,” Heeseung cried out at the mental image: himself leaned against the shower wall and Jay underneath him, mouth wide and throat twitching around the stretch of Heeseung’s cock.

“You’ll have to be quiet though, or else the rest of the members will hear. They’ll know how good I am as your alpha, that you’re mine. Would you like that?”

Heeseung closed his eyes tight at the thought of coming while his pack was only a few feet away behind a closed door. Embarrassingly, he felt his balls tighten in response, and before he could warn Jay, he was coming hard and fast in the alpha’s grip. Even Jay seemed surprised.

“Didn’t know you were into exhibitionism, Hyung.”

“I liked it better when you were too overwhelmed to speak,” Heeseung groaned, and opened his eyes to the sight of Jay bringing his hand up to his mouth, tongue peeking out to lick Heeseung’s cum off his fingers. He scrunched his nose a little at the taste.

“I thought it would taste more like you,” he explained, before cleaning his hand against the sheets in the nest.

“It’s an acquired taste,” Heeseung giggled at his dongsaeng’s expression. “Betas don’t have any pheromones in their ejaculate, but alphas and omegas do. You actually taste how you smell.”

“Really?” Jay seemed intrigued.

“And since you’re an alpha in rut, that’s probably why I got so turned on, even as a beta, since I directly ingested your rut pheromones.”

“Good to know for the future,” Jay said and then leaned back awkwardly. His knot hadn’t actually gone down yet. Jerking Heeseung off had turned Jay on more than he’d thought, and Jay wondered if his knot would stay inflated longer now. Heeseung tugged lightly on Jay’s arm, and encouraged him to turn around and lay back so that he was resting with his back flush to Heeseung’s chest. Jay cringed a little at the feeling of dried cum between their bodies, but being so close to Heeseung’s comforting beta scent overpowered the unpleasantness. Heeseung absentmindedly began to trace along Jay’s abdomen and thighs and he relaxed even deeper against the beta’s chest.

“I like it when you touch me,” Jay said softly against Heeseung’s shoulder. Heeseung was silent for a while, long enough that Jay thought he wasn’t going to respond.

“I’m really glad I was here when you presented Jongseong-ah. So I could have you all to myself.”

Jay placed a hand loosely over Heeseung’s own, and he linked their fingers together before continuing.

“I know being an alpha in this industry is going to be tough on you, but if you had presented as a beta I’m not sure we would have ever confessed.” Heeseung squeezed Jay’s hand tightly. “And I really like you. I thought, as long as we debuted together, I would be satisfied with that; but now that I have you here, I know simply watching from afar would never have been enough.”

Jay slowly released his grip on his knot, confirming it had gone down completely. He then let his left hand rest over Heeseung’s own on his chest, thinking about everything he had said.

“How long have you felt this way?”

“Years. Since we were trainees.”

“I think I really started to see you differently in I-land. But I don’t think I really had words for it until now, when I could smell your scent for the first time.”

Heeseung buried his nose against Jay’s neck. “No matter what happens now that you’re an alpha, just know that I love you just the way you are, ok?”

Jay nodded, breathing in the scent of their pheromones mixing inside his makeshift nest. Heeseung separated their hands and began to trace Jay's abdomen again, going down low to brush over his thighs. Jay shivered at the light touch running over the outside of his thighs, then the tops, Heeseung’s fingers brushing closer to Jay’s erection with every circle they traced. Jay let his knees fall open over Heeseung’s, spreading his thighs wider. Heeseung smiled against Jay’s neck and began to lap at his scent gland while his hands pressed down into his inner thighs. Jay felt his mind get hazy with need again, his cock twitching as hands dragged against his thighs, around his cock and back up his abdomen, everywhere but where he wanted them the most.

“I can smell when your rut takes over,” Heeseung whispered against his neck. This close to the beta, Jay could smell how Heeseung’s scent changed in response, getting heavy and heady with arousal.

