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traditionally, each pack has one alpha to lead and protect the pack. the number of omegas can vary, but at least one is a must in order to nurture and take care of the pack. in recent years the dynamic and stereotypes have lessened and packs are less reliant on alphas and more on the ones most equipped to protect, even though there isn’t much to protect against in the city.
though adaptation has allowed all wolves to live in tandem with all different ranks, there’s still a level of respect an alpha’s presence commands, and jeno himself is no stranger to the attention. having presented as an alpha at twelve years old - a very early bloomer - he’s been getting the ‘looks’ for as long as he can really remember.
being a trainee and even an idol, they still employ the ‘one-alpha’ rule in order to prevent infighting brought on by an alpha’s short temper and physical strength.
nct dream is his family, his pack, his whole world. he has his childhood best friend at his side and a couple of really cool people behind him. all in all, he really loves his job. he only has one problem.
mark lee.
mark himself isn’t too bad, to be completely honest, but jeno’s alpha hates being bossed around by the beta. call him childish, but he can’t even stand being in the same group as him, let alone having him be the leader of said group. the only reason he’s the leader is because he had already debuted twice, not because the company thought he’d be an actual good leader. why would they even think a beta could be the leader of a group with a perfectly good alpha already in it?
“you’re too cocky.” renjun tells him and he groans, covering his face.
“you don’t understand-“
“come on, jen. people still think i’m some bitch meant to be pinned down and bred. tell me again i don’t understand.” renjun huffs and jeno sighs, rubbing his shoulder.
“sorry, junnie. it’s just-“
“it’s just your alpha. i know. it’s your aggressive and competitive side.” the omega takes his hand. “they made mark the leader because he’s fully capable. not just to spite you.”
“i never said they did it to spite me.”
“but that’s what you think.” renjun chuckles. after a moment jeno feels the elder’s calming scent wash over him, turning and fixing him with a look. “it’s my job to take care of you guys.” he defends, jeno sighing and basking in the relaxing pheromones.
“thanks junnie.” he says after a moment and the omega smiles.
“this is why you come to me anyways, isn’t it?” he asks teasingly and jeno shoots him a side smile.
“how’d you know?”
“i doubt hyuck even knows what your distressed scent smells like.” renjun points out. “jisung and chenle can’t calm you down like hyuck and i could, and jaemin… well he’s known you too long.” renjun chuckles and jeno smiles, shaking his head. “just because mark is coming back to dream doesn’t mean anyone is going to treat you any differently. the fans are excited for him to come back, you know.”
“i know.” jeno sighs, shaking his head. “i know. i just feel like i’ve grown so much as an alpha and as the ‘captain,’ i don’t want to give any of it up.”
“you won’t have to. just give him another chance.” renjun lets out another gush of pheromones and jeno groans.
“put that stuff away, i’m fine now.”
“i had to get it out. who knows what the kids could do if i came back smelling like this.” renjun complains but jeno knows the elder is worried about him.
“you’re the best, junnie, for real.”
“i know.” the omega grins. “now let’s go back before the others complain.” they stand from the balcony, jeno grabbing renjun’s arm before he can open the door.
“you tell yangie boy he better mate you up quick or i just might steal you from him.”
“oh ew .” he replies and jeno laughs, running away as the elder starts hitting him.
——
“jeno!” he looks up when his name is called, meeting mark’s eyes in the mirror. “are you listening to me?” he asks and jeno can practically feel his scent go sour, renjun glancing at him. “you need to pay attention. just because you’re the main dancer doesn’t mean you don’t need to practice.”
“are you saying i’m not good enough?” jeno asks and he hears someone take a sharp breath.
“jen-“
“that’s not what i said.” mark turns around to face him. “i just need you to pay attention during practice. you’re great on your own, i need you to be great with everyone.” he says and jeno growls lightly, shoulders tightening when he feels a hand on them.
“let’s take ten, mark.” donghyuck says, using his own pheromones to calm him as renjun pulls jeno in the opposite direction.
“we’re at practice, jeno. you can’t let him get to you.”
“it’s the way he talks to me, jun, i-“
“jen he talks to you the same way he talks to us.” renjun says, a look of realization passing over his face. “that’s the problem. isn’t it?” he asks and jeno huffs, looking away. “you’re mad because mark doesn’t talk to you like an alpha. he talks to you the same way he would talk to me, an omega. or jisung, a beta.”
“jun, it’s not-“
“jeno.” he says, letting his pheromones cover the boy in a layer. “it’s just your alpha. you gotta let it go.”
“i can’t.”
“you gotta try. mark’s back and that’s the end of the story.”
“alright everyone, back in formation.” mark calls and jeno growls lightly again, renjun huffing and pulling his face into his neck where jeno inhales a big whiff of his scent.
“jun-“
“it’ll help, for a bit.” he says, the alpha doing as he’s instructed.
“i said-“
“give us a minute.” renjun says, jeno still nuzzling against his neck.
“renjun-“
“he said give us a damn minute.” jeno turns to growl at mark, the beta looking taken aback.
“that’s enough, jen.” renjun steps back. “let’s finish practice.”
except no one can really focus, jeno’s sour scent throwing the energy off until mark finally calls it for lunch.
“we’re gonna take a twenty to eat and refresh.” he gives jeno a pointed look. “and then we’re going to try again. got it?”
“yes hyung!” the youngest four chorus, them and renjun tripping over each other to get to the cafeteria with enough time to eat. jeno huffs and walks over to his stuff, yanking it open to grab his water bottle. he feels someone standing behind him but doesn’t even have to inhale to know it’s mark.
“do we need to talk, jeno?” he asks and jeno huffs again, standing. mark grabs him as he makes to walk away and he growls.
“let me go, mark.”
“no, i need you to talk to me.” mark says. “what’s up with you? we were good before, but now it’s like you won’t even acknowledge me.” jeno rips his wrist from mark’s grip, the beta huffing. “stop being an alpha and talk to me.” he demands and jeno freezes, turning to him.
“hey jen are you-“ jaemin stops when he sees what’s going on, stepping between them. “come on.” he says, pulling jeno’s arm. “before you do something we’re all going to regret.” he adds and that’s what gets jeno moving, letting his best friend drag him out of the practice room.
it gets harder after that. mark starts grilling him harder, correcting him more, and offering so much criticism that even donghyuck starts to get uncomfortable.
when it comes to their first real comeback altogether, mark gets even tougher.
“jeno.” mark’s voice grates on his nerves and jeno takes a deep breath, looking at him. “you’re getting a lot better at listening to me.” he says, jeno frowning at the sudden praise - if you could call it that. chenle and jisung - not knowing how to read the room - burst into laughter, the two omegas following nervously as they watch the other two. jeno’s lips press into a hard line and a smirk grows on mark’s face as he turns the music on and they get back into formation. jeno takes another breath but keeps going, turning when they hear the practice room door open.
“alright, we’re finishing the dance practice behind today.” their manager announces and they all nod, taking a moment to stretch.
renjun takes some time practicing the dance break with jisung, while jeno finds himself playing around with chenle before their manager and the choreographer pull a few of them aside for even more focus on the dance break and then pulls them together as a group. jaemin isn’t there yet so jeno watches as mark walks between him and the dancer taking jaemin’s spot, side eyeing the beta.
practices where they’re filming are always a little more chaotic than normal, donghyuck flitting around jisung and renjun the entire time.
“jeno.” the manager pulls him aside. “i don’t know what’s going on with you two, but i need you to interact with mark.”
“but-“
“no buts, jeno. he’s your friend, your groupmate.”
