Pairing: ATZ & Felix (with JoongLix focus)
Genre: A/B/O AU, College AU
!!TW!! : hospital, mentioned injuries, 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, open ending
(requested by @61CY_ARMY_GAL_RMs_LOVE26)
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As it turned out, waking up alone in a hospital bed was a pretty bad trigger for Felix, and the nurses were forced to put him under before he could accidentally hurt himself in his distressed state. When he woke up for the second time, he was wearing a blindfold, and someone was holding his hand.
"Felix? Are you awake?"
He squeezed Wooyoung's hand – he knew it was him, he recognized his voice, and he instantly felt safe. A soft, relieved sigh escaped the alpha, and he squeezed his hand back.
"You're in the hospital right now, Lix. Is it alright if I take your blindfold off?"
Felix nodded and, a moment later, the blindfold was taken off. He kept his eyes closed for a few seconds before slowly opening them. The first thing he saw was Wooyoung's smiling face, but he then noticed Mingi and San fast asleep on the couch further away. There was another bed to his left, and his heart grew heavy when he found Hongjoong. The older was unconscious, with thick bandages covering almost every inch of skin, and he suddenly felt like crying all over again.
"He's okay. They didn't have the time to do anything," assured softly Wooyoung, rubbing his thumb over Felix's knuckles in an attempt to calm him down. "He's a little beaten up, but he woke up earlier, and the nurses said he'd be able to leave tomorrow, at the latest."
Felix nodded slowly, staring at Hongjoong for a while longer before eventually tearing his eyes away from him. He looked back at Wooyoung and offered an inquisitive stare, tapping his own chest.
"What about you?" Felix nodded, and Wooyoung sighed. "You had a pretty bad concussion, a bruised rib, and a broken wrist but, other than that, your injuries were minor and shouldn't inconvenience you too much."
Felix nodded, mentally noting that this was way less than what he'd suffered from at the hands of his ex. After a moment of silence, Wooyoung let out a shuddering breath, earning his attention.
"You're really strong, you know?" he murmured. "We were so scared when you called... Scared we wouldn't get there in time. And when- when we found you, you were so hurt, but you were still fighting..."
Felix shook his head, lowering his eyes. He hadn't been fighting at all. He'd been too weak for that, that's why Hongjoong was taken in the first place. If he hadn't been there...
He'd surely already be in a pack by now, he thought darkly. He'd be safe and happy, unburdened with an omega that can hardly take care of himself. He wouldn't have gotten hurt at all if I just hadn't been there...
He couldn't impose on Hongjoong any longer. No matter how much he loved the older omega, he couldn't let him get hurt anymore. Hongjoong was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he refused to let him be miserable any longer – even if it meant leaving. Seemingly sensing he wanted to say something, Wooyoung handed him his phone so he could type. Felix's hand was unsteady because it was his right wrist that had been injured so he was forced to use his left, but he eventually managed to type everything he wanted to say.
[Do you love Hongjoong?]
Wooyoung paused, startled. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "I do. We all do, really."
[Do you want him to join your pack?]
"Felix—"
[He's taken care of me for long enough. Now... now he needs people who will take care of him, and I can't do that.] He could feel his tears building up as he typed, and he absolutely hated it. When would he finally stop crying? [He deserves to be happy, and I can't give him that—]
"Felix, you can. You make him happy, happier than anything," assured firmly Wooyoung. "And we might love him, and we might want him to join our pack, but the thing is that we love you too, Felix." The boy's eyes widened a bit at the confession, glossy with unshed tears and a pain so intense Wooyoung could feel it echoing in his own chest. "We love you and we want you to join our pack, too. And I- I get that it's still early, that we haven't known each other for long, but we care about you just as much as we do Hongjoong."
[You don't know me. I'm completely broken, and I'm not getting better. It'll be better for everyone if I just leave.]
"If you leave, I can guarantee that it's Hongjoong who's going to break." Felix stiffened at that, and Wooyoung sighed. "Even if you're broken, Lix, we love you all the same. Your pain doesn't define you. If you truly wish to leave, however, you should at least talk it out properly with Hongjoong first – he deserves that much."
"Screw- screw that." The pair startled, their eyes instantly snapping to Hongjoong, who was just waking up. He outright glared at Felix. "You're not going anywhere, Lix. What happened wasn't your fault, no matter what your head tells you."
At that point, San and Mingi had also woken up from their nap and were silently observing the ongoing conversation. After a moment of the omegas just staring at each other, the pair made their move. They each went to one of the beds and, careful not to jostle their occupants too much, they pushed them closer.
"There you go." San couldn't help but grin at their startled expressions. "You guys should talk this out – we'll let you have some privacy. We'll be just outside if you need anything, alright?"
"Thank you," simply replied Hongjoong.
With a nod, San left, Mingi and Wooyoung right behind him. The moment the door closed behind them, Hongjoong reached out and grabbed Felix's hand, the younger omega still stubbornly avoiding his gaze.
"Lix," he murmured. "I love you, you know I do. You're not a burden for me, and I'll tell you the same thing every single day if that's what it takes to make you believe me."
The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "You got hurt—"
"It was my own stubbornness. I acted irrationally, and that's on me – but you're the one who saved us, Lix." Hongjoong smiled when Felix spared him a confused look. "You're the one who called for help. You're the one who managed to contact Seonghwa. You're the one thanks to whom Taeyong and his pack were finally arrested."
"Couldn't—I couldn't even talk," he whispered, rubbing his throat. "Even- even in a situation like that...!"
