Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Eh?”

Leo stared at the gold trimmed envelope in front of him. Right in the middle was his name written cursive handwriting, that was undoubtedly his friend’s. The said friend sat across him, a sheepish smile on his face, hiding behind his long dark hair. Both happy and in disbelief, Leo picked up the envelope and gently opened it, pulling out a pristine white card with more gold trimming. And on the card said:

Leo Kuga

You are cordially invited to the wedding of

Shu Yamino and Luca Kaneshiro.

Looking up from the invitation, Leo looked at his friend, blinking. “E-Eh?!”

“Yipee! I’m getting married!” Shu exclaimed, a light blush growing on his pale cheeks.

Oh, Leo’s happy for his friend- extremely happy even. But he was at a loss of words. He stared at the invitation again. So he’s getting married to that rich man he met barely two years ago at the Charity Dinner the Kaneshiro’s held. Damn. Lucky alpha.

“You’re abandoning me?!” Leo half-shouted. 

“Huh?”

“I’m going to be single alone?!”

And Shu burst into laughter while Leo’s lips formed into a pout. It had been Leo’s crisis for the past five years- being single, that is. It certainly was not the consequences of actively pushing away confessions and blind dates- certainly it wasn’t… as Leo claimed it wasn't. He’s picky as he claimed, but at the same time, openly crying out loud that he was maidenless.

“You have been single alone since I started dating Luca.” Shu pointed out, picking up his bottle, waving it around as he made a point.

“But.. this is different…” Leo whined, burying his face in the card, sighing loudly. “Everyone around me is dating, getting married and spouting children. And there is me. 31 and maidenless.”

The other man smiled politely. “I mean, you did reject the times your parents set you up for a blind date.”

“Hey, they were forcing me, okay? I would like to meet someone willingly.” He huffed, crossing his arms like a child. “Is there something wrong with me? Am I not attractive?”

“Everyone is just blind to see your beauty, Mr Kuga.” Shu said, snickering. “You’ll find your person. Stop worrying.”

Leo huffed once more, before taking a look at the invitation again. It’s going to be held in Australia, a 15 hour flight from the US, two months ahead from now. Surely, Leo could make some arrangements to meet his family in Japan at the same time. 

“Australia, huh? Why not here in the US?” He wondered.

“Luca’s Australian so he wants to hold it there. In exchange, he’ll move to the US. His house will be used as a Vacation Home.” 

Damn. Shu scored well.

“Woah. So he’s that rich.” Leo commented. “I guess that’s what a conglomerate’s son’s pockets are like.” He sighed, thinking about his hourly wage of $25- not including taxes. 

“Once you RSVP, we’ll settle all the tickets and hotel bookings for you. Easier for you guys too!”

“Eh?! You guys are covering that too?”

Shu cocked his head to the right, looking at his friend as if he’d grown an extra head. “Of course. We’re inviting you over to our wedding, why would you be the one spending money? If anything, you’ll have to bring extra money if you wanna hang around in Australia for a bit!” 

True. Maybe Leo had been scammed too many times to spend thousands over family weddings in outrageous parts of the globe. 

“Oh. So I suppose Luca is covering all the expenses?”

It took a sheepish smile on Shu’s face for Leo to get an answer. “Honestly, I’m not used to this either.” Shu whispered. “I remember when he told me all this, he had the biggest puppy eyes ever that I couldn’t even refute….”

“You’re crazy Yamino, pulling a man like the refined Kaneshiro himself.” Leo smiled. “I’ll RSVP tonight. Congrats on the wedding tho!”

“Than-”

“Except the fact you’re actually leaving me alone to be single.” Leo faked a cry.

“No way, you’re still hooked on it.” Shu laughed, smacking the other man’s arm across the table. “Maybe you’ll find someone you like at my wedding. Blessing in disguise!”

Leo faked another cry in response.

As he sat at his cubicle after lunch, his thoughts wandered. The envelope peeked out from his bag compartment. It’s not the first time he had been invited to a wedding by a friend. He’s attended many of his high school friends’ weddings, even became the best man for one or two- and now he’ll be attending another in two months and it’s his colleague’s. Shu and Leo met during their internship at the Accounting Firm in their final year and have been attached at the hip during work. And now Shu’s also getting married.

Leo ruffled his hair in frustration. When is it his turn?! He pouted, turning his head to the left to see his soon-to-be married friend, talking on the phone. Shu looked serene, his tone soft and- as much as Leo didn’t want to say it- in love. He’s seen these expressions before, on his friend’s faces and cousins when they’re talking to their significant others. He’s not unhappy for them at all- no, never. He just felt a pang of envy when he saw it. 

Sure, he had rejected a bunch of people back in middle and high school- simply because he’s not interested in them. He even had the hottest girl in school confess to him. But Leo felt like it wasn’t up for him to pick up a relationship at those early ages in life. Even Shu agreed when he stated his reasons! Except, Shu now has a partner- and Leo doesn’t.

L BOZO , Shu would have joked.

As he grew older, fewer people came to him. Sometimes he wondered if it was because of his secondary constitution and disability. Leo Kuga was a beta, the “ordinary-of-the-ordinary” as science liked to claim (Leo disagrees, and so do many betas out there). He was neither an alpha with astounding height and muscular body, nor an omega with pretty features and petite figure (Leo also disagrees with this statement, because why are we setting beauty norms on secondary constitutions?). He was just a beta.

Besides that, Leo has a disability in picking up pheromones- he just can’t sense them or feel them in the air. A pro is that he wouldn’t be bothered by the weird pheromones emitted by that one old and angry alpha trying to figure out the newly installed coffee machine every morning. But the cons are that he was unable to read through people’s actions. Pheromones had always been a giveaway for true feelings, proven scientifically. He knew at some point, he had missed a few flirting hints from this one female colleague because he only could see it as a conversation meant to flatter him- in a very corporate manner. But if he could have sensed those pheromones wafting around her, he would have known she was interested in him.

It bothered Leo for a while during his early adulthood that he wasn’t able to take advantage of pheromones to read people’s intentions. But he had moved on, he supposed. It’s still frustrating though, when his colleagues randomly point out the pheromones in the air when he could smell and feel nothing.

Sighing, he opened another browser on his monitor. “Let’s not think about that. Let’s apply for leave to attend Shu’s wedding and visit mom and dad.” He murmured, trying to bury away those thoughts.

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The two months passed by dreadingly slow. Everyday ever since his paid leave was approved, Leo just could not wait to leave the stupid office for a couple weeks. Shu had left for Australia a week before said wedding, so he’s alone at work now (he’s being dramatic) and he’s left to fend for himself in this Accounting Firm (he’s being dramatic). The moment the clock hits 6PM, Leo immediately got up from his chair, grabbed his bag and made a run for the lift. 

“Rushing off aren’t ya?” His manager asked, smacking Leo’s back.

Leo squeaked, snapping his head to his right. “Sir, you scared me.”

“Go on. I’ll see you in three weeks.” Manager added, pushing him into the lift. “Don’t forget to buy me things from Australia!”

“Yes, sir!”

Packing for the trip wasn’t troublesome for Leo, but what was troublesome was finding a suitable outfit for Shu’s wedding. While he claimed he didn’t take Shu’s words seriously (These words in particular: “Maybe you’ll find someone you like at my wedding. Blessing in disguise!” ), he was willing to try his luck there. He wanted to dress well, good enough to attract the attention of someone while not overdressing and making a fool of himself. After what seemed like hours of contemplating his outfit, Leo zipped his luggage close before throwing himself on bed.

can’t wait to see you! Shu messaged two hours ago. there are seating arrangements during the reception and i’ve put you with some friends of mine so you won’t get lonely. unfortunately they’re all taken tho. networking, I suppose? Shu ended it with a smiling frog sticker.

Smiling at his friend’s considerate thoughts, Leo texted back a reply. aw thanks dude, you’re making me feel more single than I was when you told me you’re getting married. but yeah see youuu  

No one else Leo knew will be attending Shu’s wedding, so by theory, he will be a lone bird. Not like Leo sucks at it, but it’s great to have it easier instead of having to organically approach strangers. Turning his phone off, he lied on his side and closed his eyes, hoping to let himself drift off to sleep only to dread in horror that he will be most likely surrounded by couples, married or not. He groaned into his pillow, knowing that he’s going to feel obnoxiously single on that day. 

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To say Luca was rich was an understatement. That man was drowning in a sea of money. Leo’s jaw dropped when he alighted his cab, facing one of the most expensive hotels in all of Australia. There are rooms that can cost up to 26,000 AUD for a night?! 

Is this what it’s like to be filthy rich? Is this what it’s like to marry the rich? He thought as he took slow strides towards the entrance. 

The ambiance of the hotel screamed class and money. It’s not corny and stuck with the old times of vintage designs and gold trims, rather modern and pleasant to the eye. The second Leo stepped into the lobby, he felt the air turn- he doesn’t know how to explain it- rich? The families and couples around the lobbies were covered in brands Leo had absolutely no idea they existed. And at some point, he could hear a noise the Internet would call the ‘rich laugh’. Feeling out of place, Leo hurried his way to the reception with his phone in hand.

