Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"another overtime? why do you work so much?"

wonwoo picks at the edge of his paperwork.

it's a simple question, but it still makes him hesitate. he absently thinks it's something to do with the way his mother always phrases things to sound accusatory, judging, but wonwoo's used to it now, so he rules that out.

he takes a breath, hopefully inaudible to the phone.

"it's not that i want to work this much," wonwoo tries. "i just don't get days off for rut or heat or anything like that." because you're a beta. be grateful you don't have any hardships like the rest of us, wonwoo can faintly hear in the back of his mind. he ignores it, fingernails toying around a stray staple that didn't quite puncture through the papers right.

"besides, it's not seungcheol hyung's fault he had his heat, and it's not like i have much to do outside of work, anyways."

"hm. lucky you, then." his mother hums over the phone.

"yeah, lucky me." wonwoo frowns and pulls at the staple, jerking a little when it comes free too easily and pierces into his skin. he sucks in a breath, watching as a drop of read beads on his finger. he tucks his phone between his shoulder and his ear, other hand now free to open his desk drawer and rummage through for a bandage or something of that sort. he thumbs through piles of old papers and odd stationary here and there and wonders why he doesn't clean it out sooner as his other hand keeps bleeding red droplets. 

"hey, you know, if jihoon didn't have to take off for ruts, he'd be working harder than you would, wonwoo." his mother laughs over the phone. wonwoo smiles nervously, even if she can't see him over the phone. you'd never compare to an alpha or an omega. he hears her message for what it is.

wonwoo swallows at the comparison. "right." the beta halfheartedly agrees.

logically, he knows he should shove away those views, he's in the city now. city folk think.. differently (better). wonwoo still can't find a bandage so he stands up, heading out from his desk to the breakroom, hoping that maybe they'll have something in there. it's not like he couldn't just brush it off and wait for it to stop bleeding on it's own but his legs feel restless, wanting something to do while he was still on the call.

all the while, his mother keeps chattering in his ear.

"it's about time you found someone though," she mulls. "after all, your brother seems to be interested in a pretty omega girl already. he's younger than you though, why haven't you started looking?" wonwoo silently thinks back to the last time he showed interest in a pretty omega girl, his mother lectured him to the high hells about his place in society. a chill runs through wonwoo, he deigns not to say any of it out loud.

he knows what his mother means when she talks about wonwoo's love life. 

"i'm too busy working—"

"nonsense! workplace romances aren't totally a bad thing!" his mother interrupts him, totally ignoring wonwoo's attempt to shut down the topic. "now, who in your office is a beta, hm?" wonwoo bites his lips, wondering why this is the way society is. 

(betas are only meant to be with other betas.)

"junhui, seungkwan, and jeonghan hyung." wonwoo dutifully lists off, not wanting to put up a fight against his mother today. or ever, really.

he holds his bleeding hand upright, red slipping across his digits as he walks past other offices and workers milling about. they don't pay attention to him, jeon-sshi the quiet senior who doesn't talk much at all or even come to our afterwork outings—

"oh, junhwi! the chinese one from the overseas office!" his mother gasps. "don't you think he's cute? he's so talented too, so many things he's capable of—"

"yes, yes, i get it," wonwoo says hurriedly, hoping his mother stops talking soon as he makes it to the breakroom. he fumbles with the doorknob, the damn thing always hard to twist and locks every other try but no one has bothered to fix it yet for some odd reason.

"you'll think of him, right? i know you two talk often, perhaps try asking him on a date?"

"okay, it'll talk about it with jun. i have to get back to work now, though, call you soon." the knob twists on it's own and the door opens, the person on the other side clearly taking pity on wonwoo's sad attempt at only jiggling the knob rather than opening it. at the sight of the other person though, wonwoo internally groans.

"i better hear an update by the next time you call me~ love you!"

"love you too." wonwoo mumbles and ends the call, eyes locked with the very man who he was talking about. 

"sooo.. talk to me about what?" the beta in question asks, leaning against the counter.

wonwoo ardently does his best to not focus on jun, finally having found a bandage and slowly sticking it around his finger. jun was having none of it though, scooting a little closer to the younger beta. "wonwoo~ talk to me about what~" the other croons as he leans closer, making wonwoo instinctively lean back in response. he internally curses himself, now losing his front of nonchalance and therefore forcing himself to acknowledge the other.

"it's nothing." wonwoo is reflexively on the defense.

"huh." jun pokes at the other's arm. "really?"

wonwoo tries, really he does, but one glance towards jun is enough to make wonwoo deflate. years of working together in the same office, of knowing each other, makes it hard to really keep things from one another when they're seeing each other's face in proximity five days a week. wonwoo sighs, finger smoothing over the bandage despite it already snug on his finger.

"my mom's trying to set me up with someone again," wonwoo drawls, walking past jun out of the breakroom. "she's moved onto office romances now." 

he ignores how he can practically hear jun's brain working as the other's footsteps follow behind him. he also ignores how he can practically hear the smirk that grows on jun's face. "an office romance? and her first thought was to set you up with me?" as expected, when wonwoo glances back, jun is grinning widely at him. a mischievous gleam in his eye shines through and it's enough to make wonwoo pick up the pace, in stupid hopes that the other wouldn't be able to catch up.

he's too late though as jun's arms envelope him, hanging off his shoulders. wonwoo's walk considerably slows, now bearing the weight of two people as jun presses his weight against the other, still grinning all the while. wonwoo squirms in his grip, yelping when he notices the other pulling a kissy face towards him and instantly does his best to pull away. "come on, jagiya," jun theatrically puckers his lips, slowly inching too close to wonwoo's face.

"no, idiot! get off me!" wonwoo faux fights back, struggling to get out of the other's grip. just how much has jun been to the gym lately? more than wonwoo apparently because jun's grip only tightens, squeezing the breath out of the younger. "that's not very work-appropriate language, wonwoo sarang-ah~"

with his arms useless, wonwoo does the only thing he can think of and leans down, teeth baring to bite—

jun gasps, instantly loosening his grip which wonwoo takes advantage of to slip out. he brushes his outfit down before marching ahead. jun keeps talking, loudly too, "babe, don't you think it's a little too early for mating bites?"

at the subject, wonwoo's cheeks flush hotly, grounding his teeth together and walks even faster. "don't even!"  jun ignores him, laughing all the while, thankfully sounding a little farther than before now. "if you wanted to tell me you had a biting kink, you should have just told me earlier—"

wonwoo sighs exasperatedly, turning his head behind him to stare menacingly at the other beta. "wen junhui—" wonwoo hisses, ready to rip him a new one until—

"oomph—"

he collides into something, or rather, someone.

"oh, i'm so sorry! are you okay?"

wonwoo stumbles back but strong arms are quick to latch onto wonwoo's sides, steadying the beta before he could lose his balance. wonwoo blinks up at the handsome face now inches away from his, speechless at now close they were, so close that even his beta nose could pick up the other's scent. alpha..

time freezes for a second, as if they were leads in a drama.

wonwoo's breath stops as stares into wide, equally surprised eyes, frozen in the other's grasp.

warm hands are still holding onto his sides and wonwoo blinks, trying to make sense of what just happened. his blinking breaks their eye contact though and must also break the moment too because the handsome face suddenly tints red at their position. "sorry!" the alpha blurts before the same hands holding wonwoo then rights him, making sure the beta was stable on his feet before stepping an appropriate distance away.

"wonwoo! are you okay?" jun's voice asks, footsteps growing nearer and wonwoo can feel the back of his neck start heating up, no doubt in mind that jun had witnessed the entire encounter. "i-i'm fine, don't worry." wonwoo reassures, eyes never leaving the tall alpha in front of him who still looks guilty whilst he shuffles on his feet. wow, he's even taller than wonwoo, the beta observes. how had he never seen him around the office before?

"um," the alpha starts, slouching a bit as if he were trying to appear a bit smaller (or, nonthreatening?). "i just wanted to say again, i'm truly sorr—"

"oh, wonwoo! jun!"

wonwoo can only blink again when a familiar face appears behind the still-flushed alpha, gentle eyes and equally gentle smile peeking behind his frame at the two betas. "i see you're both on break now?" 

"joshua sunbaenim, good to see you." jun greets, smiling pleasantly back at their older co-worker. "yes, we are on break, joshua sunbaenim." wonwoo acknowledges, doing his best to not appear disheveled in any way despite the (very) brief moment of contact with the.. wait, who was this unfamiliar alpha?

"nice to see you too, jun-ah, wonwoo-yah," joshua greets, tone calm as he ignores wonwoo's lack of a greeting, patient as ever. "if you two are on break, then i can introduce you both to the new guy in the office, kim mingyu! i was just showing him around the place for his first day." the alpha explains, one hand coming up to rest on the other alpha's— kim mingyu's— shoulder.

with that touch, mingyu seems to straighten up from his slightly meek posture from before, erasing all signs of his previous behavior with confidence that now exudes from him. "hello, i'm kim mingyu." the alpha bows. wonwoo hopes the stop in his breath isn't noticeable when the alpha smiles cordially as well, friendly and handsome. it's practically blinding, wonwoo thinks, canines on full display as he flashes them, even with the hint of uncertainty in his smile (wonwoo's sure he even hears someone outright swooning at the sight if he strains his ears hard enough).

wait, what was he thinking?

"i'm moon junhwi!"

wonwoo internally slaps himself, snapping out of his.. what? dazed stupor? over someone's smile?

"jeon wonwoo, nice to meet you."

wonwoo pushes his thoughts away as he and jun each shake hands with the alpha in turn, the beta sincerely hoping the other doesn't notice the way his hands tremble slightly from the entire situation.

"nice to meet you too, jeon-sshi, moon-sshi." mingyu nods his head to each of them in turn and both wonwoo and jun nod back in acknowledgement.

"my, he's tall, isn't he?" jun murmurs as joshua leads mingyu past him and to the breakroom, the older alpha wiggling the doorknob which apparently gets stuck that time, leaving mingyu to awkwardly wait behind him. as if hearing jun's words, said alpha looks up to them only to quickly look away again like he wasn't expecting the two betas' attention to still be on him. jun giggles at that and wonwoo smacks him in the shoulder, forcing the other beta to turn to him instead.

"hey, shouldn't you be apologizing to me?" wonwoo asks tersely, embarrassment coming at him full force when it sets in that this was his first meeting with said tall alpha. it also seems to set in for jun as well because the the other beta just smiles teasingly.

"hey, shouldn't you be thanking me for making you fall into an attractive alpha's arms?" jun mocks. "after all, i think he's pretty handsome."

he is handsome, wonwoo silently agrees. but he's not exactly happy with jun at the moment so he settles for a glare at the other than any other response.

after their first meeting, wonwoo starts seeing kim mingyu around the office.

despite his big frame, he's very friendly. when the wonwoo sees him, he's always laughing easily or brightly smiling, eyebrows sometimes pulled together in concentration, disposition polite and warm to anyone who talks to him. 

but wonwoo never actually goes up to him.

he and mingyu occasionally cross paths, the younger always smiling politely at him to which wonwoo awkwardly smiles a thin line back. just a normal hoobae-sunbae interaction is all, wonwoo reasons. nothing to write home about, other than he's a new guy. 

"wonwoo-yahhh," jeonghan calls, loud from across the room. it's most likely because he was too lazy to walk over to wonwoo's side, the bastard he was. most people are accustomed to the older beta's way of loudly calling for everyone that majority of the office ignores him if he wasn't calling for them. mingyu on the other hand (not that wonwoo was looking), most definitely isn't judging by the way the alpha snaps his eyes up to wonwoo's at the call for his name.

wonwoo's mildly impressed that the other had even remembered him by name to spot him like that but he brushes it off, doing his best to also brush off the man's gaze as wonwoo makes his way over to jeonghan before the older could start calling for him again. 

he immediately regrets it once he walks in the general vicinity of the older beta.

"so, are you going to the after-work company outing tonight?" jeonghan bats his eyelashes at wonwoo. wonwoo holds back a scoff. "this is what you called me over for? i thought you had finally finished your report."

"wonu, i finished that thing ages ago," jeonghan rolls his eyes at him. wonwoo gives him an unimpressed look. "..and you just didn't want seungcheol to assign you more work?" he ventures, doing his best to keep his tone calm and neutral towards his sunbae.

jeonghan's lips quirk in a half-smirk.

"ah, my wonungie is so smart~ that's why you get the most work around here." the older beta lays back nonchalantly in his desk chair. "so much work, in fact.." the half-smirk grows into a full smirk. wonwoo can practically feel a headache growing just from the sight. "that you need a break!"

"no thank you." wonwoo immediately shuts him down. "i still have work to do."

"how boring," jeonghan drawls. and then, he brightens up, an innocent grin gracing his face. "if you go, i'll pay for you."

now it's wonwoo's turn to roll his eyes. "as if. i don't even drink on the regular." "as if," jeonghan mocks him, pulling out his phone. "i can still clearly remember the last time you drunk texted me." wonwoo feels a chill creep up his spine and shivers, suddenly feeling very ominous.

his feeling only proves true when a familiar head of blond peaks over at jeonghan's desk.

"wonwoo drunk texts?" seungkwan joins into the conversation, the younger beta's eyes sparkling at any gossip in the office. jeonghan merely grins and wonwoo just internally sighs.

trust boo seungkwan and yoon jeonghan to be in sync with each other like that.

"'jeonghannie hyung,'" jeonghan fake cries, free hand even coming up to falsely rub at the corner of his eye. "'i just..'" he fakes a hiccup. wonwoo's eye twitches. "'lob cats.. so much... huhu hyungiee i want a cat...'"

"that's not what i said," wonwoo presses his lips into a thin line. "and i wasn't even drunk." 

it's true. wonwoo had pulled three all-nighters in a row trying to pull through with the amount of workload shoved onto him by seokmin's rut coming on early. the reasoning doesn't exactly erase wonwoo's embarrassing cat-owning fantasies, though, judging by the teasing eyebrow he gets from the older beta.

"all the more reason to go out tonight!" jeonghan trills, thumbing at his phone to no doubt, expose wonwoo even further. the younger beta narrowly reigns in the urge to toss a nasty glare towards the older.

"that totally sounds like wonwoo." seungkwan adds in thoughtfully, eyes following the two as if watching a show, only missing the popcorn to go with it. "i think soonyoung hyung got those texts last week too!"

wonwoo bristles at the information, unsure of how to feel with so many people (literally only three) knowing of his sleep-deprived ramblings. "why are you guys even keeping tabs on me like that?"

"jeonhannie hyung.. i love cats so much i even act like one because i want to become one!" jeonghan's voice pitches deep, mocking wonwoo's voice and wonwoo barely restrains himself from hitting the elder.

instead, he makes a grab for the elder's phone to which jeonghan pulls out of reach easily, at the same time jabbing at wonwoo's side. the younger beta recoils, hands rerouting to clutch at his side with a not-so-dignified grunt.

seungkwan hums. "if anyone's wanting to be a cat here, it's soonyoung hyung, with all his horanghae agenda." the youngest beta shudders. "with the amount of times i've worked with him, i'm surprised he hasn't started a cult yet."

"ohh, i like the sound of that!" jeonghan looks genuinely interested, which slightly worries wonwoo. "horanghae agenda.. i should bring that up to him tonight.."

"i don't think myungho would be too pleased about that." wonwoo comments, thinking back to every instance the omega had flat-out ignored soonyoung for his 'horanghae'ing.

"ah, so negative as always, wonwoo-yah!" jeonghan fake winces, as if wonwoo's 'negativeness' was hurting him. "if only you could let loose for once to get rid of that negativity.." wonwoo stares at him for a moment (his eye twitches). and then lets out a sigh.

it's not like he can avoid after-work outings forever.

"fine. who's going?"

jeonghan shoots him a look, surprise flitting across his face for a second before smugness takes over. wonwoo is filled with immediate regret. "oh, you know, the usual," jeonghan waves his hand around absently. wonwoo raises an eyebrow at the other to elaborate. the older only sighs. "seungkwan, you tell him." jeonghan lazily hands the task off to the younger but seungkwan doesn't seem put out at all, readily running through those in attendance.

"those coming? um, i think there's us maknaes, your team.. maybe some others from the architectural department.. hm.. of course, jeonghan hyung, joshua hyung maybe.." seungkwan lists off, counting off on his fingers as he does. jeonghan nods at the mention of his name, as expected of a regular attendee. "i think even jihoon, someone who actually doesn't drink, is going!" the youngest beta finishes.

wonwoo blinks and tilts his head. "did you do something to make him go?"

"well.. not something i did.." seungkwan trails off, eyes drifting to a certain hamster-like omega.

at the same time, jeonghan's eyes flit to the other side of the office where a smiley alpha sat, singing a tune that could be heard even from where they were sitting. "well, jihoon hyung's mates can be quite persuasive when they want to be." the eldest comments nonchalantly.

wonwoo shoots him a mildly disgusted look. "please don't talk about stuff like in the workplace."

jeonghan chortles at that, sly grin gracing his face. "what? scared of your chastity being ruined?" wonwoo presses his lips in a thin line.

"no. i'd just like to keep this place free of any.. unpure-ness."

seungkwan snorts. "too late for that. the amount of times i've walked in jeonghan hyung and joshua hyung is unbelievea—"

"don't you have your own mate to worry about?" jeonghan interrupts, raising a brow at seungkwan. when the younger opens his mouth to respond, the long-haired male apparently deigns to cut him off again because barely anything comes out of seungkwan's mouth before the eldest was cutting him off again. "well, vernon and i—"

"okay, i'll be seeing you guys later then." jeonghan immediately dismisses, shooing at the two out of his workspace. "still have that report to finish you know, gotta get it done before our after-work outing!"

grimacing, wonwoo shuffles away from the cubicle at the older's beta insistence, leaving seungkwan to retort smartly with the other. in the moment he steps out, he looks up to scan the office for no reason in particular.. only to end up catch a certain alpha's eyes again.

wonwoo blinks in surprise, slightly nodding in mingyu's direction and the other's eyes widen in surprise too, instantly smiling to the point that his canines poke out like fangs. cute. wonwoo quirks his lips up in an amused smile back to which the alpha seems to blush and duck away. wonwoo shakes his head and returns to his own seat. 

just another normal sunbae-hoobae interaction, he reasons.

(there were a lot of new things to adjust to in the city. 

to wonwoo, moving inland from the coast the urban layout of seoul was quite an experience, a tradeoff of his entire lifestyle (country boy, jeonghan likes to tease him). large crowds, traffic, stores everywhere, residential areas mixed into areas of urban activity, it was the great change of pace almost unbearable for wonwoo. 

almost. 

underneath the great swells of change, wonwoo dealt with the crowds, the buses, the traffic, if only to leave behind the dirt-worn paths and ocean salt constantly in the air. the fishing ports, the corner markets and food stalls, the ocean view, the schools where everyone knew each other from their youth, the ahjummas who would greet him by name because everyone knew each other already.. and the societal pressures.

my darling beta boy, you're only meant to be with others like yourself, do you understand?

the city is much more.. progressive, wonwoo finds and it nearly shocks him half to death with all the differences from his village. the new ideas, the technology, the concrete roads, the people..

just even in his workplace, he finds an things such as an omega as his boss, a mated trio, an omega courting an alpha instead of the other way around.. and yet wonwoo takes it all steadily, curiously watching on things that would never happen if he had stayed where he was.

there were a lot of things to adjust to in the city, it's loud, crowded, new, progressive.. and wonwoo somehow wonwoo doesn't find himself too out of place.)

the moment wonwoo arrives at the bar, jeonghan is the first person he grabs onto. 

"need to make sure you keep your promise." wonwoo smiles innocently at the older, firmly keeping a hand on the older beta's shoulder as he guides the long-haired man to the bar. jeonghan sighs. "and here i thought i could just get away with not mentioning anything."

it's only when the two step closer does wonwoo realize that he doesn't really know what to order. his alcohol tolerance wasn't bad, but it was nowhere near the best either, left somewhere in between that has no correlation to the names of drinks in the menu (seriously, how is he supposed to know what a ruby red is supposed to taste like?). he doesn't really go out to drink, more than happy to sip at makgeolli or a can of beer in the safety of his own home.

"any day now, wonwoo-yah." jeonghan prompts dryly, eyes behind them scanning the area. no doubt, he's looking for joshua to hopefully push-and-pull with for the night like they always did but the alpha doesn't seem to be anywhere in the vicinity, at least not yet. wonwoo looks at the bartender a little apprehensively, to the menu, and then back to jeonghan.

"i'll pick. you order for me." wonwoo decides, ignoring how the other rolls his eyes at him. "fine, fine, whatever." jeonghan idly waves his hands. "just hurry up."

wonwoo won't admit it, but it fills him with slight glee as he orders the most expensive drink off the menu.

"being overworked has turned you into a very, very unempathetic man," jeonghan says sourly, looking as if he'd bitten into a lemon with no alcohol beforehand. "you promised." wonwoo says with no remorse whatsoever, doing nothing to hide his satisfaction. jeonghan just sighs, repeating his order to the bartender who swiftly gets to it, a glass set in front of them in no time.

jeonghan picks it up and shoves it into wonwoo's hands, carelessly enough that it's a slight miracle that not a drop spilled. "there. happy?" "no." wonwoo replies simply but takes a sip out of his drink anyways, almost retching at the taste of how strong it was. he keeps a straight face anyways, if not to betray his pride.

"good. now come sit with us, you know everyone at this table." and with that, jeonghan drags wonwoo off with no time for wonwoo to get a word of protest in.

"wonwoo-yah!! you're here!!!" soonyoung shouts, eagerly jumping up to his feet to press a hug into the beta.

"are you drunk already?" wonwoo grunts back in lieu of a greeting but his arms come up to hug back, small grin gracing his face at his same-age friend. the omega just pouts at him, face scrunching adorably at the taller and wonwoo just pats his back consolingly. 

jeonghan steps around them to take a seat at the table and wonwoo takes the chance of hugging soonyoung to survey his options on where to sit.

seungkwan and jeonghan on sit on one side, jihoon on another with two empty chairs at his side, and chan on the last side..

the youngest of them brightens when wonwoo makes eye contact with him, the young intern's face readily smiling as he offers wonwoo some fries from the tray in the center of the table. wonwoo takes some. "wonwoo hyung! i haven't seen you in forever, where have you been?"

wonwoo pulls himself away from the drunk soonyoung in his arms and deposits him next to one of his mates before seating himself next to chan. "i've been busy, jihoon and seungcheol both shoved their work onto me for the last two weeks so i've just been catching up." jihoon shoots wonwoo a look, one that clearly says 'you-wanted-to-do-it' but wonwoo just playfully squints his eyes back, taking another sip from his drink as he does. chan makes a noise of sympathy, nodding his head while listening. "yes, yes, those hyungs are like that.."

seungkwan scoffs from across the table, his own drink being nursed in his hand. "everyone here is a hyung to you, lee chan, you better watch your words." the beta warns jokingly and chan just laughs. "ah, so sorry sunbae-nim! of course, i'll never do it again!" the maknae dramatizes, even going to fake bow towards the beta who nods approvingly. "aigoo, what a pup you are." jeonghan just coos, hand reaching out to ruffle the alpha's hair while he was bowing, making said-alpha whine in response.

not a second is wasted before a different, more interesting conversation starts that captures the attention of everyone at the table.

"sooo.." soonyoung props a hand up on his chin, very much looking like a middle-aged ahjumma fishing for gossip with his innocent eyes and sly face. "has anyone talked to the new guy in the office yet?"

if it's gossip though, no one other than seungkwan is more than happy to supply (not before he reaches for the food on the table too, delicately munching a fry himself). "i haven't yet! but i know everyone thinks he's super handsome! i haven't met anyone who thinks he's unattractive yet." the youngest beta's eyes sweep around the table as if looking for any hint of disagreement. no one disputes him and wonwoo just sits passively, trying to seem as unassuming as possible before the subject which jeonghan (unfortunately) notices.

"wah, wonwoo-yah," jeonghan says to get all of their attention, smirking cheekily in wonwoo's direction. "don't think i didn't see you and mingyu-sshi making eyes at each other earlier, i know you think he's handsome too~" wonwoo blinks. their table seems to blink back at him, eyes turning in his direction. soonyoung's eyes twinkle. "the most eligible bachelor in the office thinks someone's handsome?"

wonwoo only scowls at the nickname, face starting to feel heated. the alcohol must be kicking in because he starts feeling lighter, making him less sharp. "saying so doesn't mean i'm attracted to him. besides, it wasn't just me who said he was handsome." he tries to refute but when his eyes take in the table again, it's only then he realize that everyone was already taken except for him. 

"hey, what about me?" chan protests, a hand sweeping through his bangs. "you know, i'm single too!"

except maybe one.

"you're like, seventeen years old, chan." jihoon finally jumps into the conversation, immediately sipping from his can of coke afterwards. soonyoung opens his mouth in silent laughter, clinging to his mate's arm as he laughs at chan's offended expression. "hyung, i'm twenty-five!" wonwoo can only do so much to hide his smile, lips pressing together to keep from joining soonyoung.

"ah-ah, pay attention to what we're talking about here, channie. wonwoo-yah here has a crush." jeonghan tuts, finger dramatically pointing in wonwoo's direction, stretching far enough that it pokes wonwoo in the cheek. it draws everyone's eyes back to the beta again and he squirms, having to be the center of attention again and at the untrue accusation. "useless hyungs," wonwoo thinks he hears chan murmur under his breath and wonwoo is ready to agree before the alpha abruptly turns his attention back to wonwoo.

"hyung, if you like mingyu, then you should go for it! you need to talk more! put yourself out there!" chan encourages wonwoo who holds back a groan at his words. of course, leave it to the strong-willed alpha to egg wonwoo on. wonwoo settles for drinking out of his glass again, like it was a game to drink every time someone encouraged him to pursue mingyu."mingyu-sshi would surely take interest!" chan continues and wonwoo just keeps sipping (hopefully he doesn't regret drinking so much later).

"i don't even know the guy. and besides.. he's an alpha." wonwoo puts down his glass, murmuring the last part quietly under his breath. betas are supporting side characters, he reminds himself. no, this is the city, he also reminds himself. things are different here.

(jeonghan and seungkwan send him a look which wonwoo very much ignores.)

"ah, you know wonwoo! country boy he is," soonyoung chortles, arms coming to wrap around the beta's shoulders. the omega's face is visibly starting to tinge pink already, dopey smile on his face. "he'll come around, he's just a little shy, aren't you, wonwoo-yah?" soonyoung slurs next to wonwoo's face, the other doing his best to one-handedly push the other away back to his mate. jihoon shakes his head next to them, leisurely drinking his coke zero but doing nothing to help, even when wonwoo manages to push the drunk omega to settle back on jihoon's shoulder.

"well, we don't have to get so ahead of ourselves like that. maybe we should leave wonwoo to deal with it himself." jeonghan suddenly switches gears, reaching for the food on the table himself. wonwoo's eyes narrow at the other, suspicious at the older's change of heart. jeonghan just grins slyly at him before seungkwan fusses, thoroughly rebutting him.

"can you really speak for that? who's the one in a relationship here?" the younger beta teases, to which jeonghan just rolls his eyes.

wonwoo looks over to jihoon for help but the alpha just shrugs, face slightly blushed at soonyoung fussing over his hair. the drunken omega nuzzles at him and wonwoo sends an unimpressed look when jihoon flushes more, doing nothing to stop his mate from further pampering him. mildly disgusted, wonwoo looks away, unfortunately turning back to the other's squall over mingyu.

"first step: gathering intel!" seungkwan pronounces, suddenly standing like a professor about to give a lecture and wonwoo looks on curiously at the approaching brown-haired figure behind him. "getting to know your partner is very important in romanc— auh!" seungkwan yelps at the arm suddenly slung over his shoulder, everyone's attention suddenly snapping over at the sound to greet a certain brown-haired omega, nonchalantly hanging onto his partner's shoulders. "you scared me, don't so that again, vernonie!" seungkwan scolds, slapping at the other's shoulder who just shrugs in response.

"vernon-ah," wonwoo greets, hoping the arrival of seungkwan's mate might deter the younger. "oh, hansollie, we were just talking about wonwoo's crush on the new guy." jeonghan cranes his head behind to also greet the newcomer. "oh, really?" vernon sits down next to the beta, attention diverting to the food on the table instead, not really interested in office gossip as much as his partner.

"hello!" a bright tone interrupts seungkwan's chiding, coming from behind wonwoo this time. "getting started without me, i see." a sulky tone appears, seokmin settling into jihoon's other side with a kiss to his mate's cheek in greeting. soonyoung's eyes follow him, obviously wanting a kiss too by the looks of it, which seokmin placates by giving in.

wonwoo sighs at the pda, lifting a hand to cover chan's eyes. "hyung," the alpha huffs, tugging wonwoo's arm down much to the beta's amusement.

"seokmin-ah! i have a question for you," jeonghan cuts in between all newcomers 'reuniting' with their mates. the older beta turns to give a not-subtle-at-all wink in wonwoo's direction, the younger beta only letting out a quiet groan in return.

"oh, yes," seungkwan tunes back into his lecture, against wonwoo's hopes (chan only giggles at the displeased expression on wonwoo's face). "gathering intel! seokmin hyung, the new guy works in your department right? and your same-age friend, right? how is he like?"

to his credit, seokmin doesn't look too put out by the flurry of questions and only brightens. "he's super nice! and i think he and myungho might be hitting it off." seokmin says, nodding towards two figures at the other end of the bar, one skinny figure and the other broad shouldered. it's easy for wonwoo's eyes to latch onto mingyu, the alpha always easy on the eyes, but can't seem to unstick itself from minghao sitting right next to him.

wonwoo chews at the inside of his cheek. are the two sitting a little too close to each other or is it just wonwoo?

it's like the entire table goes quiet, seungkwan and chan not having something to say for once as they take in the scene of minghao laughing into mingyu's space, the other alpha smiling down at him. "oh, wonwoo," soonyoung says sympathetically to which seokmin sends a curious glance but returns his attention to the pair easily enough without a passing thought.

"their scents are so enticing, they're the same age too!" seokmin squeals quietly, or about as quiet as a squeal coming from seokmin can be. jihoon slaps at seokmin's back, causing confusion in the alpha which wonwoo ignores to instead watch minghao, the omega's chin propped atop his hand as he nods at mingyu said. "seokmin, read the room," jeonghan whispers but wonwoo's eyes don't stray, only locked on the alpha who leans much closer to minghao than simple acquaintances should ("how was i supposed to know?" seokmin whispers theatrically back). minghao responds in his eloquent manner, free hand toying with the straw of his drink. wonwoo wonders what their scents smell like, to smell good to seokmin and everyone around them. to smell complimentary to each other.

he must have been wondering a little too much because minghao's eyes suddenly slide over to him, breaking wonwoo out of his wondering abruptly and turning away. "yeah. they look good together." wonwoo says absently and seokmin squeals again. the beta turns away, sipping his drink as he misses the way a certain alpha's eyes cling to his back.

"i'm sorry, wonwoo hyung," chan says empathetically, patting at the beta's shoulders lightheartedly. "i guess all you can do now is drink your problems away,"

"since when has that ever helped anybody? maybe you shouldn't be allowed anymore alcohol if that's you mindset towards it." seungkwan snaps back into action to chide chan, pulling chan's glass away from the younger who pouts, hand uselessly raising to chase after it.

jeonghan sends wonwoo a sympathetic look that wonwoo does his resolute best to ignore.

conversation moves on from that (failed?) attempt at a intervention of wonwoo's love life easily enough, the table drinking and eating as the night goes on. eventually, the participants start petering out to go dance.

"let's go dance, you don't need anymore drinks." seungkwan says patronizingly to chan, who narrows his eyes at the other in response. "i know what you're doing." the younger says accusingly but doesn't refuse the other rolling his eyes and pulling him up to his feet. 

"dance? let's go dance!" soonyoung perks up like a dog hearing his favorite word, dragging his mates by the hand with no regard to either of their protests. "wait, i just got here, i don't want to dance yet—" vernon realizes what's happening, protesting against seungkwan, but the beta pays him no mind, turning instead to address wonwoo instead.

"wonwoo hyung, are you going to be okay?"

wonwoo blinks at suddenly being addressed. "what? why wouldn't i be?"

seungkwan tilts his head at him, blinking. "well.. with mingyu-sshi..." and wonwoo snorts remembering the events earlier in the night. ah.. what a burden...

"i barely even know the guy, seungkwan-ah, don't think i'm heartbroken or anything." wonwoo reassures, shaking his head at the other's concern. "go enjoy the dance floor, i think jun is on there somewhere." at mention of what wonwoo is sure is seungkwan's favorite person outside of his mate, the younger's eyes glints and nods quickly, just as quick to disappear with chan and said mate at his side. 

wonwoo turns to jeonghan, the only occupant left at the table 3/4ths of their table had suddenly left. "are you going to leave too?" wonwoo asks cautiously, fidgeting with his half empty glass. "i might have too, if joshua shows up." the older muses, relaxing back into his seat and wonwoo resists the urge to roll his eyes.

true to his word, jeonghan take his leave soon after when hid eyes latch at the sight of joshua, attention divided from wonwoo.

"are you're leaving me?" wonwoo asks, words slurring at the end. a pleasant buzz fills him though, so he doesn't feel too put out by his last but of company leaving. "you'll be okay," jeonghan reassures, patting his shoulder as he sets a water bottle onto the table. "besides, i don't think you'll have to worry."

wonwoo squints up at him, unbelieving. "what's that supposed to mean?" only to get a knowing smirk in response before the other slinks away. wonwoo scoffs at his back, bringing his glass up again to knock back the last dregs of his drink.

jeonghan doesn't lie though because true to his word, wonwoo isn't left along for long.

"hey, mind if i sit here?"

without a thought, wonwoo nods.

his brain is slightly behind in processing anything happening before his eyes, so he hopes he didn't take too long to answer. his vision slightly spins with the head movement though, blinking hard to try and focus on the tall figure suddenly sitting across from him at the empty table. even though his head feels like a slinky, he catches the small smile on the other's lips, with eerily familiar fang-like canines.

wonwoo squints. a low chuckle fills his ears.

"i don't know if you remember me, but i'm kim mingyu," the smile turns a little shy, hand now outstretched for a handshake. ah. that's why that handsome face looked familiar.

"jeon wonwoo. i already know you, office newbie." wonwoo says but returns the handshake nonetheless. mingyu laughs a little, the nervous kind of laughter one makes when a conversation doesn't go the way they thought but yet somehow.. better-sounding. maybe because it's from kim mingyu.

"ah, with the way you were looking at me, i thought it was better to be safe than sorry."

wonwoo just hums in response, lifting his glass up only to realize he'd drank all of the drink he had bought with jeonghan's money. with how strong it was, he thought he'd be nursing it all night but he guesses not. he's so busy inspecting the empty glass that he almost forgets about his new company, only turning his attention back to mingyu when the alpha shifts in his seat.

kim mingyu smiles gently at him. "you're not much of a talker, are you?"

wonwoo blinks. then laughs a little, more out of awkwardness than humor. "no, i'm not. a lot of people call be mild because of it." he says absently, recalling how he's had his coworkers describe him.

"being quiet doesn't mean you're mild or boring," mingyu says easily, to wonwoo's slight surprise. "i think you're just a little.. reserved at first."

wonwoo snorts, remembering their first encounter. "nice to know that someone being accused of having a biting kink is considered reserved  to you."

"i— um, i didn't mean to overhear that! and i wouldn't judge you if you did have one, or do! uh," mingyu is quick to backtrack, hands waving in front of his face panicked. wonwoo only laughs, a full-body one that makes his head spin a little. he brings a hand up to rub at his face unbeknownst to the enraptured gaze across from him (what is mingyu looking at? wonwoo's laugh?). "you're funny." wonwoo quips, smiling to himself as he busies himself with his empty glass again (in the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees the alpha perk up at that but he doesn't think much of it).

"food for table thirteen?" a waiter asks, basket of food in hand as she approaches their table. mingyu nods and raises his hand, accepting the food. wonwoo sits passively at his side, even as his eyes are drawn to the basket with the smell that wafts off the warm tray. mingyu picks through it, popping a piece of chicken in his mouth despite the steam still coming off the top.

mingyu continues talking to him as he eats, though wonwoo's not too sure why. "so, do you like the food here?"

wonwoo shakes his head. "i haven't really tried." more like because his tablemates had already scarfed down most the food at their table before wonwoo and his small bite-sized way of eating could compete. mingyu is quick with his response, caring alpha nature showing through. "oh. would you like to try some of mine then?" mingyu pushes the tray towards the beta.

wonwoo quirks an eyebrow. "i'd feel bad, taking from the newbie like that." mingyu chuckles at that.

"please, it's not the worse that could happen in a workplace, it's not like you're threatening me or anything."

"you never know. the 96-liners of the office are pretty violent, y'know?" wonwoo grins. "after all, my first few months in the office had kwon soonyoung smashing my head into a glass door."

mingyu's eyes widen comically and wonwoo almost bursts out laughing at the sight. "are— were you okay after that?"

"mingyu-sshi, it was a joke." but wonwoo giggles regardless, hand reaching out to the tray with a satisfied feeling. mingyu follows suit, digging in as well.

wonwoo munches on the food, humming softly as he tastes the salt. it's been a while since he drank out, not accustomed to bar food as he always thought it was overpriced but the flavor paired nicely with the remaining alcohol taste in his mouth.

"do you like it?"

"tasty." wonwoo nods.

it seems the universe has taste too because it chooses that moment to weigh the total effect of wonwoo downing the bar's strongest drink on him like the weight of the world on his shoulders.  

he leans back in his seat carefully, the world before his eyes spinning for a moment before he squints, doing his best to make sense of what he was seeing. he momentarily forgets his company again, hands coming up to his head to massage the side of it. he switches to rubbing it after a moment.

"wonwoo-sunbae, are you okay?" 

somehow, rubbing at his face only makes the world spin more. "hm?" wonwoo asks tiredly, the pleasant buzz from earlier fading all too quickly.

"should i go get moon-sunbae for you?" mingyu asks nervously, big eyes full of concern. it's probably not concern specifically for wonwoo though, just general concern for another person. that thought dampens wonwoo's feelings a bit, sobering him up just the tiniest increment. 

"moon? moon jun? wen junhui?" wonwoo slurs out and mingyu nods. "what about junhui?" wonwoo giggles in the alpha's face, tilting his head towards the other unknowingly. "we live in two different directions."

"oh! uh," mingyu looks like he's starting to sweat, comically too, like in those japanese animations jihoon likes to watch when their boss isn't around. "well, wouldn't you like to be in the company of your boyfriend, anyways?"

"boyfriend?" wonwoo laughs. "junhui and i aren't boyfriends," wonwoo giggles, senses slightly delayed and he thinks he sees mingyu sigh (out of relief? or..). 

