Chapter Text
In hopes to be happy in life, while he's alive, Taeyong just doesn't think he could work with someone in a mutual relationship. He used to be with partners in different timelines and everyone could guess what happened—none of them ended up great. Just because he's an omega, they get the free will to push him around and make a mess out of him. They didn't like or love him to begin with, because if they did, they wouldn't say they hated his scent and heats that they had to tend. They were different lessons that Taeyong would never forget about which resulted in him deciding to stop finding love. It was a thought he woke up to one day and it's just better being alone for a while. He thought he was being careless and just fell in love here and there.
He's got a job as a tattoo artist which he enjoys very dearly, he has a small apartment he sleeps in, enough food to get by everyday and money to keep him alive—he wouldn't want anything more than this. Though he's sick, at least he's getting by.
"Good morning, cotton."
Taeyong snapped his head towards the direction of the person who called him with narrowed eyes, one slightly bigger than the other, and subtle frowned lips. His eyes could puncture through the person but only brushed off with a teasing laugh when placing his bag down his table and his attention still on the omega.
"Why can't I convince you that it's a cute petname?" Hayoon asked, a beta tattoo artist and the owner of the shop. He's the only friend Taeyong made in the place and the only person he considers as family.
Taeyong rolled his eyes and went back to scanning through his phone while sipping on the coffee he bought at the cafe across the street, "I just don't like it if people know about it."
"Would you be mad if I said I already put it in your bio?"
The omega looked back but this time, he looked horrified with eyes widened and his lips upside down, "You fucking did not! I swear, Hayoon!"
The beta laughed again, "I was messing with you. I'll be the only one who'll call you that," he sat on his swivel chair and turned in place playfully, "It's done, by the way."
Taeyong scoffed, "Did you have fun swiping? Didn't your husband catch you?"
"First of all, I already asked permission and told him it was for you. Second, don't worry, I like him when he's mad."
"Keep it in your pants," the latter said with a disgusted face, "I don't know why you're doing all of these too, like I didn't ask for it."
"Sure, you did. You told me you feel lonely."
"Well, I didn't mean it that way!"
Hayoon chuckled, "Oh, come on. It also doesn't mean that you should make them your boyfriend right when you swipe right. You can just have dates here and there, chat with someone and play around, y'know? You shouldn't pressure yourself."
"That's so bad. How did you get yourself an alpha with that mindset?"
"I didn't meet him on a dating app so..." Hayoon shrugged. Right, he was also a hopeless romantic back then when he was into omegas. They were sharing the same experience in love, actually, and fortunately for him, an alpha pursued him.
Taeyong sighed, "Man, I hate losing to you."
The beta laughed again but this time, it was louder to annoy his best friend, "Alright. Do you want to see what I have chosen for you? I'm sure they're your type."
"And how did you know my type?"
Of course, Hayoon knows. Taeyong always shows him a picture of his exes and cries in a river while telling him how they broke up or whatever. The beta knows exactly what he's looking for, in a physical sense, and probably the way they wrote their profile bio could say a lot too. He came up with his phone in hand, wearing a cocky smile like he did something amazing, but Taeyong was the opposite while only wearing a frown as he watched Hayoon sway his way towards him. Hayoon dragged his chair closer to his omega friend and opened the online dating application to show Taeyong his progress.
The omega watched intently with furrowed eyebrows. Hayoon was showing the people he swiped like a proud person and thinking that Taeyong would pick one out of them. Though, none of them has really caught the omega's attention.
"Next time, don't say you know what my type is," Taeyong uttered and crossed his arms, "You're so bad at picking."
"Well, I wasn't really picking for myself, was I? Look at them! They look like the ones you used to date."
"Dude, I don't want to be reminded of my exes. Jeez."
Hayoon now looked embarrassed and hesitant, "You got a point."
Before he thought about swiping a few more today with Taeyong, a notification popped up. Hayoon looked at it and his eyes widened. He suddenly slapped Taeyong's forearm which earned an annoyed response from the latter.
"Hey, what the fuck?"
"Shush, look at this!"
Hayoon dragged his notification bar and showed Taeyong what the fuss was about. The omega read it and assumed that it was a message sent to his profile. He didn't look excited as much as Hayoon does.
"So?"
The beta looked at him with an 'are you for real?' expression but explained as he opened the inbox, "I believe this is the only person I swiped right to because he looks unique."
Taeyong, surprisingly, becoming curious, "Unique? A foreigner? I don't want any pranks, alright?"
"Can't promise—anyway, look at him."
Hayoon showed the screen of his phone and had a picture of the person. Taeyong squinted his eyes a little.
The picture was self-taken that showcased a handsome face as the center of attention. Taeyong didn't even notice the way he dressed himself in a white dress shirt, black slacks and seated on a bright yellow couch in front of the vintage-looking shelf. The person had nice almond-shaped eyes, thick eyebrows, a pretty structured nose, pink lips with the nicest cupid's bow and slightly prominent cheekbones. He looked fair too. And an alpha, it says beside his given name.
He does look a little out of his typical relationships.
Taeyong had to grab Hayoon's phone away from him to look at the pictures. He swiped to the left and saw a picture of him on a beach, dressed in a white tank top, black shorts, rayban on and displayed his strong arm. Damn, Taeyong didn't know he'd be attracted to a strong, lean build. He was all smiley on the next ones and the omega swore he has never seen dimples on anyone this good. Silly of him to even add a picture of him giving a toast to a cat.
How is this guy single?!
"I don't know about him. I don't want to be in a polyrelationship," Taeyong honestly said, thinking that the person is a scam, "Or date a catfish."
Hayoon swore he has never heard his friend being this funny, "Well, that's why, you're going to talk to him. Don't take everything so seriously."
How can't he? He's in a dating app...and only looking for a chill talk with someone? Taeyong isn't like that but he knew Hayoon would give him bad advice so he'll take everything with a grain of salt. Though, how will he approach this situation? He isn't...exactly ready to take things farther than just having a simple conversation as strangers.
Hayoon gave him full control as he migrated the account in Taeyong's phone, having to install the specific application to do it. The omega hasn't thought about going to a dating site anyway so everything's new and he's being forced into it. Not that he's upset at the beta, he's kind of doing him a favor to finally talk to someone after five years of deciding to quit dating, but he isn't into talking to a person virtually on the first meeting.
Things might be different though.
Though his trauma rose when he realized he had read people getting into the worst relationships in online dating. Fuck, what do I do?
Taeyong only held his phone in hand as he stopped sketching new designs for his portfolio. He stared at the first message he received from the alpha.
:Did you know cotton candy is called papa's beard in France?
His message literally screams pathetic. Who would send a message like that? It did make Taeyong chuckle every time he read the message again to think of a response. He couldn't think of one for five minutes because of the silly, stupid message. Is he always like this? Maybe this is why he's single. Oh God, I hope he isn't like this to anyone else. Taeyong sighed.
And why did he say something about cotton candy, if you ask? Hayoon had to put 'I like cotton candy' in his profile bio and it was too late for Taeyong to edit it out. At least he didn't say something like 'I smell like cotton candy' because before he lost his purpose as an omega, he had a cotton candy scent and he would smell so sweet, even if he isn't in heat—too sweet, as all of his exes told him. Well, Taeyong wanted to lose it anyway. He hated the way he smells and just
:No. I haven't been to France.
He sent. After that, he placed his phone down on his table and forgot about it because he doesn't want to think about it nor use his phone for the time being. He doesn't know where the nervousness came from but it was there. He grabbed his sketchbook and slouched himself while drawing to keep his mind off the message with an unnecessary growing anticipation. He did reply quite a bit too long so he might've ended the conversation there.
And he did. He never heard of the alpha again 'til the end of his shift. Taeyong didn't expect anything anyway. He was able to go on through the day and walked himself home to his apartment which was just a few blocks away. He gets his exercise that way. He arrived after a few minutes without any trouble and threw his bag on the couch as he took his shoes off, locking his door behind him, before he proceeded towards the kitchen. He casually placed a pot on the stove, turned the burner on and poured some water into the pot so it could bring up to a boil while he changed.
Taeyong goes into his small bathroom for a quick wash and to dress up. He paused for a minute, looking at his bare body that had a few tattoos. Everytime he looks at them, he just...freezes and gets reminded of the reasons why they were there in the first place. He does want to think about them as decorative accessories on his body and nothing more. The omega sighed and immediately got dressed because he started hearing hisses coming from his kitchen, assuming that his water was already boiling too much.
He poured the water into the cup noodles he prepared beforehand and covered it to cook the noodles for a few minutes. That way, he had time to use his phone to kill some time. Unknowingly, he got a notification from Jeong Jaehyun.
:Someone just told me. Would you want to go to France someday?
"This man..." Taeyong said under his breath as he got secondhand embarrassment again, "How do I approach this?"
:I dunno. I don't think I'm into travelling
This guy just returned and replied after 8 hours, and he acted so casually. Taeyong's already suspicious and flagged it. Maybe he's messaging multiple people at a time? What the fuck? Can he do that? If that's true, that would be bad and Taeyong would be happy to let go even if it means he's forgetting someone like Jaehyun.
:Really? I could've swore you put travelling as your hobby in your profile.
Taeyong's eyes widened and immediately went to his profile to see if he was telling the truth...and Hayoon did put that as a hobby. His friend is seriously messing with him. That beta knew he's a homebody. Taeyong only cried inside.
:I mean, I don't think I wouldn't want to go to France.
He excused. Taeyong facepalmed.
:Oh. What country would you want to go to someday?
Is it him or this guy suddenly had the time to reply?
:I'm more into local travel.
:Like Namwon?
:Only when it snows.
:It is pretty when it snows. Mokpo is somewhere I want to go someday.
This feels like two foreigners wanting to travel somewhere in a country they just moved to. Taeyong's not a tourist, he just doesn't have time to go anywhere. Jaehyun, from the looks of it, doesn't have the time. The omega wondered what his work was and made him reply after 8 hours.
:I guess, Mokpo could be an option.
:Do you like beaches?
:I guess.
Taeyong thought about placing his phone down on the table because his noodles should be ready by now or a little soggy. He opened the lid and got himself a pair of chopsticks to start eating. He was expecting a reply from Jaehyun since he has been actively replying for the past minutes but when he opened his phone, there wasn't even one notification from him. His eyebrows furrowed.
"Huh, well, that's fast," he said, thinking that Jaehyun already lost interest in him.
Wait a minute...Oh, right. What would he reply to an 'I guess'? Stupid.
Okay. Maybe he is the problem. He opened the inbox again and tried to refresh it to see if it changed—nothing changed. He concluded to the assumption of getting ghosted at this point but he had the light glimmer feeling of hope that the latter had just gotten busy with work or something. Maybe he works nightshift.
:Not fond of the sun that much but I could probably consider it. Depends.
He should've asked, no? He kept sending close-ended replies. Fucking dry ass replier.
:You seem fond of the sand. Are you?
Oh, god. Now, he talks too much. Oh, fuck. Stop sending messages already, Taeyong. You're so pathetic.
He continued eating his cup noodles and added some kimchi from the fridge. He was too lazy to pan fry some beef slices but it sounds like a good idea for tomorrow. He used his phone as normal to kill some time while eating dinner and definitely not waiting for a message to pop-up. Taeyong forgot about it while watching some random videos and aggressively confronted Hayoon through chat.
After dinner, he cleaned up the table and his tiny rectangular apartment before he went to take a seat on the edge of his bed that was beside his large window at the end of the room. He is about to go to sleep in a bit and still no reply. Well, he busted his shot. Bummer.
Ugh, I really need to learn how to read the room.
Taeyong woke up the next day with the same thoughts as last night. He doesn't even want to get his phone and check for new messages because he doesn't want to be pathetic. He stretched his limbs out and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to gain more consciousness before standing and went into his bathroom. He usually just goes straight to bathing and forgets about breakfast so he could go to his shift earlier. So, he did that and wore it casually like he always does.
He wore something like a hoodie and pants with a pair of running shoes. He grabbed his phone and kept it inside his pocket, along with his wallet before he went out of his apartment.
He walked his way to the shop and when he arrived, he unlocked and lifted the shutters. Taeyong had to do some preparations before he officially opened up. He had to clean up his equipment and stuff, and it's a good thing he's a little of a clean freak. Some sketches would do good too while he waits for some appointments and walk-ins.
The time he took his phone to play some music through his earbuds, he forgot he was trying to hide from the anticipation and ignore all messages. Just when he wasn't expecting anything, Jaehyun replied at midnight.
:I like beaches. The water feels nice. Different from the showers, if that makes sense.
Taeyong felt his heart pound against his chest. He doesn't know what to answer and it's only because he was too nervous to say anything awkward.
:I guess the sand bothers me too much. Jeju must be pretty much up your alley.
:I have considered Jeju. It's just too crowded.
:Go during the winter seasons. It wouldn't be that crowded, I'm sure.
:Haha, right. I'll take note of that. Who knows? You might love it there if I take you with me.
:I'll think about it if you treat me there.
The omega's obviously fucking with him. They've only spoke to each other less than a day and he's trying to get his trip free. Might be stupid but might be the best idea he thought and did. Who knows? This guy could be the cure of depression and problems (AKA money). Before he could pick up equipment to clean, his phone already buzzed from a message.
:Haha, okay. As long as you won't ditch me.
"Oh, now, you're going on a trip for free?"
Taeyong almost threw his phone away, getting surprised from behind. It was only Hayoon and he didn't even notice the beta coming into the shop, despite having a bell to chime on the front door. He whipped his head to his direction and had his heart beating so hard against his chest from being surprised. Worse, Hayoon read his message to Jaehyun.
"What the fuck? Get out of my inbox, or better, log out my account!" Taeyong nagged.
Hayoon dropped his bag down his table and rolled his eyes playfully, "It's kinda nice to see you trying, Yong."
"Shut up," the omega mumbled but hid himself from the shame by turning his back to his friend and went back to cleaning his equipment.
The beta didn't say anything else and just logged out the account from his own device. Well, for the record, it was an asshole move of him to tease his friend over a conversation that should've been just between the two of them. He admits that fact but not verbally. He has a bad habit of snooping around.
Now that Hayoon found something to get busy on, Taeyong had a chance to sneakily open his phone and check the new message that was notified to him a while ago.
:Alright, bet. But I don't think going on a trip would be an ideal first meeting, no?
Not that he was insinuating something—asking for a lunch or dinner meeting first before anything else, or somewhere just simple—he just doesn't think a trip is ideally a good first time to meet. He placed his phone down, rather quickly, and went looking for his needles and colored inks to make sure they were present in his drawers. He does have an appointment today and it's going to be a long one because the client asked for a sleeve tattoo. If Jaehyun was to reply to him, he might not be able to answer back quickly.
When did I start worrying about those kinds of things?
Taeyong shook his head. He grabbed the printed design he did beforehand and placed it under the thermal paper to trace it. It was a tedious process, to be honest, and Taeyong would always have back pains after but somehow, he was able to notice how lifeless his phone has become over the past minutes. Fidgeting more than he should be, he left his work on the table for a second to check his notifications but nothing. Right, he might've gone busy too.
He went back and locked in. He doesn't want to get distracted again because he suddenly thought about the possibility of Jaehyun not taking his interest and just replies only whenever he wants to—could be the reason for his late replies.
Ah, fuck, this is bad.
The feeling of being rejected scares him. Initially, he wouldn't try to get himself into dates yet because he hasn't overcome the fact that he would get rejected too often. He'll get embarrassed then crawl into his hole again until he feels better. It's such a bad habit but Taeyong has had enough. He should expect that with Jaehyun.
The day went by with the same thoughts while doing the whole tattoo appointment. He would try his best not to overthink because he would mess up his job and get himself in trouble. He would not like to fix a tattoo and not get him paid because he needs it for his monthly dues. Taeyong was able to finish it by late afternoon and got a happy customer out of the shop. It's a good day—he tried it to be. He should forget about this whole dating app thing. He'll maybe delete his account later then uninstall it, and doesn't care if Jaehyun would ever reply again or not. Most definitely, not.
"Good job today, Taeyong," Hayoon pats his shoulder and shows a white envelope to the omega who was cleaning his working area before he goes home, "Here's your monthly paycheck."
Taeyong received it very politely and rather more quietly. He put his hand into his pocket and reached for the tip his client gave to him to pull it out and offer it to the beta, "Here's the tip she gave to me. We can split or something."
The gesture made the beta's eyebrows raise and smiled at his friend, "I already told you to keep the tips to yourself," he answered as he ignored the offer and pushed himself away from Taeyong.
"Hayoon, come on, it's for the shop's rent and all—"
"And when did I tell you to split your money for the shop's dues? It's my responsibility," Hayoon crossed his arms, "My husband helps and we're not in a bad condition right now. Even if we were, I wouldn't want your money."
Taeyong sighed, "I'm not in a bad situation either."
