ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

gyuvin was good at keeping secrets. he didn't look awkward or weird at all when he was around the two older alphas. his big, unfiltered mouth was something to take into account of though. he remembered calling ricky ugly when the omega had approached him for the first time, even when ricky was the most beautiful, ethereal, delicate, yet sassy omega he's ever met.

matter of fact, he was bad at keeping secrets with his totally blunt personality and his big mouth. he was itching to tell jiwoong and hao what he had found out the other day, but ricky had made him promise to keep it a secret. he only nodded his head. being in a room filled with omegas that could potentially break his legs in half was nothing to be messed with. but being in a room filled with omegas scents going crazy and spiking every other minute when matthew was crying or when hanbin was angry, was a different story.

when he saw jiwoong start to hang around another beta on campus (he was sure that the girl was actually a beta this time), he wanted to pounce on the older and beat him to a pulp. gyuvin was weak when it came to omegas' emotions. take ricky for example. ricky could order him to do anything and he would be whipped as hell to do it. if ricky wanted strawberry ice cream at ten pm because he was feeling down, then he would get his bike started and going. when ricky was worried and stressed about matthew after getting a call from hanbin, the alpha quickly made a u-turn back to ricky's place to pick him up.

seeing matthew weep in his friends' arms made gyuvin also sad as well. despite him sitting at the edge of matthew's bed, watching as ricky and hanbin coaxed him. he didn't dare to say anything, feeling useless as the only thing he could do was talk to the older alpha.

"it's fine," matthew reassured his two omega friends, and gyuvin, who had taken him to his class, "i'm fine guys. promise." he was already happy enough to have his friends by his side, but taking him to the classes he didn't share with either of them was probably draining.

"what if jiwoong pounces on you?" hanbin hugged the brunette, rocking him side to side with his arms around his waist, "i want to beat him up."

luckily for matthew, neither of his friends had seen jiwoong on campus at all. unfortunately for him, he had seen jiwoong on campus when he was walking to the library to meet his friends. gyuvin had also seen jiwoong, but hadn't talked to him ever since what happened at the convenience store.

"you'll get beat up first," ricky stifled a laugh, before glancing up at gyuvin who was standing there with a pout, as if it was his fault for matthew getting hurt because he was friends with jiwoong, "qubing lets go. hao hyung is waiting for us outside." he linked arms with the taller alpha who's cheeks flushed and pupils dilated when he saw ricky initiate physical touch.

"ricky. d-does this mean you agree to go out with me?," gyuvin was dragged away by the blonde, a string of questions asking the omega if he liked him yet or wanted to go out on a date with him now, to which the omega denied hesitantly. his cat-like eyes only looked down at their linked arms, avoiding any further eye contact with the alpha that would make him turn into a tomato.

to be honest, matthew never really understood their relationship but he could tell ricky was in the denial, leaning towards acceptance stage. for the pair to have already fucked, bickered, and have each other in their car or on their bike respectively, he still didn't understand why they weren't together when they basically act like an old married couple. maybe it was ricky's ego that was holding him back from letting the big puppy court him.

matthew pushed hanbin away softly, shooting another smile to the older, "go. hao hyung is waiting for you, hyung."

hanbin frowned before letting out a soft sigh, "maybe i really am being too protective. i just don't want you to get hurt again."

"it's fine. it was bound to happen anyways, hyung," matthew's smile faded from his lips saying that. it wasn't fine. he was actually still heartbroken from it all, but he was getting better day by day with his other friends around. he checked the time on his phone before putting it into his pocket, "i'll go inside now. i'll see you later, binnie"

"yeah," hanbin smiled softly, ruffling the younger's hair, "did you take your pills today? scent patches?"

matthew rubbed the back of his nape, turning away from the older, "i-i kind of forgot the scent patches since i ran out. i'll stop by the pharmacy to get some on the way back. i'm refraining from taking too many pills . . do i smell?"