"then.. how about we step outside?"

wonwoo gives him a suspicious look. or at least, tries to. he doesn't know what his body's even doing in his state, especially when it looks like there's more than one of mingyu in his vision. or maybe it wasn't even mingyu at all? wonwoo narrows his eyes further. "are you trying to kidnap me?"

mingyu's expression blooms with surprise. "what? no! you just look like you could cool off a bit. outside."

mingyu takes a moment to look across the table, before reaching for something to place in front of wonwoo. his head still spinning, wonwoo blinks at it, the item only coming into view when mingyu nudges it closer to him. 

"here, at least drink this."

it's the water bottle jeonghan had set before him earlier. the bottle is unopened, so wonwoo only gives it a cursory glance before taking it without complaint. his hands grip at it, trying his best to twist the cap off only to fail, pouting as he does so.

mingyu sighs at his side, face still smiling as the alpha takes the bottle from his hands, opening it with ease. wonwoo reaches a hand to take it back but mingyu gently pushes his hands away, taking his glass instead. he pours the water in before handing it wonwoo (he doesn't admit, but his heart flutters a little at the caring action) whose fingers find it much easier to grip than the water bottle.

"i'm not a kid anymore, there'd be no use in kidnapping me, anyways." wonwoo stubbornly continues but takes a swig of the glass aways, the neutral taste of water refreshing on his tongue. "no, i suppose you're not," mingyu humors him, humming as he watches wonwoo drink the water out of the glass. "which means, that i can't even kidnap you since you're not a kid!"

wonwoo mulls over the logic, nodding slightly. it sounds about right to him. besides, kim mingyu doesn't look the type to cause harm to anybody (ignoring the muscles basically bulging against his dress shirt, not that wonwoo notices). besides, the other just gave him water for his headache, he can't be all that bad.

"okay, let's go," wonwoo suddenly agrees. "it's loud in here anyways."

"okay," mingyu nods. "sounds good!"

with that, mingyu takes a stand. wonwoo follows, pushing himself to stand up only to plop back down into his previous seat when the world lurches. mingyu turns back to him.

"..do you need any help?"

wonwoo presses his lips together, reluctant to answer. "..maybe."

mingyu huffs a laugh. "here, i'll help you."

"sorry, 'm drunk." he excuses, letting mingyu help him up by the arms. for that moment, wonwoo is thankful for the pre-existing blush on his face from the alcohol so that another blush doesn't show up from mingyu instead.

he leans against the alpha's side heavily, arms around his sides and wonwoo's brain struggles to think anything else other than how reminiscent this was of their first meeting. so close..

"how come you aren't drunk?" wonwoo questions directly into mingyu's ear, half his body basically draped on the other as mingyu starts leading them to the entrance. mingyu sends him an amused look (and no, wonwoo's not entranced by how close the other's handsome face was to him. nope).

"i have a high tolerance. and it's my first after-work outing, so i don't want to make a bad impression."

"bad impression my ass, you were just about to kidnap me."

"but you're not a kid, remember? besides, i'm not the one who revealed their biting kink when we first met."

"hey," wonwoo pouts. "i don't have a biting kink."

wonwoo's close enough to the other to see how mingyu's lips purse weirdly, like he's trying his best to hold back a smile. "sure, i believe you, sunbae-nim."

"oh, mingyu, wonwoo hyung?" a voice sounds and the two turn to see who it is.

"minghao," wonwoo breathes, suddenly remembering how close he sat with mingyu earlier. wonwoo leans more onto mingyu, making the other stumble a little. "wonwoo-sshi," mingyu scolds at him before turning to the omega before them. "myungho, could you find junhwi sunbae-nim and let him know i'm taking wonwoo outside for a bit?"

wonwoo doesn't really pay attention to the rest of the conversation. instead, he stays busy doing his best to stay upright for the prolonged amount of time, doing his best not to think about minghao and mingyu.. talking...

soon enough, minghao nods, signaling the end of the conversation and then mingyu is pulling at wonwoo again, much to wonwoo's relief, for his feet and his heart.

"let's go." the alpha says softly and wonwoo does his best to oblige.

mingyu's right, the outside air cools him, even if the city sits right at their toetips.

cars roar across the streets and the bustle of the late night crowd doesn't differentiate the inside from anything but lighting. "hah, i guess it's still loud out here too, i forget sometimes." wonwoo laughs wryly. alcohol loosens his mouth so much, but not in the way of words, but more in smiling and laughing more. man, he should really go out drinking more often if it makes him feel so light.

"well, the air's still fresh at least." mingyu says, awkwardly shuffling his feet he helps wonwoo sit on the stairs. "are you feeling any better, sunbae-nim?"

"relax, aren't you a year younger? hyung is okay." wonwoo smiles at the other, who looks at him a little starstruck, though it might just be wonwoo's blurred vision. "how'd you know?" mingyu asks, sitting down as well right next to wonwoo. wonwoo breathes in the air, a faint whiff of mingyu's scent mixing with it with how close they were sitting.

"seokmin-ah said you were same age friends, with minghao too," wonwoo says as he stretches his legs out on the road in front of him. "easy deduction." he gives a satisfactory smile, fresh air indeed clearing his headache. or maybe that was the water mingyu made him drink. or maybe even just mingyu himself.

"how come you're out here too?" wonwoo asks, head tilting in mingyu's direction. "i'm sure you have better things to do than keep me company." mingyu's eyes widen at his statement.

"uh, the.. scents inside were bothering me." mingyu laughs awkwardly, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. 

"ah, right." wonwoo isn't sure how to respond to that, unable to relate with his own weak sense of smell. so he says exactly that. "i don't have a sense of smell."

mingyu gives him an amused look. "i knew that already, hyung."

well, it's not like it was hard to figure out someone's subgender, wonwoo knows. no scent was easily equatable to beta-status, unless scent blockers were added to the equation. even mingyu himself had one on, a patch poking out from underneath his collar, no doubt something he forgot to take off outside of the office.

it's only then wonwoo suddenly realizes them, an alpha and a beta in each other's company, the main character and his supporting character. they could never be romantically involved, not when the main character was supposed to have a love interest, an omega as the romantic lead. wonwoo's heart sinks at the thought.

but.. this was the city.. so maybe mingyu would think.. 

wonwoo heart gives a dangerous flutter of hope 

words rises to the tip of wonwoo's tongue, staring at the alpha in the light of bar entry. the alpha stares back, eyes blinking curiously as to why wonwoo had stopped talking. the beta's throat feels dry and he swallows, watching the way mingyu's eyes seem to follow the way his throat goes up and down with parted lips. like he.. 

wonwoo's alcohol-addled head doesn't stop the words from coming out his mouth in time.

"do you think betas.." are supporting characters? the last few words get stuck in his theory again and mingyu cocks his head in question, urging wonwoo to go on.

wonwoo swallows again, trying to unstick the rest of his question from the back of his throat.

before he can though, a new voice joins them.

"wonwoo-yah?"

wonwoo looks up, a familiar face looking at him upside-down. "junhui?" "moon sunbae-nim," mingyu greets, confirming wonwoo's acknowledgment.

jun grins down at him, hand reaching down to ruffle wonwoo's hair, much to his chagrin. wonwoo does his best to swat it away but nearly falls back with his inebriated state. jun only grins wider at the sight, catching wonwoo from the back. "wow, what's this? are you actually drunk off your ass for once?

"i'm.. not. drunk." wonwoo frowns, suddenly conscious of the slur in his words and takes care to enunciate each word carefully. jun sees through him anyways, hands coming to massage at his shoulders reassuringly. "sure you aren't."

wonwoo starts to relax into his touch but jun shakes him instead, hands going to pull at his arms to get him up on his feet again. wonwoo struggles a little to find his footing, prompting mingyu to get on his feet to help him up. jun takes one of wonwoo's arms to hang around his own shoulders, sending an appreciative glance to mingyu.

"i'll take him," jun looks over at mingyu, the alpha shifting a little under the older beta's gaze. "thanks for looking after him, he doesn't usually drink this much."

"it's no problem." mingyu replies, shuffling his feet awkwardly again, which wonwoo somehow finds endearingly cute. "i know you two live in two different directions, but i'd rather leave him in the hands of someone he knows.."

jun nods dismissively, hand reaching out to adjust wonwoo's arm around his shoulders. wonwoo rests his head on jun's shoulder, tired from the struggle to even stand up. "yes, thank you again. i'll make sure he gets home safe."

mingyu nods but seems reluctant to leave, turning to face the bar again but taking no actin to move his feet. "i'll.. see you monday, then?" 

"yes, we'll see you monday." jun affirms and wonwoo nods in agreement, leaning heavily onto jun as his limbs seem to have fallen asleep before his brain can. mingyu smiles again at wonwoo, fangs poking out cutely and wonwoo gets the strangest urge to poke them. he doesn't get the chance though because jun is hefting him up again, lifting him up from his slouch from his uncooperative legs.

"bye mingyu." wonwoo says with a small wave which mingyu returns warmly, much to the beta's delight.

"i think minghao's in there waiting for you. have a good night, mingyu-sshi." it's a clear dismissal if wonwoo ever heard one and mingyu nods, turning to head back into the bar. with that, jun is starts leading wonwoo to his car, playfully complaining the entire way.

"junnie," wonwoo whispers as the other beta pulls the seatbelt over his body in the passenger seat. wonwoo doesn't lift a finger to help him, utterly exhausted now from his night out.

"hm?" a resounding click echoes in the car, the seatbelt secured. jun steps away, closing the passenger to circle around to the driver's seat. wonwoo yawns, eyes blinking sleepily as jun opens his own door and slips into the car. it's only when jun's clicked the seatbelt in for himself, starting the car and looking back to reverse and drive does he speak again.

"i had a question i wanted to ask mingyu, but i didn't manage to ask." wonwoo's head lolls against the car seat headrest. he's aware that his words are running together, whether from being drunk or from being tired, he's not sure.

jun hums, eyes on the road as he drives and wonwoo can only watch as the cityscape as it passes by. "that's too bad. do you want to ask me it, instead?"

wonwoo hums back, watching jun calmly driving and then the words finally come unbidden out of his mouth, unstuck and clear.

"do you think betas.. are just supporting characters?"

jun doesn't react much but if wonwoo were more sober, he'd probably see the slight way the other beta shifts in his seat. he continues driving calmly though. "what do you mean by that?"

wonwoo stares at jun's side profile. what does he really mean by that? 

wonwoo knows exactly what he means, which is why it's something he'd never ask anyone sober. asking so means asking why betas aren't prioritized as much as alphas and omegas, why they were always overlooked and not cared for like the other subgenders, why they were only meant to be with others of their own subgender, why an alpha or omega would never look at them as potential mates..

but it's a lot for wonwoo's drunken state, so he simply shakes his head, sighing and deflating into his seat. "never mind."

jun is quiet. the only sound in the car is the sound of wheels rolling against the road, the rumble a white noise in the night. "it seems like you and mingyu had a lot to talk about together." is all he says after a moment.

"not really. we didn't talk about anything." is all wonwoo says back. jun stays quiet. wonwoo also stays quiet, head leaning into the car seat.

neither have much else to say so they let the sounds of driving fill the silence instead.

when the sun rises on his face and irritates him enough to wake up, his first thought is ow.

his head pounds, eyes squinting in the brightness as a hand flails in the vague direction of his bedside table, searching for his glasses. what did he even drink to feel so shit?

then, he remembers: jeonghan's promise, the strong alcohol, talking with mingyu, going outside with mingyu, jun driving him home.. the embarrassment of acting all drunk and foolish in front of the newbie hits him all at once and wonwoo cringes at his unbecomingness. the beta groans, giving up his search for his glasses to drape his arm over his face instead. what a fool he was, inebriated out of his mind and making another bad impression on mingyu like that..

his head smarts, lethargic and aching, and wonwoo buries himself into his bed.

no, wonwoo will not think about it. he did not do anything embarassing last night, most definitely not,

instead, he will bury his head in his pillow and will go back to sleep like his pounding headache calls for, never mind how the tips of his ears feel hot. instead, he will brush it off and instead nurse his hangover as relaxingly as possible like any normal person after a night out and think about nothing embarrassing.

besides, it's not like him and mingyu are going to be in close contact after this.

right?

and so the next week, wonwoo freezes when he finds himseld in a room with that exact man for a long-term project together.

(and seungcheol and vernon, but it's besides the point.)

i'm stupid, wonwoo thinks. and i never should have thought too soon.

"hello, wonwoo-sshi," mingyu greets politely as always. wonwoo tilts his head at the younger, a tight smile upturning his lips. if he can't ignore his actions, then well.. he guess he'll just have to play it cool.

wonwoo clears his throat, straightening up his posture (as if it matters when he still pulls up shorter than the alpha), trying to look as relaxed as he could. "didn't i tell you already? hyung is fine." 

mingyu's eyebrows jump at the sentence, expression turning sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck with a hand. he's so expressive, wonwoo notes.

"ah, thank you. i just wasn't sure if you remembered." the alpha laughs a little, words reminiscent of his greeting to wonwoo last friday..

just remembering last week makes the back of his neck start to heat up and with that, wonwoo can only nod stiffly. "of course i would." is all he manages, an abrupt end to the small talk before turning away, more to hide his mounting mortification than anything.

it only feels like wonwoo can finally breathe when when they have a break for lunch. throughout the entire meeting, wonwoo spends half it trying to ignore the only alpha in the group while simultaneous keeping himself concentrated on the project with said alpha right next to him which was not an easy task.

often, he gets caught off-guard by the way mingyu calls him hyung now, not that it something wonwoo was not prepared for but to say that he really was..

("this project is estimated to take several months, so i appreciate you all being here to dedicate your time and energy.." seungcheol drones, no doubt briefing them of very important information that wonwoo can't seem to take in other than the horror he feels over the time estimate of the project and oh no.

several months? working with mingyu? wonwoo had been totally prepared to never interact with the younger again after his embarrassing encounters but now..

oh no, wonwoo thinks, resolutely keeping his gaze to the front whilst absolutely not being hyperaware of the alpha next to him. oh no.

"wonwoo hyung," a voice whispers to him and wonwoo can't jump but jump, eyes wide at mingyu talking to him. whispering to him. "a-ah, yes?"

mingyu only gives a small smile (out the corner of his eye, wonwoo can see vernon giving him a look). "are you okay? you've been spacing out."

"no, i'm fine. thank you, mingyu." wonwoo manages, even as his knee starts bouncing under the table.

"okay," mingyu keeps giving him that smile, effectively render wonwoo's heart useless with how fast it was going. "if you say so, hyung.")

no, wonwoo is not getting into this right now.

"i'll be back at one." wonwoo nods to seungcheol. "see you, wonwoo hyung." mingyu flashes a smile at him, causing wonwoo to take a pause before jerkily nodding back in acknowledgement. 

"yep," wonwoo speaks weakly. "see you."

with that, wonwoo all but speeds out of the office.

"why are you even here?" soonyoung asks, eyes round as he stares into wonwoo's side profile.

he pokes at wonwoo's shoulder but the younger resolutely ignores the omega's question, his own eyes sticking to the cafe menu. "you usually never go out to eat during your lunch breaks." from wonwoo's other side, joshua looks at wonwoo curiously, also wondering as to why the beta was actually present next to him.

"oh, just.. uh," wonwoo struggles to find an excuse that's not i-made-a-fool-out-of-myself-in-front-of-the-new-guy-and-now-he's-my-project-partner-and-i-don't-want-to-think-about-it-yet-so-i'm-just-here-to-escape-the-office. his eyes run over the lunch section, blankly reading the words and speaks before he can think. "just wanted to try out the tuna sandwiches, since i don't come by often." 

soonyoung stares at wonwoo for a moment.

and then he shrugs, turning his own eyes back to the menu. on the other hand, joshua sends him a searching look that has the hairs on the back of wonwoo's neck prickling. he looks eerily similar to jeonghan when he does that. "wonwoo, you don't like seafood." he gently reminds the beta to which wonwoo freezes, caught in his act. 

"uh.."

"wonwoo hyung!" a familiar calls and wonwoo's shoulders relax, grateful for the distraction.

he smiles before he can help himself, "chan?" escaping from his lips as he turns to greet his (favorite) intern but then freezes at the sight of two figures approaching. wonwoo pointedly ignores the way joshua briefly raises an eyebrow at wonwoo's behavior before joining the beta's eyes glued on the very man who had been putting wonwoo on edge all morning. soonyoung, oblivious as he is, continues perusing the menu despite everyone knowing he was just going to get an iced americano again.

"ah, mingyu. you're here too?" joshua calls out and wonwoo wants to smack himself, belatedly cursing himself for once again thinking he could simply avoid the younger.

"hello joshua sunbae, sooyoung sunbae, wonwoo hyung!" mingyu greeting them respectfuly as he nears, prompting chan at his side to do the same as they join the line with the other three. wonwoo shifts uncomfortably, soul feeling like it'll leave his body (in a good way) if he hears mingyu calling him hyung again.

it seems joshua doesn't miss the lack of honorifics either because he sends another searching look wonwoo's way. soonyoung finally pries his eyes from the menu. "oh! you guys are here too?" the omega brightens at the approaching company.

"yeah, mingyu hyung said he hasn't visited this cafe yet, so i'm showing him around! i told you you'd find someone you'd know here." chan directs the last part to mingyu, gesturing to their coworkers, chattering away as always. mingyu nods in agreement, eyes sweeping the cafe and taking in the cozy atmosphere.

wonwoo can basically feel his heart leap into his throat when mingyu's gaze settles on him, smiling again as always. "yes, it's very nice."

wonwoo can only hope his face doesn't show any sign of his inner screaming.

"chan says this cafe is a company favorite, right?"

after placing their lunch orders, the group settles at a table near the window. light sunlight streams through and wonwoo absolutely does not want to say anything about how the golden rays hit perfectly against mingyu's own tan skin. "you're staring," joshua had nudged wonwoo a few minutes ago and wonwoo had flushed, using his coffee cup to try and hide it (failing miserably, judging by the teasing look soonyoung has started to adopt around wonwoo).

as of currently though, soonyoung and joshua were collecting their lunches from the pick-up counter, dragging an oblivious chan with them ("wait, why? don't they put it on a tray to make things easier to carry?" chan asks, lips pursing confusedly. "no, we need all the help we can get!" is all soonyoung says before dragging joshua and chan off, sending a wink to wonwoo when he looks back. wonwoo can only do so much to keep his neutral face) to leave mingyu and wonwoo at the table by themselves.

if murder wasn't against company rules (and most laws and moral codes in general), those three would have been strangled to death a long time ago.

"yeah, it is." wonwoo hums, sipping on his drink whilst tucking away his murderous intents. mingyu leans against the table and wonwoo reconsiders thinking about his murderous intents again, anything to remain passive to the way mingyu looks in a simple white button-up and tie (model material, the contrast from how he looked in the bar no less stunningly handsome. wonwoo fingers itch for a camera).

"do you come here often, then?" mingyu asks and then immediately sputters at his own phrasing. somehow, it loosens wonwoo from the edge-of-his-seat feeling he'd been having all morning and he bursts out into laughter. "i mean! do you, as a company employee, like to, uh," mingyu fumbles, eyes seeming caught on something in front of him, seemingly distracted.

wonwoo decides to take pity on the alpha, laughter turning into a mirthful smile. "i don't really, but sometimes the others drag me out."

"ah, okay." mingyu nods. a hand comes up to rub the back of his neck, like he was nervous. "well, since we'll be working on the same project for a while, maybe we should go sometimes too." and then mingyu flushes, no doubt once again coming to terms with how he phrased it again. wonwoo sends him an amused smile, deigning to not comment on it even as it feels like he can feel his heart jumping against his ribcage.

"that sounds nice. maybe we should, one day."

when joshua, chan, and soonyoung all come back with their food, they all sport matching smug smiles across their faces. it appears joshua and soonyoung had filled chan in as well, seeing as the younger wiggles his eyebrows at wonwoo, who can only internally groan. "we have food! let's eat here until our breaks are over." joshua say pleasantly, setting down the trays and mingyu and wonwoo's conversation comes to an end.

their lunch break continues though, a good atmosphere hanging among them even if joshua and soonyoung's teasing looks seem to double in number. wonwoo remains as nonchalant as he can, because he is normal and doesn't have an infatuation (crush) on the new guy at work, no matter how many unsubtle knowing glances he gets in his direction. 

goodness, what a long monday.

(god, it's only monday, too! wonwoo groans later, head thunking down on his desk. jun peers at him curiously, cautiously poking at wonwoo's shoulder. "you okay?"

wonwoo can only something unintelligible under his breath, wishing the day to be over already.)

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.

Chapter Text

they never talked about it outright, the way that wonwoo was.

but there had been a time in the office where wonwoo had lived each day shell shocked by the amount of difference there was from the city to his hometown. 

“oh, are you new?” wen junhui (or moon junhwi, as wonwoo had known him at first) had asked him on his first day. “i’ll help you around the office then.” the other beta had declared once wonwoo had shyly nodded. and that was that, jun, even if he could be a little much at times, took to wonwoo easily. it was a delight back then, to a fresh-out-of-uni wonwoo who had just entered the workforce. 

he meets everyone soon enough: his boss, seungcheol, secretaries joshua and jeonghan, coworkers his age, soonyoung and jihoon.. and they all get along well. to his relief, wonwoo finds that he fits in nicely despite his out-of-depthness in the city. 

things take a turn when wonwoo first hears of soonyoung courting jihoon, wonwoo had still being unaccostomed to the city’s freedom. it’s not a excuse, wonwoo knows that, but even then, he still didn’t have enough foresight to stop his mouth.

“wait? but aren’t you an omega?”

soonyoung had then shifted uncomfortably away from him and the others surrounding had quieted down, looking towards them.

“uh, yeah.. do you have a problem with that?”

jeonghan, at their side, sends wonwoo a searching look. 

the younger beta could feel sweat dripping down his neck at that, wondering what he did wrong to be receiving that, and for soonyoung to look uncomfortable, too.

“no, no, i don’t have a problem with that.” wonwoo says quickly, biting his lips as he does so. he doesn’t even think through soonyoung’s question, the other’s words already too accusatory for wonwoo to entertain the idea of going with it. it’s only after he says that that he thinks about it.

an omega courting an alpha.. 

jeonghan decides to take that moment to step in. 

“that’s good, wonwoo-yah. some alphas can appreciate being courted too, and there’s nothing wrong with that, you’re probably just not used to it since you came from the countryside, right?” he says, eyes boring into wonwoo, imploring a message wonwoo hears clearly without needing to be told verbally.

“yes, i’m sorry, soonyoung. i’m just not.. used to it.” wonwoo agrees, swallowing down his mounting panic at the situation. the omega looks at him warily and wonwoo wants to shrink, knowing that this moment could mean that the other would close himself off from him for.. forever. 

he rather liked being friends with soonyoung.

“okay.” soonyoung decides. he still doesn’t look fully relaxed.

silence reigns for a few seconds, the atmosphere feeling more and more suffocating the longer it lasts. wonwoo doesn't want to sit in it for longer than he has too, uncomfortably shifting too.

“tell us about jihoon. it sounds like you really like him.” wonwoo tries, throwing out a bone for the other. jeonghan sends him an approving look that does nothing to quell the discomfort that still roils in wonwoo’s mind, but he figures he could wait until later to think through his feelings. soonyoung seems to be able to sense this but like wonwoo, but he ignores it and continues on.

he’s shy at first, watching wonwoo out of the corner of his eye (which wonwoo thinks is well-deserved on his part). when wonwoo shows no more adverse reactions, he’s a lot more talkative, just the look of love on soonyoung stunning wonwoo with the depth of his feelings. so a romance can work the other way like this too? wonwoo learns, listening intently on the side despite a different voice in his head screaming about how wrong that should be.

wonwoo pushes the voice away, opting to instead congratulate jihoon and soonyoung when they show up to work one day holding hands. by the time seokmin joins soonyoung and jihoon’s relationship, wonwoo had tjankfully come to terms with it enough to not repeat the same mistake, cheering for them wholeheartedly instead. 

how different the city can be, wonwoo learns. omegas in authority positions, mated trios, an omega courting an alpha.. it’s admittedly a nice change from the strictness of wonwoo’s upbringing.

because of that, wonwoo had thought that he’d gotten better, but seungkwan and vernon’s employment brings in another aspect.

the first thing wonwoo notices about seungkwan when he meets him, is the mating mark on his neck.

wonwoo had had to take a double take at seeing that, an unnamed feeling bubbling up inside of him. only alphas and omegas had mating marks, wonwoo had thought. betas couldn’t leave mating marks like that.. unless they were mated to..

“i’m boo seungkwan, and this is my mate, chwe vernon,” seungkwan beams at wonwoo as he shakes the other beta’s hands. “thank you for welcoming us on our first day, sunbae-nim!” i hope you’ll take care of us well.”  seungkwan says, and all wonwoo can do is stare.

a beta? with an omega?

“oh.. i just didn’t expect…” wonwoo doesn’t know how to properly phrase it in a way that knows won’t sound asshole-ish. and then, wonwoo remembers jeonghan’s searching look from that time, of soonyoung talking about courting. 

and there’s nothing wrong with that, jeonghan had said then.

so even though wonwoo still feels shaken, he shakes himself out of it, pushing himself through with the interaction despite the weird knot in his chest. 

he clears his throat. 

“yes, welcome to the office, i’m sure you’ll do great.” wonwoo smiles wryly at the mated pair, trying to come off as friendly as he could.

it never really sets in after that, to see something he was taught was so fundamentally wrong right in front of his eyes. seungkwan and vernon thankfully don’t ever sense his turmoil, becoming fast friends with everyone in the office as the youngest and newest employees, which makes it more conflicting to wonwoo, because now these are his friends now. it’s not like they were random people wonwoo could brush off, claim them to be wrong and misguided, and continue on.

to see how happy his friends are, setting aside all wonwoo’s grown up with, it makes wonwoo stop and think, for the first time in his life, that maybe his upbringing was wrong. thinking that makes it easier to breathe, afterwards, but with it comes with guilt at going behind his family, his hometown, his life teachings like that.

so he doesn’t think about it, really.

he’s in the city now, he lets things be and is happy for his friends and their love lives. he calls his family and pretends to still think like that and then sheds their narrow stereotypes when around his friends.

until now, it works for the most part, and even if he slips up sometimes, his friends there to gently remind him to not be so uptight and narrowminded. 

but they’ve never talked about it outright, the way that wonwoo was.

whatever wonwoo had felt whenever he had been distancing himself from mingyu was nothing compared to how wonwoo felt now.

wonwoo wakes up with a feeling of dread every morning now, every weekday when he gets ready for work. he makes sure to check for his keys and an umbrella each and every time out of fear that he’ll have to take the bus, that he’ll have to share an umbrella again, that he’ll have to see mingy—

the small gifts have disappeared and so do their lunch outings together.

mingyu leaves without waiting for wonwoo anymore. wonwoo eats at the cafe again and whenever mingyu is there, they awkwardly skirt around each other and act as cordial as possible. it’s so tepid, so fragile-feeling that wonwoo fears that any word in mingyu’s direction could bring him to devastation again, still so acute even after a month past mingyu’s confession.

wonwoo really tries his best to not let the absence affect him. he tries very hard, even with his heart still skipping a beat each time he sees the alpha and each time sinking after remembering mingyu’s hurt expression.

and this time, seungkwan's cold shoulder is also added to the mix.

"i don't know what to do now." wonwoo admits at lunch with soonyoung and jihoon, two-thirds of the couple for once calm and not teasing each other. they're taking him seriously, letting wonwoo voice his thoughts as he seldom does. his same-age friends are always busy, but never too busy for him, they reassure (jun isn't present, for obvious reasons, being his part in it all).

said two-thirds of the couple look at each other, speaking through looks as couples tend to do. wonwoo only looks on tiredly, wondering when anything would start making sense to him.

"wonwoo.. we’d.. always known you’d been like this," soonyoung starts, uncharacteristically solemn-sounding. it makes wonwoo sit up a little straighter, a little on edge despite knowing that the omega was taking him seriously. “you just.. well.. you don’t say a lot of stupid stereotypical shit anymore, so we thought you were okay with things like this now, or changed your thinking.. unless, you haven’t?”

the look he gives wonwoo so similar to the time wonwoo had question his courting of jihoon. it spurs wonwoo into action, words panicked and spilling out before he can really think.

“yes, i have! i mean, i.." wonwoo is quick to agree but then he thinks on it for a moment. “well, maybe i.. i guess.. not fully? but! i’m still working on it, believe me,” wonwoo pleads, hoping his friendships don’t come to another precarious balance because of this. 

he’s already potentially lost one friend (seungkwan) and even a courter (mingyu) because of his way of thinking.

“we know, wonwoo,” jihoon reassures him, comfortingly patting at the beta’s shoulders. “we know you’re moving past them, that old habits die hard, we know.” with his words, wonwoo slumps, shoulders hunching forward and sighing.

“i guess not well enough, apparently. seungkwan’s so.. mad at me, and mingyu’s.. i really don’t know how to fix this.”

“oh, wonwoo.” soonyoung says sympathetically, pulling the beta into a side-hug. wonwoo leans his head against soonyoung’s shoulders, taking what comfort he could get. 

"maybe you should give it a little time. not too long though," jihoon suggests. "just a little. find some time to settle yourself before you make any decisions."

"i.. yeah, i'll do that." wonwoo agrees, picking at his lunch. it’s ramyeon today, wonwoo not at all wanting to go to the cafe again, lest he meet a certain alpha there. “jeon buldak!” soonyoung had called him when he saw wonwoo eating it, instantly taking out his phone for a photo which wonwoo doesn’t really understand what it was for. 

“eat first though,” the soonyoung of now nudges at wonwoo, making the other get off his shoulder. “your ramyeon’s going to get cold.” jihoon pushes the bowl closer to wonwoo, as always, in sync with his mate.

wonwoo just looks down at the food, chopsticks aimlessly swirling the noodles in the broth. “okay.” wonwoo says, even though his appetite was non-existent.

it just doesn't taste the same without mingyu there to scold him for his diet.

"i think you should talk to seungkwan." jeonghan also suggests, stroking at wonwoo's hair. wonwoo sighs, hearing the same advice again from another mouth.

wonwoo can feel mingyu's eyes on him though, shivering at the feeling of the younger watching them. he’s been doing that pretty often, even past wonwoo and mingyu’s.. falling out. wonwoo doesn’t even know if mingyu knows that he knows, with how often he does it. 

jeonghan seems to be giving some knowing smirk but wonwoo pays no mind, content to take jeonghan's hand petting his hair. 

"yeah, i probably should." wonwoo says dejectedly, staring blankly at his computer screen despite his fingers stalling, trying once again to read the same line over and over again. he blinks harshly at the screen once he realizes that and groans, hands coming up to rub at his eyes as he leans back into jeonghan's comforting hands. "i really don't know what to say, though."

jeonghan strokes at his arms next. “maybe listen to him, see what he has to say first. tell him you’re still working on yourself, that you’ll be better, and then blah blah, sappy, emotional feelings.”

wonwoo frowns, fully leaning back into his chair. jeonghan’s words do sound plausible enough, even in the flippant way the older beta phrases it.

and now that wonwoo thinks about it, jeonghan has really been there for a lot of wonwoo’s growing moments. 

his eyes don’t leave the monitor, but he says his next words directed to jeonghan. “jeonghan, i’m sorry.”

the other beta looks at him, hands stilling against his arm. “for what?”

wonwoo bites his lip, shaking his head. “for being.. this way. and having it ruin things like this.” wonwoo looks down at his desk, tipping his head down. “you know i’d never think bad about seungkwan and vernon. or you and joshua, either.” wonwoo says quietly, honest with his words.

for a second, jeonghan is still. 

worry gnaws at wonwoo at the lack of reaction.

and then jeonghan pulls wonwoo in, arms wrapping around him. wonwoo melts into the hug, squeezing his eyes shut but doing nothing to reciprocate. it doesn’t even feel like he deserves this, with how hurtful his thoughts have been to those around him.

“it’s not your fault, wonwoo. you didn’t ask to be raised like this.” jeonghan murmurs into his ear. wonwoo’s hands come up to clutch at the bottom of the other’s tie, pressing into the other in a silent ask for more comfort. jeonghan gives it to him, pushing at the back of wonwoo’s head so that the younger beta settles it on his shoulder. “the only thing you can do now is change for the better, yeah?” jeonghan suggests and wonwoo nods, hair rustling again the other beta’s shoulder. 

jeonghan pulls away and wonwoo lets go of the other, looking down at his lap, eyes feeling a little wet. jeonghan pats at his shoulder. "go take a little break, wonwoo. you've been thinking too much these days."

"okay.” wonwoo does his best to make sure his voice doesn’t wobble. “thank you, jeonghan hyung." wonwoo can only hope the other beta can really understand all the gratitude wonwoo’s words hold.

“you’re always welcome, wonu-yah.” jeonghan says warmly.

“now get the hell out of here and take your break for like, half an hour or something. i’ll make an excuse to seungcheol for you.” the older then drapes wonwoo’s jacket around his shoulders as he pushes the younger out of his chair. wonwoo laughs, the first in a while with all that’s been happening, and takes jeonghan’s advice, ignoring mingyu’s gaze all the while as he makes his way to the entrance.

it’s only when he steps outside the office does he realize his lack of plans.

now that he's on break, what does he do?

"hey hyung. you haven't called in a while."

"yeah, life's been busy. eomma's been hounding my ass about calling family." wonwoo chuckles awkwardly.

“oh, has she? i only mentioned it in passing, but i guess she took it personally, to make you call me. you really didn’t have to, if you were busy.” wonwoo can hear the slight disappointment in his brother’s words though, at the implication that wonwoo might be calling just because their mother made him.

“no, it’s fine. i missed you anyways. how’s school?“

his brother's voice brightens at wonwoo’s admission. “i missed you too, hyung. and school’s okay. finals season is coming up, so i’m having to studying a loottt.”

wonwoo breaks into a smile at his younger brother’s suffering. his breath is visible in the cold weather, despite it being spring now. “haha, good luck with that! are college applications going okay? not too overwhelming?”

“yeah, they’re also okay. i’m thinking of going to SNU too, but eomma doesn’t want me going so far away like you did. she thinks the city is too far, too different, too.. yeah.” 

“yeah.” wonwoo repeats, not knowing what else to say to that. wonwoo knows exactly what that ‘yeah’ means. 

too progressive, too open-minded, too.. yeah.

"..."

"..."

both ends of the call fall silent. it seems quietness is a trait that runs in the family. wonwoo forces himself to look for conversation starter, racking his brain for anything to say.

"..so how's your girlfriend? eomma says you've been seeing someone recently." 

"oh, mom knows?" a nervous laugh rings on the other end. "i didn't know that she knew."

wonwoo hums. “eomma knows everything, i swear. she even butts into my love life, even though i’m all the way here.”

"ha, that’s eomma for you!" his brother pauses. "have you been seeing anyone, though? anyone in the city catch your eye?"

wonwoo twists his lips, thinking back to mingyu. "haha, no, not really."

“oh. well, i guess that’s good..ish? no eomma to get on your ass about anything like that.” 

wonwoo purses his lips, hearing the grumble in his brother’s words. he certainly doesn’t miss living in the same household as his nosy mother, but he does feel a bit of sympathy for his brother going through the same.

"i was just thinking of coming to visit soon." wonwoo admits, feeling a little soft-hearted towards his younger brother.

"what? to this old place?" an incredulous voice cuts through.

wonwoo hums. "yeah. i figured you were starting to forget me," he teases, smiling when he hears a light-hearted scoff through the phone.

"more like the other way around. the city is so big and vast, who could ever remember changwon?” 

“i do, which is why i’m coming to visit.”

“no offense, hyung, but there’s literally nothing to do here.”

“well, maybe i just wanted to drop by and make fun of the fact that you should be studying for finals.”

“ugh, don’t remind me! i already get enough of that from appa!”

“all the more reason to come by.” wonwoo laughs, warm despite the cold temperatures. “i’ll have to take a few days off work, but i can manage. my office is almost done with a project anyways, i’ll come by after that’s finished.”

“nice. if you tease me about having to study though, i’ll make you help me study.”

“hey, this is going to be my vacation, stop threatening me.” wonwoo faux whines.

“you started threatening me first with making fun of me for studying!”

“fine, then i’ll stop then. happy?”

“yes. happy.” his younger brother mutters petulantly through the phone and wonwoo hides a laugh, struck with how young he was compared to him. 

“i’ll text when i have a date decided. let me know when your finals are so i can treat you afterwards.”

a rustle on the other side of the call rings out and then stops.

“wait, what, really?”

“only if you get the very top scores in all of them~” wonwoo singsongs.

“what?? wonwoo hyung!” the younger cries.

“how else are you going to get into SNU then?”

“..with my personality.” his brother says after a moment of silence. “i’ll be personality applicant. y’know, like personality hire, personality applicant?”

wonwoo snorts. “more like sheer luck.”

“hey, it’s not like you were exactly the personality hire, how could you know?”

“because i got top scores in my class and got into SNU myself. and my little brother thinks being a personality applicant can work out.” wonwoo playfully scoffs as the younger whines back into the phone at him.

“well, i’ve got to go now. my break’s over, but i’ll call you again sometime.”

“okay, talk to you later then. i’ll send you my exam dates, so don’t call me in the middle of one!”

“i’ll definitely be sure to do that, then.”

“hyung.” wonwoo can practically hear the eyeroll from the other side of the phone.

“love you, hyukkie!” he calls into the phone.

“love you too, hyung. let’s not wait too long to call again, okay?” 

wonwoo smiles fondly. 

“okay. talk to you soon.”

true to wonwoo’s word, the project finally finishes relatively quickly and wraps up with some final revisions on mingyu and hansol’s part. 

and then they’re done. 

“let’s go out to celebrate! i'll treat you guys.” seungcheol smiles brightly, no doubt feeling the weight being lifted off his shoulders once it was all compiled, emailed, submitted, declared done, and whatnot. at seungcheol’s happiness, it’s like they all heave a breath they’ve been holding in for months, also happy to be done.

“can i invite seungkwan?” vernon asks while he raises his hand. 

the other omega shrugs. “sure, why not. bring whoever you want, i’ll bring jeonghan and joshua as well.”

“hyung, if you do that, you might as well invite the entire office with us too.” wonwoo says amusedly, pointedly ignoring the way mingyu turns to look at him as he was prone to doing these days. 

seungcheol shakes his head. “augh, no, don’t do that. i’m only paying for you three. whoever you invite, they have to pay for themselves.” wonwoo shrugs. “fair enough.”

months of effort and tireless work put into this project has made them all lethargic but at least at the end, there’s a way to celebrate their success at getting through it. wonwoo wasn’t going to pass up a chance like this, even if he knows mingyu would be there. the thought of the alpha sitting right across from him also attending slightly sours the beta’s mood.

no matter, wonwoo thinks. other people will be there too, there’ll be no reason for us to interact.

