Chapter Text
Seungmin was unfortunate enough to have chosen computer science as his major. The course itself was fine, he supposed; it was just that in doing this, he had unknowingly signed himself up to be the first point of contact the second the electricity in his aunt's house went off—because that's somehow related to his degree.
Printer not working? Ask Seungmin. TV's not getting a signal? Oh, Seungmin can fix that! Don't know who lmfao is? Seungmin will definitely know them. Possibly the worst part of the whole situation was that it wasn't even only Seungmin's family with his number in their emergency contacts, but his best friend’s, Jeongin’s, family as well.
Which would explain why he's in an uncomfortable, musty-smelling leather chair right now. Because, despite popular belief, he does not enjoy spending his Friday mornings hacking an old man's computer.
You see, it seems that Jeongin's poor, sweet, old grandfather had gotten one too many scam phone calls and had finally fallen victim, his computer becoming compromised and virtually unusable in the process. So, of course, now it was Seungmin's job to undo this mess and fix everything.
Although Seungmin may complain, he can't deny that he doesn't enjoy this aspect of his degree. The more morally ambiguous side that teetered the line of legality. It was so damn exciting unfurling carefully crafted codes, and if he messed with a few scammers in the process, who was to know?
“How's the hacking thing going?” The sudden voice had the alpha jumping out of his seat.
“What the fuck? Don't creep up on me like that!” he reprimanded, wheeling his chair back into place and pushing the omega's leering face away from the computer screen.
“Aww c'mon, I'm just curious.” He pouted. “I wanna see if it’s like men in black!”
“How is this anything like men in black?”
“I don't know.” He huffs. “Computer might morph into an alien or one of those lizard people Jisung keeps talking about. I mean, it's obsessive, right?” Jeongin asks, completely pivoting the conversation. “Like, that's not just me that thinks so?”
“Oh, no, Jisung is fully insane.” The older boy agrees with a nod, twirling in his chair to face back towards the computer screen. “Nobody should know that much about lizards—what the fuck…?” he trailed off, mesmerised by the screen before him, his mouth falling agape like he'd forgotten to close it properly after he’d spoken.
“What?” Jeongin asked eagerly, already wrestling Seungmin's head out of the way to see what was happening on screen.
The alpha is quick to relent and show the computer to the boy. “I...” he begins, trying to collect his thoughts into a coherent sentence that would explain what he'd just read.
“I don't get it.” Jeongin admits. “Are you stalking my grandpa's ex boyfriend or something? Because if you're trying to set them up again, I just don't think that's such a good idea.” He rambles, words completely lost in the sea of Seungmin's thoughts. “I mean, the photos of them together look cute, but my eomma told me it ended on really bad terms. Like, really bad. He stole my grandpa's favourite mug!”
“Yeah, that sounds great, Innie.”
The omega scowled. “What?”
“But this…” he trailed off, his eyes scanning the room for an open window when he felt a chill run down his spine. “..this is definitely far greater than your grandpa.”
Jeongin's dimples disappeared, a sure sign of his fright, and his hands came to clutch one another in front. ”Why?” he asked. Much slower. More carefully. His gaze flickered over to the screen, scanning down it in a far more calculated manner than earlier. “What… What is it?”
“So, um, I got the viruses off your grandpa's computer.” He said.
“But...” Jeongin prompted, because there was definitely a but to this story.
“But I wanted to…” his eyes wander looking for the correct word, “mess with them a little. The guys who tricked your grandpa.” He admitted, and Jeongin seemed much less tense after it. “So I may have—coincidentally—slightly—perhaps compromised all their cloud-updated files and apps, it's no biggy.” The omega instantly seizes up again, and so Seungmin decides to do some simple damage control.
“I mean, if they're saving all their valuable files to the cloud, it's not even my fault at that point. It’s just stupid. Basically their fault they got hacked. Karma, really, if you think about it.” He finished quickly, hoping that his best friend wouldn't start freaking out yet because he wasn't even at the ‘what the fuck' part of his story.
