"It took you long enough," Renjun snapped, shivering from the cold that had soaked him to the bone.

"Sorry, all you texted me was 'ho.' Then I had to track your phone, and bring the equipment. I have a roll on by the way." Renjun took it, rolling on the scent of burnt molasses and sighing.

"Thank you though."

"Did they smell you?"

"Probably, but I don't think they knew it was me they were smelling. Alphas are dumb."

"Right," Sicheng chuckled. "So dumb they can't stay away, right?" He looked up evenly to see a boy standing there, and Renjun huffed.

"Na Jaemin I smell you and see you." Jaemin walked out with his eyebrow raised, and Renjun felt a jolt go down his spine.

"And I saw you." Jaemin had a lazy smile on his face, and Renjun frowned.

"I'm your teacher, leave me be."

"I'm an alpha, you can't tell me what to do as a beta can you?" Renjun and Sicheng let out a sigh of relief, realising Jaemin had arrived after he had applied the scent.

"Having my brother help me isn't a crime. I wanted to leave with someone I trusted. Now, leave." Renjun pulled himself up to his full height and walked right past, Jaemin's words making him pause after he had walked past.

"It's strange the scent of peru balsam has disappeared."

"I don't even know what that is, come on Sicheng. I have to buy a new phone and get new clothes." Renjun kept walking until he got to his car, Sicheng climbing into the passenger seat. "Yuta drive you?"

"Yeah, you know Omegas can't have licenses." Sicheng buckled his seatbelt and looked at him. "That alpha's strange."

"Why?" Renjun asked, reversing out of the space and turning his heat up to full blast.

"He seems to be fond of you."

"He's Na Jaemin, he flirts with everyone."

"You seemed to be fond of him."

"I actually rather hate him."

"It seems like he's your mate." Renjun slammed on the brakes, looked at Sicheng before bursting into laughter.

"Right, like an alpha would actually look past the scent."

"You know the price of not finding your mate."

"Streets, death, blah blah blah. Not really all that scary if I'm being honest Sicheng." Renjun continued driving, Sicheng rolling his eyes. "By the way, I like the new piercing."

"Thanks," Sicheng smiled, touching his industrial piercing. "I did it myself."

"You would make a brilliant piercer you know."

"And who would trust their life to an Omega?" Sicheng scoffed, putting his feet on the dash and reaching into the cup holder, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with Renjun's lighter. "By the way, your backpack's in the back. One of your students brought it back."

"Thanks. Doesn't Yuta hate it when you smoke?" Renjun turned towards his apartment, and Sicheng shrugged.

"He always gets over it. Besides, I'm hardly addicted like you."

"I'm not addicted. Wait here, I'm going to go change." Renjun raced into the apartment, grabbing his backpack before bursting through the doors.

"There you are! I was worried sick -"

"C'mon, I need a new phone," Renjun said, tossing the keys at Donghyuck, who rolled his eyes.

"Hello to you too, rain monster." Donghyuck muttered as his roommate ran off to change. Renjun appeared a few minutes later, his t-shirt tucked neatly into pinstripe slacks. "Really?"

"C'mon," Renjun replied, drying his hair aggressively as he applied more perfume to make him smell more like molasses, him grabbing his wallet and pack of cigarettes.

"You don't need your cigarettes."

"After the day I've gone through, yes I do." Donghyuck entered the car, sliding into the back seat and waving at Sicheng, who had leaned back. Renjun lit a cigarette and put another behind his ear, pulling back out and driving to the tech store, known as NT, or New Tech.

"Anyone gonna tell me what happened?" Donghyuck asked, waiting for a response. "Hello?"

"This is his phone currently," Sicheng said, holding out a clearly destroyed phone, and Donghyuck winced.

"How?"

"Some of my students thought it would be funny to throw me into a pond." Renjun managed through gritted teeth, and Donghyuck gasped.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, they noticed my scent though."

"Shit man." Donghyuck leaned back, taking his hands through his hair. "Is the SIM card okay?"

"No idea, but it's probably water damaged. Luckily I backed it up last night, so I didn't lose much."

"Jisung's probably freaking out."

"To be fair, I was too." Sicheng replied. "He only got out 'ho'."

"Out of honey? Damn."

"This is why I hate alphas. They think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. It's fun and games for them, meanwhile my shot at a decent education lays on my secrets not being discovered."

"He didn't know that though."

"Still." Renjun turned into the parking lot, his scent obvious as he stepped out of the car, making Sicheng wrinkle his nose, Donghyuck doing the same but more subtly. Renjun walked in, his gaze deadly and his scent laying heavy over the workers.

"Hello sir," one of them began nervously, smelling how angry Renjun was. "Can I help you?"

"I need a new phone." Renjun said gruffly. "Someone smashed it."

"I'll need to see it to make sure we can't -" Renjun pulled out his phone, bent and shattered, and the worker's eyes widened.

"Oh. Yes, you do. Let me grab you one, which one do you want?"

"Same model is fine." Renjun replied, and he nodded, scurrying off and getting Renjun a new phone.

"D-do you need help setting it up?"

"No it's fine." Renjun took the phone and walked out, his scent visibly less sour. Sicheng relaxed, looking at his brother with raised eyebrows.

"Better?"

"Much better."

"Let's blow off some steam tonight," Donghyuck said, and Renjun sighed.

"I don't like that you two are still doing that," Sicheng said, looking out the window.

"It gets us money," Donghyuck replied. "And we're hella hot doing it."

"I also don't like that you dragged others in."

"They made a choice, and you did it before us. It's where you met your mate." Donghyuck pouted.

"It's not safe."

"Hyuckie has a point, you met Yuta there."

"Whatever." Sicheng sulked. "I know I can't tell you otherwise, but just be careful."

"I know. And I should call Jisung." Renjun dialled the number, waiting for it to connect. "Hello, this is Renjun."

"There you are! I was worried sick do you have any idea how terrible it was? Usually we go out on Saturdays! I wasn't allowed out without you."

"I'm sorry Ji, I'll make it up tomorrow."

"You better." Jisung hung up with that, and Renjun laughed.

"Is he crying?" Donghyuck asked, and Renjun nodded yes, turning down a street to get closer to Almond Blossoms.

"Yuta's home right Sicheng?" Renjun asked when they arrived, and Sicheng nodded. "Good. I'll see you later."

"Have fun tonight." Sicheng smiled, getting out and looking behind him at the two. "Don't get too wild."

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Oh look at this, we're at a nice comfy point. Wouldn't it be awful if someone came along and... ruined it.