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“Wooseok-ah, am I dreaming or are those Hwitaek hyung’s shoes?” said Changgu.

That was not a question Wooseok had been expecting to hear at five minutes past midnight. He barely covered his yawn as he turned around, and he glanced down at the shoes that Changgu was pointing at. Placed in the entranceway were a pair of black trainers with a chunky sole and off-white laces; and although Wooseok couldn’t exactly say that they were Hwitaek’s shoes, he definitely knew that it wasn’t a pair that he’d ever seen in the dorm before.

“I guess they are?” said Wooseok, with a shrug. “I don’t know, hyung, my brain’s not working anymore.” He yawned again, and he put his shoes down next to the foreign trainers. He slipped his feet through his slides, and then he headed into his room.

Maybe it was because it had been a while since he’d last performed on stage, but Wooseok was simultaneously still awake from the thrills of performing, and drained of energy from performing. His main priority was to get rid of his makeup, and then fall into bed and sleep. He couldn’t be arsed to shower or wash his hair tonight; he could always do it tomorrow instead, since he wasn’t due to be anywhere until the evening, when Hyunggu wanted him to listen to one of his songs that he was convinced was good enough to make it into the next album.

Wooseok opened his bedroom door and turned on the lights, just as he heard Changgu’s phone ringing from outside. He unzipped his jacket, which he dumped onto his desk chair along with his bag. He glanced at his desk where, placed on a corner, was a bottle of makeup remover that was three-quarters full; and as he pulled open a drawer and began to rummage for his bag of cotton pads, he heard Changgu’s hurried footsteps getting louder and louder.

“Say that again?” said Changgu, right as Wooseok turned around to see him enter his room.

“Jinho hyung’s in Hwitaek hyung’s room,” said Shinwon, from the other end of the phone. The call was on loudspeaker, but Changgu still thrusted the phone at Wooseok. “We can smell their scents. I’m telling you; they’ve knotted.”

Wooseok blinked. “What?” he said. “Jinho hyung’s…?”

“Are you sure about that?” said Changgu.

“I’ll be surprised if they haven’t,” Hongseok answered. In the background, Hyunggu said something that Wooseok couldn’t fully catch. “Hyunggu-ya, I know how he smells. Jinho hyung doesn’t smell like that unless—”

“Yeah, but who knotted who?” said Hyunggu.

“No idea,” said Shinwon. “It’s hard to tell.”

“Did you have any idea about Jinho hyung and Hwitaek hyung?” Hyunggu spoke straight into the phone.

“No, we’ve barely seen Jinho hyung since he came back,” said Changgu. His face lit up, and he glanced over his shoulder and out of the door. As he turned back round, he said, “Wait a minute. Wooseok-ah, didn’t we see Hwitaek hyung’s shoes outside?”

Wooseok shrugged as he said, “I think we did?”

“It definitely wasn’t yours or mine, and I’m pretty sure Jinho hyung’s trainers don’t have a chunky sole.”

Shinwon gasped. “We didn’t see Jinho hyung’s shoes at ours.”

Hongseok also gasped. “How desperate were they?”

Wooseok stayed quiet as he listened to Shinwon, Hongseok, and Hyunggu work out what had happened with Jinho and Hwitaek beforehand. He was curious, but his face was also starting to feel a little sweaty from the foundation and blush that was still sticking to his skin.

“Is your makeup still on?” Changgu whispered.

Wooseok nodded. He took out the pads from the drawer. It should have occurred to him that there had been a point to Changgu’s question; but he didn’t realise it until Changgu had walked around him, and picked up his makeup remover from his desk. Wooseok stretched out his arm, prepared to thank him for picking up the bottle—but he hesitated when he saw the way Changgu was staring at him, his eyes fully focused on him. Wooseok sniffed the air, and his eyes widened when he smelt how strong and heavy Changgu’s scent had become.

“Hyung…” he whispered, now suddenly conscious that they were still on the phone. He could still hear three people talking so fast that their voices were overlapping each other.

Changgu smiled a little. “Let me do it.” He put his phone down on the desk, and then he held out his hand.

There were reasons for Wooseok to refuse. He could remove his makeup by himself; it was getting late, and he didn’t want to bother Changgu any longer; and they were still on the other end of a phone call. Most importantly, Changgu’s September heat was late. According to the heat tracker, his heat should have started on the twenty-ninth, but they were now in the early hours of the first of October, and there was still no sign of Changgu’s heat. Nobody in Dorm A seemed to have noticed that Changgu was late, and Wooseok knew that he should be responsible and tell Changgu to go to the other dorm, since the boundaries were still in place and Wooseok didn’t have a good excuse this time to break it once more. Besides, he’d already had one close shave just a few days ago, when Changgu had crowded him in the kitchen against the fridge—and then Jinho had happened to return to the dorm, right as Wooseok had seriously thought about doing what he’d wanted in that moment.

Unfortunately for Wooseok, he was looking at Yeo Changgu; and the little resistance he had crumbled as he handed the bag over. He put it down in Changgu’s hand, and he swallowed when Changgu curled his fingers, and his fingertips brushed the back of Wooseok’s hand.

“Wooseok-ah, don’t you think I’m right?” came Hyunggu’s voice from the phone.

Wooseok started as he slipped his hand out of Changgu’s. He cleared his throat, and he hoped he sounded normal when he answered, “Sorry, what?”

“See?” said Shinwon. “Even Wooseok-ie thought that was too farfetched.”

“Wooseok-ah, I thought you’d be on my side,” said Hyunggu.

Changgu chuckled. “He’s tired, Hyunggu-ya,” he said. He nodded at the bed, and Wooseok went to sit down on the edge. “How about we talk about this in the morning?”

After saying their goodbyes, Changgu hung up the phone a minute later, before he took his place next to Wooseok. He kept one foot on the floor, but he crooked his other leg up, and his foot dangled off the edge of the bed. He didn’t look at Wooseok as he pulled out a pad, and he uncapped the bottle.

“I can manage on my own, hyung,” said Wooseok. He felt like he had to say something.

“I can reach places you probably can’t see,” said Changgu, with a slight smile. He lifted up the now-soaked pad to Wooseok’s forehead, but then he made eye contact with him. “It looks like it’s just you and me left.”

“Yeah.”

Wooseok didn’t say anything else when the pad touched his forehead, and Changgu slowly brushed from left to right. His touch was light, and he was so focused that Wooseok could see his mouth was ajar, and his gentle breaths tickled his cheeks. Wooseok didn’t mind. It was late enough that he couldn’t work out whether Changgu still had his makeup on or not; he could see Changgu’s pores, but his lips were redder than normal, like he still had his lipstick on. Whatever the answer was, he looked stunning. Wooseok almost licked his lips, until he remembered that he was still wearing lipstick.

Changgu pressed a clean pad over the bridge of Wooseok’s nose, and he wiped all the way down to the tip in one stroke. It was almost like he was tracing the shape of Wooseok’s nose rather than cleaning him, and Wooseok didn’t even realise he’d been holding in a breath until Changgu pulled his hand back to flip the pad the other way around. Changgu ran the pad over Wooseok’s nose three more times, and his mouth seemed to fall open just that bit more with each touch.

Wooseok shut his eyes when Changgu began to wipe around his eyes. Now that he couldn’t see anything, he could have sworn that Changgu’s breath was closer to his face. His touch seemed more delicate as well, though Wooseok wondered whether that was because Changgu didn’t want to poke him in the eye by accident. Wooseok kept his eyes closed even when he felt Changgu working on his cheekbones, and he heard him chuckle fondly.

“I’m nearly done,” said Changgu, when the pad glided over Wooseok’s cheeks. “Try to stay awake for me.”

Wooseok opened his eyes, right as Changgu pressed two fingers underneath his chin, and he gently tilted his head back. While he could see Changgu focusing on his jaw as he ran the pad over the lower half of his face, it didn’t escape his attention either that Changgu’s gaze settled on his lips sometimes, before he seemed to remember what he was meant to be doing.

He almost swallowed again, but he stopped himself when it felt like Changgu was looking at his neck. Instead, he pursed his lips, which apparently turned out to be the right move as Changgu then ran the pad around his mouth. His fingertips glided as close as he could get to the edges of Wooseok’s lips without smudging his lipstick. All too soon, Wooseok felt the last of the makeup cleared off his face—and he was about to whine when Changgu cupped his chin, and he ran his bare thumb around Wooseok’s lips in a vague circle, like he was removing any last traces of foundation. The gesture had been rougher than Wooseok was expecting; but before he could say anything, Changgu let go of him.

“All done, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu, as he closed the bag without looking down.

Wooseok stuttered a few times before he said, “…You didn’t remove my lipstick, hyung.”

“Oh?” Changgu didn’t sound surprised. Wooseok almost started when Changgu placed his hand over his knee. His touch was light, like he was prepared to pull his hand back at any moment. Changgu leaned in, his focus fully on Wooseok’s lips now; and as he drew closer, his head tilted slightly to his right. “I thought I did?”

The hand on Wooseok’s knee tightened its grip. Changgu was so close now that they were almost kissing. Wooseok’s eyes met Changgu’s for a moment, and nobody moved in that time. Wooseok was being given the opportunity to push Changgu away and tell him that he could remove his lipstick on his own, but he never spoke a word. His palms remained pressed to the mattress as Changgu continued to lean in; and Wooseok’s eyes fluttered shut just as Changgu’s lips met his.

In an instant, Wooseok was no longer sleepy as he kissed Changgu back. He couldn’t hold back his whine anymore when he felt the hand on his knee start to travel upwards. Changgu’s fingers glided over his thigh, his hips, then along his left side before crossing over to his right pec, and up along his collarbone and neck before his fingers ran through Wooseok’s hair, and his palm rested on the back of his head. At the same time, Wooseok felt Changgu grab his left hand, and he had to break the kiss as he lifted it off the mattress and into Changgu’s lap.

“When was the last we did this?” said Changgu. “Was it a month ago?”

“I think it was, hyung,” said Wooseok. He was sure it had been the start of September, when he’d come back from an unproductive two-hour session in his studio. The first thing he’d seen when he’d opened the door was Changgu, seated on the sofa and wearing a sleeveless top that had the armpits cut all the way down to his pecs, and a pair of shorts that were two inches too long to qualify as booty shorts. He'd looked like he’d just returned from the gym, and such a sight had simply been impossible for Wooseok to resist.

“Oh, your lipstick…” said Changgu.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s all smudged.” Changgu ran his thumb over Wooseok’s lower lip, before he placed his hand over the side of Wooseok’s neck.

“Aren’t you making it worse, hyung?” said Wooseok.

Changgu giggled. “I think I am.”

Wooseok grinned as he let go of Changgu’s hand, and he draped his arm over Changgu’s shoulders. He was about to lean back in, until he realised that his lipstick had smudged all over Changgu’s mouth and around the corners; and yet, it did nothing to diminish his attractiveness. If anything, it looked cute on him. Wooseok pulled Changgu down with him, where the moment his back hit the mattress, Changgu kissed him again.

Wooseok fell asleep with Changgu’s back pressed up to his front, and his arm draped over Changgu’s shoulders and his leg crossed over Changgu’s thighs. When he woke up again, his bedroom door was shut and he was the only person lying in bed, just like all the other times that Changgu had knotted him out-of-heat.

Before his involvement with Changgu, Wooseok’s sex life had been simple. He had passed his first heat with a trainee who had left the company two months later, when he’d been cut out of the pre-debut group. Every one of Wooseok’s heats after that up until July had been spent with Hyunggu, whose heats often started around the same time as his; and Wooseok had often found himself helping Yuto through his heats which, fortunately for them, always finished around the middle of the month. With one very brief exception, it had never crossed Wooseok’s mind to kiss or do anything else out-of-heat with either of them; and nor had Yuto or Hyunggu ever tried to make a move, or suggest anything of that nature.

As for Changgu, Wooseok knew that his first four heats had been spent with Hwitaek, but he’d stopped asking him because Shinwon had been consumed with a jealousy that he’d known he couldn’t allow himself to feel for the sake of the group. Changgu had then spent two heats with Yan An, and in turn he’d passed two heats as Yan An’s partner—although each heat had ended with the same argument of how they were meant to sleep when Changgu didn’t want to be hot and sweaty under the duvet, but Yan An thought the bedroom was too cold. The fallout meant that Changgu and Yan An no longer wanted to be each other’s heat partner, although that hadn’t prevent them from knotting each other out-of-heat for the first time in mid-2018, two days after Changgu’s smart dildo had arrived, or hooking up whenever Yan An was in South Korea again.

After that, Changgu had passed his next heats with Hongseok first, then Jinho, and then Shinwon, before he had made Hongseok his first choice. Wooseok was just the latest in the line of bandmates that Changgu had been heat partners with; and while Wooseok had been blown away by how confident and knowledgeable Changgu was as a partner, both in- and out-of-heat, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that to Changgu, he was just a footnote. He was in danger of being the summer fling, the temporary lead character in an anecdote that would only take future Changgu five minutes to tell the whole story to his future teenage children over dinner.