“wonungie! so good to see you!” 

“you just saw me an hour ago. at the office.” wonwoo tells jeonghan, but still amused at the way the older acts like they haven’t seen each other in years. joshua, at the older beta's side, just sighs.

“don’t mind him, he’s just looking for an excuse to drink.” joshua patiently says, coolly taking a seat next to wonwoo. food had already been ordered to the table, so it doesn’t take long for the two newcomers to tuck in alongside wonwoo. “how have you been, though? that project looks like it took a lot out of you.”

has it? wonwoo wonders, chewing through his food. or was it because of recent events?

wonwoo brushes it off though, eating well and passively watching as seungkwan and vernon come into the restaurant as well, taking their seats at the other end of the table. “the project wasn’t hard, just really time-consuming. we’re done with it now, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.” jeonghan hums, chopsticks stabbing at a side dish. “that’s good to hear. any chance we could get seungcheol to treat the rest of us too?”

it's good timing that jeonghan says that because said-omega apparently catches word of it.

“ha! you wish, jeonghannie.” seungcheol walks up behind the group, barking out laughter at jeonghan’s statement. “ you weren’t even part of the project, there’s no way i would be treating any of you except wonwoo, mingyu, and hansollie.” 

“aw, but seungcheolllll,” jeonghan playfully whines, chopsticks clinking against his bowl. joshua leans forward in interest. “shouldn’t the eldest treat his dongsaengs to stuff like this?” seungcheol scoffs. “i knew i shouldn’t have invited you two. wonungie is the only one here who i actually like.” the omega decides, ignoring joshua and jeonghan’s petulance. he turns to wonwoo instead, eyes softening at the other.

"hi seungcheol hyung." wonwoo greets.

“hi wonwoo-yah. just sit tight and enjoy yourself, okay? mingyu will be here soon.” seungcheol tells him, patting the younger beta’s head. 

wonwoo stiffens at the mention of the alpha, even though he was mid-chew. “o-oh. yeah, thanks.” 

seungcheol doesn’t seem to notice his shift in mood, nodding and standing behind them to keep making idle chatter. jeonghan though, empathetically rubs at the back of wonwoo’s shoulders. “it’s okay, wonwoo-yah, you can just chill with us for the while. although, seungkwan does look like he could use some company, outside of his mate.” 

jeonghan tilts his chin over to the end of the table, prompting wonwoo to look over. he complies, glancing over to watch the younger beta who had been avoiding him for the better part of the last month.

seungkwan seemed to be doing just fine, by the looks of it, leaning into vernon’s shoulder and speaking animatedly about something as his mate looked on fondly. vernon shoves food in his mouth every now and then but his attention never strays from his counterpart. wonwoo gets what jeonghan was saying though. 

“is this really the time?” wonwoo wonders, seeing seungkwan smiling but never directed at him anymore. he tightens his grip on his bowl. “i don’t want to ruin the good mood.”

“if not now, then when, wonwoo-yah?” joshua gently nudges at wonwoo.

seungcheol only looks over their shoulders, frowning at being left out of the loop. “what are you guys talking about?”

“well, maybe i should give it a little more time.” wonwoo says, unsure. jeonghan snorts. “do it before he’s too drunk to even remember tonight, at least.”

“guys, seriously. what are you talking about?” seungcheol sulks, lips starting to show a hint of a pout. “nothing, seungcheollie.” joshua placates, patting the omega’s arm. “nothing you need to worry about.” seungcheol frowns at his answer.

“well, of course i have to worry about it if it concerns my coworkers,” seungcheol crosses his arms across his chest, taking them out of joshua’s reach from where he was sitting. jeonghan sighs.

“okay, come on you big baby, let’s get you something to eat.” the beta says, standing up to pull seungcheol away. “hey, wait, wha—” “hm, yeah. i want to try what seungcheol ordered at his table.” joshua agrees, standing up to help jeonghan out despite seungcheol’s protests and leaving behind their bowls of food. all the while, wonwoo just watches on, even as jeonghan turns around to mouth an encouragement for him.

“talk to seungkwan!” the other beta flicks his chin towards the end of the table and wonwoo just sighs, sinking into his seat.

now that the eldest three were walking away. he sets his bowl down now, appetite seemingly having left him. wonwoo bites his lip. maybe he should have soup instead then, if he wasn’t hungry, to at least save some of the good food for others. 

but the soup bowl was on the other side of the table.. 

wonwoo gazes at the soup, heaving a sigh as he wonders how he was supposed to reach across the table to get to it. 

and then someone else beats him to it.

“here,” mingyu says softly and wonwoo almost jolts, not realizing that the younger had even arrived at the restaurant. a bowl of the very soup he was eyeing was being offered to him by the alpha and wonwoo flushes. “oh. t-thanks.” wonwoo says, silently cursing the stutter to his words as he accepts the bowl. “it’s.. no problem.” mingyu says back, a little awkward tint to his words.

and then he’s sitting down, right in front of wonwoo despite there being more than enough empty seats around them. 

wonwoo averts his eyes, staring down into his meal for lack of anything to say or look at. he thumbs at the spoon, wondering if he’s even lost his appetite for soup as well (wonwoo can still feel mingyu’s gaze on him).

feeling cornered, wonwoo stands, abandoning his soup bowl at the table to head to the end of it. his legs feel restless, like he can’t stand another second there, so he goes, deciding that there was no perfect moment as now to talk to seungkwan (more like escape mingyu, but who’s paying attention?).

vernon sees him first. 

"seungkwan, can we talk?"

seungkwan doesn’t turn to look at him, but the way his hands grip on his drink says all.

“please, i just want to talk for a little bit, it won’t be for long.” wonwoo says, still feeling mingyu’s eyes on him. apparently, confrontation with seungkwan feels better than any interaction with mingyu. seungkwan doesn’t say anything to him, but he does go quiet, slowly chewing on his food.

hansol massages at the beta's shoulders, saying something into the other's ear, probably encouraging his boyfriend to hear wonwoo out. “i don’t want to!” seungkwan pouts in vernon’s direction, turning his head away from wonwoo as if removing the elder from view could remove him entirely.

“just for a little bit,” vernon encourages, lightly pushing at the beta. “you don’t have to even talk to him, just listen at least.”

wonwoo just stands there, pretending he wasn’t listening in on the moment. “if he really doesn’t want to, it’s fine.” wonwoo says, heart sinking at the younger’s insistence at not wanting to see him. vernon sends him an apologetic look that wonwoo just gives a tight smile at. 

courage dwindling, wonwoo makes to turn away and walk off, dejection filling him at seungkwan's refusal. he doesn't know where he's going though, but he he knows he has to go somewhere, at least not back to mingyu—

and then something grabs at the end of his shirt. 

wonwoo turns back, eyes wide in shock.

“i’ll talk to you, hyung.” seungkwan mumbles, not even looking at wonwoo as he says so. one hand is clutched at wonwoo the end of wonwoo's shirt, much to wonwoo's surprise. at his side, vernon nods approvingly, rubbing at seungkwan’s back. wonwoo blinks down at the younger.

and then he immediately softens. 

the air outside is fresh.

wonwoo has seungkwan sit down at one of the tables outside, a railing still separating them from the street and sidewalk but they’re still outside, nonetheless. he worries the younger might have drunk a little too much to manage standing (more like swaying) through their conversation.

“hyung.” seungkwan is the first to talk, even if it was more mumbling and he still wasn’t looking at wonwoo.

“hm?” the older beta hums softly, straining his ears to try and hear the younger against the cars on the street and passerbys. he feels a little on-edge, even if he and seungkwan were tucked in their own little corner outside of the restaurant.

“there’s a lot i felt mad about, felt sad about, about what you said.” seungkwan says simply, looking up at wonwoo with bleary eyes. wonwoo wonders if he should have had this conversation a little earlier, if a less-drunk seungkwan would be better to talk to. “you know that, right?” the younger says, eyes narrowing at his senior.

wonwoo swallows thickly, pinned under seungkwan’s gaze.

“i know, seungkwannie. i know.” wonwoo says, looking down at the table. his eyes trail over the wood, lips twisting and wondering where seungkwan was going to go with this. 

“yeah, we all know,” the younger says bitterly. and then the younger beta slams his hands on the table between them. wonwoo flinches. seungkwan continues, “we all know!” he exclaims.

 “of course we all know! that betas are only supposed to be with betas and that we’re leftovers and.. and.. different!” he continues exploding and wonwoo just looks on with wide eyes, not expecting this outburst. some passerby’s glance at them but wonwoo stays frozen in his seat, chained to it with the way seungkwan seethes in front of him.

“these.. these.. these societal expectations, they’re so stupid!” seungkwan’s hands clench into fists and wonwoo worries for a second that the other was going to slam his hands onto the table again. he can only watch helplessly though, keeping quiet and letting seungkwan say his words.

seungkwan seems to have run out of fuel, though, suddenly slumping onto the table. concerned, wonwoo sits up, peering over at the other’s form.

"i've gotten so much shit for being with hansollie," seungkwan pauses, a telling sniff sounding even if his face were almost pressed to the wood. wonwoo’s hand slides onto the table, creeping over to the younger’s hands. he hesitates though, to get too close but seungkwan reaches out for him, hands clutching at the older’s tightly, his eyes closed just as tightly. "it gets so hard sometimes, to lay in bed at night and think if i'm really supposed to even be with him,"

wonwoo squeezes at seungkwan’s hands, the familiar words echoed back at him. wonwoo trains his eyes down at their hands, unable to look at the other beta so sad, just like.. wonwoo.

“and t-then, to hear you of all people, say shit like that.. it’s really hurtful to think that even those in the same sub-gender believe such harmful expectations..”

“i’m sorry, seungkwan-ah,” wonwoo says, head bowing down as he says so. he can’t even bear to look in the younger’s direction at the moment. “i know they’re toxic, that they’re not good to believe. i just.. i’m really trying to get over them, but i’m still working on it.” his voice is small and quiet. wonwoo can't manage anything else, throat closing up on him.

seungkwan’s hands squeeze back at wonwoo’s, but wonwoo makes no move to reciprocate.

“i see that, wonwoo hyung,” seungkwan says gently, and wonwoo looks up. “i can see that now. all you’ve been is supportive of everyone else. i know we’ve made jokes about this stuff in the past but now i see, that you’re still trying to move on too.” the younger then hesitates for a moment, also looking up at wonwoo. for a moment, they lock eyes, emotion mirroring each other in two different sets of eyes.

“do you.. have anyone else helping you through this? or..”

wonwoo gets what he’s asking, even if the younger beta doesn’t fully finish his sentence. he slowly pulls his hands away, stiffening up at the question. seungkwan feebly tries to hold on his hands before they disentagle their fingers but makes no move to reach for wonwoo again.

“no. my family.. aren’t the most supportive, really.” wonwoo admits, hands returning to his lap, and the younger beta makes a sympathetic sound. “oh, hyung, you’re so strong to be going through this all alone.” seungkwan chokes at the end. alarmed, wonwoo looks over to see the younger covering his mouth with a hand, looking on the verge of tears again.

"even with how i was, my family was so supportive, so supportive," seungkwan sniffs, his other hand coming up to wipe at his face. "my sister even flew over from jeju when she saw how distraught i was!”

wonwoo really doesn’t know what to say to that, sitting frozen in his seat in front of younger beta’s tears. seungkwan just laughs wetly. "so i guess you have it worse, huh, hyung?" wonwoo swallows and shakes his head.

"don't compare problems like that, seungkwan-ah," wonwoo chides, channeling his best inner-jeonghan to do try and do more than just leaning forward to awkwardly pat at the younger’s back in comfort. seungkwan only throws him a scrunched-up expression, wonwoo turning more concerned at the other’s continuous tears.

he stands up, rounding the table to pull seungkwan into a hug, even if it were a little awkward just because it was wonwoo initiating it.

seungkwan doesn’t question it though, wrapping his arms around his hyung’s waist with no hesitation. he buries his face into wonwoo’s hip, arms wrapped tightly around him. “oh, hyung,” seungkwan’s voice is muffled and wonwoo just rubs soothingly at his back, wishing he were better at comforting rather than causing hurt. “i’m still so sorry for you, for having to go through so much alone.” the younger beta says into his shirt.

wonwoo doesn't expect the sympathy back from the person who was crying to him but he nods his head anyways, not really understanding. seungkwan, either not seeing it or simply still having more words to say, continues on.

the younger turns his head to the side, voice now clearer now that it wasn’t muffled by fabric. "i really think you should talk to mingyu hyung about this though."

wonwoo sucks in a breath, fingers jolting against seungkwan’s back at the sudden use of that name. "we're fine, seungkwan-ah."

seungkwan looks up, sending him a look. "hansollie and i ended up getting together for a reason. there's no point in letting this fester in you until the end of time, hyung." wonwoo bites into his bottom lip. at wonwoo's uncertainty, the younger beta softens, squeezing at his waist. "your family back home isn't here to judge you, and we’d never judge you it either. even so, you're capable of making your own decisions."

“i.. i know.” wonwoo says hollowly, just saying the words to say them. 

your family isn’t here to judge you. 

seungkwan lets go of the hug in favor of taking wonwoo’s hands in his, pulling at them until wonwoo turns to fully face the younger. it makes wonwoo’s palms sweat, them facing each other feeling so intimate and sincere that he can’t help feeling dread.

“hyung, i know i keep pushing you two together, and it’s because i truly believe you two have a shot. i know you both genuinely like each other, and i’m sure you two can work through whatever together.” seungkwan says firmly, looking right into wonwoo’s eyes as he says so. his words are surprisingly sobering, despite how inebriated seungkwan must be.

"don't keep letting him hurt."

and oh.

a new resolve fills wonwoo, even if he feels shaky to his core with seungkwan’s words. "i won't." he says, not sure if it was an empty promise or not (he really hopes not).

and then seungkwan shakes his head, hands coming up to wipe at his face. “omo, i think i’ve had too much to drink.” 

“that’s okay,” wonwoo says, endlessly gentle as he takes one of seungkwan’s arms to drape over his shoulder. he no longer feels sad, no longer feels like he doesn’t know what to say to seungkwan anymore. “do you want to go back to to vernonie?”

“yesss,” seungkwan slurs, leaning against wonwoo’s shoulder and wonwoo smiles down at the other, much preferring this weight to the weight of seungkwan’s anger.

it doesn’t take long, helping his drunk friend inside again and depositing seungkwan next to his mate. the younger doesn’t care much about how carefully or roughly he’s handled, throwing his arms over vernon the second he sees him without another care in the world. “hansollie!” seungkwan hiccups, leaning into the other’s ear. “i missed you sooo much!”

vernon just ignores him, nodding a quick thanks in wonwoo’s direction. wonwoo gives him a thumbs-up back, retreating quickly when he sees a certain alpha looming around that end of the table where they were at.

when wonwoo settles back down in his original seat though, he promptly finds himself with a lapful of jeonghan, the older practically throwing himself at the younger beta, much to his surprise. “wonungie~” jeonghan croons, cradling wonwoo’s face in his hands as wonwoo just blinks at the other. he blabs something unintelligent in wonwoo's ears as joshua comes to sit beside them, only watching amusedly at the scene. 

wonwoo sends the alpha a look. joshua just shrugs back and wonwoo internally groans.

curse this office and all their meddlesome people and useless partners. 

“wonu, you’re not listening to me~” the older beta whines in wonwoo’s ear and he jumps, tuning back into the other’s drunk ramblings. “oh, i’m sorry hyung. what were you saying?” jeonghan hums, hands reaching up to pinch at wonwoo’s cheek like a grandmother to her grandchildren. “so did you make up with seungkwannie?”

“i did.” wonwoo says through jeonghan pinching at his cheeks, scrunching up his nose at the sensation. his eyes stray to joshua, squinting at the other at his lack of action. joshua doesn’t take the hint, instead leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of his drink. “and jeonghan wonders why i don’t like to eat or drink with him anymore.” joshua pleasantly smiles at the two but behind his eyes, wonwoo swears he can see mischievousness swimming in them.

jeonghan gives the alpha a scandalized look, hands finally stilling from torturing wonwoo's face.

wonwoo smiles awkwardly, brushing the older’s hands off of him and patting at the other beta’s shoulder all in the same movement. “there, there, jeonghan hyung, i’m sure shua hyung doesn’t really mean that—” jeonghan was having none of it though, turning to bury his head into wonwoo’s shoulder, letting out fake cries all the while. 

“wonwoo, joshua hates me!” he dramatizes. alarmed, wonwoo reaches his arms around the older beta, hugging the other to try and comfort him. he sends joshua a confused expression, wondering what the alpha was thinking. 

“wonwoo, do you love me?” jeonghan slurs, leaning in close to wonwoo’s face, the younger beta leaning back in reaction. 

out the corner of his eye, wonwoo sees joshua turn to the end of the table (where mingyu was sitting, his unhelpful brain supplies) but pays it no mind as he tries to fight off jeonghan trying to land kisses on his cheeks. 

“i didn’t know you were such a flirty drunk,” wonwoo grunts, tilting his head back to stop jeonghan from kissing at his face but jeonghan just takes the opportunity to lean against his neck contently instead. 

“okay, jeonghannie,” joshua sighs and finally, finally pulls the drunk beta off of wonwoo’s lap, much to his relief. “you’ve done enough.”

jeonghan pouts up at joshua, easily letting go of wonwoo at his partner’s actions. “but are you sure? did you see him look over here?” “i’m sure.” joshua promises, slinging one of jeonghan’s arms around his shoulder. wonwoo is so lost in their conversation, only looking on confusedly.

“oh, jeonghan-ah.” seungcheol’s voice says, the omega coming closer. “what did you drink to get like this?” but even as he says that, he’s taking jeonghan’s other arm to sling over his shoulder, easily with his muscled form. as he does so, he catches wonwoo’s eye.

“oh wonwoo, we're going to be going home now. do you need a ride?”

the younger shakes his head, content to watch as jeonghan tries to rebelliously struggle against joshua and seungcheol, two muscled people he stood no chance against. “i’m good, thanks hyung.”

“are you sure?” seungcheol’s eyebrows knit together in concern, hands going lax as his attention shifts from jeonghan to wonwoo. “mingyu’s taking vernon and seungkwan home, he’ll definitely take you home if you really need.”

wonwoo coughs a little at the phrasing, ignoring the knowing look joshua sends him. “n-no, i didn’t drink, hyung, i can drive myself home.”

“wonwoo-yah, i love you!” jeonghan suddenly calls out to him, one hand coming up to cup his cheek in seungcheol’s small moment of weakness. the omega slaps at his hand, pulling the arm back around his shoulder. “jeonghan, why did you drink so much?” the eldest scolds but jeonghan pays no attention to him.

“say it back, wonwoo,” jeonghan demands, taking a drunken step forward causing joshua and seungcheol on both sides of him to stumble with him to catch him before got off balance.

“uh, i-i love you too?” wonwoo says hesitantly, shyly bringing up a hand to cup his own cheek back. 

a loud crash comes from the other side of the table, all of their heads whipping over to see mingyu panicking over what seems to be a glass that fell over, all of its contents spilling out onto the table. 

“mingyu hyung!” wonwoo can hear seungkwan slur out in surprise, the alpha next to him hurriedly trying to sweep the alcohol and ice that spilled towards the center of the table to keep from dripping to the floor. “i’m sorry! i didn’t mean to!” 

for reason, mingyu’s eyes stray upwards towards the other end of the table and wonwoo rips his eyes away from the alpha quickly, not wanting to be caught. unfortunately, he ends up facing jeonghan instead. the other beta drunkedly smiles at him, seemingly satisfied for some reason. 

“my job here is done.” he says, like he’s proud of himself but for what, wonwoo’s not sure. 

wonwoo breathes a sigh of relief when seungkwan smiles at him again in the mornings and chatters endlessly around the other betas again thanks to their mended relationship.

“wonwoo hyung! how do you not have any hangover whatsoever!” the younger whines at him when they first see each other again. “i didn’t drink.” is all wonwoo simply says but inside, he’s giddy to the brim at seungkwan talking to him again.

jun looks at wonwoo, offended. “hey, you guys went out last night? why didn’t you invite me to go as well?”

“he forgot about you.” jeonghan joins in, slinging an arm around wonwoo’s shoulder, ever the one to say inflammatory words. joshua, never too far away from the beta, is right behind him too, amusedly watching the scene from the side. jun gasps, staring at wonwoo with an open mouth. “oh my,” seungkwan says from the side, eyes pinballing between them all. 

“no, i did not do that.” wonwoo refutes.

 jeonghan hums. “he did. he invited soonyoung instead.”

“no, i didn’t invite anybody!” wonwoo says hotly, pushing at jeonghan to get off his shoulder but the older doesn’t budge, only clinging on tighter with a whine. seungkwan giggles at their side while jun huffs at them. “i see where your loyalties lie now, wonwoo. i’m can only hope you were happy with soonyoung at your side instead of me, your former best friend. ”

“oh no, wonwoo,” joshua fakes a surprised look. “what have you done?” wonwoo throws him a nasty glare for jumping in rather than helping wonwoo refute his partner’s claims. he only gives wonwoo an innocent smile back to which the beta scoffs, turning back to his coworker.

“junnie,” wonwoo calls exasperatedly but the other beta just ignores him, sassily turning around in his chair to go back to his computer. “good job, wonwoo hyung.” seungkwan says, still giggling at him before walking off. wonwoo groans, left by himself now with jeonghan still wrapped around his shoulders.

“get off me, you octopus.” wonwoo grumbles, attempting to pull at jeonghan’s arms to get the older to let get go. “ah ah, wonungie,” jeonghan tsks. “don’t be so disrespectful to your elders like that~” wonwoo’s face can only twist into a scowl, wondering what he did to be cursed with jeonghan like this.

now that seungkwan and wonwoo had made up, wonwoo had expected the other to stop being as clingy around him seeing as wonwoo didn't need someone to lean on whilst sorting out his talk with seungkwan anymore. no such luck though, judging by the way jeonghan's arm now travels to wrap around his bicep, basically hanging off wonwoo’s arm now instead of his shoulder. 

joshua only chuckles, doing nothing to stop his older partner seemingly more delighted to see wonwoo in these predicaments than jealous or anything. "jeonhannie, i think you're laying it on a little thick." he's only amused at wonwoo's silent suffering, the beta is split between wanting to push the elder off and just waiting until the other gets bored, at chance that jeonghan might cling tighter if wonwoo resisted.

wonwoo sends the alpha a pleading look.

“nah, i think this is the right amount.” jeonghan says, a hand reaching up to tuck a piece wonwoo's hair behind his ear. once again, wonwoo has no idea what they’re talking about but doesn’t deign to ask. instead, he tilts his head away from jeonghan’s hands, strands falling from the older’s fingers. 

 he’s so invested in trying to dodge jeonghan’s hands that he doesn’t even notice another set of footsteps approaching them.

"hey, mingyu-yah," jeonghan greets, pleasant at the sight the younger alpha. wonwoo jumps slightly, not expecting the other to the be right behind him. he turns around, surprised to meet mingyu’s eyes staring at him already.

"hello, mingyu." joshua says pleasantly at their side. wonwoo, in his state, can only repeat after joshua a timid "hello."

it feels stilted, the atmosphere between wonwoo and mingyu awkward and tense. mingyu shifts on his feet, still looking at wonwoo and the other averts his eyes, too nervous to maintain eye contact like that.

how had this last month separated them so much?

mingyu seems to be gathering himself up for something, eyes trailing between wonwoo and jeonghan. wonwoo carefully keeps his own eyes from looking up at mingyu’s face, wanting to take a step back at the alpha’s attention still on him. 

"hello jeonghan hyung, joshua hyung, wonwoo.. hyung. i just wanted to ask wonwoo about something, if he doesn’t mind?" mingyu asks, eyes straying between him and jeonghan and joshua next to him. wonwoo doesn’t miss the hesitation in using the familiar honorific with him, heart sinking a little. he then internally slaps at himself, knowing he was the one that caused mingyu to be like that in the first place.

“wonwoo,” joshua whispers, leaning over to nudge the beta.

"um," wonwoo doesn't truly know whether to accept or decline, one half of him jumping for joy at mingyu for talking to him again and the other one wanting to turn tail and hide, especially with the distance that has grown between them. jeonghan seems to think he waits too long to answer though, jumping into the conversation abruptly.

"yes! wonwoo would love to talk with you!" jeonghan answers for him before he can and not-so-subtly nudges (more like pushes) wonwoo in mingyu's direction, making the younger beta stumble and almost fall against mingyu. the alpha is quick to put his hands to catch him, even as wonwoo manages to find his footing before that could happen. 

“uh, thanks.” wonwoo says quietly, stepping out of mingyu’s space and throwing a questioning glance at jeonghan. jeonghan just looks away like he had no part in that and wonwoo’s sure he’d be whistling too, if he could.

"so..? wonwoo?"

wonwoo snaps his eyes back to mingyu, forgetting his avoidance of not looking at the younger’s face. mingyu is looking at him expectantly, eyes hopeful, the alpha was always an open book that was so easy to read.

wonwoo bites his lips. 

“wonwoo, it’s okay. ” jeonghan whispers, patting at his shoulder. wonwoo doesn’t turn back to look at him, instead eyes raising up to meet mingyu’s eyes again. so expectant, so clear and sincere. wonwoo doesn’t think he could take it, seeing the light dim in mingyu’s eyes again. so he gives his answer.

"s-sure." wonwoo hesitantly agrees.

the small smile that blooms on the alpha’s lips is enough to have wonwoo’s heart start audibly thumping in his ears. “let’s talk in private, then.” mingyu says, eyes looking over at jeonghan and joshua again. wonwoo gets what he’s getting at. “okay. i’ll talk to you later, jeonghan hyung, shua hyung.” wonwoo says and the two both nod, letting him dismiss them without another word.

wonwoo lets mingyu lead the way, palms starting to sweat and as he follows mingyu, he gives one last look over his shoulder. jeonghan makes a kissy face at him and jisoo gives him a thumbs-up making wonwoo quickly turn back to the front, absolutely done with their unhelpful asses.

"what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" wonwoo asks, arms coming up to cross in front of himself. 

he’s very sure he knows already, but the memory of last time makes him nervous of what’s to come. the last time they were up here together, mingyu had been holding a bouquet of flowers.

wonwoo does his best to push that memory away.

“i..” mingyu starts. 

wonwoo raises an eyebrow at him. mingyu ducks his head down, seemingly embarrassed by his lack of words. “s-sorry, i swear i had the words planned beforehand, but you..” his hands are clutched at his side, fisting the side of his slacks. 

wonwoo frowns. 

who knew that he could have this much of an effect on someone? that thought shifts his mood into something sadder, once again hit with the knowledge of hurting someone else like this.

i’m sure you two can work through whatever together.

don’t keep letting him hurt.

in a stroke of courage (and because of seungkwan's words), wonwoo tentatively reaches forward, taking mingyu’s hands in his. the alpha’s eyes shoot up to him but wonwoo resolutely doesn’t look up, holding mingyu’s hands gently. he even rubs his thumbs across the other’s knuckles, trying to soothe the other’s nerves. it’s all so impulsive that wonwoo barely even has time to question himself.

“wonwoo..”

“it’s okay, mingyu,” wonwoo says, voice coming out hushed. “just say what you need to.” he doesn’t even know why he’s doing this, comforting the other despite all that’s happened between them.

mingyu takes in a breath. “okay.” his voice sounds small and wonwoo’s chest pangs.

they’re quiet for a little bit, mingyu trying to recollect his words and wonwoo still stroking at his knuckles all the while. the wind rustles around them, the sun not too hot on their heads and shoulders. for once, it isn’t raining, wonwoo notices. 

"wonwoo," mingyu suddenly speaks.

wonwoo looks up. 

mingyu is looking at him earnestly, hands gripping tighter around the other’s hands and wonwoo lets him. nothing could prepare him for the next mingyu’s next words though.

"can i court you?"

wonwoo stares at him. what?

"..but you already have been?" the beta says confusedly, reaching for the first thought out of the storm of them in his mind. mingyu seems to take the first reaction as a good sign, something not adverse, because the younger then straightens up, looking more confident in himself.

"then can i," the younger alpha looks almost shy again, but he continues on. "can i keep doing so? i still really like you." the last part is said much quieter than his question. 

"i.." wonwoo says, eyes trailing down to where they were still holding each other’s hands. mingyu must notice because his hands grips tighter at the older's.

"i know you also feel—" wonwoo flinches and the younger is quick to backtrack. "no, ignore that," mingyu positions his hands so that they're holding wonwoo's rather than gripping them, giving wonwoo full chance to pull away if he wanted.

"just at least let me try. i still want to be able to court you, at least, for a little longer."

wonwoo almost melts at the reverent tone, so soft and gentle with him, like speaking to a spooked animal.

courting.. wonwoo thinks it over. usually from an alpha to an omega, wonwoo knows. he'd never expected it towards himself, being a beta and destined to settle for another beta. the fact that wonwoo wasn't immediately rejecting mingyu must still mean something to the alpha because a small smile graces the other's lips, hopeful in nature.

it's a jarring realization to wonwoo that he wants to see it more, wants to see mingyu smiling even more vibrantly, no matter what beliefs had been engrained into wonwoo. 

"okay." wonwoo says quietly.

mingyu smile brightens, smile still small and shy. the hand holding wonwoo's feels warm. "okay?" mingyu repeats, confirming wonwoo's words. the beta nods, suddenly shy at this answer and looks down at his feet.

"wonwoo hyung, thank you." mingyu sounds breathless and wonwoo doesn't know if his heart should be floating or sinking with the way the way mingyu looks at him.

their dynamic in the office doesn't really change from how they were before.

okay, wonwoo's not being truthful. it has changed. a lot.

mingyu, like the puppy he is, bounds up to wonwoo now, demeanor all friendly and smiles again to be able to interact with his 'favorite hyung', as proclaimed by mingyu himself. “good morning, wonwoo hyung!” 

“o-oh, good morning, mingyu.” wonwoo stammers, almost blinded with just how brightly mingyu beams at him for the reciprocation. it’s like nothing had ever happened between them, the month-long radio silence and days of ignoring each other. jun and seungkwan can only stare, not ounce of subtly in them when they catch mingyu and wonwoo within each other’s presence again.

wonwoo flushes, sending them a warning look that they both take the hint of, keeping quiet but with eyes that say they’ll be teasing wonwoo later. jeonghan’s satisfaction soon turns into smugness, much to wonwoo’s displeasure and soonyoung and jihoon are just happy wonwoo’s made up with seungkwan, even if they also join in the with teasing of mingyu and wonwoo every now and then.

and wonwoo?

well..

(he feels the happiest he’s ever been.)

they eat together again, walk with each other to their areas of transport after work, talk with each other between their respective assignments, greet each other each morning.. all shyly offered and done at first, until they relax into each other’s presence again. it’s pleasant, it’s nice, it’s great, wonwoo finds, all too easy to slip back into their previous dynamic. 

so they go from being distant to being friends again and maybe.. to even a little more.

it’s not the most romantic way to start, but at least there had been no else’s prying ears around to meddle or tease wonwoo afterwards. 

"wonwoo, let's go somewhere else to eat after work,” mingyu proposes one day, words casual on his tongue. 

they’re both in the breakroom, taking a ‘coffee break’ (read: procrastinating on their work) together. ”i want to try out this place, see if you think it's good or not." despite how nonchalant his words are, wonwoo can tell the other’s anticipating wonwoo’s reaction, the younger rubbing at the back of his neck as he asks.

wonwoo’s eyes dart over to the clock behind mingyu. there’s still an hour left until business hours are over. 

the swooping feeling that occurs in wonwoo's stomach brings a smile to his face, murmuring so quietly between them, he doesn't think the other would hear. "kim mingyu, this almost feels like a date."

mingyu's eyes snap to him but even with that, he doesn't miss a beat. 

"why 'almost'? i can see it as a date." 

wonwoo's shoulders rise up to his ears, embarrassed at how mingyu still managed to hear him. "oh, do you?" he presses on confidently, despite the red taking over his face. he’s surprised no bad feelings had erupted in him, only feeling jittery (in a good way) on the inside instead.

"yeah," and then mingyu is shy again, matching wonwoo's as he rubs at the tip of his nose with his finger.

"then, it's a date?" wonwoo asks, just to confirm, just to hear it again. he feels so light on his feet, leaning over to shoulder-check the alpha.

mingyu looks over, gaze soft at him when he sees him. the younger's eyes are shining and expectant, smile small yet radiant. wonwoo's heart clutches at the sight, doing nothing to stop himself from smiling back. giddy, like he's young again.

"it's a date."

and it was simple as that.

everyone who works knows what it's like to spend the day waiting for it to end. 

the promise of a date with mingyu has wonwoo impatient more than ever though, constantly checking the clock for when the workday can end. he internally groans every time hesees only two minutes have passed since the last time he looked at it. he can’t really focus on his work anymore, mind wandering from the mental math it takes for how many times he has to look at the clock every two minutes for the last hour to pass, to the coffee taste still on his tongue, to if mingyu was doing the same..

was he also checking the time constantly like wonwoo? wonwoo wonders. was he feeling nervous and impatient like wonwoo was? was he able to focus on his work? or was he counting down the minutes until they could go on their da—

“so..” jun starts, desk chair wheels squeaking as comes near wonwoo. the younger startles, burst out his pondering. jun sends him a skeptical look, obviously noticing wonwoo’s distractedness. “what’s got you so distracted?”

“nothing.” wonwoo says on instinct.

jun raises a brow at him. “okay..”

wonwoo bites his lip, surreptitiously darting his eyes over to the clock in the corner of his screen again. how can only a minute have passed?

“so if i ask you about mingyu..”

“what? what about mingyu?” wonwoo instantly latches onto the other’s name, even perking up at the mention. jun grins at him mischieviously and wonwoo huffs a sigh, slumping back into his chair. “whippedddd.” the other beta mocks wonwoo, only laughing when wonwoo fakes throwing a punch at him. 

“did you actually have anything of importance to ask me or are you just here to laugh at me?” wonwo grumbles, resorting to using his leg to kick at the other beta instead when jun ducks out of his reach. he lands a few kicks before jun starts kicking back, like schoolchildren playing footsies, but more aggressive.

“ow! ow!! okay i surrender!” jun yelps, pushing himself away on his office chair. wonwoo smiles to himself satisfactorily, leaning back in his chair now. “now answer my question. did you actually need anything?” he asks again, basking in his victory against the other.

jun smirks and suddenly wonwoo doesn’t feel so victorious anymore.

“can i ask what you and mingyu are?”

wonwoo blinks. 

his brain goes blank.

“..we’re just business partners.” wonwoo says after a beat of silence. “really?” jun asks, fake astonishment donning his features. he even dares to draw closer again pushing himself into wonwoo’s workspace. “just business partners?”

“yes,” wonwoo says, pushing his own chair away from the slowly-approaching other. a bead of sweat trails down his forehead, neck heating up just at the thought of him and mingyu. it’s not like they were together together.. but they had a date later.. so it’s not like they seemed like just friends either.. right?

like he’s going to admit that to junhui, though, the nosy bastard.

“we’re just like.. everyone in the office. we’re business partners, coworkers, friends,” wonwoo says, narrowly stopping himself from biting his lip in nervousness. jun doesn’t seem to like his answer though, still advancing until wonwoo’s crowded up against his desk.

“really? just friends? or like boyfrie—”

“wonwoo hyung,” someone calls and wonwoo had never been more relieved to hear mingyu’s voice. “speak of the devil.” jun says, giving wonwoo a knowing smile before backing out of his space. for how bad he is of a friend jun is, he’s great with his timing because just as jun is an approriate distance away, mingyu's next to his workspace, a little out of breath but smiling, nonetheless. 

"hi."

wonwoo mirrors his smile instinctively, feeling light again at the fanged upturn of mingyu's (attractive) lips. "hi."

jun quirks an eyebrow at the both of them. “hello, mingyu.” mingyu jumps a little, as if he hadn’t even noticed the other beta was there. “a-ah, hello jun hyung.” 

wonwoo does a double take. “‘hyung’? since when did jun become a ‘hyung’ to you?”

“since i gave him the advice to ask you on your date later.” jun says without allowing the alpha a chance to answer. wonwoo chokes on nothing as mingyu’s cheeks start reddening, only confirming his words. jun just looks between the both of them, smug. 

“o-oh.” wonwoo sputters out. “uh,”

“i think a ‘thank you’ would suffice,” jun simpers. wonwoo throws him a glare. mingyu clears his throat, catching wonwoo’s (and unfortunately, jun’s) attention again. 

"so, shall we go?" mingyu pointedly ignores jun, speaking directly to wonwoo instead. it making wonwoo’s heart flutter.

the alpha’s hand is offered to him and wonwoo delightfully takes it, despite fully being able to stand up on his own. “have fun going on a date with you business partner~ ” jun says, patting at wonwoo’s shoulder as he stands and wonwoo would brush him off if mingyu’s hand weren’t in his right now.

wonwoo takes a page out of mingyu’s book and also ignores jun.

“let’s take my car. send me the address, i’ll drive us.” wonwoo offers, hands digging into his pocket for his car keys. mingyu smiles, eyes only on wonwoo. “okay!” their hands don’t let go of each other, despite wonwoo being up on his feet already. 

and so they walk hand-in-hand to the exit and somewhere in the background, jun is scoffing, wonwoo's sure.

“businesss partners, my ass! ” he can faintly hear in the distance but wonwoo doesn’t pay it any attention.

(and for the record, wonwoo does send a jun a ‘thank you’ message later.)

“honestly, it feels weird heading to the parking lot with you instead of going to the bus stop.” mingyu admits, their footsteps echoing. wonwoo raises his eyebrows at the younger. “is it a good weird or bad weird?”

“good. definitely good.” mingyu rushes out. “i like being able to be with you for longer.” the back of wonwoo’s neck heats up. “how do you just..” wonwoo struggles for words. mingyu is patient next to him, continuing to walk side by side with him. “..say things like that? so easily?”

“because i like you.” mingyu, once again, says easily. wonwoo wants to hit him, so he does. “ow! hyung!” mingyu sends him a fake look of hurt. “what was that for?”

“you’re too honest, kim mingyu.” wonwoo grumbles, walking faster once he catches sight of his car, if only to escape mingyu and not let the alpha see his blush reaching his face.

“wah, it’s been getting warmer recently, so the weather’s been looking perfect for biking.” mingyu comments, looking out the window from where he sits in the passenger seat. the sun’s been taking its time to set nowadays, spring peeking its head out of the snow. wonwoo hums. 

“do you bike, wonwoo?” mingyu asks, turning his attention to the other.

wonwoo shakes his head, eyes still trained on the road like the responsible driver he was. “nah. but i do have a motorbike though.”

“what? really??” mingyu gasps, leaning across the center console to gape at the older. “why don’t you use that to go to work instead?”

