Archive of Our Own

It’s 8 am on a brilliant Tuesday morning and Jung Sungchan barely makes it into his philosophy class before the professor does. He never does, to be fair, but at least he tries. There is simply no reason for him to sign up for this module but his friend, Lee Donghyuck, and his mate, Huang Renjun, had asked if he wanted to take this course with them. He could have said no but he stares at his credit list for a second before deciding that he needed the credits and so, here he is.

He makes a non-comical grunt at the question Donghyuck sends his way and he hears the soft laughter from Renjun as a cup of latte makes its way to his nose. “Thank you,” he mutters quietly to Renjun as the professor and his hideous mustard yellow, mothball infested three-piece suit walks into class. The sight of his impaired fashion that sparked yet another discussion between Renjun and Donghyuck. They are always bickering over this professor’s dressing and Sungchan could never quite understand the push and pull of their relationship.

As Sungchan tunes his friends’ argument out, he catches a whiff of a sweet honeysuckle scent and his head snaps up to peer around the room, trying to see a familiar bob of chestnut brown hair. “Nah, it can’t be,” Sungchan shakes his head. It couldn’t be that awfully adorable omega he met at one of the frat parties that the ice hockey team had invited him to. At the party, Sunchan was tugged around by his roommate to “socialise with people, come on” and had caught sight of the boy by the bar area.

Halfway through the dance floor and many “hello”s after, Sungchan saw the boy again — standing by the makeshift bar and beside the ice hockey’s captain boyfriend Nakamoto Yuta. Even in the vast living room of the frat house, their eyes met and the boy gave Sungchan a bright smile before the taller boy got tugged towards the stairs and disappeared into the corner. After that, as Sungchan nursed over cheap bears and the overflowing snacks, he had not seen the boy again that night.

On his left, Renjun is still insisting that the knitted sweater their professor is wearing is horrible with the pants while Donghyuck defends that it is brilliant. Sungchan takes his hoodie out of his bag, and nestles his head in it, hidden safely behind his laptop screen, before he closes his eyes and slips into a nap. Only when Renjun pokes him at the end of the class did he rouse from his sleep and blinks awkwardly at the omega’s face. Sungchan rubs a hand over his face and gratefully takes the thumb-drive Donghyuck offered as they make their way out of the lecture hall.

There are whispers that trail after them as they make their way out of the building and head towards the diner called Cherry & Bomb. Renjun sends daggers towards the other omegas clambering to have a peek at his mate as Donghyuck just wordlessly pulls him closer, pressing a kiss on his head. Sungchan waves them to a seat and ducks behind the counter with a cheerful greeting to the handsome senior he always ends up having shifts with.

After securing a booth seat, Donghyuck presses a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips and leaves for the counter to order. Tuesdays mean that Donghyuck has an early lunch with Renjun before he disappears for his Art History and Criticism class at 1 pm. Sungchan finishes his shift just as Donghyuck emerges from his place in the library — he had somehow decided to do an Archaeology elective like the dumbass he is — and they would head over to the ice rink for their ice hockey practice. Their team leader may seem like a harmless chick at first glance, but he is strict with the team.

Sungchan collects the money from Donghyuck and sends his order before promising to bring it over to them. He waves at his co-worker before grabbing their meal and slips out of the counter. His shift starts in thirty minutes and he has time to spare now. He slips into the seat opposite the couple and wrinkles his nose at Donghyuck begging Renjun to feed him. It never fails to surprise him how Donghyuck is the alpha and Renjun is the omega.

——————

Sungchan remembers when he first met the alpha, he was so sure that Donghyuck is an omega and when he has seen the admirers crowding around him, he almost went to his rescue until he smelt the blast of pheromones that screamed alpha. Donghyuck explained it to him in the next class and told him that he had a childhood friend who smells and acts as an alpha but when his heat hits, he becomes a really docile omega.

And it turned out to be Renjun from his English Literature module.

Sungchan remembers the first time he had met Renjun, the latter had just finished up a fight with a group of hooligans. He rolled his shoulders back and gave him a look before he picked up his bag and walked off, suave like the male lead in an action movie. The next time he saw Renjun was him panting beneath Donghyuck after initiating a play fight in Donghyuck’s single dorm room, and the blast of omega pheromones smacked his face painfully. He remembered the way Donghyuck’s hands slipped down to his waist and his lips pressed up against Renjun’s neck as the omega arched into his hold.

They pulled away almost immediately when Renjun noticed Sungchan’s stunned figure in the hallway, a darkening red blush dusted his cheeks as he tidied his clothes and slipped away from the room. Sungchan wondered if it was appropriate to comfort the sullen alpha when they finally started on their group project. Later that night, two cans of beer and a hearty Chinese takeout dinner, Donghyuck confessed that he liked Renjun since they had presented at the tender age of seventeen.

He had always been protective of the other boy but when they had presented, it seemed that his alpha had imprinted on Renjun almost immediately. There was a way he was attuned to Renjun’s omega, and it was terrifying even if he did realise that the feeling could be reciprocated.“We are both afraid to take the final step,” he muttered, gazing at his phone wallpaper lovingly.

It was a photo of Renjun curled up on a couch, napping, Sungchan presumed, and Donghyuck grazed a thumb over the sleeping face of the omega.

“Idiots, we are. Don’t be like us, Sungchan, we wasted so many years prancing around each other. If you like someone, court them. Not until it’s almost too late.”

Turns out that Renjun dated another tall, outgoing alpha from Macau during freshman year but they broke off when he had to return to Macau. Renjun cried in Donghyuck’s bed, wailing about how he thought they would work out, and Donghyuck could only silently hold him against his chest, a soothing hand on his back. He pressed kisses down Renjun’s neck, muttering calming words to him, as he used his own pheromones to calm the sobbing omega.

He knew that Renjun had loved the boy but their relationship was doomed from the very beginning. The boy could not stay for Renjun, neither could Renjun leave for him.

They got together after one of Renjun’s heats during his Sophomore year. It was relentless and Renjun was in pain when he dialed Donghyuck’s number out of desperation. Donghyuck refused his pleas for his knot but gently led him through an orgasm. The next day, he turned up at Renjun’s dorm and left him with his own clothes. Renjun’s bloodshot eyes glimmered in the dim hallway light before he whimpered a “thank you” and slammed the door shut.

Three days later, Donghyuck found himself back in the dorm room, a cup of iced green tea before him, and Renjun’s blushing face. He was wearing nothing else but Donghyuck’s sweater and his hands swimming in the sweater paws, held onto the glass before him. Donghyuck confessed about his feelings and Renjun admitted that his omega had probably attuned itself to his alpha.

They kissed there and then as Renjun sobbed in relief on Donghyuck’s shoulders while Donghyuck held him gently in his arms. When Renjun finally stopped his tears and Donghyuck pressed another chaste kiss on his lips, Donghyuck cupped his cheeks and repeatedly pressed light, chaste kisses on his face as Renjun erupted into fits of giggles at his touch. They shifted a little and Renjun straddled him across his lap, Donghyuck’s hands warm on his back.

“If you loved me, why wouldn’t you come down and help me…” Renjun whispered, the question loomed over their head.

“How could I,” whispered Donghyuck, eyes tender as he pressed their foreheads together. “How could I possibly knot you when you’re not in the condition to give actual consent. I couldn’t do that to you, Renjun.”

Renjun sobbed at his words and shook his head, lips opening to reply but Donghyuck kept a finger on his lips. Renjun blinked at the touch and Donghyuck kissed him lightly again.

“How could I refuse my omega’s pleas, how can I refuse you, Renjun? If you asked me for the stars, for the moon or even for the sun, I would lay them by your feet. Dumbass, my precious little idiot Renjun. I’m in love with you.”

A pause. Fresh bouts of tears escaped Renjun’s eyes. A gentle caress of the moles that dotted across Donghyuck’s cheeks.

“My alpha cares for you, Renjun, way beyond that of a friend. I love you,” Donghyuck whispered, eyes bright with love and a little uncertainty. “I love you, I adore you. My alpha is devoted to your omega, Renjun.”

“So is mine,” Renjun whispered back, eyes shining with unshed tears. “My omega and I will be yours forever, dumbass.”

——————

Sungchan wrinkles his nose in disdain at the public display of affections from them as Renjun presses a kiss at the corner of Donghyuck’s lips. Donghyuck helps himself to the fries on Renjun’s tray as the omega sips on his milkshake calmly, a hand in Donghyuck’s hair. Renjun hums quietly and tells them that he is finally getting an omega roommate this spring — Donghyuck had insisted that he gets only an omega roommate after he realised that he was rooming with an alpha, who had an alpha boyfriend — and fixes Donghyuck an unimpressed look.

It was a Japanese exchange-to-transfer student and the apparent cousin of Nakamoto Yuta whom Renjun met on a marketing module.

“I think he is called Ryotaro or something. He is adorable if that was the person Yuta was dragging halfway across the campus,” Renjun muses and leans into Donghyuck’s embrace.

Sungchan averts his eyes before a name comes up in his mind. “Shotaro?”

“Who?”

“Yuta-hyung’s cousin is called Shotaro. I think I met him at one of the parties the frat threw before the semester started. The whole ice hockey team has been hyped about his arrival. He is,” Sungchan frowned briefly, “Nice.”

Renjun raises an eyebrow at him and turns to Donghyuck before he leans towards Sungchan. “Oh god, Hyuckie… Sungchannie is in love, gosh.”