Wooseok tried not to think about Changgu as a player. It wasn’t easy, though. On the one hand, Wooseok was sure that he was only the second out-of-heat partner Changgu had ever had; but on the other, none of their bandmates knew the true extent of their relationship. They knew that Changgu and Wooseok had been the only people left in their dorm for the entire summer, but nobody had any idea what had really happened on a handful of those long, sultry nights. It didn’t help either that Changgu always chose to leave Wooseok rather than stay behind. If they ever decided to call it quits, it was all too easy to pretend in front of their bandmates that nothing had ever happened.

Still, there were things that Wooseok could do to take his mind off Changgu. When Yuto called mid-afternoon and told him about his day, Wooseok really tried to focus—but all he could smell was Changgu’s scent lingering in his bedroom. When he entered Hyunggu’s studio in the evening, the first thing he did was to breathe in, and he relaxed when all he could smell were Hyunggu and Hwitaek’s scents. He then realised that Hyunggu was playing back an instrumental on his computer, and he stayed silent as he went to sit on the sofa.

“I’ve been thinking about the lyrics,” said Hyunggu, as he turned around to face Wooseok. He picked up a biro and notepad off the desk. “I keep getting this, like, image of being stuck in a loop. I guess it’s about going round and round in circles.”

“That sounds interesting,” said Wooseok. “You mean like a Groundhog Day-style loop?”

Hyunggu shook his head. “No, not in that way.” He pointed his biro at the ceiling, and he twirled his wrist in a big circle. “I was thinking more like … like a Ferris wheel, I guess.”

Wooseok brainstormed with Hyunggu, but he kept shifting in his seat when he realised that, for some reason, Hyunggu was in the mood for a song about longing. By the time he had crafted the opening line, Wooseok decided that a change of topic was required, and he asked, “Did you see Jinho hyung and Hwitaek hyung today?”

Hyunggu looked up from his notepad.

“I didn’t,” he said, “but Hwitaek hyung left some seaweed soup for me, so I’m guessing he really did knot Jinho hyung last night.” There was a pause, and then he added, “Are you alright, Wooseok-ie?”

“Me?” said Wooseok, as his eyes widened just a little. He cleared his throat, and ran his hand over his face in an attempt to force himself to look normal again. “I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re normally more enthusiastic than this.” Hyunggu tapped the lidded end of the biro on the notepad wire. “Has something happened?”

Wooseok shook his head. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Hyunggu seemed to believe him, judging by how fast he went back to brainstorming the next set of lyrics. Wooseok did his best to stay focused, even if Hyunggu’s lyrics were hitting him a bit too close to home. He relaxed more when Hyunggu moved onto another song, but it was still on the back of his mind that Hyunggu wasn’t fully ready to let go of the song he’d tentatively titled ‘Ferris Wheel’. When Hyunggu returned to it eventually, Wooseok made his excuses and he left the studio.

He could have gone to his own studio, but he knew that he wasn’t in the right mindset to be making music. As he headed down the corridor to leave, he opened his KakaoTalk with Changgu. He didn’t know what anybody but Yuto and Hyunggu had done today, and he wondered if he should message Changgu, just to check where he was. When he got into the lift, he shook his head and stowed his phone away. He had to return to the dorm. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go at this time; he wasn’t hungry—and even if he was, he doubted he’d have the appetite—and he didn’t want to be seen going for a walk on his own.

As Wooseok unlocked the front door, he thought that he could hear someone talking nearby. The sound was too muffled for him to realise exactly where; but he started when he heard “goodnight, An-ie” and two short air kisses, followed by an “ah” when the door gently bumped into somebody on the other side. By the time Wooseok grabbed the handle to steady it, he could hear Changgu giggling from the other side.

“I’m so sorry, hyung,” said Wooseok, as he slipped into the dorm and closed the door behind him.

“It’s okay, Wooseok-ie. It was only the door,” said Changgu. He was wearing his slides, and he had placed his shoes next to Hwitaek’s trainers. Wooseok then heard Changgu sniff. “How was your session with Hyunggu?”

“How did you know?” Wooseok raised his eyebrows. At the same time, he felt something gentle poke his upper eyelid.

“I can smell his scent.” Changgu brushed the hair out of Wooseok’s eyes, and he tucked the end behind his ear. “Did you know that Jinho hyung’s going to stay over in the other dorm for now?”

“No.” Wooseok began to slip his feet out of his shoes.

“He wants Hongseok hyung as his heat partner,” Changgu continued, and his smile widened with each word. “Apparently, their heats are going to start next weekend.”

Wooseok kept his head down as he began to nudge his shoes away from him. He didn’t want to directly ask Changgu if he’d forgotten about his own heat, but it was a subject that needed to be approached as well. He waited until the toes of his shoes were aligned with the wall before he raised his head, and he asked, “Hyung, isn’t your heat due soon?”

Changgu didn’t answer immediately, but he kept up eye contact with Wooseok.

“I think it’s late,” was all he said.

Wooseok had an opening here. He could be irresponsible and shrug and walk off like it wasn’t his concern, and then act all surprised the next day when Changgu would, inevitably, cling to him for the start of his heat. However, just because Jinho was preoccupied with Hongseok, he still had a week to go before his heat. He still had time to be concerned with other things. If Wooseok tried to break the boundaries again, then Jinho was free to return to the dorm and set things straight. He’d already seen how Jinho had treated Hongseok for most of 2018, when they’d fallen out with each other; afterwards, Hongseok had admitted that he’d found their time apart very difficult, and if he hadn’t been able to stand Jinho’s wrath, then what hope did Wooseok have?

“You should go to the other dorm, hyung,” said Wooseok. He bowed his head the moment he finished speaking, and he shuffled further away from the door.

“Oh.” Changgu sounded a little disappointed. Wooseok only lowered his head even more. “Yeah, I guess I should.”

Wooseok remained where he was while he glimpsed Changgu put on his shoes again. He almost started when Changgu’s hand gently gripped his shoulder.

“Goodnight, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu, as he let go.

Wooseok lifted his head just high enough to see the lower half of Changgu’s face. He fixed his gaze on the tip of his nose as he bid him goodnight in return; and when Changgu left the dorm, and the door clicked shut behind him, Wooseok sighed. His responsible side had won, and his prize was an evening alone in his bedroom where, if he sniffed hard enough, he could still smell Changgu’s scent clinging to his pillow and bedsheet.

Wooseok stirred the next morning when he heard his bedroom door open and the handle bumped into the wall. He groaned as he blinked, before he decided that it was too much effort for him to open his eyes right now. He rolled over onto his side to face away from the door; and he frowned when he thought that he could smell Shinwon’s scent, and also the faintest traces of Changgu and Hwitaek—

“Wooseok-ah, you’ll need these,” said Shinwon. It sounded like he was right next to the bed.

“Hyung,” said Wooseok. He felt Shinwon balance something light on his hips, and he turned around again. Whatever that thing was landed on the floor with a gentle tap, and Shinwon clicked his tongue. “You could have knocked first.”

“There’s no time for that,” said Shinwon. Wooseok felt a hand push his shoulder, and he rolled over onto his back. He opened his eyes by a slither when he felt that light thing smack him on his chest once again, but this time, something heavier was weighing it down. “Come on, you need these.”

Wooseok frowned. “What’s going on?” He sniffed again, and Hwitaek’s scent was stronger this time. “Why is Hwitaek hyung—?”

“Changgu’s heat has started, and he’s chosen Hwitaek hyung.”

Wooseok had no problem fully opening his eyes. He almost pressed his hands to his face, until he remembered that Shinwon was in his room. Instead, he clutched whatever was on his chest, which seemed to be a cardboard box, and he used his elbows to sit up. He pulled the object off his body, and he groaned when he saw that Shinwon had given him a half-used box of food gloves.

“Now, come on, Wooseok,” said Shinwon. “You know what those are for.”

Wooseok couldn’t correct Shinwon. Instead, as he put the box on his lap, he asked, “Is Changgu hyung in his room?”

“Yeah, he’s passing his heat there.” Shinwon reached over to pull a pair of gloves out. “I’ve already given the dorm a once-over with the scent remover.”

Wooseok pursed his lips together as he let Shinwon slip the gloves onto his hands, left one first, then the right. If he hadn’t told Changgu to leave last night, then that would be him in Changgu’s room right now.

“Are you alright?” said Shinwon, as he smoothed the hem of the gloves over Wooseok’s right wrist.

Wooseok’s eyes widened. He had no idea if Shinwon could smell his scent or not; and after a slight hesitation, he said, “Yeah. I thought you might not be okay, hyung.”

“Why not?” Shinwon cocked his head.

“It’s been a long time since Changgu hyung partnered up with Hwitaek hyung.” Wooseok sniffed the air as he finished speaking, and Shinwon’s scent smelt exactly the same as before.

“It’s fine, Wooseok-ah.” Shinwon shrugged. “It’s part of Hwitaek hyung’s duty to the team, to us.”

Wooseok just nodded. He had to act calm to avoid raising any suspicions, and the less he said, the better.

“If you want to come over to my dorm, you can sleep in my room,” Shinwon continued. “I think Hwitaek hyung would rather you were out of the way than—”

Wooseok shook his head. “It’s okay, hyung, I can stay here.” He knew that it was stupid of him to stay behind, especially since he would have to put up with Hwitaek’s scent and all the noises that Changgu would eventually be making on the final day of his heat. At the same time, it was his stubbornness—supported with hope that Changgu would suddenly switch partners, and stupidity for even hoping that Changgu would switch partners—that was preventing him from entertaining the idea of sleeping over in the other dorm for a week.

“It’s fine if you want to come over. I can always sleep on the sofa.”

“I’m fine here.”

Shinwon started. Wooseok blushed lightly when he realised that he’d been a bit too forceful with his tone.

“Sorry,” said Wooseok. There was a pause before he added, “I didn’t sleep too well.”

Shinwon’s lips pursed together. He didn’t look angry.

“Do you want me to stay here with you?” he said.

Wooseok knew that he should say no. Shinwon was too perceptive for his liking. If he stayed for an entire week, then there was every possibility that Shinwon would realise the true extent of Wooseok’s relationship with Changgu—and it didn’t feel fair for Changgu to be exposed like that, when he didn’t even know what was happening in Wooseok’s room right now.

“Sure, I’d like that,” said Wooseok, in the end. He’d already started with the stupid decision to remain behind; he might as well continue his stupidity. Besides, he knew that he would want company over the next few days. “You can sleep in my room, hyung. I’ll take the sofa.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Shinwon. He began to retreat in small steps. “You’re going to do your back in. You stay here, and I’ll take the sofa.”

“Hyung—”

“Also, no offence, but I don’t want to sleep on your sweaty sheets.” Shinwon had reached the door by now; and Wooseok’s eyes widened as he watched him close the door completely. Shinwon took in a deep, noisy breath, and then he wrinkled his nose in a jokey look of disgust. “Your room reeks of your scent.”

Wooseok watched as Shinwon leaned forward, like he was getting ready to open the door again, when he stopped, and his eyes darted from side-to-side, and the tips of his brow moved in closer for a second. Was it possible that Shinwon had caught a trace of Changgu’s scent? Wooseok kept his hands by his side, but he couldn’t stop himself from pinching the bedsheet around his fingers as his hands curled up. He almost winced at how loud the gloves crackled.

“That’s weird,” said Shinwon. He opened the door, and then he stepped outside. “I didn’t realise Changgu’s scent was that strong.”

Wooseok forced himself to let go of his bedsheet first before he said, “Changgu hyung’s heat is late.” In truth, it didn’t matter if a person’s heat was late, early, or on time, it wouldn’t affect how strongly their scent smelled. Still, an excuse was an excuse, and Wooseok just wanted Shinwon to leave him alone.

Shinwon shrugged, but he continued to stare at Wooseok. “I guess,” he said, in a tone that suggested he wasn’t deceived. “I’ll get my stuff.”

In the time that Shinwon was gone, Wooseok managed to drag himself out of bed and into the bathroom. He glanced into the mirror, where he could see how his eyelids drooped heavily over his eyes. He picked up his toothbrush, and he huffed when he felt the plastic of the food glove almost stick to his skin. There was nobody around to monitor his behaviour right now; he could rip them off and leave his scent all over the sink, and who knew, maybe it would be enough to remind Changgu that he wasn’t the only resident in the dorm.

Wooseok sighed, and the gloves stayed on as he brushed his teeth. He had made a choice yesterday, and this was the consequence. He tried not to think about anything else as he got on with freshening up for the day; and when he left the bathroom a few minutes later, he raised his eyebrows when he thought he could smell Jinho and Hongseok’s scents coming from the other end of the dorm.

“If you’re going to sleep over, at least take my room,” he heard Jinho say.

“I’ll be alright here,” said Shinwon. “It’s just a sofa.”

“It’s made from pleather. It’s not going to be like the ones at yours.”

“A sofa’s a sofa.”

Wooseok turned the corner, and then he had a full view of the living room. One of the sofas now had Shinwon’s pillow and duvet draped on top, and propped up next to it was a guitar case, and a half-unzipped backpack. Shinwon was sat on one end of the sofa, and Jinho and Hongseok were standing up and facing him. They had their backs turned to Wooseok, and he could see Hongseok’s arm slung across Jinho’s hips. The muscles in his forearm were bulging slightly, like he was gripping Jinho tight.