“i left it back in changwon,” wonwoo explains calmly leaning away. “and it’s too crowded here to use it freely. i’d rather use my car or public transport.”

"oh." mingyu falls into into his seat with a grunt. “it would look so hot though, you driving a motorcycle around here.” mingyu grumbles, head thumping as he leaned back against the passenger headrest. 

“it’s too bad i can’t drive though. i just moved here, so i don’t have enough money for one just yet.” mingyu says, now looking dejected. “what, you’re saying you don’t like being in a car with me?” wonwoo teases, calmly taking a turn as he follows the navigation. 

“it’s not that, it’s just..” mingyu shifts in his seat, slouching down into it. “i want to be the one who could drive you around.”

wonwoo raises an eyebrow to his passenger. “and what’s the difference? does it matter who’s driving who around?”

mingyu tries to gesticulate something, hands vaguely moving around but with the way wonwoo can’t take his eyes off the road for more than a second and the unclearness of mingyu’s.. communication method, he gives up quickly. mingyu does manage to find his words though.

“it does because i’m going to be the one stuck as passenger princess all the time,” mingyu whines. “i’d never be able to take you on surprise dates or just show up to your apartment or get stuff for you spontaneously..”

wonwoo hums, acknowledging his words and encouraging him to go on.

“and i’m the one courting you, it just doesn’t feel.. as right, relying on you to take us everywhere.” mingyu pouts, staring at the dashboard in front of him. wonwoo purses his lips, thinking up a response. “i’d be fine with anywhere we go, no matter who’s taking us, mingyu-yah.” wonwoo admits, leaning his shoulder in the alpha’s. “as long as we're together, that's all that matters to me.”

“hyung,” mingyu says, sounding touched and wonwoo's cheeks flush.

he then shifts his hands on the wheel, leaving most of the steering to his left hand.  his right hand detaches from it, wonwoo placing it over the center console with his palm turned up, a silent offering. the beta hears mingyu shifts in his seat but he can’t be sure what the other was doing, refusing to lift his eyes off the road.

"oh." mingyu breathes.

and then a hand touches his, fingers curling between his in reciprocation.

wonwoo bites down a smile, heart flip-flopping around in his chest at the feeling and when he takes a quick glance to his side, mingyu’s head is turned to face out the window. that doesn’t stop wonwoo from seeing the red of mingyu’s eartips though, and he lets out his smile.

wonwo turns his eyes back to the front, squeezing their hands and he delights at the way mingyu squeezes his hand back.

the restaurant is neither too busy nor empty, a good balance to create white noise while not seeming bustling. 

there’s small greenery is scattered about, warm lighting giving the place a soft look. the restaurant even has little toy capsule vending machines in it's reception area, but wonwoo's eyes pass over them to take in the rest of the quaint establishment. he finds that he likes it, turning to his side to tell mingyu so.

the words die on his tongue though when mingyu’s attention seems to be preoccupied. curiously, wonwoo watches as the other taking no notice of the actual restaurant itself, instead caught on a vending machine with a white character with cute eyes and a diamond on top of it's head plastered across the advertising. 

"oh my god, hyung look! it even has little gachapons! i haven't played with these since i was a pup!" mingyu looks so excited just at the sight of the machine, nearly bouncing in place with sheer vibrance. wonwoo purses his lips, heart warming at seeing the alpha excited over the smallest thing. 

“mm. i haven’t either.” wonwoo says absently. mingyu looks over at him. “what, really?” their eyes meet, the alpha looking down at wonwoo in surprise. he then turns back to the machine, a determined glint in his eye. “then we should do it together!”

mingyu takes his wallet out, prodding through it to look for currency for the machine and only manages to pull out one, wonwoo watching him all the while. the younger slowly turns to the beta, eyes blinking innocently down at him.

“hyung, do you want to do it with me?” he asks. the puppy eyes mingyu gives him is enough to render wonwoo blank-minded, mindlessly reaching into his pocket to fish out a spare coin. “sure, why not.”

mingyu grins widely at wonwoo and wonwoo's heart definitely does not skip a beat at the sight. wonwoo does his best to school himself, looking on amusedly as he watched his pup of an alpha insert his coin in the turnstile. wonwoo does the same, putting his coin into a the machine next to him regardless of the graphics, just happy to be doing the same as mingyu.

mingyu’s eyes shine brightly as he twists the knob, the machine rattling before dropping out a small capsule. wonwoo twists his as well, almost fumbling to catch it when his capsule drops out quickly.

"look, i got a puppy!” mingyu cries, having already opened his and shoving a small dog figurine in wonwoo’s face. “cute.” wonwoo comments, eyes straying from the little charm to puppy holding it. 

mingyu, sensing his gaze, averts his eyes shyly at wonwoo’s actual intention behind his words. wonwoo smiles fondly at him, too caught up in the other’s cute reaction to notice that his capsule was still unopened in his hand until the alpha reminds him about it.

“hyung, you should open yours too,” mingyu nudges him, gesturing down to his hands. “oh, right.” wonwoo obliges, opening the small plastic container to see what it was. “what is it?” mingyu asks, curiously leaning over wonwoo’s shoulder to take a look. 

wonwoo holds it up. 

“it’s.. a cat?”

“aw, now that’s cute.” mingyu says, cheekily smiling when wonwoo throws him a look. he holds up his puppy charm next to wonwoo’s cat charm, admiring the sight of them together. “they match us so well, don’t you think?” mingyu asks, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he says so. 

“oh?” wonwoo leans in, inquiring innocently. “how so?” mingyu smiles at him, canines poking out and wow, the sight of them never seems to get old. the younger opens his mouth, presumably to answer wonwoo—

“table for two?” a receptionist interrupts them.

“a-ah, yes. two people.” mingyu takes a step away from wonwoo, the two suddenly shy at getting ‘caught’ like that.

the receptionist just smiles politely at them. “right this way, gentlemen.”

they both shut up as they’re led to their table, holding in smiles all while the waiter asks their drink orders and provides them with menus. it’s only when the worker leaves do mingyu and wonwoo meet each other’s eyes again and burst into giggles.

“they are pretty cute.” wonwoo admits once his laughter had died down, poking at his cat. he’s appreciative of it, a chibi black cat. “they’re pretty cute together too.” mingyu agrees, nudging his puppy charm closer to wonwoo’s side of the table.

“hey, you know, they really are like us.” mingyu comments, looking fondly down at them.

“how?” wonwoo asks.

mingyu continues. "cause we’re like water and fire, like cat and dog, like.. like daengnyang!” 

wonwoo chuckles, raising an eyebrow. “daengnyang?” “you know.. like how a dog and cat sound? i think?” mingyu says, eyes focused on making their respective figurines sit next to each other. his big hands next to the charms is comical, an alpha his stature being absurdly delicate with tiny toys.

“that makes sense. water and fire, cat and dog.. like..” wonwoo starts off and mingyu looks up at him, eyes twinkling. wonwoo meets his eye back, smirking.

“like daengnyang!” “..like daengnyang.”

they both laugh at the syncronization, giggles light between them that start to flow out endlessly. it takes a waiter showing up them to their table to ask for their orders for the two to right themselves again, clearing their throats with a blush and shy smiles to recollect themselves.

the waiter takes their orders quickly and then mingyu and wonwoo are once again left with each other.

“here, you can have mine.” mingyu sudden breaks the silence, handing the tiny puppy charm over. wonwoo looks at him, confused. 

“what? why?”

mingyu pushes it into wonwoo’s hand. “because it’s our date! you’re supposed to do nice things for each other, right? and they’re cute together, so i thought you should keep them both.”

“oh,” wonwoo says, delicately holding the puppy charm in hand like it was a precious artifact (if it was from mingyu, it might as well be). “well, i’d rather you have this, then.” wonwoo pushes the cat charm over to mingyu in return.

“hyung. what was the point of my gesture, then.” mingyu deadpans but takes the cat charm nonetheless. 

“just keep it,” wonwoo suggests. “then we can remember each other instead of having animals of ourselves.” as wonwoo says all this, he lightly pats the head of the dog charm. mingyu's face brightens in understanding. “oh wonwoo, you’re genius.” mingyu says in awe, cradling his cat charm like it were a fragile piece of glass.

it warms wonwoo endlessly more than any indoor heating, to see mingyu treat something that he considered like wonwoo so delicately.

and if this is what it's like to be with mingyu, then maybe it isn't so bad.

(and if the puppy charm ends up nestled between wonwoo’s cat stationary on his desk, then no one has to know.

“hey wonwoo, why is there a single dog in the middle of all your cat-themed stuff?”

“..no reason.”)

wonwoo starts offering mingyu rides in his car instead of parting with the younger to take the bus stop, if only to be able to spend more time with mingyu after work.

“i know it’s better for the environment to take public transport all, but i rather like the heating of your car.” mingyu comments, exaggeratedly shivering as he gets into the passenger seat. he pulls a familiar cardigan tighter across his shoulders, a deep-seated satisfaction filling wonwoo at the sight.

it always makes wonwoo a little proud to see the other in his cardigan, a little loose on his just as it had been on wonwoo despite the other's larger frame.

must be from wonwoo's broad shoulders stretching it out.

“well, carpooling is good too, you know. the same people going to the same place, taking the same car should help offset that, no?” wonwoo says, still admiring the way his clothes looks on the alpha. mingyu notices his gaze and lightly shoves at his shoulder, rolling his eyes at him.

“just start driving, hyung.” mingyu gives up, rolling his eyes at the older and wonwoo just chuckles, shifting the car into gear.

ever since their relationship had gone back to normal (more than normal, but wonwoo elects to let it progress more before giving it a heavier label), wonwoo’s no longer hiding away his affections, free to look and think of mingyu all he wants now that they’re on the same page. and mingyu? he continues courting him (wonwoo feels giddy every time he thinks of it), still bringing him gifts and being protective over him like the typical alpha he was (but that’s not to say wonwoo doesn’t appreciate it though).

so they progress with no rush, relaxed in each other's company in more lunch outings, after-work drives home, dinners together..

wonwoo even goes to company outings now, mingyu at his side making him relax even without the influence of alcohol, wonwoo offering to be the designated driver more often than not. besides, it's fun to see his officemates make fools of themselves, he finds.

(his camera roll full of photographic sceneries is starting to be filled with videos of things like soonyoung and seokmin drunkedly karaoking or others taking penalty shots after losing drinking games. 

somehow though, mingyu makes up the bulk of it.)

more and more nights are spent together, since wonwoo always insists on making sure mingyu gets home safe every night, personally guaranteeing it by dropping the younger off himself.

and honestly?

wonwoo knows it's just the early honeymoon phase but he feels so in lo— like. the way mingyu smiles at him, something reserved just for him, it makes his heart flutter and now, he's no longer afraid to admit so (and it only flutters more as the smile mingyu gives him widens, full face grinning).

so maybe that’s why that day, mingyu inviting him for drinks at his apartment instead of with their friends doesn’t surprise him.

"hyung, let's skip the afterwork drinks this week.” mingyu says out of the blue, watching the road in front of them idly. wonwoo raises an eyebrow at him as best he can with his attention on driving.

"and miss the chance for drinking with the company? who are you?" wonwoo asks in fake-astonishment, though he shifts the weight of the wheel in his hands to offer his right hand to the alpha. mingyu rolls his eyes at the other’s words but still takes his hand, gently wrapping wonwoo’s with his own.

"fine, if you want to drink so badly," mingyu teases, knowing fully well that wonwoo doesn't even drink that often. "why don't you come over to mine? let's just grab some chicken and beer or something."

wonwoo tilts his head in question even though his eyes are still on the road. the car slows as they come to a red light. "just us two?"

"just us." mingyu confirms, looking out to the city. wonwoo takes advantage of the red light to look over at the younger. the city lights halo his face beautifully, wonwoo thinks, unabashedly staring at mingyu. "this almost feels like a date." wonwoo says cheekily, leaning over to nudge playfully at the other's shoulder with his own broad one.

"only almost? it is a date." mingyu boldly declares, smile gracing his face even as he puffs himself up indignantly. and then he deflates a little, more softer, more serious tone arising. "only if you want it to be, though?"

wonwoo smiles back, cheeks reddening warmly in a way he hopes that alpha doesn't catch. "it's a date." the beta confirms, startling when a car behind them honks at them.

mingyu laughs at the way wonwoo scrambles to start driving again at the light that turns green. 

they stop by the grocery store first to buy snacks and food as well as alcohol seeing as they weren’t going to be buying food and drinks with their friends this time.

“can do grocery shopping really be counted as a date?” wonwoo thinks out loud, leaning on the shopping cart next to mingyu as the alpha cross-checks the expiration date of different food products.

“hey, i clearly remember you saying you liked spending time with me no matter what we were doing,” mingyu says, still preoccupied with looking at the labels. “and stop adding ramyeon to the cart! don’t think i don’t see you doing that!”

“hey, it was only two packs,” wonwoo faux complains but shuts up at the look mingyu throws over his shoulder. 

wonwoo sighs, mindlessly leaning against the shopping cart as he waits for the younger to be done. 

who knew that having a partner like this could make the most simple of tasks fun (even if they do bicker with you over who gets to pay for their groceries at the cash register). 

they also bicker on their way back to wonwoo’s car, a simple walk turning into something enjoyable just by having mingyu with him.

“i’m not letting you carry my bag for me,” wonwoo argues with the younger as they make their way back to wonwoo’s car. “it’s not even that long of a walk!”

“oh, but you’re so cold.. how about you carry my jacket while i carry your bag for you instead?” mingyu flirts, only grinning when wonwoo sends him a sharp look in return.

wonwoo narrows his eyes at the younger who then innocently smiles at him. “i see what you’re trying to do, kim mingyu.”

“and is it working, jeon wonwoo?” the alpha asks back, cocky in the way that alphas are. wonwoo rolls his eyes, not bothering to answer. 

it’s a chilly night yet wonwoo still feels warm within, cheeks rosy from the cold and mingyu’s attention. the sunset is dwindling out as time passes, night falling quickly but neither mingyu or wonwoo hasten their steps. 

and then wonwoo sneezes.

mingyu coos, transferring his groceries to one arm to let his free one sling itself over wonwoo's shoulders to pull the shorter closer.

"so easily cold, i wonder how you don't freeze every winter." 

and wonwoo thinks about keeping up his angry act.. but instead decides to take a different route.

"it’s because i have you by my side." wonwoo says shyly, trying his best to be demure and even looking up at mingyu from under his eyelashes to sell the new act.

mingyu looks over at him, unreadable expression on his face. 

wonwoo considers giving it up, backtracking and going back to his previous playful anger but then a hand comes up to feel wonwoo's forehead. "hyung, are you getting sick? are you drunk already? who are you and why are you so.. flirty?" wonwoo just laughs at the younger's antics, deciding to play into this a little more at the non-adverse reaction.

"well, maybe i am sick," wonwoo admits and has to keep himself from giggling as mingyu's humor actually turns into concern. "lovesick." wonwoo finishes his lame joke and mingyu's expression turns unamused, rolling his eyes at the beta. "so lame. i'm going home." and with that, mingyu turns to leave but even as he walks off, wonwoo can see his ears steadily turning red.

"with what car?" wonwoo calls between giggles at his own joke. he jogs to catch up to the taller, plastic convenience story bag rustling as he does. "mingyu~ answer me~"

"i'll take the bus." the alpha states, childishly turning his head away from wonwoo. the beta scrunches his nose at the younger, turning as well to put him in mingyu's field of vision again. "and miss being my passenger princess?” the beta teases, arms wrapping around one of mingyu’s to keep the alpha from leaving.

“no.” mingyu still denies, half-hearted attempting to break out of wonwoo’s grip. he could easily do so, they both know that, and it just makes wonwoo giggle even more. “i won’t miss being your passenger princess!”

“ouch, am i that bad of a driver?” wonwoo asks. “are you going to leave a bad review?” he playfully pokes at the alpha, mingyu still grumbling and pretending to struggle against him (wonwoo really thinks he just wants to stay in wonwoo’s hold for longer, but he doesn’t call him out on it). “yes, i will!” mingyu childishly pouts down at him, puppy eyes on full display.

wonwoo grins evilly. 

“then what about my heated car? surely you don’t want to walk home in the cold like this?”

and then mingyu stills.

wonwoo can practically see the younger making the calculations and conclusions and chuckles, hugging into mingyu tighter. “you’re right,” mingyu says slowly, acknowledging wonwoo’s words. “your car is heated.”

too busy watching mingyu’s reaction, wonwoo doesn’t even notice mingyu’s hand creeping down, into his pocket until the younger is snatching his car keys and abruptly running out of his grip.

“he! see who has to walk home in the cold now!” mingyu yells back at him, grinning victoriously. “yah!” wonwoo calls, waving his plastic bags in offense. the glass bottles inside clink together. “you know i’m the one holding all the alcohol, you know?!” 

mingyu’s probably too far away to hear him though, and wonwoo would run after him if it weren’t for the fact that the road was slippery—

and then wonwoo watches as mingyu trips, foot sliding forward on the icy ground and landing flat on his back with a yelp. the bags mingyu carries falls too, thankfully full of chip bags and too light to break any of the contents inside.

wonwoo bursts out laughing.

he doesn’t stop as he nears mingyu either, the alpha on the ground just lying there looking defeated. “do— do you n-need help?” wonwoo asks between his giggles, trying to choke down his laughter.

mingyu just gives him an unamused look.

it's new, parking near mingyu's apartment rather than just dropping the younger off.

"sorry, i kinda invited you on a whim so it's not the cleanest in here." mingyu says as wonwoo's slipping his dress shoes off. the alpha rubs at the back of his neck and wonwoo just snorts, surveying the relatively tidy apartment.

“better than my place.” wonwoo comments, setting the alcohol onto the coffee table in the living room area.

and so they drink. and talk. and laugh. 

even with just the two of them, with only each other’s company as entertainment, it’s fun. it feels like no time passes at all, conversing and laughing and bickering with the alpha at his side in the privacy of mingyu’s apartment.

“i shouldn’t drink too much,” wonwoo comments right before taking another shot. 

“hyung, stop drinking without me,” mingyu complains, nudging at the other before turning away to take a shot himself. mingyu heaves a breath at the burn that goes down his throat and clears it before addressing wonwoo again. “and why not? i’ll be here to take care of you anyways, if you get too drunk.”

wonwoo hums, trying to think back on the last few hours.

the alpha is only tipsy or buzzed, or at least on his way, wonwoo thinks. they’ve been matching each other shot for shot but mingyu, as it turns out (because of course he’s perfect in every way), has a much higher tolerance than wonwoo does. 

the amount of alcohol he’d taken in leaves wonwoo hazy-minded, unsure of how much he’d dranken and wondering why it was such a bad idea to drink too much again. he thinks he feels like how he did back when he first met mingyu.. or was it the second time? whatever time he had been drunk off his ass in front of the office newbie, wonwoo can’t remember at the moment with all the pleasant heat in his system.

“hyung, i think you should drink some water.” mingyu comments, lips quirking up at the other. 

wonwoo just stares at his smile, entranced by it. he must take too long to answer because the smile slowly slips off the other’s face, much to wonwoo’s dismay.  “hyung?” mingyu leans in, waving a hand in front of the beta’s face. “are you good?”

“eung,” wonwoo slurs out, slumping forward a little.

his vision’s been going weird for a little while now, and even his motor control seems to be not as in control anymore. mingyu pokes at his forehead, using that single finger to push wonwoo back. “i’m going to get some water for you, don’t die.” the younger states and in the next moment wonwoo processes, mingyu disappears.

wonwoo hums to himself, leaning back against the couch he’s sitting against.

they’d finished eating a while ago, fried chicken and grease to pad their stomachs before the alcohol and mingyu, the responsible kid he was, had already cleared it all too. wonwoo eyes the alcohol bottles on the table, the only mess present, aside from the one that wonwoo was.

“are you still alive?”

“yes.” wonwoo responds, looking up at the younger. mingyu just quirks an amused smile at him, handing an unopened water bottle in his direction.

wonwoo frowns at it, handing it back to mingyu. the alpha rolls his eyes at the silent demand, opening the cap for him before handing it back. satisfied, wonwoo drinks out of it, clumsily, judging by the water that drips down the side of his face. he does feel a little better with drinking it though, letting out a satisfied breath when he brings the bottle down and sets it on the coffee table.

“good job,” mingyu praises, wiping the stray liquid from wonwoo’s lips. scrunching his nose at the alpha, wonwoo pushes his hand away, leaning back. he loses his balance though and crashes to the floor with a thump.

“hyung, are you okay?”

“mm.” wonwoo just hums, raising a single hand in a thumbs-up position. he doesn’t get up though, opting to lay like that because it was easier than forcing his limbs to move when they act the opposite of what he wanted. mingyu sighs in the background, patting gently at wonwoo’s leg that was extended towards him.

what a good alpha, wonwoo thinks, so caring and protective of his own.

it makes wonwoo wonder what he is to mingyu.

“hey mingyu,”

“hm?”

"do you see me as an omega?" wonwoo asks, eyes staying pointedly in the ceiling.

it'd make sense, where alphas usually courted omegas. of course, he's seen courting go the opposite way as well, his own parents being the example of it. but he'd never heard of a beta being involved unless it were to aid the one courting or being courted, never the one courting or to be courted themself.

"what?" mingyu asks.

wonwoo squirms and resists the urge to sink into himself. it makes sense in wonwoo's mind, his skinny frame and timid personality, maybe a bit taller than the average omega but..

"wonwoo hyung, what?" he hears mingyu repeat and he presses his lips together, resolutely refusing to move his gaze.

"or maybe an alpha?" wonwoo asks meekly. wonwoo does have broad shoulders and muscles that could rival an alpha's.. maybe that's what mingyu was more interested in? "wonwoo, no," mingyu shuffles at wonwoo's side and the older knows the other's staring at wonwoo's face now. he still refuses to move his eyes. "i don't see you as either.” he says confusedly.

wonwoo frowns, trying to make sense of mingyu’s words.

"then, you see me as a beta?"

"is that what this is about?" wonwoo hears the other shuffle again and then mingyu's face suddenly comes into view, the younger's body starting to hover over wonwoo's. the beta's breath hitches, eyes instantly locking into mingyu's, bare to the sincerity in the other's eyes.

"i like you as a beta, no wait, i'd like you regardless of what your subgender is."

mingyu pauses.

"i like you for you, wonwoo hyung."

and oh god, wonwoo’s eyes start filling up. damn alcohol, wonwoo blames.

the younger softens at the sight of wonwoo's tears. “sorry.” wonwoo chokes out but does nothing to stop the tears or even wipe them away. mingyu does it for him, leaning in a little closer.

"hyung, you have a bad habit of assuming other people thoughts for them," mingyu says gently, rubbing away the tears collecting on wonwoo's cheeks. "it's making you miserable."

wonwoo sniffs, blinking up at mingyu and the ceiling as he tries to control his breathing. he doesn’t even know why he’s crying or where his tears came from. mingyu’s eyes grow sad at the sight and wonwoo just swallows harshly.

"wonwoo, do you really think betas can only be with other betas? you don't truly believe that, do you?" 

wonwoo is quick to shake his head. "no, not anymore."

"the world changes and people change, you don't need to produce slick out your ass to be attractive to me." wonwoo feels his face grow hot at mingyu's words. "besides, that's why lube exists." mingyu winks at wonwoo and the older slaps at his shoulder.

it does at least stop his tears, so thank god for that, but it still doesn’t do anything to stop the turmoil inside of him.

"i.. i think i still need more time. if that's okay." wonwoo decides. it’s about time wonwoo stop pushing away his inner troubles and being in a new relationship wouldn’t help, at least emotionally. mingyu is quick to understand what wonwoo was referring to despite there having been no preface to that topic.

"it's okay. i’ll wait for you, no one else." mingyu is quick to reassure him and wonwoo can feel his heart melting, wondering where he found a person that so good to him. thinking that only brings up another thought.

was wonwoo good enough for mingyu? wonwoo can feel his mood slipping at that thought. "and i'm.. i’m sorry." the words come out of his mouth without him even thinking of it. 

mingyu, ever sensitive to wonwoo’s mood, raises his eyebrows, shifting a little closer to the beta. "what? why? why are you even apologizing?" wonwoo takes a breath, mingyu’s sincere gaze directed at him again.

"we were meant to have a date, a relaxing night-in with some chicken and beer," wonwoo can feel tears rising in his eyes again and does his best to blink them away. "i'm sorry i ruined it." and this is why he doesn't get drunk too often, he finally remembers. wonwoo looks down at his lap in shame, heated face now in embarrassment rather than just alcohol.

mingyu softens, reaching out to pull at wonwoo’s arm. “hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about here, our date night isn’t ruined.”

“all that matters is that we’re with each other, together.”

wonwoo buries his face in his hands, groaning at the cheesiness of that sentence. mingyu gently pries his hands away, wonwoo doing nothing to stop him. the alpha grins, seeing wonwoo’s red face.

"hey,” mingyu starts, a twinkle of mischief in his eye. “so is this the jeon super shy i've been hearing about?"

normally, wonwoo wouldn't give in, especially when he so clearly sees the teasing glint in the other's eyes but perhaps the alcohol has loosened his lips a bit. "shy? where are you hearing this from? i'm not shy." wonwoo protests, pulling his hands away from the younger’s grip in indignation. his mind sluggishly rotating through the people on their office for a culprit. 

"oh, i'm not too sure," mingyu says innocently, a smile hinting at his lips. "but soonyoung hyung gives you a lot of nicknames, you know?"

wonwoo's nose scrunches. damn that hamster boy. "kwon soonyoung thinks he's a tiger. i'm not shy." wonwoo proclaims, sipping his drink.

"oh yeah? then prove it." mingyu smirks, laying out such obvious bait that wonwoo would never go for.

except, he does. (how much did he drink, exactly?)

it's such an alpha move for mingyu to challenge him like that.. not only that, but a mistake too, because wonwoo always wins. (seriously, what has happened to his alcohol tolerance?)

wonwoo takes in a breath.

"baby~"

it comes out high-pitched and unsteady but wonwoo can already see it, mingyu's body tensing up trying to contain himself. the younger's hands fly up to his mouth, as if a physical barrier could stop small giggles already making its way through. wonwoo's own lips twitch up into a smile.

"i'm just trying to play it cool~"

wonwoo continues, chuckles threatening to bubble behind his words as mingyu starts guffawing behind his hands. "but i just can't hide that, i want you~" mingyu lightly screams, slightly cringing as he laughs at wonwoo.

"hyung, oh my— oh my god—" mingyu says between laughs, and god, wonwoo is suddenly struck with the desire to hear more of it. so he lays on his demure-ness thick, lips pulling into a pout and hands coming up to cup his cheeks cutely, not even registering in his mind that he, a grown man with a full-time office job, was doing aegyo, for another grown man at that.

mingyu lets out another peal of giggles, leaning closer in his inebriated, now even clumsier, state. his face is flushed (cutely, in wonwoo's eyes) and so handsome and giggly and sweet-looking— "ah, hyung, you're so drunk," eyes shining in fondness, mingyu's face smiling only leans closer, closer still, getting closer, and yet wonwoo doesn't lean away, lean back, or anything—

and then their lips meet.

wonwoo's eyes flutter close but it abruptly ends before anything else could happen.

his eyes open again to the sight of mingyu stricken with an expression of total shock, face still slightly flushed. "i'm sorry, wonwoo! i didn't mean to do that! i'm so sorry, i swear—"

wonwoo licks his lips, tilting his head to the side.

"mingyu, it's okay."

"—because we're both drunk, a-and i really like you but i don't want to take advantage of you like that—"

"mingyu!" wonwoo calls again, the younger freezing at his outburst. wonwoo pats at the alpha’s shoulder, gently smiling at him. "let's talk about it in the morning then, when we’re both sober. how does that sound?” 

mingyu takes a second of gawking at wonwoo.

and then he slowly nods. the alcohol must be affecting him too, because he gives a reply a moment after that. “..good. that sounds good.” 

wonwoo smiles.

"then come on." wonwoo says, dragging mingyu up to his feet. the alpha stumbles but miraculously doesn’t fall back down, so wonwoo starts tugging him by the arm to his bedroom.

he makes sure to turn off the lights in the living room and throughout the rooms as needed, mind focused on one thing. mingyu’s clumsy feet unsteadily thud at his side, but wonwoo doesn’t care until they’re in mingyu’s bedroom, door closing behind them.

"wait, w-what are we doing— ophm— "

wonwoo pushes him onto the bed.

"hyung, wait, we're drunk—"

mingyu pushes himself up on his elbows, watching as wonwoo crawls up on the bed.

"wonwoo, i really like you and all but don't you think we're going a little fast-paced—"

and then wonwoo's plopping himself beside the alpha, instantly snuggling close to the younger.

"what are you talking about?" wonwoo murmurs, cuddling into mingyu's side. the alpha stills underneath him, even as wonwoo swings a leg over him and the his arms go to wrap around his waist snugly.

"uh.." mingyu stares down at him, expression frozen at the beta clinging to his form. his posture is also rigid, like his mind was trying to process an unexpected situation. wonwoo decides that he takes too long to process so he growls at the other, tugging mingyu to lay down again. knocked off his balance, mingyu crashes the short distance down onto the bed with a noise of surprise.

"sleep. so morning can come faster." wonwoo says plainly, quizzical when mingyu only blinks at him. “so we can kiss again?” he elaborates, mouth pushing out in an unconscious pout. mingyu is frozen for a couple seconds, from what, wonwoo doesn’t know.

and then the alpha groans, one arm coming up to cover his face.

"you're so cute , wonwoo hyung. i guess you can’t really drive home, if you’re this drunk." wonwoo tugs at that arm, wanting to see the younger’s beautiful face again and mingyu he uncovers his face, peeking out at wonwoo. wonwoo smiles at him, satisfied and mingyu giggles in his hold.

“so that means i should sleep here.” wonwoo says matter-of-factly, words bold and not registering in his brain-to-mouth filter at all. mingyu presses his lips together, looking like he’s trying to not laugh. wonwoo creases an eyebrow at him. “what?”

mingyu shakes his head, pulling at the blanket so that he could wrap it around wonwoo’s shoulders. "nothing. i'm sorry again." he apologizes, tucking the fabric over the both of them.

wonwoo pouts at him, huffing at the endless pointless apologies mingyu spouts. "i don’t care. sleep so in the morning you can do it again."

mingyu chuckles, leaning over to turn off the light. “okay hyung. goodnight, then.”

in the dark, wonwoo presses closer the alpha, breathing out contently at the earthy scent now surrounding him. 

“okay. goodnight, mingyu.”

(“wait, hyung,”

“..what.”

“did you take out your contacts?”

“...”

with a rustle of bed sheets, wonwoo reluctantly gets out of bed.)

mingyu's face first thing thing in the morning is a heavenly sight, wonwoo finds.

even through the dull headache thumping through wonwoo’s head and everything being too bright in his eyes, he can’t help but stare.

mingyu blearily blinks at him, opening and closing his mouth a few times like a goldfish. wonwoo must be still drunk, because even in this state, he thinks mingyu still looks like a model even with a hangover.

"wonwoo." mingyu finally says, eyes looking directly into wonwoo’s as he wakes up too. his hair is a mess, sticking up in all directions but still soft-looking which makes wonwoo want to stick his hands in it. 

“mm.” wonwoo hums back, shifting from his place on the bed to lean in close to the younger. he’s so enamoured, rendered useless in the beauty of kim mingyu.

mingyu’s eyes are also wandering over him, the two of them quiet in what must be the middle of late morning and early afternoon. wonwoo finds that he doesn’t find the reciprocal action, all too content to be where he was.

and then mingyu opens his mouth again. 

“are you sober now?” he asks quietly.

wonwoo shifts. “yes?” he breathes out, not at all expecting that question. “why?”

mingyu blinks at him. “do you remember last night?”

wonwoo frowns at him. 

and then he widens his eyes, embarrassment rushing to his face. wonwoo turns away from the younger, bringing up his hands to hide his face behind. "oh my god."

last night.. drinking too much.. asking mingyu those questions .. them kissing.. dragging mingyu to bed..

wonwoo groans into his hands, digging his palms deeper into his face as mortification flows through him. at his side, mingyu just chuckles, hands coming up to hold at wonwoo’s wrists but not pulling them away from his face just yet.

“it’s okay, hyung,” he says softly and wonwoo wants to melt into a puddle and never solidify back into a human being again. “mingyu,” wonwoo groans but when mingyu tugs his hands away from his face, he lets him.

mingyu’s smiling at him.

“i’m sober.” he says softly, oh so softly.

it starts a warm fire in wonwoo’s chest, the way the alpha was looking at him.

wonwoo’s face is burning with embarrassment, and yet here kim mingyu was, looking at him so sweetly like his blushing face were a magnificent piece of art. “i-i am too.”

mingyu’s smile grows wider, and he leans in closer, closer again, until they’re sharing the same pillow. wonwoo starts breathing shallowly, they’re so close to each other that wonwoo thinks they’re even sharing the same air.

"we’re both sober then, right?" mingyu asks.

“yeah.” wonwoo breathes out, confirming. mingyu’s eyes are shining, so close to wonwoo that wonwoo might as well be able to count his eyelashes.

it’s wonwoo who asks.

“can i?”

mingyu stares.

and then the alpha surges in, connecting their lips together once again.

and wonwoo melts.

it's so wonderful. 

it's so wrong, but it's wonderful.

overtimes are still spent together, drives home accompanied by one another. the lunches continue, evolving to weekend lunches as well, both willing to meet up outside of work for each other to keep company over a meal. after-work times keep going on with and without alcohol to the point that wonwoo starts inviting mingyu over to his apartment too, much to the younger's delight.

they watch movies, they eat meals, they talk and chat, they play games, they trade jackets, they share umbrellas and they.. they kiss and make out and smile at each other, laugh, talk, bicker, banter, hug, cuddle, and..

it's wonderful, it's so wonderful, wonwoo loves it.

i like you as a beta, no, i'd like you regardless of what your subgender is.

the words play and spin like a record in his heart, again and again. wonwoo never asks mingyu to repeat the words, never mentions it again especially when sober, but even remembering the words makes him feel so giddy and loved and wonderful.

and so they keep spending more and more time out of work together, to the point where it’s not even uncommon anymore to meet each other at the end of the workday and commute together.

oftentimes, they default to taking wonwoo’s car home, either to someplace to eat or to just spend time together whether in each other’s apartments, or anywhere, really, where they could be together.

they’ve decided that sleeping over at each other’s places were reserved for weekends though. the rush of having to get back to their respective apartments in the morning too hectic to bother going through with, even if it means having to give up sleeping in each other’s arms for a night. mingyu’s clothes are loose on wonwoo and wonwoo’s is too small on mingyu’s, their shoe sizes are different, and not to mention wonwoo’s contacts and glasses switch-off too.

so they keep the sleepovers to weekends, like little kids waiting for school to be over to relax. 

"here comes your boyfriend, wonu-yah~" soonyoung trills, round eyes watching as mingyu nears the beta’s desk once the end of business hours approach.

wonwoo looks up, not even hiding his interest anymore or wanting to hide his fondness for the younger, but to his future self’s despair (the teasing he would get later was none of his problem now, not if he got to admire mingyu unabashedly like this).

seeing the other's grinning face, wonwoo doesn't bother to hide his own smile. "ready to go, hyung?"

“yeah, let’s go.” wonwoo stands, eager to leave the office if only to escape his menaces of friends. he offers his hand to the alpha, who takes it with no hesitation and then wonwoo goes , dragging him in the direction of the office exit. 

mingyu smiles knowingly at him, not at all minding wonwoo’s rush to leave (because of course, someone just has to whistle at seeing the two of them together like that).

"you look so cute with your glasses, why don't you wear them to work?" mingyu comments, leaning against the bathroom door.

he watches on as wonwoo removes his contacts and switches them out for his lens. the beta sighs at the feeling of contact-less eyes, slipping on his glasses gratefully.

it’s started becoming a habit, taking his contacts out the moment he gets home because he knows if he waited until later, he’d forget while being in mingyu’s presence (he’s almost fallen asleep with them in more times than he’d like to admit).

“doesn’t it look better without my glasses?” wonwoo says, turning off the bathroom light and walking out. mingyu follows him, trailing behind his hyung like he was attached to him. he’s always been a little clingy, so wonwoo doesn’t really mind it.

“i think it’s more professional like this? right? even vernonie said the other day they didn’t suit me.” the older says, slipping out of his jacket as he heads to the living room couch. “professional my ass. contacts and glasses don’t make a difference in professionalism, though?” mingyu plops himself on the couch, sprawling across its entirety. wonwoo gives him a frown, having no space to sit down himself.

“then i’m just used to wearing contacts, i guess. i don’t really like wearing my glasses to work like that.” wonwoo answers, grunting when mingyu pulls him down to lay on the couch next to him. wonwoo goes easily though, but mingyu’s closeness to him does seem to be closer than usual.

"well i like it when you wear glasses." mingyu declares, snuggling closer to wonwoo despite them already being pressed together on wonwoo’s small couch. wonwoo decides to give in, leaning into mingyu and reaching a hand to stroke through the alpha’s hair.

“ugh, i’ve been waiting all week for this,” mingyu groans approvingly, sagging against wonwoo’s body. “i can’t believe i survived this entire week without you in my arms like this.”

“and you’ll have to do it again for next week.” wonwoo says cheekily, poking at mingyu’s cheek. “noooooo,” the younger denies, burying his face into his hyung’s chest.. “don’t tell me of next week when this weekend is already here~ you can’t do that to me~”

wonwoo just chuckles, continuing his actions. mingyu gratefully nuzzles against him, going lax in his arms.

and then from his pocket, wonwoo’s phone beeps.

mingyu whines at him when the older stops messing with his hair to pull the device out, lightly gripping at wonwoo’s wrist to convince him to keep doing so. “shh, just let me check this,” wonwoo says, attention directed to his screen rather than his alpha, much to mingyu’s dismay.

“business hours are over though,” the younger grumbles but settles for pushing his nose against wonwoo’s shoulder. wonwoo just hums in response, flicking through his notifications to see where his newest one was.

his eyes stop on a text from his brother, asking him something.

hyung, when are you coming to changwon again? dad told me but i forgot haha

and then it hits wonwoo.

his changwon trip.

“oh, mingyu,” wonwoo breathes out. mingyu stops his grumbling, looking up at the beta at his sudden change in demeanor. “what?” he asks, now cutely leaning his head against wonwoo’s shoulder. “what is it?”

“i won’t be here next weekend.” wonwoo says, shifting in his place next to the other. mingyu’s mouth drops, blinking at him. “you won’t?” he says, voice small and wonwoo nods his head, hands coming up to stroke mingyu’s hair again for comfort.

“then what am i supposed to do without you?”

wonwoo’s heart jumps at those words, the back of his neck heating at the younger’s attachment to him. “it’ll just be for a few days,” wonwoo tries to placate but mingyu was having none of it, pressing his face back into wonwoo’s shoulder with an exaggerated huff.

