Chapter Text
They had never interacted much before today.
Though well aware of one another from the start, neither attempted to seek the other out. Instead, there seemed to have been an unspoken agreement, an acknowledgement that both held a place in Da-on’s orbit, but there would be no collision.
Or, at the very least, that’s what Su-hyeon had assumed while eyeing the alpha from a distance.
It was clear they were both after the same thing. Only a fool would claim that Jae-min was not interested in Da-on despite his lack of visible advances. But Su-hyeon rarely gave it any thought, much too focused on Da-on each time he was lucky enough to be near him.
After all, how could he worry about Jae-min when Da-on smiled at him like that?
Ever since that day in the library, the image of Da-on, trapped between himself and the windowsill, with a furious blush decorating his face was burned into his memory forever.
The way Da-on’s eyes had flickered down to his lips during the moment only further solidified his confidence.
No, Su-hyeon had not feared Jae-min. He acknowledged him as nothing more than a presence, certain that there was no need to be cautious.
Looking back at it, it had been a terribly naïve mistake on his part.
Now, standing beneath the chapel’s roof, Su-hyeon faced Jae-min upon his request.
Colorful figures painted the interior, draping across the wooden pews, as the setting sun filtered through the stained glass. Particles of dust lazily drifted in the air, glimmering when the light hit them just right.
Barring their presence, the chapel hosted a gentle air within.
Although such a place of worship was meant to bring comfort to those who entered, Su-hyeon felt anything but.
“So you won’t date him, and I won’t date him either?” He summarized Jae-min’s earlier words, his brows raised in disbelief. “How dare you say something like that?”
This was what Jae-min had wanted to talk to him about? It was laughable… it was unacceptable. It had to be a joke. Why would Su-hyeon ever agree to such a thing?
Fuming at having been played a fool, Su-hyeon made a move to storm out before any more of his time was wasted. The alpha before him had surely lost his mind.
“Haven’t you noticed Da-on acting a little strange lately?”
Unease gripped him, freezing him in place.
“He pretends not to see you when you’re right in front of him. He doesn’t answer your calls. Why do you think that is?” Jae-min laid out the facts with a terrifying simplicity, the monotone cadence barely human. Su-hyeon felt his stomach drop.
For the past week, he’d agonized over the distance that had suddenly appeared between him and Da-on. Many hours had been spent wracking his brain, replaying conversations, trying to pinpoint any possible offense that he may have caused to the omega… only to come up blank.
His attempts to talk had, similarly, failed. While trying to catch Da-on for a quick chat, the other always apologized before stating he was busy, he had to watch his sister, his boss at the convenience store had asked him to run an errand.
There was always an excuse, a reason to avoid Su-hyeon, and he simply couldn’t understand why.
Anger and hurt flaring within, Su-hyeon spun back to stare the alpha down.
“Are you trying to say that has something to do with you?”
A small, infuriating smile answered him.
“Yes,” Jae-min said, pride wriggling its way into his tone. A crazed light adorned his gaze. “I made it that way… I told Da-on not to meet you.”
An incredulous huff left Su-hyeon, his head dipping with the motion. His lips quirked bitterly.
Jae-min really was a piece of work.
“Hey,” Su-hyeon began, his false smile dropping. “There’s no need to go that far. Da-on seems to like you too, so why don’t you two just get together? Stop dragging me into this and making me miserable!”
Fangs flashed as Jae-min’s lips stretched into a full out grin. At the sight, Su-hyeon’s teeth gritted, muscle twitching in his jaw. Screw sanctity, he was about to wipe Jae-min’s face clean on the wooden floorboards.
“Would you really be okay with that?” Jae-min asked with an innocent tilt of his head, almost as if he were a well-meaning friend looking out for him. “You like Da-on too, right?”
Yes, of course.
The mental answer materialized instantaneously.
He’d practically run circles around Da-on like a puppy ever since he first laid eyes on him. He liked him so much.
…But ever since this rift occurred, ice cold water had been effectively dumped over his head, its stinging bite bringing him back to reality. His relationship with Da-on was not as infallible as it had first seemed.
