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Chapter Text

Jaejoong isn't quite sure how long he's been sitting at his desk, staring into the monitor screen as lines of code turn squiggly and indecipherable. His stomach rolls any time he moves and he's afraid that he might puke up his late lunch onto the desk any moment. He would turn to one of his co-workers to ask for help, if only he could manage to move without feeling his entire world tilt dangerously. The omega isn't sure what help he could ask for either ways, since he's at most acquainted with most of them- he doesn't think it would be fair to ask them to drive him home when he's barely interacted with them outside of company dinners, choosing to go home and cuddle with his alpha.

Jaejoong doesn't quite get to complete his train of thought, unable to keep his head up any longer, laying it down on his desk. He's past the point of keeping up decorum in the workplace and yearns for his bed, and his alpha. His nearest colleagues turn their heads at the scene, and he can hear one of them get up from their seat and walk towards him. “Jaejoong-nim, are you doing okay?” Youngji, omega, lovely and smart but prone to gossip. A cold palm touches his shoulder and Jaejoong shivers at the sensation. He tries to mumble out something in response to the query, pushing past the cotton filling his brain to formulate a simple reassurance. Evidently luck isn't on his side today, since whatever he replies with doesn't seem to assure anyone of his well being. Rather, he hears the telltale sign of more people gathering beside him. Someone lays a blessedly cool palm over his forehead. It takes every bit of shaky resolve in him not to learn into it. People are talking around him, about him, and Jaejoong wants to feel irritated at them but all his energy currently goes into staying awake. Someone asks him for his phone, to which he points to his desk where his phone lies. Jaejoong is certifiably annoyed when they keep asking for his passcode, rattling it off in one breath before closing his eyes again.

Apparently leaving him alone and letting everything be wasn't in the vocabulary of anyone around him, because one moment he's slumped at his desk and the next, someone seems to have heaved him up. The change of altitude along with the rush of unfamiliar scents has bile climbing up his throat, and he clamps a hand around his mouth. Thankfully someone gets the hint and shoves a trash can under his mouth right before he leaves up both his breakfast and lunch. So much for swallowing down dry toast and cream cheese. Jaejoong’s knees buckle but he doesn't fall, owing to the firm hold of the arms around him. He feels weirdly better once the food is out of his system, though his vision still swims and goes dark right after.
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Jaejoong stirs to the scent of his alpha all around him. The smell of brewed coffee and the electric hum of a kettle surrounds him. The breakroom near his table, then. When he opens his eyes Yunho is a little ways away, talking to his colleagues. The alpha had evidently rushed to get here judging by the court robe hung over one arm. Jaejoong feels sorry about making him miss court day but ultimately his selfishness for his mate wins over.

Jaejoong pushes himself up to sit up, and promptly lays back down groaning when he feels everything tilt once again. Yunho and the others turn at the sound, his alpha rushing to be with him, helping him lay back down on the uncomfortable break room couch. Jaejoong pushes his head into Yunho's chest, feeling all kinds of wrong and just wanting to be with Yunho alone. Yunho chuckles a little when the omega burrows into his chest searching for warmth. “You gave everyone quite the scare baby, always had a flair for the dramatic,” Jaejoong half-heartedly glares up at him for that, still not letting go of his mate. “Your omega just puked and passed out at work and you call that dramatic? Stupid alpha.” Yunho chuckles again, hands coming around Jaejoong to stroke the back of his head. Jaejoong practically melts into Yunho, the only thing stopping him from dozing off being the awareness that he's still at his workplace. “C’mon, let's get you home and into your nest yea, and then we'll talk about how bad an alpha I am,” with that Yunho slowly lets him up into a standing position, although Jaejoong is sure that Yunho is holding most of his weight. His colleagues look equal parts fascinated and embarrassed, never having seen their team leader so soft and pliant and… omegan. Youngji looks almost excited, probably at the opportunity to gossip about her team leader and his till-now elusive mate. He tries not to dread coming to the office tomorrow. Jaejoong stops for a moment to thank them for helping him and calling Yunho, and one of them, Woohyun, passes him his belongings including his phone, sheepishly mentioning, “I had to use it to call your mate since none of us had his number.” Jaejoong just nods and thanks him, feeling his energy dissipate more by the minute. Yunho hurries up, recognising his mate’s waning state of health.

Yunho is practically carrying Jaejoong by the time they reach Yunho's car. He tucks the omega into the backseat, leaving Jaejoong to slip back into dreamland.
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Jaejoong wakes up cocooned in blankets, surrounded by the scent of safety and home. The clatter of pots and pans has him getting up(slowly this time) and moving to the kitchen. Yunho has busied himself at the stove, standing over what looks like a pot of soup. He turns when Jaejoong shuffles in with a yawn. He has changed from his lawyers’ uniform into comfortable pajamas, looking cozy as ever. Jaejoong plasters himself onto his back, sighing as he feels the heat seep into his skin.
“Feeling better?”
“Loads. I don't really know what happened back there. I went to work not feeling great but it wasn't this level of not-great.”

