Chapter Text
From basically any aspect, Yudai’s life is perfect.
If you had asked him ten years ago how his life was going to turn out, he pretty much had all this planned out. He is content with where he is; living in his luxury apartment right outside Tokyo's fashion district, plenty of friends, and more money than he would ever need. All this by the age of 28. He is perfectly content.
Sure, there were sacrifices along the way, but any self-made omega of his stature would be proud of all he has achieved. He rarely thinks about the past now, anyway. Yudai is busy. He has places to be, money to make, people to meet.
He only ever thinks about it once every three months.
“Fuma-san.”
“Yudai.”
It's usually paired with a phone call, just like this one. Yudai always picks up on the fourth ring; the perfect timing to seem interested, not eager. He schools his tone before greeting him with the distant politeness the situation requires.
“I’ve been expecting your call.”
“Yeah.” Fuma hums on the other end of the line. “As I've mentioned before, you are also free to call first.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Yudai’s face pulls into a grimace of a smile, though Fuma can't see him. He needs to keep it together, though. Treat Fuma like just another business partner, because that's precisely what this is. Business.
“So, the last week of the month is coming up.”
“Yes.” Fuma hums, tone just as calculated. “Does the usual work for you?”
“Yes. I should be fine to work until Wednesday. I'll see you that evening.”
“Right.”
A pause.
If it was anyone else, Yudai would try to make small talk. Ask them about how they have been in the past few months, since the last time he saw them. He would even politely chuckle at the inevitable attempt at humour these situations carry. He would be cordial.
Not here, though. Not with him.
“Well. Until then.”
“Yeah. See you.”
❆❆
The divorce was quiet.
In theory, Yudai should've been grateful. Fuma was cooperative and polite, their lawyers both efficient and surprisingly down to earth about their premium. It went fast. In the matter of three months, Yudai went from being a husband to being a hot, single 25-year-old. Taki loved to remind him that he was, in fact, a divorcée, but Yudai never concerned himself with the details of the thing.
So it was peaceful. The fact that Yudai cried himself to sleep every night during the process and some months after, is his secret to take to the grave. Fuma will never know, and that’s for the best.
It was supposed to be fine. Yudai was on the peak of his career, the most sought-after omega in the modelling scene of Tokyo. His face was on every other billboard, he had more brand deals than he could keep count of, brushing elbows with the crème-de-la-crème of the industry…
Yet, he was lonely.
It really hit him about half a year after the divorce was finalised. How ironic. It still cracks Yudai up that he was all worried about Fuma being left all alone after the divorce.
His doorbell rings at 7pm sharp on Wednesday. Yudai’s night routine hasn't changed much in the past god knows how many years, so he is done with his everything shower, hair- and skincare routine by the time he answers the intercom. He hugs his silk robe around himself. They've been doing this for literal years, Yudai has no idea what gets him nervous about it to this day. He pours another glass of red wine, just as Fuma knocks on his door.
Yudai steps out to open it, doesn't look at Fuma much before he walks right back to the spacious, American style kitchen.
“You know it's open.” he says simply, leaning his back against the counter as he takes his wine glass in his hands.
“And you know I won't barge in just like that.” Fuma says from the corridor, taking off his shoes. He hangs up his coat before joining Yudai in there. “Good evening to you, too, by the way.” he adds and rubs his hands together. His fingers are red, it must be really cold outside. He even has some snow in his hair, slowly melting away.
“Good evening.” Yudai says, scoffing a chuckle. “Hope you were driving safe.” he adds, just to say something, really. Nerves always do that to him, though he rarely ever gets nervous these days. Fuma just has to be the exception there, too.
The scent of frankincense and cardamom hits him with the familiarity Yudai only ever feels around his ex-husband. He prefers not to dwell too much on that.
“Always.” Fuma nods, infuriatingly diplomatic. He glances around a little, and Yudai's first instinct is to joke about him acting like a soldier on high alert. Instead, he hands him the other glass.
“Get cosy.” Yudai hums. Despite his best efforts, his body is catching up to him by the minute.
He is fairly good at staying level-headed in his pre-heat. It's years – a decade – of training himself to be unphased by the presence of alphas, even as he is going into the most vulnerable state an omega can be in. Yudai has learned to ignore the signals of his body that try to push him into inevitable trouble.
Yet, when Fuma steps closer, his fingers brush against Yudai’s on the glass, and Yudai’s scent spikes. Even he can tell, the fragrance of calla lilies and peaches filling the space between them as the scent rolls off his body. Inviting. Tempting.
