Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

much to wonwoo's relief, the project goes swimmingly.

sure, he may have had to take a few days of constantly being exposed to mingyu for his heart to actually calm down even just an increment (seriously, what was happening to him?) but it's fine. wonwoo's completely normal about this.

and mingyu (not that wonwoo was paying attention), albeit new to the menial tasks around the office, is excellent in his work, despite them all only meeting twice a week to work on the project together. he works well with all three of them, friendly and respectful as always especially with the other two omegas on their team. "ah, i'm sure he's someone's ideal type out there." seungcheol sighs, after asking mingyu to go print something despite being fully capable of doing himself (maybe jeonghan was rubbing off on the eldest, wonwoo thinks).

"crushing after the new guy already?" it's obvious the way seungkwan's gossip tendencies have rubbed off on vernin but with the way the omega says it in such a straight-toned voice, wonwoo can't help but let out a little laugh.

"i mean, who wouldn't? just look at him!" seungcheol exclaims. "i should ask really ask him for his workout routine though, do you think i can use that as a way to get closer to him?"

"i'm a taken man. i don't worry about that stuff anymore." vernon simply replies, eyes not even straying from his screen. if wonwoo looked over, he's sure he'd see a cat video playing on it but with seungcheol, basically their project manager, on the other side, wonwoo doesn't really want to say anything.

seungcheol only hums. "then.. wonwoo, what do you think of mingyu?"

"i thought we got over all this 'what do you think of the new guy' gossip a long time ago." wonwoo replies, leaning back in his chair to stretch out his arms. vernon looks at him, finally tearing his eyes away to send wonwoo a look. "what?" wonwoo asks, something in the younger omega's expression making a foreboding feeling suddenly run down his spine.

vernon shakes his head, shrugging as he does so. "nothing. i could have sworn you said something about mingyu at our after-work outing last week.." wonwoo's face flushes and now he really has the urge to snitch about the cat videos on vernon's computer rather than the work they were supposed to do. seungcheol raises an thick eyebrow raising towards wonwoo, whose mind quickly scrambles for a way to change the subject.

turns out, he doesn't have to because as soon as seungcheol opens his mouth, a certain alpha does so for him. "aw, cute cats, vernonie." mingyu comments as he comes back into the private office, freshly printed papers in hand. "i always thought you'd be a cat person."

vernon freezes, seungcheol's raised eyebrow now directing itself in the younger omega's direction. "cats, huh? and here i thought you were helping me out with the revisions on this report." the younger omega gulps.

mingyu seems to realize his mistake too late, meeting wonwoo's eyes with a guilty look that has the older stifling a laugh.

"i swear, i really didn't mean to!"

"vernonie's going to give you the cold shoulder~" wonwoo teases. mingyu only groans in response, dramatically laying his head down on the cafe table as he bemoans his friendship with their younger coworker. 

wonwoo had truly expected that one time at the cafe to be just that: a one-time thing. mingyu, on the other hand,  seems intent on trying everything on the menu and tagging along with whoever goes out, ever the social butterfly he was. let it be said though that wonwoo continuing to go eat at the cafe has nothing to do with mingyu asking him and everything to do with.. convenience. yeah, convenience..

it's not wonwoo's fault that mingyu and wonwoo both happen to work on the same project and therefore leave the same area for their lunch break.. not his fault that they keep bumping into each other on their way to the same place either..

he even takes to eating ramyeon for a few days before mingyu catches him and instead of empathizing like any other office worker, he nags wonwoo like a mother to her pup. "hyung! it's not good to eat ramyeon too often! and even if you're going to eat it, you have to add in more things for it to be tasty!" and to that, wonwoo tilts his head to say, "tasty? but ramyeon's already tasty?" a phrasing that would only cause mingyu to start pulling at his hair, much to wonwoo's surprise.

and with that, mingyu ends up making the ramen for wonwoo while the other only stands aside and blinks in surprise (in the end, it turns out to be full of vegetables and meat, even an egg, all things that elevate the flavor so much to the point wonwoo wonders if he'll ever see normal, plain ramen as delicious again).

so wonwoo gives up on avoiding the cafe and soon, it gets to the point where mingyu just straight-up offers, "hyung, let's just go together!"

it makes wonwoo almost sway on his feet with just how brightly mingyu says it. "u-uh, sure." wonwoo had smoothly responded, with a sudden urge to wear sunglasses and so here they are, at the cafe.

together. alone.

because in this instance, no one else decided to come by the cafe today.

but admittedly, it's not so bad.

"do you think vernonie hates me now?" mingyu pouts, half his face squished into the table. wonwoo's half-tempted to push mingyu's face up to slide a napkin under so that his face wouldn't have to touch the bare table anymore (it mildly horrifies wonwoo how 'hopeless-desperate-loser' that thought sounds). instead of giving in to his urge though, wonwoo decides to take pity on him and ease up on the teasing.

"he won't, don't worry. i've never seen the kid warm up to anybody so fast other than seungkwannie."

the hope that lights up on mingyu's face "really, hyung? do you really mean that?" wonwoo has to look away or else he'd do something stupid like lean in to.. yeah... "of course. why would i lie?" he says, hoping his fluster doesn't show through.

"mingyu-sshi? wonwoo-sshi?" wonwoo breathes out a breath, grateful for the distraction.

"ah, that's our orders. i'll go get them." wonwoo stands up from his seat to head over to the counter.

"no, wait, i can go get them," mingyu rushes up from his chair as well, hand waving dismissively at the beta. wonwoo raises an eyebrow at him.

"i'm already standing up, mingyu, i can get them."

"nope! i'm already closer to the counter~" mingyu speed walks away, childishly sticking out his tongue at him.

wonwoo shakes his head at the younger but settles back down anyways, thinking back on the last few minutes of conversation. who knew kim mingyu could be so endearing like this? and who knew that wonwoo could also be so loser like this? (to be honest, all his friends probably already know).

"ah, that smells so good! minghao was right, to say that this was the best on their menu~" mingyu says when he comes back, plopping down in his chair with both of their orders. 

wonwoo blinks at the mention of minghao.

minghao. right.

the omega mingyu was talking to the night of the company outing. the omega in the same department as mingyu.

"ah. right."

mingyu pays no mind to his dry answer, easily passing wonwoo's order to him before taking a big bite of his sandwich. it snaps wonwoo out of his own reverie, biting into his own meal himself, albeit much smaller than mingyu's. it's good, wonwoo can attest to that, but in the moment, he can barely focus on the flavor when thoughts of mingyu with an omega fill his mind. it's just a reminder that wonwoo.. he's just a beta, his coworker, his supporting character.

he needs to stop thinking he can be anything more.

"..minghao's pretty cute, isn't he?"

mingyu throws him a curious look "why do you say, hyung? do you like him?" the younger wiggles his eyebrows and wonwoo has to bite back a laugh despite his drop in mood.

"no! of course not! it's just that.." wonwoo scrambles for words. "seokmin.. yeah, seokmin said the other day that, uh, that his scent was nice.." wonwoo trails off, hoping he made any semblance of sense.

it appears he does because mingyu takes it with no question, humming as he formulates a response.

"his scent is nice," mingyu agrees (wonwoo's heart sinks a little at that but does his best to remain impassive). "but his scent's not really my type. he smells like tea, but i like more.. subtle ones." wonwoo nods, mentally noting that.

and despite everything wonwoo is, he wants to know more about mingyu.

for some reason after having lunch with just mingyu, he's been feeling energized.

to this, wonwoo takes advantage of it to finally go out to grocery shopping for the week, clean around his apartment, and even go buy some gifts for his family the next time he visits, despite not knowing when that might be (better to be done with it sooner than later, right?).

so here he is on a weekend, his sacred rest time, in the middle of a crowded mall.

wonwoo sighs, the mall packed with people due to the weekend. no matter, he'll get things done and be on his way, anyways. he runs through the the usual checklist he has for his family, going through their respective stores as he does.

his father likes sweets (traditional candy store) , his brother likes books the same way he does (bookstore), and his mother likes expensive things from the city. wonwoo's traditional mother was always the hardest to shop for, wonwoo never knowing what she might want or find useful.

sometimes it's clothes, though he doesn't really know how to shop for them (women's sizings were atrociously unstandardized), jewelry was something he had bought for her many times already, food was something she didn't cherish as much as something long-lasting.. so wonwoo takes to wandering around the mall this time with barely a goal in mind.

and then he comes across a perfume store

honestly, the beta had never thought about it before, but he eyes it. fake scents, wonwoo had never been interested but.. perhaps someone with a better sense of smell might appreciate it? like his mother?

it couldn't hurt to take a look, so wonwoo shrugs, deciding why not. 

it's not empty but it's not too crowded either, wooden floors and walls giving it a warm-toned atmosphere. wonwoo should've expected it, being a weekend and all. wonwoo takes a wander around the store, eyes shifting semi-interested over all the different setups and advertisements for body cosmetics and such. he purses his lips though, not at all finding anything to what might be his mother's preference so he gets ready to take his leave. he can just buy another necklace or something like that.

but then, a fleeting thought in the back of his mind reminds him of a certain alpha in his office (along with an undercurrent of guilt accompanying it that wonwoo tries very hard to ignore). 

their scents are so enticing, and their the same age too! seokmin's voice says distantly in wonwoo's mind, the beta frowning at the memory. complimentary scents were always a big deal to those who could smell them, a sign of compatibility and even the reason why perfume stores like this one existed. usually, there meant for alphas and omegas but complimentary scents.. wonwoo wonders how he would smell to mingyu if he had a scent...

but what does mingyu smell like again?

wonwoo frowns, trying to remember the other's scent. there's only really been two instances where he could smell the alpha's scent, both times not exactly in his right mind to remember what mingyu's scent was..

no, wait, what was he doing? wonwoo physically shakes his head. he was a beta, there was no need to think of himself as complimentary with an alpha like that. he wasn't even equipped with the kind of nose to even smell scents like that. so why..

(wonwoo ignores his feelings, not quite ready to face them yet.)

he takes to wandering the store aimlessly, breaking his wandering only to hurriedly decline when a store worker when they ask if he needed anything ( he doesn't even notice when he walks that the displays targeted towards alphas turn into ones targeted to omegas). it takes a bit more wandering, a little more walking around looking at random scented products, until he remembers something.

personally, i like more.. subtle ones.

it comes unbidden to his mind, mingyu's words from the other day as wonwoo's fingers drift over the bottles, surveying each name. something subtle, huh?

mint, jade, jasmine, roses, petrichor.. wonwoo's hands hover over the last bottle, blue and gold design fancily etched into the packaging. well, petrichor is pretty subtle, right? wonwoo wonders, reading the label. a luscious, subtle scent sure to give you a natural vibe! with the very word being the description, it urges wonwoo to pull it out of its shelving to take a closer look. 

he hesitates, thumbing at the bold TRY ME! sticker at the bottle's corner. wonwoo purses his lips, wondering if he should really be doing this. it wouldn't hurt to try, at least? he reasons with himself so he unscrews the lid off the container.