Jaejoong suddenly groans as the reality of everything that happened sets in.
“Oh my god, my juniors saw me puke. And then I fainted on one of them and they had to carry me like some invalid.”
“You'd be the hottest invalid there though.” Jaejoong smacks Yunho's chest for that, although his vanity does agree, for the most part. “Pretty sure my entire department knows about my hot but elusive lawyer husband by now. Youngji will have made sure of that.” “Don't tell me you're embarrassed to have a hotshot lawyer like me for a husband, team leader-nim,” Yunho gasps, putting his free hand on his heart. Jaejoong smacks him once more before pulling away to sit on the counter top. “I just wanted to keep a low profile till now, didn't want to give them anything to gossip about. Data scientists are awfully nosy people, you know,” Yunho chortles at the idea that Jaejoong thinks he can keep a low profile at all with the face he'd been blessed with. His was the kind of face that just attracted attention. His mate is cute for thinking that either way.

Jaejoong slurps down his soup like no other, feeling rejuvenated after resting and having food. No dizzy spells bothered him as he and Yunho cuddled up on their cozy little blanket in their living room in front of the TV to watch some terrible horror movie that will have Jaejoong in stitches(from laughing at all the bad cuts and poor attempts at jumpscares), and Yunho shivering and curling into Jaejoong “because all horror movies are scary, Joongie”.
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When he's back in office the next morning, his teammates are quick to rush to him, enquiring upon his health and state of affairs. Some of them grumble about him hiding away the fine specimen of human that his alpha is. Jaejoong chuckles awkwardly, brushing away their complaints and sending them back to their desks, sighing in relief as the crowd disperses. Truthfully he doesn't feel all that good this morning, but he supposes that it can't be helped in the first trimester. Thankfully Yunho hasn't caught on so far, and Jaejoong intends to keep it that way till the surprise reveal that he's planning

Chapter Text

Youngji knows she's good at what she does. There's a reason she got accepted into the team led by the infamously picky Kim Jaejoong. Youngji also knows how important connections and networking are in the workplace, and that gossiping, no matter how silly it might sound, is a valuable source of both information and connections to people in the office, people in high places. Exchanging harmless bits of information over shared cups of coffee in the break room might be seen as slacking off to some, but Youngji has seen up close how much these conversations can transmit, just how far the gossip train goes.

Youngji and her group of friends at the office have a few most frequented topics of conversation, and her famously handsome(beautiful, really), famously elusive team leader is one such favourite of theirs to revisit. Kim Jaejoong is young for a team leader, and meticulous in his work as well as at getting off work. He maintains clear boundaries with his colleagues, even his own teammates, instead choosing to have a personal life, how audacious of him! The only clue to his secondary gender is the faint undertone of fresh flowers that sometimes escapes through the scent blockers that they're all required to wear, after a long day. The scent makes his omega status fairly obvious. They also know that he has a mate, from the time Woohyun, a teammate of Youngji’s, had spied a mating bite low on his neck when his perfectly sensible sweater had slipped to one side. Their leader also makes sure to stay the bare minimum of time expected of him at team dinners, disappearing home the moment it is acceptable to do so. His social media accounts are all set to private, and there is no hint to who his mate is anywhere. All in all, Kim Jaejoong is a very frustrating topic of conversation due to his highly private nature, but also a highly fascinating one, counting the few days that they get a stray crumb or two to nibble on.