“Oh, Wooseok-ie,” said Jinho, as he turned around. He glanced down at Wooseok’s hands. “Shinwon’s already told you then?”

Wooseok nodded. “Changgu hyung’s on heat.”

“You don’t need to wear those gloves anymore.” As Jinho spoke, Hongseok also turned around to face Wooseok, and Shinwon shuffled forwards so that he was almost hanging off the sofa.

It took Wooseok a second before he said, “What?”

“I’ve thought about it, and I’ve been too uptight about the boundaries. Once Yuto and Yan An are back, I’m going to call for another vote.”

Under any other situation, Wooseok would have drawn Jinho into a hug and demanded to know the long and short of what had made him change his mind about the boundaries. Instead, all Wooseok could do was just stare at Jinho. If he hadn’t pushed Changgu away and allowed him to bond with him, then Jinho would never have minded? He could sense his lower lip trembling, but no matter how much his brain was screaming at him to turn around, his feet seemed to be rooted into the floorboards.

“Wooseok-ie?” came Jinho’s voice.

“Finally,” said Shinwon. “You should’ve said something earlier, hyung. Those gloves were getting really costly.”

Before Wooseok knew it, Shinwon was stood in front of him and turning him around by placing an arm across his shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright, Wooseok-ie?” said Hongseok.

“He’ll manage,” said Shinwon, before Wooseok even had a chance to open his mouth. “Especially now that Jinho hyung doesn’t mind if Wooseok’s scent is left all over the place.”

“I didn’t say that,” said Jinho.

“We all know what you meant.” Shinwon started to walk away, and Wooseok followed him. “I think I left something behind in your room this morning, by the way.”

“Oh,” was all Wooseok could bring himself to say. He was certain that Shinwon had taken everything with him, but he was also grateful that he was no longer facing Jinho or Hongseok. Shinwon really was taking him to his room, and Wooseok decided to keep his mouth shut.

They were almost at his bedroom when a door opened, and Wooseok started as he saw Hwitaek emerge from Changgu’s bedroom. Changgu was hugging Hwitaek tight across his shoulders from behind, but his feet were shuffling across the floor, and he was leaning on Hwitaek a little, like he was relying on him to transport him around the dorm.

“Shinwon-ah,” said Hwitaek. “What are you doing here?” He glanced at Wooseok for a second, before he turned back.

“I live here now,” said Shinwon. “Well, for as long as Changgu’s on heat, anyway. I thought Wooseok would appreciate some company.”

Wooseok still didn’t trust himself to speak. He just nodded at Hwitaek, and then he made eye contact with Changgu—but he started when Changgu growled at him, and he pulled Hwitaek in closer to himself. Wooseok knew that Changgu’s mind would be clouded with paranoia that somebody was about to snatch Hwitaek away from him; but it still stung that Changgu could look at him with distrust in his eyes, especially when he considered what they’d been up to two nights ago.

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Hwitaek, as he glanced over his shoulder at Changgu.

Wooseok bit his lip when he saw Hwitaek reach behind him to stroke Changgu’s nape. He hung his head just as he heard Shinwon ask, “Have you spoken to work yet about Changgu’s heat?”

“No,” said Hwitaek. “I’ll get it done in a bit.”

It was a legal requirement for Alpha and Omega employees to be given two weeks of paid ‘heat holidays’ each year; and married workers, or those in a long-term committed relationship, had the right to an additional two weeks of holidays, for their partners’ heats. There was no such equivalent holiday for Betas, even though the topic had been quietly rumbling on ever since the mid-noughties. With idols, if someone’s heat happened to hit during a comeback, then they had to keep on showing up to music shows, fan signings, and variety show pre-recordings. Due to some unruly behaviour from some first-generation idols, it was still considered a taboo for idols to talk about their heats publicly, even though everyone knew by now that it was industry-standard practice for members to help other members through their heats.

“Remember to do it,” said Shinwon, over the noise of Changgu growling again.

Wooseok sniffed as he shrugged Shinwon’s arm off his shoulder, and he hastened to his bedroom. He didn’t bother to shut the door behind him as he sat down on his bed, and he put his face in his hands. He just about had enough self-control to prevent himself from crying, and he figured that staying in his room, away from everyone else, would be enough for him to regain his composure.

“Wooseok-ah, are you sure you don’t want to come over to the other dorm?” came Shinwon’s voice, a few moments later.

Wooseok heard the door close. He waited until he felt the other end of the bed dip down before he said, “I’m sure. You’ve already set up your spot, hyung.”

“It’s okay to change your mind.” Shinwon yanked one of Wooseok’s hands off his face as he spoke, and he slipped the glove off before he placed a tissue into Wooseok’s barely open palm.

Wooseok mumbled his excuses as he clenched his fingers around the tissue. In the end, he didn’t cry, but he never let go of the tissue either. He could sense the inevitable questions from Shinwon coming his way; but for as long as Shinwon stayed in his room, he never once asked anything about Changgu. By the time Shinwon insisted on taking him out to a nearby restaurant for lunch, Wooseok had no idea whether to be relieved or not.

Now that Shinwon was staying over at the dorm, Wooseok really didn’t know whether he liked it or not. Wooseok had to be careful to keep himself composed at all times, and he had to mentally go over everything he wanted to say before uttering it out loud, because the last thing he wanted was for Shinwon to grow even more suspicious. He also couldn’t deny that Shinwon’s presence was a relief at times, such as when he walked into the kitchen for breakfast on the second day of Changgu’s heat, and he found Hwitaek already inside and cooking some scrambled eggs to put on top of two evenly browned slices of toast. Hwitaek greeted him good morning with all his usual cheerfulness, but Wooseok could barely speak as he thought about how he should have been the one cooking for Changgu; and to make matters worse, all he could smell was Changgu’s scent clinging to Hwitaek’s body.

“If you’d woken up a little earlier, I’d have made some toast for you as well,” said Hwitaek. “Have I ever made you breakfast before?”

“I don’t know, hyung,” said Wooseok. He didn’t dare look at Hwitaek’s face as he went to open the fridge. He only wanted some milk, but he wanted to avoid eye contact for as long as he could; and even though he saw the milk carton straightaway, he continued to peer into the fridge. “Maybe when we went away to … to…? When we had a holiday together?”

“Maybe,” said Hwitaek, over the sound of the spatula scraping the pan. It didn’t sound like he was finished yet, and Wooseok’s face was starting to turn cold from the fridge. “I feel like I haven’t cooked for anyone in ages.”

“Not even Shinwon hyung?” Wooseok rested his hand on top of the milk.

“I know it’s going to sound unbelievable, but no. Work’s been keeping me busy.”

“Oh, right.”

Wooseok knew he had to close the fridge now. He lifted the milk out before he shut the door—and he immediately thought of the time when Changgu had him pressed right up to it. Wooseok hadn’t been able to move if he’d wanted to; he could still feel the smooth, cool surface on his back, and Changgu’s warm, soft torso pressed flush on top of his. Wooseok breathed in, and Changgu’s scent hit his nostrils hard. It was almost like he was crowded against the fridge again, Changgu’s breath tickling his upper lip as he leaned in, just seconds away from kissing once again—

“Wooseok-ie?” said Hwitaek. “Are you alright?”

Wooseok started. No, he wasn’t being pushed against the fridge, and Changgu wasn’t in the kitchen. It was Hwitaek who smelt of Changgu.

“It’s probably too early for him, hyung,” said Shinwon. Wooseok jumped, and then he saw Shinwon entering the kitchen.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m fine,” said Wooseok, and he somehow managed to open the carton. “It’s just early, hyung.”

“Are you making breakfast for Changgu?” said Shinwon. He was fully focused on Hwitaek, who was now plating up the eggs onto the toast.

“Of course,” said Hwitaek. “He needs all the energy he can get.”

“How come you never make scrambled eggs on toast for me?” Shinwon sounded like he was holding back a laugh.

Hwitaek rolled his eyes. “Since when do you ever want scrambled eggs and toast?”

While Shinwon and Hwitaek continued to bicker, Wooseok kept his head down as he poured a bowl of cereal for himself. The moment he was finished, he hurried to his room, where he was happy to stay for the entire day until he remembered that Shinwon had to leave later on for his radio show. Wooseok didn’t want to be left alone in the dorm, not when he was potentially going to be subject to noises that he didn’t want to hear; and he ended up hiding in his studio, where he attempted to work on something.

The group was booked for a music festival next Saturday, and when Shinwon returned to Cube, Wooseok followed him into the dance studio. Shinwon pushed the door open, but Wooseok raised his eyebrows when he saw Hwitaek approaching them. Clinging to his back was Changgu, whose fists were grabbing the front of Hwitaek’s hoodie, and he bared his teeth a little when he saw Shinwon.

“What are you doing here?” said Shinwon, as he stood to his left to let Hwitaek pass. Wooseok shuffled to his right.

“Changgu wanted to perform,” said Hwitaek. “We’ve had to persuade him it’s not a good idea.”

“I’ve gone through comebacks on heat suppressants,” said Changgu. “This isn’t going to be any different.”

Hwitaek glanced over his shoulder. “This is a festival, not a comeback. Anyway, just because you can take those pills, it doesn’t mean that you should, or must take them.”

“Hyung—”

“What if the festival overruns? What will we do then? Do you want me to knot you in the car?”

Changgu’s face flushed, and Wooseok looked down at his feet. He didn’t need an image of being in the car at night, with Changgu riding Hwitaek in the back seats. He didn’t want to imagine looking into the rear-view mirror and seeing the back of Changgu’s head and his naked shoulders. He certainly didn’t want to think about the two of them moaning in unison and breathily calling each other’s names. Now that Hwitaek had put that image in his head, however, it was all his brain could think about, and he felt like punching himself unconscious, just to stop his imagination from going overboard.

Wooseok pressed up against the wall when he felt Hwitaek walk past him, and then he started when he heard a snarl. He looked up in time to see Changgu staring at him, his eyes full of mild hostility, his teeth now gritted together harder than before. Wooseok had no idea how he managed to stay silent, but his knees felt like they were going to fold in, and he pressed his back and arms hard on the wall in an attempt to stay upright. He stayed there until he felt Shinwon peel him off the wall, and he leaned on him a little to join the rest of the group, without saying a word.

The following morning, Wooseok found out from Hwitaek that Changgu had been allowed to sit out the festival. It was a small relief, but it also meant that Changgu was definitely going to stay holed up in the dorms until his heat was over. The only thing left for Wooseok to do, then, was to adapt his routine to Shinwon’s routine. If Shinwon was asleep, then he stayed in his room until he woke up. Whenever Shinwon went off to his radio schedule, Wooseok hid in his studio and attempted to work until Shinwon was also at Cube. It was only then that Wooseok would allow himself to consider returning home.

The thing was, Wooseok knew that Shinwon loved the group more than he’d care to admit. It was more than obvious—at least, in Wooseok’s view—that Shinwon had smelt Changgu’s scent on the day that he’d given Wooseok the gloves; and yet, Shinwon never mentioned it. He remained silent, even when Changgu’s heat reached its fifth day; and the only distraction that Wooseok could think of was to practice so hard that his mind was spaced out by the time he returned to the dorm with Shinwon.

When Wooseok hurried into his bedroom, he spotted a faint glow of sunlight shining through a crack in the curtains. He flopped over onto his mattress, where he landed on his front, with his chin touching the foot of his bed and his socked feet on top of his pillow. He closed his eyes as he yawned—and then he yelped when he felt an elbow shove him over onto his side, and his back bumped the wall.

“Hyung—” said Wooseok, at the same time as he caught a whiff of Shinwon’s scent. He heard his door close.

“Jinho hyung’s serious about taking down the boundaries,” said Shinwon.

Wooseok sighed. He kept his eyes shut as he said, “Can we talk about this later?”

“We need to talk when I can still remember.”

Wooseok whined as he opened his eyes by a slither. Shinwon was sat sideways on the edge of his bed, and he had put up both his feet on the mattress, and his knees were tucked into his chest.

“Please be quick, hyung,” said Wooseok. He could hear his resignation heavy in his voice, but he was beyond caring at this point.

“I always thought Changgu wasn’t a very touchy feely sort of person.”

Wooseok lightly frowned. “Why are we—?”

“I mean, didn’t he and Yan An stop passing heats together because of that? Cause Yan An was a bit too … tactile for him?”

If Wooseok had been awake, then he wouldn’t have minded Shinwon’s convoluted way of trying to get his message across. He was too impatient to have the bed to himself right now, though, and he said, “Hyung, you just want to know if we’ve been knotting, don’t you?”

Wooseok could glimpse Shinwon’s eyes shift from side-to-side.

“I wasn’t going to be so direct, but…” Shinwon fell silent for a second. “You have been getting it on with Changgu, haven’t you?”

Wooseok nodded, and he pouted a little. Hearing it spoken out loud, at last, wasn’t making his toes curl as much as he thought he would. If anything, he felt like letting out a sigh of relief now that the burden had lessened, just a little. He yelped when Shinwon shoved his shoulder again.

“What was that for?” said Wooseok, as he rubbed his shoulder.

“You could’ve said something earlier,” said Shinwon. He didn’t sound offended. “How long has this been going on for?”

