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Chapter Text

After a loud beeping sound Yeonjun pushed the doorknob down, the entrance to his apartment welcoming him with a familiar yellowish gleam coming off the pendant light, hanging off the ceiling above his head. He took a second to think, head lost somewhere in the dark clouds of the night sky he was looking at until now, completely drained of energy and the ability to form a coherent thought, lost somewhere between the stars, then stepped inside, pushing the door closed with the sole of his feet. Shoes were discarded soon after, his tired, hurting feet wrapped in the comfort of the fluffy Kuromi slippers his cousin had gifted him for his birthday two years ago. 

When he opened the purple gift box, his eyes set on the pair of plush eyeing him from the inside, he tried to appear reluctant to wear them at first. ‘Oh my God, this is too childish.’, he had stated after taking them out of the box, even if his heart had bursted in a minor cuteness aggression when he had laid his eyes upon them. They were a soft violet color, wrapping around his whole feet, up to the middle of the vamp where the toe box was of black fleece, with Kuromi’s face sewn in and her signature ears and bow attached to the seam in the middle of the vamp - they were so soft, comfortable and fluffy, and Yeonjun really did try his hardest to suppress the squeal, punching the back of his throat when he had laid his eyes upon them. He didn’t want to give his cousin the pleasure of knowing he loved the slippers, even though his obsession with them was clearly visible from the way he took them off only to wash them once a week (by hand, in lukewarm water, so the fabric and the fluff doesn’t get ruined) and then sunbathe them on his balcony, as he had read it was the perfect natural way for ‘preserving color, texture and killing germs’ (he was impressed with the knowledge users on Naver had about everything he had troubles with). But they had become the most treasured asset in his house.

Was it weird for a grown adult to be obsessed with a pair of Sanrio slippers and think of them as his stress relief, comfort piece of footwear he sometimes even wore to his sleep? Or would always fiddle the ears with his fingers as a comfort, while watching horror movies on his couch with his cousin, who was giggling at how stupid all the characters were for dying so early and pathetically? Maybe a little. But Yeonjun couldn’t care less. He had always been obsessed with cute, pretty things ever since he was a child. Be it soft, pastel colors, laces, bows, plushies, cute plastic rings with decoration of some Sanrio or ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ character, pretty clothes, floral prints and patterns, keychains, small animals, plants, even some ‘relatively’ unpleasant designs appeared cute in his ways. He was even fond of babies. 

Yeonjun liked make-up and had tried on himself so many different looks and styles to the point that he was able to recreate a look just by giving it a single glance. He was so fascinated by the way he could enhance or completely change one’s appearance just by applying a few products over their skin, that he had taken various courses in Makeup and Cosmetology, turning his hobby and passion into a highly earning job, even if his mother was quite against it.

He also liked fashion, dressing up himself and other people, namely his cousin. There was a period in his childhood when Yeonjun was obsessed with putting his cousin, Beomgyu, in dresses, smearing sparkly eyeshadow on his eyelids and soft pink on his lips and cheeks and who could’ve blamed him? Beomgyu was pretty. And looked like a princess, dressed up like that and also liked it when Yeonjun made him ‘pretty’. And it had nothing to do with Yeonjun practically brainwashing him, that if he got dolled up, he would attract his kindergarten crush at the playground. Nothing at all.

Beomgyu was so pretty that he was always picked by his classmates for wearing women’s clothes during school festivals and somehow always snatched up all ‘dress-up awards’. So pretty that he was confused for a girl and asked out on multiple occasions by straight boys in their school up until his graduation. So pretty that even years later, all bulked up and with a fairly stronger build than before, due to his frequent gym visits, his face was radiating with unmatched beauty that only seemed to become stronger with each year passing. 

It couldn’t be paired with Yeonjun’s though. 

His mother had always said it was due to their ‘superior omega traits’, they were able to possess these extraordinary, captivating features. Yeonjun couldn’t buy any of that and called it bullshit. Sure, secondary gender played some role in forming the visual aspects of people, but it was minor interference and the line was getting blurred with each year passing. Yeonjun was well educated in biology enough to know his appearance wasn’t due to his ‘superior omega traits’, but rather because he had won the genes lottery. 

It wasn’t something Miss Choi agreed to, though. His and Beomgyu’s mother were a bit of a… ‘traditionalists’, old-fashioned if you must. It’s been ages since subgenders were almost nothing, but a simple additional letter on a person’s identification papers. The society had greatly advanced into integrating subgenders in every aspect of life normally, without labeling them. The forcing of ‘traditional’ dynamics was far in the past, as people were more open to accept all types of pairings and dynamics, without prejudice and scrutiny; omegas and betas dominated all fields, and had highly regarded positions in all areas, alongside alphas; medicine had evolved so much that heats and ruts posed little to no issue to the daily lives, and it was only a rumor floating around certain circles, but Yeonjun had heard of a recently developed procedure, allowing alphas and betas to become pregnant. He didn’t know if the rumors were true, however, just the thought of something like that being invented made him both impressed and terrified of the world of Science. 

Nonetheless, the world was moving with a high speed towards the future, but his mom and aunt were still stuck in the past. 

When he was younger, Yeonjun’s mother pinned his obsession with everything cute on him being an omega child. ‘Omegas are like that, it’s natural to be drawn to cute things!’, ‘ My pretty Omega baby, why don’t you play with the dolls mom bought you? Are they not pretty enough?’ , ‘What do you need these crude car toys for? You’re an Omega baby, Omegas don’t play with ugly things like that.’ , it was all Yeonjun was hearing throughout his entire childhood, to the point he had gotten completely sick of it. It was always ‘Omegas this, Omegas that..’, it was completely infuriating for small Yeonjun, who just wanted to be seen by his mother not as omega, but as Yeonjun, as himself. But he couldn’t shake off the excitement and joy everything cute brought to him. His heart was jumping with elation, seeing the pretty keychains and gorgeous dolls, arranged neatly on the shelves in the toy store his mother used to take him to, he kept cooing at small animals and little babies he saw at the playground, he had the desire of owning everything his heart deemed as cute. But he suppressed all that. At some point Yeonjun was completely done with his mother pinning every hobby and passion of his to him being omega. He was omega, yes, but before omega he was her son. And before her son, he was a human of his own. So having every aspect of his life being reduced to simply being ‘Omega’ instead of his own person before anything… It was heartbreaking for the young boy, who felt invisible to the world of his own family.

So he had decided to rebel. He had thrown out every toy, cute notebook, almost all of his clothes, even the bedsheets, stamped with small, pretty, pink colored foxes, his attitude had completely changed, masking his usual shyness with an act of bold confidence, shifting the way he was speaking, the way he was dressing and presenting himself. Even if all of it was a facade, even if that wasn’t the real him, even if it was so hard to act every single day of his life, he had to. Because he was tired. His shift was welcomed by his mother with expected displeasure. And even if she tried to gently bring him back to his old self, trying to speak with him every chance she got or even sending him off to therapy, because she thought there was something wrong with him, Yeonjun didn’t budge. Everything his mother was doing was hurting him, being labeled as ‘broken’ was shattering him, denying his own nature and desires had him at the lowest point in his life, but Yeonjun couldn’t give up, he couldn’t leave either. He secretly hoped his mother could finally see him for who he really was, not just as ‘pure omega of the esteemed Choi clan’.

Yeonjun wasn’t pure though, and neither was Beomgyu, who was in quite a similar situation and had been inspired by Yeonjun’s act or rebel to also take parallel actions. And their mothers had grown absolutely displeased by their actions, but trying to keep their ‘calm, gentle Omega demeanor’ they have been trying to ‘fix’ them, using more sophisticated methods than grounding and reprimanding.

Their most recent being.. arranging, no, forcing them on blind dates.

“Did a truck run you over or something?” The sudden voice snapped Yeonjun out of his inner monologue as a small high-pitched yelp tore off his lips. He took a step back, clutched fist to his chest as he tried to assess the situation, slanted eyes widened twice their size in pure terror. From the couch peeked the face of his cousin (who wasn’t supposed to be there), looking at him with his big glassy eyes and unfairly gorgeous face, eyebrows furrowed in a critiquing grimace as he munched on some snack, probably belonging to Yeonjun’s snack shelf. 

Yeonjun’s gaze softened instantly, he clicked his tongue in annoyance, visibly more relaxed, dots completely connected. His fingers pulled the cap he was wearing off his head and threw it at Beomgyu, who swiftly dodged, though, sticking his tongue out in a mocking manner. He then let out a dramatic gasp as Yeonjun raised his middle finger, striding to the kitchen, making the sound of his slippers echo in the walls of the relatively big living room space, in an attempt to show his displeasure.

“What are you even doing here, Gyu?” The question came as soon as Yeonjun took a few sips of water, the cold liquid streaming down his throat, his clouded senses being pulled out of the fog of exhaustion, however only briefly. He put the glass down on the counter, eyes focused on his cousin, who took a handful of crackers, shoving them in his mouth with a loud crunch. “I remember changing the password just two days ago.”

“Yeah, because putting Gia's adoption day as a code will totally work on me.” Beomgyu replied with a tease in his voice, his free hand petting the head of the orange ball of fluff, laying comfortably on his lap. “Isn’t that right princess? Your Yeonjunie papa is just one big dummy, isn’t he?” The ball rolled from one side to the other, small paws clutching the fabric of Beomgyu’s sweater, making him squeal quietly, suppressing the urge to knead her little body with unrestrained affection. 

Yeonjun rolled his eyes, defeated sigh escaping his lips as he slumped his body onto the sofa, feeling it melt under the already showing signs of fatigue. His head was throbbing just how it did after a crazy night out, thorns and needles puncturing his skull until his brain felt like slipping out through his ear canals. He felt his lips especially dry and chapped, despite the amount of lip balm coated on them, his mouth dry despite just drinking water, the contents in his stomach so heavy and uncomfortable, threatening to climb up his throat and spill any second. Beomgyu’s hand laid on his scalp, fingers instinctively playing with the threads of inky black hair and Yeonjun found himself instinctively nuzzling into the touch, feeling his tensed nerves just a tad bit relaxed. 

He and Beomgyu had always been together, growing up under the same roof in their grandparents mansion like house, attending the same kindergarten, the same school up until graduation, even the same university. And even if they were two years apart and different majors they were still joined by the hip, fighting through the never ending pressure their mothers tried to insert into their lives in any way possible. Beomgyu understood Yeonjun the best, they had similar views and values, both of them absolutely hated the idea of their parents forcing things onto them and trying to control their lives.

For instance, Yeonjun had once presented his mother the alpha he was dating back in high school. His mother had nearly passed out from happiness back then, dramatically pointing out that her son was finally coming to his senses and becoming a ‘proper Omega’, whatever that meant. He had felt a bit more mischievous then, proudly claiming that he was the one leading in bed in their relationship (which was the truth), watching as his mother’s face twist in absolute horror, the color on it fading until it was paler than the powder, dabbed onto it above three layers of cakey make-up. She really did faint then, but not out of happiness. 

Beomgyu on the other hand had given his mother a complete near-death experience with disappearing from home for almost an entire month after overhearing her talk about a potential Alpha son of some higher-up in their company she wanted to arrange him with. She went into crisis after realizing he hadn't come home from the afterschool lessons yet and the sun had already set, called the police, her husband, Yeonjun’s family, searching for him around the entirety of Seoul for weeks, without finding a trace of him. He hadn’t gone anywhere far, Yeonjun knew, he was temporarily crashing in his childhood friend's house, whose family had hid him in without a single question. Beomgyu had come home on his own after a while and after that his mother didn’t mention either dating or arrangements for almost half a year. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Yeonjun loved his parents, he really did. His mother used to baby him, praised him for his good grades, and even occasionally asked the chief to bake him his favourite sweets. His father, on the other hand, was always nose buried deep in work, but he always used to sit little Yeonjun on his lap and talk and explain adult stuff, impossible for his little brain to grasp, but he was happy to spend time with him. His aunt and uncle were gentle and caring too, and it was clear they loved Beomgyu endlessly. 

But their love was suffocating, especially his mother’s who was as loving, as she was controlling, like a dark clutch around his neck, sharp needles-like nails digging into his skin and pouring poison inside his bloodstream. And her stupid obsession with controlling her kid’s future, arranging dates and marriages with complete strangers, obviously thinking she was doing something good and worthy of praise was something he couldn’t stand behind. He didn’t want to be tied to someone he didn’t love for the rest of his life. Moreover, an Alpha his mother had picked for him. For an Omega.

See, it wasn’t that he hated alphas or dating them. On the contrary, Yeonjun didn’t exactly have a preference about the subgender of his partner. He had a history of dating and hooking up with alphas, betas and omegas, so that definitely wasn’t an issue. The issue was his preference of dynamics . His mother had always arranged him dates with overly dominant Alphas, who loved to assess control over their partners, and act according to their subgender just how things were in the past. She had always picked for him proud, arrogant, cynical control freak guys, who didn’t know the world stretched further than the lengths of their dicks, and moreover thought they had the full authority over his life as alphas. Yeonjun absolutely despised that. He was typically the one who liked to take the lead in a relationship. He couldn’t really care less about the hook-ups as they never repeated, but when it came to actual dating, he liked to be the one to ‘drag’ his partner around, to have a certain dominance in the relationship.

Not a suffocating one like these insane men his mom was arranging him to, of course, but one both sides were comfortable with and enjoyed thoroughly.

But his mother couldn’t understand that, so all his blind matches were… disastrous. So much so, that he had started accepting them just to entertain himself on days when he felt bored to death, but at some point it had even stopped being entertaining and just… exhausting. He couldn’t bring himself to explain why he kept accepting them, though.

Yeonjun peeled off his eyes, feeling a weight pressing his chest, only to be met with big emerald green pearls staring at him. A fond smile crept on his face, his fingers immediately reaching forward, gently brushing the soft fur behind Gia’s ears. The cat’s soft purrs vibrated pleasantly against his palm as she pressed her head against it further, closing her eyes lazily, her body easing on top of Yeonjun’s chest where his heart was hidden behind the ribcage. Ever since she had gotten comfortable with him, she would always lay on top of him like that, pressing her head on his chest as if wanting to feel his heartbeat and Yeonjun at first would turn into a complete statue, barely even breathing so she could feel comfortable. But after a while he had found out she especially enjoyed the movements of his ribcage with every inhale and exhale. It was a precious moment between them, Gia’s expression of trust in Yeonjun, and he was overflowing with happiness over that fact.

“So how did it go?” Yeonjun extended his neck a bit so he could gaze at Beomgyu, his cousin still playing with his hair between his fingers, his other hand scrolling something on his phone absent-mindedly. Yeonjun squinted eyebrows, forehead furrowing in displeasure. 

“Like hell.” The older admitted finally, fingers still caressing his baby behind the ears, treating her like a free therapy session. Beomgyu scoffed at his answer, which was the most obvious thing ever. “He took me to that super fancy restaurant, wearing a 3 piece Kiton suit paired with fucking espadrilles, can imagine my pure shock? The suit was this navy blue and the shoes were orange? Not to mention he barely had any hair above one centimeter peeking out of his head and when I asked him about it he said it made him look ‘chique’? And the way the total was 269K won, but he paid exactly 270K and told the server to ‘keep the change’? What change are we talking about here, the price of a single piece of gum? Not to mention he hadn’t changed his patch, so the space around him literally smelled like burnt rubber, soaked in gas.” Beomgyu stopped brushing his locks, then erupted in loud laughter, his body folding in two, shaking frantically. Yeonjun extended his arm, hitting Beomgyu on the thigh lightly.

“Hey…” Beomgyu started after calming down, a big grin still sitting on his face, “At least it’s better than…What was his name.. The hands guy!” Yeonjun shuddered at the mention, his brain replaying the memory of that date like a black and white horror film. 

It was one of the first guys his mom had introduced him to and the memory of his name and his face was blurred out already, but the date itself had turned into core memory for Yeonjun’s villain origin story. The man… ‘hands guy’ had taken him to a certain shop where you could make your own juice after Yeonjun suggested his desire to visit it. The man… ‘hands guy’ had licked all of his nasty fingers before squeezing the juice with his own bare hands and had kissed and scented the glass before handing it to Yeonjun who just… threw it all in his face and never returned to the shop again. And avoided looking at it every time he passed that street. There were times when seeing an orange juice made him jolt. It was definitely an unforgettable experience. One that managed to bring tears to his eyes. 

“Tell me why do I keep agreeing to these?” Yeonjun replied after shaking off the unpleasant memory, earning himself a shrug from his younger cousin. He probably wanted to know as much as Yeonjun did. “It was all fun and games at first, but now I'm seriously starting to contemplate my life decisions.”

Beomgyu stopped caressing his hair again and when Yeonjun looked up he was met with his cousin’s index finger flicking his forehead lightly. The older Omega hissed with a pained voice, hands wrapping around his forehead in defense. He wanted to get up and kick Beomgyu, but he didn’t want to disturb Gia’s precious slumber on his chest. “I keep wondering the same. You’re way too nice to aunt. You gotta start saying ‘no’ to her, like I do with mine.”

Ah, yes. Beomgyu’s situation. Yeonjun suddenly thought of something, his lips curving in a teasing smirk. He wasn’t going to let himself be the only teased one. “Well, how did your date go, beloved cousin?” 

Beomgyu looked at him wide eyed, jumping out of the sofa, hands spread comically in the air. “Date? Me.. and Taehyun? Date? Don’t… Don’t be ridiculous, hyung! We were just hanging out! Someone like Taehyun can’t possibly-”

“So, at the end, you didn’t confess.” Yeonjun cut him off calmly, hand cradling Gia’s body carefully, as if touching something fragile. “Again.”

“Look. I.. Tried to, okay? I did try.” Beomgyu sat on the ground, crossing his legs and Yeonjun could see the instant shift in his mood, the reason for his cousin’s sudden visit finally falling into place. Beomgyu was the type to always intrude Yeonjun’s personal space whenever he wished. Be it for a few minutes, for sleepover, with or without reason, just to simply spend time together. But there were some instances of him visiting his cousin to seek comfort, knowing Yeonjun was the only person who could understand him and his concerns. And now was one of these instances. Yeonjun’s expression immediately shifted, his whole attention turned to Beomgyu, no sight of tease in his gaze. “We were watching this really sweet, romantic movie and the dinner after was so atmospheric, it was the perfect time to confess, everything was just perfect? Then he laughed at something we were talking about and I felt my legs melting under the table and my tongue twisted like a rope, and I wasn’t able to even think, let alone confess? Because, who laughs prettily like that? Whose eyes just have all the stars in the universe, contained in their irises? Because certainly, whenever Tae looks at me with that huge tapioca pearl pair of irises, I literally see them shine and NOT because of the lighting! Like, why do I feel like I got a heart attack when I just glance at him? Isn’t this mental murder? Isn’t this a crime?” 

And that ended the Yeonjun’s concerns. For a second he really did think that his dear cousin wanted some real love advice or serious conversation, but no. The omega only wanted a little bit of screen time to freely crash out over his life-long crush. Yeonjun couldn’t help but feel sad though, he couldn’t imagine the feeling of being in love with someone his entire life and basically doing almost nothing about it.

“Woah…” Yeonjun asked with a genuine fascination in his voice. “It’s like your crush is getting worse with each day passing, Gyu. Just… confess once for all and save us both from the misery of your childhood crush.”

