Chapter 3

Worry and stress were clearly the main areas of concern for the boys outside and already Hyunjin was not entirely sure how any of them were going to get home in the slightest. All of them wanted to go and see Chan, to know that their big brother was alive and perfectly fine, or would be in the long run, but clearly that was not an option. Minho was stressed to high hell because he couldn’t step up and help where he was most needed, Changbin looked about ready to punch somethings – though Hyunjin thought that maybe have something to do with the fact that Felix was out of his sight and the beta never really did well whenever that happened though no one had really addressed the issue in the slightest, there were of course ideas and some interesting theories but that was a worry for another time – whilst Jisung was curled up on the chair crying silently to himself. Seungmin had somehow ended up becoming Jeongin’s pillow which just looked strange and cute all at the same time but at least the two youngest were not ganging up to make the most fuss right now. With Seungmin being Chan’s actual half-brother, Hyunjin would have thought the young beta would have been all over his older brother but he seemed to be more content with waiting it out. There again Seungmin was still so mature for his age at times that it was rather scary. Jeongin had been a crying, worried mess of course, he was still their baby, even if he had presented as an alpha but was going through the stages of settling in and trying to find out who he was.

Plus, with how Chan had reacted to virtually every other alpha, it was easy to figure out that alphas going near him was probably a no go.

It still made Hyunjin sigh as he turned to look back towards the door, where Felix had disappeared a while ago now and other than a slight increase in what could only be parental scent marking, there had been no major changes. Which in one way was good but in another was also worrying. Figuring that now was probably a good time to start allocating something for people to do, Hyunjin sighed and went for tackling the biggest problem first. As Minho passed him on his pacing mission for the thousandth time, Hyunjin caught hold of his arm to hold him still.

“What?” the alpha tiredly snapped towards the beta, not actually made at him for any reason but feeling a bit on the stressed side.

“Have you talked to Yiyang yet?” Hyunjin asked politely, amazed that he was able to remain calm but opting to go with the flow.

Minho blinked repeatedly for a few long seconds, “Yiyang?”

A roll of his eyes was the answer, trust Minho to forget their sister at a time like this. “Yes, she’ll be picking up her vibrations or whatever it is she does and has probably already called about fifty times.”

“! She’ll kill me,” Minho said, grabbing at his phone and seeing that he had indeed missed a call, though thankfully only one, from Yiyang. For a second he was confused as to why it would be only one call, then noticed that it was nearly one in the morning which meant that it would probably only be around six am where she was in the world right now, so she was still probably only just half waking up. Damn it, time zones so badly, doubly so when your sister happened to be cast in a film on the opposite side of the world and had all but moved there.

Sighing, Minho dialled the number back and shook his head when it was answered immediately, “Look I would have called you straight away but…”

“I don’t really care,” came a straight to the point reply, “Just tell me what the hell is going on.”

“We found Chan,” Minho replied, “He was in an alleyway when I was out running, and a big storm hit, and he was there but I didn’t know, and he gave me a glow stick cause of the dark and then we got him home because he had passed out and now, he’s at the hospital being cared for with Ba and Ma scenting him but he won’t see anyone else cause he keeps freaking out…”

“Whoa, slow down a bit will you, Gege?” Yiyang replied back, clearly moving about, “Back up a few steps. You found Chan in an alleyway?”

“Yes,” Minho replied, taking a breath, “Quite why he was there we don’t know but it is him.”

There was silence for a few seconds, Yiyang clearly taking a moment to think things over as she often did. She was far more like her omega parent than her alpha one, which made her more contemplative and quieter but, in his mind, Minho was waiting for the day that she presented as an alpha because it was clear from the start that she was going to be a full one. She was head strong, bossy and a lot of a brat growing up but she cared so much for everyone and had practically ripped a guy apart for dumping Hyunjin – though granted if Minho had been the one to find out first he would have done the same thing – so if she was here, there would be no arguing with her getting in to see Chan. Vaguely Minho wondered about her late presentation again, but then remembered that it was something to be expected since her father presented really late on both occasions. Though he hoped that she would not go through that, it would get way too confusing (though would confirm her to be the total Daddy’s girl that she was).

“Is he talking to anyone?”

“No, he’s not,” Minho replied, “Well, he wasn’t but Felix has been in there a while now so maybe?”

There came a sigh from Yiyang, “Was he hurt?”

“Very much so,” Minho replied, “But I don’t know the full details. They wouldn’t disclose to me, but I’ll ask Ba when he comes out of the room.”

“Is it only Ba there?”