"kind of," hanbin chuckled. to be honest, he could get used to the younger's scent again. he was glad matthew was listening to him (kind of). he enjoyed seeing the younger be able to freely express his subgender again although it was risky considering most people thought he was a beta before, "you smell good, chu. i'm sure getting off the pills is for the best. just don't forget the scent patches. it's important that you put it on when you're alone in public."

matthew nodded, "don't worry, hyung i'll be fine" he looked at the time on his phone before stuffing it into his back pocket, "i'll see you later, binnie hyung!" he turned around rushed to the lecture hall that was down the hall.

matthew should've stayed with his friends longer or skipped his statistics class. he absolutely hated math, and all of these things about hypothesis tests and tables made no sense in his head. he almost fell asleep during the lecture, finding it hard to even understand math in korean when he could barely comprehend it in english, which was his first language. he didn't even have any friends in this class to ask for help.

he rubbed his head as he walked out of the class, letting out a soft groan when he bumped into someone. he almost stumbled onto another student, when he felt a hand around his waist that helped stabilize him. his heart raced as he looked up nervously to see who it was. he hoped it wasn't some creepy alpha trying to prey on him. he cursed the unbelievable amount of student that were rushing to get out of this horrid lecture at the same time as him.

"oh? matthew, right?"

the familiar voice and smell made matthew's memory jog. he looked up to meet the eyes of the kinda alpha he had met at the party, which had been a month or two by now. he was surprised the alpha still remembered his name. he guided the omega by the waist to a less crowded spot before slipping his hand away.

"wook?" matthew mumbled, tapping his finger onto his chin as he looked at the taller, "what's your name, again?"

"park gunwook," gunwook smiled, chuckling at the boy who seemed to finally find that name all so familiar, "i haven't seen you since the party. i didn't know we had a class together," gunwook looked down at the shorter boy who was looking at him intriguingly, "we never really got to finish our conversation."

matthew nodded, rubbing the back of his nape, "s-sorry about that. he's one of my  . . . uhm. . . friends?"

"it's fine," gunwook's soft laugh made matthew embarrassed all of a sudden. he normally didn't expect to see people he talked to outside of parties, aside from jiwoong who was an exception for that matter, "are you doing anything, now? we could go get some drinks and get to know each other."

matthew thought about it before giving the taller boy a soft smile, nodding. being around such a kind alpha wouldn't hurt. the taller didn't appear to have any bad intentions, and the boy was cute in matthew's eyes. the tall build and big figure didn't make him look scary once matthew saw his face. the hoodie basically engulfed gunwook's build and the tight black jeans perfectly hugged his legs.

the two walked off campus to a nearby boba shop that matthew would normally frequent with ricky on his breaks. ricky absolutely loved the strawberry milk tea, and raved about the new strawberry series when it was in season. matthew, on the other hand, opted for regular milk tea, sometimes trying a new drink to find something he enjoyed.

"hmmm creme brûlée brown sugar milk tea?," matthew mumbled to himself, reading the drinks off the menu he was holding. for someone that smelled like creme brûlée, matthew never exactly tried it. and brown sugar? was the universe trying to give him a sign that him and jiwoong were supposed to be compatible?

he ordered it.

and he loved it. he even asked gunwook to try it, the two switching drinks despite barely knowing each other too well, but comfortable enough to do something, like share their drinks.

"mmm thats good," gunwook raved, a big smile appearing on his face, which made matthew smile as well. the alpha savored the crunchy sugar topping, letting the burnt sugar melt on his tongue as he chewed on the tapioca.

"i know!," matthew giggled, taking back his drink to take another sip. the caramelized sugar on top that the barista had created with the blow torch melted in his mouth and the creaminess made matthew want to turn around and order more, "your drink is good too, wook-ie"

"wook-ie?" gunwook chuckled, finding the cute name the cute boy gave him to be quite fitting. the two were just walking down the street, trying to get to the night market that was supposed to happen at the center of the city, "that's cute."

matthew's cheeks flushed, biting onto his straw. one thing about alphas was that he was a sucker for compliments and praises. he hoped the other people's scents in the crowded streets were enough to cover up his own scent which probably sweetened after hearing that. thats the thing about scents. he couldn't hide his feelings.

