Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Minho always found the full moon comforting.

Even before he ended up on the island, he would lie on his apartment balcony and marvel at its beauty. His balcony nest had two piles of blankets, one for summer, and the other for winter. Depending on the season, he would wrap himself up in one pile, and use the other to define the outer boundaries of the large yoga mat he used for the base. He would take the pillows out of their waterproof casings, mummify himself, and dream of the day he could find a partner to share these moments with.

Minho loved nesting even before he presented. He was willing to risk humiliation as an alpha, his expected secondary gender from family lineage, with a year-round nest, trading out his future partner’s clothes to keep the scents fresh and washing the sheets once per week to keep them comfortable and clean. He would daydream on cool spring days outside, covered by a weighted blanket that he imagined as his omega, cuddling and taking care of them during their heat however they wanted, sexually or not, even through the throes of his rut.

When he finally presented as an omega shortly after his 17th birthday, his alpha parents were surprisingly supportive. They bought him the dream blankets and pillows he had been eying for years. He eagerly turned his bed into a nest, and it became a safe haven for any friends who visited him. Even those that were most resistant to skinship would be worn down eventually, and at minimum agreed to sit on opposite ends of the bed as they talked. It had become a place to laugh and cry, to talk about nothing and everything, and, with permission, be held by Minho as they shared their worries about themselves and what the future held.

All of his omega friends (okay, his two best friends who happened to be omegas, Chan and Felix) were already mated by 25, so they didn’t have to worry about their fate like Minho did. For whatever reason, that was the magic number the government chose for omegas before they had no choice but to find a mate amongst each other. Of course, it didn’t matter that scent blockers were required in public, and taking heat suppressants until they were married decreased an omega’s chance of finding someone.

Or the fact that alphas and betas didn’t have this same imaginary clock ticking down, because it was okay for them to be single or find love beyond their mid 20’s.

Or even the fact that most omegas found their partners in college or through social activities, neither of which appealed to Minho’s deep desire to find inner peace and fulfillment within himself.

All of this led Minho to where he was this evening, hauling a deflated raft over his shoulder and cradling the damp and shredded blankets in his arms that held no scent. The curled end pieces of his long untrimmed hair caught in the sea breeze. He had missed the full moon two nights ago, but tonight’s crystal clear sky more than made up for it, as the moon barely waned itself back towards darkness. The black sand covering his feet reminded him of the zombie movies he used to watch when he was on the mainland. It used to bring him joy, as did the moon and scenery, but not anymore.

The island that was now home to unmated omegas had long ceased to be a tourist destination as it once was. It was previously maintained by a handful of betas who lived there and made sure the land was pristine so the island’s economy wouldn’t die. It had been inhabited by omegas for so long, and the few alphas sent by the government to keep law and order, that no one really knew the old name for the beach Minho frequented. It was a beautiful beach sheltered by cliffs, hiding caves that tourists used to visit during low tides. The tides he has memorized after years of living here.

He used to make his nests far away from where the waves crashed onto the shore. As time went on, and the propaganda that matched his romantic dreams began to deteriorate with the reality of the situation, the nests slowly moved closer to the water’s edge. Sure, you could have heats now if you wanted, and scent blockers weren’t required, but being around other omegas who had been suppressed for so long made Minho want to puke. Everyone’s unhappy scents melted into one another, making the collective scent putrid and foul. Some omegas mated to get housing on the mainland so they could see their friends again. Others wanted a mate to meet the primal sexual urges that had been taken from them in the early days of their presentation.

But Minho? Minho wanted the waves to take him away.

It wasn’t like he actually wanted that to happen, but if it did? Some days he wanted it more than others. If one night he misjudged the tide and it pulled him under, then that’s what the universe’s fate was for him. He’d look up at the moon and stars, eyes stinging from forcing them open in the water, and thank them for all the nights they gave him comfort. All the nights that made him believe sleeping on his own in the nearby lighthouse instead of trying to find a mate was more worth it because of the joy nature brought him, despite its diminishing returns. The five years of cognitive dissonance of his beautiful surroundings versus his dull and dying soul…

Was it worth it anymore?

Minho slammed the raft down onto the sand and tossed the blankets to his right. The high tide gave him little room to work with tonight. His “nest” was only five or so steps away from the jagged line that warned him of where the ocean’s swell ended. He used to be so scared on nights like this. He would build his nest so close to the rocks that he was almost on top of them. But being next to the rocks turned into fifteen paces away from the water, and then ten, and now five.

Grabbing his first blanket, he let the wind help straighten it out a bit before kneeling down to line the bottom. This helped decrease the pain of the sharp edges that would dig into his sides from lying on the uneven plastic. Next, he took the other two blankets and tied each end together to make sure he could cover himself. They were thin and old and torn, and acted as a windbreaker more than anything. The last blanket he used as a pillow, propped against the more comfortable side of the raft, and faced out towards the sea and sky as he shifted around to find a comfortable spot to rest.

He ran his right hand over his beard that he only cut with a dull pair of scissors (that he stole from town) when the hair near his chin became too long. He also used them to trim his bangs, and when his brown hair went too far past his neck. There was a smaller town he could travel to if he needed something, but getting to town near the center of the island was a full day trip. It wasn’t worth it since he, wisely, bought supplies to live off the land before he decided to “move” to the coast. Away from humanity. Away from finding love.

Away from everything.

He wasn’t sure why he was making himself suffer with these thoughts tonight. It’s not like he got anywhere close to finding love before he ended up in his barely comfortable nest on the beach. Minho wasn’t like Chan, who found a younger alpha who was equal parts kind and crazy, just like him. Or Felix, who met his strong and overprotective partner junior year of university and just knew he was the one. Minho tried not to be jealous of the bites on their necks. The peppermint and campfire scents of the alphas, respectively, never appealed to him. They were all great friends, and Minho loved them with his whole soul. He misses them almost every day, but not enough to mate with someone he didn’t love just to go back and care for them again. Especially since they all had each other for so long without him. Whatever conscience he had left was just focused on survival.

He felt like he betrayed his friends.

Minho rolled over to the edge closest to the sea, letting the deformed handle dig into the normal spot on his right forearm as he felt the water brush against the tips of his fingers. This is the closest he’s been to the water in a long while. The breeze was blowing towards him, dots of the sea leaving soft kisses on his face as he closed his eyes to enjoy them.

He was suddenly reminded of Chan’s silly kisses that Minho always complained about, but secretly loved. His ocean breeze scent mixed with Minho’s lavender, cuddling in Minho’s real nest, holding each other tight. Chan talked that day about how he was safe from the island, and how he so desperately wanted Minho to stay with him.

That conversation happened two months before Minho’s 25th birthday.
He didn’t find a mate in time.
He hasn’t seen his friends since.

Tears fell from Minho’s eyes as the words and emotions from that day burned into his mind. The tide was climbing higher, its edges soaking the sand in his sight. It covered his knuckles. Then his fingers. Then his whole hand. He smelled himself for the first time in over a year, and it smelled scared.

Minho was terrified.

The water was sneaking underneath the raft, slowly dislodging it with every wave that crashed on the shore. He closed his eyes, retracting his hand and holding himself and the blankets keeping him warm, hoping this piece of crap would have some buoyancy.

It was here. It was finally here. He pushed his luck, thinking he was invincible, and it finally was time to face the truth. He would die alone. He lived in his apartment with no roommate or lover, alone. He chose to live on the island, alone. And now? There was no one to save him.

Oh God, Minho thought, I might not make it.

The raft made its way away from the rocks and towards the sea. The stunning cliffs that Minho saw as protectors were now hiding the tragedy that was about to unfold. So many stories unshared and untold. He didn’t believe in God, but he prayed to the heavens that his friends would remember him. That his body, if it washed up onto the shore someday, would be identified and properly mourned. That he would be cremated and have his ashes spread in a field of lavender flowers next to a forest of cherry trees.

Wait…cherry trees?

A voice screamed out, sounding distant but fast approaching. “Oh my God! I’m coming! Hang on, okay?”

He was too scared to open his eyes, or admit to himself he heard a voice at all. The squelching noises of feet trekked through the wet sand, dragging him towards the rocks and away from his final chapter. A thick, warm blanket enveloped him, and his savior released their cherry scent to give him comfort. There was nothing sour about it, so this omega must be new.

Minho finally opened his eyes. “You saved me.”

The boy’s brown hair was as long and curly as Minho’s, but better maintained. He was clean shaven except for some hair around the bottom of his chin. The moon was high in the sky, making it hard to see the rest of his facial features.

“What were you doing that close to the water?” He asked, kneeling in front of Minho, who was still curled into himself tightly.

Minho huffed at the accusation. “I wasn’t that close…”

“Well, maybe, maybe not,” He smiled down at Minho, looking genuinely relieved. “I’m glad I was here to save you.”

Minho tried to return his smile, but barely remembered how. “What’s your name?”

“Jisung. What’s yours?”

“Minho.”

“Lovely to meet you.” Jisung tucked Minho further into his blanket and readjusted the pillow blanket for him. “Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m used to it, I guess.” Minho shrugged, looking at Jisung with a blank stare. “How did you find me anyway?”

“I wanted to look at the moon without the light pollution, and I haven’t explored the coasts much yet. I followed the black sand because it looked cool, and then saw you drifting away.”

Minho hadn’t heard someone talk this positively about anything for years. Then again, he’s avoided most interactions with people for just as long. “How long have you been on the island?”

“Three months or so. You?”

“Five years.”

“Oh.” Jisung frowned, but tried to keep his voice upbeat. “Well, I don’t know where you sleep, but if you want to crash at my place, you can dry off and stay warm.”

Minho was skeptical. “You trust me? I wasn’t planning on saving myself, you know.”

Jisung nodded. “I know. More than you think.” He turned his head to the right. Minho could see him get lost in his mind, deep in some memory, before locking eyes with him and flashing a bright smile. “Maybe you just need a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah,” Jisung responded wistfully, “a friend.”

Minho weighed his options. The first was to spend another night on the cold floor of the nearby lighthouse where he stored his fishing supplies. The second was to sleep on the floor inside an enclosed space that probably won’t be cold. It was hard to justify treating himself after what he almost allowed to happen. Then again, a warm blanket and an actual pillow might let him sleep longer than a few hours.

“Sure, I’ll crash at your place.”

Jisung’s smile grew wider and his scent got sweeter. It reminded Minho of Felix’s eclectic garden scents. “Excellent! Let me help you carry your things.”

Chapter Text

Jisung’s hut was on the edge of town, close to Minho’s beach. It was set up similarly to a small apartment on the mainland, where the kitchen, living room and bedroom were all visible with one head turn. The soft gray carpet was a nice touch, and would definitely be more comfortable to sleep on than the bare floor of his “penthouse apartment” with the spinning beam of light. It’s part of why he slept during the day. He would find a spot in the shade around noon, and would wake up some time after sunset and before the moon was at its peak in the sky. Minho’s gaze finally landed on Jisung’s nest, and found it was more methodical than his former nest, with more blankets and less clothing items scattered about.

There was something jarring about the lack of furniture. The only two pieces were an overused rolling chair and a small table. Many young unmated omegas weren’t afforded jobs that made the kind of money Minho’s had. Money wasn’t as important on this island anyway. Minho wasn’t even sure where to get his savings, if it even transferred over, or if it was allowed in the first place. He used the physical won he had on him to get supplies in the first year or so, and relocated to the coast shortly after he ran out.

“It’s not much,” Jisung tried to explain, “but I brought the important things. The things that would make me happiest.”

“I can’t judge.” Minho tried to smile again, gesturing to the out-of-place raft and blankets. “You’re looking at half of my belongings.”

Jisung furrowed his brows. “What else do you own?”

“Another set of clothes, stuff for fishing, a few defense items to protect my…living quarters?” Jisung bit his bottom lip and gave Minho a nervous look. Minho waved his hands in front of him. “Guess you got lucky I don’t bring them to the beach.”

“Yeah, haha, sure did.” He turned towards the kitchen. “Do you want anything to eat before we sleep?”

Minho shook his head as Jisung started cooking something. It had been so long since he had a proper social interaction, not just awkward greetings in town, that he hoped Jisung thought he was functional.

The word ‘we’ stood out too. ‘We’ wasn’t a thing anymore. Hell, most of ‘we’ was an act anyway from what he observed. ‘We’ was different genders and sub-genders and sexualities all mixed up and interacting together. Not whatever dull and continuous existence this was.

He looked up to see the cheerful omega wiggling and tapping his feet as he pulled his raft towards the wall to leave space between him and the nest. It was tough to replicate his nest building routine without the wind to assist him. When he was inside, he usually just chucked the blankets into the raft and blocked out the world, but he felt a pull to make a proper nest in the presence of the man who saved him. Eventually, he tucked himself into his normal beach set up. Feeling a little guilty, he pulled Jisung’s heavier blanket over him too. Jisung turned suddenly to look at him.

“Oh. Minho. Oh no…” He placed his bowl on the table and gave Minho a concerned look as he knelt by his side. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“Where else would I sleep?”

“I thought you could take my nest for the night. I have enough blankets to make a smaller one. Or maybe we…”

“Jisung, there is no ‘we’ here. You’ll learn soon enough.” Minho sighed, thinking about his own naive view of the island when he first arrived. “Also, I just met you.”

“Right.” Jisung sounded despondent. “You and I only met tonight.”

“That’s part of it, but not all of it.” Minho yawned as he absentmindedly pulled Jisung’s blanket under his nose. “It’s too complicated to explain now. If that’s okay.”

“Of course.” He could hear Jisung stand up. “I’ll grab some extra blankets and a few pillows if you need them.”

Jisung went to the closet where he kept his large collection of nesting materials, grabbing a few things for Minho to use if he wished. As soon as the lights dimmed, Jisung noticed that Minho traded out his pillow with the other pillows so quickly that it would impress an experienced magician, then passed out cold. He grinned and let out a small laugh, leaning down to examine the expertly folded blanket Minho normally used, gently turning it around in his hands. He was shocked by its lack of an omegan scent, but was comforted by the smell of the sea. After he ate his meal, Jisung collapsed into his nest with the pillow blanket in his arms, clutching it to his chest like a child might with its favorite stuffed animal.

Falling asleep in each other’s presence after their harrowing night and pillow swap, the pair of omegas waited for a new day to start and an old sun to rise.

Minho dug his cheek into the soft pillows as he started to wake up. A soft mix of cherry and lavender filled his senses, tempting him to fall asleep for a while longer. His normal blankets had been pushed to the bottom of the raft, acting like a connected pair of leggings, and a plush blanket was held in place by a subconscious death grip. The sun coming through the window above him lit Jisung’s nest like a small slice of what he imagined omega heaven would be like if one existed. Jisung sat with his arms around his knees, staring off into the distance, with a familiar looking square settled between his legs and chest.

Oh, that’s his pillow.

He suddenly remembered the events of last night. How he just gave up. He wasn’t lying to Jisung when he said he wouldn’t have saved himself. What does that make Jisung then? Minho admired his curly hair in the sun, long enough to brush over the back of his oversized red cardigan. His jeans were clearly new, the cuffs resting at his ankles covering the top of his white socks. Minho became hyper aware of the state of his own clothing, peeking under the blanket at his worn out black shirt, fraying badly at the edges and ripped in various places where it had caught on the rocks over the years.

“Good morning.” Minho sat up, resting his back against the wall while trying to cover his clothes. “How did you sleep?”

“Good, actually.” Minho’s gaze fell on his pillow. “Was it okay?”

Jisung looked in his lap and beamed, directing his joy across the room. “Very okay! So well made.” He swung his legs over the lip of the nest to focus on Minho, holding it tightly and lightly rubbing his cheek against it. “I was wondering why there was no scent.”

Minho stared in his lap. “Most people here lose their scent after a while, or it goes sour.”

“But you smell so lovely.”

