When the Bang Pack finally reached their penthouse in the heart of Miroh, everyone began to disperse in the house. Everyone needed a shower before lying down in their pack bed, and some even wanted a snack before they took a nap.
The tub was giant, enough to fit at least half of the pack inside comfortably, with a separate shower on the other side of the room. It wasn’t unusual to see them take a bath or shower together in the mornings before they had to go to work. Surrounding the tub were various bath supplies, all tailored to the different tastes. There was even a small flat-screen TV in the bathroom, since some liked to stay in the bath for a while. In the closet, there was an abundant amount of candles that were very similar to the scents of each of the pack members.
The first to step into the shower or tub were Jisung and Changbin. Even if he wasn’t a Luna, his omega was stressed from losing one of his pups, and to combat this, they decided to let him handle the task.
Changbin woke him softly, asking if it was okay to bathe him and clean his wound correctly, and he sleepily agreed. Changbin slowly unclothed his beta and took a good look at the wound on his leg. For the amount of blood that was on the ground, the wound didn’t seem as bad as it should have been.
Now that he thought about it, he was really sleepy too. If it were hurting as much as it should, Jisung would be wide awake and in pain rather than bone-exhausted. He hasn’t had a single form of pain relief yet, and he didn’t even seem harmed. Changbin simply sighed and stripped himself of his own clothing.
Their size difference has narrowed lately because Jisung has been more consistent in the gym, but he seemed tiny in Changbin’s arms as he sat the young one between his legs, a stool in the middle of the tub to keep the wounded legs from getting too wet. Changbin’s omega purred at the sight of Jisung’s sleepy pout and shaggy hair, a sight of an adorable pup.
“My Sungie.” Changbin smiled and kissed his temple softly as he took some cherry-scented soap, applied it to a washcloth, and scrubbed Jisung with it. The smell of the soap calmed his nerves now that their beta smelled like blood and more like Changbin’s own scent.
Changbin asked Jisung if he wanted to wash his hair, but he quickly declined. It makes sense; it would take longer, and he was already half asleep. He should be put in the nest as soon as possible. He needed as much rest as possible. There is no telling if the trauma from the Chase will leave him unable to sleep or function properly anymore once he is fully awake.
The bath was uneventful and quiet, other than the occasional purr from Changbin and Jisung’s small snores. Eventually, they both decided to get out of the tub. They were both dressed in oversized shirts and small shorts with nice fuzzy socks. Their hair was a mess, but it gave them a very soft look. If Changbin had it on him, he would take a picture of them both.
The omega carried Jisung into the pack room and laid him in the middle of the giant pack bed. He knew once everyone else was situated, they would want him in the middle to calm their anxiety over losing him. He grabbed one of the many covers to drape over them, the smell of all eight mingling in it. Despite the many scents they had, it smelled wonderful when combined. However, they may be biased.
Changbin wrapped his arms around Jisung’s small waist. He held him close to his body, feeling his body finally relax for the first time since the night began. A soft sigh left his lips before he gave a small kiss to Jisung’s scent gland. The Jisung’s scent combusted in the air as the younger whined at the feeling.
Changbin giggled and went to do it again, but immediately stopped.
Changbin sniffed the air, realizing that there was something off about what he smelled. It seems almost sweeter? Changbin blinked a few times before going into Jisung’s neck to smell it, but this time it was Jisung’s regular mochi scent.
Changbin shrugged it off, thinking that his nose was just off, and closed his eyes. He needed a nap just as much as Jisung. There was nothing to worry about.
After the incident, there was a split between the pack that no one wanted to speak about. There was no fighting, no arguments, and yet it felt like no one could stand being around each other for more than a few minutes at a time. Everyone knew the root cause, and it was the fact that Jisung was starting to act weird.
The subtle change that Changbin smelt that night was not the only thing that worried them. There were more obvious changes that no one wanted to mention. Jisung was put on medical leave until his wound healed, so he stayed home more than he used to.
Everyone in the pack worked, but some not as often. One of them who didn’t work as much as the others was Felix. He would usually volunteer and take on odd jobs rather than hold down a single job. Even if he didn’t work at all, the pack was financially stable enough to do so.
