It was a special day at the Han's house. Actually it was a special day in the whole village. It was March 21st and that meant only one thing: the Mating Season would have officially begun that night.

All the singles would have started looking for a partner to get through the biggest Heat of the year and, if they were lucky, they could even meet their true Mate.

«Ji, honey, aren't you getting ready yet?»

Jisung had turned 18 and that season would have been the first one for him and the most important one. He would have discovered soon which subgenre he belonged to, even if it was obvious to everyone that he was an Omega. Everyone but him.

«I'm not coming, mom»

«Don't talk bullshit! Get off your ass and make yourself nice!» she squealed, flapping her hands excitedly, while her son didn't seem to move from the bed.

«Oh, well» she sneered, «I won't be the one to convince you then» she moved away from the door and let a small blonde figure enter Jisung's room.

«Ji, what the fuck! Do you want to remain a virgin for life?»

The dark-haired boy turned and saw the freckled face of his best friend, frowning at him.

«Lix? What are you doin-»

«I want to go to that damn party, find a man able to fuck me, and you will accompany me.»

Jisung turned red, seeing his mother sneer at those very explicit words, «Felix, for fuck sake!» 

«Words, child!» his mom yelled and disappeared into the corridor. Jisung rolled his eyes.

«Come on, I know you're not the party type, but aren't you really curious to see if you'll find someone?» Felix asked, sitting on the bed and stroking his friend's leg with soft eyes. He knew the reason why Han wasn't so excited about finding love, but he couldn't give up al leave him at home. That was the most important event of the year in the village.

Jisung snorted loudly, knowing that no one would have left him alone anyway. Was he the only one thinking that the whole "find a partner to mate" was wildly absurd? Probably.

Everyone kept telling him: the more years pass, the more difficult it is to find your Mate; and the first heats are the worst. And for Han and Felix that would be the first.

«Okay, I'll come» he muttered, making the blond explode with joy. He immediately began rummaging through his friend's closet to find the right outfit for him.

«Do you only have sweatshirts?!» he muttered annoyed, finding nothing the least bit provocative or sexy.

«What the fuck should I have in my closet? Lingerie?» Han slurred, reaching over, grabbing a pair of black jeans and his only black satin shirt and throwing them on the bed.

Felix raised an eyebrow at him: «It's not a funeral, you know that, right?»

«It could be the funeral of your virginity» Han sneered.

Felix gave him a soft punch on the shoulder but burst out laughing anyway, «Okay, but let me at least fix your hair.»

A few hours later the two boys were ready. Yun, Jisung's older sister, was having her mom fix her barely-there top.

«Noona, you're stunning!» Felix exclaimed, clapping excitedly.

Han shook his head in disappointment watching her from head to toe, «You could have just gone out in a bra» he snapped.

«Jisung!» his mother scolded him, finally looking at the two boys and smiling. Han had his long brown hair curled into almost ringlets that fell down his face.

«Wow... You look great, son!»

Yun looked at him with a sneer: «He seems a sheep»

Jisung glared at Felix, «I told you this was too much!» he complained, ruffling his own hair, trying to make it look less strange.

«That's not true, you look like a damn doll! You're gorgeous!» Felix repeated, looking with admiration at his friend.

«I'm so curious to know what nature you two will discover you have» Jisung's mom murmured, looking at the two boys.

Yun had already debuted two years ago, she was a gorgeous and proud Beta. From her attitude she might have been an Alpha, but they were very rare in the female sex and being an Alpha came with a lot of responsibility, so she was happy to be a powerful Beta. She still hadn't found her life partner, but she felt optimistic that year.

«Omega, of course» she sneered, glancing at his brother.

«Ya, who said I can't be a Beta or an Alpha?» Jisung growled.

Yun and Felix both burst out laughing, without answering him, while their mother stroked his son's hair and left a kiss on his forehead: «Whatever you will be, you are wonderful» she smiled at him.

«Okay, okay!» Han snapped, rolling his eyes, trying to hide his blushing cheeks, «Shall we go now?»

The three headed on foot to the square where it would all have begun. Felix and Yun were talking about their ideal man, while Han was huffing, regretting leaving his warm bed.

