Archive of Our Own

Despite his soft otter appearance, Taeyong found the other to have strong skills. He was sharp and receptive, which made him an amazing dancer. He approaches him with a smile, the other smiling back.

He is the cutest thing.

“Hey Shotaro!” He greets.

“Hi hyung, I didn’t think you would come.”

“I wasn’t going to, but I got dragged by Jungwoo so here I am.”

Shotaro laughs, “I see. Well, now that you are here, care to dance?”

“Do I!” He says and pulls Shotaro by the hand to the makeshift dance floor. It doesn’t take long for them to make up some stupid moves to the hip hop beat playing through the speakers. 

Shotaro soon catches eyes with another person and Taeyong turns around to look.

“Who is he?” Taeyong asks as Shotaro waves a hand to the figure. The figure waves back with a giant smile. 

“His name is Jung Sungchan,” Shotaro answers, “we met last semester for a class.”

Sungchan is talking to Taeil, one of the seniors from Business Administration. Or well, Taeil is talking, Sungchan’s gaze, Taeyong notes, hasn’t left Shotaro all this time. A familiar gaze.

“Oh?” He finds himself asking, curiousity getting the best of him, “Are you two together?” 

Shotaro quickly shakes his head and hopes his face is not as red as he feels. “Oh no, we’re just friends.” 

“Just friends?” The younger of the two hums in response. He drinks from his cup, eyes scanning the room, purposely avoiding one section of it. Taeyong grins in fondness. The older omega was reminded of how Renjun acted when Jeno first ask him out. He was denying his feelings all over, fidgeting and tripping over everything. Then Jaemin came into the picture. It was a mess, but it worked out in the end.

In his haste to ignore the other, Shotaro doesn’t notice Sungchan leaning against the counter, looking his way with a smile on his face despite Taeil telling him off for not paying attention to him. Taeyong’s lips quirk up at the scene.

“He’s giving you heart eyes, Shota.” He says, to which Shotaro shrinks.

You see, one particular thing to know about Shotaro is that he has great guise for the things he likes. He knows how to hide his interests and passions. One of the perks you learn by being an omega with an overprotective cousin. Taeyong, however, knows him well enough to know his tell signs, like how his ears turn a brighter shade of red. 

Shotaro turns to the ground and tucks a piece of his hair behind his red ear. “We might have hooked up once,” he looks up with eyes wide, “But it was only once! And we were not very um– well aware of it.”

Taeyong knows that what Shotaro meant by that was that they were either drunk or high. It doesn’t stop him from smirking.

“It might happen again if his gaze is anything to go by.” Shotaro squeaks, and blatantly hides behind his (albeit shorter) hyung. “Look at you you’re blushing! You want him to dick you down.”

“Shhhh, don’t say that so loudly! I don’t want people finding out, especially Yuta-san.” He whisper-shouts, his head turning around in search for his older cousin.

“Still overprotective?”

“He’s been a pain in the ass,” Shotaro let’s out a sigh of relief when he doesn’t spot the older, “Geez, I’m not the fourteenth year old scared omega I was back at home! He should give me some credit.”

Taeyong hums, about to say something but a voice interrupts his train of thought.

“Hey Taro-hyung,” they both whip their faces to the voice and Shotaro’s face darkens. Sungchan is standing there in all his glory and Taeyong’s lips can’t help but to tug to one side of his face. “It’s been a while… want to get some fresh air?”

Shotaro squeaks, his voice gone quiet. “I-um..” He’s looking at Taeyong, sending what he hopes are SOS signals to get him out of this situation. He’s not ready to face Sungchan, he’s still dying of embarrassment from what happened. And if his friends say him talking to the alpha right now they will ask so many questions about what’s happening. He doesn’t want to deal with them.

But the thing is, Taeyong doesn’t know the rest of Shotaro and Sungchan’s story, so being the tease that he is he says, “Yes, please! Take him outside, he was just telling how dizzy he was starting to feel.” He emphasizes the word and shakes the other’s shoulders.

Sungchan’s eyebrows furrow and a worried expression takes over his face. “Oh Shota-hyung! We’ll go outside right now.”

Shotaro squeaks once again. Sungchan doesn’t seem to mind because he’s grabbing his hyung and pulling him outside.

Pleased, Taeyong watches them leave. “Take care of him.” he shouts.

Sungchan turns to look at him. “What?”

“Ignore him.” Shotaro says, finally being able to find his voice (after his brain supports a he’s Sungchan for fuck’s sake, get it together). “Taeyong-hyung is dumb.”

They sit by the decaying swing in front of the frat house. The boys usually have some tables to sit outside and study, but they are currently being used for drinks, so the next best thing is the swing.

Unbeknownst to his hyung, Shotaro was actually starting to feel dizzy. And surprisingly  not because of the alcohol he had chugged down when arriving to the party, just the nerves.