Well, this time it isn't a crumb to share as much as it is a full course meal. Youngji hurries to the newly empty break room to heat up more coffee, texting their group chat to meet, because there was breaking news. Their breaking news is over six feet tall and too hot to comprehend, but more importantly their breaking news was just seen practically carrying her slumped over team leader out of the office building. Kim Jaejoong’s mate finally had a name, and a job(a prosecutor, how very power-couple of them) and a face to match. Jung Yunho definitely saved the world in his last lifetime to be blessed with the kind of face and physique, and brains(prosecutor!!). And mate, can't forget that one. Youngji can't wait to gather everyone and share the tea.
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Surprising but not-so-surprisingly, Kim Jaejoong arrives at the office on time the next day, looking tired but evidently well enough to still work. Youngji wonders where he finds the will to do so. He isn't driven by money: this much is clear from the fancy car he drives; the car his mate drove yesterday also looked pretty expensive so they're clearly very well off. She's slightly unsettled by how tired her boss seems, how drained he looks by the time the routine wellness check from her nosy teammates is complete, and feels a little bad at just treating him as office gossip(it still doesn't stop her from updating their group chat about the most recent news).
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Jaejoong-nim walks out of a meeting. Runs out of it would be a better fit, judging by the awkward but frantic scurry thing he did across the conference hall before high tailing it out the door. This is a first because Kim Jaejoong has never, ever missed a meeting before. The omega seems to not have recovered from whatever bug he caught last week, that much is obvious. Youngji finds herself feeling oddly anxious for the man. Although she does find fun in trying to find dirt(?) on him, she doesn't actually wish any harm on the guy. He's a good team leader, although he tends to be a little perfectionist at times, and he hasn't once made her run errands the way she's seen maknaes in other teams do. She doesn't want to see him leave his position as her leader any time soon, and hopes he gets better soon.
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Kim Jaejoong would not recover soon, because there isn't anything to recover from, fortunately. Unfortunately for her he would be leaving soon, although not permanently. The omega is pregnant, not sick. Someone from another team had found him collapsed in one of the bathrooms and called 119 in a frenzy. The EMTs woke him up easily enough, deeming it a fairly common case of blood pressure tanking during pregnancy, and left after admonishing him to go easy on work and take his supplements. One of Youngji's friends from her gossip gang had overheard everything and wasted no time in updating the group chat, and from there it had spread to the rest of the office. It had taken a few more weeks until Jaejoong himself had called up their team, explaining his situation and approaching long leave due to certain health related circumstances, and that he would be training his next-in-command to take charge temporarily when he went on leave. Youngji feels almost betrayed at the turn of events, not once having imagined this. Somehow she couldn't ever imagine Jaejoong, who felt like some unearthly being, experiencing something as human and unglamorous as pregnancy sickness. Youngji offhandedly does notice that this is the happiest that she's ever seen her boss to be, although he still looks a little tired. He smiles at them more often, even gives them his card to use when they leave for the next round after his farewell dinner. It would've been better if he could join them, but she figures it would be useless for him to join them since he can't drink, so the card would do. It's still a sweet gesture. Maybe Kim Jaejoong isn't so bad(he never was, in hindsight).

Chapter Text

Jaejoong isn't doing well, this much is clear to Yunho. The omega thinks he doesn't notice the way he slinks out of bed most mornings to quietly vomit, doesn't know why he hides it. Jaejoong usually loves the attention Yunho regales upon him whenever he feels sick, milking it to the maximum when the opportunity arises. It's one of the little things that Yunho's become fond of about Jaejoong after so many years of being together.

Yunho makes it a point to come home earlier in the evenings after multiple experiences of finding the omega dozed off on the couch in his office attire, not even his shoes off. The omega seems perpetually tired, and Yunho wants to kidnap him and take him to the doctor, but he waits, hoping that Jaejoong acknowledges the problem first. Yunho gives it two more days: if Jaejoong doesn't do something about this flu by then, Yunho would put his foot down.
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Yunho comes back after yet another long day at the office to Jaejoong napping at their dining table, the fine china and cutlery they only bring out for special occasions already laid out along with a few candles waiting to be lit. It looks like the omega had dozed off waiting for Yunho to get back from work. Yunho feels his heart warm at the thought of his mate putting in so much effort into setting everything up for their date night when he's busy with work, and sick. Yunho gently shakes his mate's shoulder to rouse him, internally cooing when Jaejoong stretches like a cat before turning to face him with a sleepy grin. “We haven't really gone on a date in a while. Decided to make dinner and surprise you with a dinner date, how's that?” Yunho just chuckles and kisses him on the forehead, practically feeling Jaejoong preening under the attention. “I'll set everything up, could you pick up the food in the oven? I popped it in there to keep it warm.” Yunho complies, heading to the kitchen but when he looks in the oven there's only a singular baguette inside. Puzzled, he calls out to Jaejoong, wondering if he'd heard it wrong.

Jaejoong comes into the kitchen at that moment and asks him what was wrong. “There's only a baguette in here, Jaejoong-ah,”

“A baguette’s a bun,” Jaejoong states, the first glint of humour in his eyes. Yunho stares at him in confusion, so Jaejoong spells it out. “Yunho-yah, what are you holding?”

“A bun?”

“Yes, and where was it?”

“The oven?”

“Yes, good, now put those two together. Jeez, for a prosecutor you're pretty slow, love.”

Yunho just stares at him until the question solves itself before his eyes. “There's a bun in the oven. A bun in the oven? Wait, a bun! In the oven! Oh my god, Jaejoongie, are you pregnant?” Jaejoong rolls his eyes, although mirth dances in them. “I hope the baby doesn't inherit your brains, god, Yunho, that took you so long,”

