Chapter Text
If there was one thing anyone knew about Jongho, it was that the job came first. Some would call it ‘a lack of work-life balance.’ Others would say it was ‘a dangerous hyperfixation with perfection.’ The bold would go so far as to label it ‘a way to avoid emotionally connecting with the world and people around him fully and protect himself from ever being fully hurt.’ He classified it as ‘a mature sense of responsibility,’ even if he was the youngest.
Jongho blinked and took a moment to pull himself back to the present of flashing camera lights, blaring sirens and clamors of reporters hollering at Seonghwa. He floated just enough above the ground to see the area clearly with a stern face as he selected one of the faceless hands in the crowd. Over the noise, a loud question rang out: “What dangers did ATEEZ face today? Should folks be concerned about another incident like this?”
Seonghwa didn’t hesitate in his response, “Today was an unfortunate accident of someone turning on a gas stove and leaving it unmonitored. Explosions and fires like this are not uncommon, but it was by no means malicious.” He rolled his shoulders back slightly before allowing a slight smile to appear on his face. “However, this is a lesson everyone should take to heart as their own personal way to contribute to public safety. Hazards don’t just come in the forms of powers or people, negligence is a danger in and of itself.”
Jongho was supposed to be there as support for Seonghwa, but he found himself zoning out to focus on the way his Luna carried himself. His blonde hair was perfectly curled out of his face, his smile the perfect comfort and representation of everything ATEEZ was. Jongho never minded letting him take the spotlight, he shone so well in it. He was just here since there wasn’t anything else he could do to help.
He took the chance to glance back at the scene behind him. In the near distance, there was Hongjoong and Mingi chatting with a couple of firefighters. Hongjoong seemed pretty passionate in what he was talking about with his hands busy filling out a form. Mingi happened to be looking around at the same time and waved- a gesture Jongho returned with a nod. Somewhat similarly to Jongho, Mingi had tagged along to keep Hongjoong company as this venture wasn’t one he had been able to do much for. He had a bit of sympathy in that regard.
Further from the charred building, a group of civilians hovered near an ambulance, Yunho and Wooyoung mingled amongst them. Yunho had his glowing hands over someone’s head, his eyes matching them as Jongho guessed he literally could see into their head. Wooyoung, on the other hand, seemed to be talking to someone wrapped in a blanket. As he continued on about whatever took Wooyoung’s mind today, the person slowly lost tension in their shoulders. Jongho admired Wooyoung’s power in how versatile it was to be able to hurt, to comfort or to control whatever he needed to get the situation in his favor just through his voice.
Movement in the corner of his vision closest to the building jolted his focus there, but Jongho slowed his heart beat as he spotted the blonde mullet. Yeosang was carrying an I-beam to the doors of the charred structure, likely for additional support. Jongho worked out most days of the week, but Yeosang’s power left even him almost fawning at the things he could do. A zip of black raced out of the same, and when it finally came to a stop, there was San carrying a handful of dogs and cats in his arms- even a bird on his shoulder. Of course he’d sped inside to secure the scared animals, San was a softie for everything soft and cuddly.
“-always, ATEEZ is here for the citizens of Poppia and we will keep you safe. Thank you for your support.” Jongho brought his focus back to Seonghwa and caught his warm smile at all of the cameras as he slowly descended to the ground. Jongho stepped forward to meet Seonghwa, standing next to him as they both did a small bow to the reporters. He made sure to keep his back straight and shoulders broad as he came up. Jongho needed to keep a strong, stern appearance to support Seonghwa in what little ways he could.
He still almost jumped when Seonghwa wrapped his arm around Jongho’s shoulder, the older pausing for a moment before he took the lead to pull both of them away. Jongho felt his hand moving gently on his arms, he could practically hear the comfort Seonghwa would say to him of, ‘I appreciate you, I know this kind of thing is hard for you. You did great, my little bear.’ He always did his best care for him ever since they met.
Jongho let himself be ushered around with Seonghwa as they first checked in with Hongjoong and Mingi. It was a simple case in reality- a tired single mom who turned the gas stove on in the middle of the night for a snack. Before she ignited it or put anything on, she got pulled away by her kid making a run down the hall. While she and her kid were safely away from the explosion and fire when the gas ignited, it didn’t stop it from spreading through the building. No casualties, just injuries and smoke inhalation.
The pair moved onto checking with the inhabitants of the apartment, and Jongho could tell how tired they all were. He felt like he could see what was going on in their mind just through their eyes: ‘What survived the fire?’, ‘Will insurance cover this?’, ‘Where are we going to sleep tonight?’ and an overwhelming sense of ‘Oh my god, I could have died.’ Jongho felt like no matter what type of incident happened, when they were called to the scene, everyone had that moment of realization. He always thought it was better than those who didn’t get the chance to think about it though.
“C’mon, little bear, let’s get back to the den.”