Jay could probably command Heeseung now—use his alpha voice to tell him to stop teasing. But Heeseung’s hands felt good against the crease of his thigh; he had started to suck lightly on his scent glands, threatening to leave marks.

Jay almost didn’t want this moment to end. It was just him and his best friend for years, who he loved and trusted, sitting together and feeling good.

But Jay was in rut, and the scents and sensations soon became overwhelming. He began to moan and writhe in Heeseung’s lap, begging for the release of his knot. Heeseung took the hint. He stopped massaging Jay’s thighs and wrapped his hand around his cock, a familiar position by this point. The angle was much better for Heeseung this time, and he immediately started at a strong pace. He abandoned the scent gland he had been sucking, which was now red and puffy, to start sucking on the other side of Jay’s neck, nipping along his collar bone. Jay cried out under Heeseung’s ministrations.

So far during the rut, Heeseung had always kept pressure on Jay’s knot to encourage it. This time he let his left hand wander up Jay’s chest, until he brushed over a pink nipple. Jay whined, and Heeseung zeroed in. He rolled his nipple in his fingers, teasing before pinching harshly. Jay gasped and thrust into Heeseung’s grip, mind going fuzzy at the sharp burst of pain. He repeated the treatment to the other side. Jay’s hand scrabbled against the edge of the tub as he thrust hard into Heeseung’s fist.

“I didn’t know you were sensitive here,” Heeseung whispered, rolling the pink bud mercilessly.

Jay hadn’t known either, but he was well beyond the point of speech so he just moaned. His knot was burning again, so he lowered his own hand to rest under Heeseung’s and wrap around it. He sighed in relief and continued to hump into his hyung’s grip–until that grip disappeared.

Jay’s eyes snapped open and he whimpered, trying to crane his neck to see Heeseung. Heeseung brought both hands to rest on Jay’s chest.

“Do you think you can knot by yourself? I want to watch you get yourself off.”

Jay’s face burned as Heeseung’s fingers started to tease his nipples again. Stomach to back like they were, Heeseung had a perfect view of Jay’s smooth skin all the way down to his hard cock. Some part of Jay was embarrassed, but the rutting alpha in him wanted to knot more. And Heeseung had sucked him off, so he deserved a treat, although Jay wasn’t sure watching him masturbate was as much of a treat as he seemed to think it was.

Either way, Jay copied how Heeseung got him off the first time, with his left hand wrapped snug around his base and his right hand pumping over his shaft and head. There was some lingering anxiety as his hand began to pick up speed; at the start of his rut, he hadn’t been able to finish with just his own hand. But the warmth of Heeseung at his back spurred him on, as well as the merciless attention Heeseung began to pay to his chest, fingers pinch and pulling on his nipples. His attention had also shifted back to his scent gland, still swollen and tender. He worried the skin between his teeth, creating sensations that traveled straight from Jay’s neck to his core.

Between his own hands and Heeseung’s tortuous ministrations, Jay felt pulled taught–one snap away from his whole body coming undone. He tightened his grip on his knot but it didn’t feel as good as when Heeseung did it. Jay groaned, not particularly wanting to edge himself but unable to cum.

Heeseung detached his mouth from Jay’s scent glands and placed his lips right next to Jay’s ear. When he spoke, he spoke with that same authoritative voice Jay was learning to love.

“Tighten your hand even more, it won’t hurt,” Heeseung waited until Jay did, watching as he cried out in response to the intense pressure. “Now knot your hand,” Heeseung ordered, simultaneously twisting Jay’s nipples and biting his ear.

Jay screamed.

He felt his knot inflate and push against his own fingers, pain bursting through to pleasure. His hand frantically pumping as his cock spilled cum, cresting waves of pleasure that never seemed to truly end. He arched into the sensations, pushing himself into Heeseung’s chest. Heeseung let go of Jay’s nipples to rest lightly on his twitching hips and bit down gently on his scent gland, nowhere near hard enough to mate, but hard enough that Jay’s alpha preened and he felt his dick twitch a few more times as more cum dribbled from the head.