Minho scoffed at Jisung’s earnest expression. “I forgot what my scent even was until last night.”

“Oh.” Jisung tried to hide his sorrow about that statement, covering it with a weaker smile and changed the subject. “I was going to go into town today, if you want to come with. I don’t know what you usually do during the day.”

Minho shrugged. “Sleep, usually. But sure, I’ll go with you.”

“Excellent!”

Jisung’s hut wasn’t far from the center of the nearby town. Minho always found the various gatherings of omegas across the island unsettling. There was a mishmash of old tourist buildings, formerly clothing shops and food stands, and modernized buildings used for housing and heat centers, for omegas who chose to help one another with their heats. The pastel colors of the old architecture matching the island’s former decor clashed with the stark white structures representing what it has been transformed into, for seemingly no good reason other than a collective alpha power trip.

After Minho presented, he opted to use heat reducers instead of straight up suppressants like some of his classmates did. He never planned to be a high-powered anything, so it’s not like he couldn’t take time off here or there if he needed to. Regardless, the mild discomfort it brought was often quelled with a heating pad or occasional cool showers when the biological act lived up to its namesake. If those strategies didn’t work, having a sleepover with his friends, even after they were mated, usually did the trick of helping him cope with the increasing loneliness of not having someone of his own to hold in his arms while he fell asleep.

Now, off the medicine completely, Minho chose to spend his heats alone in the lighthouse. He would catch and prepare extra meals to store in his makeshift cooler when he felt his pre-heat coming on. Even through the heightened discomfort, he would build a fire on the beach to cook his harvests underneath the stars. He would push as hard as he could until the first full day, then spent the rest of his heat inside, switching off between sitting in the sun and shade depending on what temperature shift hit harder that particular cycle.

Minho wondered if Jisung had a heat since he arrived on the island. Would he use a center for help? Did he use one already? Minho never had strong sexual desires like some omegas he knew on the mainland, but did Jisung? There were so many questions Minho wanted to ask, and he didn’t know how many of them were appropriate enough for knowing each other for less than a day.

“Want lunch?” Jisung inquired playfully over his shoulder where Minho was lagging behind, deep in his thoughts. “My treat!”

“Sure.”

“Have a taste for anything?”

Minho was taken aback by the question, as it reminded him too much of his life on the mainland. All he ate now was literal ‘sea food’ and whatever food the bakery deemed ‘expired’ and wanted to toss at the end of the night. With free protein and carbs as his diet for years, buying anything he wanted with a bearable human by his side was a luxury he only dreamed of.

“Not fish?”

“Haha, sounds good.”

Minho followed Jisung’s pleasant cherry scent down the street, trying to block out the extraneous scents of omegas in heat that inevitably creeped out from the open windows. It’s like the government was trying to entice the uncooperative omegas to mate during their heats by tempting them. Minho found this manipulative, but it was also his pet conspiracy theory. He scrunched his nose to block out the soft notes of honey and yogurt clashing with overripe bananas, burnt sugar and rotten mangoes he recognized from the unhappy workers in the nearby shops he shared short greetings with over the years. The fact that Jisung seemed wholly unbothered by the ecstasy and misery of their surroundings personified through smell astounded him.

They walked into an older building painted a perfect light yellow color that reminded Minho of a summer sun covered by fluffy white clouds. He thought about old memories that fit that description until he stopped cold in his tracks. A small wooden brochure holder sat on the left of the display case that held desserts of all kinds. Happy omegas, posed in front of beautiful scenery, stared him down from their covers, reminding him of how they ruined his romantic hopes and dreams.

“You okay?” Jisung addressed Minho as the older stood in the doorway of the restaurant, eyes glaring at the display, no scent being released despite his obvious anger.

Minho nodded in a poor attempt at reassurance. “Bad memories.”

“Okay. If you want to talk about it…”

“Maybe.”

Jisung nodded, giving him yet another smile of the endless supply he seemed to have. He gently grabbed Minho’s right hand, pulling him away from whatever had angered him so much and to a table near the window to take advantage of the sunshine. Giving Minho the space he needed, he ordered for both of them and waited patiently, leaving silence between them until Minho chose to fill it.

Even if they sat in silence the rest of the afternoon, Jisung enjoyed Minho’s company immensely despite the circumstances they met under. He tried early on to socialize with other omegas, but found them either overly interested in sex, or too jaded to even give friendship a try. The night he found Minho, he had been trying to calm his frustration after another failed night of finding companionship. A faint lavender smell spiked into panic, and upon closer inspection, he found a curled up man, shaking with fear, being sucked into the tide without resisting, wholly resigned to his fate.

“How did you end up here?” Minho looked out the window at the cobblestone road, wondering how a perfectly pleasant omega ended up in a shithole like this.

“I presented very late. I thought I was going to be a beta, so I wasn’t worried about finding a mate. My plan was to settle down in my late 20’s after I had a chance to mature and explore the world. Going from having forever to needing to find someone in four years was quite a shock.”

Minho nodded. “Your nest building is impressive for only four years of practice.”

“Thanks!” Minho smelled the blooming cherry tree before noticing a similar cherry blush on his cheeks. “I really enjoy making them. It’s what I spend the most money on, if I’m being honest.”

“I’ve been making them for almost 20 years.”

Jisung’s eyes lit up, happy that Minho was opening up to him. “Did you know you were going to be an omega?”

Minho shook his head, and Jisung finally saw his genuine and beautiful smile. “I was supposed to be an alpha. Would have defended my right to build a nest against anyone. I thought it would make my chances better to find someone to love, but what do I know?”

“Do you still want that?”

Minho looked up at Jisung, his smile fading as soon as he processed the question. “Of course, but I can’t find it here…”

“Why not?”

Minho gave a halfhearted shrug and went back to looking out the window as the food arrived. Jisung admired Minho’s rugged look, the evidence of his poorly maintained hair and beard on full display in the sunlight. Picking at the food in front of him, Jisung wanted to know more about Minho’s life. The island has jaded him, convinced him to live a solitary life, but he wasn’t always like that. That smile told a silent story of a fulfilling life before he was forced to leave it.

Jisung wanted to hold him and listen to his story so they could cry about it together.

“Can I walk you home? Help bring your things back?” Jisung asked in earnest after around one hour of eating in silence, a cheap attempt to spend more time with the older man.

“Nah, I’ll grab my stuff later.”

Minho noisily got up and gave Jisung a weak wave before rushing out of the restaurant. Jisung sighed and grabbed his temple, barely keeping himself from slamming his fist on the table. Getting attached to someone this quickly isn’t healthy. It’s what he used to tell his lovestruck friends when he offered his advice as a soon-to-be beta, but then everything changed. He grabbed some of the island’s brochures before he left, hoping to understand what enamored Minho to this place in some hope of understanding him better. Jisung let himself get lost in the feel of the breeze ruffling his hair while he walked back home, wondering if he’d ever see Minho again.

Chapter Text

Minho had spent less than 24 hours with Jisung. The omega who saved his life. Who opened his home and wallet to a complete stranger, with questionable mental health, despite there being no reason to do so.

His ingrained habits were too strong.
So, obviously, Minho went into hiding.

He used a different beach to fish and eat. He traveled to a town further north to gather nesting materials to replace the ones still at Jisung’s hut. He might have ‘found’ some newer clothes, for no particular reason. He visited the old tourist garden to indulge in the memories of Felix’s omegan superpower of having a garden full of scents depending on how he was feeling.

The unwritten rule amongst his friend group was to replace their designated item of clothing every third visit. This strict and heavily enforced rule applied to everyone except Felix. He brought two different pieces of clothing to exchange, adding a constant rotation of daisies, roses, and more, which brought out the best of Minho’s lavender. It made Minho’s nest the premier place to hang out. He really thought he had a lot to offer a potential alpha or beta suitor, but he was never anyone’s top choice.

He shouldn’t have bought into the brochures and pamphlets promising an island full of omegas looking to find love. They promoted beautiful beaches, the finest dining, and state of the art heat rooms built for optimal comfort. Seeing those again brought back conversations he had with Chan about having realistic expectations. Being a hopeless romantic has had disadvantages throughout history, much less when you’re an omega following government rules.

He missed Chan the most out of everyone. His best friend since middle school, the constantly laughing omega didn’t have a single enemy. It was clear early on that he could have his pick of anyone he wanted. Minho wondered on extra lonely nights if they would have ended up together if he presented as an alpha like he was supposed to.

After he met Jisung, he started talking to Chan again, hoping the winds could carry the words and questions to wherever he might be. He would pull his legs deep into his chest, bury his feet in the sand, and pour his heart out into the darkness..

How are you and Seungminnie doing?
Did you ever save up for a house with the fancy heat room you always wanted? I’m sure you did!
Are Felix and Changbin still madly in love?
Do you even hang out with them anymore? Go on double dates to fancy and not so fancy restaurants?
I miss being the fifth wheel when we all went out together.

I miss you, Channie. I miss you so much.

Why didn’t I listen to you? You’re so wise. Or, you were. Probably even more now that you’re 31. That makes me…30? Yeah, 30.

Can you believe it? Five whole years.

I tried to be brave and make it on my own, but I miss our talks. I miss cuddling in my nest with you. I miss listening to your fears about mating, and the newfound joy you found once you did. I miss the fact that whenever I got jealous of your mating bite, that you wouldn’t judge me for it. That sometimes, when life felt hopeless, you would let me scent you and cry into your shoulder, reassuring me that Minnie wouldn’t be upset about it. I miss hearing your thoughts on the rules of society, and how you would pay any amount of money for me not to leave…

Why didn’t I listen? I’m so sad and lonely and miserable. I tried to find someone. I really did. But so many omegas here gave up on love. I guess I have too.

I just want to go back. Present as an alpha instead of a stupid omega. Stop obsessing about why I wasn’t good enough.

Why wasn’t I good enough, Channie?
Why am I not good enough now?

Minho buried his head into his knees and cried. He hadn't cried this hard in years. This is the exact reason why he didn’t go down these trains of thought with imaginary conversations. It hurt more than he wanted to admit. Even if he would say it out loud, there was no one to say it to. Except maybe Jisung.

He wasn’t sure if that metaphorical door was even open anymore. Someone that happy deserves a better partner than Minho. Or, at least, better than what Minho has become. Perhaps, in a different universe, the two omegas, hurtling towards a government imposed deadline, would have found solace in one another. Mated for companionship, or maybe for love, to save themselves from an uncertain fate.

Minho’s present was monotonous, he thought, but maybe his future didn’t have to be.

It has been two weeks since Jisung had seen Minho. He would walk by the beach where he found the omega at different times of the night, kicking the black sand in frustration when the man with the empty brown eyes wasn’t there. The shock and sadness he felt when Minho left him in the restaurant, soup left almost untouched, hadn’t really gone away. Reading the pamphlets that sent Minho into a string of bad memories at least provided some context.

Jisung’s decision to come here was quite simple. He grew up around the sea, living here was being around the sea, and that was it. For a die-hard romantic, like Jisung guessed Minho had been long ago, the island couldn’t have been more perfect. A multitude of breathtaking places to go on dates with other omegas who were hoping to find love. The pictures of the island’s beauty did live up to the hype, but its inhabitants didn’t come close to what he imagined. Jisung had experienced that disappointment so far in his short time here. He couldn’t imagine the pain of living that reality for five years.

Without Minho seeking him out, Jisung just had to wait. The only hint he had about where Minho lived was that it had a hard floor, it was outside of town, and it was…defended by weapons? That could be anywhere.

Night after night, Jisung sat on the beach, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders that refused to let Minho’s scent fade, and waited. The tiny hole in his heart that Minho managed to crawl into, and build a glorious nest in, remained empty and longing. It didn’t help that Minho’s literal nesting materials were still in Jisung’s hut. He hoped Minho was doing okay without them. That he wasn’t too cold, or his body too achey, or his heart more sad than when he found him drifting away that night. Call Jisung a sap if you want, but he would do almost anything to see Minho smile again. He knew nesting made the older man happy, as well as his friends…

Wait, maybe that’s how he could help!

Could he help Minho by letting him know his friends still care about him? He’s been alone for so long that maybe it would. Perhaps if Jisung left soon, he could make it to the post office and back by the afternoon, take a nap, and be awake by the time Minho might knock after sunset. This chance encounter has taken quite the toll on Jisung’s sleep schedule after all. Might as well take advantage of that too.

But he didn’t know Minho’s last name. Or if he was allowed to be given someone else’s mail. Or if they even kept mail that hadn’t been collected for years.

Or if his friends sent anything at all.

Despite all that, it was worth trying so Minho could be happy again.

Jisung stood up and brushed the sand off his jeans, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself less for warmth and more for comfort. He’d stop at the hut to trade his sandals for sneakers, and hopefully reach the main town at the center of the island by morning. He carefully jogged off the beach to begin his journey, unaware that he was being watched from the shadows by a man secretly hoping to be found.

Chapter Text

Minho was standing outside Jisung’s front door for two reasons.

First, he needed his stuff back.
Second, his heat was starting tomorrow. Or maybe tonight.

He could live without the raft if he had to, even with the newest oldest nesting materials he acquired. Unfortunately, the floor was no good without it, no matter how old, deflated, or useless it might look to others.

That didn’t make his decision any easier, as Minho was going on 30 minutes raising his fist to knock, then putting it back down by his side. Each failed attempt amplified his growing frustration, the cramps increasing in pain and frequency as time passed.

Minho was craving attention since he met Jisung, and his body was reacting much like when he gave up taking his heat reducers a few months before he left. If it appeared a certain omega wasn’t close to being mated, the government didn’t care. There was almost less stress on relocation centers across the country if a few hundred omegas found mates in the waning months of being 24. Many of them mated for fear of being sent away, which led to reports of sexual assaults and forced mating that police ignored. Minho didn’t want to compromise at the time, citing integrity and hope for his future. In retrospect, any false love he found on the mainland would have been better than the loneliness that slowly tore him apart with each passing season.

His last heat with his friends brought great comfort despite the drastic difference in pain without the medicine. He was grateful that Changbin and Seungmin allowed their mates anywhere near him. Their mixed scents smelled like a fresh garden planted by the sea for at least one week after it was finished.

By that point, they all secretly knew Minho would be leaving for the island, and leaving their lives, so they treasured the time they had together. He could still see the picture in his mind of the chilly November day they held each other on the dock and cried. Chan and Felix almost made him miss the boat before they watched Minho sail away from them. The vivid image of them both burying themselves into their mates’ bodies, visibly sobbing, helped Minho cry himself to sleep during those early months.

So here he was, after watching Jisung on the beach looking for him night after night, asking for help only because his heat was starting soon and he wanted his stuff back.

What a coward.

He lifted his right arm one more time when the door opened in front of him. Jisung was wearing a large gray hoodie, so big that it covered his hair and eyes. He bumped straight into Minho from the lack of visibility, steadying himself on the older man’s shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you knock…” Jisung shook off his hood and looked into the familiar brown eyes he had been longing to see. “Minho?”

“Umm, hi.” He tried to give Jisung a friendly wave, but soon realized he couldn’t since he was trapped in a hug. “Are you okay?”

“That’s my question to you, silly. Are you okay?” Jisung pulled away, gripping his shoulders tightly so he wouldn’t disappear again. “I was so worried about you!”

“You were?”

Jisung slid his hands down Minho’s arms, interlacing their fingers while pulling him inside. “Of course!”

“Weren’t you going somewhere?” Jisung let go of his left hand to close the door behind them, turning Minho to the left to witness his raft. His thin and ragged blankets were folded and stacked together, with the thick blanket Minho had become fond of folded by itself next to them. The only thing missing was his pillow, which sat in the exact center of Jisung’s nest. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

Jisung brushed his eyes quickly with the back of his hand. “The only places I go nowadays are trying to figure out where you are. Have a seat! Wherever you want!”