“alright.” jeno huffs, pulling renjun away from donghyuck and dragging him to sit next to mark on the floor because there’s no way he can be that close to mark without renjun. they start taking turns flipping water bottles, and jeno can’t help the surge of pride he gets when mark misses immediately after jeno himself had landed one. as they’re playing, both he and mark loosen up until they’re both interacting easily, jeno even laughing when mark dramatically throws himself to the side when he loses after their streak of 6.
jeno’s talking quietly to jaemin (who showed up about thirty minutes late) when he notices donghyuck circling jisung again, touching and poking and overall bothering their maknae.
“do you know what’s up with hyuck?”
“lele told me sung’s been acting weird.” he says, idly sipping his coffee. “but i haven’t noticed anything.” he shrugs and jeno sighs, eyes gravitating to where mark is standing in the corner. he ignores him and runs to hop on chenle’s back, the younger boy carrying him around easily.
“you’re lighter than i thought.” he comments.
“jeno is super light.” mark says and jeno feels his blood boil, trying to ignore him and keep bothering chenle instead.
the rest of practice is pretty smooth, just dancing and ignoring the cameras they’re oh so used to these days. they finish with one final full rep, everyone sighing and walking away as soon as the music stops.
“and that’s all!” their manager calls. “good work today, boys. go ahead and go home and get some rest, early practice tomorrow too.” he says and they cheer, gathering their stuff as the cameras pick up and go.
chenle, jisung, and jaemin are all talking excitedly, discussing if they wanted to get something to eat before heading home.
“we should go get barbecue.” donghyuck pipes up, renjun gasping and nodding.
“you coming, jen?” he asks and jeno shakes his head.
“nah, i wanna clean up. you guys have fun though.”
“you sure?”
“yeah. just need a shower.”
“we’ll bring you something.” renjun says, ever the most caring omega.
“thanks, junnie.” he smiles before getting in the van with mark. he gets out first at the dream dorms, jogging up the stairs.
when he gets out of the shower he nearly screams when he sees someone sitting on his bed.
“didn’t mean to scare you.” mark says quietly.
“i thought you went back home.” jeno sighs, one hand gripping the towel around his waist tightly and the other holding his chest. he grabs a pair of boxers and pulls them on under his towel before tugging a loose shirt over his head.
“i was going to, but i wanted to talk to you.”
“what’s up?” he asks, trying to pretend that mark’s mere presence doesn’t make his skin crawl.
“jeno, i know you weren’t happy they made me the leader at first.” he starts and jeno focuses on finding his comfy shorts. “but i thought we got along pretty okay for those first few years.”
“mark-“
“please, jeno.” mark stops him and his shoulders tense. “i know the others rely on you a lot, and it would really help me out if you could just tell me what’s wrong.”
“what’s wrong is you’re a beta.” jeno blurts, freezing in his spot and glancing at mark in the mirror.
“i thought that was it.” the elder says after a moment, looking down.
“i didn’t mean-“
“no it’s okay.” mark stands. “you know, i mentioned that when they said i’d be the leader. that you’d have a hard time following me, a beta.” he looks at jeno. “being a beta doesn’t make me any less capable, jeno.”
“mark-“
“it’s fine. i get it.” he says before leaving the room and he’s out of the dorm before jeno can even think to follow him.
——
practice gets even more difficult, mark ignoring him instead of criticizing him and jeno starts to think he maybe preferred the latter.
he tells renjun what happens and the omega smacks him before pulling him into his arms.
“you’re an idiot, jen.”
“i know.” jeno sighs. “i don’t know what to do.”
“have you tried talking to him again?”
“not since.” jeno shakes his head. “i’m pretty sure he’d just avoid it.”
“try and talk to him. maybe-“
“talking to mark is the absolute last thing i want to do.”
“for the sake of our group, jeno, i hope you ditch your stupid pride and talk to our leader.” renjun huffs, standing and walking away.
their first performances for their new album go by quickly and jeno gets lost in the feeling, only realizing how sour his scent has been when he catches renjun, jisung, and donghyuck cowering in the corner before their third performance.
“mark.” jeno says quietly, the beta looking up at him from his phone. he looks tired, bags under his eyes barely hidden by makeup and eyelids drooping from sitting too long. “can we talk?” he asks, mark clearing his throat and nodding.
“sure.” he mumbles, standing and following the alpha from the room. they make their way to the vending machines, standing next to them. “what’s up, jeno?” mark asks, carefully rubbing at his eye.
“is your eye bothering you?“ jeno asks and the beta sighs.
“my contact is dry, but the makeup artists won’t let me take it out.” mark shakes his head. “what do you want to talk about?“
“look, mark, i’m sorry for what i said. i didn’t mean to make it seem like you’re lesser or any less capable because you’re a beta.” he says the last part quietly as someone passes. “i just have a hard time suppressing my alpha.”
“i know you do, jeno. you’ve been an alpha so long and you weren’t taught not to rely on it. i understand why you don’t listen to me, it’s just frustrating because it makes me feel like a bad leader.”
“oh mark-“
“don't-“ he holds one hand up, the other returning to his eye. “i don’t want your pity, jeno.”
“you’re not a bad leader, mark.” jeno huffs. “the others really look up to you.”
“they look up to you, too.” mark says, groaning softly. jeno reaches up and pulls his hand down, lacing their fingers together.
“come on, we gotta fix your contact.” he says, dragging mark to the bathroom. “you have your case?” he asks and mark nods, fishing it out of his pocket. they both wash their hands and work together to remove mark’s contact, dropping it into the solution as mark sighs in relief. his eye waters and he digs through his pocket again before pulling out a bottle of eye drops. jeno takes it and tilts his head back, gently dripping the saline into his eye.
“that’s perfect, jeno. thank you.” mark sighs, jeno handing him some toilet paper to dab around his eye so he doesn’t mess up his makeup. mark turns and they make eye contact, the beta’s hand falling to his side. “do you hate me, jeno?” he asks and the boy in question frowns.
“of course not.” jeno brushes away mark’s hair where it had fallen into his eyes. “why would you think i hate you?”
“this is the first time we’ve been alone together since we last spoke. any other time you won’t come near me without renjun, like at the practice behind shooting.” jeno winces, not knowing mark had noticed. “i’ve tried everything i know to figure out why you hate me but-“
“i don’t hate you, mark.” jeno interrupts him. he takes a deep breath, eyes still locked with the beta. “i- i don’t. i couldn’t.” he admits and mark falls silent, both of them just staring.
“you two ready?” a voice asks and they turn to meet their manager’s eyes. “what happened to your eye, mark?”
“my contact was dry, jeno helped me fix it.” he says and jeno doesn’t miss the bewildered look the elder alpha gives him. “i’m ok now, i could probably put it back in-“
“we don’t have time-“
“can’t he just perform in his glasses?” jeno interrupts, both men staring at him.
“you must really hate me, jeno.” mark jokes and he holds his hands up.
“i was just suggesting.”
“put your contact back in. and hurry.” their manager says before leaving, jeno holding the case while mark puts his contact back in.
“better?” the alpha asks.
“much.” mark nods, blinking a few times. “let’s go.” he drags jeno from the bathroom and he doesn’t miss the look renjun gives him as they join the others.
the change is immediate and by the end of the week he and mark are sitting next to each other on the small couch in their green room, jeno’s hand gently rubbing mark’s back as he talks to the camera. he pulls it away to return to his game and mark turns to him with a frown, moving to throw his arm around his shoulders to watch him play. chenle starts to distract them both by talking about food, jeno smiling softly when mark echoes his own answer for size. he reaches out to tug gently on mark’s earlobe while he talks to chenle, mark chuckling softly and moving away from him.