The party outside is a lot less rowdy compared to inside. It’s almost calming, people chattering, a few make outs by the bushes but nothing too rated R.

Shotaro feels a lot less nervous now that he is not surrounded by weed, drinks, and loud music. He’s the one sitting on the swing, Sungchan choosing to lean against the tree the swing is tied to.

“And that’s why Dr. Singo was cursing the football team and gave us a surprise quiz, which is completely unfair because I wasn’t even involved in the prank. It’s not my fault the guys pranked him.”

“Wow that must have been awful.”

“It WAS,” the alpha whines, “I don’t even know why I have to take his class. Chemistry and sports aren’t really compatible dang.”

Shotaro hums, not knowing what to add. A comfortable silence settles between them soon after. Shotaro watches the cars pass by, the street life still apparent even at almost one in the morning.

“Ahh,” Shotaro says as he looks at the time, “I should get going to my dorm, I have an early class tomorrow.”

“True true, with Dr. Eung right? Dance theory?” 

Shotaro jolts. He remembers. His omega states and writhes with the new found information. That must mean something right?

Sungchan’s just a good kid. Of course he would remember something we said at the start of the semester. That’s just how he is, Mr. Campus Heartthrob. Stop falling for him.

His omega becomes annoyed, which in turns makes him annoyed. It doesn’t last long though, because one look in Sungchan’s direction and his omega is waging its tail.

Whipped much?

“Want me to walk you back?” The athlete says. “I could offer some of the best company out there.” His arms open wide as he presents himself with a goofy smile on his face.

Shotaro giggles at the younger’s antics, “Yeah, I just want your regular old company though.”

Sungchan beams at that, his bright smile on his face. “That can be arranged as well.”

“Come on you dork.”

“As you wish.”

The first time Sungchan laid eyes on Shotaro, the other was talking to his Japanese professor. Sungchan was always interested in learning the language, so when he saw he needed an elective he was ecstatic to have a spot in the class.

At first he didn’t really pay them that much mind, preferring to go inside the classroom and grab his seat before the beta that appeared out of nowhere stole his unassigned assigned seat from him. 

The two were speaking Japanese and since this was Sungchan’s first course ever, he understood nothing. 

Having said that, what catches his attention and makes him turn around was the newcomer’s laugh. He looks pass the door and sees Shotaro (or in his case, a pretty wolf he didn’t know) throwing his head back in laughter. His heart skips a beat when he sees the other smile. And when he manages to catch his eye momentarily, a shy tight-lipped smile replaces his other open-mouthed one.

Sungchan’s heart stops, his wolf intrigued.

Oh.

The moment is gone in a second, the other’s eyes shifting to look at the professor, still talking in Japanese. It was probably a farewell because his own professor is turning to the classroom. “I’ll be going now Sensei, good luck in your class!”

Sungchan is still looking at him as he turns to leave. Why does he sound so cute? The professor nods at him, greeting the class as soon as he enters. He starts the class shortly after, but Sungchan can’t say he knew what was happening, his thoughts being stuck on the pretty wolf for the rest of the class.

The next time Sungchan sees Shotaro is during their shared class. A whole semester had gone by and Sungchan had forgotten all about him (nevermind his whole friend group knew about the Japanese wolf with pretty eyes and heartwarming smile). He walks up to class five minutes before it’s supposed to start and quickly scans the room to locate a place to sit. He recognizes the other pretty quickly, sitting in the back corner, knowing it was him because of his fluffy hair and a grey hoodie he was wearing when they first met. Sungchan sits in front of him.

Now being closer to him, Sungchan tries to discretely get a whiff of the other’s scent and oh, he’s an omega.

His alpha lets out a pleased hum.

He wastes no time and quickly starts a conversation, turning his back and holding his hand out for the other. “Hello! My name is Jung Sungchan. You can call me Sungchan.”

The other looks startled for a good second before he returns Sungchan’s smile. “Hi, I’m Osaki Shotaro.”

Shotaro. I like it.

They meet again, and again, and again.

It’s almost normal, Shotaro thinks. They just keep bumping into each other. Sungchan coincidentally passes through the halls his classes are in, even though Shotaro is sure he never saw the athlete before. He appears after his late dance practice on Tuesdays, all showered up from his football practice, and invites him to eat chicken at the nearest convenience store. They have lunch together on Monday and Friday, go to the library for two hours on Wednesday, and so on. Before he knows it, they have built a steady friendship.

Without really noticing, Shotaro makes it a habit to arrive a bit earlier to his classes, just to stand and talk to the alpha that walks by exactly twelve to seven minutes before his class starts.

From his part, Sungchan also makes it a habit to be the first one into the showers on Tuesdays, coincidentally that is. When his teammates ask what’s the rush, he shrugs, grabs his bag, and walks three buildings over.

When he arrives and he happens to see Shotaro getting his things together, he stands outside the dance studio to wait for him. It’s all purely coincidental.