“Hi, how can I help you today?” The receptionist greeted, her hair tied in a tight bun and a smile spread across her face.

“Uh, I’m here for the wedding?” Leo did not know why he ended his sentences with a question mark. “It’s under the name Luca Kaneshiro?”

“Ah! Right, give me a second.” She said, as she focused on the computer. “Can I have your name please?”

“Leo Kuga. Leo, K-U-G-A.”

As the receptionist did the usual hotel receptionist things, Leo’s eyes wandered around, trying to absorb the environment he was in. He’s too poor for this, but bless Shu’s beauty because he doubted he would be able to experience it again. Eventually his eyes fell on a stranger who approached the reception table, taking the queue on his left, greeting another receptionist. The stranger was not dressed like the others in the lobby- casual yet classy to an extent. He had light blonde hair with purple highlights, hair grown past his elbow, tied in a low ponytail. The fashion style intrigued him, until Leo found himself scanning the man’s facial structure. Pink lips, sharp jawline, a mole under his lips-

“Damn, he’s the epitome of good looking.” Leo whispered under his breath, slowly looking away only to meet the eyes of the receptionist serving him. Did she see me staring at a stranger? OMG she’s going to find me creepy.

The receptionist extended her arms with a card holder in her hands. “You are appointed a King Room on the 3rd level, Room 3013. The password to the WIFI is your Room number and your last name connected with an underscore.”

“Oh great, thanks.” Leo accepted the cards.

“If you need anything, please dial 0 and we’ll be at your service as soon as we can. Enjoy your stay!” 

Leo thanked the lady once again before leaving, not without taking another glance at the stranger who was busy talking to the receptionist, the man’s deep smooth voice slowly fading as Leo walked deeper into the building. On his way to his room, he started to walk past more wealthy men and women, their clothing an absolute contrast to Leo’s modest clothing. He couldn’t sense it but he assumed that each corner of the hallways were filled with pheromones of the rich. The second he entered his room, Leo’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

you here? It was Shu.

yep, arrived! shouldn’t you be resting for your big day tomorrow?

i am resting rn,, a bit nervous ngl

you’ll do great man! tomorrow you will be kaneshiro’s mate!

Leo watched a cat meme sticker float into the chat. 

and from then on, you’ll be single alone HAHA was Shu’s reply.

you’re mean :(

hehe, anyways start scanning the ballroom once you enter. you never know if you have eye candy. time for leo kuga to get himself a partner~

Flopping himself on his rather luxurious and puffed King bed, he texted one more reply. yea yea sure, yamino. you go rest up! i’ll see you tomorrow :D 

you too~ thanks for coming over and don't forget to dress well tomorrow!

Shu’s status turned offline and Leo took it as a sign that the man would be busy for the night. Looking out the window, where the sun had begun to set, he sighed. The wedding will start at 11AM and end at 5PM, plus as Shu’s friend, Leo was invited to see him before the wedding commenced, meaning Leo would be active before 11AM. 

Sleepy. He thought, as the long hours of travel started to catch up to him.  Kicking his shoes off, he snuggled under the thick white bedsheets for a short nap. I’ll wake up for dinner later. He told himself before closing his eyes and reminding himself to wake up in an hour then immediately falling into a deep sleep.

Leo did not wake up in an hour.

He woke up the day after at 10.30AM.

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Stumbling over his own feet, Leo combed his hair as he ran across the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. It’s 10.45AM and the wedding will begin at 11, except the problem was Shu inviting him to meet before the wedding starts. What kind of friend will not be visiting his friend who’s about to be married? Shu won’t be at the venue until 11.15AM, if he was not wrong. He had time to get there- well, he hoped. He doesn’t mind missing the first part of the wedding.

“Oh my god!” He screamed, realizing his clothes were not ironed, or worse, crumpled at every corner. 

Naked under the towel, Leo haphazardly ironed his clothes, his heart beating against his chest as the digital clock on the nightstand mocked him for being late. For every minute that passed, Leo’s heart rate picked up a notch. Scrambling for his things, it was 10.56AM when he finally put on his shoes, rushing to leave for Shu’s room.

And with whatever energy he had from his lunch on the plane, Leo ran.

Shu was at Level 4, Room 4025- one of the corner rooms to his dismay. So Leo picked up the pace, ran up the stairs and bolted through the staircase door. He was barely two steps out of the stairwell when his body crashed with another, throwing the two of them on the floor at the impact. The both of them landed on the carpeted floor with a grunt, face scrunched up, disgruntled.

“Yo, you okay dude?” 

Leo opened his eyes when he realized he had bumped into someone- that someone being the same stranger he saw last night at the lobby. Same blonde hair with purple highlights, mole under the left of his lips-

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” Leo squeaked, clambering to get on his feet. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going!” He apologised, offering a hand for the man.

“Eh, it’s fine man. Seems like you’re rushing for something.” The stranger shrugged before grabbing for Leo’s extended hand. “You do need to watch out though. I’m cool about it but I don’t know about the rest.”

“Yes, I’m really really sorry!”

The man smiled, his eyes curving into little crescents and Leo only noticed those magenta eyes. It’s not everyday you get to see a pair of magenta eyes. “Nah, it’s fine. You go ahead and do your thing, I have to go.”

“Thank you so much! You’re such a kind soul. I also have to get going too. Sorry for that.”

And the man walked away with a wave of his hand. Taking that as a sign, Leo continued his sprint toward his desired location. Halting his run in front of Room 4025, his heart felt like he was about to explode. Leo’s a fit man- he wondered if it was the anxiety of missing his friend’s invite causing the heart rate to go bonkers. Or was it something else?

Leo doesn’t know.

“Shu! It’s me, Leo!” He yelled, after pressing the bell.

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Sitting among the crowd, Leo watched as Shu walked down the aisle, clapping his hands along with everyone. The said man was in a black velvet suit, topping it off with a patterned haori in colors of white, purple and pink- with his hair brushed neatly downwards, his pink and purple highlights peeking from the curtain of dark ebony hair. He was ethereal- no wonder Luca Kaneshiro fell in love with him. The waiting groom stood beneath the wedding arc, clad in a white-gold suit as his eyes shone in excitement as he watched his beloved from the other side of the room. 

Guests applauded Shu’s arrival. Some of them, most likely Shu’s other friends, screamed in support, hyping him up. Shu’s cheeks were red with embarrassment at all the attention but he still waved, his other hand gently resting  onto his father’s arm. Leo was filled with joy, seeing his friend down the aisle. No matter how many times he’s seen his friends take their strides down the carpet or await for their beloved under the arch, his heart will always swell in happiness, glad and relieved to see his friends tie the knot.

One day, it’ll be his.. He hoped.

The second Shu reached the arch, Leo felt himself tear up as Shu’s face donned such a beautiful smile, his eyes curved into deep crescents. Words read by the priest went pass in a blur, as Leo sank in his emotions. Ah, this lovely moment. He’s grateful to be able to share this wonderful moment, those tears dripping from his eyes and onto his legs when Shu and Luca kissed, marking the seal of their relationship. Cheering with the crowd, Leo got to his feet, clapping his hands in enthusiasm as the newlywed couple walked down the red carpet together.

“Congrats Shu!” He screamed, waving at his friends.

Shu waved back, his own eyes glistening with tears and cheeks glowing a gentle shade of pink.

Ah, Leo loved this.

To be part of this joyful occasion with the people he cared for.

Even if he himself could not be the person experiencing it.

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Leo knew Shu had a wide range of loyal friends, from childhood friends to work friends- and he believed Shu had picked the right people to have him sit with during the reception. When he first came to the registration table, he was able to skim through the names, able to identify one or two familiar names he had seen from Shu’s posts on Instagram. 

Elira Pendora

Ike Eveland

Finana Ryugu

Claude Clawmark

Leo Kuga

Uki Violeta

Fulgur Ovid

Lucien Lunaris

Cassian Floros

He felt a bit odd having his name sandwiched in between Shu’s friends but he could only shrug it off. The only thing that caught him a bit of guard was how close the table was to the grooms’, which was a table away. He’ll be getting first class seats, he guessed. He was greeted by a gray haired man accompanied by a shorter purple haired man. They seemed close, he deduced, smiling as he approached them to reciprocate the greeting. Fulgur Ovid, he learnt, and Uki Violeta. They were a friendly pair, definitely mated looking at the healed mating mark behind their left ear. 

“You’re a lot cuter than Shu said.” Uki commented, taking a seat beside him as appointed. 

Heat crept up his cheeks. Damn. Direct compliments are his worst nightmare. “Oh, thanks! You’re pretty good looking yourself.” Leo replied. “You casually throw out compliments like that?”

“Mhm. Anyone who looks good deserves a good compliment.” 

Fulgur chuckled at their conversation. “Don’t mind Uki. He has a thing for pretty things.” He said, taking a sip from his glass of water.

“P-Pretty? Nah, I’m just a normal looking person.”