“Ma is with him too,” Minho smiled, knowing that his sister would remember the names that Chan used to use because she had not only copied but stuck with them herself, because she had known things were a little different in their family from the start. “I think Gege and the rest stayed at home, so they didn’t overwhelm…oh wait, Sooie’s with us as well as Uncle Siwon.”

Kyungsoo, who had just been arriving back in the corridor with several bags of food and drinks, gave one of his infamous blank stares towards the young alpha with an eyebrow raised but then saw the phone and seemed to come to the conclusion easy enough. “Hello Yiyang,” he called as he passed, “I’ve got your baby brothers under control and keeping the adults sorted as well. Don’t you start fretting and booking flights now, we’ll get him on video call for you when he feels up for it.”

“How do you even know what I’m doing?” Yiyang half yelled back which made Minho chuckle just a little bit, “I want to see Chan!”

“I know you do, we all want to, but we can’t,” Minho replied instead, “Don’t go messing up your schedule either. You know what Chan’ll say to you if you deny yourself this big break just because of him.”

“But,” Yiyang started.

Minho sighed, “I know, sweetie, I get it. You don’t have to worry, he’s safe, we’ve got him and we’re not going to let him go anywhere without one of us ever again.”

“You promise?” Yiyang replied, yawning a little.

“Pink promise,” Minho replied, then huffed, “Though shouldn’t you be getting ready for work now?”

“Shouldn’t you lot be getting ready for bed?” Yiyang shot back, playfully, “I bet none of you have slept at all.”

“Jeongin is using Seungmin as a pillow right now,” Minho replied cheekily.

“Photos or it didn’t happen,” Yiyang replied, sneezing cutely and then disappearing off the phone for a few seconds before coming back on. “As per usual, you’re correct on the time and I’ve got to get ready. Please keep me updated, will you?”

Minho nodded, “Of course, meimei. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Yiyang replied, “tell the others I love them too, even if they are pains in the neck!”

Hanging up a few seconds later, Minho jumped out of his skin when he was hugged tightly by Hyunjin, but he turned to return the hug just as much. It also gave him the opportunity to turn his eyes towards all his brothers and realise just how much of a tired mess they all were. Sighing he pulled back but Hyunjin was quick to grab his nose, wriggling the elders head back and forth before turning to the rest of them, “Come on, you lot, let’s pack up and head home.”

There was an immediate chorus of complaints about the idea but Hyunjin just shook his head, “I know, I don’t want to go but we all need to rest up and come back with clear heads else we’re going to start bickering and causing problems and that’s not going to help Channie now is it?”

For a few seconds there were looks of preparing for arguments but then everyone deflated because Hyunjin was speaking the truth and there was nothing that any of them could come up with to counter argue against his words at all. They were all tired, hungry, in need of a refreshing shower or else some kind of other rest and it seemed like the best time to get it. Kris and Xiumin were probably not going to go anywhere without Chan and until he was ready, there was no way that any of them would get to see their big brother, so they all had to agree.

Hyunjin smiled softly, “Would it make it easier if I promise to make everyone hot chocolate when we get back?”

That caused everyone to perk up as Hyunjin had an amazing way of making hot chocolate that everyone enjoyed, and no one could replicate. It always made everyone happy and especially when they were feeling down it was the perfect pick me up. Kyungsoo chuckled from his seat where he was clearly sending messages to the rest of the family back home, “The Mini Happy Virus wins again.”

Hyunjin playfully stuck his tongue out towards the elder, “So? It works doesn’t it.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, “Just remember to put some in a thermos before you come for visiting tomorrow. I’ve got us into a hotel nearby, so we don’t need putting up because I don’t think I’m going to get either to those two away from their son tonight.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll them home,” Siwon said, appearing as if by magic and startling half of them because they had forgotten that their Uncle was even there, “Make sure that none of them get lost.”

“Appreciated,” Kyungsoo replied, getting up to give each of the boys a bone crushing hug, because despite his small size, the omega held a mountain of strength in his body. “Just stay safe you guys and don’t think of doing anything stupid until we have an idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“And even then, don’t get any bright ideas either,” Siwon said, glaring at them, “You are not to go after whoever did this to Chan. That’s my job, understood?”

Any arguments about who had the right to do what were instantly stopped in their tracks when Felix emerged from the ward, looking tired and like he had cried a river. Changbin was immediately over to the small omega, fretting over him, “You okay?”

Felix sniffed loudly, went to nod but then shook his head and wrapped his arms tightly around Changbin as he once again started to cry. “I want to go home!” was all he managed to say, his deep voice resonating with all the tears, “Just go home.”