It’s Tuesday, and they just picked up all their trash from the table they were sitting on outside the convenience store and threw it away. Chicken after dance and football practice was definitely the best.

They walk together to the omega’s dorm, even after Shotaro says it’s fine and that he is not a child and can walk back alone. Sungchan offers though, his puppy eyes on display, and Shotaro’s heart gives a few twirls. He looks the other way, red staining his cheeks and keeps walking, Sungchan following suit.

Shotaro was still figuring out if what he felt for the other was more than friendship. The amount of times his heart raced after a simple smile or a hug or a stupid joke are too many to count. 

His roommate, Lee Donghyuck, would tell him that if he has to think about it then the feelings are definitely there, he just needed to figure out what to do about them.

Shotaro wasn’t convinced.

They arrive quickly, the convenience store being relatively close to Shotaro’s dorm building. They stand just outside the main doors of the dorm. “This is it.” 

“Thank you Sungchan.”

“Sure hyung. I’ll be going now, have a good night!” 

“You too!”

He watches Sungchan walk away and only when he turns a corner is that Shotaro turns around and opens his bag in search of his keys. It’s only then that Shotaro notices, where the fuck are my keys? 

He kneels down and throws the contents of his bag to the floor. Water, towel, shoes, his dance clothes, phone, phone charger, headphones, wallet, but no keys. Where are the keys?!

He groans. Now was not the time for this.

He calls Donghyuck, the boy probably already asleep but his only hope.

He answers, which is a rare accurance, and Shotaro quickly asks him to open the door cause he lost his keys.

There’s a silence that follows soon after.

“Donghyuck? You there buddy?”

“Em– well Shotaro you see…”

Shotaro doesn’t understand why Donghyuck seems so hesitant until he hears a very distinctive voice in the background.

“YOU’RE WITH MARK?” He can’t help but scream.

“Shhh, you don’t have to announce it to the whole world damn.”

Shotaro is still in shock. It’s a Tuesday night, what the hell are they doing. “You little shit you could have told me!”

Donghyuck mumbles quietly, “I’m telling you right now.” And Shotaro rolls his eyes.

“Aight I see how it is. I hope he doesn’t let you cum then.”

“SHOTARO,” Donghyuck squeaks, and Shotaro can hear him shuffle and close a door. “Oh my god, you’re so embarrassing dude. We’re not doing that.”

“Oh?”

“Shotaro,” Donghyuck whines. “Mark is not one of those alphas. You know how hard I had to work to score a study-date with him? Don’t ruin this for me.”

“Okay okay,” Shotaro looks around, no one really around that could at least let him inside his apartment complex. He groans. “When are you planning to come back?” 

“I don’t know actually, he’s helping me with this test I have tomorrow… I don’t know if we’re pulling an all-nighter or not.” 

Shotaro scratches the back of his head. “Mmm, alright. Good luck then.”

“Thank you, you don’t need me to go back though? Will you be fine?”

“Forget about me okay,” he smiles, “concentrate on your test and wooing your crush.”

“Duly noted and thanks, you’re the best.”

“I know that.” Shotaro laughs before hanging up. 

He searches his brain to figure out where he could had left his keys, the only place coming to mind being the dance room.

He groans, having to walk to college and back not sounding appealing at all, but he couldn’t just stay outside.

With that, he plugs in his headphones and starts his small journey. It takes him a few long minutes to get there and he is sweating but fine overall.

After entering the room he quickly finds his keys on the table by the door. Someone must have found them and placed them there. He recalls, in his haste of picking everything up and meeting Sungchan as soon as possible, not wanting the other to wait long for him, his keys must have slipped from the bag. He signs relieved and closes the room, already planning on stopping by the convenience store from earlier to buy something else to munch on, when he hears a sneezy voice behind him.

“Hey there.” 

Shotaro turns around and lightly bows. It’s an older man, probably in his forties, alpha. He’s holding a bottle of soju on his left hand and his belt on his right. His presence terribly uneases his omega. Shotaro knows this won’t end well if he doesn’t move as soon as possible. “Hello, I’ll get going, goodnight sir.”

A hand grabs his wrist. “Ah ah, the night is just starting.”

Shotaro doesn’t wait for him to continue and twists his arm, the grip no longer hard, and pushes him away. The guy stumbles in his drunken state but whips his head with a wide and creepy smile. “Playing hard to get?”

Shotaro takes that as his cue to fucking run. The guy just laughs and runs after him. Shotaro turns a corner and enter the first room that is opened and closes it shut with lock. The man seems to have seen him do so because he starts knocking on the door. He whimpers, the knocking growing in volume. “Come on, little omega, I’m sure we can have some fun together.”

“Go away!” He tries, but the man just laughs. 

“Come on,” he whistles, “Open the door for daddy.”

Shotaro gags. That’s disturbing.

He shakes off his nerves and grabs his phone, dialing the first number that comes to mind.