Uki raised an eyebrow. He didn’t comment further, however, much to Leo’s relief. There was no need to discuss insecurities and beauty standards at a first meeting. The table remained occupied with only the three of them for quite a good amount of time. They kept talking, as if this wasn’t their first time meeting. Their conversation started from how they met each other, to their favorite animals, to debates of best dog breeds, to Valorant.

That sparked some enthusiasm.

Intense in their complaints about how stupid the game was, the table slowly started to fill with Lucien and Cassian taking their seats, only to join in the conversation about Valorant. It was like Shu put him up to Valorant maniacs (and no, Leo did not exclude himself outside the Valorant maniac category). They exchanged Player IDs, to play in the future one day- they could only hope, they’re all working adults.

“Ooh, everyone’s here. You guys are early. Reception doesn’t officially start until 2PM sharp.” Approached a girl, with two other people trailing behind her: an adequately heighted man and a shorter girl. 

“Elira, Ike and Finana.” Fulgur whispered into his ear. “Just so you know, Finana is also a Valorant lunatic.”

Leo laughed. It seemed like the main thing to get the conversation running was Valorant on this table. His lips relaxed to a soft smile as he watched the others talk to one another. No feeling of being alienated. It was like he fit right in.  The ballroom was echoing with noise, as guests filled up the venue, chatting away with their friends. The conversation on Leo’s table didn’t seem to reach any possibility of ending. They had surpassed the topic of Valorant, which earned an eye roll from Ike- and had entered the dreaded memory lane of ‘Remember when Shu Yamino did this?’ and ‘Back then, Luca and Shu Yamino were so oblivious’ . There was still someone left to complete the table, Leo realized.

Claude Clawmark

As stated in the itinerary, the reception started at 2PM sharp when Shu and Luca did their grand entrance, this time in a kimono. The smiles on their faces were so bright, Leo couldn’t help himself from mirroring the same smile. The couple made their way to their front table as the room was filled with cheers and whistles from their guests. Shu and Luca took their seats, ready to start the beginning of the wedding speeches.  Mr Yamino’s words pierced into everyone’s heart, his voice soft like his son, reading out his wishes and solemn feelings about having his son grow up too fast. Leo teared up at some point. The other guests weren’t much better than him. Shu had his head hung low and occasionally Leo was able to see tears drip onto his kimono. Mr Kaneshiro’s turn came afterwards- and like a switch, changed the emotional mood into a cheerful one, turning everyone’s lips upward as they laughed at Luca’s embarrassing childhood stories. 

“My son here is too much of a golden retriever and an idiot sometimes, I pray you all the best, Shu, my son-in-law.” Mr Kaneshiro ended his speech, with a grin across his face as he left the podium.

“Oh my god, dad!” Luca whined, hiding himself in Shu’s shoulder.

The room erupted with laughter when the alpha’s face turned beetroot red. 

And then right after,  Leo saw him again. It’s been like that far too many times.

The man he saw at the lobby last night. 

The same man he bumped into early this morning.

“Uh, yeah hi. I’m Claude Clawmark, Shu’s best man.” He began smoothly.

Oh, my seatmate . Leo hummed.

“Man’s a great person, I've known him since elementary school and have been my friend since. If you know him, he’s my great friend—”

And after that, Leo couldn’t find himself focusing on the speech. The man- Claude - looked more dolled up then he was when he bumped into him that morning. He had porcelain skin, his eyes lined with a purple eyeliner and there was glitter at the corner of his eyes. His hair was styled the same way he saw Claude at the lobby, tied into a lazy ponytail, trailing down his back all the way to his waist–

Leo shook his head, heat rushing up to his cheeks. That was not the first time he had his eyes and thoughts roam into that territory. He heard a snicker to his left and turned, only to see Fulgur smirking at him with a raised eyebrow. Immediately, Leo feigned innocence by shooting back a smile.

No way he saw through him.

“I will personally travel to your place if you refuse to play Valorant with me after this.” Claude playfully threatened, grinning. “With that being said, I- uh- wish you the best of luck in this new phase of your life, buddy.” He concluded, bumping his chest with his fist.

Leo felt his breath hitch when Claude got off the podium and walked towards their table’s direction. Leo had no reaction to pheromones and he doubted it was because of that he stopped breathing. The man himself was breathtaking . Leo had to control himself from staring, turning his attention away and to the rather interesting bald man a table away.

“Ssup.” Claude greeted, pulling out his designated chair to sit.

“You did great up there, man.” Lucien grinned. “It’s not you if you don’t mention Valorant, huh?”

“Hey, he makes it his whole personality too. Got to feed the audience too, you know.” 

“Sureeee.”

Claude turned to face Leo, tilting his head. Before Leo could say anything, he beat him to it. “Oh, it’s you. You’re… Leo Kuga?” 

“Oh yeah, hi.” He swore, he almost bit his tongue. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too, buddy.”

It was Luca’s maid of honor’s turn for the speeches and Leo was grateful to be able to not continue the conversation, otherwise he would be red as a tomato. Was it because he was finally able to see this man up close when he realized how good-looking he was? Or had he realized that since yesterday? No way he would have his eyes set on a stranger who entered the hotel lobby.

The rest of the speeches went smoothly, especially Luca’s- the man was a carbon copy of his dad, his energetic behavior making guests feel at ease. 

GROWLL

“Hungry?” 

Leo wanted the earth to swallow him up whole. He laughed sheepishly, “Yeah. I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I slept through the night.”

Claude’s eyes went wide. “Damn. You must be starving. Well, Shu’s wrapping up his speech. Then we can eat.”

“Mhm.”

May the earth swallow him whole. That’s so embarrassingly loud.

The second the host announced the commence of dinner, Leo was up on his feet, ready to get his food from the buffet spread. He was at the desert section when Claude pulled up to him, grabbing an eclair.

“Can I put them here? My plate’s full.” He asked. 

Leo blinked. “Yeah sure.” He said, lifting his desert plate. “Not planning to take more?”

Claude hummed. “Nah, I’m convinced Elira and Finana will take too many and then we’ll have to finish it up for them.” He shrugged. “You’ll see.”

Leo’s fingers were cold underneath his warm plate. 

Lunch went by as per normal, the table being chatty as usual. The food was delicious, Leo was convinced Luca must have bought the most expensive catering service in the world for the food to taste so good. And Claude wasn’t wrong when he saw the humongous stack of desserts at the middle of the table, courtesy to the two girls on their table.

“Oh yeah, Leo plays Valorant too!” Finana exclaimed, her mouth full of brownies as she pointed her fork towards Leo’s direction. 

“Oh? Who’s your main?” Claude asked. “I play Cypher.”

“I play Sova and Gekko but now with the meta, I’ve been playing Neon often.” Leo replied, covering his mouth with his hand.

Cassian made a face. “Oh my god, a Neon main. I hope she gets nerfed.” 

“I think Neon is pretty fun.” Fulgur said.

“Oh you are one to talk, Fufuu-chan. You play Breach.” Uki rolled his eyes, earning a laugh from the table.

“That’s neat. Sova, huh. Sweaty player?” Claude asked again.

“Yeah.”

“Same. Played since beta. Rank?”

“Immortal.”

“Immortal?!”

“Yeah, in JP servers. I’m peak Ascendant in NA though, and I’ve been stuck at Diamond for a while.”

“Damnnnn. You’re crazy. I’m Ascendant peak and stuck at Plat.”

“This table is full of sweaty Valorant players, I swear.” Ike grumbled, digging into his mushroom soup.

“That’s what you get for being friends with Shu Yamino, buddy.” Claude snickered.

Eventually the conversation flowed into another direction again, one that Leo didn’t really keep track on. He just exchanged Player IDs with Claude and his head was racing with thoughts, and it didn’t help that Fulgur had been trying to catch his attention for the past few minutes. Imagine being in Leo Kuga’s shoes. Who would be in the right state of mind when sitting right beside a beautiful person? Not when Leo’s eyes accidentally landed on Claude’s nape, when he deduced that Claude was the only single one besides him at the table. A little part of him was cheering, meaning that he had a chance of a partner–

Okay, Leo. Stop. Enough. He probably does have a partner. He might be the type to not want to get marked. He shoved those thoughts down the drain. If only I knew what he smells like to know…. shut up, Leo.

He does not want to fall into that spiral right now. He was threading on it, merely a step away from it. His disability was like a benefit at most part, but he’s more than aware he’s lacking the advantage. If he could smell the pheromones on Claude, at least he could tell if he was taken or not.

But what can Leo say about it anyways? He can’t tell any pheromone in the first place.

He doesn’t even know what Claude’s secondary constitution was. Alpha? Beta? Omega? 

If he could feel it, he would be able to tell immediately.

….. I hate this.

Sighing, he finished the last piece of steak off his plate. Leo looked up to see everyone chatting and laughing. Then it dawned upon him again. He knew nothing about anyone else’s constitution here either. Sighing again, he downed his drink, hoping to stop thinking about it again. Turning his cutlery upside down, Leo excused himself to get another serving of desert.

If Leo was honest, he would like to leave the wedding soon.