Beomgyu let out a pathetic sigh in response, head slumping against the edge of the table.

Kang Taehyun was no other than the childhood friend that was present in their world since their kindergarten days. And the one, whose family had hid Beomgyu during his rebellion against his mother. Beomgyu had met him at the playground on a random day and had dragged him all the way to their house, screaming how he had found ‘a moving doll with prettiest big eyes ever and everyone should gather’ to see his discovery. Yeonjun was in his room at that time, memorizing the alphabet and had run out of his room almost immediately upon hearing the words ‘pretty and doll’ in the same sentence, only to be met with few realizations upon arriving downstairs. First, it wasn't a doll, but an actual human kid that had willingly followed Beomgyu all giggly in his slightly bigger plain shirt and jeans, and palms stained with dirt. And second, he was indeed one of the cutest little creatures Yeonjun had ever met, no matter that he was a human, not a doll. So naturally, even if their parents were completely furious over them basically kidnapping a child from the playground, Taehyun had become an irreplaceable part of their lives, especially Beomgyu’s. 

For Beomgyu, however, it wasn’t just a childhood friendship, but a childhood crush. He was impossibly whipped for his best friend ever since meeting him. And that was a problem, also rising up for a few reasons. First, Taehyun was a beta and as such, he was totally out of the dating market his aunt had planned for Beomgyu. Not that it stopped the younger omega, but it was certainly a thorn in his way. And secondly, which probably was the biggest out of these issues - Choi Beomgyu sucked at flirting. Or rather, he was so whipped for Taehyun that he couldn’t properly speak without fumbling, let alone flirt.

Yeonjun shook head lightly at the memories of all failed attempts of confession of his cousin, mourning his own disastrous dates as well. Life… wasn’t the kindest to them, he concluded in his mind after a while, even faces like theirs couldn’t grant them the  sympathy of the merciless life. 

“Why are our love lives so pathetic, hyung? I’m here fighting for my life so Taehyun can notice me, and you haven't met a single guy, good enough to date properly. ” 

Now, that was what Yeonjun wanted to know too. Technically speaking, he was a good partner, was good looking, financially stable, had a well paying job, his own apartment, a car, and even a cat. And his standards weren’t even that high, he just wanted his partner to be a good person inside out, a normal person and someone who could accept his preferences. So why was it so impossible for him to meet a good match for himself? It wasn’t that Yeonjun was desperate for a relationship and it wasn’t that he couldn’t live by himself, or that he wasn’t satisfied with being by himself. It was just that sometimes, while watching these romance movies or listening to Beomgyu rambling on and on about every cell of Taehyun’s body, he thought how nice it would be to have someone like that, whom he could unconditionally love, and someone who could give him the same. He imagined how lovely it would be to spend his days with someone, whom he loved and deeply cared for, to come back home, exhausted from work and just wrap himself in the calming presence of someone who filled his existence with pure joy..

‘Love’ was a word with a special place in Yeonjun’s dictionary, it contained all the emotions he held for people, dear to him and had always made sure to express it in any way he could. It was also a sacred one. One he never used for anyone, outside of his family. One he could never bring himself to say, no matter how well he matched with some previous partners (picked by himself, definitely not his mother’s, her picks weren’t even fit as one night stands) . It felt wrong, insincere, like an empty promise, devoid of actual emotion behind, when it was supposed to convey sincerity and Yeonjun just couldn’t bring himself to understand how it was possible for people to throw it around so easily and mindlessly. It never felt right no matter who was standing in front of him, so he wanted at least once to have someone by his side whom he could shower with that word. 

Yeonjun just had way too much love in his heart and not many people whom he could offer it to. At some point he really did try agreeing to his mother’s whims and accepted the dates she was arranging him to with a positive mindset. Maybe not all of them were terrible. Maybe he could find a match for himself within all these stoic, rich alphas, maybe some of them would fit at least one of his criteria for a relationship, maybe they can fit each other’s vibe and work things together. But it was futile. Every single one of these men was somehow worse than the previous one and Yeonjun had seriously started wondering why life was so unfair to him. Was he that broken to the point of not being able to enter a single serious relationship with someone compatible? Was it possible that such a person didn’t exist and he was only hoping for something out of his reach? Was getting in a relationship even worth it at this point? 

Maybe it was better to give up, move out of Korea far away from his mother and spend the rest of his days with Gia. Maybe Taehyun and Beomgyu could follow him too. Yes, he didn’t mind third-wheeling in their lovey-dovey not yet relationship. Maybe he was one of these people who didn’t have a soulmate or a future partner and was destined to be alone. He also didn’t mind if that were the case. He just wished there was some kind of a sign, so he could at least stop hoping for the impossible.

“Haaa..” Beomgyu sighed again,  bringing Yeonjun’s attention to himself. Even Gia who was sleeping peacefully peeled off her eyelids to take a peek before closing them again. “My love life can be beyond salvation, but at least let me be a good cousin and save you from your misery, hyung.”

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow with curiosity. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

“You know… Me and Taehyun were actually talking about it. About aunt, I mean.” Yeonjun nodded slowly. Taehyun was well aware of their situation, not only because of his insanely good wit, but also because he was witness to almost everything both cousins have gone through. There weren't any secrets kept between the three of them, as far as Yeonjun was aware. Beomgyu continued. “He actually suggested something so smart and close to the mind that it made me wonder ‘Why me and Yeonjun hyung haven’t thought of that? Are we actually this clueless? Or it’s just that my baby’s brain is just this smart and bright?’. I mean, if you look at him with this pair of huge tapioca pearl eyes you’d think that there’s nothing in that pretty head of his, but actually his mind is so attractively genius? I mean, every time he hits me with some scientific fact i feel my dick practically-”

“Beomgyu!” Yeonjun cut him off quickly, covering Gia’s ears gently. How could he talk like that in front of his precious, innocent girl? “The point Gyu, get to the point! And watch your tongue around my babygirl?”

Beomgyu rolled his eyes pretending annoyance and coughed performatively as to clear his throat. 

“If it was someone else they would let you rot in misery, hyung. But here I am, nice and sweet, sharing with you wisdom and you can’t even let me praise the love of my life?” Yeonjun raised a brow, the reply sitting on top of his tongue, but Beomgyu was quick to speak over him, probably already guessing what Yeonjun was about to say. “Fake dating. Taehyun suggested you fake date someone.”

Yeonjun carefully wrapped Gia in a firm hold and raised his upped body, switching from laying to sitting position with the cat gently laid on his lap. The little creature let out an unpleasant purr, then curled in the space Yeonjun had created by crossing his legs and drifted off once again. She was probably tired from doing nothing all day, was what Yeonjun thought at first, but quickly shoved unnecessary thought away, focusing on Beomgyu’s words. Dating someone? No. Fake dating someone? As in a contractual relationship? Yeonjun honestly had never thought of something like that. And when the gears in his brain started shifting and rotating, he realized that it wasn’t a bad idea. It was actually a genius idea. If he managed to find someone convincing enough to fool his mother, he could finally escape her stupid blind date arrangements. He could finally be left alone and free himself from her clutch. Because all his mother wanted from him was to become ‘proper Omega’, right? And what was more ‘Omega’ than dating an alpha?

But.

Where was Yeonjun supposed to find that alpha?

He knew a lot of Alphas. Clients and coworkers, ex classmates and colleagues from university, close friends, some idols he had worked with, his hook-ups, heck even some of his professors - the list stretched long and wide filled with names and faces, some of which he could barely even remember. But Yeonjun didn’t think any of them suited that role at all. Clients were out of the question, he didn’t want to disrupt the peace between him and his coworkers, he hated the idea of asking such things from his classmates and colleagues, he couldn’t think of himself even pretending to date his friends, he didn’t repeat hook-ups and the professors? They were all over the acceptable, for his standards, age and happily married with kids almost his age. And also not his type. 

Asking a stranger was his best option. But where would he find that stranger? And what could he offer that stranger in return? Money? Like a paid actor? Maybe he could ask some of his celebrity clients if they knew some young alpha actor, willing to help him and earn a little cash. An actor should’ve been convincing enough. And they were handsome too, they showed their face on the cameras after all. But would an actor agree to help him? 

Why not?

If Yeonjun paid them like it was a proper job?

The Omega threw his head back, a tiny growl of annoyance rolling down his tongue. He could feel the slightly subdued headache returning with full power, the sides of his temples burning painfully. Taehyun’s idea was genius, but Yeonjun had no idea how to execute it. And his inner monologue and Beomgyu’s useless typing on his phone, clearly ignorant to Yeonjun’s distress wasn’t helping at all. He cleared his throat, trying to gain his cousin’s attention, who looked at him under his lashes with an innocent smile on his face.

And fuck that gorgeous face too. Yeonjun couldn’t even get mad at him because of it.

“Taehyun has an idea.” Beomgyu said finally after what felt like eternity with Yeonjun’s patience reaching almost all of its limits. The dark haired blinked at him, indicating to continue while his hand was nervously brushing Gia’s back. Of course Taehyun had an idea. It was Taehyun after all, that crazy stunning mastermind. 

Yeonjun agreed with Beomgyu to some capacity. Taehyun clearly had sparks in his eyes. However they weren’t stars or something romantic like his whipped cousin on the floor over there was describing him. They were clearly burning sparks of mischievousness, a result of his genius brain brimming with all kinds of ideas. It was fascinating, but also extremely scary.

“Apparently one of Kai’s friends is in dire need of a place to stay for a while.”

Yeonjun furrowed a brow, lips pursed in a slight pout. “A place to stay?” He repeated, to which Beomgyu offered a quick nod.

“Yeah, his apartment building is to be destroyed, since the land was bought by some rich master who wanted to build a business centre, and all tenants were given pretty short notice. And Taehyun says the guy isn’t really in the position to find a new place this quickly. So what if…”

“No, wait.” The older Omega was quick to say, eyes narrowing with bewilderment. “Gyu, are you suggesting I live with some stranger in exchange for having him fake date me?” Yeonjun asked, pure confusion lacing his voice. His hand even stopped petting Gia’s back, mind trying to approach the conversation rationally, despite the hammering headache spreading from his temples to his forehead. 

How could he just live with someone he didn’t even know? Yeonjun had lived in a dorm before. But living in a dorm was completely different from giving part of his  very own living space to a stranger. And someone whom he had never met at that? Beomgyu was just talking nonsense at that point.

“But think about it, hyung!” The younger omega protested, pointing his phone at him. “Having him as a roommate would be even more convincing, don’t you think? Aunt will have no other chance but to accept it. Plus, the boy is an Alpha. And Taehyun says he’s crazy handsome and kind too! What’s there to lose? It's a fair exchange. And if Taehyunie is vouching for him…” 

Yeonjun sighed, defeated. As crazy as it sounded, maybe Beomgyu wasn’t talking complete nonsense.

One, Taehyun was never wrong. 

Two, Yeonjun had nothing to lose.

Three, if the other person agreed, it could benefit them both.

Four, if he didn’t agree, Yeonjun could just search for someone else.

The conclusion of his thought process was as clear as a bright summer day.

“Call Taehyunie. And tell him to bring a few cans of beer.” A high pitched scream tore off Beomgyu’s throat as he clapped his hands victoriously before typing furiously on his phone. 

Yeonjun definitely needed a third, way smarter head for this. Him and Beomgyu weren’t doing a very good job.  

Chapter Text

Soobin was in trouble. A great one at that. 

And it had nothing to do with his final exams being just around the corner, nor with him barely squeezing in free time to properly prepare for them because of the atrocious shifts he was forced to take at his job as a pastry cook, due to sudden surge of clients and not enough staff to cover it all. Apparently, some very popular idol had filmed a vlog, trying their sweets and it had gone super viral, to the point they were getting more than four hundred customers per day for the first few weeks of the video surging online, on top of their regular ones. And a great portion of these fans, who had visited only because their idol did, actually had become regulars as well, drawn to the pleasant aroma of a homemade pastry, the cozy atmosphere of the shop and maybe for some reason Soobin really couldn’t name, but he could feel. Which, okay, Soobin really couldn’t complain because the shop was becoming more and more popular, meaning his salary as the main pastry cook was also rising by a few numbers, and that was more than welcome.

It was an issue, since by the end of his shifts he was dead exhausted, barely able to walk back home and the distance between the front door and his bed felt incredibly long, so he usually found himself passed out on the couch. But it wasn’t his biggest one. He was getting a regular paycheck, able to cover his rent and expenses somehow, and on top of that experience and skills needed to pass his exams successfully, even if not feeling prepared enough. 

See, Soobin was majoring in Culinary Arts, specializing in Baking and Pastry. So, working in the kitchen of ‘Mokka Bakery’, which had grown famous for their extraordinary and tasty treats, was a privilege he could never refuse. It interfered with his studies, yes, since his classes required not only technique, but scientific and mathematical approach to the culinary world, as well as business management, but it was also the perfect way to expand his knowledge and talent. He wanted to open his own bakery or a coffee shop someday. 

The actual problem was his living space. 

Technically, Soobin wasn’t broke. His parents had quite stable jobs and were able to add some number to his card each month as a gift (even if he argued with them every month about it) and Soobin himself not only worked, but was also supported by a scholarship, enough to cover his practice expenses. His apartment wasn’t anything special - a small living room, equipped with a fairly big kitchen, a bedroom, enough to fit his bed and a small wardrobe, a small bathroom, but it was just perfect for him. Especially the kitchen. He had rented that apartment precisely because the kitchen was the biggest space in the apartment. 

And now he was about to lose his home. 

Soobin didn’t know the details, but he had heard from the kind, gossip loving auntie downstairs that their landlord had severe gambling addiction and had lost a great amount of money, so he had no choice but to sell the ownership of the land to some Third-generation chaebol. The craziest part of all that was that the same young master was the one, who had been bothering the landlord for months because he wanted to build a business centre in the place of the apartment complex. His dream was finally becoming a reality. But he was about to achieve that dream at the cost of Soobin’s roof. 

No one could imagine is absolute distress upon coming back from work, exhausted to the point every muscle fibre of his body was letting out a painful screech with his every move, and seeing the bright yellow notice plastered on his door that he needed to move out within two weeks, because the building was to be destroyed. Was that even legal? Soobin immediately had run to the landlord’s apartment back then urging to speak with him, but it was futile as the door was opened by his teenage son, mumbling with annoyed tone that his dad was probably out spending their money again. Soobin was sympathetic towards the kid, he didn’t deserve such a useless father, but pity wasn’t going to find him a new home. Still, he couldn’t just let him by himself, so he offered the kid to stay in his apartment until his dad decided to return or even sleep there if he wanted. The kid was hesitant at first, but almost immediately agreed when Soobin teasingly pointed out that he needed a taste tester for a new pastry he was creating. It was almost scary how easily the boy agreed, so while baking Soobin was also teaching him about the importance of safety and how he shouldn’t trust strangers that easily, no matter neighbors or not.

Anyway, back to the main topic, Soobin was lucky to find this place as it was relatively cheaper than everything else in the area; it was a bit far from the bakery and his university, but a little bit of jogging in the morning couldn’t kill anyone. It had a big kitchen, which Soobin had stacked with baking equipment, it was clean, no mold, no insects, no issues with the sewage pumps in the bathroom, it was almost way too surreal for its price and location. And it was all going to be left in ruins. 

Soobin had spent the past week trying to squeeze in some time between his disastrous schedule making appointments with real estate agents, trying to find something that fit within his budget and wasn’t a shoe box, abandoned, rumored to be haunted or infested with God knew what crawling or flying part of the animal kingdom, but luck just wasn’t on his side. There were some decent apartments too, but they were way too far from his work and school, and he was already waking up at 5:30 AM so he could be in the kitchen by half past six, so any place further in distance than that was out of the question. Once, he was close enough to find the perfect place - the building was nice, close to his work, the apartment was spacious, clean, the kitchen wasn’t big but it was just enough. And Soobin was so close to signing up the contract on the spot, when one of the ladies, living in the building across pulled him aside and told him that the apartment complex was owned by some kind of criminal gang as an undercover for their ‘illegal stuff’. He didn’t know how the lady knew all that, but Soobin was aware of one thing - gossip ladies were always kind and honest with him, they were his most trusted confidants. He trusted gossip ladies with his entire soul.

The speed with which he declined the contract and ran away from that area and the estate agent, lying about a sick family member, was one a human wasn’t supposed to possess. Soobin was meek, but wasn’t stupid. The very next day, his coworker had sent him an article about how a criminal organization was rumored to be using residential estates to cover money laundering operations, telling him how crazy the world was nowadays. Soobin agreed with him and actually returned to the area three days after so he could gift a homemade chocolate box to the kind lady and thank her for saving him, only for her to fill his hands with side dishes in return.

And like that one week had rolled and only one was left before his beautiful home was supposed to be leveled to the ground like an unstable Jenga tower. It was Sunday afternoon, a day in which the shop was closed, so Soobin was resting (or more like stressing) on the floor of his living room, fingers nervously fiddling with the ears attached to his slippers. They were his favourite slippers - light blue color with white fluffy toe box, the face characteristics of Sanrio’s character Cinnamoroll sewn into them. A pair of ears were attached to the seam where the blue and white plush met and there was even a small round bunny tail on the back, above his heel. Soobin had noticed them during a small shopping date with his friend and just had to own them. He always liked cute characters as such, having cute cooking equipment or making sweets with pretty designs. His favourite thing was receiving an order for a child's birthday cake as they were always so creative and adorable. 

But now, Soobin’s mind was far from the world of cute and pretty, as he had more pressing matters at hand. That being, his future homelessness. Seriously, what was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to escape such a situation? Sure, he could spend a couple of days in a motel or a PC bang but after that? Was he supposed to live on the streets? Or worse.. live in an infested shoe box? Or move back to his parents’ house? No. Not the last one. Definitely not the last one.  It had taken him so much time to convince his parents that moving to Seoul would benefit his career and path so much better than staying in Ansan. A shoe box was a better option in that case.

A defeated sigh rolled down his lips as he pinched the fluffy fleece ears with the tips of his fingers, then let them slip from his loose grip. He was really fucked up wasn’t he? Maybe he could still talk with that real estate agent and rent the apartment owned by a gang. If he was diligent with the monthly rent nothing was going to happen right? They wouldn’t chase after him with baseball bats or rusty pipes, or use him as a scapegoat if the police were to come after them… right? Maybe.. Maybe…

“ -Bin.. yung! Soobin hyung!” Soobin felt his shoulders shaken violently, pulling him out of the crazy train of his thoughts, the blonde boy blinking stupidly a few times. Bleary eyes managed to focus the face of his closest friend and coworker, Hueningkai, and the landlord’s son looking at him with worried expressions. Soobin managed to crack a smile, albeit it probably looked weird by the way Yujin, the kid, just shook his head pointing at him.

“See, I told you he had been acting weird for a while now. He just comes from work, takes me to his apartment on the clock, gives me some sweets and just spends the rest of the night sitting there like an idiot.” Yujin pointed, slumping on the sofa with a loud thud. 

He had been spending way too much time at Soobin’s apartment these past few days, or more like Soobin had been bringing him home every day after his shifts. And two days ago, Soobin had even given him the code, telling him how it was okay to just let himself in after school. Yujin unofficially had moved in there since. Soobin definitely appreciated the company, the kid was nice, sweet and smart and loved everything Soobin was making for him, which naturally elevated his ego as a future chief. But he sometimes was way too noisy. One of these moments was this exact one, because Soobin could swear Kai wasn’t in his home twenty minutes ago. 