“you and mark get along well these days.” renjun comments, jeno humming. they’re back on the balcony, arms loosely hugging the rails as they look over the city. “you smell a lot better, too.”
“how often do i stink?“
“when you two weren’t talking all you did was stink.” renjun scoffs, smacking jeno’s knee gently.
“how’s yangyang?” the alpha asks after a moment and the omega’s scent sweetens immediately. “ah, so it’s like that.”
“it’s not-“ he huffs, face turning red. “it’s not like that. ” he mumbles, jeno turning to him with a smile.
“i’m glad you’re happy. he’s a good kid.”
“don’t go all big brother alpha on me now.” renjun protests, jeno laughing.
“alright, alright.” they go silent, staring out through the rails.
“i’m really happy you two are getting along.” renjun says after a beat of silence. “hyuck and jisung too.”
“is jisung-“
“we don’t know.” renjun interrupts. “something is going on, but we don’t know what yet. he seems fine overall, but his scent is changing every day. even our manager and the others aren’t sure.” he sighs, leaning his face on the railing. “yang thinks he’s presenting late like he did, but we can’t be sure yet.” jeno hums, deciding to drop the subject when he notices how distressed the omega is becoming. they sit in silence for another few minutes before the door slides open, both of them turning to look.
“hey, can i steal you away for a moment?” mark asks quietly, eyes darting between them.
“sure, what do you need?” renjun asks, standing.
“i- uh.” he clears his throat, looking at jeno. “i was actually talking to jeno.” he mumbles and renjun makes a soft ‘ah’ sound.
“alright.” he smiles. “i’ll step back inside, he’s all yours.” the omega leaves and mark takes his spot on the ground, sitting next to jeno.
“what’s up?” the alpha asks, mark sighing.
“nothing really.” he admits after a moment. “just feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“why didn’t you ask hyuck?”
“he’s so preoccupied with sungie, i don’t want to bother him.” mark rubs his face. “and renjun is great but… i don’t know.” he looks at the alpha. “kinda want someone to tell me i’m being a little bitch and shouldn’t be the leader because i’m beta.”
“mark-“
“i’m kidding.” the beta chuckles softly, looking down. “i wasn’t lying when i said i brought it up.” he says quietly. “i told them i was worried about being the leader of a group with such a strong alpha.” jeno opens his mouth to speak but closes it, looking forward instead. “you surprised me at first, with how well we got along.”
“you’re not too bad of a guy, and we were young. i looked at you like a brother.”
“and now?”
“i don’t know. with you gone, the others really looked up to me a lot.” jeno taps his fingers against the railing. “i was a good, formidable leader. the alpha.” he takes a deep breath, slowly letting it out.
“you’re still the alpha, jen.” mark smiles. “you’re our alpha. just because you aren’t the leader doesn’t mean you aren’t the alpha.”
“i know.” jeno smiles, looking at the older boy. “i know that now. back at the end of last year i would’ve had a fit if you had told me that.”
“i know.” mark chuckles, ruffling the alpha’s hair. “i’m glad we’re good again.”
“me too.” jeno admits. “me too.”
——
it’s in the weeks before their next promotions start that jisung’s body catches up to whatever it was doing and he presents mid-practice. donghyuck and chenle carry him out while jeno clings to renjun, inhaling his scent and ignoring the maknae thrashing in the other two’s arms. he’s an omega, presenting late just like yangyang said.
“well.” mark says after a few beats of silence, jaemin patting his shoulder. jeno doesn’t lift his head from renjun’s but does move his eyes to the other two, pulling them both into the hug.
it takes jisung a week and a half to return to the group, entering the practice room with a sheepish smile. they all practically tackle him in a hug, jeno pushing the others away to pull the new omega into his arms. jisung melts into him and he squeezes him tightly, pressing his face into his neck. they stand there for who knows how long, until someone clears their throat.
“that’s enough, jen. you can scent him when we get home, right now we need to get back to practice.” renjun says and jeno pulls back with a sigh, smiling at the youngest boy.
“thanks, hyung. i, i really needed that.” he says, jeno grinning. they turn around and start practice over, mood on one hundred as they enjoy the maknae’s presence.
they’re playing in the water for the track video and jeno can’t help but gravitate his way into mark’s orbit, grabbing him and splashing him. he and renjun grab onto either side of the beta and drag him through the water before they begin splashing and playing - all for the camera, of course. the three of them duck under the water for the video, coming up with laughter and spitting out mouthfuls of water as they shake their hair out of their faces.
mark’s still catching his breath and fixing his hair when jeno comes up behind him and pushes him back under the water, the beta gasping and turning to tackle him back as soon as he’s out of the water.
after a few more shots they get out of the water to get warm and dry off but jeno still can’t keep his hands off of the eldest, hugging his waist as they each wait their turns for the shower.
“jeno, i’m already cold-“
“we gotta share body heat, hyung.” jeno whines softly and mark freezes.
“you haven’t called me hyung in a while, jen.” he says and jeno shrugs, smiling.
“i guess i haven’t.” he says, pressing his face into mark’s neck. “but i’m cold, so cuddle me.” he complains and mark relents, pulling him closer. they stay like that until their turns come, both of them rushing to the showers to warm up.
jeno doesn’t get the chance to stick to mark’s side in the second half of filming, the other boy busy doing his own thing as jeno is doing the same. he doesn’t realize how much he wants to be at mark’s side until they’re piling into the van and he nearly shoves chenle aside in order to sit next to the eldest beta. mark laughs at him and hugs his shoulders, pulling him close and patting his chest.
renjun confronts him at home after their first stage, pulling him into his room as the others move to shower and change.
“what, junnie?” he asks, tired.
“why are you suddenly all over mark-hyung?” he asks and jeno frowns.
“what?”
“i wasn’t going to say anything before, but you’ve been all over him. at practice, at shootings, even today at the studio.”
“i like being around him.” jeno admits, renjun raising an eyebrow.
“three months ago the mention of his name made you smell like sour milk.” he says, holding up three fingers. “now you ‘like being around him?’”
“i don’t know, jun. it’s different.”
“don’t even get me started on the music video filming, jen.” renjun says and jeno smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. he remembers wrapping both of his arms around mark’s shoulders from behind as the three of them talked to the camera, playing with the beta’s prop necklace and doing their rap together. renjun had gone along with it but didn’t spare jeno from any of his judging glances as they continued shooting.
“that was…” he trails off, not knowing how to defend himself.
“come on, jen. i think we both know what’s really going on.” renjun huffs and jeno frowns.
“mark and i are finally real friends?”
“it’s okay, jeno. i already know you’re into him, you don’t have to hide it from me.”
“into him?” jeno frowns. “he’s my friend.”
“jen. you’ve always looked up to mark, even when you guys weren’t getting along. you’ve always been a little obsessed with him. because you like him.”
“well of course i-“
“no, jeno. you like him. damn near in love with him, if i say so myself.”
“what?” jeno asks, heart racing as he stares at the omega.
“oh my god , jeno. and i thought mark was oblivious.”
“i’m not-“
“you are.” renjun interrupts, patting his shoulder. “you just don’t know it yet.” and with that he’s gone, leaving both jeno’s mind and heart running a mile a minute.
——
they’re in a slump period, not much happening besides practicing old songs and touching up old vocals, life slowing down into a repetitive motion for the dream members. mark and donghyuck, however, don’t even get a moment to breathe as they’re thrust from schedule to schedule with both units, wearing them so absolutely thin that donghyuck finds refuge in the dream dorms on his one final day off. jeno has early morning schedules so he offers the boy his bed, teasingly telling him not to make it stink too bad.
it’s just his absolute luck that when he returns, his room is full of omega stench from donghyuck going into heat in his bed.