It didn’t help that he stood little chance against Jae-min when it came to courting.
Having been born an omega, only to quickly be disguised as a beta per his parents wishes, Su-hyeon had not been fortunate enough in life’s lottery.
A heat-suppressing implant was slipped into his arm as soon as his first heat hit (any warnings about adverse health effects from the physician conducting the procedure were swiftly shut down by wads of cash) and he was officially marked down as a beta in medical records, his father allowing for no alternative.
Ever since then, Su-hyeon only knew life as a beta. Other than having to religiously dull his pheromone levels through prescribed pills, he exhibited no damning traits that would reveal his true identity.
Su-hyeon didn’t doubt that, perhaps, Da-on—the kind soul that he was—could overlook his designation and give him a chance. Beta and omega couples were rare, but certainly not unheard of, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make him happy.
Biologically, however, no amount of effort on his part could offer what the alpha could. Both of them knew this, though the exact reason why Su-hyeon was lacking, Jae-min did not know and would never know.
He offered no response, thus Jae-min continued.
“I want to have Da-on in my life for a long time.”
“So just bond with him and leave me out of this!” Su-hyeon interjected with a snap, much too loud and violent for the lull of the chapel.
Jae-min’s gaze, unsettling as it was, widened further.
“Do you think a bond is something to take lightly?” He challenged with a step forward. Though Su-hyeon was taller, Jae-min towered in the moment.
“A beta like you could never understand. I can’t take the risk of Da-on leaving. I wouldn’t be able to bear it… That’s why I’m proposing a contract. This is the only way I can keep Da-on in my life forever.”
“Are you seriously insane?”
Jae-min looked unperturbed.
“I’ll ask you one last time. Would you rather stay by Da-on’s side by this method or no?”
A heavy sigh left Su-hyeon, his eyes closing for a brief rest. What was he to do in the face of such a force?
This was no contract, he had been backed into a corner. The obvious answer was to spit and snarl, to tell Jae-min get lost! (he wouldn't be pulled into such absurdity). He could very easily walk out and go on about his day, and forget about the mess altogether—
But he was nervous.
Seven days of Da-on avoiding him had been unbearable, yet it was clear that this was merely a warning from Jae-min. Su-hyeon needed no further demonstration of Jae-min’s ability to fully sever his connection to the omega.
Opening his eyes, Su-hyeon glared at Jae-min, unable to offer any verbal protest. He’d been outmaneuvered.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Jae-min filled in joyfully.
Su-hyeon’s skin itched as the other walked away, his throat burning with rage. How dare Jae-min show his back to him, how dare he think this is over? His fingers twitched, yearning to yank him back. The shouts of protest, however, never left him.
Mutely, Su-hyeon could only stare into the back of Jae-min’s head as he leisurely passed down the aisle of pews. When the door shut behind him, it did so with a dull thud, sealing Su-hyeon into a loneliness that felt far too suffocating amongst his regrets.
Following that day, anxiety clutched at him despite Da-on’s aloofness disappearing. Objectively, he should’ve been ecstatic that things were (somewhat) back to the way they were before, but Su-hyeon knew better.
Jae-min had made no move to put the contract into effect and, similarly, had shown no intention of when he was planning to.
The guillotine blade mounted over his neck, though frozen for now, was inevitable in its fall.
While sitting on the steps of Inae University’s architecture building, Su-hyeon stared into the distance as Da-on warmly chattered by his side. The weather had finally turned for the better, so they took the opportunity to enjoy it.
Through the thick fog in his mind, he managed to just barely capture the gist of the omega’s recount of his recently submitted diagram and its appraisal, but nothing more. At some point, a question was directed at him, Da-on looking at him expectedly.
A few seconds of silence passed.
“Hyung?”
Su-hyeon jumped. Turning his head, he was met with a worried Da-on and the realization of what had occurred. Heat rushed to his ears.
“I’m sorry, Da-on, I must’ve zoned off.”
“Are you alright?”
