Brethren

4

It was late in the evening and very few people were still awake. Once Shindong, Heechul and Siwon had returned from the hunt with a deer (A deer! They'd eat well for a whole week) the betas had made a fire and everyone had crowded around, roasting the meat over the crackling campfire. Even Kyuhyun had felt like he was getting along with everyone, which was fun. He'd discovered that Shindong and Hyukjae were incredibly fun to be around, he'd stick around them in the future. It was an amazing night, but everyone had tired themselves out quickly.

Kyuhyun was curled up on a bed of furs in a previously abandoned hut. It had been quickly patched up with some help, so he didn't have to sleep in the medical hut. It was nice and warm, if a little small, but it was better than the medical hut that constantly stunk of antiseptic.

There was a rustle outside and Kyuhyun perked up. He didn't want to have to shift now, but if something was coming to hurt this pack he'd defend them with his life. He was just about to shift when he saw the top of Ryeowook's head, and then the rest of him come slipping into his hut.

"What are you doing?" Kyuhyun asked, looking up at the small boy now sat at the end of his makeshift bed. Ryeowook had a welcoming grin on his face, Kyuhyun couldn't get mad at him for stopping him trying to sleep when he looked like that.

"I wanted to come to talk to you!" Ryeowook said with a smile "I've not talked one-on-one to you yet and It'd be nice to get to know you!"

"You want to get to know me?" Kyuhyun asked "Why? I'm going to be leaving in a few days, I'm not worth getting to know."

"Drop the whole edgy thing, I hope you're not still an angst teen" Ryeowook said with a laugh "I want to get to know you because I like talking to people. Simple as that."

"An omega shouldn't have an attitude like that, especially around alphas" Kyuhyun said, narrowing his eyes.

"Ugh, you're just like Yesung." Ryeowook said, rolling his eyes and slumping back against the wall.

"Who's Yesung?" Kyuhyun asked. He still hadn't learned everyone's names yet, but he was getting there.

"Ah... he's one of the alphas. Black hair, parted in the middle, very pale skin, kinda skinny?" Ryeowook explained "But you two are just the same. Always on at me for attitude, the same edgy 'oh you shouldn't talk to me!' shtick."

Kyuhyun paused for a moment "Ah... I see"

"I'm not really supposed to talk about my mating or anything cause it just makes everyone angry, but I can talk to you since you're leaving. I think I'm gonna get Yesung to be my mate." Ryeowook said with a lovesick grin.

"Why? I thought he was a beta at first, he's not really alpha material."

"You're just the same- But I love him, he's so kind to me and we've been friends ever since we got here. He's cute, and funny, and really smart, and he cares about me so much- I'm rambling, aren't I?" Ryeowook said sheepishly.

"Just a little." Kyuhyun smiled "It's cute how you're so in love with him though, not for his strong he is or anything. Wish I could get someone like that."

"Oh, I'm sure you will." Ryeowook smiled, shuffling closer to Kyuhyun "Sometime soon."

Kyuhyun smiled back, sitting himself up properly and then sitting himself next to Ryeowook, pulling a fur over their legs so they didn't get cold. "Yeah, hopefully. It'll be a while though, till I get this leg working properly again."

"I'll help look after you!" Ryeowook said, looking up at Kyuhyun, eyes a little heavy from sleepiness.

Kyuhyun bit his lip "Isn't that the beta's   job?"

"Yeah, but I really want to help you." Ryeowook said, resting a hand on Kyuhyun's healthy leg.

Kyuhyun looked down for a moment, at the omega who was inching closer to him, the hand resting on his thigh, and raised an eyebrow "What do you think you're doing?"

"You really think I came in here just to talk to you? In the middle of the night?" Ryeowook teased "Maybe all alphas do have thick skulls"

"What happened to your pretty Yesung, huh?" Kyuhyun cupped one side of Ryeowook's face in his hand, and Ryeowook leant into it.

"Oh, he'll never get the guts to mate me properly. I love him, but he'd be hopeless when my heat came along." Ryeowook said, straddling Kyuhyun's waist

Kyuhyun's eyes narrowed and he easily moved Ryeowook off his lap "Go to bed. The other alphas aren't going to take kindly to you asking to be claimed by an outsider."

Ryeowook frowned and stood up "You're no fun. I wasn't even going to ask you to claim me!"

"What, just to hump and dump?" Kyuhyun asked with a laugh

"No..." Ryeowook frowned, and then stormed out in a huff.

Kyuhyun just rolled his eyes and went back to bed.

——

"You smell like an alpha."

Ryeowook froze on the spot and slowly turned around, pretending to be confused "Huh? I do?" He'd been concerned first thing in the morning, halfway between his hut and the forest boundary. He really needed to piss and this wasn't helping that at all.

"Don't think I didn't hear you going to visit Kyuhyun last night." Shindong said "I'm not stupid. What are you doing with him?" He said, lowering his voice slightly so he didn't wake up anyone else. His hand, however, held Ryeowook's shoulder tightly so he couldn't escape.

"Nothing! We just wanted to talk to each other and I knew everyone would get mad if I was talking to an alpha that wasn't them..." Ryeowook bluffed the best he could, hoping he looked innocent and cute enough for a Shindong to believe him

"You really think I'm dumb, don't you?" Shindong said, narrowing his eyes.

Ryeowook was beginning to get fidgety at this point, shifting from foot to foot, both from the awkwardness and his bladder.

"I'm not as harsh as the other alphas are. But I suggest you wash up before Kangin or Yesung smells you. Or worse, Heechul." Shindong said with a note of finality, letting go of Ryeowook and watching the young boy sprint into the bushes. He didn't want the kid to get torn apart, even if he did feel the constant, scraping jealousy in the pit of his stomach. He liked to think he was a little bit more civilised than the others. That he was less primal, he'd put it like that.

God, he wanted him so bad.