“in hindsight, an alpha’s bed is probably not where he needed to be.” renjun says and jeno sighs, nodding.
“you can come stay with me?” chenle offers and jeno shakes his head.
“mark already offered to let me stay with him. since he shares a room with their manager, and he probably doesn’t sleep much anyway.”
“oh, you’re staying with mark?” renjun asks and jeno glares at him out of the corner of his eye. the omega giggles softly, shaking his head.
“you can’t take any clothes, can you? since hyuck stenched them all up.” chenle says and jeno shakes his head.
“jaem and i will wash them.” renjun says. “you get going to the upper floor before your scent gets any worse.” he says and jeno does as he’s told, heading out of their dorm.
it’s taeil who opens the door, grinning at him.
“jeno!” he coos, hugging the young boy close. jeno takes a deep breath, enjoying the eldest’s scent. “i forgot mark said you’d be staying with us until they get hyuck’s scent out of your room.”
“yeah, mark offered to let me stay with you guys.” he smiles, taking a final whiff of taeil’s scent before pulling back.
“you stink of hyuckie, so go wash up. you and mark are the same size, right?”
“i think so.”
“if nothing else you can borrow some of jaehyun’s things. he won’t mind.” taeil ushers him towards the bathroom and he goes willingly. mark’s in his room when he enters, freshly washed and in some of mark’s clothes. his shorts are a little snug on his thighs but overall they fit well, and jeno likes wearing them.
“hey.” jeno greets and mark looks over his phone at him.
“hey jen.” he smiles and jeno crawls into his arms, hugging him with a sigh. “you okay?”
“my head kind of hurts.” he says, mark humming.
“i see.” he says. jeno let’s out a soft groan when he feels fingers in his hair, gently massaging his scalp. the alpha relaxes in his hold, nuzzling closer to him and hugging his waist tighter. “jeno?” he whispers and the younger hums softly in reply, mark chuckling. “don’t worry about it. rest up.” he says and jeno doesn’t manage a reply before he’s drifting.
he wakes alone in mark’s bed, nuzzling closer to the pillows and wishing aimlessly mark could leave some sort of a scent for him to keep. he supposes the lingering smell of his shampoo is enough, green apple scented and making jeno’s body tingle.
he realizes what he’s doing midway through scenting mark’s pillow but his alpha won’t let him stop, not until he’s covered every inch of the piece of cloth. mark probably won’t even be able to smell it but he can’t stop himself, curling into a ball once he’s finished. he has the urge to scent the rest of mark’s pillows and the entire bed but forces himself to feel satisfied with the one, pressing his face into a fresh pillow to inhale the artificial scent of green apples.
mark (and the others) return home sweaty and flushed, jeno looking up from the beta’s bed when he walks in.
“hey jen.” he says and jeno smiles.
“how was practice?” the younger asks and mark sighs.
“exhausting. we’re all just here to shower and get cleaned up before we head to do some recording for our next comeback.”
“already?”
“yeah, it’s next month.” mark groans, stopping digging through his dresser to stand there for a moment. jeno stands and walks up behind him, gripping his shoulders and digging his fingers in gently. the beta groans, hanging his head and pushing back into jeno’s hands.
“mark.” jeno whispers and the elder hums, the alpha not letting up the pressure on the knots in his back. “i have a strange thing to ask you.”
“ask away.” mark answers breathlessly, jeno moving his hands down his sides instead to work on his mid to lower back. jeno’s silent for a moment before he leans forward, so close he’s sure mark can feel his breath on his damn skin. “jeno-“
“can i scent you?” he finally blurts, mark crying out as he presses into a particularly tender spot. he turns around in the alpha’s hold and frowns at him, titling his head.
“right now? i’m all sweaty and stinky.”
“yeah.” jeno breathes. “that’s- yeah. that’s perfect.” he nods and the elder raises an eyebrow.
“sure, jen.” he says, leaning back against his dresser. jeno plants his hands on his hips and leans forward, nosing along his shoulder before pressing his face into his neck. mark doesn’t normally have a very strong scent, but like this jeno can inhale every bit of his natural musk and he presses closer quickly, feeling mark’s hands settle hesitantly on his shoulders. the alpha tries to keep himself in check but can barely control himself as he nuzzles closer, whining softly into the elder’s skin. he feels mark’s breath pick up as his lips graze his skin and suddenly jeno has no self control, lips parting and tongue flicking out to taste the beta before he clamps down and sucks. mark makes an indescribable sound and grips jeno’s shoulders tightly, only serving to spur the alpha on further.
“hey mark you- oh.” suddenly jeno is across the room, both his and mark’s faces flushed red as they look at jungwoo . “um. showers all yours, man.” he says and mark nods, the elder beta backing out. he and jeno meet eyes for a split second before the alpha decides to book it, grabbing his phone from the nightstand and running out of the dorm.
-
“oh my god, jeno lee!” renjun shouts and jeno clamps his head between his knees, hugging them tightly. he rocks back and forth, chest heaving as he finds himself seconds from tears. renjun tries to comfort him by rubbing his back and even pushes out layers of his relaxing pheromones but jeno can’t calm down, still shaking in the midst of his near-panic attack. “jen.” he says quietly, gently petting the alpha’s back and letting his scent fade into wafts instead of blankets. this calms him immensely and he stops rocking within a few minutes. “i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have shouted.” the omega apologizes and jeno takes a couple of deep breaths before lifting his head.
“i fucked up, jun.” he whispers, renjun pulling him into his arms. jeno goes easily, nuzzling into the omega’s neck where he finally breaks into tears.
he and renjun are the only ones in the dorm - with donghyuck out for his heat and jisung and jaemin staying with chenle - so he doesn’t hold back, sobbing loudly into renjun’s neck as the omega holds him tightly.
“i can never see him again.” he whimpers after crying for a solid thirty minutes. renjun rubs his back but doesn’t offer any words of comfort, rubbing the fingers of his other hand through the alpha’s hair.
“maybe you should take a relaxing bath.” he whispers and jeno sniffles. “use some of donghyuck’s bubble bath, i’ll buy him more.”
“maybe you’re right.” he nods. “would it be weird if i asked you to come with me?”
“yes.” renjun chuckles. “but i’ll do it for you, my favorite idiot.” he ruffles jeno’s hair and helps the alpha to his feet. “i’ll give you some time to let it sink in, but you should talk to mark. i’m not saying right now.” he interrupts himself when jeno opens his mouth. “but sometime soon. when it’s time. you’ll know.” he smiles. “i’m sure he’ll understand.”
“maybe.” jeno whispers, hugging renjun one more time l before heading towards the bathroom.
-
mark is indescribably sexy in their next music video and halloween approaches all too fast, all without contact between mark and jeno. jeno can’t bring himself to face the other, turning and walking away anytime he’s in the same room.
when the halloween party rolls around, jeno finds himself glad he managed to convince jaemin to do the matching costumes, sitting at the table to start making the baskets. jaemin pulls chenle’s name and jeno opens his with full confidence, heart dropping when he reads it through his mask.
“mark!” he says with fake enthusiasm even though his heart is in his stomach.
“i’ll put lots of things chenle likes.” jaemin says sweetly, jeno chuckling.
“i’ll just put whatever i want.” he says despite knowing he’s going to put his everything into this small halloween bucket.
“you’re taking so long to choose.” jaemin teases and jeno bites back a retort, teeth digging into his tongue.