Yunho doesn't hear half of it as he runs to embrace Jaejoong in a bear hug that he loosens very quickly, because what if he squishes the baby? “I know what you're thinking, the baby is the size of a dot and they'll be fine so you better hug me properly, babe.” Yunho doesn't spare a thought after that, reaching to smush the omega against his chest. He's probably the happiest man on the earth and there's only one person to thank for that. He holds onto his mate a little tighter.
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Jaejoong wakes up multiple times at night to vomit these days, so naturally so does Yunho. The alpha humorously mentions their wild college days, when Jaejoong inevitably got too drunk and puked up everything(Yunho had become an expert at taking care of a pukey Jaejoong, a very handy skill in their current predicament). Jaejoong merely flips him off from where he sits on the futon conveniently placed next to the bathroom door. Yunho does offhandedly wonder how Jaejoong's team members would react to the revelation that their uptight and mysterious team leader was once a notorious party animal. He grins as he imagines their dumbfounded faces. The thought breaks off as Jaejoong runs back to the toilet to puke up the half bottle of cider he'd managed to drink earlier.
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Jaejoong is diagnosed with mild hyperemesis and put on an IV to feed him nutrition. The omega is also administered a mild sedative when he mentions his inability to sleep through the night due to the relentless nausea. Yunho feels all kinds of wrong seeing his omega look so tiny on the hospital bed. He's pretty sure most pregnancies aren't supposed to go this way, wonders if there is something else wrong. The only thing that keeps him calm is how peaceful Jaejoong looks in his sleep, undisturbed by nausea. He hopes for both Jaejoong and the baby's sake that everything goes smoothly.
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Jaejoong is starting to look rounder. It's either the beginning of pregnancy weight or just water retention, but the point of the matter is that a round-faced Jaejoong is the cutest Jae to ever Joong. Yunho feels like biting his cheeks, gobbling him up whole. Jaejoong doesn't take kindly to the cuteness aggression, pushing him away whenever he attempts a nibble, although he does indulge him more during cuddle time. The permanent smile on Yunho's face these days is unshakable, even on days Jaejoong grumbles at him and wakes him up unholy times with the weirdest cravings.

Jaejoong is instructed to go on leave from work to rest after a few close calls at the office. The omega absolutely loathes the idea of being stuck at home, but his numerous sisters pitch in with the idea to take turns to visit to keep him company. Jaejoong complains substantially less after that, always excited at the prospect of seeing his nieces and nephews.
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Yunho worries his lip as he surveys the multitude of designs set before him. He'd wanted to get Jaejoong a little present for their upcoming anniversary, the last one they celebrate between just the two of them. Yunho wants to express his gratitude towards his mate for pushing through pregnancy no matter the difficulties that get thrown at him. The omega is doing better physically these days, but he's clearly tired of being cooped up inside the house while Yunho goes to work. Yunho knows that it stirs up old feelings of inadequacy in the omega, as though he'd be worth less if he didn't go to work. There isn't much he can do regarding Jaejoong’s work, since his obgyn still recommends that the omega rest, due to the hyperemesis symptoms he'd exhibited earlier. Yunho also intends to take Jaejoong away to some peaceful resort or beach house for the weekend, somewhere Jaejoong can free his mind. It's not much but it's the least he can do within the limitations that Jaejoong’s health brings along. He can't wait until he gets to meet their baby, but he also wants to cherish these last few months that he'll be alone with Jaejoong. Somehow it feels like saying goodbye to their youth, even as they prepare to welcome a new person, a new chapter in both their lives.

Chapter Text

Yunho has never been much of a party person. He’s someone who loves to socialise, but the heat and combined stink of sweaty horny bodies grinding is repulsive: he likes his personal space. His tolerance for alcohol is surprisingly low, so he tends to stick to beer or acts as a designated babysitter to his friends on the few occasions that he does go to one of these gatherings. It works well enough: they need someone who has their head on straight, and he wants an excuse to stay away from drinking.

It is just another Friday night after finals for Jung Yunho. The alpha is busy wrangling his two friends: Heechul is hellbent on texting his asshole ex, while freshman Donghae, the sweet child, is trying to drown himself in alcohol over getting rejected by a senior in his ‘Introduction to dbms’ class. Yunho feels sympathetic for the kid, subtly switching out his alcohol for a bottle of cider. Donghae, bless his soul, notices nothing as he downs shot after shot, staring miserably at the makeshift podium where the senior dances with his friends. With Donghae temporarily safe from giving himself alcohol poisoning, Yunho focuses on Heechul, struggling against the surprising strength in those lanky arms before successfully wrestling Heechul’s phone out of his hands. Heechul protests violently, but Yunho doesn’t let up, letting the omega fight for the phone before finally giving up.

Yunho sighs in relief, pushing a glass of water into Heechul’s hands to help him sober up and refilling Donghae’s continuously emptying shot glass with water instead of vodka, the baby alpha none the wiser. He feels stretched thin between the pair and wants a glass of something himself.

Yunho waits until Heechul is slumped over the counter, snoring away, before calling for backup. Thankfully, Sungmin is done studying, so he’s agreed to take his roommate back to the dorms. Donghae still stares into the distance, though he looks more present now.

Once Heechul is safe and on the way back to the dorms, supported by Sungmin, Yunho moves towards the bar to get something for himself. The bar is nearly empty save for a little left of a bottle of vodka. He practically upends it into his mug- might as well go all out if he’s going to get drunk, grabbing a few slices of lemon and chilli to help with the flavour.

