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Sunoo felt the pre-heat symptoms a few days ago but he brushed it off, he still has at least two weeks till his next heat, and he was drowning to the prim with his royal duties.
After his last heat, his father, the king, declared that he'll do an open party and everyone in their kingdom is invited, princes elsewhere are also welcomed, as long as they're alphas or betas.
The youngest and only second child to the king presented as omega a year ago, and when he was delighted that his beloved son is healthy and okay, the young prince's first heat was a disaster.
He had the worst symptoms, vomiting, abdominal cramps that he cries because of, high fever, he can't even walk and keeps calling for his soulmate.
At first, doctors thought it was because he freshly presented and the prince has a somehow weak body, but with the third heat kicking in, the king had enough. He will find his son's soulmate and get the two to mate if it meant to stop the suffering of sunoo.
And as sunoo was doing his masseurs for his new suit for the party, as the prince lost so much weight, he felt another wave of pain hits him.
"Your highness? Are you okay?" The beta asked, slightly concerned at the pale face. Sunoo wanted to answer, he really did, but nothing welcomed him but the familiar yet not welcomed darkness. "Sir Choi!" He called quickly as he tried to catch the unconscious body.
Sir choi yeonjun, sunoo's first knight and the one who accompanies him to everywhere everyday blast into the room quickly, "what happened?!" He asked but it hit him right away, sunoo is in his pre-heat. His soft scent of vanilla is now mixed with chocolate.
Yeonjun immediately walked to his prince and carried him to his chest, sighing at how light he has become, "I'll bring his highness to his room, we'll send you a notice to when you can come by to the castle to finish your work."
The alpha sighed, the pale face of sunoo makes his heart aches, he watched sunoo basically growing up, how pretty his smile is and how prettier his heart was.
"The prince is in his pre-heat babe, please order the maids to make some herbs tea and his temperature is high as well, prepare him some cold water"
"Is he okay?!"
"He will be, hopefully. He is unconscious now and I'm carrying him home."
"I hope the party will go well and we find his mate, I can't see him suffering anymore"
"Me neither baby, me neither."
✿✿✿
Sunoo woke up to a very kind and familiar boyish voice calling him. His lids felt heavy and his whole body was burning up except his forehead that felt rather cold.
"Sweetheart, can you answer me? I'm really worried. It's the middle of the day and you didn't answer my calls in few hours." The kind voice of his soulmate rang in his head.
The omega whined out of pain first, feeling his head pound, "I'm really sorry, I think I fainted when I was doing my measurements."
"Fainted! Are you okay dear? You told me you're eating better lately?" His tone sounded sad and laced with worry.
"I know," he cut himself to sigh and he doesn't know if his soulmate hears it or not, "I think it's my pre-heat symptoms... I... I really hope I'll survive this time if we couldn't meet."
"Darling... we will meet when it's destined to happen. My dad wants me to go for some business meeting at the near kingdom and I can't say no to that. But I told him I'll go on a search for my soulmate right after that and he agreed. I'll find you, sweetheart. And I'll stop this suffering, I swear by your name."
Tears filled the prince's eyes that he can't really pinpoint if it was out of relief or sadness. He always believed that good things and bad things happen for a reason and at the correct time, but he can't wait anymore. It has been four years of being in love with his soulmate, four years of listening to his voice by telepathy, and four tiring years with him not knowing his soulmate's name or where he is.
"I will wait for you. No matter how much it takes." Was all he can reply before his room was opened. The sick omega turned his head slowly and his (now hot) cloth slipped from his forehead. Even in his hazy state he still can recognize the firm smell of forest and rain engulfing him, putting all his senses at ease in the presence of his knight.
"Hyung," sunoo whispered as yeonjun grabbed the cloth and wetted it again, "how do you feel, my prince?"
The omega smiled sadly, pitting his own state, "if I don't meet him this time I won't survive. I know myself hyung. I have ten days if we're lucky enough till my heat hits." His tone was serious but laced with sadness. He didn't want this to happen, not or any time soon. But curse his weak body.
"Don't worry my prince. He will be here this Friday, you'll meet him and we won't lose our kingdom's treasure. I won't lose you, your highness." Yeonjun tried to reassure him but he mostly was reassuring himself. He basically watched sunoo grow his whole life and swear his life to protect the innocent prince no matter what.
He didn't notice his frown, or how he met his scent sours with stress until he felt the tender hand grabs his, tiny and warm fingers brushing softly against yeonjun's bigger ones, "he will come. But he doesn't know he's coming to meet me," sunoo smiled weakly.
Yeonjun widened his eyes and immediately sat down next to the prince, "what do you mean, your highness?? He told you that?"
Sunoo looked at his lap and slowly nodded, having mixed feelings about the situation. "He said he's leaving his kingdom soon for a party his father wants him to attend, and the date is very much the same date as ours. He is coming hyung. But I have no idea what is his name or what he looks like. And I don't know what will he do if he found out who I am."
A pause.
"What if I wasn't for his liking. And I die alone. In intense heat. My omega will never be able to take rejection, not after longing for him for so long." As the prince voiced out his concern, yeonjun found himself gently guiding him to his chest. Hands habitually finding their way to pat down at the prince's black hair, his scent was comforting, like morning soft rain during spring.
Sunoo melted into the affectionate gesture, finding the comfort he needs. "My prince, if there was anyone who's lucky in this whole universe then it would be your soulmate. You're a very kind, pure, and innocent soul that watching you alone is enough to make me and my alpha have the hugest urge to protect you. You have the biggest heart and you forgive anyone who was bad to you and helps anyone who seeks help from you."