“this is important.” is the only thing he says, still sifting through the baskets of candy. he starts throwing handfuls after decorating, dreading writing the card. he stuffs it all into the basket and hands it off, tired of looking at it.
“oh, we’re opening these on camera?” he asks when he and jaemin are handed their baskets, heart pounding. he thinks about his note to mark and hopes the beta doesn’t read it aloud.
he watches mark’s reaction the day it’s uploaded, watching him read the acrostic poem and donghyuck call him ‘no fun.’ he watches until jungwoo appears, sighing in relief that mark didn’t read the rest of it on camera. he looks up when there’s a knock on the door, calling for whoever to come in. he sits up and nearly drops his phone when he meets mark’s eyes, the beta shutting the door before simply standing in front of it.
“hey jen.” he smiles and jeno can’t help but stare, a million thoughts running through his mind. “i got your note.”
“i’m glad.” jeno says, clearing his throat. mark slowly approaches his bed and sits at the foot facing jeno.
“i suppose we should talk.” he says and jeno nods, taking a deep breath. “don’t, okay?” mark says before he can blurt anything out and he looks up at him. “i don’t want you to apologize or tell me it was a mistake. i want you to tell me how you feel, and why you did it. i’m not mad, i’m not upset. if it really was a mistake, that’s fine. just don’t, don’t say something you don’t mean.”
“i didn’t mean for it to go that far.” jeno finally says, voice quiet. “you just- your scent is so faint, and you were fresh out of practice so i knew i could smell you and-“ he stops. “i am sorry, and i didn’t mean for it to be that much. i just wanted to smell you.” he hangs his head for a moment, feeling fingers lightly tilt his head up.
“jeno.” mark says and jeno hums. “you scented my pillows, and damn near my whole bed.”
“i’m so sorry, i-“
“it’s okay.” mark interrupts. “you don’t scent anyone else’s things, not even renjun or jisung’s, and you don’t ask to scent any of the others.” he points out and jeno nods. “why me?”
“mark, i-“ he stops, sniffling and fighting back sudden tears. “i don’t know. i just want you, all the time. like when we were shooting hello future, and i hugged you. or our track videos when renjun and i dunked you under the water. it’s just you mark, i don’t-mmfh.” he’s cut off by a pair of lips gently pressing into his, melting into it before realizing who is kissing him. he yanks back to stare at mark, the beta frowning.
“i didn’t read this wrong, did i?” he asks quietly, jeno panting. “i’m really bad at picking up social cues but i’ve been talking to renjun and he said- mm.” this time jeno is the one who leans in, sliding his lips against mark’s to shut him up. “ok good.” he whispers when jeno pulls back again. the alpha chuckles, reaching out to grab mark’s hand.
“mark, i am sorry for what i did, but you’re not wrong. i like you so much, and i couldn’t control myself that day.” he whispers near the end. “i’m sorry.”
“stop apologizing.” mark says quietly, cupping jeno’s face. “i already told you i wasn’t upset, and i’m still not. i like you a lot too, jeno, and this last month has kind of been hell.”
“what do you mean?“
“taeil-hyung tried to wash my sheets and jaehyun-hyung had to hold me back from fighting him for them.” mark admits, jeno’s eyes widening. “i’ve gotten used to having you and your scent around, so my bed was all i had. even once your scent started to fade.”
“do you wanna-?”
“can i?” mark asks and jeno nods, leaning back against the headboard as mark climbs into his lap and immediately presses his face into the alpha’s neck. jeno follows suit, inhaling what he can catch of mark’s scent as his arms snake around his waist to pull him close. mark shudders lightly, lips brushing the alpha’s skin and making him shiver.
“mark-“ he starts but the beta shushes him, sliding his hand through jeno’s hair. “mark i can’t-“ the beta interrupts him again, this time with his own mouth as he presses an insistent kiss to his lips. jeno makes a small noise of surprise but pulls the other closer using his leverage on his hips.
“hey jen-oh.” the two rip themselves apart to face renjun, the omega crossing his arms over his chest and smirking at them. “do you two have something to say to me?” he asks and the two on the bed share a look. they burst into laughter that renjun joins, shaking his head. “you two are impossible and owe me. yeah?”
“of course, junnie.” jeno smiles, arms still hugging mark’s waist. renjun hums in satisfaction before leaving, mark crawling back into jeno’s lap. and kissing him again.
——
jeno isn’t told who will be in the unit for the title track, walking into the practice room completely blind. he’s happy when he sees jaemin and donghyuck already there, as well as shotaro and yangyang. dejun, jungwoo, and doyoung all filter in next, the eldest rushing to envelope jeno in a hug.
“how’s renjunnie?” he asks.
“he’s good.” jeno smiles, patting doyoung’s back. it’s just them for a few so they start with the opening movements, the choreographers and manager talking quietly.
“are we missing someone?” doyoung asks after a moment, looking around. “aren’t there supposed to be nine of us?” just then the door opens and they all turn, jeno fighting a smile as his heart skips a beat.
“mark-hyung!” shotaro shouts, running to hug the older boy. mark laughs and hugs him back, shaking his head.
“hey taro.” he says, letting the smaller boy go and heading towards the rest of the lineup. “sorry i’m late, what did i miss?”
“nothing yet.” jeno smiles as mark hooks his arm around his neck and pats his chest. he’s not sure who all from this group knows about their relationship, but based on the look doyoung sends them he figures the oldest boy knows.
they spend nearly a full day learning the new choreo, until donghyuck and shotaro are curled up in the corner and mark has his head in jeno’s lap, passed out on the hard floor of the practice room. jaemin, dejun, and jungwoo are also asleep on the floor, not cuddling but still all crammed in the same corner as doyoung and yangyang chat sleepily in the other. their manager had left for a few and their choreographer let them have a ‘break’ that most of them chose to use to catch up on missed rest.
jeno cards his fingers through mark’s damp hair, sighing softly. he wishes the beta could get some real rest, not just small naps between practices and recordings. it’s barely even been a month since his last comeback that was even closer to the previous one and jeno can tell he’s burning out, even though he doesn’t want anyone to see it. he’s sure if his scent was stronger he could smell it on him, just as he can with donghyuck, which is why shotaro is the only one who is curled up next to him.
“alright you guys.” the choreographer announces and mark lets out a soft whine from jeno’s lap, the alpha pouting softly.
“can’t we have just a moment longer?” he asks quietly, the older man turning to face them. “you know mark works hard, he just needs another minute. please?”
“just a few months ago i thought you two hated each other.” he comments and jeno gives a sheepish smile as the other checks his watch. he looks over the rest of the sleeping members and sighs. “it’s getting late, why don’t all of you go home and get some rest. you’ll feel better, and quite frankly the room will smell better.”
“thank you.” jeno smiles, looking back down at mark.
“thanks.” yangyang says softly as he makes to leave, nudging jeno’s leg with his foot.
“for what?”
“if you hadn’t said anything we’d still be dancing. so thanks, for taking care of him. and us.” he smiles before walking away and it’s honestly the nicest thing he’s heard an alpha say to another alpha.
“you want help getting him home?” doyoung asks and jeno shakes his head with a sigh.
“we’ll be alright. we’re closer to the dream dorms anyway.”
“true.” doyoung ruffles his hair. “you guys get some good rest.”
“you too, hyung.” he says. soon, it’s just he and mark left alone with a couple of staff, jeno gently waking the beta.
“huh?“ he asks, lifting his head. “is the break over?”
“we’re heading home, markie.” he says quietly. “come on.”
“home? did i sleep that long?”