Yudai gulps, glancing up at Fuma. The alpha's face is still blank, and it would fool Yudai without doubt, was it not for his pupils dilating in real time. There's something that flashes through Fuma’s gaze, but it's gone in a second. He takes the wine glass.
“Thank you.” Fuma clears his throat and takes a step back, taking a long sip of the wine. Yudai watches his throat bob, and his own mirrors the motion.
“So… Cartier, huh.” the alpha hums. It beats Yudai how he can stay so nonchalant. How Fuma, of all people, has no problem looking Yudai in the eye. Only Yudai.
“Yep. I guess the photos must be out.” he responds, pretending he wasn't impatiently waiting for them to drop just last week.
“They are.” Fuma nods, and he takes just a small step forward again, now all composed. “You did a great job.”
“It's all just lights and editing.”
“Not all of it.” Fuma says, lips tugging into a half smile. He holds his hand out, offering it to Yudai, and the omega knows he might as well take it. This is what they're here for.
And as always, Yudai lets him in. He gives Fuma his hand, lets himself be drawn close, and pretends he is unaffected by the way the alpha leans in and breathes a kiss on his neck.
“I missed you.” Fuma says. It's something Yudai has learned not to take too seriously. Nothing more than what the words mean in and of themselves. Fuma has always liked his body. Hell, he was obsessed with Yudai’s body at some point. Sometimes, when the alpha is scenting him like this, it almost feels like he still is.
“Missed you, too.” Yudai whispers, letting his eyes fall shut, with Fuma's scent enveloping him. It's easy, familiar. It's just sex.
It hasn't been more in a long, long time.
By the next morning, Yudai's heat breaks.
He wakes up before the sun is out, drenched in sweat and dripping between his thighs. He whimpers, undignified, as he turns in the loose hold around his waist. God, everything is hot.
“Fuma.” he mutters, clinging to the alpha, burying his face in his neck to chase the smell of cardamom. Yudai kicks one leg free of the duvet to pull Fuma's thigh between his legs, aching for any kind of friction.
Fuma blinks awake in the dim light of the room with a long, sharp inhale. His arm on Yudai's waist flexes on instinct, and he turns his head to mouth along Yudai's hairline, then his forehead, checking his temperature.
“I'm here.” Fuma whispers, voice raspy from the lingering sleep. “I've got you, baby. Tell me what you need.” he says softly. His fingers caress Yudai’s back along his spine.
“You know what.” Yudai whines stubbornly, with as much determination as he can muster up. But before Fuma could move, he takes matters into his own hands.
Namely, he reaches down between their naked bodies, sliding his fingers on Fuma's soft member to jerk him to hardness. Fuma gasps at the contact but knows better than to stop an omega in heat. Yudai tosses the duvet to the side, mouth latched to the side of Fuma's neck and he kisses his way to his mating mark.
Yudai doesn't get sentimental about it like he once used to. It's nothing more than the memory of a life they have both left behind. Fuma told him once he wears his scent neutralising patches right on top of it. He even joked about Yudai's mouth being so small that the patch covers up the bite mark completely. It didn't sit right in Yudai's stomach, for some reason.
There's no time to be thinking about that now, he decides then, and he pushes himself up just enough to be able to swing his leg over Fuma's thighs and get on top of him.
“Easy.” Fuma grunts, half-hard now. “You'll hurt yourself, your body is–”
“My body is great.” Yudai insists, a little short of breath. “If you're so worried, just lie back and let me do it, hm?”
And as always, Fuma does as he's told. Yudai is still loose from when he had Fuma last night – nothing grandiose, just something to help the both of them go to sleep. It's part of the routine. He can smell his own slick, feel how it makes Fuma's thighs slippery under himself, and he decides half-hard is good enough.
He silently thanks his birth control for always having his back as he lifts himself up and slips Fuma inside. The alpha bites back a curse, his hands grabbing onto Yudai's hips desperately, and the omega moans in pleasure. Fuma is so terrifyingly huge inside him, and that's just what Yudai needs.
That's why nothing else worked. Because Yudai was trying to replace Fuma. Immediately after the divorce, he was looking for someone to help with his heats. Nothing serious, nothing really consistent, even, just an alpha trustworthy enough to take care of him. At some point, Yudai even tried heat suppressants, but those made his skin break out and his body weight a nightmare to manage, so he decided against it.