Sungchan enters the frat house he has been calling his home for the past two years. Johnny and Yuta are sitting on the couch watching Flash while Doyoung is doing some late-night cooking in the kitchen. The others must be in their rooms or something, so Sungchan walks into the living room and sits on the carpet in front of the TV.

“How’s it going puppy? Any news?” Johnny says, being the oldest, he’s what they could call a leader from the outside. They all consider him Papa-bear though.

Sungchan sighs, his head still in the clouds. “Just that I’m in love with this omega.” He says.

“Nothing new then?” Yuta snickers. Sungchan groans, his hands hiding his blushing face. 

“He is so cute hyungs.” He turns around. Johnny has the decency to pause the episode and give him his full attention. Meanwhile, Yuta is all smirks. It’s irritating. “You don’t understand how hard it is for my heart not to burst when he simply smiles in my direction.”

“Did you confess?” Yuta brings, to which Sungchan shakes his head. “Don’t bring me into this if you haven’t confessed then.”

“Yuta.” Johnny gives him a look and Yuta rolls his eyes.

“I’m just messing with you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine hyung. But seriously, I want him, all of him. I want his laughs, his smiles, his triumphs and frustrations. I want to be the one he calls before going to bed and the one he wakes up thinking about. I want to give him the world, the whole universe if he asked for it–”

“Wow that was cheesy.” Yuta says, which earns him a slap in the arm from Johnny.

Sungchan blushes. “I know I’m in it deep, that’s why I could never forgive myself if I ever made him feel uncomfortable. What if he doesn’t want to see me after I tell him my feelings?” 

“I don't think that could ever happen Sungchan. I’m sure as hell Shotaro isn’t like that. Right Yuta?”

But Yuta doesn’t answer, he’s watching Sungchan, calculating eyes never leaving his dongsaeng. Sungchan shifts uncomfortably under his gaze, Yuta was always adamant in keeping Shotaro safe. “I still don’t approve of this.”

“You’re just being overprotective.” Johnny waves him off. “You know all too well that Sungchan is the best wolf out there for your baby cousin. You just refuse to admit it.”

Yuta scrunches his nose and looks away. “No comment.”

“See?”

“Ugh, fine.” Sungchan perks up at that. Yuta usually just laughs at him and doesn’t really offer any sort of insight on wooing his baby cousin, so he pays close attention to his next words.

“If you really want Shotaro to look at you that way, you got to show him you are willing to do anything for him. Be there for him when he needs it, listen to him and make him feel like he’s the only omega in the world.”

Sungchan purses his lips. “How do I do that?”

“How about you–“ Yuta starts but then a phone rings. Sungchan grumbles, telling his hyung to hold his thought as he crawls to his bag next to the couch to grab his phone. “Hello?”

“Sungchan.” Comes the quivering answer from the other line. His eyebrows furrow. “Sungchan I need your help. There this drunk outside and he keeps knocking on the door and telling me to open it but I don’t want to Sungchan, I really don’t want to.”

He doesn’t notice how his scent instantly changes, but Yuta and Johnny both share a worried look. “I’ll be right there Shota-hyung. Can you tell me where you are?”

At the mention of his baby cousin’s name, Yuta stands up. He’s already putting his shoes on and opening the front door. Sungchan follows him out, Johnny behind them.

“I-I don’t really know? I just heard him come  closer and entered the first room that was opened.” A loud crash and a whimper. “Please Sungchan he’s kicking the door.”

“Stay on the line okay baby, don’t hang up.” Shotaro mumbles an okay…

“Where is he?” Yuta asks.

“Fuck I don’t know,” Sungchan says. “I left him in front of his dorm?”

Shotaro seems to have listen because he answers, “Dance studio.” Okay, that’s close to NEOs house. “I was looking for my keys when this guy just–Oh no.” Sungchan heart stops.

“Hey there sweetheart.”

The door swings open. 

“Stay away from me!” He says. The man is walking closer and he pushes the only table in the room to block his path.

“That’s no way to treat daddy now is it?” The man releases pheromones that makes Shotaro’s omega want to submit, but he refuses to do so. 

“Stop! Stop it, don’t you dare touch me!” Shotaro yells. The man lunges and is able to grab his shirt. He pushes the hand but the man is pulling him towards his body.

“And what are you going to do about it?” He snickers. “Whine?”

Instead, Shotaro head bumps the man in the nose and punches him in the face. The man is caught completely off guard. He stumbles and loses his balance, crashing on the floor. Shotaro uses this chance to run out the room. 

He has to thank Yuta for those –albeit annoying but very much needed– self defense lessons.

In his rush he bumps into a few corners (were those always there?) but doesn’t stop to check because he hears the man running after him. His legs are sore from dance practice earlier so he isn’t as fast as he would have like but again that doesn’t stop him from running with all his might.

A growl stops him on his tracks, and then he hears fighting. He turns around to see the man on the floor, a familiar looking alpha beating the shit out of him.

Sungchan.