 With a resigned sigh, Changbin picked the omega up bridal style and started off down the corridor. The usual occurrence of stares filled with a million questions passed between the assembled group before Minho shrugged, tugged Seungmin to his side and started off after the other two. Jeongin half stumbled after the pair, as he was still sleepily leaning on Seungmin. Hyunjin shook his head and turned to look at Jisung who was staring longingly at the door. “Come on, squirrel, let’s go home. You can hug him to death later.”

Jisung sighed, “I just don’t want to leave him alone.”

“He’s not alone, plus I know you’ve got those old plushi’s of ours somewhere at home and being able to scent them will be the best thing for Gege right?” Hyunjin said softly, hoping that it would make the other get up.

It did though as the took hold of the familiar hand, Jisung could not help but look constantly back over his shoulder towards the door, “What happened to him?”

“Maybe it’s best we don’t know,” Hyunjin replied softly, “We just need to be there to help him get over this and then help him get back to life as normal as possible.”

Jisung nodded, still looking sad before he turned away and nuzzled affectionately into his just older brothers’ neck, “I wish I could be as much of a happy virus as you.”

“Ha, you just need to get your Mama flow back and you’ll be fine,” Hyunjin replied, “Find those plushi’s and we’ll turn them into the best scent dolls he’ll ever receive and then he’ll demand to see us.”

Giving his brother a look that said he was being a lot of an idiot, Jisung smiled softly and nodded. It was a good suggestion and if he could find those character plushi’s then he was sure that Chan would apricate them all the more than he had ever done so in his life. Though Jisung could still remember teasing his older brother about keeping them even though there had been no need to do so at the time. Now he was more than glad that Chan was a sentimental, daft omega because it would be just the most perfect thing ever to ensure they all got to see their big brother again sooner.

If he could find where he had put them all for safe keeping of course.

~*~

Watching as Felix left, Chan looked torn between rushing straight after his younger brother or resting back in his place but thankfully Xiumin was there to run his hands gently through his son’s hair. “It’s okay, he’s going home with his brothers and believe me, they’ve taken the best care of them since…he’s safe and sound and nothing. Oh, my little Chan.” Pulling the boy close to his chest, Xiumin cradled Chan to his body as the boy began to sob quietly again. It was still strange, watching his baby crying so harshly but hardly hearing any sounds coming out of his mouth. There were small vocalisations of course but it was nothing like he expected to hear from the other. Terror was creeping up on him, memories resurfacing of a time the omega had prayed that he had forgotten but ever since the kidnapping of his first son, they had come back with all the force of a train. All he had ever wanted was for his son to grow up safe and loved and to never go through the terrors that he had been forced through because Chan did not deserve them at all.

However, Xiumin was aware that Chan had not gone through that, at least from all the reports he had not been involved in a breeding pack like his mother and Chen had been forced through. There were signs of ual activity but whether this was due to or the fact that his mates were trying to comfort him it was hard to tell. Though Xiumin had the feeling that it was the latter because the scents that clung to Chan were soft, caring and placed there to protect as much as possible. There were marks and indicators of something else, but Xiumin knew instinctively that Chan’s mates had tried to protect him in some way. Though whatever hell they were going through, Xiumin could only pray that they would all come out of it in one piece.

Leaning closer, Yifan gently began petting both omegas once again, pumping out a series of relaxing pheromones to hopefully help the pair begin to fall asleep. “It’s going to be okay, I’m here and we’re all together again. Just as it’s meant to be.”

A hiccup came from Chan, which eventually followed by a slow turning over onto his opposite side so that he could lean against his mother and see his father at the same time. Kris did not even pause before offering his palm out towards his son, watching as he hesitantly placed his finger on his palm and started drawing the letters of what he wanted to say. It did send a shudder down the alpha’s spine, but he kept his fear in check for the moment as he had to focus on what Chan wanted to say.

“Want…mates,”

Kris smiled sadly, nodding, “I know, sweetie, we’re going to look for them and find them. But you’ll have to answer some upsetting questions about where you were.”

Chan nodded, sniffling again before asking, “Mama’s?”

“Kyungsoo is outside, everyone else is back home in Cali. We didn’t want to overwhelm you too much,” Kris replied softly running his hand through the others hair, “Do you want to talk to them now? I can get a video call going.”

A shake of his head was his reply, the omega looking like he was on the verge of passing out, but he still managed to ask, “How long will I be in here?”

“We don’t know, the doctors have to run tests and then let us know if there’s anything wrong,” Kris replied, sighing softly, “But me and Mama are going to be here all the time, as well as your brothers when they’re allowed. Do you want to see them?”

Chan nodded, yawning a little before asking, “Sis?”

“In America,” Kris smiled, “She followed your advice and auditioned. She’s now filming for a new movie; you’ve got some catching up to do mister.”