"Then save it. Maybe Jaehyun will take you out on a trip. At least have some pocket money in you," the beta chuckled.
"About him. Well, I decided to delete my account and uninstall it later."
Hayoon was flabbergasted, "What?!"
"Don't be hysterical. I just lost a bet to you so I don't think it's worth keeping it after the bet," Taeyong shrugged and sighed as he packed up his things.
"You guys were a match! He likes you!"
"I don't know. I don't feel like he likes me," the omega stood and turned the light on his table as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
"You guys just started talking two days ago—this day is considered!"
Taeyong chuckled, "It was barely two days but who knows? I might've given myself a favor," he said with little reconsideration of changing his mind and before he left the shop, they heard a tiny honk outside of the shop, "There's your ride. I'll close up the shop, if you want."
Hayoon didn't even get to say anything against his decision to end it all without even trying. Well, he shouldn't snoop around again. Taeyong knows what he's doing and he can do whatever he wants. The beta shook his head.
"I'll do it. Go ahead and get some early rest. I'm sure your old back hurts," Hayoon teased.
Taeyong scoffed, "My back doesn't crack like yours."
"It's normal!"
"Uh-huh, for your age, yes."
The beta rolled his eyes, "Get out of here!"
The omega smirked at him and waved his hand before he exited the shop. The black car by the pavement patiently waited for its passenger and Dojin, Hayoon's alpha. Taeyong only busied himself on walking to avoid the awkwardness between him and He doesn't usually greet Hayoon's alpha, just because they don't meet up or see each other a lot. Also, he's being considerate about both of them being introverted since Hayoon did mention his husband being shy around other people. But he was surprised to hear a soft car honk, if that was possible. It was the same tone as Hayoon's car so he looked back and saw Dojin stepping out of the car.
"Just walking alone?" he said with a polite smile and crescent eyes.
Taeyong nodded. He wasn't exactly conscious if he smiled back or not, "Yeah...I normally do."
"Yoo didn't ask you for a ride?" he sounded worried or just considerate, like Taeyong.
The omega shook his head, "He knows I walk home. I'm catching up with my 10k steps challenge."
The alpha laughed, "I see, that's good. Oh, by the way, we never...really talked but how's the thing between you and that Jaehyun guy?"
"Oh, man, not you too," Taeyong deadpanned.
Dojin chuckled, "Yoo likes to hide these details to me."
"He's going to delete the freaking app!" Hayoon answered, on behalf of Taeyong, when he came out of the office with all of his things in his hand. Dojin, without even thinking, went to his husband and helped him with everything, even if the beta wasn't really having a hard time, "Can you believe him?"
"Why?" Dojin asked with furrowed eyebrows and placed everything in the backseat of the car.
Hayoon went to grab the shutters and dragged them down to close up the shop, "Overthinking."
"Can't blame me!" Taeyong said, "He really looks good, y'know? Probably lives a good life, like being rich, and even has a decent job."
"I never thought you'd be insecure?!" the beta exclaimed.
"Ah, whatever. I'm going. Drive safely back home."
Taeyong doesn't want to talk about it anymore. He won't change his mind about this. He might thank himself in the long run. Maybe dodge a big bullet because this guy's not real—too good to be real. He walked down the street that had a few people going the opposite and the same way as he is. The wind flew his hair up and Taeyong had to push his strands down because of the unnecessary flashing of his forehead. He kept it down until the sweep of the cold air stopped. He should bring a thicker jacket tomorrow from how cold the outside has been. Hopefully, his room isn't freezing because he doesn't have a heater back in the apartment.
He kept his hands in his pocket to keep them warm from the cold while he walked down until he made it to the building. He stomped his feet on his floor rug that was just outside of his door to remove any dirt under his shoes before he unlocked his door and walked in. He took the shoes off eventually and removed his hoodie. Thankfully, it wasn't as cold as he thought it would be. It's chilly but vibing.
Taeyong walked in socks as he reached his kitchen and placed a pot over the stovetop to cook some packed ramen. He would've taken his leftovers out of the fridge but it would be too much effort to thaw and he doesn't really like the leftovers. He just took an egg, fishcakes, cheese and onion leeks out to put them all into his unhealthy soup. He brought some kimchi with him and sat on a vacant chair, along with his soup in the hot pot and chopsticks. He didn't even mind changing his clothing first.
Before he could take a bite of the noodles, he forgot to bring his phone with him so he could use the app already and forget about everything. He quickly took it out of his bag that was on the couch where he threw it and went back on his chair, placing the gadget on top of his cheap wooden table. He stirred his soup to mix it all up again, releasing some hot steam, and finally got a hold of some noodles. He slurped it and took a small bite of the kimchi after.
And like it was perfectly on cue, Taeyong's phone vibrated on the table. He stopped chewing his good for a second as it took him by surprise but he didn't think about it as much so he opened it without having much thoughts of what it might be. Maybe it's just a video from Youtube or something.
Except that it wasn't. The omega almost spit his food out when he saw the notification.
:Are you free this Sunday for lunch?
Taeyong's eyes were as wide as the white saucer plates he had in his cupboard. His heart stopped and his body froze like stone. He was in utter shock that without chewing his food that well, he swallowed it and left a painful feeling on his chest. He hissed but still couldn't believe Jaehyun came back with a reply and suddenly asked him out on a date...right when he was about to delete the fucking app.
What am I going to say?!
Should he say yes? What if he gets killed this time? Oh, fuck all the crime videos he watched these past few days. Taeyong's probably just overthinking but he's scared and nervous. Was this part of the plan? Was it ever his plan to date? He did say he could just fuck around but like, rejecting someone could be really bad. He doesn't like rejections and Jaehyun seemed like a genuine person (when they only started talking for two days, yes) and he hates to reject a genuine person.
Taeyong grunted and dropped his head down, "Man, this wasn't what I wanted to happen..."
It could've been better if he already deleted the app then Jaehyun replied. Not the other way around. So what now?
His thumbs ghosted over the letters as he tried to think of a valid reply that he wouldn't regret after. If he decides to joke around, he'll reject him and then delete the app. An easy way out, right? But if he decided to be serious and think that Jaehyun feels the same way, he won't reject him, get on a date, and probably get this somewhere good after the date. He doesn't even know if Jaehyun likes people with tattoos! Hayoon didn't really pick any photos where he showed any inked parts.
Then he made it as a test. If Jaehyun isn't bothered, then that's the first step. First step of what? He doesn't know but what he knows is that he won't be deleting the app too soon.
:I'm free for lunch. I can take a day off.
In reality, Taeyong doesn't really need to go to work on Sundays. He just wants to and honestly wants to keep the shop in full run. He doesn't have anything else to do but to work and if he does work on weekends, it adds up to his allowance for the week. So this one's new. He's sure it would flip Hayoon out and tease him for it. There's no way the beta's going to take it lightly, especially when he said he's decided to delete the app.
:That's great! Would 11am be fine?
:Yup.
:Okay. I'll start looking for restaurants. What food do you typically like?
Taeyong hummed while thinking.
:I'm not really picky.
He shortly answered which was true. He didn't have the privileges to begin with so being picky was a sin to him. He'd get everything, anything, to survive.
:Okay. We can start somewhere light then. Somewhere, here?
He sent a link of the venue and it was a restaurant Taeyong knew. It's more like a casual place than a fancy one and it was better than being somewhere he doesn't belong.
:The coffee's nice there.
:You like caffeine?
Taeyong slurped his noodles, munching on a big spoonful of his food. The kimchi came in last and while he had his mouth full, chewing, he replied.
:Yeah. I need it to keep myself awake.
:Yeah, sometimes I want to deny how bad it is but I don't think I could keep up without it.
:What coffee do you like the most?
A small laugh came out of the omega's sealed mouth. It felt like an achievement to keep this conversation going and he can't believe he did it without thinking.
:Anything bitter. You?
:Lattes. Extra foamy too.
:I'll take note of that so we can order them by Sunday.
And their time seemed too slow for the both of them, like everything stopped to keep their conversation going. Taeyong didn't even realize the time and his food had gone cold. He had to finish his soup immediately, clean his apartment, and take his bath to have his clothes changed. Deep inside of him, he wished he didn't leave his phone for too long so that it made Jaehyun to stop messaging him then god-knows-when he'll reply again. Thankfully, Jaehyun was still there.
This is so bad, Taeyong...
Sunday came fast and Taeyong didn't hear the end of it from Hayoon. The beta didn't stop and kept telling him not to give himself too easily. And when did he even give him to someone? No chance—actually, it's debatable—but everything is all in the past. He won't fuck up this time. There's no way. He has met every alpha possible so he knows what are the red and green flags.
He looked himself in front of his whole body mirror and checked if his third set of clothes looked better than the other. Oddly enough, all of it looked the same because of the color tones and shades despite being different in shape. In the end, he picked a loose button-up black shirt and black slacks, paired with his dirty white sneakers. He just wanted to look casual and not a tryhard. Casually good. Should he wear fake eyeglasses?
Maybe not. That would be cringe. Taeyong left the apartment without his eyeglasses. He only brought his small shoulder bag and some courage in his pocket right now because he knows he'll need it. He went down the stairs rather quickly and out of the building. The place isn't that far so he decided to walk it. It's a nice day too and he rarely enjoys his Sundays so better be this day.
Taeyong had his sleeves up to his elbows so his tattoos on his arms were showing and believe it or not, he rarely shows them. He doesn't have a reason for it. He just likes to wear hoodies and sweaters, that's why it felt weird feeling wind on his forearms.
He's really curious what Jaehyun would think about them. His tattoos weren't really big, they're just little drawings all over his arms and a few on his torso. He likes them being on him but he wasn't sure about what other people might think. He does look a lot like an alpha than an omega and without his scent, no one will suspect him to be the most vulnerable person.
It took about 6 songs playing on his earbuds before he made it into the restaurant. It didn't really have many customers inside but enough to only have a few tables available. Taeyong was attended by a waiter and greeted him very politely with a lively personality. For a second, he thought he met Hayoon.
"Good day, sir! Any reservations?" she asked with a smile on her face.
Taeyong almost stammered, "Uhm, yeah...for Jeong Jaehyun?"
She looked through the book they have on their desk by the entrance door and skimmed through the names before she looked back at the omega with a cheery face, "Right this way, sir. The table has been prepared for you."
The omega followed behind her quietly and looked around the place to at least keep himself from staring at the lady in front of him. She has a collar around her neck. An omega. Good for her to embrace it. Taeyong had to overdose himself with suppressant pills to get himself fucked up because he hated himself for being an omega. No one liked him for him. He wasn't really sure if he did the right thing though or if he was ever happy with the things going right now.
Taeyong took a seat on the table that was reserved for two people. He was asked if he wanted to order in advance but he doesn't know what Jaehyun likes or what he wants so he asked for a glass of iced tea while he waits. The waiter went to get one from the kitchen. The omega looked at his watch and checked the time.
11:03.
Jaehyun must be on his way. For the meantime, Taeyong pulled his phone out to see if the alpha had sent him any messages. None. The last message they had was about their plans for today. Assumingly, they'll head to the bowling alley that should be the most casual place to be in. Taeyong has never played bowling, even once, so this will be fun. Embarrassing himself in front of his first online date—great. Why did he agree to bowling anyway? Bad decision but he can just tell the alpha he isn't good at the sport.
Now scrolling through his media, he forgot he needed to buy some new ink for the shop. He even told Hayoon he'll do it so he wouldn't worry about the shipment and all that stuff. He should've bought some before he went here. Maybe later. After bowling? Hopefully.
But Taeyong should've bought it now and come back for the reservation because what seems to be minutes of waiting became an hour. Jaehyun hadn't arrived and the omega was undoubtedly becoming upset, and nervous. Was he ghosted? Did he fucked up again? Oh god, I never learn.
He got ditched again.
Taeyong didn't feel hungry at all so he just asked the waiter for the bill for the stupid iced tea and collected his things with him. He doesn't want to be here for any longer and he'd like to forget that this day happened—
"Taeyong?"
The omega whipped his head to the caller and literally, he felt a huge thump against his chest. His eyes landed on the man who was catching up to him, wearing what seems to be a uniform of a pilot while carrying his briefcase bag on one hand and his coat on the other. He wanted to say his face and his overall look took his whole attention but his strong wood and lavender scent was something else. He couldn't take his eyes off him as a question lingered through his mind: is this the person he's been talking to?
Crazy enough, Taeyong swore Jaehyun was too bright to even stare at.
"You're Taeyong, right?" he asked once he reached the omega.
Taeyong cleared his throat, "Yeah..."
"Oh, I thought I came to the wrong person," the man said with a relieved smile on his face.
He has dimples?
The waiter came back with the bill that Taeyong had asked for and it was at the wrong time because Taeyong didn't want to let Jaehyun know he was about to leave. It was too late for Taeyong to keep it a secret but he made it clear to the waiter that they'll be ordering their food so she went back to get the menu, giving the two some privacy to talk.
"I'm really sorry for being so late. You were about to leave, weren't you?" Jaehyun pulled his seat back and sat, placing his bag down with his coat hung on his chair's backrest. He sounded so apologetic and Taeyong felt guilty.
"I was...I didn't receive any messages that you would be late so I assumed you didn't want to meet me—"
"Of course not. I would never do that to anyone. I tried messaging you but the airport didn't have a good signal. I just got off the plane and had the worst car ride back here," the alpha explained as he unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up. Taeyong did notice a few stares, specifically at Jaehyun.
"Well, we could've moved the date to whenever you're free," Taeyong said, not wanting to make the alpha feel so sorry.
Jaehyun chuckled, "I did consider your schedule instead of mine. Originally, I would've been back a few hours ago but the schedule back in Canada got so late because of security. So it was unexpected."
Canada?
"I understand. The iced tea kept my cool for a bit. At least you're here now," the omega commented, "You're just getting a lot of attention with your uniform."
"Did I get yours though?"
Taeyong stared at him, flabbergasted at the alpha's cheeky question. It was a good thing the waiter came back with two copies of their menu and they were big enough for Taeyong to hide behind it as an excuse. Jaehyun didn't notice him because he asked the waiter about their bestsellers and dishes that she would recommend to them. The omega already crumbled on their first meeting and he's literally screaming inside just thinking about it.
Damn it, if he wasn't just my type, I would've easily brushed it off.
"Have you picked anything, Taeyong?" Jaehyun asked which caught the omega's attention.
"Nope, not yet. Have you?" Taeyong asked back and his eyes fixated on the menu. He doesn't want to meet with Jaehyun's eyes because if he does, he'll get flushed.
"I was thinking about ordering two or three dishes then we can share because she said the servings are big enough to feed at least two," the alpha relayed the waiter's recommendation.
The omega shrugged, "Okay then...I'm picking this."
He was actually scared to put the menu down. He'll lose all the excuses he could use to hide himself from the alpha. Though, it's inevitable. The waiter's about to come over and get their orders for them. Taeyong sighed to release his tension. He can't fuck this up so easily. Jaehyun's just as silly as him anyway.
"I was actually surprised that you ordered iced tea instead of coffee," Jaehyun commented, closing the menu and placing it on the table to get a clear view of Taeyong.
It's always different when people meet outside of online. Jaehyun met so many people from the app and no one reacted the same way as Taeyong did—just a straight face. He didn't really plan to show up in his uniform when he does, he gets all the flirty reactions which he doesn't really mind. He's just surprised to see Taeyong's...which kind of makes him a bit nervous. Maybe he doesn't look good, that's why the latter wasn't impressed.
"I already had coffee back in my apartment," Taeyong answered.
The waiter finally came back with a pen and some paper in hold. She kindly asked for their orders and Jaehyun enumerated them. Taeyong only listened, only taking small glances at the alpha while he's at it. He looks so charming when he's talking. He actually looks young to be a pilot but he looks so good being one. How did Hayoon get this guy? Also, why is he even in the depths of an online app when he, for sure, could get an organic encounter anywhere? But he's not complaining.
Oh my god, I'm so down.
"Any drinks before I go, sir?" the waiter asked.
"Uhm, water should do. Thank you," the alpha answered and smiled back.
She politely asked for the menus back and went back to the kitchen to bring their orders. Taeyong continuously told himself to stay calm and keep a straight face. Giving any hints would mean giving a weak side of him without giving their relationship a chance to have some substance. First thing's first, create a conversation to know him better. Let's put the face card aside for a bit.
"So...what made you date an alpha? I don't see many alphas being paired up to another," Taeyong asked, finally meeting the alpha eye-to-eye. He couldn't help but take note of his face—Hair still styled getting off from the flight, his eyes were almond that turns to crescents when he smiles, holds nice dark brown eyes that were staring right back at him, his nose was cute, pink lips that hides a charming feature of his and he was generally fair.
Jaehyun sighed and lips curved into a smirk, "Let's just say omegas...just don't like to be with someone like me."