"hello sir, are you interested in trying a scent?"

wonwoo jumps, the voice startling him into dropping the bottle.

wetness seeps into wonwoo's shirt before he can do anything, a gasp sounding from the person next to him. wonwoo half-expects the bottle to shatter on impact when it hits the ground, wincing at the clatter that echoes. the store worker, judging by the uniform, and wonwoo both stare at the floor, the wet spot on wonwoo's shirt, substantially big as the rest of the clear substance pools onto the floor. 

well, at least it won't stain.

wonwoo wrinkles his nose, the scent of rain heavy in his nostrils. wonwoo turns to the worker, stock still with a stricken look on his face. "sir, i'm so sorry! i'll get something to clean it up right now—"

wonwoo clears his throat. "..it's fine."

the worker stares at him. "a-are you sure? it was my fault after all.."

wonwoo gives him a smile, hoping it doesn't look as weak as he thinks it does. 

in the end, wonwoo ends up leaving the store with a fresh, new bottle as compensation.

wonwoo only stares at the container, still unsure of how to perceive it. it's not like he was actually intending on getting anything but here he is, with some 'subtle perfume' in his hands.

wonwoo wrinkles his nose, the scent of rain still very strong on his shirt. he sighs. wonwoo should probably just go home before he gets reported for excessive scent exposure despite being a beta.

so with that, he simply tosses the bottle into his bag with no second thought, figuring he would deal with it later.

at least he didn't have to pay for it.

people have been giving him looks all day for some reason.

why is everyone looking at me today? wonwoo wonders. he knows his own reputation, handsomely quiet and unassuming, a 'just-another-salary-man' type person. that apparently doesn't stop him from getting stares in his direction nonstop. why are there so many people's eyes on me?  wonwoo shrinks into himself a little further than usual, walking just a little quicker to avoid their glances.

the amount of eyes he catches unnerves him and after the third case of eye contact, wonwoo resolves to just ignore their looks, sweating as he tries to remember how he usually walks to not look like there was anything wrong with him. it works well enough with acquaintances he barely talks to in the office but when someone he knows shows an adverse reaction, wonwoo's beyond confused.

"hello, mingyu-yah." wonwoo makes his typical acknowledgement towards the younger, despite the day not being one to be spent on the project together.

a moment of silence passing has wonwoo turning his head back to look at the younger, usually one to never pass up an exuberant salutation. to the beta's surprise, he finds mingyu already staring at him, rather than making his usual greeting back. wonwoo can feel his hands clamming up, wondering once again what he's done to get everyone's attention in the office like this.

"mingyu?"

mingyu looks like he's trying not to wrinkle his nose, a hand coming up to subtle hide his nose behind. wonwoo braces himself, but he doesn't know for what. "have you.. been around someone with a really strong scent today, hyung?"

wonwoo blinks. that certainly wasn't what wonwoo was expecting. "ah, no..?"

"oh." mingyu says awkwardly, shuffling the papers on his desk one-handedly as the other hand keeps its position over his nose. was there a scent bothering mingyu? is it something related to.. wonwoo? 

it can't be, because betas don't have any scents of their own.. but just to be sure, wonwoo does his best to subtly sniff at his button-up. to his confusion, pleasant notes of rain fill his nostrils, sweet and natural-smelling. wonwoo furrows his eyebrows, trying to think back on what could cause him to have scent like that stick to him when he suddenly remembers.

the perfume being spilt on him the day before..

wonwoo's eyes widen at the realization. oh goodness. if wonwoo could still smell it, then it must be really strong.

"um," wonwoo starts, embarrassment burning through him a little, showing up to the office with such an obvious scent sticking to him. no wonder everyone has been staring at him all morning.

mingyu smiles at him awkwardly. "..do you need a scent blocker?" the alpha asks, free hand poised over his desk drawer to open it. wonwoo almost wants the ground to open up and swallow him right then and there because what a situation this was, a beta being offered a scent patch.

wonwoo laughs nervously, smoothing down his button-up as a slight fidget. "yeah, i think i do." mingyu nods, opening his drawer. from what wonwoo can see, it's very organized in there so it only takes a second for mingyu to procure a few patches, offering the beta a selection. 

"i have one that works for longer but has less blocking and another one that blocks better but only lasts a few hours. you should try and use as few as possible though, because they are a form of suppressant so it's not good to wear them for long. which one do you want?"

"i'll take the one that blocks better." wonwoo says, taking said-patches. he wants people's eyes off of him as soon as possible, even if it means they might come back later. mingyu is still looking at him, which makes wonwoo fumble with the patch, trying to parse out the tiny instructions on the back of the packaging. "uh, how do i.." 

"you should put one on your neck and one on the area affected the most.. here, unbutton your collar."

and then mingyu's standing next to wonwoo, taking the patch back and peeling the backing off. both of them blush at mingyu's words. "uh, for this, you know, not for.. anything else..." mingyu stammers, eyes averting from wonwoo. the beta can't help but chuckle.

he does unbutton his two topmost buttons though until his collarbones are exposed, leaving plenty of room at the base of his neck for the patch. "i unbuttoned my collar." he says a little quietly, the moment feeling intimate despite the two still in the office. the morning office atmosphere is also quiet though, not many people around, and it's not like mingyu and wonwoo were making a scene or anything.

"okay." mingyu breathes out, looking back towards the older. his hands creep up towards his neck, eyes trained on his collarbones almost reverently, if wonwoo had to describe it.

wonwoo stills when mingyu gets closer, not just his hand but his entire body, stepping closer to the beta to crane his head down for a better look at wonwoo's neck. the alpha's hand gently presses the patch at the base of wonwoo's neck, the beta's breath hitching at the sensation of mingyu touching him. the other hand smooths the patch down, making sure the adhesive sticks. wonwoo holds his breath at how close they were.

mingyu hands then go to hover in front of wonwoo's chest. wonwoo is still frozen in place, waiting to see what mingyu does, if the younger would actually want to place the second patch for him too. a couple beats of charged silence pass. "maybe you should do it yourself," mingyu finally says, eyes averting to wonwoo's face instead, never wavering or traveling downwards. "the scent is the most concentrated.. well..." a sudden urge to explain himself fills wonwoo, the implication of having a scent in such areas no doubt less than workplace appropriate.

"i-it's really not what it seems like," wonwoo's face flushes a little further when mingyu's eyes completely meet his, attention fully on him. "someone spilled their perfume on me yesterday and.. i didn't know.. it was still on me..."

mingyu gives him a nod and wonwoo wonders if he's imaging the way mingyu's shoulders relax after he tells him that. "ah. i see."

"yeah." wonwoo agrees lamely, breath still a little tight with how close they were still standing. "i'll just, um, go apply it in the bathroom." wonwoo offers the other a way out and mingyu seems to finally realize the lack of space between them, eyes widening and stepping back an appropriate distance quickly. "r-right. you know how to do it now, yeah?"

"yes, thank you, mingyu." wonwoo offers a smile and mingyu smiles back. "never a problem, hyung."

and with that, wonwoo takes his leave to the bathroom to apply the last scent patch over his chest, the two of them blushing messes even with the growing distance between them.

the stares have started to come back, so the scent patches must have finished serving his purpose.

wonwoo peels the two patches off of him (ignoring the shiver he feels when he remembers mingyu's hands applying one for him), wishing it could've lasted a little longer but no matter. they had blocked out his scent well enough, no longer attracting other's gazes anymore within thirty minutes of applying them, much to wonwoo's delight. it was a shame that the smell of petrichor still lingered even after using the patches, but the scent hung around a lot less so wonwoo hopes that by this time, it was unnoticeable.

his hopes are for naught though when he seats himself next to jihoon and jun, all three of them still waiting on soonyoung to arrive to their scheduled 96-liners lunch. it was a weekly tradition for them all to eat lunch together outside of just the cafe, something that originated from their early intern days to even now.

"why are you wearing an omega scent?" jihoon asks outright in lieu of any greeting, wrinkling his nose. wonwoo groans inwardly (and omega scent? was wonwoo wearing an omega scent?). he brushes it off though, only assuming that the younger found it off-putting because it's not the scent of one of his mates but then jun takes a sniff at him.

"huh, i can smell it too. that omega must have been really close to you— wait," jun gasps. "i thought you liked mingyu! what are you doing with another—" 

"shh!" wonwoo hisses, waving his arms around jun's face to get him to stop talking, even if they weren't in an establishment with their coworkers around. "not so loud!"

"hm, hold on a second," jihoon takes that opportunity to sniff at wonwoo again, to which wonwoo pauses to let the other make his verdict (he is the only one present with a strong, working nose, after all). "it smells kind of.. artificial though, like something not natural."

wonwoo shrugs, trying not to look like he's sweating. "well, maybe it's the smell of something man-made."

jihoon shakes his head. "no, it's the smell of rain, which should smell natural.." the alpha narrows his eyes at wonwoo, pointed look in wonwoo's direction as if the beta held all the answers. the look has wonwoo instantly on edge, freezing under the other's searching gaze. jun props his chin on his hand, interested like he's watching a drama unfold.

seventeen seconds is all it takes for wonwoo to crack.

"someone spilled their perfume on me yesterday." wonwoo blurts out, fidgeting with his shirt sleeves as he said so.

jihoon raises an eyebrow. "one that smells distinctly omega?"

he didn't really want to admit to his friends that he was in a perfume store himself yesterday but he does so anyways. wonwoo sighs. "i was just looking at them! and then someone spilled it all over me.. they gave me a free bottle as compensation and i didn't want to refuse, not when they looked so guilty.."

jihoon still has a suspicious look on his face. "this still doesn't smell like normal perfume though.. let me see the bottle," the alpha demands, holding out his hand and wonwoo sighs. "how did you even know i still had it?" the beta grumbles, reaching into his bag to pull out the innocuous perfume. jun leans in to look at it from across the table, curious.

the shame that runs through wonwoo at the look jihoon sends him is comparable to a schoolteacher catching a student breaking the rules. wonwoo shrinks again for what feels like the thousandth time that day. what did he even do?

jun swipes the bottle from jihoon's hands, inspecting it closely. "omega scent enhancer.. sure to give your scent the potent kick it needs... wonwoo, what exactly were you looking at?"

wonwoo tilts his head to the side, face faintly flushing at the sudden interrogation. "wait, is that what this is?" jihoon sends him a deadpan 'are-you-serious' look that has wonwoo rushing to defend himself. "look, i really didn't know!" wonwoo says, crossing his arms over his chest. "it's not my fault it got spilled on me, and— and i can't even wash it off myself because i couldn't smell it!" 

"i heard those things were made using an omega's slick." jun points out and wonwoo's face goes red. "no way," wonwoo snatches the bottle back, turning over to read the ingredients. his face only flushes further when he stops on the very bodily fluid.

"oh my god." wonwoo buries his face in his hands in embarrassment. how much worse could this scent situation possibly get? 

"and here i thought you were finally getting cuffed!" jun chortles, laughing at wonwoo's misery. "don't be silly, wonwoo only has eyes for mingyu." jihoon says dryly and the back of wonwoo's neck heats, just hearing his usually nonchalant coworker say it. 