“jeno was gracious enough to ask for a few extra minutes of rest for you.” the choreographer teases. “so i just sent you guys off. you all need the rest anyway.”
“oh.” he sits up with a groan, stretching. “for me, jen?“ he asks with a smile, jeno’s face flushing.
“of course.” he smiles back, stroking mark’s cheek before standing and pulling him to his feet. “the dream dorms are closer, just come home with me?”
“sure.” he smiles, taking jeno’s hand and leading him out of the room. “what really happened?” he asks as they’re walking and jeno frowns.
“what do you mean?”
“why’d he send us all home?”
“he tried to get us all back up, but you and the others were still sleeping. so i asked if we could have another moment or two and he decided to let us go.” jeno shrugs, mark smiling.
“you’re so good to me, jen.” he says, hugging the alpha’s arm.
~
“mark talks about you.” is the first thing taeyong says when he shows up for recording, jeno frowning.
“what?” he asks, confused. the elder alpha laughs and hugs him.
“i feel like i see you everyday, mark talks about you so much.” he says and jeno can feel his face flush.
“i don’t know what to say, hyung.”
“you don’t have to say anything.” he shrugs, tugging jeno into the studio where mark is recording. he hovers in the doorway as he watches the beta, holding the lyrics in front of his face as he raps into the mic. jeno can practically feel the dopey smile on his own face as he watches, completely enraptured by the older boy.
“oh, jeno.” the producer says after mark’s verse, the beta’s head lifting towards the window.
“jeno?” he asks into the mic, jeno chuckling softly.
“hi hyung.” he says and mark’s face lights up, jeno grinning.
“look at him.” taeyong says and the younger alpha laughs.
“just take a seat and you’ll go after TY, alright?” the producer says and jeno nods, sitting next to taeyong on the couch as mark goes over a few adlibs.
“what’s your relationship?” taeyong asks quietly and jeno sighs.
“i’m not sure, to be honest.” he admits, taeyong making a soft noise of understanding. jeno doesn’t offer any more details and taeyong doesn’t push, even as mark leaves the booth and falls into jeno’s lap. he pushes his face into the alpha’s neck and taeyong pats them both on the shoulder before heading into the booth himself.
“you smell like ten-hyung.” he mumbles, jeno smiling.
“yeah, i ran into him in the hall on my way in.” he rubs mark’s back gently. “you feeling okay?”
“i guess.” mark mumbles.
“do you wanna talk about it?”
“not in front of everyone.”
“what are you doing after recording?”
“more recording.” mark grunts into jeno’s neck. “yong-hyung and i have to stay for our song.” he sniffs. “yuta-hyung too.”
“i’m sorry.” jeno whispers, resting his head on mark’s shoulder.
“i’ll be okay. you’re helping a lot just like this.” he admits.
they sit like that the entire time it takes taeyong to do his recording, mark whining sleepily but climbing off of jeno’s lap when he needs to. jeno doesn’t want to let him go but has to make his way into the booth to record his parts. he can see mark through the glass but tries to ignore him, focusing on the paper in front of him. he stops suddenly when he sees the producer start talking and then mark trudge out of the room, watching him go.
“is mark okay?” he asks and the producer nods.
“he’s distracting you too much, so he and taeyong are gonna go grab food while we finish up with you.” he says and jeno sighs, nodding.
he finds mark once the beta is done with his next recording, curled up in the corner of the hallway.
“mark.” he says softly, kneeling next to him. the elder looks up with wet cheeks and jeno sighs, sitting next to him and pulling him into his arms. “you’re too overworked, you can’t let them do this to you.” he whispers. mark doesn’t reply, just presses his face into his shirt and sobs quietly.
~
jeno is surprised how lively mark looks when he enters the set to shoot their track video, the elder walking over to him and hugging his shoulders. they haven’t seen each other since that day in the studio and mark is a completely different person, all smiles and jokes as they film. jeno enjoys the energy, glad mark is feeling better, and finds himself getting lost in mark’s improved attitude. so lost, in fact, that he nearly leans forward and kisses him on camera. not only the ones rolling to capture the ‘behind the scenes’ but the ones in their faces recording for the video. mark notices and a bright grin spreads on his face, both of them playing it off and continuing shooting. mark does grab his shoulders and pull them together, jeno’s hand moving to wrap around his waist before falling to simply rest behind him. the director calls cut and they both break into laughter, jeno falling against the car and hiding his face.
“what the hell, jen?” mark wheezes, the alpha shaking his head.
after they film, they’re stuck back at rehearsal but mark seems to still be in good shape, playing around with donghyuck and yangyang as their instructor covers some key points of the dance with dejun and jaemin. jeno is under doyoung’s arm as he watches, feeling the older boy nuzzle lightly into his hair.
“mark is starting to smell like you.” he comments, jeno humming.
“is he?”
“yeah.” the omega chuckles. “taeil says your scent follows him around the apartment. it’s kinda cute, actually. i can smell you during practice.” he laughs and jeno grins, secretly proud of how much mark smells like him. “have you two made it official?”
“not quite.” jeno sighs, eyes still glued to the light haired beta.
“why not?”
“no reason, really. haven’t had time, i guess. he’s a busy guy.”
“i guess he is.” doyoung chuckles. “you should, though. as a beta he doesn’t think he belongs with an alpha.”
“what?” jeno frowns, looking up at the elder.
“the longer you take to make it official, the more he’s going to feel like he doesn’t belong to you.” doyoung steps back. “more importantly, that you don’t belong to him.” he adds before jogging over to dejun and jaemin. jeno feels his heart racing, jumping when he’s run into.
“hey jen.” mark giggles and jeno smiles, hugging him when he opens his arms. the older boy nuzzles close to him, face pressed into his neck. the alpha presses his face into his hair, pressing a subtle kiss there and pulling him closer.
“alright everyone, back in formation.” the instructor calls and mark whines as he extracts himself from jeno’s arms to head back to the center of the room.
“mark?” jeno asks later, he and the older boy up late playing video games at the dream dorm.
“what’s up?” he hums, frowning as the alpha pauses the game. he tilts his head to the side to look at jeno, the younger keeping his eyes straight forward. “you okay?” he asks, turning around and straddling his lap. “jen you’re scaring me-“
“mark you know how i feel about you, right?” the alpha finally gets out, the other boy frowning.
“of course i do, jen. what’s wrong?” he cups jeno’s face and they finally lock eyes.
“i’ve just been thinking about something doyoung hyung said to me earlier.” he says, hands settling on mark’s waist as he averts his eyes again.
“you’re worried over something doyoung said?” mark asks, incredulous. “he’s as bad as jaehyun, you shouldn’t listen to a word he says.”
“he says that the longer we take to make it official, the more you’ll feel like you don’t belong with me.” jeno bites his lip, glancing up at mark. “and the less you’ll feel like i belong to you.”
“jeno-“
“and i want you to know that i’m yours, mark. for the rest of time, i’m yours.”
“i know that.” mark chuckles, hands still framing jeno’s jaw. “you should really talk to doyoung-hyung less.” he teases, jeno swatting his leg gently.
“i’m being serious.”
“i know you are.” mark smiles. “i like you a lot, jeno lee, and i’m not letting you go anywhere. not anytime soon.”
“i’m never letting you go.” jeno says and the beta grins.
“good,” he whispers, leaning in and kissing his alpha.
——
their first stage together comes sooner than anticipated and jeno finds himself digging his thumbs into mark’s shoulders in the minutes before, the elder boy on his phone with headphones in. he looks up and offers jeno the other, the alpha refusing with a soft smile as he sits next to him. mark smiles and takes his hand, turning back to his phone and simply holding onto the younger boy until a staff member hands jeno a bottle of lotion.