"Why?"
The alpha shrugged, "I didn't really get any much feedback but one time, my date told me that they hated how late my replies were and how strict my schedule was. I rarely do any dates, I just got lucky right now. And I don't blame them for wanting to have some time together but I have to check with my flights. I rarely get day offs because I get long haul flights and not many locals."
Taeyong nodded, "So how did you land on an alpha?"
"My friend told me to try alphas since I got some trauma with omegas."
The omega laughed, "Bad advice but sure.
I wish his friend never said that. I'm fucked. It's such a bad time to be an omega right now.
Jaehyun chuckled but not because of Taeyong's remark, it was because of his laugh, "What advice would you give me then?"
"I'm as bad as you but whatever comes around, comes around," Taeyong uttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "I like to take my time with things."
Fuck off, you don't. You're as impatient as anyone.
The alpha nodded and his eyes caught a glimpse of his date's forearms, "Cute tattoos. Do they have a meaning?"
The omega forgot that part about him, "Oh, not all. I just...like them on me. I also work as a tattoo artist."
"Oh, huh? So you hid your work on purpose on the app?"
"Yeah, well, not all like them and not all like my work."
Jaehyun's eyebrows furrowed, confused with a smirk, "I guess they're missing out."
Taeyong didn't quite get the real context behind his words but he could only assume, "You're not...against it?"
"Why would I? I think they're cool and your work suits you. I kind of thought you're artistic as a first impression."
The omega smiled, "It was a test, actually."
Jaehyun laughed, "Oh, did I pass?"
"On that part, yeah, but not in general. Don't want to get your hopes up," Taeyong joked. He's the one who's getting hopes up, hoping that Jaehyun could see him past his second gender.
"Right. Do you always date alphas?"
Taeyong was relieved to answer something honestly. Atleast, he wouldn't lie this time, "Yeah, I had exes who were all sorts of fucked up people."
Jaehyun nodded, "Yeah, unfortunately, there are alphas like that," he empathized, "So you resorted to an online app?"
"Just like you, my friend told me to, so I could find someone different."
Hayoon did say Jaehyun's far from his type. He just based his assumptions from his exes but he's wrong. Taeyong only liked them because they shortly showed him their kind side. Jaehyun's the epitome of his type but of course, Jaehyun is everyone's type.
"I see. When was the first time you had your tattoo?"
They exchanged answers to each other's questions to themselves and their conversation online was far from their interaction right now. Taeyong was enthusiastic about this one. He just likes the atmosphere and how Jaehyun talks to him. Nothing arrogant or proud. He was just really curious about Taeyong. He never put a spotlight on him, he was more of a listener throughout their lunch together. Taeyong was even surprised to be so talkative today.
After lunch, they went out and took a taxi on their way to the mall that had a nearby bowling alley. They sat beside each other on the backseat and the only noise was the music from the car radio. Taeyong wasn't really bothered with it because it'd be awkward for the driver and he just doesn't like to talk in car drives. Though, Jaehyun's yawn didn't come unnoticed to Taeyong. The alpha tried to cover it with his hand and even faced the opposite side but the omega was fully aware.
"You haven't slept, have you?" Taeyong asked him.
Jaehyun shook his head with a sheepish smile, "I had a nap before I was put in front of the wheel. I'm just naturally sleepy when I'm on a ride," he answered truthfully, "Sorry."
The omega furrowed his eyebrows, "Don't apologize. We can just cancel bowling."
"What? No, you were looking forward to it, also I'm not that tired—"
"I only said that because you told me you placed first at your university's friendly bowling game. I don't really play it too so it's not a loss," Taeyong pointed out, "We can just go to the mall. I'll have to buy something for the shop then we can go back so you can have your rest."
"Okay...if only you're sure about it," the alpha was obviously concerned and Taeyong questioned if he's like this to anyone else.
Taeyong nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about it."
The alpha laughed, "I'm sorry."
"Hey, stop apologizing. It's good that I knew about it. I don't want you to faint or something."
Jaehyun kept his smile on his face and Taeyong didn't know he was funny in the first place to be laughed at. He just wants to wipe that stupid smile off his face.
They arrived at the mall shortly, the alpha being the payer of the taxi and went in. He really stands out in the crowd and Taeyong feels a little intimidated from all the stares and awes. He could only assume Jaehyun feels the same because he seemed to be ignoring them on purpose. The alpha followed the omega to the shop that sells ink. Taeyong was the one who talked to the staff upfront and waited for his products to be delivered to them. Jaehyun, on the other hand, was looking around the supply store. He moved close to the glass showcase to loom over it, looking at the temporary tattoos inside, then he stumbled upon a book that was full of drawings. Must be a catalogue.
"Do tattoos hurt?" Jaehyun asked.
Taeyong shrugged, "It hurts all the time but the intensity differs on where you plan to put it. Aren't you allowed to have one?"
"No, we keep ourselves 'clean' but not that people with tattoos aren't clean. It's just in our code. Though, in the real world, you just don't tell people in aviation that you have one."
The omega snorted a bit, "Right, of course. Just planning for then?"
"Just thought about it. I don't even know what I want to get."
"Let me know then. I'll give it for free, in return for the free trip."
Jaehyun looked at him cheekily, "Oh, you were serious about that?"
Taeyong shrugged one shoulder and eyes landed on Jaehyun's, "So you weren't serious when you said it?"
The alpha found himself being sucked in with the omega's pair of doe eyes. He immediately got lost. He doesn't know what he found but he was attracted to them. They were round, eyelashes were long and brown orbs were glistening. Jaehyun was in awe.
"Here's your ink, sir. Anything else?"
Taeyong looked away and didn't seem to be fazed. Maybe he didn't realize how Jaehyun stared at him. The alpha was relieved but he was bothered by how
"Uhm, no, nothing more. Thanks."
"Alright. Let me pack this up for you," the cashier did it quickly and punched the prices before giving the package and receipt to the omega, "Thank you and have a nice day."
"Thank you. You too."
Taeyong hugged the package against his chest to carry it with the receipt in his hand, scanning it before putting it inside his pocket.
"Jaehyun, let's go," Taeyong called in a rather softer tone.
The alpha nodded and they walked out of the shop together, "Do you have anything else to buy?"
"No, this is the only errand I needed to do today," the omega answered, "I still need to drop this by at the shop. If you're too tired, you can go and head home."
"I can go. I promise I won't faint," Jaehyun said, and earned a look from Taeyong that was both playful and teasing.
"Okay."
They went ahead and hopped into the backseat of the taxi again. Taeyong pulled out his phone and messaged Hayoon that he'll be coming over with Jaehyun, and told him not to do anything stupid. Hayoon, as cunning as a fox, said he won't promise anything. The omega only sighed to let out his nervousness.
It wasn't long until they arrived, Jaehyun paid for it yet again without even telling Taeyong, and they welcomed them into the shop. Hayoon showed up from the back with a surprised look when he saw Jaehyun. He greeted his omega friend, and shook the alpha's hand as he introduced himself as Taeyong's friend and boss. The alpha introduced himself as Taeyong's friend but Hayoon beat himself to it.
"I know you. You're his date!" the beta said teasingly, "You're the reason why he took his day off for the first time."
"Here's the ink. Was it busy today?" Taeyong placed the package on his desk and checked inside just to cut their conversation from there. Hayoon attended to him while Jaehyun waited by the corner.
"He looks good, doesn't he?" Hayoon whispered close.
Taeyong elbowed him on the chest gently, "Shut up, he might hear you."
The beta laughed, "You should thank me."
The omega rolled his eyes and closed the package. He deadpanned at the beta, "Thanks, I guess," he said, "We're going and this guy hasn't gotten a good night's sleep."
"Ah, just came off the flight?" Hayoon asked, leaning against the wall and hands in his pockets.
Jaehyun nodded, "Yes, from Canada."
"That's nice and bad. Seems like you're not a junior cadet," the beta pointed out the two stripes on the shoulder patches on Jaehyun's uniform.
The pilot nodded and was amused at the beta's observation, "I just got promoted so I'm still in transition."
"Congrats. Now, run along. I know Taeyong wants to have more time wit—"
"Okay! I think we can go now. I'm sure you're sleepy," Taeyong cuts Hayoon off and says his words in an unnatural fast pace. He opened the shop's door and signalled Jaehyun to go first.
The alpha walked out and was followed by the omega after he gave Hayoon the middle finger as his good bye.
"I live nearby so you can get a taxi from here," Taeyong told Jaehyun.
The alpha nodded, "I'm sorry if the date was cut abruptly because of me."
"I swear I'll get a tummy ache if you keep apologizing. It's not your fault," the omega remarked while waving at a taxi.
Jaehyun briefly smiled, a bit sad that their time together ended so fast, "I, uhm..."
He started and caught Taeyong's pair of doe eyes again. Jaehyun suddenly forgot his words. He shook it off and looked elsewhere, scratching his nape, which made the omega confused.
"I want you to know that I enjoyed the small date...and I wish there's a next time," the alpha's baritone voice was too gentle for the omega's heart to handle. He said it was the way to make Taeyong's heart skip a beat. Jaehyun swallowed evidently, "Only if you want to, whenever you're free or if you don't have any dates from others."
Taeyong's mouth agaped and chortled, "Other dates?"
"If there's any..."
My god, he's charming and dumb—just my type.
"No, I don't. I don't have anyone lined up," Taeyong said as closure and brightened up Jaehyun's eyes.
"Is it fine if I asked you out again?" Jaehyun asked.
The omega felt a little uncomfortable being asked out because no one has ever done it before but he tried his best not to look too obvious, "Yeah, sure...Seems like you're a good guy. Don't you have a flight schedule?"
"I'm on my days off. Pilots usually get weeks of leave after flying for a few months. My schedule resumes next week," the alpha informed.
Taeyong nodded, "Okay. That's good."
"Uhm, next Sunday?"
"Yeah, whenever."
Jaehyun smiled, "Okay. I'll message you."
The taxi arrived in front of them and Taeyong was the one who opened up the door for Jaehyun, "Here's your car way back."
"Thank you. Oh, uhm...your number?"
The omega didn't understand for a second, thinking that they can just message each other through the app. Jaehyun asks for his phone number anyway. Taeyong fished his wallet out and took a calling card to give it to the alpha.
"I don't give my number that easy but since you asked so nicely, I gave it so don't give it to others," the omega said.
Jaehyun nodded, "Thanks."
Taeyong took a few bills out of his wallet and knocked on the driver's window to give the money to him, "Ride's paid. Thank you for the day," he told Jaehyun.
"Beat me to it. I'll make it up to you. I'll see you soon, Taeyong."
And the car drove away. The omega sighed before walking down the same sidewalk but with more people because it's a Sunday. Will he get messages from Jaehyun or was that staged? It's his first time giving out his calling card outside of working hours. But he was asked out on another date so that's a plus.
Taeyong has never expressed himself that much and it honestly drained him today but fun. It was his first time to feel so much emotion towards a person. Jaehyun was a person he expected to be but...more, in a good way. Though, would this feeling be more than just a crush? Yes, Jaehyun's someone he would want to be with but he's afraid that he might fall out of it and end up being alone again. What did Jaehyun think of him? Was he up to par or not?
Ugh, why am I even worrying about that?
It was a new day and Taeyong was already at work, finished cleaning up the shop for the morning and booked up some appointments into the logbook they have. Shortly, Hayoon arrived and greeted his friend who was busy on his phone rather than at work. To be fair, it's too early to have customers come in for their appointments.
"Good morning, cotton."
"Good morning, attention-seeker," Taeyong greeted back without leaving his eyes on his phone.
Hayoon scrunched his face while smiling, "Oh, you're so cute. Did you have fun yesterday?"
The omega shrugged, "I guess."
"What do you mean 'I guess?' What happened?" Hayoon questioned as he drop his things on his desk, "Did he do something bad to y—"
"No," Taeyong answered without finishing the question, finally looking back at Hayoon but with eyes that looked sincere and upset at the same time, "He was so nice to me. In fact, I would believe him if he told me he wouldn't hurt a fly."
The beta snorted a laugh, "Okay, then are you not sure if you had fun yesterday?"
"Just...I'm just overthinking if he thinks I'm boring to be with."
"Why would you think about that?" Hayoon sat on his swivel chair and rolled himself closer towards his friend to comfort him.
"He just kept asking me things, like about my tattoos, then my hobbies and other stuff. He's finding things to keep the conversation going. Is that bad?"
Listening to Taeyong's love shenanigans was an absolute fever dream to Hayoon. This man has never been this timid when talking about a particular someone. He only knows everything about Taeyong's past exes but nothing in between. He opened up when Taeyong couldn't let go because he still loves his ex, even after all the bullshit. It was such a bad phase so Hayoon's enjoying this beautiful day.
"It just means he's curious about you, dummy," Hayoon pointed out another perspective and most likely the reason why Jaehyun's asking him things about Taeyong. Smirking at his friend's overthinking reason for being questioned yesterday, he likes this phase, "It's a good sign if he asked you out again. For all I know, people from online dating don't do second dates unless they like each other."
Taeyong frowned as he bit his lower lip and looked away, "He...did ask me out again."
The beta was dumbfounded, "Eh?"
Suddenly, the omega's phone vibrated and stole his attention.
:Hi, Taeyong. It's Jaehyun.
Taeyong felt his heart skip a bit. He thought he'd never get a message from him again. The first thing he thought was to tease the alpha after overthinking about him voiding their second date because he hasn't messaged him back yesterday.
:Jaehyun?
:The one from yesterday?
:Yesterday?
The omega chuckled and the beta realized his friend wasn't listening to him anymore. It offended him so he snapped his fingers in front of Taeyong to get his attention again.
"Hey, I'm talking!" Hayoon nagged.
Taeyong rolled his eyes at him with a subtle smile on his face, "I'm good now. Thanks for the advice."
"Oh, he messaged you?"
"I think."
The beta smirked, "Cheeky. Aight, I'll leave you to it. You have an appointment later, don't forget."
"Yeah, I know, don't worry," Taeyong said and went back to his phone.
:Sorry, I might've messaged the wrong number.
Now, he feels bad about the prank.
:I'm kidding. I was just messing with you. How was your sleep?
:Oh. I slept pretty well. I slept when I came back yesterday and just woke up this morning.
Taeyong hummed.
:Thought you changed your mind.
:What do you mean?
The omega doesn't think he should've said that in the first place because how will he explain this to him without giving anything away?
:I meant I thought you changed your mind about messaging me outside the app.
:Ah, I just figured it might be easier to contact you this way.
:I guess so too. Signal's not bad anymore, no?
:Haha yes, thankfully. Are you busy?
Taeyong was reminded of the tattoo appointment for this morning so he looked at the wall clock that they have in the shop and it read 9:40. The client must be on their way.
:Not yet. Why?
:Nothing. I thought I was disturbing you from work.
:I still have little time to spare. Clients must be on their way.
:What time do you usually get off work?
Normally, these kinds of questions get brushed off by Taeyong as he would always think that he's being stalked or something. The question is unflattering, especially when it's their first time talking, to be honest, like he doesn't like the way he's being hit on. Though, Jaehyun is an exception and for the record, it's not really their first time talking to each other. The question only made Taeyong curious. Would he get visited during working hours? Or maybe a potential dinner date invitation?
:7. It depends if I get an appointment that takes too long to finish.
:Really?
:You don't believe me?
:Oh, I meant the part where you close the shop whenever.
Sadly, before Taeyong could reply back, the bell by the door rang to give the obvious sign that a customer came in. The omega immediately placed his phone down and as much as he wanted to give Jaehyun a heads up, he couldn't and had to welcome his client in. He comforted himself into thinking that he shouldn't care for a few hours and let the alpha wait because he realized he might be getting too obvious with all the fast and silly replies.
He proceeded on his work and grabbed the stencil he did a while ago. He pushed the messy thoughts and forgot about them for the time being because other than not wanting to think about Jaehyun, he doesn't want to fuck up a person's tattoo. That would be filed as a crime if it happened. Also, Taeyong is a person who works with integrity and passion, he loves to see people adore the work he has done. It would be a compliment to him.
Though, he was a little bothered with how his phone was buzzing. Not exactly a lot was happening but he couldn't take his mind off the possibility of Jaehyun's replying.
Why am I even worrying about him? Get a grip, Taeyong.
The omega shook off his thoughts and took a deep sigh before starting with the appointment. He doesn't want to fuck this up.
The appointment went on and on until the end of his shift. It was a long appointment for a thigh tattoo since it was quite detailed and colored but still, it felt a little quicker than the ones he has done. Most of the time, he wouldn't finish at the right time. Good news though, Taeyong was tipped well so he thought he'll be eating a good dinner tonight. It's also nice to finish earlier than he expected.