“hyung’s leaving me.” wonwoo can feel the pout pressed into his shoulder blades, chuckling at the younger’s antics. he’s being more clingy and affectionate than usual, not that wonwoo minds.

“yeah, i’ll be going to changwon soon, so don’t miss me too much when i go.” wonwoo teases. he ruffles at the alpha’s hair, mingyu making a petulant sound at the beta. “what am i supposed to do without you?” mingyu mumbles again, keeping his face hidden. 

“take the bus.” wonwoo says, laughing when mingyu looks up to send him a half-hearted glare. “you’ll be fine, i’ll be back by sunday.” wonwoo says seriously this time, reassuring the alpha. “ugh,” mingyu sighs, arms wrapping tighter around wonwoo.

they stay like that for a few minutes, basking in each other’s presence in quiet. wonwoo trails his fingers across mingyu’s scalp, phone forgotten as he works his way through massaging mingyu’s head. mingyu’s hand in turn rub at his arms (or rather, just feeling up the older’s biceps underneath his work dress shirt).

“i’m going to miss you.” mingyu says, voice slightly hushed. wonwoo doesn’t hesitate to lean forward, pressing a peck to mingyu’s temple that he’d just been massaging. “i’ll miss you too.” wonwoo says back just as tenderly and mingyu sighs again, pressing himself closer to wonwoo.

the fresh, salty air breezes its way past wonwoo.

for being a beta and therefore having weak olfactory senses, the town is full of clean and fresh scents. maybe it has to do with how polluted the city was, only making wonwoo appreciate the freshness he can get.

the traditional house greets him warmly, sunlight beaming into the floorboards. wonwoo sets his gifts for his family on the ground before his family could notice him. 

he smiles. “i’m home!”

and then footsteps start pitter-pattering across the wood floors, wonwoo’s parents coming into view. his younger brother is right behind them too, smiles stretching across all of their faces at the sight of him.

"ah, wonwoo!" his mother fusses at him, tucking his hair behind his ear and patting his clothes and whatnot, his father smiling behind the duo. “you haven’t visited in so long, i was starting to think the city had made you forget your roots!”

an alpha mother, an omega father, a beta son, and an alpha son. a pretty well mixed family, his teachers would tell him (a shame the first born son wasn't an alpha, though).

“hyung,” bohyuk, his younger brother, grins a toothy smile at wonwoo, approaching him with his arms spread out for a hug. wonwoo grins back, gratefully accepting the hug and hugging back. “i didn’t think you’d actually come by!”

wonwoo scoffs, pinching at bohyuk’s back and the alpha yelps, ducking away from wonwoo at that. “as if you’d keep of something like that. you never text or call me first anymore!” wonwoo reaches over to pinch at his younger brother’s cheek. 

“i’m sorry, wonwoo hyung,” bohyuk whines, looking rightfully guilty. “you know i’ve been busy with finals and college applications.” 

wonwoo immediately softens.

“i’m just messing with you, hyukkie,” wonwoo reaaches over to ruffle his hair, despite bohyuk’s yelps of protest. “i know you’ll be right back to blowing up my phone the second you get your acceptance letters.”

“i didn’t even send in all my applications yet,” bohyuk grumbles, ears reddening at his brother predicting his behavior. what a cute younger brother, wonwoo thinks.

“that’s okay, i’ll help you out.” wonwoo promises, reassuring the other.

“not before you help your parents with dinner,” their mother butts in, arms crossed across her chest and frowning in a playful manner. “come on, you two, your dad’s been in the kitchen all day.”

their dad at her side, leans over to nudge at her. "don't exaggerate, yeobo. wonwoo just got back." he sends a grin wonwoo's way at the mention of his name. wonwoo grins back. "you can come help if you want to, wonwoo-yah." is all his dad says and then he turns to head out.

their mother raises an eyebrow at bohyuk. “ugh,” bohyuk groans but goes anyways. “i heard he’s making you and your brother’s favorites~” their mother singsongs as the younger alpha passes her.

bohyuk perks up, neck whipping to look back at her. “what! really?”

“go see for yourself.” she smiles, poking at the teenager teasingly until he vanishes into the kitchen too, all while swatting at her hands.

and then, she turns to wonwoo.

wonwoo smiles at her, the sight of his mother welcoming after so long of not seeing her. “welcome back, wonwoo.” she says, eyes fond and soft at him. wonwoo opens his arms, leaning in to give her a hug. 

her eyes crinkle up in a smile to mirror his and her arms also come up to hug her child back.

“so while you’re in changwon, what are you planning to do?” his dad asks them over dinner.

fish was a staple in their diet as a fishing town, so it was unsurprising that there was a platter of fried fish present. even if it was in the center of the tabel, wonwoo doesn’t mind, not when his family did cook his and his brother’s favorites. 

the beta hums as he thoughtfully chews his food, making sure to swallow it before speaking.

“perhaps just walk around, visit the orchards.. have they bloomed yet?” he makes idle talk with his family, even enjoying the small conversation. it’s something that you can’t really afford over the phone, the carefree chatter of being together like this.

“not yet,” his mother sighs, leaning back in her chair even with her rice bowl still in hand. “i’m trying to get your auntie to trade some of her harvest for anything she wants, but she keeps saying she can’t!”

“i think she’s just bitter you don’t give her any of your pastries when you make them using her harvest.” their dad says, chopsticks clinking against his bowl. he smiles at wonwoo when the beta looks at him for the action, knowing his mother didn’t like that habit of his.

“don’t hit your chopsticks like that. but could that be it?” his mother scolds naturally, tilting her head to ponder on it. “if it were that simple, then i’ll go ask her tomorrow. what do you think, wonwoo-yah? would you like some pastries?”

“i’d love some.” wonwoo says and his mother smiles at him again. “ah, it’s so nice having you home again!” his mother sighs. his dad and bohyuk both relax further into their seats, probably due to some happy scent his mother was giving off, not that wonwoo was able to smell it anyways. 

he’s already content if his family was.

“i think you should go stop by and visit some aunties and uncles, you know they all miss you.” his dad encourages. “that’s a good idea,” wonwoo muses. admittedly, he doesn’t come visit his family often enough (for good reason, though, he’s sure to find later in the trip), so being able to see the rest of the town’s occupants was even more rare than getting to see his family.

“i’ll go tomorrow, make my rounds around greeting everyone. maybe i can stop by the bar around there too.”

and his mother frowns at him.

"to the..? my dear, there's nothing for you there."

and oh. wonwoo forgets.

wonwoo presses his lips together, doing his best to pull it into an awkward smile at his own mistake. "a-ah, right! i knew already." the city must have grown more on wonwoo than he thought it did, usually eager to go with soonyoung, jihoon, and jun back in the city.

here, bars were places saturated with omegas and alphas looking for a quick, whirlwind ‘romance’ if it could even be called that (a good euphemism for one night stands, if wonwoo had ever seen). a drink in the country usually was meant for in-house socializing, rather than partying or company gatherings or anything of that sort. to think he’d find the same, comfortable atmosphere in the countryside would be moot and definitely suspicious of him, as a beta who was supposed to keep his head out of alpha and omega matters.

“you don’t want to have a drink with your old man?” his dad quirks an eyebrow at him, trying to lighten the mood. wonwoo’s mother shoots him a look though and he closes his mouth. in that moment, wonwoo feels young again, in his mid-teens and treading lightly around where an unguarded thought could be the ostracism of him. 

(he's seen it before, a young omega before him cast out into the streets for arguing against her household, though for different reasons like couldn't i love an omega too? my own kind? )

"i'm sorry." he bows his head, almost expecting a slap to his unguarded head, as unguarded as his thoughts were. all he hears is his mother sighing, but even that pulls a flinch from him. "you're an adult now." you know better, beta. he hears it so clearly, despite his mother not uttering the words aloud.

his father and brother stay silent, chopsticks clinking against their bowl. his omegan father, head out of alpha matters, his alpha brother, his own head knows better than challenge the house head.

how easy simple words could be anyone’s downfall.

so country, so traditional! he can almost hear soonyoung chortling. man, i could never live that life.

and wonwoo hopes soonyoung would never have to, because he knows a carefree spirit like that would never survive.

settled in his childhood bedroom, wonwoo doesn’t find sleep coming to him anytime soon. 

he never managed to sleep easy here, the smell of the ocean so engrained in the town that he could still smell salt even inside like this. he knows that isn’t the cause of his sleep troubles though, but wonwoo pushes thinking about it in favor of texting mingyu instead.

the connection is still awful as always, signal wavering every now and then. still, he’s delighted to be able to send little messages to the alpha about this day, mingyu just as enthusiastic to text back.

ugh, hyungg

honestly, it’s so boring being at home without you

mingyu-yah

it’ll only be for a couple days, stop missing me so much~

:(

but how can i not??

but even mingyu’s words start to peter out as it grows later and later into the night. after a little while, mingyu doesn't respond to wonwoo's texts at all anymore, most likely having fallen asleep already. the thought brings a smile to his face, the alpha stubbornly trying to stay awake to keep talking to wonwoo but ending up falling asleep with his phone in hand instead.

sighing, wonwoo turns off his phone to let it charge, left alone again and admittedly, it’s a lonely feeling. he resigns himself to laying in bed for the better part of the night, head rustling as he tries to find a comfortable sleeping position.

and then a small knock sounds at his door.

wonwoo freezes.

a moment passes. and then another knock. the knob twists and wonwoo’s heart quickens, closing his eyes to pretend he was asleep despite how old he was, that he shouldn’t have to worry about his parents chatising him for still being up late. 

door creaks, cracking open slightly (even after a few years of wonwoo being out of the house, they still haven’t oiled the door hinges). wonwoo does his best to even his breathing, trying to make them seem deeper than they actually were.

“hyung?” a voice whispers. 

wonwoo’s eyes snap open, eyes locking with his younger brother at the door.

“hyukkie?”

the door opens a little wider, still creaking as it does so. wonwoo hisses at that, instantly getting out of his bed to stop the younger from making anymore noise. “what are you doing, still up?” wonwoo harshly whispers, knowing their parents would scold them to hell and back for being up so late like that (even as an adult, wonwoo still feared their scoldings).

“well, you’re still up too,” bohyuk whispers back defensively, letting go of the door to cross his arms over himself. wonwoo rolls his eyes at his brother talking back to him. “no, you woke me up, dummy," wonwoo lies. "what do you want?”

“i’m going out. i want you to come with me.” bohyuk says matter-of-factly and it’s just then that wonwoo notices his clothes, squinting in the dark and with his poor vision to indeed see that bohyuk was dressed to go outside. 

wonwoo frowns. 

since when did his little brother start doing things like this?

“at this time of night? no, i’m not going.” wonwoo says resolutely. bohyuk falters for a second, the alpha’s shoulders falling. but then he straightens up, squaring his shoulders. “it won’t be for long, hyung, i just want to show you something.” he says, arms uncrossing to put a hand on wonwoo’s shoulder.

"no, bohyuk," wonwoo says firmly, brushing the alpha’s hand off his shoulder. "i can't just sneak out with you like this, our parents would get so mad.” he’s already shivering, imagining his parent’s punishment for him if he were caught.

bohyuk furrows his eyebrows, obviously not understanding wonwoo’s fear. "hyung, it's just once, and i want you to meet someone. besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

and it’s that sentence, that reminds wonwoo of the difference of their upbringing, not from just being eldest and youngest child, but in their subgenders as well.

(their mother never had laid a hand on bohyuk, not that the younger ever knew. her darling, prized alpha son, she would never. her beta boy, her darling in other ways, on the other hand, with no scent to call out for distress..

it’s something that wonwoo had never disclosed to anyone, and especially not to bohyuk, who was a child wonwoo could never burden his troubles with. 

there was nothing he could do about it anyway, the rule of the town always fell in favor of the household head.)

but also.. 

wonwoo’s an adult now. he can do whatever he wants.

so wonwoo internally shakes his thoughts off. being in his hometown and being surrounded by familiarity has him thinking way too much. “fine.” wonwoo says, voice hushed, slightly shaky, even. “i’ll go, but you need to make it quick.”

bohyuk brightens. “really?”

“give me a second to change.” is all wonwoo says back, closing the door in front of his brother.

in a town like wonwoo’s hometown, different subgenders had their own stereotypes to conform to as well. 

alphas were meant to be tall and muscular, omegas petite and dainty, and betas.. whatever, wonwoo guesses. even normal genders were enforced, women needing to be feminine and men to be masculine.. it was no wonder wonwoo had taken his chance to leave the moment he was able to, wonwoo realizes.

in a place like this, so traditional, traditional meant the same as rigid and clung to stereotypes so tightly, it felt like a chokehold.

for wonwoo, to leave, it had only felt apt. even if he didn’t know it back then, he had been applying to the furthest schools he could, with enough prestige to hide the fact that he was going to go far away. he expected himself to be the only one like this, so suffocated that he had to leave.

so to see what bohyuk had wanted to show him, or who his younger brother had wanted to show him, surprise was an understatement. 

wonwoo had barely been able to see them approach, poor vision combined with the darkness of the hour essentially taking away his clear vision. he only knows of bohyuk’s voice talking hushedly to someone, and then bohyuk’s hand is on his, pulling him under a stray streetlight for visibility. 

"wonwoo hyung,” bohyuk says, calling for his older brother. another pair of footsteps are right behind them, presumably the person bohyuk had just been talking to.

wonwoo, now able to finally see, turns to him and then stills, eyes not believing the sight in front of him.

in this moment, he finally looks nervous, which he hadn’t been before, even when they were sneaking out of the house.  “this is.. um.." his alpha confidence finally wavers but wonwoo can’t focus on that, all too consumed by the fact that bohyuk was holding hands with a girl that wonwoo had never seen before but even then, he was sure of her subgender.

an alpha. 

his alpha brother was holding hands with another alpha.

"hi," the young girl smiles shyly in wonwoo's direction, uncharacteristic of what she was meant to be, of what stereotypes said she was supposed to be like. her tall build is unmistakable though, definitely looking the part of an alpha but like bohyuk, she seemed nervous, her shoulders drawing close to her ears.

"this is.. my girlfriend." bohyuk finally finishes, hands gripping tightly at his.. girlfriend’s.

wonwoo doesn't miss the way the two glance at each other, clutch tightly at each other, stand close to each other. they’re both stiff too, looking like they were waiting on a final verdict in a court case.

after all, your brother seems to be interested in a pretty omega girl already..

"oh," is all wonwoo can say, even if his throat suddenly feels dry. "that's nice."

bohyuk’s shoulders visibly slump in relief. the tight hands holding each other relax. wonwoo feels like his knees lock, eyes still not being able to believe the sight in front of him (his brother? in this town?).

"see? my brother's from the city, he understands." bohyuk soothes the girl, hand rubbing the side of her arm. wonwoo gives a tight smile at her, trying his best at reassuring but the younger doesn't seem all too relaxed, a contrast to bohyuk's demeanor.

“yes. i’m.. happy for you two.” wonwoo says, feeling like talking to seungkwan and his coworkers all over again. the girl gives him a wary look. “you’re.. not going to say anything, right?” she asks, voice timid but her eyes are threatening, looking like she wouldn’t hesitate to fight him to protect her.. partner (wonwoo’s brother).

“no. i wouldn’t.” wonwoo promises, even as he has to shake off his urge to run, to hide, to cower away and find a place to sort out his thoughts (about his brother ).

the alpha girl relaxes a little at that, but she never fully eases up, even by the end of their interaction. 

it’s understandable, wonwoo thinks. 

the rest of the interaction goes by in a haze for wonwoo though, everything slipping out of his memory except for the fact that his younger brother was seeing another alpha. he doesn’t even remember his brother’s girlfriend’s name by the time they part and sneak back into their house, their parents none the wiser.

“hyung?” bohyuk asks, voice quiet as they take off their shoes. “you really aren’t going to say anything, right?”

“i..” wonwoo says, stilling with his left shoe still on his foot. 

he’s truthful, he really wouldn’t, he would never rat his brother out like that. he just still can’t wrap his head around the fact that bohyuk was like this too.. just like wonwoo . the alpha seems to take his hesitation differently though, backing up a little, suddenly guarded at his older brother’s worrying silence.

“hyung,” he whispers again, more urgently. “you can’t say anything.” 

and for the first time in a while, wonwoo sees fear in the kid’s eyes.

ever since he had presented, bokyuk had long shed any fear in himself, leaning into his alpha traits heavily and proudly. he was celebrated and paraded for being such a good alpha in the family , only furthering his ego and alpha confidence. it had been a long time since wonwoo had seen otherwise, including the opposite of courage in him.

so to see bohyuk so blatantly going against what was expected of him ( alphas are only meant to be with omegas—), it’s like a shock to wonwoo’s core, even with his time shedding these beliefs.

“i won’t.” wonwoo finally responds, fully slipping out of his shoes now. words never came easy to the jeon family anyways, so he tilts his head up towards his room, gesturing towards it. 

an idea was blooming in his mind.

“come on, i have something to give you."

“omega scent.. enhancer?”

bohyuk cautiously turns the bottle around in his hands. 

he’s not fearful anymore, wonwoo’s thankful for that. he’s also thankful for having still forgotten that blasted bottle in his bag all this time, constantly swearing he would throw it out but never having done so.

he’s glad he didn’t, eagar to get the cursed bottle out of his possession to someone who would actually have use for it.

“it’s an omegan scent,” wonwoo explains, willing the nerves in him to settle down. he still can’t believe his brother was like him, in this sense, breaking the societal rules of their hometown but he pushes it down to think of later, just like every trouble of his. “just tell mother that your ‘omega’ girlfriend finally stopped using scent blockers.” he instructs, pushing the bottle further into the alpha’s hands. 

bohyuk stares at him for a moment. wonwoo’s palms start sweating with anticipation for his reaction. bohyuk opens his mouth and then—

“thank you, hyung.”

the proud alpha turns his head down. wonwoo’s eyes grow wide with alarm, squinting through the dark at the way his younger brother’s shoulders start shaking, but his sobs make no sound. 

wonwoo’s heart breaks.

there’s no way he could leave his brother like this, like the way he himself was so many years ago, and like what made him want to leave the town in the first place. it hits wonwoo suddenly, a startling realization to know that now he has the power to tell his brother something that he himself wished for so badly back then.

and he’s going to make sure to take advantage of that power.

“hyukkie, remember this,” wonwoo says lowly, hands coming to brace themselves on the younger’s shoulders. bohyuk looks up at him, eyes wet, but looks up at him regardless. he’s trembling slightly but wonwoo stares him in the eye, wanting his message to be fully received.

“there’s nothing wrong with you.”

a small sob rises out of bohyuk’s mouth. the younger raises his hands up to cover his mouth, muffling it.

wonwoo continues.

“no matter what anyone says, there’s nothing wrong with you,” he reiterates, leaning in to emphasize his point. “do you get that?” bohyuk is still looking at him tearfully, free hand coming up to wipe underneath his eyes. 

“hyung..”

oh, the damage this town has down to wonwoo, has done to bohyuk , wonwoo curses at the younger’s lack of an answer.

“to me, you’re my brother, before you’re an alpha.” wonwoo says, firmly gripping at bohyuk’s shoulders. “there’s no need to worry about any of that, with me.”

bohyuk’s shoulders give a big jump at a quiet sob that wracks his body. his hands are roughly wiping at his face now, scrubbing it of tears. “i-i don't want to cry.”

wonwoo furrows his brows, heart hardening at the sight of his brother trying to stop himself from crying. “it’s healthy to do so, you know.” he gently encourages, knowing how reinforced the toxic alpha stereotypes in their hometown was.

“no, i mean,” bohyuk wipes the tears at his waterline, looking up to try and blink them away. “everyone will be able to tell, with my scent. they’ll smell the distress from it.”

“oh.” 

even with being so alike, there’s no stopping the prominent differences between them, wonwoo always forgets that one crucial detail.

no matter, wonwoo shakes it off. he was being truthful when he said his brother was a brother to him before he was an alpha, and he would never go back on that. 

so wonwoo pulls his brother into a hug. 

“cry it out on me. i’ll block your scent. we can shower it off in the morning.” his arms clutch at the alpha’s shoulders, pushing bohyuk’s head so that it could lean on his.

for a moment, bohyuk doesn’t move, perhaps shocked. 

but then his trembling arms come up to wrap around his older brother’s, burying his face into the shoulder presented to him. wonwoo closes his eyes, only hugging him tighter when he feels the shaky sobs further rack his brother’s body.

mingyu calls him the next day, some time in the early morning after wonwoo had taken a morning shower.

"hi, hyung," the alpha sounds tired, sheets rustling in the background. mingyu’s still in bed by the looks of it but the screen keeps freezing at wonwoo’s spotty connection, the sound cutting in and out but still miraculously maintaining itself.

his dad sits outside, enjoying the morning atmosphere as he always did. wonwoo keeps his voice on the quieter side, as not to disturb his peace or alert him of his phone call. he doesn’t quite manage the latter though, because wonwoo’s dad spots the phone in his hand instantly, eyebrows jumping curiously at the device in hand.

wonwoo just waves dismissively at him, hoping it wards off his dad’s ears.

"mingyu. how are you?" wonwoo's tone comes out softer than he wants to be, in earshot of his family. mingyu seems to appreciate it though, humming contently as his fingers fiddle with the cardigan he’s wearing. wonwoo recognizes the cardigan to be his, the worn wool of it recognizable even through a screen and wonwoo's shitty connection out in the country. once again, it feels wonwoo with a familiar sense of satisfaction seeing the other in his clothes like that.

the phone shifts again so that wonwoo can see mingyu’s face showing the heavenly sight he’s accustomed to when he wakes on weekends. the alpha’s face is puffy, face half-buried in his pillow and it’s all so cute wonwoo refrains from spamming the screenshot function on the call if only to not flash the younger with the brightness of taking a screenshot.

"sorry i fell asleep on you last night, hyung. i guess i was just really tired, or something."

wonwoo chuckles, hearing the pout in mingyu’s voice without even having to look at the screen. "that’s okay. i didn’t expect to stay up so late, anyways."

mingyu hums, eyes wandering around his screen to look at wonwoo’s background. “how’s it like out there? are there cows and pigs and sheep? like a farm?”

"no, mingyu," wonwoo laughs. "we’re a fishing town, so we’re right next to the ocean. we get tons of fish and stuff like that."

mingyu makes a cute questioning sound at that. “but hyung, i thought you were allergic to fish?”

“i am.” wonwoo confirms. mingyu’s next words are swallowed up by lag, connection finally seeming to have kicked the bucket. the call ends itself, followed by whining texts from mingyu, crying about not having enough time to admire wonwoo’s face.

wonwoo chuckles, immediately going to coddle and dote on the younger through text.

"a friend of yours?" his dad asks him, not even turning around from where he was seated.

wonwoo jumps, almost forgetting his presence. "yeah." he says, swallowing harshly around nothing. parents meddling in his social life was never a good thing, but his dad chuckles. “i guess the city has been doing you good, huh?”

the omega pushes himself up to his feet, groaning as he does. wonwoo looks up at the sound. his father’s face shows more signs of age than the last time wonwoo had seen him, wonwoo suddenly notices. more sunspots, more wrinkles than he’d last seen, now thinning hair that had been salt-and-pepper for years already. 

“must be nice, living somewhere like that. you probably miss all your city friends, being out here at home.” his dad muses, walking over to wonwoo, patting the top of his head as he passes. it makes wonwoo feel guilty, for not coming to visit more often (but he knows why he does). “y-yeah.” wonwoo says again, hoping he and mingyu didn’t say anything incriminating. how much of his conversation had his dad heard?

his dad stays quiet though, a trait that passed onto his son. he stretches as he heads inside, no more words spoken between the two. wonwoo’s never sure if that was simply the nature of their relationship or if his residence in the city had changed them to be so quiet (distant) with each other like this.

and then a voice breaks through the morning air.

“wonwoo-yah, there you are!” his mother calls out. wonwoo whirls around, watching her carry in a tub full of fruit. he stares, blinking at the sheer amount within the tub and grimaces, knowing what he was being set up for.

“come, come, i need your help to wash this harvest! your dad really was right about that auntie..”

the light feeling he gets from calling mingyu vanishes quickly at alone time with his mother, not only from the sheer amount of work he was being put to do, but also.. from his mother’s company.

he sighs as he sets his phone down next to him, sitting himself on the short stool to put on a pair of gloves. his mother at his side does the same thing, setting the large tub of produce down before them.

“i feel like it’s been ages since we really talked,” his mother starts as they both sit on short stools, checking over the produce and then sorting them into another tub to be soaked. "i just felt like taking some time with my son. it's been a while since you came home."

wonwoo smiles at her, warming at her words. "yeah." he agrees, dutifully sorting through the harvest. “it has been a while. have things been okay here?”

“oh, things are always the same here, you know that. your brother’s about to finish school, an uncle has been balding but don’t tell him i told you,” his mother smiles teasingly at wonwoo and wonwoo chuckles. 

“but i’m sure you know all about us already, tell me about you ,” his mother insists. “how are things in the city? did you manage to redirect that alpha?” wonwoo does his best to remain normal at her words but her eyes stare into him, curiosity boring into wonwoo.

a bead of sweat travels down wonwoo’s neck, and not just from the growing heat of the morning turning to afternoon.

"yes, he's.. moved on. there's an omega in his department he gets along well with." wonwoo says, turning to something truthful as to not have to bear the burden of lying because it is true and mingyu does get along with minghao.. 

but not in the way he does with wonwoo.

the way his mother looks at him is skeptical. “ah, really?” 

wonwoo does his best to keep himself from trying to swallow down the knot that forms in his throat.

the history wonwoo has with falling for and pursuing those he wasn’t meant to was always handled by his mother, the receiving end of harsh punishments something that should have slapped the sense into wonwoo long ago that unfortunately, never sticks. 

but he’s grown way past that, he thinks, his mother thinks, everyone thinks.

it doesn’t stop the way that wonwoo’s mother always looks at him though, forever skeptic because of his past, repeated mistakes that consistent punishments have never corrected. it’s in that moment once again makes him feel small, ready to cower and accept his punishment again despite being an adult with a job and his own lifestyle.

“really.” wonwoo responds, unwavering as he looks into her eye.

and it’s always moments like these that wonwoo was grateful he didn’t have a scent. it’s a blessing and curse, to have no emotions that could be sniffed out in moments like these, and in moments where his punishments go too far..

his phone pings, breaking their staredown.

both pairs of eyes darting to wonwoo's screen and panic seizes wonwoo. he picks up the phone despite wearing gloves and shoves it into his pocket with a quick, tight smile in his mother’s direction. wonwoo can only hope he tucks his phone away quickly, so his mother can't see the extremely clear hyunggg i miss youuu whines of mingyu over text.

it’s tense for a couple seconds.

“huh.” his mother continues their conversation. “okay.”

wonwoo's words don't seem to appease her, he feels and then he’s suddenly aware of his own breathing in his ears. he looks down at the produce in his hands, alarmed to find himself crushing it and he unclenches his fist.

“well then. that’s good on you.” his mother praises, going back to her own checking of the produce without any other note. wonwoo finally manages to swallow down the knot in his throat.

“i-i should go visit the aunties and uncles.” wonwoo says, stumbling to his feet. his mother looks up at him again but wonwoo just turns to pull his gloves off.

“really? now?” she questions, alpha authority slipping into her voice and wonwoo instinctively trembles. “yeah. you know they always take naps after lunch, i should catch them before then!” wonwoo laughs fakely, scurrying around with a metaphorical tail between his legs. 

he chances a glance back at her and fear locks his throat up again. she’s staring at him pensively, hands no longer working. even sitting on the stool so below him, wonwoo feels small, so small, like a helpless, little pup again.

“i’ll be back before lunch. leave some of the portion for me, i’ll be back to help out later.” wonwoo manages to croak out before he all but flees from her presence.

(before he goes, he takes a selca of himself on his bike and sends it to mingyu, [wah my hyung is so cool and handsome!!] but not even mingyu’s reaction could uplift his spirits.)

the rest of the trip is uneventful, relaxing even, away from the bustle and pollution. the ahjummas are talkative as ever, flitting around him to fuss and nag at his skinny frame like always, pushing persimmons into his hands and asking about city life all the while. the brine in the air, the cool temperatures and mist don't do much to beat the summer heat, bamboo fans still being held in almost every hand.

"come back again soon, won't you?" an auntie asks him with a smile, pressing a fruit into his hands kindly. "i know mother jeon is always hard on you, but she means well."

"i will, auntie." wonwoo promises emptily.

wonwoo and his mother don’t have any private moments of just the two of them (thankfully) for the last of wonwoo’s days in changwon. his family does see him off though, making him promise to come back and visit again soon. wonwoo, in turn, promises to bring gifts again and tells them he’ll talk with his boss about more days-off from work (he won’t).

“i’ll miss you, hyung,” bohyuk says, more loadedly than wonwoo would like in front of their parents. “maybe i’ll even come visit you in the city.” the alpha says cheekily but yelps when wonwoo pinches him.

“focus on your schoolwork first and we’ll see.” wonwoo challenges and bohyuk huffs at him. wonwoo rolls his eyes back and approaches his parents.

“bye eomma, bye appa,” he says, giving them both a hug in turn. “oh, wonu-yah, i’ll miss you, my boy.” his dad says, patting wonwoo on his back with an face crinking up into a smile. “i’ll miss you too, appa. don’t let the aunties and uncles goad you into drinking with them too often.” wonwoo teases, laughing when his dad playfully swats at him.

he barely holds in his flinch when his mother hugs him back though. “be careful.” his mother tells him when she pulls back, eyes once again looking into his.

“i will.” wonwoo says but he has a feeling his mother means it for more than just driving back.

being back in the city is like being able to breathe again, despite how unclean the air was compared to his hometown.

the first thing he does is head over to mingyu's at the other's request. come see me pleaseee, i want cuddles. mingyu had demanded over text, and who was wonwoo to deny him? so he sets up his map navigation straight to mingyu’s place, not even bothering on going back to his own before seeing the younger.

it’s endearing to hear the way excited footsteps bound clumsily to the front door when wonwoo knocks, smiling fondly at the younger when mingyu opens the door for him. 

wonwoo doesn't even fight the urge to pinch at mingyu's cheeks when he sees him, soft and round from being in bed. "ah, so cute, gyu."

“ugh,” mingyu rolls his eyes, pushing wonwoo’s hands away. wonwoo just continues smiling at him and smiles wider when mingyu’s lips also twitch up, mirroring him. 

“come in, hyung.” mingyu pulls wonwoo in without wonwoo even having to take a step, turning his back on wonwoo to head back to his bedroom. wonwoo just shakes his head at the other’s eagerness, closing the door behind himself and slipping his shoes off. 

he pads into the bedroom leisurely, taking his time even when he sees mingyu already having returned to bed. it’s an unlikely sight, seeing mingyu still in bed in the middle of the day like this when the younger would usually be the one up and about at a time like this.

"rough weekend?" wonwoo asks, drifting near mingyu's bed but not getting in. 

mingyu hums, hand reaching up from the sheets and wonwoo lets himself be tugged into the younger's bed. "so rough." mingyu agrees, nuzzling into wonwoo even though the other was still in his outside clothes. wonwoo chuckles, shifting so that he was lying next to the alpha, immediately feeling lighter in the other’s presence.

mingyu pulls back, inspecting at wonwoo's face with thumbs sweeping over the other's cheekbones. "rough weekend?" mingyu asks back, soft as the morning was. at that question, wonwoo sags, nodding, and buries himself into mingyu's shoulder.

he’s in the arms of an alpha that wouldn’t lord themselves over him, wouldn’t ever touch wonwoo any rougher than loving hands, an alpha that loved him without ridicule or judgement. wonwoo feels warm, so warmly loved even if the words haven’t been uttered between either of them yet.

the younger's still wearing his cardigan, wonwoo notices as he thumbs the fabric.

"i'll wash it and return it to you soon." mingyu mumbles, looking ready to fall back asleep any moment. wonwoo reaches up to massage at his scalp, gently working his fingers through the strands, much to mingyu's contentment.

"just keep it. you look good in it." wonwoo whispers back, huffing a chuckle when the alpha shudders.

“i still have to wash it, though. it’s full of my scent. i covered all of yours up.” mingyu’s bottom lip pushes out, and wonwoo wants so badly to poke at it. so he does, much to mingyu’s affronted expression. “so cute.” wonwoo coos, even as mingyu rolls his eyes at him. 

“whatever.” the younger says, but smiles fondly at wonwoo anyways.

something’s been different about mingyu lately, wonwoo thinks. 

but he’s tired from his trip to changwon, so he doesn’t give it anymore thought before he succumbs to a lazy afternoon in the younger’s bed.

Chapter Text

the next day is spent mostly lazing in bed, wonwoo slogging through it after his last few days in a bright town with an ocean view.   

“mm. let’s just stay in bed today.” wonwoo had initially decided, pulling mingyu to rest on his chest. they’ve spent so many mornings like this, rolling in bed until mingyu forces them both up before it becomes too late. it was a sunday thankfully, the two only ever sleeping over at each other’s places on weekends since it was a hassle to either drive himself or mingyu back to their respective apartments to get ready for work. 

“tha’ sounds good.” mingyu says, voice muffled in wonwoo’s chest, the rest of his body sprawled on top of wonwoo’s or tangled with his limbs. his agreeance surprises wonwoo but he's certainly not complaining, especially when mingyu also seems so sluggish. wonwoo’s not even sure if his eyes are open.

content at the lack of resistance though, wonwoo hums, closing his eyes too and cuddling closer.

after a few bouts of dozing off again (and delight at seeing mingyu still entangled with him), wonwoo’s stomach gives protest, wanting to be fed after half af day in bed already. unfortunately, wonwoo has to bypass said entanglement if he wanted to fulfil his stomach’s wishes.

“give me my arms back,” wonwoo grunts at the octopus-like alpha clinging to him. “i need them back.” 

mingyu whines at him, hugging him tighter in his arms. wonwoo frowns at the clinginess. mingyu was always touchy and affectionate, but never had he been this clingy. no matter, though. even if mingyu were stronger, wonwoo knows how to find his way out. 

“mingyu,” wonwoo says seductively in the alpha’s ear. “hm?” mingyu hums back and wonwoo grins.

“let’s eat ramyeon.”

and with that, wonwoo pushes himself up and out of bed, leaving mingyu stunned. “wait, hyung, did you mean that in the— the— that way? or are you actually going to eat ramen?” his voice distantly follows wonwoo as the beta made his way out of the bedroom.

“actual ramyeon, dummy. what were you thinking?” wonwoo asks innocently, toothbrush already in his mouth by the time mingyu stumbles in the bathroom after him. to the older’s amusement, mingyu grumbles under his breath as his face pinkens. 

for some reason, mingyu takes a lot longer than wonwoo to get ready so wonwoo pulls ahead, going out to the kitchen to get the ramyeon started. it’s only when the water is boiling and wonwoo had just added in the uncooked noodles does he feel a presence at his back, arms engulfing his torso from behind. a head rests on his broad shoulder, tufts of hair tickling the beta's neck.

“morning, mingyu.” wonwoo greets, turning his head to kiss at the strands. “let me go get the eggs.”

mingyu makes a sound of soft protest but that doesn’t stop wonwoo from breaking free from his embrace, slipping out to complete his task. he takes out two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks as well, knowing his way around mingyu’s apartment all too familiarly. when he sets all the stuff down, he hops up to sit on the counter, turning to see mingyu still standing next to the stove, eyes sleepily blinking at it. 

something’s definitely different about mingyu today, wonwoo thinks. 

normally, mingyu would be complaining about how wonwoo needs more ingredients, more garnishes to make the ramen taste good. additionally, he’s been so clingy and sleepy all day, wonwoo contemplates asking, if anything was wrong. seeing his big frame leaning against the counter next to the stove though, eyes barely open, wonwoo worries.

“mingyu, come here.” wonwoo calls, beckoning the other over from where he was leaning. he seems tired still, even after their relaxing morning-in.

obediently, mingyu pads over to where wonwoo was sitting, naturally coming to stand in between wonwoo’s legs. his hands come down to rest on wonwoo’s thighs, smoothing itself up and down with no heated undertone. he tips his head up, rubbing the top of his head to the underside of wonwoo’s chin. wonwoo arms rest on the other’s shoulders, hands absently going to rub up and down mingyu’s back.

it’s so achingly domestic and soft, wonwoo almost forgets what he even called mingyu over for. the beta reaches a hand back up, pushing mingyu’s head away from him and his palm encases the other’s forehead to feel for his temperature. mingyu huffs, slightly annoyed at being separated from his hyung’s neck but stays still. the alpha is warm, on the threshold of burning, wonwoo feels. 

is he sick?

"hey mingyu, is something wrong?"

the way he freezes sends a shot of concern through wonwoo. "sorry, it's just that.." mingyu trails off. wonwoo tilts his head encouragingly at him.

"my rut's coming up." 

he's uncharacteristically quiet as he says so, ears tinting red at the admission. and for the wonwoo, it clicks. no wonder mingyu had been so overly affectionate lately..

"..ah."

time with mingyu had been so blissful, wonwoo hadn't even noticed that a few months had passed already. wonwoo isn't sure what to expect either, what to say to that. does mingyu want.. a rut partner? or.. what is mingyu looking for?

"it starts soon, i think. i mean, i’m not, uh,” mingyu stammers, eyes flitting to wonwoo only to look away again. “i’m not.. asking to you to join me or anything.. it’s just.. hormones and.. yeah.” he finishes lamely. wonwoo doesn’t feel off-put though, even if he knows spending mating cycles together were a big relationship milestone.

(he does feel a tiny bit apprehensive though, the thought of them.. like that.. an alpha and beta..)

wonwoo decides to focus on other aspects instead. “then, are you feeling okay?”

“i’m just tired, is all,” mingyu leans forward to press his face into wonwoo’s shoulder. the way he yawns into it is telling, wonwoo almost cooing at the younger for it. his hand goes back to the other's hair, running his fingers through the locks gently.

“i think it’s from the pre-rut.”

mingyu’s words muffled are from his face being buried in wonwoo’s shoulder and wonwoo freezes, fingers stilling for a second before he resumes carding through the alpha’s hair. pre-rut. he knows what those are, wonwoo strains to remember from his health classes in his younger education.

"i'm still easing out of them, so it won't be intense or anything. but if it's too early in our relationship.."

wonwoo shakes his head, tenderly taking mingyu’s face in his hands. “no, no, it wouldn’t be..” he says, despite the undercurrent of uncertainty going through him. wonwoo had not really heard of betas being with other subgenders in a sexual manner, so he had no idea what to expect. if it was for mingyu though..