"well, did mingyu like it at least?" jun asks consolingly, patting the younger beta's back. wonwoo just groans into his hands, sinking further in his dismay. he's never stepping into a perfume store ever again. and maybe never into the office again, either (he's glad soonyoung wasn't here to also laugh at his misery).

"..i'll take that as a no."

wonwoo does his best to leave the 'perfume incident' behind quickly, much to his friend's disappointment at not having the chance to tease him about getting 'cozy with an omega' as it seems the rest of the office thinks transpired.

"i would've flagged whoever had that scent for unprofessional scent exposure if i didn't know it was from you." seungcheol teases the beta, wonwoo burying his face in his papers to hide from his boss now teasing him. "it was a perfume someone spilled on me! it wasn't from.. anything!" 

"sure it wasn't," seungcheol is adamant, wicked smile on his face. "and here i thought you had finally found someone suited to your liking."

"hyung," wonwoo whines, embarrassment coloring his face to which he covers up with his papers (by doing so, he misses the way mingyu's eyes followed them, expression contemplating).

his friends don't stay disappointed for long in the lack of teasing material when a new occurrence starts taking place in the form of mysterious, small gifts on wonwoo's desk.

at first, they were subtle like small cat-themed stationary that could easily be brushed off as jeonghan or soonyoung finding something cute online and buying it for wonwoo, even as a means to make fun of wonwoo's cat-loving tendencies. it becomes obvious that it's not from them though when the very two sport twin looks of confusion over their lunch break. 

"what cat-themed stationary? i always get tiger-themed ones." soonyoung says matter-of-factly, leaning back in his chair.

"i don't usually get you useful stuff, either. it's always gag gifts." jeonghan takes a sip of his drink, leaving wonwoo tilting his head in confusion. "then whose been leaving gifts at my desk? and how did did they even know i like cats?"

"maybe it's jun? he likes cats too." soonyoung muses and jeonghan scoffs.

"please, it's no secret that wonwoo likes cats, he talks about those damn things all the time." even with his poor phrasing that wonwoo narrows his eyes at him for, the younger beta has to agree. "jeonghan's right. and even if it were jun, i would've definitely seen him put it there."

"oh." soonyoung says, put out by his incorrect guess. "then, who else could it be?" the omega wonders, tilting his head as he tries to think. wonwoo purses his lips, thinking as well.

"wait, i think i know who it is," jeonghan leans in conspiratorially, eyes twinkling. wonwoo and soonyoung both lean in in reaction, eager to hear. "who? who?" soonyoung asks, eyes wide.

jeonghan smiles slyly. "it's a secret admirer~"

wonwoo blinks at the older, turning to soonyoung who also looks back at him. they stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter together, much to jeonghan's chagrin. "yeah, right!" soonyoung says. "it's not like we're in school anymore, where people slip courting gifts into each other's lockers!"

"but isn't that exactly what's happening?" jeonghan hurries to defend himself, no doubt feeling sour at being the target of the other two's laughter. "wonwoo has an anonymous admirer gifting him things he likes! doesn't that sound like courting?"

"but wonwoo? being courted? who in the office could be—" soonyoung suddenly cuts himself off, eyes going round with a thought and jeonghan nods at him approvingly. now it's wonwoo's turn to be the target, soonyoung and jeonghan now talking through eye contact right in front of him. they keep pointing in his direction and making hand gestures wonwoo can't parse out so he doesn't bother deciphering.

"maybe i should just ask seungkwan." wonwoo muses, stealing jeonghan's drink to take a sip out of it. the younger beta always knew the ins and outs of the office, but wonwoo wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk of seungkwan knowing about this and teasing him too. jeonghan turns his attention back to wonwoo, shaking his head at the other beta. "ah, there's no need for that! i know who it is already." at his side, soonyoung's eyes shine suspiciously bright.

wonwoo raises an eyebrow at the two, setting the stolen drink down. he feels like he's preparing for something, but he doesn't know what. "so? who is it, then?"

jeonghan shakes his head again, sassily this time. "you'll have to figure out yoursel—" "it's mingyu." soonyoung blurts at the same time.

wonwoo blinks.

jeonghan throws a scandalized, shocked look in the omega's direction and soonyoung stares back, equally in shock. "kwon soonyoung, you spoiler!" the older beta grabs soonyoung's collar, wringing the younger's neck. "what!! i thought you were saying we'd say it at the same time!" the omega argues, grabbing back at jeonghan.

all wonwoo can do is watch the scene, mind freezing at that one name. 

mingyu?

so the gifts continue, with no culprit (but a very strong theory) in sight.

anytime jeonghan, seungkwan, or jun see it, they send him suggestive looks, convinced they're from a certain alpha despite none of them having a strong sense of smell (soonyoung was banned from knowing anything else after blabbing about it to seungkwan and jun, much to wonwoo's dismay). "don't tease me like this. you can't even be sure they're from mingyu." wonwoo flushes and denies at first, adamant to refuse their coos even if he does enjoy the little gifts (he makes sure to put the cat-themed stapler and paperclips to use even if he wasn't sure who got them for him).

eventually, the gifts start evolving.

"look what loverboy brought you this time," seungkwan wiggles his eyebrows, gesturing to the simple box left on wonwoo's desk that definitely wasn't there before he left to go make a coffee in the breakroom. it doesn't look to be stationary though, judging by the bamboo chopsticks and note left on top of the box.

"focus on your own loverboy." wonwoo retorts, settling back in his office chair. he doesn't bother to hide his interest in the box though, setting down his coffee to pull the new gift closer to him. i cooked this for you, i hope you like it! ♡ is all that's inscribed on the sticky note, simple words written neatly. as per usual, seungkwan drifts over to wonwoo to get a closer look. from his own desk, jun looks over at them curiously (read: nosily), rolling his office chair over to wonwoo's desk. "wait, i want to see too." wonwoo rolls his eyes at his coworker's behaviors but opens the box anyways with two extra pairs of eyes watching over his shoulders.

seungkwan gasps at the sight.

a bento lunch greets wonwoo, complete with vegetables, tempura, sausage octopi, and even cute cat characters staring up at him from the rice. wonwoo smiles at the obviously homecooked meal, in awe at the effort it took to make this, and for him no less.

 jun lets out a low whistle. "wow, mingyu sure is a good cook."

"how do we even know it's from mingyu, anyways?" wonwoo brushes them off but a smile still makes its way to his face as he pulls the chopsticks out of their sleeve. his chest feels warm, taking in all the little details of the boxed lunch. "aww," seungkwan coos. "if vernon made that for me, i'd be so touched! the amount of effort that goes into something like this, you know, i've seen youtube videos on this—"

"wait, hold on, isn't that.." jun interrupts them and seungkwan falls quiet, both him and wonwoo turning to the oldest. jun leans in and sniffs at the box. "fish?"

wonwoo's smile turns into a slight grimace. "oh.. yeah." his chopsticks poke at the offending food, indeed confirming that it was fish. unfortunately, fish seemed to make up a lot of the meal, making wonwoo frown. "i guess i can just eat at the cafe again. would you guys like some of this?"

"are you kidding? eating someone else's courting gift is like, a big no!" seungkwan exclaims, crossing his arms to make a big x. wonwoo frowns even further. "then what am i supposed to do? i shouldn't just let something like this go to waste.."

"oh! i have an idea!" jun jumps out from his seat, the other two once again looking at him. "you should try offering it a back to him," jun suggests. "he might react if he thinks you're 'rejecting' his courting gift, then we can know for sure that he's your courter." seungkwan stares up at the older beta in awe. "i like that idea! that idea sounds good!" he nods approvingly, picking up the lid laying on wonwoo's desk.

"but you just said it was a 'big no' to offer someone your courting gift, er, food.." wonwoo says, looking down as seungkwan covers the lunch with the lid again. "well, this is a special case. there's no way it isn't mingyu courting you but since you seem to be so disbelieving, you should go see for yourself." he explains patiently, like a math concept wonwoo wasn't able to fully get. 

"i don't know," wonwoo says, still unsure of doing so. "well, you should go before mingyu does because it looks like he's about to leave." jun states, the other two betas snapping up to watch as said-man was standing from his own desk, indeed looking ready to head out. seungkwan squawks, smacking at wonwoo's shoulder.

"go! go catch him before he leaves!" seungkwan pushes at wonwoo's shoulder to spur him into action. wonwoo stumbles to his feet, the now-closed bento being pushed into wonwoo's hands by him.

"what if you guys are wrong, though?" wonwoo asks, nerves suddenly getting to him. he stares at the alpha's back he makes his way out of the office. "then he'll just act normally about it, he'd either share it with you or politely decline! now go!" jun joins in, pushing wonwoo in the direction of the exit. wonwoo sends them one last look before jogging towards the exit.

"ah, m-mingyu-yah!" wonwoo calls, just as the younger was about to step out. "wonwoo hyung!" mingyu greets, smiling down at the other. "are you coming to the cafe too?" he tilts his head, adorably puppy-like. "yeah," wonwoo says, a little out-of-breath (from mingyu or from rushing over to him, wonwoo doesn't know). things are happening a little too fast for wonwoo's liking and he's tempted to look over his shoulder jun and seungkwan, even for a little bit of encouragement.

he knows that would instantly give him away though, so wonwoo just takes a small breath instead and starts talking. "someone made a lunch for me, but i can't eat all of it.." 

well, here goes nothing.

"would you like some of it?" wonwoo indiscreetly watches mingyu's expression, looking for any sign that wonwoo might potentially be giving the other's courting gift back to him. mingyu blinks at him and wonwoo could practically see his imaginary puppy ears flopping.

"what? why? did you not like it? did it not taste good? did it—" mingyu seems to realize his flurry of questions and shrinks a little, cheeks heating up he does so, much to wonwoo's growing amusement. 

wonwoo shakes his head with a smile. "no, i'm just allergic to seafood."

mingyu's eyes widen. "ah, that's too bad then." wonwoo smiles at the other's slight pout, obviously trying to hide it but to no avail. the beta's heart clenches, hope fluttering in his heart.

and then mingyu perks up again.

"here, i have an idea! i'll treat you to lunch in the cafe! then you can forget all about the seafood." the alpha's pout turns into a satisfied smile, obviously happy with himself for coming up with such a quick solution. wonwoo can't say he isn't wooed though, mildly impressed at how fast the other found a remedy to the situation.

"ah, but i'd feel bad for the person who made it for me. what if they really wanted to see me enjoy eating it?" wonwoo can't help but continue on, wanting to see more of mingyu's reactions.

mingyu just shakes his head. "no, you shouldn't force yourself to eat something you can't or don't like. if the person really liked you, then they would be more happy seeing you happy and eating a full meal!" he declares and oh, wonwoo swears his heart just skipped a beat at mingyu's caring nature. "come on, i heard the cafe is trading out its seasonal menu soon, let's go see if they changed it today." mingyu urges, reaching out to take wonwoo's hand, who lets him do so easily because who was he to decline?