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It’s been three weeks since the wedding and Leo was back in the US, in his office. Eyebrows furrowed, Leo was cursing under his breath, going through the long thread of emails he’s struggling to catch up on. The stupid Accounting Firm could not go a few weeks without his expertise? Why him? Pinching the bridge of his nose, he scribbled another task on his to-do list notepad.

“Good morning, Shu! Ooh~ Looking good, mama.” 

Leo turned his head towards the direction of the office door. Shu looked different, his long hair now cut short- and now he had a healing patch across his neck. He was glowing, even more than he was during the wedding. One of their female coworkers was talking to him, touching the shorter strands of hair in amazement. 

“How was the honeymoon, Yamino?” Their manager asked, punching him lightly at his arm. 

“It was great.” Shu replied, smiling. “Thanks for asking.”

“Hope you’re ready to get back to work, Yamino. Everyone here was dying when their Shupport went missing.”

Leo felt a pang of guilt. He had retired early during the reception before the cake distribution and he was beating himself up that night when Luca came by his hotel room to hand over his share of the cake. He called Shu to apologize that night right after Luca left. Shu had told him that he understood and wasn’t upset at all, but it still left a bitter part in Leo’s memories. He knew Shu’s personality and he knew Shu definitely did not get upset, especially not when Shu knew the situation he was in. But he still felt guilty. If he wasn’t so deep into his depressive negative thoughts, he would have been able to sit through the reception longer.

“Hey, Shu.”

“Leo!” The omega jogged towards him eagerly, a smile wide across his face. “How was your trip back in Japan?”

“It’s great! I met my niece after so long, she’s so big!” Leo replied, returning the smile, only for it to falter. “Dude, uh. About the wedding-”

“Hey, it’s fine. I totally understand.” Shu quickly interrupted, putting his bag down in his cubicle. “It gets overwhelming sometimes.”

“Still. It was bad of me to do that.” 

“Don’t beat yourself for it. You came, anyways! I hoped you had fun during the wedding though, since I wasn’t able to talk a lot to you.”

“No but for real, I’m sorry for leaving before the cake cutting like that and then having your husband send the cake to-”

Shu sighed and approached his desk, slamming his hand at the back of Leo’s chair, towering over the beta. “Kuga Leo. I am fine. Stop apologising. What matters was how you felt. If anything I was glad you left when you’re not feeling okay. I wouldn’t want you to feel horrible the entire time just for my sake.”

“But-”

“It’s okay, Leo. You did nothing wrong. What you feel, you shouldn’t feel guilty and bad about it.”

Leo does not deserve a friend like Shu Yamino. At the beginning he was just a colleague who interned with him in this horrid company. Now he was a great friend to him, someone he can rely on when he was not at his best. Shu was one of the three people who knew about his deepest insecurities and when Shu said words that may not explicitly mention it, his heart felt full.

“Don’t be dramatic. If anything it’s good that you can’t smell things.” said his sister, dismissing his feelings.

“A beta and can’t smell? Weirdddd.” said his so-called friends back in middle school.

Leo swallowed back another apology that threatened to leave his lips, frowning. “Can I at least make it up to you? If it makes me feel better?”

And with that, Shu leaned back away from him. “You don’t have to. But if you insist, can you meet someone? I feel like it’ll be good for you to get to know them.” He said, finally taking a seat at his own desk. “I’m not going to be around after a while, so I’d like to at least give you some sort of company.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m planning to resign.”

“Oh.”

“Not anytime soon though. Maybe in a year? I’m…. Well I don’t see myself here in the future.” Shu didn’t seem to want to elaborate any further. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t apologise! You should be glad you’re leaving this place, holy shit!” Leo exclaimed, shutting his mouth quickly when the next door manager who happened to be passing by glared at him. “Good for you though.”

“Yeah.. So if you can meet someone and make new friends, I’d like to introduce them to you.”

“I’ll do it.”

Shu looked surprised yet giggled at Leo’s determined expression. “Alright. I’ll pass their contacts to you after work.” He said, swivelling his chair back to face his computer. “Right now, I have a ton of emails to catch up on.”

“Sure, have fun.”

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

Leo stood outside the cafe, hands in his pocket as he shivered in the chilly wind. Fall had come and Leo had been layering himself with warm clothes, ready for the end of the year to come. It’s 3PM, the time he and the stranger Shu had put him up to meet, had agreed upon. Shu had only shared the person’s number and Leo was left with nothing to wonder who this person was besides the fact that he had gym class every Tuesday at 6PM, which was today.  His cheeks had started to grow red in the dropping temperature the longer he stayed outside the cafe. He’s tempted to enter the warm cafe and get himself a hot cup of tea. People walked past by him holding onto their own hot beverages, as if they were actively tempting him to come in. He would be in the cafe already if they agreed on meeting inside the cafe.

Shu looked at him oddly before he left the office for the afternoon. “You know you can just meet him inside right? The temperature has been dipping.”

“I don’t know. We didn’t agree on that.” Leo said, putting on his jacket over his office clothes. “I’ll just wait for him outside.”

“You can text him, you know.”

“Eh, I’ll be fine.”

Shu shot him an incredulous look but didn’t comment further on that. 

And Leo painfully admitted that this wasn’t the best thing to do. But he persisted, now crossing his arms to keep himself warm. It was much colder than he thought it would be. Five minutes had passed and he was about to enter the cafe to enjoy the warmer temperature when he bumped into a familiar face- a far too familiar face at the entrance of the cafe.

“Claude?”

“Leo?”

The man looked as breathtaking as he was 3 weeks ago- or if Leo could say, extraordinarily breathtaking today with the blushed cheeks from the cold and his free flowing hair. Claude was in similar clothing as him, trying to keep warm in the chilly weather with a gym bag over his shoulder.

“Hey, nice to see you here.” Claude began. “Here for some hot drinks? It’s pretty cold out right now.”

“I’m waiting for someone, heh. I’ll get a drink once he’s here.” Leo replied, shivering slightly.

“Dude, just wait for them inside. It’s cold out here. Should be pretty warm in.”

“I haven’t met this person yet so I kind of don’t want to have them searching for me in the cafe, you know.”

Claude raised an eyebrow as he tugged on his gym bag, shifting the strap further up his wide shoulders. “Hm, just message them. They’ll get it.”

That’s the second person to say that. Shrugging, he slipped his phone out, trailing behind Claude who entered the cafe. Typing down his message, he noticed how Claude was taller than him, Leo short by a few centimeters- and mind you, Leo’s work shoes had some elevation. Pressing send, he scanned the cafe for empty seats, just enough for himself and the stranger, missing the loud vibration coming from Claude’s pocket.

“It’s so packed here.” Leo murmured.

He heard Claude hum.

“I’m going to find a seat. I’ll see you whenever.” He said, turning to Claude to excuse himself, only to meet face to face with Claude’s phone, flashing a notification on the screen.

i'm heading in the cafe, i’ll find a seat for us! was the message on display.

“I might be the person you’re looking for.”

And with that, Leo felt his brain short circuit. One, his friend Shu Yamino had set himself to meet up with someone who he already met, and two, it was Claude fucking Clawmark. The said man was standing before him, an amused smirk on his stupidly handsome face. 

Shu, what the fuck. Leo cursed internally. Was that why you insisted on giving me his phone number because I already had his Discord handle?

“On my defense, I did not know who I was supposed to meet either.” Claude said, pulling his phone away. “Shu, you sneaky piece of shit.”

The beta had not said a word since the revelation, Claude had to forcefully snap his attention back to reality. “Sorry, I was surprised Shu would pull this kind of stunt on me.” He laughed awkwardly.

Claude only shrugged. “It’s Shu Yamino we are talking about. Sneakiest person to know.” He commented, as his eyes roamed around the cafe. “Let’s get a seat and buy a drink. I’m freezing and starving.”

And they did, seated in the middle of the cafe with hot drinks and pastries on the table. Leo could not comprehend the situation he was in, unable to keep his eyes on the man before him, feeling himself suddenly turn shy. 

“So, I guess Shu wanted us to get to know each other more.” Claude started, the tone in his voice had turned awkward, as he fixed his eyes on his piping hot coffee. 

“Yeah.”

Awkward silence fell upon them as their cheeks were tainted a slight pink, from both recovering from the cold and the embarrassment they felt at this very moment. ‘Know each other more’ was not what it meant literally. A day after Shu shared Claude’s contact with him, he admitted he wanted Leo to get to know someone that can cure his single life. He knew that he was being set up to date.  Leo had been okay when Shu told him that because Shu was his very trustworthy friend and Leo would trust him on a whim. Plus, if he managed to snag a very good-looking and rich alpha that went by the name Luca Kaneshiro, surely Shu’s suggestion for a dating partner would be exceptional. 

Except now he felt like strangling Shu.

Leo cleared his throat. “So uh, how’s your Valorant games lately?”

Claude laughed at the mention of his favourite game. “Bad. I will never touch that game again.”

“Lies, You’ll be playing tonight for suree.”