Su-hyeon didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he stared into Da-on’s eyes, letting himself sink in the deep brown. The omega’s scent, pleasant and soft, strengthened in the air, eager to bring a hint of comfort. A silent gesture of I’m here for you.
It was so endearing that Su-hyeon nearly confessed right there and then. Heart rattling in his chest, Su-hyeon felt the words hanging right at the tip of his tongue, just waiting to be released. To hell with the contract, to hell with Jae-min. He could end this torture.
Su-hyeon didn’t dare.
Faced with the actual urge, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the threat of rejection. What if Da-on refused his advances? It wasn’t uncommon for relationships to deteriorate after a failed confession.
Perhaps the alpha was not as insane as he first assumed (though, no, he definitely was, because what normal person devised such a scheme?).
Swallowing thickly, he smiled past the heavy pit in his stomach though.
“I’m just a bit tired.”
Judging by Da-on’s expression, he wasn’t very convincing.
When it finally happened, he wasn’t remotely prepared.
Da-on had barged into the room, an excited tinge to his voice as he called out to Su-hyeon, only to freeze once he registered the additional presence.
“Why are you two together? You two just met outside and—“
“We decided to date. Him and I.” Jae-min interrupted smoothly, sliding a smidge closer to him. To further hammer it in, he glanced over to Su-hyeon anticipatingly, waiting for a sign of acknowledgement from his “partner.”
Numb, Su-hyeon could provide nothing. His mouth was searingly dry, his pulse echoed throughout him.
He felt himself grow sick at the way Da-on’s scent soured at the announcement. Shame, surprise, and regret wafted from the omega, his wide eyes flicking between the two.
“…Congratulations.”
The feeling only worsened once he saw the smile that adorned Jae-min’s face, his triumph palpable despite his typically quiet scent. His soul, already weary, shriveled further into itself.
The ink on the paper had officially dried.
Jae-min, of course, did not stop there.
A knock at the door came while Su-hyeon labored over a soon-to-be-due case study on his couch, the distraction welcome as he had grown tired of searching for suitable sources. At the sight of the alpha behind the door, however, Su-hyeon suddenly felt very eager to get back to his work.
“Can I come in?”
No, Su-hyeon snapped internally, though he knew better. Stepping aside, he begrudgingly let the other enter the apartment.
“What do you want?” Su-hyeon asked, rather impolitely, as he returned to his laptop, but the alpha before him deserved little respect. If anything, he should’ve been grateful Su-hyeon didn’t slam the door in his face right away.
“I need you to scent me.”
The clack of keys ceased, the pause loud in its abrupt arrival.
“What?"
In turn, Jae-min shot him a look that very clearly asked are you stupid?
“Do you honestly think Da-on would ever believe we’re together if we don’t smell like each other?"
“Hey, don’t you think this is just a bit too much?” Su-hyeon muttered. “First, you threaten me, now, you want me to stink like you?”
“It’ll be mutual." Jae-min replied, not so much as blinking at Su-hyeon’s choice of words. ”You know this is the only way. Otherwise, he’ll suspect something.”
Su-hyeon glared back in response, unmoving.
A tired sigh left Jae-min. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over his forearm.
“Are you always going to be this difficult? Our relationship won’t last long like this.”
Su-hyeon barked out a laugh. “You’re not exactly the most considerate partner either. Are you sure you can handle this?”
Jae-min didn’t look impressed.
“I have places to be, Su-hyeon.” He tapped his wrist. “It either happens now or later.”
Su-hyeon bristled at the tone. The thought of submitting to an alpha’s scent, much less Jae-min’s, made his stomach twist. No longer would he merely be mentally tortured by him, but physically as well.
Yet, as much as he despised it, Jae-min’s request was not absurd. No couple wandered around without the other’s respective scent following, claiming them as taken.
“Fine.” Su-hyeon conceded, shutting his laptop and setting it aside. Sources would have to wait. “Let’s get this over with.”
