Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sicheng was content with the peace.

He cradled a cup of hot coffee between his palms that had become clammy due to the air-conditioning of the quaint little café he was making his reports at, taking small sips of the liquid bitterness to keep him alert enough that he would be able to churn out five more pages of perfected blabber he can pass off as Economics. There was supposed to be someone else helping him but they had bailed on him because they had to make up for a class and forgotten to inform Sicheng until it was thirty minutes after their scheduled meet-up time. He had brushed it off and said he’d stay here to finish up his part and his partner could brush up the rest. It really wasn’t a problem, anyways.

The soft tinkling tunes of a piano piece (Yiruma’s Kiss the Rain perhaps, Sicheng mused) echoed through the space, the sofas and chairs occupied enough that they could still hear the music amidst the chatter and the tables are being cleaned after the patrons left to go to class. Sicheng enjoyed the homely aspect of this café the most, the little trinkets and paintings hung on the walls made him feel like he was back in China with their Oriental motif: Chinese scrolls that were unraveled and hung, porcelain figurines that were in different shapes and even the patterns on their walls and upholstery reminded him of the curves and edges of his hometown’s designs. Not to mention that they served him the best pastries for his unforgiving sweet tooth that always attacked when he was tired from exams.

Peaceful, he told himself in content. The scents of the baked goods and grounded beans drowned out any other scent that could be from anyone inside the place, a way to relax from the demand the outside world and bodily functions. Peaceful as in he didn’t need to think about his nosy roommates who he is trying to ignore this week.

But not for long because there’s a signal from the bell hung near the door, a loud exclamation that made Sicheng look around to see what the commotion was and paled when he spotted a familiar red and white beanie with black linings and pompom sitting on the top. The wearer of his beanie is pointing at him with his mouth stretched in an open-mouthed grin before he stalked over the younger and Sicheng sighed, looking back at his papers to await Yuta who had somehow found him. He placed his cup on the table, not wanting to spill it in case Yuta would hug the daylights out of him again.

“Oh, hell no,” Yuta snarled the moment he walked beside Sicheng, smile that was bright as the sun when he skipped over the younger transforming into a grimace and his nose scrunched up. He grabbed Sicheng who was raising a questioning brow at him by the hood of the red, black and white sweater he wore, eyeing the material in disdain “Sicheng-ah, pray tell where did you get this?”

The omega tilted his head in confusion, gently shrugging the hands off him but only succeeding in making Yuta place his hands on his shoulder instead. “Seriously, hyung. Here in public you want to fight me?”

Yuta rolled his eyes, scoffing as he grabbed Sicheng’s face to move him closer as he said “No, you big baby. This is me scolding my wayward son.”

The younger jerked his face out of his grip, blushing profusely at the eyes staring at them. Some were glaring at Yuta, some looking like they just heard some interesting gossip and some just wanted to see what was going on. Being the center of attention was never Sicheng’s strong suit and he lightly punched Yuta’s arm in annoyance. “Goddamit, what the hell are you on?” he hissed under his breath, the elder beta sitting down beside him that their arms touched and Sicheng recoiled “Hyung, too close. What would Hansol-hyung think?”

There’s another roll of Yuta’s eyes and Sicheng is worried he might one day roll his eyes so much that if he tipped his head, his pupils would suddenly pop out of their lids. He had a nightmare about it once and he ended up crying in Doyoung’s bedside praying to anyone out there to erase whatever he just dreamt about and screamed when Yuta went to comfort him. It wasn’t pretty.

“Winwin-ie,” the beta began, looking into Sicheng’s eyes and the latter pursed his lips at the sudden use of his nickname out of the blue “You know how they have different ideals here in Korea, right?” A nod, “So you should be aware of your surroundings because at some point, you will be taken advantage of and we won’t always be there to save your ass from the bad people,” his voice was starting to become quieter, almost a whisper and he looked around as if to check and held Sicheng’s nape before he pulled him down so no one could hear their conversation “Give that sweater back to Taeyong and don’t tell him I asked you to, okay?”