He took a deep breath of the sweet vanilla scent and continued, "you have the most precious smile ever, and even with a weak body ever since childhood, you kept on your positivity. You're more than you give yourself credit for my prince. You're a whole gem, and if your soulmate can't see that, then hyung will show him how." That certainly made sunoo chuckle even though his eyes were filled with tears.
"He's another prince though," the younger looked up and yeonjun knitted his eyebrows, "doesn't matter! Whoever hurts my precious prince, is deserving of my punishment." He said in his usual overprotectiveness, making sunoo chuckle more.
"But I'm speaking the truth. My prince, you're really everything any alpha or partner would've asked for, and your appearance could woo any and every single person to come your way. Don't you believe what hyung says?" And sunoo hummed, letting himself believe what his hyung has said. Tucking his head into the warm chest.
✿✿✿
A week later, and under the very watchful eyes of both his knight and doctor, sunoo found himself in a dazzling white suit walking around the party with his arm linked with the knight.
The event was overwhelming, so many strong scents were surrounding him, and he can't go there without someone to ground him in, who was yeonjun by his side.
He kept on a polite smile and bowed slightly while welcoming whoever approached him to introduce themselves. But sunoo doesn't feel the connection, doesn't feel whatever electricity shock yeonjun had felt and talked about a lot when he met soobin.
So he waited.
Until his father called for him. He excused himself politely from the beta prince who was talking to him and made his way to his father. He noticed two people talking to him as soon as he was close enough to see. And one guard standing behind them. Princes usually walk without guards but kings do- "oh there he is! Let me introduce you to my youngest son, sunoo."
Sunoo immediately let go of his knight and bowed prince-likely to the king in front of him, who looked very much pleased and kind to him, his scent is subtle and very unnoticeable, meanwhile, he was having a hard time breathing from a very new and overwhelming scent surrounded him suddenly.
"It's my pleasure to meet you, your grace." Sunoo managed to say without stuttering, offering his kind smile to the older alpha, "oh my, you're really one of your kind, prince sunoo. The pleasure is mine in this case. Please let me introduce you to my oldest son, the crown prince, park sunghoon."
Sunoo was on average of coughing and gasping loudly for his need to air, that unfamiliar strong scent of what he thinks was flowers? Roses? Something shouldn't be too foreign as sunoo loves to spend his time in the palace's garden, hit him.
But when he finally dropped his eyes at the prince he felt his knee weaken. He now knows. He knows why the scent was overwhelming him. It wasn't an electric shock-like how yeonjun described to him countless times before. No, this felt like a sudden warm hug. Like he found out where he should be and what he should do.
And as sunoo looked more into his soulmate's eyes, he realized that the older prince has recognized him too. He took a step forward and bowed down in front of sunoo, raising himself to look at the prince's eyes, "park sunghoon, your highness. If you let me?" His voice was still the same kind familiar tone.
And sunoo let him. He gave him his hand which sunghoon kissed gently. Suddenly the overwhelming scent isn't overwhelming anymore. Instead, it's warm and welcoming.
"You're here. You're really here"
"Yes, my prince. Sunoo. Your name is so beautiful. I told you I will find you no matter what."
"Son? Is there anything you want to tell us?" Sunghoon's father cut their time staring at each other, and sunghoon noticed that he didn't let go of the young omega's hand. He turned around to the two kings who were giving them all the attention and nodded.
"Father. And your highness. I want you to know that prince sunoo is my destined mate, and as much as it's surprising to you. It's the same for me. I came here not knowing I will find my soulmate, but I think I'm lucky enough to find him sooner than later."
Sunoo's heart swells with love, looking at the back of sunghoon's wide shoulders, basking in his comforting scent, he can't help but feel the familiarity of having sunghoon communicating with him for the past four years wash over him. If he wasn't standing in front of two kings, he would've stuck to the alpha's arm and purr contently.
Sunoo's father was first to react, relief overtaking him and congratulated the newfound future mates and the other king followed suit. Sunghoon quickly excused them as he felt the tug on the hem of his dark blue suit.
Sunoo led them to his wing in the castle, neither of them felt the need to talk throughout the walk. And when sunoo closed the door to his huge bedroom behind them he can finally breathe deeply. Looking back to the prince behind him.
"I say it's quite brave of you to bring an alpha prince to your room at the first meet." The older was the first to break the silence and sunoo smiled softly, ignoring his reddish cheeks. "I know you won't do anything to take advantage of me, your highness."
"Sunghoon is enough; I really want to hear you say my name." Came the soft reply as he reached up to cup sunoo's warm cheek, his finger immediately rubbed at the soft, flawless skin, "you don't know how worried I was for you, and how glad I am to find you, sunoo"
The omega purred very lowly, an action he rarely does, and leaned into the touch, "again. Say my name again, please." He shouldn't sound sad, but sunghoon caught it, using his other hand to lift the younger's face up by his chin, "sunoo, darling. Look at me, you're safe now, I got you, and I'll take good care of you. I promise."
That all it takes to have sunoo's lip jolt out and quiver, letting his vanilla scent blast overwhelmingly through the room as he hugged his prince, his alpha, tightly, crying what looks like had been built up for so long. His fear of dying, his worries from not finding his mate, his longing to sunghoon. All built up to be out into the warm embrace of park sunghoon.
Maybe he waited for so long, but the warm and comforting scent of roses along with the warm hands around his waist and patting his hair was enough to believe that the future will be better. That sunghoon will really take good care of him.
And he can't wait to see that happen.