So what was his best friend doing there exactly? Not that he complained, though.

“Soobin hyung, are you finally on earth?” Kai asked softly, cupping his cheeks with his warm hands. Soobin closed his eyes for a second, then slowly opened them, the face of his friend now completely clear. Kai gave him a gentle smile, one that always managed to stir Soobin’s heart in a warm soup of fluff and he quickly regained composure, offering a small nod. “Honestly, when Yujin picked up and said that you’ve ‘finally lost it’ I thought something bad had happened to you. But you were just lost deep in thoughts, huh?” 

“That’s his ‘deep in thoughts’?” Yujin questioned, crossing arms in front of his chest. “I thought something bad happened! He wasn’t moving, wasn’t responding, heck I’m not sure if he was even breathing!” 

Soobin raised an eyebrow at the kid, his eyes flickering with a teasing spark. “I would’ve been dead if that were the case, no?” 

“Don’t you dare get smart with me, hyung.” The boy hissed, his eyes squinted to show anger, but all Soobin could see was anxiety, fading into relief. He was as easy to read as a cheesecake recipe. “I was the one worried to death. I couldn’t even finish the red velvet muffin because of you.”

“How sweet of you to drop your favourite treat for me. Thank you, Yujin-ah.” Soobin replied to him softly, with a genuine smile this time, his dimples making hollows in his cheeks, noticing the boy’s eyes widening and him curling himself on the sofa, the tips of his ears colored red. The fond smile stayed on his face a bit longer. The kid had started feeling like a little brother to him. 

Kai’s warm fingers fell off Soobin’s cheek as the younger leaned his back onto the sofa, one of his hands pulling Soobin’s head towards his shoulder. “So..” He started carefully as Soobin was already settled with Yujin behind them playing with the alpha’s blonde hair. “Will our dear hyung share what got him so depressed to the point of even scaring our poor Yujin over here?” 

Kai’s words were as sweet and gentle as his appearance. The first time they had met each other was nearly two years ago when Kai was just starting as a part-timer at ‘Mokka’. Soobin was fascinated by him - he looked as gorgeous as Snow White from the tales his mother used to tell him as a kid, with his delicate and fairy-like features and Soobin couldn’t even think of a better way to describe him. He looked carefully crafted to perfection, which ultimately made him intimidating in the eyes of the alpha, who wasn’t exactly the type to approach people first. But Hueningkai wasn’t just a Disney princess, who had come to life in the body of a pretty boy, but he was also an angel. His way of speaking, of approaching people, his softness and gentleness, his warmth was something that had drawn Soobin in and before he could even realize, they had not only befriended each other, but had become quite close and comfortable. Kai was as ‘nerd’ as Soobin was, he loved playing games, watching anime, and reading manga in his free time. He was also plushies lover and had a whole army stacked on his bed. 

Overall, Soobin and Kai had originally grown closer due to their similar interests, but their friendship had quickly evolved beyond that.

What surprised Soobin was that Kai was also an alpha, which ultimately shattered his views on people, because he was ready to swear on his name that the boy was an omega. Actually his subgender didn’t matter in any way to their friendship or to anything actually, and Soobin couldn’t care less whether his best friend was alpha, omega or beta. It was just that he had that trait, which allowed him to be fairly perceptive about the people standing in front of him. He was able to read their emotions rather easily which allowed him to thread in social circles successfully, despite his shy and reserved (at first) nature. He was also good at guessing people’s subgenders. 

After all, everyone was required by the government to use blocking patches, except during heats and ruts, which occurred once every few months and were accepted as day offs, so the society could function without the disturbing interference of the subgender traits. It wasn’t anything dangerous - just some band-aid like tapes stuck on the main scent gland, blocking the channeling of scent overall. They were waterproof and supposed to be changed once every week, affordable enough for every single person in the whole world to be able to own at least one pack (which contained over hundred patches) and were even given as freebies in some shops. The government had made sure they were accessible to every single person out there, which was maybe the only good thing they had done after integrating diversity and equality to some capacity. 

But even with them stuck on, Soobin was somehow still able to guess. He couldn’t smell it, of course, it was all blocked, but it was more like an aura surrounding the person, rather than something realistic like a scent or look, which actually made Soobin think he was Schizophrenic or there was something terribly wrong with his head at first. His mother, however, explained to him that he was just a bit more special, sensitive to other people, and that trait of his was a little game of guessing for when he was bored. So naturally, Soobin who trusted everything his mother said at that time, was treating his talent as that - a simple game he was playing in his mind. No harm to anyone, just a conversation between him and the loud, imaginative voice in his head. 

And his guesses were always correct until Hueningkai appeared in his world. Soobin wondered what made him so sure his new coworker was an Omega - was it his gentle nature? His kindness? The way he spoke, or the way he was drawing people to himself like a magnet? He couldn’t really find the answer and honestly, after a while he stopped caring altogether. Hueningkai was just that. Kai. His best friend. His platonic soulmate. Nothing more, nothing less. And the subgender wasn’t important, not that it meant anything in the first place. 

Soobin found himself relaxing a bit more when he felt Yujin’s fingers massaging gently the sides of his head where he was feeling it ache for quite a while and Kai playing with his fingers, soothing the pain from work. Now if someone were to massage his legs or solve his problems it would’ve been so much better. 

“I was thinking.” He finally answered after what felt like forever. He could feel Kai’s head moving slowly, indicating him to continue. “Should I just go back tomorrow and get that gang owned apartment? What’s the worst that could happen? No issues if I pay rent diligently, right?” 

Soobin felt sudden pain in his scalp, making him jolt and turn his head to where Yujin was sitting. The boy had his brows knitted, a disapproving grimace sitting on his face.. “Have you lost your mind?” The kid asked between his teeth, holding his hand clutched in fist. Kai was completely silent, studying the scene, playing before him.. “Getting tangled with dangerous people like that is the worst you could do! What if they kidnap you or force you to work for them, or even worse? Hyung is so pretty that they will definitely want something from you!” 

Yujin’s voice was getting louder by every second and Soobin could feel something warm in his chest rising up. He had been living in that building for almost three years now, but it has been less than two weeks since he got to know Yujin properly. And it was all due to Soobin originally wanting to argue with his father. But it seemed like the kid’s affection for him had grown significantly in this short period of time, which made him feel pretty content. It made him feel appreciated. “I’m an alpha, Yujin-ah.” Soobin replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible, a small smile spreading on his lips, as his hand was placed on the kid’s knee reassuringly. Did he believe his own words? No way in hell. But he had to ease Yujin’s mind however he could.

The kid, however, leaned closer, flicking his forehead with index finger, making Soobin flinch back in surprise, eyes comically widened. Kai turned his head to the side, hiding his mouth with hand, obviously trying to suppress his laughter, but Soobin couldn’t pay attention to him, focusing on the pain in his forehead. “You know that doesn’t mean anything in this age!” Yujin finally snapped, throwing his hands in the air, then pointed at Soobin. “Our teacher always tells us that bad people don’t care about the subgender of others when they want something! And that they always go after those who are young and pretty! And hyung is both! Seriously, is your life a joke to you?” 

Soobin just watched him, doe eyes widened in surprise at Yujin’s unexpected outburst, as the kid tried to avoid his gaze by turning his head to the other side. Kai finally decided to join in, long fingers tapping on Yujin’s ankle to gain his attention, a gentle smile spreading on his lips as they locked gazed. The older alpha observed them attentively, his own fingers finding their way to the plush ears on his slippers again. 

“Don’t worry about hyung, Yujin-ah.” The younger alpha reassured, his voice dripping sweet honey, sticky enough to make everyone trust every single of his words. Yujin swallowed tightly, lips pressed in a flat line. “Have you called your mother yet?” Yujin slowly nodded and Kai’s smile only grew impossibly brighter.

“When I told her what happened she was furious. She asked me if I wanted to move in with her to Busan and if I said ‘yes’, she wanted to fill a Custody Complaint…”

“And how did you answer her?” Kai asked again, nodding at each of his words. Soobin listened attentively, heart filled with relief, knowing that at least one of the kid’s parents was normal. Someone as sweet and caring as Yujin didn’t deserve such a disastrous life.

Yujin stood there for a second, looking at Kai’s caring eyes, then at Soobin, who was wearing a similar expression and spoke quietly. “I agreed. I want to live with mom.” Both alphas let out a sigh, their shoulders slumping with relief. Yujin continued, “But I really don’t like the idea of living away from Soobin hyung and Kai hyung. You’re like real, real hyungs to me.” 

“You can always come back after you finish high school.” Soobin was quick to reassure him and Kai shook his head enthusiastically, agreeing with the statement. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“You were just dead serious considering living somewhere run by criminals, Soobin hyung.’ 

And touché. Kids these days weren’t to be played with. Kai slumped head on the sofa, his shoulders heaving as he tried to stop himself from laughing. Soobin rolled his eyes, aware that his little depressive episode wasn’t going to be let go of that easily. Technically, he wasn’t actually going to get that apartment and was just talking nonsense out of desperation… Maybe. After all, he was an adult and knew better than to get entangled with dangerous criminal organizations… Maybe. Still, even if his life had almost hit the rock bottom, it wasn’t completely there just yet. It was a bit above the bottom, meaning he was still able to come up with something better.

Maybe a shoe box. Living with cockroaches and centipedes was disgusting, but manageable. He could survive breathing in the chemicals of the incest sprays and if he was lucky enough his genome could’ve mutated, giving him some kind of superpower like surviving radiation or mind control. Soobin found himself sighing again, if only real life was as interesting as his imagination, living could’ve been so much easier. Why couldn’t he just snap his fingers and have an entire section of his life deleted? For example… his landlord’s gambling addiction?

“Yujin, I wasn’t really-” 

“Soobin hyung is not going to become a gang puppet, little one. Don’t worry, I didn’t come here empty handed.” Kai finally said after calming down and Soobin noticed his friend wiping his teary eyes with fingers. The blonde alpha puffed his cheeks, annoyed by the way his friend was doing nothing but laugh and him and his predicament. Kai’s gaze fell on him, an eyebrow raised with curiosity, but Soobin ignored it, elbow resting on the sofa, while his head was leaning on the knuckles of his left hand, drawing circles on his thigh with the index finger of his right one. 

He had every right to sulk, okay? If Kai was only going to laugh at him, (although Soobin knew the boy had no bad intentions behind that and couldn’t hate him for it, but he really felt like sulking!) why was he even there? 

Suddenly, the gears in his brain started shifting as Soobin’s attention was drawn to Kai’s words.

Wait.

He didn’t come ‘empty handed’ ?

Soobin immediately lifted his gaze, wings shaped eyes and gleaming dark chocolate irises, meeting sharp ones, burning with mischievousness.

“What do you mean by that?” Yujin’s face immediately turned to Kai as well, the irises between his big round eyes dilated in surprise. Soobin was sure he was making a similar expression. “Kai-ah, what’s that supposed to mean?”

His friend smiled at him slyly, leaning closer to Soobin and nudging his shoulder with tease. “You wanna know? Soobinie hyung is dying to know right? You’re just so eager to know and getting annoyed when I keep teasing you like this, right?” His voice was laced with usual playfulness, seen only by the people he felt closest to. Everyone else knew him as the ‘angel Hueningkai’, but Soobin and his other close friends knew that he was the ‘mischievous angel Hueningkai’. The younger Alpha just loved teasing his friends a lot. “Soobinie hyung is so cute, sulky like this!”

“Hyung, please..” Yujin whined in protest, blinking at Kai with his big puppy-like deep brown eyes, making him stop hitting Soobin’s shoulder playfully. 

See, kids were really cute. And Kai was weak to cute things. So he was naturally very weak for kids. And Yujin was one of the cutest sixteen year old kids to ever exist, no matter his big mouth and sharp tongue. It actually made him even cuter, considering he was naturally very shy and these moments were kept secret only for the people he was really comfortable with. It spoke volumes about how he felt around the two alphas, who had practically ‘adopted’ him in their brotherhood.

Kai cleared his throat with a loud cough and turned his back to Soobin only to lay his head on the blonde’s thigh, looking at him from beneath light brown straight bangs with a familiar spark in his eyes. 

“Kang Taehyun.” The younger alpha said calmly, carefully observing how Soobin’s face was painted with a confused expression.

Kang Taehyun?

Of course Soobin knew who Kang Taehyun was. It was the Beta, who always frequented ‘Mokka’, and most of the time, he was in the company of maybe one of the prettiest omegas Soobin had ever seen his whole life, Choi Beomgyu. Taehyun and Hueningkai were school classmates and really close friends, so when Kai had started his job as a server in ‘Mokka’, Taehyun had naturally followed suit, but as a regular client, dragging along with himself quite literally one of the most popular photographers currently, who honestly deserved to be in front of the camera so much more than behind it. Soobin wasn’t that close with the Beta, but he had occasional and casual conversations with him here and there when he visited alone and stayed after working hours with Hueningkai and Soobin, as they were always the last ones to lock up the place. He didn’t even know the Omega beyond simple greetings. 

From what Soobin was able to gather about Taehyun due to his ‘talent’ and Kai’s words, he knew that the younger was Beta, closest person to Kai, together with Soobin, incredibly gorgeous, especially sweet and caring, carrying a little bit too much honesty and sassiness, but Soobin found that especially endearing. It seemed like the Beta was clear about his character and stayed true to his personality, it was honestly admirable.

Oh and also, eyes.

Taehyun had maybe the biggest set of eyes Soobin had ever seen in his entire life and it was so fascinating how sparkly and bright they were. It was like they contained little mischievous galaxies.

But what did Kang Taehyun have to do with his situation? Soobin was genuinely confused. Sure, he might've slipped in front of the Beta a couple of days ago over a few cans of beer after closing the shop and serving Taehyun and Kai a few of the leftover mini cheesecake muffins. He might have accidentally started talking with Kai about his situation, the exhaustion too severe to even realize that Kang Taehyun didn’t know any of that prior.

What surprised him the most, however, was Taehyun’s shrewdness. He had caught onto the fact that the topic was quite private to Soobin and had reassured him that he didn’t need to continue speaking about it if he didn’t feel comfortable, and if he truly wished, he could forget about it altogether. But if Soobin wanted to share his troubles, he was more than willing to offer a listening ear. 

Soobin had felt immensely touched that night. Maybe it was the alcohol in his blood, that Kai had specially prepared for them, maybe it was the fact that he was desperate for help or that he was being treated so gently by almost a complete stranger, but Soobin had broken his shell and had shared his concerns with the younger one. Taehyun was just listening attentively with these big eyes of his, soaking in every single of his words and after Soobin was done, he had thanked him for trusting him with such a private matter. But nothing more than that. Not that Soobin was expecting anything in the first place, so he was certainly shocked at the casual mention of his name.  

What did Kang Taehyun have to do with his soon to approach homelessness?

“Who’s that?” Yujin asked innocently and Kai was quick to open his phone and show him a selfie of him and Taehyun, declaring him his ‘right half’. The boy examined the picture carefully, mouth falling open with a quiet gasp. “Holy strawberry milk, his eyes are insane pretty.” Then his eyes shifted from Kai’s phone to Soobin. “If he’s your right half, then what is Soobin hyung?”

“My left one, of course. My heart is separated into two parts. One for Taehyunie and one for Soobin-hyung.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be your own person, though?”

“Touché. Remember that when you grow up, kid. But I like my heart being shared by the people I care about.”

“Wait.” Soobin cut them off, hand placed on the side of his temple. “I love the life lessons we’re heaving here, but aren’t you getting kinda side tracked Kai-ah? Tell me why you mentioned Kang Taehyun so suddenly and later we can discuss everything Yujin needs to know when he grows up.” The older alpha pressed, his voice a bit more urgent and Kai flicked with fingers as if an idea had suddenly occurred in his mind.

“Right, sorry hyung.” He was quick to apologize and Soobin just offered him a light smile, twirling his hair between his long fingers. “Yesterday Tyunnie called and asked if you had managed to find where to live.”

Yujin cut them off, his voice coated with confusion, head tilted to the side in an adorable perplexed expression. “Tyunnie?” 

“Taehyun’s nickname.” Kai explained quickly and continued after getting a nod from the younger. “So, when I told him that you haven’t found anything yet, he told me that he has someone in mind that could help you.”

Soobin’s brows furrowed in bewilderment, but his heart started pounding louder and louder in response to a newborn hope. Someone that could help him? 

“Taehyun has this friend that needs help with something. I don’t really know the details, but it seems something really urgent and important, and Taehyun thinks you will  be a perfect help for him.” Soobin’s confusion only grew bigger with each word his friend was saying. 

“What exactly am I helping with?” He asked hesitantly after minutes of silence trying to grasp the situation. Hueningkai just shrugged his shoulders.

“He didn’t tell me anything. But he said he could arrange a meeting for you both if you agree to at least hear him out. Personally, I think it’s worth the shot. Tyunnie said he can vouch for that person with his life.”

Soobin fell silent again, head lost in thoughts. So Taehyun knew someone that could potentially save him from his future homeless status. And in exchange needed help with something he wasn’t aware of, and the Beta didn’t mention. Soobin wondered what that help might be. Knowing Taehyun to some capacity, it definitely wasn’t something illegal or that could put his life in a potential risk. Maybe a modeling gig or something? He had some of his friends working in that industry, asking him to be a part-time model from time to time, he wasn’t bad looking in the slightest. 

Tall and slim body frame, low body fat percentage, defined muscles, his face wasn’t that bad either. His high school friends used to beg him to pose for their school’s newspaper and Sоobin was the person with most secret photos taken for their class’s yearbooks. He actually also appeared in a handful of yearbooks of other classes and grades. And while in university, he was swarmed with people from the photography major asking him to be their model for this and that, and Soobin being the sweet person he was, always agreed to help them. So yes, while he couldn’t absolutely describe himself as a textbook handsome, he always thought there was a charm to his looks. So maybe that was it. 

If it was something as simple as that and the award was a new home… It was a smart decision to agree, right? 

Soobin really had nothing to lose.

And he really needed a place to live, urgently.

He was even seriously considering getting entangled with a criminal organization only a couple of minutes ago, only so he could find a new home (because, yes, he might've lied to Yujin that he was only joking about it). 

And if Taehyun was vouching for that person, there was nothing to be afraid of right? Because Hueningkai knew Taehyun for years. Kai might’ve been a bit dumb in a very precious and endearing way, but he was sharp when it came to figuring out people. Maybe almost as much as Soobin was. So if he was friends with someone for years, then that someone (in this case Kang Taehyun) was definitely to be trusted.

Soobin felt his chest heaving, but this time it wasn’t the despair clutching it like a nightmare, but a hope. A bright hope, clear blue like the skies on a sunny summer day with no clouds in sight. He felt something warm spreading in his entire body, his feet wrapped in the softness of the Cinnamoroll slippers were on fire, tingling with excitement. Maybe his days of misery were finally over. 

He knew he might have looked like he was overreacting, but honestly? He was exhausted. Exhausted from running around from one agent to another, from one apartment to another, feeling hopeless, spending every one of the past few nights glued to the table in the living room trying to think of a way out, counting every last penny in his savings trying to figure out the course of his actions. He was exhausted to death. And this little spark of hope was really fueling his brain with some real dopamine. Maybe… maybe life wasn’t as cruel as it appeared.