“Minnie, that's illegal!” he cried, definitely starting to freak out. “As in, you could get locked up for 50 years, and the only time I would ever get to visit you is once a month through a glass panel. I can't last that long left alone with Jisung hyung!”
“Wow, that's… wildly exaggerated.” He says. “And you're fine with me hacking your grandpa's computer, but not the shitbag that fucked an innocent old man?”
“Well, I wish you hadn't phrased it like that.”
“Yeah, I didn't realise how bad it sounded until I'd already said it.” The alpha winced.
“Ugh, now I'm just imagining gross stuff. Quick—say something!” he exclaims, and Seungmin's brain starts scrambling. “I need to get this image out of my head. Puppies. Kittens. Big, sparkly—”
“—Rats.” Seungmin blurted.
Jeongin looked at him pointedly. “Really?” He asked, brow raised. “Big, sparkly rats?”
“I hear they're native to New York.”
“Oh, really, that's great.” He says, unimpressed. Jeongin holds Seungmin’s blank stare for the better half of a minute before sighing in defeat. “Fine.” He huffs out. “I'll visit you in prison or whatever. Now, tell me why you ‘what the fuck’ed at the computer-!”
“Ah, right.” He nods, glancing slightly at the screen. “So, yeah, I was just casually stalking them, reading through their messages, but… I, uh…” Seungmin's face soured, pinching together tightly before he finally swallowed the lemon and said, “I found their location.” He admitted. “Or rather where they will be. They're doing a drop off tonight, Innie.”
Jeongin frowned. “Drop off? You don’t mean like drugs, right?” Seungmin only winced in response. “Holy shit..” The younger boy murmured as the situation dawned on him. “Holy shit— We have to do a steak out!” He suddenly exclaimed, causing Seungmin to jerk his head up in panic.
“What? No!” the older boy immediately snapped. “Absolutely not, Innie. That is such a bad idea on so so so many levels.”
“Actually, it's not.” He protested. “Just think how many rings are peddling that new transformation X, or whatever it's called. Tons, right? That's probably what this is! It's a big problem for the police at the moment. So, we get in there, do a little steak out, snap some pics, they bust the guy, and we get a medal of honour.”
“I don’t think they just hand those out.”
“Well, I can settle for a front page newspaper. Whatever gets my name out there.” He huffs, and Seungmin is abruptly reminded of his best friend’s current... living situation.
He was sleeping on a couch in his and Jisung's shared dorm room. The second he got caught staying there by any senior students or the administrators, it was over. For all of them. And it wasn’t as if he could live with his relatives either. Jeongin was from Busan, and if he lived with his grandpa, who lived the closest to Seoul, he would have to change buses five times before he reached their university.
The matter of fact was that Jeongin needed money, and getting his name out there, in whatever way he could, might help him land a few jobs. It was hard otherwise, being turned away just because of his subgender. Jeongin would never be less than any alpha, but in the eyes of the masses, he certainly would never be the preferred choice.
“Plus, me and Jisung have always wanted to go on a steak out!”
Seungmin paused. “Wait, Jisung? Jisung is coming?!”
“Yeah.” The younger boy shrugged, checking his phone. “I just texted. He’s bringing burgers or something. I'm not too sure his texting is awful.”
The alpha groaned long and loud. “Oh for fu—”
They arrived at the docks for a quarter to twelve, their rental car creeping to slow stop a safe distance from the drop off spot. Jisung, of course, had spent the entire drive whining about his unfair view from the middle seat in the back.
Seungmin sighed as he turned off the engine and twisted his body to look at his friends. They were all dressed head to toe in black, scent blockers strapped to their scent glands and a camera settled securely in Jeongin's hands.
“So, what now?” he asked, looking at the other two.
“Now, we wait.” Jisung smiled, leaning so far forward that Seungmin felt compelled to push him back into his seat. “And maybe you could quickly hop out of the front seat so I can jump in. Kinda been a dream to sit up front in a steak out.”
“Absolutely not going to happen.”