“I don’t want to talk about it now.” Wooseok pressed himself up against the wall, even though he knew it wouldn’t do anything to prevent Shinwon from manhandling him again. He raised his arms slightly in front of his face, but the anticipated ambush never came.

“Changgu’s a good person, you know.”

Wooseok frowned as he dropped his arms onto the bed. “I know…”

“Wooseok-ie, trust me on this,” said Shinwon, his tone soft and gentle. He placed his hands on Wooseok’s shoulders. “If you really feel something for Changgu, don’t hold back. When his heat’s over, tell him. It’s better to let it all out.”

Wooseok glanced at Shinwon. If he wasn’t mistaken, Shinwon was most likely referring to the two years that he and Hwitaek had spent wrestling with their feelings for each other until they’d knotted out-of-heat for the first time.

“I know,” said Wooseok, before he closed his eyes.

“Ya, Jung Wooseok.” Shinwon gripped Wooseok’s shoulder tight enough that Wooseok was forced to open his eyes again. “All this is new to you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Wooseok nodded as well, in the hopes that Shinwon would speedily finish his point and leave.

“Changgu’s not going to see it that way.”

“How do you know, hyung?”

“He’s used to having a variety of heat partners, and he’s used to knotting out-of-heat. Look, Changgu’s…” Shinwon sighed. “His heart is always in the right place, but … it’s divided, really divided, and he needs a nudge, sometimes.”

Wooseok frowned. This time, he had no trouble keeping his eyes open as he asked, “What are you trying to say, hyung?”

Shinwon pursed his lips for a few seconds. “You should try playing the Alpha, Wooseok-ie. You’ll get what I mean.”

Wooseok grimaced hard. “Hyung—” he said, before he stuttered for a moment, “—did you just—?”

“I know, I want to wash my mouth out as well,” said Shinwon. “I’m not trying to say it’s a bad thing. I get it too. Repeatedly having the same different heat partners can create all sorts of feelings. It’s this sort of stuff that we had to protect you three from.”

Wooseok nodded. He was still reeling from Shinwon’s advice to fully take in what else he was saying; and combined with his tiredness, he would rather mull over everything when he was awake later on. He frowned when he heard Shinwon sniff like he was crying, except it was so exaggerated that Wooseok was positive that it was fake.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” said Wooseok.

“I can’t believe it,” said Shinwon. His voice was wobbling, like he was attempting to sound upset. “You’re all grown-up now, Wooseok-ie.”

“Hyung…”

“You were just a little cub when I first met you, and now you’re getting in on all the out-of-heat action that—”

Wooseok jerked his leg so that his knee nudged into the side of Shinwon’s buttocks. He then asked, “Hyung, please can I go to sleep now?”

“Of course. Sleep well, Wooseok-ie,” said Shinwon. Wooseok felt his hand lift off his shoulder. “There’s only two more days to go.”

Wooseok momentarily considered keeping his eyes shut. He could just sleep the wrong way around on the bed; but then he opened his eyes just wide enough to see that Shinwon had stood up, and he was making his way over to the door.

“Shinwon hyung?” said Wooseok. He ran a hand through his hair to comb it back, even though he could see just fine. He waited until Shinwon had stopped and turned around before he continued, “Please don’t tell anyone about me and Changgu hyung.”

“I won’t.” Shinwon smiled, his face full of sincerity. “By the way, Wooseok-ie, you’re going to do your back in if you sleep like that.”

Wooseok just huffed as he stared at the mattress. It was only when he heard Shinwon shut his door that he pushed himself up onto his knees, and then he began to get ready for bed properly.

On Saturday, the final day of Changgu’s heat, Wooseok did his best to try and forget what was happening in the dorms. It helped that they had to be on the road in the morning due to how far Gyeongju was from Seoul. They were so far away from their usual surroundings that Wooseok was, at least, able to enjoy the views of the countryside. The car ride back was less ideal; Wooseok could hear Jinho and Hongseok’s seats creaking from behind him as they rubbed their scents all over each other, and all the occasional purrs and whines. He could even hear the wet, sloppy noises of them kissing each other, even though their heats had only started ten minutes into the journey.

Wooseok barely noticed that the dorm was silent when he returned. He mumbled “goodnight” to Shinwon, and then he collapsed into bed. Whenever he closed his eyes, he was exhausted enough that he drifted off to sleep—only to wake up what felt like minutes later, and he shifted into a new position before shutting his eyes again. He woke up like this several more times, until his bedroom seemed to be flooded with sunlight, and he could faintly smell seaweed soup. He groaned as he put his arm over his eyes, and he remained lying there for another minute before he sat up, and then he headed out.

He didn’t know why he was going to the kitchen. It wasn’t like he knew how to make seaweed soup; and wouldn’t it be an eyesore for him to see Hwitaek nourishing Changgu so well after this heat? His curiosity, however, was getting the better of him; and he blinked when he entered the kitchen, and saw that the only person inside was Shinwon.

“Shinwon hyung?” said Wooseok. He looked around, as if to double check that Hwitaek wasn’t hiding somewhere.

“Wooseok-ie, what are you doing up this early?” said Shinwon, as he glanced over his shoulder. He then turned back to the pot, and he picked up the ladle.

“I couldn’t sleep well.” Wooseok stopped next to Shinwon, and he glanced into the pot. It was mostly full, and a few strands of seaweed floated to the surface whenever Shinwon stirred the soup. “Where’s Hwitaek hyung?”

“He’s still in Changgu’s room. He deserves a lie-in.” Shinwon scooped up some soup, and he glanced at it for a moment before he lowered it again. “Did you want to get something?”

Wooseok shook his head. “Let me help you?”

“I can handle on my own.”

Wooseok lightly frowned. “Do you need spoons and bowls?”

Shinwon hesitated for a few seconds, before he said, “I didn’t know which ones you guys usually use.”

“Let me.” Wooseok walked around Shinwon to grab two bowls from the cabinet, and two spoons from a drawer. As he put the items down on the countertop, he saw Shinwon cover the pot and turn the heat off.

“I’m going to let it simmer,” said Shinwon. He put the ladle down in one of the bowls. “It will be just right by the time Hwitaek hyung wakes up.”

“What time is it anyway?”

“It is…” Shinwon pulled his phone out of his tracksuit bottoms. “Almost eight.”

“Really?” Wooseok ran his hands over his face.

“Did you think it was earlier or later?”

“I don’t know, hyung.” Wooseok shrugged. He heard Shinwon chuckle, and then Shinwon’s arm was around his shoulders and leading him out of the kitchen. Shinwon tried to get him to return to his bedroom, but Wooseok refused; and after a while, they ended up sitting down on Shinwon’s makeshift bed.

Wooseok leaned on Shinwon’s side, and even though he rested his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes every now and then, he was far too awake now to be able to go back to sleep. All too soon, he thought he heard a door open form somewhere down the dorm, and his eyes shot open when he could smell a mixture of Hwitaek’s and Changgu’s scents. He lifted up his head, just as he heard Shinwon call out for Hwitaek.

“Did you make the soup already?” said Hwitaek, as he entered the living room.

“You’ve worked hard enough,” said Shinwon.

Hwitaek blushed, and his eyes were soft and affectionate. Normally, Wooseok would have either left the living room himself or told them to get a room—he’d been subjected to too many incidents of watching Hwitaek and Shinwon making out with each other like the world did not yet know how deeply in love they were—but today, there was something oddly appealing about the way Hwitaek looked at Shinwon. Wooseok supposed that it would be nice to have someone look at him like that, to understand him so intimately that it was almost sickly. He wondered what it would be like if Changgu also came into the living room right now, hair all messed up, eyes slightly zoned out as he recovered from his heat—

“I’m going to wake Changgu up soon,” Wooseok heard Hwitaek say. “We shouldn’t let the soup get too cold.”

“It’s alright, I can always heat it up again,” said Shinwon. He stood up.

“I can help,” said Wooseok, as he pushed himself up onto his feet.

“Thanks, Wooseok-ie, but it’s fine,” said Hwitaek. “I can manage on my own.”

Wooseok considered arguing back for a moment, but then he let out a small, “okay,” and he stayed standing by the sofa. Shinwon and Hwitaek discussed something to do with Changgu, and then Hwitaek walked out of the room alone.

“I’m sure you’re sick of me already, Wooseok-ie,” said Shinwon, as he turned around, “but I need a bit of help moving all my stuff back. We can check up on Jinho hyung and Hongseok hyung, see how they’re doing.”

Wooseok couldn’t be more eager to help fold up Shinwon’s duvet and bedsheets. Sometime later, he vaguely heard Hwitaek walk past, along with the gentle clink of a spoon bumping the rim of a bowl. Wooseok didn’t complain when Shinwon made him wear the guitar case across his body, or when he hooked his backpack to his arm, or even when he ended up carrying all the bedding and pillow. When they arrived at the other dorm and walked past Hongseok’s bedroom, Wooseok heard two voices gently growling at him and Shinwon in unison.

Once Wooseok had offloaded everything, instead of heading back to his bedroom, he hung behind for as long as he could. When Shinwon went to check on Jinho and Hongseok, Wooseok also stuck his head in through the door and saw the two of them lying in a mess of sheets, pillows, and sweaty clothes, before Shinwon elbowed him to keep him a safe distance from the bedroom. After that, Wooseok followed Shinwon into his bedroom, where they remained until they heard the front door open and Hwitaek’s scent faintly drifted into the room.

“You know you can’t avoid your dorm forever,” said Shinwon. “It’ll be alright, Wooseok-ie. You know him, I know him, we all do.”

Wooseok knew that this was his cue to leave, and all he could do was just nod and say goodbye. He walked up the stairs to his dorm, where the moment he opened the front door, he saw Changgu down the other end of the hallway, and wearing just a t-shirt and boxers. His hair had been combed, excluding a few strands on the top of his head, but there were faint bags under his eyes, and his gaze was a little out of focus. Wooseok watched his body sway slightly as he walked in small, almost silent steps.

“Morning, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu.

“It’s nearly twelve, hyung,” said Wooseok. He strode over to Changgu with his arms out in front of him. When he reached him, Wooseok put an arm around his waist for support, and Changgu smiled at him. Hwitaek’s scent was still clinging to Changgu’s body, but despite that, Wooseok managed to smile back.

“Is it?” said Changgu. He looked more awake now. “I can walk on my own, Wooseok-ie.”

“You look like you’re going to fall over, hyung. Where do you want to go?”

“I was going to get some water.”

The two of them walked into the kitchen, and Wooseok only let go once Changgu was leaning against the countertop. He grabbed one of Changgu’s mugs, and he gave it a rinse under the tap anyway, even though it was clean inside. The kettle was still half-full with water, and Wooseok poured until the mug was almost full. As he handed Changgu the mug, he blinked when he realised that Changgu’s stare had softened, and the look on his face was almost identical to how Hwitaek had looked at Shinwon earlier on.

“How…” Wooseok started, before he felt his cheeks turn pink. He then glanced down at Changgu’s neck, like it would somehow help him think. “How was your heat?”

“It was a rough one,” said Changgu, before he took a sip from his mug. “It was a good thing you—I mean, it was good I passed it with Hwitaek hyung.”

Wooseok could feel his confidence sinking even more with each word Changgu spoke. He didn’t even attempt to look up; instead, he chose to focus on his own slides.

“How bad was it?” said Wooseok.

Changgu let out a quiet groan. “Well, my head feels like it’s been bashed against a wall.”

“Oh no. Do you need paracetamol?”

Changgu chuckled as he shook his head. “It’s nothing that unusual,” he said, “but thanks, Wooseok-ie.”

Wooseok stayed silent, and he watched Changgu take several more sips from his mug. It really didn’t feel like the afternoon, at least not when Changgu looked like he’d just stumbled out of bed. It almost felt like a glimpse into what the morning after another night of knotting would look like, if Changgu hung around afterwards.

“How did it feel, having Hwitaek hyung as your heat partner again?” said Wooseok. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer; but he knew that he would have to ask Changgu about his heat at some point, sooner or later, to avoid looking suspicious. He might as well get it over with now.

Changgu thought for a moment, and he took another sip of his drink, before he answered, “I couldn’t believe how much time has passed. I thought I was nineteen all over again.”

“Wow,” said Wooseok, without thinking. He blushed slightly when he saw Changgu’s puzzled yet amused look. “I mean, Hwitaek hyung hasn’t changed much over the years, then?”

“No. He’s still as considerate and careful as ever.”

“That’s nice.” Wooseok shifted his weight on his feet slightly. “Changgu hyung? How many heats have you passed with Jinho hyung?”

“Just one, I think.” Changgu put the mug down behind him, and he started to silently count on his fingers. “Yeah, just the once.”

“How come? You and Jinho hyung get along really well.”

Changgu smiled slightly as he picked up his mug again. “Everyone’s different, Wooseok-ie. Jinho hyung’s good, but I think that we’re not the most compatible. Also, I’m sure that Jinho hyung prefers Shinwon hyung whenever Hongseok hyung’s not around, so I’m going to take it that he feels the same way about me.”

“Oh, right.” There wasn’t much else that Wooseok could add, and he drummed the edge of the counter as he glanced around the kitchen. “Do you need any more water, hyung?”