Minho tried to hide his pain when a random cramp hit, deciding to settle in the raft next to the blankets. “I came to get my stuff.” He announced flatly.

“Oh.” The smile on Jisung’s face quickly shifted as he nodded. “Okay. I…understand. Do you, umm, want some help bringing everything back to your place?”

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

Minho heard Jisung settle into his nest, then a long silence passed. “Did you even want to see me again?”

Minho’s head snapped up to look at Jisung. Instead of being met with his typical smile, he saw his hood blocking his face. He thought he heard sniffles from the bundled up form in his nest, but he couldn’t be sure. It still floored Minho to think how attached Jisung was to his pillow. He was holding it so tight that Minho could barely see it.

“I would have eventually?”

“So you were just going to leave…” Jisung took a few shaky breaths to calm himself before he spoke again. “Sorry. Okay.” He firmly nodded, dislodging Minho’s pillow from his chest and stretching out his left arm. “If you don’t want my help, then you can grab your stuff and go. I guess.”

Minho felt a pang of guilt as he leaned forward to grab the dark blue square. “Thanks.”

“I had, well, found something that might help you feel better. If you want them.” Jisung pushed himself up from his nest and walked towards the small table that had a few envelopes on it. “They’re from your friends. I swear I haven’t read any of them.”

Minho’s eyes widened. He didn’t know he could get mail. “What?”

“I went to the post office.” Jisung sat cross legged in front of Minho, pushing his hood back to reveal messy hair and slightly red eyes. “I’m shocked they gave them to me. But,” He spread the envelopes out like a deck of cards as he sat across from Minho, who was still wearing a shocked expression. “I kinda lied and said you were in heat and didn’t have the energy to make it all the way out…”

“Funny you mention that. I will be having my heat soon.” Minho said, eyes still locked on the envelopes in Jisung’s hands. “It’s why I need my things.”

“Oh! Are you going to one of the centers? I can help you bring your blankets. You can leave your raft here.”

“I don’t go to the centers. I stay at home.”

“That makes sense.” Jisung replied before he could stop himself, absentmindedly shuffling the letters in his hands. “I would like to help you, but if you don’t want it, I can’t force you.”

“It’s not easy. For me.” Minho held out his hand for the letters, where Jisung placed them gently with an extra pat. “I’ve been alone for so long. At least three years. Probably longer.” He didn’t know why he was tearing up, or telling Jisung any of this in the first place. It was probably looking at the return addresses and seeing the names and handwriting of his friends. “I’ve run out of money, and hope too, I guess.”

“Well, I’m here if you ever need anything.” Jisung wanted to reach out to wipe Minho’s tears, but changed his mind and rested his hands on his knees instead. “Anything. You hear me?”

Minho finally tore his eyes away from the letters and looked up at a smiling and teary-eyed Jisung. It was no accident that he hadn’t stood up yet. There was something about Jisung’s aura that made Minho believe him and his intentions. He was as cheerful as Felix and Changbin, had a positive mindset like Chan, and was wise beyond his years like Seungmin. How did he not find a mate? It was the biggest question haunting Minho as he fought to stay away from his hut.

“I hear you.” He reveled in the warmth of Jisung’s touch, secretly wishing he didn’t crave this so much during his heats. It had been literal years since he felt someone else’s hands on him instead of just his own. “I promise…ahh!”

Jisung rubbed his legs as Minho winced, digging his head into the wall. “Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe through it. Do you have pain medicine? Or some way to regulate the pain? Or, like, ways to help with being cold or warm if you need it?”

“No medicine, but I sit in the sun or shade of my room. It helps…sometimes.”

“And you go through this alone?”

Minho nodded, tossing his friends’ letters on the folded blankets and roughly massaging his lower back. “I have no choice. All the omegas in the centers just want to get me off, or want me to get them off. I don’t want that.” He let out a grunt and exhaled harshly. “I just want someone to hold, like I used to do with my friends.”

“What if you stayed here?”

“I’m too broken for you to put up with me.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Minho was faced with a terrifying decision after isolating himself for years. Keep doing what he was doing, or take a chance. Continue to unlock the emotions and memories he had kept buried until recently, or go back to his loner ways. He lowered his head and looked at Jisung’s hands. There were thin and delicate fingers curled atop his knees, thumbs rubbing circles on the outer side of his legs.

Minho started to come to terms with reality as time gave him space to reflect. There was no way around the ugly truth. He almost died. He almost allowed himself to die. If it weren’t for those hands on his knees that single-handedly dragged his depressed and hopeless ass out of the water, he wouldn’t have this chance at all. Jisung gave Minho a second chance. He had to be better. Not only for himself, but for his friends.

His friends that hadn’t forgotten about him like he feared.

“It’s okay.” Jisung whispered cautiously. “If you don’t want to stay. It really is. I just wanted to help.”

“I know.” Minho choked out, half in pain and half in anguish, directing his attention back to the letters. “It’s just…it’s been so long. My friends. They found mates, and I still mattered to them.”

“Of course you did, Minho.”

“The last heat I properly spent with someone was with them. Before I left.”

Minho heard some shuffling, and felt Jisung to his right, barely touching his shoulder while attempting to keep his distance. “That’s a long time to be alone.”

“I miss them every day.” Minho curled up in a ball. “The pain. It’s too much. It’s too much, Jisung.”

“How can I help?”

“I don’t know.”

Minho stomped his feet on the bottom of the raft, the sound of plastic echoing off the walls. His lower back was screaming in pain. His heat was all but here, and he wouldn’t be able to get back home, much less carry his things anywhere. A weight landed around his shoulders. Minho sighed and instinctively leaned into Jisung’s body.

“It’s okay.” Jisung gently started rocking them back and forth. “Rest for now and we’ll figure it out later.”

“But I need to get back…”

Jisung leaned his head on top of Minho’s as the hair of his beard tickled his neck. “I will take care of you. Trust me. Please.”

Minho felt his eyes get heavy. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you. Truly. I know it’s hard. Let me take care of you.”

A chilled tear ran down Minho’s cheek. “Thank you, Jisung.”

“You’re welcome. Any time.”

Chapter Text

Crust held Minho’s eyes closed as he slowly started to wake up. He decided to use his other senses to assess his current situation. He felt the dull ache in his back, and a soft blanket tucked tightly around him. Soft sizzling sounds of a stove sang through the room into his left ear, the other blocked by the pillow his face had become one with. There was a faint smell of food, which definitely wasn’t the sea. Finally removing the sleep from his eyes, they fluttered open to see his raft, the letters atop his blankets, and moonlight blending with the dimmed lights of Jisung’s hut through the window.

Of course that’s where he was. You don’t live in isolation as long as Minho had without developing some survival instincts. It was more the shock of letting himself stay here. Not like he was in any shape to travel back to the lighthouse on his own, but it’s an encapsulation of the isolated mindset. Quite the opposite of how he could never see enough of his friends on the mainland. Something about motion staying in motion and an object at rest staying that way. At least that’s what he vaguely remembered from his high school science lectures. Half the time, he was too busy writing notes to Chan to listen to the teacher. Attempts to make him laugh so he would get in trouble were rare, but were always worth it.

Everything around him was so soft compared to the concrete floor he was used to from his previous heats. Jisung either has a lot of money, or developed a keen eye for high quality nesting materials at reasonable prices…

Minho blinked quickly a few times so the fuzziness in his brain could clear. There, in plain sight, was his raft. The raft he definitely was not currently in. He moved his hand underneath the blanket to confirm he wasn’t lying on a bed of lumpy and sharp plastic.

This was not a dream.
He was actually in Jisung’s nest.

“Why hello there sleepy!” Jisung turned the heat on the stove down to a simmer and walked towards a bewildered Minho. “Or are you Snow White? Though,” He put on his best thinking expression. “Which dwarf would I be?”

“How did I get here?”

“I hope I would be Happy, but I’m probably more like Bashful. With how much I get embarrassed and blush, which I can’t hide because of my stupid scent.” He sat at the foot of his nest, body fully facing Minho, his hand casually resting on Minho's legs over the blanket. “I secretly wanted to be Doc though. Be a leader! Be wise and reliable! Not necessarily in a relationship, because working together is way too important to cause an imbalance…”

“Jisung!”

“Oh!” His bright smile was on full display, cherries filling the air, proving his point. “Sorry. I got carried away. What were you asking?”

“How did I get here?” Minho vaguely gestured to the nest around him.

“Oh, ummmm…” His scent grew stronger, a scent Minho was slowly becoming fond of. “Well, after you fell asleep on my shoulder, you woke up and wanted to…leave.”

“I did?!?” Minho sat up to look at Jisung, admiring the way his bangs fell just above his eyebrows, which constantly shifted with his animated facial expressions.

Jisung nodded sheepishly. “I thought it would be harder to convince you to stay, honestly. You wanted Channie to help.”

“How do you know Chan?” Minho glared at him, tempted to push the omega out of his own nest.

“I don’t!” He held onto Minho tighter. “I only recognize his name from the letters. That’s it! I swear! Please don’t leave.” He whispered the last sentence before he could stop himself. Luckily, Minho didn’t react.

The letters, his heat, it was all one big swamp in his brain. “How did you convince me to stay?”

“Hahaha! Great joke, Minho!” Putting on his best cute face, Jisung kicked himself out of his own nest and walked towards the pot on the stove. “I made my favorite fried rice recipe that helps me during my heats. You can have some. Or not. I’ll eat it anyway if you don’t. I like it because it’s easy to cook even if I’m in pain, and it’s a great balance between substance and not being too heavy.”

Minho almost started to laugh. He was surprised he remembered how. “Jisung?”

He looked behind him to see Jisung holding a bowl of his fried rice out in front of him with a pair of chopsticks sticking out. The red and white design on the bowl mirrored the spreading blush on his face and neck. The whole hut smelled like a cherry tree in full bloom, overpowering any smell the rice might have had.

“Please forgive me?”

”Please forgive me.”

Minho, Chan and Felix huddled together, and not just for warmth. Arms and hands were tightly locked around each other’s shoulders. There was no one on that dock but the three of them. Not the fifty or so omegas waiting to board the picturesque ferry backlit from the setting orange glow of the sun. Not even Seungmin or Changbin were there, secretly holding back their own emotions for Minho and their mates. Though the sun was warm, their hearts were chilled, like the sea breeze that pushed against their backs.

“It’s okay, Min.” Chan whispered into the circle they created. “We still love you. Right, Lix?”

“Of course we do.” The intensity of his voice matched the scents he was putting out. There were days where he was so overwhelmed that he summoned a garden. Today, it was a forest in hopes that Minho would get lost and never leave. “We’ll find ways to talk!”

“You should talk to some of the omegas on the boat! Maybe your true love will be right next to you!”

Chan gave Minho a gentle nudge after his well-meaning encouragement. He was optimistic, as was Minho, but this was never going to be Chan’s fate. Suitors of all genders chased Chan, and even Felix, throughout their lives. Minho was just the friend, and then the unmated friend, and then the fifth wheel. If he was more like them, they would be at his apartment, hanging out in his nest, and not here. Anywhere but here.

“Maybe I should have tried harder to…”

“Don’t!” Felix tightened his grip on his friends, voice quickly becoming louder and more hoarse with each panicked expression. “Don’t do this to yourself! Stop! This isn’t a death sentence! Fuck, Minho! Just…” The thick forest protecting them turned foul, putrid, like something had just died. Felix broke away from their hold out of embarrassment, looking as broken as Minho had ever seen him. Felix knew rotten flowers were part of nature, but he had never been upset enough to smell like them. “Minho. Just…stop.”

“Hey, look at me.” Chan turned Minho away, just as Felix collapsed into Changbin’s arms, and held him close. “No matter how long it takes Min, we will be here when you get back. Find someone who loves you as much as you love us. Then we can go on those triple dates we always talked about, okay?”

Minho laughed, nosing into Chan’s scent glands to memorize his ocean smell. If Chan believes in Minho, then maybe there’s a chance. “I promise.”

“Promise promise?”

The love in his voice was obvious, as it always was. “Promise promise.”

“Good.”

Minho refused to leave Chan’s arms, even as Seungmin’s peppermint scent grew stronger, signaling it was almost time. He didn’t want to accept or admit it. In a way, it was his choice to go to the island. To find love instead of settling for something less authentic, and perhaps dangerous if he became too impatient. All he could hope for himself was to find another hopeless romantic so he could get back home.

He felt an arm around his shoulder as the wooden boards of the dock faded away. “You okay, Min?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” Minho wrapped his arms tightly around himself, missing his friends more than he did when he first arrived on the island.

“I know you will.” The overwhelming smell had mellowed out significantly, enough for Jisung’s homemade fried rice to break through. “I just wish you would let someone help you.”

“You sound like my friends.”

Jisung smiled pensively. “Well, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to be your friend someday.”

Friend.

He had to try again, now that he had the best opportunity in years to make one. Jisung’s heart is too big, and his soul too innocent, to not give him a chance. Mainland Minho - the real Minho - would have invited Jisung to hang out with his friends shortly after they met. It’s okay that you’re younger than us, he would probably say, Felix basically acts that young all the time. Then he’d do a stage whisper, hand protecting his next words from his invisible friend group, and say with a smirk, Channie still thinks he’s a teenager sometimes! The daydream made him smile right as he turned towards Jisung, making the younger’s heart soar.

“Give it time. Give me time.”

“Deal!” Jisung briefly pulled Minho close before getting up and walking towards the stove. “Now, are you up for some food? If you’re not hungry, I can…”

“Yeah. I’ll try some.”

“Excellent!” He served himself a large portion of rice before he turned around and tutted, pointing his chopsticks for emphasis at the still seated Minho. “No food in my nest, no exceptions! Not even for cute bearded omegas in heat!”

Minho blushed and rushed towards the table where his bowl was waiting for him. “Okay! Sorry!”

He settled onto his recliner, cross legged and settling the bowl in his lap. “Thank you, Minho.”

“No. Thank you.”

Chapter Text

The two omegas sat in silence, attempting to look at the other eat and trying not to get caught. Minho wanted to reach over and poke Jisung’s puffed out cheeks, and Jisung found Minho taking gigantic bites of tiny grains of rice too cute. It wasn’t awkward necessarily, but there were definitely questions that needed to be answered. The next time Minho caught Jisung looking at him, he cleared his throat and decided to get to the bottom of this mysterious embarrassing event.

“So…”
“So?”
“You didn’t answer my question…”
“What question?”
“How did you get me to stay if I wanted to leave?”

Jisung grinned cheekily, twirling his finger in an infinity symbol in Minho’s direction. “Do you like the rice? I love it so much. It’s one of the only things I know how to make. I’m going to be a rotten partner some day if I can’t learn how to cook more. Not like there’s much variety of food to buy to experiment. Do you think they do that on purpose? That’s not really nice of them if this is an entire island to find love and make up for the fact that you couldn’t find it normally before your brain developed all the way. Did you know that your brain doesn’t fully develop until 25?”

Minho raised his eyebrows, getting a word in when Jisung finally took a breath. “Nope. I didn’t pay attention much in science class.”

“Really?” Jisung beamed, rocking side to side with the rice bowl firmly in his lap. “Science is so fun! I always liked…”

Minho placed his rice on the table and moved his chair closer to the anxious man. “Jisung.”

“…the different things you can learn, ya know?

Minho reached out and trapped Jisung’s flailing hands, startling him out of his rant. “Just be honest with me. Please.”

“I can’t. I mean…” Jisung squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, the familiar cherry sneaking out again. “I can, but I’m embarrassed.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure if you wanted me to do what I did. You were kinda out of it.”

Minho felt more confusion than anger. Whatever happened couldn’t be that bad. “Do what?”

Jisung lifted his head, looking determined. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” He responded without a second thought, expression a bit somber. “You saved my life. Looked out for me when I gave up on myself. Whatever sleep deprived thing I did is probably what I actually want.”

“It is?”