«So, how do you recognize your Mate?» asked Felix, who couldn't wait to find out what it felt like. He had heard a lot about it from older friends, his parents and even his older sisters. It seemed to him that he was the only one left without a Mate.

Yun shrugged, «It hasn't happened to me yet, but mom says you can tell by the smell or when you touch each other.»

Felix sighed, «I'm going to have to smell and touch all the hot guys there! It's going to be tough!»

Han sneered, shaking his head, «You're absurd.»

«No, I'm just a horny teenager!» Felix snapped back, making the other two snicker.

The biggest square of the village had been decorated with great style. Dozens of tables set with alcohol and snacks, to encourage new acquaintances. It was full of small groups who timidly approached to choose a table and others who must have been older and already felt at ease. Han already regretted going to that event, there were really too many people.

«Shall we find a table?» Felix asked loudly so the other two could hear him. Jisung nodded, while Yun excused herself and disappeared to greet some of her friends, leaving the two newbies alone.

«Traitor» Jisung muttered, grabbing a drink a waiter handed him and sipping it. He immediately spat it all out, causing Felix to burst out laughing.

«What is this crap?!» he snapped, wiping his mouth in disgust.

«Alcohol?» Felix smiled.

Han sighed, rubbing his temples. All that noise was already annoying him and he felt so out of place. What was he doing there?

Felix had started scanning the square, looking for someone who inspired him in some way, and his eyes fell on a tall, well-built boy, about ten meters away from them. He was standing, holding a glass and smiling, showing off some nice dimples.

Felix couldn't take his eyes off him and when the blond boy turned towards him, he quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't been caught staring.

«God...» he murmured, blushing and putting two fingers to his neck to feel his rapid heartbeat.

«What?» Han blurted out, already wanting to go home.

«At my 11 o'clock, I think the love of my life is there»

Han turned left and right, not understanding how Felix's mental clock worked, until the blond grabbed his face and turned it in the right direction.

«Him?!» he blurted out, looking at his friend, «He seems like the classic cocky idiot»

Felix rolled his eyes, «He seems cool to me.»

Yun returned to the boys, sitting next to Jisung and starting to sip a cocktail, «There are some nice people» she smiled, winking.

«Noona, do you know him?» asked Felix, pointing his gaze towards that stranger. He was now obsessed with him.

«Who? Chan-hyung?!» she exclaimed, her eyes widening, «My love, he is the most wanted Alpha in the city!» she sneered.

Han sighed. Was there even a ranking?

«Fuck, he's perfect...» Felix muttered.

He couldn't stop looking at that wonderful smile. The Alpha turned towards him again and this time Felix tried not to look away, but he blushed brightly.

«You're about to self-combust,» Han teased, kicking him from under the table.

Meanwhile Chan had smiled at Felix and was coming towards their table.

«Fuck, fuck, he's coming here!»

«Unbutton your shirt a little!» Yun whispered to him, while Han looked at them with disgust. Everything to get the attention of an Alpha they didn't even know? And for what? Getting fucked?

«HI!» Chan had reached them and his smile was breathtaking, even Jisung had to silently admit it. He exuded a truly reassuring aura.

«H-Hi» Felix slurred, his low voice surprising the older.

«First year?» he asked with a sympathetic smile. Chan knew almost everyone in the village and those were new faces to him, especially the two boys.

Felix nodded, while Yun was so mesmerized watching Chan that she couldn't even respond.

Han kicked her under the table to call her back to Earth.

«My name is Bang Chan, nice to meet you» he said then, holding out a hand to Felix, who blushed terribly. He grabbed it, noticing the size difference between their hands. His was so small compared to the new guy's big, soft one.

«Lee Felix» he slurred, looking at him with big eyes, «This is my friend, Han Jisung, and his sister, Han Yun» he then added.

Chan seemed to linger on the faces of the two sibilings for a moment too long. "Han", that surname was familiar to him. It took him a moment to recall where he had heard of that family and when he met Han's annoyed gaze, he remembered. The tragedy that happened 9 years earlier.