A tired smile came Kris’s way and Xiumin signalled for Kris to keep on talking to the sleepy omega which the alpha had no problems doing. He talked about whatever came to mind, telling the eldest cub about some of the things that he had missed, daft little stories that were hopefully comforting and even informed him that there was a possibility of having a new sibling soon as they were waiting to confirm if Nini was pregnant. Chan was breathing softly by the time that Xiumin reached across to stop his alpha from speaking much more and he smiled towards Kris, “Thank you.”

Kris smiled back and pressed a kiss to Xiumin’s lips, “You don’t need to thank me. If I could have found him sooner for you, I would have.”

“I know that, and he knows that,” Xiumin replied, gently petting his son’s hair. Though he sighed, “I just wonder about his mates…what they’re going through and why would they leave him alone in the street like that?”

Blowing out a sigh, Kris shook his head, “I’m sure it’s not like that. If they’re half-way descent as they smell, I think they may have found a way to get Chan out and that’s what they’ve done. They’ll be upset and probably missing him like mad but if maybe it was the best for them to get him out to safety, away from whatever it is that’s going on in their world.”

“Would you do something like that?” Xiumin asked, looking up at Kris.

The alpha nodded, “I’ve talked over with Siwon about what could have happened and if he was thrown into these Games that are the biggest horror in the world at the moment, then I can understand them wanting to get him out by any means possible.”

“So, you would get us out if you could, even though you know it would hurt?” Xiumin asked, sounding surprised.

“If it meant me hurting or seeing any of you hurt constantly at my expense, I know I would get you out anyway that I could,” Kris replied, “Yes it would hurt like hell but at least you’d be on the outside and hopefully away from the terror. I could live each day knowing that you guys were safe and alive, I cannot stand the thought of loosing any of you. You know that.”

Xiumin smiled and nodded, “Yeah, I remember well what happened when…”

“Don’t bring that up, please,” Kris shuddered, shaking his head, “Right now, we need to focus on our son, getting him better and ensuring that when his mates are found that he’s in the best health for himself and for them.”

The omega nodded and pulled the sleeping cub closer before snuggling into the alpha’s chest and just allowed himself to relax as much as possible. There were still a million and one questions buzzing around his mind, but right now he knew it was not the time to start asking them. This was going to be a long process and it would probably take them the better part of a month to even begin to start thinking about everything that was going on with clear heads. It was all so complicated and tricky, but at least Chan was safe for now and that was probably the very best thing in the world.

Glancing down at the sleeping figure in his arms, Xiumin vaguely wondered what it was that Chan was dreaming about as there were soft tears rolling down his face but all he could was to press another kiss to his son’s forehead and send out some more comforting scents in the hopes that it would settle whatever dreams were plaguing the poor boy’s sleep. Chan snuggled closer on instinct and let out a sigh, muttering something unintelligible in his sleep, whilst his dreams filled with images of the ones that he wanted to see most in the world right now.

The cell was cold, dark and with only a single light bulb that had been embedded in the ceiling that was higher than even the tallest amongst them could not reach it. But this time, none of them had tried. The light was their only indicator of what time it was, even though that was unreliable as hell because there was no time in this place.

Just like the fact that there were no beds, no blankets, a hole in the ground in the corner which they could use as a toilet but nothing else and a solid metal door that covered the only entrance and exit to this place. It was solid, thick and could only be opened from the outside. Even the small hatch at the bottom which allowed for food and water to be thrown in was barely enough to get the single tray through it but all seven had stopped complaining a long while ago.

There was barely enough food to go around on that tray, but it was all the got once a day. The sound of metal scraping against the stone floor was enough to rouse the alpha nearest it, and he was quick to snatch the tray before the slit at the other side could be slammed down on it to spill the contents to the floor. Not that anyone inside the cell would have cared, they were that hungry they would have eaten mouldy food just to keep on going.

At least there was a sizeable amount of on the tray today, which for a second caused a smile to appear on the alpha’s face. He could actually give everyone more than just a mouthful of food. Today which was a good thing. But then his mind kicked in and he felt sick to his stomach. They were being given more because a Game must be coming up, another long slog to fight for their lives against the Others. Looking towards the others, who were sleeping together in a pile, the alpha let out a long sigh as he rose on his slightly unsteady feet and placed the tray down closer to them before sitting down himself and letting the smell of food wake them up.

BB was the first to move, always sensitive to food and he twisted his head to the side to look for it, blinking his lovely large eyes that were so drained of energy. “Food?” he asked quietly, sitting up painfully to dislodge an arm from around his midsection.

The alpha nodded, “Yes…plenty this time.”