"okay." wonwoo agrees easily, hiding his smile behind mingyu's back (which wasn't hard to do, it seemed like the taller was intent on just dragging wonwoo without looking behind him). his heart flutters, especially when he sees the tips of mingyu's ears burn red.

if he strains his ears, he's sure he hears a cheer and whistle from behind him.

when he thinks back on it, wonwoo supposes that his bad day had been bad from the start.

a friday morning greets him some dream he can't remember which puts him in a bad mood, a vague recollection of his mother scolding him echoing in his ears when he wakes up. his back is sore, probably from some weird sleeping position (and not age, hopefully) and he feels groggy, likely from the dreary-lighting of his room.

despite all though, rain is pitter-pattering and thunder sounds from outside his window, a soft lullaby in his ears. five more minutes, wonwoo sleepily thinks, a passing thought of umbrellas fleeting before his eyes fall shut again.

beep. beep. beep.

the alarm is too loud in wonwoo's ears, screaming at his lack of consciousness and despite the still-dreary darkness of the room trying to lull him back to sleep, he groans and blindly pokes at his phone, if only to silence the damn screeching it makes. he carelessly shoves his glasses on, eyes blearily blinking at his lockscreen before his eyes catch the time.

6:42.

his eyes widen, blinking at it, rubbing his eyes before checking it again in disbelief.

6:43.

he has seventeen minutes until work starts. and his commute takes around thirteen.

so with that, he rushes out of bed, swiftly splashing water on his face as his hands scramble for his toothbrush, almost forgetting the toothpaste as he starts rummaging through his closet for a presentable outfit. somewhere between him struggling into his slacks and narrowly almost forgetting his ID, his alarm goes off again and he curses himself, forgetting he even hit snooze in the first place. he checks his phone again.

6:47.

he swallows, realizing he doesn't have time to put in his contacts (those things always take much too long to put in) so he foregoes them for once and prioritizes hopping into his socks and putting his shoes on before he realizes he put them on the wrong way and corrects it. with no other notable incident, he makes it out of his apartment in record time, hurriedly jabbing at the elevator button even if he knows it won't do anything. down to the first floor, towards the glass doors, and then he stops.

outside, it's pouring.

and of course he doesn't have an umbrella either.

despite its futileness, he checks his bag, hoping against all odds he'd have forgotten it in there or something and it's only then does he realize he doesn't even have his car keys either. the time on his phone tells him he really doesn't have anymore time to go back and get them either, especially if it was raining, meaning there would be heavy traffic. resigned, wonwoo sighs.

he'll have to take the bus.

he hoists his bag (thankful he splurged on something waterproof) up above his head and breaks out into a sprint towards the bus stop. 

he huffs as he books it, eyes narrowed on the bus already stationed the stop, narrowed at the passengers thinning as the last of them board. "wait, wait!" he wheezes, a burst of speed at the thought of missing it coursing through him and he almost crashes into the still-open doors of the bus, clutching at the metal as he ignores the bus driver's surprise. raggedly, he drags himself up the few steps and scans his pass that was thankfully still working despite commuting by car for the better part of the year.

soaked and hair a mess like a drowned cat, wonwoo slumps in his seat. wonwoo shivers at the cold fabric sticking to him, finally managing to catch his breath after his chaotic morning.

it's going to be a bad day, wonwoo thinks, tiredly looking out the window at the unrelenting rain. a bad, bad day.

when he makes it to the office, rain dots all over his clothes and glasses, slightly blurring his vision, much to add insult to injury of him being late.

"wow, wonwoo!" seungcheol comments when he sees him. "i didn't know you wore glasses." 

wonwoo smiles wryly through his blurred lenses and wet hair strands. both hansol and mingyu look up at seungcheol's greeting, the both of them staring at wonwoo with his disheveled look. to give himself the grace of not being able to see their expressions, wonwoo he takes his wet glasses off, pinching them between his shirt sleeve to try his best at wiping the water off with the fabric.

"thanks, i didn't have time to put in my contacts this morning so i decided to go without them for once." wonwoo chuckles humorlessly, grimacing when his lenses only seem to get more wet when in contact with his already wet sleeve.

"glasses.." hansol stares at wonwoo, contemplating. "really don't suit you..." he says honestly. wonwoo sends a playful glare at the younger despite his figure being only a blur to wonwoo. next to him, mingyu's figure is still, frozen in his seat, at least from wonwoo's limited vision.

hansol's words seem to finally snap mingyu out of whatever stupor he was though because herebuts vernon's statement quickly. "don't listen to him, you look great with your glasses." the alpha declares, backing down almost shyly when wonwoo turns his attention to the other. "thanks," wonwoo smiles but it turns into a thin line when he realizes he doesn't have any dry fabric to dry his glasses off on.

"here," a hand is thrust in wonwoo's vision, palm-upturned. "let me dry them for you."

wonwoo blinks at mingyu, a small bit of relief filling him as he observes mingyu's outfit, dry and soft fabric perfect for cleaning glasses, so he hands the lenses over easily. "thank you. sorry." wonwoo adds in the apology, watching mingyu carefully swipe the lenses against his own, dry work clothes. "it's really no problem, hyung." mingyu replies back. when he's done, wonwoo reaches out to take the glasses but mingyu just pulls them out of his reach, still thoroughly wiping at them.

even in wonwoo's nearsightedness, he can see seungcheol and vernon looking at him teasingly and wonwoo squints at them, a glare that could be either from his blindness or a silent reprimand of displeasure at them. they both promptly turn away, much to wonwoo's satisfaction but it doesn't last for long when he startles at something touches his face. "sorry," mingyu apologizes when wonwoo turns his attention back to the alpha.

"can i put your glasses back on for you?"

"um, okay." wonwoo says, standing completely still, now blinking at the younger. mingyu's blurry lips upturn.

just as carefully as he cleaned wonwoo's lenses, he slides the glasses back onto wonwoo's face for him. wonwoo holds his breath all the while, clear vision coming back to him only to be met with mingyu's face staring at him, concentrated in his task. mingyu seems to realize how close they are and flushes red, clearing his throat before taking a step back. "are you going to stay in those clothes all day, then?"

to hide his own red ears, wonwoo shakes his head, droplets scattering about from his wet hair strands. "i don't have a choice. i'll just wait for them to dry out."

mingyu's lips purse before turning away from wonwoo. the beta only watches as mingyu picks up his jacket hanging on the back of a chair, turning back to him. "i brought a jacket to work today, you can wear that while your clothes dry." mingyu mother hens, draping the coat over wonwoo's broad shoulders. "no, there's really no need—" wonwoo protests, hands going to tug the jacket off but mingyu's hands cover his, stopping him. "you'll get cold if you go around just wearing that."

wonwoo holds his breath, staring straight into the alpha's eyes, full of sincerity and concern. it stops any other argument wonwoo was going to make because he's right, in an air-conditioned office like this, wonwoo was bound to get cold walking around with his wet clothes. and mingyu's eyes..

"thanks, mingyu." wonwoo thanks softly, pulling the sleeves across his hands to create sweater paws (he feels warm in more places than just physically now).

mingyu smiles. "no problem, hyung."

even with that interaction with mingyu, the morning still weighs heavy on wonwoo's shoulders and the gloom outside the window doesn't serve to brighten anyone's spirits.

he goes about his work with only half a mind, the other half idle and bogged down with the tiredness of i do not want to work right now. his eyes blink blearily at the screen and he must look pitiful enough that jun doesn't even tease him about the new jacket hung around around wonwoo's frame (he does give a suggestive look for it though but wonwoo pointedly ignores it so it doesn't count).

even so, wonwoo's mood doesn't do anything to uplift and stays stagnant at its lowness. he supposes there's still some lingering gloom from that before work that he wasn't able to tamp down. he's at work now though, he tries to compartmentalize. there's plenty to keep him occupied. professionalism, wonwoo tries thinking. professionalism, he is in a professional setting and he is a professional in his field.

"hey, wonwoo hyung, do you think you could take a look at my report? see if there are any changes i need to make?"

mingyu stands next to wonwoo's desk as the beta tiredly peers up at him, paper in hand to offer to the older. wonwoo wonders why mingyu would choose to ask his opinion, a beta's, rather than the other two omegas in their group. a jeonghan-like voice gently reminds him that wonwoo's thoughts are outdated, that the city is much more progressive, that his countryside raising really reflects.

mingyu's eyebrows furrow a little. "hyung, are you alright? you smell a little.. off,"

sometimes, it seems like mingyu can smell exactly what wonwoo was feeling, wonwoo thinks absently. he hums, taking the paper to skim it over.

"wonwoo hyung?"

wonwoo blinks and instantly makes to shove his thoughts away. so much for betas not having to control their scents, mingyu seems to be sensitive to them if he can smell wonwoo's. "yes, i'm fine. i can look over your report by the end of the day." the beta brushes off, for once wanting an interaction with the alpha to end.

"thanks, hyung. if you need anything.." mingyu trails off, clearly not sure of how to comfort the beta. "of course." wonwoo agrees quickly, not sure if he wants the other to finish the offer. mingyu's eyes still weigh on him, searching and wonwoo squirms, just about ready to ask if there was anything wrong when his phone vibrates, chiming a call incoming. both their eyes flit to it.

call from eomma incoming..

wonwoo laughs nervously, "excuse me, i'll have to take this."

he's never been more glad to talk to his mother, taking the opportunity for what it was to rush out the room, and away from mingyu.

"eomma, you really shouldn't call me during work hours."

wonwoo leans against the rooftop wall, grimacing at the rain still falling a few meters away from him. at least he was safe under the small awning he was under, mingyu's jacket wrapped around his form.

"always so uptight, wonwoo-yah, loosen up for once, would you?" his mother chides in lieu of a greeting. wonwoo holds back a sigh, fiddling with mingyu's jacket sleeve. "what did you want to call me for?"

"oh, nothing. just wondering if you've found anyone yet? anyone special?" his mother presses, in a tone that wonwoo thinks is her version of teasing. it sounds more overbearing but he indulges her nonetheless, especially when a certain alpha comes to mind. if it would get her to stop talking quicker, he'd do it.

"hm, yeah. i've been getting small gifts, homecooked meals, things like that. i have a feeling i know who it's from." wonwoo smiles to himself, fanged-smile popping into mind.

"who? who?? they're from wen junhui, right??"

and then wonwoo remembers who he's talking too. he hesitates.

"..i don't know. maybe."

"you don't sound too sure of yourself. i mean, it is a bit much for beta to do it for another beta, but that just means he likes you enough to look past your weird obsession with alpha-omega courting rituals!" wonwoo's lips twist. it's not that he has an obsession, more like he just.. wants a bit more care from his own subgender, despite their lack of.. role in society. he laughs nervously, hands fisting the jacket around him. "haha. yeah.."

"unless, it's not?" his mother asks, managing to sniff out his omittance through the call and wonwoo silently chokes. how did she know? she sighs before wonwoo can get a chance to answer. "who is it really from, wonwoo?" 

wonwoo's throat locks up. but he's already told her this much, it can't get much worse, right? besides, it's not wonwoo's actions that led to this, it was..

he decides to be honest.

