Pairing: ATZ & Felix (with JoongLix focus)
Genre: A/B/O AU, College AU
!!TW!! : angst, harassment, past abuse, past rape, selective mutism, I actually know nothing of SuperM or its members they were just the group requested as antagonists so sorry for messing up their personalities, kidnapping, abuse, violence, injuries
(requested by @61CY_ARMY_GAL_RMs_LOVE26)
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Two days after the incident, Hongjoong and Felix went to find the ATEEZ pack, of which the members were currently lazing about outside during their shared break. As they approached, many of them perked up, and Felix almost instantly hid behind the older omega, unable to deal with the direct attention.
(At that point, he mostly felt embarrassed. Playing the part of the damsel in distress wasn't exactly glamorous, even less so knowing they'd witnessed one of his episodes.)
"Hi!" greeted cheerfully San. "What brings you guys here?"
"Well, Felix wanted to thank you guys properly," answered Hongjoong, gently nudging the freckled boy forward. "Go on, Lix."
Flushing a deep red, the omega kept his eyes down as he awkwardly shuffled over to the group and offered Yeosang – the nearest alpha – a large Tupperware box. Yeosang accepted it with a smile and promptly opened it, and pleased gasps instantly followed as he revealed its contents.
"Cookies!" cheered Mingi. "Oh my God, you're an actual angel, Felix!"
Felix quickly shook his head in protest before hurrying back to Hongjoong, glad they appreciated his gift but now wanting nothing more than to leave before he passed out from embarrassment. Hongjoong squeezed his hand in comfort.
"He made them yesterday. Thank you again for your help."
"Of course," replied Jongho without missing a beat. He then spared a smile for the freckled omega. "And thank you, Felix. We'll definitely enjoy them."
The freckled omega offered a brief, hesitant smile back before averting his eyes and gently tugging Hongjoong's hand, urging him to leave. The older omega chuckled, waving at the group before walking away with the younger clinging tightly to him.
"They're so cute," sighed wistfully Wooyoung. "Why haven't we asked them out yet?"
"Baby steps, Woo," replied Seonghwa, taking it upon himself to distribute the cookies to everyone. "Felix can hardly look at us for more than a second, I doubt he'd accept should we ask them out."
"And Hongjoong will always put him first, meaning he'll do whatever makes Felix most comfortable," added Yunho with a small shrug. "Which—you know, fair."
"This is already good progress, though," pointed out Yeosang with a smile. "If we take our time with this, they'll—huh."
"What is it?" asked Mingi, his mouth already full with three cookies.
"There's a note in the box."
Surprised, Seonghwa looked down and, effectively, there was a paper sticking out now that already half of the box had been emptied. Carefully pulling it out, he dusted off the crumbs before unfolding it and reading its contents for everyone.
"I wish I could thank you properly for helping us but, since words fail me, I figured these would be a nice replacement. I'm really grateful. I have a hard time with people, but I hope we can all become friends, eventually. Here are Hongjoong's and I's numbers if you ever feel up for a chat.
Thank you again! And have a wonderful day!"
"Huh. He's a lot more outgoing on paper, isn't he?" mused San. "But that's sweet. Figure we should give it a shot?"
"Give them a few days," instructed Jongho. "We'll see how this goes. In the meantime, though... Mingi! Stop eating all the cookies!!!"
"But they're so good!!!"
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It didn't take long for the pack to build up the courage to approach the omegas again. While mindful of the two's clear-cut boundaries, they were testing the waters and hoping to at least become good friends, if nothing else.
Even if Hongjoong and Felix weren't exactly open about their relationship, it appeared quite obvious to the entire pack that they loved each other dearly – as such, even if they didn't end up returning their feelings after all, the pack had already decided that they would be content with simply watching over the cute couple as platonic packmates, if the omegas were open to the idea.
(Welcoming them into the pack would grant them a lot of social and even financial benefits but, most importantly, it would keep them safe from uncouth alphas and other packs with less-than-ideal intents.)
But all in all, after a few weeks of simply getting to know each other, the ATEEZ members could all agree on one thing: they were positively whipped for the pair of omegas.
Felix didn't talk. He communicated through facial expressions, mouthing words, hand gestures, or simply writing down whatever he needed to say – and yet, he still somehow managed to be one of the funniest people in the room every time they hung out. He had a special energy that drew people in, a sunshine smile that made a homely warmth bloom inside the chest of whoever that smile was directed at. His eyes sparkled every time he received a compliment and, though easily embarrassed by them, he obviously thrived on praises and physical affection.
