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It was traditional for omegas to receive their first piece of jewelry from their parents. Shane was gifted his first three pieces on his twelfth birthday. A plain yellow-gold hinged bangle handed down from his father’s mother, a set of jade and mother of pearl cufflinks originally worn by his mother’s grandfather, and a new set of pearl stud earrings.
Shane cherished those pieces and the few bangles and strings of beads he’d received platonically from Hayden and JJ over their years as friends. He kept the blue piece of ribbon he’d gotten from his high school girlfriend more for the sake of it than any attachment. They all lived in the carved wooden jewelry box he kept on his dresser.
He was ok with his lack of collection. He was perfectly content with never having to upgrade his jewelry box. It’s not like Shane agreed to go on many dates and no one gave jewelry on a first date anymore anyway. And really, so what if the one alpha he’s actually let get close, the one alpha he’s actually let have him, didn’t think he was worth even a cheap bangle. They weren’t together. They couldn’t be. Shane really wasn’t upset by any of it at all.
~~~
Ilya was a generous lover. No omega he’d ever spent time with left empty handed. He was a connoisseur of ribbons and beaded bracelets and aluminum bangles. He saved more durable pieces for omegas that he planned to see again, namely Svetlana. In fact, Sveta might have been the first and only omega to receive something metal and precious from him. Until… Shane Hollander.
~~~
As Ilya put his clothes back on he was seconds away from pulling out the bangle he’d brought for Hollander. The sterling silver one with filigree that he’d kept telling himself was not picked out special in case the photoshoot went how he’d planned it.
“You’re not going to tell anyone?” Hollander questioned him just as Ilya reached into his jacket pocket. “You can’t tell anyone.” Hollander continued with a worried look on his face.
Ilya understood. Hollander was making it clear. This was to be a secret thing. Ilya stopped reaching for the bangle and agreed to never speak a word of it.