Chapter Text
The scent of saltwater and sunscreen caressed Taehyung's sensitive nose as he strolled slowly along Haeundae Beach. His head swayed from side to side, capturing every detail of what, from that day on, he would call home. He had moved with his family to Busan a few days before, leaving Seoul and packing his entire life into a few boxes. Not that it bothered him too much; in his old school and neighborhood, Taehyung had no friends, no one to despair over the distance or to beg to stay.
His new home was in one of those beautiful and tall skyscrapers, full of comforts and home automation systems. Because of his parent’s work they traveled a lot, and sometimes had to leave everything behind to start new projects in new cities. And this was what had happened a few weeks prior, when their parents had told him they had to move, again. But Taehyung had just looked them in the eyes and shrugged, indifferent. It certainly wouldn't have turned his life upside down or irreparably destroyed it. What followed was all a blur; Taehyung was only asked to bring all his stuff and check out the website of his new school.
In the distance, the voices of some boys laughing and joking mixed with the crashing waves on the shore, momentarily distracting him from his thoughts. Who knows, maybe they were also students from his new school; maybe they would become his friends and organize whole days at the beach.
He huffed, and a lock of hair fluttered back to settle between his lashes, poking his eye. With a slightly quicker pace, he continued his walk without paying attention to those boys who were lying on the beach, chatting and drinking some beer. Taehyung couldn't distinguish their scents and, consequently, identify their secondary gender. Not that it was important at that moment, but a wolf's instinct was to recognize the secondary gender from the other's pheromones, in order to choose the type of approach. But Taehyung couldn't smell any kind of pheromone, and the ones he emitted had no scent. As a child, he had visited many specialists to solve the problem, but what he always heard was that it was a genetic condition impossible to change. And for an omega, it could represent a significant problem. In their world, where mate recognition existed, scent was an important condition. Through this and other factors, destined pairs could recognize or strengthen an existing bond. For this reason, he had always had difficulty approaching others and making friends since childhood. He didn't like being asked what his secondary gender was and why he didn't have a scent. But what could an eight-year-old boy respond? He always felt under observation, like a bizarre attraction. And the teasing and shoving certainly didn't help. Being an omega without that typical sweet scent made him feel different and wrong. Growing up, he began to isolate himself and push away anyone who got too close. At school, he had sterile and superficial conversations with classmates, never went out to wander around the city with some friends, and never attended school parties. Taehyung existed only during school hours, then he would disappear and retreat to his safe spot in his room. In the outside world he felt uncomfortable, in the wrong place, and without particular usefulness. His parents were too busy with work to comfort and reassure their son, and when it happened, Taehyung always waved his hand to minimize the problem. He didn't want to be a burden for his parents and didn't want them to think that he was weak. He had only the darkness of the night to hide and collect the small tears that would blur his eyes.
The first day of school arrived inexorably like the dawn of every morning. After rubbing his eyes, Taehyung locked himself in the bathroom to prepare for a new and exciting day in his new life. The high school he had enrolled in was not far from his apartment; from the photos on the web, it looked like a relatively new structure with warm brown walls and white details that stood out in the sunlight. His new school gathered students from the surrounding neighborhoods, for a total of about a thousand boys and girls. Not many, Taehyung thought, but enough to feel suffocated.
The aura of indifference that followed him like a shadow helped him get through his days, and this was one of those he would have to finish in one piece. Sitting at breakfast, he watched his parents juggling through documents and various phone calls, holding a small cup of coffee and a slightly burnt toast. They exchanged a hurried good morning, and his mother briefly ruffled his hair. Well, in that moment, Taehyung felt more noticed than usual, and a small smile twisted his lips. The slamming door and his father's loud recommendations were all Taehyung heard before silence engulfed the entire room. He glanced at his phone, and unfortunately, there was just over half an hour left before classes started. He would have to get to school alone and try to survive until the afternoon.
"Sit down, everyone, please," the Korean literature teacher was standing in front of the desk, clapping his hands to get his students' attention. Taehyung waited anxiously at the doorway, with his hands clasped behind his back, just under his backpack, squeezing them spasmodically. That morning, as soon as he arrived, he had headed to the office, as instructed days before, and was then escorted to his class. There he met his new teacher and introduced himself as the transfer student.
"Come on, Taehyung, I'll introduce you to the class." The teacher's encouraging smile snapped him out of the anxiety bubble that had enveloped him, and uncertainly, he took a few steps until he reached the adult's side. With courage, he looked up ahead and his eyes bounced from one face to another, hoping to introduce himself without stuttering.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Kim Taehyung, and I am a new transfer student." His voice trembled a little, and his hands, now clasped in front of his abdomen, slipped with the sweat pearling his palms. "I hope you will take care of me," he said and then bowed. A chorus of welcomes accompanied by his name was enough to bring him back to an upright position and for him to wait for the teacher to speak again.
After being shown an empty desk, Taehyung moved quickly, keeping his head down. He pulled back the chair and tried to make as little noise as possible to avoid attracting attention, though glances and whispers were already all around him.
"Hey," a voice reached him as he settled into the desk, "I'm Jimin, welcome." The boy sitting next to him smiled warmly with perfectly straight teeth. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the numerous windows, and his brown eyes were hidden by his pronounced cheekbones. Taehyung smiled faintly and nodded to thank him. He couldn't say for sure what Jimin's secondary gender was, but given his petite and graceful build, he would bet he was an omega, just like him. Being able to distinguish them by their physical appearance was a help Taehyung wouldn't know how to give up. It was the only way he had to understand his surroundings.
That brief exchange of words managed to calm his agitation, allowing him to focus on the lessons of the day.