That meant Felix and Jisung were usually doing their own thing while the others worked during the day. They called it Twin Bonding Time because of their close birthdays and their shared betas. They pick out movies and watch them on the giant projector for hours, until they fall asleep and are woken by the first person home that day.
Today, they would be more productive than usual. Felix and Jisung decided to get up early and make breakfast for everyone. It wasn’t as good as what Minho or Chan would have made, but it was decent, and it made them feel good watching their mates eat and appreciate their hard work.
It was a simple American breakfast: bacon or sausage, eggs, pancakes or toast, and orange juice or coffee. The first packmates to leave were always Changbin and Chan, wanting to go to the gym before heading to the studio for the day. They gave a soft kiss to their betas’ lips before leaving.
Seungmin came out of his room, visibly tired, in a freshly pressed suit and a leather travel bag. His tie was in his hands as he asked Felix to tie it for him. The beta was gleeful, immediately claimed his mate, and kissed his lips. Seungmin only grabbed toast and coffee, promising to eat more later with a kiss to Jisung’s lips before leaving.
The next was Minho, ready with his dance bag. He was a dance teacher for young children, a passion of his. Felix and Hyunjin would go with him to work, help him with the children, and create choreography with him. Jeongin was right behind him, on the way to the daycare. People said it was weird that an alpha would enjoy teaching young children, but the maknae loved his job dearly.
Hyunjin had a late night, staying up on a painting, so he was still asleep in the pack room. He would probably leave for his studio around lunchtime. That meant Jisung and Felix could do whatever they wanted for the day. Felix grabbed a bunch of blankets and pillows for the living room. Jisung began adjusting the blankets into a nice, tight circle in front of the couch, big enough for him and Felix. The pillows were added to steady the blankets, then more were placed in the middle to keep them from getting too soft.
Felix watched Jisung silently, lost. He didn’t want to admit it, but the way he was moving everything was not his usual self. You can say Felix and Jisung made “nests” when they did this, but not in this way. Jisung was more attentive to building his nest, almost with the same precision he brings to producing music.
“Hey, can I help you?” Felix asked softly. He knew that sometimes people who nested got defensive about their nests, and he didn’t want to scare Jisung if he was right. Jisung simply ignored his twin, then continued perfecting his craft. Felix decided to leave him alone and went to get Hyunjin to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.
Hyunjin was asleep, but seeing how Felix was so worried, he immediately got up from the bed. He rubbed his eyes, wondering what he wanted the older to see, and blinked at the living room.
“Did Channie-hyung or Binnie-hyung make a nest before they left?” Hyunjin asked, confused. Why is Jisung inside such a perfected nest?
“Jisung made that,” Felix said quietly, making Hyunjin glance down at the beta before looking at Jisung, who simply lay in the nest, watching TV like nothing was wrong.
Hyunjin decided not to go to his studio that day, saying he was too exhausted to spare Jisung worry. Still, he immediately messaged Minho, Chan, and Changbin about it with a picture. Chan decided they would not say anything directly to Jisung, but it would be best if they let him figure out what was going on with his therapist. If they were extremely worried, they could just mention it to his therapist.
Hyunjin said he would message them again if anything else happened before he turned off his phone. He looked at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened in the past week. He glanced at his sketchbook before going into the living room with a pencil. The Sunshine twins were still in the nest, cuddling nice and tight. They were watching a random movie that Hyunjin didn’t seem to recognize. Must be something new.
Hyunjin didn’t want to keep them out of his sight, his alpha now disturbed, now that it knows something is going on. Hyunjin was the softest alpha among Minho and Jeongin, but he was fiercely protective of his packmates and would do anything to keep them safe.
He folded into himself, sketching his two packmates in front of him. It was in his normal, messy yet perfectly crafted pieces. You couldn’t tell who it would be unless you knew him and his mates well enough. Some of his favorite pieces, which he cherished, were stylistically similar, as if they came from the heart rather than the hyperrealistic drawings.