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While going back to the den was usually a respite from work for the majority of the pack, Jongho never let himself falter in his duty as he got changed into workout clothes. He knew that being an omega was no fault, all of his packmates were great regardless of subgender. He knew that not having his own power yet wasn’t a burden. Jongho was still able to be a useful member to the pack, to the team and the city. It just took double the work of everyone else to make sure he didn’t let any part of him affect the work they do.
The ATEEZ pack kept a gym in the den house, developed for anyone to use while they were all figuring things out at first and it stayed for Jongho mostly as he used it every day. It was the best way to develop mental discipline when he was younger, and after he got strong enough to be able to almost match Yeosang, he considered it his way of being able to keep up. Two strong men in a team could make a bigger difference than one.
If being strong kept him in the ring, he’d work out as much as he physically could. Even if it was at 2am like he was tonight. He flicked on the lights, breathing in the smell of hard-earned sweat. He grabbed a set of cloth bandages hanging on the wall and fell into the pattern of wrapping them around his hands before going any further.
Jongho’s training tonight was to be at the punching bag, practicing every combo he could think of and training the stamina and muscles in his body to hit and keep hitting. While he’d lifted people in and out of the building, there was still plenty of training to maintain in fighting. No room to fall behind. He ought to start with some basic hit combinations.
Jongho knew the other members of the team didn’t always view their work the same way he did. Hongjoong and Seonghwa, for all of their own work hyperfixations, had to prioritize multiple things at once. They had to think of the pack on top of the safety of the citizens, making sure everyone was cared for and well.
In the team, Hongjoong was the leader with Seonghwa as his right hand man. Either could easily call the shots necessary as while Hongjoong kept close to the ground and all of the elements he needed to fight, Seonghwa took to the sky. They were an unstoppable duo in battle or after since Hongjoong handled the legal side of presentations while Seonghwa acted as the spokesperson to anyone with a camera or a question.
Behind closed doors, they had different duties and roles to everyone in the pack as Pack Leading Alpha and Omega, it was just natural. Hongjoong would randomly choose activities or gifts to surprise someone with. Seonghwa always happened to surround himself with as many of them as he could when they got home. While their own personal emotional lives alternated between being between them and shared with the pack, they were there for everyone.
Switching tactics, Jongho started practicing his kicks and sweeps against the bag. Fighting was no good if he kept it to just his hands, he needed to keep every part of his body ready to fight and protect.
Yunho and Mingi bore a bit more of the burden of balancing the energy of the group outside of just Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s care. They both stayed alert on missions, and they tended to either silently lead the front or steer the back when it came to action. Yunho’s ability to heal usually had him sticking quietly behind everyone else, ready to step in when he was needed. Mingi used his invisibility well, silently and quietly scouting ahead of the group to guide or strike in moments and places he was least expected.
At home, Yunho and Mingi were a resource of resilience, hope and wisdom for anyone who came to them. They were whatever was needed for whoever came to them: a smile, a hug, a long-talk-and-a-cry, a gaming machine, an expert in advice, anything to cure the soul. While Jongho knew they had their own struggles, they were pillars in the pack that couldn’t be denied. They handled the grunt work so that Hongjoong and Seonghwa didn’t have to worry about everything all at once. They kept everyone close regardless of any tension in any of the air between any other member, and Jongho admired them for that so much.
He needed to be better, he needed to be a pillar of strength for them all. They couldn’t spend every minute out in the field keeping an eye on him, he needed to hold his own. Jongho started mixing punches into his kicks, practicing swapping between the two effortlessly. He needed to be hard to read, hard to fight, hard to expect.
And with hard to expect, another name for Yeosang, San and Wooyoung in Jongho’s mind was ‘Chaos or Death.’ Together, whether in the field or at home, they were unpredictable and a force to be reckoned with. When they were out and about, Yeosang’s super strength and San’s agility forced them to be creative in how they fought, but they paired well in their physical bases. Wooyoung filled in all of the gaps they had with charm and a power laid out as a trap in his voice to influence what people did, consciously or not. Some laughed at how useful Wooyoung would be, until he shouted and they dropped their weapons as they fell to their knees crying.
At home, chaos was a great way to describe the storm that could unpredictably flow through the den at any point. Jongho would get pulled in one way or another whether Wooyoung and San were on a pranking war, San was chasing someone to cuddle or Yeosang was savagely ripping anyone or thing in front of him to shreds with a truth bomb. In the lulls of chaos, he could find comfort in Yeosang’s presence, play League of Legends with Wooyoung and go to karaoke with San on top of any other unpredictable thing they could do. They were the spice of life that could make any other member act crazy with their shenanigans and Jongho wouldn’t have it any other way. They’d never know that for sure.
‘God, not still down here, right?’ The thought popped in and out of Jongho’s head as he knocked down yet another combo of punches and kicks against the bag. He finished a good ‘1, 2’ before he heard the door open and froze mid ‘3’. Finally pausing long enough to gaze up at the clock above his head, the clock read ‘3:40’ and Jongho blinked. “Jjong.” Crap.
