I own nothing!
Kyoko collapsed into her own nest later that night, soaked in the scent of cornflowers. She'd borrowed one of his hoodies for her nest, and had managed not to die of embarrassment when she'd asked for it. She'd been worried that he might be weirded out by her request, but if anything, he'd seemed… happy. He must be really excited to be in a pack. She smiled as his scent melded with hers, Moko's, and Chiorin's. Speaking of, she needed to update them.
Kyoko: So our new omega's a disaster
Moko: what i thought he was a beta
Kyoko: yeah this is pack-only info. I asked and he was okay for me to tell you though
Moko: huh. makes sense. How is he a disaster
Chiorin: wait you were actually serious? I thought it was a bit
Kyoko giggled.
Kyoko: No, I wasn't kidding. And he seriously needs our help… he has no idea how to be an omega. He didn't know how to build a nest. And mentioned he hadn't been scented in a loooooong time. Plus he doesn't eat right!
She added some angry emojis.
Kyoko: so he really needs our help
Moko: your help u mean
Kyoko: ? no? He's pack now, this is an "us" problem
Moko: u know i don't do cuddles
Chiorin: and i've like never talked to him. like never had a 1 on 1 convo.
Kyoko: I didn't mean cuddles, I know your limits! I meant like, just having a pack will help. Maybe some casual scenting now and then.
Kyoko: Plus we can introduce you properly, Chiorin! Ren-san's very friendly when he's not teasing u
Moko: wait wait wait
Moko: "Ren-san"?
Moko: what the hell did u two do tonight
Kyoko turned a vibrant shade of red.
Kyoko: normal pack activities! I made him some food and helped him build a nest
Moko: u went to his place again didnt u
Chiorin: again? I feel like im missing context here
Chiorin: when has kyoko-chan gone to his place BEFORE?
Kyoko: it was for some LoveMe work and for acting practice! Like During early Dark Moon and when i was trying to figure out Natsu. He taught me her walk
Chiorin: i feel like im having a stroke wtf
Kyoko: Are you okay?
Moko: she's being dramatic kyoko chill
Kyoko: are you sure?
Chiori: yes im fine im just… i will need info at a future meetup.
Moko: dw we'll go for karaoke soon
Kyoko: :D!
LINE BREAK
Sandalwood frustration filled the car. Yashiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you mean you joined a pack?"
"I mean that I have packmates now. I thought you wanted me to join a pack so I'd 'be less of a drama queen,'" he said, making air quotes around the steering wheel.
"Yes! Of course I do! But these are things you need to tell me first!" He huffed, pulling on his gloves and typing rapidly on his phone. "You're drenched in pine. Someone's going to notice." Then something occurred to him. "Wait, pine?"
"Last I checked, yes, it's pine." Manager explosion in three… two… one…
"You joined Kyoko-chan's pack?" Yashiro squealed.
"I did."
"Okay. I'll start working on things." He nodded sharply, flipping into professional mode. He had a lot to prepare for, especially once the paparazzi caught a whiff of Ren.
Well, that was anticlimactic, Ren thought, and continued his drive.
LINE BREAK
The next time he caught a whiff of pine, it wasn't from his sheep - nor was it from Kyoko, to his utter disappointment. But it was a gift from her. There, on the desk in his and Yashiro's office at LME, was a small bag labeled "To Ren-san" in Kyoko's precise handwriting. It took all of his willpower not to shove his face into the fabric of the bag and inhale her scent.
Instead, he opened it, determinedly ignoring Yashiro's knowing looks.
It was a phone strap - one that matched the rest of his pack. More importantly, one that matched Kyoko's. One that smelled like her.
He immediately took out his phone and attached the new strap. It was a gift from his alpha, after all. It would be rude not to use it. It took every ounce of his willpower to not rub it on his scent glands, just for the momentary rush that it would give him - the rush of having her scent on him again.
The paparazzi caught a glimpse of it and instantly honed in on it. Tabloids ran articles about his supposed mate (ha, he wished) who had gifted it to him. Others ran speculation about Lone Wolf Tsuruga finally joining a pack. None of them suspected which pack, though - most were just nonsense about him and other top celebrities. He was glad that they were so off-base, frankly; it made everything easier on Yashiro.
"So has she offered to mark you yet?"
Actually, maybe things could stand to be harder on his manager. "Drop it or I'm kicking you out of the car."
"Sounds like someone needs some scenting," Yashiro said with a smirk, but let it drop. He could smell the frustration rolling off of his charge.
Ren hated that he was right. He did need some scenting. But there was nothing he could do about it. His and Kyoko's schedules hadn't crossed lately, even with working on Dark Moon. He hated it. He missed his alpha - his pack's alpha, he corrected himself.
Oh, who was he kidding? His alpha.