Jisung fell back with a petulant huff, a pout no doubt painting his face. “Fine. Your burger is confiscated.”
“Okay? I'm not supposed to eat past 11 anyway.” He shrugs nonchalantly, and that somehow pisses Jisung off.
The oldest omega gasps in offence, as though he were personally attacked by the statement. “Are you a middle aged woman?” he asks before shoving the burger forward. “Just eat the damn burger.”
“What?” Seungmin scowls, pulling his head back away from Jisung, who was attempting to force feed him. “No—Didn't you just say it was confiscated?!”
“That was before I realised you were using your weird reverse psychology on me.”
“I don't know how many times I have to say this, but I have never taken a psychology class.”
“Wait, you haven't?” Jeongin interrupts, confusion pulling his face together. “Not even one class? I could've sworn...”
“No! Why does everyone think that?” the alpha responds, becoming briefly distracted enough for the brunet omega to stuff the burger into his mouth. Seungmin glared at him murderously when he let out a victorious ‘Aha!’ and started flaunting his muscles as if he wasn’t the thinnest thing since the stick man.
He was then subject to Jisung's latest conspiracy for the next half hour until Seungmin thought of an ingenious plan to distract him. “Oh, hey, what about a riddle?” He said suddenly, cutting Jisung off mid sentence. Seungmin immediately received an excited exclamation of interest. “Okay…What has ears, eyes, and a nose, but no mouth?”
The omega hummed thoughtfully while Jeongin eyed him sceptically, probably questioning whether there was even an answer to the question. There was, but he doubted Jisung would have an answer, so—
“Wait, I got it!” he said a little too loudly, causing the alpha to hiss at him to be quieter. “Is it a potato?” the older boy asked with a sheepish look.
Seungmin bit his lip and squinted before turning back to scan the area outside the car window. “...No.” He responded. You know, like a liar.
“Damn, really?” the omega huffed in disappointment before quietening down to think.
Jeongin leaned in to ask if Seungmin actually had an answer to the riddle, but he neither confirmed nor denied the fact, and so he settled back into his seat. Finally, Seungmin could relax and just focus.
...Or so he thought; it seems somewhere along the line, without Jisung's annoying chatter, he had drifted off and was now being jerked awake by a loud bang.
“Shit, what was that?” Jisung questioned, frantically wiping the drool from his cheek. It seems Seungmin wasn't the only one who had taken a nap, judging by the hazy expressions on his friends’ faces.
“I don't know...” Jeongin responded quietly, setting his gaze on something in the distance. “Guys, I'm going to get out of the car.” He then said, after a long few moments.
“What?” they both hissed at the omega in sync.
“Innie, you can't be serious. That's insane!” Seungmin protested.
Jisung nodded furiously in agreement. “There could be something out there!” he cried in a hushed tone. “Did you not just hear that bang? What if it's the dealers?”
“Exactly.” Seungmin nods along frantically. “You're going to get shot—Actually, I have a feeling we all are, so I think the steak out can wait for today...” Seungmin rushed for the car keys, but, just as he was about to turn the engine on, Jeongin's hand clasped his own, halting his movements.
“Hyung, I'm serious. Do not turn the car on.” He said slowly. He wasn't even looking at the older boy; his gaze was still fixated on something far in the distance. And that was when he heard the distinct snap of his camera and the gentle unclasping of the car lock.
“Innie!” Jisung whisper-yelled under his breath, evidently distressed as he tried to desperately grab their friend.
“I just need one shot of the other guy, then we can go.” He explained, gesturing to the shipping container that was blocking the car from view and coincidentally shielding the other guy from their view. “I’ll be right back. Don't even worry.”
“This is the stupidest idea you've ever had.” Seungmin said to the empty space Jeongin had left. He sighs and glances in the mirror. Jisung looked anxious beyond words, nails clamped nervously between his chattering teeth as he mumbled wordless nothings under his breath. The alpha felt a certain fondness wash over him.
“Jisung,” he called, turning back to his friend and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It'll be alright. I'll go get him, so you can stay here.”