Sicheng stared at Yuta’s serious expression, unsure and a little nervous but before he could nod, there’s a prickling sensation that made his spine straighten and he almost hit his forehead on Yuta’s nose to look up at where it was coming off from. A smile spread on his face, hand rising to wave at Taeyong who seemed to be stomping all the way to their table. He had been here prior to Yuta arriving, noticing that Sicheng was shivering in the cold air that he didn’t even think twice to remove the sweater he was wearing to give to the omega. He was wearing a thin shirt underneath but Sicheng knew that the alpha was like a furnace with how warm he has, the nights where he spent curled with him for movie night at his place a testament of that when the blanket couldn’t even come close to toasty warmth that made Sicheng nuzzle his face to Taeyong’s neck without much thought other than keeping warm. Perhaps it was too much trust and too much comfortable atmosphere between them that Yuta and Doyoung had warned him about being aware of something.

“Hyung!” Sicheng greeted, ignoring the grumbling Yuta and standing up to hug Taeyong who wrapped his arms tight around the boy despite being a little shorter and rubbing his cheek against the omega’s hair. Despite the scent of the bread and pastries overwhelming the surroundings, Sicheng is aware of Taeyong’s scent more: a mix of alpha that sometimes made his stomach tingle and the underlying Febreeze that he liked so much despite how many would protest. He can’t describe its precise scent but if he were to try, he could link it to something that was along the lines of freshly cut grass and scotch, smoky but not quite there yet and comforting enough he doesn’t feel suffocated by it. It’s different from Yuta who smells earthy and a hint of bitter coffee from where Hansol would rub his scent on him or Doyoung who has a mixture of his buttery omega scent and Jaehyun’s overpowering sandalwood.

“Break it up,” Yuta muttered and uses his body to split the two apart, hiding Sicheng behind him with a scowl and tried to straighten to look Taeyong in the eye, “Hello there. Where’s my hug?” he gritted out, arms outstretched and hugs Taeyong like he wanted to suffocate him to death, whispering something that made Taeyong growl.

This growl prompted Sicheng to whine, looking at both of them with confusion at why his two friends were fighting. He sighed in relief when Yuta released the alpha with a strained smile, the latter glaring at him. Sicheng remembered what Yuta said and he looked at the goose bumps raising on Taeyong’s arms that he reached on the edge of the sweater to pull it off, handing it to a stunned Taeyong who stared at the bundle of cloth being presented before his eyes squinted at Yuta as if he knew it was the beta’s fault. “You’re cold, Sicheng. Put it back on,” Taeyong said, not quite an order and Sicheng still complied while feeling embarrassed that Yuta is throwing his hands in the air at how easy it was for Sicheng to follow when Taeyong isn’t even trying.

Yuta pointed his arms at Taeyong in an exaggerated manner, yelling “Why are you doing this to him when you know full well he isn’t the smartest tool in the shed!” he’s not even asking a question at this point, just pointing at Taeyong with his whole body that people are looking away in fear of him snapping at them for eavesdropping “I knew that you were up to no good with this child and I don’t like it!”

“Who are you calling stupid, Yuta?” Taeyong scoffed, offended even when the jab isn’t for him and he looked over Sicheng with conviction “Is this how he treats you at your dorm? Because I won’t stand for it and I’ll move you-“

Yuta laughed, the sound echoing as he held his hands over his stomach and he sneered, pulling the fabric over Sicheng’s head once more that the boy’s hair is looking like a bird’s nest from the constant movement before he shoved the patterned sweater into Taeyong’s arms. “Sicheng, pack up your things. Doyoung’s having some leftovers from Jaehyun’s mom he wants to share with us. Hurry up.”

The omega who had just been listening to the whole exchange jolted when he met Taeyong’s eyes and in his surprise, he did what Yuta said, shoving his papers haphazardly into his bag along with his laptop and slinging the strap on his shoulder. He kept his head down this time, ashamed and wanting to apologize to Taeyong about how much of an idiot his roommate was being but he could smell the irritation that’s clouding Taeyong’s normal scent and he’s afraid. He’s seen the way the elder is when he’s mad and he doesn’t want to upset him more than he already is eve when he just wants to walk up and calm him down as best he could.

Why the alpha was angry, he didn’t know. Sicheng just wanted a peaceful time in his favorite café but it ended up with his two friends fighting over who-knows-what. He held back the groan he wanted to make when Yuta grabbed his arm as if he knew that Sicheng wanted to get close to Taeyong, glaring at the other as they walked away.