He moves to join the now passed-out Donghae at their counter, surveying the place with mild interest. The party is winding down, with a good portion of people passed out in random places and another substantial fraction sneakily withdrawing into rooms. Only a few people remain on the not-dance floor, swaying drunkenly to the thumping beat. Yunho spies the boy Donghae had confessed to among the group, conversing animatedly with his friend. The drink in his hand sloshes every time he makes a hand gesture, until there isn't much left in the glass. Yunho chuckles. Cute. He sees why Donghae confessed, but he understands why the senior rejected him. Yunho wouldn't date a freshman either. The maturity gap was too great.

After a while, the boy moves with his glass towards the counters where Yunho and Donghae are. Yunho abruptly straightens up, trying to look nonchalant as he stares into his vodka, already feeling a little tipsy. To his surprise, the boy takes a seat beside him, nodding happily at him. Yunho nods back, feeling almost thunderstruck seeing the smile aimed at him. He’s an omega, judging by the scent of flowers wafting from the omega. Hell, anyone could tell that he’s an omega, with how pretty, almost effeminate his features are. Yunho clears his throat and looks away with a shake of his head when those doe eyes turn to stare at him questioningly. Pretty boy busies himself with tying up his shaggy, shoulder-length hair, procuring a hair tie seemingly out of nowhere.

Neither of them says anything: Yunho so nervous that he’s no longer tipsy, and Pretty Boy distracted, fiddling with his drink and the numerous rings adorning his(also very pretty) fingers.

Pretty Boy leaves after a few minutes, having had enough rest, nodding lightly to Yunho in greeting, smile not as bright as before. Yunho wonders if something went wrong with him, wants to help him out, but doesn’t want to appear creepy, so he just nods back. He desperately wishes that Donghae had gone for someone else instead of Pretty Boy, because there’s no way he would hurt his cousin by pursuing someone he’d liked.

Yunho plays Snakes and Ladders on his phone to pass the time while waiting for Hyukjae to come, to help him get Donghae home. The baby alpha is dead asleep, and Yunho's not about to throw his already-bad back out lifting him alone, since he suspects that Donghae would be of absolutely no help.

Hyukjae arrives late, yawning and fiddling with his car keys. The freshman has been Donghae’s friend since diaper days- it had been a given that they would room together in college. Yunho has his hands full babysitting not one but two underclassmen sharing his dingy flat, but it comes in handy on days like this( he would rather die than letting any harm come to Donghae, knowing how his aunt entrusted him to his care, but that’s a whole other conversation).

Together with Hyukjae, he heaves his passed-out cousin out and into the car. They settle Donghae in the back, and Hyukjae is in the driver’s seat, waiting for Yunho to get in. Yunho stares at the frat house for a moment longer, wondering about the senior from earlier, only getting in when Hyukjae honks impatiently, that brat. As he gets in, Yunho contemplates if he should’ve at least gotten his number, then nearly slaps himself at the realisation that he was lusting after the same person who rejected Donghae. If that didn’t break the bro-code, he didn’t know what did. Still, as they drove down empty streets, Yunho wished that he’d at least asked for a name.
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Yunho lasts exactly a week before he caves. Pretty boy just wouldn’t leave his mind, haunting it every chance, even visiting in his dreams. He just wants a name, to know which department he’s in, if only to take the long route on campus in the hopes of running into him. Donghae is past the rejection surprisingly fast for someone who’d been crying and drinking himself into a stupor over it. He’s a little puzzled when Yunho asks for the name of the omega who had rejected him but had given it nonetheless, offhandedly mentioning that he’s from the Computer Science department. Yunho practically tackles him into a bear hug before running off in the direction of the computer department. Oh, well. Yunho had his strange moments. Donghae goes back to his game.
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Recently, Yunho has begun frequenting the cafeteria near the Computer Science department, even though it is quite far from the Political Science department. He goes there for his morning coffee, his lunch, and even the occasional snack break in the midst of preparing for his thesis presentation. To his utter disappointment, Yunho doesn’t see Pretty boy once during the first two weeks. Yunho doesn’t stop going to the cafeteria, though, religiously visiting thrice a day.
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Yunho begins to lose hope of meeting Pretty Boy again after hitting the two-month mark. He feels desperate now, with only five months left until both he and Pretty Boy graduate. Work is piling up, so he isn’t able to visit the cafeteria too often these days, opting instead to use the vending machine outside his department library for snacks. Yunho sits on a bench outside the main library building on such a day, sipping on an energy drink while taking a short break to recenter himself. His classwork is complete, but his thesis has been a hot mess. He needs to ace this to get into law school as according to his plans, so this is a crucial time.