He opened his mouth to say something but Jisung's gaze made him understand that it was better not to talk about it. So he pretended nothing happened and he smiled at everyone.

«Do you want to join us?» he asked then, pointing to a large table not too far away, «We will play some games to get to know each other better and, who knows, maybe some of us could get lucky this year» he said, smiling shyly, scratching the back of his neck.

Felix was about to drool, enchanted by the romanticism of that Alpha, and, without even looking at Jisung who would probably avoid that agglomeration of unknown people, he nodded: «We'd like to!» he said, getting a dirty look from his friend.

"Perfect!" Jisung thought to himself.

Felix stood up, trotting alongside Chan, while Yun and Jisung followed.

«Get rid of that pout, brother, maybe someone might even find you cute» his sister snapped.

Jisung gave her a little push, «Your tit's out, sister»

Yun panicked and looked at her top, immediately realizing that it was okay and that Han was grinning.

«Asshole.»

«You love me like that» he retorted.

«We have some new arrivals!» Chan exclaimed, announcing the three new members of the group. And Han wanted to bury himself when many of them curiously turned to look at them and, above all, to scan them. Damn, how embarrassing was that! 

Felix smiled and immediately struck up a conversation with Chan, who politely handed him a glass full of something. Han looked around, trying to figure out how to keep himself busy and not look like an idiot, when he heard his sister beside him laughing.

«What a beauty, girl!»

A boy with reddish hair had taken her hand and placed a small kiss on it, making her blush.

«Oh, thank you!» she giggled, «I'm Yun and this is my little brother» she introduced pointing to Jisung, not wanting to make him feel abandoned or, perhaps, just to point out that she wasn't accompanied by anyone that evening.

The boy glanced quickly at Han and went back to focusing only on Yun, «Minho, enchanted» he added.

Jisung wanted to vomit. He grabbed a chair and sat down, ignoring the two, and started to munch on some chips on the table. He wasn't hungry, in fact, his stomach was totally closed, but he had to keep himself busy somehow.

Meanwhile Felix was getting closer and closer to Chan. He really wanted to try to smell him, just to know if he was the luckiest man in the world and that Alpha was is mate, but he wasn't succeeding. It was hard to smell someone's neck without looking like a maniac!

However the older noticed Felix's attempts and, smiling at him, leaned towards him, placing his nose on Felix's neck and inhaling deeply.

The younger froze, feeling the Alpha's strong pine smell flood him and felt a jolt throughout his body. Chan pulled away from him, a shocked expression on his face, and he made their eyes meet.

«Fuck» he whispered, biting his bottom lip.

Felix felt shaken, paralyzed, a sensation he had never felt before made him want to throw himself on that perfect stranger and become totally his. Was this the Heat? Or...

«I found you» Chan added, answering his unspoken question. They were Mates.

Felix's eyes widened and he put a hand to his mouth, shocked. He didn't think it would take him so little, for most of them the search took years.

As soon as he realized the situation, he panicked. Was Chan happy to be destined for someone like him? Was he gay? Or would have he rejectex him? It didn't happen often, but it had happened to someone to be rejected by their Alpha, by their Mate.

And above all... Now that he had found him, was he really ready to mate?

Chan looked at the hazel eyes of the frightened little one and grabbed both his hands, stroking them with his thumbs.

«Everything ok?» he whispered to him gently.

Felix felt his legs dissolve, but he nodded.

«You seem scared...» Chan added, unconvinced.

Felix didn't answer, he couldn't, so the older grabbed one of his hand and dragged him away from the chaos, looking for an isolated bench where they could talk in peace. He chose one in a little park, where some children were still playing, while their mothers repeated that it was time to go home for dinner. The sun was setting, leaving a soft orange light that permeated the entire village and a pink-tinged sky above them.

Chan made the youngest sit down and sat next to him, without letting go of his hand.

«Felix?» he called again, «Tell me what are you thinking about» he asked him softly. He could feel his worry as if it were his own. That was a strange, permeating, profound sensation.