“I’ll call you later.” Taeyong mouthed at him, worried expression on his face and Sicheng nodded quickly in fear because he could smell the aggression that’s threatening to clog his senses with how thick it was. Yuta is unaffected, possibly for the best because he would have been aware that he was seconds away from being torn apart if it weren’t for Taeyong’s control. Or it could be because they were in a public place and the elder had a reputation to uphold, something that didn’t have brawling with betas in a café for no reason.

Sicheng believed everything would be fixed.

It’s not like Taeyong did anything that would make Yuta and Doyoung hate him more, right?

Wrong.

Doyoung’s nose scrunched up the minute Sicheng walked inside, Yuta already throwing himself over the pots on their little table that was filled with warm food that Doyoung had reheated. The elder omega covered his nose when Sicheng gave him a side hug and the younger felt a little offended at that gesture. He sniffed his shirt, detergent and the lingering scent of coffee that also mingled with his and Taeyong’s scent, before he put his hands on his hips.

“What is it now? I don’t smell bad,” He whined, pouting because he didn’t expect this right now from Doyoung. He made a grab to pull Doyoung’s face so he can smell better but the other omega wrinkled his nose and his mouth scrunched up in an ugly frown as he slapped Sicheng away by the shoulders “Hyung!”

Doyoung made a noise of protest, holding up his hands in a way to defend himself “Don’t hyung me when you reek of Taeyong. Seriously, this is the fifth time it happened and we need to know if he’s assaulting you so we can ask someone to pummel him. Jaehyun’s been itching to land a punch on him.” He explained, rushing to hit Yuta on the shoulder when he found the beta attempting to steal the chicken wings.

Sicheng hated the accusing tone, even more so the insult that Doyoung just said about Taeyong and he made a point to say “Taeyong-hyung is a complete gentleman to everyone! It’s not nice to talk about him that way.” he pouted, trying to gain some sympathy but Doyoung’s eyes are narrowed that he can already tell he had failed.

“You’re too trusting of him, I swear to god. You let him be with you in a room with just the two of you without even trying to get away. I hate it when you reek of him even when you’re so clueless about it. It’s disgusting that you aren’t even mated too,” the elder scolded, patting Sicheng’s arm to reprimand him and it made the younger let out a noise from the back of his throat.

“Sicheng, there’s a difference between me and you cuddling when we sleep together and Taeyong trying to smother you in his arms,” Yuta piped up from his mouthful of fried rice that he had managed to spoon off without Doyoung scolding him “I can’t smell his pheromones but I can assure you the intent is clearer than the failing score you had during Advanced Statistics.”

They’ve been roommates for a year, friends for longer that the only reason they’re sharing living space is because Taeil, Sicheng’s old roommate, had graduated. With how close-knit their social circle is, it’s a wonder that no one has called out that Taeyong is trying to court Sicheng because of how blatant he was. Hell, even Kun who once dated Sicheng for a  few months often said that because of Taeyong’s scent, he had wondered if Sicheng was cheating with him when they were going on dates and the younger merely saying that he had stayed over Taeyong’s the day before. At the time when Kun and Sicheng thought it was better to stay friends, the person who was most relieved was Taeyong and he had sided up to Sicheng to rub his wrist on the other’s right in front of them all. Sicheng didn’t even understand the gesture while the rest wanted to vomit at the display.

Sicheng, however, remains oblivious to the social cues and the warnings they give him goes over his innocent little head. Doyoung blames his sheltered upbringing, conservative parents who never tried to elaborate about alpha/omega courtship because they thought they would be able to marry him off and let his mate teach him. It was one of the reasons that he didn’t fare well with meeting alphas around campus when he chose Korea to pursue his career. He would cling to Kun who had been the only one who spoke Chinese among the students, being a beta that made the younger feel at ease and they were always seen together the first few months before Kun introduced Sicheng to his friends. Sicheng immediately cowered at the sight of Jaehyun, choosing to hide behind Kun while Doyoung felt almost sorry for the pitiful sight and spikes of desperation to flee in Sicheng’s scent. Because of this, Yuta chose to keep Sicheng under his wing with how the younger was more inclined to trust betas and omegas and before long, Yuta had managed to make Sicheng at least talk to Jaehyun without running away. It resulted to a close friendship because they were the same age and Sicheng has become accustomed to alphas if Jaehyun would say they’re nice.