"i mean, it won't be much, or anything even! i just want your.. company too.." mingyu's voice sounds strained even as he tries to reassure wonwoo. wonwoo blinks at him, trying to decide what to say. in the end, he redirects his attention to the present. "we can talk about it in a little bit, you should go back to bed and rest, mingyu-yah," wonwoo urges, his other hand not on mingyu's face coming to rest on the shoulder of the alpha to push him back to the bedroom.

mingyu’s expression pinches, putting a hand on top of wonwoo’s and redirecting it so that it holds mingyu’s waist instead. "no, i think i'm okay, hyung. i can stay a little longer.”

wonwoo smiles, letting his hand stay there and gently squeezing. “you’re so cute, min.” he watches as a blush blooms under his hand on mingyu's face, mingyu’s temperature probably growing hotter even with the blood rush. the skin beneath wonwoo’s hand heats and it doesn’t go down. wonwoo’s face scrunches in concern. “are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed? i can bring the ramen to you, so you can rest.”

“hyung,” mingyu says with a growing pout, pressing his face closer to wonwoo’s hand. “i can stay here, i’m not that tired.”

“at least go sit down then?” wonwoo compromises.

mingyu sighs. “okay.” 

so he settles on the couch while wonwoo prepares the rest of their food, bringing over two steaming bowls of ramyeon to the couch and setting it on the coffee table. mingyu sits up, taking his gratefully. mingyu and wonwoo both eat their food, any silence between them is a little tense between them as they eat the rest of their meal. mingyu cracks a joke though and they return to their normal banter, though not without an underlying uneasiness that was not there before.

the underlying uneasiness only makes itself more known when they’re both done, both dishes deposited in the sink. even though the younger’s eyes are practically drooping and shutting on their own, mingyu reaches to start washing but wonwoo gently pushes him back.

“no, go back to bed, i’ll handle the dishes.” the elder says, voice firm and leaving no room for argument.

mingyu relents again, a look of defeat on his face that clenches wonwoo’s heart as he obediently trudges back to bed. wonwoo smiles wryly at his back before going back to the task at hand.

when he slips back into bed, wonwoo fully expects mingyu to cling to him as he was doing earlier when the beta was in proximity.  all he gets, though, is a hand on his shirt sleeve instead. wonwoo raises an eyebrow at him, wondering why the other was holding back his cuddling tendencies.

"sorry again, hyung. i know i’m not..” mingyu rubs at his face tiredly. “at my best right now. i’m just so.. tired.”

"it's not your fault, mingyu-yah.” wonwoo reassures, pulling the other into his arms for him. “i don’t mind, really.” mingyu lays in his arms, biting at his bottom lip like he still wants to say something. "i’m not going into work tomorrow. do you still want to come over?" mingyu asks nervously, hands clutching at wonwoo’s shirt. “i promise i won’t do anything weird, i can control myself.”

"okay, i will." wonwoo agrees easily, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "can we still cuddle for a bit though? before you go?" mingyu’s tone sounds nervous. wonwoo knows he has to go home soon so that he could get to work tomorrow on time but.. it’s not like wonwoo could ever say no to him.

"silly." wonwoo smiles gently before pressing up into the younger's arms. mingyu buries his head into the beta's neck, inhaling deeply and wonwoo just holds him for a moment longer.

“i’ll come over and stay as long as you’d like.” wonwoo reassures him, hands coming up to pet at the other’s hair. he can practically feel the way mingyu melts into him, content and relaxed again in wonwoo’s hold.

the next day, unsurprisingly, mingyu is all wonwoo can think about.

he knows mingyu won’t be in the office, so he doesn’t bother searching for him, but damn does the other occupy his mind a good chunk of the time. in his idle time, he aimlessly searches up articles on.. rut. the articles wonwoo searches up are clinical, thankfully, ignoring all the raunchier ones obviously advertising scams.

rut

rut symptoms

how to care for someone in rut

everything you need to know about rut cycles

the ideal rut partner

what to do when your partner's in rut

as wonwoo’s thinking of what to search up next, he must stay on the screen for too long because jun raises an eyebrow when he looks over at wonwoo’s screen. “oh? what is this?” wonwoo jumps, mouse instantly clicking back to his work tab. “n-nothing.” wonwoo stammers out, feeling his face reddening. 

“really?” jun hums disbelievingly. “well, if it’s nothing, then.." jun grins (evilly) at him. "..i think you should spend his rut with him.” 

wonwoo chokes.

jun's grin only grows wider. “you think i didn’t notice mingyu not coming into work today? and how that correlates with you being distracted like this?” the beta leans back in his seat, surveying and marvelling at his handiwork in making wonwoo flustered. said beta coughs, resolutely looking away from jun lest he see his fully red face (if wonwoo couldn’t see jun, jun couldn’t see wonwoo, wonwoo desperately hopes is true in the moment).

“you’re right, wonwoo has been acting mopey again since mingyu isn’t in the office.” another voice drawls, joining in the conversation. 

wonwoo jumps as he and jun both turn to greet the newcomer. “jeonghan hyung!”

the elder beta smiles slyly from where he’s perched on the side of wonwoo and jun’s cubicle. “should take a look at your phone. it’s vibrating an awful lot.” with that, all three betas look to the side to wonwoo’s phone which is indeed lighting up with notification after notification.

wonwoo is quick to take it in hand, ignoring the shared look between both jun and jeonghan.

hyubggg

hyungggg

hunhggggggg

i miss you :(

wonwoo purses his lips, looking at the messages. who knew that even through text, kim mingyu could be whiny?

i miss you too

only a few more hours, i’ll come by after work

okay :(

it’s followed by a very fitting sticker of a dog with drooping ears and sad looking eyes. it tugs at wonwoo’s heart, knowing mingyu was so tired and all alone at home. “should i?” wonwoo considers it. spending a rut with mingyu like that?

at his side, jun nods enthusiastically. jeonghan also nods, albeit slower and more composed. wonwoo’s lips twist as he thinks. 

a beta and alpha weren’t compatible at all, especially in sexual relations. but if he and mingyu had managed to make their.. partnership work so far, wouldn’t it extend to this too? or maybe it’ll be a breaking point, the thought interrupts wonwoo’s train of thought and he bites at his lips. he startles when a hand rests itself on his shoulder. 

“oookay and that’s enough thinking for you,” jeonghan announces, heavily patting at wonwoo’s broad shoulder to bring his attention back. “don’t you worry your pretty head about it, mingyu’s a good boy who will do anything you want, i gurantee it. i can see that pup’s praise kink a mile away.” both jun and wonwoo react to that sentence, the former bursting into giggles as wonwoo sputters unintelligibly, face reddening even further. 

“and i’m the one approving all of your work leaves anyways, so..” jeonghan smirks before leaning down to stage whisper to the two of them. “you should totally do it.”

“i..” 

jun hums, giggles dying down. “you’ve barely gotten a chance to use your work leaves anyways, what’s the harm? mingyu would definitely be happy to have you there with him.”

“what if i’m not enough, though?” wonwoo blurts out. the other two look at him in surprise. “if he needs.. something else..” wonwoo looks down, getting shy all of a sudden. jeonghan pats at his shoulder, making wonwoo look up again. “mingyu wouldn’t want anyone but you, i guarantee it.”

jun nods along. “he’s so head over heels for you, it’s no wonder you need glasses, with how blind you are to it.” wonwoo sputters at that. “hey!”

“just send in that work leave, wonwoo-yah,” jeonghan nudges at the younger beta. “don’t worry so much, it’ll turn out fine.”

wonwoo sighs. “fine.”

at his side, jun cheers and jeonghan smiles slyly. “attaboy. have fun getting dicked down, let us know how it goes.” jeonghan waves elegantly as he leaves, leaving wonwoo with a permanent blush and jun cackling at his side.

so for the first time ever, wonwoo sends in a leave for a week-off, for a rut.

mingyu's breathing heavily when he opens the door. they both smile at the sight of each other, the food bags wonwoo was carrying rustling as he steps into the house. he sets down the numerous containers before turning to his alpha.

"hey, you," wonwoo greets softly, getting up on his tiptoes to nuzzle at mingyu's cheek with his nose. "how are you feeling?” mingyu doesn’t hesitate to pull the beta in, into the house and into his arms in one smooth motion. the door slams slightly behind them but neither pay it any mind, wonwoo’s arms coming up to reciprocate mingyu’s embrace.

"m' clingy." mingyu admits outright, muttering it in the side of wonwoo's head. the alpha buries his nose into the smooth strands, doing nothing to hide how he gulps down wonwoo’s natural scent. wonwoo hums, hands soothing up and down mingyu’s back in what he hopes is a comforting manner. “i can see that.” he teases, letting mingyu drape himself all over the elder. 

"i'm still in pre-rut."

“is pre-rut supposed to last this long?” wonwoo asks gently. his research usually said pre-rut lasted a few days, a not a full week like mingyu’s clinginess had been. mingyu snuffles, burying his head into the top of wonwoo’s hair, audibly inhaling. “i’m easing off suppressants, remember? my cycle will be weird for a while before it balances out.”

wonwoo hums a response. he pulls back, keeping the alpha at an arm’s length to take him in. mingyu’s eyes are hooded already, face slack. he still looks just as tired as the day before, eyes droopy-looking as well. "then we just have to make sure you eat and drink before it hits." mingyu blinks at him as wonwoo pulls away fully, hands flying around all the food containers he bought to organize them.

“come on, i brought you food. and food for the next few days as well,” wonwoo says absently, already opening and closing cabinets and drawers around mingyu’s kitchen to take out the needed cutlery and plates. he opens the fridge too, taking care to tuck all the excess food they won’t be eating for the night. he only stops when he feels a presence beside him, turning his head to the side to meet mingyu’s eyes staring right at him. the beta's hands slow to a stop, meeting mingyu’s gaze right back.

"you're so.." mingyu trails off. wonwoo blinks at him, taking in the sight of the alpha all soft and sleep-rumpled.

there’s a glazed kind of look in his eyes that wonwoo doesn't have enough time to decipher before mingyu is burying his head into the other's neck. wonwoo wishes he had a scent or the ability to let out soothing pheromones himself, if only to ease some of his partner's pain. he settles instead for settling his hand at the back of his head, fingers resting in the other's hair by habit. 

the alpha’s body sags, weight leaning into wonwoo who almost stumbles at the added weight on top of him. “still tired?” wonwoo asks and mingyu hums in return. “let’s get you to bed then.”

this time, mingyu doesn’t protest, agreeing easily though he refuses to go off to bed on his own, the beta having to convince him to simply sit as he puts away the rest of the food. he also takes a moment to feel the alpha’s forehead, internally grimacing when the other feels warmer than the day before. he speeds up his task, finishing quickly and helping mingyu up to stumble to the bedroom together.

"recently, they're kind of been a hit or miss, i think,” mingyu mumbles sleepily, lisp showing and making him sound cuter than usual. “it's either i’m completely fine or i’m really sick and clingy."

"aren't you just clingy regardless?" wonwoo teases, pushing the other back into bed. "hyungg," the younger whines even as his fingers reach out to tug wonwoo closer in a familiar dance and rhythm. once wonwoo's fully settled next to him, the younger pulls him to his chest, nose burying itself in his hair again.

"mine," mingyu whispers, nose rustling around in the black strands. "all mine." 

wonwoo shudders at the sensations, body pressed closely to the other's, so close he can feel the firmness of the alpha's muscles. "all yours." wonwoo agrees, taking the opportunity to bury himself into mingyu's neck, right next to the other's scent gland.

he mouths as it, the younger groans at the sensitive area being lightly stimulated. "hyung, you're so good to me," mingyu pants, hugging even tighter, if possible. wonwoo slides a hand up his neck too, going to massage at the gland (it’s pleasurable, articles have said).

mingyu’s hand stops him before he can though, gently holding at the wrist before wonwoo could touch. wonwoo blinks up at him, wondering what he was doing. mingyu just shakes his head but doesn’t give an answer.

they spend a couple hours like that, wonwoo getting comfortable and staying in bed with mingyu much like the day before. they talk quietly and start to trade lazy kisses, more for just kissing rather than to escalate anything.

it’s a gradual shift, seeing mingyu go from pre-rut to actual rut. there’s not a definite moment when it hits but when he feels a bulge pressing into his leg, wonwoo is hesitant to do anything. they'd never done anything more than the occasional wandering hands during makeout sessions. hands pressed under shirts, skin-to-skin contact, kisses lining each other’s necks but..

this is new.

a beta and an alpha.. not the most sexually compatible.

mingyu seems to have different thoughts. "ignore it, i just want cuddles right now." mingyu's grip is firm but his body trembles, shaking. 

wonwoo blinks at him. "but you're—"

"please," mingyu pleads softly, his arms still holding onto wonwoo. "don't acknowledge it."

mingyu is tense in his hands. wonwoo massages at his arms, hoping for the other to calm down in his most vulnerable state. it’s not good for people to be stressed in their ruts or heats, wonwoo remembers reading.

ignoring an alpha’s knot in rut though?

"just ignore it, hyung. please." the alpha's voice sounds weak, face uncertain and slightly pinched in worry. wonwoo instantly throws all thoughts of even trying anything sexual out his head.

"just cuddles, nothing else." wonwoo reassures, hands lightly rubbing tiny circles into mingyu's back, trying to show that his hands aren't traveling any further. his heart aches, to see mingyu look small, shrinking into himself like he's expecting an adverse reaction.

"just cuddles." mingyu affirms even as he keeps trembling. the alpha ducks his head into wonwoo's neck, his favorite place as of late. wonwoo doesn’t deny him, letting the younger bury himself against him.

“you’re okay.”

wonwoo presses a light kiss to the younger's hair. 

bedtime is a whole ordeal, mingyu seemingly too tired to even leave the bed (and embarrassed about the tent in his pants). 

to this, wonwoo brings his toothbrush to bed for him, cleans his face for him with a soft towel, and makes sure to check mingyu’s temperature.

mingyu whines at him for it, not wanting to be excessively coddled but wonwoo knows he likes the care, judging by the blissed out expression he gives just being around wonwoo and letting himself be taken care of.

“such a baby,” wonwoo teases, smacking a small kiss on mingyu’s nose mole when he finishes cleaning his face for him. mingyu only garbles something unintelligible at him, rut-brained and hazy from his cycle. wonwoo just laughs at that and mingyu scrunches his face at him, weakly bringing an arm up to smack his shoulder.

“‘m so tired, hyung,” mingyu groans, leaning forward to rest his forehead on the other’s shoulder he just smacked, to wonwoo’s amusement. “it’s so hot.”

“let me get something to cool you down, then.” wonwoo says fondly, mingyu predictably protesting at him when he even mentions leaving again. the elder just shushes him, appeasing him not unlike he would a child with promises he’ll be quick.

“are you sure?” mingyu asks, words partially muffled as he's laid down and wonwoo tucks his blanket around him and close to face. he looks like he’s sleeping already, eyes barely open and breathing deeply already. “yes, i’ll be super quick.” wonwoo humors him and stifles a laugh when mingyu dramatically holds the back of his hand to his eyes in a fake show of fainting. 

it’s for naught though because by the time wonwoo comes back, mingyu’s already asleep. to see the alpha spread out on the bed like that, cutely (if he can even describe like that) snoring away cuddled up in his sheets. wonwoo smiles fondly at the sight, even if he were slightly worried about how listless rut has made such a usually active alpha. wonwoo fidgets with the blanket, readjusting it to cover mingyu’s legs since the blanket was scrunched up and too short to cover all of him.

wonwoo’s eyes wander down, lower on mingyu’s body.

this wasn’t something wonwoo had exactly been prepared for, where he had been bracing for mingyu to be unsatisfied with.. him in general, how he wasn’t small and petite and couldn’t produce slick.. it’s a guilty relief that fills him that nothing sexual had occured througout. it’s a guilty relief that wonwoo wouldn’t have to know how to feels to be rejected even in mid-rut and potentially see mingyu no longer want him when he realizes he wasn’t exactly the perfect rut partner..

wonwoo shakes his head. what was he thinking?

he goes back applying the cooling pack to the other’s forehead and slipping back into bed with him. a hand comes up to rest of mingyu’s cheek, gently caressing it as the other puffs out deep breaths in his sleep. mingyu doesn’t care about that stuff, wonwoo reminds himself, eyes roving over the younger’s face. so handsome, so open-minded, how could one be so understanding, so perfect to wonwoo like this?

it’s with these mixed thoughts that wonwoo’s eyes start to close as well, sleep overtaking him face to face with his partner.

wonwoo wakes again when mingyu wiggles around a lot, squirming and restless. he was going to leave him be but then mingyu sits up, rummaging in his drawer for something in the dark. some sounds wonwoo doesn’t process go through one ear and out the other but with how mingyu is fully sitting up draws wonwoo to full consciousness.

it takes some squinting but wonwoo manages to parse out the scene of mingyu rubbing a cream over his skin, massaging it as he goes. "sore?" wonwoo ventures a guess. mingyu turns to face him, blinking like he didn’t expect the other to be up. "sort of." mingyu replies, still twisting and turning around. "'m sorry, hyung, go back to sleep—"

wonwoo pushes himself to sit up too, hands reaching out for the container. mingyu's hands don't let it go so easily, keeping a tight hold even as wonwoo insistently tugs at it. even with his blurred vision, he can see mingyu staring at him.

"let me give you a massage," wonwoo explains blearily, tugging again at the cream. 

mingyu's hands tremble a little when they finally release their grip, allowing wonwoo to take hold of the bottle. he can't see the words on it anyways, too small for his bad vision in the dark but he assumes it's just lotion of some sort.

"no, it's okay." mingyu says halfheartedly, hands weakly going to take it back but wonwoo holds it in a firm grip. “just let me do this for you.” wonwoo breathes out, holding the alpha’s gaze. they stare at each other for a few seconds, mingyu’s alpha obviously taking it as a challenge because even through wonwoo’s impaired vision, he can see mingyu’s jaw clenching.

wonwoo breaks it by pushing mingyu back down onto his pillow, no patience for such things, especially in the middle of the night. “just let me take care of you, mingyu-yah.” mingyu sighs harshly out of his nose, relenting easily, most likely due to exhaustion more than anything. 

"fine. just don't—" mingyu takes in a breath. "don't touch down there."

"i won't." wonwoo promises, fingers lightly tracing at mingyu’s bare torso. "i won’t do anything you don’t want me to." he can hear mingyu nod against the pillow, and—

"i trust you."

it's whispered but wonwoo hears it clearly, heart audibly beating in his ears when he hears it.

"thank you." wonwoo whispers back, hands softly trailing along his arm. 

the alpha is pliant under his hands, giving small appreciative groans when wonwoo kneads a spot just right. wonwoo smiles, hands working slowly just along the other’s chest and arms with the lotion. if the excuse to appropriately touch the wasn’t enough, mingyu’s small mumbles, “it feels good, hyung.” make the experience all the more better.

true to his word, wonwoo doesn’t venture lower, nothing sexual happening though wonwoo knows the other must be on edge after being in rut for a while now. he doesn’t say anything about it though, knowing mingyu wouldn’t bar him from it for no good reason.

“mingyu,” wonwoo mutters sleepily when his hands slow to a stop. “do you also want me to do your back—”

a soft snore interrupts him, wonwoo’s eyes snapping open to look up at the alpha. 

sure enough, the younger is asleep and snoozing away peacefully already. wonwoo smiles softly at the sight, clicking the bottle shut and setting it aside. he yawns as puts it down, dropping a sweet kiss to mingyu’s hair before settling down next to the alpha. he adjusts the blankets again, doing his best to cover mingyu’s big frame before snuggling close to the other’s warmth and drifting off himself. 

overall, it's a lot more underwhelming than wonwoo expects.

the medias made it out to be some crazy nonstop sex marathon but with mingyu, the other and wonwoo had traded lazy kisses for the better part of their days, interrupted by necessities and naps as mingyu does his best to essentially sleep through his entire cycle. they never stray far from each other though, always rolling back to bed into each other's arms and cuddling until wonwoo wonders if he could get sick from so much physical contact.

mingyu, since the first day, relaxes easily into wonwoo's arms, reassured in knowing nothing more than kisses and cuddles were happening between them and wonwoo keeps reassuring him, ignoring any sign of arousal and taking mingyu's words seriously.

the articles wonwoo read come on handy too because in spite of wonwoo's own lack of schedules for himself, he periodically drags mingyu up to eat and drink water. the rut fever going through mingyu is constant but always under control, even if it leaves the younger clingy and constantly whining for physical contact to a new degree (though wonwoo is always more than happy to indulge).

it's kind of perfect, a light introduction to mating cycles to someone who had never been involved.

"you're perfect." mingyu declares when wonwoo voices this out loud, draping himself over wonwoo's back. it soothes some part of wonwoo, him fighting to keep the smile from overtaking his face, even if mingyu doesn't see it anyways.

"time to eat." wonwoo says, dragging mingyu to sit on the chair.

he groggily helps wonwoo set out the utensils even with his sleep-puffed face, making wonwoo want to coo at the younger. he settles for smiling fondly instead. his hands can’t help but habitually run down the other’s back though, rubbing up and down.

"rut's over, i think. almost." mingyu says tiredly, sighing happily at the feeling of wonwoo's hands running along his back. “good to hear.” wonwoo presses a kiss into the side of the other’s head. the younger has been looking more lucid in the past few hours, more awake though still exhausted-looking, nonetheless. 

mingyu leans up in his direction, turning so that their lips can meet as well. the kiss is short and sweet, mingyu settling back down easily and wonwoo sitting down next to him to start eating as well.

"hyung, i know it's weird," mingyu starts, eyes trained on his food. his chopsticks are hovering above his bowl, not quite digging into the food just yet. he doesn't even speak in wonwoo's direction, looking like he's talking to his food instead. “i know you were expecting something else, like a.. normal rut.” 

"mingyu," wonwoo’s setting down his own chopsticks to take the other’s hand in his, sensing a heaviness to the other’s words. "we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.”

"it's not always like this, it's only in rut, i swear," mingyu continues, still talking to his food even as wonwoo rubs at his knuckles with his thumb. and then he looks over. “i’m sorry if you wanted us to have sex or anything, i just..” the younger looks like he blanches. “i’m sorry if i wasn’t enough.”

wonwoo almost wants to laugh. 

the guilty relief he had been feeling all of mingyu’s rut, the idea of mingyu being unsatisfied with him is being reflected in mingyu, even if not for the same reasons. it’s funny, in some way, that they had the same insecurity about each other.

wonwoo scoots closer to the other. "i'm not mad, mingyu, i'd never do anything to make you uncomfortable like that. i thought that i wouldn’t be enough for you, just.. a beta trying to keep up with an alpha’s rut."

wonwoo grows shy after that, speaking his insecurities so freely but then mingyu looks at him in disbelief. “you? god, hyung, not you,” mingyu speaks firmly, turning so he was fully facing the elder and squeezing his fingers. “you’re nothing but perfect.”

wonwoo’s heart warms, doing nothing to keep his smile from blooming. “and likewise.” wonwoo adds in, reaching up his free hand to hold mingyu’s cheek. mingyu blinks at him and wonwoo delights in the way he can feel his face heating up from his point of contact. “i really don’t care if we had sex or not, mingyu-yah, it’s more than enough to be here with you already.”

mingyu goes quiet again. wonwoo doesn’t mind it, letting the other think as they hold hands. he continues holding mingyu’s face, running his thumb across his cheek to silently remind him that wonwoo was there. 

"i'm.. sensitive to scents.” mingyu starts again. “it gets worse in rut, i can't even stand my own scent in it, but being in rut makes my scent even more potent, especially when i.. get off."

"was that why you were on suppressants?" wonwoo strokes gently at the other's face, patient as he listens. mingyu seems to relax, seeing no bad reaction from the other, even leaning into the older's palm. 

the younger nods. “my doctor says i’ve been using them for too long though, that i need to give my body a break.” 

wonwoo hums. “that makes sense. did you just quit them, then?”

"yeah. the doctor said using suppressants then easing off on them could reintroduce my body back into them, to hopefully be exposure or something, but it—” mingyu sighs, closing his eyes and scrunching up his face. “it gives me such a headache, to be around strong scents or too many scents like that.”

mingyu opens his eyes again, eyes making contact with wonwoo's. "i know this wasn't the most ideal or what you were expecting—"

"mingyu,” the beta cuts him off, reminding him again. “you're more than enough for me. i really don’t care. i liked getting to spend so much time with you and taking care of you like this.”

a week of getting to be by your side and lounging around with just you is already enough, more than enough, wonwoo wants to add but he keeps it in his head, especially when mingyu looks shy enough, shoulders tucking forward slightly.

“okay.” mingyu breathes out and wonwoo smiles more, hand on the alpha’s face closing around his cheek to pinch it much to the younger’s protest. they finish their meal in lighthearted feelings, the two quickly returning to bed afterwards since mingyu was still tired from finishing his cycle. 

"is there anything i can do for you?" wonwoo asks as they’re in bed again, mingyu tucked under the sheets but wonwoo still stands. mingyu seems like he wants to say something, and wonwoo rubs at his shoulder encouragingly. 

"can you help me apply the scent-blocking cream?"

wonwoo nods. "where is it?"

mingyu tilts his head at him, the pillow underneath his head shifting as he does so. "hyung, you've held it before? it’s in the drawer."

wonwoo finds it easily, the same packaging he saw several nights ago vaguely familiar, something that he thought was lotion. "oh, i didn't realize." wonwoo admits, fingers trailing over the label. scent blocking cream, max strength!

"really?" mingyu looks at him in disbelief.

"hey, i didn't have my glasses on when you gave it to me, okay?" wonwoo defends lightly and the younger gives a huff of laughter.

"jeononu pabo," mingyu teases and wonwoo slightly smacks the other, only causing the alpha to giggle. “move over, i’ll give you another massage.” he tells him to which the alpha obeys easily, sighing in contentment when wonwoo starts working his hands into his skin with the blocker.

it's another new subgender-related concept wonwoo has seen out of the city, an alpha who disliked their own ruts. it's not something wonwoo looks down on, but he just wonders why he's still so stuck in his mindsets. wonwoo thinks this passively as his hands trail absently along mingyu’s body. his hands pause over mingyu’s neck, lightly pressing his palm against mingyu’s scent gland. an idea comes to mind.

“mingyu,”

“hm?” mingyu opens his eyes to look up at wonwoo, looking on the verge of sleepiness again.

“if i block your scent gland, do you think that would help?”

mingyu’s eyes open wider. “that could work..” wonwoo smiles at the other, adjusting his hand in place to let it cover better. mingyu takes a deep inhale, showing no adverse reaction. wonwoo smiles a little wider, seeing mingyu’s eyes crinkle in excitement.

“hyung, i lo—” mingyu cuts himself off, blinking rapidly at the beta. wonwoo quirks an eyebrow at him and mingyu just shakes his head, turning back around and surging forward to capture wonwoo’s lips in a kiss that wonwoo happily reciprocates.

mingyu’s clinginess eventually fades and with it, the rut fever does too. by night, he’s ‘completely back to normal’, or so he says. “hyung, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. i’ll be able to take care of myself now.” mingyu insists. wonwoo just shakes his head, draping himself over the alpha’s body from where they’re both resting on the couch, a movie playing in the background.

his hand presses along mingyu’s scent gland when he can, covering it because he knows the other is especially sensitive to scents right now, post-rut. mingyu drops kisses along wonwoo’s free hand when he does so, ever grateful.

(“we’ll definitely try it out when your next rut happens.” wonwoo promises, fingers lightly massaging around mingyu’s neck careful to not touch the other’s scent gland. “you want to be there for my next rut?” mingyu asks, looking at wonwoo with shiny, wide eyes. wonwoo flushes, realizing the implication of his words. 

“w-well.. i wouldn’t say no.” wonwoo stammers out, looking away from the alpha. it takes him by surprise when a few fingers swivel wonwoo’s head back to mingyu’s, leaving him no time to process when the alpha’s lips are on his again.)

“i’m going to stay with you. just to be sure.” wonwoo teases playfully, pinching the other’s nose much to the younger’s chagrin.

 wonwoo's phone rings and he takes a peek at the caller.

call from bohyukkie incoming..

alarmed, wonwoo stands. bohyuk never calls unannounced.

mingyu looks up at him and wonwoo gives him a placating smile. "i need to talk a quick call, i'll be back in a sec," he says, pressing a chaste kiss to mingyu's forehead. "okay. let me know if you need anything." mingyu is quick to reply, easy to turn his attention back to the movie that's playing.

wonwoo steps out the apartment for a second, the chill from outside sobering him and reminding him of that the world existed outside of him and mingyu.

"hey, bohyuk," wonwoo greets, accepting the call. "what's up?"

"hyung, what's your address in seoul? can i come stay for a few days?" his brother’s words come out in a rush, a flurry of syllables wonwoo barely has time to catch.

"..bokyuk? what?"

"i didn't think she'd be like that, i think she found out," his words are still running together quickly. "i distract her, i told her i was thinking about universities in seoul, like seoul national, or something, maybe that i could visit you to help me tour—”

"breathe, hyukkie,” wonwoo cuts in, voice coming out a little louder than it should have. he glances back at mingyu’s door, quieting his voice down. “calm down, breathe."

bohyuk audibly breathes on the other side of the call. wonwoo praises him. “good, relax for a moment. now tell me what happened, slower.”

bohyuk breathes again. “my.. girlfriend, she was over and we were hanging out. she almost kissed me and eomma walked in, and—” the alpha inhales sharply. "i didn't know she could be so scary."

wonwoo blinks, hands clutching tighter at the phone. wonwoo definitely  mknows how scary she can be but to his brother?

“what did you say afterwards? what did she say afterwards?”

“she didn’t say anything! but my god, did she look so scary, she looked like she was ready to kill me or something and she keeps looking at me like that and her scent is so bitter..” the younger rambles, obviously disturbed with the way words keep falling out of his mouth. 

“i don’t know if i want to be around her like this so i said i want to do university tours during my break, and she took it and i said i might come visit you in seoul, for seoul national and all,” bohyuk pauses, wonwoo relieved for a second because that means the other was breathing again.

"you can come to seoul, i’ll house you. i'll talk to her," it’s all a whirlwind of events, but wonwoo knows that he’d do anything for his brother. anything. "you'll be okay." he adds, extra reassurance.

“thank you, hyung,” bohyuk breathes out. “she was so scary, she’s still scaring me, she scares me so bad,” 

“you’ll be okay, bohyukkie,” wonwoo says into the phone. inside, he feels numb, seeing the younger experience all he’s felt all his life but he pushes it aside. no way in hell was he letting his brother go uncomforted even if he had only experienced a fraction of what wonwoo had always experienced. “just hang in there a little longer, your spring break isn’t far, right? just a little longer and you can come over to spring break, you’ll be alright.”

bohyuk takes a shuddering breath. “okay, hyung. i believe you.”

“good. see you during break then?”

“yeah, i’ll see you during break.” bohyuk sounds a lot calmer than before, wonwoo’s glad.

“sounds good. don’t forget to call me before your break though,” wonwoo teases. “your break isn’t far but it's not that far.”

a huff sounds through the phone. “of course i’ll call you hyung. i’ll make sure of it. thank you so much, i love you, hyung.”

“of course, i love you too, bohyuk-ah.” wonwo answers and with that, the call ends. 

wonwoo smiles for a second, humorlessly. he keeps clutching to his phone to his ear for a another second before he sighs, dropping it back down to his side. the chill of being outside bites him but he stays out for just a moment longer, tucking his feelings inside back down again before he has to go inside.

"everything okay?" mingyu asks when wonwoo comes back.

wonwoo plasters on a smile, leaning back into the younger's side. “everything’s fine.” wonwoo says, settling back down next to the alpha’s side. he's too distracted to pay attention to the rest of the movie, already trying to plan out arrangements for bohyuk in his mind. 

“so..” jeonghan drawls out when wonwoo returns to the office on monday. “so how was it?”

and then wonwoo promptly bangs his hip on the side of his desk. he winces at the sensation, hand instantly going to hold the injured area which leaves him nothing to hide the high blush on his face. “how was what?” 

jeonghan smirks. “your boyfriend’s rut?” 

wonwoo’s whole face feels hot.  “it was good.” is all he manages, resolutely looking away from the older beta. jeonghan, the annoyance he was, tilts his head so that he comes into wonwoo’s view just so that he can see his shit-eating grin. “that’s all you have to say about it?”

wonwoo gulps. “yes?”

“huh..” 

“what else did you expect from someone like wonwoo hyung?” seokmin sighs, sending a teasing smile wonwoo’s way. 

“hm,” jeonghan’s lips twist in an unsatisfied pout. “i bet mingyu’s a bottom.” the way he says it, wonwoo knows it’s just to goad him into having a big reaction. that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work though.

“that’s not for you to know!” wonwoo flushes instantly, falling straight into jeonghan’s bait. 

seokmin grins. “whatever you say, wonwoo hyung.”

“work is so exhausting.” mingyu lolls his head against the cafe table. wonwoo smiles at the sight, drinking in the vision of mingyu with a mask on and in his cardigan again even if they had just seen each other the night before.

“too many scents?” wonwoo asks, hands brushing through mingyu’s hair as always. the alpha just nods, eyes slipping shut in contentment. “and minghao kept teasing me all day too! so annoying, that man.” mingyu complains, not even opening his eyes as he does so.

“about what?” wonwoo smirks. at that, mingyu does open his eyes and wonwoo can practically see the pout even behind his mask. wonwoo tilts his head innocently and mingyu sits up. 

“about what, mingyu-ah?”

“that we.. hyung!” 

wonwoo laughs at mingyu’s reddening ears. he relents easily. “it’s okay, i kept being teased by the others as well.” a voice cuts in prominently, in good timing. “ah, look at the married couple! so in love~” both mingyu and wonwoo blush at that statement, looking away from each other.

seungcheol smirks as he plops down in the seat next to wonwoo. jihoon and minghao follow much more calmly but both with smiles on their faces as well. soonyoung bounds up to them eagerly, evil smile on his face that wonwoo internally groans at. “leave us alone, we just got back,” mingyu grumbles, seemingly sharing similar thoughts.

“ah yes, so tired after your entire week off. as if the last week wasn’t enough for you two to consummate your marriage?” soonyoung teases on mingyu’s side, leaning in close just to be shoved away by a mingyu with a flaming face.

“hey! we didn’t even—” “yah, don’t bring this up here—” mingyu and wonwoo both start only to cut themselves off.

“ah~ why wasn’t i invited to the wedding? you guys are so cruel~” soonyoung continues teasing. “ayy..” mingyu whines but the others only take it as more of an incentive to tease him even more. 

zzt.

wonwoo’s phone vibrates and he looks over, thankful for at least a little distraction from his friends. mingyu leans against him and when wonwoo spares him a glance, mingyu doesn't say anything, just seems content to rest himself against wonwoo so wonwoo takes the chance to pick up his phone and respond.

you’re going to come and pick me up, right?

of course. 

actually, i think i’ll just leave you stranded in seoul.

hyung!!!

“ah, to be young and in love,” seungcheol smiles dreamily, ignoring when wonwoo reaches over to smack him.

the excitement and commotion over wonwoo and mingyu thankfully dies down over the course of the next few days, wonwoo ignoring his friends innuendos and teasing as per usual. 

mingyu and wonwoo aren’t any different either (wonwoo lies, he and mingyu both are a lot touchier than before, even if not indulging in pda like that in the office). time spent with each other is spent with unrestricted touchiness, hands always seeking each other, mingyu’s hands coming to rest along wonwoo’s waist, wonwoo leaning his head on mingyu’s shoulder, and so on.

it’s blissful, it’s a good development, the two barely straying from each other in their daily lives.

time ticks down until bohyuk says he’s coming to seoul though, and wonwoo wonders how he’s going to manage to pick him up with him and mingyu hanging out so often. 

wonwoo purses his lips while looking at his calendar. it’s not like mingyu and wonwoo ever planned when they were going to spend time with each other, they just did so as they felt like it. what should wonwoo even say to tell mingyu that he couldn’t be with him tonight?

the date of boyuk’s train arrival glares up at him, the spot of color on the calendar contrasting with the rest of his planner.

"ugh, why is he here again?"

wonwoo looks up from his phone, exiting his calendar to plan out how he was going to pick up bohyuk that day. he looks over at seungkwan, the younger beta’s face pulled in a judgemental look towards the entrance of the office.

wonwoo follows his gaze but can’t see much other than a man that he knows is part of the one of the other departments in the company. he couldn’t be bothered to match a name to a face though, especially when the other only came by to their department every once and a while.

“his scent is so.. eugh, how can anyone stand to be around him? what is he even doing now? i always hate when he comes here.” seungkwan complains, hand faux covering his face doing nothing to hide his pinched expression and narrowed eyes. wonwoo hums, eyes drifting passively to the man again. 

if seungkwan can smell it, it must be pretty strong.

wonwoo manages to catch a whiff of it too, even from where he was and his face wrinkles too in empathy. omega, wonwoo smells, a sugary smell that he never sensed before, seeing as the omega had never exposed his scent so freely  when he dropped by. the scene is only made more obnoxious by the omega’s neck baring, bordering on inappropriate, no doubt to flaunt his scent even further.

wonwoo’s eyes watches warily, observing as the omega makes his way over to minghao and mingyu’s side of the office. wonwoo narrows his eyes at the way he leans over their cubicle, encroaching on their space a little too close for wonwoo’s liking. 

“he smells so.. sweet, too sweet, like too much vanilla.” seungkwan comments, theatrically plugging his nose.

wonwoo's still watching the other from a distance, watching as minghao nods and starts speaking with the omega with a stiff face. mingyu, at the same workspace, is subtly turned away, face pinching at the scent's strength. the omega pays no mind to this though, only stepping closer and closer, practically sitting on their desk. mingyu tilts his head away, head only turning up to catch wonwoo's eyes and all the beta can see is a pained frown gracing his face.

with that, wonwoo's instantly out of his chair, not minding the fact that seungkwan was still chattering to him. he grabs some random papers off his desk, just to look like he’s doing something important as he walks over to mingyu. 

"mingyu-yah, can you help me with the printer?" wonwoo asks as he approaches, phrasing his appearance as a casual excuse. mingyu's shoulders seem to hunch in relief at the sight of him. "yes, of course,” the alpha breathes out, taking the out as what it was. he smiles, instantly up on his feet to follow wonwoo when a hand is suddenly on his chest.

“hey, wait a second, mingyu-sshi, i’m talking to you.” the omega says and wonwoo frowns, looking at the dainty hand set on the alpha’s chest. “you can’t just walk off when i’m talking to you like that.”

mingyu frowns too, gently pushing the omega’s hand away, much to his and wonwoo’s pleasure. “please don’t touch me like that. it looked like you were busy talking to minghao though, this is not a conversation that needs three people, is it?” his voice is strained as he says this, posture rigid and wonwoo just knows that the other was fighting not to react to being so close to such a strong scent.

behind him, minghao is also frowning now, eyes trained on the other omega with an unreadable look in his eyes.

the omega shifts his gaze to look at wonwoo, eyes drifting up and down wonwoo’s form scrutinizingly. it fills wonwoo with a molten feeling, slightly bristling at the other’s gaze on him. the omega scoffs, though wonwoo isn’t sure if it’s directed at him or mingyu’s question. “well of course it does, what is it with the printer that could be more important than the quarterly reports?" he leans against mingyu's desk, fingers gracing itself across mingyu's small knickknacks: pens, sticky notes, the small cat charm from wonwoo..

the sight of another person's hands on the charm makes wonwoo's posture go rigid.

