Chapter Text
Suho has a problem. A very weird and specific problem.
All his windbreakers are missing.
Suho opens his closet and stares at the space which is completely devoid of his precious windbreakers. It is the second day this has happened and it doesn’t make any sense. He’s not an irresponsible guy- he makes sure to put his laundry in the basket and fold it when it’s dry. The problem is, he hasn’t seen them at all after putting them in the washing.
He checks the washing machine and the dryer, and they’re both empty. Taking a quick glance at the clock, he decides he doesn’t have the time to worry about this and heads to the kitchen. Making breakfast and dinner for him and his roommate is a routine Suho has gotten used to, and he really likes doing it.
The sound of familiar footsteps pulls him out of his thoughts.
Yeon Sieun. His roommate. His best friend, whom he totally does not have a crush on.
The omega shuffles into the kitchen, hair sticking up in every direction, eyes only half open, and face puffy with sleep. He looks like the cutest thing on earth. Suho suppresses his cuteness aggression attack to smile at the man.
"Good morning” he called out, stepping away from the stove to pull out a chair for him. Sieun grumbled something that sounded vaguely like a greeting and plopped down onto the chair, pressing his cheek against the table surface and closing his eyes again.
Suho fills two bowl with rice and soy marinated eggs and sets one down in front of Sieun. “Eat it before it gets cold Sieunnie” he called, and pulled the omega to sit straight before moving to sit down across him.
“Thank you for the food” Sieun says softly and picks up the chopsticks, starting to eat little by little while Suho shovels the rice in. He tried to focus on his food and not stare at Sieun with his cute fluffy cheeks and hair.
He was suddenly reminded of the windbreakers, putting the bowl down on the table. “Hey uh…” he cleared his throat. “By any chance, you haven’t seen my windbreakers around, have you?”
Sieun freezes mid chew, suddenly alert and looking up at Suho with those dark doe eyes. He shakes his head in a no after a beat. Suho smiles at him and gets up, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “Alright, finish your food Sieun-ah. Hyung will get going first.”
Sieun rolled his eyes. Ahn Suho and his hyung kink. He ducks his head and chews slowly, watching as Suho moves around the flat, gathering his things. His eyes trail after him the entire time, following the way Suho slips on his shoes and the bright smile he throws over his shoulder, followed by a finger heart before stepping out the door.
The lock clicked shut, and Sieun let out the breath he was holding and put his chopsticks down.
He was in trouble.
After locking up the front door, he walks back to his bedroom and closes the door behind him. He leaned back against the wood and sighed, closing his eyes.
The room smelled like comfort.
Pine and sandalwood mixed with his own cinnamon and chocolate scent to create the perfect haven, comforting and intoxicating all at once. He opened his eyes and stared at his nest- and there it was, the source of his nervousness for the past few days and why his heart had been hammering away when Suho had asked about the missing clothes over breakfast.
The nest was piled high with blankets, pillows and soft comforters carefully shaped into a soft cocoon, and tucked right in the middle of it for Sieun to curl into were four of the mentioned missing windbreakers. He should be removing it from his nest now. He should take them off and put them for washing and come up with an excuse for how all four of them suddenly showed up. His Suho is absentminded enough to buy it. But Sieun hated lying to him.
He walked forward and eased down at the edge of the nest, running his hand over the soft material. He was so close to heat and the thought of dismantling his perfect nest now made his stomach twist. For some reason his instincts had been relentless this time. He always did crave Suho’s scent, and especially more during his heats- a steady thrum of want he could manage. But this time it had been so bad Sieun had to resort to stealing the alpha’s clothes from the laundry basket like a desperate raccoon.
He looked at the bed once more and decided he couldn’t do it. Groaning, he buried his face in his hands.
He would just have to hope that Suho would remain unsuspecting for a while longer.
Like every other day Suho stops by the campus library with two cups of coffee in hand. One was his usual order- lots of cream and extra syrup and the other one was just how Sieun liked it- bitter and darker than the pits of hell.