“No—No—” He shook his head, willing his hands into his lap. “I should come too.”
Seungmin let out a long breath. “No, stay. I'm just going to grab him quickly.” He said, hoping to calm the omega. It wasn't working very well. Usually his pheromones would calm the omega for him, but they'd had these irritable scent blockers stuck on, so he was now left to uselessly blabber until he felt better. “And if we're not back in 5 minutes, you can come find us.” When he finished, Jisung seemed much less tense, so he quickly slipped out of the car and followed in the direction he'd seen Jeongin go in.
It must've been nearly two in the morning by now, Seungmin estimated, pulling his jacket just a little tighter around his body in an attempt to combat the chilling air. There was the distinct scent of smoke in the air, but when he sniffed again, he smelled something else, more underlying and yet indiscernible when mixed in with the smoke. He didn't like the way that made him feel. It put him on edge that his usually pinpoint sharp nose couldn't even differentiate between two scents.
As he neared close to the edge of the shipping container Jeongin had disappeared around, Seungmin began slowing his steps, taking care not to rattle the ground so much as to alert anyone or anything of his position. The alpha turned the corner as quietly as he could, spying Jeongin crouched only a few paces ahead. He must've snapped the picture by now, Seungmin reasoned, and so tried to signal Jeongin to come away with his ignored hand gestures and barely audible whisper-shouts.
Seungmin huffed, wondering what in the distance could possibly be so interesting that he would compromise his safety to stare at it for a few extra seconds. Reluctantly, he crept out more until he met Jeongin’s sides, touching his shoulder lightly to alert him of his presence.
Jeongin looked at him briefly before leaning in and pointing his finger weakly. Seungmin followed it, searching for what Jeongin wanted him to see. It took a moment, but once he spotted the haunting silhouette, it was unmistakable. A child. Bound and held at gunpoint between two black suited men. Seungmin sniffed the smoke-filled air once more. That must've been what the intertwining scent was. A distressed omega. And by the smell of it, a newly presented one at that too. He felt sick and instantly knew what Jeongin had been so deep in thought about. They had to help that child.
The only question remaining in Seungmin's mind was, how?
He scanned the area, careful not to miss a thing in his appraisal, taking into account the lighting and the direction the smoke flowed in, and—oh, he thinks—that might work.
Eagerly, he tapped Jeongin on the shoulder and pulled out his phone. Seungmin opened his notes app and typed out a message as quickly as he could.
There were only four visible people in the clearing, including the child; however, the smoke came from a distant place behind them. Not only that, but it followed the wind's path, casting a smoke screen over the group during particularly windy moments. And Seungmin had thought it something of a blessing when he saw a bald suited man whisper into a device strapped to his belt. There were others. He didn't know how many, but that information alone was enough for a plan to spring to life.
Of course, it would take far too long for Seungmin to type all that into his notes app, so he settled for telling Jeongin that he should ‘wait for the smoke screen’. The younger went to pull out his own phone, probably to ask the no doubt numerous questions he had, but, by the time he'd unlocked it, Seungmin was gone.
Jeongin was absolutely crapping himself right now. This was the exact reason he preferred to play video games with Jisung rather than Seungmin. He was a solo player. Didn't explain a thing and expects everyone else to just understand what he means. But Jeongin never understood what he meant.
Wait for the smoke screen? Ok. And then what? Seungmin just expected him to run out there, snatch the child, and not get shot? He couldn't even begin to think what the game plan would be once the smoke screen fell — if it ever did. Jeongin felt like he'd been sitting with his thoughts for two minutes too long, and he was beginning to feel the itch to move.
Abruptly, he saw one of the armed men shove the girl forward. She let out a terrified yelp, and Jeongin felt his heart clench painfully, instantly reminded of his nephew. The man brought a strange device from his belt to his ear and, after a few moments, turned to say something to the leading man in front. He turned sharply, and Jeongin was finally able to get a good look at his face. He was old and undeniably nasty looking. A long scar ran through his wrinkled skin, cutting through his lip, and, when he snarled at the armed man, Jeongin saw that his teeth were made almost exclusively from gold. It was almost subconscious when he snapped a picture.