Minho almost smiled. “Happened with Chan and Felix a lot actually.”

“Oh!.” The tension left Jisung’s body. “Okay! That, um, makes me feel better. So…yeah. Let me show you what happened.”

Jisung put his rice on the table next to Minho’s and shuffled towards his nest. In theory, this was crazy. Of course he was growing a soft spot for Minho, especially after what happened, but what if he disappeared again? What if this infatuation stayed just that? Jisung glanced towards the blankets and letters that had scattered from Minho stumbling around, exhausted and in pain. He never wanted to see that again unless he was with Minho to support him through it. Call Jisung silly, but it made him sad to think this is how Minho spends his heats alone.

“Lay back down.” He pointed towards his nest, arm stiff, eyes closed and face scrunched in anxiety.

Minho laughed in his head at Jisung’s demeanor. He had no objections returning to his comfy sleeping quarters from earlier that evening. “Okay…” The muscles in his back pulsed in pain as he turned on his side in the same position he woke up in, finding comfort in the full moon visible just outside the window. “What now?”

Jisung opened one eye to see if Minho had done as he asked. “Oh! Perfect!” Minho giggled as Jisung rushed to the foot of the bed to gather their blanket and pull it over the smiling omega. “Your laugh is really pretty.”

Minho locked eyes with Jisung, eyes wide in surprise. “Did I laugh?”

“Yeah.” Jisung looked down at Minho fondly, sitting next to him while biting the inside of his cheek so he didn’t cry. “Yeah you did.” The younger shook his head and focused on the task at hand. “Just relax and trust me, okay?”

Minho nodded as he watched a delicate right hand hover above his head. After a deep breath, Jisung lowered his hand and ran it through Minho’s hair. Minho’s eyes gently fell shut, remembering how often this happened with his friends, and how it felt even better now after so long. Feeling the pads of Jisung’s fingers kneading at his scalp, and the twist of his hair into tiny curls all over made Minho feel safe. His lavender scent overwhelmed the hut so suddenly that Minho didn’t understand why Jisung’s thumb was suddenly pressed against his cheek.

“Oh, Minho.” His fallen tears returned as soon as Jisung tried to brush them away. “It makes me so happy to see you smile like this. For you to feel safe with me. I mean…” Jisung used both hands to massage his head and gently tease out his brown matted locks. “It’s crazy. We barely know each other, and yet you’re just…everything I could ever ask for. I hope you don’t leave again, but if you do, this moment was worth it. I hope it can help you believe in yourself again.”

Minho stayed silent, taking in all the pleasurable sensations. His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of longing to be the hopeless romantic again. The man who wasn’t an empty shell. “I’ll stay for the rest of my heat.”

“You will!?!”

“Yeah. You can help me bring my stuff back after and we’ll go from there.”

“Deal!” Jisung moved his hands to cup Minho’s face, brushing his thumbs over the bushy beard that was in need of a trim. “I’m so honored you’re giving me a chance.”

Minho forced his eyes open and observed Jisung’s soft smile. “Honored?”

“I feel like you do, I guess.” Jisung looked wistful as he contemplated what to say next. “I didn’t have a lot of time, but I don’t understand why no one wanted me as a mate. Having the smallest, tiniest chance of being loved seems worth it. Even if my heart gets broken again.”

“Again?”

“Last year, I thought I found true love. A sweet and kind beta.” Tears fell from his closed eyes as he got sucked into the memory, hands landing on his waist as he wrapped his arms around himself. “But she loved my best friend instead. Dated me to get close to him. I saw them kiss as the boat sailed away. They sent me a letter saying they mated one month before he turned 25. They had the nerve to send me their wedding invitation. It even had the cute little faces on it they drew for each other.”

Minho sat up, entranced by the tortured look that must mirror his own every time the younger looked at him. “I’m sorry that happened to you. That’s worse than no love at all.”

“It’s fine. Really.” Jisung gave Minho a weak smile. “At least I’ll know what to do better next time.”

“Getting cheated on isn’t really a ‘you’ problem, it’s on them. I know they’re your friends, but…Jisung?”

Minho reached out to touch Jisung’s shoulder to comfort him. The instant it landed there, their scents swirled together in the hut in such a way that he was transported to an alternate scene.

The two of them were lying underneath a cherry tree in full bloom, a field of lavender flowers stretching past the edges of his vision. The pinks and reds and purples popped out vividly compared to the soft browns of the aged tree trunk. The old nesting materials he treasured were there, hidden by the flowers and the leaves shedding from the tree above them. His favorite weighted blanket that used to stand in as his omega was replaced by Jisung, curled into his side, head securely nestled in the crook of his neck. He could feel fingers tapping on his chest, and the weight of a leg grounding him literally and figuratively. Jisung gently kissed his scent gland, making Minho laugh because it tickled. Minho pulled the younger man closer to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead in return.

As the vision faded, he remembered a talk he had with Felix a lifetime ago about a vision he had about campfires and gardens with Changbin. Chan told a similar story about sharing candy canes on his favorite beach with Seungmin, nuzzling his shoulder cutely while looking out at the ocean. It’s how they knew they found their mates. Minho read stories online of other omegas having these dreams and visions, but he wasn’t sure if it would ever happen to him.

But it did. Just now. And Minho didn’t know what to do.

“Minho?” Jisung traced his fingers up and down Minho’s arms. “Are you okay?”

“I…” The bright colors faded away to the neutral tones around him. Jisung came into sharp focus, his unwavering smile bringing great comfort. “Have you heard of mating dreams?”

Jisung nodded tentatively. “I’ve read about them, but I don’t know anyone who’s had one.”

“Well, I just had one. About you.”

“Oh?” Jisung’s expression was a mix of shock, horror, and pure joy. “Umm…how do you feel about that?”

“I liked it. A lot.”

“Oh!” His whole body relaxed. “Good! I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

Minho felt his heart melt at Jisung’s concern for his well-being even in a fantasy. “Not at all.” He hesitated, carefully choosing his next words. “Did I ask for cuddles at some point?” When cherry overwhelmed his fading lavender, he gave Jisung a shy smile. “I had a feeling.”

“I’m sorry, Minho.” Jisung dropped his head in shame and focused his gaze on where his hands were resting on top of Minho’s. “I didn’t want to take advantage of you. I only played with your hair because you forced my hand there and moved it around. I wanted to stop, but you got grumpy every time I pulled away. And, I mean, it was incredibly cute. It was hard for me to ignore the sheer adorableness of that moment. But I know I shouldn’t find you cute, right? Technically, we still don’t know each other. It’s been what, a grand total of three days, if even? But the more I rubbed your head, the more it sounded like you were…purring? And, not gonna lie, having an attractive omega that I’m completely enamored with and I’m desperate to learn more about purring in my nest was too much. I would have cuddled with you in a heartbeat, absolutely. But it wasn’t a good idea then, and it’s not a good idea now, you know?”

"Why?" Minho could only see the crown of Jisung's head. Whether it was lowered in shame or embarrassment, he couldn't tell. When the younger omega wouldn't answer, Minho pressed again, grabbing his hands for support. "Jisung? Why is it a bad idea?"

"Because if I do, I'll never let you go."

Minho froze and exploded all at once. Before he left for the island, it would have been a dream to hear those words from someone else. Alpha, beta, omega, man, woman, nonbinary...anyone and everyone in between. Now, those words left him conflicted. He had been alone for so long, only to have this beautiful omega literally run into his life to save him from himself. Jisung has so many amazing qualities. Minho, in his depressed and hardened state, didn't believe he deserved someone so amazing. And yet, here Jisung is, picking him out of all of the omegas on the island. Giving Minho a chance at love.

But the mating vision scared him.

Minho pulled his legs towards his chest, readjusting from his awkward position to face Jisung. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

"I don't want you to go." His voice barely broke a whisper. Minho could hear the pain and sorrow in his voice, and it hurt him to think it might be because of him. "If I mess up, you'll leave. The last time you left, I looked for you every day."

"You did?"

Jisung nodded and faced Minho to be more comfortable. He tucked his left leg under him and pushed himself towards the head of the nest to keep some distance. "Changed my sleep schedule, barely ate, barely slept." He let out a huff, not wanting to look at Minho quite yet. "Over someone I knew for barely one day. It's sad, and maybe a little desperate."

"I'm the one who should be desperate, not you."

Jisung looked up to see Minho was as upset as him. "But that's why we're here, right? We didn't want to settle."

Minho nodded, using his right hand to run through his hair, keeping his other hand near Jisung to let him know he wasn't going to leave. "I thought I would have my own omega. As an alpha. Dreamed of it. Role played it even. But when I presented, I didn't want to be someone else's omega like I thought I would have. It felt backwards all of a sudden. I wanted to be an equal to whomever I fell in love with." He looked towards his nesting supplies, still sat right where he put them weeks ago. The only addition was the letters that Jisung found in the hopes that Minho might return, even when there was no good reason to expect that. "And then I started to lose hope, even before I left my friends. But you brought it back. In some dumb romantic movie way that I was always a sap for, you brought my hope back. Five years, Jisung."

Jisung intertwined their fingers. "Five hard years, Minho."

With so many memories and feelings dredged up, the two omegas finally looked at one another. When their eyes locked, there was a spark that wasn't there before. Heavy feelings of longing from when they were apart, but also a twisting of fate. A destiny that a love of nature, and having scents based in nature, could bring them together in such a tragic, yet beautiful, way. Jisung's biggest fear was that Minho was grateful only because he saved his life, and not seeing the other facets of his personality. Minho, similarly, was terrified that Jisung pitied him and the circumstances in which they met, and somehow owed it to the older omega to be kind and loving back to him. In reality, neither of them were that shallow when it came to finding love. Their need for trust in their future partners far outweighed any personality flaws that they couldn't work through together. Minho's face scrunched up in pain, taking him from his thoughts and reminding him why he was here to begin with.

"Everything hurts." Minho wasn't sure what to do next, looking to Jisung for ideas.

"Do you need me?" Minho flushed before hearing the rest of the question. "To get you something? Medicine? Water? Anything?"

"I usually do best with cuddles. Honestly." A burst of lavender filled the hut, and Jisung couldn't help but snicker to himself. "And the mating vision reminded me how much I miss it. I really miss it."

Jisung felt himself tense up. "Would you like to cuddle with me?"

Minho shifted back to where he was under the blanket earlier, lying on his back and trying not to kick Jisung in the process. It was time to make the fantasy real with someone outside of his friend group. He patted his right shoulder and smiled at the omega. "Make yourself at home."

Jisung let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He grabbed the corner of the blanket bunched around Minho's waist and lifted it up to slide his legs underneath. He then stretched out his upper half while pulling the blanket up to his shoulder, gently resting his head on a soft spot closer to his chest. Despite Minho's diet mainly being fish and bread, he was deceptively muscular from all the walking and fishing he did to survive on his own. Jisung fully leaned into Minho, letting all his weight rest on the older omega just as he was pulled too close to leave distance between them anyway. Tiny shifts and adjustments were made so they were more comfortable, and Jisung rested his hand above Minho's abs.

"Perfect." Minho took a few deep breaths, treasuring the way Jisung melded with him just right. "God, I missed this."

Jisung let out a tiny yawn, tilting his nose up to press it affectionally against Minho's jaw. "It's really nice. My ex wasn't into nests or physical affection."

"Fucking crime if you ask me."

They both laughed gently so they didn't overly disturb the other. Eyes growing heavy with sleep, the two omegas found comfort in one another after being alone for so many nights. It was a big step forward for both of them. There was plenty to process. Not only with their own thoughts, but also from what they learned in the course of their conversation. The spirit of the hut heard their breaths even out and settled into a beautiful rhythm befitting of many mated couples. The moon rose and set, and the emotional and physical exhaustion gave the sun time to rise and personify the warmth in their souls to the rest of the island.

Chapter Text

“You okay, Jisung?”

“Yeah.” Jisung huffed as he scaled the hill, hiking his backpack up and clutching their pillow for dear life. “I’m good! Excellent! I’m perfect! 100% great…how much longer?”

Minho tried not to laugh as he glanced back at the struggling omega. “We’re halfway there.”

“Halfway? There? Okay! Excellent……………I heard that!”

Minho was in a much better mood now that his heat was finished. Being around Jisung and his joy and optimism certainly helped as well. Having learned that Jisung’s last few months on the mainland were as painful as his own helped bring them together. Jisung ended up being a fantastic caretaker too. He cooked food and provided medication when Minho needed it, and gave copious amounts of head rubs and cuddles. As long as Minho didn’t mistake him for Chan or Felix, he felt okay indulging in something they both wanted.

Minho’s delirium during his heats was a bit of a sore spot once he left the mainland. His friends understood and supported him, and that was all he needed at the time. Early on when he did try one of the heat centers, he was almost taken advantage of by a sexually frustrated omega who was much older than him. The beta, who was supposed to be watching for those abuses of trust, turned his head away from the grunts and whimpers. Pinned to the ground, Minho came to his senses in time to escape anything terrible happening, thus beginning his distrust of those around him. His feelings of bitterness spread so strongly that he decided he’d rather survive on his own. A few stolen nesting items and fishing supplies later, and he had everything he needed to be self-sufficient. The last batch of pain medicine he brought with him ran out right around his 26th birthday. Every heat since then, sans the one he just spent with Jisung, had come with his usual symptoms of thrashing around in pain and imagining what wasn’t there, made worse by the lack of soft friends and softer nests.

It had been around one week since he had been back to the place he called home for years now. He wondered sometimes what this place was like back in its tourist days. The view of the ocean was breathtaking, and a field of white and beige pampas grass made a circle around the base of his lighthouse. When he first found his new home, he cleared a pathway and a small square area by the front door. He stopped maintaining it in the past year, leaving it overgrown and prickly. He tried to look at his grassy “front porch” through Jisung’s eyes and became embarrassed by its condition. Luckily, Jisung didn’t see it that way.

“Wow! This is beautiful.” He jogged up to Minho’s side, finding a sudden burst of energy. “You live here?”

“Yep.” Minho adjusted the raft on his shoulder. “I have to disable the traps before you can come in. I’ll come back and get you.”

“Wait. Wait a minute…” Minho cocked his head and looked patiently at Jisung while his face slowly morphed into a fearful realization. “You weren’t kidding about that?”

He shook his head firmly. “This is prime real estate.” Jisung saw a flash of metal in the sun when Minho opened the door. “I have to protect it.”

Minho gave a tiny wave and disappeared behind a loud thud of the white door with the peeling paint. Jisung tiptoed towards the edge of the cliff to take in the view. The beach where they met was partially obscured to the left, and the sea was majestic in its expanse. He craned his neck up to see how high the lighthouse was. He hoped his fear of heights wouldn’t ruin his visit, but Jisung quickly put the irrational thought out of his mind. Beneath Minho’s weathered exterior was a cuddly and social omega who would support his friends no matter what. Jisung wasn’t sure whether they were friends yet, but he certainly thought they were on their way.

“All done!” Jisung jumped at the unexpected greeting, casually shuffling towards Minho with as neutral of an expression as possible to hide his nerves. "It's not as fancy as your place, but it's home."

"It suits you, and the view is incredible!"

Minho nodded and held the door open for Jisung to enter. The kind gesture of Minho's mainland life (or what Jisung imagined his demeanor used to be) and the various traps and gadgets at the back of the room held a sharp contrast in Jisung's mind. When Minho noticed where Jisung was looking, he gave the omega a reassuring smile. "Those will only hurt you if I want them to. Now," Minho closed and locked the door behind him, desperate to change the subject. "I hope you don't mind narrow spaces or heights. I sleep upstairs."

"I'm a little scared, but I'm good."

Jisung nodded enthusiastically, trying to convince himself of his half-lie more than Minho. Minho let out his muted laugh that was getting stronger every time it appeared. "It's fine if you're scared. I was too, at first. I won't let you fall."