Sieun was sitting at his usual table at the corner of the library, head bent over a thick book while scribbling away in his notebook. His brow was furrowed slightly in concentration.
Suho pressed the cold cup against his forehead to get his attention and set it down in front of him. “Here”
Sieun accepted the drink and offered a soft smile before going back to his notes.
They sit in silence for the most part- Sieun studying while sipping occasionally at his coffee and Suho sitting across him and watching the omega intently with hearts in his eyes, chin propped up on his hands. It was unbelievable how hyperactive and easily distracted Suho could spend hours just watching Sieun study and never get bored with it. The way his lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, the way his hair kept falling into his face while he impatiently tucked it behind his ears now and then, his plump lips closing around the straw and sipping at the coffee while his eyes remained on the book.
Half an hour passed by in silence, and Suho finally spoke up.
“Sieun-ah.”
“Hmm” The omega hummed, not looking up.
“Sieun-ahhh” Suho tried again, pouting and dragging out the nickname.
Still nothing. Suho reached out and poked at the textbook with a finger until Sieun finally sighed and looked up. “Yes?” he asked softly.
“Nothing.” Suho beamed at him.
Sieun looked at him with fond exasperation then turned the page. “Don’t be silly. Let me finish this”
But Suho was already leaning in again, laying his head down on the table and poking at the page again like a restless child. “Sieunnieeee.” he cooed.
“What is it Suho ya?” Sieun asked, giving him his full attention.
Suho grinned. “I’m going shopping later. Want to come with me?”
Sieun tenses a little. “Oh,” he mumbled, suddenly very interested in the coffee. “Shopping for what?”
“Clothes of course. I asked about it in the morning right?” he sulked. “I don’t know where I keep losing them.”
Sieun went pale and promptly choked on his coffee, sputtering and coughing.
“Sieun!” Suho was off his chair and sliding around the table to his side in a second, one hand firmly tapping him on the back.
“Are you okay?”
Sieun waved him off in between coughs, swatting his worrying hands away. “I’m fine. I’m fine”
Suho stood back, not looking very convinced.
“So, shopping.” Sieun said, eager to distract Suho. “I’ll go with you after finishing up. Meet you at the gates?”
Suho’s face lit up instantly, and gave Sieun’s shoulder a little squeeze. "Okay! I'll wait, don't forget about it, bookworm!"
Sieun nodded, and watched as Suho almost bounced his way off between the rows of the library tables.
—
As promised, Sieun meets Suho at the gate on time and Suho was waiting astride his bike, Sieun’s extra helmet dangling casually from one hand. The moment he spotted Sieun walking over, he straightened up and smiled brightly, raising an arm above his head and waving with all the enthusiasm of a golden retriever meeting his favourite human.
Sieun couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips from blooming as he walked closer.
He didn’t even blink when Suho got off the bike to slip the helmet over the omega’s head, putting it on right and fussing with the straps until they were secure, finishing up with a tap to the top of it like a seal of approval. He always insisted on doing this himself and Sieun didn’t mind. While the alpha worked, Sieun liked to tilt his head back just enough to watch the handsome lines of Suho’s face- his sharp jaw, his soft cheeks and his gentle brown eyes that smiled down at Sieun.
The shopping went by quickly. It was mostly Suho walking between the racks and getting exactly what he wanted while Sieun trailed after him like a lost puppy who didn’t know what he was doing there. He did pick out a few colors that looked good on Suho at his insistence for an opinion, mostly to engage Sieun in the activity.
In the end they walked out of the shop with a jacket for Sieun as well which he insisted on buying as well because Sieun only had ‘five pairs of hoodies’ according to him. The omega sighed when the alpha grinned at him like he had worn some sort of contest.
He slipped his warm hand into Sieun’s all of a sudden and tugged him in the direction opposite to where the bike was parked.
Sieun blushed, looking down at where their hands were joined. “Aren’t we going home?” he asked.
“Dinner first!” Suho announced, wind brushing hair out of his forehead as he turned towards Sieun. “My treat.”
-
Dinner was nice.