Jay felt dizzy with pleasure by the time he released his dick, keeping his grip around his knot in place. He relaxed back against Heeseung fully, not surprised but too tired to care when he felt his hard-on press against his lower back.

“You did it,” Heeseung whispered into his ear. Jay nodded. He was actually starting to feel tired now, after his third knot.

“Did I put on a good show?”

“Yeah,” Heeseung chuckled. “I’m kind of surprised that I’m already…”

Jay shifted so Heeseung’s hardness lay more comfortably against his ass and lower back. He felt Heeseung’s sharp intake of breath under him.

“You can finish, if you want.”

Heeseung jerked his hips and Jay felt his cock drag against the cleft of his ass.

“Move and I will.”

“Can’t. Too tired,” Jay grinned and bore his hips down against Heeseung’s erection. Strong hands gripped his hips tight in response.

Jay wasn’t sure if it was his rutting hind brain, or Heeseung’s surprisingly assertive personality, but he was strangely attracted to the idea of getting fucked–which was a thought he had literally never had before this moment. It seemed counterintuitive to what his alpha hormones should be making him think. He did, admittedly, want to see how Heeseung would look speared on his cock, stretched wide by his knot. But in his contented haze after knotting, when everything felt a little too good, his mind told him it would probably feel really good to be held down by Heeseung and simply used.

And his mind might have been onto something, because it felt amazing when Heeseung forcibly positioned his hips where he wanted them and began to thrust up against the crack of his ass. Jay could feel the head rubbing against his spine and his balls slapping against his ass whenever his thrusts became particularly rough. It made his knot twitch in his hand, pure pleasure blooming in his core.

And the sounds. The sounds Heeseung made–the little grunts and sighs as he humped Jay’s back were intoxicating. Jay had always just assumed he was straight. Girls were cute, for sure, but the feeling of making a man lose his mind was potent. It made him feel powerful when Heeseung’s pace began to stutter, when his breaths turned heavy.

Jay pushed his hips down when Heeseung thrust up and, with a cutoff cry, he was coming between their bodies. Jay’s knot twitched, and he had to admit that maybe he liked the idea of being the cause of another’s pleasure.

Heeseung wasn’t an alpha in rut and he had already come twice, so the stimulation felt more painful than good as he was finally coming down from his orgasm. Jay got the message when he was pushed lightly by the hips. He lifted himself slowly and turned around so he could sit against the tub facing Heeseung, who dragged himself up into a sitting position too.

“You like making me work,” Heeseung huffed. His breathing was taking a while to calm down, but that was what happened when you tried to keep up with an alpha in rut.

“Maybe,” Jay teased, leaning his head against the tub. His knot wasn’t quite ready to go down after all the excitement, so he decided to enjoy the break.

“Or maybe you just like being used,” Heeseung teased back. Jay felt his lips twitch up a little. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Maybe I do.”

“I’m learning all sorts of new things about my dongsaeng today,” Heeseung grinned.

They sat together for a moment, just breathing in the afterglow. Jay was the one who moved first when his knot came down a few minutes later. He leaned over to the pharmacy bag to grab two more sports drinks. He handed one to Heeseung, because he had made him work hard today.

“You’re still hard,” Heeseung said, gesturing towards Jay with his bottle.

“Yeah, I kind of hoped I’d be done by now.”

Heeseung closed his eyes and rested his head against the tub. “Have you ever thought about anal before?”

Jay was, unfortunately, taking a big gulp of his drink when Heeseung asked. He choked, coughing into his hand while Heeseung laughed.

“That’s a no I take it?”

“I’m thinking about it now!” Jay gasped.

“I have. But, I knew I had a crush on you for years. So I did research into gay sex. Watched gay porn,” Heeseung explained.

Jay wiped his mouth clean and thought about it for a second. He’d never truly thought about sex with men before today; he’d had passing thoughts that certain trainees were attractive, but never further than that. During these past few hours though…

“I haven’t thought about it before but,” Jay swallowed thickly. Heeseung was looking at him. “I’m definitely thinking about it now.”

