Chapter Text
Jongho smells the omega before he sees him.
Even though he doesn’t live far from the city, Jongho doesn’t get much company. He occupies land at the base of one of the mountains surrounding the valley. It’s only about a half hour walk into the city center, and half an hour up the mountain path to the natural springs repository on the mountainside where they house the huge onsen and the mechanics for water-powered energy. Jongho doesn’t use much water power, mostly steam. Sometimes gas. Either way, he thinks the location is ideal. Plenty of room both in his cabin/cave hybrid home and on the surrounding land to build prototypes of his designs.
For all intents and purposes, Jongho is an urban planner. He helps engineer mechanisms which make city-life easier, whether that be access to resources or solving the problem of too-tall, structurally unstable housing that sways in the wind. He’s grateful for his job. It allows him to manage his own schedule, guarantees access to scrap metal yards and the back rooms of market shops, and provides better than average pay relative to the other citizens. Overall, he’s content.
What he doesn’t like about his job, however, is how isolated he feels at times. Even though he’s grateful to have full command of his own space and not deal with the squabbles of neighbors, his social interactions are limited to vendors and other government employees at the occasional conference. Sometimes he gets lonely, but he definitely doesn’t have time to meet and pursue an omega. Honestly, he doesn’t really want to. He’s heard shop-talk about how crafty some omegas can be, and even those who are genuine seem to crave the traditional chase and courting of their fairytale ancestors. Jongho just doesn’t have the time. If he wants someone and they want him, that should be all there is to it. No fancy wooing, no elaborate system of gifts, and definitely no miscommunications. He wants it cut and dry and easy.
Fortunately, his position offers just the solution.
The city offers its employees a shoddy benefits package, but Jongho is a man for the details. In the back of the handbook are two pages on services designed to match workers with potential mates or service partners, meaning someone to help you through your biological cravings whenever they come around. He’s also heard the shop-talk that this is because the city wants to keep workers busy and their minds on the task at hand. That’s fine with Jongho. He’s grateful they would pay a matching service to connect him with a willing omega who is also looking for something simple.
When the wind gusts the sweet scent of omega through the cabin entrance, Jongho knows today is the day.
The omega comes into view a few minutes later. Jongho watches him step out from the path through the trees and climb up the short, snow-dusted hill. The omega is shrouded in furs. He’s wearing a long, brown and gray coat and fur-lined boots that reach to mid-calf so Jongho can’t see any part of his skin. Even his face is hidden beneath the oversized hood. He carries a woven basket with both hands. Jongho is surprised he was able to pick up a scent through all of those layers, but maybe it was because his nose had been anticipating the foreign scent of omega for the past few days. He couldn’t make it out from here, but it held the characteristic saccharine.
From the window of his workbench, he watches the omega take in the exterior, decide on the front door, and approach. The alpha is quick to let him in.
The moment the omega drops his hood, Jongho gets the breath knocked out of him.
The omega is gorgeous. He’s got the biggest amber eyes Jongho has ever seen, fastened with copious thick lashes and low, straight eyebrows that give him a soft, innocent air. His hair is blonde like the wheat from the field and the only other colors on his face are the wine of his lips and the birthmark by his temple.
His scent is intoxicating. He smells like the apples Jongho used to enjoy, honey crisp and dewy. There are more undertones but Jongho doesn’t want to breathe. He wants to greet the omega properly, not like a muddled alpha in pre-rut.
“Hi,” says the omega, in a deep, calming voice. “Are you Choi Jongho?”
Jongho forgets how to word.
The omega blinks at him until Jongho gets it together. He clears his throat. “I am. And you are..?”
“Kang Yeosang. I’m here from the city matching service. If you still desire an omega, I am the one they chose for you, and I am here for our 24 hour trial run. If you desire a different omega, please indicate on this paper and I will return to the city and inform them they should keep looking.” Yeosang hands him the neatly folded papers wrapped in a golden string, eyes downcast as if embarassed at the possibility of being rejected so fast.
On top of the papers is a copy of the application Jongho filled out, complete with his list of preferences for a match.
His requests were simple: Male omega. Quiet. Doesn’t mind living in a rural setting. Compliant.
Jongho didn’t feel bad writing ‘compliant’. He knew he didn’t have the time to carefully tame a bratty omega, or woo one that wanted grandeur. He didn’t know how difficult it would be for the matching service to find someone easygoing and compliant, so he opted to keep other preferences minimal. He would rather be assigned his omega sooner than later so they had time to get to know one another well before his next rut. He's never had a true rut partner, but he's pretty sure it is important to his alpha to have it be an omega he knows and trusts. So the more time they can spend together, the better.
In the ‘special requests’ section he had added: Because of the isolated setting and alpha’s busy work schedule, omega should have hobbies or other ways of entertaining himself.
That one was important to Jongho. He didn’t want to subject anyone to isolation and insufficient activities. That would be a bad match for both of them.
Last on the list he had written: Alpha will cook, but requests help with other chores.
Jongho looks up. “You agreed to all this?”
Yeosang nods. “Yes. To confirm your acceptance, you need to complete an inspection and sign the bottom of the form. If you are satisfied, I am required to return to the city tomorrow and submit it to my agency.”
Jongho appraises the form again. “How do you opt out if you want to?”
“That’s why I have to return within 24 hours. I confirm your agreement and tell them I have accepted as well. If I don’t return, they’ll send a pair of investigators to your homestead to locate me and make sure I’m alright.” Yeosang waits for Jongho to nod in understanding. “Otherwise, after I confirm tomorrow, the agency will send someone out in one week, one month, and an undisclosed amount of time after that to make sure our partnership is still working.”