He observed the face of that boy he had known for less than an hour, the light hit his soft skin and brought out those unique freckles. His blond hair was shiny, straight, partly tied back, but some strands fell down his face. He was an angel.

«I...» Felix sighed, feeling stupid for having such doubts. But if Chan was his Mate, he had nothing to fear. They had to learn how to comunicate with each other.

«I'm afraid I'm not enough for you» he slurred, looking at his feet.

Chan looked at him in amazement: «Is that what's worrying you?»

The younger just nodded.

Chan grabbed his chin and forced him to meet his eyes. They were so sweet, Felix got lost in them. His skin was almost burning where Chan was touching him... Everything was so strange.

«I'm so happy that you're my Mate, Felix.» the Alpha started, with a soft smile. «I know this is so strange, we don't even know each other, but you hit me right away.» he explained, hoping to quickly erase all of Felix's doubts. The little boy was so beautiful he seemed unreal, how could he be afraid of not being liked?

The blond boy looked at him with shining eyes, moved.

«You too» he said, with a shy smile, «You immediately captured my gaze, Chan» 

The older felt a shiver hearing his name pronounced by him so sweetly and without honorifics. It sounded so intimate.

«Felix, can I hug you?» Chan asked, no longer able to bear to touch him with just his hands. He needed to feel him close, to feel that strong sensation with whole body. He needed to smell his neck again.

Felix nodded, because he wanted the exact same thing. Being away from Chan almost... Hurt.

The Alpha took him delicately and hugged him to his chest, burying his nose in the younger boy's straight hair. That fragrance was the best perfume he had ever smelled, that hug was the warmest he had ever given or received. It was all so intense that he almost felt pain.

His parents and friends had told him that it could be a shocking experience at first. It was an eternal, indissoluble, very strong bond, incomparable to anything either of them had ever felt in their lives.

And they were right. It was overwhelming.

A tear slipped from Chan's eye as Felix clutched his small hands to his broad back, sobbing.

«This is all so...» Felix murmured, unable to finish the sentence because of the sobs that shook him. He didn't even realize he had started crying.

«Strong» Chan completed, without interrupting their embrace, «But we're together, okay?» he added, leaving a small kiss on the other's hair.

Felix felt more tears roll down his cheeks and another sob shake him.

Chan pulled away from him a little and smiled, quickly wiping his own face and then running a thumb over Felix's freckles to dry his cheeks.

«I promise you, we will go slow» he whispered, sensing the other's fear. Felix was so young, it was normal to be afraid of making progress so quickly.

«Trust me» he added.

Felix nodded and unexpectedly left a kiss on Chan's cheek, making the older blush brightly. The older brought his fingers to his own face, shocked, and caressed his own skin. Those lips were so soft...

Could such a chaste kiss make his heart explode in his chest? Apparently yes, it could.

«Please do it again» he whispered.

And Felix moved closer to him, placing another kiss, this time on the corner of Chan's mouth. The Alpha grabbed him from his arms and hugged him again, pressing his lips to his forehead, trying to control the urge to take over his mouth. The attraction was very strong.

Chan had felt the Heat several times before but that... That was different. During heats you don't care about anything or anyone, you want to reproduce, you just want to have sex. At that moment however, Chan was burning with desire, but not just carnal desire. He wanted to love, protect and always be close to Felix. He wanted to know everything about him, he wanted him to never suffer in a way so visceral it hurt.

And he wanted to make love to him.

The hug broke up and the two looked at each other with a smile.

«Do you want to go back to the party for a while?» Chan asked, stroking the youngest's hair.

Felix nodded: «On one condition: don't let go of my hand.» he asked, surprised by his own request.

Chan smiled and intertwined their fingers, dragging him back towards the chaos of the party.

In the meantime Han was left alone in that damned chair, among people he didn't know and didn't care about. Someone had even scented his neck, without even introducing themselves or asking for permission. What a bunch of desperate people!

Yun had disappeared, probably with that Minho, while Felix was returning in that moment, hand in hand with Chan and, as soon as he saw them, Jisung understood: Felix had found him.

He was immediately happy for his friend but a wave of loneliness gripped him: he would be alone now. When you find your mate, time for friends inevitably decreases and this would happen to his best friend too. It was inevitable.