"i-it's 'cause you look like a baby and you need a cute nickname," matthew muttered, continuing to sip on his drink and chew on the tapioca balls, "i'm older than you right?"

"should i call you hyung then?," gunwook cocked his head to the side, looking at the shorter boy in amusement, "matthew hyung?"

matthew shoved the taller's arm softly, shyly looking away, "t-that makes me sound old."

"you're only a year older, hyung."

"stop it, gunwook"

"hey hey. . . . what happened to wook-ie?" gunwook pouted, making matthew's heart practically melt. the younger alpha was definitely playing with his heart.

the two actually enjoyed the night market, much to matthew's surprise. gunwook was eager to try everything and with the big build of his, matthew wasn't one to underestimate the taller. matthew didn't know how long its been since he had this much fun, letting the taller alpha guide him through the many stalls and the large crowd of people who were bustling down the streets, doing the same thing as them.

"hyung! let me pay too," gunwook's lower lip jutted out when he saw the brunette hand the vendor cash for their tanghulu, "you haven't let me pay for anything."

matthew grinned, feeling all that superior over the taller who looked upset, "it's courtesy for the older one to pay," matthew glanced at the vendor who handed him two skewers of strawberry tanghulu, handing one to the alpha, "here. the color of your cheeks match these strawberries."

gunwook's cheeks flushed as he gladly accepted the strawberry tanghulu from the shorter. he was aware of his naturally flushed, pink cheeks. he often got mistaken for being shy or embarrassed because of the pink color on his face. only this time, he was genuinely blushing, feeling his heart race as he watched the older continue to walk away. the canadian was really something else.

"you two are cute together," gunwook's head whipped to the sweet ahjumma who smiled at him warmly. the alpha looked frazzled at the comment, wanting to kindly reject the older lady, putting his free hand up to shake it in front of him.

"w-we aren't dating," gunwook said to the lady, who only giggled to herself at the flustered boy. gunwook turned to see that the older was waiting for him at another stall up ahead, biting into the candied fruit delicately. the lady smiled. no doubt were those eyes expressing anything but happiness and joy. gunwook did have his eyes on the boy since the party.

matthew was really pretty. he thought matthew was a beta since the boy didn't emit any scent, but finding out that he was an omega from earlier when they were talking made him crush even harder on the shorter. omega or not, matthew had a great, friendly personality that gunwook was attracted to.

"go," the lady rolled her eyes playfully, making gunwook snap his head to look back at her. she had a small grin on her face, looking back down to continue dipping the skewered fruits into the sugary substance.

gunwook nodded, bowing slightly at the older lady and saying thank you before jogging over to matthew who was busy looking at a selection of pins and accessories. the omega smiled when he saw the alpha behind him finally catch up, "there you are! i've been wanting to show you this," matthew raised the cute tiger pin up to his face, with a bright smile, "isn't it cute? it looks like you. scary but cute."

"y-yeah," gunwook stuttered, clearly not looking at the pin but rather, focusing on the omega's close proximity and his handsome face, "cute"

matthew giggled, putting the pin that was on the backing card, back down onto the table. he had been eyeing it for a while, waiting for the young alpha to catch up to him. he didn't know what he was talking about what the vendor, but his cheeks were red which meant that she must've teased him to some sort. matthew continued to walk away, throwing his skewer into the trash after he finished the last strawberry that had been on there, with gunwook trailing behind him slowly. the alpha slipped the vendor a ten thousand won bill for the tiger pin, which he slipped into his pocket ever so discreetly, along with a fox pin.

matthew was oblivious to gunwook's doings, smiling to himself as he continued to enjoy his night with the taller alpha. his happiness only lasted temporarily until his nose picked up a familiar scent as they were walking home. he could pick out the smell from anywhere because of how distinct it was. they were waiting at the corner of the block at a red light and his eyes immediately passed that of a boy on a bike. jiwoong.

matthew felt his breath hitch, his omega itching to get the alpha's attention. his scent started to get stronger, pheromones spreading in the air, making the passerbys look at him and gunwook concerned as well.