"i think it's the new guy in the office. do you remember me talking about him?"

"oh, i do, i do!" his mother squeals and wonwoo heaves a silent breath, thinking he's gotten her attention off. he always thinks too soon, though.

"wait, what is he?" wonwoo freezes, eyes widening because he knows that the answer would be considered wrong in her eyes.

"what do you mean, what is he?" wonwoo stalls, trying to not make it obvious that he was. his mind scrambles for an excuse. his mother is sharp-minded, connecting the dots quickly before wonwoo has a chance to defend himself.

"oh my god, is he not a beta? you would have told me if he was.. someone courting.. oh honey, he's an alpha, isn't he?" and you're just a beta, wonwoo can hear she wants to add. "the amount of times i've talked to you about this, must i tell you again?" his mother must be in a good mood today because there's only exasperation in her voice rather than any anger he was expecting. still, he subconsciously curls in on himself, shrinking into his form.

"i know, i know already. it was just a phase, he must be misplacing it on my desk, or something." wonwoo weakly smiles, hoping it translates through his voice, hoping he sounds convincing enough, hoping his words can placate her. "now that sounds about right." his mother quips. "poor thing, must be so confused with an office so full of scents! how about you redirect him next time, hm?"

even as relief relaxes his shoulders, wonwoo deflates even further. he thumbs at the collar of mingyu's coat.

redirect him next time, hm?

he's deaf as his mother rambles on about how back in the day, a classmate of hers keep accidentally doing the same thing, slipping courting gifts into an omega's locker, and all the drama that spiraled with it ("goodness, how blind she was! a beta with an omega, that would simply never work out. if only she listened to me, she wouldn't have gotten in so much trouble." his mother tuts). wonwoo listens one-sidedly, humming when appropriate, even as his heart sinks further and further down.

betas are supposed to be helpers for alphas and omegas. betas have no scents, invisible to society. betas are only supposed to be with other betas.

it's a shame wonwoo had always had different tastes, craving to be main lead who gets the romantic protagonist who gets the omega, gets the alpha, gets something more than second-rate. it's not that wonwoo doesn't like betas or truly wishes he were an alpha or omega instead, but when those were the only types of main characters out there, he can't help but feel something missing.

the second lead, deuteragonist, the comedic relief, the nice guy. he wishes he could've been the superhero in the comics, the main lead in the novels.

(the only time he had even seen a beta-beta couple as the main leads in a drama, he'd been so excited, begging his parents to watch it with him. "it's so boring, though!" his brother would complain and although more subtle, his parents had agreed before switching the drama to a different one. wonwoo doesn't try ever asking again after that.)

wouldn't anyone want to trade their heart with his for a day? he remembers reading somewhere and oh, how sorely does he wish that could happen to him that day.

"oh, and remember to call you brother, alright, dear? he says you two haven't talked in a while."

wonwoo suddenly zones back into the call. "oh, right. yeah. i'll make sure to call him soon. tell him and dad that i love them."

his mother hums. "yes, of course. oh, don't you have work to get back to? you shouldn't be skipping work like this, you workaholic!" "you were the one who called me in the first place!" wonwoo pouts, pushing aside his previous negative feelings.

"yes, yes, i love you too. call me when you can!" his mother trills and wonwoo rolls his eyes.

"love you." is all he gets out before the whirlwind of a call ends.

after it does, wonwoo slumps against the wall, sighing as he stares at the rain in front of him, feeling more tired in that moment than he had felt the entire day combined.

the phone call only serves to make his day feel a little worse and it even starts showing through in his work.

"wonwoo hyung, i think you flipped the numbers here?" vernon says, showing wonwoo the paper. wonwoo peers at it to indeed find all his numbers flipped and he holds back a groan at the amount of work he'll have to put in to redo it.

"oh, i did. just leave it on my desk, i'll fix it." wonwoo is a little slow today, he admits, but he didn't think he'd be this dull to basically assign himself more work like this. vernon takes note, looking at him wit a thoughtful expression.

"you'll be alright." vernon awkwardly comforts him, patting at the older's back. "i can help you out, if you'd like?"

wonwoo just shakes his head, heaving a sigh. "no, it was my job and i can do it. there's no need for you to fix my mistakes for me." even with the reassurance, vernon looks at him sympathetically. "okay. if you need another pair of hands, i'll be here."

"thanks, vernon-ah." wonwoo says tiredly and vernon gives one last nod before walking off. the beta turns his eyes to the time at the corner of his screen, grimacing at how slow the time seemed to be moving.

no matter. it was just another day at work. nothing new, nothing to worry about, wonwoo tells himself.

he can't help the way his eyes twitch back to the time though, wishing more than anything for the day to be over already.

by the time lunch rolls around, wonwoo's energy has dropped even further, if possible.

his back is still aching at this time and any free chance wonwoo has, he takes to massaging at his sore back (if wonwoo had been less preoccupied with fixing his numbers, he probably would have noticed the way mingyu looks at him constantly, worry prominent in the alpha's expression). mingyu's jacket does keep him warm though, a small comfort throughout the tiring day even if his clothes had dried long ago.

"cafe's closed due to weather." seungkwan tells him when their lunch break starts. "what, really? i always go eat lunch there, though." wonwoo's lips purse, wondering what he was going to do for lunch, shoulders slouching in the process. the younger sends a sympathetic look at wonwoo's slumped shoulders. "you can always go out to eat at a different place." seungkwan suggests and wonwoo shakes his head. 

"i won't be able to make it back to work in time, not in this weather. i don't even have an umbrella to go out there, either." wonwoo sighs, forlornly looking out the window drenched in raindrops, the sky showing no sign of stopping its downpour. seungkwan pats at wonwoo's shoulder, frowning along with the older at the lack of options.

"you can always share my lunch with me, wonwoo hyung." seungkwan offers but wonwoo just shakes his head. "you and vernon already share your lunches together, i wouldn't want to take away from your food. besides, i can last one day without eating at the cafe."

seungkwan gives him a knowing smirk. "maybe you should ask your alpha if he's willing to share, then. besides, he was willing to share his jacket with you."

wonwoo looks away, heat creeping up his neck. right, he was still wearing mingyu's jacket. he should go return it.

"i-i'm, uh, gonna go return this. thanks for reminding me and for the, um, offer, seungkwannie." wonwoo stammers through, promptly turning tail to the direction of mingyu's work area if only to not see seungkwan's gleeful expression. he half-expects the younger to call out something after him and wonwoo walks faster.

he takes the jacket off as he walks though, getting closer and closer to mingyu. the alpha in question looks up at the approaching footsteps, face instantly smiling when he sees wonwoo, whose heart does not skip beat at that.

"hey mingyu, just wanted to hand you back your jacket." he says as he stop next to the alpha's desk, jacket draped over his forearm as he offers it back to the youngrr. "aw, thanks, hyung. did you hear the cafe's closed today?" mingyu asks conversationally as he accepts the fabric back. "yeah, i did," wonwoo exhales dejectedly. "looks like i'll have to go without it for a day."

mingyu's head (cutely) tilts up at him, much like a puppy. "are you not going to eat lunch then?"

wonwoo shakes his head sheepishly. "nah. i didn't bring anything with me today." wonwoo says awkwardly.

"wonwoo, you shouldn't skip meals like that," mingyu is quick to scold him. "i'll be fine for one day." wonwoo says dismissively, waving his hand around.

mingyu shakes his head reaching into his bag to pull out a box, putting it on his desk.

"not if i can help it. you can share mine with me, hyung. there's no fish in it~" mingyu says, the exact same offer as seungkwan, even with an extra singsong to entice wonwoo. "i wouldn't want to be taking food from the newbie like that. i'd feel bad." wonwoo teases, remembering their first after-work outing together. mingyu just shakes his head agaun and pushes the lunch box closer to wonwoo. "oh no, whatever will i do? the formidably blind jeon wonwoo is threatening me to hand over my lunch!"

wonwoo playfully smacks at the other's shoulder, sporting a small grin even as he does so at the way mingyu remembers just as he did. "hey! you offered!"

"and now he's abusing me! the 96-liners in this office are truly so violent!" mingyu holds his 'hurt' shoulder as he plays into the act.

wonwoo rolls his eyes. "whatever."

mingyu pouts up at the other, giving wonwoo's heart a lurch at the eye contact. thankfully, mingyu doesn't hold his pout for long though because then he's standing, again pushing his lunch towards wonwoo as he does. "here, you can start eating first," mingyu pulls out a pair of chopsticks, setting it next to the box. "i'll head out to the convenience store close by to get another pair of chopsticks."

wonwoo frowns. "you don't have to do that, i'm sure there should be one in the breakroom or something."

mingyu is already shrugging on his jacket though, procuring an umbrella from his bag as he gets ready to head out. "i have some things i need to get anyways, it won't take long."

"mingyu, but it's your food," wonwoo says exasperatedly. "i can't just eat it when you're not here."

"says who?" mingyu flashes his fanged smile, never failing to create a swooping feeling in wonwoo's stomach. "you just go ahead and eat first, don't worry. i'll pick up something extra from the store too, if you're so worried."

"if you're sure." wonwoo says, unconvinced.

mingyu sighs, sitting back down. wonwoo watches on, puzzled, as the alpha takes the lid off the container. "wait, what are you doing? are you not going?"

"oh, i'm going, right after i do this." mingyu says noncommittedly and wonwoo's confusion grows further, watching mingyu slide the chopsticks out of its covering as well. wonwoo's sure his mouth waters a bit at the smell of food, mingyu's cooking immaculate as always. the alpha's chopsticks then dig into the rice, picking up a clump and raising it to.. wonwoo?

"would you feel better if i fed you the first bite?" mingyu smirks at him and wonwoo blinks. what?

"mingyu, i'm not a pup, i can feed myself." wonwoo's neck starts heating up. his hand reaches up to grab for the chopsticks in the younger's hand but the alpha just pulls it out of his reach. "hyungie, please?" mingyu pulls his puppy eyes on him and dear goodness, how is wonwoo supposed to refuse this? "u-uh," the older stutters, flustered at the other's actions. "hyung.." mingyu almost outright whines and wonwoo is all but a weak, weak man.

so the beta swallows his pride and closes his mouth around the food, cheeks burning in slight mortification at being fed like a pup, in the office too, where everyone could see. but mingyu's eyes..

the younger grins. "now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"you're ridiculous." wonwoo replies through his mouth of food, looking away from the other as he chews lest his embarrassment grow exponentially upon seeing mingyu's expression. mingyu only chuckles, standing up again and patting wonwoo's head as he does so. "i'll be back in five minutes. in the meantime, you just keep eating." he instructs and wonwoo rolls his eyes again, grumbling under his breath.

mingyu actually does leave this time and wonwoo hesitantly follows his words, taking bites out of mingyu's lunch. he still feels awkward about it though so he looks up and around the office for anything to distract himself from the situation at hand only to accidentally make eye contact with seungkwan. the younger beta, delighted at the other's attention, pulls fake kissy faces at him and wonwoo abruptly returns to his meal, deciding that at the moment, mingyu's lunch was the most interesting thing in the world.