“use this.” she says and jeno nods, thanking her.
“you okay?”
“my arm’s been bothering me. it’s nothing.” jeno hums, applying a small amount to the outside of his left arm. mark hums and takes his hand again after, both of them relaxing in silence.
the stages aren’t too stressful and go by quickly, wrapping up their ‘end of year’ promotions with the final new year's concert. jeno knows that he and the rest of dream have another full album to prepare for but for new year’s, he lets it go and lets go .
jisung is at chenle’s again, renjun’s spending the night with yangyang, and jaemin had made himself scarce at jeno’s insistence so he and mark have the dorm to themselves. it’s one in the morning on new year’s day and they’re both a little tipsy, kissing leisurely in jeno’s bed when the alpha finds his hands wandering, sliding under mark’s baggy shirt to touch the bare skin of his chest and back.
“what’re you doing?” mark asks, small smile on his lips.
“wanna touch you all over.” jeno mutters, pulling him back in with a hand cupping his face. mark mumbles something into the kiss that jeno doesn’t bother deciphering, pushing the elders shirt up more and wrapping his hands around his waist to press his palms to his back.
“jeno-“ he says and the younger shushes him softly, sliding his hands down and over the globes of mark’s ass until he can grip his thighs and pull him up more. “fuck, jen-“ he pants, pressing his face into jeno’s neck before pulling back.
“what?” he asks, also out of breath.
“if you’re going for what i think you’re going for, you know i’m down. but should we talk about-“
“no.” jeno interrupts. “just kiss me.”
“jeno-“
“hyung.” he whines, mark sighing and leaning back down to reconnect their lips. they kiss a little longer before jeno’s hands start to wander again, slipping under the hem the briefs mark’s wearing and the elder yanks back.
“jeno-“
“come on, hyung.”
“i told you i’m down, jen. i just wanna talk first.”
“about what?” jeno pushes his hand up one leg of the briefs, mark’s ass pushing against the fabric and stretching it. “i’m never going to be able to wear these again, mark.”
“about how we wanna do this. you know you can’t knot me.”
“i know.” jeno nods. he’s thought about it countless times, in the shower or in this very bed with his fingers wrapped around his knot and wishing it could be mark. “doesn’t mean i don’t want you.” he pulls his hands back up to mark’s hips. “would you rather fuck me?” he asks and mark chokes, sitting up and coughing into the collar of his shirt. jeno runs his hands over the bare skin of his thighs as he coughs, waiting for him to finish.
“ fuck, jeno, you can’t just say stuff like that?”
“why not? it’s just us here.”
“because you’re going to be the death of me.” mark mutters, leaning in for another kiss. “if you can promise to control yourself and not try to knot me, i want you to fuck me.”
“mark, i would never hurt you.” jeno cups his face. “even in the midst of sex.”
“alright.” mark smiles. “i actually fingered myself this morning so-“ it’s jeno turn to choke, sitting up so fast he nearly head butts the elder.
“and you talk about my mouth.” he wheezes, mark laughing as he slides off of the alpha’s lap and reaches to pull the shirt off. jeno stops him, eyes boring into his. “leave it. please?”
“i can’t believe i’m with one of those alphas.” mark snorts, jeno pushing forward to tackle him to the bed.
“one of what alphas?”
“possessive. make me wear your shirt during sex.”
“i’ll fuck you so good you won’t think about wearing anything but my clothes.” jeno whispers before capturing mark’s lips in a deep kiss, the beta groaning and threading his fingers through his hair. jeno tugs his own shirt off before hooking his fingers into the waistband of mark’s briefs and pulling them down, over his ass and down his legs until he can throw them to the floor. he grabs his lube while mark adjusts his position, pulling his knees up and spreading his thighs for the alpha to get back between. jeno groans when he does, fingers finding mark’s stretched hole.
“i told you i- ah!” mark squeaks when jeno slides two fingers in, crooking them up with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “you’re the wo-worst.” he huffs, jeno laughing and scissoring his fingers apart. he and mark have similarly sized hands but he’s sure that based on the angle, he can push up further into him than the boy can himself and soon he’s writhing. “j-jen-jeno!” he whines, jeno grinning in satisfaction. he pushes another finger in and spreads them around for a moment before pulling back and stripping the rest of the way.
“are you ready, markie?” he asks, mark nodding as he pants.
“i’m so ready, jen. i’ve wanted this for so long.” he says and jeno freezes where he’s hovering over him.
“how long?” he asks, fingers frozen on his own cock.
“longer than you realize.”
“how long.” jeno leans over him, caging him in with arms on either side of his head. “tell me. please.”
“when you wore that- that top.” mark starts, running his arms down jeno’s bare arms. “they put a jacket over it but it had so many holes in it.” he brushes his fingers over the alpha’s nipples, biting his lip.
“are you talking about back when we filmed hot sauce?” jeno ask, mark nodding. “mark we weren’t even- i didn’t talk to you then.”
“didn’t stop me from wanting you.” mark shrugs. “still want you. are you going to fuck me?”
“yeah. yeah.” jeno shakes his head and sits back, fingers going back to slicking up his dick before he lines up with mark’s entrance. “you good?”
“yeah, i’m ready.” he nods, gasping when jeno pushes the head through. “don’t stop.” mark says when jeno freezes and the alpha pushes until his hips are snug against the elder’s ass. “fuck.” he whispers, jeno squeezing his thighs gently.
“are you okay?”
“you feel amazing, jen. just give me a minute.” he says and jeno nods, leaning in and kissing him gently. mark pulls him even closer, whining into his mouth as he deepens the kiss. “you can move, just be-“
“careful. i know, baby.” jeno smiles, mark gaping at him before grinning. it falls from his face when jeno makes his first thrust, tangling his fingers back into his hair and pulling with a soft groan. jeno shudders at the feeling, slowly pulling out and pushing back in.
“give me more jen.” mark whines, already gasping for breath. “come on. please?”
“only because you asked so nicely, baby.” jeno smiles, watching the pet name make mark flush even darker. he sits up and holds the elders thighs in his hands as he adjusts their position and starts thrusting faster and harder.
“jen-jen-“ mark calls and jeno bites his lip as he clenches around him.
“i’ve got you.” jeno says, leaning back down without changing his pace.
“touch me, please, jeno, i need-“ mark nearly screams when jeno wraps his fingers around his cock, hand moving at a leisure pace compared to his hips.
“are you gonna cum, baby?” jeno asks, feeling his knot start to swell.
“yeah, yeah.” mark nods, reaching up to pull jeno into another kiss.
a few more tugs to his cock and a couple of well placed thrusts have him spurting white over their chests and jeno hurries to pull out, straddling his stomach and adding his own to the mess. he cums a lot more than mark does, pumping shot after shot onto the beta’s chest as they both try to catch their breath.
“i so want that in me someday.” mark says and jeno’s cock lets out its last sad dribble of cum, the elder reaching up to wipe it off before sucking his finger into his mouth. jeno groans and slides off of him, making his way to the bathroom to grab a towel. he cleans them both up quickly before lying back down and pulling mark into his arms.
“i didn’t hurt you, did i?”
“you were great, jen.” mark smiles, leaning in and kissing him gently. jeno sighs and hugs him tighter, kissing him deeply.
——
filming their new music video is fun, even when renjun sinks his elbow into jeno’s adam’s apple not even halfway through the first day. donghyuck makes snarky comments into the camera as renjun rubs jeno’s back, apologizing quietly. jeno stands and clears his throat, groaning.