But then their heads turned, and Jeongin froze when he thought their gaze had settled on him because they were moving now, coming closer and closer until.. they stopped. They were still a distance away, but the moonlight was just a little more clouded and the girl just a little closer. He could smell her now, her pheromones no longer masked under heavy smoke. She was petrified, and Jeongin tried not to stare at her quaking, bruised body too much.
After a few more moments of talking, the girl was given fully to one of the armed men while the golden toothed man and the other lackey marched in the opposite direction, angry.
It was only a minute or so after that the smoke began intensifying. It seemed to unsettle the man guarding the girl, as he was visibly distracted by the time a series of strong gusts cast a fog over everything.
Jeongin struck quickly, his hand whipping lightning quick through the air and hitting his nape in the exact spot Felix had taught him during a crash course self-defence session. Seeing how the man, a beta Jeongin now realised, crumpled near instantly would've made his friend proud.
The girl turned sharply and let out a weak whimper when Jeongin pulled her out of the fog towards him, swiftly untying her from the rope winding around her. “Hey, hey…” he says softly, crouching to meet her eyes. “It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here. I'm like you.” He hushed, taking off his scent blocker long enough for his calming, floral scent to wash over the girl. “I'm omega too. It'll be alright. You're safe with me.” When he saw recognition flicker through her gaze, he hastily put the blocker back on and reached for a spare from his pocket.
“Can I put this on you?” he asked. She just stared. Jeongin waited a few moments, but didn't receive a response. “It might be a little uncomfortable, but it'll stop the bad people from tracking us.” He explained, hoping she would understand and respond.
Thankfully, she nodded, and Jeongin quickly attached the blocker to her main glands. It wasn't the most secure, and he only covered her wrists (which he had been rubbed raw from the rope) and nape (which showcased a startling amount of bruises), but it would do the job of diluting her scent.
“Okay, we need to go now.” He said, taking the exhausted girl into his arms. She came to him willingly and nuzzled softly into his nape. Jeongin's heart felt tight. “You've been so brave.” He soothed, stroking her head.
Jeongin turned to run back to where Jisung was just as the fog began lifting and the winds settled, but he held his sigh when he turned the corner and saw another armed man. He was blocking the way back to Jisung. And he definitely sees them. Jisung sees them as well. He looks wildly confused, but Jeongin has little time to signal to him as the man begins to reach for his gun. In the next second, it was pointed right at them.
The man is saying some, probably sexist, remarks to him, but Jeongin isn't listening. He's overcome with the primal urge to protect his child, and his mind is racing for a way out, but it comes up blank. All he can do is turn and clutch the child to his chest, hoping he's enough to shield her. And he waits. It feels like forever, but Jeongin doesn't want forever, he wants it to be quick.
The next moments feel like a fever dream as he hears Jisung's very distinct voice cry out in victory and cautiously turns back, shocked to see the man convulsing on the floor.
“You had a taser?” he screeches at his friend. Jisung just flashes a shit eating grin in response. The child in his arms shifted, but Jeongin was quick to guide her head back to its resting spot. “No, no. Don't look, sweetheart.” He coos, stroking her gently to calm her down as he walks to pocket the gun the man had dropped.
He didn't intend to use or keep it. He just felt it was better safe than sorry. Jeongin has no idea who else might decide to show up while they awaited Seungmin’s return.
As if on cue, the man rears the corner, skidding on the ground as he darts forward. “Car.” He gasps. “Now.”
Jeongin didn't need to be told twice, about to drop the gun and run for the vehicle. Only he didn't. A loud bang resounded instead.
Both he and the girl jumped at the sound. It was a gun. And the girl must've realised it as well, because she began clutching him tighter. Jeongin swallowed his anger and replaced it with concern.