LINE BREAK
Ren was getting desperate. After so many years of tamping down his instincts into a little box, the scenting and cuddle session had ripped the lid right off. He felt needy. So he'd dropped to a new low: He'd started stealing her hair ties. It hadn't been intentional, at first. He'd just noticed one lying on a table during a scene change, and picked it up to fidget with - and was then smacked by the familiar scent of pine. He hadn't even thought about it when he slipped it over his wrist. That night, he added it to his nest.
Then another one joined his collection from the hair and makeup station - she'd left it behind. He picked it up with the intention to give it to her. He didn't.
The third one, the true nail in his coffin, came from when he'd wandered into the LoveMe room and found her locker sitting open. There, sitting neatly in a bowl, was a pile of pine-scented hair ties. He hadn't even processed what he was doing before he grabbed a handful and shoved them in his pocket.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Only to be caught by his pack's fellow omega. "Er - good afternoon, Kotonami-san. Thank you for letting me join the pack." Please don't get me kicked out.
"Hi, yes, whatever. Again, what the hell are you doing?"
He guiltily put the hair ties back. "I - didn't think."
She stared at him for a moment, processing. And then she laughed. "Oh my god."
"Please don't tell Kyoko-chan." Oh god, she's going to think I'm some sort of creep. What the hell was I doing? This is insane behavior, Kyoko's never going to look at me again -
"Tell me what?" Kyoko asked, stepping out from the changing area, wearing street clothes and carrying her pink monstrosity. She dipped a bow. "Hello, Ren-san. What aren't we telling me?"
"I'll let him explain himself. But first-" Kanae stepped forward and scented Kyoko, lavender wafting through the air around her as she rubbed against Kyoko's eagerly exposed neck. "I've got to go. Get home safely."
"Moko! You love me!" Kyoko squealed, scenting her in return once Kanae was done. "You never scent first, I feel so special!" She tried to capture her in a tight hug, only to be evaded.
"Yes, okay, bye, ask him what he was doing." She slipped away, smug lavender floating in her wake.
Kyoko turned back to Ren, pine curiosity surrounding them and mixing with cornflower guilt. "What's going on?"
"I…" He looked down at his hands, which still had a hair tie in them. "I'm sorry. I have no excuses. I was taking them."
She blinked. "But your hair's not long enough to -"
"They smelled like you."
"Oh!" Contrary to his expectations, she smiled. "Why didn't you just ask? I can scent stuff for you."
…There's no way it was that easy. "Really?"
"Of course! We're pack. Speaking of," she beckoned him down with her finger. When he bent down, she rewarded him by scenting him.
It took far too much effort to remain standing. It was like all the tension left his body. The nagging headache he'd had all day vanished. He felt like he'd just gotten a hit of nicotine in the midst of withdrawals. Was he addicted to this now? He couldn't bring himself to care, not when her scent had him swaddled in a blanket of contentment.
Then she pulled back with a smile. "I'll bring some stuff for you tomorrow, okay? I'm sure your nest is losing my scent by now. Do you want anything from Chiorin or Moko-san, or not yet?"
"Not - not yet," he managed. His head was simultaneously clear and foggy.
She nodded. "That's fair. We'll have to have a pack hangout sometime soon so you can get to know them better. I'll text them about it and we can all figure out our schedules."
"Okay." He could live in pine for the rest of his life and be happy, but whatever she said, he'd try. For Kyoko, he'd try anything.
LINE BREAK
That night found Kyoko panicking. "What is good enough to give him that isn't weird?" She muttered, surrounded by scraps of fabric, clothing, and plush objects. Obviously socks and undies were out - that was the definition of weird. But did tank tops count as undies, if she wore them under her clothes? Or was giving him clothes weird to begin with?
He'd given her one of his hoodies, but that was different, somehow. Even if she was wearing it now… but that was because it smelled like a pack member. And was very cozy. For Pack Member Reasons.
Maybe if she lent him a stuffed animal? But all of hers had very sentimental value, and still smelled like Moko, Maria, or Chiori. He'd said he didn't want anyone else's scent in his nest yet. She was very determinedly not thinking about that. It was just because he didn't know the others that well. (Plus, Maria didn't even have her own scent yet - she'd just sprayed her favorite body spray on it.) That's the only reason that Ren-san just wanted hers in his nest. Nothing else.
She shifted through her fabric piles, trying to find something good. The problem was, most of her fabric pile was either too small to really be good for a nest, or it was too ripped-up, or it was just an old sock with a hole in it. She let out a frustrated growl and flopped backwards onto her nest. The familiar, comforting scents helped calm her.
He really had liked that sheep plushie she'd gotten him. Maybe… maybe she could make it some friends. She sat up and scrambled to gather supplies. About an hour of furious stitching later, she had a small flock of pocket-sized sheep smiling back up at her. Pleased with her work, she set about imbuing them with her scent.