“No, I’m alright.” Changgu shook his head. He was still smiling. “You’ll understand what I mean if Jinho hyung ever decides to lift the boundaries.”

Wooseok swallowed. “Did you know that he wants to get rid of the boundaries?”

“Does he?” Changgu frowned, and he stood up straighter. “When?”

“He’s waiting for Yan An hyung and Yuto to come back. I only found out a few days ago.”

Changgu was now looking the most annoyed that Wooseok had ever seen him. His first instinct was that he hadn’t misunderstood Changgu that evening, and that he had really wanted him to be his heat partner. If only Wooseok had been more confident that night. If only he really hadn’t tried to be good, to do what he thought everyone would expect him to behave in that situation.

To his relief, Changgu made his excuses, and he soon left with his half-finished drink in hand. Wooseok hung back for a moment, at first intending to grab a drink for himself; but when he thought he could smell Hwitaek’s scent, he wrinkled his nose and hastened out of the kitchen.

Over the next few days, whenever Wooseok was alone in the dorm, he sprayed scent remover all over the walls, and he wriggled on the sofas and against the walls and floorboards, and he scattered his laundry around before chucking them in the wash an hour later. Despite his efforts, the dorm continued to leave traces of Hwitaek’s scent; and Wooseok could have sworn that every time he saw Changgu, he could still smell Hwitaek’s scent clinging to his body, even though it had been so long since his heat had ended.

Wooseok couldn’t remember the last time he’d made a decision that had come back to bite him so badly. He had considered talking to Shinwon; but every time he thought he’d found enough courage, it always crumbled from the moment he was in the same room as Shinwon. Eventually, as Wooseok rolled around in his bed in the early hours of Saturday morning, tired yet unable to sleep, he decided that there was no use relying on Shinwon. He would have to deal with this alone.

When Wooseok woke up, it was already well into Saturday afternoon. He dragged himself out of bed to freshen up and grab something to eat and drink; but the moment he was done, he thought he could smell Hwitaek’s scent again, and he grumbled under his breath as he went to grab the scent remover. No amount of cleaning seemed to work, however, and Wooseok decided that he might as well shut himself up in his bedroom for the rest of the day. He was fairly certain that he wasn’t needed anywhere in the evening anyway; and the plan worked, until Wooseok received a call from Changgu in the evening. The moment he picked up, he heard—

“Wooseok-ah, have you eaten yet?”

“No,” said Wooseok. “Have you, hyung?”

“I’m on my way to get dinner now,” said Changgu. “I’ll get something for you as well. What do you want tonight?”

“Are you sure?” Wooseok had never been so glad that they were conversing over the phone. He pressed a hand to his cheek, which was warmer than before. “I can always throw something together.”

“That’s not going to be very nutritious, is it?” Changgu’s tone was gentle, and Wooseok didn’t feel like he was being told off. “What do you want? I know you’ll pick somewhere delicious.”

Wooseok made up his mind not long after, and when he hung up, the strange, warm feeling persisted. In what felt like no time at all, Wooseok heard the front door open, and he rushed out of his room to see Changgu taking his shoes off, and clutching two large paper bags. Wooseok thanked him for the food as he took the bags, despite Changgu’s weak protests, and he went into the kitchen to set everything up. He only realised that Changgu had entered the kitchen when he heard the fridge door open and shut, and he saw two pairs of chopsticks and two cans of cola appear on the table before him. Wooseok took his place at one end of the table, and he almost whined when he saw Changgu sit down opposite him—and then he felt Changgu’s foot brush his ankle, repeatedly.

“How was filming today, hyung?” said Wooseok.

Wooseok stayed mostly silent as he listened to Changgu talk to him about his work. Changgu was in a talkative mood, and he seemed even chattier when his mouth was full. Several times, Wooseok had to tell him to swallow first before finishing his anecdote; and each time he did, Changgu smiled and giggled as he made an excuse that was always along the lines of, “I couldn’t wait for you to hear the end.”

From Wooseok’s perspective, it felt like he’d spent the entire evening just staring at Changgu, fully engrossed in whatever he was telling him. He didn’t even know when they had finished all the food, or when either one of them had gone to get more drinks from the fridge. He also had no idea when his leg had ended up partially entwined with Changgu’s, or when they had started playing footsies with each other. He certainly couldn’t remember if Changgu had started the evening looking at him like he was the only other person in the world; but once Wooseok became aware of it, he couldn’t stop blushing. Nobody had ever really looked at him like that, not even Yuto or Hyunggu after that weird heat they’d passed—

“What are you thinking, Wooseok-ie?” said Changgu.

Wooseok started, and he almost bashed his knee into the table. “What?” he said.

“You looked like you were drifting off.”

“It’s nothing, hyung.” Wooseok needed a distraction, and he gestured at the empty plates, containers, and cans on the table. “Why don’t we clean up first?”

Changgu grinned. “Sure, but you’re doing the dishes.”

Wooseok whined. “I’ve always done the dishes, hyung.”

“Yeah, after I’ve reminded you for the twentieth time in a row.”

Wooseok continued to protest that he was more obedient than Changgu was making him sound, all while he cleared everything away. He rinsed out the cans first before he moved on to washing up the dishes, all while Changgu stood next to him, waiting for him with a towel in hand. When Wooseok was done handing over the plates, he just stood at the sink, watching Changgu dry everything twice over before he placed it down on the counter.

“Are you sure you’re not drifting off, Wooseok-ie?” said Changgu. It was only then that Wooseok realised Changgu had put the towel away, and he too was leaning on the edge of the sink. “You’ve been staring at the same spot for ages.”

Wooseok shook his head, before he said, “I was just thinking, it’s been a while since we last had dinner together.”

“I think you’re right.” Changgu hooked his arm around Wooseok’s, and he led him out of the kitchen. “My schedule’s going to start slowing down soon. We can have dinner together again next week, if you want.”

“I’d like that, hyung.”

Changgu smiled, and then he came to a stop outside his bedroom. Wooseok didn’t react when he felt Changgu pull his arm away, and he just watched as Changgu pushed his door open and turned on the lights. He then gestured at Wooseok to enter, but Wooseok gestured back at him to go first.

“You don’t have to be so polite, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu.

“I should—” Wooseok stopped when he felt Changgu hook an arm around his waist. He giggled a little as he let Changgu pull him through the doorway.

“Problem solved,” said Changgu, before he too giggled.

Wooseok never once tried to take Changgu’s arm off him as the two of them crossed the room and sat down on the bed together. Wooseok didn’t move when he felt Changgu rest his head on his shoulder or slip his hand into Wooseok’s, and for a moment, nobody spoke. Wooseok just breathed in, feeling Changgu’s scent flood through his nostrils. He then took in a deeper breath, and he felt his eyes widen when he thought he could detect the faintest trace of Hwitaek’s scent.

“Wooseok-ie?”

Wooseok started. He didn’t feel like making an excuse for himself, and he took in another deep breath first before he asked, “Can you still smell Hwitaek hyung’s scent?”

Changgu sniffed. “Sort of,” he said. He glanced over Wooseok’s shoulder for a second, before he looked back at him. “I was lying back there for most of my heat. Hwitaek hyung was worried I’d fall off my own bed.”

“Really?” Wooseok didn’t realise he was pulling Changgu in just that bit closer until he was actually doing it. He watched as Changgu lifted up his head and sat up straighter, all without letting go of him.

“Wooseok-ie, what do you think about Hwitaek hyung and Shinwon hyung?” said Changgu.

The question was unexpected enough that Wooseok frowned a little as he asked, “What do I think of them?”

“Yeah, how do you see their relationship?”

“I don’t really know, hyung.” Wooseok looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds. “It’s nice that they’ve found each other?”

Changgu smiled, but the corners of his mouth barely reached the middle of his eyes. His eyes hadn’t changed shape either, and Wooseok couldn’t see the bags underneath that usually formed whenever Changgu smiled.

“Yeah, of course, but … I mean…” Changgu let go of Wooseok, and he leaned back a little, his arms now propping him up from behind him. “If they weren’t idols … if they were normal people, then they’d definitely be calling each other boyfriends by now.”

“They would.”

“I’ve always wondered how they’ve been able to keep it open. They’ve passed heats with everyone—I mean—” Changgu turned his head to look at Wooseok. “—nearly everyone, and they’re not bothered by it anymore.”

Wooseok shuffled up closer to Changgu again. “They’re probably used to it by now.”

“I guess.” Changgu shrugged. “It’s crazy that we can’t even talk about it publicly. Our fans aren’t stupid. They know our birthdays, and they’ve also got heat trackers on their phones.”

“Yeah.”

“They know why I missed last week’s festival. What did our agency tell them? I couldn’t make it because of an—” Changgu raised his hands to make finger quotes. “—‘unavoidable personal schedule’.”

“Our fans know what that meant,” said Wooseok. “That’s the usual excuse.”

“Yeah, but it would be so good if I could write that my heat went fine, so don’t be worried about me because I looked tired. It’d be nice if we could say that without management breathing down our necks.”

Wooseok nodded. He could still remember one time, barely a year after they’d debuted, when he’d shown up to an event the day after his and Hyunggu’s heats. The pictures from the event had revealed that no amount of makeup had been able to fully cover the dark circles under their eyes, or how exhausted they had both looked. The moment he’d seen the photos, Wooseok had been prepared to log into their fancafe to reassure fans that he was fine, but Jinho had stopped him.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” said Wooseok.

“Can you imagine how they’d react if we even dared breathe a word about doing things out-of-heat?”

Wooseok grinned. “There’s going to be a meltdown if that happens.”

Changgu chuckled. “Well, they can’t be surprised. What did they expect would happen between a group of people who’ve been passing heats with each other for years?”

“Yeah, or just recently,” Wooseok added, without thinking.

Wooseok’s face flushed when he realised what he’d just said. It didn’t help that Changgu’s eyes widened slightly, his mouth opened but no words came out, and his gaze never left Wooseok’s face. The two of them stared at each other. Wooseok knew that he should say something, anything, but he couldn’t think what; and he was also hoping that Changgu would do something to break the silence, but that wouldn’t be right. Wooseok had started this, so he should be doing all the work, not Changgu.

Wooseok opened his mouth as well, but he still didn’t know what to say. He stared for a moment longer, before he shifted close enough that he could drape his leg over Changgu’s thighs. He almost gasped when Changgu hooked an arm across the small of his back, pulling him in hard enough that Wooseok placed his hands on Changgu’s shoulders to stop their bodies from bumping against each other. Wooseok pursed his lips, just for a second, without ever breaking eye contact. He could still smell Hwitaek’s scent, and it seemed to have grown stronger somehow, like it was tormenting him for wanting Changgu.

Wooseok shut his eyes, and he leaned right in until he was kissing Changgu. There was no resistance on Changgu’s part; his lips were pliant, allowing Wooseok to kiss him however gently or roughly he wanted. He might have even mumbled Wooseok’s name into his mouth. Wooseok had no idea; he was too busy sighing into their kiss, to let Changgu know how badly he wanted him as well. He pushed Changgu down onto his back, and he swung his legs over so that he was straddling and pinching Changgu’s thighs together. Wooseok then leaned right down until his arms bracketed Changgu’s head, trapping Changgu underneath him.

He watched Changgu mouthing his name. His eyes were still wide, and he was looking up at Wooseok with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Wooseok had never tried looking down at Changgu like this. It had always been Changgu who touched him first, who pulled him in for their first kiss of the evening, who led him into whichever bedroom he fancied. Wooseok had always done what Changgu wanted, mainly because Changgu was more experienced than him, and from the very first night, he’d already known what to do to make Wooseok unravel. Was this what Shinwon had tried to suggest that day; that Wooseok could see how different, how Omega-like Changgu looked underneath him?

Wooseok leaned in just as Changgu lifted up his head, and his eyes fluttered shut when his lips met Changgu’s once again. Wooseok pushed his head down onto the pillow again, and his tongue slipped into Changgu’s mouth as he combed both hands through Changgu’s hair. He sighed when Changgu wrapped his arms across his back, and again when Changgu lightly moaned into his mouth. He didn’t know how long he spent just kissing Changgu, but he’d done enough to eradicate Hwitaek’s scent from the bedroom. His head was starting to swim from how fulfilling Changgu’s scent was, and he began to drag a hand out of Changgu’s hair and down across his shoulders and chest. He smiled as he heard Changgu whining into his mouth, as if to ask him for more—

Wooseok heard his phone begin to ring, and he jumped and broke the kiss. He sat up straight to fish his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, and he frowned when he saw that Hyunggu was calling him. It took him a second later to remember that he was supposed to be helping him with some songs tonight.

“It’s alright,” said Changgu. “Answer it.”

“It’s only Hyunggu,” said Wooseok, and he rejected the call.

“Do you need to work?” Changgu seemed to be sitting up slightly. “We can—”

“No,” said Wooseok. He switched off his phone, and then he chucked it onto Changgu’s bedside table. He looked back at Changgu, who was smiling a little at him. “I’m not working tonight.”