"hey," gunwook whispered, looking at where the older was glancing at, only to see the alpha that he knew all too well. he grabbed the canadian by the shoulder softly, turning him around to look at him instead, "hey, you okay?"

matthew nodded, despite feeling tears swell up in his eyes, hoping that it would go unnoticed by the younger, "i'm fine wook-ah," matthew felt himself shudder, trying to control his scent again. its been difficult since he never needed to with all the scent patches and pills he's been taking. he forced a smile, to the younger who only looked at him with worry-filled eyes.

"let's get you home, yeah?" gunwook mumbled, eyeing the biker guy that had happened to turn and look their way. matthew was oblivious to it as his back was turned and gunwook leaned down look into the omega's teary eyes. he released his own pheromones, helping to make the shorter boy calm down and make the alpha who was getting honked at to leave.

and successfully, he did.

matthew turned around, ears perked up at the sound of jiwoong's bike engine roaring, the all too familiar sound slipping away. he should've known he would act like this when he was near jiwoong. he'd been trying to keep his distance, but he knew he would react like this. it was especially embarrassing in front of the taller alpha who had engulfed him in his scent. the warm cinnamon scent was enough to make matthew feel relaxed.

"thanks, gunwook-ah," matthew beamed, glancing at the hand that was still holding onto his arm softly, "let's go?"

gunwook nodded, hand slipping off of matthew's hoodie as he watched the older start to cross the street. he couldn't help but start to wonder why matthew had reacted that way? what did jiwoong do? he trailed behind the older, letting out a sigh. matthew's scent made it obvious that the omega was feeling down, and he didn't like that an alpha could hurt such a pretty omega's heart. especially matthew's.

"oh!" gunwook bumped into the omega's back, snapping him out of his thoughts. he looked at the omega worringly, wondering why the omega had suddenly stopped in front of the convenience store.

"what's wrong?" gunwook asked, stepping in front of the omega and holding him by the shoulders, "did something happen?"

"scent patches," matthew giggled, grabbing at gunwook's hands that were on his shoulders and dragging him inside before the alpha could even think, "i should buy some shouldn't i? before i forget."

gunwook hummed, rubbing the back of his nape as the omega dragged him past the snacks aisle and to the small pharmacy section. his eyes were focused on the hand that was still holding his. matthew was mumbling something to himself, looking at all the different brands and trying to find the one that he had bought last time.

"is this why i couldn't smell you last time at the party," gunwook pondered, chuckling at the omega who grabbed several packs of scent patches off of the shelf. gunwook, being the gentlemen he was, grabbed them from matthew's hands and held onto them, nodding at matthew to grab more so that he can save them.

"part of it," matthew sighed, grabbing a few more packs before leading gunwook to the register, "it adds up with the hospital pills, heat suppressants, and other," matthew mumbled under his breath, watching as the cashier scanned everything. he gave the cashier his card, paying for them quickly and leaving gunwook still in a state of shock once they had left the store.

"aren't you hurting your omega?"

matthew froze, letting go of the boy's hand to put it into his pocket and gripping onto the plastic bag, "its hard to explain—"

"hyung," gunwook pressed his lips into a line, looking down at the bag, "you know you shouldn't do that, right? it'll be hard to conceive later if you're constantly on drugs," the look in his eyes made matthew feel guilty.

matthew smiled, nodding as he let out a soft giggle escape his lips, "i know. i'm working on lowering my dosage and taking less. the scent patches are just for when i'm by myself and i'm going somewhere."

"ah," gunwook nodded, happy to hear that matthew was no longer damaging his body with all these pills, "i'll take you home then."

matthew nodded, leading the way as gunwook trailed behind him once more. he kept an eye on the omega, but he couldn't help but wonder why matthew was acting the way he was and doing the things he was doing. first it was jiwoong and now all of these pills?

"ah wookie," matthew pouted, tugging at the alpha's sleeve, "don't worry about me, okay? i'm fine, promise."

gunwook wanted to believe that, forcing a smile on his face as he nodded. how could he not worry?

ᰔᩚ 𝓼𝓮𝓾𝓷𝓺𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓼
𝓹𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭: 02/02/2024 ᰔᩚ