So he went on dates with so many alphas that the tabloids reported on it. It felt like he was always in a rush to meet someone. Sure, being an industry darling assured he could have his pick, and boy, was he picking. Older, younger, female alphas, foreigners… even a beta, once. And yet, no one even came close to this.
“Fuck, you feel good…” Yudai moans, planting his feet on the bedsheets to have more control of the angle. Fuma isn't the most vocal, never was, and that's just fine by Yudai. The look he's giving Yudai is more than enough to fan the fire deep in the omega's insides. “So good for me…”
Fuma moans and his hips thrust up into the heat, making Yudai whimper as well. He rolls his hips as he's chasing the feeling.
“I'm kinda offended you're not in rut yet.” Yudai says, because finally having something to fill him always makes him cocky.
“Almost. It's– close.” Fuma grunts, and Yudai watches his cheeks darken with a flush. It was always Yudai's favourite thing about him – how Fuma allows Yudai and only Yudai to see this side of him. Eyebrows pinched, cheeks pink, jaw slack. Beautiful.
“How close?” Yudai pushes as he kneads his pecks. Fuma's grip tightens on his hips, they might even leave a mark, but Yudai needs to hear him. He stops mid-motion. “I asked you something, alpha.”
In a moment, Fuma is sitting upright hand in Yudai's hair as he kisses his neck. It's bruising and desperate. Yudai has him exactly where he wants him.
“More. Just– a bit more, baby.” he whispers, lips tracing Yudai's mating mark, and Fuma hugs him around the waist to bounce him on his cock.
And Yudai, unfortunately, has a thing for being used like that.
He lets Fuma take the lead. The alpha is fast and precise, thrusting up into him until he finds his sweet spot, and it makes Yudai moan louder. The squelching sound of slick and skin slapping against skin fills the room, the heady mixture of their scents filling up the air around them, and Yudai is getting close.
He grabs a handful of hair on Fuma's nape to somewhat ground himself, and he gives it his all, meeting his thrusts with shaking thighs and high-pitched whines.
When Fuma comes inside him, the alpha lets out a broken groan of Yudai's name, only stopping for a second before he reaches between their bodies and jerks Yudai off hastily. Yudai comes with a tremble that runs through his whole body, shooting his release over Fuma's stomach. He goes limp on top of him, sweaty forehead on the alpha's shoulder, breathing heavily against Fuma's skin.
“You're not allowed to leave the bed for the next 24 hours.” Yudai whispers, holding onto him weakly. He half-expects Fuma to object, to tell him he needs to go on one of those infuriating morning runs he always does, or go and make them breakfast that's become a routine for their shared cycles.
“Wouldn't dare to think about it.” Fuma responds, and kisses into Yudai’s hair.
𑁍𑁍
Once their cycles pass, life goes on.
Yudai has learned not to dwell too much on things. By the following week, he doesn't think about the way Fuma was humming a lullaby to help him fall back asleep anymore, or how he did end up making breakfast for the two of them basically every day he spent at Yudai’s. It's just a habit that dies hard, especially when neither of them seems to be very eager to let it go.
Then, it's back to work.
All in all, Yudai always feels energised after his cycles. After Fuma left, he had already scheduled one more day off to get himself back together. Just some time to get back to his diet, go to the gym, and pamper his body back to its normal shape. It's all part of the routine.
Yudai’s manager is an angel. With a quick scan of her eyes, she assesses the state her client is in on his first day back, and she taps away on her tablet. Ten minutes later, Yudai receives a venti iced americano. He quietly tells her he already had one, but still takes it. She tells him she knows.
The weeks pass without much disturbance. It's all photoshoots and meetings, a launch party or two, and before Yudai knows it, spring has hit. March is busy as ever, and it's not until the beginning of April that he gets a chance to even meet up with some friends.
Taki likes to joke that Yudai won custody over him in the divorce. Being one of the couple’s closest friends, Yudai saw how their separation took a toll on Taki, so it is not exactly far from the truth. He got adopted by their then friend group when he started college. Yudai had dragged him to all their brunches and whatnot, and very soon, he got integrated into the group.
Yudai was there when Taki slowly started catching feelings for the first time in his life. It all seems so far away now.
“So… how are your boyfriends doing?” Yudai asks Taki as the two of them settle at the small, hidden cafe downtown. It's nothing fancy – Yudai finds he does get tired of fancy every once in a while. He associates it with work.