"Are you going to hold me from behind to keep me safe?" Jisung flirted boldly, watching Minho intently as he took a few steps towards the spiral stairwell.

"Guess you'll have to wait and see."

Taking the small hand reached out for him, the two young men cautiously navigated three floors up to Minho's room. Despite Minho saying he got used to the heights over the years, Jisung could tell he wasn't as calm as he claimed. He gave Minho's hand a tight squeeze, hoping it would help both of them. If the view was breathtaking from the cliff, it was even more so from the window set just below the main beam of the lighthouse. Minho insisted they go while it was still light out since the sun made it easier to navigate the tower. Once Jisung felt steady on the concrete, he gently placed their pillow in the newly located raft and swung his backpack off his back. The drop to the ground made less of an echo than he expected. He kneeled down to take out all the blankets Minho used while he was staying at Jisung's hut, including a few extra ones he added to balance out the worn out fabrics. He tried to convince Minho to throw them away, but Minho was against wasting anything, so Jisung reluctantly packed them. Though, secretly, he probably would have dug them out of whichever dumpster Minho put them in, turned them into a big ball, and used it as a replacement cuddle pillow.

"This is called a watch room." Minho started to explain while he rebuilt his nest on his hands and knees with each blanket Jisung handed him. "It's where lightkeepers stay to make adjustments if weather conditions change."

"Do you have to change anything?" Jisung inquired, feeling embarrassed every time Minho took a cursory sniff of a blanket he didn't recognize.

"No, thank God. My guess is they automated everything in the transition between being a tourist destination and," he flicked his wrist towards the rest of the island, "whatever this has become."

Jisung handed the final blanket over, hand resting near the letters hidden in the isolated section underneath the top zipper. "Are the storms pretty?"

"Yeah, they can be."

Minho got up on his knees to briefly look out the window, then relaxed against the wall to face Jisung, feet dangling over the lip of his newly renovated nest. This Minho was more comfortable being back home, or what was his home nowadays. Some part of him believed he would get back to his true home on the mainland. Maybe Jisung would come with him. He keyed in on the younger man before he indulged that thought for too long and frowned.

"You look uncomfortable."

Jisung became aware that he was sitting tall and stiff, one hand still guarding the sacred words of Minho's friends held in the letters. "I'm fine."

"Are you nervous about being close to the window?"

"No!" The declaration echoed harshly around the room. Minho continued to study him with an inquisitive yet playful expression.

“Are you nervous about being alone with me but not in your hut?”

Jisung thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think so.”

“Do you not like my nest?”

‘Your nest is better now that my blankets are in it.’ Jisung debated saying, but shook his head instead.

“So why aren’t you sitting next to me?”

Jisung’s eyes grew wide. He didn’t realize that was something Minho might want. “I was being polite. You don’t just barge into someone’s nest if you’re not mates, you know?”

Minho looked him straight in the eyes, moving to his left to make more room. “You don’t just barge into someone’s life to save them either, but you already did that.”

“Oh.” Minho made it clear that he was grateful Jisung saved him, but he hadn’t considered that. “Guess not.”

“We can sleep now, and then I’ll show you a day in my life, if you want.”

“That sounds great.” Jisung smiled and crawled towards Minho. He was pleased that their blanket was at the foot of the nest, and their pillow right where he placed it earlier. It wasn’t quite theirs, per se, but they both scented the items frequently enough that it might as well be. “Why sleep now though?”

Minho pressed his back against the wall, curled up just enough for Jisung to fit into his arms. “You’ll see later.”

Jisung was grateful he packed a second pillow so they could both rest comfortably. He felt Minho’s arms wrap around him, appreciating how experienced he was at making sure they were both comfortable. Even if Minho thought highly of his nest making skills, the physical affection part of being an omega was harder for him to get used to. After a few more cuddling sessions during Minho’s heat, it was obvious that this was a natural talent the older had.

Jisung absorbed all the subtle gestures that enhanced every experience. Feeling a typically cold nose resting at his scent gland. A gentle purring in his chest that would vibrate wherever Jisung was pressed closest to his heart. An insane awareness of where he might be putting too much pressure on Jisung and making minute adjustments to make sure Jisung never woke up sore.

The whole process was magic. A magic honed by having best friends he could be vulnerable around. A magic that got lost in the oppressive nature of the government laws against all omegas, not just Minho and Jisung. When life worked out, like it did for Chan and Felix, this alternative didn’t seem all that harmful. It wasn’t until the propaganda met the reality that the horrors truly came out. In the time Minho disappeared from his life, he started to notice the older omegas who would never get a chance to have the life alphas and betas could. It was sad, sure, but it was more haunting than anything. Jisung let out a big sigh, pushing back into Minho’s body harder than he intended.

“You okay, Sungie?”

Jisung was surprised by the nickname and the careful caress on his waist. He didn’t even notice that Minho tucked them in with their blanket. “Just thinking about how much all this sending omegas away stuff sucks.”

“Hey. We have each other now, okay? That’s all that matters. You took care of me, so let me take care of you too. Promise?”

Jisung nodded, feeling the scruff of Minho’s beard against his cheek. “Yeah, I promise.”

“Good.”

The chill of the breeze through the window contrasted with the warmth of Minho’s body against his. He felt safe despite being so high up in the lighthouse compared to his own grounded hut. Safety and trust became more important than ever after he lost her. Perhaps he was as scarred as Minho was, just in a different way. As the light faded to dark, he wondered if they could help each other heal with enough time and love.

Time? Most likely.
Love? He could only hope.

Chapter Text

Jisung was exhausted after only two days of Minho’s life. He had no idea how the hell Minho maintained this day after day for years. They cooked fish and collected bread to eat at night, and slept with copious amounts of cuddles during the day. The more time they were in each other’s lives, and the more they opened up to one another, the more it felt like fate truly brought them together.

There were times where Minho would shut down, and Jisung would be patient with him beyond what Minho believed to be possible. Jisung would even go back to his hut if Minho needed space for a while. Granted, Jisung was terrified every time he did, but he knew that spending time with other people was as new for Minho now as it was familiar before. Jisung could only pray that Minho had faith in his mating vision being true. All he wanted Minho to do was to come back to him, so he could cherish him for as long as they were both alive. At this point, Jisung didn’t need his own vision to know Minho was his mate. It was Minho who needed to take the next step, even though it drove Jisung mad.

Finally, Jisung’s patience paid off.

It was a chilly spring day made sweeter by the sun shining in the cloudless blue sky. The weather was perfect for a light sweater or jacket to fend off the occasional gust of wind. Minho walked a pace or two in front of Jisung, determined to find a specific spot in the garden park he frequented. The smells and colors were more pleasant than the city, and their cherry and lavender scents fit in perfectly.

This moment was significant for two reasons. Despite spending almost every day together for several weeks, Minho declared this as their first date. He also wanted Jisung to bring the letters with him for them to read together. In Minho’s mind, it was a way to introduce Jisung to his closest friends for approval. He didn’t remember how many letters there were, and he didn’t want Jisung to remind him. It was as good of a chance as any for Minho to bare his heart to Jisung after being burned and becoming jaded. This wasn’t just a walk in the park, as the saying goes. It felt like a final test; a final barrier to making their friendship into something more.

“Jisungie! Over here!”

Jisung took his eyes off the brick path where different names of donors and messages of love were etched with care. Jisung beamed, reflecting Minho’s joy back at him, while he waved him over with tiny bounces. Although it was hard to look anywhere else but Minho, the color palette he observed as he took in his full surroundings brought a burst of calm. He saw a cherry tree in early bloom, matched by a field of purple crocus flowers below, with shades of white painting the petals to give them depth. Mouth slightly agape and eyes bright, his focus drifted back to Minho, who held his hands out to Jisung as he walked closer.

“It’s not exactly what I saw in my mating dream,” Minho took a step forward and grabbed his hands roughly in his excitement, eager to pull him further into the picturesque surroundings. “But I couldn’t wait any longer for you to see it.”

“Ah!” Jisung yelped and scrunched his nose at the tight grip. “Is this why you wouldn’t let me come with you?”

Minho nodded. “I didn’t want to spoil it. Because look!”

Lying there, underneath the tree that would have provided better shade if they came a week or two later, was a nest. A fancy nest. A large yoga mat was at the base, supported by some of the most high-end nesting materials he’s ever seen. Jisung knelt down by where their pillow was, careful not to flatten too many of the flowers around him. The fabric was exquisite, as he felt cotton and silk sheets that were softer than anything he ever owned. When he lowered his head to study the floral pattern print, he smelled Minho’s lavender instantly. Strong, steady and safe.

Jisung looked up at Minho, expression halfway between grinning and tearing up. “You scented these?”

“Of course.” Minho lowered himself behind Jisung, unzipping the section of the backpack with the letters, and let out a nervous sigh. “I want my omega to feel safe with me. And be okay comforting me when I start to read these.” He crawled his way through the flowers with the paper envelopes rustling in the wind, being more nimble and light of foot than Jisung expected. “Because I’m sure gonna need it.”

Jisung felt his heart flutter at being called his omega. “I’ll try my best to help.”

“Good. Now, shoes off, these weren’t cheap.”

“You bought these?” Jisung sat towards the foot of the nest and found a place for his sneakers next to Minho’s, floating them down like a leaf to not upset the flowers.

Minho shuffled through the letters and started putting them in a specific order. “I figured if these letters were there after five years, maybe my bank account would have money in it. ” He raised his eyebrows at Jisung. “I’m kinda rich, apparently.”

“I’m glad you’re interacting with people again.”

"So that's what you're focused on?" Minho grumbled as he kicked his own shoes outside of the nest. "Well, I guess you're not materialistic. Is that good?"

Jisung shrugged as he wiggled around to find a comfortable spot. "I think so?"

"Okay, enough stalling!"

Minho placed the remaining envelopes to his left and gently tore open the one in his hands. Across the path from where they were sitting, a patch of pink flowers were just starting to make themselves known at the base of another cherry tree. The cherry tree behind them blocked some of the extra wind sweeping through the park. Worried the letters would blow away, and he would lose the words of his friends for good, Minho trapped them under his feet. Having Jisung next to him gave Minho confidence that he could handle whatever his friends wrote, even if it got bad towards the end. The first letter was from early November, shortly after he arrived, and was definitely in Chan's handwriting. He wanted to start with his best friend because his excitement would make him happy. He could only hope that these wouldn’t get more depressing as the date stamps got closer and closer to this moment under the trees with, hopefully, his future love.

"Can I ask you questions about them?"

Minho rolled his eyes, even though Jisung sounded worried, and nudged his shoulder. He was desperately trying to stay calm so the younger wouldn't feel as nervous about meeting Minho's friends as Minho was. "Of course! That's the whole reason we're here!" Minho focused on where their bodies were connected and took another anxious exhale. "So first, this is Channie. He's been my best friend forever. Sometimes he's the wisest person I know, and other times he acts like he's five. If I read these out loud, I'm probably going to bawl my eyes out, and I'm tired of crying over my friends. You’ll have to read them without my beautiful voice narrating them."

Jisung laughed while his heart broke, but he was trying to stay strong too. "I'm here for you, okay? Whatever you need from me."

Minho nodded and flattened out the deeply creased paper to read Chan's words.

Chapter Text

Hi Minmin!

How are you doing? Have you met your perfect omega yet? It's only been a week or so, but you never know!

I know you were sad when you left. Sorry if I upset you at all. Hopefully the blankets we scented remind you of home for a while. It's weird not having you around, but we'll see you again soon enough! We all miss you! Even Minnie, but you know he'll never admit it! :D

Love you!
Channie <3

"So that's why you keep the old blankets?" Jisung had his arms securely around Minho's waist while he read the letter over his right shoulder.

"Yeah." He folded the letter back up and placed it at the bottom of the stack, clutching the next envelope that was dated about one week later. "So next is..."

"Who's Minnie?"

"Oh, right. Minnie is Seungmin’s nickname, Chan's mate. His nickname used to be Min too, but I was first, so we changed it."

"Is he an alpha?"

"Yeah." Minho debated stopping there, but the whole point of this was for Jisung to get to know his friends. "He's kind of standoffish at first. Tries to act like a big scary alpha. Once you get to know him, he's a steady presence for all of us. Too stubborn for his own good, but so is Chan sometimes. They're cute together."

"What's his scent like?" Minho drew in a sharp breath and let out a high pitched cry. He was temporarily transported to the dock, smelling the peppermint scent approaching before he walked towards the boat. Jisung tightened his grip on Minho and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear. "Hey. Shhh. If there's something you don't feel comfortable answering, that's okay. I won't force you. I just want to learn more about the people who matter to you."

"Right. Of course you do." Minho pressed his lips together tightly before continuing. Bringing up details about his friends made him miss them more, but because of the mating vision, his instincts told him he would see them again soon. "Chan smells like the ocean. That's why I spend a lot of time at the beach. Minnie smells like a peppermint factory. Felix” Minho shook the new letter in his hand that he had opened absentmindedly. "can smell like any flower on Earth as long as he knows it exists. And Changbin, his mate, smells like a campfire. He's the softest alpha you'll ever meet. He and Felix are so fluffy together. They met during Felix's junior year of college. Chan and Seungmin mated when Chan was 24, but they dated for a few years before that.

Jisung felt more comfortable asking questions, but was still timid in his approach. "How old is everyone?"

"Channie would be 31 now. I'm 30. Changbin is 29, and Seungmin and Felix are both 28."

"So I would be the youngest?"

"Yeah, but they won't mind." Minho kissed the part of Jisung's forehead he could reach before he could stop himself. "They just want me to be happy. And you make me happy. Now!" He stabbed the paper to try and cover up what he just did and ignore the heat creeping up his ears. "This is from Felix!"

Minmin!!!!!

I hope you got to the island safely! I can't believe it's been two whole weeks since you've been gone! Binnie and I miss you lots, and I know Channie and Seungmin do too. It's not the same without our 5th wheel around :P Just kidding, you'll find someone to love soon enough. I would be shocked if you haven't broken into every house and tried every nest on the island by now!

I hope you like the blanket pack Channie gave you from all of us! I also hope he separated each of them like I told him to, because you KNOW if he forgot, Binnie's campfire will overwhelm everything! I gave you some rose and lilac like normal, and then I added one extra blanket with a combination of romantic scents to save for your special omega when she or he comes along. I mixed vanilla, ylang ylang, cherry and apple together. Vanilla was on lots of lists for romantic scents. Ylang ylang is a wedding night scent in some cultures, I guess? It was new to me. I also went to a psychic to ask about your soulmate, and he said their scent will be something red, so that’s why the cherry and apple are there. I couldn't find any other red flower scents in my books that you might fall for. Wouldn't it be cool if they were right? I know you don't believe in that kind of stuff, but you never know!

I don't want to make you sad again, but I'm sorry about how I reacted before you left. It was a horrible way to say goodbye, because I didn't say goodbye at all. I knew bad smelling flowers existed, but I never thought I would get upset enough to smell like them, I swear! That's never happened to me before, not even after the worst fights Binnie and I have ever had. All I was trying to do was keep you safe, you know? Let us pretend we were exploring the forest together one last time. Protect us so we could have our last moments together be happy, and all I did was mess it up.

I hope you can forgive me when we see each other again. WHEN, okay? If you don’t believe in yourself, let us believe for you. Please don’t lose hope. You’re an amazing and kind and loving person, and any omega who thinks differently is missing out. No matter how long it takes, it will be worth it, I promise. Don’t you EVER think that you needed to settle. You will find someone who loves you just like we do. And when you find them, you’ll know. I can’t explain it, but you will. And then don’t let them go. Trust whatever thoughts or feelings or dreams you have. And then come back and introduce them to us, and we’ll finally go on that triple date in celebration of you getting what you deserve, which is being loved and cherished for being you. Never stop being you. Promise me that. If you ever forget, keep this as a reminder that we love you and believe in you.