He only needed to help with something Taehyun’s friend needed. It couldn’t be that hard or impossible, right?

One favor and he was going to be saved. The scales really couldn’t be more tilted to him agreeing with Taehyun’s idea. 

“Hyung?” Yujin finally broke the silence, snapping him out of his monologue. Soobin looked in his eyes, giving him a small smile then shifted his gaze to Kai, looking at him expectantly, head still resting on his thigh. 

“Kai-ah..” Soobin cooed, cupping his friends' cheeks with palms and kneading them with aggressive affection. “I really want to give you a kiss right now, you know?” The younger Alpha laughed and closed his eyes, making Soobin let out a little huff as he bent down and placed a small, short peck on Kai’s forehead, making him squeal happily. Kai had always loved physical touch and expression of affection, and Soobin always loved giving it to him as the boy was so lovely, like the little younger brother Soobin always wanted to have. 

Yujin faked a displeased noise, hiding his face with hands. “Hyung, you both are so disgusting.”

“Are you jealous little one?” Kai asked with a tease, making Soobin laugh softly. “Don’t worry you will get your commendatory forehead peck from Soobin hyung when you turn twenty.”

“As if I would ever want something like that?” The boy replied scandalized, his voice high pitched, ears terribly red. “S-Soobin hyung, will you agree to Kai hyung’s offer?”

Soobin thought how cute his little friend was for trying to change the topic to hide his embarrassment and for a second thought of teasing him a bit more, but the kid had gone through a lot for today. So he just nodded, a smile growing on his face as Yujin’s face lit up with happiness and relief. 

“I’m going to finish that muffin then! And I’m not giving you hyungs any of it!”

Chapter Text

Yeonjun couldn’t leave his car. 

Several days had passed since his meeting with Beomgyu and Taehyun in his apartment with Taehyun giving him a quick rundown on Soobin’s situation (the person Taehyun recommended) and convincing him that it was worth giving his idea a shot. It was quite sad, actually, Yeonjun couldn’t deny it. The life and the future of hard working, sincere (according to Taehyun’s words) person had met a thick, unbreakable wall, called adult irresponsibility. The beta didn’t give him all the details, saying it wasn’t his place to share everything he knew about the situation and Yeonjun understood that, yet, even the little he knew of it had made his blood running cold, then boiling harshly inside his veins like a burning lava. He had his fair share of encounters with adults, whose existence depended on ruining the lives of younger people (his mother and aunt were such examples), however he had never seen something as bad as that. And at that moment his own situation seemed to fade in comparison to that of a person he didn’t even know. 

He was hesitant, really. Agreeing to that meant potentially getting a stranger inside his house, having to share his living space with the said stranger, and even if Taehyun was strongly vouching for the character of that person, Yeonjun just couldn’t agree on the spot. 

First, the man was an alpha. Which didn’t really mean anything and it was exactly what he needed for the plan to work without issues. But an alpha was still an alpha. And considering every single of his previous blind dates, it didn’t give him much hope. 

Second, allowing a stranger in his house meant exposing his real character if that stranger were to enter his bedroom at some point. Because on the outside Yeonjun’s apartment looked like those homes, shown in these outdated alpha-centric magazines with the title ‘Want to be a real Alpha? Here is how.’. The decor was in basic white and black colors, making everything blend well in a stylish, modern, especially boring way, while containing a typical ‘sophisticated Alpha’ look to it. Opposite of everything his mother wanted of him. But his outside persona, or more like the character he was still playing after all these years, matched the outlook of his apartment. But his own bedroom was different. Very different. That’s why he never allowed anyone besides Beomgyu and Taehyun inside. Even if he had to bring hook-ups and dates home, which was almost never the case, he never allowed them inside his room, instead he would take them to the guest room. He had never even let his mother inside, because he was absolutely sure what would happen if he did. He had even ordered a special door with a code to be installed instead of a regular one, the code to which even Beomgyu wasn’t aware of ( Yeonjun wished for that to be true). So yes, allowing someone in his space meant putting himself at a potential risk of being exposed.

And third, and probably most important one, Yeonjun was a pet owner. Which was maybe the second best characteristic of him, besides being good-looking, but he knew that people were different and had different views on pets and animals in general. Gia was a smart and overly intelligent little angel, who was able to instantly feel the aura of the person before her. That’s why she was almost immediately attached to Taehyun and Beomgyu, even if she was shy when meeting them at first. That’s why she acted angry and pissed every time Yeonjun was bringing some of the arranged dates and hook-ups home. That’s why she was constantly hissing at his mother during the few times she was visiting him (there was one time when Gia bit her finger when she tried to pet her and ruined her overly expensive bag, and since then Ms. Choi wasn’t seen near Yeonjun’s apartment, thank goodness). He was worried about how Gia would perceive that stranger and how the stranger would act around her. Of course, if Gia was unfriendly to the person, that only meant he wasn’t a good person and of course, it also meant Yeonjun wasn’t going to keep him around. 

But Yeonjun thought about the positive aspects of it, as well.

First, an alpha was exactly what he needed for his plan to work out and it was an alpha that Kang Taehyun personally knew and vouched for with his life.

Second, even if that person were to see Yeonjun’s real character, what use would he have of that information? No one knew his long-term war with his mother and information like that was unlikely to reach her ears. Besides, it was someone whom Kang Taehyun knew personally.

Third, well. That person was someone Kang Taehyun knew. And Taehyun had a striking resemblance to a cat. So if that person was really close to Taehyun, enough for the boy to recommend him to Yeonjun as a possible help, then he was most likely fond of cats as well. It was impossible to like Taehyun and not cats, the two were interchangeable in Yeonjun’s brain.

Basically, every positive thought about the proposal was somehow tied to Kang Taehyun, the very same man, who was genius enough to come up with the idea in the first place. 

And was that enough to convince Yeonjun to at least try it out? Absolutely. It was Taehyun’s idea after all.

That’s precisely why he was sitting in his car, a few meters away from the coffee shop, in which he was supposed to meet with the stranger. With Choi Soobin.

Technically speaking, he was around fifteen minutes early to the meeting out of nervousness and was fidgeting in the driver’s seat, the skin of his nails tortured between his teeth. Biting the skin around his nails was a bad habit he had developed since young age, when he didn’t want to do things his mom wanted of him, thinking that his bleeding skin would make her forget her whims. It actually had worked like a charm, especially since he was so accustomed to the pain that he would peel his skin further and further down, almost reaching to the middle of his fingers, and it had gone so bad to the point he had to keep his fingers bandaged for several months as a way to repel that habit and allow the skin to properly heal. He remembered his mother being really worried about him at that time and his therapist back then being this really sweet lady, who kept asking him questions and giving him chocolate at the end of every session. 

But as he grew older, he realized two things. First, the damaged nails didn’t affect his mother as much as they did before. And second, he really didn’t like bleeding. His therapist had helped subduing the greed for damaged skin to some degree, but it was still there, even in quite refined custom. Now he was biting and pinching only until it started to itch and throb a little when he pressed the wound.

Yeonjun wasn’t usually the type to get nervous, he was able to handle himself pretty decently, be it with exams when he was still student or now that he was already working, he was able to manage and control his stress level pretty well. This time, however, was different. And the worst of it all was that he couldn’t even comprehend what was making him that nervous. He had the upper hand, the stranger was in no position to disagree, given his circumstances and even if he did, it wasn’t that big of a deal since Yeonjun had a second plan of recruiting a professional actor.

He had no reason to be fidgeting like that, and yet there was he, acting like an absolute loser over something so simple. He knew only the name of the person, Choi Soobin. What he looked like was a complete mystery as Taehyun didn’t reveal anything about his looks, besides calling him ‘pretty’ and ‘handsome’ on a few occasions during their conversations. Beomgyu was also agreeing with these statements and Yeonjun had no choice but to be convinced, as Beomgyu’s standards for visuals were… pretty intense. All Taehyun had told him was that Choi Soobin was tall, blonde and looked like a shoujo manga character, glitched into the real world and Yeonjun had no choice but to run with that information. He had tried searching the name on social media, but nothing he was seeing quite resonated with his friends’ description and their preferences. So it was a complete failure.

Yeonjun looked at the clock on the dashboard realizing there were only a few minutes left before the time of the fateful meeting. His finger fell off his mouth and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds, before realising it slowly and steadily. The throb in his thumb was holding him steady on the ground, somehow containing in his confidence and after one last count to ten, he took his phone and wallet, leaving the car with a newfound certainty. Every step he was taking felt like echo in his head, reverberating in his heart and causing it to trump loudly in his throat, while the sound reached even his ears. 

The trip to the cafe (that was only less than a minute) felt like eternity and when Yeonjun finally reached the front door his mouth fell open. 

Oh.

He knew what Kang Tehyun meant now. 

And fuck, he was so right. 

Next to the door of the cafe, back leaning on the wall stood tall.. An angel? A doll? A painting? Yeonjun wasn’t sure how to properly describe it without getting overly dramatically poetic. But the person he was looking at looked more like a blinding star, taken the shape of a human being and blessing the mortal world with its graceful shine, than an actual human. He looked outworldly, yet so easy to the eye, possessing a certain aura that made everyone naturally turn his eyes to him and stare wide eyed and all flushed. And it wasn’t his aura as an Alpha. Honestly, nothing about him seemed or screamed alpha, besides maybe his height or build if you looked at the traditional depiction of alphas (which had long faded). But his aura was that of a person, whose face deserved to adorn every single billboard, banner and commercial all over the world. Someone who deserved poems and songs, written about their beauty alone.

Damn, he felt himself starting to sound a little like Beomgyu when talking about Taehyun. 

The blonde angel was looking around with his big, curious eyes, holding his phone in hands, absolutely oblivious to every single passing person who stared at him, and then he finally noticed Yeonjun. His facial expression went through multiple shifts way too quickly for the omega to discern any of the meaning behind them, then he put his phone inside the pocket of his coat and took a few steps, reaching Yeonjun impossibly fast, probably due to his long legs. Yeonjun lifted his gaze up, suppressing the gasp from escaping his lips as somehow the man (angel) was even prettier standing this close. And yes. Not handsome, not good-looking. He was pretty, gorgeous, stunning and it’s honestly been a long time since Yeonjun had seen such a feast for the eyes, besides his friends. That face was really something else.

Damn you Taehyun, for keeping someone like that away from him for this long.

Soobin offered him a shy half-smile, then bowed a little bit too politely and extended his hand for a handshake, and Yeonjun was ready to melt down right there as the man (angel) had probably the prettiest set of dimples he had ever seen - deep, drilling holes into his cheeks, making his face gain certain innocence and cuteness to it. 

“You’re Choi Yeonjun, right?” The blonde beauty spoke with a clear, gentle voice, the deepness of it vibrating pleasantly in Yeonjun’s ears. The omega couldn’t help but smile back brightly, taking his hand, surprised to notice how warm it was against his cold palm. 

“That’s right.” The reply came soon after their hands separated, Yeonjun feeling a bit regretful that the warmth was nowhere present anymore. “But how did you figure it out?”

Then it came. A quiet laugh, sounding like chiming bells or bird’s song on a calm morning day. Yeonjun almost felt like having to take a step back to properly collect himself, because how was a man, an Alpha, having such an effect on him, not even two minutes into the conversation? He was really goner for gorgeous faces, wasn’t he?

“Taehyun told me that I will know it’s Yeonjun the second I lay eyes on him. ‘You’ve never seen someone like him.’, is what he said.”

“And what do you think?” Yeonjun probed further as Soobin gestured for them to walk into the cafe. 

It was a chilly November day, the autumn holding to its final threads, before being completely replaced by the cold winter. Yeonjun liked the winter. He wasn’t exactly fond of the cold weather, harshly brushing and drying his skin, the snowstorms, the cold rainy days, the merciless biting winds, but he liked the winter. He liked having endless opportunities of overlaying clothes without sweating all over and he absolutely loved how the sun and the heat weren’t melting his makeup. He liked the cozy days, lazing all day in his bed, under the shield of warm blankets and with Gia’s small body curled against his. He liked the sight of the snow, coating the world in a white magic, the crunching sound of white plush under his shoes, and how it seemed as if the universe had completely stopped or it was moving slowly for the few months of the freezing clutch. Yeonjun hoped it would snow this year too. 

He noticed how Soobin swiftly took a few steps ahead of him and opened the door to the cafe with a sweet, yet still quite shy, smile on his face making a way for Yeonjun to enter first. Now that was something unexpected. The raven haired took the offer and stepped inside, being immediately hit with the cozy warmth and the scent of coffee tingling his senses pleasantly. Soobin entered after him, closing the door carefully, then finally answered and Yeonjun couldn’t miss the way the color of his ears slightly turned pink. 

“Well, I think he was completely right.” 

Yeonjun didn’t have the time to ask further, even if curiosity was killing him, as one of the servers quickly approached them with a bright smile, asking them where they would like to sit. 

“Would you like it if we’re closer to the window or more on the inside, Yeonjun-ssi?” Soobin asked casually, making the omega turn his head to him, surprised. He was.. asking him? Soobin.. An Alpha was asking about his opinion?

He quickly shook his head and pointed to the empty tables at the back of the shop, hidden behind a tall wooden divider. “I would like it if we sat there.” Soobin only nodded quickly and turned his attention to the server to confirm their seatings. 

Finally, sitting on the table and having their orders relied to the staff, Yeonjun was quiet, lost in thoughts, in awe, replaying in his head the events that had occurred in the last ten minutes. Firstly, Soobin had recognized him almost immediately, had approached him warmly and shyly, had opened the door for him, had complimented him and was treating a random staff of a coffee shop with gentleness and kindness that was rarely seen. He had asked Yeonjun for his opinion on seating and had waited for him to give his order first without butting in. Honestly, Yeonjun felt like evaluating a potential lifetime partner, but it was all necessary.  Everything so far might’ve seemed like basic etiquette everyone was supposed to attain at the ages from three to seven, but it was actually ridiculous how many people lacked it. Personally, Yeonjun had stumbled on people who lacked basic human decency more than people with simple manners, especially Alphas, so, seeing Soobin behaving like that was definitely something Yeonjun couldn’t quite comprehend.

Was there a chance that everything the man (angel) was doing was simply an act? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s exactly what Yeonjun intended to find out during their little coffee date.

There was a short silence between them and Yeonjun was finally able to properly take a look at Soobin. His face was especially pleasant to look at in a way it was quite hard to explain, and even if Yeonjun were to run a complete facial analysis on the Alpha’s face it would still pose a challenge - every proportion just seemed to fall perfectly on the place it had intended. Yeonjun’s studying gaze fell on Soobin’s eyes - they were big, not as big as Taehyun’s but certainly bigger than Yeonjun’s, with the inner corner pointing a bit down, while the outer corner was round and bigger, resembling a pair of spread wings. A well structured nose, filling the center of his face, which somehow completely enhanced his features with its round tip, making them look rather soft. But maybe the most noticeable part of his face were his lips. Or more like the whole lower area of his face. Because- 

“Um.. Yeonjun-ssi?” Soobin’s voice reached him rather mute, but it was enough for Yeonjun to snap out of his mental analysis, eyes blinking rapidly at the blonde alpha. He tilted his head in a questioning manner and the younger’s gaze hovered on his face a tad bit longer than intended, before landing somewhere between his hands and the edge of the table. “Is there something on my face? You keep staring so..”

Oh. 

Yeonjun felt his cheeks slightly hot. He must’ve looked weird in the eyes of this stranger (angel), just looking at him without saying a word. The omega was quick to shake his head in denial, the corners of his mouth turning up in an apologetic smile. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Soobin-ssi. I don’t know if Taehyun had told you, but I work as a make-up artist, so I tend to look at people’s faces directly without even intending to. I’m really sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“Ah, it’s not that it made me uncomfortable!” Soobin was quick to gesture with hands in front of his chest, shaking his head at the same time. It was quite adorable, Yeonjun noted absent-mindedly, but no. He had to focus. He had to focus. He was there for work, not to gawk at pretty faces. “Just maybe a bit self conscious? I wondered if there was something wrong with the way I looked or if there was something stuck on my face. If it’s only a work habit then that’s a relief.” 

Just when Yeonjun was about to continue the conversation, the server, who had welcomed them, returned, placing in front of them two glasses of water and utensils. However, Yeonjun was clearly able to notice her hands shaking and as she tried to place Soobin’s in front of him, her hand accidentally hit the edge of the table, the fork and the knife falling on the ground with a loud clacking sound. The girl winced at the pain, tightly squeezing her palm as she bent down to pick them up, mumbling apologetic words through half suppressed tears. 

Soobin got up almost immediately with Yeonjun carefully following his actions. One thing he had learned about Alphas from all the encounters with his mother’s picks was that they were easy to rile up - it was a personality trait, just like MBTI types and even if it wasn’t like that for every single person on the planet, it was evident in most of them. There was one time when he was dining with one of the ‘candidates’ in a fancy restaurant and one of the servers had accidentally spilled a bit of water on the table. It was no more than a single drop that would’ve dried in less than a minute. But the alpha had gotten so personally offended by the ‘indecent lack of professionalism’ that he had the whole tablecloth, along with the food on it thrown onto the ground and the server immediately fired. Needless to say, Yeonjun had never felt more embarrassed and angry his entire life. All he remembered was slapping him across the face and pouring a whole bottle of wine all over his white suit. 

It wasn’t the only instance of alpha he had been with, acting like that and if he had to dig deeper down his memory line we would’ve landed on a worse occurrence, but that was the closest to his brain due to the similarity in the situations. Yeonjun had his fingers gripping the table tightly, ready to get up and butt in if Soobin were to do something similar, but was quickly thrown into another shock when the Alpha did something else. Something completely unexpectable. Soobin kneeled down and quickly picked up the utensils, placing them on top of the table with almost too swift movements, then asked for the girl’s hand gently examining it when she extended it into his palm, trembling in pain and maybe fear. 

“Oh.. It’s a bit swollen, you might need to put some ice on it.” Honey dripped out of his mouth with every word spoken, both the girl and Yeonjun watching him with eyes widened in surprise. But Soobin looked oblivious to all that attention, his studying gaze focused only on the server’s wounded hand, brows knitted in worried expression. Yeonjun noticed his lips slightly parted, the upper lip protruding in something like a pout, the sight making him instinctively run tongue through his own, feeling them dry. “Does it hurt a lot? Do you want me to call someone or walk you back to the counter?”

The girl was quick to shake her head, getting back on her feet as if struck by a lightning. The omega couldn’t miss the bright rose color decorating her cheeks. “Oh, no! I can’t possibly ask that of you, but thank you so much for your help and concern, sir. I will get your orders ready as quickly as possible.” 

“Please, don’t worry about it.” The response came almost too immediately, with Soobin casually dusting off the fabric of his pants, covering the knee as he got up as well. The corners of his lips were very slightly turned up - not quite in a smile, but the warmth the expression carried was enough to melt the entirety of the Antarctic continent. “Take care of that wound first, we’re not really in a rush, are we?” Soobin directed the question to Yeonjun, who was taken back but quickly nodded along, not able to form any coherent word. 

The girl’s cheeks only grew impossibly redder than before and who could’ve blamed her? A drop dead gorgeous alpha just kneeled down to help her, after she had messed up. He didn’t yell at her, didn’t curse at her, didn’t act snobbish like all other Alphas Yeonjun had interacted with. He just bent down, calmly picked the stuff she had dropped and was even concerned enough for her well-being. Yeonjun thought that if he was in her stead, he would’ve been head over heels for the blonde angel already. 