“I’m not?” Sungchan shrieks, flabbergasted at the accusatory finger that Renjun is now pointing at him. “I barely remember what he looked like, what the hell, Renjun, please.”

“Do not curse at my omega, Jung Sungchan,” Donghyuck warns and his lips pull back into a snarl.

“That’s all you got out of his entire accusing speech?”

Donghyuck shrugs at his incredulous gasp and pushes a fry to Renjun’s lips, feeding him. Sungchan purses his lips and Renjun beams at him. “Shotaro’s really cute though, he is really shy and super good at dancing.”

“He does seem shy, the few fleeting moments I saw him at the party has him trailing behind Yuta and his boyfriend,” Sungchan hums in response and looks up at a Cheshire-like grin on Renjun’s face. “What?”

“I thought you said you don’t remember him well?”

Sungchan pouts at the omega and whines to be let off the hook.

“Gotcha, so you do think he is cute, don’t you?” Renjun presses and Sungchan gives a short, curt nod. “Oh god, please don’t tell me you imprinted on him.”

“Imprinting doesn’t even work this way, Renjunnie-hyung,” Sungchan pouts at the older boy and turns to Donghyuck for help. “Donghyuck-hyung, talk to your mate about this.”

“Junnie, imprinting doesn’t work like this. But,” Donghyuck looks up from his phone and smirks, “It can work like that, it is a very rare occurrence. But it is cute that our dearest baby Sungchan has a crush.”

“I’m literally taller than everyone here?” Sungchan retorts and bit into his remaining burger. “I hate both of you, and don’t you two dare to play cupid.”

Renjun blinks at him innocently and nods earnestly but the grin that is on Donghyuck’s face says otherwise. Sungchan whines into his burger and Renjun pats him comfortingly on the back. Sungchan really regrets letting the two of them know about his little crush on the new boy. He watches Donghyuck dabs a tissue at the corner of Renjun’s lips to wipe away the excess ketchup that litters on the corner before he dips in to press a kiss on Renjun’s lips. Renjun swats him away as he finishes his meal before Donghyuck could steal any more bites.

But really, what are the odds of Shotaro really being Renjun’s roommate? Almost zero.

Renjun swoops an open-mouthed kiss on Donghyuck’s lips as he bids them farewell before scampering off for classes. The alpha gathers his things and stretches lazily before bidding Sungchan goodbye as he trudges to the library for his readings. He gives a half-hearted wave to Donghyuck's retreating back view as he ducks back into the counter. He gives his senior a weak smile before turning to greet the new customer with a blinding smile. He waits for their order to be ready as he hums under his breath.

He isn’t fully sure if Shotaro was the person behind the sweet honeysuckle scent but he was willing to bet that he was. Sungchan hushes his alpha gently, promising to find the omega with that sweet scent that his dumb wolf had been pining over. If it isn’t Shotaro, Sungchan knows that he would be sorely disappointed. What if he had to go against his alpha, what would happen then? No one knows and Sungchan isn’t keen to find out.

Imprinting.

It was not uncommon for wolves to imprint on their “right” ones. In some cases, it had brought forth tragedy, and others a happy ending. He had watched Renjun and Donghyuck fumble around with theirs, although they are now happily mated, he was still anxious. He isn’t sure if his wolf is willing to let go if he did, and Sungchan really isn’t someone who liked fighting. He sighs as the order gets fulfilled and he turns to the blushing girls with a smile.

“Thank you for coming to Cherry & Bomb, we hope you’ll enjoy your meal,” he smiles and the girls giggle as they make their way to the booth.

When the counter is void of people, Sungchan shakes his head slightly, erasing the thoughts that are clouding his mind. There are better times to consider the fate of his love life, Sungchan reasons as he listens to his senior ramble on about his crush on the younger Teaching Assistant in one of his modules who resembles a bunny.

A Chinese proverb the ice hockey captain likes to say during strategy planning session was “the boat will right itself when it reaches the harbour” which, according to Renjun, means that things will sort themselves when the time is right. Sungchan supposes that it is so, but he does hope he gets to meet the really adorable boy again.

——————

It seems that Fate likes to bully him as well because Osaki Shotaro turns out to really be Renjun’s new roommate because the petite omega turns up at the party with him in tow. Sungchan freezes at his spot where he watches the seniors progressively getting drunk at the beer pong table as he makes his way over to Renjun. Donghyuck finds them first and before Sungchan can reach them, he is already pressing light kisses on his boyfriend’s neck as Shotaro politely averts his eyes to the floor.

They pull away when Sungchan reaches them and Shotaro is looking at him curiously.

“Hey, you’re here tonight,” Sungchan greets and Renjun rolls his eyes. “Did Yuta’s boyfriend bully you into coming?”

“And the other seniors as well. Some of the ice hockey boys were very convincing about the party,” Renjun giggles and rests his head on Donghyuck’s shoulder. He pulls Shotaro forward and fixes a warning look on Sungchan before he introduces them. “This is my roommate, the baby cousin of Yuta-hyung. Osaki Shotaro from Japan.”

“Hi, Shotaro-hyung, I’m Sungchan, Jung Sungchan,” Sungchan greets politely, his mind racing as his alpha howls in him. He breathes in a mild scent of honeysuckle and his alpha whines desperately in him. “I think we met before at the other party before the semester started.”

“We did,” Shotaro replies, voice soft and Sungchan smells another blast of honeysuckle. “It’s nice seeing you again.”

Donghyuck raises his eyebrow and curls his fingers around Renjun’s wrist. “Well, Shotaro is your responsibility now, Sungchan. I’m going to take Renjun upstairs where the actual fun is located, come find us when you’re done mingling here.”

Before Sungchan can protest at the duty, Donghyuck pulls Renjun away and melts into the roaring crowd of people. Sungchan turns to a wide-eyed Shotaro and shrugs before leading them to the bar that was manned by his roommate who was barking at his boyfriends. They stop their movements as the other boy greets Sungchan warmly and tells him that they will be rehearsing a new training regime on Tuesday which Sungchan rolls his eyes in return. He introduces Shotaro to them and grabs them both a boring old cup of beer from the bartender.

“Let’s get you to Yuta-hyung before the party goes crazier,” Sungchan murmurs and Shotaro nods as he sips on the beer.

Sungchan looks at the smaller omega and before Shotaro can say a word, he curls his own hand around his wrist loosely, like what Donghyuck had done to Renjun, and gently tugs him forward. No one says a word but their burning, red ears speak volumes. Sungchan brings him safely to Yuta who claps him on the back as he introduces his cousin to the rest of the group. It isn’t long before Shotaro quietly gravitates towards Sungchan and curls up beside him as the seniors laugh at a joke.

Sungchan spares Shotaro one look before he leans in close to his ears. “Wanna go upstairs with me? Dream is probably upstairs summoning a ghost or something,” Sungchan whispers and the smaller boy nods.

Sungchan grins, leaving his cup of beer on the table as he stands up, and holds out a hand for Shotaro to take. There is a pause before Shotaro mimics his action and leaves his cup of beer behind. They tumble their way upstairs to the room where a loud chorus of laughter is. Sungchan knocks once before pushing it open and the group cheers at the sight of him. Shotaro sighs in relief when he settles beside Renjun, presses himself against him, as Renjun yells for a second game of cards.

Sungchan loses the games terribly, and his wallet feels lighter with every loss, but when he watches how Shotaro throws his head back and laughs, he thinks it is all worth it. The fairy lights flickering in the room, Renjun probably had some say in putting them up, and the pretty lights cast shadows on Shotaro’s face, accentuating the glimmer in his eyes. Sungchan swallows sharply in his seat, looking down to his forlorn pieces of cards, and wordlessly breathes out a sigh.

His alpha hums in agreement as he steals another glance towards Shotaro.

“This is going to be a long night,” Sungchan muses to himself as he pays Donghyuck the money. His eyes meet Shotaro’s own pair and the latter beams at him cheerfully. “But if he is here, I guess, it isn’t too bad.”

——————

It’s almost a year since Shotaro moved in with Renjun.

It took Renjun’s friend groups half a year to assimilate him into their activities and now he is wholly booked on all days of the week. Not only so, he has also found an odd sense of attraction from the tallest alpha in their friend circle — Jung Sungchan. Shotaro hates to admit that he finds himself looking out for the taller boy, albeit younger, in his classes and on the ice rink whenever he turns up with Renjun. The alpha has been nothing but sweet to him and well, he had approached Shotaro to work on the project from one of their shared classes together.

Shotaro swears that he sees Sungchan more often than he sees Renjun daily, and he actually rooms with Renjun.

They bump into each other occasionally, in the library or in the hallways. Shotaro has always been horrible with scents ever since he has presented. His nose is hypersensitive to scents and when there is too much going on, he would either feel lightheaded or nauseous. Renjun had been helping him with traditional methods of getting rid of the nauseous feelings. Shotaro now keeps a pack of candied ginger in his bag and hopes for the best. But Shotaro takes solace in being around the oak-scented alpha when scents in the lecture hall get overwhelming. There is something about the underlying tones of lemon that makes his little omega gravitate towards the alpha.

And, Shotaro is mildly intimidated by the fanclub of Sungchan.