It was at the little restaurant they often ordered in from but hadn’t dined out at yet and Suho orders way too much as always.
The food was perfect. Sieun ate slowly, chewing at a steady pace while keeping his focus on Suho who kept up an endless stream of chatter. They filled each other’s glasses and Sieun hummed or spoke up in response every now and then.
Sieun didn’t mind the chatter. He never did. Suho never ran out of things to talk about and Sieun could listen to him talk for hours on end. There was always something new to learn about him and his small but exciting world.
Sieun thinks back to the night two years ago when someone had spiked Sieun’s drink during a campus party on their initiation day. He could still remember Suho’s muffled voice arguing with the beta who had supposedly done it after being forced by a group of alphas, his warm arm around Sieun’s shoulder, guiding him back to their shared apartment and making sure he was safe.
They had only met for the first time that morning, and had been confused about why they had been roomed together.
Sieun had woken up the next day with his first ever hangover making his head pound and Suho asleep on a chair beside his bed. Once the initial awkwardness has passed and coffee was made for both, Sieun had nervously asked if he had said anything weird last night, because he vaguely remembered himself rambling drunkenly.
Suho told him that yes, he had talked. About his childhood, his parents, his very terrible high school experiences with a school gang- and the alpha had reassured him that it was fine and that if Sieun ever needed to talk about it again- Suho would always be there.
Sieun had thought him awfully sincere and serious- especially towards a person he had met just a day ago.
But Suho was just that way.
It was in his nature.
They had shared breakfast together for the first time that day and Suho had told him about his absent parents, his annoying older sister, his lovely grandmother who raised him, the accident that happened in high school that left him in a coma for six months, and other little stories about his life- perhaps to overcompensate and not make the omega feel awkward that he had said so much while drunk, and Sieun had really appreciated it.
They opened up to each other since then and built routines around each other like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. Sieun had never in his life felt so comfortable with someone- felt safe enough to share his feelings, his memories and his fears so easily. The parts of himself that he usually kept so tightly locked and things he did not even share with his close friends just spilled out when Suho was around.
And Sieun wanted more from Suho too- he wanted to know everything. He wanted to learn what every shift of his expression meant, contain every soft look and touch directed at Sieun in his memory, to catalog the exact notes of his woody scent that comforted Sieun like no other, to know his every like and dislike, every strength and flaw- though he did not seem to have many. He wanted all the good and the bad.
Because it was Suho.
Privately he thinks to himself sometimes, that he may be in love.
No.
He is in love with Ahn Suho.
“ Earth to Yeon Sieun”
Sieun blinked, being dragged out of his thoughts. Across the table, Suho was pouting at him. “You’re not listening to me.”
“I am” Sieun said, finishing up his food and gently pushing the bowl away.
“You were so not.” Suho whined, gently kicking at his foot under the table. “You were thinking about something else.”
Sieun huffed. He really was in love with the most dramatic alpha in the world though. “Wooyoung was being annoying again. Wasn’t that it?”
“Well yes, but-” Suho paused mid whine when the young boy working there brought the bill. “You’re so lucky you’re handsome Sieun-ah. I’ll let this go just once.” he whispered, standing up and pulling out the chair for Sieun as well.
“How very kind of you” Sieun snarked, deliberately brushing past his shoulder.
Suho laughed and followed after him. It was always rare and rewarding when Sieun engaged in banter with him.
When they stepped out of the restaurant, the sky had already gone dark and the streetlights were on, spilling golden light over the busy road and pavements. Suho casually slipped his free hand into Sieun’s while they crossed the road and the omega gently squeezed back.
They find the bike and Sieun climbs on behind him. The familiar rumble of the engine starts and Sieun feeling comfortably drowsy, let himself lean onto Suho and rests his head against his strong back, arms draped around his waist in a loose hold.
What Sieun doesn’t know is that Suho’s heart was fluttering away in his ribcage and butterflies resurrected in his stomach, alive and restless for the entire ride.
A few days pass.
Suho was halfway through lunch, a half eaten roll of kimbap in one hand, eyes focused on the baseball game playing on his phone in the other when he was distracted by a shadow falling across the table.