“Ah, they're still perfect.” Taki smiles, one of those smiles that makes him look so boyish. “I took them to this restaurant last week for our anniversary. They're between cycles now so we just had a nice, cosy night in afterwards.”
“That's sweet.” Yudai smiles at him. He waits for Taki to take a sip of his tea before he goes on. “What about… the thing we talked about last time?” he asks quietly. He assumes an anniversary would bring the topic up, one way or another.
“The mating thing?” Taki asks, and Yudai tries not to wince at the word. “It's okay. We did talk about it.” he says, giving Yudai a reassuring smile. “They said there's no rush. Maki insisted they didn't ever have to do it, and that he's happy with how things are… Rua said it's nothing urgent. So… I guess it will happen at some point.”
“I'm sure Harua would reconsider if you told him how it makes you feel, though.” Yudai says softly.
“It's alright.” Taki shrugs. “I know it's biological. It's understandable that they want to… seal the deal.”
This has always been Yudai's only worry.
Sweet, 18-year-old Taki showed up to their place one night, teary-eyed and looking immensely guilty. Yudai got him inside, Fuma made him some hot chocolate to console him. Then, in a tiny voice, he confessed to Yudai that he was in love with his best friends. Maki and Harua had already been dating for a year or so then, so Taki’s guilt was not unfounded.
And even though Yudai had no doubt that the other two loved him just as much, introducing a third person into an alpha-omega couple was never going to be easy. Especially considering that Taki is a beta.
“Hey, don't look at me like that.” Taki chuckles, poking Yudai's arm. “We are working on it together. It's gonna be fine.”
“I know that. It's you.” Yudai smiles, because if anyone can make it happen, it's his Taki. It just takes some time. Yudai has never really been good with time.
“What about you, though?” Taki asks with a careful smile.
“What about me?” Yudai asks with a chuckle. “Everything is the same as always. Work, work and some more work. I have dinner with an executive tonight. He wants to discuss something about the upcoming fashion week.” he shrugs.
“That's not what I meant.” Taki nudges him back on track, as always when Yudai is trying to be evasive. “You… spent your heat with him again, right?”
Yudai braces himself for the topic. It's inevitable, really, that they talk about Fuma. And there isn't anyone else Yudai can talk about this with, actually.
“I did. It was nothing special, though.” he says, a blatant lie. Their sex life has always been perfect. Fuma is everything an omega could want and more, Yudai feels a little bad for belittling their time together, even if Fuma is not there to hear it.
Taki is chewing on his bottom lip, a nervous tell of him contemplating if he should speak up or not.
“Okay, you might not want me to say this–”
“But you will anyway.” Yudai says, the corner of his lips tugging into a smile.
“I– well, yeah.” Taki says. “Because you are my most important friend and I love you a lot– but I'm not sure this is a good way of coping with things.”
Yudai appreciates Taki, even more than he usually lets on.
“The only thing it helps me cope with is my cycle.” Yudai sighs, looking away.
“And what about your feelings for him?” Taki pushes.
“Those don't matter.”
“What do you– of course they matter!” Taki insists. “You even kept your mating marks. You both did! That must mean something, right?”
“It just means I didn't feel like getting the surgery.”
“What about Fuma-kun?”
“I have no idea what's going on in his head. Your guess is as good as mine.” Yudai shrugs.
“Kei hyung.”
“Taki.”
An annoyed huff leaves Taki’s lips. Yudai gets the feeling that Taki wants to add something else, but just as he's about to open his mouth, his phone goes off with a notification. Taki checks it, keeping the screen close to his chest so that Yudai cannot peek at it.
“It's Rua. He wants to know if you are still being stubborn.” Taki mutters as he types out a response.
Yudai’s eyebrows shoot up.
“He– you talk about me with them?”
Yudai hasn't talked once to either Maki or Harua since the divorce. The two have clearly chosen Fuma’s side after it all went down, and so did almost all of their friends. The exception being Jo, who stayed with Yudai, and Euijoo and Yuma, who swore they were impartial, though Yudai suspects the latter only chose to be neutral to hear the gossip from both sides.
Taki looks like he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do.
“I can't really keep a secret from them.” he mumbles apologetically.
Yudai wants to ask. If Taki talks about him, talks enough for Maki and Harua to know that Yudai is – undeniably – being stubborn, then chances are, the other two talk as well. Would Taki know something Yudai doesn't? Well, it would make sense, since Yudai barely knows anything about Fuma these days. They don't talk outside their shared cycles, and during that, they don't really find the need to talk much at all.