Yunho crushes the can and disposes of it before walking back into the building, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He doesn’t think much as he falls into step behind two people conversing rapidly. They’re engineering students, arguing over some algorithm or whatever it is that engineering students argue over. It’s quite entertaining to see from behind: the person on the left has shaggy hair that bounces a little every time he turns to the other person to assert a point, while the one on the right doesn’t so much as glance at the first person, obstinately standing by their opinion. The shaggy hair looks oddly familiar, like someone he’d seen before. Yunho’s eyes widen as he realises that Pretty Boy is finally in front of him after months of searching. He’s in front of Yunho, and he’s moving away, fast. Yunho doesn’t stop to think as he jogs up to the arguing pair.

“Hyunjoong-ssi,” To Yunho’s surprise, the guy beside Pretty boy is the one who responds, looking at Yunho in uncertainty. Beside the Hyunjoong guy, Pretty boy looks confused for a bit before recognition lights up in his eyes. “I think we met at a party a while back? You’re Donghae’s cousin, right?” Pretty boy speaks, and it’s the sweetest, most beautiful sound Yunho has ever heard. Hyunjoong, the one to whom Donghae confessed ( Hyunjoong, not Pretty boy, thank God), looks pretty puzzled by the entire exchange, so Yunho hurries to fill the gap. “I’m sorry, I got your names mixed up. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you again,” Yunho sends an expectant look at Pretty boy, who quickly answers even as his face flushes red, “It’s Jaejoong. My name.”

Hyunjoong looks understanding now, smirking lightly at how smitten the other two look, the matching blushes both of them sport. He comments, “Looks like Jaejoongie has another admirer. I’ll leave you two to it then. Aight.” Jaejoong's friend walks off towards the library, shooting finger guns at them. Jaejoong flushes even darker, hands coming up to cover his shy smile. Yunho notes that today, too, he has a lot of rings on: he must love rings.

“I thought you'd ask for my name at the party.” Jaejoong blurts out. “I found you cute. You were staring at me from the counter for a while, so I thought you liked me too, but you didn't say shit.” Jaejoong still looks mildly put out, as though internally reliving the memory.

“I didn't want you to think I was a creep or something. And I thought you turned Donghae down, but then it turns out that was Hyunjoong, and I should've just gone ahead and asked for your name but I was a little drunk that day and I acted really dumb and I'm rambling aren't I?” Yunho hasn't felt this flustered in awhile. The only consolation is that Jaejoong appears highly entertained, even endeared, by his bumbling.

“How ‘bout we discuss your shortcomings over coffee? I forgot to ask for your name, by the way?” Jaejoong is so smooth with it that Yunho almost forgets to offer his name. He only gets teased for it a little as they walk towards the cafeteria near CS that Yunho knows like the back of his hand now.

Chapter Text

Dating Jaejoong is simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing Yunho has ever done. On one side, they click ridiculously well together. One the other, there is a sense of uncertainty surrounding their relationship, both of them hesitant to breach the topic of their upcoming graduation. Yunho doesn't expect to be a priority in Jaejoong's life: the omega has big dreams, and bigger potential. Yunho himself doesn't want to make a relationship his priority when his odds for clearing the law entrance exam are so low. They're both at a turning point in life, where focusing on a relationship is the last thing on their minds. Yunho figures that he should've known that Jaejoong would broach the topic first: his omega is very rational and unafraid of bringing up uncomfortable subjects, unlike Yunho, who is a bit of an escapist.

“Yunho,” Jaejoong's voice is softer than a waterfall as they sit next to each other in the spot that they've claimed in the cafeteria. On Yunho's expectant look, he continues, “We need to talk, about us. How we'll go into the next few months after graduation, what are our expectations, stuff like that. Realistically, of course.”

When they get down to it, the conversation lasts barely ten minutes. It's more something to stew over, the longevity of their relationship, the way it would evolve as they grow older and inevitably change, their willingness to see where it goes. Yunho is something of a hopeless romantic, but the past few months with Jaejoong have taught him that some things simply don't work the way he'd imagined- that it took much more talking, and understanding the other's perspective- to make a relationship work.

Jaejoong gave off the impression of someone wildly free, unburdened by expectations or grades, but that was all it was, an impression. The omega has crystal clear ideas about his aspirations. It's admirable and very, very hot. It also serves as a reality check to Yunho to actually work towards his future, because he wants to walk beside Jaejoong, not run to catch up behind him. Yunho never thought he'd enjoy library dates, but here he was, two weeks before his final thesis, pouring over his citations while Jaejoong sits a few seats away, focused on his own work. The last few weeks have been absolute hell, with too much to do in too short of a timeframe, but having a clear end in sight helps to keep him going, along with copious amounts of coffee.

Yunho doesn't feel completely ready even as he stands outside the hall, waiting for his turn to present. His hands are practically dripping with perspiration and the soles of his feet ache from all the pacing. There isn't much else to be done as far as preparation goes, but Yunho's stomach is still a knot of nerves.