(Though, he only accepted the latter from Hongjoong. He'd only just started getting comfortable enough to sit next to one of the ATEEZ members, they didn't want to spook him by patting his head or hugging him out of nowhere like his fellow omega did, no matter how much they wanted to hold him.)
And Hongjoong was simply... amazing. Different. He was feistier than most omegas, and his intense protectiveness of the freckled omega definitely had its charm. He had a strength of character to match his wit, and he didn't care at all about the societal norms attached to anyone's subgender. He was someone determined and passionate, someone who wasn't afraid to stand his ground. He could almost be considered confrontational at times, always having an opinion to share, but he wasn't disrespectful about it – if anything, he was incredibly wise, and that only made them respect him even more.
Hongjoong possessed an alluring duality – outspoken, proud, and unapologetic, yet his tough persona completely melted like snow under the sun the moment he was with Felix.
It was sweet, really – how well they complimented each other. Hongjoong protected Felix, and Felix kept him grounded. Hongjoong had learned self-control for Felix's sake, and Felix was slowly healing from whatever trauma he'd suffered from in the past.
(No one in the pack had dared to ask how Hongjoong and Felix came to be together, or why Felix had selective mutism. Despite their blooming friendship, they definitely weren't that close yet – but even if the omegas decided to take those secrets to the grave, it was their right, and the pack wouldn't be foolish enough to dig for answers that wouldn't be willingly given.)
So... yeah. The ATEEZ pack was absolutely gone for the two omegas. They were already cute from a distance, but their personalities simply sealed the deal and, now four months after the incident that first brought them together, Jongho had gathered his packmates to discuss an important matter.
"I think we should be honest with them," said Yeosang, serious. "They deserve to know our intentions toward them."
"But what if we scare them off? What if they find us too forward?" protested Wooyoung, biting his lower lip. "It's only been a few months. We should give them more time."
"It's not like we'd be proposing or anything," pointed out Mingi with a shrug. "Nor would we expect an answer right away. It's just a matter of them knowing how we feel about them, and then they can do whatever they want."
"I'd hate for them to pull away from us because of the pressure of our expectations," frowned Seonghwa.
"We wouldn't be pressuring them! Plus, wouldn't they feel a bit used or cheated, thinking we only got close to them with that single idea in mind?" replied San. "I say we should be honest with them. If they don't feel the same way, then fine – there's no reason we can't still be friends and, at least, we wouldn't be torturing ourselves with the matter anymore."
"Wouldn't they—"
Yunho's input was abruptly cut off as Seonghwa's phone suddenly started ringing. They all paused, a tad surprised – it was late, after all, so who would be calling at that time? But the confusion only grew when Seonghwa saw the caller ID.
He answered promptly, his guts clenching with worry. "Felix? Is that you?"
All of his packmates tensed, and Mingi even jumped to his feet, all of their eyes going wide. While they'd been keeping in touch with the omegas through texts and a group chat, Felix had never called any of them – why would he, if he couldn't talk?
A feeble whimper echoed on the other end of the line, and Seonghwa felt his stomach lurch with the feeling that something was very wrong.
"Sweetheart? I know it's hard for you, but I need you to try and talk to me," he instructed gently, but urgently. "Can you manage yes or no questions?"
Another whimper. And then... "Y- yes."
Seonghwa was admittedly taken aback by the unexpectedly deep voice, but he didn't have the time to linger on the fact that it was the first time since they'd met that he'd heard Felix talk.
"Okay, good. First thing first: are you hurt?"
"Y- yes."
"Is Hongjoong with you?"
"Yes."
"Is he hurt too? Is that why he's not the one calling?"
"Yes...!"
A hitched sob, followed by a strangled whine.
"Shh, it's alright, baby, everything's going to be okay," the alpha assured, gesturing for the others to get moving. "Are you home?"
"N- no."
"Are you inside?"
"Yes."
"Are you still on campus?"
"Yes."
"Is anyone nearby?"
There was a soft, uncertain hum, so Seonghwa took that as a "maybe". At that point, the entire pack was already walking out of their dorm and heading straight for the omegas' – even if they weren't there, they wouldn't be able to track them down without getting their scents first.