And Yudai would be lying if he said he never wonders. Fuma would have an easier task to keep tabs on him, with Yudai’s face on countless billboards and TV commercials… but Yudai is not conceited enough to think Fuma cares that much. Why would he? Yudai managed to break both of their hearts in one fell swoop.
So he is left to wonder. He knows Fuma would tell him all if he asked. But Yudai cannot be cruel like that. That's a line he has promised himself not to cross.
“C’mon.” he says to Taki instead, nudging his foot under the table. “I'll treat you to lunch.”
The dinner appointment is a drag.
Yudai is not even hungry yet, though the executive decided to meet at a place that's more of a bar than a restaurant. A pretty high-end bar at that, but still a bar.
“And you see, Koga-san, the matter at hand is delicate.” Executive Sato, a greying but still quite handsome alpha explains, and Yudai might have spaced out for a second there. He was definitely not thinking about his ex-husband again.
Damn it.
“Please enlighten me, sir.” Yudai puts on a pretty smile– hollow, but pretty nonetheless. Executive Sato has ordered every other dish on the menu, clearly trying to show off, even though Yudai has only ordered a cocktail and some salad. Frankly, he is contractually not allowed to have any of the food in front of him anyway. The thick scent of expensive meat and the alpha’s unsuppressed pheromones are slowly seeping into Yudai’s hair.
“Well, we are talking early release of the summer collection.” Executive Sato says with a confidential smile. “You understand that we are looking for the perfect fit to send to the Shanghai fashion week to showcase these pieces.”
Yudai nods along as the man rambles on about the peculiar way the agency is picking the models for the occasion. As if Yudai hadn't been through countless of these throughout his career. He lets him babble on anyway. He knows men like Sato. They feel very important in their job, and they view models as barely autonomous echo chambers at best. He must've been pretty dashing when he was younger, and he still carries himself so. A few years ago, it would've intimidated Yudai. Now it's a chore, mere background noise.
He switches to autopilot as he gives the man some verbal nods, even offering a yes and certainly where he sees fit. His eyes are wandering, though. That's when he spots the group of men entering the bar, looking very obviously like office workers at an after-hours social gathering.
Yudai knows these kinds of events. When he was with his previous, Korean agency, they used to call it hoesik. Possibly the most unpleasant part of any working arrangement. Yudai has mastered the art of calling off just the right amount of these occasions, carefully timing his excuses so that he wouldn't have to get drunk with his superiors. Those poor office workers taking their seats now, Yudai just knows some of them won't–
His train of thoughts comes to a crashing halt as the last of the colleagues walk in.
Fuma.
Yudai instantly sits up straight in his seat. Fuma is wearing a suit – of course, they must've come here right after work. Yudai has always had a thing for him in a suit, and oh, he is wearing his horn-rimmed glasses. His hair is styled as it always is, a wide smile on his lips as one of his coworkers – presumably – says a joke.
Despite living in the same city all this time, Yudai has not run into Fuma since the divorce. Not accidentally. It was always on Yudai's terms, and only for their cycles. Anything more would've been… too much.
So Yudai sometimes tends to forget that life goes on. That Fuma has people around him Yudai doesn't know anymore. He has a whole job he doesn't know about anymore, possibly new hobbies, new routines.
Fuma takes a seat at the end of the table, his seat directly facing Yudai’s. Shit.
“Koga-san.”
Yudai's eyes snap back at Executive Sato, his fake smile even wider than before.
“Is everything alright?” Sato frowns, and he is about to turn to see what he was looking at. Yudai is faster, though.
“I’m sorry, that table was just a little too loud for me.” he says quickly, pretty smile in place. “Please, go on, Executive. You mentioned how you are set to announce the models for the runway in a week.”
“Yes, that is correct.” Sato smiles, all smug and way too chummy now. His scent – invasive, overpowering leather and coal – radiates off him in waves. Yudai swallows the urge to grimace. “That being said, how do you feel about another cocktail?”
Yudai keeps his smile up as Sato waves a staff over, not even waiting for Yudai’s answer. Of course he wouldn't. At least it gives Yudai a second to glance back to the group of office workers, loud and rowdy, they probably had a few drinks before they headed over here.
Oh.
Fuma is staring right at Yudai.
Yudai wishes he knew the right thing to do. Should he wave? Nod in acknowledgement? Or should he pretend he didn't see him for the sake of the both of them?