He’s like a child and everyone wished that Sicheng would see how dangerous it was to believe that Jaehyun would know intentions at first meeting.

The first meeting of Taeyong pulling on Sicheng’s bag when the red yarn that the younger was going to use to knit a scarf for fun fell out, spool unraveling before it reached the elder’s feet. The alpha didn’t even think twice to pick it up, following the string that led to Sicheng who has busy talking with Yuta, the beta looking over at Taeyong with a questioning gaze before the alpha had managed to loop the string around the spool and tapping Sicheng’s shoulder.

Sicheng turned around, eyes finding the red yarn in Taeyong’s hand and smelling an alpha that made him freeze for a second before he saw the small smile that the other had. He asked if it was his, not realizing the words he used weren’t right before Yuta slapped his shoulder. Before the elder could even correct Sicheng, the alpha had already replied that yes, he was his and Sicheng furrowed his brows.

It was the first meeting but Yuta was grateful that he couldn’t smell anything from Taeyong, only knowing about it when Doyoung told him that there’s something lingering on Sicheng that smelled a lot like an alpha’s pheromones.

Taeyong appeared around Sicheng more than usual since then and had managed to worm his way to Sicheng because he made food for him, the younger instantly changing his favorite food to the pork belly that Taeyong made much to everyone’s surprise and the elder had managed to get into Sicheng’s favor with bribes of food and ice cream that everyone warned him to cut short.

Sicheng was happy with the free food, ignoring every little implication that Doyoung and Yuta would drill to his head to enjoy the taste of the ice cream melting in his mouth.

“I smell like you though. Smell like Yuta, Jaehyun and Taeyong’s just part of it. We’re always together so it doesn’t really mean anything.” Sicheng said as Doyoung ushered him to his seat and moving a bowl of fried rice to him, Yuta devouring some fried chicken at the other side of the table.

Doyoung sighed, giving up on convincing Sicheng because he would be repeating himself again and he sipped his soup “Don’t blame me when Taeyong starts getting clingier with how much trust you’re putting into him.”

Sicheng just tilted his head with a spoon in his mouth.

“Hey, hyung.”

Sicheng stared at the elder with a wide smile, balancing a box of donuts and two cups of coffee he got from his favorite coffee shop. He dropped by there thinking of ways to make it up to Taeyong after the scene that Yuta made last week, knowing full well that there is nothing better than some donuts and the dark roast that Taeyong liked in his coffee. Sicheng brought some vanilla bean latte for himself because he needed to sleep, an Americano out of the question.

Taeyong’s dressed only in a dark red jacket and some sweats, bare foot rubbing at his ankle and looking he just woke up with his hair in disarray. He smiled sheepishly, eyeing the treats in Sicheng’s hands before looking at the younger “Come on in,” he gulped before he opened the door wider, a light flush on his still sleep-bloated cheeks that Sicheng chuckled at the sight. He gave the box and coffees to Taeyong, bending down to untie his shoes.

He can smell the usual aromas that wafted through the alpha’s apartment, the Febreeze present that Sicheng needed to tell the elder he needed to cut down with cleaning the rooms because it had become a little overpowering then the smell of the alpha that made his throat clogged with smoky aftertaste when he took a deep breath. It’s like being in the alcohol storage of a club, overpowering scents that made him dizzy and Sicheng hurried up with his shoes, placing them on the rack before looking up at Taeyong.

His smile faltered when he saw the way Taeyong was looking at him, half-lidded eyes and blown pupils that trained on him. He must have been really enjoying his nap and Sicheng felt bad for waking him up, “I’m sorry, is it a bad time?”

Taeyong flinched as if snapped out of the daze, eyes widening before he looked away from him with a nervous laugh “No! I just got distracted with the, uh, well-“he lifted the box without spilling the cups “The smell of these delicious donuts! Come on, I’m starving.”