Pushing himself from his seat, Su-hyeon sized up the alpha, his eyes locking onto the area of the neck where the gland resided. He suddenly realized just how close he’d have to get. “How do you want to do this?”
“How else?” Jae-min asked, discarding his jacket on an armrest, before looking back up. Rather considerately, he allowed Su-hyeon to approach him first.
Though having proposed this, Jae-min tensed at the sensation of Su-hyeon near his neck. His scent, usually so discrete, sharpened with unease before hastily dampening. The display nearly ripped a chuckle out of Su-hyeon. Try as he did, the alpha was not as untouchable as he portrayed.
Serves him right. Suffering was always merrier with two participants.
He pressed on. Nosing into the juncture where shoulder meets neck, he breathed in experimentally, expecting to be repulsed... only to be greeted with the opposite.
Delicate and inconspicuous in its presence, Jae-min’s scent almost seemed better suited for an omega. Its soothing, inviting composition was so disorientating that, for a moment, Su-hyeon believed his own senses had failed him or, perhaps, the alpha had altered his pheromones in some way, until he grasped just how fitting it really was.
A predator’s mimicry of its prey.
Though deceptive as its owner, Su-hyeon did not dislike it, per se. That realization was infuriating.
Su-hyeon huffed unhappily, before quickly reminding himself of what he was here to do. He could dissect his apparent tolerance of the scent later if he wanted the alpha gone.
The process was shaky. Having spent so many years masking through artificial means, releasing a large flow of pheromones was now a foreign concept. He’d never entertained committed relationships, only the occasional fling, thus the act hadn’t been necessary before. When he finished, he doubted he’d even left a trace, but a further sniff calmed his fear. It was a muted result, quite fitting for a beta.
“Now you smell all mine, jagiya.”
He wasn’t sure how it happened; the pet name slipped out all too naturally, as if it were really meant to be there. He wouldn’t put it past himself as an instinctive urge to strike a nerve. Jae-min’s breath hitched. Quietly, Su-hyeon tacked the word to his list of favorites.
However, upon the first puff of hot air against his own throat, Su-hyeon felt karma swiftly bite him in the ass. The presence of an alpha so close to his gland, despite having lived his life as a beta, was paralyzing. Anticipation sent the piercing bite of electricity across his skin, overriding all other inputs from his body and, for just a terrible moment, he felt the urge to crane his neck in submission.
Disgust flooded his veins, shockingly sobering.
He almost jerked away, but his pride wouldn’t allow it. Jae-min had endured, so would he. Through his bottom lashes, he stared stiffly at the crown of dark hair by his jaw while the alpha worked, the delicate scent flaring. Jae-min was thorough in his application, his skin piping hot against Su-hyeon. When he finally pulled away, a chill settled on Su-hyeon’s neck in his absence.
Jae-min gave his gland an observing look. He sniffed once, then nodded.
“That will do.”
Unlike the other’s relatively unruffled state in the aftermath, Su-hyeon briefly swayed on his weakened knees. He ended up having to place a subtle hand on the couch’s backrest to steady himself. Jae-min had practically showered him in his pheromones, leaving him drunk.
Did alphas have no decorum? The intensity of the scent remained the same despite the distance between them, showing no signs of thinning.
“Would it kill you to be more subtle with it?” He murmured, pressing a palm to the agitated gland.
“I had to make sure Da-on would keep his distance from you. Surely you share the sentiment.” Jae-min replied plainly, dipping down to retrieve his jacket.
“My, I didn’t know you were so protective of me. I’m honored.” Su-hyeon teased. The look of disdain shot his way was very rewarding.
“I’ll be on my way.”
“About time.”
Slipping on his shoes, Jae-min shut the door behind himself without a further glance. Su-hyeon was, to put it lightly, left perplexed. For the life of him, he could not figure out Jae-min, his psyche much too alien.
Long after the alpha’s departure, though he tried to get back into the swing of things, Su-hyeon could not gather his thoughts enough to make progress on his assignment, the clinging scent disrupting all attempts at tending to his responsibilities.
He left the sources for tomorrow, calling it a night.