Love you lots forever,
Lixie <3

"Oh fuck. Just..." Minho hiked his knees to his chest faster than Jisung could adjust and lost any composure he had left. The letters slipped away from where his foot was holding them still. "It wasn't his fault. I hate that he thinks it's his fault."

Jisung scooped the letters together the best he could with his feet and wrapped his arms around Minho as tightly as he could. "Hey, Min? Minho? How can I help?"

"It was my fault, you know?" Minho fell limp into Jisung's hold. "I was the stubborn one."

"Minho, how can I help you right now?"

"I was the one who didn't want to settle." He buried himself further into Jisung's chest. "I hurt them, Jisungie."

Jisung peppered kisses in his hair, leaving his nose there as he spoke. "And I'm so glad you didn't, or I would have never met my beautiful, kind, resourceful omega."

Minho let out a hoarse laugh after a few harsh sobs. Jisung grinned at hearing a proper laugh from Minho and gave him an extra squeeze. "Of course Channie would forget to separate the blankets."

"So Felix was right?"

Minho nodded against his shirt, small strands of hair building up static from the dry spring air. "Yep. There were four blankets that all smelled a lot like a campfire. One was Chan and Seungmin together, which was probably Channie’s idea of a cute couple thing, that sap. Changbin’s blanket was super obvious. I did recognize Felix’s normal mixture of rose and lilac. And then I turned the mystery fourth blanket into that, since I couldn’t tell what all was there beneath the smoke."

“I thought there were only three blankets…” He followed the direction of Minho’s finger that was pointing to the dark blue pillow that Jisung had become so quickly enamored with. “Huh. So that's why it smelled so odd before I started scenting it."

"What?" Minho was so overwhelmed by it all that he didn’t understand what Jisung was getting at.

"The pillow." Jisung reached out his left hand toward the object in question, running his fingers over the matted fabric. "It smelled like an omega, but I knew it wasn't you. I just thought it was the ocean overwhelming whatever scent was there."

Minho’s silence told Jisung all he needed to know as they sat in the field of purple flowers underneath the afternoon sun. The breeze had calmed enough for them to feel the warmth through the heavy branches of the sturdy cherry tree. Jisung rocked Minho back and forth, comforting him with soft coos through his scattered sobs and crying hiccups. The letters were strewn about in the bottom of the nest. Jisung's backpack was sat next to his neatly placed sneakers, compared to Minho's shoes that had been kicked hastily onto the ground, where one rested on its side. Their dark blue pillow was to the left, provided by Felix, Jisung now knew, and their soft beige blanket was proudly displayed to their right. Although Minho didn't know how many letters were left, Jisung did. He was positive the pile would not be finished today. They had come steadily at first, only to dwindle to two last year. Those two letters were both stamped October 23rd, just five months ago. Just a few months before Jisung ran into Minho's life and fell in love with the broken soul on the black sand beach.

"Have you thought of mating?" Jisung jumped at the sound of Minho's voice, assuming the older omega had fallen asleep.

"Of course. It's hard not to when you know you're going to be sent away if you don't."

"No." Minho forced himself to sit up and hold Jisung's face in his hands. "I meant mating. With me."

Jisung's eyes fluttered from the gentle touch. "Oh. I..." When he opened them fully, Jisung was stunned by Minho's beauty. The right side of his face was lit by the sun, the branches of tear stains masquerading as a highlighter for his raised cheekbones. His brown eyes bore into Jisung's soul, as serious as he ever saw them, but with a faint hope that maybe they both wanted the same thing. "It's the only thing I've wanted since you showed back up at my doorstep."

Minho laughed in relief, smiling brighter than Jisung had ever seen. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You were the one who needed to heal, not me." Jisung resettled himself on his knees and buried his fingers into Minho's beard, holding his face in place to say what had been trapped in his heart for so long. "I would have waited forever for you."

"But I..."

Jisung cut Minho off by pulling him into a kiss. Minho felt the passionate push of Jisung's lips against his and froze. He looked at Jisung through lidded eyes and felt his heart grow heavy with the frown he saw across from him as he leaned back, head still tilted from the kiss. The fingers that fit so perfectly on his jaw slowly fell away, leaving index fingers holding on for dear life until they too let the spring chill spread back to where it was. Minho never felt more alive, yet his dread grew under Jisung's gaze of uncertainty.

"Sorry." Jisung broke the silence as a few birds flew overhead.

"Hey, don't apologize." Minho brought Jisung's hands to his chest so he could feel the rapid heartbeat beneath them. "I liked it. It just surprised me."

"You looked so hot I couldn't help it."

Minho smirked. "You're not so bad yourself, Jisungie." He pulled Jisung on top of him and laid down in the nest, remembering over a decade before when there was only an imaginary omega above him. "Do you want to be my mate?"

Jisung gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before looking straight into his eyes. "I would love that, Min."

"Me too." Even backlit by the sun, Jisung's smile was shining. "How would we make that official?"

"Mating bites I guess, just like other mated couples."

"Why don't omegas have classes on that?" Minho wondered if maybe they talked about it in science class once while he was relentlessly embarrassing Chan.

"I don't know." Jisung rolled onto his side and wrapped himself around Minho, his head settling where he could hear his future mate’s heartbeat. "I know bites hurt less during heats, and my heat is supposed to be coming soon."

“They’re also supposed to hurt less during sex.”

Jisung bit the inside of his cheek as Minho started to panic. His quickening heartbeat and heaving chest gave it away. “We don’t have to have sex. I’m not that interested in it anyway. Unless,” Jisung pushed himself up by his elbows to try and see if that was a hint. “You want to do that?”

Minho noticed Jisung was concerned about his answer. “Someday, maybe. But not soon, and definitely not in a center.”

“No! I wasn’t saying we should go to a center! I was just hoping we could be at my hut because, well, the concrete…”

“Not the greatest to sleep on. I know.” Minho gazed at Jisung with fond eyes. “It’s okay…umm,” He hesitated, debating whether to ask such a silly question. “What should I call you?”

Jisung squinted at him, confused and amused by the question. “Jisungie is great! I like it a lot actually.”

“I meant as an endearment.” Minho looked towards the sky while his ears grew red once again. “Love, baby, precious, beautiful…which one?”

Jisung nosed at Minho’s scent gland to hide his embarrassment. “As long as I’m yours, I’m fine with anything you want to call me.”

“Okay, baby.”

“That’s weird.” Jisung’s words contradicted how warm and fuzzy he felt hearing Minho use a pet name for him.

“Fine. Maybe my lovely, beautiful, precious Jisungie is better.”

Jisung squeaked. “Not fair, you handsome, strong and hot Minmin.”

”Your handsome, strong, hot Minmin.” Minho positioned both of them on their sides so he could whisper and still be heard. “Because you are my lovely, beautiful, and precious omega, okay? You are mine, and I am yours, and I hope that never changes from this day forward.”

Jisung desperately wanted to kiss him, but chose self-restraint instead. “Excellent, my love. My omega. My future mate, if you still want that.”

“I do.” Minho cupped Jisung’s cheek and leaned forward. “I’ll be your Minmin, and you’ll be my Jisungie.”

Minho brushed their lips together with a gentle touch as a seal and promise for what was to come. Confessing their love for one another, making it official, and reuniting with his friends. He saw the dates on the most recent letters were close to his last birthday. He didn’t have to know what they wrote to know in his heart what the act of sending them met.

We still love you.
We still miss you.
We still believe in you,
and we know you’ll be home soon.

Chapter Text

It made sense to Minho why Jisung wanted to spend his heat at his hut instead of the lighthouse. It really did. It just hurt Minho's ego a tiny, itty-bitty bit more than he was willing to admit. The amenities were clearly better here. The major difference between the lighthouse and the hut had to be the kitchen. As much as Minho made himself at home on the beach during his pre-heats over the years, cooking all the food he would need, Jisung definitely wouldn't be up for that. At least not this time, but future Minho could dream.

Jisung insisted Minho re-scent some of his new blankets to add to his already robust nest. Although he did question Jisung's...kind of obsessive attachment(?) to his scent, he found it more endearing than anything. Ever since their date in the forest, their connection only grew stronger, and their devotion to one another led to this moment. Jisung was at the height of his heat, and, as Minho promised himself long ago, he would do anything to help his partner feel as safe and comfortable as possible.

That still didn't push away the nagging anxiety he had about the bite.

After the period of being intensely in-tune with their respective alphas died down (and other X-rated happenings Minho did NOT want to hear about, because eww, those are his friends!), Chan and Felix did cuddle with him in his apartment nest and prepare him for what the experience might be like. He was somewhat relieved at the time, and even more now, that the circumstances approaching the bite itself were different between the two couples.

Chan's experience was befitting of a stereotypical alpha and omega romantic movie scene. An exchange of soft and gentle passion was followed by a piercing of skin. It wasn't the bite itself that caught Chan off guard, but the rush of an extra set of thoughts and emotions. If Chan ever had doubts in his mind about Seungmin's affection for him, it was instantly quashed. Although, Chan emphatically declared, no one ever talks about the fact that you're getting that extra information in the middle of making love. He playfully slammed his fist into a nearby pile of blankets to make his point, and quickly hid his face behind his hands once he realized he almost hit Minho instead. A tickle fight ensued, and Minho knew that his newly mated friend wouldn't leave him. There had been countless stories of omega best friends growing apart, especially if the unmated friend was close to 25 with no immediate prospects. Minho was 23 at the time, so it was okay, for now.

When Felix had his mating dream barely 6 months after knowing Changbin, Minho was comfortably 24. The chances of losing the life he had were slowly turning into reality. He debated gathering boxes to start packing up his things, and sorting through what to give to Chan to keep, and what material items no longer had meaning to him. Minho was a pillar to his friends, so he wouldn’t admit his rising fears and anxieties to them.

But Minho had been acting weird since Chan and Seungmin had mated, and Felix saw right through his facade.

The day Felix visited Minho's apartment, once the intensity of the bite settled down, he showed up with the softest, and most heavily scented, oversized blanket Minho ever felt or smelled. Before Minho could even say hello, Felix dragged him to his nest and made a blanket fort for two. The rose and lilac surrounded them, and a startled Minho, trapped by Felix’s limbs like a panda to a tree, started listening to the younger's story.

After Changbin had his own mating dream, they decided that there was no use waiting any longer to officially be mates. Changbin was there to help Felix through his next heat, like alphas normally do. When the kissing became heavier and hands started to wander, Felix knew he had to be a good omega and keep going. At some point, Changbin’s campfire smell, sweetened with a hint of marshmallow, burned to smoldering ashes the instant he smelled the first hint of wilting flowers. Felix, fearing that he disappointed Changbin, started to cry into his bare chest. The alpha stopped what they were doing and scooped Felix into his arms, gently comforting him until he fell asleep from the physical exhaustion of his heat.

Towards the end of their week together, Felix pleaded with Changbin to give him a mating mark without “the usual stuff.” When Changbin was absolutely sure he didn’t want to wait, his teeth sunk into his neck next to his scent gland. It felt like heaven, Felix told Minho, and was better than any knotting or orgasm that he could imagine. Knowing that Changbin would never leave him, and that it was his decision to keep his alpha instincts in check, was the best feeling in the world.

We’re not all lucky like Chan, Min. A mating bite doesn’t have to include sex or knotting. It’s more about finding the one person in this world who will love and respect you for you.

And, as expected, by the time Felix relayed all this information, Minho was grateful that Felix thought to have all the safeguards in place. He ugly cried under that special blanket, safe from the world and its subconscious messages about how things should be. The cognitive dissonance about a different narrative not portrayed by the media was floating through his head. Maybe finding someone who preferred cuddling over being an omega desperately needing a knot could be real. Maybe his decision not to settle was okay in the end.

It was those memories that swirled through his anxious mind as the moment drew ever closer. Past memories of love and support from his friends crashed together with the current love and support from Jisung, even when Minho didn’t deserve it. Upon reflection, it wasn’t a surprise that Minho, in his haze of depression that fateful night, gravitated towards the blanket he considered theirs now. It reminded his subconscious of that night with Felix where they cried tears of joy and uncertainty.

It was also amusing that Jisung was drawn to the pillow that Felix had scented to give Minho good fortune with love from afar. If he had known that was its purpose, perhaps he would have protected it from the many years of salt water it absorbed from his beach visits. At the moment, he didn't have to guess where Jisung's favorite possession was.

"The ramen's almost ready." Minho briefly took his eyes off the large pot to see if Jisung was responsive. "How are you doing?"

"So cold." He could hear the chatter of Jisung's jaw as he spoke. "I want cuddles."

"I know, beautiful." Jisung had warned Minho that he was a bit demanding during his heats. Minho tried not to explode at how cute it was. "But you need to eat something first."

Jisung tucked himself into their blanket, reluctantly tossing the pillow he was clutching in his arms on the nest as he made his way to the larger table Minho bought so they had more room to sit together. "It better be good."

"I've made it for you before!" Minho ladled some extra broth into Jisung's bowl and placed it in front of him with some chopsticks. "I thought you liked it."

"I do. I'm just being difficult for no reason. It sucks."

Minho half grinned as he set his own bowl across from Jisung. "I know. I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Jisung shook his head and pouted audibly. "More stories!"

Ever since their foray in the forest, Jisung loved hearing stories about Minho and his friends. The stories came up with each subsequent letter they read, but Jisung craved more knowledge now that they finished the most recent one, a birthday drawing from Chan with an additional message of, “When do we get to meet your mate, mate? Hehehe,” as if he predicted Jisung showing up in his life only a month or so later. Minho was more social than Jisung ever was before he left the island, even excluding the amount of “nest sessions” he held, as Jisung called them affectionately. Jisung had experienced some of his own deep talks during their cuddle sessions by now. Many of them were focused on their worries about going back to the mainland.

“After dinner, I promise.”

“No, now!”

Minho looked up from his bowl to find Jisung giving him his best angry face. “Okay, okay.” He reached across the table to poke Jisung’s puffed out cheek so the younger would smile instead of looking like a moderately annoyed cat. “What would you like to hear about?”

“Did Chan and Felix ever tell you what it was like to get their mating bites?”

Minho nodded, a somber look on his face. “They did, but I’m going to charge a cuddle tax for that.”

“Deal.”

Both omegas started eating faster, whether they realized it or not. The cuddle tax wasn’t a proper tax of any kind, as they inherently would end up lying next to each other regardless. It was more of a code between them to signal that the topic at hand was a sensitive one, and perhaps needed a nest session as a safe space, like Minho used to have access to whenever he wanted. Jisung was happy to oblige, since he enjoyed spending time with Minho, and also helped him make up for lost time from the deflated raft and tattered blanket days.

When Jisung got up to try and put his ramen bowl in the sink, Minho wrapped him up tightly in the blanket and gently placed him in the nest before he could protest. He put the bowls and chopsticks in the sink himself, opting to do dishes properly after the mating conversation was over, and whatever happened after they talked. There was anticipation in the air as Minho slowed his steps. All he could see was a patch of brown hair splayed across the pillow, since Jisung had fully tucked himself in. Seeing Jisung in pain made him more worried about exchanging bites, because what if it hurt worse? Why was there no consideration for relationships outside the alpha/omega norm? Surely, the education must be somewhere, but it didn't seem fair to be buried away from the commoner solely because they were different. Maybe there was literature in the heat centers, or Minho hoped that was the case, but that didn't sit quite right with him either. All these extraneous thoughts didn't matter now, because the opportunity was right in front of him. An omega in heat, ready to take his mark, just like he always dreamed.

"Min, hurry up!" The muffled voice shouted from under the blanket.

Minho knew that Jisung knew he was stalling. "I'm scared."

"Well, I am too." A pair of brown eyes emerged to look at Minho. Somehow they were annoyed and kind at the same time. "But that's why we have each other, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And we can't give each other mating bites with our brains, right?"

Minho couldn't help but laugh at that. "True."