Changgu shifted so that he was almost leaning off the edge of the bed. Wooseok arched his back slightly, to allow Changgu to reach under his bed, where he pulled a drawer out. There were clothes and bedding scattered all over the bottom, along with an already opened box of condoms. What caught Wooseok’s eye was a dark grey dildo that rested on top of everything. It was the only toy in the drawer, and Wooseok was certain that this was Changgu’s smart dildo.

“I need a knot,” said Changgu, as he picked the dildo up by the base. He put it down next to his pillow, before he reached into the drawer again to pull out a condom, along with a small bottle of lube that was buried under a pillowcase. “I know it’s a bit weird I can’t manage without one—”

Wooseok shook his head. “It’s not, hyung.” He took the items from him, and he placed them next to the pillow while Changgu shut the drawer.

Wooseok waited for Changgu to shuffle back onto the bed. As he did so, he glanced at the dildo. He’d never seen it before. Changgu had offered to use it twice—the first time for his heat, and the second time for their first out-of-heat night together—but Wooseok had refused both times. Back then, he’d believed that whatever they were doing would only be temporary, so the idea of using something so intimately Changgu’s had felt very strange.

“Hyung,” said Wooseok, “you really want me to—?” He looked back to see Changgu nodding at him.

“Please, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu.

Wooseok swallowed. Changgu had never begged him before any foreplay had even happened. Wooseok kissed him again, gasping when Changgu’s tongue began to explore his mouth. The entire room smelt of Changgu’s scent, and Wooseok had no idea that it could make him so lightheaded. He began to kiss Changgu all over his neck, and he dragged a hand down, gliding over Changgu’s chest and abs before his fingers began to play with the hem of his shirt. The front had come out of his jeans, exposing a slither of flesh; and when Wooseok ran his fingers over his navel, Changgu moaned into his mouth.

Wooseok had long forgotten about everything else by now. All that mattered was that Changgu wanted him, was pliant to him, and waiting for his next move. In that moment, it seemed almost laughable that Wooseok had been so hung up over Changgu’s last heat. If they’d passed it together, then this might not even be happening now. Maybe it had been a good thing that Wooseok had been too responsible, after all.

“—are you needed soon—?” were the first words Wooseok heard when he woke up the next morning.

As he grumbled a little under his breath, he frowned when he thought that he could feel fingers combing through his hair. He kicked his leg out from underneath the duvet, and he stretched until his toes were touching the edge of the mattress. For a moment, he thought that he was alone—until he realised that there was a slight dip, and he forced his eyes open to see Changgu sitting on the edge of the bed, and looking at him over his shoulder. He was holding his phone to his ear.

“I’ve got to go as well, An-ie,” said Changgu. He turned around again, and he giggled. “I know. I know. Let me know when you’re done, okay? Good luck, fighting, you can do it.”

At first, Wooseok frowned. Wasn’t it a bit too early for Changgu to be giggling away on the phone to Yan An? He closed his eyes as he yawned, and he pressed his legs together again. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Changgu putting his phone down on the bedside table.

“Changgu hyung…?” he said. He felt Changgu lay his hand flat on the top of his head. “You’re still here?”

Changgu smiled at Wooseok. He sat with his legs stretched out straight on the mattress, and his back pressed up to the headboard.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he said. “I’m not needed anywhere else.”

“You’ve never stayed before.”

“I’ve always had things to do, Wooseok-ie.” Changgu’s tone was soft. For some reason, Wooseok thought that his scent was stronger than usual.

“I’m not disturbing you, am I?” asked Wooseok. Before he could stop himself, he added, “Does Yan An hyung normally call this early?” He was certain the answer was no, but he wanted to hear it from Changgu himself. Had this happened on any other day, Wooseok wouldn’t have minded at all—but to hear him so cheerful on the phone, just hours after spending the night with Wooseok, was something else.

Changgu shook his head. “He was just waiting for his personal trainer to arrive. He’s off now.” His smile widened as he combed his hair backwards through Wooseok’s hair, before he pulled his hand away.

“Are you cold?” said Wooseok. He elbowed the duvet.

“No, I was getting too hot under there.”

Wooseok sat up. He shuffled in until his legs were pressed against Changgu’s, and he draped his arm across the back of Changgu’s waist. He looked at Changgu for a moment, before he lowered his gaze slightly until he was focused on his lips. His mouth looked as soft as it had been last night, and Wooseok kissed Changgu with no hesitation. He kept his lips ajar, so that he could ever so slightly deepen the kiss; but even though he kept it chaste, Wooseok couldn’t help sighing into Changgu’s mouth. When he pulled back, his blushes only increased when he saw Changgu looking at him, his cheeks flushed pink, and his mouth slightly agape.

Changgu hooked an arm across the back of Wooseok’s shoulders, and he vaguely wrapped his other arm around his waist, before he leaned in again. He was sitting up straighter, and Wooseok closed his eyes when he felt Changgu kiss his forehead first. When Wooseok felt Changgu’s lips on his again, he kissed him back, equally as gently. The room already smelt of their scents mixed together, but now, Changgu’s scent was the strongest; and Wooseok wouldn’t have it any other way.

He sighed when he felt Changgu’s hand support the back of his head, and again when Changgu pulled back a few seconds later. Wooseok had never tried being treated this delicately in the morning before. Sure, every time he’d partnered up with Yuto, it was almost guaranteed that he’d find Yuto looking fondly at him whenever he woke up; and although Hyunggu usually wished him a good morning with a wide smile, he’d never really hung behind in bed once he’d seen that Wooseok was awake. Changgu was the first person to have ever kissed him in the morning, and it was making Wooseok blush so much that he was almost terrified that he’d never stop.

“Are you hungry?” said Changgu, as he placed his hand over Wooseok’s.

“Yeah, I am,” said Wooseok. “What do you want for breakfast, hyung?”

Changgu shrugged. “Let’s go and find something?”

Wooseok didn’t object, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up first and held Changgu’s hand to pull him up onto his feet. Once Changgu was also standing, Wooseok tugged his hand anyway, which drew him in close enough until he kissed him again. It was short, but when Wooseok drew back, he knew his face had turned a shade redder than before.

“Wooseok-ie, come on,” said Changgu, as he slipped his hand away. He bent down to pick up a shirt that was lying by his feet.

While Wooseok got dressed in last night’s shirt and underwear, Changgu went to dig out a fresh set of clothes from his wardrobe. Wooseok couldn’t be bothered to put on his jeans, and he sat down on the bed before he chucked the jeans next to him. Now that he was waiting for Changgu, he decided to turn his phone on. The first thing he saw was that Hyunggu had tried calling him two more times, and Shinwon had also called and sent him a voice note overnight. Wooseok really didn’t want to deal with Hyunggu right now, so he opened his KakaoTalk, and he played Shinwon’s message.

“Ya, you brat,” came Shinwon’s voice, at a volume louder than Wooseok had been expecting. There wasn’t any real anger in his voice. “I know what you’re up to. You’re busy having a little canoodle with Changgu, aren’t you?”

“Hyung—” Wooseok said, before he remembered that he was listening to a voice message.

“What?” said Changgu, at the same time. He was crouched over, having put one leg fully through his sweatpants, and he had been about to start on the other.

“—do you know how hard it was to lie to Hyunggu? I had to tell him you were unwell—”

“Shinwon hyung knows?” said Changgu.

“—you owe me a burger, Jung Wooseok.”

Wooseok turned to see Changgu sit down next to him. He still wasn’t wearing his sweatpants properly.

“Wooseok-ie, does Shinwon hyung know?” said Changgu. His eyes were wide. Wooseok just nodded. “When did he find out?”

“He found out on the first day of your heat, hyung.” Wooseok glanced down, and he closed the app. “He smelt your scent in my room.”

“Oh, right.” Changgu fell silent, and Wooseok saw him looking down at his legs. “He kept that quiet from me.”

“I asked him to keep it a secret. I didn’t know if you wanted anyone else to know.”

“Thanks, Wooseok-ie.” Changgu’s hand brushed the back of Wooseok’s, like he was trying to hold him. Wooseok, however, pulled his hand away.

“You should get dressed properly, hyung,” he said, and he shuffled a little bit further away from Changgu.

Wooseok kept his head down, even when he felt Changgu stand up and return to the other side of the room. He was lucky Hyunggu had had no choice but to ask Shinwon to check on Wooseok; if Jinho or Hongseok’s heats hadn’t happened, then Wooseok would have been busted last night for sure, and the secret would have come out. Maybe, Wooseok thought, if he did tell his bandmates, then he could be certain where he stood with Changgu. He still didn’t really know what Changgu wanted; was this ever only going to be just something to fill the Yan An-shaped gap in his life? Was Changgu never going to look so lovingly at Wooseok again once Yan An came back?

“I’m done,” said Changgu, breaking Wooseok’s train of thought.

Wooseok looked over at Changgu, who was standing in front of him and with his arm outstretched. Wooseok took his hand, and he laced their fingers together as he stood up. For a moment, he just looked at Changgu before he pulled him in for another chaste kiss. He tried to hook his other arm around Changgu’s waist, but Changgu drew back and gently nudged his arm down before he could secure his grip. Wooseok pouted at him, and Changgu giggled as he led the way out of the bedroom.

The moment they stepped into the kitchen, Changgu slipped his hand out of Wooseok’s, and he started to suggest what to eat. Wooseok didn’t really mind, so when Changgu declared that he couldn’t be bothered to cook anything, Wooseok opened the cupboard where they kept their cereal boxes. He was soon sat opposite Changgu at the kitchen table, with his legs stretched out and his feet brushing Changgu’s.

“Hyung,” said Wooseok, after a moment of silence. He waited until Changgu put down his spoon, and he looked at him. “How do you feel about letting everyone know?”

Changgu raised his eyebrows, and he asked, “You want to tell them about us?”

Wooseok nodded. He picked up his spoon, but he lowered it into the bowl again when he realised that there was just a single soggy cereal piece stuck to the end.

“Okay.” Changgu smiled. His eyes narrowed, the bags underneath appeared, and his cheeks puffed up. “Let’s tell everyone.” Wait, Changgu was already agreeing with him, without asking any more questions?

“You don’t have to tell them, if you don’t want to,” said Wooseok. “I only—”

“You’re right, Wooseok-ie,” said Changgu. “They’re our friends, and we don’t have the dorm to ourselves anymore. Jinho hyung’s finished his heat, Yan An-ie’s wrapping up his shoot, and Yuto’s going to be back soon. I don’t think we should give them a surprise.”

Changgu chuckled, and Wooseok smiled along with him. To hear that Changgu was actually okay with letting the others now about them was a sign, perhaps, that he didn’t consider Wooseok to be just a fling.

“If you don’t mind,” said Changgu, “I’d like to talk to Yan An myself.”

“Okay,” said Wooseok. “Let me tell Yuto and Hyunggu.”

Changgu nodded. “What about Hwitaek hyung?

“Maybe you should go to Shinwon hyung first.” Wooseok used the tip of his spoon to poke a few pieces of cereal that were floating on top of his milk. “He probably still thinks that you want to keep it a secret.”

“Good point. I’ll do that.”

Wooseok almost started when Changgu’s hand touched his free wrist, and he made eye contact with Changgu. There was nothing malicious about his look; in fact, Wooseok could almost go as far as to say that Changgu’s eyes were full of sweetness. Wooseok flinched, and he scooped up a mixture of milk and soggy cereal, which he shoved into his mouth in one go.

“I think we should be together when we tell Jinho hyung and Hongseok hyung,” Changgu added.

Wooseok’s mouth was still full, and he just nodded.

The rest of breakfast was finished mostly in silence. Changgu smiled whenever Wooseok looked his way, but Wooseok could tell from the glint in his eyes that his mind was occupied with other things. The two of them finished eating at the same time, and although Changgu offered to wash up, Wooseok refused and insisted on doing the washing up himself. Changgu didn’t argue with him too much; and Wooseok was still washing up the dishes when he heard Changgu walk past, now on the phone to Yan An once again, and the front door closed not long afterwards.

Once Wooseok was done and had changed into another set of clothes, he headed over to the other dorm. His first impression was how silent the dorm was; and a quick glance down the hallway showed that both Hongseok and Hyunggu’s bedroom doors were closed. Wooseok tiptoed into the living room, where the moment he sat down on the sofa, he heard a door open, and he whipped around to see Jinho walking out of Hongseok’s room.

“Morning, Jinho hyung,” said Wooseok.

Jinho started, and he looked to his left first before he then noticed Wooseok.

“Oh, morning, Wooseok-ie,” said Jinho. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to see Hyunggu. He’s not awake yet?”

“No. He didn’t come back until a few hours ago.” Jinho yawned as he outstretched both his arms. As he did so, Hongseok appeared from behind him, and he wrapped both arms around Jinho’s waist first, before he then made eye contact with Wooseok.

“Morning,” said Hongseok. He propped his chin on Jinho’s shoulder. “Are you feeling better now, Wooseok?”

Wooseok blinked. “What?” he said.

“Hyunggu told us that you weren’t feeling very well last night.”

“Oh, yeah, I was…” Wooseok could feel himself blushing. “I wasn’t feeling great. I thought I wouldn’t be much use to Hyunggu if I went.” He propped his arm across the back of the sofa—and as he did so, he caught a whiff of Changgu’s scent, and his face turned even redder. If Jinho or Hongseok came any closer, then they were also going to smell Changgu—

“Hongseok-ah, don’t do that,” said Jinho, as he shrugged his shoulders to force Hongseok to stand up straight. “You’re going to sprain your neck.”