Gripping the gun, his gaze darted around them, shocked to see Jisung hunched to one side, clutching his bicep. He let out a pained cry, which only intensified when a stranger gripped his hair and yanked him into his chest. There was a distinct click. He’d cocked the gun. The barrel was shoved into the side of Jisung's forehead. And his finger was on the trigger. Jeongin had raised his gun to the stranger before he ever thought to.
“Your friend is very pretty.” The man said, and Jeongin instantly recognised him as the golden toothed shitbag from earlier. “And I'm not a violent guy.” Jeongin didn't believe that for a second, especially considering how he'd just shot one of his best friends. “I'm a man of trade, really. A life for a life. Just give me the child, and—” He brought his head far, far too close to Jisung, and Jeongin could see the panic swirl in the omega's eyes. The man stopped suddenly. He sniffed. Then he looked up and smiled crookedly. “I've changed my mind. I'll have both. The child and this pretty omega.” The words felt wrong coming from the bastard's tongue, and Jeingin had the very strong urge to pull the trigger.
“What makes you think we'd ever agree to that?” Seungmin asked in his usual stoic tone. However, Jeongin had known him long enough to notice the signs of fear in the alpha.
“Oh?” he tilts his head, never once letting his grip on Jisung or the gun falter. “What makes you think I would ever need to ask?”
Jisung screamed as a series of shots rang out and blood splattered across his face. The dead weight of the brainless body would have knocked him to his knees had it not been ripped from him by a short, burly man. Distantly, Jeongin recognised the sound of falling bodies behind him, but he didn't dare turn to see.
“Nice shot, Minho!” the short man exclaimed, but Jeongin couldn't bring himself to listen.
He was much too busy biting back his own cries in favour of soothing the child in his arms. She was shaking like a leaf, and Jeongin somehow found the strength not to freeze in horror when Jisung crumpled to the floor, his breaths rapid. Too rapid. Was he even breathing?
Seungmin had snatched the gun from Jeongin's hand in an instant, pointing it at the short man as he made his way to Jisung's side. The man looked surprised by the sudden action, watching Seungmin like a hawk as he shuffled towards Jisung.
“Hey now,” the stranger began. Seungmin held the gun steady as he took off his scent blocker and brought Jisung to his chest. “We've just saved your asses. Don't you think trying to shoot me is a little rude?”
“On the contrary, I don't think it's nearly enough to repay you for what you've just done to my friend.” He snarled, eyes dilated and angry.
Jeongin felt it too. The burning anger within him. But he did his best to hide it. To stay a calm, reliable pillar for the child in his arms.
“Alright, that's enough.” A new voice decided, a menacing silhouette coming undone in the moonlight. The man that appeared was muscular, his tight black dress shirt doing little to hide his broad torso, and Jeongin felt himself stiffen. Now there wasn't just one well built alpha to worry about. There was another.
Jeongin watched tensely as the new man observed the scene. He stroked the girl's head gently to try to ground himself, but it seemed that the instant he moved, it brought the alpha's chilling gaze upon Jeongin.
“Hannah...” he exhaled, and a surge of the most warm pheromones Jeongin had ever smelled washed over him. His breath hitched. He felt his mind go hazy, and his cheeks redden as a buzz intensified in his ears. The child shifted in his arms, and Jeongin didn't think twice about setting her down when she asked, unable to think straight. He felt intoxicated, drunk, and drawn in by the delicious scent. He wanted it so bad that his mouth watered with unquenchable thirst.
“Oppa!” the girl, Hannah, cried, snapping Jeongin from his brief stupor. His eyes were glued to her movements as she jumped into the man's arms and nestled herself into his nape the way she had been with Jeongin just seconds before, only this time she was crying, clawing into his skin, and clinging to him like a lifeline. Looking at them made Jeongin feel strange, so he turned his attention to Seungmin and Jisung.
“You’re her oppa?” he asked sceptically, slowly stepping closer to his friends.
The alpha's warm expression changes then as it pins on Jeongin. It was the same cold and merciless thing Jeongin had seen before he'd found ‘Hannah’.