He knows about the alpha from the talks he had with Renjun and he knows he is the current campus’ heartthrob. He is an excellent left-wing player that Donghyuck had praised, and Shotaro knows he is a hard worker with his studies and his part-time job at the campus diner. It isn’t an overkill to say that Sungchan and that pretty multicoloured hair senior — his current hair color is both red and white, splitting his skull cleanly into half — he works with bring in most of the business for the diner. His dance club friends always suggest going to Cherry & Bomb after dance practise just to sneak a look at the tall alpha behind the counter.

“Why won’t you join us in the Double Jung fanclub?” His friends whine to him as Shotaro turns scarlet at their begging.

“N-no,” Shotaro squeaked as he looked away from the other. “I’m not going to join the fanclub. He is a friend and classmate, that’s all.”

“And maybe a little crush,” was left unsaid but hung thick in the air.

It most certainly doesn’t help when Sungchan likes to bounce up to their booth, eyes sparkling and bright, to say hi to Shotaro whenever they are around. He would often join them in small conversations before leaving with a gentle touch on Shotaro’s arm. The group would swoon at his departing back as they sigh at charms before they pout at Shotaro to mention them to Sungchan as much as they can. Shotaro sheepishly withdraws his arms from their clutches and sips on his milkshake.

They would usually stay until Sungchan’s shift ends and excitedly waits for him to make his way over to their booth again. He flashes them a bright smile and offers to hold the books for Shotaro as the table looks on suspiciously. The shorter boy quickly gathers his things and they leave the diner to make their way back to Shotaro’s dorm. The walk is unusually silent and just as the omega dorm comes into view, Sungchan stops in his tracks and turns to look at Shotaro. Shotaro halts and blinks, waiting for him to speak.

“Are they bothering you about me?” Shotaro blinks again as he watches a blush blooming across the alpha’s cheeks, “I mean, they are quite obvious about their apparent interest in me. Are they bothering you?”

Shotaro shakes his head at the question, tugging his bag up a little. “They are not.”

“Good, I’ll talk to them if they are.”

Shotaro nods as Sungchan slips a hand around his wrist and pulls him forward. Conversation flows again as they slowly make their way to the dorms. Sungchan tells him about when the dorm he lives in had a blackout and their only engineering major occupant had to fix the circuit breaker for them. Shotaro shivers a little as the breeze picks up and Sungchan shrugs his jacket off and drapes it over Shotaro’s shoulder. Shotaro freezes a little and Sungchan’s warm fingers leave his shoulders as quickly as they arrive.

They reach the foyer and Shotaro quietly returns the jacket to Sungchan, cheeks pink with embarrassment, and Sungchan chases him into the building. He takes a few steps up the stairs and turns as he stops at the building entrance, and gives Sungchan a light wave. It is only when Shotaro steps into the lift when he realises that the short walk with Sungchan and wearing his jacket has drenched him in the alpha’s pheromones. He tugs his own sweater up to his nose and sniffs cautiously before sighing at the comforting scent of oak and lemon.

It is a god-sent gift that Shotaro enjoys the company of the alpha, and his nose doesn’t act up whenever he is near him. The hypersensitivity of his nose has made him intolerant to mostly alpha scents — or any strong, musky scents to be fair, the sensitive nose doesn’t discriminate across the sub-genders — and hence unable to actually make friends with anyone. Sungchan is one of the few alphas whose scent Shotaro doesn’t mind. In fact, he enjoys the refreshing, earthy scent of oak a lot. It calms him down and well, clears the haze that clouds his mind whenever he is out and the scents get overwhelming.

It definitely doesn’t help when Sungchan is everything the rumours said he was.

Chivalrous, respectful and sweet.

He lets Shotaro walk on the inside of the walkways, always bringing an additional coat whenever they agree to study in the library together, walking him to classes or the dance studio. Once Shotaro woke up late and had forgotten to bring an extra jacket to the infamous freezing lecture hall, Sungchan had very sweetly and kindly offered his hoodie to Shotaro while he shivered in the freezing lecture hall. Shotaro was almost apologetic when he returned the hoodie to Sungchan and well, it reeked of him. But the ever sweet alpha he is, Sungchan would always wave his concerns away.

Renjun is the first to notice that they are growing closer — a month in after they had worked up a routine for their little study sessions at the library.

The petite omega squints at Shotaro from the kitchen island when he returns home from yet another library meet-up before Sungchan takes the night shift at the diner. He had walked Shotaro back to his dorms and watched him enter the building before making his way to the diner. Shotaro had told him many times that he could make his own way back but the alpha was adamant about walking him back. Renjun narrows his eyes further on Shotaro and beckons him over to sniff along his neck before his expression brightens up.

“You smell of Sungchan, his scent is all over you,” Renjun claps his hands in glee. “You’re getting awfully close with him huh, I hardly see you anyway without him now. Are the two of you dating?”

“No,” Shotaro squeaks in protest and swats Renjun away from his neck. Does he smell of Sungchan that much?

Renjun leans in to sniff at him again and beams, nodding, “yeah, you totally smell like him. Did you let him scent you?”

“What?” Shotaro blinks, brain whirls to a stop. “He didn’t scent… did he?”

He thinks back on their study session in the library and freezes when he remembers how Sungchan had nuzzled his neck unprovoked when he was trying to help him get a book from the taller shelf. Oh. But it couldn’t be right? Shotaro was neither his mate nor his boyfriend. He peeks up from where he was staring and meets Renjun’s softening gaze as he pats the empty space in front of him.

“Darling, you’re reeking of his oak scent,” Renjun pauses, taking in his expression, and rounds up on Shotaro. “He didn’t bully you or anything, did he? I can get Hyuck to kick his ass at practice tomorrow.”

“He did nothing! We just studied in the library, that’s all. Some rowdy boys walked in and their scent was pungent, so you know my nose starts getting all the annoying sniffles so Sungchan released his own pheromones to help me,” Shotaro replies, eyes averting to avoid Renjun’s suspicious gaze, and plays with his fingers.

“Oh, that’s why,” Renjun hums as his eyes continue to watch him, clearly not buying his story. “Don’t meet his rabid fangirls while you’re reeking of him. They are terrifying.”

Shotaro chuckles and walks into the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. “I’ll try not to.”

“Join us for the practice tomorrow, Taro-chan,” Renjun invites as he grabs his bottle and heads back to his room. “They are doing something fun tomorrow.”

“I’ll politely refuse that invitation, thank you.”

“Your loss,” Renjun yells as he steps into his room, head poking out to continue, “Sungchan is usually really gorgeous when he is focu—”

“I’m telling Donghyuck that your eyes drifted from him for a millisecond.”

Shotaro bursts into peals of laughter as Renjun yells a string of profanities at him before his room door shuts. Shotaro cautiously sniffs his own sweater, grimacing when he realises that Renjun is right and he does reek of Sungchan. His phone lights up with a message from Sungchan that reads “Taro-hyung, your favourite curly fries are back again! Do you want me to pop by tonight after my shift?”

Shotaro squeaks at the message and peeks down the hallway to make sure Renjun is still in his room when he replies, “No, thanks. I can always drop by tomorrow before my 2 p.m. class.”

The reply comes quickly with an adorable puppy sticker and Sungchan’s “lucky for you, I’m working until 2 pm tomorrow before practice… So I’ll see you then?” Shotaro feels his cheeks coloring crimson and he shyly replies with a “See you tomorrow, Sungchan” before he locks his phone and drops his burning face to the cold tabletop. Oh no, this is bad. Horrible actually. Even though Shotaro doesn’t believe it, there is a possibility that Jung Sungchan is somewhat, subtly, awkwardly courting him.

Well, to be fair, the younger alpha has always been sociable and has always offered a helping to anyone he sees. But Shotaro was pretty sure, with this new clarity he has obtained, that he is subtly flirting with him. Which would then make sense as to why an eligible, campus heartthrob alpha does not mind his omega scents on his hoodie and the subtle little touches he puts on him. Shotaro looks up from his grovelling on the tabletop and blinks at his phone quietly.

What is he supposed to do?

——————

Fate officially hates Shotaro because when he slips into Cherry & Bomb, Yuta immediately narrows his eyes on his own cousin. Shotaro flinches under his stare and returns a polite wave at Sungchan who is beaming behind the counter. He can almost smell the blast of lemon and oak before he turns his attention back on his cousin. By the time Shotaro slips into his seat and realises his mistake, it was far too late to step away. He swallows and waits for his cousin’s over-protectiveness to burst out.

What is the mistake? Well, Shotaro is currently wearing the same hoodie he wore to one of their study sessions and the one that reeks most like Sungchan. Yuta is the ice hockey team manager. He can recognise all their scents. He could definitely recognise Sungchan’s oak and lemon on him. Yuta knows he smells like the alpha. Shotaro is an omega — an unmated omega — smelling like an unmated alpha. Oh, how scandalous.

Shotaro should have listened to Renjun in the morning when he told him that he reeks of Sungchan in this. But his pre-heat is approaching and his stupid omega refuses to behave and insists on this hoodie that smelt like Sungchan. Obviously, it would not go unnoticed by Yuta. Shotaro looks down on his lap and frowns at his fingers, picking at the frayed ends of his ripped jeans. Yuta sighs at his nervousness before taking a sip of his drink and speaks, “Taro-chan, I don’t really care if you’re finding yourself a boyfriend or not. But I must say, Sungchan is a sweet boy. He will be kind to you.”

“Onii-chan, I’m not… He’s not… We are not together,” Shotaro squeaks and hides his face in his palms. “We are just studying together in the library and it is cold there.”