“We’ll work up to it,” Heeseung said. “We can do research on alphas with betas and go from there.”

“Later?”

Heeseung laughed. “Yes, later. Sorry, as much as I want it–I think your knot might actually kill me. I definitely couldn’t try to take it today, not as my first time.”

“Oh,” Jay was a little disappointed but he understood. It didn’t stop him from fake pouting at Heeseung.

“Aww, poor alpha can’t stick his knot in, huh? Must be tough,” Heeseung pouted with him, talking like you would to a baby. Jay made a fake baby cry and kicked his feet lightly against Heeseung.

“This baby still needs one more knot.”

“Hand me the lube,” Heeseung put his bottle down and held his hands open. Jay tossed the bottle to him.

Heeseung then maneuvered himself so his back was to Jay, still on his knees. Jay’s cock twitched at the sight of Heeseung’s ass right in front of him. He found it a little hard to follow what was going on as Heeseung poured lube into his hand and reached down past his cock to rub it in between his thighs. He made a mess of it, letting it run over his balls and glisten low on his thighs.

“You still wanna fuck me?” He asked, coyly looking over his shoulder before closing his thighs, muscles tensing as he pushed them together and then pushed his hips back towards Jay. And then Jay understood.

The familiar haze of his rut overtook his mind as he rushed forward. He growled when he took the lube from Heeseung’s grip, rubbing a now slick hand over his cock. Heeseung gasped at the sound, and Jay figured his alpha scent must be getting to him again.

He pushed his fingers in between Heeseung’s thighs just to see how it felt, and they both groaned at the tight pressure. He pulled his fingers free and positioned his cockhead right under Heeseung’s ass. He pushed in slowly, and the feeling of warm heat surrounding his head was overwhelming. He moaned as Heeseung flexed, the muscles in his thighs squeezed against his cock as he kept pushing forward. He felt his head nudge against Heeseung’s balls before he bottomed out, hips pressed flush to his ass. Then, he looked down at the point where his dick disappeared between Heeseung’s toned thighs. The tip had pushed past Heeseung’s balls. He leaned over and rested his head on his hyung’s shoulder, and it gave him a perfect view of his cockhead poking out from between Heeseung’s thighs. His hyung was still soft, but warm and pliant in his arms. Jay pressed his nose into Heeseung’s scent gland, drinking in the calming beta scent, and rolled his hips slowly. They both moaned at the drag of his cock against Heeseung’s balls and taint. Once only the head remained, Jay thrust back in.

He started to form a rhythm, face still pressed against Heeseung’s neck while his hips kept up a slow but steady pace. The beta’s scent started to turn sweeter, heady, and his breathing turned into quick gasps. Jay placed an open mouthed kiss against the scent gland before sealing his lips and sucking, eager to taste the evidence of Heeseung’s arousal on his tongue. Heeseung moaned, and Jay was shocked when he pulled away to see that Heeseung’s cock had chubbed out for the third time that day. He was still only half hard, but he had gotten there from only the drag of Jay’s cock and his alpha pheromones. He moved his right hand from his hyung’s hip to lightly wrap around his cock. Heeseung cried out, arching against him, fingers white knuckled where they gripped the rim of the tub.

“J-Jay,” He stuttered, his gasps audible and wet.

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Jay whispered, his thrusts picking up while his hand tightened around Heeseung’s cock. Heeseung sobbed as Jay began to pump his cock in time with his thrusts.

“Oh my god,” Heeseung gasped, and threw his head back to rest on Jay’s shoulder, his eyes screwed shut and a line of drool leaking from his mouth. Jay watched the column of his throat work as he tried to swallow, mesmerized by how ruined he looked.

“How does it feel?” Jay asked, unaware of how much alpha command had leaked into his voice. Heeseung was overwhelmed, the pleasure on his sensitive cock so strong that it almost felt painful. Combined with the powerful scent of an alpha intent on having his way, he was helpless.