"if they're quarterly reports, just leave them on his desk and send an email then," wonwoo snaps, much to the surprise of mingyu judging by the other's eyes snapping to him. "there's no need for you to personally deliver them. i'm sure you have better things to do than to hand-deliver a single file."

the omega's lips press in a sneer, hand still fiddling with the cat charm to wonwoo’s disdain. "as far as i know, things are better when delivered personally, am i wrong? it's not like an alpha like him wouldn’t appreciate a nice, pretty omega like me doing so, would he?"

“that is up to mingyu’s discretion. for now though, i need to speak with him on something concerning our printer.” wonwoo stares at the omega with a hard look, resisting the urge to do something more drastic when the other just rolls his eyes at him. mingyu steps closer to wonwoo, taking his wrist in his hand and tugs. “hyung,” he whispers but wonwoo doesn’t budge, biting the inside of his cheek as he tries to keep his temper in check. 

“alright, fine.” the omega crosses his legs as he outright sits on mingyu’s desk, looking like he was bored of the discussion. “as if a boring beta like you could do anything on your own, anyways.” he titters.

“excuse me,” minghao cuts in, standing up with his arms crossed over his chest. “please get down from our office facilities. i believe you needed to speak with me about the quarterly reports.” his voice is sharp, obviously not going to accept any other course of action.

the words sting and affect wonwoo more than he'd like to, a vague echo of his mother lecturing him. he takes a step back. the omega is smiling smugly at him, seeming to pump out more of a sweet scent because this time, wonwoo can smell it very clearly. out the corner of his eye, he can catch chan's eyes snapping to them, the unmated alpha surely taking notice, but his face wrinkles, seemingly repulsed.

something in wonwoo wants to retaliate, resort to something just to get back at the other for his words but then..

"hyung, let’s go." mingyu whimpers quietly, grip on wonwoo's arm tightening. a look at the alpha doesn't make it clear how he feels to an outsider but to wonwoo, he sees discomfort etched in every part of the other's body, ready to cower. wonwoo settles for glaring at the other omega.

"mingyu's preferences has nothing to do quarterly reports, or any reports for that matter. next time, please be more considerate of your own and other's time." he all but grits and then he's turning his heel with mingyu on them, the two making a swift exit from the office.

wonwoo leads mingyu into the break room, digging in the drawers. mingyu, at his side, heaves a breath. a hand clutches at his head, no doubt a headache brewing from such exposure and wonwoo bites his lip, searching harder for what he needed.

he procures a face mask, fresh and still in its packaging much to wonwoo’s relief. he takes it out of the packaging and offers it to the alpha, bands stretched to put over the other’s ears.

mingyu gently pushes it away though and instead shakily wraps his arms around wonwoo, head going to bury itself in the other's neck. wonwoo freezes for a second before he gives in when mingyu squeezes him harder. wonwoo reciprocates wrapping his arms around the other, one hand around his back and another curling at the ends of mingyu's hair. 

they stay there for a few minutes, wonwoo allowing the younger to breathe in his neutral smell and giving him a chance to relax. "thank you, wonwoo." mingyu mutters, quiet and sounding exhausted. wonwoo doesn’t respond, one hand just going to tenderly cup mingyu’s cheek, cradling his alpha's face in his hands. in wonwoo's hands, mingyu turns his face to nose at wonwoo's wrist, deeply breathing in wonwoo's neutralness again, relief coloring his features. wonwoo's heart clenches, seeing how in pain mingyu was.

“will you be alright for the rest of the day?” wonwoo wonders, thumbing at mingyu’s cheekbone, eyebrows still creased in worry at the younger. mingyu takes in a breath, leaning back to stand on his own rather than leaning against his hyung like that.

“i think i’ll leave early. that person’s scent gave me such a headache.” mingyu admits, a hand coming up to smooth across wonwoo’s face, smoothing out his frown. wonwoo relaxes and hums empathetically, a hand coming up to massage at the alpha’s temple in turn. 

“that’s a good idea. do you want me to drive you?”

mingyu shakes his head, hand grabbing the face mask wonwoo had set aside on the break room counter. “no, i don’t want to take you away from work like that. i think i can manage the train.” he places the face mask on his face, voice muffling a little as it covers his mouth.

wonwoo nods, so much affection flowing within him for how strong mingyu was being.

as if a boring beta like you could do anything on your own, anyways.

wonwoo pushes that thought out of his head. “get home safe then, i’ll tell jeonghan you’re taking the rest of the day off for you..” wonwoo says, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. mingyu nods, leaning forward to lightly knock their heads together like a cat and wonwoo manages a small, close-lipped smile at him.

“i’ll text you when i get back, see you tomorrow, hyung.” 

wonwoo’s phone vibrates on his desk, long after mingyu had left. 

remember not to leave me stranded in seoul today!!

wonwoo huffs a laugh under his breath, picking up his phone to respond.

the omega had apparently left swiftly after mingyu’s exit as well, minghao doing good in wrapping up the delivery of the quarterly reports very quickly (much to everyone’s relief).

“so stinky.” seungkwan still remarks. “i hope they give minghao and mingyu a scent neutralizer in compensation, i fear their desk is tainted with that scent now.”

wonwoo still pays him no mind, checking his calendar again to see that his schedule is clear enough to pick up his younger brother from the train station. 

don’t you worry, i have your scheduled stranding in my calendar already.

..hyung.

how perfect, now wonwoo doesn’t even have to think of a way to sneakily pick up bohyuk.

wonwoo spots him before he does. 

when bohyuk steps off the train, his bag trails behind him. the younger alpha's eyes scan the crowd, tall, lanky limbs standing still in the middle of the walkway much to the chagrin of the people around him. wonwoo smiles, pulling down his face mask and lifts a hand. 

"bohyukkie!"

bohyuk’s eyes stray to the movement and light up when he catches sight of his older brother.

“hyung!” the alpha calls and then he’s rushing over. wonwoo grins behind his mask, also taking long strides to meet the younger. they greet each other in middle, both of them engulfing each other in a hug.

“so good to see you again, hyung.” bohyuk mumbles into his ear and wonwoo smiles wider.

wonwoo is the first to pull back, taking a closer look at the other. he looks tired from traveling, his brother looking a little weary. "are you sure you should be traveling so close to your finals?" wonwoo asks in worry, a hand smoothing down the side of the other’s jacket.

bohyuk just rolls his eyes at him. "a little too late to be asking that, hyung. besides, i'm on spring break right now."

"aw, and you choose to spend your last one with your brother, how sweet." wonwoo coos, ruffling his brother's hair. bohyuk swats at his hand, grumbling under his breath at his brother’s botherance. 

"don't remind me. i'm going to take your gaming computer to game with my friends, you know."

"hey, that wasn't part of the deal when i said you could come visit me," wonwoo complains but he knows he'd end up letting his brother use it anyways, even if it might end his daily streaks.

bohyuk just grins mischievously at him, saying nothing else.

bohyuk’s eyes are curious, taking in his first sight of the city from wonwoo's passenger seat.

“wow, things are so big here in the city.. there’s so much to look at.” the younger says in awe, astonished even if he were looking away from wonwoo and outside the window.

“you get used to it.” wonwoo says, amused at the other’s behavior. one of his hands is on the wheel, the other automatically stretching across the center console. when he realizes what he’s doing, wonwoo instantly draws it back, pretending to scratch at the back of his neck. he chances a glance at the younger but thankfully, bohyuk doesn’t notice, gaze too busy still looking awestruck at the city.

“hey hyung, can i ask you something?” bohyuk suddenly asks, turning his eyes away from the city to look straight at wonwoo. eyes still trained on the road, hums noncommittally. “sure, go ahead.”

“why do you smell like an alpha?”

wonwoo freezes.

how could he have forgotten, especially the day he just had? how other subgenders could smell scents and how scents lingered? wonwoo keeps his eyes trained on the road, relaxing himself to try and send nonchalant, mentally facepalming all the while.

“oh, do i? i guess one of my coworkers was just being too close to me at work today.” wonwoo lies. a coworker being too close, yeah right.

“hm.” bohyuk hums, shifting in his seat. “okay.”

wonwoo makes a note to text mingyu later, biting his lower lip and thinking through all the little changes he’d have to make for bohyuk to not be suspicious. 

it was the weekend though, so wonwoo has time to think on it. he had declined all invitations from mingyu and others to go out, electing to stay home or wherever bohyuk wanted to go for the weekend, since he knew the younger had blabbed to him about visiting the n seoul tower, museums, and whatnot.

thinking back to mingyu, however..

hey gyu, can i borrow some of your scent blockers?

sure thing hyung

if you get to the office earlier than me, you can just take them from my drawer :)

after a weekend hanging out with bohyuk, wonwoo does end up showing up earlier than mingyu on the following monday morning. he doesn’t pay it any mind though, how early he was, taking the initiative to leisurely make his way to mingyu’s desk on his own.

barely anyone is in the office yet, even wonwoo is still yawning as he walks around. jeonghan is here early too and wonwoo nods his head in greeting at the older beta. he doesn’t notice how jeonghan subtly sniffs at wonwoo, eyes pinching at the sight of him. 

“wonwoo-yah,” jeonghan calls as wonwoo makes it over to mingyu’s desk, slipping a hand in for the scent blockers. “have you been really close to anyone recently?”

“what?” wonwoo asks, briefly glancing up and tilting his head at the other’s question. “no, just mingyu. why?” he returns back to his search quickly though, humming satisfactorily when he spots the scent patches easily, mingyu ever the organized person he was. wonwoo also eyes the scent blocking cream in mingyu’s desk, considering pocketing it to ask mingyu to show him how to use it later.

jeonghan doesn’t say anything else, much to wonwoo’s confusion, only watching him intently as wonwoo peels the adhesive backing off a scent patch, smoothing it against his skin with slightly clumsy fingers.

“no reason.”

"what’d you need all these scent blockers for? spill another perfume on yourself?”

wonwoo, who had his mouth open ready to explain immediately shuts it, giving mingyu a glare at the last statement. the younger snickers at his reaction, obviously pleased by it. “you did not have to mention that. besides, we’re at work, i wouldn’t need scent blockers if it weren’t for you draping yourself all over me all the time.”

"aw, come on, don't be like that," mingyu teases, arms wrapping around wonwoo who squirms in his grip. "is it so bad to smell like me?" 

wonwoo only shrugs him off, stepping out of the alpha's embrace much to the younger's dismay. he uncaps the scent blocking cream in his hands smoothly, ignoring the other. "wonwoo hyungg," he whines, halfheartedly reaching out to the other again like the clingy pup he was. wonwoo has to actively hold back the smile threatening to upturn his lips (he doesn't think he'd appear very serious if he reprimanded the other with one).

"in a professional workspace, i would say yes. you’ve been scenting me way too much." wonwoo groans, fingers checking to make sure the scent patch was holding up. so much that bohyuk’s managed to get a whiff of you , wonwoo also wants to grumble but he keeps it to himself.

mingyu only grins wickedly in response and wonwoo holds back a sigh. he had intended on asking mingyu to help him apply it but it seems like a mistake to be asking.

"oh no, you’re simply drenched in my scent, what if other people start mistaking you for an alpha because you smell so much like me?” the alpha mocks in a teasing tone. wonwoo gasps. "mingyu!" he scolds, hitting the other in the shoulder but it seems to have the opposite effect because mingyu just laughs.

"and to think i was going to ask you to help me apply this guess i’ll just do it myself." wonwoo snarks, satisfaction filling him when mingyu’s laughter turns into whines. "it's that or stop scenting me so much!"

"but you look so good with my scent on you," mingyu pouts and wonwoo just rolls his eyes. "you're such an alpha."

"your alpha." mingyu says cheekily and wonwoo shoves at his shoulder, growling at the younger. mingyu raises his hands in surrender, still cockily smiling at the beta and wonwoo feels an intense urge to kiss it until it disappears. he reigns himself in though, pinching at his nose bridge, because they still are in their workplace.

"do you want to help me or not?" wonwoo asks sternly, offering the open bottle to the other. wonwoo would be able to do it himself, but where’s the fun in doing that?

mingyu shakes his head. "come here, i'll do it all for you."

and with that, the other is taking the bottle from his hands, dolloping a small amount out as mingyu and wonwoo both smile at each other, both knowing that all their bickering is just in fond jest. they’re quiet now as mingyu smooths the cream over wonwoo’s skin, mingyu all up in the beta’s space but the other doesn’t mind in the slightest.

wonwoo shivers under mingyu's fingers as they massage the scent blocker into his neck. wonwoo finds himself leaning into the massage-like motions, relaxing his muscles to become pliant and content. he groans quietly when mingyu thumbs closer to where his scent gland is, significantly less obvious and underused than an alpha or omega, but still sensitive nonetheless.

"i don't know whether this or having you drenched in my scent is better." mingyu admits, wonwoo's eyes opening (when did he even close them?) to eye mingyu's conflicted expression. the younger then leans in, nose brushing against wonwoo’s scent gland and the older lightly smacks him. “stop that. you’ll undo all your progress.”

mingyu whines. “it’s just a little! there’s no harm in a tiny bit.”

wonwoo just gives him a pointed look. “jeonghan’s already got his eyes on me, i don’t need more just because someone couldn’t keep their scent to themselves.”

“fine, you’re right.” mingyu groans, relenting. “my eyes should be the only ones that should be on you.”

wonwoo rolls his eyes at the younger, even as a smile tugs at his lips.

“you’re ridiculous.”

bohyuk’s visit starts out calm, having spent the weekend chilling and making his brother take him to tourist attractions over the weekend.

as the weekdays roll by thoigh, wonwoo goes to work before bohyuk even wakes but he lets the younger have free reign of the house. bohyuk doesn’t seem to stay in one place though, taking wonwoo’s key to go out and explore the city every day. it’s endearing to see all the photos and exclamations bohyuk sends throughout the day, the younger excited to see the city after living in a beach countryside all his life.

in the evenings though, wonwoo doesn't really realize how much time he spends in mingyu's company and out of the house until he had someone else monitoring him like that. it’s a few days into bohyuk’s stay does it come up, the younger commenting on it.

“you go out a lot.”

“hm?” wonwoo looks up from his food. it’s been a while since he’s eaten at home with someone other than mingyu. it’s a little odd to eat with bohyuk without the presence of their parents, something that they hadn’t ever really done before.

bohyuk is looking at him expectantly and then wonwoo remembers he had a question to answer. “ah, i just have a lot of friends, is all.”

bohyuk chews his own food thoughtfully, humming. “oh, that’s good, hyung. i always thought you’d be a loser stuck at home all the time.” bohyuk teases. wonwoo huffs at him, “yah,” he shoves lightly at the other’s shoulder. 

wonwoo doesn’t even notice bohyuk’s eyes still on him like that when he takes another bite of his food. “do you always hang out with the same people though? your coworker’s scent is still on you.”

wonwoo swallows his food, looking up again. “what do you mean?”

bohyuk wrinkles his nose at him. “i can still smell their scent, you know.”

wonwoo ducks his head into his rice bowl, feeling his face start to flush a little. “a-ah, really? i guess i didn’t know, haha.”

mingyu, stop scenting me so much and apply the blocker properly next time!!

"..so you don't let him scent you anymore, and apparently soonyoung says you have the faint smell of another alpha on you." seungkwan lists off. wonwoo’s not even sure what’s going on, what seungkwan was even talking about, if he was even talking to him. "what has gotten into you? you have a perfectly good boyfriend and you're choosing to do this to him?"

"boyfriend? wait, what's happening, what are we talking about?" wonwoo asks confusedly, looking over to chan for help. the younger shrugs at him, also looking just as confused. wonwoo can practically see the question mark above his head.

"obviously about you, cheating on mingyu!" seungkwan squawks, arms flailing around. 

what?

"but.. i'm not?" wonwoo asks, puzzled. 

"a cheater and a liar, i see how it is," seungkwan scoffs. 

jihoon, at his side, pulls on seungkwan’s ear, making the younger beta yelp. “that’s much too far. what have you even been hearing recently? wonwoo wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“of course i wouldn’t.” wonwoo wholeheartedly agrees, nodding along. chan also nods along. this certainly wasn’t what he expected their lunch break to turn out to be though and without mingyu at his side, wonwoo feels a little bare. jeonghan, sitting next to chan is eyeing wonwoo though, which wonwoo is not sure how to perceive. 

“seungkwan sort of has truth to his words though.” jeonghan joins in, eyes on him intently again. “there’s been a lot of things being said recently but it’s true, that you don’t seem to smell like mingyu much, these days.” jihoon shakes his head, firmly on wonwoo’s side. “you guys are throwing accusations at the wrong guy.”

wonwoo nods again, sitting up properly to address them all. "first of all, mingyu does scent me," wonwoo's face burns at the admission but continues on. "i've just started using scent blockers for professionalism. and the other alpha on me, i had no clue about that." 

seungkwan eyes him, suspicious and wonwoo gulps, honestly having no idea where another alpha scent on his would be appearing. “okay, i believe you, hyung,” the younger beta says. “for now.” on seungkwan's other side, jeonghan is still kind of eyeing wonwoo.

the beta just sighs.

him? cheating? that’s the first (and only) he’s ever been accused of that.

what a ridiculous notion that only gossipers believe in.

“hey hyung,” mingyu asks casually, hooking his chin over the other’s shoulder at wonwoo’s desk. “we haven’t been over at yours for a while, why don’t we hang out there? we should do a movie night or something.”

“off,” wonwoo gently pushes the other’s head off his shoulder. “you’ll get your scent on me again.” he goes back to typing at his keyboard right afterwards, mindless to the way mingyu frowns at his back. 

“so, movie night, your place?”

wonwoo’s hands pause at the keyboard for a second before resuming typing but at a slower speed. he hopes it wasn’t noticeable, how nervous he was becoming at the question. “erm, it’s.. really messy right now.” he says lamely, refusing to stop typing despite the various spelling mistakes he was making. 

“you go out a lot.“

“i can still smell their scent, y’know.”

wonwoo can feel his hands becoming clammy, trying to think up an excuse to escape this situation. the red lines underneath his text look incriminating but he doesn’t want to turn his head to see the other’s expression.

ding.

thankfully, his phone saves him. he instantly pulls it out from his pocket, ignoring how mingyu’s eyes are boring into him.

hyung, eomma just called me

i don’t know what to do.

i think we should tour snu soon. VERY soon.

“how about we do movie night tomorrow, your place? something just came up, and um..” wonwoo finally chances a glance upwards, just in time to see mingyu school his expression into a smile but not quite fast enough to see what the alpha’s previous expression was. wonwoo’s hands feel even clammier, sweat making the phone in his hand feel slippery.

mingyu’s eyes on him make him feel nervous for some reason, and not for the usual ones. he internally sighs out of relief when mingyu smiles and him and replies. "course, i'd love to."

“great, thank you mingyu-yah,” wonwoo smiles sweetly up at him, not noticing the shadow across the alpha’s face. “see you then.”

“seoul national’s a lot bigger than i thought it'd be,” bohyuk says in awe, looking up at all the buildings. he pauses to bring out his phone, snapping pictures of the buildings to no doubt brag to his friends later. 

wonwoo snorts. “it’s because you’ve been a country bumpkin all your life.” 

“hey! you were too!” bohyuk exclaims, running to catch up with wonwoo who had walked ahead without him. “besides, i know eomma let you go here but i really don’t know if she’ll let me go.” bohyuk tacks on, quietly, like an afterthought.

wonwoo looks at him thoughtfully. “because the city..?” bohyuk nods. “yeah, because the city.”

the snow crunches underneath their feet as they traverse around. people are still milling about the university, students and older looking faculty alike as the winter session had not finished yet. 

it’s no secret that their mother always protested them coming to the city, citing their ‘progressive ideals’ and ‘outlandish characteristics’ as reasons to not go. it was a wonder she even let wonwoo go. makes him also wonder if she thought of him the same, disobedient and just as different as those in the city.

“i’ll.. talk to her about it. maybe she’ll understand, talking to someone who has been here.” wonwoo offers, leaning over to shoulder check the other. bohyuk sends him a fake offended look, leaning over to shoulder check him even harder. wonwoo laughs, the sibling relationship between them never changing despite their distance now.

bohyuk rolls his eyes at him. “you’d really do that for me?”

wonwoo nods. “of course. only if you get in, though.” he teases and bohyuk outright shoves at his shoulder. wonwoo laughs again, bohyuk sulking in his direction. easing up, wonwoo tosses him a bone. “how are you and your girlfriend doing? she doing okay?”

the way bohyuk lights up is almost comical, stars shining behind his eyes just at the mention of her. wonwoo kind of wants to laugh yet again, seeing how whipped he is (not unlike how he was with mingyu, wonwoo supposes).

“she’s okay. more than okay actually, she’s amazing. i really like her so much, hyung,” bohyuk spews out, whipped smile settling on his face. he looks off into the distance as if he could gaze at her, even from afar like this. “eomma didn’t really see her, which is good. but god, do i like her so much.”

wonwoo shakes his head at his younger brother. ah, young love, he thinks. “whipped.” bohyuk seems to ignore him, willfully chattering away happily. “i’m going to call her tomorrow, you can come talk to her if you want.” bohyuk offers, looking over at his brother.

“ah, i..” wonwoo trails off, thinking of his movie night with mingyu. “i won’t be here tomorrow, i’ll be out with a friend.”

bohyuk groans. “but you’re always out with a friend.”

“hey, i’ll let use my card to order dinner and my computer to game however long you want, think about it like that.” wonwoo bargains, patting the top of the alpha’s head. 

bohyuk perks up. “can i try out your accounts?”

wonwoo smiles sweetly at him. ah, the naivety of youth.

“absolutely not. now come on, i still have to show you the other side of campus."

“are you and mingyu still dating?”

wonwoo bristles. “first of all, we aren’t dating. second of all.. why are you asking?”

“okay then,” jun rolls his eyes at him. “are you and mingyu still pining after each other and not-dating?”

wonwoo rolls his eyes at him back. “yes, we are. at least, i think?”

jun narrows his eyes at him.

"you guys go on dates, give each other gifts on the regular, drink together, you've even spent a rut together." the other beta states. "the only thing your relationship doesn't have is the label, what's stopping you guys?"

“jun,” wonwoo starts but pauses, not knowing what to say. it’s true, mingyu is still ‘courting’ wonwoo but with the amount of dates they’ve been on together, the amount of nights spent over at each other’s apartments, it gets hard to tell the line between just courting and.. dating.

and really, he’s the one whose been asking mingyu to wait, to not put any label on them yet.

“why haven't you made it official yet?” jun implores even further, reflecting wonwoo’s thoughts back at him. “you two are way past obviously liking each other."

"i.. i don't know," wonwoo admits, hands going to absently toy with the puppy charm on his desk. he sighs, looking up at the other beta. “why are you even bringing this up?”

jun’s mouth twists, mirroring in wonwoo with a sigh as well. “well, it’s been circulating around lately that you’ve been seeing another alpha.” jun says. “not that i believe it, but it’s definitely been making it’s rounds.”

wonwoo frowns. “how did that even start?” he wonders. “i don’t see anyone except for mingyu.” 

“that’s what i thought, too.” jun leans back in his chair. “whatever it is, just don’t make stupid decisions, wonwoo-yah.”

“okay, i won’t.”

“ready to go?” wonwoo asks hesitantly next to mingyu’s workspace. mingyu’s eyes quirk up to him and then instantly return to his screen. 

“yes, one moment,” 

wonwoo fidgets as he waits, feeling like an eternity passes in the time mingyu clicks around his computer and types out some things. when the younger finishes, he looks up and catches wonwoo’s eye, the two smiling at each other (wryly? wonwoo tries to gauge) and then they’re off to wonwoo’s car, as per usual.

what is going on today? wonwoo wonders, thinking back on all the behavior of the those in the office recently. 

the car ride is silent, mingyu seeming to not be in a talking mood in wonwoo’s passenger seat. he still holds wonwoo’s hand across the center console though, wonwoo’s thumbs soothing across his knuckles the whole way. wonwoo thinks it’s strange, to not have the younger’s chatter in the car but doesn’t say anything in case of breaking their weird atmosphere.

when he pulls up in front of mingyu’s apartment, they sit still for a moment, car engine turned off but no one making a move to get out. 

“still want me over for movie night?” wonwoo asks unsurely, parked in front of mingyu’s apartment. 

he doesn’t know why he asks, but he feels the need to do so after all the accusations thrown at him recently. it’s like a rift was growing between the two, though wonwoo’s sure it’s just onesided from his friend’s words (at least, he hopes).

the alpha gives a lighthearted huff, glancing down at his fingers threaded through the beta’s. “of course i want you over.” and then he’s letting go to open the door and get out. 

wonwoo twists his lips at the younger’s back, wondering why things recently have been so weird. and then he shakes his head, getting out the car as well.

"what are you so aggressive for today, hm?" wonwoo asks gently, tugging at mingyu's hair to get the alpha unattached from his neck. a movie is playing on the screen in front of them but it seems neither are paying attention. 

they’re cuddled on the couch as usual but wonwoo feels stiff, for some reason. mingyu has his face in his neck, roughly rubbing his head underneath him to the point of wonwoo’s questioning.

the alpha doesn’t respond to him for a moment, continuing his motions.

"seriously, gotten into you?" wonwoo lightly pulls the younger back by the hair, pulling him back enough that mingyu’s face comes into view. their eyes meet and again, wonwoo feels strange, like the eye contact isn’t the same as it is usually.

"i don't know. my alpha just really feels on edge right now." mingyu admits, nuzzling back against wonwoo's head and wonwoo lets him. “on edge?” wonwoo frowns. “are you on the verge of another rut?” "i'm not! it's just.. i just.." mingyu averts his eyes. "i don't know." he finishes, seeming to shrink into himself. "i'm sorry." 

"tell me what you're thinking." wonwoo tries. communication is a good thing for relationships. whatever has mingyu acting odd can be talked out, wonwoo believes. the movie still plays in front of them, colors moving across their faces but they’re only looking at each other. 

mingyu sighs, pulling back. wonwoo mourns the loss, the warmth of the other leaving (seemingly more than just physically) but he doesn’t say anything, just looking at mingyu in a way that he hopes is encouraging.

“well,” mingyu starts, looking away from the other. he takes a breath before he continues. "i’ve just been thinking some things about.. us, recently. we don't really spend time together outside of work anymore. and.. you smell like another alpha sometimes." the younger admits. 

“mingyu,” wonwoo says quietly. jun’s words from earlier creep up on him. mingyu sighs, still not looking at him.

“people at work have been saying things recently.. of course, i wouldn’t doubt you,” mingyu says, eyes darting up to the other for a second as if checking his reaction. his gaze is quick to avert again though. 

“but even now, you smell like another alpha.”

they’re silent for a second.

well, it’s been circulating around lately that you’ve been seeing another alpha. not that i believe it, but it’s definitely been making it’s rounds.

"i didn't think you were one to listen to office gossip," is all wonwoo can say and mingyu just flushes, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “well, we just..” mingyu closes his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck in a rougher manner. “..you don't let me scent you as much, we haven’t been around each other much either, but it’s not like you’re meant to be committed to me.. since, i’m just the one courting you..”

wonwoo's hands come place themselves on top of the younger’s hands with no second thought, bringing the other’s hands from his neck to his lap instead, fingers rubbing soothing circles into the other's skin. mingyu doesn’t stop him, letting him do so. “mingyu-yah, you know i wouldn’t do something like this. i wouldn’t see someone else behind your back or do anything like that.”

“well, i would hope so,” mingyu murmurs and that snaps wonwoo’s attention to him. “it’s not like courting means we’re in a committed relationship, or anything.”

“mingyu, you can’t think that low of me,” wonwoo breathes out, thinking back on all their time together. mingyu’s hands slip out of his, the distance being created between them feeling more than just physical.

“well, what am i supposed to think then?” mingyu exhales harshly. “not when you don’t think we’re supposed to be together, not when you’re scared to put a label on us.” wonwoo’s throat feels like it’s constricting, choking him before he can get any words out.

"hey, you know why," he manages to croak, looking at mingyu incredulously. he had thought the other understood, that the other liked him unconditionally even with a mindset like him. the younger is no longer avoiding his eyes, looking directly at the beta with a conflicted expression, eyes unreadable. 

wonwoo is suddenly very aware of where he is, in mingyu’s house, on his couch. he feels every point of the where the fabric of the couch is touching him, where his clothes is in contact with him, the way each breath goes in and out of him. he tucks his hands into his lap, feeling cold without another pair to hold his.

"i do, and so do you. if you know, why are you still afraid of us? so afraid you’d rather not commit to one alpha?" mingyu says, voice still soft but arguing back at wonwoo, regardless. what is happening? wonwoo asks himself. the words sting and wonwoo feels cold, even inside the comfort(?) of mingyu’s home.

“mingyu, what are you saying?" wonwoo tries his best to steady the quiver in his voice, eyes wide and trying to read the other who was now back to avoiding looking at him. mingyu presses his lips together in a thin line, a refusal to speak further. somehow, that sparks a flame in wonwoo, clenching his jaw at the other’s silence.

what even is mingyu saying? doubting him like this, when wonwoo has done.. no, he’s not entitled to anything, but it stings to hear the same accusations be directed at him from the person he thought would be least likely to do so.

neither of them have moved from their spots, still close to one another which makes the tension all the more serious. mingyu's scent so close to him, wonwoo can smell the way it stinks, faint earthy smell turning bitter and unsavory. the other’s face is hard, expression pinched. 

wonwoo's face wrinkles at the smell, hackles rising at the offensiveness of it. mingyu winces slightly, his hands coming up to massage at his own temples. mingyu must be giving himself a headache with his own scent. 

wonwoo sighs annoyedly and ignores the spike in mingyu's bitter scent that sound. wonwoo walks into the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers for a face mask before he returns, tearing open the packaging and offering it to mingyu.

the younger takes it, snapping the strings over his ears and it grates wonwoo's nerves, even if the younger wasn't even doing anything. 

"let's not fight." mingyu breathes out a breath, sinking back down onto the couch.

"okay." wonwoo agrees, voice barely above a whisper.

it’s silent again, tense and charged between the two. wonwoo chances a glance at the alpha on the couch, hands still massaging at his temples and eyes closed. wonwoo remains standing, thinking back on what just happened.

neither had raised their voices, neither of them got mad but they sure were getting on their way to it. it just feels so incredulous, that this was happening like a drama on the television, not his own life. wonwoo twists his lips harshly, irritance still running through him.

“i think i'm going to head out. i’ll see you later, mingyu.” wonwoo decides. he can’t be here any longer, not if he wanted to be able to cool off. 

mingyu doesn’t move or respond. wonwoo makes sure to keep his exit quiet, gathering his belongings and pulling his shoes on. mingyu doesn’t react in the meanwhile, still in the same position with his eyes closed when wonwoo looks at him one last time. 

whether he hesitates or not is not something he’d ever disclose, slipping out the apartment and shutting the door behind him, the sound turning into a memory that echoes in his ears on the drive back to his apartment.

it's like an unspoken agreement between the two to take a few days off from each other. 

they work side by side and don't speak except for professional reasons. they don't text each other, don't invite one another to each other's houses, and wonwoo doesn't take the bus and mingyu doesn't ask for rides from him.

they eat lunch separately too.

it’s a bit jarring to wonwoo, who had once again gotten comfortable with spending his lunch breaks with the other and chatting between bites of food. instead, wonwoo now hangs out and spends time with his friends as usual (without mingyu) and doesn’t think about anything else but his friends.

it takes the fourth time soonyoung and minghao send shifty eyes to each other over their lunch break for wonwoo to say something. 

"spit it out." wonwoo says with a clipped tone, gaze watching the two intently as he pushes another spoonful of rice into his mouth. he chews it carefully, the effort to eat dwindling to nothing within the last few days but he still eats, nonetheless.

soonyoung looks at him innocently. and then he’s is leaning in, speaking conspiratorially. "what's going on between you and mingyu?" at his side, minghao snorts.

wonwoo freezes his chewing. he didn't think soonyoung would bring it up in front of minghao. minghao though, looks thoroughly interested in his noodles, eyes carefully avoiding wonwoo's which in any other circumstance, wonwoo would find funny.

“pretty subtle, in spite of all else you could have asked.”

“right?” soonyoung grins at minghao. and then he turns back to wonwoo. “but seriously, what’s up with you two?”

now it's wonwoo's turn to look away, resolutely keeping his eyes trained on.. not them. his the rice in his bowl makes a smiley face, if he squints hard enough, he thinks. "just.. a little argument, that's all." he immediately shoves another spoonful of rice into his mouth after that, hoping it would deter him from having to answer anymore questions.

soonyoung’s mouth falls open. "no! not to my third favorite couple in the office!" 

wonwoo actually spits a little at that, grabbing a napkin to wipe at his mouth. "third favorite couple?" minghao raises an elegant eyebrow at the other omega. "you have rankings?"

"of course i do, isn't that a normal thing?" soonyoung wonders and wonwoo valiantly shakes his head. soonyoung just shrugs in response. "well, first is me and my mates, obviously, we're the cutest trio to ever exist. second is minghao and chan, oh my god—"

wonwoo snaps to minghao at the information just as the omega's eyebrows leap up, a surprised look overtaking his face. "soonyoung hyung," minghao says awkwardly, chopsticks clicking agains the side of his bowl as he lowers them. 

"—chan just has this puppy-in-love kind of look towards you every time he sees you, y'know? and you don't even hide your heart eyes around him either—"

"hyung, we're not together." minghao's face is rapidly pinkening, much to wonwoo's amusement. soonyoung's mouth hangs open mid-sentence, looking like a fly might make it's entrance any moment. "you're not?"

wonwoo stifles a chuckle, just watching the scene unfold in front of him as minghao shakes his head. 

"well." soonyoung says stiltedly. "i, uh, haha," soonyoung laughs nervously. "i really thought you were." "uh, no,” minghao says, voice sounding a little tight. “at least, not.. yet."

soonyoung snaps his fingers at the other omega. "oh, yeah, that's the spirit!" minghao clutches at his chopsticks, eyes averting to catch wonwoo’s for a second before apparently finding his noodles interesting again. 

wonwoo’s eyes crinkle amusedly at him.

"you on the other hand,” soonyoung suddenly switches targets, startling the beta. “my for-now second favorite couple, mingyu-wonwoo, wonwoo-mingyu," his gaze turns sharp, eyes narrowing and wonwoo feels a foreboding feeling creeping up on him. 

"sort out your shit, okay?" soonyoung suddenly says very seriously. "i hate to see you all sad and mopey and no longer staring at mingyu's ass every time you look at him."

wonwoo sputters. "i don't do that!"

"his abs, then." soonyoung decides. minghao nods at his side. "it's mingyu who stares at wonwoo's ass." and wonwoo sputters again, his own face pinkening this time. soonyoung glances down curiously. “what ass, though?” wonwoo swears he hears the other murmur and he strongly resists the urge to smack the other. minghao speaks before wonwoo can do anything, thankfully.

"seriously though, i agree. mingyu doesn't seem like his usual self these days, he pretends to be focused in his work but he's really not, like he's distracted." minghao shares.

"he really does like you, wonwoo hyung. i hope you two can reconcile soon."

"thanks, minghao." wonwoo thanks halfheartedly but his heart does sink at the knowledge of mingyu all down because of him.

"mr. quarterly reports is back," seungkwan rolls his eyes as he announces this. wonwoo doesn’t register it, fingers still flying across his keyboard. it’s been a long few days, his mind can’t seem to focus on multiple things anymore without drifting to.. anyways.

“i can practically see his scent in the air, it’s so strong.”

wonwoo pauses his typing for a second at that second sentence. he turns to face the younger beta (and also sneak a glance in a certain alpha’s direction but who’s keeping track?). “‘mr. quarterly reports?’ the one that had ming—”

wonwoo cuts himself off. he had almost mentioned mingyu, but seungkwan doesn’t seem to notice, just nodding at wonwoo’s sentence. the younger beta’s eyes fixate on the entrance of the office and scoffs, outwardly showing his disgust at the other.

wonwoo’s eyes follows the other’s gaze, even though the smell starts to hit him before he even sees the omega. he wrinkles his nose, sickly sweet vanilla scent coating the office. wonwoo watches the other warily, watching as he predictably starts to sidle up towards mingyu and minghao’s workspace again.

wonwoo’s fists clench, unknowingly watching mingyu’s face instantly pinch at the scent, the assault of smell making him turn his face away. minghao looks up as well, face visibly frowning and showing his distaste. 

no one in the office seems to be faring any better, even betas around the office glancing over at the smell. 

“a quarter hasn’t even passed yet, what is this guy even doing here? there’s definitely no quarterly reports to give now,” seungkwan comments and once again, wonwoo is out of his seat already, making his way to mingyu’s side of the office.

even from afar, the alpha’s face betrays his discomfort so clearly in wonwoo’s eyes, he can’t even stop himself from striding over quickly.

"please stop," wonwoo hears, mingyu outright covering his nose with his hand and looking sickly and pale. the omega disregards his space again, sitting on his desk and mingyu leans back, not even subtle with the way he tries to escape the other’s scent.

"but i'm not doing anything." the omega frowns, not budging from his perch on mingyu's desk, even leaning in closer. wonwoo almost sees red, not even thinking before he steps between mingyu and the omega, blocking their views from each other.

the omega narrows his eyes at him, obvious recognizing him by the way he subtly turns his head condescendingly at him. "you're being very disruptive and unprofessional, right now. please leave mingyu alone." wonwoo says sternly. he doesn’t even think through his actions, he doesn’t even know what he’s doing. all he knows is that mingyu is in physical pain, and he’d rather not have him be in any more.

"huh, i thought you weren't one to involved in mingyu-sshi’s preferences,” the omega drawls, gaze inspecting wonwoo up and down. “besides, i just want to have a little chat with kim mingyu-sshi, not you, a beta that whores himself around to any alpha around, like you.” he sneers, face pulled in a judging expression.

straight to the point, wonwoo draws back a little. his words are a little confusing though. whoring himself out to alphas?

and then it finally hits wonwoo. 

bohyuk’s scent.

it makes everything fall into place, putting a lot more sense in wonwoo’s recent life events. now was not the time to think through it all though, the beta pushing those thoughts away to respond to the situation at hand.