“Hyung, it’s fine,” said Hongseok. Wooseok thought that he could see him gripping Jinho even harder. “I don’t hold you like this all the time.”

Jinho’s smacked Hongseok’s wrist, but his face turned so red that Wooseok was sure he was blushing even harder than him. He looked away when he saw Hongseok kiss the top of Jinho’s head, and he heard Jinho purring under his breath. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he could hug Changgu like that from behind, lightly tease him, and maybe even get the chance to feel like Changgu felt the same way about him.

“Have you had breakfast yet, Wooseok-ie?” said Jinho.

Wooseok almost started. He gripped the back of the sofa as he answered, “Yeah, I have. You don’t need to worry about me, hyung. I’m okay here.”

Jinho and Hongseok headed off to the kitchen; and although Wooseok could vaguely hear them talking and giggling away, he was at least certain that he really would be left alone until Hyunggu was awake. When the two of them were finished, it wasn’t long before Wooseok saw them carrying Jinho’s bedding and clothes out of Hongseok’s room, and then the dorm plunged into silence once again.

While Wooseok waited for Hyunggu to wake up, he passed the time away by either playing a mobile game that he’d downloaded a few months back, or just staring at the ceiling, wondering how he was going to break the news. Somehow, the wait felt like both the longest and shortest wait he’d ever endured; but eventually, he heard a door swing open, and he sat up straighter as he saw Hyunggu emerge from his bedroom, bleary-eyed, and shuffling his feet.

“Wooseok-ie?” said Hyunggu. He yawned as he walked towards the living room. “How long have you been here?”

“A few hours,” said Wooseok.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“I was worried when you turned your phone off.”

“Sorry.” Wooseok began to play with the hem of his shirt. “I really wasn’t in the mood last night.”

Hyunggu came to a stop by the back of the sofa. He leaned down, propping himself up on his elbows. He opened his mouth, but then his eyes widened, and he placed a hand over Wooseok’s shoulder. Wooseok wriggled slightly, but he knew that he couldn’t break out of Hyunggu’s grip; and he stilled as he let Hyunggu sniff the scruff of his shirt. Hyunggu’s eyes were even wider when he drew back.

“That’s your shirt, isn’t it?” said Hyunggu.

“It is,” said Wooseok. He shimmied his shoulder, but he was still unable to shake Hyunggu off him.

“Why can I smell Changgu hyung’s scent?”

Wooseok hesitated for a moment, and then he said, “I’ll tell you later. Are you hungry?”

Hyunggu frowned. “Wooseok…”

“Yuto’s going to call me in about—” Wooseok glanced down at his phone. He felt Hyunggu let go of him. “—twenty minutes. I’ll tell you everything then.”

Hyunggu left to grab breakfast, but Wooseok could still feel his worry lingering in the air. He tried to play a game on his phone again, but he couldn’t concentrate at all. Before he knew it, he found himself sat on Hyunggu’s bed, with Hyunggu next to him and still frowning. His call with Yuto connected, and Yuto’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hyunggu,” said Yuto, smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“I wasn’t expecting this either,” said Hyunggu.

Yuto’s face fell, and he turned his head slightly to look at them both. “What’s happened?” he asked.

It took Wooseok a few attempts before he said, “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

Hyunggu cocked his head. “Why have you got Changgu hyung’s scent all over you?”

“I’m sorry?” said Yuto.

Hyunggu turned to the phone. “Wooseok smells of Changgu hyung, and he won’t tell me why.”

“I am telling you,” said Wooseok. “I was … just waiting for the right time.”

“Wooseok-ie, what’s happened?” said Yuto.

“I smell like Changgu hyung becuase…” Wooseok took in a deep breath first. “…I’ve been doing it out-of-heat with him.”

Yuto’s eyes widened. Wooseok yelped when he felt Hyunggu smack his shoulder.

“Ya, Jung Wooseok,” said Hyunggu. “This isn’t a time for jokes.”

“I’m not joking,” said Wooseok, as he rubbed his shoulder. “I’ve done stuff out-of-heat with Changgu hyung.”

“How have you done it before me?” Hyunggu also began to rub Wooseok’s shoulder. “What’s it like? Does it really feel more vivid than a normal heat?”

Wooseok cupped a hand over his cheek, and he almost started when he realised how hot his skin felt. It didn’t help that he caught another whiff of Changgu’s scent.

“Look how hard you’re blushing,” said Hyunggu. “Yuto-ya, have you ever seen Wooseok-ie like this before?”

“No,” said Yuto.

“When did you start with Changgu hyung?” Hyunggu asked Wooseok.

“Not long after my July heat,” said Wooseok.

“Wooseok-ah—” Hyunggu placed his hands on Wooseok’s shoulders, and he gently rocked him back and forth. “—why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

Wooseok brushed Hyunggu’s hands off him as he answered, “Changgu hyung never said he wanted to talk about it.”

“Oh.” Hyunggu’s eyes were wide. “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t if you … you didn’t have his permission…”

Wooseok glanced at his phone. Yuto’s face was still on the screen, and his eyes were wide, but he didn’t appear to be moving. Wooseok lightly frowned as he brought his phone closer to his face.

“Yuto?” he said. “Are you still there?”

Yuto jumped. “Yeah, I am,” he said. “I … I’m happy for you, Wooseok-ie.” He smiled, but for some reason, Wooseok thought that his cheeks seemed tense.

“Are we the last people to find out about you two?” said Hyunggu, as he gestured at the phone.

“No,” said Wooseok, as he turned to Hyunggu. He swallowed. “Changgu hyung’s telling Yan An hyung. Jinho hyung and Hongseok hyung don’t know yet.”

“What about Shinwon hyung, and Hwitaek hyung?”

Wooseok glanced back at his phone as he answered, “Shinwon hyung already knows. Changgu hyung’s going to give him permission to tell Hwitaek hyung.” On the screen, Yuto just nodded at him, before he looked down.

“Eh? What do you mean Shinwon hyung already knows?”

Wooseok continued to look at his phone as he explained to Hyunggu how Shinwon had found out. Yuto never looked up at the screen, but he kept nodding along, to show that he was listening.

“Wait, but, if he knows—” Hyunggu audibly sniffed the air. “Ya, Wooseok, weren’t you ill yesterday?”

Wooseok shook his head.

“Shinwon hyung said you—” Hyunggu gasped. “He was covering for you? He knew you were getting it on with Changgu hyung?”

“Don’t blame him,” said Wooseok, as he whipped around to face Hyunggu again. “He’s a good hyung.”

“You picked Changgu hyung over me.” Hyunggu pouted. “Yuto-ya, isn’t Wooseok-ie out of order here?”

“Hmmm?” Yuto sounded a little startled. “Oh, I guess he is?”

“This isn’t a big deal.” Wooseok shrugged, in an attempt to stay calm and collected. It wasn’t like he was the first person in the group to be doing what he was doing, but it seemed that everyone else had different ideas to him. Somehow, it was irritating; he was almost twenty-five years old, was it that surprising that he would want to be knotted out-of-heat?

Hyunggu pouted for a moment, and then his face fell. “So, what are you and Changgu hyung, exactly?”

“We’re…” Wooseok moved his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. In the end, he managed to utter, “…I’m something with him. It’s … we … haven’t really talked about it.”

“If it helps, it sounds like you’re Changgu hyung’s friend with benefits,” said Hyunggu.

Wooseok glanced at Hyunggu. “I know that,” he said, before he fell silent as he struggled to think about how he could continue the conversation.

“Wooseok-ie,” said Hyunggu. “You want to be something more to Changgu hyung?”

“…I guess?” Wooseok saw Hyunggu’s eyes slowly lightning up, and he hastily added, “I don’t mean, like, I want him to call me his boyfriend. Just … you know what Hwitaek hyung and Shinwon hyung are like? Something like what they have.”

“You want him to knot you every other day, and make really loud noises—?”

“Not like that—” said Wooseok, over the sound of Hyunggu falling over backwards onto the bed from laughing.

“Wooseok-ah,” said Yuto. His tone was harsh, and Wooseok turned the phone so that Yuto could see only him.

“Yuto-ya,” said Wooseok, with a pout, “you know what I mean—”

“I do,” said Yuto. His face was deadpan, and Wooseok was certain that Yuto had started the call much chirpier than he was right now.

“Oh, by the way,” said Hyunggu. He was now sitting up. “Yuto, while you’re here, can you help me out?” He began to ask Yuto about something to do with Japanese grammar; and Wooseok watched as Yuto slowly relaxed, until he was back to his usual self.

Nobody mentioned Changgu again, and Wooseok certainly wasn’t going to bring it up again. Now that the secret was creeping out into the open, he thought that he would feel less pressured; and yet, it wasn’t really doing anything different for him. So what if everyone knew? He couldn’t even explain what he and Changgu were; he was probably still just the fling, the person who Changgu wanted because there was nobody else around.

Wooseok jumped when he heard a knock on the door, and Hyunggu telling whoever it was to come in. He almost groaned out loud when he saw Shinwon’s head peek past the doorway, and it took him a second later to realise that Shinwon was looking straight at him.

“Morning all,” said Shinwon, as he grinned. “Wooseok-ie, I don’t suppose you’ve got your wallet on you?”

“No.” Wooseok narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“I thought not. I’ve ordered that burger you owe me, and luckily for you, I had the foresight to get it delivered to your dorm.”

“Hyung, you could’ve said something first,” said Wooseok. He sounded whiny, but deep down, he was somewhat relieved that Shinwon had come to subtly rescue him.

“The burger’s going to be here in twenty minutes.”

Wooseok said his goodbyes to Yuto before he hung up. As he left the bedroom, he promised Hyunggu that he would be in the studio in the evening; and he had barely shut the door when he heard Hyunggu take a call from Yuto. He let Shinwon sling an arm across his shoulders and half-walk, half-drag him over to the front door. The two of them took the stairs up to the other dorm, but it was a trip spent in silence. Wooseok didn’t feel like talking just yet, and he could sense Shinwon eyeing him, constantly.

To Wooseok’s surprise, his dorm was empty as well. He thought that Jinho and Hongseok would be around, but Jinho’s bedroom door was closed, and he couldn’t hear any noise at all. As he took his shoes off, he asked Shinwon if he knew about their absence.

“Oh, yeah, Hongseok hyung told me that he wouldn’t be around,” said Shinwon. “He’s having a lunch date with Jinho hyung. They’ve got a lot of cabin fever to shake off, apparently.”

“Is that why you ordered a takeaway?” said Wooseok.

“Of course.” Shinwon grinned. “You really smell of Changgu hyung. I didn’t think you’d want to be out and about in public right now.”

Wooseok only had time to nod, before Shinwon hurried him into his bedroom so that he could find his debit card. He ended up staying in his bedroom until he heard the doorbell ring, and then he was almost thrown out of his room as Shinwon urged him to pay for his burger. Wooseok frowned when the delivery man handed him a bag that was too big for just one burger, and a drinks holder that had two paper cups filled up with cola; and when he peeked inside the bag, he almost rolled his eyes as he saw that there were two burgers and two sets of fries inside.

“Well, obviously I can’t let you go hungry,” said Shinwon, when Wooseok questioned him about it in the kitchen. He was trying to keep his face straight, but Wooseok could see the corners of his mouth twitching. “Come on, eat up. I’m sure you had a very vigorous night last night—”

“Shinwon hyung, please stop,” said Wooseok.

Shinwon started to talk about how hungry he was as he pulled everything out of the bag. Wooseok just went along with whatever he said; but in the back of his mind, he knew very well that Shinwon was just waiting for the right time to bring up him and Changgu.

“So, you and Changgu have started to tell everyone, then?” said Shinwon, about ten minutes into his meal.

Wooseok happened to be chewing on some fries, and he nodded first. “Yeah,” he said, before he swallowed. “Has Changgu hyung spoken to you yet?”

“No, but I did get a text from him. It looks like he knows that I know about you two.”

“I told him this morning.”

Shinwon nodded. He picked up his burger, and he was about to bite into it when he lowered it again, and he asked, “I’m guessing that you took my … er … ‘advice’? Did you take it?”

“Hyung…” Wooseok stared for a moment. He could rebuke him, and tell him that he wanted to save the conversation for when he wasn’t trying to eat. He really didn’t need Shinwon playing the role of his puberty teacher. Those classes had been awkward enough with an actual, qualified teacher. At the same time, though, Wooseok would rather get everything out of the way and enjoy the bulgogi burger that Shinwon had ordered for him. He didn’t need to think for much longer, and in a slightly rejected tone, he said, “Yes, I did.”

“Well? What do you think?”

Wooseok did a double take. “Hyung, I don’t know—”

Shinwon waved his hand. “What I meant was, did anything feel a bit … different, afterwards?”

“Changgu hyung stayed behind for the first time.” Wooseok grabbed a handful of fries. “That was different.”

“Did he?” Shinwon nodded anyway, and he took a bite out of his burger. His cheeks puffed up, and Wooseok thought that he would be left to silence for a moment. However, Shinwon then said to him with his mouth still full, “You haven’t talked to him, have you?”