The alpha glanced up, an eyebrow raising in question as he looked up at the beta who had just approached him shifting nervously from foot to foot. He recognised the boy instantly- Seo Juntae from law department, one of Sieun’s best friends and a classmate from high school. He had only seen the beta in passing on the rare occasions he came around to study with Sieun.
“Hello. You are Ahn Suho right?” The man asked softly, adjusting his glasses.
Suho blinked, then smiled politely. “Yes. And you’re Juntae right? Sieun talks about you a lot.”
“Oh.” Juntae smiled, nervousness momentarily forgotten but concern cast over his expression again. “Yes, um… so… I just came by to ask if you have seen Sieun today?”
Suho turned in the seat to face him, frowning in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Well it’s just” he continued, voice low and uneasy. “We had an important test this morning. And Sieun didn’t show up. He always shows up, you know how he is…” he trailed off, fiddling with the strap of his bag. “So I called him after the test, and he didn’t pick up any calls. He didn’t see any of the messages either so I was a little worried and just wanted to ask you…” he mumbled towards the end.
Worry spread through Suho’s chest.
This wasn’t like Sieun at all. He had been studying late into night yesterday and Suho had to drag him away from the table to make him have a quick dinner before he disappeared right back into his study area. In the morning, Sieun had skipped breakfast as well, mumbling something about last minute revisions and memory retention with dark circles under his eyes.
Suho had been worried, but he knew better than to intervene when it came to Sieun being obsessive about his studies by now. Instead he had left some rice and a simple tofu stew at the table just in case the omega wanted to eat something before leaving for college.
There was no way Sieun would miss that test.
He stood up abruptly, chair scraping the floor, half eaten kimbap abandoned on the table. “I’ll go check on him.”
“Oh you don’t have to! I’m sure he’s fine really-” Juntae stopped as he watched Suho already pacing away in large strides, jacket fluttering behind him as his tall frame disappeared through the doors without so much as a backwards glance.
Juntae adjusted his glasses, tilting his head to the side. “Baku may have been right after all…”
-
The moment Suho opened the door, he staggered back a step.
A wall of thick scent slammed into him as if it was a physical force, so strong that his knees almost buckled.
Sieun.
It was Sieun’s scent. He had memorised it long ago, making sure to greedily sneak in a few sniffs on the very rare occasions Sieun walked around without his scent patches or during the times Sieun was in heat and the strongest scent patches could not contain it so the scent leaked through anyway. Sweet cinnamon and warm chocolate, always smelling like a cosy pastry shop in the midst of winter.
But this wasn’t the same.
Not at all.
The sweetness had sharpened into something searing, the chocolate note of his scent burnt and coating the back of Suho’s throat with bitterness. Suho knew what an omega in heat smelled like- he had grown up with his sister and grandmother who were both omegas and new how to handle it.
This scent- it was wrong.
It was pure distress.
Pain and a desperate call for help.
Suho snapped out of his shock and bolted into the apartment- every step feeling like he was wading through molasses, the bitter scent of distress clinging to his skin and clawing at his alpha instincts.
He finally reached Sieun's door and rapped insistently at the wood. "Sieun ah!" He called out. He grabbed the handle and pulled at it- locked. He knocked again, pressing his forehead to the door, feeling an oncoming headache already. "Sieun it's me! It's Suho. Are you okay in there?"
Silence.
He knocked harder this time, the sound echoing down the empty apartment. Suho forced himself to calm down and pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear anything from inside. For a moment, there was only the sound of his heart hammering away and then- a ragged breath, faint and uneven.
His stomach lurched.
“Sieun-ah!” He called out louder. “Can you open the door for me sweetheart? Is there anyone I can call for you?” he waited for a moment. “Can you hear me? Sieun!”
The silence grew heavy the more he waited. The waves of distress doubled in intensity, scraping at Suho’s instincts until his inner alpha was screaming at him to get in there, find his omega and fix whatever was wrong with him.