(when mingyu comes back, he raises his eyes at the amount of food eaten. "wonwoo, did you even eat anything?"

wonwoo gives him an offended look, taking another bite of rice. "of course i did."

mingyu gives him an incredulous look and then shakes his head in disbelief. "of course you eat in tiny. how could i ever known?")

the rain still hasn't let up by the time the workday ends and wonwoo can feel his shoulders sag.

almost everyone had left the office already, wonwoo having stayed behind just to finish his work for the day which he usually would've been done with by closing time. the sluggish day and shot motivation had only served to make wonwoo slog through his assignments and now here he was, left alone in the office.

the relentless rain outside only means he'll have to get wet again to run out to the bus stop. the thought of having to do so makes him want to cry.

wonwoo sucks in a breath.

it's just one time, he reasons. next time, he won't leave his contacts and umbrella and car keys and.. it'll just be a learning lesson for him. he'll only have to go through it one time. he takes in another breath and shakily exhales it. it's just one time. wonwoo brings a hand up to scrub at his face, trying to will away the tears threatening to form.

why was he being so emotional over this? it's really not like him to cry over some rain, wonwoo thinks, ignoring the entire buildup the day has been to this moment. he doesn't manage to stop his eyes from watering in time though, chastising himself when he actually starts crying into his palm.

"wonwoo?" a familiar voice calls and wonwoo freezes. "are you okay?"

turns out he wasn't alone in the office.

wonwoo hurriedly wipes at his face and nods jerkily as mingyu approaches him, apparently having still been in the office afterhours, just like wonwoo. wonwoo stays as silent as he can, trying his best to steady his breathing because there's no need to croak out a verbal answer, there's no need to word vomit out anything to anyone.

"wonwoo, you don't look so good.."

and wonwoo wants to cry harder, doing his best to smooth out his face and stop more tears from welling up. "i'm good. i was just about to head home." wonwoo rasps and he wants to cringe at himself for such a blatant giveaway. mingyu looks at him skeptically. "i was too, but i had to finish up something before leaving. is there anything i can do to help?" mingyu's hands come up to rub at wonwoo's back, soothing over his soreness like a faint massage.

screw kim mingyu for being perceptive, even about wonwoo's sore back. "hyung, whatever you're so sad about, you can let it out on me." he continues when wonwoo doesn't reply.

"no, it's okay," wonwoo politely declines. he's too old to be so emotional and teary, and he doesn't even have a ton of hormones like an alpha or omega to blame anything on. "it's nothing important."

"well, it can't be nothing if it leaves you like this." mingyu pushes, eyes dripping with concern and sincerity. wonwoo can't take it to see the alpha so open and honest, especially towards him. "mingyu." wonwoo warns sharply and that's enough to make the alpha pause, putting a stop to anything he was going to say. 

the silence reigns over them for a couple more moments, wonwoo doing his best to discreetly wipe at his face and mingyu shuffling on his toes.

"i think someone left this for you." mingyu breaks the silence. wonwoo's eyes look over to him warily, spotting a small basket dangling from the alpha's hands. he steps in a little closer to see what it is and oh.

it's a small care package, filled with his favorite snacks, little cat stickers tucked in between and even pain relief patches mixed in as well. whoever made the package had clearly been paying attention and putting thought into it, and of course it was mingyu offering it to him, probably having been the creator of it too.

wonwoo can feel his eyes start to water again.

"oh hyung, oh no no," and then the beta's pulled against a strong frame, arms draping around his body.

being so close like this, wonwoo can smell mingyu, so soothing and calming, an earthy scent that has wonwoo relaxing into the other's touch. pheromones, wonwoo remembers from health classes in his schooling days. those with control over their scents could release calming pheromones meant to soothe another person. this must be what they are, wonwoo thinks through his haze.

they spend a few minutes like that, quiet in one another's arms. mingyu's hands rub up and down on his back as wonwoo breathes in the other's scent. his head is tucked on his shoulder but so close to the other's scent gland, closer than appropriate, wonwoo thinks but mingyu doesn't say anything. they stay like that for a little longer, wonwoo slowly melting into mingyu's hold with a sigh.

"feel any better?" mingyu murmurs into the top of wonwoo's head and the beta nods into the other's neck. to his dismay, mingyu pulls away and he distantly wonders if the younger would have kept holding him if he said no instead. a few beats of silence pass again, the two staring at each other post-hug, wonwoo blearily and mingyu contemplatingly.

"i can carry your bag for you," mingyu breaks the silence, reaching out for wonwoo's workbag that he had been holding the entire time. "yah, kim mingyu," wonwoo smiles wryly, keeping his bag out of reach. "i can walk you home as well," mingyu offers, even if he can't successfully grab the bag from wonwoo. "i have an umbrella, we can share."

despite his nearsightedness, wonwoo isn't blind at all to the softness he sees in mingyu's eyes. he really can't ignore how mingyu was acting towards him, like an alpha does to an omega.

redirect him.

wonwoo shakes his head at the younger. "i can make it home by myself, thank you mingyu."

"but hyung, it's still raining out there."

wonwoo can't help the way his shoulders slump. right. the very reason he had an emotional fit in the first place. mingyu sees it. "let's just share the umbrella then, your car isn't too far from here."

wonwoo shakes his head. "forgot my car keys today."

"then.. let's take the bus together." despite wonwoo's words, hope still shines in mingyu's eyes, making wonwoo falter.

"i.."

redirect him.

and really, wonwoo had never been good at not succumbing to his desires (his mother's endless scoldings towards him were endless for a reason). so why would he start now?

"..okay."

wonwoo wants to lean his head on mingyu's, the other's shoulder looking inviting. no, wonwoo remembers. he's an alpha and you're a beta. it wouldn't be right. so he doesn't, the bus ride passing with no notable incident, all the way until they both get off at their stop.

mingyu is hesitant to leave though, still fussing over wonwoo even as the bus moves on.

"i'll be fine. don't worry about me." wonwoo grumbles, turning away to walk in the direction of his home.

a hand catches his wrist and if he had more energy, wonwoo would've gasped like they did in kdramas. he turns back to look at mingyu. "at least take my umbrella with you," mingyu says, offering his umbrella to wonwoo in one hand and holding his wrist with the other. "i only live five minutes away, i'll barely get wet."

wonwoo gingerly takes it. "thanks, mingyu."

"get home safe, hyung." there's something proud glinting in mingyu's eyes as they turn to part, their residences in different directions at this point.

wonwoo can't stand it. seeing mingyu looking at him like that, knowing it could never be his, he can't stand seeing it. "i'll return your umbrella tomorrow. bye." wonwoo says as blankly as he can, knowing that if he put any more emotion into it, he might spill everything out again. he needs to get away from mingyu, needs to go home, needs to end this dreadful day without anymore embarrassment. 

mingyu seems a little pained at wonwoo's coldness but nods anyways.

his expression sticks with him, even as wonwoo goes through his usual route home. redirect him. it's necessary, wonwoo tries to tell himself.

it's necessary.

"mingyu."

the younger perks at his name being called, instantly turning to wonwoo. wonwoo clears his throat, unexpectedly caught off guard by the innocent way mingyu looks at him, like a puppy expecting a treat. "here's your umbrella." the beta says, offering said-item to the alpha. mingyu brightens at the umbrella being offered back to him. "nice, you remembered! did you get home safe, wonwoo hyung?"

wonwoo averts his eyes to his screen. "i did."

out the corner of wonwoo's eye (not that he's paying attention), he can see mingyu frown a bit. even so, the younger takes his seat next to wonwoo and the beta has to hold down the urge to stiffen, forcing himself to act completely normal. absolutely normal, as normal as he can.

"you know, i was thinking of asking the baristas at the cafe to try a latte art for me, do you think they'll do it? soonyoung hyung said they made him a tiger the other day, it was actually really cute-looking!" mingyu rambles, facing wonwoo, making inane conversation before the workday started as he always did.

"that's nice." wonwoo replies and mingyu keeps looking at him. there's a small guilt that rises in wonwoo but he resolutely does not turn away from his computer screen, hoping he doesn't look like he's aimlessly clicking around his screen at files he doesn't need just yet (that's exactly what he's doing).

mingyu tries again a few more times, scattered throughout the day. "can you help me with my revisions? i think i need an extra pair of eyes on this." "i think they have your favorite snacks in the vending machine again. want to take a break?" "erm, hyung, want to go print something with me?" 

each time, he's met with another dry response from the older beta and each time, it feels like a bit of wonwoo's heart cracks at the slowly dimming expression mingyu has.

eventually, mingyu seems to get the hint at wonwoo's dry responses and backs off, working silently next to the older. it's what wonwoo wanted, but somehow a little chasm opens in his chest, just like the distance that grows between the two. 

redirect him.

wonwoo worries that mingyu might just be giving wonwoo space after his breakdown in the office which is not the signal he wants to send.

even then, distancing is distancing so it's not like wonwoo could go up to mingyu to outright tell him his reason for distancing and then fuck off again.

redirect him.

so he leaves it.

his distancing works well.

maybe a little too well because one day, when mingyu doesn't show up to the office, it takes wonwoo until the afternoon to figure that out. 

at first, wonwoo shrugs it off.

it wasn't wonwoo's job to keep tabs on his coworkers like that, that's something to leave to gossipers. people take days off all the time. maybe family was visiting, maybe there's a concert he wants to see, a doctor's appointment he couldn't reschedule, maybe he's sick. 

wonwoo frowns at that last thought. maybe mingyu was sick..

wonwoo frustratedly stares at his papers, pen scribbling at the edge of it absently. no, mingyu wouldn't be sick. wonwoo would have definitely noticed if he was, the alpha worked right beside him for two days a week, after all. but what if mingyu was sick? the thought keeps sticking at him, wonwoo scribbling question marks into his paperwork before he takes notice. his pen stops, seeing the damage done and he sighs through his nose, realizing he needs to reprint a fresh document now. 

unable to sit still anymore, wonwoo gets up from his desk. he initially intends to make his way to the printer for a new sheet but before he can, his feet instead lead him to jeonghan. the older beta looks up from his computer, looking to be reading through a report for once. usually, wonwoo would leave the older alone when he finally had some work ethic but he can't stand his own thoughts anymore.

"wonwoo-yah! what brings you here?" jeonghan pries his eyes from his screen at the younger approaching him willingly. 

"where's mingyu?"

it comes unbidden out of wonwoo's mouth before he has a chance to think it over.

"oh? why do you ask?" jeonghan smirks causing wonwoo to scowl. of course he shouldn't have asked jeonghan, not if he wanted voluntarily sign himself up for being picked on.

"i just.. haven't seen him yet today and— no, i'm just curious!" the younger beta says hotly at the deadpan look jeonghan sends him. "and you always know where everyone is so i just wanted to ask.." jeonghan seems to take pity on him for once though, giving the younger only an amused look before divulging the information.