Taeyong got up on his chair after cleaning his equipment, and had a good stretch of his back and arms. He satisfyingly cracked the bones of his fingers and yawned. It was time to close the shop too, so Hayoon was cleaning up his station as well, who took about three quick appointments today. It was a productive day for both of them.
"Nice work today, cotton," Hayoon pats the omega's shoulder and teases him.
Taeyong rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, "I'll let that slide because I don't want to spoil my good mood," he said, "Nice work too."
"You wanna go out or drink or something?"
The omega was about to answer, thinking of getting a drink or two for the night, but his phone in his hand started ringing. He flipped it over and looked at the screen, only to see who was calling him at the end of his work shift. His eyes widened which he failed to hide.
"Who's that?" Hayoon asked before he went back to cleaning up his desk, pretending he didn't see Taeyong's reaction when he saw the caller's ID.
Taeyong immediately pressed decline, against his will, and hid his phone in his pocket while he didn't realize Hayoon getting into the details too fast than he expected. The omega shook his head, "Landlord. I need to pay rent."
"This early in the month?" the beta argued.
"Yeah, well, she said she needs the funds for her grandson," the omega answered and packed up the last of his things before slinging his bag on his shoulder, "I'm going ahead."
"Okay, Yong. Good night, see you tomorrow."
"See yah."
Taeyong almost slung himself out of the shop and started speed walking. He fished out his phone out of his pocket again and contemplated on returning the call but he was good at telling himself excuses to stop thinking and dive head first. He pressed the call button quickly to avoid any hesitations, because he must be honest about wanting to hear the reason why he was being called a while ago. His heart started increasing its pace every ring of the call but two rings were enough to have it picked up by the other person on the line. Taeyong was actually left speechless.
"Hey, Taeyong?"
The omega cleared his throat before speaking, "Jaehyun, you called?"
"Yeah, uhm, were you busy? Sorry about that."
"No. I just finished. My finger slipped so..."
Jaehyun hummed and obviously had a smile on his face, "I just wanted to call you actually."
"Why? Lonely?" Taeyong asked while walking his way back to his apartment.
"No—maybe. I want to ask you about work. How was it?"
"Client arrived so I couldn't reply. It took a whole day."
"I figured."
Taeyong nodded, "Then...how's your day? Enjoying the leave from work?"
"Not really productive today. I got a little lazy going to the gym."
"You sound guilty," the omega pointed out from the tone of his voice.
Jaehyun sighed, "I am. I don't know."
"You don't get much rest when working so I think it's fine to be lazy every once in a while."
The alpha agreed with a hum, "I don't think you don't get lazy, especially when you work 7 times a week."
"Oh, I can't get lazy. I wouldn't be talking to you if I was lazy," the omega chuckled softly.
"You know...if you need to work, we can move out dates in a more comfortable schedule," Jaehyun said.
Taeyong facepalmed with a smile on his face, "And now you're guilty because I'm leaving work for a date? This weekend is fine. Nothing wrong to leave a day for the month."
"Not guilty, just worried."
"Worry about yourself, will you? Go to the gym tonight or something."
Jaehyun laughed, "I was thinking about it. I guess I should."
"Because I told you to?" the omega asked.
"Because you told me to, yeah."
Taeyong rolled his eyes playfully, "Do whatever feels right for you, will you? Don't do things that other people tell you to do."
"Is that wisdom or...?"
"Rule of thumb, maybe," the omega shrugged as he turned the knob of the building and swung the door open, stepping in, before closing it behind him.
Jaehyun heard the door from the other line so he asked, "Home?"
"Yeah," the omega answered and went up the stairs, "It's nice to come home this early."
"Do you have any appointments for tomorrow?"
"Not that I know of," Taeyong said, "If I don't reply, then I have one."
Jaehyun laughed briefly at the sarcastic but logical answer, "Right, right."
Their call didn't last long when Jaehyun had to leave Taeyong to let him rest and do whatever he needed to do for the night. Taeyong couldn't really argue with it. He is quite tired so being able to take some rest early would be ideal. He doesn't think it's bad to have Jaehyun over a call either while he does stuff and him being in the background, just yapping. He wouldn't have kept the call for his selfishness anyway.
The next morning, Taeyong attended a rather quiet shop. He expected to have some walk-ins today though. Right as he was waiting, he sketches out other tattoo designs to put in his portfolio. Hayoon, on the other hand, had an idea in mind.
"Was it Jaehyun who called yesterday?" he asked straight out of the bat.
Taeyong stopped and looked back at his friend, "It was obvious, wasn't it?" he surrendered.
The beta smiled, "Who else would be calling you?"
"Oh, so you didn't think I moved on to another person?"
Hayoon shook his head, "Of course not. It's not a thing you do."
Taeyong thought of it as a simple compliment and went back on sketching, "He just called because he wanted to, that's all."
"What did you guys talk about, hm?"
"Random stuff."
"Ah. I like that you're trying."
The omega scoffed, "Not until he finds out I'm an omega and worse, the worst kind."
Hayoon laughed, "Wait, what the fuck are you talking about? What do you mean?"
"He has a stupid phobia with omegas. He gets rejected by them because apparently, most omegas he hooks up with doesn't like his career as a pilot. That's why he got paired up with me, because I'm pretending to be an alpha."
"He might look past it if he likes you," the beta considered but the omega didn't.
"And if he does, he'd be weirded out by the fact that I have a rare condition of losing everything that's omega in me because I drank too many suppressant pills."
Hayoon sighed and walked closer to him, only to , "You know what you've been through. You think he'll be the kind of guy who'll be an asshole to you?"
Taeyong shrugged, "No, but not impossible."
"Okay, understandable. Maybe he proves you wrong," the beta uttered, having high hopes for Jaehyun. He doesn't know why he's having a good feeling about that alpha but there's still some doubt, especially when Taeyong's been attracted to the worst alphas on earth.
Hayoon left Taeyong as soon as the door of the shop opened and the bell rang with two customers coming into the shop to get their tattoos done. The omega was left with an idea hanging in his mind where maybe he was being a little judgemental with Jaehyun. Then again, he would never want to get his hopes up. He's generally confused with how he should really feel towards Jaehyun.
It's like push and pull. He does want to get close but not too close. He wants to be with him but not really. He wants to say that he likes him but what if he really doesn't? He just likes the feeling of being seen by someone but not that one who sees him. Taeyong's a mess.
The whole day of the shop was, overall, quiet. There were walk-ins but the customers had short visits and appointments. Taeyong didn't receive any messages either, even after his reply this morning, so the whole doubt was coming into play. He was more worried than upset but he didn't want to show it to Hayoon. He just got himself busy with his own work and just drew stuff until his shift was done for the day.
Just when I was about to think that maybe he's different.
"Hey, it's bad to end the day with a frown. We had a few customers today," Hayoon said behind him right when Taeyong had finished cleaning and already had his bag in hand.
Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows, "I'm not worried about that. Also, who says I'm frowning? I'm fine," and proceeds to say those words like he's sulking.
The beta laughed, "I was kidding with you—" he stopped when he casually looked at their front and saw a familiar person waiting outside, sheepishly smiling and waving at them. Hayoon almost couldn't believe he came at the perfect timing. Taeyong looked at where his friend was staring at and almost jolted.
"Perfect!" Hayoon cheered.
Taeyong looked back at him, panicked, with cheeks a bit flushed, "You told him to come?!"
"Hell, no! I don't even know his number or social status!" the beta spat while he dusted off Taeyong's shoulders, to groom him a bit, and gently pushed him towards the shop's glass door. "Have fun," he bids in a singsong manner.
The omega was troubled because he wasn't ready. He didn't even dress that well! He's just in his black oversized hoodie and black baggy pants. Another thing was that Jaehyun didn't even tell him anything about him visiting. Oh, god.
There's no other way but to face him anyway. As timid as he hated to be, Taeyong went out of the shop and gave a little wave at Jaehyun with his head slightly down and his eyes glancing at the alpha. Jaehyun had this special dimpled smile on his face again and greeted the omega.
"Hi, just done with work?" Jaehyun asked.
Taeyong squinted his eyes at him with a suspicious look, "Is this why you didn't message me?"
The alpha shrugged sheepishly, "Well...I had to pick out a good outfit then maybe look for restaurants."
"Restaurants? What for?"
It wasn't because Taeyong was completely clueless. He doesn't want to assume either.
"I was going to ask you...for dinner, if you're not busy," Jaehyun chuckled to let out his nervousness after asking out Taeyong for the second time. He had to practice his words before he got there actually because he doesn't want to stutter in front of Taeyong, thinking an alpha like him doesn't like alphas who crumble under pressure. Well, little did he know...
Taeyong looked at the time on his watch before he looked back at Jaehyun, shaking his head and shrugging at the same time, "Maybe I could spare you some time," he said as a joke but it wasn't obvious.
"Oh, did you have prior plans?"
"Nope, I was messing with you again. Where do we go?"
The alpha felt his heart skip a beat from the excitement. Despite getting ready for anything, he ended up stuttering.
"J-Just around here, or do you have anything else in mind?" the alpha asked.
Taeyong hummed, "Uhm, I'm feeling like wanting to eat some meat and drink."
"Drink?" Jaehyun was clueless.
"Beer," the omega simply answered, "Unless you don't want that kind of stuff."
"No, it's fine," Jaehyun smiled.
"Let's go this way."
Taeyong led the way, walking the opposite way of home and arrived on the next street where the restaurant is. It's just a small grilling restaurant that Taeyong goes to with Hayoon for grilled meat and a few bottles of beer. It's been a while since they did so. They were welcomed by the servers and escorted them to an empty table. They sat down and Taeyong was the one who spoke to the waiter for their orders which he proceeded to ask Jaehyun about.
"You want a glass of beer or...?" Taeyong asked.
"Water should be fine," Jaehyun answered with a smile on his face apologetically.
The omega finalized their orders, changing beer to a bottle of soju then asking for a glass of water for his date, before the waiter went to the kitchen to prepare them for them. Taeyong suddenly realized something.
"Are you on a diet?" he asked when he concluded his assumptions.
The alpha hummed who sat across from him, "Kind of, but I'll let this night slide, just so we could have fun."
Great, now he knows you're an alcoholic.
But not really. He just drinks when he feels like it or really in a bad mood. He stayed sober for so long so he might not even like the taste of it anymore. Taeyong shouldn't really go here. This is uncanny. A direct sabotage for himself.
"We can just eat a few then go home," the omega said.
"Taeyong, I don't mind meat and beer. You can eat and drink all you want," Jaehyun said, "But I'll make sure you get home safely tonight."
The omega didn't know what to feel about that but he was sure he was stunned and nervous at the same time. He wouldn't be too drunk to have someone drag him down the sidewalk, would he? Hell no.
"Just so you know, I'm not lightweight," the omega made it clear, confirming that it isn't his first time drinking. He doesn't want to be a burden to literally be carried by Jaehyun too.
"Ah, then do you know how to do the thing with soju?"
Taeyong raised an eyebrow, a little confused, before asking his assumption, "The tricks? Fuck, no. Ask Hayoon about it."
"How long have you guys been friends, by the way?" Jaehyun asked.
"A few years now. Long enough to know the bad side of him," he answered vaguely which earned a chuckle from the latter.
"I'm surprised you're not into him."
Taeyong showed him a disgusted face, "No?! Why would you think of that?"
"You know, close friends," Jaehyun said, prompting his elbow on the table and placing his chin on his hand.
"One, it was never like that between us. Two, he's a beta. Three, he's married."
"What's with being with a beta? You don't like betas as partners?" the alpha had to push himself off the table when two waiters came with their orders and prepared the tabletop grill for them. The meats were placed in the middle, drinks on the side and a few side dishes served for them. Once they were done, they left them and Taeyong started searing the meat on the grill.
Taeyong had to stall with grilling to think of an answer because he can't just say he's an omega, other than just seeing Hayoon as a friend. He had to think of a lie, "No, I just don't like him that way and I'm sure he feels the same way towards me."
Jaehyun nodded, "Right," he said respectfully, not wanting to add anymore questions to the topic. He assumed Taeyong felt uncomfortable talking about that and he wanted to apologize. He didn't mean to make the air awkward.
To, atleast, ease his thoughts, he grabbed the soju bottle and opened it for Taeyong which made the omega a little curious. Taeyong stopped flipping the meat on the grill and watched the alpha pour the shot glass with liquid up to its rim.
"Sorry for asking that," Jaehyun apologized.
Taeyong shook his head and playfully rolled his eyes at him with a smirk, "It's nothing. You're not the first person who asked that. I would've also asked if you ever liked one of the flight attendants you had on your flights and you'll tell me that's cliché."
The alpha was taken aback and chuckled at it, "Yes, it is cliché," he answered and had the omega laugh a little while getting busy with the grill, "But to answer your question, I haven't really liked anyone at work."
"And to think you're meeting hundreds of people in a week, you haven't met the one for you."
Jaehyun hummed and shrugged one shoulder, contemplating, "I think I will never meet the one at an airline or any airlines...because they're somewhere else where I wouldn't easily meet them. Only by chance and coincidence."
"And rejections," Taeyong added teasingly and earned a laugh from the latter.
"Yes, and rejections."
The alpha's eyes never left the omega like he was telling those words directly at him but Taeyong being Taeyong, he didn't suspect anything. Hopefully. Though, Jaehyun being Jaehyun, he couldn't address them to him formally. Jaehyun only met him at the time when he surrendered to the idea of dating again but with an alpha. It just so happens he found Taeyong's profile the first thing he created his account. The attraction was there, just from the pictures. He would be lying if he thought Taeyong was the one he wanted and almost forgot that relationships are two-ways.
Meeting him personally had him shaking in his boots because he didn't think he would be able to reach him from how late he had gotten. He was really hoping Taeyong would be there because he doesn't want to lose this opportunity. If he ever left, Jaehyun would've given up. No one knows how relieved and happy he was to find Taeyong on their table, rather impatient and ready to go.
"No gym tonight?"
Jaehyun snapped out of his train of thought when he was asked, "Rest day."
"Are you the type to bodybuild or just go to the gym for fun?" the omega asked again while plating up the well-cooked meat on their plates.
"I'm not bodybuilding, though I don't think I'm doing it for fun either. I just want to stay healthy and avoid being lethargic after flights."
"But you're unsure?"
The alpha smiled after he sighed and looked at his plate, "I wanted to keep my mind out of other thoughts. I kept myself busy while waiting for my flight schedule."
Taeyong nodded, assuming that he came from a breakup when he started, "I understand. Are you okay now?"
Jaehyun didn't expect to be asked about his well-being. He nodded after a few seconds thinking, "Yeah, I feel great."
"Good. Eat up then," the omega told him before taking the shot of soju in one gulp and slamming the glass down the table, "Let's just eat and drink good. Don't think."
The alpha wasn't wrong about feeling light whenever Taeyong's around. Even though their conversations are random, it just feels right. The real reason why he came to visit was wanting to see the latter. That's all. Once a week isn't enough and waiting that long wasn't ideal. He's happy he came.
Taeyong was accommodating enough to cook all the meat and give Jaehyun about half of the overall amount of their order. The alpha was the one who kept them talking and had the omega laugh a few times which didn't fail to make his heart skip. It's always delightful to see Taeyong in a light mood and maybe the alcohol had him that way.
They stayed a little over an hour and left the restaurant with full stomachs and relaxed moods. Taeyong wasn't drunk enough to let Jaehyun pay for everything so he paid for it before he could. The alpha only laughed it off and told him he'll make it up on Sunday which left the omega tongue tied. He blamed the alcohol for the slow thought process.
"We can get you a taxi from here," Taeyong said and was already on the hunt until Jaehyun spoke.
"Let me walk you home again. It wouldn't make me feel at ease if I left you."
The omega knew he'd say something like this because Jaehyun already said it before but he shrugged it off. Though he said it again, "You're too worried. So what if your date gets ganged up?" he rhetorically asked and started walking to initiate their short journey which Jaehyun followed suit.
"I'd feel bad. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, Taeyong. Even if you're fine with walking alone, I just won't take any chances."
Taeyong huffed a chuckle, "Are you like this with your past dates?"
"No. You're the opposite of them actually."
"I guess omegas just tend to be clingy with alphas like you," the omega ironically said, "You're like the alpha of their dreams."
Jaehyun laughed under his breath, "A big compliment from you. I feel flattered."
"No, really. Why do they even hate you? You're handsome, smells nice—I bet anyone would want to be scented by you—and also, a pilot. Rich ass person and kind and caring. Maybe your schedule and slow replies are a bit on the downside of the relationship but hey, I think you're a good keeper."
Oh, right, did Taeyong tell him he's an honest speaker when he drinks alcohol? He actually gets laid back so much that he fears nothing with the words that were about to come out from his mouth. Taeyong only realized this when Hayoon told him that the beta gets a little too comfy with teasing him that sometimes the omega genuinely gets upset on the inside but said nothing anyway to avoid misunderstandings.