The server quickly bowed once again and grabbed the dropped utensils, sprinting to the kitchen, one of her coworkers, following her behind. Soobin finally sat on his seat again, unreadable eyes, looking at Yeonjun’s. 

“That was.. sweet of you.” The omega commented, taking a small sip of his water, looking at the way Soobin awkwardly placed hand behind his neck. The sight made the corners of his lips twitch a little. 

The alpha was… Adorable. Fuck, he really was adorable.

“Well..” Soobin started after a while, trying to find the correct words. “That’s my ‘work habit’, I guess? I also work in customer service and I know how tough things can be, especially for new or inexperienced hires. Well, it can be equally as bad for people with hands deep in the business sometimes, so I can’t help but be more understanding towards them.”

“She was a new hire?” Yeonjun asked, confused and the other offered him a nod, pointing at his neck, making Yeonjun follow his actions then briefly glance at the servers in his sight. Almost all of them had small pink scarves, tied under the collards of their shirts, but there were two or three people with blue ones. Yeonjun didn’t know whether he should be more surprised by the fact that he didn’t notice a detail like that or that Soobin had caught up on it that quickly. The alpha was definitely observant.  “You mentioned customer service. Do you also work as a server Soobin-ssi?”

“Ah, that’s not it. I mean, I’ve helped with that too when necessary, but I work in the kitchen of ‘Mokka Bakery’ as a pastry cook.” 

“A pastry cook?” Soobin was a bit taken back from Yeonjun’s question as it seemed the raven haired couldn’t believe his words, and confirmed them again with an enthusiastic nod. Yeonjun only grew eager by the confirmation. “So the food there is your work?” 

“You can kind of say that?” The alpha responded unsure, fingers tapping lightly on the table. “There is a main pastry chef in charge of everything from the kitchen and the menu, to the staff. And my role is like a sous chef, so second in command. I’m in charge of overseeing the teams, the equipment, the supplies and filling in the gasps where it’s needed. But our main chef also makes me do quite a lot of baking and decorating.  

“And the cakes? Taehyun always brings cakes from ‘Mokka’ when he visits and honestly, they’re some of the most delicious treats I’ve eaten in my entire life. I still have a bit left of the White Garash cake he bought for me and Beomgyu two days ago.”  

To the surprise of the omega, Soobin immediately averted his haze, eyes dropping to look at the half empty glass between his fingers. Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden break of eye contact, then noticed the tips of the alpha’s ears turning slightly pink, the color more prominent and noticeable against his pale blonde hair. The alpha dragged a slender finger around the rim of the glass, then responded after a while with a low, quiet almost whispery voice. “I.. I’m in charge of them too.. Thank you..” If the cafe was just an octave louder Yeonjun would’ve probably missed that, despite them sitting across from each other.

A smile spread across the omega’s face as he clapped with excitement, thanking the angel for making such delicious sweets. Soobin was endearing in a way he couldn’t quite describe and it was the first time an Alpha had left such a positive impression on him in such  a short amount of time. He could tell Soobin was different and he definitely wasn’t acting. Maybe Taehyun was right and now all that was left was for the man in front of him to agree to his plan. 

Soobin had no way of knowing, but Yeonjun was secretly squeezing his palms in his lap in a praying manner. He wasn’t religious in the slightest. He had never set food on a religious site, had never told or learned a single prayer, but at that exact time he hoped for some deity to hear and respond to his wishes. Maybe a bit too eagerly than he wanted to admit.

Another server arrived shortly after with their orders, placing them on the table swiftly and disappearing after wishing them a nice meal. Yeonjun noticed the pink scarf on their collar this time. 

He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the conversation. Honestly, there was nothing to be afraid of and technically speaking, Yeonjun wasn’t exactly scared. Just maybe a bit nervous. With every second, Soobin seemed more and more perfect for the job and, honestly, Yeonjun really didn’t want to spend unnecessary energy on trying to find someone else. Not when someone, recommended by Taehyun, was in front of him. So he counted to ten, gained all his courage and finally, cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the Alpha.

“So...” Yeonjun started carefully after taking a sip of the Iced Americano in front of him, the slight bitterness of it was just exactly what he needed to keep his firmly glued to the ground. He looked at his order - a simple cold coffee and a piece of chocolate cake - a simple, normal order, nothing too cutesy or fancy, way too sweet dessert paired with bitter drink to dilute the excessive sugar taste. Good that was enough. It was proper.

Then he looked at the order of the boy in front of him, his heart making a small, painful leap. The blonde had ordered for himself a strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top, in combination with a slice of a light strawberry cake. It looked cute. And absolutely delicious. Don’t get him wrong, Yeonjun loved his simple all chocolate cake, and actually enjoyed the taste of bitter Iced Americano, but there was something about the order of the person across making him feel… weird. In a way he couldn’t describe. It was like Soobin was telling him it was okay to order things like that, without actually saying anything.

Yeonjun watched as the boy halted his movement, the fork lifted midair, his mouth opened to take a bite of the cake, then after a second he returned the fork to the plate, focusing his attention on Yeonjun. The omega felt his heart skip another beat as these big, bright eyes stared attentively at him with guarded curiosity and felt something in him practically melt when he noticed how he left the cake untouched, so he could pay attention to his words. It was the first time someone had graced him with this much politeness and actual attention. An alpha at that. He was aware that expecting negative behavior from every Alpha was very narrow-minded of him. After all, Huening Kai was an Alpha too and even if Yeonjun knew him briefly because of Taehyun, he knew the boy was an angel. A lot of his friends were Alphas too and Yeonjun knew they were good people. But too many negative experiences were able to mess with a person's head to some degree and the Omega had started viewing the world through duller lenses. 

Choi Soobin seemed like a rare exception, though. And Yeonjun really hoped his judgement was correct.

“I’ve heard from Taehyun this and that. You need a place to stay.” Yeonjun continued, his sharp, piercing gaze drilled into the man as if evaluating his worth. But in reality, Yeonjun had already done that in the beginning and now was just trying to stay focused on the conversation. However, he briefly took notice of how Soobin’s hair looked like a lemon cotton candy, smooth and silky, and was fighting the building urge to thread fingers through his gorgeous blonde streaks. The other offered a slow nod and Yeonjun continued. “And I need a boyfriend.”

Soobin’s mouth gaped open at the words. “What?” 

“Not a real one, Soobin-ssi.” Yeonjun was quick to reassure, waving his hands in the air, but the blonde man’s expression grew even more confused, brows furrowing in an expression Yeonjun found especially adorable. “Listen, I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend, or rather my Alpha, in front of my mother. In exchange you can stay in the empty room in my apartment for as long as we’re ‘dating’. You don’t have to pay rent or tend to the house, all you need to do is be convincing enough for my mother to buy it. What do you say? Can you be an Alpha enough?” 

Soobin stared blankly at him for a second, fingers scratching the back of his neck awkwardly before he spoke. “I’m an alpha, though? And why would you need to lie to your parents like that?” 

Yeonjun just offered him a knowing smirk, his eyes disappearing behind half-moons. “I’m aware you are, Soobinie.” Soobinie? Where was that coming from, Choi Yeonjun? “And honestly, I can’t really give you any details on my situation without having you in the game. But if you do agree, I need you to act as a proper, traditional Alpha, arrogant, stoic, assertive, not fun, absolutely boring and think omegas are nothing but a trophy, meant to serve and obey you submissively. We can even write up a short contract or something if you’d like.” 

“To se- What?” Yeonjun looked with amusement as Soobin’s expression grew from confused to absolutely shocked, even slightly terrified, his cheeks flushing deep pink. 

It was the first time he was meeting the man, but he could clearly see Taehyun had not lied when he briefed him about Soobin’s character. ‘Soobin hyung is such a nice, sweet guy..’ Taehyun had told him a couple of days ago, while Yeonjun was hanging out with him and Beomgyu, discussing their plan. Or rather when Taehyun had gone to his apartment with two bags, filled with beer and snacks and a bunch of irrefutable arguments on why his idea was simply perfect. ‘He’s extra gentle, caring and meek, just the type you want  to squish his cheeks because of how cute he is. If he agrees to help you, you will win the lottery, hyung. Trust me on this, hyung..’

And so, Yeonjun had decided to trust his childhood friend. Because Kang Taehyun was always right. Soobin was not only more stunning than Yeonjun had imagined, he was maybe the prettiest guy the older had laid eyes on, but he seemed caring. He waited for Yeonjun outside the coffee shop, opened the door for him, spoke to the server in a calm, quiet voice, and didn't get mad when she accidentally dropped the utensils. But Soobin even looked concerned for the staff and even bent down, picking the utensils himself, offering help, reassuring her that she didn’t have to worry about a thing and that left Yeonjun completely stunned. Even if he had met decent Alphas, not a lot of them were this understanding and sweet towards people they didn’t even know. And not many of them treated service workers the way Soobin did, which for Yeonjun was one of the biggest red flags. Soobin was different. He could tell with a single glance.

Yeonjun had nothing to lose, and Soobin was in a desperate need for a place to stay before his apartment building was smashed to the ground with all his belongings inside, so he had to agree, right? 

The older man’s eyes glinted with a mischievous spark, his plush lips spreading in a smirk as he leaned back on the chair, arms crossed in front of his chest. “Well, what do you say? Do you agree on having a roommate - fake relationship - alliance with me?” 

For a few minutes there was a silence, disturbed only by the songs, playing faintly in the backgrounds and the murmurs of the other clients, preoccupied by their own conversations. Yeonjun waited, noticing how Soobin was processing the information. His face was telling in all, the lower lip pressed against the upper in a pout, the furrowed brow, the eyes wandering around the table, without seeing anything, his thought process was written on his face and Yeonjun felt like invading his privacy by taking a peek, but it was also so obvious that it was impossible to miss.

And while the omega was sure he had the upper hand in the situation and only a real idiot would decline his offer, he couldn’t help but worry. Because Soobin didn’t look like an idiot for sure, but he certainly wasn’t like most people either. He was like a variable Yeonjun wasn’t familiar with. Like a makeup technique he was seeing for the first time and was eager to study. But of course, even with the upper hand, the decision fell entirely on Soobin and the outcomes of this situation were more than one. There was a possibility of Soobin not wanting to share living space with a stranger (just how Yeonjun was reluctant at first). There was a possibility of Soobin being taken and his partner not being happy about him living with other people (but he doubted Taehyun would’ve suggested someone taken). There was a possibility of Soobin not liking him (which was close to impossible, honestly). 

Anyway, with someone Yeoonjun didn’t know that well, there were a lot of unpredictable possible outcomes. And it was kind of nerve-racking for the Omega, who just wanted to free himself, even for a while. Hands clutched tightly in his lap, gaze directed at Soobin, expecting for an answer, Yeonjun really felt like a fanatic believer wishing on a deity. But he couldn’t care less. All he needed was just one word, just a single confirmation.

“Suppose I agree..” Soobin spoke after a while and Yeonjun almost slammed the table, surprised by the sudden voice. He nodded instead, composing himself to his best abilities, lifting his chin to urge Soobin to continue speaking. “How long will that last?” 

“At least a couple of months. Year at most.” Yeonjun replied with practiced professionalism. Thank God Taehyun hinted on a possible Q&A and offered to help him. “My mother is rather… peculiar. She’s quite hard to convince. But we can work it through like acting in a movie.” 

“Acting in a movie…” The alpha repeated after his words, nails falling sharp on his cheek to scratch an itch. Yeonjun confirmed with a nod. “And during that time, I am to roommate with you? Why not just help me find a new place?” 

Yeonjun’s lips curved in a smile and he took the fork out of his cake, pointing the sharp ends to Soobin, who just sat there, listening carefully. “I told you. She’s hard to convince. And living together will definitely turn the scale to us. We’re pretending lovers in her eyes and that would mean Alpha not wanting to be separate from his little Omega for a second and wanting to keep it by-”

“Okay, I will need you to stop there.” Yeonjun’s smile grew into a victorious smirk as Soobin ran fingers through his hair in a stressed manner. It was probably too much teasing for him to handle, but Yeonjun had found the situation especially entertaining and Soobin’s reactions were also quite funny.

“I will help you find a place to live after this is over, don’t worry about it.” The omega continued calmly, dismissive of the sight of Soobin’s animated outrage after realizing he was being completely toyed with. The way the Alpha rolled his eyes, but still paid attention to his words was… cute. “If we convince her well enough, I can even make it so you won’t need to worry about a rent. And we can stay friends after that, we don’t need to revert to complete strangers, we’re in the same circle after all. Actually, it’s crazy how we’ve never met, considering our closest people know each other.” 

“That’s what I wondered too, actually..” Soobin answered quietly, making Yeonjun nod, his back leaning onto the chair. “So, I don’t need to pay rent if I roommate with you and pretend to be your boyfriend for your mother?” 

“That’s what I’ve been telling you for the past thirty minutes.” A light chuckle escaped Yeonjun’s lips as his hand wrapped around the glass of almost untouched Americano, bringing it to his lips. “Well, what do you say? Did my offer intrigue you?” 

Soobin’s gaze trailed Yeonjun as he brought the straw to his lips, taking a sip of his drink and Yeonjun could notice he was thinking of something beyond these sparkly dark chocolate eyes. Maybe he was just really that easy to read, or Yeonjun just found a new talent of reading people, because he was watching in real time as  the younger alpha was struck with some conclusion, the glint in his irises becoming somewhat clearer. And damn, the lighting in this coffee shop was really something, because Yeonjun could swear he was seeing little shiny stars in Soobin’s dark eyes. 

Soobin then removed the fork from the edge of his plate and placed it carefully on the napkin, fingers pushing the plate slowly towards the middle of the table. Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze between the cake and Soobin in confusion. “What is this for?” 

The younger alpha smiled. And it wasn’t the small, shy smile he had been giving up until now but a completely new one. One that got Yeonjun’s heart jumping so rapidly, it punched the back of his throat. Because Soobin’s big smile was as radiant as the sun, and Yeonjun felt like a sunflower drawn to its rays. The upper lip was almost completely hidden, revealing a line of crystal white teeth, the corners of his mouth were upturned and the two hollow dimples decorated the sides of his cheeks, creating uncanny resemblance to a bunny. Yeonjun’s lungs sank in his ribcage as no airflow seemed to pass through them even more, when Soobin gestured at the cake with his unfairly long, captivating fingers, the stupid enchanting bunny smile still sitting on his face.

“To celebrate our roommate - fake relationship - alliance? You seemed curious about the taste when our orders arrived. You can try the milkshake too if you want.. Yeonjun-ssi?” 

That’s where Yeonjun got convinced that Choi Soobin wasn’t human. He was an angel. Not just appearance-wise, but his entire existence was that of an angel, fallen into Yeonjun’s hands just when he needed it the most.

“It’s Yeonjun hyung for you from now on.”

Chapter Text

Soobin could never in his wildest dreams have imagined that a problem, had he deemed impossible to solve, was fixed with a snap of a finger. He had really thought he was done for. 

Yet, there he was, fixing the last remnants of his luggage, all his other belongings already sent to his new home, while waiting for his savior, Choi Yeonjun, to pick him up. Honestly, Soobin wasn’t really keen on the idea of the omega driving all day to his soon to be old apartment only to drive him back to his soon to be new apartment, when he could’ve easily taken the bus or a taxi, but Yeonjun had insisted otherwise. He wanted to give Soobin a ride, so they could have even more time to properly get to know each other and get comfortable, and the alpha couldn’t disagree with that. If they were to really get serious with the whole dating thing, they needed to be as comfortable as possible.

Soobin wasn’t exactly sure why, but he felt like it was going to be both challenging and quite an easy task. 

Firstly, Choi Yeonjun was absolutely stunning in every way possible. Soobin knew a lot of omegas, his major was filled with them (bakery was famous among omegas), a great majority of his coworkers were too, even the owner or ‘Mokka’, Miss Kamiya, a gorgeous Japanese lady, was an omega. But he had never seen someone as breathtaking as Yeonjun. With his foxy, cat-like eyes, giving a certain mischievous charm to his, at first glance quite fierce, appearance, especially when his expression carried smugness or certainty. His sculpted face and prominent round cheekbones, resembling sugarplums when he smiled. And his rosy pink pillowly lips with slightly upturned corners, sparkling under the light as the man definitely liked coating them with lip gloss. Soobin had found that quite distracting. When he was trying to focus on the conversation a couple of days ago, during their first ever meeting, his eyes kept trailing to Yeonjun’s lips, the shimmering gloss catching the stray rays of the artificial lights, making them look as if coated with stardust. Overall, the omega was dashing and quite literally breathtaking, so that was one positive point. But also a negative one. Soobin was just a sucker for gorgeous people. And Yeonjun was so gorgeous that he was intimidating.

Secondly, Choi Yeonjun was nice. Personality wise. If Soobin were to be completely honest, at first glance Yeonjun seemed quite intimidating or fierce. Maybe it was the straight eyebrows, framing his eyes in a way, which exactly contributed to his intense appearance, maybe it was his studying gaze, drilling its presence into people’s heads, maybe it was the way he carried himself or the confidence, beaming from every part of his entire existence. Maybe it was even that breathtaking beauty.  But he possessed a certain level of intimidation that scared, but also intrigued people to get close to him and get to know him. It was exceptional, to the point that if Taehyun hadn’t mentioned that Yeonjun was an omega, Soobin would’ve easily taken him for an alpha even with his keen senses. 

But that was the first glance, or the first five seconds of their meeting. Because when they started conversing, Soobin was once again hit with the reality that there was more to a person than their appearance. Yeonjun might have looked unreal, like a painting brought to life, or a sculpture carved to perfection with utmost love and care, but he possessed raw and sweet emotional intelligence that was shining brightly even after few exchanged words. Even with the way he talked being a little more mischievous, he possessed an innocence that shone through, making Soobin reach the conclusion that the dark haired carried more warmth in his heart than it was shown to the world. And it made Soobin quite curious about what else was hidden underneath.

The way the omega’s eyes shone brightly like dark gemstones when Soobin offered his dessert that day, and the way his lips had curved in a bright smile, making his little apple cheekbones show, had struck the young alpha’s heart like a thunderbolt and he had found himself getting swept in the omega’s plan without even realizing. He felt as if Yeonjun was the Pied Piper, playing the flute and he was a child, lured by the melody to follow him mindlessly.

Thirdly, Choi Yeonjun was a pet owner. A cat owner. When Soobin was told that information, he was able to clearly notice Yeonjun's nervousness, masked under somewhat of a forced confidence. He had noticed the raven haired avoiding his gaze when Soobin asked to see a picture of the cat and the hesitation with which he had handed his phone, but he couldn’t quite comprehend why. See, Soobin was an animal lover. A very passionate one at that. And it was serious for him, very serious. He remembered begging his parents for either dog or a cat since he could remember and it continued almost until his high school graduation. But his parents always refused, due to his father’s severe fur allergy. And after he had started living alone, Soobin really couldn’t afford taking care of a pet in his situation, despite his desire to own one. His landlord didn't allow pets either. There was a time when Soobin had rescued a small injured puppy from the streets and had brought him home, taking care of him for several weeks, before his landlord had found out and had almost kicked him out on the spot. The pain in Soobin’s chest when he had to leave that little angel in the animal shelter was unimaginable and it throbbed for months. 