"You're doing great, sweetheart," murmured Seonghwa, flinching when he heard another muffled sob. "What happened? Was it an accident?"
"No."
"Did someone hurt you?"
"Yes...!"
"We're on our way, Lixie, you're doing great, just stay with me. Do you know who hurt you?"
"Y- yes."
"Is there more than one person?"
"Yes."
"A pack?"
"Yes."
"... is it Taeyong's pack?"
Felix let out a relieved noise, followed by a few more sobs. Gritting his teeth, Seonghwa mouthed "SuperM" to Jongho, who instantly took the lead and started guiding them to their rival pack's dorm.
"We're on our way, sweetheart," he assured. "You'll be safe in no time, alright? Just hang in there. Are you—"
There was a loud noise at the end of the line that made Seonghwa pull the phone away for a second, and then shouts and muffled cursing echoed, followed by more sobs and whimpers – and then the call cut off abruptly.
"Hwa? What's happening?" asked San, hurriedly keeping pace with him.
"Shit, I think they found him," he gritted out, angrily shoving his phone back in his pocket. "We need to hurry!"
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A few hours earlier
The last thing Felix expected was for him and Hongjoong to get literally ambushed while on their way out of the library. They barely made three steps outside before rough hands and cloying scents assaulted them from all sides and, next thing they knew, they were being dragged into the nearest, secluded alley.
With a hand clasped tightly over his mouth and an arm firmly keeping his own locked in place, he couldn't do anything but cry as he watched three of the alphas beat Hongjoong up, commanding him to stay down if he wanted them to stop – but the omega kept on getting back up, refusing to give in and, most importantly, intent on helping Felix. When he finally stopped getting up, Felix couldn't even make out the faces of their attackers; his sight was too blurred by tears. A strangled sob escaped him as the hand finally removed itself from his mouth, and raucous laughter echoed all around him.
"Even now, he's not even going to try and scream." Felix flinched when Taeyong roughly grabbed his chin and forced him to lift his head so their eyes could meet. "What a pathetic little thing... I'm beginning to wonder if you actually care about your friend or if you're just using him, hm?"
Felix wanted to protest, curse him out, call for help – only a pitiful whimper escaped him as he wrenched his head out of the man's grasp, closing his eyes to try and hide the pain he knew shone through them. More laughter followed, cruel and merciless, and Felix couldn't do anything as Ten picked Hongjoong up and carelessly slung him over his shoulder. He was too weak to free himself from Lucas's grip, too scared to try and fight back, struggling to keep his head above the surface when all his caving mind wanted to do was drag him right under and suffocate him with memories and fear that still plagued him to this day.
They didn't cross paths with anyone, and the despair gnawing at his guts only grew stronger as the pack's dorm came into view – he knew there and then that the moment they stepped foot inside, they wouldn't be getting out until Taeyong and his members got exactly what they wanted. The fear, so intense it paralyzed him, finally gave in to panic. Felix's fight or flight instincts flared up without warning and, without really thinking, he drove his elbow back with as much strength as he could muster. Lucas let out a pained yelp, his grip loosening the slightest bit, and Felix instantly used that opportunity to wrench himself free and take off.
Startled shouts from the others only made him go faster. He wasn't strong enough to free Hongjoong by himself but, if he could just get help, then everything would be fine – the campus was supposed to be a safe space for all, and they wouldn't tolerate Taeyong's unruly pack any longer.
Unfortunately, his hopes got quashed as quickly as they rose.
"Gotcha!"
Felix let out a strangled noise as he was harshly slammed into a wall. His vision blurred as pain flared in the back of his head, and he whimpered as the alpha who caught him – Kai – tightened his grip on his slender neck. He started weekly hitting the man's arms, unable to breathe and dark spots dancing before his eyes...
Kai suddenly released him and he collapsed, wheezing harshly. Not giving him any reprieve, the alpha forcibly pulled him back to his feet before dragging him all the way back to where the rest of the pack was still waiting for them.
(The sight made Felix bitter. He didn't even get that far, and he couldn't even outrun a single alpha. Taeyong was right – he really was pathetic.)
Still dizzy from the blow to the head and from the previous strangulation, in addition to his sudden adrenaline crash, Felix was powerless as the pack finally dragged them inside their dorm – it was a separate house where only SuperM lived, meaning no one would even know they were there.