Leo always had his complaints to Riot Games, but for once, he was glad for the existence of Valorant. If not for Valorant, they would have been in this awkward cycle. And like what happened at the wedding, the conversation that started with the topic centered on the FPS game, eventually smoothed out into other topics, though none of them had touched anything personal. And they talked and talked, naturally bringing up more topics as time went by.

Leo had lost count how many times he had stared into Claude’s magenta eyes. 

Leo had lost count how many times his eyes fell on Claude’s thin pink lips, occasionally stealing a sight of the nicely placed mole at the corner of his mouth.

Leo had lost count how many times he ogled Claude’s collarbone whenever the cloth of his jacket shifts.

Leo Kuga was absolutely enamored by Claude sitting in front of him.

Claude’s deep and smooth voice certainly did not miss either. Leo felt like he could hear that voice all day, maybe he could offer some nights to play Valorant. But he stopped himself, pinching his thigh. 

Too far. You only started to talk. You haven’t even shared anything personal. Getting too ahead of yourself, huh, Leo?

He hated that voice, but to some degree, he agreed with it. Claude Clawmark was such a good-looking person, with such great personality– Leo does not deserve a person like him and nor did Claude deserve a person like Leo, he deserved better.

“Ah, it’s getting late.” Claude pointed out, glancing at his phone. “I have gym in half-an-hour.”

Leo snapped out from his thoughts. “Oh my god. I didn’t notice.” He said, checking his watch as well.

They had been talking for hours now. Remarkable for a first ‘official’ meeting (or date, if you were to follow Shu’s agenda of the meeting). “I really shouldn’t hold you up.” Leo said, downing the last of his now cold tea.

“You’re not holding me up at all. It’s just our agreed timing.” Claude flashed an assuring smile, as he grabbed his gym bag from the floor. “Oh yeah. I am a liar, I’m playing Valorant tonight. With a few of my friends though. We’re thinking of five-stacking tonight. We’re short of one, wanna join?”

Leo blinked. “Oh I-”

“You can show off your Neon movements.”

Should Claude be offering to be nice? Or was that genuine? Leo wished he could smell the sincerity from Claude. Curse this stupid disability. 

But this was a rare chance.

“Yea sure! I’d love to play with you.” Leo flushed at his own words, wondering if it gave out another meaning.

Claude extended a fist across the table. “Nice, see you in the game at 10PM?” He tilted his head with a grin on his face, as he gestured a request for a fist bump back.

Leo grinned back and collided his fist with Claude’s. “See you. I’ll carry the team.”

“Surely.”

Claude was the first to move, Leo next. They made their way out the cafe, now clutching onto their jackets when the cold air slapped them across their faces. He missed the warmth the second he stepped out. He can’t wait to get home and enjoy his heater to his heart's content. Walking carefully to the sidestep and ready to bid farewell, he heard Claude’s voice call his name.

“Leo.”

The other man had pulled a shawl out from his bag and wrapped it around his neck. Red spread across his cheekbones. 

“I’m an omega by the way.”

“Oh, yeah I forgot to ask. I’m a beta.”

Claude blinked, a flash of surprise on his face before he sunk into his scarf. “Doesn’t it seem odd?”

“What’s so odd about you being an omega?” Leo hummed, tilting his head in confusion.

Claude opened his mouth to say something but didn’t, instead decided to smile softly. “Nothing. Thanks for spending your time with me. I’ll see you tonight.” He said as he turned on his heel, ready to walk the opposite direction. “Bye.”

Leo chuckled, waving a hand. “Bye! See you later!” 

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

Leo met Claude in person only two times but their meetups online significantly compare in numbers. As promised that day, Leo joined Claude for the first time for a game of Valorant and  it went on routinely after that. Every Tuesday it was Valorant game night with Claude and his friends. Leo had no problem fitting in, partly the reason being he had met them during Shu’s wedding. Finana, Cassian and Lucien were present most of the time, Shu occasionally popping into the game as well. Playing a rage-fueling game with a bunch of friends made his nights fun, though he had work the night day– and Leo found himself looking forward to every Tuesday. 

Leo and Claude often compete unconsciously for the top frag position every game. They carried most of the games, especially when the two were last alive, clutching the rounds. Of course, they don’t win all games but for the most part, it’s either Leo and Claude’s agent on the MVP page. 

“This stupid goated duo, I swear to God.” Finana complained once.

And yes, Leo felt happy about that. Him and Claude as a duo that made things work. A duo that played games and clutch rounds. A duo that would climb up the ranks together until the end of rank season. 

The duo.

Though the both of them were aware of the true purpose of the meetup Shu arranged for them, they did not raise a single thing about dating each other, treating their interactions in the cafe as just a good opportunity to become closer as friends.

To Leo, unfortunately as friends.

“LET’S GOOOO!” Leo shouted into the mic when Claude sniped the last enemy standing. “THAT’S MY DUO!”

“YEAHH. WE TAKE THOSE!”

18-16.

Going into Overtime was not fun at all but both Leo and Claude, full of fiery ego, would not back down to conclude the game with a Draw. Again and as usual, Claude MVP-ed with 34 kills with Leo ranking just below him with 25, a 9 kill margin. This was their fourth win for the day and dare he say, they are on a role.

‘Road to Ascendant’ , as Shu would say.

It’s 2AM on a Saturday, the two of them burning late night fuel on a pew-pew game. Rank season had reset and they would not miss out the opportunity to rank up. Leo leaned back into his chair, sighing in relief. He was exhausted especially after a long work day, but to play with Claude, he was more than willing to stay up.

“One more?” He heard Claude ask.

I’m tired , was what he wanted to say. But he sat back up straight and fixed his headphones. “Let’s gooo. It’ll be my LG (last game) though.”

“Yeah, we can do that.”

And they keep this up almost every Friday.

Tuesday was for five-stacking casual or ranked gaming while Friday was late night gaming with Claude alone. Going back home was no longer a monotonous routine as he spent his dinners in front of his gaming laptop in a Discord call, talking to Claude and his friends before they started the game. Somewhere somehow, Leo had forgotten the fact he was a single man, in a lone apartment.

“See you next week?” Leo asked as he exited the god forsaken game.

They have decided to retire early for the night (except it’s not early and it’s almost 1AM the next day). They lost 4 out of 5 games today and with almost everyone tilted, it’s best they do not go for more. They were not playing competitively but losing back to back does get annoying. They finally won one and that was enough for everyone in the stack to call a day.

“Uh..” Claude began, his voice a little unsure from the other side.  “I don’t think I can, actually. I’m going to be, uh, busy.”

“Oh, okay.” Finana chirped, also leaving the game. “Deadlines?”

“... Uh no? Something came up.”

“Oh okay! I’m still up to play though, if anyone wants to join.”

“I’ll play!” Leo offered, leaning back in his chair to take a long sip of his drink.

“Me too, if you don’t mind.” Shu said, his voice slightly muffled.

“Eh, I won’t.”

Today was a day where there was a complete stranger to Leo in the game. He had not been part of the games Leo had played, not once out of the routined games that started a month ago. He only found out today this new person was Shu and Claude’s old elementary school friend. Andre Porsh was his name. Strangers were not a problem to Leo but he could feel that the vibes that day were off.

Or maybe not, because almost all the games they had were just atrociously bad.

“Okay so just the three of us then?” Finana confirmed.

“Ye-”

“But why though? You don’t ditch your Valorant games, even if you have deadlines.” Andre pushed. 

Claude spoke up, clearly uncomfortable behind the microphone. “Well uh- I just can’t.” 

“What came up?”

“Surely he’s busy or something. No pressure though, if you want to join we’ll be here. Just do your thing.” Shu said, indirectly indicating to end the conversation.

“But why though?”

So he’s the pushy type when he wants to know, Leo noted. He felt like shrinking into his chair, the awkward tension in the call was not to his liking. Leo had no right to talk now, even Finana who would often pipe into bickering and friendly slander had not spoken a word. This was a conversation between old friends. In the end, it’s been barely two months since Leo got to know Claude.

And by the looks of it, Claude was not comfortable with sharing the reasons behind missing a Valorant game night.

“We can play a few games tomorrow like we used to if you want.” Shu offered, trying to divert away the attention from his friend.

“Nah, I’m just curious though. This Valorant maniac normally doesn’t skip a day of Valorant. You said you play this routinely every Tuesday. What came up?”

“Andre, he just-”

“Dude, literally I- I’m going to go into heat next week. I’m not gaming during my heat, the fuck?” Claude finally said, his deep voice laced with pure annoyance (and maybe anger, Leo noticed).

“Yo, chill man. You could have said it anyways. We’re all close friends here, aren’t we?” Andre said, defensively.

“Not everyone needs to know when I’m going into heat.”

“Sure, sure. I mean it’s not like it matters to you. No one’s going to get affected by your heat anyways. You can roam the streets for all you care, why not game as well?”

“Because I have the free will to do what I want during my heat, which does not involve you.”

“Okay, guys chill. It’s late and some of us have work tomorrow.” Shu spoke up, his voice similar to the one he used when higher ups insulted the interns. “Let’s wrap it up and call it a night, okay?”