BB’s eyes opened wide in shock, “Oh…oh no.”

“Yes…” the alpha replied.

A deep, heavy sigh came from the end of the line, “We all here?”

The alpha blinked, counting the members to confirm that there were all seven in place, seeing as everyone slowly started to wake up now that there was conversation going on and the single light bulb above them flickered on. Though for a second, the alpha panicked as he looked towards a corner where there should have been a little cocoon of blankets only to see that there were none there and a yelp left his lips before he started forward.

Two of the beta’s stopped him, wrapping their arms tightly around his frame before one leaned closer, “Shh, it’s okay…Jae, it’s okay. He is out remember. We got him out.”

Jae seemed to come back to his senses after a second or two but looked down and shook his head, “I know…I remember…but…I want him…. I want him back…. want him safe.”

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Jae, pulling him upright and away from the corner to the opposite side of the room where he was forced to sit down and found himself eye to eye with the other alpha who looked furious. A slap was delivered to his face, not with much force behind it but enough to focus him. “Get a grip, Jae,” Son said, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, “Chris is safe. He’s away from this hole and whining about him won’t help.”

For a second Jae seemed to be at a loss before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry,” he said after a few moments, “Lost myself there.”

“I know,” Son replied, placing a kiss to the others lips before pulling back. “Don’t do it again. If we lose you, they’ll rip us apart and you know it.”

Jae blinked, “You could keep them together.”

“Me? I’m an emotional wreck without you and there’s no way I’m dealing with these brats by myself,” Son replied, swiping at Jae’s nose before pulling back, “Come on, we have to prepare.”

Jae nodded and moved quickly over to BB, Mark and Geom to help them to eat what they could whilst Son checked on the two Yong’s as neither one had moved from their spot on the floor. However, when the alpha found that they were both sharing the one t-shirt that still held the scent of mint chocolate Tim tams, Son felt their pain. The door to their cell would be opening soon, for either inspection or mission drop, and they had to be prepared and ready.

Letting out a sigh, Son placed a kiss to their heads and rubbed at their necks, “Come on guys, you’ve got to hide it and face the day ahead. He is cheering for you. No matter what.”

There was no response from the pair for a few long seconds before they both began to rise, and the t-shirt was hidden as best as anyone could do. Half an hour later, the Sev pack was on its feet, watching as the tray was collected and the door to their cell opened. The usual smirking guard was there, holding onto a couple of large duffle bags which he threw towards their feet. “Seems that the Others still aren’t happy that you took their prize away from them. So, they’ve got a new game for you.”

Several guards entered, each carrying what appeared to be some metal collars. All the members tensed up, when they made their way around the back of them but managed to stay in place as the collars were fitted tightly around their necks. The metal was cold and a tight fit, and Son was aware of something snapping into place. BB reached up to pull at his, feeling his breathing being restricted just a little but the guard smirked, “Careful, boy, don’t want it to explode too, early do you?”

BB’s hand dropped away instantly, fear radiating off the young beta and Geom was quick to grab his hand and squeeze it tight.

It was Son who dared to ask, “Explode?”

“Yeah,” the Guard snarked back towards the group, “Welcome to the Battle Royal Game, where only one of you can make it out alive…if you’re that lucky of course.”

Authors babbling:

Well, how do you like some of the reveals yeah? In case anyone's wondering, Yiyang is the girl from Produce 101 China 2020 who was the spitting image of Ztao and I believe she is now part of his lable and she just fits so well with the image in my head of these guy's sister that I couldn't not use her. Check out her pretty instagram here and she was just too perfect to not be used as Tao and Sehun's daughter so I just went with the flow on that one. Plus you should also have a good guess as to whose Hyunjin's Mama now as well and I think they fit together very well. 

And to clear up a little confusion, I swapped the omega who came with Kris and Xiumin for reasons that you'll learn in Eleven. Don't worry, Junmian is fine and is still with the family and the pack as a whole, just he'd have a bit of a hard time just leaping into the car and travelling that distance but I won't spoil as to why. 

Then...yeah Chan's mates. I've dropped a few more clues which should make it a bit more obvious who they are now but if no one guesses right I'll add them to the tags in the next update. I'm sorry for being so mean to the idols like this, but if truth be told I've wanted to write a Battle Royal style fic for years but never quite got the motivation to fully go through with it. I'll state now that they do all make it out alive, I'm not going to be that mean to our baby leader in the slightest but it won't be plain sailing either. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, feel free to shout at me in the comments and Eleven will be getting an update in a couple of hours - as I'm on a massive fanfic writing kick this weekend apparently and all three of these fics demanded to be updated so that's happening.