“Ah, library dates and young love,” Yuta giggles, eyeing his blushing cousin. “You two will be cute together though, the height difference is excellent.”

“Nii-chan!” Shotaro gasps in horror just as Sungchan appears beside him and pushes a set meal to him. “Wha– Sungchan!”

“Took the liberty to prepare your usual set so you don’t have to move. You two looked like you’re in a deep conversation anyway,” Sungchan shrugs at his exclamation and smiles at Shotaro before he returns to the counter.

The sweet lemon and oak scent lingers in the air and Shotaro feels another tremor running down his spine. Oh no, Renjun had warned him two days ago about how familiar scents of alpha can help to bring forth the pre-heat syndromes. Not only that, unmated omegas have that extra issue with their heat because they don’t actually have an alpha to help them through it. Shotaro is thankful that his actual heat is mild and Renjun’s pheromones help to ease the discomfort he feels. But his pre-heats are the issue.

He needs cuddles and physical touches during his pre-heats which was uncommon enough that it is considered rare. He doesn’t usually need an alpha to help him through his heat but the neediness from the pre-heat makes it hard for him to even go to classes. He would constantly need a touch on him or just pheromones from an alpha. His past pre-heats were helped by Donghyuck who offered him his clothes for the nest and Renjun helped to stench his room with his own scent.

They would share a bed and Shotaro shivers and burns in Renjun’s arms, whining about his discomfort through the entire week leading up to his heat. When his heat finally arrives, the discomfort ebbs away and Shotaro gets by with the bare minimal discomfort. But if Sungchan’s pheromones are really messing with his heat cycle, then there will be an issue. Shotaro has a showcase evaluation to attend this week and the instructor for this evaluation is an asshole who looks down on omegas.

“Omegas should remain home, cooking or cleaning. Know your place in society,” he once ranted and the lecture class went up against him.

Before he can raise his concerns to Yuta, he spots Renjun and Donghyuck making their way over. They drop into the seats, hands intertwining under the table and Renjun smiles at Shotaro. Renjun is a huge fan of the diner’s fries and Donghyuck, the ever lovingly whipped alpha of his, would always deliver his order to their dorms regardless of timings. It’s adorable how Donghyuck turns up at their doorstep, past 2 am in the morning, and gets ignored by Renjun in favour of shoving a hot piece of fried potato into his mouth. Donghyuck just shrugs and tells Shotaro that he bought his share as well and tells them farewell.

It takes Renjun approximately three minutes later to text Donghyuck with a heart-loaded message and Shotaro doesn’t see Renjun for about a week when his heat hits him.

Renjun sits beside him and Shotaro wrinkles his nose slightly when the spicy scent of sandalwood, cinnamon and a slight tinge of french vanilla enters his nose. His omega has been insanely picky with its scents recently and it seems as though Sungchan’s scent was the only bearable one for it. It annoys Shotaro endlessly because now it means that he will have issues with getting help from Renjun and Donghyuck for his nest.

He tells Renjun quietly about it as Yuta and Donghyuck bicker over ice hockey strategies and Renjun frowns in worry. Shotaro squeaks when Renjun nuzzles his neck lightly and pulls away, eyebrows knit together with worry.

“I’ll be fine,” Shotaro reassures but the short burst of lemongrass and honeysuckle tells Renjun otherwise. “I’ll just have to be careful.”

“Sungchan managed to influence your pre-heats?” Renjun asks quietly, helping himself to some fries. “And don’t go for the evaluation, the instructor may be an asshole but it’s not worth putting yourself at risk with the alphas in your class.”

Shotaro shakes his head. “I’ll have to wait and see, if it doesn’t arrive on the evaluation day, then I might go for it. But, honestly, I have no idea now. This one clearly refuses to behave.”

Renjun frowns at his reply and sighs, ruffling his fluffy hair. “Let me know if you need anything,” he starts, and squeezes Shotaro’s hands tightly. “I’ll rush to your side if I need to, anything okay? I mean it.”

The conversation drops when Renjun shrieks at Donghyuck for stealing his fries and gets up to lock him in a chokehold. Yuta casts him a curious look which Shotaro pointedly ignores as he observes the couple fight playfully over stolen fries. There is an odd sensation at the back of his head when Shotaro looks around to see who has been staring a hole into his skull and catches Sungchan’s eyes. The alpha perks up from his place at the counter when their eyes meet and he breaks into a bright smile. Shotaro ducks his head shyly and he could hear the muffled laughter from the tall alpha, his cheeks flaming.

He bites into the burger as Renjun tells Yuta about the cafe mishap he had on his last shift. It doesn’t take them long to polish off the food that Yuta had bought for them, leaving only empty trays in their wake. Donghyuck pats his tummy happily and rummages for a mint to chew on. They sit around, trading secrets and gossip for a while before Donghyuck checks the time and gasps in horror.

He grabs their bags and pulls Renjun out of his seat, mumbling about movie timings and “we are going to be late”. Yuta sighs when they thank him for the meal and pats his wallet forlornly as he mutters darkly under his breath, “I’m only doing this because you’re my boyfriend’s favourite,” which Donghyuck retorts with a low “whipped” to before they escape out of the door.

Shotaro nibbles on his remaining fries before Yuta turns his gaze back at him, his teeth worrying on his lower lip. They finish their food in silence and Shotaro tries his best to ignore the very distracting scents of lemon and oak when Yuta finally breaks the silence. He shifts his glance to Sungchan, who was lost in a conversation behind the counter, before regarding Shotaro carefully.

He clears his throat and breaches the topic they had left off earlier. “So, Sungchan?” Yuta asked nonchalantly, helping himself with the leftover fries from Shotaro’s tray. “Do I have to ask how you two met? Oh my god, it was that party months ago, wasn’t it?”

Shotaro squeaks at his words and Yuta laughs, head thrown back and the laughter rips out of his throat. “You smell like him, gosh. His scent is dripping all over this sweater. I bought this sweater for you, so it’s definitely yours,” Shotaro whines at his cousin but Yuta changes his expression swiftly, regarding him seriously. “Your pre-heat is surfacing. Your scent, it has shifted to something sweeter.”

Shotaro nods and his cheeks flare red. Yuta frowns at his response as his eyes shift to the counter where Sungchan is chatting with one of the female staff and turns his gaze back on Shotaro. “Of all the alphas you could have gone for, you went for the hot property. After Donghyuck had imprinted on Renjun and everyone lost their chance with him, Jung Sungchan took over his slot as the eligible, very charming, extremely charismatic alpha,” he muses, watching his cousin turn various shades of blush.

Shotaro rolls his eyes at the dramatics of his speech and is about to retort when the alpha’s scent spikes around them. Sungchan is approaching their booth and Shotaro tilts his head up to look at him when he reaches as Yuta snorts at his reaction. Sungchan brings them a refill — “no, please, Yuta-hyung, let me do the refill if you can beg Captain to let us off on Friday training!” — and they immerse themselves in a short light talk about the upcoming championship game.

Sungchan shoves himself into the now vacant seat beside Shotaro and the latter wants to cry when the comforting oak and lemon scents flood into his system. The issue can be solved really easily if Shotaro isn’t too near to his pre-heats but the world, or universe, as corrected by Renjun whenever he could, hates him on this very day. Shotaro swears that he feels the tell-tale signs of the icky heat that ripples through his body during pre-heat. Sungchan’s ridiculously refreshing scent has, indeed, triggered his pre-heat early.

He fidgets in his seat, trying to breathe calmly and wills himself to not just melt into a whiny mess like this. Almost as if Yuta had sensed his discomfort, he snaps his fingers at Sungchan, fixing him an unamused stare. “Mind tuning down your scent a little?”

Sungchan turns to look at Shotaro immediately, noticing his discomfort, and quickly pulls his scent back. With the earthy scent gone, Shotaro swallows the need to whine or even lean in closer to chase after the scent. Sungchan’s doe-eyes widens at the flushed expression Shotaro has on his face. It takes Shotaro a while, after getting lost in the huge, sparkling orbs that Sungchan owns as eyes, to tear his gaze away from Sungchan and his own honeysuckle scent amplifies.

Sungchan shifts in his seat at the sudden intrusion of honeysuckle as he casts a worried glance at Shotaro. “I’m so sorry,” Sungchan rasped out in panic and he shifted himself to the opposite seat, “I’m really sorry, hyung.”

Shotaro shakes his head, hushing his omega who howls at the loss of alpha scent, as he clung the tote bag to his chest. Sungchan frowns at his action as Shotaro stumbles past him to get out of his seat. The feeling of heat unfurling down his spine is unbearable and he whispers a soft farewell to the both of them before sprinting his way back to the dorm.

Unlocking the door with shaky hands, he collapsed onto the couch, burying his face into one of the decorative pillows Renjun had insisted to buy on a trip to IKEA, and whimpered in embarrassment. He had literally gone into pre-heat before Sungchan and he swears his pre-heat is only scheduled to arrive next week. He buries his face into the pillow, appalled that Sungchan had successfully triggered the possible start of his pre-heat with his earthy scent.

He takes deep breaths and tries not to panic as he shakily texts Renjun to let him know that his pre-heat has started. Renjun’s reply was quick and he promises to bring home ice cream and cook his favourite curry tonight. “Drink more water, Taro” is the last message from the other omega and Shotaro begrudgingly gets up to fetch himself a glass of water. He finishes it quickly and refills it again before making his way back to the couch.