"he's taken a few days off for rut."

wonwoo blinks. "oh."

rut, huh?

jeonghan tilts his head. "'oh?' is that all you have to say?"

wonwoo tries to hide his disappointment, tries to hide his thoughts. tries not to think about how mingyu could be with a pretty omega right now helping him through his rut, a pretty omega with a sweet, nurturing scent—

wonwoo shakes himself out of it. "thank you, jeonghan hyung." he says awkwardly and what must be pathetically too because jeonghan sighs. "come on, tell hyung what's wrong."

"nothing." wonwoo grumbles. mingyu is his friend and wonwoo, as a friend, wants to make sure that he's alright. yes, that's it.

jeonghan doesn't seem to be too impressed by wonwoo's thought process when the younger beta says all that but lets him go anyways. wonwoo isn't sure whether to feel relief or something else at that.

each day that he doesn't see mingyu puts a sense of unease in wonwoo.

he knows about ruts like the way any other general person does, that they last a few days, usually cycle every few months, and that having a partner can significantly reduce the effects. wonwoo does his very best to not dwell on the last statement, not at all thinking of mingyu cozying up to an omega like that, taking in a scent complimentary to his, all relaxed and pliant with someone to take care of..

wonwoo physically shakes his head to rid himself of those thoughts. if he keeps thinking of this, he'll start venturing in the area of comparing himself to an omega again which he does not want to do right now. wonwoo slumps, head down on his desk as he internally groans.

why can't he stop thinking of mingyu?

"what's with wonwoo these days?" seungcheol's voice distantly asks.

"he's moping without his mingyu at his side." he can hear joshua snickering somewhere to jeonghan's words but the response to smack the other isn't strong enough to make him get back up.

"ah, young love. can't see it anywhere else these days." seungcheol sighs.

"seungcheol, you're only a few years older though.. who knew that a couple months could make such a difference between us..."

"yah shua, those couple months apart doesn't mean you can disrespect me like this, you know."

wonwoo raises his head again, directing a glare in the direction of the conversation. he must be losing his edge though, because all jeonghan does is wink at him whilst joshua and seungcheol continue bickering with each other.

"oh, he's back? i couldn't tell. his scent isn't really anywhere." 

wonwoo doesn't move from his seat but his attention latches onto those words tightly. maybe he sits up and leans a little closer too, but who's paying attention to him anyways?

"huh, you're right. maybe i should ask him what brand of scent blocker he uses. it seems like it works really well." the other person chatters, absent to way wonwoo subconsciously perks up.

wonwoo fiddles with the buttons on his cardigan he wore that day, wondering when mingyu had this much of an effect on him to make him be a like a dog waiting on its owner. 

just hearing about mingyu makes his lips twist a little, unsure whether to smile at the news that mingyu's back or not.

"wonwoo, are you stopping by the cafe today?" jun asks, picking up his bag, getting ready to head out. 

wonwoo chews at his bottom lip, trying to find a way to ask what he wants to ask without eliciting any teasing from the other. 

jun takes his hesitance for what it is though and smirks at the younger. "and before you ask, i don't think mingyu's gonna be there."

"i wasn't gonna ask!" wonwoo says defensively despite the way he was just about to. was he getting that predictable? and mingyu, not going to eat at the cafe.. jun rolls his eyes at the other beta in response, entirely disbelieving wonwoo's act. "he's at his desk, i'm pretty sure. seokmin says he hasn't seen him leave all morning."

"okay." wonwoo acknowledges, thinking.

"so, this means you're not coming by, right?" jun asks to confirm but to surprise, wonwoo shakes his head.

"no, i'll go. just need to pick something up."

when wonwoo comes back to the office, his heart gives a little lurch when he finds a familiar head of black hair hunched over at his desk.

he really is back, wonwoo thinks, mood lifting at seeing the alpha again. before he can rethink his actions or even remind himself about his distancing or redirecting, he's already halfway across the room. mingyu lifts his head up at the sound of footsteps approaching, surprise coloring his features when he sees wonwoo approaching (man, has wonwoo been surprising that many people recently?).

"wonwoo hyung," mingyu greets, half his face obscured by a face mask (much to wonwoo's dismay, he rather liked mingyu's face). "what are you doing here?"

"you didn't show up to the cafe today, i was wondering if you had lunch." wonwoo says as he nears mingyu's desk, smiling at the younger. he's not even nervous, just elated to see mingyu again.

"i brought my own lunch today. the scents outside are.. a lot." mingyu's eyes crinkle into a smile even behind the mask

"oh," wonwoo didn't think of that. "i.. didn't think that you would, so i brought you something." wonwoo says, usual shyness finally settling in as he places the food on mingyu's desk. "aw, thanks hyung, you really didn't have to." mingyu says, hands hovering over the container. wonwoo just shrugs dismissively, trying to seem not too put out at his gesture not landing well. "it's okay, mingyu-yah. just have this for later or something, hyung's treat."

silence then settles over them, the pair made a little awkward by their time apart. even so, wonwoo still wants to talk with mingyu.

so he does.

"how are you?" wonwoo stiltedly asks, knowing they've been a little distant as of late.

"sore." mingyu groans, slumping against his chair. wonwoo blinks at him and mingyu's eyes widen at the implication of his words, rushing to correct them. "i mean, not in that way! or any way! or, ugh," mingyu's face flames and wonwoo can't help but chuckle. 

"it's just that.. i've been on suppressants for a while and i'm trying to ease off of them for my health so i'm having withdrawals, not from anything.. else." he blabbers, face still growing increasingly red.

"okay, mingyu." wonwoo says amusedly. "whatever you say."

"hyung," mingyu whines, knowing he's being teased. wonwoo only smiles, reaching down to ruffle the younger's hair. he finger accidentally brushes mingyu's ear though, the elastic ear loop of his mask jostling at the movement.

the younger flinches, ducking away from wonwoo and both his hands come up to fix the elastic around his ear. wonwoo blinks.

"s-sorry, i think i'm just a little sensitive.. still." mingyu laughs nervously, body looking tensing. wonwoo only smiles unsurely, trying to tuck away his slight hurt and confusion. "oh. to scents?"

"yeah." mingyu nods, eyes downcast at his table. wonwoo bites his lip and fiddles with his cardigan sleeve, disliking seeing mingyu so down.

in another surprising decision that day (all his impulsive decisions are starting to form a pattern, wonwoo thinks), wonwoo pulls off his cardigan. mingyu's eyes raise up again at the sound of fabric rustling and his eyes widen behind the mask.

"hyung? what are you doing?"

hesitantly, wonwoo sets down his cardigan on the desk too, mingyu's wide eyes still watching. "my clothes are scentless, at least i think they are." wonwoo's eyes flit around, looking anywhere but mingyu. "if the smells ever get too much for you again, you can use it as something neutral to hang onto."

now it's mingyu's turn to blink at wonwoo. wonwoo tries his best to hold his gaze but he can only stand a few seconds of watching mingyu's eyes soften at him before he has to turn away again, scratching at the back of his neck. "thanks, hyung." mingyu thanks, voice soft but still audible.

wonwoo clears his throat. "of course. i'll leave you to it, then. hope you feel better." wonwoo internally cringes at how his words come out but forces himself to smile. "thank you." mingyu says again and it takes a bit more effort than wonwoo would like to nod and walk away as normally as he can with his heart beating nearly out of his chest.

"wonwoo hyung, what are you so smiley about?"

"nothing." wonwoo keeps smiling. chan stares at him, seemingly mildly terrified. "have you ever seen wonwoo smile that much? do you think his cheeks are hurting?" he hears seokmin whisper somewhere but wonwoo pays it no mind, dutifully typing away at his work (and still, with a smile on his face).

if this is how it feels to be around mingyu, then maybe this distancing thing wasn't so great after all. even if it'll undo all of wonwoo's redirecting, then..

wouldn't it be worth it?

so wonwoo gives up on his distancing, much to much to the delight of wonwoo's previously dejected heart and mingyu.

"hyung! we're going out to eat!" mingyu has started demanding, no longer giving wonwoo a choice as if he worries that wonwoo would keep declining him if he asked instead of demanded. "okay, okay," wonwoo appeases, no longer having the heart to ignore the younger any longer, anyways. it brings a well-missed smile to both their faces, both falling into familiar routine again with each workday. 

wonwoo honestly regrets having distanced himself from mingyu like that, wondering how he ever managed the strength to be away from the alpha like he did. absence makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that, wonwoo doesn't know. what he does know is that as much as wonwoo wants to know more about mingyu, mingyu shares the same need to know more about wonwoo, as well.

"wonwoo hyung, favorite color?"

"purple. you?"

"red. favorite flower?"

"sunflowers. hey, wasn't it my turn to ask a question though?"

"was it?"

"yeah, it was! you asked two questions without letting me go!"

"fine then, you can ask two questions then."

"okay. favorite animal?"

"dogs. and yours is cats, obviously."

"why does everyone know this? i thought i was subtle about it. favorite food?"

"hyung, you are not subtle about liking cats. and meat, i love meat. your favorite food?"

"hm. maybe burgers, or ramyeon."

"what? what is your diet, even?" mingyu questions him, breaking out of their 'favorites' line of questioning. it leads them to start bickering, bantering, teasing each other as always and wonwoo's heart warms at the conversation with the younger, as per usual.

but the thing is, he's just his coworker, wonwoo tells himself every time his heart sinks at seeing an omega at the younger's desk. wonwoo's just a good hyung to him, wonwoo thinks, doing his best to convince himself. a relationship between an alpha and a beta was never meant to happen, destined to remain strictly platonic and only platonic, a voice inside of wonwoo whispers.

and so, wonwoo pushes his feelings away, ignores them all he can if only to have at least this connection with the alpha, this connection that he was allowed to have in the eyes of society.

and so, wonwoo tells himself that he and mingyu are just friends, and nothing more.

another rainy day finds wonwoo but this time, it's not a bad day at all, triumphantly on time and with his car keys tucked safely in his pocket.

the weather forecast says the rain might not let up at all today, clouds hanging gloomy and stormy in the sky. wonwoo smiles a little to himself, thinking that maybe he can offer mingyu a ride home rather than seeing each other off at the split between the car parking lot and the way to the bus station.

he makes it to the office on time as usual, greeting vernon and seungcheol before he settles into the weekly project meeting. "where's mingyu?" the beta questions, taking not of the empty chair that sits beside him.

"wouldn't you like to know, wonwoo hyung?" vernon asks, a common response to wonwoo's common question. wonwoo just rolls his eyes at the younger, needlessly rearranging his papers. his eyes flit to the clock, checking the time to see that the workday has indeed started already.

mingyu's late.

seungcheol claps his hands together, drawing the younger two's attention to him. "well, let's not delay any further and get started, i'm sure mingyu will be here when he can—"

right on time, the door opens and a harried mingyu rushes in. "sorry, i forgot our weekly meeting was today!" he excuses before predictably plopping into the empty seat next to wonwoo despite there being another open chair more conveniently placed by vernon. vernon gives him a knowing look, no doubt connected to all that's been happening between wonwoo and mingyu, courtesy of his mate.