“wow.” he sighs, shaking his head. “i’m good.” he murmurs and renjun nods, deciding to attack donghyuck instead. jeno finds himself gravitating towards mark, the beta looking at him worriedly. jeno shakes his head lightly, one hand still on his throat.
they’re almost finished with their third day of shooting when mark grabs jeno’s arm, gesturing towards the door with his head. the alpha frowns and follows him, glancing around and meeting renjun’s eyes. the omega frowns and jeno gives him a small shrug before he’s out of sight. he and mark are in the dressing room and jeno shuts the door behind them, squeaking when mark grabs into his jacket and yanks him down into a kiss. he grunts softly, hands sliding around the elder’s waist as he leans in closer. all they do for a moment is kiss before jeno finds the strength to pull back.
“mark-“
“jen, i-“ mark takes a deep breath but before he can say anything else the door opens and they rip apart to face it.
“it’s your turn.” jisung says quietly, holding the gopro out to him. jeno sighs and takes it, jisung offering a slightly apologetic smile as he closes the door behind himself.
“go ahead and record. i’m done, i’ll just sit over here.” mark says, curling up in the window ledge. jeno sighs and sits in the opposite corner of the room, turning the camera on.
he monologues for a few, talking about filming and the fake snow before mark gets restless and starts moving around. jeno tries to keep his eyes on the camera but can’t help getting distracted when mark nearly rips his beanie off and throws it to the ground.
“i’ll go get back to filming now.” he smiles at the camera, covering it with his palm before shutting it off and setting it aside. he climbs into mark’s lap and kisses him again, running the fingers of one hand through his hair and framing his jaw with the other. “what do you want, markie?“
“just missed you.” mark sighs, leaning in to kiss at jeno’s neck. the alpha sighs and tips his chin back up, kissing him again. they stay locked together for a few minutes before jeno pulls back. mark has every right to feel like he does, as they haven’t really had any time to be alone in the past few weeks. “what’re you- oh.” mark squeaks when jeno presses his face into his neck, nuzzling close and petting the back of his head gently.
“we’re almost done here, baby. yeah?”
“yeah.” mark whispers.
“then we can snuggle all we want at home.”
“yeah.” mark repeats, hugging jeno closer. the alpha finishes scenting him and pulls back, giving him a smile.
“come on, let’s go back out.”
“i don’t want to.”
“come on, markie. we’re almost done, and i just scented you enough to last three days. you can do it.”
“alright.” mark relents, pressing a final kiss to jeno’s lips before pulling back. “let’s go before i change my mind.”
jisung avoids eye contact when they leave the dressing room and mark’s face flushes as he avoids their youngest omega.
“what was that?” renjun asks quietly, jeno sighing.
“just been a while since we could be alone, he was just feeling it.”
“ah, i see.” he hums and jeno nods, arms squeezing when mark falls into his arms with a groan. “god you made him smell extra strong.”
“needed it.” mark mumbles, jeno chuckling and renjun shakes his head.
“you two are unbearable. i can’t believe i helped you get together.” he flashes them a playful smile before running away, jeno calling a ‘yah!’ across the set.
“just a while longer, my love.” he says quietly, mark tensing up in his arms. he realizes what he said when the beta pulls back to look at him, staring at each other with their mouths open. they don’t get a chance to say anything else as doyoung chooses right then to make an appearance, jeno and mark sharing apprehensive looks as they interact with the omega.
they don’t actually talk about it, jeno taking a shower when they get home and coming out of the bathroom to mark gone.
“he went home.” donghyuck says.
“why didn’t you?” jeno snarks, watching him share a look with chenle.
“what’s up with you?” donghyuck asks, running after jeno as he tries to escape into his room.
“none of your business.”
“you’re being snippy, and you’re never snippy.” donghyuck points out, crawling into jeno’s bed with him. the alpha huffs but lets the omega crawl all over him until he’s comfortably laid on top of him. “tell me.” he says and for some reason, jeno does. maybe it’s because he knows mark better than any of them. or maybe it’s because he and jaehyun have been together and in love long enough jeno can’t remember what it was like before they got together - he actually does remember because donghyuck was absolutely insufferable, but that’s another topic for another day.
jeno relaxes under donghyuck’s weight, letting the omega scent him lightly.
“you’re so fucked.” he says and jeno sighs.
“i know.”
“why didn’t you just talk about it?”
“i needed a minute to think about it.” jeno rubs his eyes when he feels tears building in them.
“well do you love him?”
“i do.” jeno says, no hesitation.
“then go tell him.”
“hyuck, i can’t just-“
“yes you can. if jaehyun can track me down at practice with you guys, you can go to mark’s dorm to tell him you love him.” donghyuck huffs, standing. jeno whines softly, immediately missing him.
“can’t we just lay here a second longer?” he asks, the omega huffing.
“you’re insufferable, you know that?” he says but crawls back into jeno’s arms, letting the alpha scent him.
“thank you.” jeno mumbles after a few minutes, donghyuck sighing.
“this was nice, actually. we should do this more often.” donghyuck admits, standing and helping jeno to his feet. “if you hurt mark-“
“i won’t.” jeno interrupts. “i’m going to go tell him i love him.”
it’s jaehyun who answers the door, frown on his face.
“why do you smell like donghyuck?” he asks in lieu of a greeting.
“he helped me through something.” jeno shrugs. “is mark here?”
“you’re lucky i trust you both, otherwise that sentence would be suspicious.” jaehyun huffs. “he’s in his room, but he asked to be left alone.”
“yeah that’s my fault.” jeno bites his lip. “i need to talk to him.”
he knocks gently on mark’s door, the beta opening it with red eyes and tear stained cheeks.
“oh, mark-“
“you smell like donghyuck.”
“yeah, he-“
“you usually go to renjun. why do you smell like donghyuck?” mark sniffles.
“donghyuck found me first and you guys are close.” jeno glances around. “can i come in?”
“did you mean it?”
“mark, let me-“
“i need to know.” mark sniffles, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
“yes, mark. i mean it. all of the time. i love you.” mark chokes when he says it, throwing the door open and pulling jeno into his arms. the alpha hugs him tightly, pressing his face into the top of his head.
“i love you too, jeno.” he says, muffled by jeno’s shirt. “i love you too.” they stand in the hallway like that for a while, jeno hugging mark close and scenting him.
~
they’re in the dressing room for their stage, jeno and jisung both stuck beneath donghyuck as they record with the gopro, renjun on the other side of their maknae and chenle chiming in occasionally from in front of them. jeno moves out from under the omega and stands when he sees mark come in, stealing the camera. he smiles when mark hugs his shoulders, pretending to groan and lean away. they sit back down together, jeno pressed close to the elder. they talk about their favorite songs from the album and jeno feels his heart skip a beat when mark says his favorite song on the album is one jeno helped to write. they advertise the ‘challenge’ for their newest song and jeno smiles when renjun leans over his shoulder to get in the camera with them. his scent rolls over them and jeno nuzzles his chin into mark’s shoulder. they stop recording to perform; standing and stretching.
mark hugs him tightly after the show, pressing his face into his neck.
“snuggle me?” he asks and the alpha chuckles.
“of course, baby.” he noses behind mark’s ear, pressing a kiss there.
“i wrote it for you, you know.” jeno mumbles later, mark curled up in his arms. the beta hums in confusion, lifting his head sleepily. “it’s yours. everything i wrote, is for you.”
“jeno-“
“i love you.”
“i love you too, lee jeno.” mark smiles. “everything i write is for you.” he says before settling back down against jeno’s chest, nuzzling closer. jeno grins and runs his fingers through his hair, sighing in content.
he could get used to this.
FIN