“Yes.” He said, gaze so narrow and sharp that Jeongin felt it cutting his confidence in half. “And I have to assume you're him?” His voice was gravelly. Low. Dominant. Jeongin shivered, stopping in his tracks.
“Him?” he questioned.
The alpha's lip curled in disgust, and another wave of pheromones hit Jeongin. Strong. He wanted to curl in on himself, but held straight. He looked to Seungmin; however, he was completely focused on tending to Jisung's wounds and evident distress. Jisung desperately needed medical help and safety. That was right. Jeongin got them into this mess, and he needed to get them out of it.
“Minho.” The menacing alpha called, and two other men came into view. “Take Hannah back to the house. I'll finish up here.” The omega tried to swallow back the lump in his throat, but he couldn't. He was freezing, and yet he was sweating so profusely that he felt it dripping off his fingertips. The alpha took a step forward after handing the girl over to one of the new men. She seemed to protest, but the alpha didn't care. He looked downright murderous as he took long strides towards the omega.
Jeongin clenched his fists tightly at his sides, digging his nails as deep as it took to stop himself from shaking. “I-I didn't hurt her.” He rushed to say, hating the way his voice came out. Croaky and weak.
“Of course you didn't.” He scoffs. “Just like how I'm not going to hurt you.”
Jeongin wants to slap himself, suddenly reminded of the bruises marring the child's body. How could he believe him in this situation? Jeongin didn't know. He couldn't think. His heart was beating too fast, and his head still felt clouded from the abundance of pheromones.
The alpha was near now, and Jeongin feared for what was about to happen to him. He had very little self-defence knowledge, and what he had learned, he'd only ever practised with Felix. Goddamnit, why did Felix have to have been busy tonight?!
“Wait, Channie oppa!” a squeaky voice yelled, and Jeongin felt the air taken from him when a small body barrelled into his stomach, wrapping their small arms tightly around his waist. It was Hannah. “Don't hurt him.” She pleaded. The alpha stiffened. “He's like me!”
“He's like you?” he asked, brow raised and head tilted curiously. If Jeongin didn't know better, he would've said he'd seen amusement in those features when the young girl began nodding furiously. “How so?”
Jeongin watched as Hannah took his hand, intrigued to see what she had planned. “He's omega!” she exclaimed excitedly, and Jeongin's eyes widened at the same time the Alpha's did. She'd ripped his scent blocker off his wrist and filled the air with his scent. His very potent scent. Jeongin watched in horror as the Alpha stared at him. His nostrils flared before he tucked his face into his shirt, attempting to shield himself from the assault on his nose.
Jeongin's face flushed in embarrassment, his heart thrumming as he wiggled his hand from the girl's grip and applied a scent blocker. She hadn't meant it. Jeongin knew that. She'd just been trying to help, but Jeongin couldn't help the way he shied away from her—from both of them. He felt shameful and guilty and his heart ached. He had no doubt smelled awful.
“Innie!” a familiar voice suddenly interjected, pulling the omega from his thoughts.
His head instantly snapped to the sound, spying the blond boy running towards them. “Felix hyung?” he questioned, causing the alpha in front to look between the two in confusion.
“What's going on? Why are you here?” the blond asked only a moment before he noticed Jisung and Seungmin. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “Is Jisung okay?”
Jeongin felt his eyes water with relief. “No.” He breathed, desperate to avoid Felix's warm gaze, certain it'd unleash everything he'd been holding back if he did. “Jisung's been shot. We need to get him to the hospital!”
“He’s been shot?” he repeated, glancing at the alpha, who had taken Hannah back into his arms.
“Hyung, please help us.” Jeongin begged, feeling hopeless and desperate. So, so desperate.
“Okay—Okay...” Felix soothed, touching his friend's shoulder lightly. “Changbin, come help me move him! And Minho, go get the car.” He demanded before turning to the alpha. “Tell Hyunjin to prepare for a gunshot wound.”
Jeongin could tell that his adrenaline was wearing thin because the following moments blurred together. He was beginning to sway, hazily walking through the motions, until he felt his legs give in and the world turn black.