Jaehyun was speechless and even ended up laughing, "Do you think of me like that?"
"I think anyone thinks of you like that. Too bad you just suck on keeping the relationship going."
Despite hearing all those compliments, he was crushed by the hard truth. The alpha got apologetic, "Career calls. I love my work and I think my partner should respect that. The same way I would respect theirs, whatever it is."
The omega nodded and left the alpha hanging with a thought in mind. He was a bit...hesitant to ask—thinking if they're too early in the dating phase to even ask about how one really feels towards the other. Jaehyun was secured. He wants to know more about Taeyong and deepen their understanding with one another, but he doesn't know if it's mutual. Besides, Taeyong's influenced by alcohol. The alpha could only assume that the omega's not in the right mind.
"My apartment's near. You can get on a taxi," Taeyong pointed out and this time, he's adamant.
Jaehyun knew he wouldn't have the power to say no so he watched the omega stand on the edge of the sidewalk to find a vacant taxi for him, "You sure your apartment's near?"
The omega deadpanned at him and pointed at the building just a few steps away, "It's literally beside us," he said before he went back to taxi hunting.
"Okay, I'm sorry," Jaehyun laughed and gradually died down as he stood close, next to the omega, "You can go in. I'll find my taxi."
"Well, you walked me home so...I'll find you a taxi in return."
"I'm not really expecting you to do something in return. I walked you home because I wanted to. No other motives," the alpha said endearingly and had his eyes on the latter.
Taeyong's eyes then met his, unfazed, and things behind them went a little darker than usual. He only had his attention on the alpha in front of him.
"I'm also doing this because I want to. No other motives, mister."
Jaehyun nodded and tried not to smile. He was trying because he wanted to contain his own happiness. He was getting so giddy that it felt like he was still being too obvious.
"Your chariot awaits," Taeyong declared as soon as he got a taxi's attention and headed their way.
They waited a bit until it stopped in front of them. The omega opened the door for him.
"Get in and it's getting late," the omega added.
Jaehyun smiled at him and was gentle and wishful, "So I see you on Sunday?"
Taeyong had his eyes on him again and pouted a little, "Well, it would be a waste if I said no, wouldn't it?"
The alpha chortled, "As long as you're not pushing yourself into the idea. If you're too busy, message me."
"Just get in, will you? I'm starting to have a headache."
"Alright. Good night, Taeyong."
Jaehyun already put a foot in after assuming that maybe Taeyong's still thinking about it but before he was able to take a seat on the backseat, Taeyong spoke with his eyes wandered elsewhere.
"See you on Sunday."
Though it was like a whisper, it was loud and clear to Jaehyun. Taeyong swore he could see the alpha having imaginary perked up dog ears. He was obviously happy to hear the omega say it but they were taking long and the driver might be getting impatient. Also, if Jaehyun ever wants to say anything, Taeyong doesn't want to hear it.
"Alright, seriously, you need to go," the omega sternly said and started pushing the alpha into the car but cautiously didn't do it too much.
Jaehyun laughed softly, "Okay, okay. See you."
And for the nth time, they bid goodbye to each other and the taxi went. The omega watched until the vehicle disappeared from a distance and went into his apartment. As soon as he reached his bed, he sighed in relief. He actually had a nice night with Jaehyun, even if he had a little more to drink than have a conversation. Not that they were quiet back there but there were times where they're just there, together, and eating. It was comfortable for Taeyong to have that. He has never been with a person who he was comfortable with just having them close without exchanging words.
Taeyong closed his eyes and pursed his lips inwards. If only Jaehyun's not his type, they wouldn't have gone this far.
What would happen if he knew about everything?
For some unknown reason, the week went by pretty fast and before Taeyong even knew it, it's Sunday. He woke up in the morning and went to take a shower early because he needed to at least make up for the day he dressed so casually when Jaehyun gave him a surprise visit at work. It'd be embarrassing if he chose to be lazy to dress up for the day. Good thing, he isn't and he's more worried about what Jaehyun would think about him if he shows up underwhelmed.
Dark blue half zip-up knitted sweater with a white shirt underneath, black slacks and a pair of black leather loafers were the clothing he thought that wasn't underwhelming. To be fair, he wanted to go bold with a black knitted lace button shirt that looked more of a summer fit than autumn and latex pants which suited the vibe, though he got worried about the overall feel of it. It wasn't ideal so he leaned more onto something comfortable. Also, he wouldn't want to overwhelm anyone with a see-through outfit in the middle of a chilly weather.
Once Taeyong was happy with the way he looked in front of his mirror, he grabbed a casual cap to wear and was ready to go. He locked up his door after getting the things he needed to bring along then went down the stairs to get a taxi. He was hoping that he wouldn't be too late, to the point Jaehyun would wait for him, but it doesn't look like it'll be a problem when he comes out of his apartment building.
"Jaehyun? I thought we were going to meet at the mall!" Taeyong went out almost hysterically when he saw the alpha standing under a tree by the sidewalk. He came on run-walking towards his date with a confused, frowned expression.
Dressed in just a simple black long sleeve shirt, dark cargo pants and some leather shoes with his hair put down, not even bothered leaving without having it slicked with gel. His face was bare but somehow, he looked more attractive than ever. His cheeks look flushed and his dimples were on display for, assumingly, him. Taeyong was having palpitations but he rather had himself upset about the alpha not telling him of a changed plan than fanning over the latter.
Jaehyun only hoped his dimples would calm down Taeyong but didn't seem like it was helping, "We were...but I was on my way and thought about going there together instead."
Taeyong crossed his arms, "You should've called. I don't know if you waited too long," he said and proceeded on calling for a taxi for them.
"I didn't, don't worry," the alpha responded.
The omega briefly gazed back at him, "Next time, call me. I would've left you if I had my earbuds on or left early."
"Yeah, I promise."
Next time...I really said that, yeah.
They stood close by the sidewalk while Taeyong kept waving at cars to catch their attention. Jaehyun only fidgetted in his place, having second thoughts about being more honest or just keeping everything to himself, just to save himself from embarrassment and save whatever they have right now. It's even more painful to listen to his own thoughts now that they've gone quiet. This was the worst. Though, in the back of Jaehyun's mind, he thinks he needs to be firm at this point of their relationship progress. It even felt like he hasn't really put in much effort to progress through.
"I...really just wanted to spend more time with you. Before I know it, I'll start boarding again and won't see you for a while."
His voice was gentle and innocent. It had tender smoothness and full of sincerity that shattered Taeyong's every defense and tough demeanor. His words melted everything. Taeyong hesitantly looked back at Jaehyun who had gotten more timid than he previously was. His heart aches. He even noticed how red the tips of the alpha's ears had gone. It was...adorable.
Right. Before he knew it, Taeyong would receive messages the other day and Jaehyun wouldn't have enough time to call him anymore. It scares him, honestly. If they're physically apart by thousands of miles, he's afraid that their relationship might grow apart. Whatever they have right now. He doesn't want that to happen.
"Jeez, it's like you're saying goodbye," the omega reacted and said those words rather quietly. He didn't face the alpha, instead he just kept his eyes on the road where the cars were.
Jaehyun sheepishly smiled, "Not a goodbye. Just a reminder."
Finally, Taeyong got a taxi for the both of them and had an excuse to cut their conversation short. They hopped into the vehicle and sat on the backseat. For a second, Taeyong didn't know how to recover from their conversation earlier. He doesn't want to sound so upset but he would exactly sound spoiled if he speaks. He doesn't want to be the reason Jaehyun might question and worry about. What should I do or say?
"Do you want to eat brunch before we go to the arcade?" Jaehyun asked, finally breaking their short silence.
Taeyong hummed, "I don't know. I'm not hungry...Are you?"
"Not really. I don't think it'll be fulfilling to just eat snacks," the alpha pointed out.
"We can just eat after. I might vomit all over the alley if I eat."
Jaehyun chortled, "I barely heard anyone vomiting inside the alley."
"No, I'm actually nervous."
The alpha looked back at him, thinking it was funny to hear Taeyong being nervous for their bowling date, "A bit weird to hear you feel that way."
"Because what if I fucking throw the ball up the ceiling? Or accidentally knock someone out with it?"
Jaehyun covered his mouth as he tried suppressing a loud laugh out of him but he did laugh a bit too much under his hand which caught the omega's attention, frowning and crossing his arms up his chest, "Why would you do those?"
"You'll never know! It's my first time bowling!" he said it like he was being defensive on the actions that might happen out of fear.
The alpha shrugged but with a smirk that he couldn't wipe off. Taeyong secretly thinks it's embarrassing but then again, he couldn't deny the fact that he would've wanted to make Jaehyun laugh more.
"Well, that's why I'm here, to keep you out of harm," Jaehyun said, sounding very confident and cocky at the same time.
Taeyong scoffed while rolling his eyes at him.
Shortly, they arrived. By the time they were inside the arcade, the ticketing booth had a short line of people and both of them didn't waste any time to line up last. Jaehyun said it wasn't his first time going to this kind of place so he bought two tickets for them while in the back of the omega's mind, he got curious to who he was with the last time he was here. Could've this been a common thing to him with his dates? He just...ask them out on a bowling date? Every time?
Am I just one of his pastimes?
"Okay, let's go," Jaehyun uttered and broke Taeyong out of his train of stupid thoughts.
The omega's mood has gone foul but he wanted to try and conceal anything he was feeling. What is he even thinking? He's just a date with high hopes, which he doesn't know where it came from. He started off not thinking about anything happening special out of talking to a stranger online and then one day, he just found out he wanted Jaehyun to stay a bit longer than he anticipated. God, to have an alpha like Jaehyun is surreal. Taeyong could only wish.
They went to the space where they were assigned to. Taeyong sat on the leather red couch and was thinking about Jaehyun dealing with everything they needed. Surprisingly, he heard something drop near his feet after the alpha threw it which made him look down as he felt the space beside him dip from a heavy weight.
"Shoes?" Taeyong asked.
Jaehyun hummed, "They don't allow people to use their own shoes, apparently. They used to but I guess they changed."
"Ah," the omega went down to wear and tie them, having both to be a perfect fit. He furrowed his eyebrows at the alpha once he was done, "And how'd you know my foot size?"
The alpha's lips spread into a wonky smile and shrugged, "Just a guess. Though we have the same size."
Taeyong hummed. Jaehyun stood from the couch and went to grab a ball from the ramp, picking a weight that should feel nice and balanced. He looked back at the omega and asked him to come. Taeyong hesitated a bit, wanting to back up at the last minute but it was too late. The tickets are already paid. There was no choice but to stand up and take a few steps until he was beside the alpha.
"Pick a ball with the weight that you feel comfortable with. It differs from people," Jaehyun noted.
Taeyong looked at the colorful bowling balls on the ramp. He saw them being numbered and thought it was based on what their weight is. He tried picking up the number 8 and it came out a little light for him so he picked up a different one which was labeled 10. It felt a little better so he went with it rather than picking another one and having Jaehyun wait for too long.
"Okay. Usually, mentors teach you to take a step forward with your dominant side while you hold the ball up to, maybe, to your stomach or chest. Try doing that," the alpha explained and gave the omega time to do it himself while he did the position for reference.
Taeyong did the same and was overwhelmed with how heavy the ball had gone. He winced a bit when he hoisted it up and Jaehyun got worried.
"Good? You want to change the ball?" the alpha asked.
The omega shook his head, "This is nothing."
For someone who never did weights, I'm perfectly not fine.
"Okay. Now, step on your dominant side then the other foot forward as you swing the ball. By the time you reach your dominant foot, you should have enough momentum to release it on the other foot."
Jaehyun did exactly as he said and explained and to Taeyong, he looked really cool. The fact that he's a pilot who goes from cities after cities with a wrecked sleep schedule, he was in awe. Though just listening to him gave no hope for Taeyong and he was never a sporty person in the first place. With his heats and uncontrolled pheromones when he was young, he was forbidden to even come near any crowded and rowdy places. He just looked at the alpha with a slight scrunched face.
"I give up. You enjoy yourself—"
"Just try it," Jaehyun beat him to it before he got away. Hands still kept to himself despite having the urge to grab the omega by the wrist to make him stay like he was scared of him running away. It was good that he has a lot of self-restraint than he thought he had, "I used to be like you when I first started. My friend just pushed me into the idea."
The omega subtly raised an eyebrow, "Then you loved it. I bet you've been teaching your dates," and unfortunately, he sounded more disappointed than he initially wanted to be. Hopefully, the alpha doesn't notice it.
Too late. Jaehyun was too sensitive not to notice the slightest change of Taeyong's tone of voice. He couldn't recall if he's like this to anyone else. Maybe not to someone else—just towards Taeyong.
Jaehyun awkwardly gave a laugh, "I never asked them out for bowling. They...were the ones who always arranged our dates so we would only hang out somewhere or talk. I never had the time or the sheer will to engage in asking them out myself."
This alpha...is unbelievable.
"So you're overwhelmed when you're the one initiating now?" Taeyong asked, chuckling his doubts out, with eyes staring back at Jaehyun.
Instead of changing the topic, the alpha gave an answer.
"No, I like asking you out, Taeyong. I like planning out our dates and...I just like seeing you, even if you're always teasing me most of the time," Jaehyun explained with a silly smirk on his face that no one could wipe off him, "I don't want to pressure you or anything but I also want to make this work with you, of course."
Taeyong didn't say a word—couldn't—he rephrased. He was stunned to say the least and his heart was beating hard against his chest from his words. He doesn't know how to describe his emotions or what exactly he was feeling. He wanted to change the topic because he doesn't know how or what to respond to the alpha's sudden confession. He could only swallow and had his eyes wander around.
To his surprise, the heavy ball in his hand was lifted off his hold by the alpha gently. Taeyong didn't fight back, instead he just watched Jaehyun put the ball back onto the ramp while he had a soft smile on his face like everything's fine. The omega was wondering how could this guy keep it cool while he's having a whole war in his head right now.
"We can go somewhere else," Jaehyun started, "Do you like billiards instead?"
"Wait, wait, wait! You already paid for this," Taeyong defended in high pitch.
The alpha only shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I want you to enjoy it too, not just me."
"I'll learn to enjoy it," the omega declared and grabbed a ball from the ramp with both of his hands to
This time, he sounded determined, which caught Jaehyun off guard and surprised him. He stuttered.
"You really don't have to force yours—"
"Shut up. Just do it again," Taeyong bit back with ego laced in his voice and his eyes fierce enough to make an alpha like Jaehyun feel a little threatened, "I'll watch you again."
The alpha laughed sheepishly as he scratched his head, "Okay...I guess," he grabbed a ball himself and positioned himself in front of the lane with Taeyong behind him. Before he started, he looked back at the omega, "But if you don't want to play anymore, tell me—"
"Just do it, Jaehyun," the omega spoke back with his face showing how little his patience has gone, even if it was only for show.
The alpha only chuckled, wanting to presume it was only the omega's teasing, "Okay, fine."
Jaehyun did it again and effortlessly got a so-called strike. He wasn't expecting it but it happened and just on time to flex a bit in front of his date. He looked back and acted like nothing happened which made Taeyong a little annoyed that he could do that so easily. He should've actually taken the offer to switch to billiards. He might've been good at it but nope, his pride led him here. With the thought of embarrassing himself in front of the alpha, he didn't have any choice but to suck that fact up. He bet he'll put a fucking hole through the floor.
Taeyong stepped up in front of the lane where Jaehyun stood a while ago. He looked back at the alpha to get some kind of approval as he tried copying his stance. All he saw was the alpha taking a seat on the couch and looking like he just planned on watching him rawdogging it. The omega sighed.
"Are you really going to watch?" Taeyong asked with a deep frown on his face.
Jaehyun looked at him with a cheeky smirk, laughing a little, and he was undeniably too handsome for this, "Yeah. How would I teach you if I had my eyes closed, Taeyong?"
"Okay, smarty-pants."
The omega whipped his head back at the pins upfront, trying to focus and tell himself that it shouldn't be a big deal, either he gets one pin or none. He was actually just conscious about the alpha staring at him from behind. He took a deep breath and kept Jaehyun's words in his mind as he took a few steps forward before he released the ball rolling down the lane with a little force and got the ball down the gutter anticlimactically. Just as expected, Taeyong had it rough but he didn't hear any laughter behind him. In fact, Jaehyun only stood to give him another ball to play.
"It's really hard at first but try putting less force when you release the ball. I found it better to let its weight do its trick when I started," the alpha advised.
Taeyong only nodded. He gave it another try and this time, he took the alpha's advice which turned out a little better in terms of handling it. Although, it went to the gutter again.
Jaehyun stood close behind him, "It has gone a little farther than it used to but your ball just turns the other way around, that's why it goes to the gutter. You could try adjusting the way your wrist releases the ball."