His phone lights up once, then twice. A quick glimpse shows that Jaejoong messaged. The omega has his hands full, with final project presentations lined up for the week, so it's a surprise to see a text from him. The phone feels slippery in his hand as he opens the text.
“All the best bubs”
“My capable alpha, love you.
See you in a bit xoxo.”
Yunho feels his wolf prancing proudly at the compliment in spite of himself. He wipes his hands before shaking out his arms, breathing deeply to keep the nerves at bay. He needs to do well so he can brag to his omega later.
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Graduation week is a frantic daze of filing transfer paperwork, filling out admission forms and endless partying. Yunho has been to a lot of parties in recent months, but most of it has been to babysit or to pick up his wasted boyfriend(Jaejoong drinks like a pro, but he turns into the clingiest baby for Yunho once he's actually drunk). He decides to get properly piss-drunk for once, knowing it might be his last chance to do so at a party.

Yunho and Jaejoong arrive together and then separate for a little to hang out with their respective friend groups- Jaejoong walks to where Hyunjoong and Seunghyun look a little wasted already, while Yunho heads over to Heechul and Hyukjae, who seem to be arguing over something or the other.

For the first time, Yunho welcomes the heavy feeling that settles over him as he sips on his third beer of the night. Hyukjae and Donghae stare at him amazed, seeing him drunk for probably the first time. Yunho just smiles happily at them, asking for a shot of something harder- the night is young yet. He looks across the room to see Jaejoongie falling over himself laughing at something Seunghyun’s omega, Jiyong, said. Yunho smiles again, feeling utterly smitten. Jaejoongie's eyes looked the prettiest when he laughed. Yunho barely sees it in the dim lighting, but he's sure that they're currently crinkling up the way they always do. Yunho really wants to stay away, give his omega time to socialise with all the bazillion people he has befriended in his college life, but he wants attention from his boyfriend, dammit. Resolutely, Yunho gets up, stumbling and promptly righting himself, then walks over to his Jaejoongie.

His omega had to have sensed him or something, because he turns around almost as soon as Yunho is in the vicinity. Jaejoong must be surprised at how tipsy he looks, his arms coming around Yunho to support him as he stumbles again, slightly. Yunho smiles at the proximity, happy to see his Jaejoongie and his breathtaking eyes sparkling in the light. The concern on the omega's face makes way for a fond smile when he sees that Yunho is just drunk and seeking his presence. He excuses himself from his group and moves to the grassy plain outside the stuffy frat house, pulling Yunho along with him.

The air is hot and somehow heavy, an indicator of a rainstorm heading their way in a day or two. Jaejoong hopes to be camping out in Yunho's cozy flat by the time it hits. Yunho's bedroom has the best view, even though leaving the window open could let mosquitoes in, stupid bloodsucking fuckers. Beside Jaejoong, Yunho leans into him, nuzzling his shoulder until Jaejoong wraps himself around his alpha like a drunk octopus. Yunh's giggles and random babbles trail away as both of them look out at the silhouette of the moon peeking from behind the trees that cover the side of the road. The scene is so pretty, Jaejoong wishes he could draw well, capturing both the scenery and the emotions that charge the air around them in one picture. Unfortunately he can barely differentiate a circle from a trapezium, so he settles for holding his boyfriend closer, trying to memorise the feeling of arms wound tight around his waist and a head against his chest, lightly snoring- lightly snoring? Jaejoong sighs, exasperated on seeing Yunho conked out already. He fishes his phone out after much difficulty, calling Changmin to come pick them up- he knows none of their same-aged friends would be sober, so an underclassman would be perfect.

Next morning Yunho gets a taste of what it feels like to wake up and bury his head in the toilet to puke, first thing in the morning(he also revels in the feeling of Jaejoong rubbing his spine and tying his hair back, so that could be a win). Jaejoong makes him hangover soup to recuperate, before they move to his dorm living room to scroll through TV channels aimlessly before ending up at a random re-run episode of Friends, yet again.

Chapter Text

Jaejoong finds it hard to land a job after completing his masters. Of course, he'd pursued this particular degree knowing how niche it was and that jobs would be hard to come by, but nothing had really prepared for the wretched feeling of applying to every imaginable place, seeking out every referral, only to be rejected, or completely ghosted. He tries not to feel resentful as he takes on more part time jobs in the meantime, watching Yunho rush to get to the office on time each day. Jaejoong had been so driven, so dutiful and passionate in his major, that he'd harboured some delusion of having the dream job waiting for him as he graduated. Cold reality struck barely a month in, as he took on his first part time job to help Yunho with the rent on their shared apartment. His boyfriend has recently received an offer from the company he's been interning at, which is really good for them, considering that an intern’s stipend is meager and nowhere near enough to cover both the rent and groceries, their other necessities notwithstanding. And so Jaejoong grudgingly decided that it's time for him to get hustling, taking up a part time job at a bakery nearby. The pay is barely above minimum wage, but help is help.