He buries his nose into the cushion, breathing in the mixed scents of Renjun and Donghyuck as another blast of heat sweeps through his body. Shotaro has no idea how he survived all his heats since he had presented at the age of nineteen, a year later than usual. He is thankful that omega heats only happen quarterly and that he only experiences discomfort during the pre-heats. But it is still annoying with the soreness and filth when it ends, plus it takes two weeks off his schedules, leaving him whiny and breathless.

It was only after meeting Renjun, did his heat get better. He is certain that the petite Chinese was a god-sent gift and he can’t survive heats without him anymore.

Renjun’s surprisingly spicy scent helps tremendously when Shotaro steals his clothes for the nest. Shotaro remembers his first meeting with Renjun and how he was really shocked when he caught a whiff of his sandalwood and cinnamon scent, and panicked about rooming with an alpha. Renjun had clarified that he was an omega but Shotaro didn’t believe it until Renjun entered his heat a month after Shotaro had moved in. His woody scent, so much like an alpha’s, helped Shotaro to ease the pain and frustrations that came with the heat.

And as an omega too, Renjun knows exactly what Shotaro needed and would always deliver new bags of ice for him. The gentle, nimble fingers that massaged his head and the soothing voice that sang him to sleep during his heat made Shotaro think that he would never be able to survive without Renjun. Renjun had been so willing to offer him clothes he had stolen from his boyfriend with Shotaro during his heats. So much so that Shotaro reeks a little of both Renjun and Donghyuck after his first heat here in the dorms.

“It feels so weird,” the alpha had whined into Renjun’s shoulders when he was finally allowed into the dorm after Shotaro had finished his heat, “That Shotaro smells a little like me after his heat. I don’t mind, but my alpha doesn’t like it.”

Renjun had smacked him on the head and turned to Shotaro, a reassuring glint in his eyes, as he announced that Shotaro shouldn’t be bothered by a whiny alpha’s words. If his omega had nothing to add to this conversation, why should Donghyuck's alpha speak. The whine that Donghyuck belted out that day made Shotaro felt really bad about it — Donghyuck clarified later that night that he was just being dramatic to rile Renjun up and that he really didn’t mind that Shotaro received his clothes for nesting — but Shotaro politely declined Renjun’s offering of clothes during his pre-heat nesting.

Even though Renjun’s spicy scent had brought much comfort to Shotaro in his previous heats, this time round, Shotaro isn’t even sure if it will work anymore. The last heat ended with Shotaro rejecting the scented clothes from Renjun and he was so miserable for the entire week. They didn’t know what happened and why Shotaro was rejecting the clothes for the nest. But if Shotaro considers, wildly for a moment, the addition of a certain alpha, it might answer the question.

One, Renjun reeks of Donghyuck as well after they had mated during Renjun’s last heat two months ago. The mating bite sits proudly on their collarbones for everyone to look. Two, his omega had not exactly shown a preference towards an alpha then. Now, it is a wholly different story because his omega is now specifically begging for the one alpha it wants.

Jung Sungchan. It wants Sungchan to accompany Shotaro through his heats and Shotaro is pretty mortified about that thought.

They aren’t extremely close like he was with the ice hockey team or Shotaro with Renjun. Sure, they do study together thrice a week and Shotaro finds himself at the diner more than the cafe now. But it isn’t like they are awfully close or that Shotaro is smitten by the alpha. Heck, he isn’t even sure if Sungchan liked him this way or not. As his thoughts cloud his mind, Shotaro drifts off to sleep on the couch. He dreams of the alpha, and how nice it would be to have his clothes and scent in his nest.

He must’ve slept for a long while because when Shotaro wakes up, he is shrouded in darkness. The sky outside fades into pitch black, with a few remaining streaks of orange through the darkening canvas. Shotaro feels the warmth eluding out of him as he blindly sourced for the glass he had left on the coffee table. He sat up only after finishing the water and peered at his phone drowsily.

137 unread messages.

20 missed calls from Renjun.

16 missed calls from Sungchan.

Shotaro yelps and quickly unlocks his phone only for Renjun to call him again. Renjun’s panicked tone comes through immediately when the call connects and Shotaro winces at the volume.

“Taro-chan! You picked up. Are you okay, are you still in the dor—”

“Renjun,” Donghyuck's voice comes through, cutting past the panicked questions, “Let him answer you.”

Renjun falls silent and Shotaro uses the chance to tell him that he is alright and had just napped on the couch and lost track of time. Renjun heaves a sigh of relief and there is a muffled rummaging of utensils before he speaks again. “You might not have read the messages but the ice hockey team managed to convince one of the seniors to host a hotpot party tonight. You probably can’t join but do you need me to come back, are you entering the pre-heat already?”

“No, please don’t leave the party,” Shotaro gasps out. He presses a hand to his forehead and sighs when he realises that he didn’t have a fever yet. “I’m okay, I don’t think it has started yet but to be safe, I won’t join you there.”

There is a static pause and Renjun gives an affirmative noise. “I’ll pack food back for you then, Yuta-hyung’s housemates cooked a frightening amount of food for us.”

“Thank you, Renjun.”

“Don’t thank me now, thank me when I’m back with food. Hyuckie will be sending me back, will you be alright with that?”

“Of course.”

They speak for a while more and Renjun reminds him to drink more water before the call is disconnected. Shotaro rolls his stiff muscles painfully, feeling his joints crack under his movement and shuffles his way to the kitchen. He pours himself another glass of water, adding an insane amount of ice in them, before he returns to the living room. He turns the movie off and opens his laptop to work on his assignments as he waits for Renjun to be back with dinner.

Renjun returns to the dorm around 8.30 pm, Donghyuck trailing behind him carefully, and Shotaro realizes that the alpha had sprayed scent blockers on him. Shotaro gives him a grateful smile and Donghyuck returns one of his own with gusto. They disappear into the kitchen as Renjun goes about to heat up the food for Shotaro. He could hear their soft bickers from the living room and chuckles under his breath.

Shotaro gives them a little privacy when they emerge from the kitchen, knowing very well that Donghyuck always kisses Renjun before he leaves for the alpha dorms. He hears the telltale signs of a blissed-out sigh from Renjun before another loud kiss from Donghyuck as the door swings close. Renjun pads over with the food in hand and nudges Shotaro over so they would sit pressed up against each other.

When they are comfortable and Shotaro has begun to dig into the food, Renjun slowly releases his pheromones for him. Shotaro finishes his dinner and snuggles closer to Renjun, feeling the other boy wrapped his arms around him, chin digging into his shoulder and Shotaro gets lulled to sleep by the gentle patting from Renjun and the scent of sandalwood.

It is to no one’s surprise that Shotaro’s preheat crashes down the next morning.

He wakes up in bed, drenched in sweat, and his body groans in protest as he tries to roll out of bed. Renjun is by his side immediately, a glass of iced chocolate in his hands as he helps him to the couch. Shotaro sighs forlornly at the coffee table as he sips on the drink. Renjun ruffles his hair gently and promises him a cake when he returns from classes. Shotaro thanks him quietly, still sulking in his curled-up position on the couch, as Renjun makes his way out of the dorm.

Shotaro truly hates pre-heat more than he hates the heat itself. The fluctuation of his body temperature annoys him endlessly and there is nothing he could do about it. The need to have the scent of one particular alpha is annoying him because he cannot give his omega what it wants. He can feel it sulking in him as he tries to coax it with the hoodie that Renjun had laid out for him — it is doused with both his and Donghyuck's scent. Shotaro curls up pathetically on the couch as the omega whines in him.

The Netflix is already signed in, courtesy of Renjun and definitely one of the Chinese seniors, and he sniffs once before surfing for a Marvel movie to watch. He drifts in and out of sleep and by the time the end credits of Thor: Ragnarök rolled on screen, Shotaro had probably napped five times. He stretches his aching body and wonders what else to watch when a polite knock comes on the door.

Shotaro freezes in his seat and the knock comes again.

He steals a glance at the clock on the wall and frowns. All his friends are supposed to be in class — the afternoon class only ends in about forty-five minutes, or half an hour if the lecturer is sweet — and he has no idea who would even visit. He knows that there are no schedule checks by the administrator until two weeks later too.

Shotaro slips off the couch, as the honeysuckle scent amplifies with his caution, and he paddles quietly to the door. He can smell the unease from beyond the door as he peeked into the viewfinder to see—

Jung Sungchan.

Shotaro gasps aloud and clasps a hand over his mouth as the knocking comes again. He swallows at the sudden scent of oak as he checks himself in the mirror by the door before he unlocks the door and peeks out. Sungchan looks relieved that he opens the door, and he thrusts a paper bag out to him. Shotaro opens the door wider and Sungchan gives him a light smile before gesturing for him to take it. Their fingers brush when Shotaro takes the bag and Sungchan’s cheeks are dusted pink. Shotaro shuffles nervously, half-hidden behind the door, and Sungchan croaks out nervously.

“Haechannie-hyung mentioned that you rejected Renjun-hyung’s offer to use one of his clothes for your heat… and Yuta-hyung told me that you’re a little sensitive to scents… and you didn’t seem to mind my scent the other day, so I don’t know if this is weird or something, but these are some hoodies I’ve worn the past week…”

“Sungchan,” Shotaro whispers, cutting through his monologue, “are you lending me clothes for my—” Shotaro looks up, eyes reflecting a little hope, confusion and surprise, “—for my nest?”