Now and then, Hyunjin would have to glance up at the pair to see what they were doing, and soon Hyunjin looked up to see that they were watching a vampire movie. What Hyunjin never understood was the number of vampire movies that were popular when vampires were still extremely demonized. It didn’t make sense, and even if he didn’t meet one until the mishap in the woods, it always rubbed him the wrong way.
It was a club scene, and the vampire bit into someone’s artery, sucking and licking as the effects of the movie gave the impact that the human seemed to be high off the feeling of the vampire’s fangs.
“That’s not how that works,” Jisung mumbled to himself, adjusting himself in Felix’s grip. If Felix was going to do anything, he would be someone’s mini backpack and big spoon. Hyunjin raised a brow and asked Jisung what he meant.
“Look at what is going on.” Hyunjin’s eyes flickered to the screen and watched the sequence again now that Jisung rewinded it with the remote. It was a stereotypical vampire scene with the vampire hunter craving to be bitten for pleasure. The vampire did so, and the hunter rolled his head along with his eyes back in pleasure. “Vampire bites don’t do that.”
“Vampire fangs just suck the blood up, but the saliva of a vampire is what numbs that part of the body being bitten. Vampires have no form of aphrodisiac that they use. This is a myth people created because another form of dehumanization is increased sexualization. It’s a fetish about people that others hate so much.” Jisung explained.
You could tell that he did a lot of research about this when he was bored in the house. None of them really searched up things about vampires, just small talk about what came up on TV. It made Hyunjin really think.
“I didn’t know that. It makes sense, though.” Hyunjin looked at Jisung, who sighed and turned the channel to a random cartoon. This must bother him. That one-sided bond with that vampire has to be real, because Jisung has never been like this before.
Hyunjin opened his phone and messaged Chan and Minho in the group chat. They were the leaders of the pack, and they would handle this better than the younger packmates. They usually knew what was best in times like these.
Hyunjin: I don’t know if this counts, but he has been researching and watching more vampire content. He just explained what vampire bites really do to the body.
The oldest members got back to him quickly, saying they would note it down and not to worry, since it’s not anything concerning yet. Jisung could learn about vampires if he genuinely wanted to. It could be a good thing for him.
They’ll figure this out another day.
After Hyunjin and Felix spoke with the oldest members, they all agreed to keep a close eye on him. That’s why they randomly decided to do pack night early. They usually did it on the last Friday of every month, but they decided to move it up a week.
All the pack members worked, and most were workaholics, which sometimes led them to lose sight of their mates. Pack Night was for them to spend time together, and it changed every time they did it. One month could be movie night; the next, going out for dinner.
This time around, everyone wanted to stay in. They still prevented Jisung from leaving the house, so they needed to figure out what to do without going anywhere. After receiving the princess treatment of getting to choose himself, Jisung decided they would have a game night. A bunch of board and card games all night until they fell asleep one-by-one.
Everyone agreed, knowing they had a bunch of games that they barely played in a closet somewhere in the house. They needed to put them to use anyway.
Everyone had to work, so it didn’t start until they were off. Jisung already came prepared, in pajamas, and all the games he wanted to play were set up at one of the larger tables. He even had some beers, suju, and wine so they could get a little drunk in the process.
Jeongin was the first to come home. His class went smoothly, and there was no reason to stay behind for once. If he did end up needing to do some work, he could do that later. The alpha was worried about his pack more than macaroni art from three-year-old kids. When he came home, Jisung was nowhere to be seen.
Odd. Jisung is usually on the couch when they come home.
Jeongin decided it wasn’t that important and slowly took off his shoes, lining them up properly. He knew he couldn’t handle Chan pouting about it today, as cute as it is when he does. Jeongin then took off his jacket and went to his room to change into something else. He’s pretty sure that he has five different body fluids on him from dealing with kids all morning. He loves his job, but it can be hard sometimes.
As he walked down the hallway, into the alpha room to grab his clothes, something caught his ear. It sounded like soft cries. Was that Jisung?