So when Yeonjun showed him a picture of his cat, or rather Gia as he had introduced her, Soobin tried his best to suppress the intense squeal, building in his throat. She was a little orange fluffball with white spots, decorating her small body here and there, and some of the prettiest emerald green eyes Soobin had even seen - bright like fresh streaks of grass. She was the loveliest creature Soobin had seen and maybe, just maybe, that completely settled the deal and had fully convinced Soobin to agree. Living with Yeonjun meant also living with Gia. And he wanted to live with Gia.

With all cards set on the table, Soobin really thought it was possible for him and Yeonjun to get along. He didn’t really know the omega’s reasoning (Yeonjun had promised to explain everything to him once they were all settled), but he seemed quite desperate while waiting for Soobin’s answer. As if his whole life depended on whether the alpha was going to join him in his plan or not. That was also the other reason why Soobin had agreed. Even if the circumstances were completely different, their desperation carried the same weight. 

After all, it was a great deal wasn’t it? Soobin was offered a place to live for free and the only price he had to pay was acting as a boyfriend to an overly stunning omega. He couldn’t lie, he was really nervous, especially since what Yeonjun wanted from him - to be a traditional, dominant alpha, was something Soobin simply wasn’t. He preferred letting people lead him around instead of deciding things himself and his leadership was only shining through his work,  and only because he didn’t really have other options. Miss Kamiya was really determined to push his leadership forward, that’s why she had made him a sous chef instead of simply part of one of the baking teams. But putting the work aside, where Soobin had no choice but to challenge his comfort zone over and over again, in his personal life he really didn't like being in charge of something. Even if it was something as simple as picking a destination for a trip or a cafe for a date with friends. He liked it when people decided in his stead and plated things ready for him. Of course, when needed, he was able to do it all, but he preferred it when people were kind enough to just do it all in his stead. And it wasn’t laziness =, he just liked the sense of feeling cared for.

Especially when it came to relationships. Soobin didn’t have a grand dating history, but all of his exes were either alphas or betas that were able to fulfill his preferences to some degree.

So, agreeing to Yeonjun’s condition was like threading around land, filled with buried mines and Soobin would have lied if he said that he wasn’t nervous or scared. Yeonjun had already promised him so much - a security, safety, a place to live during and after their act, he had even accepted Soobin’s request for using the kitchen for his practices. And Yeonjun had promised him that his kitchen was ‘huge’. Soobin of course, believed all that. Because Yeonjun was someone Kang Taehyun knew, and from what the Alpha knew from Heningkai, Taehyun was someone who really paid attention to the people he had around him. So Soobin really had to do his best in that situation, even if that meant challenging his personality in order to convince the infamous Miss Choi. He wanted to do well for everything Yeonjun had promised him. 

Lost in thoughts Soobin couldn’t even hear the sound of the passcode to his front door being put in and the door being opened, until he felt a weight launching onto his shoulders, making a surprised noise peel off his throat as he tried to keep himself from hitting his face on the ground. He turned his head to the side, trying to see the intruder, although it was pretty obvious who he was, only for two hands to wrap around his neck in a tight hug. A soft smile spread across his lips. 

“Are you trying to keep me here forever by strangling me to death, Yujin-ah?” He asked gently, his hand reaching the boy’s head to ruffle his hair in adoration. The boy just shook his head, the action making Soobin’s skin tingle. “When are you leaving?” 

“Tomorrow.” The boy spoke quietly, lifting his head so his chin could rest on Soobin’s shoulder. “Mom said she couldn’t wait any longer for the building to be destroyed, so she’s coming to take me tomorrow. I just packed my stuff.”

“You finished packing?” Soobin cooed at the boy with a wide smile, eyes hidden behind half moons as the boy offered a small sound in confirmation. “You’re amazing, Yujin-ah. Such a responsible and hard-working boy.”

“But you’re leaving today.” Yujin finally released Soobin from his tight hug and when the Alpha turned his frame to face the boy, he noticed the corners of his eyes glistening with suppressed tears. His heart sank in his chest at the sight. “I wanted Soobin hyung and Hueningie to be here and send me off.”

“Oh my..” Soobin let out a soft chuckle, his palms falling on the boy’s shoulders. “Did you think that me moving out meant I won't come to send you off?”

The blonde watched as the boy’s expression went through multiple shifts before his eyes shone with hope, his somber complexion brightening almost immediately. “You will? You will really come to send me off?” Soobin’s smile grew only impossibly bigger, his hand reaching again to thread fingers across the boy’s dark hair.

“But of course I will, what do you take me for? A good hyung keeps his promise.”

The boy launched onto him again, this time pushing them both to the ground, the back of Soobin’s head hitting the floor with a loud thud. He squeezed his eyes to the slight ache, then pinched Yujin’s ear in a light, adoring manner. “You’re really planning to murder me, aren’t you? First coming for my neck and now for my head?” 

Yujin couldn’t help but giggle at the forced parent-like tone Soobin was speaking with, as he got up, leaving the other on the floor, completely defeated. “Thank you hyung. For everything, really. I will miss you.” 

Soobin could only smile at him, lifting his upper body again until he was sitting with his legs crossed. “You know none of us is dying unless you end me, right? So if you do keep me alive until my car arrives, make sure to call, text and reply to our messages often.”

After that they continued talking about everything under the sun, while finishing packing Soobin’s luggage together. Yujin was telling him about everything he had seen and done during his last day in his school, about how sad his friends were and how they had prepared a surprise for him. Soobin was talking about his work and his main chef being obsessed with this new recipe he had thought of, hence why he was holding Soobin for two hours after his shift so they could work it out together.

At first Soobin really didn’t know how it was possible for him to get this close to a kid, around eight years younger than him, but after getting to know Yujin, he realized it wasn’t entirely impossible. They had common grounds as they both loved playing games, Yujin was very emotionally intelligent, a good listener, enjoyed spending time with him, enjoyed eating his baking goods and had really thought of Soobin as an older sibling. And Soobin? Well, he had enough childish innocence stored in his heart, that talking with kids wasn’t impossible in the slightest. In fact, he was pretty well known and liked by children (namely his lovely cousins back in Ansan). And he really liked having an unofficial little brother like Yujin. After all, he was the youngest one in his family and had always wondered about the feeling of taking care of someone younger.

Hueningkai didn’t count. Sometimes, Soobin felt like that younger alpha was babying him more than Soobin did. Which, honestly, he didn’t really mind. 

After a while Soobin’s phone lit up, making him halt his conversation with Yujin and pick the device in his hands, setting the password in. It was a message from Yeonjun.

Choi Yeonjun (hyung):
downstairs~ come out when you’re ready :3

A small smile curved his lips upwards and Soobin couldn’t admit it, or probably didn’t even realize, but his eyes lingered on the message a bit longer than intended after quickly tapping out a reply, shoving the phone in his pocket. He got up, brushing dust off his pants and wrapped his hand around the handle of his suitcase, dragging it on the floor to the front door. His head turned back as he twisted the handle, pushing the door open, looking at Yujin with a smile, showing his dimples. 

“Say, hyung..” Yujin started with a quiet, unsure voice, his gaze trailing off somewhere else, avoiding Soobin’s. “Can I stay the night here? I don’t wanna be at home right now.” 

Soobin thought for a second, his free hand reaching out to ruffle the boy’s hair. “You don’t even have to ask, Yujin-ah. I actually suspected an outcome like that, so if you feel like snacking later on, just open the fridge.” 

Yujin’s face beamed brightly as he gave Soobin one last hug, before giving him a gentle push to the hallway. “Don’t forget to come and send me off tomorrow! I will really kill you if  you don’t, you hear me?”  

The door was slammed closed in his face, leaving Soobin completely dumbstruck. He let out a chuckle, his head shaking in disbelief as he trudged towards the elevator, dragging his suitcase behind. The conversation he had with Yujin had tugged away his nervousness for a short while, but now that he was left alone with the elevator going down at a frighteningly fast speed, everything was coming back to him. There was a knot in his stomach that was tightening every second, as both his fear and excitement of a new beginning clashed inside his mind in a pretty even sword fight. He felt his limbs jittery, the tips of his fingers tingling ever so slightly from the rush of blood, streaming in his blood vessels due to his heart beating overwhelmingly quickly. There was a ringing in his ears, like a static sound muting everything else around. 

Soobin was a fan of the new beginnings, he liked the thrill, the excitement of jumping in something new, something unknown, but he wasn’t really enjoying the amount of anxiety and fear the ‘new’ carried. He could hear his heart beating loud and clear for two different reasons and he was unsure which one surpassed the other, as the clacking sound of their swords was similar. Pretty even. All he knew was that when the elevator doors opened and he was met with one last main hall, before he was out of the building and within Yeonjun’s vision, Soobin felt his body shiver. And it wasn’t because the jacket on his back was way thinner than needed for an November evening. 

Pushing the door open revealed Yeonjun’s frame and Soobin had to pause, breath hitching in his throat, as cold air filled his lungs. The omega had his body leaned onto the car, face buried in his phone, watching something with great concentration. Soobin quickly scanned his outfit - a short black padded jacket, paired with something that looked like a tank top underneath and oversized cargo pants, hanging loosely over his long legs. His dark hair was pushed back, revealing a set of straight eyebrows and pretty forehead, a pair of sunglasses sitting on top of his hair to complete the look. His lips were sparkling once again, glittery gloss spread over them and his eyelids were painted with a faint dab of dark eyeshadow. 

He seemed like he had just finished work, his complexion exposing faint tiredness, but even that couldn’t hide or brush off the beauty he carried. Somehow the exposed forehead with his raven black hair was making him look even more attractive than Soobin could ever imagine, the sight in front of him making him completely forget his nervousness, his heart skipping a beat for an entirely different reason. Choi Yeonjun was crazy. Crazy beautiful.

The omega was preoccupied with his phone to the point that when Soobin came back to his senses and started walking towards him in short, unsure steps, the rattling of the suitcase behind, managed to get his attention, his body jolting in a surprise. He put his phone down, blinking a few times to assert the situation,  a small smile curving his lips as he took a few steps towards Soobin. 

“You’re here.” The omega confirmed, peeking from behind Soobin where his suitcase was. “Everything else is already at home, stored in the guest room. Is this everything that’s left?” 

Soobin offered a nod, returning the smile with his own. He still had a hard time processing the fact that Choi Yeonjun, who looked like that was real, in front of him. And somehow that was even able to dilute his tension to the point he barely felt it. “Let’s go then. I really want to take a shower and rest.” Yeonjun then reached from behind Soobin, grabbing the handle to the suitcase and turned on his heels to the car, the alpha rushing behind him, trying to get it back.

“Wait, Yeonjun-ssi, you don’t have to-” 

“Shh, quiet Soobin-ah.” The omega was quick to hush him, putting a finger in front of his lips, then raised his chin to point at the passenger seat. “Get in. And we agreed on hyung, didn’t we?” All Soobin could do was watch as he loaded the luggage in the trunk, mouth gaping in surprise. He could feel a heat building up in his chest, rising all the way up to his cheeks and quickly opened the door, sitting himself in the passenger seat, hoping that whatever he was feeling wasn’t evident on his face. 

Yeonjun joined him in the driver’s seat soon after, a yawn rolling down his lips, then he turned the ignition, the car starting with a quiet roar. His gaze moved to Soobin just as the alpha was done buckling his belt, a blinding smile decorating his face, making his appearance soften. “Well, are you ready to go home, Soobin-ah?” The blonde could only nod, the heat in his cheeks spreading further up to his ears and he was so glad that the dim light coming off the control panel wasn’t enough to show that. 

Yeonjun relaxed his back onto the seat, his hand adjusting the clutch, making the car start moving slowly with the release of the brake pedal.

“It took you a while to come down after I sent you the text.” Yeonjun commented mindlessly as soon as their car joined the endless traffic of Seoul's night. Soobin peeled gaze off the window, eyes focusing on Yeonjun, slightly wide. The omega didn’t turn his head to face him, eyes glued on the road in a confident stance. “Did you have a hard time accepting that you’re moving out?” 

There was a short silence until Soobin broke into a breathy laugh, the sound making Yeonjun glance at him briefly this time. “That’s not it.” The blonde alpha answered between laughs, his shoulders trembling. “I was with Yujin at home so it took me a while to say our goodbyes.” 

“Yujin?” Yeonjun asked at the mention of the unfamiliar name. 

Soobin shut his mouth, realizing that he and Yeonjun didn’t know each other well enough for him to know the people in his life. The alpha wasn’t embarrassed to admit that he was close with a kid, eight years younger than himself, who was also the son of the very same man, kicking him out of his living space. But also, Yeonjun didn’t exactly need to know about every detail of his life, right? So, Soobin decided to keep that one for himself for now, offering Yeonjun an apologetic smile in return.

“Just a friend, Yeonjun-s..hyung.” The slip didn’t escape the omega’s keen ears, who let out a light chuckle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t make you wait that long, right?”

Yeonjun shook his head lightly in denial, foot swiftly pressing the brake, the car slowly stopping in front of the traffic light, beaming bright red in the darkness of the night. He turned his face to Soobin, expression serious, but carrying a certain gentleness that managed to stir something inside the alpha’s heart. “You didn’t, Soobin-ah.” His voice was sweet, caring, words rolling like a thread of silk, another heatwave threatening Soobin’s face. “I really want you to relax and not be nervous, okay? Sure… it’s not your everyday situation and things will be very different for both of us starting tomorrow, but… I would like it if both of us could relax and be as comfortable with each other as possible. We’re in this together after all.”

“Was it that visible?” Soobin asked, his fingers cradling his cheek out of habit. “My nervousness I mean.”

“As bright as that red traffic light.” The Alpha chuckled and let out a deep breath, settling on the passenger seat more comfortably. Yeonjun gave him one last smile and moved the car again once the light switched to green. “Is it okay to turn on the radio?” Soobin hummed in response and Yeonjun didn’t hesitate further before pressing a button, the car getting filled with a quiet, relaxing melody, perfect for a night drive. 

The rest of the drive went in almost a complete silence, Soobin looking at the busy Seoul streets through the window, his fingers lightly tapping his thigh in tune with every song that was playing and Yeonjun was maneuvering swiftly through the sea of cars, humming to some of the songs from time to time, the tone on his voice pleasantly vibrating in Soobin’s ears. He was now way more relaxed than in the beginning, head bobbing lightly up and down, the feeling of exhaustion taking over him, his eyelids heavy with a need of sleep. 

The overstaying at work on top of his already disastrous schedule and persisting stress were really doing numbers on him and all he wanted was to curl up on a ball and sleep for a couple of months. It was a relief that tomorrow was Sunday, meaning he wasn’t working, but he still had to wake up early to send off Yujin and was called by the main chef in the afternoon to keep working on that new recipe. So it wasn’t just that he needed a rest, it was that he wasn’t able to get any. 

But Soobin didn’t want to leave Yeonjun driving alone, even if there wasn’t any conversation going on, so he pinched his thigh through the fabric of his jeans from time to time, the tingling pain keeping him awake. He was sure it was going to bruise or leave reddish mark for couple of days - his skin was sensitive and easy to bruise, but it was better than allowing himself to fall asleep when Yeonjun was generous enough to drive all the way to his apartment after work only so he could give him a ride to his new home. Soobin wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if he were to fall asleep at that moment. 

Thankfully, Yeonjun took a left turn after a while, the car moving down a slide behind a tall building into an underground parking lot, indicating that they were reaching their destination. Soobin felt happiness building up as he was soon to be on a bed and finally resting, then he was struck with a thought, making him jump lightly, eyes scanning the area curiously. A tall building? Underground.. parking? 

He watched as Yeonjun drove between expensive looking cars until he had found an  empty spot, the vehicle slowing down even more as he parked it on the empty spot with fearfully practiced precision. He hit the brake to a complete halt and turned off the ignition, facing Soobin for the first time in a while. “Well.” Yeonjun spoke with a smirk, looking at Soobin’s perplexed expression. “Welcome to your new home.”

“Here?” Soobin asked, confused as he hurried out of the car, following Yeonjun, who quickly pulled out the suitcase dragging it towards the elevator in front of them. Yeonjun only nodded. “Seriously, Yeonjun hyung, I can carry that.”

“Ohh, now it’s hyung, huh?” The older one teased, eyes disappearing behind half moons after turning his head and noticing Soobin’s flustered expression. “It’s here. Fancy, right?”

“Taehyun didn’t mention that you’re..” The elevator opened and both got inside, Yeonjun extending arm over him to press the button to the top floor. Soobin could only watch in awe.

“Filthy rich?” 

“Financially stable.” The alpha corrected him, making Yeonjun burst into laughter, his palm hitting Soobin's shoulder lightly. Soobin couldn’t help but smile at the reaction, his eyes focusing at the little nose scrunch Yeonjun did as he tried to put his laugh under control. 

“Bet it was on purpose.” Yeonjun responded after calming down and Soobin could only nod at that. It sounded like typical Taehyun. “If this one is surprising to you, I’m really curious about your reaction when you see my family house.”

“Your.. family house? Is it that huge?” 

“You know Choi Beomgyu, right?” Soobin confirmed with a nod and Yeonjun continued. “My family, his family and our grandparents live under that roof. Or rather.. roofs?” The elevator doors opened with another ‘ding’ Yeonjun moving out of it with Soobin’s suitcase behind him, the Alpha sitting stunned in one place, mouth slightly parted in surprise. “Soobin-ah?” The omega cooed innocently as if he hadn’t just launched a wealth bomb onto the alpha. “The doors will close soon, hurry up.” 

Soobin didn’t know what was supposed to surprise him more. The fact that Yeonjun was probably an heir to some conglomerate family (he wasn’t sure about that and Yeonjun didn’t quite elaborate on it), the fact that Kang Taehyun knew it all and didn’t tell him a thing ( it was not surprising at all, actually), or the fact that Yeonjun’s apartment was enormous. The living room alone was twice the size of his whole apartment, the room which Yeonjun had introduced as his was spacious with a queen sized bed, a large wardrobe, sitting area with two bean bag chairs, a large desk and even a separate bathroom. 

And the kitchen? The alpha almost had let out a high pitched scream upon seeing the large kitchen space, filled with numerous cupboards, equipment and his own stuff laid out in boxes around the ground. He had a lot of unpacking to do, but the kitchen was priceless. It was able to rival even the ones they had in his university.  

Yeonjun’s living space was clean, decorated in dark, monotone tones that suited his outer appearance and fashion, but somehow clashed with everything else. Still, Soobin decided not to question it as it might’ve had to do with the man’s preferences of fashion rather than his personality. 

But maybe the most surprising thing was Yeonjun’s little angel. When Soobin was done showering, hair still damp with towel wrapped around his shoulders, he had found Yeonjun sitting on the floor in the living room, still in his outside clothes, his hands gently patting a small ball of fluff with a large smile on his face. Soobin had seen a lot of smiles from Yeonjun in the small amount of time they had known each other, but nothing this real, nothing this bright and gentle, filled with adoration, reserved only for his most precious things. Yeonjun’s eyes were gleaming with love, his fingers threading across the small creature as if afraid of it breaking, whispering sweet words in its ear like a parent hushing a child to sleep. Soobin couldn’t suppress the smile, curving his lips upwards at the sight. It carried a warmth he hadn’t felt in a while, making his heart tremble at an unfamiliar pace. 

