Chapter Text
They’ve been together for more than a decade now. They have learnt, have lost and grown, maturing from awkward and clumsy young adults to the dependable men that they are today.
Music brought them together, made their unseemly paths intertwine. And between all the rain and sunshine, somewhere along the way, the threads never loosened as they found something solid in each other.
Yonghwa sometimes likes to think it was fate. Not the grand kind, with signs and omens—just a quiet inevitability, like the way sunlight always finds its way through curtains in the morning. Because truthfully, when he first met them, he didn’t think they’d end up here. Still side by side, still steady.
Especially Minhyuk and Jungshin—his two bright, lovable younger brothers. Maybe because they are the youngest in the group. Maybe because Yonghwa met them while they were still growing into themselves. Therefore, even though Jonghyun was also younger than him, it felt different with these two, softer somehow, like something that needed to be gently looked after.
They were so young then, full of laughter and wide-eyed wonder.
Jungshin had always been a known Omega to the group, to the management, and to anyone who ever looked closely enough. Tall and lanky, with striking features and eyes that held more fire than softness, he didn’t quite fit the image people often associated with his secondary gender. At a glance, with his towering 1.87-meter frame and sharp, arched brows, people loved to assume otherwise. And yet, beneath it all lingered that quiet hum of instinct, the kind only those closest to him could feel.
Minhyuk, on the other hand, had always been shy. His face was round and soft, and his frame was lean and fragile. He had the kind of smile that turned his eyes into crescents. No one expected that sweet boy to differentiate as an Alpha. He was what some people might call a late bloomer. At twenty, still undifferentiated, people speculated: Maybe he’s a Beta. or That face… he’d make a stunning Omega.
Yonghwa, though, never said much. He wasn’t the type to assume. He took things as they came, dealt with them rationally.
So the day he walked into the dorm room and found Jungshin curled up on the couch, one of his shirts clutched tightly against his nose, the air thick with a damp, earthy scent, he didn’t panic.
Yonghwa himself is an enigma carrying a slight lotus tea scent, which was the exact reason why the two youngest always gravitated towards him. As long as he was in the room, Jungshin would find some ways to stick to him, breathing it in like a sedative. Minhyuk, although not quite as obvious as Jungshin, would also stay close, looking his way whenever the boy was in doubt. It was as if he had become something of a parental figure to them both.
He steadied himself and let more of his pheromone spread into the room—calm, grounding, familiar. With him there, Minhyuk’s newly awakened Alpha instincts were unlikely to spiral into aggression.
His eyes followed Jungshin for a brief moment, watching the sway of long hair, the blur of movement as he slipped into Yonghwa’s room and shut the door with a quiet slam. Only then did he approach the room Jungshin and Minhyuk shared.
Yes, the two were roommates. It had made sense back then, before Minhyuk differentiated. But after today, Yonghwa was sure to have a talk with the manager about giving each of them their own rooms.
“I’ve got some suppressants. Come out and take it.”
His voice was soft, perhaps too casual for the situation. The kind of gentle command he used to give as their leader. The door opened just wide enough for a messy shock of brownish hair peeking into view, “Is he gone yet?"
“He is in my room.”
A pause.
“Can I come in?”
The door creaked open, revealing a room not too far from its everyday state—shelves quietly collecting dust, the usual clutter resting in their usual places—except for the unmistakable mess sprawled across the wrong bed.
Normally, Yonghwa would have teased his little brother for it, but this was hardly the time; so he tried his best to behave.
“Are you feeling alright? I’ll look into getting your room changed,” he said softly, pulling out a tablet of emergency medication, the one originally prepared for Jonghyun, the other alpha in their group.
“Thank you, hyung. I’m okay… Just a little overwhelmed by, well—everything.”
Yonghwa gave a sympathetic nod, ”If you need anything scented, just say the word. I’ll make sure it’s ready for you.” His eyes scanned the softly lit room with a faint curve of amusement on his lips, then he chuckled, warmth in his voice, “Though from the looks of it, you’ve already got everything you need right here, don’t you?”
Minhyuk’s cheeks flamed a deeper shade of pink, barely audible as he mumbled, “His pheromones. They’re… nice.”
Yonghwa raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile. “Naturally. He is an omega, so his soft pheromones will feel comforting to you.”