"So let me help you." He loosened the blanket's grip enough to stretch his arms out in Minho's direction, his lower half still mummified. "Let's do this together. As future mates."

Minho looked down at Jisung to study his overall demeanor. He made grabbing hands towards Minho and smiled to reassure him the best he could. But if, as they say, the eyes are a window to the soul, it was clear that Jisung’s soul was uneasy. Of course Jisung would be honest with his feelings. It’s one of the qualities he had that Minho admired the most. That and his beautiful and unwavering optimism in the face of fear. The optimism that, for Minho, receded into the ocean, and returned in waves to him years later as the grumpy, nervous and cold omega before him in a nest that had expanded to fit two.

“Okay.” Minho expertly fit himself next to Jisung, planting a chaste kiss on his forehead before pulling a second blanket over their shoulders. The cherry scent that typically filled the hut because of Jisung’s anxiety was more subdued than normal. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant. “So the short versions are Chan and Seungmin mated just like your standard alpha and omega romantic movie scene, and Felix and Changbin didn’t.”

Jisung hummed and nudged Minho’s shoulder from his retightened blanket bundle so he could be held. “That makes sense. Did they tell…”

“It does?” Minho wrapped his arm around Jisung’s waist and rubbed his back over the blanket. “It surprised me at the time.”

“From what you’ve told me, Felix sounds like a very loyal friend.” Jisung had a mischievous look in his eyes. “He probably didn’t want to disappoint Changbin and lose him, so he probably tried to work through it on his own instead of talking to him, like one of his other omega friends…”

Minho snorted at the callout. “Okay! I get it! I get it!” He leaned forward to give Jisung a peck on the cheek. “You’re so sassy.”

Jisung wriggled his arms out and threw them around Minho’s neck, responding with a serious nod. “So did they tell you what the bite was like when it happened?”

“The bite itself didn’t hurt, but the connection was overwhelming.” Minho pulled Jisung close, bodies flush against one another and noses almost touching. “They told me that you can feel the other person’s emotions. That if they love you, you’ll know right away.”

Jisung nodded and tried to sneak a look at Minho’s scent gland in anticipation. “So…who should go first?”

“Now?”

Jisung let out a breathy laugh and ran a finger down his jaw. “Why did you think I asked, baby? My heat is only going to last another day or so. There’s no better time than now. If you still want me. Still want us.” Minho tried to turn his head away, but Jisung wouldn’t let him. “Do you need to know how I truly feel? About you? Is that it? Or did you change your mind?”

“I didn’t…change my mind.” Minho squeezed his eyes shut, tears pooling at the outer corners. “I love you. Why would I change my mind?”

Jisung leaned his forehead heavily into Minho’s, brushing the tears away without losing his firm grip. “Talk to me then. If you love me, and I love you, what else could it be?”

What else could it be, Minho wondered to himself. They were pressed together in all the right places. The intense skinship made him feel alive in a way their previous encounters hadn’t. More alive than he’s felt in years. He knew how scared Jisung was of losing him again. Even if he did want to leave, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Every day apart from Jisung, and especially since his mating vision became a reality, there was no other person, omega or otherwise, that he wanted more. No one else he wanted to be his.

My omega, he reminded himself, my Jisungie.

Minho opened his eyes and saw Jisung’s smile that never seemed to leave. It wasn't bright like it normally was. It didn’t come with the extra glint in his eye. The man made sun built within his soul, shining with love. Jisung’s expression was optimistic, just cautious. Probing and searching Minho’s face without judgment or malice. Cheeks puffed out and wearing a frown, clearly concerned for the man he decided, with zero doubt, to commit his life to. Here they were together, in this perfect moment and setting, ready to go back home. Find the last few pieces of what he used to be to meld together with the tough son of a bitch he’s been for the past five years.

Five long years.

“I don’t know.” Minho finally settled on, giving Jisung the most hopeful smile he could muster. “I don’t know what else it could be.”

“That’s okay. That’s good.” Jisung gave in and quickly melted against Minho’s lips before he spoke again. “It’s okay to not know sometimes. As long as you know I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait for another heat, if that would help.”

“I don’t want to wait though.” Minho leaned forward to press his nose into Jisung’s cheek. “I want to start building a life with you.”

“Me too.” Minho felt Jisung grin against his skin. “So this is the final step. We mate, we adjust, and then we go back to the mainland and start our lives together.”

Minho pulled back after the words soaked into his mind. “What about your friends? Do you want to find them?”

“No. They’re not worth the pain they caused me.” Jisung touched their noses together, trying to make Minho smile. “Let them build their lives with their morals and I can build mine…with you.”

Minho burst into a smile and leaned forward to start a string of lazy kisses. "How did I get so lucky? Hmm, Jisungie? I can't believe I found you."

Jisung hummed in satisfaction against the older's lips as their bodies overlapped and grew impossibly close. "Minho?" Jisung instinctually bared his neck, where Minho's kisses suddenly slipped onto his cheek. His breathing grew shallow while he let out little whimpers. "Please, Minho. Make me yours."

"You sure?" Minho nipped his way down to the newly exposed area.

"I've never been so sure." He stretched his neck, practically pushing it near Minho's wayward kisses to feel lips against his skin. "I just know. It's time. Please, Min. I need it. I need you. Please hurry."

"Okay." Minho was careful of his beard scratching the sensitive skin, brown hair falling over his eyes as he spread featherlight kisses around his scent gland. "I'm here. You're safe with me, okay? God, you're so beautiful like this. I'm so fucking glad you found me that night." He tried to reign in his emotions and not put Jisung through more anguish. "I'll try to be gentle. I promise. I got you, Jisungie. I..."

He couldn't spit out the words when they mattered the most, but Jisung would know soon enough. Minho took a deep breath of the cherry scent he was enamored with, and pressed a final kiss under his jaw, before he let his instincts take over. Before he could even wonder what to do, he felt his teeth dig into Jisung's flesh, making a perfect oval of teeth marks around the scent gland on his left side. He didn't hear Jisung cry out in pain, which released any remaining tension he had. The mark was more shallow than he expected it to be. He kissed away the minor bleeding, keeping their pillow safe for now. Minho made a mental note to get a different pillow when Jisung returned the favor eventually.

"Oh wow! This is crazy!" Jisung wiggled away and sat them both up so he could look at Minho. "Yeah, of course we shouldn't get our pillow bloody!" He tapped Minho's bicep and bounced in excitement, though it was more of a series of firm slaps. "And you are so fond of me! Wow! You love me so much! I mean," He tilted his head to the side, refusing to break eye contact. "I knew, but I didn't know!"

"Yeah." Minho was a gigantic and crazy mix of ecstatic, relieved, and overwhelmed. "I'm kinda in love with you a lot."

"I can see why people say they need time to get used to this. There's so many feelings!"

Minho wanted to check in. "Did the bite hurt?"

"You didn't hurt me, baby. I promise." Jisung scooped the small hands up and held them against his heart. "I was more distracted by the sheer need for it to happen, and then it was a woosh of being filled with you." He emphasized the point by swinging their hands away from him and almost pushing himself over with the force of hitting his chest again.

Minho slid his hands to Jisung’s waist to steady him. "It sounds amazing."

Jisung pecked Minho's lips, a silly grin never leaving his face. "I can't wait to return the favor someday."

"Someday?"

"Yeah, of course." Jisung narrowed his eyebrows in Minho's direction. "I'll wait as long as you need. Your next heat, the heat after that, whenever you're ready. Because," He looked at Minho in awe, hand brushing against the new mark. "Now I know, with 100% certainty, that I love you as much as you love me. My world-weary and handsome and kind and special Minmin." Out of nowhere, Jisung jumped into Minho's lap and curled into a tiny ball, forcing Minho to shift so his back was against the wall to support them. "Ooh, you like that, don't you?"

"Like what?"

“It’s hard to tell, honestly.” Jisung was so giddy knowing how much Minho cared about him that he couldn’t calm down. “It’s either the sudden cuddling, or being my omega, and my adorable Minmin and…oh, it’s definitely that!”

Minho blushed profusely, his lavender scent betraying him. “That’s kinda creepy.”

“I can’t wait for you to feel this too!” He bounced his head on Minho’s shoulder before he wore himself out. “When you’re ready, of course. I’ll be here to help. Always.”

“Me too, Jisungie.” Minho used his strength to pull Jisung further into his lap. “I’m just scared.”

“I know, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

Minho was incredibly distracted because Jisung’s lips were right there, continuing to place butterfly kisses anywhere he could reach. At any moment, their bond could be complete if Minho said the word. Whatever effect the bite had on Jisung was making him more affectionate than usual, which was already too much for Minho some days. He never thought he’d find a partner with an equal amount of passion for non-sexual intimacy. Not that either of them were against it, they just…didn’t need it to complete them.

For Minho to feel love for the younger omega so deeply that Jisung instantly picked up on it was insane on some level. Through all of Minho’s despair, Jisung saw something in him. He gave the truest version of himself when Minho chose to hide. Despite all that, their love grew to where it is now. And, in that context, it was time to take the leap. Time to make it official.

Time to bring his island and mainland worlds together.

“Do it.”

“Are you…oh.” Jisung stilled. “Yeah. Your determination is, uh…ha, I can learn a thing or two from that.” He finally let out his pent up cherry scent to make it easier for Minho to enter a good head space. “You want a countdown or should I just…”

“GO!”

Jisung lunged at his neck before Minho had time to second guess his decision. The bite itself hurt less than he expected, especially since he wasn’t in heat, but the emotional connection was so much more. A burst of contentment and pride flooded his system, all supported by a foundation of love that touched every extremity in his body.

“Oh, fuck.” He tried to recenter his emotions, but it was impossible. “Holy shit.”

Jisung was glowing while he softened the pain of the fresh bite with more kisses. “Yep. Told you.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Minho looked to Jisung for answers, but his eyes were fixed on his mark, feelings of awe and pride exuding from the younger that pulsed in Minho’s chest. “I get you’re proud of me, but I could use some help here. You know, lots of feelings after being emotionally dead for five years.”

“Oh.” He searched for subtle cues of how Minho was feeling. “Well, I’m tired, so how about some sleep?” Minho shrugged, but expertly readjusted them to lay down in a comfortable position. “Is that peace I’m feeling?”

Minho nodded, finally taking in his own handiwork on Jisung’s neck from behind, still raw but starting to heal. “It’s so pretty.”

“Because it’s from the prettiest omegAH!”

Minho abruptly pulled Jisung by the waist into his body and rubbed his nose into the bite, causing them both to laugh. The purest versions of joy and love created a feedback loop between them, their scents overwhelming the hut with the magic that mating provided.

As Jisung relished in being the little spoon, attempting to refill his lungs with oxygen while being thoroughly trapped in Minho’s embrace, he took a moment to imagine their lives away from here. Taking walks together, hand in hand, through various forests and gardens across the country. Having dinner together with Minho’s friends and asking them to spill the most embarrassing tea about his lover. Maybe even giving each other baths during their heats in the safety of their shared home, away from the centers Minho despised, and for good reason. Lying on their pillow, bundled in their blanket, and with Minho officially being his omega, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful for their future together. A tear fell down his cheek without his permission. The annoying whiplash of emotions he usually experienced during his heats, and that he tried to keep from Minho so far, couldn’t stay hidden any longer.

“Are you okay?” Minho asked gently after feeling a somber shift in Jisung’s mood, loosening his physical grip to try and help. “Am I hurting you? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. Just thinking about our new life together.”

“Me too.” Minho kissed away the tear on Jisung’s cheek. “We’re mates now. I will protect you, defend you, and make sure you are cared for, okay? I promise.”

When Jisung turned around, he saw Minho holding back tears too. “If you ever lose hope again, or think no one can love you, find me, okay? I will remind you how much you deserve to be loved and cherished, and try to make up for all the years you felt alone. That’s my promise to you.”

“I love you, my Jisungie.”

Jisung looked into his sparkling brown eyes, knowing he meant every word. “I love you too, Minmin. I can’t believe we’re mates now.”

Minho pulled Jisung close and kissed his forehead, no more words needing to be said. After an exhausting day, they both took comfort in the other’s presence. Once they both adjusted to the new sensation of being mated, they could make preparations to return. Minho was already writing the letters to Chan and Felix in his head, giving them an official date to meet up in person again.

The day had finally come for Minho to go home after finding a love that surpassed every expectation he had, especially in a place bogged down by despair. He couldn’t wait to show Jisung off and spoil him with infinite amounts of affection of every kind, once they both were ready for the next step. To let him know that Minho was a safe place to fall, and that betrayal and mistrust had no place in their relationship like the one he had before he came to the island.

As tiny snores escaped Jisung and tingled against the sensitive skin from Minho’s bite, his many nights on the beach and days in the lighthouse finally felt worth the wait. Every moment with Jisung was a reminder that no one was too emotionally far gone or too old to be loved. Love can come in many forms and at any time. His love just happened to be packaged as an optimistic and kind-hearted omega, with a smile that could wash away any sadness or worries Minho might have. In the end, he didn’t have to be like his outgoing and amenable friends to find love. He just had to be himself.

And, by some miracle, Jisung found a broken version of Minho to be more than enough for him to love.

Chapter Text

“I know you’re nervous, but you’re making me nervous, and I wasn’t even nervous for once! I’m supposed to be the nervous one in this relationship!” Jisung took their intertwined hands and anchored them on Minho’s right leg to keep it from bouncing. “I’m kind of half fake-insulted because you know what happens when I get nervous! I won’t shut up around your friends, and then I’ll embarrass you in front of them, which means I’ll get embarrassed because you’re embarrassed, which means I’ll talk even more, and then they’ll think you chose a crazy person for your mate!”

“First off, beautiful, you’re yelling.” Minho scooted closer to Jisung to nose at his mating bite to try and calm him down. “Second, I’m not nervous nervous, I’m excited nervous. And third, I think my friends would be concerned if I chose a mate who was completely sane and normal.”

“What do you mean I’m not normal?” Jisung screamed, eliciting a few looks of ire as the words echoed inside the enclosed cabin on the ferry.

Minho buried his head into Jisung’s shoulder to hold back his laughter before he whispered calmly in Jisung’s ear. “You are normal, just not completely normal, and that’s okay. They’re going to love you no matter what. I promise.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Jisung leaned on Minho and sighed. “Maybe I’m kinda nervous too.”

“Don’t apologize, Jisungie.” Minho pecked the top of his head. “You’re going to do great.”

“I know.”

“Look, we’re almost there!”

Minho let go of Jisung’s hand to wrap it around his shoulders, anxiously looking out the window to his left towards the mainland. The dock must have been renovated at some point, as the weather-worn wooden boards from his memory were now a darker brown hue. The new varnish shined in the mid-morning sunlight as the ferry drew closer to the dock. Its impact on the lives of thousands of omegas wasn’t lost on Minho, and he knew that he and Jisung were lucky to find each other and have a happy ending.

A heavy weight in the form of Jisung’s arm trapped his legs to the floor, which meant Minho, deep within himself, didn’t completely buy his own ‘excited nervous’ explanation. His nerves were oscillating between excited and terrified, and he wasn’t surprised. After the newly mated couple adjusted to their bond, Minho wrote letters to Chan and Felix telling them when he was returning with his mate, and were laden with apologies for not reaching out sooner. Of course, they both wrote back immediately, as quickly as letters could be received and sent, sharing their excitement about meeting Jisung and relief in learning Minho was okay. He knew they were telling the truth, but he couldn’t know for sure if they would show up like they said they would.

Minho didn’t see them immediately as the boat slowed to a halt. He wondered how different they looked than when he saw them five years ago. Chan had a penchant for dying his hair until it fried enough to need a rest. Felix was a blonde pixie stick, though Changbin had convinced him to start working out right before Minho left. And Seungmin? He could imagine Seungmin as the most likely to grow a beard out of the four of them, and Chan being as much of a sucker for it as Jisung was for his.