The omegas were taken to the basement but, when Felix stumbled for the third time on the way down, Kai got impatient and suddenly shoved him. The freckled boy instantly lost his balance, falling down the last flight of stairs before hitting his head on the concrete floor. Pain erupted all over his body. He felt dizzy, his ankle and his wrist hurt like hell, and he was pretty sure one of his ribs had cracked following the fall. Still, no one paid him any mind, only laughing as he tried to contain his whimpers.
Hongjoong was also brought down and unceremoniously dropped on the single, worn-out mattress located in the corner of the small room. All of the alphas then left, saved for Taeyong, who lingered behind just a little longer. He crouched next to Felix and pushed some hair out of the boy's face – a mockery of affection.
"Hm. Like I thought, you're even prettier when you cry," he mused plainly.
Felix only curled up on himself even more. Taeyong laughed, then got up and climbed up the stairs. The freckled boy flinched when the door slammed shut, the distinct sound of a lock clicking into place following shortly after.
Felix eventually found the strength to drag himself over to Hongjoong. The older omega was beaten black and blue, with bruises blooming all over, the side of his face swelling, and with drying blood smeared all over him. Felix whimpered again he realized this was all his fault – Hongjoong could have easily run away had he not been so intent on saving Felix. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if Felix simply hadn't been there.
He constantly got hurt trying to protect Felix, and how did Felix repay him? By doing absolutely nothing, incapable of even calling for help when Hongjoong needed it the most.
I'm such a burden...! Everyone would have been better off if I'd just died that day!
With a sob, the freckled omega curled up around Hongjoong, scenting him in an attempt to bring some comfort. Everything hurt, but he didn't stop, trying do to at least one thing right for the man he loved.
And that's when his phone slipped out of his pocket.
I still have this!?
Taeyong and his pack members had been careless. Hopeful, Felix ignored the pain in his wrist and picked up his phone... only to grow disheartened when he realized just how badly the screen was cracked. It still worked – somehow – but it barely reacted to his touch.
He couldn't type anything. And, after a quick check, he realized Hongjoong didn't have his phone on him.
Then all that's left is...
He tried calling the emergency service first, but the screen was too damaged, and he couldn't type the number 1. Out of ideas, he somehow managed to pull up his list of contacts and clicked on... well, all of them. Most didn't work, the screen unresponsive to his touch, until a miracle occurred and Seonghwa's worked.
A tad startled at first, relief then washed over him when the alpha picked up...
"Felix? Is that you?"
Only to be replaced by horror as he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Even when help was right within reach, he was too weak to grasp it. Hongjoong needed help and Felix could have given that to him if he could just talk.
But he couldn't, and the despair grew so strong it made him sick. He whimpered as words failed him over and over again.
"Sweetheart? I know it's hard for you, but I need you to try and talk to me. Can you manage yes or no questions?"
Seonghwa's voice was soothing, and it somehow made Felix calm down a bit. He paused for a moment, opening his mouth and closing it as he mouthed the word a few times before closing his eyes and eventually managing an answer.
"Y- yes."
There. He did it! There was a moment of silence, Seonghwa obviously just as surprised as him, but then he spoke again.
"Okay, good. First thing first: are you hurt?"
"Y- yes."
It was easier if he closed his eyes and pretended to be talking with Hongjoong. Plus, it was a phone call, and he didn't have to elaborate on his answers – if he just kept his cool, then this could work.
"Is Hongjoong with you?"
"Yes."
"Is he hurt too? Is that why he's not the one calling?"
"Yes...!"
His breath hitched, a small sob following as he rubbed his nose over Hongjoong's scent gland. A soft whine escaped him before he could stop it.
"Shh, it's alright, baby, everything's going to be okay." Felix forced himself to listen and take a deep breath. "Are you home?"
"N- no."
"Are you inside?"
"Yes."
"Are you still on campus?"
"Yes."
"Is anyone nearby?"
He answered with an uncertain hum. The alphas were surely upstairs, still, but he doubted anyone could hear him – else they'd have surely come down already.
"You're doing great, sweetheart," murmured Seonghwa, and Felix couldn't help but let out another sob at the praise. "What happened? Was it an accident?"
"No."
"Did someone hurt you?"
"Yes...!"
"We're on our way, Lixie, you're doing great, just stay with me. Do you know who hurt you?"