“Sensitive.”

Leo was taken aback by Andre’s singular reply, even if he wasn’t the target. Claude didn’t breathe a word after that and mumbled a soft “Bye” before leaving the Discord call. Andre left immediately without a word.

“What the hell. He’s so rude.” Finana said, clicking her tongue. “That’s your old friend?” She commented, disgusted.

Shu sighed. “He’s an old friend, alright but he’s not someone worth remembering.” He explained tiredly. “He’s here because he was upset that I didn't invite him to my wedding. We used to be close but things happen and uh, here we are.” A beat of silence was followed by a longer sigh. “I should apologise to Claude. And both of you, sorry for that.”

“No, it’s fine. He’s an asshole, why are you the one apologising? The fact that he said Claude was being sensitive was so rude.” Finana spat. “I’m glad you didn’t invite him to your wedding, Shu. If I knew him and this is how he acts, I would smack the shit out of him.”

Shu chuckled. “Do as you wish.”

“Thanks for tonight though.” Leo spoke up, finally having room to breath. “It was fun. Have a good night!”

Leaving the Discord call, he stared at his computer screen, his anime wallpaper staring back at him. Claude never really talked about himself, primarily his secondary constitution as an omega so Leo brushed it off as simply not finding the need to talk about it. To think about it, there was nothing much about Leo’s beta lifestyle to talk about so naturally he also assumed there are some who wouldn’t share their life to others.

But all the while, it was Claude who was uncomfortable and unwilling to talk about his omegan lifestyle. 

Leo frowned. Unless Claude was uncomfortable because he was there? He had every right to not share about his personal omegan routines in life and Andre forced him to open up out loud. Now Leo’s upset.

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

As agreed, Claude did not join them on Tuesday the following week. Good to know, Andre wasn’t there either. It was just the three of them, Shu, Finana and him playing rounds of casual games and Leo admitted that without Claude, the games felt different. It was like Leo’s partner-in-crime was missing. He didn’t hit the shots he should have hit and his Neon wasn’t Neon-ing. The next thing he knew, Claude had called off the Friday game night privately the day after. Sighing as he put his phone down, Leo told himself to not get too attached.

Besides, they have not brought up the dating part since the cafe meetup and Leo would assume that Claude wouldn’t plan on doing so either.

They’re better off as friends.

…. Friends online .

Leo had not seen Claude’s face since the meetup either. Claude doesn’t display his picture on his Discord and that man has no socials. And Shu doesn’t post pictures of his friends either. Not even his husband. Therefore, Leo had seen Claude’s face only three times: The day before the wedding, the wedding and at the cafe. With a little shame growing inside him, Leo came to realise he’d like to see that beautiful face again. Maybe stare at it for a while–  indulge himself in those ethereal eyes, sinking deep into a trance tracing Claude’s face with his eyes. Shivering at his own thoughts, Leo smacked his cheeks and focused his attention back on his work computer. 

Maybe this is why you’re single. Imagining but not acting on it. His logical mind nagged at him.

Maybe.

With his most recent interaction with Claude being unpleasant, Leo felt a bit uneasy to meet Claude later that night. It’s Friday and the omega had claimed that his heat was over, and offered him to play a few ranked games. He had specified a few, meaning that they would not be playing past midnight. Leo assumed he was recovering from his heat.

“Hello hello?” He tested the microphone the second he entered the Discord call.

Claude was already waiting for him in the call for a while now. “Yo.”

“Nice. Feeling better now?”

“Mhm. I feel like my aim’s going to be dogshit today.”

“Nah, don’t say that. Positivity!” Leo assured, pumping his fist to no one in particular. “Claude Clawmark shall carry!”

A soft laugh could be heard from the other side. Leo’s heart skipped a beat. “I doubt so, why don’t you carry me? Immortal peak?”

“ We carry the team. We’re the duo after all.” The beta cheered, lips spread into a wide grin. “We’ll rank up to Ascendant tonight. No more hardstuck Plat/Diamond!”

Claude hyped back, cheering on as he sent Leo an invite to join his lobby. Leo laughed, accepting the invitation. Throughout the three games they played, no matter how serious he had to clutch the rounds and not die in the enemy’s hands, there was a smile across his face, accompanied by a soft blush across his cheeks.

Playing with Claude made him happy.

Being with Clauie made him happy.

Claude Clawmark made him happy.

It was 11:30 PM when he heard a loud yawn from Claude. It’s early for the other to be tired. That man is known to play games for hours straight- up to 7 hours, literally. It must be him recovering from his heat, Leo noted. He was also noticeably more silent than usual which means Claude was starting to feel sleepy.

“You should go and rest.” He said, the second the game ended. 

“No.. I can play more.” Claude replied, his voice soft. “We’re on a win streak.”

“True, but we can win more games next time. You sound tired.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Come on, one more.”

Leo smiled fondly. One thing he’s learnt was that Claude can be ridiculously stubborn when it comes to Valorant. “Last game.”

“Okay, last game.”

Sleepy or not, Claude dominated the game, just not enough to outfrag Leo. The MVP screen flashed green on their screens, marking the end of the game. It was a fast one, the enemy team surrendering at 10-4, finalising the score to 13-4. 

“One more?” Claude tried.

“Nope. Time to sleep, bro. You’re exhausted.” Leo shook his head.

“No, I’m not.” The other insisted.

“You missed all your bullets on Skye who had a classic. You’re tired.”

Claude laughed at his own mistake. “You did not have to remind me, man. You saw nothing.”

“I saw everything .” Leo teased. “Now it’s time to log off Valorant.” He said, exiting the game instantaneously.

“Fine.”

A comfortable silence engulfed them as the both of them rested in their gaming chairs, the adrenaline settling down. Leo grabbed his bottle to quench his thirst, staring at the Discord screen before him. He and Claude had been in a call for about 3 hours now. No one spoke, just silently enjoying the peace for a while. After all, Valorant can be overstimulating at times. It went on like that for 5 minutes until Claude spoke up again.

“About that day, sorry about that. Andre can be a handful.” He said slowly, his voice dropped an octave lower as if he was cautiously choosing his words. “An annoying one.”

Leo frowned. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t care about him. Are you okay?”

There was a beat of silence. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m used to him.”

“I’m not going to pry but I’m just going to say this once. Whatever he said about you being sensitive about sharing your personal life was completely invalid. He was wrong for forcing you to speak up like that and backing you up to a corner. You are free to feel what you like and I know you were not okay then, so I hope you’re feeling much better now. If I ever meet him again and he speaks to you like that, I will beat the shit out of him. If he’s an alpha I will kick him in the nuts and end his bloodline.”

“Oh sheesh. Nice words there, mister.” Claude whistled.

Heat rushed up to Leo’s cheeks. “Hey, I can’t help but be annoyed about him that day, man. He’s so rude.”

The omega chuckled. “Yeah, he is.” He whispered. “Thanks.”

“Anything to make sure my duo is in tip-top shape.”

“As your duo, I will always be in tip-top shape for you.”

Leo’s heart may have jolted just a bit.

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

Everyone in the office claimed Shu smelt different. Is it true? Leo would not know. That married man had been glowing ever since he came back from his honeymoon. It was only normal for anyone to steal a glance at him, especially the alphas. Sometimes Leo had to shoot a glare at those ogling alphas, grabbing Shu’s hand and pointing at the wedding ring. He remembered the first time he did that when Shu laughed so loudly, saying that it looked as if Leo was who Shu was married to. Embarrassed the first time but Leo was a man with virtue, and continued doing it to keep Shu from being stared at.

It was only a week after the beginning of ogling alphas when he found out Shu was expecting.

Leo was bitter. He knew only because of Shu announcing it explicitly to him. He knew he was a step behind. 

Again. 

“Congrats, man! Can I be your kid’s godfather?” Leo exclaimed, masking his self-disappointment. 

“You’re not the first to ask this.” Shu giggled. “Claude also wants to be the godfather.

And Leo’s mind started whispering to him.

You like Claude, don’t you? Imagine if he found out about your disability. 

He wouldn’t care. He’s not the type to judge. Now shut up.

You’re going to be one step behind. If he’s in heat, you can’t tell. If he’s angry, you can’t tell. If he’s sad, you can’t tell. He’ll have to tell you everything. You won’t pick up anything.

Leo bit his inner cheek. “Really? I’m going to have to compete with Claude?”

Shut. Up.

What kind of person are you if you can’t even smell him? Your own mate. You don’t even know what he smells like.

“Not him alone. There is also Ike and Vox-”

You’ll be nothing but trouble for Claude Clawmark.

“... Leo, are you okay?”

The beta’s breath hitched when he snapped out of his thoughts. Shu was looking at him with concern, hand on his thigh to comfort him. The guilt that rushed through him was immense. This was supposed to be a happy moment for Shu yet he managed to make a fool of himself and make the omega worry about him.

“I- I’m sorry I dazed out for a while.” Leo smiled sheepishly.