Felix approached him and started making disturbing gestures to explain, without speaking, that Chan was his partner now. Han held back a laugh and nodded, happy to see that bright smile on the blonde's mouth. Chan also smiled at Jisung and, the dark-haired boy had to admit, he was cool and seemed very sweet.

Lucky Felix.

He quickly diverted his thoughts from that direction: he had never let his brain believe that he envied couples and wanted a partner, he certainly wouldn't have started that evening.

Yun returned from who knows where with her new friend, the boy with the reddish hair and the face of an asshole. Her lipstick marks could be seen on his neck and Han rolled his eyes. They all seemed to be in heat already and April hadn't even started.

Yun sat down next to him and sighed, «Hot, but it's not him.»

«Maybe it's a she for you» Han sneered, knowing full well that his sister was straight.

She ignored him, taking out her mirror to fix her makeup.

After another long hour of forced conversations, awkward silences and chips, Chan got the attention of many of the people present and proposed moving the party to the beach. The proposal was welcomed with great enthusiasm and all the various groups of young people walked towards the nearby beach. Jisung followed Chan's group, not to lose sight of Felix. Yun seemed to want to stay with them and had started chatting with another boy whose name Han didn't even remember.

Arrived at the beach, some of the people sat in a circle, and someone had the brilliant idea of placing a bottle in the center.

«Spin the Bottle?» a girl proposed and everyone smiled, while Han was just thinking about how to get away. Yun had already sat down, Felix and Chan too, holding hands, and Han felt himself being grabbed by the shoulder.

«Well? Aren't you playing?»

He turned just to see the red haired boy, Minho, smirking at him cheekily. He snorted.

«Afraid of being eaten by an Alpha?» the older then added.

«Who says I'm not an Alpha?» Han snapped, pushing that hand off his shoulder.

Minho sneered and sat down. Han imitated him so as not to let him win, sitting between his sister and Felix.

A boy twirled the bottle, and it landed on a girl. The task chosen by the boy was simple: «You have to kiss one of us»

Han shuddered. What could he have done if someone had given him that obligation? He had never kissed anyone and wasn't interested in doing so!

Minho instead threw a wink at the girl who, attracted like a fly by the light, approached him on all fours, and made their lips collide. He grabbed her hips and made her straddle him, deepening the kiss as several people booed.

Jisung glanced at Yun, the situation didn't seem to bother her at all. They were taught this from an early age: only your real Mate counts, other relationships are just for fun. Yet to Han it all seemed so... Wrong. 

When the two finished devouring each other's mouths, it was the girl's turn to spin the bottle and there were some more obligations similar to the previous one. Getting scented or smelled by someone, hugging, kissing, anything to try and figure out if someone in there was destined to mate. Until the bottle came to point to Minho and the boy who had spinned it looked at him smirking: «Scent all the boys in the circle, Alpha Lee»

Minho rolled his eyes: «No point in trying, I'm straight!»

«Then do it, what are you afraid of?» the boy retorted, making Han laugh.

Minho glared at Jisung and started sniffing all the males in the circle with a disgusted face. There was a big difference between the sweet fragrance of a girl and the stench of boys his age. 

When he got to Chan he gave him a raspberry on the neck and Han understood that those two must have been friends for a long time. Minho avoided Felix, seeing how Chan was holding him possessively, and arrived next to Han.

«Get lost» the latter murmured, not wanting to be scented by any Alpha.

«It's just an obligation, what are you afraid of? Are you gay?» Minho smirked, moving closer to Han's face who glared at him.

«Just hurry» the younger said, moving his face to give Minho access to his neck.

The boy looked at that soft skin and the sexy mole on Han's neck for a moment too long, then he came closer, rested his nose on his skin and inhaled.

Jisung felt himself sinking to the center of the Earth.

"Not him. Not him. Not him."

His eyes widened and he held his nose with his hand, trying to block that very strong smell of honey coming from Minho. He wanted to breathe more, his whole instinct told him to grab the boy and throw himself into his arms. But he resisted with all his strength.