Wooseok stopped chewing on his fries. He was tempted, for a moment, to pretend that he had talked to Changgu—it was better than being grilled by Shinwon about why he hadn’t done that yet—but he also knew that if he tried to delay it, then Shinwon wasn’t going to let him go that easily.

“I haven’t,” said Wooseok, eventually.

Shinwon patted Wooseok’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” said Shinwon, “but you really should say something soon.”

Wooseok frowned. “Why, though? You make it sound like it’s a bad thing if I don’t.”

“The thing is…” Shinwon looked down at the table for a second. “I’d say that Changgu is probably the most Omega-like out of all of us, you included, believe it or not—”

“What?” said Wooseok.

“—he loves too easily,” Shinwon continued, so fast that it was like he didn’t hear Wooseok at all. “You must have seen how he looked at you, after you’d done everything yesterday.”

Wooseok’s face flushed. After everything that had happened last night, it was almost hard to believe that, previously, Changgu had been the dominant one. For the last few months, it was Changgu who had guided Wooseok through everything with patience and care—and yet, the first time Wooseok had played the Alpha, Changgu had submitted to him instantly, hanging onto every little action, every little move that Wooseok made.

“I think I get you,” said Wooseok. “Did you feel that way too, hyung, when you helped him through his heats?”

“Of course.” Shinwon smiled. “It’s okay that you don’t know these things. You’ve been stuck in a small circle for many years.”

Wooseok watched as Shinwon took another bite out of his burger.

“You know, I thought I’d get a chance to practice the talk with Hyunggu first,” Shinwon continued. “I hope I haven’t put you off anything?”

Wooseok frowned. “Why does everyone keep saying that to me? I’m an adult too.”

“That’s because we all thought Hyunggu would be the first to get it off with someone out-of-heat.” Shinwon put his burger down, and he slung an arm across Wooseok’s shoulders. “You’re such an Omega—”

“Hyung—” Wooseok wriggled his shoulders free. “You’re an Omega too.”

Shinwon shook his head. He sounded like he was trying to click his tongue as well, except he still had a mouthful of burger.

“Nice try, Wooseok-ie,” said Shinwon, “but Hwitaek hyung said he would make me an Alpha if he had a magic wand.”

“Of course he’d say that about you, hyung.”

“What, are you doubting Hwitaek hyung now?” Shinwon sat up straighter and puffed his chest out, like he was getting ready for a fight.

Wooseok rolled his eyes. “Finish your lunch, hyung,” he said, and he began to unwrap his burger.

It would have been foolish of Wooseok to expect Shinwon to end his teasing right there, but at least Shinwon moved the topic on to other things. When they were finished, and Wooseok tidied everything away, Shinwon stayed behind for fifteen minutes before he left to catch his ride to his radio show that evening. Wooseok followed him to the car park, where he waved the car goodbye; and because he didn’t want to face the fact that he was alone once again, he remained standing on the spot and waving at nothing for a few minutes longer.

Eventually, Wooseok headed back upstairs, where he stayed in his room for the rest of the day. He stuck his head out when he heard the front door open, and he saw that Jinho and Hongseok had returned. The next time he heard the door open once more, Wooseok didn’t even need to ask to know that it was Changgu. As he opened his bedroom door, he could smell Changgu’s scent drifting in from the entrance—and then he heard Changgu laughing, and a voice on the phone, and he realised that Changgu was talking to Yan An once again.

“You’ve got to tell me that when we’re together again,” said Changgu. He looked up from his feet, and he glimpsed Wooseok. “Ah, An-ie, I’ve got to go. Yeah, I’m home now.” There was a pause as Changgu continued to take off his shoes. He chuckled. “I hope so too. Good luck for tomorrow.”

Wooseok stayed silent as he approached Changgu. Maybe it was because of what Shinwon had told him over lunch, but it was like he’d never fully realised just how adoringly Changgu spoke to Yan An. Sure, the two of them had a long history together—but Wooseok had known Changgu for longer, even if most of their relationship had been platonic.

“Changgu hyung,” said Wooseok, when he came to a stop in front of him. Changgu had taken off his shoes by now. “You’re back.”

“Of course,” said Changgu, with a small smile. Wooseok thought that he could see him leaning in. “How did it go today?”

“It went well.” Wooseok swallowed. “How did Yan An hyung take the news?”

“He was fine with it,” said Changgu. He grabbed Wooseok’s hand, and Wooseok didn’t resist. “Why? Were you worried he’d hate it?”

“No.” Wooseok shook his head as well. He felt Changgu’s fingers close around his palm. “I thought he wouldn’t, but you know Yan An hyung better than me.”

Changgu blushed a little. This time, it was obvious that he was leaning in; and Wooseok stayed still when he felt Changgu’s lips touch his. He kissed him back ever so slightly, gently sighing when he felt Changgu’s hand cup his jaw. Wooseok could feel Changgu shift closer to him, like he wanted to keep it up—and that was when Wooseok pulled back far enough that Changgu had to open his eyes.

“Are you sure Yan An hyung will be okay with it?” said Wooseok.

Changgu frowned as he lowered his arm. Wooseok wriggled his hand free when he felt Changgu squeeze it.

“What do you mean?” said Changgu. There was no emotion in his tone. “He’s already said he’s fine with it.”

“Yeah, but when he’s actually here again, and he sees you and me, is he really going to be fine?” Wooseok pursed his lips. “He had you to himself for a long time.”

Changgu’s face flushed hard, and Wooseok looked down at his feet as he tried not to think about what that meant. There was a voice in his head, however, that wouldn’t stop telling him that Changgu was embarrassed by the situation.

“Wooseok-ie, we’re not exclusive to each other,” said Changgu, after a moment of silence. “We never have been.”

“You haven’t knotted anyone else though.” Wooseok still didn’t dare look up, even though he knew that he should. “You’ve always chosen just Yan An hyung.”

“That’s because—” Changgu stopped so abruptly that it made Wooseok look up. Changgu’s face the reddest he’d ever seen it. “—I can’t explain it, Wooseok-ie, but you know Yan An too, you really don’t need to worry.”

Wooseok shook his head. “What if he’d never gone?”

Changgu’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Did you pick me because there was nobody else around?”

“No, I’d never—”

“Hyunggu asked me what we were, today.” Wooseok took a step back when he saw Changgu moving in closer to him. “I didn’t know what to tell him.”

“Wooseok-ie—”

“I can’t do this, hyung, if—” Before Wooseok had a chance to finish, he started when he heard someone unlocking the front door. Changgu glanced over his shoulder, and Wooseok took the chance to turn around and flee. He started again when he saw that Jinho and Hongseok had, at some point, left Jinho’s room, and the two of them were frowning at Wooseok and Changgu, their confusion evident in their eyes.

“Oh, Changgu—?” came Hwitaek’s voice, from the doorway.

Wooseok gasped. Since he couldn’t make it to his bedroom without passing Jinho and Hongseok, he darted for the living room instead. The balcony doors were shut, but it took him no time at all to slide one open, and he stepped out and leaned on the railings as he inhaled fresh air. He hung his head and closed his eyes. He could hear voices from within the flat, but nobody came outside, or spoke to him directly from inside. He didn’t mind, not when he needed to clear his thoughts and work out what was happening between him and Changgu, now that everyone knew.

“Are you cold, Wooseok-ie?” said Changgu, sometime later.

“I’m fine, hyung,” said Wooseok. His arms were trembling slightly, but he figured that it was from how long he’d been gripping the railing for.

Wooseok heard something being placed on the balcony, and he glanced over his shoulder. Changgu had taken two stools out of the kitchen, and he’d placed them in front of the balcony door that he was shutting behind him. Through the glass, Wooseok could just about glimpse Jinho, Hongseok, and Hwitaek, all sat on the sofas and talking between them.

“Wooseok-ah,” said Changgu, before he gestured at the stools. Wooseok waited until Changgu had picked a stool before he sat down on the other one, and he didn’t flinch when Changgu placed an arm across his shoulders. “How long have you been holding it in for?”

“Not that long,” said Wooseok, as he looked down at his thighs. “It’s only something I’ve been thinking about recently.” He didn’t want to dwell on the topic just yet, and as he looked up, he asked, “What did Hwitaek hyung come over for?”

“Shinwon hyung sent him over.”

“Have you told them yet?”

“All I said was that we’d knotted out-of-heat.” Changgu patted Wooseok’s shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you first before telling them the whole story.”

“You don’t have to wait for me.” Wooseok crossed his arms, just as a slight chill picked up. It wasn’t cold enough to make him shiver, not yet.

“We said we’d tell them together.”

“Hyung…”

“Wooseok-ie, I’m not going to dump you once Yan An-ie comes back.” Changgu’s face was full of concern, and he looked so genuine that Wooseok began to wonder if he had, in fact, been worrying over nothing.

“You talk to him all the time, hyung.”

Changgu tilted his head. “You don’t like that?”

“No—no, I’m fine with that, just—” Wooseok inhaled. “You never looked at me that way whenever Yan An hyung was around. It’s like you only started to pay attention to me because he’s not here.”

Changgu didn’t say anything for a long time. Wooseok didn’t dare look at him either; he didn’t want to see the look on his face, he just wanted to hear what Changgu had to say.

“That’s because I’d never passed a heat with you back then,” said Changgu.

“I don’t understand.” Wooseok frowned. “So, if Yan An hyung had been here, you … you would have passed my last heat with me?” He looked up when he was finished speaking. He might as well find out the answers now.

“Yes.” Changgu fell silent for a minute, but he kept on nodding. “You were in distress. Even if Yan An-ie had been here, he couldn’t have stopped me from being your heat partner.”

“Then why did you start with me after that?”

Changgu hesitated. Wooseok looked out over the balcony, to try and hide his facial expressions from him, just in case.

“Can I be honest?” said Changgu, his tone as calm as ever. Wooseok nodded. “When I realised that I had to help you through your heat, I was really nervous, and a bit scared as well.”

That was enough to make Wooseok turn back to Changgu, his eyes now wider than before. Changgu had been nervous? While he couldn’t really remember the first day, Wooseok was certain that Changgu’s scent had been normal throughout the rest of his heat.

“Why?” said Wooseok.

“I knew what it’s like to have a new heat partner for the first time, especially if it’s somebody I’m close to.” Changgu slipped his other hand into Wooseok’s, and he laced their fingers together. “I knew that our friendship would change. I wouldn’t be able to look at you the same way again, but … I didn’t know if it would be a good thing or not. I really thought you’d pick up my scent, but you never did.”

“I don’t even remember it.”

“I thought you didn’t.” Changgu chuckled, and he gently smiled. “After your heat was done, I did start to see you in a different way. I was sure that it wasn’t a bad thing, but I couldn’t put it into words. It was when we had that midnight snack that I started to understand how I feel about you.”

Wooseok nodded. How could he forget that evening? Changgu had returned late from a day of filming; and the night had been so hot that Wooseok had resorted to wearing the baggiest t-shirt he could find, and the shortest pair of shorts he owned. Wooseok could still remember Changgu’s hand on his bare knee, and how he had moved his hand up along his thigh as he’d kissed him hard and desperate. It had been the most electrifying thing Wooseok had ever felt, and never had he wanted someone to touch him so badly, so sensually as Changgu had in that moment.

“So, what do you want us to be?” said Wooseok.

Changgu hummed for a few seconds. “What do you want, Wooseok-ie?” he asked.

“I just…” Wooseok started to stroke the back of Changgu’s hand with his thumb. “…don’t want this to be a fling.”

“It won’t be.” Changgu gently bumped his head against Wooseok’s. He was close enough that it wouldn’t take much more for Wooseok to lean right in and kiss him. “Do you want me to be exclusive to you?”

Wooseok shook his head. “We don’t need to go that far, hyung,” he said. “Just don’t dump me when Yan An, and even Yuto, come back.”

“Okay.” Changgu smiled. “You shouldn’t hold this all in, Wooseok-ie. You can always tell me how you’re feeling, okay?”

Wooseok nodded. He met Changgu’s eyes for a moment, and then he glanced down as he closed the gap between them. He didn’t deepen his kiss with Changgu, but he smiled slightly when he felt Changgu shift the arm on his shoulder so that he was cupping the back of his head instead. Changgu threaded his fingers through Wooseok’s hair—and Wooseok almost gasped from the sudden coolness of his fingers touching his scalp.

“Are you cold?” said Wooseok, as he drew back.

“A bit,” said Changgu. He pulled his hand out of Wooseok’s hair, and he clasped it over Wooseok’s hand instead. “Are you ready to go back inside?”

Wooseok nodded. “I think it’s time we told our hyungs about us.”

Changgu grinned. “True, true,” he said, and he stood up.

As much as Wooseok wanted to keep holding onto Changgu’s hand, he pouted a little when he had to let go of him, in order to stand up and stack the stools on top of each other. Changgu chuckled as he slid the door open, and then he held his hand out, like he was waiting for Wooseok to take it again. Wooseok picked up the bottommost stool with one hand, and he held onto Changgu’s hand again. This time, he laced his fingers with him tight; and as he followed Changgu into the dorm again, he couldn’t stop blushing.