"please leave or i will report you for harrassment." wonwoo says venomously, done with being nice. “your scent has been very distracting for those in the office and your conduct is entirely unprofessional and unbecoming.”

the omega rolls his eyes at him, scoffing as he does so. “as if i’d listen to someone—”

“kwang soojae-sshi,” a sharp voice cuts in. they all turn to seungcheol, the omega with a harsh look on his face. “a word in my office, please.” from this close, even wonwoo can smell a fruity scent darkening, souring.

“excuse me?” the omega asks, hand coming up to delicately press over his chest. “but i haven’t done anything wrong, i don’t think.” seungcheol’s eyes narrow at him even further. “a word, or should your supervisor have to get involved as well?”

with the new authority figure around, wonwoo stops paying attention, turning back around to check on mingyu. his heart clenches, seeing mingyu hunched over and breathing deeply with his hands on his face. minghao is stroking at his back, worry creasing the other omega’s eyebrows. 

the omega looks up and meets wonwoo’s eyes, minghao scooting away with a clear look in his eyes. you take him. he seems to say, and wonwoo gladly does so. 

“mingyu-yah, let’s go outside,” wonwoo says softly, replacing minghao’s hands. the beta leans down, hand coming up stroke at the back of mingyu’s head. mingyu’s scent is bitter again, wonwoo grimacing at the scent so close to him. “i’ll be fresher outside, no scents.” 

if he weren’t so close, he wouldn’t have managed to see the almost inperceptible nod mingyu gives, the only sign of movement he’s made. with that, wonwoo’s helping him up, the alpha stumbling to do so with his hands over his face. wonwoo is patient, not pulling his hands away and instead guiding the other towards the door.

briefly, he wonders whether he should stop by the breakroom to look for a face mask but mingyu sways in his steps so wonwoo forgoes the detour. he puts a hand on mingyu’s lower back, pushing forward to make the younger walk.

nothing else registers in wonwoo’s mind now, other people looking at them or the hushed chatter in the background, eyes only focused on helping mingyu towards the rooftop door, guiding each step with small instructions.

when wonwoo opens the door for the both of them, he breathes a small sigh of relief, the destination rewarding them with cool, refreshing air. wonwoo gently pushes mingyu again, getting the alpha to sit down next to one of the walls and sitting down next to him.

“mingyu-yah, is it better?”

wonwoo pulls at the other’s arms, tugging away the alpha’s hands to reveal mingyu’s face, the alpha whimpering at the movement and breathing heavily. wonwoo’s heart sinks in sympathy, leaning in and cupping mingyu’s cheek but still the other shows no other response.

he doesn't seem to be registering anything, wonwoo thinks, having to be the one to push mingyu's face towards his neck, a place where he knows will be a neutral scent. he presses one of his hands over the other’s scent gland, hoping it blocks mingyu’s own scent, the alpha still whimpering all the while. wonwoo is helpless to do anything else except keep them there like that, cradled in his arms and giving mingyu a neutral scent to hang on to. 

they sit there at the quiet spot on the roof, mingyu’s sounds of agitation dying out as wonwoo holds him. mingyu doesn’t hold him back but wonwoo’s more worried about how in the present mingyu was to care. it takes a while, but wonwoo stays still, trying to be a grounding presence for the other.

it’s when mingyu shifts slightly, breaths coming out more even does wonwoo interact with him other than with his embrace.

"back with me, mingyu-yah?" wonwoo murmurs, hand grazing over mingyu's hair. 

the alpha just sighs out his nose, slumping against wonwoo's form. wonwoo presses a kiss to mingyu's hair out of habit, hands still gliding over the other’s hair in comforting motions. mingyu doesn’t say anything though, silent in wonwoo’s neck. he’s no longer whimpering or sounds like he’s in pain, so wonwoo takes it as a good sign.

"you think you can manage with the rest of the work day?"

mingyu takes a moment to nod and when he does, it's a tiny one. wonwoo gazes down at him in worry.

"here, you should borrow my jacket for now for a neutral scent. i'll get you a face mask, okay?"

and with that, he’s draping his jacket over mingyu, zipping it up to ensure mingyu's nose would be in direct contact with the fabric. mingyu blinks tiredly at him but still doesn’t speak, letting the elder wrap him up in his clothes.

"is mingyu hyung okay?" chan asks worriedly when wonwoo comes back.

"he's fine. that omega's scent was just a little too strong for him." wonwoo says honestly, glancing over his shoulder to see how mingyu was doing. even with half is face now covered by a face mask, wonwoo can see the tiredness that makes the upper half of mingyu's face look.. dull. he's clutching tightly to wonwoo's jacket too, something that simultaneous makes wonwoo prideful and concerned for the other.

"yeah, no kidding! it was strong for all of us, i feel like all of us in the building could smell it!" seungkwan complains, dragging hansol behind him to settle near wonwoo's desk. “i didn’t..” jun says quietly but his words get buried in the chaos that comes with office gossip.

"seungcheol was so mad too, i could smell anger so clearly!" seokmin tells with energy, shuddering theatrically. "how did he smell like?" jun asks curiously. "like.. cherries turning really sour. like rotting? or turning into wine?" chan wrinkles his nose at it. “the other omega’s was waayy too sweet as well, like cake frosting, or too much vanilla.”

"hey, how come you, an unmated alpha, didn't feel affected by it?" hansol asks curiously. chan's cheeks blush, the youngest alpha starting to sweat. seungkwan gasps. "who is it?"

"no one!" chan instantly replies, much to the confusion of everyone else but seungkwan and chan. 

"it's minghao, isn't it." seungkwan's eyes twinkle as if he solved a detective case. 

"i.. well.. maybe," chan looks away, cheeks flushing incriminatingly. seungkwan’s expression starts to turn smug and with that, wonwoo shakes his head, taking his exit swiftly lest the conversation turn back to him.

it takes a great deal of courage to be here at mingyu’s desk again. 

it makes him nervous, approaching the alpha like this but the need to make sure mingyu was okay overwhelms that, wonwoo pushing aside his pride to think of mingyu first.

endearingly enough, mingyu’s hands are fisting his jacket, half his face still snuggled within the collar despite the face mask safely covering his face. it gives wonwoo the last bit of courage he needs, heart fluttering a little at seeing the other still in his clothes like that. 

"hey, mingyu," 

wonwoo’s hands naturally come up to massage at the back of mingyu's neck as he approaches. he realizes what he’s doing and stops himself before they actually touch the alpha though, hands awkwardly hovering in the air when he doesn’t drop them quick enough by the time the alpha looks over. 

"oh, h-hey," mingyu greets back, his hands are still holding onto the jacket. "what are you doing here? i.. i didn't think you'd..."

wonwoo smiles gently down at him, heart panging a little at the way mingyu looks up at him, so innocently, so shyly. it’s good to see mingyu regain some functionality, even if he still looks so tired. wonwoo doesn’t voice this though, the two feeling so far away from each other despite standing barely standing a distance away. 

"do you want to get dinner together after work?" wonwoo offers. mingyu bites at his lip in thought and wonwoo softens further. “hyung’s treat. we can talk then.”

"yeah. okay." mingyu is quick to agree. 

“i want to say this first thing,” mingyu starts off, as soon as they’re seated in the restaurant. wonwoo tilts his head but doesn’t stop the other from continuing. 

to his surprise, mingyu bows his head down, apologizing to wonwoo as he does so.

“i’m really sorry for doubting you and for all that i said, last time,” mingyu doesn’t have to elaborate, they both know what he means. “it wasn’t right, especially when you’ve done nothing to prove those stupid rumors and because i knew better than to say what i said.”

wonwoo blinks at him, heart thudding audibly in his ears. he doesn’t know how to feel, feelings ambiguous in his chest.

mingyu bows his head lower.

“i’m sorry, again.” 

silence settles between them. mingyu sits up again, no longer bowing so now wonwoo can see his expression, a sincere look of regret and remorse. it hurts, seeing mingyu being like this but a part of wonwoo also feels lighter, knowing the other didn’t truly harbor such ideas towards him anymore. and the fact that mingyu was apologizing to him..

“would you gentlemen like to order?” a waiter interrupts them, pulling up with a notepad in hand. both mingyu and wonwoo startle, suddenly remembering that they were both having dinner as well. “a-ah, yes,” mingyu stammers. “uh, if you’re ready, hyung?” 

“yeah,” wonwoo nods his head dumbly, the break in atmosphere a little abrupt for him. 

and so they order, the waiter coming and going. the small break in their silence doing nothing to change it, the two settling straight back into the same quiet as the waiter walks off. mingyu shifts in his seat, eyes looking off into the distance even after the employee had turned a corner. his attention snaps back when wonwoo speaks.

“i’d never see another alpha while i’m with you though, for the record.” wonwoo says into the quiet.

he’s not sure why he says it, but anything to escape the still air between them, he supposes. mingyu looks down. “i’m sorry again for doubting you.” mingyu says in return, equally as quiet. 

“i just.. i really like you,” the younger takes a breath in (wonwoo’s heart jumps a little at that statement). “i don’t want to lose you like that, especially when we’re not even..” he trails off. “ i.. i know it’s not an excuse to be like that but it really did put me on edge to smell another alpha on you like that.”

he’s being honest, which dislodges something in wonwoo. he takes a breath as well. 

“my brother’s visiting me for his spring break,” wonwoo starts. “ it was only today i realized how much his scent stuck on me, that’s what you’ve been smelling. i really wouldn’t do anything like going behind your back like that.” the beta loses some courage near the end, words coming out a little quieter. 

when he looks up, mingyu’s expression is understanding, maybe even lighter looking but wonwoo decides it’s just the lighting in the restaurant. he looks away quickly though, unsure of what else he’d hoped he’d see in the other’s expression. 

“that makes so much more sense now. why did you feel like you needed to keep this a secret?” mingyu asks patiently, eyes not looking away for once as he focuses his full attention on the beta. wonwoo doesn’t look at him, lips twisting as he thinks of what to say.

“you know i’ve had some.. issues with myself, with us, like..” wonwoo gestures vaguely, not really wanting to say it out loud. mingyu understands though, nodding empathetically and gesturing for him to continue. wonwoo looks down. “..i just didn’t want my brother finding out.” wonwoo says, biting into his lip. he picks at his hands on the table, nervous.

“you should have just told me,” mingyu says, his hands coming up to taking wonwoo’s in his. wonwoo lets him, letting warm hands encase his own. he almost shivers, the temperature difference between their hands very tangible now. he never thought his hands were even that cold. 

“i just..” wonwoo presses his lips together in a thin line. “i’m sorry. i didn’t even think to just.. tell anyone.” he takes one hand away from mingyu’s to scrub at his face. “this could have all been avoided if i just told you, huh?” his voice quivers a little.

mingyu smiles softly and wonwoo’s heart aches at the sight, something he didn’t realize he was missing so much. the alpha’s fingers brush over his knuckles, soothing him. he opens his mouth to speak—

“sirs?”

a voice interrupts the two, mingyu and wonwoo abruptly both letting go of each other’s hands and turning red as the waiter looks down at them. “your food is ready.” 

“yes, thank you,” wonwoo rushes out as the employee places their dishes down, ears flaming at how they were once again caught up in their own world. mingyu bites back a smile from across the table and wonwoo squints at him, knowing he was doing so. 

when the waiter leaves, they’re left in silence again. it only takes their eyes meeting for them both to burst into giggles together, laughing at their situation. 

and with that, they’re laughing more freely and wonwoo feels more relaxed than he has in a while.

afterwards, they’re in wonwoo’s car. 

“i’ll drive you home.” wonwoo offers, though it’s not really a question. dinner went well, the evening out was nice. but now it was ending, and wonwoo doesn’t really know if he wants it to. 

“okay.” mingyu doesn’t decline his offer.

so it’s familiar, it’s elating the way mingyu sits in his passenger seat again after it being empty for several days. mingyu catches his eye as he clicks his seatbelt in, flashing him a knowing smile that wonwoo returns, knowing they’re both feeling the same. 

the drive back is quiet though. there’s something hanging over them still, mingyu’s chatter not coming in as easily as it usually does. wonwoo does his best to make small talk but ultimately, it always falls back to silence, somewhat comfortable but somewhat still.. charged. 

it’s all too easy for words to die out. wonwoo eventually stops and doesn’t prompt mingyu to speak either. they’re still quiet as wonwoo parks in front of mingyu’s apartment. 

“do you want to come in?” mingyu asks, gaze looking vulnerable as he looks over at the other. he doesn’t make any move to undo his seatbelt, to get out, eyes shining like he wants—

“i’ll come in.” wonwoo responds, eyes lingering on the younger man. mingyu nods and only then does he slip out the passenger seat, wonwoo following a moment after.

the moment mingyu closes the door to his apartment, wonwoo surges over to connect their lips.

his hands go to grasp behind mingyu’s head, lips greedy and any space between them quickly dwindling when mingyu kisses back in an instant, body pressing again his as well. 

it's intense, the most intense they've had to date. their shoes aren’t even off, their jackets still drape over their frames but mingyu doesn't seem put off, hands lightly settling on wonwoo's waist as he matches wonwoo's fervor.

lips still locked, wonwoo slowly, softly, pushes mingyu until the alpha’s back hits the door he just closed, wonwoo crowding up into his space with an intense need to be closer. his hands pillow mingyu’s head, a small barrier between the younger’s head and the surface and holding tighter. mingyu only reciprocates, holding on firmly as if he were afraid to let go just as much as the elder.

mingyu’s body heat is warm, hot, burning even through various layers of clothing and wonwoo can’t find it in himself to stop from getting closer, still. 

"let's do it," wonwoo pants in between kisses, a surge of impulsiveness manipulating his mouth. "let's be boyfriends." mortification burns at the base if his neck, burning even hotter at the look mingyu's giving him.

they’re so close that their breaths are intermingling, foreheads barely centimeters apart and both overly heated from the layers still on and each other. the alpha stares at him wide-eyed, chest still heaving up and down to catch his breath.

"right?" wonwoo hesitates when mingyu doesn’t respond, wondering if he had severely misjudged the situation. "that's what we are, right?"

mingyu clears his throat, clutching tighter at wonwoo’s side. “boyfriends?” he croaks out, looking dazed.

wonwoo’s mouth presses together to hold back his smile. “you’ve been courting me for long enough, don’t you think? wouldn’t we be boyfriends?” he murmurs, face coming close to mingyu’s again. the other’s face is rapidly turning red, eyes trained solely on the beta in front of him.

"yes! we're boyfriends!" mingyu hurried rushes out, cheeks blazing. in other circumstances, wonwoo could coo and tease the other but now..

"we're boyfriends. yes." mingyu repeats, more determinedly this time, leaving no room for error. wonwoo hums, satisfaction replacing the in him. his chest feels like something is blooming inside it and wonwoo lets the smile he was fighting back show. "good."

"good." mingyu repeats, head resting back on wonwoo’s hands still between him and the door. they stare at each other for a couple moments, fondly, lovingly, until mingyu is pushing wonwoo off.

finally, they’re taking off their jackets and shoes, finally the air between them feels light and normal, finally they’re together. wonwoo feels giddy just at the thought of it and mingyu seems to feel similar, pecking at wonwoo’s lips with every point of eye contact between them.

“you can stay the night, if you want.. i’ll make us something warm to drink.” mingyu promises and wonwoo’s eyes smile at him in response. it’s easy to fall back into their usual, mingyu puttering around the kitchen as wonwoo settles on the couch, waiting for him.

bohyuk-ah, i’ll be out today. be home tomorrow

sigh

okkk hyung

a weight settles on the couch next to wonwoo, glancing at wonwoo on his phone again. it’s another few moments before wonwoo sets his phone down, turning his full attention to his boyfriend (his boyfriend) right next to him. mingyu just sits there, hands fidgeting with the two cups he holds until wonwoo’s attention is on him again.

wonwoo smiles, taking one of the cups and leans into mingyu’s side. he takes a small sip of the steaming mug, pleasantly tasting hot chocolate. 

“just texting my brother. telling him i’m staying the night at yours.” wonwoo reassures him, pressing a quick kiss to mingyu’s slightly stiff expression.

“oh.” mingyu says, shrinking a little into wonwoo’s arms. his head tucks underneath the beta’s, head settling in the crook of his neck naturally, as it always does. wonwoo places down his mug, freeing his hands to pull mingyu even closer to himself.

"i'm committed to you now. we’re boyfriends, there’s no other person to take me away from you or anyone to take you from me.”

"i know that now. i'm sorry hyung, for being insecure like this." mingyu speaks up, voice buried in his neck. 

"scent me then," wonwoo says plainly.

"make me smell like yours." he adds on, breath fanning against the other's ear in a way he knows mingyu always shudders at. for good measure, wonwoo tugs at the alpha's shirt insistently, hands slipping underneath to feel bare skin. mingyu gasps, pulling away from wonwoo’s neck, eyes meeting in silent question.

"alpha."

it’s a delight to see the way mingyu's eyes darken. there’s no time for him to anything else with the way mingyu comes back to his neck, mouth taking advantage of the expanse of skin. wonwoo hums and tilts his head back for more access, wondering if it was an instinctual pavlovian response for him to be like that with no conditioning whatsoever.

"i like you, really. i don't care about subgender." mingyu mutters as his nose trails along wonwoo’s neck. "you know that right, hyung?" wonwoo doesn’t answer, instead looking down to connect their lips again, so glad that the privilege is now his. 

they’re so close, mingyu’s earthy scent pleasant in his nose and wonwoo sighs into the kiss, feeling so loved, so warm, so content—

mingyu suddenly pulls away, coughing. wonwoo blinks at him.

“sorry,” mingyu says between hacks. “it’s my own scent.”

no wonder wonwoo could smell the other, then. 

wonwoo is quick to tuck him into his neck and kisses the top of his head, not put out by cutting their activities short. “c’mon, mingyu, breathe slowly.” wonwoo encourages, making sure mingyu was pressed up against his neck to breathe in the neutral scent.

“thank you, wonwoo. you don’t have to keep doing this.” mingyu mumbles, pressing a small kiss to where he was in the other’s neck. “it’s really no problem, mingyu-yah.” wonwoo says, arms coming up to wrap around the other tightly. he says this sincerely, genuine and true in his words.

“i don’t want you thinking that i’m with you just because you’re a beta.” mingyu admits. “like, of course it works out perfectly in my favor to date someone with no scent with a sensitive nose like mine,” mingyu sits up again, pulling out of wonwoo’s embrace to look at him in the eye.

“but i really want you to know that i like you way more outside of that.” mingyu’s eyes are serious, so serious wonwoo holds his breath, gazing further into the other’s eyes. “i really, really like you, jeon wonwoo, not you being a beta or anything else, just you.”

“mingyu,” wonwoo breathes out. his hand comes up to trail along the side of mingyu’s neck, fingers going to brush and block mingyu’s scent gland. mingyu sighs at the contact, leaning forward to press his lips onto wonwoo’s again. the elder kisses into him with all the feelings he didn’t say with mingyu already on him like this. mingyu kisses back in fervor, message well-received and wonwoo braces his other hand on the back of the other’s head.

wonwoo groans quietly when mingyu’s tongue prods, allowing access and kissing deeper and deeper, to the point mingyu is pushing him back into the couch. wonwoo unknowingly presses his hand harder into mingyu’s scent gland, causing him to groan too and then they’re pulling back, chests heaving with a string of saliva between them.

mingyu looks so pretty like this, wonwoo thinks. his hair is all messy, lips kiss-swollen, face flushed, and eyes dark all from wonwoo’s doing. it starts up a heat inside of wonwoo, satisfied and smug.

wonwoo pushes his hand on the back of mingyu’s head, making the alpha lean in close again, close enough to kiss. mingyu’s eyes on him create a dangerous heat, one wonwoo would love to see more of. their faces are close enough to kiss, but wonwoo stops right before they can, looking eye-to-eye with the other.

“no one else can do this to you,” wonwoo breathes out, knowing his words were fanning across the other’s lips, so close yet so far. “i really like you too, and there’s no way someone else knows you like this.” he punctuates his statement with another light press to mingyu’s scent gland and the alpha whimpers above him.

"honestly, hyung, you're so hot when you're jealous," mingyu says, voice low and rough which sends shivers along wonwoo's body. wonwoo’s lips twist in satisfaction, hands letting go of mingyu’s head and neck to travel downwards. "i’m not jealous." wonwoo denies, fingers dancing along the alpha's back. mingyu subtly shivers, trembling where he’s hovering over wonwoo. wonwoo wonders if the other would arch his back for him.

mingyu arches an eyebrow instead. "oh, you weren't?" he then crowds up into wonwoo’s space, making the beta squirm and tilt his head away. mingyu takes advantage of this, burying his head into the other’s neck and nipping at it. "then i guess you were possessive, then,” mingyu says against his skin. wonwoo shudders with the other licking, sucking, biting at his skin.

"you're the one who's possessive, marking me up like this," wonwoo retorts but it has no bite, not with the way mingyu was licking up the column of his throat. wonwoo does his best to keep his breathing steady but it's hard with mingyu's hands on him, slowly untucking his button-up from his pants to slide under it. the beta shivers at the feeling of skin on skin.

"i have good reason to be." mingyu says into wonwoo's neck, who feels another heat spike at the feeling of mingyu's breath on his skin. “mingyu,” wonwoo breathes out, hands caressing at mingyu’s side and the alpha looks up at him, eyes dark.

“hyung, can i?”

needless to say, mingyu does a little more than just scenting that night.

in the morning when they’re brushing their teeth side by side, they can’t help but giggle when they catch each other’s eyes in the mirror.

it’s so fucking domestic wonwoo can’t contain his smile in the slightest. mingyu seems to feel the same, the same smile being reflected back at him. the way they had woken up together entangled and bare, morning kisses to greet each other and running through their morning routines together, wonwoo can barely believe this wasn’t a dream.

“no more scenting,” wonwoo scolds, trying to pry mingyu’s arms off his waist. it seems to be the alpha’s favorite part of wonwoo, judging by the amount of times wonwoo finds mingyu’s hands along them (and from the way mingyu kept marking them up last night). unfortunately, it was a work day, a reality check to the couple making wonwoo unwilling reprimand the other for his wandering hands.

“i’ll have to shower again and put on a scent blocker, if you keep doing this.” wonwoo warns but does nothing to push the other off, just as weak to mingyu’s hands on him as to the way mingyu couldn’t seem to keep his hands off. mingyu leans down to nose at his neck, mouthing at it.

“then let me scent you for a little longer, i’ll help you put on the scent blocker.”

“mingyu,” wonwoo scolds with no heat, just watching the sight in the mirror.  he sighs internally, wondering how he was going to cover up all the marks along his neck. he smirks when his eyes trail to the alpha at his side though, admiring the same marks left on his lover.

"made it official with mingyu, i see?" seungcheol asks conversationally and wonwoo sputters, choking on his water. how did the other know so quickly? wonwoo fidgets with his tie, wondering if it was somehow see-through and that the omega could see all the marks mingyu had left.

"did jeonghan tell you?" wonwoo wouldn't be surprised, he swears he's been seeing jeonghan's suggestive smirk all morning. seungcheol hums. "yes, i suppose. but also, mingyu's scent is all over you."

at that, wonwoo chokes on his water again

“mingyu! can i borrow another scent patch?” 

the alpha smirks at him. “yeah, sure. want me to apply for you again, wonwoo-yah?”

at that, wonwoo sends him a pointed look. “mingyu.”

“yes, yes, i get it.” mingyu backs down quickly, smile still toying on his lips as he leans out of wonwoo’s space, not without stealing a quick kiss from the beta. wonwoo smacks his shoulder, struggling to keep a stern face when the other just giggles (cutely) at him.

"get back to work, you disgusting exhibitionists," jeonghan drawls as he walks by, amused smirk on his lips. both mingyu and wonwoo blush at that, separating quickly.

as much as wonwoo tries to ignore the way the office buzzes with wonwoo and mingyu’s newfound relationship, it’s hard to escape some teasing. 

“oh, wonwoo hyung~ how’s you and your boyfriend doing?” seungkwan singsongs and wonwoo is very quick to turn away from the younger, not even giving him a chance. he gets away for a good few days but not without internally dying at each tease that makes his face flush and elicit even more teasing. jeonghan and seokmin, seungcheol, minghao, virtually everyone is in on it.. but it’s a good problem to have, wonwoo decides.

jun, thankfully, is much nicer and doesn’t say anything. instead, he simply rests his chin on wonwoo’s shoulder. “afterwork drinks tonight. just us 96z, no boyfriends. it’s been a while since we all went out together.”

wonwoo snorts. “soonyoung and jihoon are already dating and you have no boyfriend.” jun scrunches his nose at him, fake-biting at wonwoo’s shoulder. “no mingyu then.”

wonwoo rolls his eyes, not minding jun’s ministrations. “fine, i’ll tell him that.”

(“no mingyu?” the said alpha pouts at wonwoo. 

“no mingyu.” wonwoo confirms, patting consolingly at the other’s head. mingyu just pouts even harder at him, sighing but doesn’t complain any further.)

("bohyuk-ah, i'm going out tonight with my work friends!” wonwoo says into the phone.

"okay, have fun!" bohyuk says back, sounding somewhat distracted. if wonwoo strains his ears, he can distinctly hear the sound effects of a game in the background.

wonwoo smiles, shaking his head at his younger brother. “alright, see you later. love you.”

“okay, hyung. love you too.”)

"it's been a while, wonwoo!"

wonwoo and jun show up together, wonwoo having to pick up and drive the other leaving them slightly late to the projected time. “hey jihoon, soonyoung.” wonwoo greets and jun does the same, the two taking off their jackets to drape over their chairs and slip into their seats and easy conversation.

“so how are things going, now that my third favorite couple is officially restored?” soonyoung wiggles his eyebrows at the beta and wonwoo groans. jun perks up. “third favorite? who are the second and first?”

“first is soonyoung and his mates, second is minghao and chan, keep up.” soonyoung rolls his eyes at jun despite the two never having spoken about such before. jun gapes at the other while the omega is all too eager to redirect his attention back to wonwoo. “soooo?"

jun apparently decides to drop his offence for a moment, attention also turning to wonwoo. “right. wonwoo and mingyu, have you guys decided on a wedding date yet?” he teases, cat eyes shining in twin mischief with soonyoung.

flushing, wonwoo sends a pleading look towards the only one at the table not teasing him, hoping jihoon would put some sense into the other two and save wonwoo from his misery.

"i take it that your honeymoon phase with mingyu is going well?" jihoon apparently not going to put wonwoo out of his misery, leaving the other to glower at him too. soonyoung and jun both cackle at the turn of events, and okay, wonwoo guesses he has no friends in the world anymore.

"don’t you just think.."

"i do indeed think, wonwoo, thanks for noticing." jun quips. at his side, soonyoung laughs, his face pink from all the alcohol he had consumed. they’d been talking and drinking for hours at this point, talking around complaints of work to teasing wonwoo’s new relationship status to the most illogical trains of thought only further fueled by alcohol. the drinking games they played only adds to it, somehow the lightweights (soonyoung and wonwoo) of the group getting targeted each time.

jihoon has his hair pushed back messily, jun languidly melted into his chair yet still absently chewing on food. soonyoung has leaned into his mate’s side, trying to sneak a kiss in every once in a while to which jihoon immediately shuts down every time (thankfully for both wonwoo and jun’s eyes).

and wonwoo?

“..that mingyu is just sooo cute.” wonwoo says dreamily, leaning his chin on one hand. jun chokes on his food. soonyoung laughs even louder and jihoon stares at wonwoo, unimpressed. 

“oh my god, get this on camera,” soonyoung urges jihoon, even if both their faces were red from the alcohol or from laughter, wonwoo doesn’t know and doesn’t care.

"excuse me?" the older beta asks and wonwoo wonders if he was slurring his words. “mingyu is so hot, don’t you think?”

“wonwoo, you’re so whipped.” jun says seriously, staring at wonwoo. “you’re actually gone.”

wonwoo just shakes his head dismissively, reaching for his bottle to pour another shot. “when you get a mingyu, you’d understand too.”

jun raises a brow at him. “i don’t want a mingyu though.” wonwoo blinks at him, leaning back in his chair. “oh really? that’s good.” wonwoo hums absently, ignoring how jihoon and soonyoung are clutching at each other in effort to not laugh. “mingyu is only mine.”

that breaks the bubble and soonyoung starts guffawing, jihoon shaking his head at wonwoo. jun groans. “why am i surrounded by all these stupid couples.” he laments, tipping back his head back in misery. wonwoo just giggles, sipping at his shot sending a burn through his throat with each sip. he reaches over to grab the soju and pour himself another.

"i also think you shouldn't drink anymore," jihoon gently pulls the green bottle away, much to wonwoo's disappointment. the beta feebly makes a grab for it but doesn't really put any effort, knowing jihoon was probably right.

“aaaand that’s our cue to leave, i think.” jun announces, standing up with a loud sigh. “what? noooooo,” soonyoung protests, halfhearted scrabbling at the beta to get him to sit down again. "are you going to make it home okay?" jihoon asks, entirely ignoring his mate while glancing back at wonwoo. “i think this is the most i’ve ever seen him drink.”

“i should be fine, i’ve dealt with him drunk so many times already.” jun reassures the other but he doesn’t seem that convincing, going by jihoon’s expression. the other beta leans down, taking one of wonwoo’s arms and hooking it over his shoulder in preparation to help him up. 

wonwoo looks at them petulantly. “i want mingyu.” 

at his side, jun sighs. “of course you do, but we’re supposed to go home together, since you drove us here.” he grumbles. he pulls at wonwoo to get up. the younger beta blinks at him and abruptly starts refusing, pulling back down to stay in his seat.

“but i want to go home with mingyu,” wonwoo mumbles insistently, pout pushing out on his lips.

“well,” jihoon says dryly. “you’ve never dealt with him drunk and in a relationship, have you?” jun sends him nasty look. “should we call mingyu?” soonyoung asks, sounding surprisingly sober and reasonable. the three exchange glances with each other.

“i wan’ mingyuuuu,” wonwoo whines, leaning into jun who was still standing at his side. jun tries to get him to stand up again but once again, wonwoo refuses, purposefully going limp so that his entire body weight makes jun set up back down. “where is mingyu? i want to go home with mingyu,” wonwoo puffs, looking around the bar aimlessly.

"you should call mingyu to pick him up." jun decides. “this guy is gone.”

it barely feels like any time had passed between when his friends said they’d call mingyu and when mingyu arrives. wonwoo grins unabashedly, so happy to see the man of his thoughts show up in reality. 

“finally! take him off our hands, he can’t shut up about you!” jun bemoans, lightly shoving wonwoo forward. “oh? really?” mingyu says, gazing down amusedly at wonwoo. the alpha’s face, even behind the face mask, is smiling at him when wonwoo looks up. 

elation fills him, so happy to see his boyfriend here to pick him up. wonwoo giggles, feeling so fond to see his alpha here. “drunk off your ass, i see.” mingyu says, eyes crinkling up as he says so. wonwoo’s eyes would crinkle up in turn if not for the other’s words.

wonwoo pouts up at him. without thinking, wonwoo's hands start reaching up to tug at the mask, wanting to see his pretty boyfriend.

mingyu gently guides wonwoo's hand off. "no, hyung. too many scents here."

wonwoo just sighs but keeps his hands to himself. his head lolls back though, tired all of the sudden. had the world always looking this blurry? mingyu’s hands brush against his head, lightly pulling it so that his head doesn’t hang back anymore, holding the beta’s head up with his warm hands. wonwoo, pleased with the contact, leans back into it.

mingyu speaks, though wonwoo can’t really make out what he was saying, or even if he was talking to him in the first place. “yeah, he’s out of it.” he thinks he hears jihoon say. “plastered, wasted, whatever.”

“i’ll make sure he gets home safe then, thank you for taking care of him.”

some more words are exchanged but wonwoo doesn’t really care to listen, content to close his eyes and relish the other’s warmth even from just his hands. and then those hands are moving, down from his head to across his shoulders and arms, and then he’s being made to stand—

"min," wonwoo groans, the change in elevation making his head feel wobbly. he opens his eyes again but it does nothing to help, his vision spinning just as much as when his eyes were closed. “shhhh, just helping you home. do you think you can walk?” mingyu’s voice says next to his ear.

wonwoo grins lazily, arms reaching out blindly to swing over mingyu’s shoulders. he gets it first try, he thinks (ignoring the laughter in the background from his not -friends, now). 

“for you, pretty boy? anything.”

wonwoo doesn’t really remember the trip back. 

it’s a blur of mess and colors to him, mingyu tucking him into the passenger seat of his own car and wrestling his keys out from his pocket when wonwoo whines that he’s the hyung, that he should be driving. “are you really going to kidnap me now?” wonwoo slurs at him, refusing to let go of his keys that mingyu tries to tug out of his grasp. “after all we’ve been through together? your own boyfriend?”

“hyung,” mingyu breathes amusedly. “you’re not a kid, remember? there’s no way i could kidnap you.” “oh.” wonwoo pauses. “true.” and with that, mingyu takes advantage of wonwoo’s pause to take the keys from him.

“hey—” wonwoo protests but mingyu just gently pushes him into his seat, swiftly pulling the seatbelt over him before wonwoo could react (it’s not his fault that the world is just being too quick for him, okay?). mingyu gets into the driver’s seat next to him and wonwoo grins at the other. “this is the first time i’ve been passenger princess for you..” wonwoo mumbles, head lolling back onto the headrest.

“you’re right.” mingyu agrees, turning the engine on. wonwoo smiles at him again, so in love and wondering how a man could look so hot just driving. but like wonwoo said, he doesn’t really remember the trip back but he definitely does remember mingyu’s.. arms…

“hyung, let me open the door,” mingyu grunts with wonwoo’s entire weight leaning against him. “but i’m the hyunggg,” wonwoo slurs, hands clumsily pawing at his keys in mingyu’s hands. “i can do it!”

one second they’re right outside the door, the next second they’re inside and wonwoo blinks, trying to comprehend what was happening.

“wonwoo hyung?”

wonwoo blearily blinks, his vision simultaneously swimming and playing catch up. he groans, squinting at the new figure amid his growing headache. “hyukkie?” mingyu pauses at the doorstep, making no movement to step in further. the new figure doesn’t move either. wonwoo, not sensing the atmosphere, giggles and stumbles in. “bohyukkie, my dongsaeng,” wonwoo smiles drunkenly, patting at the younger alpha’s shoulders.

“are you his brother?” mingyu’s voice sounds from behind wonwoo. wonwoo hums, moving on to pinch at bohyuk’s cheeks. since when did his baby brother start losing all his baby fat?

bohyuk’s hands tighten on wonwoo’s shoulders. his hands come up to remove wonwoo’s from his face, wonwoo sighing and leaning forward slightly. his head is still spinning. “yeah, i’m his brother. are you his..” bohyuk leans forward a little, audibly sniffing the air. “..coworker?’

it’s silent for a few moments, the two alphas staring at each other or something. wonwoo doesn’t know, he’s too focused on trying to get his bearings after so much change in his surroundings. 

“mingyu,” wonwoo suddenly says, reaching backwards. two strong hands steady him, pulling him upright. “i might throw up,” wonwoo murmurs, leaning back against the alpha’s broad chest as dizziness takes over.

“ah, okay. let me help you,” mingyu’s voice says in his ear and then wonwoo’s blearily stumbling away to the bathroom, mingyu helping him all the way.

and that’s the end of their conversation, wonwoo’s pretty sure, mingyu quick to whisk him to his bathroom and leaving bohyuk behind.

“wonwoo-yah, you should get some sleep.”

wonwoo groans, hands coming up to rub at his face. his head still spins, he’s laying down he thinks. and then a puppy-like face fills his vision, amused smile shining down on him even if he can't see it very well.

"hellooo handsome," wonwoo greets, smiling despite his head pounding to the extremes and his mouth being drier than the sahara. "what's my beautiful boyfriend doing here?" he clings onto mingyu's side, hugging into his well-defined torso. 

"i didn't know you'd be a catcaller when drunk." mingyu comments, adjusting the blanket over the beta's form. "only for the most prettiest boy in the world." wonwoo giggles, taking in a deep breath of mingyu's scent attached to the blankets from the many times he had been over. it's such a comforting feeling that wonwoo snuggles further into it, unbeknownst to the way mingyu's fond look.

"hyung, how much did you drink?"

"enough to make jun not want to talk to me anymoreeee," wonwoo complains, rolling in the sheets, delighted to find that it all smells of mingyu. "but now i get to smell my alpha's scent and be home with him~" if he were more sober, wonwoo would have shut up a long time ago, the clamp of embarrassment absent in the presence of alcohol.

mingyu shakes his head at him, letting out a halfhearted sigh (with a smile! if wonwoo's vision isn't wrong). "as long as you're having fun."

"me? i always have fun, kim mingyu." wonwoo groans at the shift in elevation, mingyu's arms instantly shooting out to help steady wonwoo as the older pushed himself up on the bed. "you should've have been there too, i am the life of the party."

"more like the opposite," mingyu teases. "you're such an emotional drunk, hyung."

"am not." wonwoo pouts petulantly, clinging to mingyu's (large) bicep.

mingyu grins in the way he always does when he finds wonwoo cute and leans in, pressing their foreheads together. "are too." he taunts back, utterly too close making wonwoo’s face flush even further, not just from the alcohol.

wonwoo huffs and turns his head away, instantly regretting it when his head spins and pounds even more. he almost falls face-first back into the pillows if not for mingyu's grip on him. "oh, poor hyung, so weak and hungover," mingyu coos and only laughs when wonwoo blindly pushes a hand into the younger's face to make him shut up.

"shouldn't you be kissing me?" wonwoo grumbles, cutely tilting his head at the other.

"for what?"

"so that i can feel better." wonwoo says matter-of-factly. "you kiss people when you want them to feel better.”

“wonwoo, i don’t think that’s how that works.”

“is too,” wonwoo protests halfheartedly. “and maybe i just want a kiss from you.” he says cutely, lower lip jutting out.

and then, mingyu presses a long, wet kiss to the side of wonwoo's cheek, much to the other's dismay. “mm!” wonwoo pushes the other away, wiping at his cheek of the other’s slobber, disgusted. and to think he wanted to shower his boyfriend with affection only a few minutes ago! 

"feel better soon, jeononu pabo~" mingyu coos, nuzzling his nose against the very spot he just kissed wetly.

wonwoo grumbles under his breath, laying down to escape the other. “hate you.”

mingyu just grins down at him in response, leaning over him. “i love you too.”

“mingyu..” wonwoo yawns, eyelids already feeling heavier just from being in his bed. he lifts a hand to cup the alpha’s cheek though, smiling sleepily at the other. 

the sound of someone clearing their throat sounds from the bedroom doorway. at that sound, mingyu straightens up, becoming out of reach of wonwoo who stretches out his hand to follow him. mingyu looks back, pushing his hand down to lay against his side, shushing him when wonwoo starts to make sounds of protest.

“shh, go to sleep, wonwoo.”

“okay.” wonwoo mumbles, eyes slipping shut obediently and going straight off to sleep.