Having someone teach him felt all too new to him. No one had the patience to do this for him but Jaehyun was telling him everything that he knows without holding himself back, even if Taeyong wouldn't be able to execute the advice any time soon. From how close he was behind him, Taeyong could undoubtedly have his scent etched in his mind by now. He suddenly got worried about him. Has he noticed...anything?
"Try it from here," the alpha encouraged and took a step to the side for space as they stood near the line where the lane stops so the omega could practice the way his swings.
Without a word, Taeyong tried swinging his arm back, letting the weight roll down before letting it go with a little wrist adjustment. To his surprise, it ended up hitting a pin and his name finally got a point beside it. He looked back at the alpha with eyes wide by surprise. Jaehyun smiled proudly at him.
"Nice," he cheered.
Instead of hyping himself up, Taeyong only snorted a laugh, "Thanks and I barely hit that."
"You hit that, Taeyong. Not barely," Jaehyun corrected.
"That's actually kind of fun," the omega admitted as he looked back at the pins that were already replaced by a complete set. It was Jaehyun's turn so he took a step back to give the alpha a spot to play, "I'll try catching up to you," he told Jaehyun with a smug face.
The alpha nodded, "I'm cheering you on."
In the end of the friendly match, Jaehyun, of course, won and Taeyong only had a few points up his sleeve. He wasn't always the player who gets blessed with beginner's luck but he honestly had fun after a long time. He would do it again but he doesn't think he'd be able to play with anyone else but Jaehyun. It isn't because he was getting hyped whenever he gets a few points, it was mostly likely because of how he took everything into account—either he hits something or nothing. It was like he was teaching someone to be a prodigy of his but Taeyong wasn't the candidate he hoped for. Little did he know, Taeyong is the person Jaehyun always wished for.
After the game, they went out and saw a line of crane machines with different prizes inside of them. Taeyong had their eyes on them and Jaehyun noticed the way he was looking.
"I haven't had a stuffed toy in a long time," Jaehyun opened the topic.
"Hm, that makes us two then," the omega said.
The alpha stopped on his tracks and Taeyong followed with a little confusion painted on his face, "Let's try one then have lunch. How about that?"
Taeyong chuckled while rolling his eyes, "Fine. I don't think I can stop you with that."
"You can actually."
"No, I can't, Jaehyun."
He makes it sound like Taeyong's got a hold of Jaehyun when in fact, he doesn't. He doesn't anything with the alpha—except for the fact that they are exclusively dating each other.
Thinking about them being exclusive makes his insides flutter.
Jaehyun fished his wallet out of the pocket of his pants to get a few coins. He had enough to play a few chances with their chosen claw machine. He doesn't know why he was drawn to them but he thought it would be nice to give Taeyong something to remember this day. It would be a nice souvenir for him. He sometimes gets lucky with these and hopefully, his luck hasn't ran out.
He stood in front of the machine, pushed a coin into the slot and finally had its joystick unlocked. Taeyong only stood behind him to watch while Jaehyun had his head on the game. The crane machine wasn't a game that was meant to prolong. In the short amount of time, the alpha wasn't able to get a stuffed toy so he inserted another coin to try again. The omega, on the other hand, was quite amused at how eager he looked but he can't let Jaehyun waste all of his time just for a toy.
On the fifth coin, Taeyong had enough and it's not because he was getting hungry. The alpha can't give all of his money to a stupid machine.
"Jaehyun, let's go—"
"No, wait. I got it," Jaehyun said, still holding onto the joystick and holding his palm over the button for the claw.
Taeyong sighed with his arms crossed. He only looked behind them to look around, seeing a few children and teenagers crowd over a few other machines, and thought it must be weird to see two grown men playing the crane machine. He shook his head to take the idea out of it. Of course, anyone can play the crane machine to their heart's content. To his surprise, he was greeted by a huge ass Kirby stuffed toy in front of his face.
"Got it," Jaehyun announced.
Taeyong looked past the toy and saw the alpha seemingly proud by getting it. He laughed softly as he took the toy from Jaehyun, "Really? For me?"
The alpha nodded, "No one else's."
The omega flipped the stuffed toy, back and front, to admire the alpha's gift for him. It's cute and definitely would stand out inside of his almost monochromatic and dull apartment.
"And here, I thought you just wanted to show off and give this to a kid or something," Taeyong uttered.
Jaehyun shrugged, "I just wanted to give you something. Is it alright as a first gift?"
The omega hummed with a pout on his face while his eyes were on the toy, contemplating as a tease, "I was never given a gift before so I don't have anything to compare it to but it's fine. It'll light up the room."
"Never once from your exes?"
"Nope," Taeyong said and smiled bitterly, "Don't all people fall for what they tolerate? But they're all in the past. Thanks for this, Jaehyun. I'll surely have good dreams from now on."
"That sounds a little too sarcastic," the alpha smirked.
The omega rolled his eyes playfully, "Okay, maybe having good dreams is too unrealistic but I really like it. Thank you."
Jaehyun felt his heart racing at an abnormal rate from how grateful Taeyong looked and suddenly forgot about his intimidating demeanor. He's glad he was able to get that toy because if he fails, he might not see that face ever and it would be a waste.
After that date, it got Taeyong thinking—What the fuck should I give back? Because it's not good if he doesn't even think about giving something back to Jaehyun. The question got stuck in his head for a week now and he's worried he might not be able to buy a gift because what the fuck does he know about Jaehyun other than being the hottest pilot? He could have everything too, so what else should he give to maybe be different from the others?
Stuck inside of the omega's head, he was worried that things would turn if he didn't give anything back. Not that he thinks Jaehyun is materialistic, he just thinks it could be a turning point. It would look like Taeyong doesn't care about him. When in fact...
"Earth to Yong?"
Taeyong didn't make it obvious but he subtly jolted out of his thoughts when Hayoon slapped a hand on his shoulder. He didn't look at him because he was too afraid that the beta might see through him. He just has his eyes on his sketchbook that has an incomplete drawing, on queue for its completion out of the omega's boredom, and it somehow became too obvious that he was spacing out. A sigh came out of his mouth.
"It's closing time," Hayoon announced with a hint of worriedness in his tone, "You might want to pack up your things."
"Yeah...my pen ran out too," the omega said to indirectly explain about his incomplete sketch, "Do you want me to buy anything at the stationary shop other than pens?"
Taeyong didn't receive a response but wasn't really bothered due to his pre-occupied head. He could maybe find something at the shop this time. He did visit other shops and tried finding something off the internet but he was very picky to even come up with anything. A neck tie is always up his list but it's really too basic and boring...and expensive, if he really wants it to be at a good value. Socks? Hell, no. Anything that's clothing wouldn't be on his list in the first place.
"Hey, is everything good? You've been out of it since Monday. You can talk to me."
He heard Hayoon from behind and when he looked back at him, he saw a worried beta after a long time. Oh, he's really worried.
The omega chuckled to lighten the mood and actually thought it was a little comical to him that he made his friend be concerned for nothing. Well, he won't definitely say anything but he should comfort him.
"Don't worry, it's far from what you're thinking. It's stupid, okay? It's...nothing," Taeyong answered but he suddenly thought Hayoon might have more ideas to give him since he has an alpha who has everything too. But never mind.
"Are you and Jaehyun still good?"
The omega nodded, "Yeah, he just has meetings here and there for whatever his boss wants to talk about."
Hayoon laughed, "You sound jealous."
"Hell, no! I just don't care about whatever they talk about in their meetings," Taeyong defended as he pushed his things into his bag to pack up.
"He's different, no? In terms of how he treats you," the beta observed with a dreamy look. He's genuinely happy about the progress, even though the omega barely talks about their dates to him.
Taeyong sighed deeply and stopped, completely bummed out on another thought, "Yeah, he's actually too good for me."
"You're good to him too, I bet."
"You mean, as a liar and big phoney?"
Hayoon froze. He forgot about the whole set up and lost his words. He felt uneasy and guilty as he remembered being the root of all of this. He tried finding his words but despite having his mouth open, he couldn't say anything. Taeyong was bummed out. Though, he didn't want to have this conversation with him so he thought about changing the subject.
"I'm buying some pens and pencils. Anything else?" the omega asked once he was done and ready to go. He turned around with an expression that looked fake but it was better than being damned.
The beta gave him a brief smile as he shook his head, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you. Drive safe home, Hayoon."
And Taeyong was off. If he had been actively doing his vices right now, he'd be on his sixth box of cigarettes. He tried not to think about it that much because if Jaehyun were to reject anyway, it'll be sooner or later—or better yet, he'll push him aside and never confess to anything. It would be harsh but it's the only thing that could be less painful. Maybe Jaehyun would less likely hate him that way.
Arriving at the small shop, the bell rang upon the omega pushing the door open. The room was narrow, full of books, art supplies and other miscellaneous stuff littered around. A few people were also inside, looking for something they wanted and needed. The shop was kind of cozy and could be a bookworm's dream.
Taeyong walked through the narrow sections and got a box each of what he needed then made his way to the cashier to pay for the supplies. Looking around, he found a few desk trinkets, journals and pins that were showcased upfront. His eyes just wandered around them, thinking he could find something that would catch his eyes, and he did.
An enamel paper airplane pin. It was cute and shiny and felt perfect. The way it feels is like it's the thing Taeyong has been looking for. Imagining it pinned on Jaehyun's coat could be adorable. Taeyong, although timid, didn't hesitate to ask and buy it along with the others. When he got out of the shop, he was looking at the pin on his hand.
It's actually adorable.
But when will he give it to the alpha? They haven't really talked about another date—probably none anymore—since he's been supposedly discussing things with the airlines. Well, that's what he was told...Couldn't be because he's seeing someone else, right? No. Of course not.
The next day, Taeyong had regrets about buying Jaehyun the enamel pin. He might've been talking to someone else because how the fuck was he not able to leave a message all day yesterday? Even last night. Nothing. He got nervous and anxious. Maybe he should've been the one who initiated a conversation. Maybe ask how he's been or how were the discussions because it was odd to him that the alpha didn't give him a word all day.
His jaw tenses just thinking about him. Should he leave a message right now? Greet him 'good morning' and ask him how his day yesterday has been? Hell, no. Wouldn't it look like he's just trying to get his attention? Because he doesn't usually start their messages.
"What are you eating for lunch today, cotton?" Hayoon asked.
"I don't know. It hasn't even been lunch time," Taeyong argued.
"I'm kind of hungry. I wasn't able to make breakfast before I left."
The omega hummed, "Didn't your husband do it?"
"Oh, he was part of the reason why I wasn't able to make some," the beta smirked funnily and it earned a disgusted look from his friend.
"Okay..."
Hayoon stood from his chair and stretched his arms out before sighing, "I'm buying. Message me if you want an—Oh, your breakfast is here."
Taeyong confusingly looked at him before switching his attention to where the beta was looking. In front of their shop, Jaehyun stood with a small bouquet of flowers and a paper bag in his hands. He smiled through the window, waving his hand with a bouquet, and was mainly looking at Taeyong with a gentle look. He's dressed casually in a black knitted long-sleeved henley sweater, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with buttons undone and grey shirt peeking through—paired with some baggy blue denim jeans and tan suede slip-on shoes.
Hair down but a little groomed with a comb, thin-framed glasses and the dimples...damn. Taeyong felt his cheeks burned and his heart racing.
"Come on, tell him to come inside," Hayoon told him.
The omega frowned, "You tell him," not wanting to be awkward in front of the alpha and stutter if he asks him to come in.
The beta sighed and didn't have any choice but to pull his friend off his chair to make him stand and walk towards their door. Hayoon would never let Jaehyun outside and wouldn't let Taeyong just sit there with eyes adoring the alpha from afar. He's too obvious. He opened the door that's been a nuisance between the couple and greeted Jaehyun first.
"Good morning, Jaehyun! Haven't seen you for a while," Hayoon said in a giddy way.
"Good morning, Hayoon," Jaehyun greeted back with a gentle low voice, nodding down once to express humbleness and respect.
"Oh, you greet me like I'm old."
"You are," Taeyong whispered and snickered.
The beta coughed after being teasingly backhanded by his own best friend so he figured he should do the same thing to him, "My friend wants to say something."
And the cat bit his tongue. Taeyong suddenly couldn't talk and all he did was to look back at the beta with betrayal but he only earned a sneaky shrug from him.
"I'm going out for a second, if you don't mind," Hayoon told the alpha.
"No, no, I don't mind. Go ahead," Jaehyun uttered.
The beta looked at the stuff he's been holding tight in his hands like he was afraid of losing them...or because of the tension and nervousness all together. He smiled and pointed at them, "Those are not for me, right?"
The alpha looked at the stuff he bought earlier this morning and kind of got timid as he doesn't have any choice but to tell the truth after being caught red-handed...quite obviously. He smiled at the beta, dimples out, as he shook his head, "Sorry."
Hayoon looked at Taeyong with sneaky eyes, "Okay, just making sure. Well, I'll be back in a bit. You two hang tight."
And Hayoon was off, leaving both men on their own. The omega swallowed to take the lump in his throat before giving himself a second to earn some confidence to speak up. It's been a week since they last seen each other personally and he doesn't know how to really have a conversation so he's fucked to begin with but of course, he doesn't want to make the alpha feel like everything's one-sided. He wants to make an effort too.
"Hey," Taeyong greeted timidly.
Jaehyun nodded, "Hi, thought I'd come visit. Hopefully, you're not busy."
The omega shook his head, "No, not really. Just an appointment later in the afternoon," he answered and kept the door open as he took a step aside, "Come in. It's a bit chilly nowadays."
"Thank you. These are for you, by the way."
Given to him were a bouquet of pretty reddish pink tulips, partially open, wrapped in white paper with a pink ribbon tied around the stems and a paper bag of what seems to be food.
Taeyong walked in once Jaehyun got inside and stood not too far to wait for him. The omega always thought he's too obedient to be an alpha. With the gifts in hand, Taeyong made his way to his space, placing the gifts down his already crowded desk, and gestured to Jaehyun to come over which the alpha obeyed. The omega grabbed the swivel chair by the reception desk and pulled it to their area for the alpha to sit on. The omega gave it to him and sat on his own chair.
"Don't have any meetings this time?" Taeyong asked.
Jaehyun shook his head as he sat down with eyes wandering around the work space, "Got it done yesterday. That's why I failed to message you."
"Ah, it doesn't matter. We all get busy from our work."
That felt like a punch in the gut. Of course, him not messaging a single word mattered. It got Taeyong all anxious that he thought Jaehyun was dating someone else.
"Open the bag. I thought about buying you breakfast," Jaehyun pointed out while watching Taeyong fixing the flowers to stand on the corner of his desk.
"You bought me but you didn't buy anything for yourself?" Taeyong asked and looked back at him.
"I already ate," the alpha smiled sheepishly.
The omega furrowed his eyebrows lightly before reaching out for the bag to take out the contents which he assumed it would have a lot because he felt hefty when he carried it. He placed the main dish down with a lot of side dishes, even maybe another main dish, and a small beverage, "And you really bought literally more than I could chew."
Jaehyun laughed a little, "I can't just buy a few, right?"
Taeyong sat there, defeated, but Jaehyun looked so adorable defending himself, "Well, it's good that you bought many. Let's eat together because there's no way I could finish these. Atleast, I wouldn't be guilty of the flowers and the food."
"Why would you be?"
"I'm not used to it," the omega plainly explained without any other words branched out of it. He only organized the food for them to keep him busy and not reminisce, "Here, get what you want. I'll take these."
They got their own food to eat and gave each others to taste. Taeyong felt a little fuzzy just having this new memory unlocked for his core. It's different and unusual but it's memorable for the omega. Eating food definitely feels more special and warm this time. Looking over at Jaehyun, he's only hopeful that he feels the same way.
"Are the flowers...over-the-top?"
Taeyong was suddenly asked. Well, in his mind, the flowers aren't necessary. They never were but they're here and he has never received a bouquet before. Maybe a single flower was given to him by his first ex and he remembered displaying it on the countertop of his last apartment. Though, he was never fond of them or even worthy to receive any. This bouquet was different. It felt different. The flowers resembled Jaehyun—calm and simple but is a statement and lights up the room pretty easily.
How do I take care of these so they don't wilt? Also, I should buy a vase.
"Not over-the-top but they're...special. Thanks," the omega confessed and proceeded on eating his free food.
Jaehyun smiled softly, "I actually pre-ordered them for today since they weren't really in season," he explained, "But I had to get them. I wanted to give my favorite flowers to you. I think tulips suit you."
His words left Taeyong speechless and frozen. He stopped chewing his food and got too shy to even move. Jaehyun, on the other hand, regretted saying them so lightly. Of course, it will make things awkward between them and now, he doesn't know how to get the awkwardness away. Maybe a change of topic? Ask how his day has been yesterday? Maybe he should—
The door upfront opened with the bell rang from the visitor—or Hayoon. The beta came back after a few minutes of rummaging through the convenience store he stopped by. He walked into the store, stumbling on the cute sight of the couple eating together. He was in awe.