The alpha immediately went straight to where he had heard the cries and slightly opened the door to the beta room, where he found Jisung curled up in the bed. His alpha growled at the sight, wanting to know what hurt his beta. However, he knew he couldn’t just run into the room and demand to know what happened.
Jisung was very fragile when it came to mental status. He needs to do this the right way. Jeongin knocked on the door, and Jisung jumped. He immediately stuffed something that he was holding into a pillowcase. Jeongin’s eyes followed the movement, but he shouldn’t ask about it.
“Hyung? Are you okay?” Jeongin stayed at the door. Jisung immediately wiped his face of the tears. He tried to put on a smile for his youngest mate, but it was a struggle. His lips were trying so hard to pull themselves down in sadness. His eyes were red and puffy, irritated from the tears.
“Innie. I didn’t know you were home.” Jisung sidestepped the question. He crawled out of the beta bed and walked straight to the alpha. Jeongin looked down at the older, worried. He could still see the tear lines left on his face, and his breathing was irregular.
“Come on, let’s go get the door. I think Felix said he is bringing back some stuff from the bakery. He must need help with it.” Jisung grabbed Jeongin’s hands and pulled him to the front door.
The rest of the night, Jisung seemed to ignore Jeongin. Everyone else didn’t know something was wrong, but Jeongin knew. He knew, and it was eating him up inside. He had to do something about it, or else he would lose it.
“Innie, are you okay?” Changbin asked softly. His scent started to turn sour, bothering the omega who was sitting almost in his lap. Jeongin swirled his beer, nodding. He didn’t want to out Jisung yet, even though he didn’t want to tell him. Telling the others would only make him feel worse.
“Yeah.” Jeongin’s eyes lolled to the hallway. “Actually, let me go to the bathroom.”
Jeongin got up, trying to stay as relaxed as possible in order to prevent the others from getting worried. He did not go to the bathroom, however. He went straight to the beta room, slowly, and looked around to make sure that no one saw him.
When he realized the coast was clear, he immediately went straight for the pillowcase. He didn’t know what it would be, but it worried him if it caused Jisung to cry. Nothing could prepare him for what the item. It was something he had dealt with before, just the week before.
The vampire’s ripped-up shirt. The scent that he had smelt on it before was long gone and only contained Jisung’s soft scent. However, that only meant one thing.
He still craved his scent.
Seungmin may be young, but he definitely wasn’t dumb. He knew the older pack members were either hiding or scared about something, but one thing was for a fact.
Now and then, he would notice they would hover over him like he would disappear if he left their sight again. He knew they would be clingy for a while, but even this was excessive. He understood if it was just Chan or even Minho, but even Hyunjin was acting more like a hyung to Jisung than he usually did. Changbin would hug Jisung more than usual, and although it made Jisung happier, there had to be a reason as to why.
That’s why he took matters into his own hands.
Seungmin would also start doing the same things the others did. Seungmin, Felix, and Jisung would end up in their own beta room when Seungmin came home from the office. He wanted to see what the others were looking for, and so far, he wasn’t seeing anything. It was a disappointment, really. He thought there was something that was going on that seemed important. Sure, Jisung was more inclined to learn about vampires and would often info-dump about them to his mates, but He would do that about almost anything to them, even before. It didn’t seem odd.
Even now, Jisung seemed better than before. His wound was fully healed now, the mark barely even noticeable. When Jisung was asked how that was possible, he would only blush and not say anything. Not wanting to agitate him, they’d simply let it go. It didn’t matter that much anyway.
Felix was baking in the kitchen, wanting to try a new type of bread for the pack. That left Seungmin and Jisung in the beta room. Jisung was finally singing for the first time in a while. He would make a few mistakes here and there in the words, but it was endearing. The mistakes didn’t matter when Jisung smiled so brightly and blushed so softly while Seungmin watched endearingly.
It was times like this that he remembers why he fell in love with Jisung in the first place. When they could sing together, harmonizing every word as if they were born to be intertwined, it was like the stars aligned. Although Seungmin worked in law, his first love was always music, and Jisung was the human reincarnation of it.