Sungchan nods shyly, looking down on his worn out converse shoes. “I read that it helps, if it is from an alpha that you tr—trust. I don’t know if you trust me, but I thought it might be worth the try? I always see Haechan-hyung give his hoodies to Renjun-hyung before his heat so I thought, maybe I can help? Renjun-hyung always complains that it’s hard without an alpha….”

Shotaro shakes his head, a smile forming on his face, as he clings on to the paper bag tightly. “Thank you.”

Sungchan smiles, visibly contented that he had accepted the clothes, and nods to the paper bag. “You don’t have to rush to return them to me, I can always steal my roommate’s clothes to wear.”

Shotaro hums, his omega is pleased that he made Sungchan happy by accepting the bag, and thanks him again as Sungchan reaches a hand to thread through his hair, messing it up. Shotaro hums at the touch and feels the fingers brushed past his scent glands at his nape before they retreat away from him. Shotaro blinks at the blushing boy before him and Sungchan takes a short step back, eyes twinkling.

Shotaro hushes the victorious cries from his omega while he tries to not bury his nose into the hoodies just as Sungchan gives him a little wave. He steps away from the door and waves Shotaro to head in, eyes warm as Shotaro smells another unassuming blast of his oak scent and swallows a whine.

“Have a safe heat, hyung. And come find me at the diner when it’s over, I’ll give you a free set meal,” Sungchan promised and gave him another wave as he made his way to the lobby.

Shotaro watches him wave once more before he disappears into the lift and ducks back into the dorm room. He stares at the full paper bag before carefully bringing it into his room. In the confined space of his room, the scent of lemon and oak is strong and Shotaro whines before he snatches a hoodie out from the bag.

There are about four of them in the bag and each reeked of Sungchan’s scent so distinctively Shotaro wonders if he had purposefully scented the hoodies before he delivered them. Shotaro presses his face into the warm hoodie, breathing in the earthy scent, wondering how could he smell so different from Renjun when they are both predominating with wood scent.And then, it smacks him.

He had just accepted clothes from an alpha that is, definitely, blatantly courting him.

Shotaro nearly drops the hoodie in fright and blinks at the offending paper bag by his bed. It’s different when Renjun shares Donghyuck's hoodies with him. Now he is accepting clothes with a somewhat unknown alpha, what would Yuta say when he heard of this. (He ended up not saying anything because he had joined the “Find Shotaro a Boyfriend” Alliance started by Donghyuck and Renjun, and he highly approves of Sungchan.) He must’ve lost track of time because by the time he pulls himself out of the trance, there are movements at the front door.

The door unlocks itself and Renjun calls out a greeting. Shotaro squeaks and quickly stuffs the bag into his wardrobe, hiding the hoodie he is holding under his pillow before he hurries out to meet Renjun. His face must’ve still been red because Renjun presses a cold palm to his forehead and frowns. Shotaro shuffles nervously on his feet and retrieves his glass from the coffee table, averting his eyes from the sharp stare thrown at him.

“It’s the pre-heat syndrome,” Shotaro reasons breathlessly and Renjun smirks, eyes narrowing on him sharply like a fox.

“Oh, so pre-heat syndrome has an alternative name called Jung Sungchan?” Renjun raises an unimpressed eyebrow as Shotaro shrieks at his words. Renjun chortles at his expression, eyes softening when he takes in Shotaro’s red face and embarrassment. “Hey, it’s okay. I just so happened to smell him at the front door. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Sungchan is a sweetheart, you’re in good hands.”

“I’m not even that close with him and yet,” Shotaro mumbles, helping himself with the porridge that Renjun bought back, “I accepted his clothes. For my nest. This is ridiculous.”

“Well, now you have a little help during your heat then. Come on, you know having alpha pheromones in the nest would help when you go into heat. I know you were in pain last heat, don’t lie to me Taro, I could hear the pained whines you were making,” Renjun shrugs and steals a fried chicken out of his bowl. He pours himself a glass of water as he chews on the piece of chicken slowly, “Sungchan would never take advantage of you so don’t worry, buy him a meal if you want. I approve Sungchan if he wants to court you. I should let him know when the team practices on Thursday. He deserves a boost in confidence.”

“Renjun!” Shotaro gasps in horror and Renjun waves a hand at him, “please don’t do that, it’s embarrassing.”

“Or you can tell him that you—” Renjun suggests and breaks off with a laugh when Shotaro throws himself on him. “Chill out, he won’t bite… well, not yet.”

Shotaro huffs in agitation and pouts as he scoops more porridge into his mouth. He feels another wave of heat unfurling in him and he holds back a whimper. He feels so much better when he is sniffing Sungchan’s hoodie and he spares Renjun a cautious look. Renjun catches his eyes and laughs when Shotaro meekly asks if Sungchan’s scent would bother him since he is keen to wear his hoodie around.

Renjun shakes his head, getting up to retrieve a bottle of iced tea as he ruffles his hair a little on his way out of the kitchen. His bedroom door clicks shut and Shotaro wolfs his remaining food down. He is itching to get back to his room, to press his face back on Sungchan’s hoodie, to make his nest as he fights off the pre-heat syndromes. He will have to consider everything when his mind is clearer after his heat.

Then perhaps, if he is clear with what he and his omega wanted, he would speak to Sungchan about this. But until then, Shotaro hoped this round would be quick.

And it turns out that when Shotaro’s heat is officially over, Sungchan is missing for his pre-rut syndromes.

Shotaro sits in his room, staring at the cleaned hoodies — he had washed them after his heat, and Renjun shook his head at his silliness — and sighs at them. Renjun had told him to leave his scent on the hoodies and return it but he hadn’t heeded his advice. Now that Sungchan is going into his rut, the only thing he could do to repay the help was to stink up the freshly washed hoodies… Right? Before he could come up with an acceptable conclusion for his dilemma, his bedroom door slammed open.

Renjun strides in like a man on a mission, purposeful and determined, and Shotaro can smell Donghyuck on the couch as Renjun settles down on the chair. He is holding on to one of his own hoodies and gestures for Shotaro to take out one of Sungchan’s hoodie impatiently. Shotaro takes one out, the soft lilac one that was the newest and also reeked the strongest then, and Renjun slowly presses his face on his own hoodie.

“I’m going to teach you how to effectively scent on clothes because I know you don’t know,” Renjun explains and brushes his fingers on the cloth again. “Which is essentially rubbing your usual scent spots on the cloth and that’s it. It sounds simple, but it’s not that easy because not everyone knows where they reek the most.”

“That is hardly a tutorial,” Shotaro murmurs but he presses the washed hoodie on his neck, just below his ears, and swipes at the exposed skin. He pulls back and the hoodie begins to smell like him, reeking of honeysuckle, and he looks at Renjun in shock. “Oh.”

Renjun holds back a laugh and nods, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Do that around twice or thrice if you’re feeling adventurous and it will smell like you so much, Sungchan is going to be crazy in his rut.”

“Isn’t it weird?” Shotaro stops his scenting, looking down at the hoodie. “We are not exactly mates neither are we dating and yet, what he has done for me is like he is my mate and I’m his.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of?”

“Finding a mate. The romance, the sex and everything.”

Shotaro keeps his silence, fingers crumpling the hoodie in his lap. Renjun shifts from where he is perched on his bed and gives him a single-arm hug. Shotaro hides his face in the crook of his neck, trembling a little, as Renjun brushes a soothing hand down his back. They stay in silence for a while and Renjun hums under his breath. They can hear Donghyuck tinkling with the stove in the kitchen, probably realizing that they would take far longer than he expected.

It’s scary how Renjun and Donghyuck read each other like an open book — one look speaks a thousand words, one touch would mean “pass the salt” or “I want a shrimp ball” at the hotpot table, and one hum would effectively shut up the other. It’s insane and Shotaro would be lying if he hadn’t envisioned himself finding a lover like this.

They are quite a pair, the way they would toe the lines of the alpha and omega dynamics.

It’s always Renjun telling people to fuck off while Donghyuck rubs comforting circles on the back of his hand, the way he would be so attentive to Renjun’s needs and wants whenever he was close to his pre-heat, the way they smelt still remain confusing to Shotaro. Renjun had never had issues with alphas hitting him up because unless they are looking to fuck another alpha, they won’t. Hilariously, Donghyuck gets hit on the most often, much to Renjun’s annoyance and frustration, due to his scent being sweeter and omega-like. Only after they had officially mated a couple of months ago, did people backed off from Donghyuck during parties.

“I don’t know, Renjun. It just feels so weird for someone whom I’ve bumped into could incite such a reaction in me. My pre-heats and heats are always on time, this was an outlier. Weren’t you terrified when your omega reaches out for Donghyuck's alpha when you first met?” Shotaro mumbles softly, his eyes looking down to the hoodie he is squeezing in his lap. “Isn’t it scary to have someone who can incite such emotions in you?”

Renjun remains silent for a moment before he shakes his head. “Maybe it was because Hyuckie and I… we were friends before we got attracted to each other. He was a close friend, one of my best friends in fact, and he was the first alpha I let my guard down for. He proved himself over time that he would never overstep the boundaries I have placed for him, and even now, as my mate, he has only been sweet to me.”

Renjun swallows and turns to face Shotaro, eyes sparkling with sincerity. “It’s terrifying, of course, I must tell you honestly. I didn’t realize that my omega had recognized Donghyuck's alpha for their own so when I entered one of my heats, a year after meeting Hyuckie, it was so horrible. Nothing I did help until I called Donghyuck on the phone, begging him to help.”