Jaejoong gets his first callback two months into unemployment(although technically he's been employed at the bakery and also recently earning money doing computer assignments for desperate college students). The company is small and the pay is bordering on pathetic, but they're willing to take on freshies, so Jaejoong squares himself up and puts in his best.

The interviewers really like him, that much is clear. They're half an hour into the interview, and they seem quite satisfied with his overall credentials and repertoire. Jaejoong's ability to sweet talk has helped too- he has both of them cracking up with a healthy dose of self deprecating humour thrown into the mix.

“You'd be a star at the office, Jaejoong-ssi,” The woman on the left says, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “We'd love to have you here. Welcome aboard.” Jaejoong might just leak tears from his eyes at the sheer relief he feels as he firmly clutches the hand held out to him.

Jaejoong breaks the news to Yunho over dinner that he prepared by himself for his boyfriend. Yunho is over the moon for him, sweeping him into a hug and even bringing out the booze that they take out only for special occasions. Jaejoong feels like things might finally go his way, for the first time in months.
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Jaejoong's colleagues seem nice in the initial few weeks. He listens well to instructions and learns quickly, so he doesn't cross any seniors at work. Some of them do seem a little nosy for their own good, but Jaejoong doesn't mind. It's only around a month into working that one of his coworkers finds his suppressants that fell out of his bag, revealing that he was an omega. Jaejoong never really attempted to keep it a secret: the topic just never really came up in conversation, and apparently everyone just assumed that he'd be a beta. Jaejoong isn't sure if the whispering starts just about then, or if he had just been oblivious to it until then.

News of his subgender ripples across the small office, and suddenly he's treated like he hid some kind of huge information from them for his own gain. Jaejoong has always been chatty and cordial to everyone else, but now people have begun to use the information that he shared with them to string up stories, each one more outrageous than the previous. In a matter of weeks, his reputation has more or less crumbled, all of it over a bottle of suppressants. Jaejoong has never been someone to give up on something, but during those days he genuinely feels like sending in his resignation. Apparently one such incident was all his colleagues needed to treat him like dirt under their toenails. They've even begun piling extra work on him, work that he can't not do, considering that he's still in his probationary period.
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Yunho finds that Jaejoong doesn't look happy anymore, as simple as that. His omega comes home each day later than the day before, the bags under his eyes thickening each gloomy week that went by. Yunho doesn't get much out of Jaejoong when he asks what is up, which isn't surprising, since he prefers to solve his problems on his own.

Yunho is scrolling through social media one day, randomly going through posts from his friends and family, when he finds out that Jaejoong deactivated all his accounts. When he enquires about it, the omega just shrugs, “I accidentally accepted a bunch of colleagues and they got a little too comfortable making comments about me. It's fine though, I'll make a new one in a bit.” Yunho doesn't think his colleagues should have any say in what Jaejoong posts, but he stays mum, waiting for Jaejoong to come to him first.
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Jaejoong has begun dreading going to work in the mornings. He wakes up late, skipping out on breakfast to make up for the lost time before trudging out of their home, as though being led out to the gallows. Yunho has been promoted to a permanent post at the firm, and makes a much more stable income these days, so money isn't much of a problem for them anymore. Yunho wishes that he could just get Jaejoong to resign and search more until a better job comes by, but Jaejoong is fiercely independent and wouldn't respond well to any assumed threat to his own agency. As much as Yunho appreciates his omega's self-reliant nature, it's sometimes a double-edged sword. The only way out now is if Jaejoong came up to him to talk.
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Jaejoong waits until he hits the one year mark at the company before he mass applies to every available company in the country. He works quietly at the company, dealing with the poorly veiled insults and the disapproval when he takes leave for his heat, focuses on finishing his own work and that which his colleagues dump onto his table, surviving on the mantra that it's just a year, just a year, just a year until he can leave and search for another job, now with a year of experience under his belt.
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Jaejoong lands a better job after two more months of searching and applying. It's much, much better and he has better negotiating power over both his salary and his benefits as an omega in the new company. He barely gets a greeting as goodbye when he walks out of his old firm, feeling something unfurl in his chest. Freedom is so lovely.

Jaejoong does ensure one thing though: none of his new colleagues know a thing about him outside of his name and the data in his resume and possibly his linkedin profile. He ensures that all his social profiles are private, and never even mentions that he's mated, much less about his omega status. The workplace is truly scary, so keeping his information hidden while looking like an open book seemed to be the best option for him as a beginner in the field.
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Yunho notices that Jaejoong seems much brighter after moving jobs, regaining the spark in his eyes now that he isn't being bullied at work anymore. Whew. For a hot second Yunho had even contemplated suing the stupid company for workplace harassment on Jaejoong's behalf, even though he knew it would beba futile effort. If he stays up a little later at the office to dig up shady stuff about the company, nobody else needed to know, and if the company got a notice for extortion and tax evasion a few months later, well, nobody needed to know of his involvement in that.