They held each other close as they listened to the songs playing from Jisung’s phone. Seungmin was lanky and all legs, but that didn’t matter when he folded himself into Jisung’s more muscular frame, balling up to make himself seem shorter. Seungmin’s head lay on Jisung’s chest as he kept the rhythm of Jisung’s heartbeats. If he wasn’t careful, he could probably fall asleep like this.
Seungmin’s phone buzzed, and he sat up to see what was sent to him. He didn’t get many notifications besides work-related ones. As much as he loves his mates, he had their main group chat muted at all times because it is usually spammed with memes and other unimportant things.
He opened it for one of his boss’s clients, who emailed him. It was long, specific, and made close to no sense. Being a paralegal was hard work on most days, but he wouldn’t change it for the world. Seungmin went to message her back, and Jisung moved to lay his head on Seungmin’s lap.
Seungmin smiled and began to type with one hand while running his hair through Jisung’s hair. His hair was getting very long, curling as it grew. It was so pretty on him. Seungmin barely paid attention to the beta in his lap until he heard a noise from his lap.
It shouldn’t matter that someone was purring, happy, and content. However, the biggest problem is that Beta didn’t really purr. Some do, but it is extremely rare. This is usually because it came from socialization with omegas. The same could happen with beta adopting growls because they were around alphas.
Jisung has never purred before, though.
Seungmin quickly sent the email to the client before going into a chat with his Luna.
Seungmin: We need to chat.
The talk that Seungmin wanted didn’t exactly happen. All Chan said was that he knew what he was talking about and to keep monitoring Jisung, but there was nothing they could do at the moment. Jisung wasn’t showing any harmful tendencies that needed to be broken. Most of them were neutral for the most part, something that some may find weird, but it didn’t really matter.
It annoyed the beta to no end about this, but Seungmin also knew that there wasn’t really much to talk about. Of course, Jisung would change slightly, but the Chase isn’t causing anything like nightmares or phobias of certain things that he could associate with the experience.
That revelation is precisely why they finally allowed him back to work. He healed remarkably quickly, but it didn’t matter. It was easier for the pack knowing he would always be in their packhouse. However, he also needed to work again.
He has gotten a lot of inspiration at home. One thing about experiencing traumatic events is that writing it out helped him, and what better way for him to process it through music?
Changbin and Chan even forwent going to the gym before heading to the studio, just so they could go with Jisung. He also worked out, but never as consistently as the other two. They woke up the earliest out of the group, Jisung pouting and whining because he wasn’t used to waking up so early anymore after staying home.
All his pouts began to calm once he was kissed on his scent gland and his small but plump lips. Walking into the company, he was forced between his two omegas, as if they were trying to protect him from the world.
“Hyungs.. You don’t have to do all this.” Jisung whined when some trainees that he didn’t recognize looked at them oddly. He scratched his neck and tried to make himself smaller, but that was futile. Everyone knew that Jisung was their baby anyway.
“Jisungie, it’s not really for you as much as it’s for our omegas. They’re both very nervous about having you out of the pack house. It’s easier if we are close instead.” Chan admitted, rubbing his ears, which had turned bright red, as they finally reached their person studio.
It was big and fit them just right. It could fit all of their packmates on the couches, and they had a giant monitors and a recording booth. This came from privileges that they rightfully earned as a producing group. Now that 3racha is finally all there, it feels complete.
“Ah.. I guess I will indulge for my omega-hyungs.” Jisung teased, trying to fluster them both, but all he got was a push from Changbin.
The day went by quickly, their rhythm taking hold. They were struggling to work without Jisung out of commission, but now that he was with them, they could think and work just like they wanted. He was truly their heart. Changbin and Chan didn’t bicker over songs as they did before, and Jisung gave them the reassurance they craved.
Eventually, they needed to take a break, so Changbin and Jisung went to grab some food while Chan stayed behind. Chan sighed as he leaned back in the chair, stretching. He looked around the studio before realizing that they should probably clean up some of their old coffee cups before bringing more food.