Yeonjun finally noticed him and tapped the place on the floor beside him, Soobin taking a few more seconds to appreciate the gorgeous picture, before becoming part of it. The cat noticed his presence, jumping out of her comfortable position, emerald eyes glued at Soobin cautiously.

“Gia.” Yeonjun started warmly, giving her head a light pat. “Meet our new roommate, Soobinie.” 

Soobin felt the temperature in his cheeks rising up at the nickname, but he tried to ignore it, slowly moving his hand towards Gia’s nose. The cat flinched away briefly, then cautiously moved forward, her little nose scanning Soobin’s hand before kicking it lightly, causing Yeonjun’s brows to furrow in wonder. “Soobinie, can you spread your palm as if you want to cut her cheek?” The alpha did exactly as told and soon after the cat rested her little head on Soobin’s palm rubbing her cheek sheepishly, causing it to tingle. Soobin let out a faint gasp in adoration, melting at the sight of the cat accepting him and offering him her trust. 

“Thank you for trusting me, beautiful..” Soobin  whispered warmly, to which Yeonjun peeled off a light chuckle.

“You’re amazing, Soobin-ah. Not even Beomgyu and Tehyun were able to make her comfortable this quickly.” Yeonjun paused for a bit, his fingers drawing imaginative figures onto the cat’s back, then continued. “My darling is very sensitive to people. She’s able to tell bad from good people with a single glance. And the fact that she launched herself onto you in less than a minute speaks volumes.”

“Did you call me here only to test me?” Soobin’s voice carried an offended tease, to which Yeonjun responded by raising his eyebrow. “Valid. You’re getting a stranger into your house after all.”

“Thank you for being this understanding, Soobinie. And congratulations for passing the test. It’s really rare for Gia to like people.” 

“I’m honored to be on this angel’s liking list.” Soobin confessed, his fingers slightly rubbing Gia’s head behind her ears, earning himself a wave of pleased sounds from the little creature. “Oh, you like that don’t you, little one?” 

“Thank you for agreeing to this, Soobin. Really.” Yeonjun said after a while, Soobin’s attention changed from the cat to him in almost a second. He opened his mouth to speak but Yeonjun was quicker to shush him by continuing. “I know how crazy all this is, I’m aware.You probably expected completely different things from this. I know that I’m possibly making you stall your love life as well with this  act and maybe messing up your luck by binding you to this contract. I just want you to know that you can decide to give up at any moment you feel this is too much for you to handle. I promise to not leave you on the streets and still find you a place to live, even if we don’t accomplish anything. This might be important to me, but so are your feelings and you shouldn't brush them off just because of the situation. You understand?”

Yeonjun spoke everything in one breath, probably afraid of Soobin cutting him off midway, his face having this worried, yet reassuring expression. Soobin felt his chest tighten in a way that he couldn’t explain, but it wasn’t displeasing in the slightest. It was warm, it was comforting. Yeonjun was really so much more than what met the eye, so much more beyond the stylish exterior and the confident expressions. He was warm, caring and loving of those dear to him and Soobin really couldn’t fathom how someone like him existed in a world full of cruelty. 

Maybe Soobin had really lucked out, maybe fate wasn’t as bad to him as he had thought. Because in a house of a complete stranger, that was going to be half his for the time being, Soobin felt safer than he had ever felt in his own family home back in Ansan. He felt a sense of comfort, warmth and none of that surged from the fact that was sinking in him, that he was saved from a terrible predicament. It was all because Yeonjun’s entire existence was that of a sun, a big star, gleaming brightly in dark skies that was showing Soobin the way out as if he was lost in the woods. 

He had his own worries, yes, but they all seemed to fade in front of his desire to help the Omega in any possible way he could. 

“Soobin?” Yeonjun repeated once again, making him realize that he had spent too much time on his inner monologue. The omega’s gaze was stiff, almost stripped of emotion, but Soobin noticed the light trembling of his lashes as if he was afraid of the younger’s answer. 

At that moment something in Soobin broke. The last thread of his sanity and common sense had completely snapped and all worries the alpha carried in his heart were buried under rushing lava of burning cotton candy.

Because Yeonjun was sweet. And that sweetness had his chest flaming.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Yeonjun hyung.” The alpha finally answered in a voice containing all honestly his heart carried. “I’m here to stay. And, just as promised, I will help you see this through. I won’t leave this half-done, I won’t bail and run away and you don’t have anything to worry about. Sure, I didn’t expect this, but honestly? I don’t mind it. Rather, I want to take up this challenge with you. Especially after everything you’re doing for me.”

Soobin saw as Yeonjun’s expression immediately softened, his brows furrowing as if he was about to cry. Instead, he only gave Soobin a bright smile, rising up from the floor. 

“If you’re not sleepy yet, do you want us to drink something and talk a bit? I got beer, carbonated drinks, whiskey and some cocktails left from Beomgyu around.”

Honestly, Soobin was absolutely drained after his nerves had completely settled and he had relaxed a bit, even if still intimidated and not used to the apartment. He had taken a shower with the intention to bid Yeonjun a ‘good night’ and head to bed immediately after. But right now, his exhaustion had completely vanished, as if it was never there, so he eagerly nodded at the older, earning himself a chuckle. 

“Beer, please!”

Chapter Text

Yeonjun had quıte literally never seen someone as different as Soobin. In like, the most positive way the word could ever be used. 

Yeonjun knew from a very young age that the best way to know someone, their habits and personality, their heart, was by either working with them or living with them. And obviously, he couldn’t do the first with Soobin as their jobs just couldn’t be further from one another in every sense, but he was doing the second one for an entire week and a half now and he could tell, with his eyes closed, that Choi Soobin was different.

See, when they drew up their contract (which was nothing more than a few sentences, written on a piece of paper with a messy handwriting and tucked somewhere in Soobin’s bedroom for a safekeeping), Yeonjun was determined to drill into Soobin’s brain that he didn’t need to do any housework. No cleaning, no cooking, no rent, his own laundry was according to his wishes. Yeonjun had a cleaning lady coming once every few days to do all the housework for him, he was mostly eating takeouts and not really using the kitchen and meticulously was doing his laundry, so he really didn’t need Soobin to do anything except be his ‘boyfriend’. Or learn how to be one. 

Soobin, however, had a completely contrasting opinion on the matter as during the very first day, he had left the apartment early in the morning and had arrived home late in the afternoon. Yeonjun didn’t know what he was doing during the day, and he knew better than to pry deeply in the private life of his new fake boyfriend, even if his natural curiosity was eating him. All these thoughts had vanished, though, when Soobin had placed a couple of bags on the kitchen counter, starting to sort them out one by one.

“What are you doing, Soobin-ah?”  The omega had questioned as his hands rummaged through the bags only to find groceries - fresh fruits and vegetables, all kinds of meat and fish, spices, dairy products, canned foods, even snacks and drinks, no matter that Yeonjun’s cabinets were stacked with them and they were actually the only edible items in his kitchen, excluding the side dishes the cleaning lady was making him.

The alpha had only smiled, opening the fridge, where were stacked only a couple of carbonated drinks, leftovers of the said side dishes and a few eggs. His gaze was somewhat filled with worry, making Yeonjun instinctively bite the inside of his cheek with a guilt building up. But after a second, that gaze had completely shifted with something warm and Soobin had his back turned to him, starting to arrange everything. “Dinner and stocking. We can’t starve now, can we?”

“I thought about ordering… And seriously, you didn’t need to buy all these. Or you could’ve told me that you planned to do grocery shopping.” Yeonjun then protested, but still started pulling out groceries from the bags so he could help Soobin arrange them faster. “I remember saying you don’t need to feel obligated to do all that. Just think about it like a hotel visit.”

“Hyung…” Soobin had then said, turning his body on his heels, so he could face Yeonjun again and… Oh, God… These were probably the most devastatingly cute eyes Yeonjun had seen, looking at him from beneath long, fluttery lashes. Soobin’s expression looked especially sulky and pouty, his lower lip pushed out in front of the upper one, making Yeonjun’s heart skip a beat at the sight. Just why was this alpha so adorable? Yeonjun had the persisting urge to squeeze his cheeks. “I’m not doing this because I feel forced to. And you really think I’m gonna let you order food around when you have a perfectly capable chef around?” The younger one turned his attention to the fridge again, arranging the canned food Yeonjun was giving him. “Besides… you said we’re roommates right? Roommates do things like that.”

It was useless to try and fight Soobin. Because every time Yeonjun tried to tell him he shouldn’t do things around the house, Soobin just kept doing them. And not because he wanted them to argue over that, but because he genuinely couldn’t help himself. It was like second nature. 

For the past week and half, Yeonjun purposefully had been leaving work earlier, so he could observe Soobin and all he could do was thank himself for pursuing Marketing and Management after getting his Make-up artist license, because the salon he worked at was actually.. his. So, it was no issue to curate his working time the way it fit his personal schedule. And by observing Soobin, he was able to notice a couple of things. 

‘Choi Soobin trait number one, observed by Choi Yeonjun.’, the alpha really enjoyed cooking. He would come back home one hour later than Yeonjun, slip quickly into his homewear, which was a simple black shirt twice his size, and loose pants, and would hide right in the kitchen, starting to prepare a meal. He would ask Yeonjun, whether he wanted to eat something, without skipping a beat and if the answer was positive, he would start cooking immediately. However, if the answer was negative, he would offer a couple of dishes or search up something online and let Yeonjun decide. Sometimes Yeonjun would just stare at him absent-mindedly, sitting on the bar stool in front of the kitchen counter, head resting on the palm of his hand, dazed by the scent of the homemade meal, filling his senses. Sometimes, he would chime in and help with chopping vegetables or stirring the food on the stove, white Soobin was preparing something else. Soobin would patiently teach him things he had never done before, like chef tricks on holding the knife, the perfect time to mix one ingredient with the other, how to know when it's the perfect time to add spices, how to measure things using only his eyes. The kitchen during those times was engulfed in lively conversations and laughter, making Yeonjun enjoy it even more than he had originally thought he would. It had made him realize that Soobin was far-more versed in culinary than he had imagined, he seriously had thought the alpha’s specialty was only pastries. Nonetheless, their little cooking time had become something like a ritual, Yeonjun couldn’t help but enjoy more than every single date he had been on his entire life. 

Soobin was just… So easy to get along with, so easy to get used to, his company was more pleasant than anything. And Yeonjun had thought that after all this fake dating fiasco, staying friends with the alpha would be easier than he had imagined.

‘Choi Soobin trait number two, observed by Choi Yeonjun’, Soobin was into cleaning. He liked everything being spotless, put in its designed place, probably a work habit he had developed in the kitchen. Even if the omega kept continuously reminding him that he had a cleaning lady, Soobin just couldn’t stay still. He would do laundry three times a week after clothes would pile up. First it was only his, then one day he had accidentally mixed his with Yeonjun’s and since the omega had told him it was okay, Soobin had started doing his laundry too without asking. Yeonjun, of course, just couldn’t just watch him do everything by himself, so he had joined him in that little activity of folding clothes together. It was fun. Way more than he had imagined. They would throw clean laundry around the sofa, try each other’s clothes, then fold them together while chatting away, that little activity taking up an hour or two of their evenings, simply because they enjoyed themselves way too much. 

Over the course of a week and a half it had become a new habit for Yeonjun. If Soobin folded clothes, he would join. If Soobin cooked dinner, he would prepare and clean the table. If Soobin washed the dishes, he would dry them up and put them in their places. After that came rest on the sofa, over two cans of beer, some movie playing in the background, while practicing their dating acting for Yeonjun’s mother with Gia, changing her bed from Yeonjun’s lap to Soobin’s every few minutes. Yeonjun didn’t know he would end up liking doing chores that much, but he had started looking forward to their little evening activities.

‘Choi Soobin trait number three, observed by Choi Yeonjun.’, they had matching slippers. Honestly, Yeonjun was in shock. And so was Soobin. It was their fourth day of living together and the day Yeonjun’s Kuromi slippers were finally dry, so he had them immediately on his feet, completely forgetting that he wasn’t alone in the apartment anymore. He didn’t know why, but he felt that Soobin wouldn’t comment anything on them, yet he still didn’t want to show his real side in front of the alpha this early on, especially since they didn’t know each other that well. So had promised himself to keep everything cute he owned, tucked in his bedroom, far from the eyes of his roommate boyfriend. But habits were a bad thing, hard to break off, and since the slippers felt on him like a second skin, Yeonjun didn’t even realize he had them on, when Soobin had arrived home from work, while he was playing with Gia on the couch. The alpha had just briefly greeted them both before hiding in the bathroom for a quick shower and clothes change. That night his home clothes included light blue shorts, paired with white tee; the light colors, paired with his blonde hair, not styled and falling straight to gently frame his face, made his appearance especially cute. Yeonjun was laying on the sofa, in what seemed to be a really uncomfortable position, with his head laid on the armrest and his feet firmly grounded to the carpet with Gia sitting up straight on his stomach. When the cat had noticed the presence of the alpha, she had jumped off Yeonjun’s chest and started circling her body around Soobin’s feet making Yeonjun pout and comment on how she had completely replaced him. 

Then, Yeonjun noticed them. A pair of fluffy, plushy, pale blue slippers with none other than the character Cinnamoroll from ‘Hello Kitty’, from the same collection Yeonjun had. And then it hit him. He was wearing the same fucking pair on his feet.

Soobin had crouched on the floor, trying to still Gia in one place, so he could pet her, then his hand had stopped midway looking at Yeonjun’s feet. His mouth fell open, head raising to lock his big eyes with Yeonjun’s panicked gaze. He was caught. There was no escape. 

“Soobin-ah, this..” Yeonjun had started after taking a sharp breath, trying to steady his nerves. It was Soobin, right? He wasn’t going to understand and not say anything… right? 

Soobin had his gaze switching between Yeonjun’s and the slippers on his feet for a couple of seconds in complete silence, making Yeonjun’s anxiety build up, then had laughed, his hand reaching to touch Kuromi’s plush ears. “Oh” he had simply said, folding the ears between his thumb and index fingers. “We’re accidentally matching, hyung.”

Something unexpectedly sweet had popped inside Yeonjun’s chest, like breaking a caramelized dome, the pieces falling onto a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Seeing as Soobin had just accepted that as if it was the most normal occurrence ever, as if every grown man on the planet had a pair of cute slippers, made Yeonjun’s heart do a leap, then beat furiously in his chest, a wave of warmth washing over him, making the tips of his cold fingers tingle. It wasn’t such a big deal. Just a pair of slippers. Cute slippers, he couldn’t have owned in the first place, because they were that. Cute. Because that was everything his mother had wanted of him. But to Yeonjun, for whom these slippers weren’t just a cute pair, but a secret he had tucked away from everyone around himself for years, Soobin’s reaction meant the entire world. It was the cake first, now the slippers. It was as if Soobin was telling him it was okay, without knowing anything. 

The omega then sat down on the floor, his hand reaching Soobin’s Cinnamoroll slippers, the soft plush, feeling so warm against his palm. “You’re right, Bin-ah.” He had replied with a light, defeated chuckle, the pair looking at him with innocent adorableness that resembled the alpha in a way. “It’s such a crazy coincidence right? Where did you get these from?”

“I was shopping with Hueningie and Yujin” Soobin’s reply came almost immediately, Yeonjun furrowing brows at the mention of the same name he had heard when Soobin had moved in. But the alpha didn’t give him time to dwell on it as he continued speaking. “I’ve always liked anime, manga, games and things like that often catch my eyes. Hueningie has a whole army of plushies on his bed too, that’s how we got close. Point is, I saw them and  just couldn’t hold myself back from owning them. They’re just so cute.”

“They are indeed..” Yeonjun answered him, the smile on his face growing impossibly bigger.

“We should wear them around, you know? Like a couple slippers! If your mother ever visits you, we can even tell her we bought them together or something."

Yeonjun felt a heavy burden fall off his chest as he had one less secret to keep inside his heart. Soobin had made it possible to. He had smiled at the alpha with an enthusiastic nod back then, and from that point onward the pairs of slippers always sat on the shelf next to the front door, waiting for them to get home and wear them immediately. They were only gone during wash days, as Yeonjun had made it his job to include Soobin’s pair while washing his without even consulting the alpha.

‘Choi Soobin trait number four, observed by Choi Yeonjun’, was how hard Soobin actually worked. During their first day as roommates, in which Soobin had left early in the morning only to come home late in the afternoon, he had explained that he was called by their main chef, so they could work together on a new recipe, which made Yeonjun stunned. He understood that it was work, and that Soobin was the sous chef, which was a great responsibility, but calling a staff to work during their one and only rest day was something Yeonjun couldn’t stand behind. 

From that day, he had started paying more attention to the alpha’s working pattern. Soobin was leaving the apartment every morning at 6:30AM sharp, like a perfectly programmed work machine, so he could be in the kitchen ready to start work at 7AM. He was at home by 7PM, and some of the days by 9:30PM, staying overtime to help his head chef with the new recipe. 

Soobin had told him that his work included overseeing the teams, the kitchen supplies, and taking part in the baking process, even the finishing touches. ‘Mokka Bakery’ had grown a significant popularity in the last couple of months with thousands of positive reviews and tags on different social media, due to their unbelievably fresh and tasty menu, so Yeonjun could only wonder how chaotic the work was in that kitchen. Especially since Soobin had vaguely mentioned that the bakers had to be in the kitchen not by seven, but by six in the morning.

During that week and a half of living together, Yeonjun observation had brought him to the realization that Soobin was exhausted. A few of the days when he had to work overtime, he used to come home from work and put his Cinnamoroll slippers on, trudging with heavy steps to his room for a quick shower, then jumped into the kitchen to make dinner, even with his eyes bloodshot, tearing from exhaustion, eyes. During these days, Yeonjun would stop him from doing anything, despite his protests and would guide him to the sofa, where he laid him down, resting his head on his lap, telling him to just get some shut eye and that he was going to order food. It didn’t take Soobin long to fall asleep like that, even if he kept mumbling under his breath and resisting, eyelids fluttering heavy with fatigue, before closing only second after, the alpha falling under the spell of sleep. 

Sometimes, Yeonjun would let him take a one or two hour nap, and would wake him up after their delivery had arrived, sure that the boy was surviving only on his lunch and maybe quick snacks here and there.

Other times, he simply didn’t have the heart to do it. Soobin’s face looked especially peaceful when sleeping as he was curled up beside him, looking especially small, despite his large build. His bangs, carrying a bit of dampness from the shower were falling straight in front of his eyes, ticking his eyelids, making his eyelashes flutter from time to time, accompanied with way too adorable nose scrunches. His lips too, were slightly parted as he exhaled calmly, the exhaustion washed away, replaced by pure calmness. There was a certain innocence to his sleeping face Yeonjun couldn’t quite describe, even if he tried to, but was there even something about Soobin he could fully describe in the first place? The alpha was peculiar in all senses. So much so that he had started changing bits of Yeonjun’s life without the omega even realizing.

So, at times like these, like the one he was experiencing currently, Yeonjun would quietly indulge in his newfound hobby - threading his fingers Soobin’s hair. It was a small curiosity of his that had started to build up ever since their first meeting, as Soobin’s hair looked just way too silky and smooth even when styled in casual curls. He wanted to touch it. 