“Sungchan!” He finds himself calling.

The boy looks up, and with one final punch he jumps and runs to Shotaro. Johnny and Yuta appear right after, and hold the guy down while calling the authorities.

Sungchan engulfs him in a hug and he hugs him back, pressing his face into the other’s neck. The younger is releasing calming pheromones that has Shotaro’s shaken omega whine. It engulfs them in a sheet of protection and soon enough they both relax into the alpha’s arms. His legs give out at some point and they lower themselves to the ground. Shotaro rubs his face against Sungchan’s neck, shaking. “I was so scared. I thought he would–“ he stops, not wanting to think about it. His stomach twists. 

It takes him a while to pull away and Sungchan can see tears on his eyes. His heart breaks at the sight. “I’m glad you came, Sungchan.”

When they arrive at his apartment later that night, after not only Yuta but Sungchan checking if he had anything on him, to which he just said no, Sungchan holds the door for him and they enter. He quietly thanks him.

Yuta wanted to bring him over, but Shotaro just wanted to go under his covers and sleep, and he knew his cousin would have some sort of lecture advice or something. After much persuasion, Yuta suggested to at least let Sungchan accompany you back. Shotaro didn’t say no to that. Now inside the lobby of the dorms, they stand side by side without saying anything. 

“I’m not leaving until I see you enter your room.”

“Sungchan,” Shotaro starts about to retort but one look at Sungchan's expression has him stopping.

“I’m not kidding hyung. Yuta-hyung will have my head and I will never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”

Shotaro’s heart skips a beat at that. He mumbles a quiet, “Okay.”

Another silence settles. They are still looking at each other, no one makes a move to leave.

I should probably go…

“Can I hug you again?” Sungchan says.

Shotaro stops, a goofy smile on his lips. “I don’t know, can you?” 

Sungchan rolls his eyes, a pretty smile making its way to his face as he licks his upper teeth. “Come here.” He mumbles, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards his body. Sungchan engulfs him in another hug, and Shotaro feels his omega melting at the touch.

Before letting go Sungchan whispers. “I promise I’ll protect you Shotaro-hyung. I’ll be there for you every time you need me.”

It shakes his omega in special way. They part, Shotaro taking the stairs despite his room being on the third floor. He takes a quick shower, and gets into bed right after.

That night, Shotaro dreams of strong arms and wide shoulders holding him while soft hands caress his thigh.

The fright Shotaro had that night went away after a few days. He always knew omegas were considered easy targets so he was shaken up to the core. But he felt safe, Sungchan hadn’t left his side ever since.

He even spent the night a few times, which they had never done before, with the whole alpha and omega situation.

But it’s fun, they have finished two series already and started watching a few movies as well. 

His omega is absolutely smitten by him.

Today is no different. Sungchan asks if he can spend the night again to which he says yes. Donghyuck would be staying with Mark again, having hurriedly said something about a project he needed to finish before leaving that morning. After their afternoon classes they walk to his dorm and heat up some ramen to eat.

They are sitting on the couch watching some TV and eating their instant ramen when Sungchan’s phone rings.

It’s Ten.

“Hello?” He answers with his mouth full. Shotaro gags, motioning him to close his mouth. Sungchan ignores him.

“Ready to have some fun tonight?”

And that’s how it started. A couple hours later they find themselves in Ten’s apartment two buildings over Shotaro’s dorm. The beta was holding a small make-shift party to celebrate his pass on one of the hardest exams his degree held. Only a handful of people were lying around his place, either playing video games, drinking, or smoking.

On the couch, Sungchan grabs the vape and breaths in, letting the air fill his lungs before exhaling. His vision crosses and he knows he is absolutely gone. Beside him, Shotaro takes another whiff and slowly lets it out. He looks so attractive doing so that Sungchan thinks it’s completely unfair. He tells him this and Shotaro giggles.

He takes another whiff and turns to Sungchan, holding his face and puckers his lips before blowing the smoke to his face. Sungchan breathes it in, and fuck- this should not be so arousing.

In the background there is a nice and slow tone playing from one of those playlists with no lyrics people use to study. It sets the mood, as well as the fairy lights Ten has hung around his apartment. He was always someone who’s creative expression marked everything of his.

They are only there for a few hours. Someone pukes, a groan entails, and soon the owner of the apartment is asking people to leave so he can clean up.

Soon after that they make their way back to Shotaro’s dorm. They land on the bed side by side and breath out.

“I am fucking gone, but this is a nice feeling.” Shotaro mumbles. His brain is bussing and he swears he can see colors.

“Yeah.” Sungchan agrees. He is gone as well, his eyes closing for a second so the world stops spinning. How did they manage to make it back safely, Sungchan doesn’t know. He turns to his side to face Shotaro. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you looked attractive as hell smoking that joint by the way. It’s completely unfair to the rest of us.”