Jongho knew that disappointment very well, but he supposed it was always going to end like this. He slowly turned around to face the quiet rage of Yeosang standing in the doorway, who clearly had been expecting Jongho to actually go back to their shared room. “Yeo, would you believe me when I say that I was just about to come back up?” Jongho tried to lie, laughing a bit at the end to cover the nerves in his body finally coming to life. God, he was so sore, had he bruised his hands? Knowing Yeosang, his lie wasn’t going to do much to the internal lie detector that never stopped and was rarely wrong.
Unimpressed, Yeosang crossed his arms as he looked Jongho in the eye. “No, I wouldn’t believe you. Sounds like bullshit.” Jongho deflated a bit at the truthful admission, moving his hands behind his back to hopefully hide whatever he’d done a little longer. Yeosang’s eyes softened a bit, and Jongho could just see what Yeosang was thinking in his eyes. ‘Jjong, you look so tired. When will you give yourself a break?’
Jongho looked down at the idea of letting down such a precious person in his life, and dear god. Yeosang was there mad and pouting at him at almost 4 in the morning in the cutest matching set of checkered pajamas. He’d probably seen them over a hundred times at this point, but every time, it felt like the first time Jongho’d ever seen such beauty. He just hoped Yeosang didn’t get the idea to try and examine his hands before he could get a chance to peel off the bandages in private. If Jongho could just get some time alone…
“Jjong,” Yeosang’s hand landed on his arm at the same time he spoke, and Jongho forgot how to breathe or live. “Why don’t you wash up so I can take you back to bed?” He’d just zoned out so hard focusing on Yeosang’s outfit and hoping to hide from him that he’d completely left reality. He unconsciously nodded a bit sleepily, now terribly embarrassed of his behavior. Yeosang’s touch was so soft that he wanted to lean in more and ask him to carry him back… Jongho was a little out of it until his hands sent shocks of pain to remind him of the gift he’d been given.
“Sure!” Jongho yelped, pulling back a bit as he tried to remember if he brought anything down with him. He glanced around at the floor a bit before realizing that a yelp was extremely suspicious. Trying to smile up at Yeosang, Jongho continued, “Sure, that sounds great. Thank you.” He lucked out with the odds couldn’t believe how much he had one of the cutest boys alive in front of him, how utterly adorable.
Yeosang smiled back at him, moving his hand to pinch Jongho’s cheek and coo. “How utterly adorable, you’re just the cutest, aren’t you?” Jongho blushed from some combination of the pinch and compliment, shooing away both the hand and any thoughts of cuteness as he squeaked. Yeosang giggled a bit, pulling back to go back towards the door, “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t take too long.” And to his word, the blonde turned and sauntered out the door with a click behind him.
After taking a moment to process the whirlwind that was Yeosang and the past five minutes of his life, much less the past 2 hours, Jongho remembered to step into the bathroom. He knew he had to face the truth at some point, especially to shower, so he began to unravel the bandages on his hands. The mismatch points of blue, purple and deep red over his knuckles proved Jongho had lost himself in thought a bit too much. He was usually much better about stopping before any of his knuckles actually split, but it was clear the two or three that had would need a couple days to heal. First came the shower, though, so Jongho went about his post workout routine.
After showering off the sweat he built up, he dried his hair (still apple red, thank goodness and took extra care to not run the tops of his hands against anything. Jongho rubbed the bruise care cream Wooyoung had bought for him (after seeing how some of his workouts ended) over his legs, feet and hands and antibiotic cream over the split knuckles before bandaging his hands again. The warm shower had helped some of the soreness in his muscles, but he felt the strain of a good workout as he put on a pair of shorts and a hoodie. Something about whatever was happening recently kept him on edge, and it was so nice to just empty his head of any thoughts when he could.
But Jongho couldn’t run from reality forever, he had a lovely packmate waiting just outside for him. He had to figure out a way to make sure Yeosang wouldn’t lose more sleep over him. The best idea coming to him at four in the morning was tucking his hands into his sleeves and hoping for the best, and Jongho was going to take it at this point. He shuffled out of the bathroom, opening the door out to the hallway with a constant, repeating prayer in his head for Yeosang to please not notice anything about his hands, please not worry and just relax as they went to bed.
As he walked out, he spotted Yeosang nodding against the wall before spotting the movement and standing up a bit. The blonde gave the redhead a small dopey smile and Jongho couldn’t help but return it. Yeosang reached out to grab Jongho’s arm and slot as much of his body against his as he could, humming contently. “Let’s go relax and rest, hmm, Jjong?”
Jongho let out a sigh of relief, relaxing into Yeosang’s grip as he hummed back. As they walked down the hall to go to bed, Jongho let everything fade towards the back of his head and not think about how in spite of Yeosang’s usual habit to walk hand in hand, he seemed happy enough to just hold his arm right here and now.