Suho sucked in a deep breath, closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
Kicking down the door and barging in without any permission could make things worse. Sieun was in such a vulnerable mental state right now and it could make him feel cornered and the last thing Suho wanted to do was make Sieun feel like he was a threat.
But he also had to consider the possibility that Sieun was seriously hurt and needed help right away.
What if he had collapsed from the pain?What if he had fallen and hit his head somewhere? What is his heat fever was so high that he couldn’t move from his nest? Worse- what if he had tried to call for help but hadn’t been able to?
He slammed his fist against the door once more, hard enough for it to rattle.
“Sieun-ah, I’m going to come in okay? If you can hear me just say something, please!” he pleaded. Nothing, again.
He made up his mind.
Steeling himself, he braced his shoulder against the door and shifted his leg for leverage and slammed forward. Once- the door creaked. Twice- the hinges popped. Thrice- the door finally flew open with a crack.
Suho staggered into the room, and the nest was empty. His eyes swept wildly all over the room searching for the omega until his sight fell on the figure collapsed on the floor beside the bed- his one arm outstretched towards the phone but he had never reached it. The books he was studying with and the water bottle were all scattered around, knocked down from the table.
“Sieun ah!”
Suho ran to his side and dropped down so fast his knees hurt from the impact but paid no attention to it, reaching out to manoeuvre Sieun onto his back. He nearly recoiled at the heat that burned through his skin at the touch. His palm stung as if he had touched a stovetop. Sieun's face was flushed crimson, his brows furrowed in pain.
His lips were open in shallow gasps, every breath sounding so strained and uneven. The distressed scent pouring off him was so sharp it made Suho's head pound. He screwed his eyes shut, focusing through the dizziness and shook Sieun's shoulders, trying to wake him.
“Sieun-ah? Baby, can you hear me?” He patted his cheeks, frantic for any sort of response. “Can you open your eyes for me?”.
All Sieun responded was with a broken, strangled cry and his next breath was more of a wheeze than an inhale of air.
“Fuck.” Suho repeated the curse under his breath as his free hand not on Sieun’s cheek scrambled for his pocket to get the phone- and nearly dropped it twice from how much his fingers were shaking. He didn’t think much and slammed his thumb down onto the first number of speed dial- his sister.
The ringing felt like an eternity as Suho kept his eyes on Sieun's face, the free hand brushing through his sweat damp hair gently and whispering reassurances he wasn’t sure Sieun could hear. His mind was racing.
And then finally-
“Are you really calling me first? Is the world ending or what-”
“Youngi” Suho cut her off, his voice cracking. “It’s my friend. It’s Sieun. He's in heat and I- I found him on the floor, I think he fainted. He's burning up. I can't even touch him. His breathing is all weird, I don't think he can breathe properly. He won't wake up, what do I- what do I do" he rambled, words tumbling over each other in panic.
"Woah woahhh calm down" Youngi called out. "First of all- your roommate is an omega?!" "Noona please!" Suho cried out, his voice pleading.
"Okay okay, is his fever really that high?" She asked.
"It feels like touching fire" he said, caressing the clammy skin gently.
"Um alright, listen to me carefully. You need to get him to the hospital right away Suho-ya. As fast as possible. But you need to bring his fever down before anything else."
Suho was stumbling upright and running to the bathroom as she gave him instructions. “Fill the tub with water as cold as possible, and you need to put him in it. It might shock his system, but it will keep him from burning out or the fever from affecting his brain. I think that’s a thing”
He turned both the taps as well as the shower on, turning it all into the coldest temperature setting provided. “Suho” Youngi’s voice cut through his panic. “You can do this. Calm down, do what I said and get him to the hospital. Call me after?”
Suho didn’t even bother with a response and ran back to Sieun. Sliding his arms under the omega’s shoulders, he pulled the omega up and against his chest, cradling him close.
Sieun's body was scalding hot in his arms, uneven puffs of breath against his collarbone even hotter. He trembled violently, shivers running throughout his body even as he burned so hot. "Shhh you're okay, you're okay. I’ve got you." Suho cooed, wiping away some of the sweat that kept forming on his hairline and holding him tighter.