"You still managed to overcome a great obstacle, and you still fought through the pain to try and protect me," insisted gently Hongjoong. "It might not seem like much to you, but that's what made the difference – and now both of us are safe, Taeyong and his pack are behind bars, and... well, we've just been offered an interesting opportunity, haven't we?"
"W- what?"
"Joining ATEEZ's pack."
"They won't- they won't want me. They don't know yet. They can't—"
"I actually talked about it with Jongho earlier," admitted Hongjoong, gently cutting him off before he could spiral again. "Their pack... They're sincere, Lix. And they don't actually expect anything from us, either. He suggested we join them in a platonic bond, and that we let our relationships grow from there – and if it doesn't work out, we'd still be friends. Family, even. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"I..."
It did sound nice – amazing, even. A pack of incredible, strong, handsome, and caring alphas willing to take in two omegas already in a relationship together? Willing to accept them and bond with them even though they might never return their romantic feelings? It sounded like a dream come true. And yet, Felix's insecurities wouldn't let him indulge in that dream for too long. However, Hongjoong knew him better than he knew himself.
"Don't think with your head, Lix. For once, don't listen to those doubts, but to your heart – what do you want, consequences and insecurities aside?"
"I want them," he admitted without really thinking. "I- I want to say yes...!"
"Then we'll say yes," replied Hongjoong, as if it truly was that simple – and, in a way, it was. "We'll work this out, Lix – we always do. And something... something tells me we won't regret it. Are you willing to take that chance? With me?"
Not trusting Hongjoong was what led him to getting hurt the first time around. Years later, he realized he'd learned from his mistake and, with a wobbly smile, he offered a small nod – if Hongjoong believed they would be fine, then Felix was willing to give it a shot.
The smile the older returned was blinding, and it almost instantly melted away the last of his doubts – he knew they'd come back soon enough but, for now, that was enough.
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Two months later
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"Lix? What are you doing up at this hour, love?"
Felix startled a bit at being caught, glancing back to find Seonghwa leaning against the doorframe. The freckled boy offered him a small smile before gesturing for him to come closer. Curious, Seonghwa did as told, and a small gasp escaped him when he finally realized what Felix was doing.
"Is this for us...?"
It was a cake – a big one, at that. What really stood out, however, was how it was split in seven different parts, each with a different icing color, decoration, and most probably taste, too – each suiting one of the alphas' favorite.
"Have you been at it since everyone went to sleep?" asked the alpha, impressed.
Felix beamed, nodding quickly. He obviously couldn't work on the surprise if everyone was awake, and Mingi and Yeosang would have tried to steal his icing, so he'd gotten to work the moment everyone had retired to their room.
Ever since the two omegas had moved into the pack dorm, life had been... peaceful. Slowly recuperating from their injuries, Felix and Hongjoong quickly learned to adapt to living with seven other people – which wasn't easy, mind you, but the alphas were too caring and careful for it to be outright difficult.
Felix and Hongjoong got to share a room, and never once had a single of their roommates entered without permission, which they appreciated. Even when adapting to living with a pack, they never once had their privacy questioned, and the omegas were still free to basically do as they pleased – the only difference was that, now, they could openly rely on many more people.
This sense of safety, comfort, and love is what brought the omegas to discuss their future together and, after a very long talk, they came to the conclusion that they would love to join the pack and see where it would lead them – not outright dating any of the alphas just yet, but opening their relationship to the seven of them to give romantic feelings the chance to bloom.
Hence why Felix was making this cake at two in the morning – not that Seonghwa would know that, Felix wasn't about to completely spoil the surprise.
"What's the special occasion, sweetheart?" asked curiously the alpha.
With a small grin, Felix lifted two fingers and, smart as he was, it only took a second for the alpha to catch up.
"To celebrate our two months living together?" Felix beamed, nodding eagerly, and Seonghwa chuckled. "You're so sweet. It looks amazing – I'm sure the others will love it too."
Felix grinned again before focusing back on the task at hands, shivering a bit as he shifted. He was barefoot on the cold tiles of the floor and he'd been cold for a while, but he was simply too caught up in his work to be bothered to go fetch an extra layer or a pair of socks. Movement to his right made him glance back to Seonghwa, and he was surprised to find the alpha suddenly pulling off his hoodie. Then, Seonghwa slipped it over Felix's head, and warmth instantly engulfed him, along with the alpha's soothing scent.
"Thank you."
It was half-mouthed, half-murmured, but it was a start. Felix doubted he'd ever talk to them like he did with Hongjoong – at least not for a very long time – but he still made an effort to communicate the simpler things. The others never expected him to talk, however, always incredibly patient with him and smart enough to figure out what he was trying to say without speaking.
"Of course, baby." Seonghwa gently patted his head, and Felix briefly preened at the contact before pulling away. "I'll leave you to it, then – just don't go to bed too late, alright? I'll tell the others not to bother you tomorrow morning."
With a nod, Felix waved him goodnight, and Seonghwa left. He couldn't help but smile as he inhaled more of the alpha's scent before getting back to work.
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As told, the others loved the cake. And, most importantly, they were ecstatic about the good news delivered along with it.
"We won't let you down," assured Jongho, hugging the two omegas tightly. "We'll take good care of you. I promise."
They still didn't know what the future would have in store for any of them but, for now, Hongjoong and Felix were content with giving their new packmates a chance to become, well, more.
(And, with some luck, they'd be officially mated before the end of the year.)
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Alright, so I've received some suggestions for an additional chapter, which is great! I'll get started on it and I'll eventually post a fourth part. Thank you for your continued support guys!