LINE BREAK
The next night, Ren all but ran into his apartment, clutching the grocery bag Kyoko had handed him in the LME hallway. She'd smiled and said that she hoped he liked them. He hadn't risked opening it at LME - Lory's cameras saw all, and he did not have faith in himself to not faceplant into the bag's contents. He would never live that down if his godfather saw it. Besides, he didn't want to risk any outside scents interfering with this precious gift.
So he showered, changed into his pajamas, and crawled into his nest, since relocated onto his bed. There, he opened the bag. Inside the grocery bag was a ziploc - sealed to keep the scent in, he realized. Kyoko thought of everything. And inside that bag was a pile of sheep. Sheep. Just like the one she'd given him.
Except these ones were hand-made. He could tell - every stitch bore her scent. He gathered them and the original sheep in his arms and laid down, curled around them. Oh gods, this was heavenly. How had he gone so long without a nest? Without her?
He fell asleep like that, purring with cornflower contentment.
LINE BREAK
Moko: omg i can't fucking wait til i can get spayed. had to babysit brats. I'm never having pups.
Chiorin: careful u'll jinx urself
Moko: u'd think my family was descended from rabbits instead of wolves
Chiorin: LOL
Kyoko: Any news on the doctor front, Moko-san? I know the last one was really rude, asking if your mate had approved of this
Chiorin: ew we hate them
Moko: no luck yet. trying a new one next week
Kyoko: Do you want me to scent you beforehand or would that backfire?
Moko: maybe at the second appointment? I'll feel this new doc out first and let u know
Kyoko: (thumbs up emoji) (sparkling heart emoji) (i love you sticker)
"Kyoko-chan! Who're you texting?" Kijima sat down next to her on the bench, slinging his arm around her as a hello.
She politely extricated herself. "Hello, Kijima-san. I was messaging my packmates."
"Oooh, those other LoveMe girls? You think you could introduce me?" He waggled his eyebrows. "I'm a pretty good alpha, you know."
She gave a polite, icy smile. "I think they've got all the alpha they need, Kijima-san."
"Alas! Worth a shot." He ruffled her hair (getting a yelp of protest for his troubles) and stood up to go bother Ren, who had just arrived. He stopped a few feet short of the supposed beta, his nostrils flaring. "Whoa-oa-oa! Ren-kun, have you been getting some?"
Kyoko's ears did not perk up at that. Her hackles did not raise.
"I assure you I have no time for such things," Ren replied. He didn't watch Kyoko out of the corner of his eye as she stood and walked towards them.
"Nah, you've been scented recently. Pretty well, too - wait." He whipped his head around and sniffed the approaching Kyoko. "Kyoko-chan? You're hooking up with Kyoko-chan?"
"No, I -"
"We've been doing normal pack activities," she explained evenly, joining the conversation. "Nothing that I don't do with my other packmates."
That only brought a lascivious grin to Kijima's face, as he imagined Kyoko and her female packmates. He turned to Ren and smacked his shoulder. "You lucky bastard."
"It's not like that -"
Kijima just raised an eyebrow, musky doubt emanating from him.
Kyoko rolled her eyes and grabbed Ren by the elbow. "Come on Ren-san, Kijima-san's being a pervert."
"Oh, so it's REN now?" he called after them.
She turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Of course. We're pack."
Ren was disproportionately stressed by this situation. His alpha was near, facing off another alpha. He wanted to tuck under her neck and bathe in her scent. He wanted to cuddle.
Kyoko, smelling the cornflower distress under his scent blockers, rubbed her wrist on his arm as they walked, leaving a little scent.
Kijima's eyebrows hit his hairline, and Kyoko remained oblivious.
LINE BREAK
Since he'd joined their pack, Ren had noticed that Kyoko had gotten a lot less shy about joining him for lunch on Dark Moon's set. This gladdened and frustrated him in equal measures. He was obviously overjoyed to have an excuse to be near her. However, since he'd joined the pack, Kyoko had ramped up her insistence that he eat properly.
"Ren-san, did you have breakfast today?"
and
"An onigiri is not a proper meal."
and
"You have to eat lunch to have fuel for your day!"
seemed to be a constant refrain. Not that he wasn't flattered that she cared enough to lecture him about this, but - well, he wished that she was doing it out of anything other than her duty as his pack's alpha. So excuse him if he was a bit of a brat one day, and when she insisted he eat, he replied, "Make me."
She fixed him with a hard look, frustrated pine swirling around them. Then it flattened out and twisted into something else entirely. She tilted her head, somehow looking down her nose at him across the table. When she spoke, it was not her usual voice. No, it was her alpha voice. It was a command.
"Eat."
"Yes, alpha," he whispered. He hadn't been prepared for her to issue a proper command - he hasn't been ready to fight his instincts. Hadn't been prepared for how good it felt to obey. He started eating his lunch without further complaint, not noticing how his reply had made Kyoko's cheeks flare red.