His eyes twinkled with mirth as he continued, “There’s a reason why Jonghyun and I are always finding excuses to lounge on his bed.”
At the mention of Jonghyun, Minhyuk’s expression tightened, but as always, he held himself with practiced politeness. “Thank you, hyung. If I’m being too much of a nuisance, I can stay at my parents’ house for a few days.”
Yonghwa inhaled deeply, savoring the scent that clung to the air, a warm light petrichor, grounding and reliable. A small, affectionate smile played on his lips.
“Don’t go borrowing trouble, Minhyukkie. You’ve got enough to handle without adding guilt to the mix. Rest.”
With a teasing little wave, he turned on his heel and stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him as he made his way toward the common room.
One matter settled, Yonghwa turned his attention to Jungshin, who was now sprawled lazily across his bed like an oversized cat. He didn’t seem half as shaken by the whole ordeal as Yonghwa had expected. His huge eyes—always a little too perceptive for someone so young—followed Yonghwa’s every step as he made his way to sit on the edge of the bed.
“I already took suppressants, so I’ll be fine, hyung,” Jungshin said at length, voice low and unhurried.
Yonghwa clicked his tongue softly and gave a disapproving frown, “Jungshin ah, your body is still maturing. Let your body breathe a little.”
The younger didn’t reply, only turned his face slightly, that familiar pout settling onto his lips. That look had followed him since their trainee days. A little stubborn, a little spoiled, and wholly endearing.
“Unless we’re on tour or have packed schedules, you shouldn’t take suppression like that,” Yonghwa murmured, running a hand through Jungshin’s long, soft hair. “If it’s too much to handle…”
He hesitated, the words were harder to say out loud than he thought, considering the situation at hand. Images of Minhyuk’s flustered face when the kid talked about his same-age friend popped up in his mind.
“…I can give you a temporary mark—“
The words settled quietly between them. Jungshin’s expression shifted, just barely, with each unspoken thought passing behind his eyes. Something must have happened between their two youngests for Jungshin to seriously mull over his offer. But that was a problem for another time, Yonghwa thought.
His instincts quietly nudged him that whatever it was, it felt like the budding of something fragile and precious, not quite ready to bloom.
In time, though, it did.
Subtly taking root in the bitter cold of winter, unfolding by degrees between the blossoms of spring, blooming in full in the heady heat of summer until, years later, ripening beneath the red leaves of autumn.
Today, as Yonghwa sits with them on the long sofa, singing along a random medley of their songs, a gentle warmth curls in his chest.
Through all the storms they’ve weathered, through heartbreaks and unspeakable grief. Still, here they are. It’s not something Yonghwa takes for granted. Their bond has been tested more than once, stretched across the line of time, held together only by the tenderness and sensitivity each member carries.
Yonghwa glances at Minhyuk, his toned arm draped casually over Jungshin’s shoulder—a gesture so natural it hardly calls attention, yet speaks volumes of the comfort between them. Some might say Jungshin is closest to Yonghwa, but those people likely never saw the quiet encouragement, the sincere words, the gentle touches exchanged behind closed doors between Jungshin and Minhyuk.
There’s nothing to be envious about. Each of them shares a different rhythm, a distinct kind of chemistry. Yonghwa still loves messing around with Jungshin. The youngest is quirky, full of life, always able to make him laugh. But Yonghwa also knows, for quite some time, whenever something feels off, Jungshin almost always finds Minhyuk first. It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when Yonghwa was the immovable pillar they leaned on. And in many ways, he still is. But things have shifted, gradually, like the subtle changes of seasons.
Therefore, to be so closely woven into this unobtrusive, beautiful story between his two youngest brothers—to have watched it unfold, slowly and surely—sometimes feels like a kind of magic to him.
And Yonghwa, ever the inconspicuous witness, cradles that magic in the palm of his hands like a keepsake. So he says nothing, never breathes a word about the way Minhyuk turned toward Jungshin, eyes filled with a softness that lingered like warmth in winter, nor about the way they leaned into each other subconsciously, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
For now, Yonghwa will continue to be the frontman, carefully veiling their unspoken truth in silence, guarding it with the tenderness of someone who understands the beauty of things left unsaid.