They walked inside, Taeyong walking ahead so he could set the couch and put the donuts and coffee on the table. Sicheng picked up some of the clothes that were haphazardly around, wondering why they seemed so familiar to him before he held up a pink hooded sweater that was a little too big for Taeyong and more fit for-

“Hyung?” he called out as he put the clothes on the crook of his arm, walking over to where Taeyong was opening the box to get some powdered donut into his mouth and looking up to him with confusion.

He took a big bite, chewing when he answered “What is it?”

Sicheng held up the pink sweater “Isn’t this the sweater you said you’d wash for me when you spilled tea on it?”

Taeyong choked on the donut, coughing out some crumbs and he hit his chest to compose himself. Sicheng rose a brow at him, unsure what he’s trying to do before Taeyong drank some of the coffee and hissing at the scalding temperature that he stuck his tongue out.

“Hyung , you need to calm down. I’m not mad,” Sicheng muttered as he sat next to him, clicking his tongue to give him some of the water from his bag that the elder chugged down to try and relieve the burn on his tongue.

Taeyong rubbed off the spit on the corner of his mouth with his eyes shut tightly, blushing redder than a tomato and Sicheng can’t help but feel bad for him. He slung an arm around him, hand rubbing his shoulder to comfort him. “Really, just forget I asked.”

“No,” the elder tried to say but ended up sounding like he made a gurgle with how his tongue still hurt and gulped more of the water “I forgot to give it back and it ended up in my closet.”

Sicheng nodded, putting the collar of the material to his nose and getting a whiff of Taeyong’s scent all over it. He shrugged, thinking that it doesn’t matter anymore because at least he’s found it now and slipped it over his head, blocking his view long enough for him to not see the way Taeyong bit his lip when the shirt he wore rode up to reveal a sliver of his stomach.  When he was done, he was wrapped around Taeyong’s scent in a way that always comforted him and sent flips in his stomach. It’s one of the many things that he liked about the alpha, the way that despite the scary face he often carried and the indifferent aura his gait portrayed, he was never pushy with Sicheng and the kindness he often reached out without Sicheng even asking made him often think that whoever was Taeyong’s mate would be very lucky.

It’s different from the way Yuta coddled him or the easy banter he and Jaehyun did. He genuinely looked up to Taeyong to the point he can say that he liked him.

Sicheng caught Taeyong’s stare, biting his lip out of nervousness that made the elder’s gaze darker. He hated that he can feel his cheeks becoming warm, placing his hand to his chest to calm his heart before he stared at the television to occupy himself.

It’s just Taeyong, he told himself.

Nothing to worry about.

He settled next to him, licking his dry lips before he took a donut that’s extra powdered that when he bit into it, the sugar was stuck to his lips. He relished the sweetness as he reached over for the coffee while Taeyong ruffled his hair. Nothing out of the ordinary. He finished the donut, rubbing away the remnants of powdered sugar on his mouth on before there’s a hand nudging his chin up as he stared into Taeyong’s eyes.

Sicheng’s breath caught in his throat, unsure what to do when everything became overwhelming. There’s that smoky scent again but it’s mingling with roasted coffee beans before there’s a thumb swiping away the sugar that got stuck on his lower lip, the tip touching the inside of his mouth just enough that he could feel it and his throat turned dry. Taeyong is zooming onto his parted lips but he rubbed his tongue against Sicheng’s lips until he deemed it clean, pursing his lips when he found that the younger’s breathing is starting to pick up and he’s close to gasping from the heavy weight of Taeyong’s gaze.

Sicheng won’t lie. There were times he wished he could believe what Doyoung and Yuta said about Taeyong liking him. But it’s not easy.

Taeyong stopped his movement before he let go of his chin and cleared his throat, “You really eat like a child.” He joked, voice cracking that he ended it with a cough before he moved away from Sicheng that there was a gap between them “Think like one too, right?”

“I’m not a child,” he pouted, crossing his arms petulantly before leaning to the cushions. “I hate it when you call me one.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes, placing his hand on the short hairs on Sicheng’s nape that the younger can feel the pulse of Taeyong’s wrist with how much it’s pressed on the back of his neck. It’s a placating gesture, the same thing that he does when Sicheng was nervous during some situation that he had no control over and he would try to soothe him with little praises that sent Sicheng flushing even more but in a way that makes him forget about the worries and he managed to pull through anything with Taeyong looking at him with pride.