Shotaro gasps at the pained look on Renjun’s face and grabs his hand. “Did he—”

“He didn’t, he would never do that to me,” Renjun shakes his head, a tiny smile plays on his lips. “He refused to come over, insisting that it was not proper consent from me. But in two hours, I received a bag of clothes from him. We had a talk back then, when my heat was over, and he asked to court me properly. We exchanged clothes whenever we needed them until he finally asked me out after a few months of pathetic flirting. And well, turned out that idiot had imprinted on me a few months after we first met and kept his pain to himself. An absolute idiot.”

“Oh,” Shotaro whispers, looking down at the bag of clothes he has yet to scent.

“So, don’t feel pressured to scent things for Sungchan. He may fancy you and went out of his way to help you in the past week, but he isn’t a bad person. He won’t hold you to return the favour,” Renjun smiles at Shotaro and messes his curls up fondly. “Do what you feel right, it’ll be okay.”

Shotaro smiles at his words and presses the scented hoodie to his lips, before he looks up at Renjun. “Thank you, Junnie.”

Renjun just breaks into a wide smile and stands up, dusting imaginary dust off his pants and makes his way to the door. He slips through the bedroom door and leaves Shotaro with his own thoughts and the hoodie lying limply by his side. The younger omega picks up the hoodie again, and with a determined glint in his eyes, he starts on his mission to scent them as well as he can.

Perhaps it’s the way his omega is appeased during the heat thanks to his scent, or perhaps Shotaro has a tiny budding crush on the taller alpha that he had been defiantly ignoring, he believes that this was what he should and could do for the other.

——————

Returning Sungchan’s hoodies proves to be a more challenging and daunting task than Shotaro can imagine.

He stands, frozen like a deer in headlights, outside the alpha dorm that Sungchan lives in and only musters the courage to enter when Donghyuck comes out to fetch him. He hides behind Donghyuck silently as they board the lift and arrive at the 10th floor. Shotaro follows behind Donghyuck who takes him down the hallway, twisting and turning to the corner unit where six pairs of shoes sit haphazardly outside the door.

Donghyuck reaches over and rang the doorbell as Shotaro squirms behind him.

The door swings open and a tall boy stands before them before he catches sight of Shotaro. His lips twitch upwards as he murmurs for them to wait before he ducks back into the dorm and yells for Sungchan. There is a loud cheering and Sungchan protests loudly before he stumbles into the door. He blinks at the sight of Shotaro standing awkwardly with his knuckles white as he grips the paper bag tightly.

“Hi,” Shotaro squeaks softly and Sungchan softens at his nervousness. “I heard… from Renjun and Hyuckie that you’re entering your rut.”

“I am, actually. Gosh, Shotaro… do you know you smell so much sweeter with this pre-rut state,” Sungchan says, eyes sparkling as Shotaro flushes crimson again. “I’m awfully honest, but you really do smell really good.”

“Thank you,” Shotaro croaks and he thrusts the paper bag into his waiting hands. Their fingers touch and Sungchan grabs him before he could withdraw them. “Sungchan?”

Sungchan blinks at his voice and drops his hand, taking another step back into the room. Shotaro sighs and Sungchan snaps up to look at him, eyes glazed over. Shotaro takes a breath, fingers trembling a little as he cranes his neck up to stare at Sungchan.

“Thank you for the hoodies, they… they helped a lot during my heat. It was bearable this round.”

Sungchan breaks into a smile and his stressed shoulders relax a little. “Glad to be able to help.”

Shotaro blinks at the smile and looks down, the blush dusting his cheeks, as he takes a step back. “I hope the hoodies will help you with your rut too. I’ll see you when it’s over?”

Sungchan stands there, staring at Shotaro, and nods. Shotaro flashes him a smile, a bright, genuine one, and he backs away to where Donghyuck is waiting for him. Sungchan dips his head to acknowledge the other alpha as Shotaro waves goodbye to him. They disappear around the corner and it hits Sungchan what Shotaro meant by his words.

The hoodies in the paper bag reek of honeysuckles and lemongrass.

Sungchan swallows the lump in his throat as he rubs his finger and thumb on the hoodies absentmindedly. He pulls away, leaving his fingers drenched in honeysuckle, and Sungchan breaks into a smile. He closes the door and turns to find his hyungs staring at him and the paper bag in his arms. He sidesteps the jesting cries from them as he locked the hoodies in his cupboard safely.

He will definitely have to meet with Shotaro when his rut is over, there are so many things he needs to discuss. He presses his fingers to his nose, breathing in the sweet honeysuckle scent, and smiles.

“My omega,” his alpha purrs as he breaks into a smile. “Our omega,” he replies quietly.

——————

They didn’t meet to talk after Sungchan’s rut because Shotaro is fully immersed in his autumn production — which would have scouts from all the dance tropes there are in town — and this is his chance to get signed on. He had shared his dream with Sungchan, during one of their grind sessions in the library, of standing on stage, performing to a crowd. Dancing had always been a hobby, a forte he had perfected over years, and it is his dream to work in that industry. Sungchan watched his eyes glisten and sparkle when he shared this dream and felt his heart throbbed faster in his chest.

God, he is whipped for that omega. So utterly, insanely whipped.

Sungchan picks at his hoodie, the lilac one, and sniffs it sadly. The sweet honeysuckle scent is barely there anymore and he missed his little omega. Renjun had told him to stay away from the rehearsals, citing that “you will influence his pheromones, so keep out!”, while his own ice hockey team qualified for the Nationals. They had been drilling nonstop every day to perfect their passes and their game plan for the big match.

Ever since they had exchanged clothes for their heat and rut, Shotaro has been appearing more frequently at their practice sessions.

He would always have a bottle of water and a towel ready for Sungchan, cheeks red with shyness and Sungchan thanks him with a bright smile. Their fingers brush against each other and Shotaro stops shying away from fleeting touches that Sungchan occasionally grazes upon his skin. He allows Sungchan to walk him back to his dorms every now and then, and has been more proactive in asking Sungchan out for non-library related activities. Sungchan is still unsure about the sudden change in attitude from the older boy but from what he has learnt from Renjun and Donghyuck, he seems to be on the right track.

The whistle from Yuta knocks Sungchan out of his thoughts and Shotaro gives him a smile, hands curl up into a fist and he cheers him on.

“Don’t get hurt,” he says and Sungchan gives him a charismatic salute before he skates away.

Renjun approaches Shotaro as the boys resume their gameplay and nudges him gently. Shotaro blinks and nods shyly, showing him the detailed plans he had made for their meeting on Saturday. They haven't spoken about their slightly ambiguous relationship — what are they, what do their actions entail, what is this odd relationship they are managing.

Shotaro was nervous, it’s slightly unbecoming for an omega to be preparing for the confession but as Renjun had aptly put across — “fuck social norms, Taro; if you liked that dumb alpha, confess your heart away” — and Donghyuck nods solemnly beside his mate.

So the plan goes like this: Shotaro would turn up on Saturday a couple minutes before Sungchan’s shift ends and buy them a cup of milkshake from Cherry & Bomb. They would take a little stroll within the campus, towards the bus stop for the shuttle out to the university town and catch a movie. After the movie, they would huddle in a neat, little cafe owned by one of the boyfriend’s of the ice hockey team. Then, Shotaro would confess. It’s simple but Shotaro didn’t want to do anything out of the norm.

But things don’t always go the right way. Well, not this time.

Shotaro walks into Cherry & Bomb two minutes before 11 am and sees a cute female, presumingly omega, pressing a light kiss on Sungchan’s cheeks and Sungchan’s hands around her waist. He must have made a noise before Sungchan jumps at his presence and calls out for him. But Shotaro turns away, rubbing away the tears furiously and stomps his way back into his dorm. He bursts through the door, startling Renjun and Donghyuck who are making out on the couch, as he slams his room door shut.

He hears the door open carefully and Renjun’s scent fills the room. Shotaro buries himself deeper into the blankets and pointedly ignores the presence of the other omega. He can hear the soft conversation between the couple, he hears the random phrases of “Sungchan called”, “he doesn’t know” and “he asks if he can come up”. At the last phrase, Shotaro leaps up from his bed, barging into the living room, and begs them to not allow Sungchan to come.

“Let me be alone for a day or a week, or even a month. Please, I don’t want to see him. It hurts,” he whimpers and Renjun takes him into a hug.

They return to his room and Donghyuck shuffles around outside as Renjun asks what had happened. Shotaro tells him honestly, there really isn’t a point in lying, their friend circles are interconnected and it’s easy to find out anyway. Renjun mumbles an apology and cradles Shotaro into his embrace, fingers gentle on his scalp. They cuddle in silence, and Donghyuck knocks to ask if they need water, but they reject his offer.

“I’ll be outside, let me know if you need anything,” and he was gone.

They sit in the dark, Renjun’s fingers weaving through his hair lightly, and Shotaro sobs into his lap. He should have known that someone like Sungchan has a girlfriend, or worse, a mate. Shotaro hissed angrily in Renjun’s lap, pouting at Renjun and sighs as he lifts himself off Renjun’s lap. He fumbles with the frayed ends of his jacket and drops his head on his bed.

“I can’t believe he led me on when he had a girlfriend. How rude,” Shotaro mutters into the room. “Should we let the girlfriend know?”