Once he heard the sound of the bathwater spilling over onto the tiles, Suho moved. He shifted Sieun carefully in his arms and with ease- he barely weighed anything. The alpha gently lowered him into the tub, murmuring soft reassurances against Sieun’s clammy forehead the entire while. The moment Sieun’s skin met the cold water a thin, pained cry tore from his throat and his body jolted, thrashing around very weakly. He didn’t even have the strength to struggle very well.
“I know, I know” he cooed, tightening his hold around the omega’s shoulder so he wouldn’t slip under the water. He didn’t mind the weak hands clawing faintly at his arm. “Just a little longer baby” he whispered and dipped his free hand into the icy water, scooping some up and letting it spill over Sieun’s head and wiping it over his burning cheeks.
Very carefully, Suho eased him back into the cold water, just enough so that the crown of his head was submerged while his face still remained above the surface. He leaned over Sieun and wiped more of the cold water on his face as well.
Every minute spent there felt like an eternity. He kept whispering words of comfort, lips pressed to the omega’s forehead and holding Sieun in the water till his burning heat of skin dulled slightly, not gone yet but no longer scalding, his breath evened out into steady pulls of hair and he stopped thrashing around.
Relief surged through his chest and Suho moved. Without wasting another second he pulled Sieun out of the bath and into his lap, ignoring the icy water soaking through his clothes and wrapping the omega up tightly in the softest towel he had found earlier amidst the panic. Sieun’s body was trembling against him, head lolling weakly against the curve of Suho’s shoulder.
Holding him close and offering as much of his body heat as possible, he carried Sieun out of the bath and gently laid him down onto the couch- just long enough for him to snatch his wallet and car keys.
Realisation struck that he couldn’t be the one to drive because someone needed to hold Sieun. Heart in his throat still, Suho rushed across the hall and jabbed the doorbell over and over until the door swung open and a very annoyed Seokdae glared at him. “What the hell-”
Suho shoved the car keys into Seokdae’s hand. “I need you to drive, Sieun’s not well.” and he spun on his heel, darting back inside to get Sieun.
The drive to the hospital was chaos.
Suho sat in the back holding Sieun tightly against him, feeling every hot puff of hair against his neck. The omega was not even trembling anymore, completely knocked out and still in his arms. Up front, Seokdae was driving like a man possessed.
He broke every single existing traffic rule as he sped down the road, ignoring red lights, swerving in between cars and ignoring blaring horns and flying curses as other drivers had to move out of the way. Tires screeched and the engines roared, and it still did not feel fast enough.
Seokdae floored the brakes and brought the car to a screeching stop upon reaching the emergency entrance of the hospital. They charged through the doors into the emergency room with Sieun limp in Suho’s arms and Seokdae shouting for help.
A nurse rushed forward at once, calling for more nurses and directing them towards a bed so Suho could lay Sieun down. They were on him at once- asking rapid fire questions Suho did his best to answer, checking his vitals and temperature.
“Get an IV line in! Fever and blood pressure are spiking.” One called out.
When the doctor arrived, a nurse tried to pull him back and Suho snapped, a growl ripping from his throat.
“Mister please, we need to take care of him” The doctor’s voice was firm.
Seokdae’s hands clamped onto his shoulders, gently pulling him away. “Suho. You need to let them work” and Suho reluctantly let go of his tight hold on Sieun’s hand.
They stood there and watched helplessly as Sieun was wheeled away. Suho’s breath stuttered in his chest and Seokdae pushed him down onto a chair, taking over when a nurse approached him about paperwork as well.
Suho’s hands were shaking as he buried his face into them. All he could see was Sieun on the floor of his bedroom, the arm outstretched towards the phone in an attempt for help and his lips gasping and struggling for breath.
He should have checked on him this morning. He should have dragged him out of his room, forced him to eat- maybe Suho would have noticed something then and this wouldn’t have happened.
Suho squeezed his eyes shut.
All he could do now was wait.