He could tell Shu was not convinced. Shu had been around him long enough to see his attention divert away into the pit of darkness filled with his fears and insecurities. He was grateful Shu didn’t press on but at times like this, he wondered if Shu was releasing comforting pheromones to calm him down and it would only make him more depressed.

“I’m going to get some fresh air.” He excused himself, his heart heavy.

He did not wait for a reply and left for the balcony by the break room. He hated this. His mind spiralling out of control in public was the worst, especially in front of his close friends. He leaned against the railing and buried his face into his hands. As he let out a shaky breath, tears pricked in his eyes. 

“Why did you have to bring Claude into this?” Leo whispered, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Why? When I am happy around him, you have to remind me of my faults?”

Why not? It’s reality.

“Then I don’t want this reality. Let me dream just once.”

His mind’s voice did not reply. 

“This is stupid.” He grumbled, wiping the tears off his face with his sleeves. “So stupid. I should apologise to Shu. I’ve troubled him enough.”

Right when he turned to leave the balcony, the phone vibrated in his pocket. With a raised eyebrow Leo pulled out his phone, his frown deepening when he saw Claude’s Discord username on his screen. While his heart swelled at the man’s name on his notifications, his mind scowled.

i'm having a bad day

want to join me for a jog by the river later tonight?

you can say no

After that stupid mental breakdown, Claude was the last person he’d like to see. Biting his lips, he hovered his finger over the keyboard. How does one politely reject an offer? Leo suddenly forgot how to. He needed some time to get his mind clear again from this fog of depressive and anxious thoughts before meeting Claude online, let alone face to face. He sighed and typed in his reply, hoping that it sounded okay and not weird.

yeah sure, see ya!

And that’s how he found himself by the river on the bench at 8PM, waiting for a certain omega to meet him. 

Fidgeting in his seat, he contemplated whether he should ditch the plan. He was still unable to clear his mind and Shu made it clear. His friend didn’t talk with him outside work subjects and left for lunch with Luca, leaving him to eat alone. He hoped Shu was simply giving him space to calm down, at the same time, to brood. Leo made a mental note to apologise to Shu again, the same way he always does every time he fell into a depressive episode.

“Leo.”

That smooth deep voice snapped his head instantly, turning to look at the man towering over him. The second he laid eyes on Claude, it’s like his mind cleared. 

“Sorry, I’m late.” Claude apologised, lightly panting.

There was a sheer layer of sweat over Claude’s porcelain skin, shining under the lamppost light and puffs of fog hovered around his lips at every breath. His blonde hair stuck on his forehead made Leo gulp. He made a mistake to not leave.

“No, you’re not.” Leo managed to say, diverting his eyes away as he stood up from the bench. “You’re just on time.”

Claude was significantly fitter than him, jogging at a faster speed that Leo would argue that this omega was not jogging but running. Leo had tried to match his speed but it took him less than 5 minutes to revert back to his initial pace, widening the gap between Claude and him. He had never felt so unfit in his life, now especially with Claude flawlessly running without being out of breath like him.

But Claude looked so good from behind.

The way his inner black shirt and pants clung onto his arms and legs made Leo’s heart beat faster and those were just the inner layers. Everytime Claude took a step forward, the running jacket would ride up his back and then drop back down. It was fast but for Leo, time seemed to slow down and an arrow was shot into his flustered heart every time he had a sight of Claude’s refined waist. It didn’t help the way the other man’s hair bounced elegantly as he ran. Leo’s face should be red by now, from both the winter and Claude Clawmark. He let out a shaky breath and shook his head, looking onto the gravel floor. He’ll just have to endure this for a while and enjoy the build up heat within him that keeps him warm in the cold.

Except 20 minutes of non-stop running was something Leo could not endure.

He felt like going down to his knees and thank God when Claude finally stopped by a bench. Leo was not a person who exercises often, the omega on the other hand was. It was bad when it took Leo a whole minute to reach Claude, who leaned against the bench instead of sitting. He made another mental note to never accept exercising with Claude.

“Not used to running?” Claude asked, grinning at the sight of the beta struggling to make his way to him. “You could have told me.”

Leo coughed and threw himself onto the bench, uncapping his bottle to drink. “What the hell man. You’re a monster.”

Claude only shrugged. “This is nothing to me to be honest.” He stated, taking a seat beside the exhausted man. “I can slow down for you.”

Leo waved a hand. “Nah, it’s alright. You had a bad day. This is the time you should destress. Don’t worry about me.”

“Then there is no point in me inviting you to jog with me.”

“You call that a jog? Dude you were running!”

“Then I’ll jog at your pace.”

Leo barely had any breath left in him to protest as he threw his head back, panting. He knew he shouldn’t do this but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He had to match the pace of a monster (Leo was just unfit and lacked exercise) for god’s sake. They sat there in silence, Claude waiting for Leo to catch his breath. It didn’t take long for Leo’s breathing to turn back to normal and he took the opportunity to reply to Claude’s statement.

“Dude, I’ll be fine. I’m here to accompany you to destress from your bad day. If you slow down, you won’t be able to destress.” Leo insisted, wiping his sweaty forehead. 

“Slower pace doesn’t mean I’m not destressing.” Claude shrugged, crossing his arms. “I’m destressing right now, if you need to hear that.”

“Still-”

“What about you? It seems like you had a bad day yourself.”

“.... I wouldn’t call it a bad day.”

“Then what is it? Besides the fact you were practically dying trying to run at my pace, every time I turn around you look disturbed. Something must be bothering you to give off that expression.”

“You met me in person only twice.”

“Exactly. Yet I can tell you’re upset.” Claude sighed, turning to line his eyesight with Leo’s. “I won’t ask what it was about but take this time also for yourself to destress.”

Leo bit his lip and turned away. “This isn’t about me, though.”

“And now I’m going to make it about you.”

“Can we not talk about it?”

“Sure. Let’s rest here longer.”

And Leo did not protest. His legs were burning and he doubted he could stand for a second at this point. However there was this melancholic feeling that surrounded them. The muffled sounds of car honking from the city across the river played themselves like music in their ears as the cold wind brushed against their skin. The night never felt so calm and Leo indulged in it as he spent this time with Claude.

You’re wasting his ti-

“Are you not curious?”

Leo turned to look at Claude whose eyes were staring at the pebbled floor, lips pressed against each other in a firm line. “About what?”

“About why I don’t smell like other omegas.”

Eh? “Huh? What is it about?”

Claude shifted in his spot uncomfortably, eyes downcast. “It’s unusual for someone to not ask me about it. All my life someone I know and gotten close to had at least asked once, even Shu did. So why are you not curious? Why did you not ask me like anyone else? Are you just being nice to me?” He asked, his voice low, just enough for Leo to hear.

Leo blinked. Wasn’t he always avoiding this kind of topic? Why now? “Claude, I-”

“Why have you not asked me at all? It’s weird!” 

There was a distressed emotion on the other man’s face and it hurt Leo to see that. “Claude, I… I can’t smell or feel pheromones. So if there is anything about your pheromones, I couldn’t tell.”

The omega looked at him, confused. “What do you mean you can’t smell?”

“I can’t. I was born with it. I have lived all my life as a beta and also a beta that can’t sense or smell pheromones. So when you’re saying why I didn’t ask you, it’s because I can’t smell anything at all.”

“Oh.” Claude’s cheeks turned bright red. “Sorry, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s okay. It’s not something I can bring out on a whim.”

“No, I’m sorry for bursting out at you like that.”

“It’s fine. Besides, if you do smell different, I don’t think it’ll be that bad.” Leo tried to say, hoping to clear Claude’s insecurities. “Surely, people are exaggerating it.”

“Except they’re not. I don’t release pheromones.” Claude admitted, looking away from Leo’s curious eyes. “When I mean that I don’t smell like an omega, I don’t release anything in the first place.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yeah. I’ve been into multiple relationships but because I don’t release any pheromones they don’t stay. I can smell them, they can’t smell me. Their reason has always been the same anyways and to an extent I understand them. I can smell my partner and feel the bond but they can’t feel mine. They’re naturally repelled by the absence of my pheromones. I don’t deny it either. It’s mother nature.”

“I see.”

Claude let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I ended up ranting to you like this.” He murmured, scratching the back of his neck.

Leo hummed. “Don’t apologise. I feel you. We’re both just people who are abnormal in a rather normalised world centered over pheromones.” He chuckled. “Just our luck huh. But it’s nice to know that I’m not alone in this.”

The blonde haired smiled. “Yeah. It must be hard for you too.” A flash of sadness and resignation appeared on Claude’s face. “Can I be honest?”

“Mhm.”

“When you told me you can’t smell pheromones, a part of me was relieved that you are unable to detect this disability of mine unlike the others who pick it up immediately. Yet, I feel sad about it.”

“Oh. And why is that?”

“I thought you would look past my pheromone-less self and like me for who I am but it turned out you couldn’t see the flaw in the first place.” 

“Huh?”

“Turns out I was deluded. I’m sorry for dragging you out this late.”

“Claude, wait-”

“We should get going. We’ve been sitting for a while now. I’ll jog at your pace.” Claude said as he stood up from the bench.