At first Yeonjun was hesitant. The way Soobin’s head was laid on his thighs, blonde streaks spread messily on top of it, was so tempting, so inviting that he would get his hand close, millimeters away from his head, before pulling away and distracting himself with petting Gia instead. That was until he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. It was only a single streak rolled between his thumb and index finger at first, a light tap with the plush of his fingers, a ghost brush, and before he had realized it, he was gently combing his hair, feeling his hand wrapped in soft lemon cotton candy. It was exactly as he expected it to be - like a fluffy cloud, colored by the sun rays, giving off a faint scent of freshly baked pastry, something sweet and vanilla-like, that couldn’t come off despite being fresh out of the shower. And actually that scent, mixed with the lemon one of the shampoo he was using, made it all even better, tingling Yeonjun’s senses in a way, he felt like getting drunk on scents alone. Like he couldn’t get enough. Every swipe of his fingers brought a new wave of it to his nostrils, making him inhale deeply and fill his lungs, until he felt lemon blossoms bloom inside his chest. It was exhilarating.

Of course, Soobin had no way of knowing and how could he? When he was sleeping so soundly and prettily in Yeonjun’s lap as if it was the most natural thing for him to do, as if they had known each other for years, as if he felt completely safe in Yeonjun’s presence. Only the thought of that made the omega’s heart skip a beat. It was a secret only he and Gia were aware of, as the little angel had also developed a new hobby of taking a nap, with her body tucked as closely to Soobin as possible, the alpha’s hand resting on her little back gently, without putting much pressure even in his deep slumber.

Yeonjun only hoped for Soobin to not wake up soon, because how was he going to explain what he was doing, without sounding weird? ‘Hey, Soobin-ah, your hair looked so cute, I wanted to touch it..’, weird. ‘The blonde is so cool though, like a lemon tart.’, weird. ‘Hey, be honest, is your hair edible?’, what the hell Choi Yeonjun? Soobin was better off sleeping, Yeonjun concluded after a while, scratching out every possible excuse or try of explanation as none of them sounded even close to normal.

Luck, however, didn’t seem to be on his side this time either, as he felt Soobin’s head moving under his palm, the boy’s eyelids slowly peeling off. Yeonjun let out a faint gasp, forgetting everything in his head, and every excuse he wanted to make, his gaze observing Soobin’s face. Fingers instinctively pushed the blonde hair off the alpha’s forehead completely revealing soft, breathtaking features. Soobin’s face was slightly puffy from sleep, eyes still half-open, bleary, riding on the last threads of sleep, eyelids opening and closing in slow motion trying to assert the situation. His lips were still parted, especially dry, yet looking unbelievably soft and reddish. He opened his mouth more, a yawn rolling down his tongue, his nose scrunching with the movement of his lips. 

Then he locked eyes with Yeonjun. The omega couldn't read the meaning behind his gaze, didn’t even know if there was a meaning behind it at all or the alpha was still not completely awake, but before he could open his mouth and ask, Soobin turned his body to the left, face buried in Yeonjun’s shirt, while his slender fingers clutched tightly the at the hem. Gia too woke up, feeling the miss of Soobin’s hand on her back and jumped over his body, settling herself in the small space between Soobin and the backrest of the sofa, closing her eyes again, once she was surrounded by the alpha’s warmth.

“Soobin-ah…” Was all Yeonjun could whisper under his breath, fingers smoothly brushing away more of the messy hair. He could hear Soobin mumbling something inaudible for his ears, so he leaned his head closer to the younger, trying to hear it better. 

“Don’t stop…” He was able to discern after a while from between muffled incoherent words. “It’s nice… Hyung’s hand is cold…”

And that was when Yeonjun officially announced himself as a dead man. Because the way his heart hit his ribcage, threatening to jump out of his chest when Soobin spoke those words, was enough to send him to the ER for it. The omega was left completely stunned as Soobin had drifted off again hand hanging in the air over his shoulder, shaking with something indescribable. 

Soobin was beautiful, yes, he was the most gorgeous person Yeonjun had met recently, beating even the celebrities he worked with in his everyday life. And the omega was drawn to beautiful faces just like a bee to a flower. But no person ever, no matter how handsome or pretty, or gorgeous, or breathtakingly stunning they were, had the effect on him Soobin had. Yeonjun felt himself getting drawn to his orbit more and more, doing things he had never done before and enjoying them, wanting to spend more and more time with the alpha, to get to know him, to know everything about him, sometimes even forgetting the plan they had originally started living together for, finding himself completely immersed in the close friendship bond they had started to build. And everything in less than a week. It was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. 

Yeonjun could only laugh. A small, breathy laugh escaped his lips as he curled his spine forward, resting chin on Soobin’s shoulder, his finger drawing small circles on Soobin’s back, listening to younger’s muffled mumbles. 

“Soobin-ah..” He whispered gently, drawing a nail along the firm definition of the alpha’s scapula. Yeonjun could feel the younger’s muscles flinching under him, an amused expression painting his face. Cute. Soobin was so cute. “Soobin-ah… Wake up, you need to eat.” The younger let a light groan peel off his lips, his hands trailed behind Yeonjun’s back, locking him in a tight hug, burying his face in Yeonjun’s shirt, eliciting a warm chuckle from the older one. “C’mon Bin-ah, hyung ordered for us braised ribs in wine sauce.” 

“Five.. five more..” Soobin whined, tightening his grip around the small of Yeonjun’s back, shaking his head in the shirt, the omega feeling the tingling sensation of the fabric against his lower stomach and something twisting inside him, entirely unrelated to anything physical.

But it wasn’t only that. Soobin was so devastatingly adorable, all whiny and sleepy like that, making something in his stomach, where Soobin’s face was buried against, erupt like a popping candy, spilling all kinds of flavors inside his bloodstream. It was warm, sticky and so sweet, mixing with his blood, rushing further and further to his brain where it spiked the release of dopamine and serotonin, filling him with complete bliss. It was an outworldly experience, one Yeonjun had experienced only once, only the first ever time Gia had opened up to him.

It was unbelievable. Soobin was taller than him so his build naturally appeared bigger, but the way he had curled up in Yeonjun, the way his face still looked ridiculously pretty tightly pressed against the omega’s lower tummy, the way he appeared so innocent and small like that to the point Yeonjun would’ve just tucked him safe in his pocket if he could. He knew there was a greed starting to build inside of his heart, he wanted to keep these sides of Soobin to himself, he wanted to be the only one to see and experience Soobin in different moments of his daily life, he was starting to become attached to these moments they shared. Maybe because Soobin was naturally easy to be loved, maybe because he was showing Yeonjun only warmth he needed to feel seen, maybe because the alpha accepted him so easily, maybe because the alpha had such a kindness in his heart. Maybe because he was an alpha, yet he was maybe the furthest from an alpha Yeonjun had ever seen and that was something that intrigued him. 

Maybe it was all that in one. But none of that mattered in that exact moment, as waking up Soobin was the priority. Yeonjun tucked away all these thoughts to the back of his brain, refusing to let them weight on him when he had more pressing matters at hand. One of them being that he couldn’t just leave his fake boyfriend starving. 

The other?

His mother had called and arranged a family meeting to be held in only three days.

Yeonjun still hadn’t broken the news to Soobin, the boy was so exhausted after work that he had instinctively laid down on Yeonjun’s lap after shower, the Cinnamoroll slippers still on his feet. He had drifted off almost immediately, not giving a chance to the omega to even greet him properly, so it was impossible to tell him in that state anyway. Yeonjun needed him completely awake and to his senses.

His fingers traced each spike of Soobin’s spine carefully, going up his neck, where his palm settled on the cotton candy hair again, giving his scalp a gentle massage. Face, millimeters away from Soobin’s ear, Yeonjun blew a short breath close to his ear canal, then spoke, voice laced with mischievous tease: “You want hyung to sleep without taking a bite?” 

“Huh…?” It was an immediate answer. Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, a smirk sitting on his face as Soobin’s grip on him loosened a bit. Yeonjun fixed his position, his back resting on the sofa, eyes looking at the way the alpha slowly turned his face away from the shirt, eyes opening slowly. His hair was all over the place from Yeonjun constantly playing with it for over an hour, cheeks a little bit reddish and puffy, heated from the position he was sleeping in, confused gaze with tears sitting in the corners of his eyes from the yawn that had torn off his throat. 

Yeonjun drove a hand through his forehead, getting away the wild strands of hair, twisting the locks between his fingers. He was sure his gaze was exposing the adoration he felt towards this state of the alpha, but he was also sure Soobin was still somewhere between his sleepy and awake state, unable to notice that. “I ordered such a tasty treat for us but you’re not even letting me eat it, Soobin-ah. Do you want hyung to go to bed hungry?” Soobin’s eyes widened, his body jumping up way too fast, a sharp pain piercing his head, accompanied by a ringing sound in his ears. “Woah there! Are you okay Bin-ah?” The raven haired asked, his hand placed on Soobin’s shoulder to steady him. His gaze trailed to Gia, who had also jumped, started from Soobin’s actions, looking at him with her green eyes. Yeonjun let out a sign, his other hand reaching to pet the cat’s head reassuringly. “You shouldn’t get up this suddenly, especially if you’re still half asleep.”

“Yes…” Soobin started, then shook his head immediately, “I mean no.. No. You can’t go to bed hungry.” 

“Should we go eat now? Are you fully awake? Is your head alright?” Soobin only nodded at  Yeonjun’s questions, the omega quickly got up on his feet, guiding Soobin to the kitchen by holding his hand tightly. The table was still empty, but when Soobin looked around, he noticed their dinner, tucked nicely in the oven. He looked at Yeonjun, eyebrows knitted in confusion only for the omega to laugh. “I asked the restaurant to send them a  bit undercooked, so it could give you time to get a bit of a shut eye.” 

“That’s.. possible?” 

“Even if it wasn’t, it became possible today.” 

Yeonjun turned his back to the Alpha, leaving him completely stunned with the casualty of his statement. He put on a glove, opening the door of the oven, the warm steam spreading the pleasing scent of freshly cooked meat all over the kitchen. A satisfied smirk laced his lips. He had to try and persuade the staff of the restaurant to just send him the meal half done, even offering to pay twice the price and had to sit through a fifteen minute explanation of the health risks, while Soobin was peacefully resting on his lap. He had to carefully replace his thigh with a pillow so he doesn’t disturb Soobin’s sleep, to put the dish in the oven, following strictly the instructions he had received from the main chef of the restaurant, then had to remove the pillow and place Soobin’s head on him again, cringing every time he was making louder noises, afraid of waking up the alpha. 

The omega didn’t really need to do all that. He could’ve just let Soobin’s head rested on the pillow and still play with his hair, or do something that had nothing to do with staring at the sleeping face of his gorgeous roommate at all, but he honestly didn’t regret a thing. Especially when he got the chance of seeing such a lovely scene and receiving something akin to a cuddle from the young. He enjoyed it more than he could ever admit.

When Yeonjun turned his body to Soobin again, holding the boiling hot tray in his hand, the alpha was already sitting on the table, with the utensils placed on top of napkins and two glasses of water, next to them. The omega raised an eyebrow noticing how Soobin had placed his on his right instead on the opposite side, which was Yeonjun’s usual place, but he decided to just ignore it, placing the tray in the middle and sitting on his new, designated by Soobin, chair.

The dinner went on silently, Yeonjun noticing that the alpha was still quite not completely awake, probably not even realizing what type of food he was putting in his mouth, or how his lips looked like a bunny’s when chewing diligently, so he decided to save him the mental energy of engaging in pointless conversation. Even if he wanted to ask and talk. He wanted to ask about the boy’s day, about the desserts he had made, about his team, his main chef, he had so many things he wanted to ask, but he bit down all questions, deciding on focusing on observing Soobin while eating quietly, than overwhelm him unnecessarily. He was also considering how to bring the news of the family gathering to Soobin without scaring him off. Yeonjun knew there was no escaping the situation, but it was also all held in the younger’s hands. If he wanted to bail out, even after all these conversations they were having about it and all training and practicing they were doing, the omega really wouldn’t have had the heart to stop him.

“Hyung?” Soobin called after a while and Yeonjun snapped from the trap of his thoughts, blinking at the younger with confused expression. Soobin had stopped eating, seemingly more awake and aware, dark chocolate eyes looking at him, soaked in confusion. “Is there something wrong? You’re awfully quiet.”

Yeonjun put the fork down onto the napkin, taking a deep breath. He actually wanted to save the conversation for after dinner, but seeing the way Soobin was looking at him, the worry in his gaze made him reconsider. From the little he knew of the alpha, Yeonjun was able to pick on how attentive and considerate he was when it came to other people and the omega was sure that Soobin was probably going to continue worrying until he was told the truth. 

“I got a call from my mother today.” Yeonjun started, threading his words carefully and studying Soobin’s reactions at the same time. The blonde looked calm so far, the expression on his face unreadable. “She’s organizing a family gathering, a one we hold once every few months, and it’s in three days. I’m planning to officially announce our relationship there.” 

Soobin was silent for a while. His fingers were wrapped around the fork and Yeonjun’s gaze trailed there, noticing how the clutch had become stronger, his knuckles whitening from the strength he was using. It was slightly trembling too. However his expression was especially still and Yeonjun wondered whether he was trying to play the situation in his head or he was simply too shocked to even respond properly. And honestly, Yeonjun understood him completely, so he didn’t put any pressure on him and just leaned his back on the chair, waiting patiently. His expression contained forbearing warmth and it seemed to work like magic, Soobin blinking a few times, before speaking in a soft, almost whisper-like voice.

“Do you think I’ll do well?” 

Yeonjun’s lips curved in a reassuring smile, pulling his chair closer to Soobin and placing his hand on top of Soobin’s before giving him a firm squeeze. 

“We’ve been practicing since day one, haven’t we? I think we’re both good to go.” 

“Still…” Soobin hesitated for a bit, lowering his gaze. Yeonjun’s thumb drew circles across the smooth warm skin on Soobin’s hand, cooling it down with his. Or was it that Soobin was warming up his palm? “I don’t feel exactly confident. Practicing with hyung over laughs and jokes is one thing, but doing it all in front of your mother, where it has to be real… I’m a bit scared.”

“Do you want to back out? You still can if you want. You know hyung won’t be mad.” 

“What?” Soobin asked immediately, his voice a bit louder as if shocked by Yeonjun’s suggestion. “No.. No. That’s not what I mean.” 

“Then what is it?” The omega asked, back leaning forward, so he could get his face in Soobin’s field of view. “I won’t understand if you don’t speak out, Bin-ah.” 

Soobin finally turned his head to look at him, his face looking even more striking up this close, making Yeonjun’s mind float a bit until he had to pin it all down in one place, to stop it from running away. He couldn’t miss the way the alpha’s face was slightly feverish, maybe surprised from how close they actually were from one another, but still didn’t pull away. Didn’t avert his eyes either.

“Well I… I realized that we can’t spend a lot of time together and only work on this dating thing at night after our shifts. But sometimes you don’t even let me do that and just force me to sleep instead, so I feel like I’m not doing nearly as enough, as I should be.” 

“Oh, Binnie..” Yeonjun answered softly, his hand letting go of Soobin’s warmth only to place itself on his cheek, where it was burning. “This is why we should talk about things like that. I had no idea you struggled with these thoughts. Hyung is sorry for not noticing. But you have nothing to worry about. You’re doing amazing for a role that couldn’t be further from the real you.”

Soobin quickly shook his head, his cheek rubbing into Yeonjun’s palm, ticking heat spreading through his fingers, up and up, wrapping his entire hand in invisible flames. “It’s not hyung’s fault. We’re just too busy. That’s why I took a day off tomorrow.”

The thumb, with which Yeonjun was stroking Soobin’s cheek gently had stopped, the dark haired looking at him wide-eyed. 

“You did what?” 

The workaholic Choi Soobin had taken a day off?

“Last night you talked with Beomgyu about not working tomorrow right?” Yeonjun offered a nod, after recalling the conversation with his cousin. “So, I asked my boss if I can take the day off too. I… I realized I don’t have any presentable clothes for when we meet your mother. And I can’t exactly show up in sweatpants and stretched out tee or hoodie right and jeans with more holes than a Swiss cheese, right?” Soobin’s speech was gradually fastening, his eyes moving around in a nervous manner. Yeonjun was quick to stroke his cheek again, a bit below the eye, hoping his action would soothe the alpha’s anxiousness to some degree. “I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out shopping with me tomorrow. But I fell asleep like an idiot and even cuddled you.”

Yeonjun let a breathy laugh escape his mouth at the confession, his thumb circling Soobin’s cheekbone with adoration. He was lovely. So adorably lovely to the point Yeonjun felt like he was unreal. Like the man he was touching, the alpha sitting in front of him with his big gorgeous eyes, breathtaking face and attention grabbing lips was simply not real. He was way too good to exist. But his warmth was real. And that warmth was what had wrapped Yeonjun, burning away the coldness he was always surrounded by. 

Soobin was unrealistically real. 

And was also fidgety, his leg bouncing lightly up and down, expecting Yeonjun’s answer. Like a human sized bunny. 

The smile on the omega’s face grew bigger, his hand moving behind Soobin’s neck and pulling him in a hug, the younger surprised by the sudden action, his chair rattling under him, body almost launching on top of Yeonjun’s. 

“Hyung?” The blonde asked with confusion, but Yeonjun kept smoothing out his hair with slender fingers without saying anything for a while.

“I’m just very grateful, Soobinie.” The raven haired man answered finally, placing his chin on Soobin’s shoulder. “Of course we can go shopping tomorrow. It aligns perfectly with the family gathering too. Thank you so much for thinking about this seriously.”

“Of course I would.” Soobin mumbled, warm breath against Yeonjun’s skin. “I promised to do this properly.”

“Right, you did.” The omega dragged his words leisurely, his eyes closed, soaked in the bliss of Soobin’s closeness and the faint scent of vanilla and lemon coming off him. “And about the cuddling.. I don’t mind your physical affection.”

“Really?” 

“I wouldn’t be doing this right now if I did. I like that you’re comfortable with me.” 

“So it’s okay for me to hug and cuddle you?” Soobin’s voice was getting quieter with every word, Yeonjun feeling a bubble burst inside his chest. “Even if we’re alone and not pretending in front of someone?” 

“I would like it more. It will look more natural in front of others if we’re used to doing it.” Yeonjun’s reply was honest, his voice low and certain, making sure it was all getting properly in Soobin’s head. “We’re friends, aren’t we? If giving physical affection means you feel comfortable with me, then I’d happily accept it all.” 

Soobin didn’t say anything, but Yeonjun noticed the nape of his neck being a slightly reddish color than before, the bubble erupted in his chest, wrapping his heart in cloudy foam. Only a week and half ago he had thought he wasn’t meant to be loved or cared for, he had thought he would never meet someone that  would make him feel seen, heard and understood. But now a complete stranger, he had known only for a matter of days was making him feel like all these negative thoughts he had lived with for years were just a very bad, very long nightmare.

Maybe all his life Yeonjun needed someone to give him only half of the understanding affection Soobin was showering him with without even being asked to. Maybe all he needed was a complete stranger to offer warmth to his freezing body. And Soobin was probably completely oblivious to the way his presence alone was completely flipping Yeonjun’s life inside out.

The omega was just completely lucky to have met someone like the alpha, even if they were completely different, just like their matching Kuromi and Cinnamoroll slippers. And every day they spent together was a reminder of that.

“Then.. What should we wear tomorrow, Soobinie? Want us to match? I actually have these Sanrio keychains from Taehyun..”