Shotaro rolls his eyes. “Oh shush, as if you don’t have a thousand fans girls chasing you everyday Mr. Campus Heartthrob. If anyone is attractive here it’s you.”

The revelation perks his interest. “You really think so?”

Shotaro turns to look at Sungchan. His eyes are big and red. “Why are we even talking about this? Did the smoke get to your head?”

His brain to mouth filter seems to not work because he says, “You’ve been the only one stuck in my head ever since we met.”

“What?”

What happens next is the result of jumble words, repressed emotions, and two people being high. That night, they were truly connected, bodies together and feelings unveiled.

The next morning, Shotaro wakes up confused. Sungchan is still sleeping beside him, nothing out of the ordinary. He has a headache and decides to take a shower before anything else. Only when he comes out and sees himself in the bathroom mirror that he shrieks, memories from last night flooding his mind.

Soft hands grabbing his thighs. A mouth against his chest.

His mouth meeting exposed skin, a groan being released after sucking said skin and arousing pheromones filling his nose.

Shotaro throwing his head back, gasping for air.  The feeling of being completely full overwhelming in the best way possible.

To his horror, he distinctly remembers him asking the younger alpha to mark him. He leans over the sink to check his neck for any marks but doesn’t find any bite, just a lot of patches of red. He lets out a sigh of relief. 

He walks out to see Sungchan still asleep, arms behind his neck and chest exposed. Shotaro blushes at the sight of love bites across the tanned skin, but then his omega provides an unhelpful thought that has him stop in his tracks.

Why didn’t you mark me?

Startled, he puts on some jeans and a shirt, picks up his things, and rushes to his friend’s apartment one floor up. 

Does he not want us?

He knocks on the door erratically. When Jaemin opens the door, a frown on his sleepy face, Shotaro doesn’t wait to say, “How can you talk to someone you had sex with when you were high?”

Whatever sleep Jaemin had in his body left the moment Shotaro said those words.

“Come in, I’ll make you some tea.”

They close the door with a click.

Half an hour goes by without a word being mentioned. Jaemin fixes tea while Shotaro stares into space. Jaemin glances back, worried for his friend. He pours the tea into a cup and places it on the counter in front of Shotaro.

“Tell me, what happened? Who did you.. What happened?” Shotaro hums, drinking tea. There’s another moment of silence before he answers.

“I… You know Ten-hyung had a party last night? And I was with…”

“Sungchan.” Jaemin says under his breath, somewhat shocked.

Shotaro bits his lip, eyes darting to look at the floor. “Sungchan.” 

“Isn’t that a good thing then? He must feel something towards you. You can tell him your feelings.”

“I-It’s not that simple. You see, I…” he clears his throat, eyes darting to look at the cup in his hands, “I asked him to mark me.”

“Oh.” Jaemin mouth drops before he smiles tenderly. “Well… then you really love him.”

“That’s not it. I mean, I don’t know, I just don’t understand anything right now. We were fine the way we were, why did we…,” he sighs, voice strained.

Jaemin slows, taking Shotaro’s cup and setting it on the counter.

“Shotaro,” Jaemin holds his hands, making him look up at him. Their gaze meet, Shotaro’s eyes holding tears for dear life. “Friends don’t look at friends that way.”

That’s what it took for the dam to break. Shotaro cries, all his frustrations leaving his body. “I know! God I know, I’m absolutely in love with him but I’m torn in two right now. I was taught to wait until marriage. And even regardless of that, having someone mark you is sacred. It tells that you are willing to be with this person for the rest of your life. That you are theirs and that they are the only one for you in this whole god damn world.” He hides his face in his arms, having pushed the cup of tea to one side so he could settle in it’s place. His nails create moon figures on his skin. “I’m so scarred, Jaemin. My omega was so willing to have him mark us. And this is the first time we did anything like this. How is it so sure Sungchan is the right one for us? How can I trust myself around him knowing I want him to be mine and only mine?”

He cries, his mind going to what his family might think. “I never cared for tradition, but my family strongly believes in that. I can’t betray them.”

That seems to spark something in Jaemin. A hand touches his shoulder and Shotaro glances at him. “Babe, I know family can be frustrating, but tradition is changing. Things are done differently nowadays compare to before. Do you think my relationship with Jeno and Renjun would be easily accepted before? Not at all, but we worked through it because no one outside of us should have a say on what happens between us.” He brushes Shotaro’s hair back, holding his face in his hands and cleaning the tears away. “Just talk to him, okay? I’m sure you both can find a solution together.”

Shotaro limits himself to nod in response, then he hugs his friend, silently crying until there are no more tears left to cry.

They don’t talk about it. Partly because Shotaro refuses to meet Sungchan’s gaze and an even bigger part because, well, he’s avoiding him.

His omega is absolutely fighting him because of it, wanting the alpha closer now more than ever. But Shotaro is a nervous-wreck and every time he sees the alpha approaching him something in him just makes him run in the opposite direction. Blame his prey mentality for it, he doesn’t care. Talking to Sungchan is the last thing he wants right now.