"Awe, aren't you guys so cute?"
Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows and finished chewing his food before swallowing it, an excuse to finally get out of the situation, "What did you eat? Jaehyun bought so much."
Hayoon laughed under his breath, "He just wants you to eat good," he defended Jaehyun which he perfectly said it outloud on behalf of the alpha.
"You want some though?" Taeyong asked, offering his seasoned chicken to him.
"Nah, I already ate. Don't forget about your 1PM appointment," the beta reminded before moving on to his own space and working on some of his ledgers.
Taeyong doesn't forget about his appointments but he only said that because Jaehyun's there and he assumed he'll forget. He won't. Now that he mentioned it, he won't. He would admit that he would've forgot about it because of the alpha but he won't say that outloud.
After they ate, Jaehyun was the one who cleaned up for him. Taeyong was full and decided that he won't eat lunch today as the dishes were enough to feed him until dinner. He assumed that the alpha would leave after they ate so he stood from his chair to escort him out of the shop.
"Are you going?" Taeyong asked.
Jaehyun's eyebrows jumped and laughed awkwardly, "Oh, would it be bad if I asked if I could stay a little?"
The omega was surprised and it was obvious on his face, "Huh? How about work?"
"That was just yesterday. I have a few more to go on my vacation," the alpha answered, "So I'm free."
"Oh, and you chose to laze around the shop?"
Jaehyun chuckled, "You're here so..."
Taeyong was taken aback and panickily looked behind to see if Hayoon heard that. He had the feeling he did, even though the beta hadn't moved from his chair, but he tried to wave the thought out and just laughed a little at the alpha's remark, "Fine. You can't sit here while I'm working though."
"I don't plan to. I can sit there by the waiting bench," Jaehyun said, "Think of me as your store's security guard."
"Fuck, no!"
As handsome as you?! How dare I?!
The alpha laughed at his sudden outburst, "Just my way to make myself useful while I'm here."
"If you just want to hang, you don't have to do something to make up for it. Just...sit there," the omega pointed to the chairs, "Well, you can still stay here in my area while there's no customers. Just don't break anything," he said.
Jaehyun nodded and started looking around the omega's workplace yet again with his hands in his pockets to make sure he didn't break anything, "Can I ask about them though?"
Taeyong hasn't noticed but Jaehyun's a curious cat. He likes to know more about them, even if he would never be associated with them. He likes to run the omega's mouth with questions which makes Taeyong a little conscious that he speaks too much and he just finds Jaehyun staring back at him. Like right now, the alpha points out almost everything on his workbench and the tools the omega use. Taeyong doesn't think he'll get sick of asking soon.
"So at work, you take pills too? I know some people don't like to smell our scents," Jaehyun asked, "At the airlines, we're mandated to take anti-pheromones too to avoid casualties."
The omega cleared his throat from the question, "Yeah...I do. Everyday."
"Of course. I knew it would be a common practice," the alpha said.
"We're...always up close to our clients so it's just normal to take pills. Maybe people behind the screens don't take any," Taeyong explained even if he really doesn't. He just lost everything about him being an omega. Pills are nothing to him anymore, "So after your shifts, you don't take any, right?"
Jaehyun nodded and chuckled under his breath, "Yeah, I consulted my doctor about drinking pills too often. I was discouraged from taking them outside of work so I wouldn't make a mess out of my hormones."
The omega nodded, "Yeah, don't rely on them too much. You'll regret it."
"Why?"
You'd be useless to someone you want to be worthy of having.
\
"You'll just regret it," Taeyong simply answered.
After a while, Jaehyun checked out the book of sketches the omega had. He told Taeyong that he's been thinking about getting one soon but he wasn't really sure on what to get as his first tattoo. On his line of work, tattoos are discouraged though because of professionalism and looking "clean." Although it's the modern age, anything can change. So he's been contemplating. He could get one but hidden under his uniform would do the trick. The reason behind it is...confidential but he thinks it's obvious anyway. Maybe he should still think about it. He's being a little too excited and he's still looking through Taeyong's book for some ideas.
Unfortunately, his customer came in with a friend for the appointment which made Jaehyun move to the waiting bench to keep their space professional. Jaehyun didn't bother. He just continued looking at the designs on the book, finalizing the idea he had in mind.
"Are you on an appointment too?"
Jaehyun heard and looked at the male friend the customer came in with. He shook his head, "No, I'm just here for someone," he answered simply not to reveal that it's Taeyong.
He nodded, "I see. Just hanging?"
"Yeah, just hanging."
"But you're looking through some designs?" the latter asked in a curious tone, almost flirty, but Jaehyun was oblivious to notice. He thought the latter was only being friendly.
The alpha smiled at them and went back on the designs, "Just...looking. I have future plans about getting one."
"Really? What's the idea? If you don't mind me asking."
"Uhm..." Jaehyun's eyes wandered around as he had second thoughts about telling him but maybe he wouldn't notice anything, "A tulip, maybe...or a paper plane."
He hummed, "Why?"
The alpha shrugged, not wanting to tell him the reason behind it, "I just like tulips and I'm a pilot by profession."
The latter gasped in surprise, "A pilot? Oh wow!" unknowingly, he placed his hand over Jaehyun's wrist from excitement, "I haven't met a pilot before. What places have you been to?"
"I've been around Asia, locals and US parts. I'm still new to the work so I'm only working as a third and second pilot onboard."
"Ooh, sounds complicated. What does that mean?" he asked, moving a little closer to the alpha while someone was boring holes on the customer's friend from afar. No one was aware of it.
Before Jaehyun could answer him, he heard Taeyong calling him by his name. Like an obedient puppy, his whole attention went on the tattoo artist who only stopped working to tell him something. Taeyong signaled him to come over so Jaehyun left the male friend without any hesitations, resulting in the latter being a little annoyed. The omega followed him with prying eyes until he stood near him. He stood from his chair and signaled him to follow behind. Taeyong almost regretted that part as Jaehyun stood behind him and it felt like him towering over the omega with his scent powering through his nostrils. It made hairs stand along Taeyong's arm and shivers down his spine but didn't make it obvious.
"Buy me food," Taeyong said and reached money to him. He looked back and caught Jaehyun's stare, "Anything. Don't be quick."
Jaehyun hummed, "You just ate."
"I'll be hungry after the appointment," the omega excused.
The alpha nodded. He grabbed Taeyong's open hand to give the money back to him, "Okay. I'll be back."
Taeyong immediately looked away to put his money back into his wallet. He got conscious about Jaehyun's eyes to repeat, "Don't be quick."
"Weird few last words but sure," the alpha teased.
"Be careful then."
Later, Jaehyun left with a smile on his face. He didn't give much attention to the customer's friend, who came talking to him a while ago, as he went out. Taeyong returned to his chair, looking at the alpha until he was gone before laying eyes on the latter. He wasn't surprised that the male friend was looking back at him, obviously annoyed and upset, but Taeyong didn't do anything as he didn't want to make a scene on his appointment. He just went back to work and attended to his customer like nothing happened.
He's too friendly. Should I be worried about him? Or should I be worried about myself?
After a few hours, the appointment was done for the day. Taeyong received a good amount of tip but it wasn't enough for the sanity he has gone through when Jaehyun came back with bags of food in his hand and unfortunately, came back to sitting down beside the latter for an hour. He thought he would mess up the tattoo from how frequent he was sneakily looking at them. They were conversing and Taeyong was always curious why they were laughing at times but he kept telling himself that it's nothing. Once the tattoo was done, he could finally kick that male friend out of the shop.
"Good work today, cotton," Hayoon greeted and patted the omega on the back, "Thanks for the food and get back safely."
"I'll be walking him back," Jaehyun announced.
Taeyong packed up swiftly and uttered, "You too, nice work today. See you tomorrow, Hayoon.”
The beta waved at them as they walked out of the shop.
Taeyong walked at a consistent pace with Jaehyun walking beside him, holding the bag of food that wasn't able to be digested by the three. The omega remembered that he needed to point that out to him.
"You bought too much, by the way," Taeyong said, pointing at the bag.
Jaehyun laughed softly under his smile, "You told me not to be quick."
"Oh, it's my fault," the omega jokingly said.
"I just wanted to buy a lot for you," the alpha said, "You really like your work, huh?"
"Of course," the omega answered, "That's where I give out most of my creativity and I like how my customers' react whenever I finish. It's a nice feeling."
Jaehyun nodded, "It is a nice feeling whenever you finish a mission you were given to."
"Hm, you feel good whenever you land a plane?"
"Safely—top priority are the passengers," the alpha claimed, "That's one thing they taught us at school repetitively."
Taeyong nodded slowly, "I can't imagine flying an aircraft with almost a hundred people relying on you."
"Now that you said that, it is scary to think about it but I'll still pick this job over anything," Jaehyun felt a little sentimental.
"I'd be in good hands then, if I ever chose to go via plane," the omega announced.
The alpha laughed, "I'd...rather not be your pilot."
Taeyong got easily offended and looked back at him with a sour face, "Why?!"
"I'd be nervous and be thinking a lot," Jaehyun answered timidly, "You don't understand it now...but I wouldn't be at ease. I could be your companion though."
"That's weird. Don't all people feel at ease when you do things for the other? Like driving the car for them?"
The alpha cleared his throat as he tried to think of words that would explain everything that he's thinking but he couldn't seem to compose anything at the moment, "The plane is different, Taeyong. I could just be the third pilot so I could visit you on your seat. Sounds good?"
Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows, "We'll just catch too much attention..." he almost whispered, "Get your hands on the wheel, mister. Keep yourself busy until we land safely."
Jaehyun smiled, "Your companion, it is."
It wasn't long until they arrived in front of Taeyong's complex. Jaehyun wanted to help him with the bag by coming in but he'd rather wait for the latter to tell him. He didn't want to ask anything that could cause some discomfort. The omega doesn't know how to ask for any help anyway. He received a bag full of food to relieve Jaehyun from the physical burden.
"Get home safely," Taeyong uttered.
Jaehyun nodded but his face looked a little uneasy, "I...might not be able to answer your messages or visit you like this any time soon."
The omega has gone quiet for a second, "Your vacation's up?"
"Cut short. Pilots weren't enough, some needed to leave for parental reasons," the alpha explained, "So, it'll be a while to see you again."
Taeyong hummed and nodded, "No biggie. Call and message me whenever you have some free time."
Although that sounded like he said those lightly, the omega had a lump in his throat while saying that. Time wasn't enough. Jaehyun felt the same way but neither one of them knew. They stood in front of each other with a lot of things to say but denied that part of them. They were rather waiting for something from each other but the alpha went first.
"We're dating, right? Exclusively...?" Jaehyun asked to know some kind of ground to hold onto and just for the mere assurance, "Or are we done after this?" he added as he repeatedly wished the latter would say something the opposite of it.
Taeyong didn't expect him to ask anything close to this and honestly, he didn't prepare any answers to this. If he answered, it'll be a confession either way, right? He felt his heart pounding against his chest too hard that it ended up being painful. He cleared his throat to shake off the nervousness to avoid stuttering. In the back of his mind, he was asking why would he ask something like that? But he would've asked the same thing to make things clearer between them.
"No, we're not done, unless you told me otherwise," Taeyong answered simply, like it wouldn't have much impact—well, it did.
Jaehyun's lips spread into a wide smile that he couldn't hide, "No, uhm, same. I thought the same thing."
The omega nodded with silence coming between them but it was rather comfy than bothersome, "Message me when you get home."
"Yeah, I will. Good night, Taeyong," Jaehyun bids.
"Good night, Jaehyun."
Taeyong went into his apartment when most of the things that happened tonight weren't so vivid to him. It was like a dream. He anchored his back on his door to keep it closed so no one could see him being deranged. He's really that deep, huh? This could be it...but like, not it. He's still lying about his whole being to Jaehyun and the alpha isn't aware of it. He doesn't deserve any of the bullshit. That's why Taeyong has been really thinking...but he just said they're dating exclusively. That's the truth. He wants to work things out but if he lies all his life, he might as well let guilt eat him whole.
Jaehyun would be disappointed.
If he were to confess, there's nothing to lose, won't he? If he said that he's an omega, ill and insecure, Jaehyun wouldn't have picked him in the first place. If that happens, he wouldn't have the face to show anymore. Would Jaehyun even want to see him after that?
The thoughts crowded his mind and weakened his body. He had to push himself off the door to move and walk. He feels heavy. When he finally reached his bed to take a seat, his eyes landed on the pin he bought last time for Jaehyun. Right, he hasn't had the time to give it to him due to schedules not matching nowadays. He never knew he'd buy something as a parting gift. It would be a miracle if things would turn out the opposite but he's not optimistic.
In the end, he's still alone.
Early in the morning, Taeyong heard his alarm going off loudly. He got worried that his neighbor might've woken up from it but he was able to turn it off as fast as he could. Unless he woke up a little late and heard the alarm later than he expected. He sat up from his bed groggily with lazy eyes and stuck-up bed hair. He tried to close his eyes a bit to recover from the hazy sight but all his brain was telling him was to go back to sleep because he goes to work two hours from now so it's really early for him. Though, he had to wake up for Jaehyun.
The alpha messaged him to ask if he wakes up at five in the morning. Of course, the omega said no but asked the reason behind the question. He only knew that Jaehyun wanted to come over to see Taeyong for the last time before he went on his flight. Cute, right? Taeyong couldn't sleep last night and he's been thinking about when he should confess everything but it might be a bad timing if he'll say it today so he postponed it. So, he just planned to give him the pin and see him off.
Taeyong immediately stood once he recovered and groomed himself in front of his bathroom mirror. He brushed his bed hair to somewhat decently flat and brushed his teeth so he wouldn't get embarrassed. He even changed his shirt and made sure he smelt good like an alpha. He specifically bought perfumes that smell like an alpha. Although, no one has the same scents, he doubts Jaehyun would point that out. He sprits a few around his body and gives himself another look in front of the mirror before he hears a soft knock against his door.
The omega didn't waste another second, he sped up to answer the door after getting the enamel pin in hand. Once he opened the door, he froze on his feet.
Jaehyun showed up the same way he showed up on their first meeting—well-dressed in his uniform and well-groomed. He looked stunning and all too divine not to stare at. It was a sight. Taeyong felt his knees buckled rather than weakened which was for the best. The alpha, on the other hand, was taken aback by the strong scent he smelled from the room that made his heart pounding.
"Good morning, sorry to bother," the alpha stuttered with a sheepish smile.
Taeyong shook his head, "No, it's alright. I want to give you something anyway."
Jaehyun pointed his index finger at himself with disbelief in his face, "To me...?"
"Who else would I give this to?"
With the pin in hand, he opened his palm and revealed his small gift before the alpha's flight. The alpha silently gasped after seeing the pin. It was a cute and tiny accessory that would definitely look adorable on his collar. He looked at Taeyong, a bit hesitant to receive such a gift, before he looked at the pin closer. He held it with much care and felt like his heart held so much for Taeyong. Soon, he couldn't take his smile off his face.
"Thank you—I don't even think thanking you is enough," the alpha commented.
The omega playfully rolled his eyes, "Geez, you're overthinking," he uttered and heard a chuckle from the alpha, "Here. Let me pin it on you. Where do you want it?"
"Collar," Jaehyun answered.
Taeyong grabbed the pin back and stood closer so he could put it better. He felt his chest get a little heavy and his stomach fluttering with butterflies when he was just a few millimeters away from the alpha. It was a bummer to smell nothing on him, most probably he's on his pills, but it was still good to see him in his uniform.
His hands were almost shaking when he was pinning his collar but tried to calm himself. His eyes noticed that his necktie was a little crooked which was the reason for him to excuse himself and fix it as a side mission. Jaehyun wasn't bothered by it. In fact, he was afraid his heart might be beating too loud that Taeyong would hear it.
"You know, I have this ritual before I fly. Most pilots do, actually, so we could have a safe flight," the alpha informed and intrigued the omega.
Taeyong hummed, "Really? What ritual?" he asked, looping the tie over and about to finish.
"Some knock on wood, some simply pray for safety, some touch the fuselage, they wear something specific...and such," the alpha answered.
"And what is yours?" he tugged on the tie to secure it, pat it flat and tilted his head a bit to the side. Jaehyun thought it was cute.
"I borrow something from my friends and family. Just anything random. Just so I have something to uphold when I come back and return it safely to them."
Taeyong nodded, "Is the pin enough? I don't want you to give it back to me though," he said, "Just come back as a whole."
"Got it."
The omega smiled at him, "Have safe skies all the time, mister."
"I'll message you when I can."