It couldn't be him, there had to be a mistake.

Minho pulled away from Jisung's neck and looked at him in amazement. That little boy smelled of vanilla, it was divine... He felt his whole body getting on fire.

Their eyes met and both seemed to resist that moment with all their might. Han glared at him, still covering his nose, while Minho was looking at him with a frown. He wasn't get the situation. Was it possible for a male to be the Mate of a straight guy?

«You stink» Han muttered, turning his back to him and ignoring him.

Minho gritted his teeth, «You too, doll» he snapped, returning to his place, but still glaring at that boy.

Felix and Chan had observed the scene and were not convinced from those disgusted expressions. Han was clenching his fists, almost digging his fingers into his flesh, while Minho had become sullen. The two blonde looked at each other, speaking with their eyes.

«Do you think...»

Chan nodded at Felix's unspoked question and looked at his best friend, worrying about him. Minho had always been convinced that he was 100% heterosexual and had never felt attracted to a boy. That situation must be very confusing for him.

Felix leaned close to Jisung's ear, «Are you okay?»

«I don't know...» he murmured, clenching his fists even tighter. Han felt his heart pounding in his chest, he continued to feel Minho's fragrance in his nostrils even though the boy was several meters away from him. The feeling of being scented by that Alpha made his stomach clench and he was hating it.

Felix grabbed his friend and dragged him away from the circle, muttering a «We are going to the bathroom» - dumbest excuse ever to use on a shore, if you ask me.

They walked away into the darkness of the beach lit only by the moon and Felix made the other sit on the sand.

«What did you feel?» he asked.

Han seemed to be in physical pain, his hand clutched his shirt in the center of his chest. He was glancing at the group nearby, breathing heavily. His eyes were strongly drawn to that red-haired figure.

«Jisung?»

«I think that asshole is my Mate.» he blurted out, disgusted.

«Why asshole?» Felix asked, stroking his thigh.

«Did you see that he's a fuck boy? He even kissed my sister!»

«But she wanted it, didn't she? It was consensual, right?» Felix asked, alarmed.

«Yes, Felix, but that's not the point! He seems a dick!»

Felix burst out laughing and Han glared at him: «What's so funny? Everything fucking hurts.»

«I should have known you would have hated whoever your Mate was, you just can't accept it»

«To accept what?» Han snapped.

«That someone may break through that stupid armor of yours!» Felix smiled.

«Can I disturb you?»

The two boys suddenly turned towards the source of the voice and saw the ginger boy standing in front of them. How much had he heard?!

Han blushed and Felix shook his head, «I'll leave you two alone» he said, getting up and walking back to the group.

"Traitor", Han thought, snorting.

«Can we talk?» the red haired asked.

Han watched at him suspiciously. The boy looked strange, he seemed calm, no mocking expression on his face and he didn't sit down next to him until Jisung nodded in defeat. He couldn't have avoided talking to him forever anyway.

Their bodies felt the closeness, an electric force seemed to attract them and Han dug his nails into the palms of his hands again.

"I don't want him for real."

«I think-» Minho began.

«We are Mates.» Han interrupted, sounding irritated. He hated that his body was betraying him, making himself attracted to that person. He didn't want any partner, he didn't want to mate and above all he didn't want to mate with that one.

Minho nodded.

«It's just that I... I like girls.» he said, scratching his neck in embarrassment.

«Perfect» Han snapped, «Because I don't like assholes.» he said, standing up in front of a stunned Minho, trying to put distance between them, «So let's pretend like nothing happened, okay?» and he turned to leave, feeling every fiber of his body burn.

It hurt, it hurt so bad.

"Tsk, asshole?" Minho remained seated for a while longer, unable to take his eyes off the figure that was sinuously moving away. He saw him quickly saying goodbye to Felix and disappearing from the beach and when he lost sight of him, the pain got worse.

«Fuck...» he muttered, dropping onto the sand, «Why him?»

.          .          .

Moon's note:

Here we go, nothing too much deep, just something I enjoy writing with a light mind.

Let me know if u like it, if u want me to go on!!

Don't forget to comment and vote!

Kiss