The world has other plans though. It takes them a week to get their act together, and it’s only because Yuta brought Sungchan with him while visiting his baby cousin.

“You two need to talk.” Is the first thing he says when Shotaro opens the door and, to his dismay, sees not only his cousin but the alpha haunting his thoughts and dreams as well.

Shotaro squeaks. “Yuta-san!”

“I’m not leaving until you talk to him. End of discussion.”

Thankfully by then all the love bites against his neck and chest were gone. He doesn’t know how he would have explained those to Yuta. Jaemin had made a whole fuss about it and Donghyuck wouldn’t stop teasing him. His omega absolutely loved the attention, it was a constant reminder of their night together. Shotaro on the other hand would blush and tell them to shut up and focus on your exams. He almost regrets spending his time with them instead of Sungchan. Either way, the alpha would be brought up every few hours. His friends would tell him how the other is doing and give him advices he wouldn’t follow.

He sighs, friends am I right?

The three of them enter his dorm and sit on the couch, Yuta in the middle of the two. Out of habit he asks them if they wanted anything to drink, to which they say no.

“Yuta-hyung, I really appreciate this but maybe you should leave.” Sungchan says but Yuta shakes his head.

“I’m not leaving you alone with him. I want to know what happened, why are you two suddenly avoiding each other?”

Shotaro’s face heats up. So Yuta doesn’t know. He quietly thanks the heavens and Sungchan for it.

“We had a dumb fight.” He says instead. Yuta raises an eyebrow while Sungchan shoots him a look. “You know how childish I get when we fight.”

“Really Shotaro? I thought you grew out of that. Now you’re going to apologize to Sungchan for avoiding him.”

Sungchan raises his hands, “No, it’s actually fine—”

“No it’s not.” Shotaro says quietly.  He looks down at his lap, his fingers fidgeting. “I’m sorry for leaving, I just…” I realized I wanted you to mark me and got scared. “I didn’t know what to say. It’s my fault.”

“No! It’s mine, I shouldn’t have done– I wouldn’t have– I would had left if it made you so uncomfortable.” He meets Sungchan’s pleading eyes. They try to convey more, and Shotaro knows he is stopping himself from saying what he really wants to for his sake, since Yuta was still there. 

Sungchan is really considerate of us.

Shotaro looks away and he is sure the back of his neck is as red as a tomato. Despite his omega wanting nothing more than to jump on the alpha and have him make them his, he says. “Sungchan just accept my apology. I don’t want to talk about this.”

He can pinpoint the exact moment the younger deflates. His omega is absolutely furious, quickly reprehending him for hurting their alpha. He ignores it.

“See? Now y’all made up, it wasn’t that hard was it?” Yuta says, unaware of the situation around him. 

Sungchan nods, a tight smile on his face. “Thank you Yuta-hyung. I’ll get going,” he stands up and meets Shotaro’s gaze, “I’ll see you later?”

All Shotaro can do is nod.

When they meet three days later, Sungchan doesn't bring up their encounter. Not even the next few times they meet. 

Shotaro is grateful that Sungchan respects his decision. You guys are almost back to normal, Jaemin tells him one night with a raised eyebrow. Shotaro knows though, despite seeming to have their act back together, there’s a silent tension that settles between them every so often, but none of them dare to mention it. There has been a few lingering touches that weren’t there before, like a hand on his waist or a kiss on the head. Soft touches that remind him of their night together and has him blushing the first couple of times it occurs.

By the end of each day he is sure he smells like Sungchan. The younger pulls him into hugs more often than not and buries his head on his neck. His omega is always happy because of it. Donghyuck even asked if they were dating, to which he declined.

“Well, you stink of him.” He had said right after.

“And you stink of Mark, but you don’t see me telling you that.” Donghyuck squeaked at that, indignant.

It had been about two or maybe three weeks since they started talking again that the NEOs threw their party. Truth be told, Shotaro wasn’t planning on going, but Jaemin and Donghyuck had dragged him to it. 

They were tired of Shotaro pinning over someone who was ‘obviously already in love with him’, their words not his. And while Jaemin had advise him to Talk to Sungchan. You won’t get any clarification of your and his feelings if you don’t talk to him, Donghyuck had provided an unhelpful Get drunk and get that alpha dick!

And that’s how they find themselves now, walking back to Shotaro’s dorm.

Shotaro was planning on completely ignoring their advise. He knew his nerves were going to be the end of him if he continued whatever they were doing but he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it.

It was just so easy to… be with Sungchan without having to talk about it. And he was scared to disrupt their little dynamic if he did. He knows the talk was long overdue, but something stopped him every time.

It takes them a while to walk back. Sungchan is his goofy self and brings Shotaro to laughs every few minutes despite the worries in the back of his head. When they eventually do step in front of his dorm complex, his stomach is hurting but he wears a wide smile on his face.