As their last meeting was, Jaehyun was out. Taeyong thought this is the closest thing they could have as their closure because the omega already decided it's the perfect time to cut ties. There's no way Jaehyun would do anything about it. Also, it's for the best. He doesn't want to hurt the alpha and lie to him more than he had. He wouldn't like him as an omega due to trauma and the saddest thing is that Jaehyun wasted his months with the lies.
Taeyong wanted to cry but he had no tears to cry. He is upset that he can't have an alpha like Jaehyun. Just when things were getting good, his mind betrays him and he's completely too deep into it. He sighed as he went back to bed, closing his eyes to take a nap and probably compose his words for the message.
"Hey, Hayoon.”
Back in the shop, both artists only had their free times in the afternoon due to appointments being booked in the morning but it's been all day since Taeyong has his mood down. Hayoon already noticed this and tried asking the omega but as usual, he received no answer. The omega always pushes his problems aside for a while but he ends up opening up to the beta anyway. So instead of forcing him, Hayoon just waits it out. What scares him is the fact that Taeyong could keep his problems to himself if he wanted to.
By the time their clients were out and the shop was about to close for the day, Taeyong spoke up.
"Yo, doing good?" Hayoon asked, pushing his chair towards his friend to get up closer.
Taeyong didn't look like he was doing well but the beta asked anyway, "No, in all honesty."
"I know," the beta confessed and gave a little chuckle before he became seriously worried, "Why? What happened?"
"I...uhm," he stuttered while his hands were clasped with each other, holding quite tighter than he realized, "I'm cutting ties with Jaehyun."
Hayoon's eyebrows rose and his shoulders slumped, "What? Why? Did you guys fight? Misunderstanding?"
"No...well, it's a ‘me’ problem," the omega said with a low voice, "I don't want to lie anymore."
"Then tell him everything! But not cut ties—you've been really happy! More than I could ever imagine, and now, you want to cut ties?"
"It's not easy, Hayoon. I didn't decide on it overnight, alright? But it is an easy way out. I don't...want to deal with anything else," Taeyong explained, "He won't like me if I'm an omega. I don't want him to reject me. I'd rather have things this way."
Hayoon sighed, "Oh, Yong..."
"I'm not going to change my decision. I just want to tell you," Taeyong uttered, "I might...leave work for a while. I don't think I can work—"
"Take as much time as you need. Someone can come over and help me with the appointments," the beta went tight lipped but still think it's such a waste to throw everything away, "But I don't want to worry about you."
"I can handle myself. I've been here...just in a different way."
Taeyong always ends up being the person who lost everything and he was never used to it. He hated the feeling of being alone again and Jaehyun just barged in like the ray of sunshine. He made days better and the omega was so sure he'd be crying buckets after this. Although, he just needs some time to regain himself again. Maybe he should go somewhere else. He doesn't know where but...just somewhere far.
The omega has already written his message and didn't mind even editing it. He could feel the tears daring to fall and he thought he'd never cry again. With the tough demeanor he chose to put, crying wasn't something he wanted anyone would see. He sent it and called it a gloomy day. He took his SIM out to break it in half and threw it out. He deleted Jaehyun's number and forgot about it. His heart feels so heavy. He doesn't know if he'll ever feel light again.
Ugh, I fucking hate my life.
I don't want to make things long but I don't know how to even say these properly but I lied to you. I'm not an alpha, I'm an omega but not exactly 'cause I'm ill. I'm not normal. I'm insecure and obviously a liar. I don't have an explanation. Let's just not see each other anymore. I'm sorry for wasting your time and I'm sorry for lying.
After landing on the other side of Earth and getting a good signal, Jaehyun was in utter shock. He doesn't know if what he was reading was true. He was very confused as well. He left when they're on good terms and now, he receives a message like this. His heart ached.
But other than that, he was surprised to be lied to.
The alpha didn't want to believe the message he received. Instead he tried calling for Taeyong but the call just instantly ended. His eyebrows furrowed as panic started settling in. Jaehyun was helpless.
"Hey, Jung, we're going—"
"Sorry, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up," the alpha said in a hurry, still trying to contact the omega but to no avail. He must've changed his number or maybe blocked him. He took a deep breath and scratched his nicely styled hair out of frustration.
Maybe he doesn't want to be found.
He just can't...this is too unfair. Eventually, his mind was put into a halt. Did he ever lie about his feelings then?
"What should I do?"
The next few days, Taeyong didn't feel so well. He figured it was from the days and nights he couldn't eat and sleep well. Though, he kept on going to work anyway so he could maybe distract himself but he ends up messing things up. Thankfully, it wasn't on appointments. Hayoon takes them for him so he's stuck on reception duty. The beta does keep telling him to rest but the omega doesn't feel like going home. He'd rot there.
"It's closing and tomorrow, don't go to work," Hayoon told him.
Taeyong sighed, "I might get crazy if I stayed home."
"You're overreacting. Do something outside work. You told me you wanted to go somewhere."
"I...don't have the strength to."
The beta frowned sadly, "Do you want me to go with you? You can come over to our house so you won't get lonely."
"No, I'd trouble you," Taeyong answered as he stood from his chair and grabbed his bag from his clean, untouched cubicle.
"You won't, if you want to," Hayoon convinced. They have a spare room anyway.
The omega shook his head, "I'll think of something else. I might play chess with myself."
"You don't know how to play chess, dumbass."
"I can learn, bitch," Taeyong bit but playfully, "I'm going. Sorry if I can't close the shop with you."
"Don't worry, Dojin's coming over for me," the beta said, "See you whenever. I might come and visit."
"Sure. See you."
Taeyong walked alone on the sidewalk, back to his apartment. Every stride was heavy for him. Every time he remembered the time he felt light and happy, he just wanted to disappear. He wished those times never happened because he isn't good at letting go. This one's the worst. Those days were so good, the omega wouldn't be able to recover any time soon—maybe never.
He arrived at his apartment and threw himself on his bed. He swore he doesn't have a fever or anything but he just feels so tired. His chest hurts and his mind keeps betraying him.
Maybe he shouldn't have cut things off. He could've just told Jaehyun the truth and tell him he still wants to make things work between them. He'll never leave him like other omegas did to him, even if they're a thousand miles away from each other without any messages for days. He'll suck that part up. Even if Jaehyun gets hesitant, he'll try his best to gain his trust back. As selfless as it sounds, he'd rather have nothing. He just wants someone—just Jaehyun. He'll never learn.
Fuck me and my decision-making. I am the problem.
He felt his eyes getting warm from the tears but he immediately closed his eyes to stop them from escaping. He did this to himself and probably Jaehyun hates him now.
Suddenly, he heard loud knocks against his door that made him startled and jumped out of his bed. He suddenly got nervous.
Is this a thief or something? Should I open the door? Fuck, I should've installed the peephole.
He was hesitant about coming closer to his door, expecting that he would open by itself due to how hard the person was knocking. His heart was thumping so fast as he got closer and finally held the knob. Should he say anything? Probably.
"Who is it?" Taeyong asked and the knocks became quiet. He got nervous from the silence.
"Would you open the door if you knew who I was?"
Cold shivers ran down his spine and Taeyong froze while still holding the door knob. Should he open it? Well, obviously! He can't leave him outside—but why the fuck is he here?! It's only been a week since he left and now, he's here?! The omega was shaking in his boots, but is it really him? Fuck, no. It's impossible.
As quickly as he could, Taeyong twisted the door knob and abruptly opened the door, only to be surprised it was Jaehyun. He immediately closed the door and locked it.
"Go away!" the omega told him.
"Wha—Taeyong?! Are you serious?"
"I literally told you not to see me! And why are you here?! You should be...somewhere else!"
Jaehyun sighed, "Taeyong—"
"There's nothing left to say!"
"You decided that for the both of us. What about me?"
The alpha was tired, both physically and mentally. He can't argue like this in front of the door and the neighbors might even call the police because of them shouting. Although, Jaehyun can't sound stressed. He doesn't want to scare Taeyong. He knows the omega's tired as well. He just hopes that Taeyong could open the door for him.
"Taeyong, let's talk, please. I can't talk to you with the door closed," Jaehyun said almost softly but pleading, "I want you to tell me everything right now. I'm here...I came back for you."
The omega was contemplating and fighting his thoughts against themselves. Even if he's thinking about pushing the alpha away so this could be done, his body and heart says otherwise. He doesn't want the alpha to go but it's hard for Taeyong. He swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his hands into fists from tension.
It's been a few seconds of silence and Jaehyun thought Taeyong left, but to his surprise, the door opened and swung wide to reveal the omega who was only looking down. He looked ashamed. But the alpha only wanted to hug him.
"Did you really mean all of that? Is it true?" Jaehyun stuttered.
Taeyong's jaw clenched and nodded without a word.
"The dates. The conversations. The calls. The smiles. The laughter. The moments. The time. Were they real for you, Taeyong?"
The omega bit his lip.
"Don't tell me they were fake," the alpha added with his heart trying to keep itself together. He didn't get a reply nor a nod. It was a double-edged sword but Jaehyun shook that off, "Is it because you don't like me? You could've told me at first that you didn't want me—"
"I wanted you! Who told you I didn't?" Taeyong suddenly snapped.
"But you could easily let me go. Do you know what it felt like?"
The omega looked away yet again. He's fully aware that he hurted the alpha but it was different when he directly heard it from Jaehyun. He just hugged himself with his arms around him. He just realized that Jaehyun was still wearing his uniform but he looked rather disheveled and tired. He felt sorry.
"But I didn't fly back across the world to stay angry at you," Jaehyun said.
"You didn't really have to come back," the omega uttered.
"I really wouldn't but the person I've invested my time and days in suddenly messaged me to call things off because you lied," the alpha crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at the omega, "I don't care if you're an omega."
"Don't pity me and you said you have trauma," the omega uttered.
"I did but I didn't like you because you were an alpha," Jaehyun answered, "And I don't pity you, Taeyong."
"You should just leave."
"No."
Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows at him and clicked his tongue, "Just go—"
"Because if I did, you'll forever believe that you were right for the rest of your life and I don't want that," the alpha said, "I don't want you to think that no one will ever love and accept you because I'm here."
The omega was close to giving up but decided to clear things out to him as the tiebreaker. If he dislikes one thing, it's ending right now. Taeyong doesn't want to deal with any hate and he'd rather let Jaehyun go than push himself on him.
"But I don't have a scent."
"You already said that but I'm here."
"You can't...mark me. I'm basically a beta."
"Doesn't matter. We can marry."
Marry? Holy fuck.
"I...can't have children."
Jaehyun's shoulder slumped in surrender with a sad smile on his face, "You don't have to stress yourself out with the idea. With children or none, I'd still want you everyday, Taeyong."
Taeyong's heart aches for this man. In a snap, he couldn't stop himself from coming closer and hugging the alpha. The comforting warmth started spreading through his body and the omega almost melted. What surprised him were the arms wrapped around and hugged him back. For someone who wanted to look tough, this is the only time they could be vulnerable to someone...and be accepted with it. Well, he'll still have to see the progress but he's happy that Jaehyun said those.
"You really thought I only date to have a family," Jaehyun said, sounding a little upset about the omega's personal assumption, "That's personal."
Taeyong looked up at him and met with the alpha's eyes. It reminded Jaehyun about them being teary which he assumed the omega cried before they talked, "Don't you?"
"Well, it isn't the first thing I thought when I dated," the alpha answered.
"I...just dated a lot of people who only wanted children from me."
"Is that the reason why you drank all those pills?"
Taeyong hummed, "They don't like the way I smell."
Jaehyun was taken aback from his answer. His scent? Who would hate someone's scent? Even if he doesn't know what Taeyong's scent is, it's confusing to know someone hated him for something he doesn't have a control on. It upsets him to think that the omega did things for someone unworthy of him.
"What do you smell like?" the alpha asked.
The omega suddenly got timid and looked away, "Uh, remember when my profile said I like cotton candy?"
Jaehyun chuckled, "You hinted that you smell like cotton candy?"
Taeyong's cheeks burned, "It was Hayoon's fault!" he exclaimed, "You even approached me with a stupid fact."
"Hey, I got your attention with it. That's all I wanted to get."
I hate that he's got a point.
After that day, Jaehyun stayed for the whole week until his flight came back. He did get called in the next day and Taeyong got nervous about him, possibly getting a disciplinary violation or something because of him. The omega met up with him at the shop once the alpha was done with the meeting. Apparently, he was only given a warning and added days to his overall work days for the year. Still, the omega was guilty about it but Jaehyun made sure to comfort him and told him it isn't his fault.
It felt like nothing happened between them. They were together like normal but Jaehyun was definitely in the shop more often. Hayoon did confirm something but Taeyong only told him that they're still working things out. Though, they are on very good terms.
Jaehyun was more expressive and clingy—Taeyong noticed. There's nothing wrong with it. It's rather new to him because he's usually the clingy one in the relationship. The alpha still asks permission here and there, like hugging and other physical touches, and is more gentle than before. The omega likes it this way. It's like he's constantly being flattered. While Jaehyun's physically here, he'll enjoy the moments.
"You're going back to work tomorrow?" Taeyong asked while they're walking back to his apartment for the night.
Jaehyun nodded, "Yeah, I have to. I'll be back in a month," he answered, "I might not be able to pass by like last time."
The omega nodded, "It's okay. I'll just wish you a good flight."
"Do you want anything when I come back?"
"No, just come back whole and alive."
The alpha chuckled and took the omega aback, "The fuck? Promise me!" Taeyong nagged and slapped the alpha's arm, earning a loud laughter.
"I'm sorry, no one has said that to me other than my mother," Jaehyun uttered, "You took me by surprise."
"Should I consider that good or bad?"
"Good, it means you're worried about me," the alpha pointed out.
Taeyong pouted and looked away with his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie, "Damn right, I am. I'd be alone without you."
Jaehyun smiled, "I promise to come back in one piece."
They shortly arrived at the omega's apartment with Jaehyun following behind. Taeyong invited him inside to eat some dinner that Jaehyun had in hand. They wanted to maximize their time together before they bid their goodbyes for the meantime. The omega sets up their plates and utensils while the alpha opens up their fast food order and places it on the center of the table. The omega finally sat down across the alpha.
While eating, Jaehyun has been looking around the apartment every time he visits. There's not much to see but he had a few thoughts he's been holding onto. He figured it's a bit too early to ask the omega to live with him but it wouldn't hurt to ask. He shouldn't probably hide things from Taeyong.
"Yong."
The omega hummed while munching on his food.
"What do you say...about living together?" Jaehyun asked.
Taeyong obviously froze but stalled time by chewing. Although, it didn't take a long time before he swallowed and spoke, "Uh..."
"It's okay. I'm just asking for a possible future," the alpha smiled and continued eating his pasta.
"No—Well, I'm not saying no...I want to say yes but y'know, the circumstances."
"What circumstances, exactly?"
The omega cleared his throat in hesitation, "I haven't...proven much yet. I can't help you pay rent or anything."
Jaehyun looked at him like he was adorable but Taeyong only shrugged it off, "I don't care. It doesn't really matter but we can think of something else. I don't mean to pressure you with anything," he said, "But I am serious."
"Of course, you are," Taeyong said, "When you come back, let's talk about it again."
The alpha nodded, "I'll make sure to come back then."
After their dinner, Jaehyun didn't stay long since he had to come to the airport early. Taeyong escorted him out of his apartment even if he feels sad letting the alpha go but he can't tell him that. Once he wore his shoes back on, he faced Taeyong once last time with a dimpled smile on his face.
I'm going to miss his dimples.
"Are you going to ask for something? For your ritual?"
Jaehyun hummed, "Your pin's enough to keep me grounded. It's going to be my good luck charm."
Taeyong nodded, "Oh, okay then. Message me before you go on board or whenever you have some free time."
"I will message you before I board," the alpha said.
The omega nodded. To his surprise, Jaehyun suddenly gave him a forehead kiss. It isn't the first time but the omega's twitching for a decent progress. Taeyong gets impatient and he doesn't think he'd be able to wait any longer, now that the alpha's going to be away for two months. Suddenly, Taeyong tugged Jaehyun close to him by the collar which startled the alpha.
"If you're going to kiss me, do it properly."
Jaehyun laughed under his breath. Without any words, he placed a soft, short kiss on Taeyong's soft pair. It was abrupt but sweet. The omega's cheeks burned. It's been a while since he felt the sparks run through his body and his heart was about to explode. He expected Jaehyun to say 'okay' before kissing him. Thirsty for more, Taeyong pulled Jaehyun again to kiss him a little longer. The alpha held him by the waist and the omega's hands found their way to cup the latter's jaw.
Once they pulled away, Jaehyun laughed again upon seeing Taeyong's red face. Their foreheads met as the omega wrapped his arms around the alpha's neck to hug him one last time.
"See you when you come back?" Taeyong asked.
Jaehyun smiled, "I'll see you when I come home.”