"woke up late?" wonwoo murmurs to the other, expression amused as he takes in mingyu's state. even slightly disheveled, mingyu still looks good to wonwoo's eyes.

mingyu smiles sheepishly. "no, i just had to get something before work. do i look that bad?" 

wonwoo shakes his head. "no, you look fine as always."

mingyu quirks a brow. "fine as in okay? or fine as in fine fine—"

seungcheol clears his throat and the two jump away from each other, turning their attention back to the omega's unimpressed stare. "you lovebirds done?" wonwoo's cheeks feel like they're heating up. he hadn't even realized they were sitting that close together. 

mingyu clears his own throat and responds for them. "yes, seungcheol hyung. we're done." wonwoo can see vernon hiding a snicker behind his hand, clearly enjoying the two getting caught.

"so flowers, huh? that's what you had to get before work this morning?" wonwoo muses, gesturing to the bouquet in mingyu's hands.

the younger's nervous, rubbing the back of his neck as his hand clutches the bouquet, for what, wonwoo doesn't know. it's their break, mingyu having called wonwoo out to ask to go to the rooftop with him. wonwoo had agreed, if only to escape the grueling numbers he had to check over before sending in the final draft. seeing mingyu like this though, on edge, puts wonwoo in a mood as well.

"yeah, i didn't want to make a bad impression on.. the person..." mingyu trails off, fiddling with the purple holding together the bouquet. mingyu looks up at wonwoo, eyes flitting around everywhere when he sees the beta looking back at him. "um, do you think they look good?"

wonwoo hums at the question, peering at the bouquet for a closer look and mingyu holds them out to him. wonwoo smiles as he takes it, inspecting at the arrangement. the usual flowers of love are there like roses and carnations but oddly enough, there are some sunflowers mixed in red and pinks of roses and other flowers. mingyu notices him eyeing them and seems to flush. "the, uh.. i know the sunflowers actually stand for friendship, but the person.. their favorite flowers are sunflowers so i thought.."

a foreboding feeling dawns on wonwoo, a niggling thought in the back of his head that he pushes away in favor of appearing impassive. "well, who's the lucky person, then?" wonwoo teases, even if his heart twists a weird way. in the past, he would've asked who the lucky 'omega' was but a few years in the city have done him good to adapt.

mingyu laughs nervously. "uh.."

wonwoo raises an eyebrow at the younger, nervous energy infecting him now too. his hands start to feel sweaty, clutching at the bouquet tightly and wonders when mingyu was going to ask for them back. "mingyu?" he prompts, each passing moment creating a sensation of mounting anticipation, good or bad, wonwoo doesn't know.

redirect him, redirect him! the words sudden resurface at the forefront of wonwoo's mind and the beta is struck with a sense of dread at what was happening.

no, please, wonwoo silently pleads as the alpha in front of him takes in a breath. wonwoo holds in his, ambiguity making his hands shake. please don't say what i think you're going to say.

mingyu looks ready to burst, eyes wide and shining at him as he utters the next few words.

"wonwoo, i like you,"

and yet, wonwoo's heart drops. mingyu's expression is adorably shy. the bouquet in wonwoo's hands suddenly feel heavy, stems digging into his the palm of his hands. mingyu is none the wiser, continuing all despite.

"can i.. can i take you out sometime?"

it's everything wonwoo wants to hear, in his deepest of dreams. and yet, his heart feels heavier than a cannonball, rather than jumping for joy.

wonwoo can only stare at mingyu's bashful expression. it's not like he can brush it off either, mingyu had directed it to wonwoo, specifically, said his name and everything.

and why?

wonwoo's just a beta.

(a supporting character.)

"hyung?" whether mingyu catches wonwoo's emotions from his scent, his stiffness, his expression, the younger's expression turns to concern. "did i—"

"but," wonwoo starts and mingyu immediately shuts up.

redirect him.  it's what has to be done.

"you can't like me. you're not supposed to like me."

mingyu's face turns to hurt and wonwoo wonders why he's doing this, causing the other pain, why mingyu looks to be in so much pain.

"can i ask why?"

"you shouldn't like me," i'm just a beta, wonwoo wants to add but holds his tongue. he's known long ago to keep those words inside, especially here in the city. i'm a beta, no one likes betas.

"why, wonwoo hyung?"

wonwoo stays silent.

"if you don't want to go out with me, you could have just.. said so," mingyu's voice turns infinitely quiet.

"loverboy left another courting gift for you~" seungkwan singsongs when wonwoo comes back.

wonwoo doesn't pay mind to seungkwan's words though. the forefront of his mind instead tunnels on how heavy his footsteps feel, like any moment they'd simply cease to stop working and he'd be rooted to one place forever. wonwoo calmly sits down in his office chair before such a thing could happen (his mind already does that enough, replaying mingyu's hurt expression over and over again until it sears into the back of wonwoo's eyelids).

"okay." 

seungkwan's eyes follow him. "what? you're not going to do anything about it?" 

seungkwan's right, wonwoo belated realizes, eyes blearily looking down at his desk. every one of mingyu's courting gifts usually has him feeling excited and warm, smiling and giddy, warm and loved. and yet at that moment, he feels none of that when he looks at the basket in hand, full of his favorite snacks and cat sticky notes and whatnot.

"so what's going on?"

"what? nothing's going on." wonwoo says defensively. he guesses it hasn't really set in yet, he's still trying to process that mingyu.. he takes the basket in hand and sets it back down on his desk, pushing to one side so that he could avert his eyes to his computer instead. he doesn't want to think of what just transpired, of him, of the alpha, of his coworker, of mingyu...

"you usually get all blushy and shy when you see mingyu's gifts on your desk. what happened?" jeonghan's voice joins in and god, wonwoo just wishes they'd all just leave him alone for once. even jun looks over, taking notice of all the betas crowded around wonwoo's desk and rolls over to join. on a normal day, wonwoo would be fine with his friends interacting with him like this but right now, it irritates him.

"nothing. leave me alone." obviously, it's the wrong line to say because then, the others only want to know more.

"i saw him leave with mingyu thirteen minutes ago." jun adds in. wonwoo presses his lips in a thin line to keep his temper. had it only been thirteen minutes ago? that mingyu asked to talk with him? to confess to him—

"he asked me out." wonwoo says quietly, no more prompting needed.

"he what?" seungkwan asks and wonwoo takes in a deep breath. "he asked him out. mingyu finally asked him out." jeonghan repeats and seungkwan's eyes widen, jumping and clapping in excitement. he turns to wonwoo, leaning down at the older beta, obviously ready to congratulate him or something. wonwoo bristles, leaning away. "and what then? you're dating now, right? right?"

"no." wonwoo looks away from all of them. 

silence. so silent that he swears, a cricket chirps somewhere.

"what?" jun asks. "you two aren't dating?"

"maybe they're just taking it slow. maybe they just want to actually go on dates before they start dating." jeonghan suggests, as if wonwoo weren't right there. his teeth grind against each other.

"we're not dating. we're not going on dates. mingyu and i aren't doing anything." wonwoo snaps, jaw clenching. he's so tired, he just wants to be alone for the moment.

"so you.." seungkwan starts, cheer having left him. "you rejected him?"

wonwoo nods, still not having any energy to look up at any of them. a beat of silence passes. and then seungkwan explodes.

"but why?!" the youngest beta exclaims. "you two were perfect! you two like each other, i could see it in both of you! why why why would you say no?" wonwoo shrinks into his chair, taking a shuddering breath. "seungkwan-ah," jeonghan warns, hand coming up to placate the youngest. 

"no, but i don't understand! is there some miscommunication going on? is mingyu secretly an asshole? what—" "seungkwan!" jeonghan raises his voice a little, slapping at seungkwan's back and the younger shuts up.

"wonwoo," jun suddenly says, suddenly turning very quiet. the way he says it has all of their attention turning to him, even wonwoo's. wonwoo feels a chill go down his back at the unreadable emotion swimming in the other's eyes. "did you reject mingyu because you're a beta?"

the other two turn silent, two more pairs of eyes turning to search wonwoo. the younger beta opens his mouth to deny, deny again, deny always, but yet—

nothing comes out.

he chokes.

"i—"

"because you think betas are just supporting characters?" jun presses quietly, ignoring the other two who gape at wonwoo's innermost thoughts, drunken words said so long ago wonwoo was sure the other had forgotten. the younger beta's eyes sting, mouth closing to press his lips tightly together. "wonwoo, is this what you really think?" seungkwan asks incredulously. "all this time, i thought you were joking, but you're serious? really, serious?"

wonwoo still can't say anything. he says nothing.

"i can't believe this." the younger beta scoffs and stands from his chair. wonwoo shakes as seungkwan walks past him, shoes sounding farther away with each second. a door opens and door closes, and then the image of wonwoo's lap suddenly looks very blurry.

it's silent for a moment.

"wonwoo, you know this.. you.." even jeonghan doesn't seem to have the right words for the situation. "this isn't right." he finally settles on and it stings more than wonwoo would like to admit. logically, wonwoo knows that jeonghan's words weren't meant to hurt, weren't meant to be mean, that it was just a way for the older beta to understand the situation but it still stings like a bullet. 

a beta being with anything but a beta isn't right.

the thought juxtaposes everything his friends stand for, everything jeonghan, seungkwan, and jun believe, everything that betas in the city have. and so why was wonwoo so.. like this?

wonwoo knows they see his tears but he gets up anyways, not bothering to wipe them. 

"wonwoo—"

but then he's gone. out of the office. 

the parking lot sounds a lot louder to wonwoo's ears than usual as his footsteps echo through the concrete area.

usually, he wouldn't notice it at all but with how hard he's focusing on just trying to get one foot in front of the other, it becomes something he can't not to notice. he counts his breaths out (one, two, three, four), takes steady steps (left, right, left, right), and does not think of the events that just happened. his vision is not blurry. the short pattern continues for a while (one, left, two, three, right, left, four, right, five, left) all the way until he makes it to his car.

his vision is not blurry. there's nothing wet on his face.

he does not think of the events that just happened. he unlocks his car and opens his car door. he gets in his car and sits there. he doesn't turn the engine on, doesn't set his bag in the passenger seat, does not think of the events that just happened. his vision is not blurry.

and he heaves a breath. and drags his hands across his face. and does not think about the events that just happened.

"stupid, stupid, stupid stupid stupid," wonwoo hisses at himself, eyes screwed in attempt to stop the tears. his hands then grip the steering wheel, white-knuckled and tight. "stupid!" wonwoo exclaims in the quiet of his car. his vision is not blurry. "pathetic." he leans his head gently against the wheel.

HONK.

wonwoo jolts back at the loud sound. laughs wetly. wipes his face roughly with the back of his hand (his vision is not blurry). takes a one deep breath (he does not think of the events that just happened). and then puts the car into gear and drives.

he doesn't think about this for the rest of the night.