“We’re here!”

“You’re a dork, you know that right?”

“Your dork though.” Sungchan swiftly says and Shotaro laughs, his omega pleased with the comment. 

“You can go back now.”

“No goodnight hug?” Sungchan pouts and Shotaro playfully rolls his eyes. He wraps his arms around Sungchan’s neck and the younger picks him up by the waist and spins him around. He lowers him and leaves a little kiss on the lower side of his neck. And another one on the top. Shotaro was about to hum when Sungchan steps away with a smile on his face. “Thanks hyung, now you can go.”

Shotaro clears his throat. “Right...”

He moves to go inside his dorm when he stops on his tracks. Donghyuck is probably staying out tonight so no one would be at the dorm, only him and…

Something in him just clicks.

Okay, it’s now or never.

He turns around. “You want to come in?”

Sungchan is… surprised to say the least. He had stopped coming to Shotaro’s apartment after that night, not even for movies much less a sleepover. He seems to be deep in thought and then his doe eyes does the thing and Shotaro knows exactly what’s going through his mind. He fights the blush. Sungchan shakes his head. “If it’s not a bother…”

“Not at all!” He says far too quickly. His omega is wagging it’s tail, the prospect of Sungchan finally going to their apartment after the events that occurred last time he was there bringing excitement to his body. Dang Shotaro, you’re in it deep. “I-I could use the company.”

Sungchan’s goofy smile eases Shotaro’s nerves. “As I said before, I could offer some of the best company out there.” A playful wink.

Shotaro doesn’t say anything, just turning back around and entering the building. Sungchan follows him.

Soon, they find themselves in Shotaro’s bed, watching a movie. It was the Disney film Atlantis. Sungchan was a big Disney fan and they had talked about watching all the old movies together before that happened.

He stands up and goes to the kitchen without saying anything and comes back to the laptop being put on his bed, Sungchan tilting his head in question. Before he asks Shotaro answers, holding a few individual bags in his hands, “Just some snacks for us.”

Sungchan hums, You do know your snacks.”

Sungchan takes some of them and opens the bag up, plopping one piece inside his mouth before taking another and giving it to Shotaro. Shotaro eats it, his lips faintly touching Sungchan’s fingers.

Sungchan brings them to his mouth, licking the crumbs. Shotaro looks away, grabbing the laptop and settling it on his thighs.

They watch the movie in silence, unless a funny part comes, then they laugh. Each time it happens their bodies gravitate towards each other, and before he notices Shotaro has his head leaning in Sungchan’s neck and Sungchan has an arm around the omega’s shoulder. 

Something in the atmosphere shifts, and then the silent tension that settles between once in a while comes barging in, only this time Shotaro wants to play. 

He shifts, face pressed into Sungchan's neck, scenting himself. It’s supposed to be cute, have Sungchan ask what he was doing and then they would scent each other.

He didn’t think Sungchan would groan or move his neck so he could have better access.

“Shotaro…” the alpha mumbles when the omega softly bites his neck.

The movie is long forgotten, the laptop moved to the end of the bed by their feet without even noticing. Their scents mingle so well together, a nice combination made from heaven. They stare at each other, not saying a word. 

Shotaro licks his lips and Sungchan’s eyes follow the movement. He knows the alpha is itching to touch him, to kiss him and press their bodies like they did last time. But he waits, not wanting to overstep a boundary, waiting for the omega’s firm consent. 

Shotaro blushes at the thought. He remembers, faintly. Even when they were high, Sungchan had waited for him to give the green light. How the hell was Sungchan able to? Shotaro doesn’t know, but he found himself kissing Sungchan, the alpha quickly pulling him on his lap, their lips finding a rhythm. Suddenly clothes were taken off and the rest is history.

Thinking back at it and all the times they shared, is all the encouragement he needs to move his body and straddle Sungchan. The alpha releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his hands moving to hover next to Shotaro’s hips, waiting. 

Shotaro leans closer, their foreheads touching. “We… we have to talk about us, you know.” He whispers.

Sungchan hums, his voice low. “I don’t want you to run away though.”

“I won’t.” Shotaro says, his hands coming to rest on the alpha’s chest. “I know what I want now.”

“Are you sure?” Sungchan asks just above a whisper, afraid to shatter the moment. He really wants Shotaro, he’s the only omega plaguing his thoughts since they first started being friends. The only one for him. But was Shotaro ready for that?

Shotaro releases a shaky breath. This is it. It was now or never. He doesn’t care what his parents will think, what his family will say. He wants this, he wants Sungchan to be a constant part of his life.

He straightens up, hands moving to cup the alpha’s face and stares straight into his eyes without faltering. “I want to be yours, Sungchan. Will you be mine?”

Sungchan's grin after he says those words is wide and his eyes light up like the stars in the night. Shotaro falls in love all over again. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Kiss me, Sungchan.”

And who is Sungchan to deny his omega’s wishes.