"Y- yes."
"Is there more than one person?"
"Yes."
"A pack?"
"Yes."
"... is it Taeyong's pack?"
Felix let out a relieved noise, followed by a few more sobs. He was so relieved Seonghwa had grasped the situation so quickly, he knew he could trust him and the rest of his pack, he knew they'd be safe now, he knew it was only a matter of time—
Voices upstairs. The door unlocked. Felix stiffened, frantically looking around in hopes to hide the phone without turning it off, but his panic seeped into his scent and definitely wouldn't go unnoticed. He scrambled with his phone, curling up around it in an attempt to make it look like he was hugging Hongjoong rather than hiding something.
"We're on our way, sweetheart," Seonghwa assured, unaware of what was going on. "You'll be safe in no time, alright? Just hang in there. Are you—"
The door suddenly slammed open, and one of the alphas loudly came down. Mark cursed as he saw the phone Felix was trying to hide, shouting at the omega as he mercilessly ripped the device from his grasp. The freckled boy sobbed, instantly submitting in fear he'd get struck, and the alpha crushed the phone to bits without a second thought.
"You fucking cunt!" He grabbed Felix by the hair, pulling him up and ignoring his sharp cry of pain. "Who did you call!?"
Felix tried shaking his head, unable to muster a single word. His focus had broken, the sense of safety he'd felt while speaking with Seonghwa had completely vanished – he wouldn't talk again for a while, that much he was certain of. But, obviously, the alpha wasn't too happy with that. He harshly threw Felix back on the floor, ordering him to stay down... while he picked Hongjoong up. Felix let out a distressed noise, instantly reaching out to try and stop him, but he was mercilessly kicked in the side and forced to back down.
The pain was crippling. He could only cry harder as Hongjoong was carried upstairs, out of reach, powerless to stop any of them in his current state – and Felix held no doubt that the alphas who'd taken them would take sick pleasure with the omega's unconscious body.
Mark glared at him as he weakly whimpered again. "Shut up! You're next."
And then he disappeared upstairs, the door slamming shut once again. They didn't even bother locking it this time around, aware Felix wouldn't even be able to climb the stairs in his injured state.
I can't let them, he thought, his tears falling freely once more. Joong doesn't deserve that, he's not broken yet, don't let them break him...!
Ignoring the pain and the exhaustion and the sheer need to just curl up and give up, Felix dragged himself over to the staircase. He was too weak and hurt to stand, so he settled for crawling up instead. It was hard, and painful, and absolutely exhausting, but he wouldn't stop until he got up there – he needed to at least try and save Hongjoong, like the older had saved him so many times before.
He was about halfway up when he heard a door getting kicked in upstairs, followed by unintelligible shouts. A little out of it, Felix blearily opened his eyes – when had he passed out? – in time to see the door further up swing open. A shadow loomed over him, a scream—
"Felix!"
Oh. He knew that voice, didn't he?
"It's alright, baby, everything's going to be okay." He liked the scent suddenly engulfing him, the warm hands gentle on his battered form. "We've got you now, everything's going to be fine."
He was picked up with a gentleness that would have probably made him cry again had he not been so exhausted. At that point, he was having a hard time staying awake, and his sight kept on going in and out of focus, unable to make out more than indistinct shapes and shadows. He momentarily reconnected with reality as cold air hit him, rousing his dulled senses a bit – they were outside. Letting his head loll to the side, he only then took notice of a familiar mop of grey hair just a little ahead of him – Hongjoong, carried by another alpha he couldn't identify just yet.
"Shh, it's alright, you're safe, both of you."
He hadn't even noticed he'd started whimpering. He slowly looked up and, after a few seconds, he managed to make out the face of the alpha carrying him.
"Woo... young...?" he mumbled.
The alpha offered him a smile. "That's right, sweetheart. We've got you now."
Finally reassured, Felix felt the last of his strength slip away, and he finally let himself drift off to a painless realm, if only for a little while.
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There will be three chapters but if you want a fourth one, please feel free to make requests for little scenarios and scenes that I'll write for it. I don't have anything planned so far so if no one requests anything, I simply won't write it. Those scenes need to be Felix-centric, obviously, but it can be with anyone from ATZ, and it can be smut, steamy, or fluff! You just have to be more specific than "I'd like smut with those two" because it doesn't give me a lot of ideas to work with 😅