Fuma’s eyes are intense, almost burning Yudai as it flicks to the executive and back. Sato is well-built, wide shoulders, tailor-made suit – very clearly an older, influential alpha. Fuma's lips part, and Yudai almost expects to hear what he is about to say, all the way from the other end of the room… but then he is nudged by a colleague of his, and the moment is broken. Yudai sees the smile he fakes, jaw set tightly, and with one last glance at Yudai, Fuma goes back to the conversation.
Yudai can feel himself blush. What the hell was that?
“So, where were we?” Sato asks with a sickly sweet smile. “Ah, yes. I’m sure you understand the… dedication this role requires, Koga-san.” he says, watching him with piercing eyes. “I do hope that you, an already renowned figure in the industry, are familiar with the kind of competition there is for an opportunity like this.”
An alarming feeling tugs at Yudai's heart.
“No, I'm afraid I don't understand.” Yudai says, swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth.
“Ah, I mustn't be too direct, though.” Sato chuckles, and it feels like sandpaper on Yudai's skin, all of a sudden. And that scent… Yudai knows exactly what the alpha is getting at. “Being renowned like yourself requires an experienced model. A veteran, so to speak.”
“Excuse me?” Yudai asks, and he can't hold back a disbelieving chuckle.
“Well, it is true you are in impeccable shape, despite your age.” Sato says, still smiling, but it somehow reminds Yudai of a predator now. “But if I'm not mistaken, you are turning 30 soon. It is precisely this age when your years can… quickly catch up to you.” he muses, voice easy. “And it is my job– no, my pleasure, to make sure our models are able to perform to the best of their abilities. Think of it as… quality assurance.” he says as he places a hand on top of Yudai’s on the table.
“I need to use the restroom.” Yudai says, immediately pulling his hand back. He gets up and slips away without another word.
He knew it. Damn it, he knew it. From the first moment Sato gave him that look, the way his scent spiked right as he laid eyes on him– god, Yudai shouldn't have agreed to meet him one-on-one.
He makes it to the restroom without breaking into a full-on sprint, and he is immensely proud of himself for that. He steps to the sinks right away, turning the water on. He puts his wrists under the cold water and tries to breathe normally. It's been a while since any executive has tried to make a move on him, within professional circumstances. How can a grown alpha be so daring and shameless?
And of course this would happen tonight of all nights. How ridiculous, how humiliating, how wrong…
God, he feels like crying.
The restroom door opens behind him, and Yudai glances up to meet Fuma's eyes. His heart skips a beat.
“Hey.” Fuma says quietly. He seems hesitant, like he wasn't ready to face Yudai, even though his urgency betrays the alpha’s reason to come after him. “Are you… okay?”
“Ah, yeah, I'm all fine.” Yudai clears his throat and stands up straight. He hopes he still knows how to control his facial expressions.
“You don't seem fine.” Fuma says simply. He is stubborn, always was, when it's about Yudai's wellbeing. And the omega knows he can lie his way out of anything… just not when it comes to Fuma.
“Well, I will be.” he says instead, matching his ex-husband in stubbornness. Fuma steps closer, carefully reaching out to place a hand on Yudai’s arm. The touch makes the omega recoil. “Don’t.” he whispers, averting his eyes. He already knows Fuma’s reaction, even without looking at him. The face that goes blank, the hand that immediately disappears from touching distance.
“You practically ran away from the guy.” Fuma insists still, though Yudai wants nothing more than to have him let this go.
“I don't see why that's any of your concern. I can hold my own.” Yudai says coldly, because Fuma's tone makes something uncomfortable settle in his stomach. Shame. He is ashamed of himself, his body, his inability to see the situation for what it was before it turned bad.
“Of course it's my concern.” Fuma says with a frown. “You are–”
“Your ex-husband, yes.” Yudai says, almost snapping, and that finally makes Fuma take a step back. The alpha’s jaw is set, and Yudai knows exactly what his scent would smell like, were he not wearing a patch. The patch that covers Yudai's mark on the crook of his neck, just peeking out from under his shirt's collar.
There's a deep, instinctual yearning in Yudai for his scent now.
“Right.” Fuma says, clearing his throat. “I'm sorry for interfering.” he adds, and with that, he's gone.
Yudai watches the restroom door swing back and forth for a few moments, until it closes quietly. He lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, slumping back against the sink. His heart feels so heavy all of a sudden.
He takes his phone from his pocket and quick-dials a number.
“Sana.” he mutters as his manager picks up. “Can you come pick me up? I'm not feeling too well.”