“So much… Jay…” Heeseung groaned. His face was flushed and his eyelashes were moist with tears from the overstimulation. Jay felt drunk at the sight of his hyung so destroyed.

He quickened his pace on Heeseung's cock, rubbing his own cock just as fast against Heeseung’s balls. His thighs tensed even further, if that was possible, and Jay was forced to still his hips, his cock trapped between muscular thighs as he mercilessly brought his hyung to the brink. Heeseung actually had tears rolling down his face now, eyes open but staring unseeing at the ceiling. Jay pressed his lips against Heeseung’s ear, just like he had done to Jay before, and spoke with a deep, uninhibited alpha tone.

“Cum.”

And he did.

Heeseung closed his eyes, his mouth opened wide though no sound came out. His hips rutted into Jay's hand and his cock twitched, sending ropes of cum onto the sheets draped over the bathtub. Jay kept his grip, working Heeseung through it until he was sure he had gotten every last drop and Heeseung had gone completely boneless in his arms.

Heeseung had stopped squeezing his thighs at some point, so Jay carefully helped him rest against the edge of the tub, where he breathed heavily into his clasped arms. Jay pulled his cock out and finally wrapped a hand around his knot. He had forgotten about it when he had given in to the sudden urge to make Heeseung cum, but now it absolutely burned with need. Having done it once, and being so worked up from watching Heeseung fall apart from his third orgasm in a row, it didn’t take long for Jay to work himself to completion. His knot expanded against his tight fist as he painted Heeseung’s ass and thighs white with cum.

Seeing Heeseung panting, collapsed against the tub and covered in his cum made Jay feel surprisingly content. Maybe it was some new alpha instinct he had that made him want to take control of someone so completely. Which was weird, considering how not very long ago he had fantasized about Heeseung fucking him. Jay was honestly too satisfied to think about it too hard.

Instead, he leaned forward and pressed kisses against Heeseung’s spine.

“You can lay down now, hyung.”

Heeseung groaned and slowly turned himself over to lay against the tub once more. He was still twitching a little, eyes red and tired. Jay suddenly worried he had taken it too far. He hovered for a moment, unsure what to do.

“I’m fine, Jay,” Heeseung said. “I can smell your anxiety from here. I hadn’t really planned on coming a third time today.”

“Oh,” Jay ran his hands over Heeseung’s calf. “Sorry I made you.”

Heeseung closed his eyes and grinned, despite the exhaustion.

“Did I ask for an apology? God, Jay, I’ve never cum so hard in my life.”

“Oh,” Jay blushed.

“Think I finally get the appeal of the big, bad alpha boyfriend, though,” Heeseung leaned forward to give Jay a peck on the lips, before collapsing back again.

“I think you might only get that big, bad alpha during my rut,” Jay said, leaning back against the tub.

“You’ll have more ruts.”

Jay winced a little. On one hand, it was a promise of more sex and more intimacy with his new… boyfriend? Partner? On the other, it was a reminder that Jay was an alpha now. Everything would change.

Heeseung had his eyes closed, but he must’ve smelled the change in Jay’s scent if the furrow between his brows was any indication. He’d have to learn to control that better. Heeseung patted his chest lightly.

“Come cuddle, I want to nap, but I want you close.”

And how could Jay so no to that? So he pushed his fears about his new gender out of his mind for now and crawled up to Heeseung, shoving himself between the wall of the tub and Heeseung’s side so that he could rest his head on his chest.. Heeseung immediately began to card his fingers through his hair. Jay sighed, and a new sound began to rumble in his throat. A purr, an alpha’s purr, quiet and shaky. Eventually Heeseung fell asleep. Jay's knot went down shortly after, and he was relieved to find he wasn’t hard anymore.

His presentation rut was officially over.

Jay wrapped his arm around Heeseung’s middle and closed his eyes. At least the hard part was over. He was an alpha now. He and Heeseung could figure it out together.