“Hey, handsome.” Minho could feel Jisung’s nerves mirror his own in an eerily similar cycle, hand pressed lightly against his right shoulder. “It’s time.”

The older omega looked to his right to see the other passengers funneling towards the door near the bow. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“Alright.” Jisung gave his shoulder a squeeze and stood up. His steady smile and bright brown eyes, under the shade of his shaggy brown bangs blocking the sun, invited Minho to take his outstretched hand. “Let’s go see your friends.”

With one last glance out the window, Minho allowed himself to get caught up in the crowd. He clung to Jisung’s hand and the younger’s growing anticipation and excitement. The last time Minho saw his friends, they were all crying and smelled like death, literally. This time, he knew it would be a joyful reunion full of tears, and maybe an ugly sob or two from Felix. They all agreed to keep the meeting between the omegas so Jisung wouldn’t be intimidated by the extra alpha presences. Even though Jisung didn’t mind, and was intrigued to meet these soft alphas Minho was so fond of, it was more about the trio of friends reuniting, and then bringing their mates into the fold again, as they were as people now, to make a group of six.

“Do you see them, love?” Neither omega was tall enough to see above the crowds coming off the ferry, and Minho said Chan and Felix were about his height.

“I hope I recognize them.” Minho walked faster to keep up with Jisung so he didn’t lose him in the crowd. “I hope they showed up.”

Minho could hear Jisung’s eye roll over all the noise before he maneuvered them to a corner where they could talk. “Hey, even if they didn’t, we have their contact info and we’ll find them that way.”

“I know.”

Jisung held Minho’s face steady with his left hand while his right brushed over the mating bite. “They said they want to see you.”

“I know.”

“Do you think they’d write you back so quickly if they were lying to you?”

Minho tried to keep his frown, but it never worked when Jisung was rubbing his thumb over his mark and emotionally overflowing with love and joy. “I hate when you’re so logical.”

“No, you don’t.” Jisung entered his personal bubble further. “I can tell you love my logic.”

“Just because I love you doesn’t mean I have to love when you’re right about…”

“Minho?”

Minho looked over Jisung’s shoulder at two men on the concrete stairs that led away from the dock. The deep voice that called his name cut through the din of the arriving omegas who were decreasing in number the longer Minho and Jisung spent in their own world. Minho thought they had only been there a few seconds, but almost everyone was off the ferry now.

The men standing there were clearly Felix and Chan, just older and their faces more filled out than when he last saw them. Chan was around the same weight but wider in frame, and Felix was still thin, but less bony and looked much healthier. As he expected, Felix was blonde with hair down to his chin, and Chan was currently sporting his natural brown curly hair, more curly and unruly than he remembered, hopefully to make Minho happy. Minho became self conscious of how he looked to them. He had gained some weight, since Jisung insisted he eat more often, but his muscles from all the physical labor were more defined than before he left.

“Minmin!” Chan yelled unabashedly, hands cupped around his mouth so his voice could be heard. “You have a beard!”

Minho felt tears in his eyes already. “Yeah!” He yelled across the dock instead of moving closer to them. “Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Chan continued to yell while Jisung pulled Minho closer to the duo. “It just makes you look like a grown-up! Which is kinda weird!”

“It suits you, Min!” Felix called out, inching closer to the dock with Chan trailing behind, desperate to hug his friend after not seeing him for so long. “I missed you!”

Minho was only moving with Jisung’s guidance, being so shocked to see them that he forgot how to walk. “I missed you guys too.”

“Go to them.” Jisung whispered into Minho’s ear with a light pat on the back. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“Jisungie.” Minho whispered back. “They’re here!”

“I know!” Jisung shoved all the confidence and pride he could through their connection. “Your friends are right there!”

“Oh my god, your bite!”

Jisung almost fell backwards on the wooden dock with how much momentum Chan had as he ran into Minho to hug him and examine his mating mark. It was usually rude to call out a new mark in public, but Minho had let Jisung know that Chan’s childlike joy might show itself if he was still similar to who he knew from before. With the spell broken, Felix jumped in between them, throwing his lanky arms around his two friends. Jisung walked off the dock and observed from a patch of grass just off the concrete walkway.

Minho explained to Jisung how before he left, they huddled in a circle just like they were now, crying and swearing to one another that they would be reunited someday. Jisung felt a lightness through their bond, as if a burden Minho carried thinking about them was finally cast aside. Their high pitched chatter (or, in Felix’s case, normal pitched) continued for a while, each omega pulling Minho closer to examine his bite and look back at Jisung approvingly. All Jisung could do was wave awkwardly before they were properly introduced.

It didn’t matter much if Jisung felt nervous for himself, as he was far more content knowing Minho was happy after crying alone for so long and missing them. Just like Jisung was willing to wait for Minho when he disappeared the first time without taking his belongings, he would happily wait as long as Minho needed to let these friendships begin to rebuild before he included himself in then. He had a general idea of where their luggage was, which was almost all of their combined nest, Jisung’s cookware, and a selection of Minho’s fishing supplies not in the same duffel bag as the “precious and expensive cargo,” as Minho called their nesting blankets. Lucky for Jisung, Minho was quick to forgive him, mumbling something about how cute his Jisungie was when he forgot to be logical because then Minho was the smart one for once.

“I should introduce you!” Minho finally waved Jisung over to their group of omegas. “Channie, Lixie. This is my Jisungie. Jisung, meet Chan and Felix.”

Jisung gave a nervous bow to respect his elders, smelling the ocean and floral blend they created together. “Nice to meet you. Min has said a lot of nice things about you both.”

“Do you do hugs?” Chan asked, bouncing excitedly on his toes.

Minho proudly crossed his arms across his chest. “He likes skinship more than I do sometimes!”

“Aww, you’re alright then!” Felix spread his arms out to embrace Jisung, but then stopped. “Are you alright then?”

“Yeah, I’m good with a hug, hyung.”

Jisung smiled at Felix to encourage him, but Chan swooped in to give him a side hug before Felix got the chance. “None of that hyung stuff! Minho’s mate is our mate, no matter what age you are! Umm,” Chan’s cheeks turned red, and his ocean smell followed shortly after. Jisung glanced over at Minho, who gave him a reassuring smile, as if to say ‘you’re not the only one it happens to.’ “How old are you again?”

“I’ll be 26 in September, Chan-ah.”

Chan ruffled his hair and turned them both to face a smug and prideful Minho. “He’s so polite! Look.” Chan brought Felix into their hug so the three of them could circle up. “Jisungie…no, that’s Minho’s nickname for you.” Chan leaned further into the center of the group to whisper, the joy in his soul evident and weaving through his words. ”We can’t use that one for you. He’ll get jealous. Right? Does he still do the jealousy thing?”

“Yeah, he actually likes when I do that.”

“Ooh, good bite gossip!” Jisung laughed in hushed tones. He could see why Minho so badly wanted Chan to be nearby during his heat. The oldest in their friend group was a perfect mix of positivity and calm. He couldn’t wait to be their friend outside of the letters and tales he had in his head. ”So, what would you prefer for a nickname? Ji? Sung? Sungie? Jiji? We’re big nickname people here. So, I’m Channie. My mate, Seungmin, goes by Minnie.” Chan pinched Felix’s cheek, which got him a glare and a yip that didn’t fit his deep voice. “Felix here is Lix or Lixie, and Changbin, Felix’s mate, goes by Binnie.

“I think I like Sungie.”

“Sungie it is then!” Chan yelled gleefully, patting Jisung on the back and almost knocking him over.

“Don’t kill him on his first day here! Minho will murder you!” Felix whisper shouted at Chan, playfully pushing his shoulder. He looked at Jisung with a hint of pity. “Channie forgets how strong he is sometimes.”

“That’s okay, hyu…Lix. Min is really strong too.”

“OH REALLY?!?!” Chan turned towards Minho and looked him over. He was wearing a long-sleeved red button down shirt and jeans that Jisung bought for him to intentionally show off his muscles. “You’re right! Binnie is going to be so proud!”

Chan grabbed Minho’s hand to bring him into their circle, making sure he cozied up next to Jisung. The four omegas held hands and stood in silence. Jisung had never felt accepted so quickly. His friends’ kindness and acceptance matched how Minho treated Jisung after he opened up. It took time, and it will take more time, for Minho to be truly okay again. This tiny glimpse into Minho’s old life gave Jisung hope, and also brought him joy that he could become a treasured part of its future.

“Well, Minmin,” Chan had mostly calmed down from his earlier excitement. “Welcome home. And Sungie, once you two get settled, we’ll have to properly introduce you to our mates.”

“They’re the least intimidating alphas you’ll ever meet.” Felix added with a lovesick grin.

Jisung gave them a slight bow. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

Minho looked between his friends and his love. He couldn’t believe he made it back home. The muscles in his face hurt because he hadn’t stopped smiling since Felix called his name. All those nights of crying out to his friends, where he gradually lost hope in love and himself, changed in one night by the optimism of youth. Maybe, in the near future, he could invite Chan and Felix over to share the less pleasant details and explain why he ignored them for so long. Until then, he needs to cherish what he has, and make sure he never loses them again.

“Me too, Jisungie.” Minho leaned in to kiss Jisung’s temple, which made Chan and Felix silently squirm from being so cute. “Me too.”

____________________

“How are you so good at this?”

Minho took his eyes off the kindling to look over his shoulder at Changbin. “Lots of practice with less useful tools.”

“You’ll have to teach me sometime.” Changbin’s campfire scent separated itself from the fire Minho was building. A hint of jealousy came through, if Minho remembered from years before. Probably because he was supposed to be ‘the campfire guy.’

“Of course, Binnie!” Minho wore a familiar smile to reassure Changbin, one that came easier and happened more frequently since he returned. “Pick a weekend and I’ll show you how to live off the land.”

“Just so you know,” Jisung chimed in from behind Minho, sitting on one of the three logs they had set up around the fire. “It’s hard work.”

“Of course it’s hard, Sungie!” Changbin steadied his feet on the sand and bent down to Jisung’s level to grab his biceps playfully. “You need to make these stronger!”

Felix rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but smile at his mate’s passion for fitness. “He’s fine how he is, Bin.”

“Plus,” Chan’s feet were already buried in the sand to Jisung’s left, toes peeking out and wiggling, as he leaned forward to add to the conversation. “If Sungie gains muscle, he’ll gain muscle weight. If he gains muscle weight, he’ll get heavier. And if gets heavier, he won’t be as fun to pick up.”

“My mate was not created for you to bench press!” Minho yelled in faux annoyance, pushing himself back and around Changbin to sit next to Jisung now that the fire was going strong. He knew Jisung secretly loved when Chan picked him up like a feather, and could feel his pride through their bond at Chan’s comment.

“Yeah, Chan.” Seungmin lightly scolded, hitting Chan’s arm to emphasize his point. “Min’s mate was created to bring him back to us. Sungie is a blessing that must be respected and defended at all costs.”

“I do respect him!” Chan looked at his mate shocked as the others nodded in approval. “I respect him enough to treat him like a princess. And princesses are defended by getting picked up and twirled around like…” Chan looked to the night sky to find the right word, the remaining light of the summer sun still obfuscating the stars. “Princesses!”

Jisung’s embarrassment and Seungmin’s mild amusement mixed together and overtook the group. It was a common occurrence when Chan said something silly. Minho pulled Jisung close to him before responding to Chan. “Which still means he’s not a dumbbell, or a barbell, or good for bench pressing.”

“Bicep curls, on the other hand…”

Everyone laughed and groaned while Felix started portioning and passing out ingredients for s’mores. Although Minho and Jisung had met up with the other pairs of mates separately, they couldn’t find time until now to meet up as a group. What better way to ease Jisung into the insanity, and make sure Minho felt safe, than meeting up on the beach.

Jisung had done his best to help Minho heal from his deep feelings of isolation and hopelessness. At some point, it went beyond what Jisung could handle. They found a specialist that dealt with trauma omegas ended up having from being sent away. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that this relatively new specialty existed in the therapeutic sphere, but somehow it was. Jisung was incredibly supportive, and made sure Minho got lots of cuddles after sessions, or whatever else he might want to ease the stress of working through his pain. Sometimes Minho would share memories, and other times he would cry into Jisung’s shoulder, finally feeling safe enough to depend on someone else for help.

Chan and Felix were frequent visitors to Minho and Jisung’s new abode, always saying hello to Jisung and treating him as an equal. Their combined nest was a greater source of comfort and security than before Minho left. The rules for scenting and rotating clothes and blankets were still the same. Felix even scented their pillow so the couple could experience the intended aphrodisiac gift Felix gave from his heart to help Minho find love.

In a roundabout way, it worked as intended.

“You okay, Min?” Jisung whispered, his second completed s’more of the evening balanced on his lap.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Minho squeezed his knee beneath the plate. “Just feeling grateful everyone is finally together.”

Jisung nodded and thought of putting his head on Minho’s shoulder, but it would draw too much attention. Their friend group tended to freak out loudly about any display of affection between them. It’s almost like they were more excited about Minho finding a mate than Minho was, and they had no shame in expressing it. In a surprising turn, it embarrassed Minho more than Jisung. The younger omega had a theory that his friends had waited so long for Minho to be happy, that they were making up for lost time in the only way they knew how, which was to cheer him on every chance they got. Loudly and with great enthusiasm.

Jisung laced his fingers with Minho’s. “I feel so loved by everyone.”

“Love?!?” Chan’s head popped up like a dog hearing the word ‘walk’ or ‘food.’ “Was that a confession?”

“Confession?!?” Felix followed up.

Changbin was in the middle of a bite of his s’more as the excitement grew. “Ih ayy fine uhee unfehs ooh ee uh er in front of us?”

Seungmin silently laughed and stared directly at Jisung, trying to soften his resting alpha stare. “Can you believe I used to be the maknae of… this mess?” He gestured his hand wildly at his friends.

“I was never this bad.” Minho confidently told Jisung before kissing his cheek.

“Ha! I call bullshit!” Seungmin yelled. “You were worse than them sometimes.”

“No I wasn’t!”

“Yeah you were.” Felix mumbled apologetically.

“Oh, c’mon.” Changbin nodded in agreement with his mate, so Minho tried to appeal to Chan as his last hope. The eldest omega was staring at his wiggling toes like they were a foreign creature from a secret alien sand base. “Channie?”

“Hmm?” Chan looked up at him innocently, forgetting the conversation they were just having.

“Did I used to be this crazy?”

“Uhh…”

Chan took an absurdly large bite out of his s’more and shrugged. The collective laughter that started at Minho’s expense, including Jisung, gradually turned into noises of disgust towards Chan. The man was fighting for his life so he didn’t spit out the s’more from his own laughter.

As the night grew longer, the conversation became livelier, and the sky moved on a gradient from light to dark, Minho looked past the fire and out to the sea. Summer would soon turn to fall, and then to winter, back to the night where a swell of the tide tempted fate and brought Jisung to his side. They were nowhere close to high tide tonight, but if they were, Minho knew he would have friends who would save him, no questions asked. In the middle of his mental darkness, in what felt like one thousand years ago, he wouldn’t have agreed. He tried to stay away from those haunting visions as much as he could. Especially on a night like tonight.

Tonight was a celebration. His worlds, the island and the mainland, could finally start to merge together and put his mind to rest. His best friends, their mates, and his Jisungie are all he needs now. No more weapons of protection or sharp spears for fish. No more hardened hearts or beds. Only soft materials for his nest, and a softer soul to give back to the people who loved him when he couldn’t love himself.

He looked towards the full moon, barely waning like the night they met, and pulled Jisung closer to him by the waist. A curious look was followed by recognition through their bite. Minho still didn’t say the words often, but Jisung knew what he meant through his gestures of affection.

Minho will always find the full moon comforting.
But now he has a cherry-colored sun he can find comfort in too.