“My baby.”

Both of them snapped up at the same time, eyes locking and widening with the words Taeyong just said. That was new, Sicheng tried to open his mouth to say something, anything to diffuse the sudden drop of atmosphere but he can’t. It’s not the first time he was called a baby. Hell, everyone has called him a giant baby with how lost and confused he often looks on his own with his blank expression but Taeyong never seemed to do that unless he was joking and it’s always along the lines of ‘our giant baby’ or even ‘baby-like friend’. To hear that possessive lilt on Taeyong’s tone as well as the way he sounded like he’s long accepted that, flushing when he realized he made the mistake of saying it out loud.

Sicheng’s not as stupid as he looked but maybe he’s been trying not to keep his hopes up with how Yuta and Doyoung kept reminding him that if he didn’t want Taeyong then he shouldn’t lead him on. Taeyong who has been doing things that Sicheng often sees as him being protective over a friend he knew would need more help than most.

The omega chuckled nervously, looking to the side to avoid making his emotions blow up even more “What,” he gulped to help himself breathe at the scent becoming even more prominent “What did Yuta-hyung tell you before, in the café?”

Taeyong scratched the back of his head, biting his lower lip and shaking his head. Sicheng repeated his question, the elder hiding his face on his palms. “Hyung, I won’t be surprised if Yuta-hyung told you nonsense about scenting me or something. They do it all the time!” he hoped he was comforting the alpha because it would be better to pretend that they weren’t affected with the situation. Somehow Taeyong had pressed closer to him, his thigh warm against his despite the sweats and Sicheng’s jeans weren’t enough to stop the feeling from affecting him.

Taeyong rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and took a deep breath “So you really knew about it…” he drifted off, blushing to the roots of his hairs and Sicheng patted his head.

“I guess?”

“I mean, I wasn’t being impatient with you. It’s just sometimes you smell like you liked me but most times you seem unaffected when I try to scent you.”

Hold up. Sicheng’s jaw dropped.

“I mean, do you even know how hard it is when we cuddle on the same bed and you smell like lavender and milk that I can’t help but hug you closer? That sounds so wrong, oh my god, I’m so sorry, Sicheng for making you feel uncomfortable. I just really like you?”

“You what?”

Taeyong took the shock Sicheng’s voice conveyed as rejection, looking like a kicked puppy before he started to wring his fingers together and pinching his thumb between his other hand to stop the disappointment that he felt from showing too much. But Sicheng can smell it and he’s still in a state of hysterics to understand what it meant “It’s really nothing big but if you want me to go away, I would. I just wanted to court you properly without everyone saying that I’m taking advantage of you.”

“You want to what?”

“Stop rubbing it on my face and just reject me!” Taeyong snarled a little, already angry that Sicheng was messing with him but the whimper that came out of the younger made him regret it immediately and he can see the fear that’s in Sicheng’s eyes. “I’m so sorry but you know how I feel about being played like this.”

He looked away, heart heavy that he was being joked around with but Sicheng seemed to see that Taeyong would lock himself away in his room to mope and he grabbed his shoulders, eyes shining “No!”

“I get it, okay? Your answer is no.”

Sicheng wants to hit him. “You’re wrong, okay?”

“You don’t have to feel sorry for me.” Taeyong pouted, trying to remove Sicheng’s hands on his shoulders but he doesn’t use too much pressure to his grip because Sicheng’s wrists were so skinny with his fingers wrapped around it and the scent of lavender once again comes to his nose, stronger than before when he led Sicheng into his house that he wished it wasn’t just the scent that Sicheng’s presence brought.

Sicheng shook his head. “But I like you.”

“As your hyung? I get it-“

Sicheng hugged him, arms locked around Taeyong’s neck and burying his nose to where his pulse was and hot breath splaying against heated skin as he said “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine,” he said, before he looked into Taeyong’s flushed face “So no more mixed signals, okay?”

Taeyong flicked Sicheng’s forehead, face bright red but Sicheng relished the spike of the elder’s scent that only meant he was feeling happy. “I wasn’t giving mixed signals, you were.”

“Is it mixed signals if I kissed you right now?”

Taeyong didn’t say anything else. His lips were preoccupied to see if Sicheng tasted as nice as he smelled.