He gathered them all one by one, stacking them into a single stack before pushing his chair to the trashcan in the corner. As Chan went to throw away the cups, he found a single piece of paper that he didn’t remember being there. They always came to throw their trash every night. Often, they were still here when the cleaning staff came through.
So where did this come from?
Chan decided to retrieve from the trash can. You never know what this could be. As Chan unfolded the crumbled paper, he immediately recognized the handwriting on the paper.
Usually, they all wrote lyrics on a computer or even their phones to better keep track of it all. However, sometimes it felt nice to go back to using journals. It felt much more intimate, having to process each other as you wrote them. It was often from a place of passion to write it down so neatly, yet rushed, in fear they would forget the words so dear to them.
And this is precisely what Jisung did.
Yeah, I have that feeling.
You are somewhat different.
Chan smiled. Why did he throw this away? It was clearly a beautiful song, and it had potential. Jisung rarely wrote love songs, so seeing this was quite the surprise. It made him feel warm inside, a feeling he didn’t yet know how to process. Then Chan continued to read the words,
My blood becomes sweeter and sweeter
My heartbeat beats like a bird.
Chan’s world immediately stopped. This definitely needed an intervention. He knew that he was growing an infatuation with learning about vampires, but this is ridiculous. This is a love song about a vampire that he didn’t even know for more than two hours.
Looking back, the signs were all there.
Chan knew better than anyone else that Jisung’s behavior was more important than he let on. That didn't say much, because he still didn't fully understand either.
Chan took a quick picture and sent it to their pack Alpha, Minho. The oldest three, Changbin, Minho, and Chan, often worked together, but it was Chan and Minho who worked on the deeper stuff. He stuffed the paper into his hoodie pocket for safekeeping.
They were both leaders within the pack. The betas didn't have a leader, feeling too close to age to feel the urge to guide their own.
Chan: Jisung threw this away when either me or Bin weren't looking
Chan: I think he formed a real bond with that vampire, but because he is a Beta, his instincts are going haywire. This isn't normal.
Minho: I hate to say it, but you’re right.
Minho: What should we do now, Luna? This is all up to you, hyung.
Chan: I don’t know, but I am going to ask Jisung about it. We should get him back to his therapist soon.
Minho: We will always follow your lead, Omega.
Chan softly smiled at the message. Minho is such an amazing mate to him in times like these. Usually, alphas were the ones keeping everything in order, but never for them. Minho always felt like Chan was better at guiding the pack, and he could reinforce it. Lunas were rare, but he was also strong, and his packmates always made sure to let him know.
Chan went to message Chan, but got interrupted by Jisung and Changbin busting through the door. He jumped as they walked in, singing loudly, with a bag in Changbin’s arms, and Jisung had a drink carrier.
“You weren’t gone long.” Chan glanced at them, putting his phone away. He didn’t need to talk to Minho anymore, anyway. He could talk to him later. It looked like DoorDash bags to a nearby Chinese takeout spot that they tend to indulge in every so often.
“Yeah, we ordered online, and all we had to do was pick it up when we got there.” Changbin set the bags on one of the coffee tables, pulling out three different boxes and chopsticks. Chan decided to get up and sit with his mates at the table to eat.
They ate in peace, saying little. Jisung scrolled through random videos on his phone, occasionally watching Changbin if they made him laugh a little. Chan simply watched, unsure the to cut into the conversation. It was already a hard conversation to have.
“Sungie…” Chan trailed off to get his attention. Jisung glanced up, his eyes wide and mouth slightly gaped. His heart fluttered, loving how sweet he looked like this. Chan blushed simply from the glance before clearing his throat. “I wanted to say that while I was waiting for you and Binnie to come back, I saw this paper in the trash can.”
Chan pulled the paper out of his hoodie pocket before handing it to Jisung. Changbin read the paper over Jisung’s shoulder. His reaction to the words was apparent; Changbin never held back his feelings. Jisung, however, seemed to clamp up in his seat.
Jisung’s shoulders squeezed together and his legs sealed together, making him smaller than he already was. His face seemed conflicted, like he was scared his feelings had been found out, but upset that Chan had also gone behind his back and read his lyrics after he threw them away for a reason.