“As far as I know, Sungchan doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Shotaro pouts and shakes his head. “But he doesn’t have to tell you everything.”

“He doesn’t,” Renjun agrees. “But I honestly think you should speak to him. For the sake of your omega, if it isn’t for yourself.”

Shotaro sighs and nods at what Renjun has suggested. It’s true that a talk is long overdue between them. They had obviously gotten close enough that it’s weird and awkward if he suddenly cut ties with the alpha male. It isn’t his fault that Shotaro had fallen in love with him from the little late-night conversations via text or the little, casual library dates they shared. Even if it isn’t for the alpha, Shotaro owes himself a talk and an answer.

But for now, he snuggles against Renjun and shuts his eyes, he will make do with avoidance until he feels alright enough to face Sungchan.

——————

It turns out that suffering from a heartbreak ruins your scent.

Shotaro has been reeking of spoiled honey since he walked away from Cherry & Bomb. And spoiled honey smells as pungent as spoiled milk. Shotaro feels almost apologetic towards Renjun for stinking like one as he tries to get over his broken heart. The dorm reeks of spoiled honeysuckle flowers, the pungent decay scent floods the room.

Sungchan has been blowing up his phone with messages and calls before Shotaro has pointedly ignored them. But every time a message or call from the alpha comes in, Shotaro releases another bout of angry pheromones into the room. The stench is strong and ultimately clashes with the scented candles that Renjun loved. So the other boy had resorted to opening their windows and putting out the scented candles.

Renjun is a brilliant, loyal friend for fretting over Shotaro’s well being. It is thankfully semestral break and they didn’t have classes so Renjun didn’t mind stinking like spoiled honey. “I don’t care what you smell like, Taro. I just want you to feel better,” he sighs when Shotaro brings up the offer to live with Donghyuck for the time being while he sorts out his emotions. But Shotaro minds and thinks that Renjun shouldn’t have to suffer with him in this stinky dorm.

So he calls Donghyuck up and forces him to fetch Renjun to his single room in the alpha dorm. Renjun pouts at him, four days after the supposed heartbreak, when Donghyuck turns up to drag him out of the dorm. Shotaro shakes his head at the pout and insists that he must go with Donghyuck and not be stuck in this mess of a dorm and the reeking spoiled honey scent. Even as he is wearing his shoes, Renjun makes him promise that he will call if he ever needs help and with the assuring promise Shotaro makes, they leave.

Shotaro starts to pick the broken pieces of himself up, carefully patching himself back together, and the pungent stale honey scent slowly ebbs away from the room. He wonders if he truly liked Sungchan if he is getting over the heartbreak that fast but he supposes that he is just being strong because whenever he sees the little paper crane Sungchan had given during one of their study sessions, his heart aches a little.

When Renjun returns the night before the semestral break ends, reeking of Donghyuck’s french vanilla, the dorm is free from any spoiled honey scent. Shotaro stands in the kitchen as he cooks himself pasta when Renjun returns from Donghyuck's solo dorm room. Renjun blinks at Shotaro cooking and smiles, “feeling better?”

Shotaro spins at his voice and nods, eyes crinkling into a smile. “Decided that he was not worth my tears.”

“If you say so,” Renjun hums and places the Tupperware on the counter. “Hyuckie gave us food, thinking you’re starving to death.”

“Best boyfriend on earth.”

“If you meant most annoying,” Renjun shakes his head. “I reek of him now, it’s so annoying.”

Shotaro turns the stove off and smiles. “You say that all the time, Junnie. And yet, you allow him to scent you whenever he wants.”

Renjun purses his lips and glares at Shotaro. “I see a heartbreak made you sassy, huh.”

Shotaro chuckles and sets the table for two. Renjun gratefully slips into the opposite chair and pulls a plate towards himself. They eat in silence and Shotaro looks up halfway through the meal.

“I’m going to find Sungchan and speak to him.”

Renjun beams and nods as Shotaro looks down on his pasta and sighs. He picks at the noodles and toyed with a meatball before he plops them in his mouth and chews them carefully. He drinks from the glass, water he poured himself a while back, and continues.

“I’m not going to request for you guys to choose between us. It’s not fair for the friend group if they have to be forced to choose between us. Things didn’t work out between us, and I don’t want anyone to feel forced to remain friends or anything.”

Renjun nods and offers Shotaro a smile. “I’ll still ask Hyuck to whack his shin with his hockey stick though.”

“Thank you,” Shotaro replies, teasingly. “But really, I don’t care if y’all are still friends with him or not. I might not join any gatherings with him though.”

Renjun chuckles and reaches over to ruffle his hair lightly, tousling it up. “Someone’s all grown up.”

“You’re literally just a couple of months older than me.”

“My point stands, Taro.”

Shotaro pouts at Renjun and picks at his food solemnly. He would have to work up the courage to talk to Sungchan. He knows the younger alpha has been asking around for him and people have been texting him throughout the whole break if he is avoiding Sungchan. It was absolutely annoying but Shotaro reckons it is just due to how close they had been before whatever happened then.

He just wishes that Sungchan is willing to talk to him after he had ghosted him for almost two weeks. He didn’t realise just how hard it was to uphold the promise he gave Renjun because all he wants to do is to avoid the alpha at every cost.

He walks to the diner in an attempt to speak to him, sees him standing behind the counter looking beautiful, and he chickens out and hurries away. He walks up to the ice hockey rink in the university town and before he could make it into the heavy doors at the entrance, he turns on his heels and walks away. He sees Sungchan in his lectures and promptly chooses to take up the seat that is the furthest from him, taking in the look of disappointment on the alpha’s face, and darts off the moment the professor releases them.

He continues this behaviour until Renjun couldn’t take it anymore and stages an intervention.

Shotaro pouts at his roommate and Renjun gives him an unimpressed look before pushing him into the premises of Cherry & Bomb. Shotaro stumbles into the diner and Sungchan perks up from where he stands at the counter and Renjun hisses for him to “buy a drink and wait for his shift to be over in 10 minutes” before leaving the diner. He can see Renjun heading over to Donghyuck who is sitting at the public tables in clear view of the diner.

He is pretty sure that they would catch him the moment he tries to leave the diner and Shotaro isn’t keen on testing that out. So here he is, at an obscure booth, a strawberry milkshake in his hands, legs trembling beneath the table, waiting for Sungchan to be done with his shift.

He doesn’t have to wait long, for a couple of minutes later, Sungchan slides into the seat opposite his. The alpha looks tired, dark eye circles hang heavy beneath his eyes, and he gives Shotaro a small smile. Shotaro sips on his milkshake quietly and the silence stretches on.

“Thank you for meeting me. I know Renjun probably dragged you here, but thank you for not leaving,” Sungchan breaks the silence first, eyes downcast as he glances at his lap.

Shotaro hums in response and Sungchan chews on his straw nervously. He takes a deep breath and looks at Shotaro once before he dips his eyes down to his lap. Shotaro’s fingers clench on the paper cup tightly as Sungchan clears his throat and they look up at the same time.

“So about the girl… she is my cousin,” Sungchan whispers, his voice trembling. “There is absolutely nothing between us. She is a beta.”

“Oh,” Shotaro whispers back, eyes looking down at his drink. “You… You don’t have to explain it to me.”

“But I want to,” Sungchan blurts out hurriedly, eyes blown out with panic. “I must explain to you, I have to.”

“Why would it matter?”

There is silence and Sungchan ducks his head. “Because I care about you like how Donghyuck cares for Renjun.”

Shotaro freezes in his seat as Sungchan continues.

“I like you more than just a classmate, a friend. My alpha recognises your omega as its own. I liked you since the very first class we shared in my first year. The biology class with the dreaded frog dissection. You were sitting three rows away from me but I could smell you. My alpha couldn’t forget the sweet honeysuckle. You have no idea how glad I was when I smelt you again this semester.”

“Sungchan…”

“No, listen. There is only you since the very beginning. There is no one else.”

Shotaro looks up from drilling holes in the diner’s table. Their eyes meet and Shotaro bursts into laughter when he sees the teary eyes of the alpha and reaches his hand over to hold on to Sungchan’s trembling ones. Sungchan freezes at the contact and Shotaro gives him a warm smile. Sungchan twists his palm and intertwines their fingers together as Shotaro giggles at the action.

He fumbles with his pocket for a while and takes out a neatly ribboned jewellery box. Sungchan pushes it towards Shotaro who gasps at the movement. “Take a look.”

Shotaro withdraws his hand and opens the box, revealing a pretty bracelet sitting in the velvety cushion. It was a simple silver circlet and there is a fine engraving on the inner side of the bracelet.

You’re my first and last.

Shotaro chokes up at the words and Sungchan wordlessly pulls back his sleeve. The very same bracelet sits on his wrist and Shotaro sniffles at the sight of it. He swallows a lump in his throat and looks down at the bracelet in his hand. He places the bracelet back into the box and pushes it towards Sungchan.

The alpha sighs quietly and is about to keep the bracelet when Shotaro quips. “Shouldn’t you be wearing it for me?”

Sungchan breaks into a smile and holds Shotaro’s wrist gently before he unclasps the bracelet and clips it on his bony wrist carefully. Shotaro giggles and smiles at Sungchan who returns one of his bright smiles, intertwining their fingers together again.

“Thank you,” Sungchan whispers and Shotaro shakes his head.

“Thank you for accepting me.”