Old Way ||| Ateez

32

Jongho woke up to a raging headache, one that made thinking hurt. He groaned and rolled his head to the other side, seeking a cooler part of the bed to lay against. Maybe that would help. Or maybe Yunho would get him some ice.

He slid an arm across the bed, seeking out his mate with another groan that almost sounded like his beta's name, then frowned when he came up empty.

He slowly drew his fingers in to make a fist and attempted to push himself up, but the second he put pressure on his hand his entire body burned.

What the hell had happened?

Jongho tried to sift through his memories of the past few days. It consisted of hunting and searching for clues, which was nothing new unfortunately.

And yesterday, he had gone out with Yunho, Wooyoung, and Chan to continue the search when...

The alpha sat up in a flash, his head screaming even louder at him, when he remembered Wooseok and what the omega had said to him.

He felt like his thoughts were going to tear his mind in two. They flashed between trying to process that Wooseok said they were Soulmates and concern for Yunho.

Squinting to try and ease the pain in his head, Jongho scanned the room quickly, looking for his mate.

Much to his relief, the door opened a couple of seconds later and Yunho hurried to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm here, are you alright baby?" Yunho cupped Jongho's cheek in his large hand and bit his lip.

He was worried and scared. It turned his scent sour and made Jongho feel terrible.

The alpha pushed through his pain and pulled his beta into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He muttered over and over again as images of what he'd done flashed across his mind. "Yunho, I'm so sorry."

The older whimpered a little, trying to adjust himself in Jongho's demanding grip, but he didn't change it. He needed to feel his mate next to him. He needed to feel that this was real, that this...

This was what he wanted.

Jongho sat up again and grabbed Yunho's face. He could feel his heartbeat rising as adrenaline coursed through his veins. His nostrils flared and he started to tremble.

"Take a deep breath." Yunho whispered. He ran his fingers through his mate's hair and pet the side of his face. "You've been through a lot of stress, I need you to calm down so you don't trigger yourself again."

"Yunho..." The alpha breathed. He could see how frightened his mate was. Frightened of him... Frightened of what was going to happen...

His mate's eyes dropped, recognizing that Jongho knew his thoughts. "Don't... I can't... I can't handle it right now."

The words shattered Jongho's heart. He opened his mouth to speak again, but didn't get a chance because Yunho kept speaking.

"I think... I think you need to talk to him." Yunho's voice was low and strained. He dropped his hand to his lap and shifted away from Jongho just a little bit. That slight motion added to the tension in the air. "He... He deserves..." Yunho swallowed and turned his head away.

Jongho whined when a tear rolled down Yunho's cheek. He lunged forward with a sudden, jerky movement to wipe it away, but stopped when Yunho flinched away from him.

"Yunho, please. Please don't push me away." His heart continued to race as he spoke.

"You need time-"

"No I don't!" Jongho snapped. It killed him to see his mate recoil away from him when he did, but he didn't need time!

He didn't need to think. He didn't need to plan. He certainly didn't need to talk to Wooseok.