Leo grabbed onto the other man’s sleeve. “Claude.” 

A pair of magenta eyes turned to look at him. They were beautiful as always but behind those shades of purple was an emotion full of sadness Leo couldn’t stand to see. They were shaking and Claude began to blink rapidly, diverting his eyes away, avoiding the shorter man’s eyes.

“You didn’t let me talk.” He said softly, knowing that the omega before him was distressed. “What do you mean?”

Claude’s mouth opened to reply only to shut back close, not wanting to reply to the question. This time, he had completely looked away from Leo. Red painted his cheeks as he tried to move away from the very man tugging on his sleeve. Leo was patient this time, simply waited for the other to say what he initially planned to. He knew that Claude had something to say, because if he wasn’t, he could very easily rip his arm from Leo’s grip.

“Claude, what do you mean?” He asked, getting up and matching his eye level with Claude, who was now hunched, deliberately avoiding him.

“I thought you liked me.” Claude’s voice was small, embarrassed. “I was jumping to conclusions.”

“And did I refute that?”

The look of surprise on the man’s usual nonchalant face made Leo grin widely. It was so comedic and so, so, cute. Sickeningly cute with those widened eyes and blushing cheeks. His own cheeks burned as he gathered the courage to fess up his feelings.

“I had not forgotten why Shu made us meet up.” Leo added, moving closer towards the frozen omega. “I like you, Claude Clawmark, and your disability had no impact in the way I see you.”

“H-Huh?” was all Claude could manage to make.

“I liked you the first time I saw you at Shu’s wedding. Your personality, your voice, your looks, just you. I liked everything about you that day. But the fact that you were too perfect in my eyes, I didn’t have the guts to confess to you.”

An incomprehensible sound escaped Claude’s throat as he covered the half of his face with the back of his hand, flustered.

“You’re too perfect I started to think I had no chance. I was too ordinary for you. No beta like me deserves a beautiful man like you. Yet everyday you filled my mind, and I wanted to be more than just a friend and a duo for you.”

“Fuck. Oh my god. S-Stop.”

“I like you, Claude Clawmark and I’m glad as hell that I am not able to smell anyone.”

Claude was blushing so deeply, mouth agape without a single word leaving it– and Leo would shamelessly admit that this was a sight to see. The usually calm and composed Claude Clawmark was flustered, especially with his words. Leo released his grip on Claude’s sleeve and intertwined their fingers, his smaller ones fitting snugly in between long and slender ones as he narrowed the distance between them.

“You’re scary, Leo Kuga.” Claude breathed out, breaking eye contact with the shorter man. “To think you can pull this off. Damn it, Leo.” He chuckled, lips curving into a soft smile as the flustered expression dissolved into his usual one.

“So?”

“I hate you.”

Leo’s breath got caught up in his throat when Claude grabbed his face to kiss him gently on the lips. Claude’s lips were as soft as he imagined they were and Leo found himself relaxing in the omega’s touch, letting his hands rest on the hips of the man kissing him. Claude did not let go, leaning closer to him, pressing their bodies together as he led Leo with the kiss. Leo was inexperienced but slowly, he found himself being able to reciprocate the kiss, tightening his grip on Claude’s hips.

“You smell so good.” Claude whispered against his lips, resting his forehead against Leo’s.

“I do?”

“I love how you smell.”

“I’m sweaty. That’s all you’re smelling right now.”

“No. I can smell your pheromones. You smell so good.”

“I’m a beta, Claude.”

The other man made a face. “Do you not pay attention in sex ed?” He asked, lips pursed.

Leo blinked. “I do.”

“Betas also release pheromones dumbass.”

“But so much less that it can go undetected.”

Claude raised an eyebrow before smirking, wrapping his arms around the shorter man’s neck. “Do you really think that your pheromones will go undetected when I kiss you? Your pheromones are stronger now. Leo Kuga, my man, you smell horny for all I know.”

Leo squeaked, burying his face in the omega’s wide shoulders. “Don’t say that out loud.”

He only replied with a laugh. Was this how it felt to be able to smell other people’s pheromones? Maybe he’s grateful for this disability. He definitely did not need to smell a person’s desire to fuck in public space, let alone in the office. What if he could have smelled Shu Yamino’s– Nah, nah don’t go there.

“Leo?”

“Hm.” He refused to raise his head from Claude’s shoulders.

“Can I take it that you’re willing to be my boyfriend?”

“You idiot. Of course.” Leo replied, his voice muffled. “Why would I let you kiss me?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes my friends would kiss and go ‘no homo’. No taking back, you’re now my boyfriend.”

“That sounds nice. I’m no longer single now.”

Claude chuckled, resting his head on Leo’s. “Shu did mention he had a friend who was obnoxiously single for years. Was it you?”

Leo yelped and pushed himself away from Claude’s shoulder. “How did you know that?!” He screeched. “Does he go around telling people about my miserable single life?”

“Nah, that’s not very Shu-like.”

“Then?”

“Remember when you’re seated among his friends at the wedding table? He said ‘A very single friend of mine will be joining the table, so don’t make him feel lonely’ or something along those lines.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“I swear Shu will have an earful from me tomorrow.”

Claude didn’t say anything, smiled and leaned down to leave a kiss at the corner of Leo’s lips. Leo once again couldn’t pull his eyes away from the man before him. He had always looked good but there was something in the nightlight that made him look more alluring. His heart burning with desire, Leo grabbed his arm and pulled him closer for another kiss. He let go before he gets addicted to the omega’s lips. 

Leo’s mind was in a muddle of emotions as they resumed their jog (read: jog because Leo could not run). Claude was now jogging beside him, the omega ignoring the way Leo was staring at him, from his eyes and to his lips. Smirking, he turned to look at the shorter man:

“If you’d like to stop running and kiss me, I’d gladly do so.”

And fuck, this man was now his boyfriend.

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

Claude sat on his gaming chair, ready to play a night of Valorant. It’s Tuesday and time to play with his friends and his mate. The Discord call was noisy when he joined, Finana making fun of Leo while Shu and Shoto were playfully arguing about the best fries. 

“Yoo hello hello.” He began, testing the microphone to see if the others could hear him. 

“Aye Claude my man is here!” Shoto exclaimed. “You’re late! Faster get in game!”

“Sir yes sir!”

With Shoto here, he knew for sure now there will be 3 people competing for the MVP spot. That man is not the type to back down in a challenge to be the best. Claude pulled his chair in and took a long sip as he launched the game, when his phone vibrated on his table. It was Leo.

i was thinking that we go for drinks this friday instead of valo

thoughts?

Claude grinned as he typed in a reply.

drinks over valo? you’re crazy

sometimes i forgot you’re not normal, clawmark

nothing beats valo for you, huh?

exactly

valo it is

Putting his phone down, he accepted the invitation from Finana, joining the 5-man lobby. He scratched the back of his neck where his mating mark sat. It’s been nine months since Leo marked him and almost a year since they got together, and Claude’s heart was full everytime he remembered the day Leo came by his house with a bunch of flowers the day after their night jog-slash-run. Mind you, it was a Friday and early in the morning.

“Just wanted to make it official and more proper.” Leo claimed, shoving the flowers into Claude’s chest.

“Thanks.” He replied, hugging the flowers. “You didn’t need to. All you needed to do was play a longer game of Valorant with me tonight.” He said, grinning.

“I can also do that.” The beta challenged him. 

“Bet.”

“What do you mean bet? My boyfriend wants a game of Valorant and I’m more than willing to play with him.”

The smug look on Leo’s face made Claude’s cheeks go beetroot red. “It’s gonna take me a while to get used to that title.” He mumbled.

“Same but who cares. I get to call you my boyfriend and I’m on Cloud 9.”

“Hm.”

“Okay, bye. I have to get to work, see you later tonight babygirl.”

For someone who used the term babygirl to almost everyone, Claude found himself blushing. Holding back a squeal, he closed the door and took one good look at the bouquet of flowers. 

“He’s so stupid.” Claude whispered to himself, looking at the card hidden between the petals of roses.

To Claude Clawmark, my boyfriend

Thank you for existing and being part of my life.

Respectfully, your beta boyfriend.

The card sat underneath Claude’s monitor, taped nicely with washi tape. Claude smiled to himself, distracted.

“AHHHHH I WHIFFED!” Leo screamed into the mic.

Snapped out of his daze, Claude got his attention back into the game, his cheeks warm from reading the card over and over. He’s the only one alive now and at match point. With a flick of his mouse, the last enemy was down and they won the game.

“LET’S GOOOO.” 

“We take those!” 

“Ah, again these dumbasses out-fragging me.” Shoto complained the second the MVP flashed on their screen. Leo topped frag this time, followed by Claude, their agents standing side by side. “Someone tell this duo to calm down in an unrated game.”

“Nahhh.” Leo said. “We are the duo. We won’t lose to you.”

Claude snickered, purposely to piss off Shoto. “Yeah, that’s my duo."

He's my duo. 

Leo Kuga ,on the other side of the screen, hid his face in his hands as the heat crept up his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm his duo."