Jongho nods again. He remembers that part. The way it works is that the city pays for the placement service and confirms a good match, but everything else is up to them. The alpha offers the omega room and board in exchange for companionship and biological relief. It would work the same in other situations — omegas looking for alphas, betas looking for betas, etc. Then after the initial time frame it’s up to the partnership whether they want to continue or part ways. The matching service is just a matching, after all. No contracts attached.
When he flips the form over, Jongho sees a short bio on Yeosang alongside a list of why they thought this omega would be an adequate match. He ticks all the bullet points, but what interests Jongho the most is the note about his hobby.
“You’re a craftsman?”
Yeosang assesses him with those big eyes. Jongho wonders what for.
“I wouldn’t say that. I like to find things and make them into something new. It’s just a hobby. I’m not trained.”
Then he looks down and away and the tip of his canine bites his lip just so, and Jongho needs no other convincing. He sets the form on the workbench and signs at the bottom.
“Great." Suddenly, Jongho is aware of how bad of a host he is. He shouldn’t have made the omega stand there in his coat and boots with a large basket in hand, but he was just so...enamored. "Please, take your coat off and come in. Can I help you with your basket?”
“It’s for you, actually. A gift. From the matching service.”
Yeosang has to keep shuffling it from hand to hand because it’s so laden with treats. Jongho opens his mouth and closes it again, utterly and completely unprepared for the feelings that accompany this entire process.
As Jongho gingerly takes it from him, Yeosang murmurs, “They thought about sending me in the basket instead, but this way you get two kinds of snacks.”
The omega’s face is blank. Impressively so. When the corner of Jongho’s lips pick up in a smile, the omega’s do too, owning up to his joke.
As the omega removes his outerwear, Jongho unpacks, carefully picking things up and putting them down on the wooden table. It’s a fruit basket with other assorted goods. There are preserves and square butter, seed crackers and hard candies, things that are in low supply and high demand. It’s a good basket.
Distracted by the aromas of fruit and nuts, Jongho doesn’t notice the shift in Yeosang’s scent until it tinges with something bitter, something nervous. Jongho snaps his head to look at him.
Yeosang is standing to the side and holding one wrist, watching the alpha take things out of the basket. Jongho is appalled to find that under all those layers the omega is wearing very minimal clothing, just a thin pair of trousers and an oversized shirt, the billowy kind that slips down to show off his shoulder. Jongho tries to put a box of berries down three times before he finally connects to the counter, unable to take his eyes off the omega.
Yeosang shifts under his gaze. “I can use the basket to get things from town.”
Jongho’s brow furrows as he assesses the sturdiness of the handle. “They’ve really thought of everything, haven’t they?” But the omega still smells nervous and Jongho doesn’t understand why. He looks around carefully, trying to see if there’s anything in sight the omega would consider a threat.
His home is a bit odd. From the outside it looks like a log cabin that slowly becomes one with the mountainside, which is basically accurate. Jongho built half a cabin onto the front of a cave. The engineering wasn’t easy but he considered it good practice to see the limitations of how far their city could expand into the surrounding mountain range. However, the living area doesn’t stop there. Inside, the cave is composed of a few different branches leading to other, smaller cave openings, which he has also closed in different manners, letting in light and good airflow. He’s made his own breezy bedroom and bathroom alongside a few more open spaces he hasn’t plotted out yet. Jongho is proud that his engineering prowess developed ways to keep each space warm, mostly with the thanks of frequent fireplaces and heavy steam.
Just as he opens his mouth to offer a tour, Yeosang blurts, “Would you like to do the inspection now or later?”
Confused, Jongho asks, “I thought that’s what we just did?”
“No,” Yeosang blushes, “the physical inspection.”
Jongho chokes.
“Didn’t you finish reading the form? You signed it.”
Honestly, no. He’s pretty sold on Yeosang. He gapes until Yeosang continues, bristle of nerves continuing to grow.
“You have to finish the inspection before I can make my decision about you.”
Oh.
“When would you prefer?”
“Now, please.”
Anything to stop his nervousness from growing. It’s making Jongho’s alpha anxious, wanting to soothe but not knowing how.
Jongho nods. But then he’s lost again. “What am I looking for…?”
Looking exasperated, Yeosang huffs. “You have to appraise whether or not I’ll meet your physical needs. We can negotiate the chores and other things, but if we’re not physically compatible, it won’t work either way.”
Jongho feels like he’s on thin ice, the way he feels walking on city cobblestones in winter. He wants to tell Yeosang that he thinks they’re very physically compatible just by his apple scent and the way his thighs look in those trousers, but that doesn’t seem like the assessment Yeosang is looking for.
Then Jongho is struck with a realization. “Have you done this before?”
“What?”
“Have you been paired with a partner like this before?”
Yeosang, as curt and professional as he’s trying to appear, blushes again. “No.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, then walk me through it.”
Those big amber eyes look around until he lands on the kitchen table. Then he’s walking over, and before Jongho can even breathe, he’s stripping himself of his pants and tossing the shirt over his head, leaving him naked. Ass towards the alpha, he leans down until he’s pressing his chest to the surface, parting his legs, and presenting himself.
Jongho has to look at the ceiling.
Breathe. Breathe.
“What am I looking for?” He repeats, gulping air.
The omega subtly sways his hips, maybe unintentionally. Jongho sees it out of his peripheral. “You have to say you looked, you touched, and you approved. And you have to make sure my scent doesn’t repulse you.”
Jongho can, in fact, confirm that since Yeosang has spread his legs, his alpha has literally started to salivate at the rich aroma alone. He smells like apples with cinnamon and something that drizzles, like vanilla or caramel or sweet espresso cream. If that layer of nervousness weren’t there, Jongho might not have been able to stay rooted in place.
Voice strained, Jongho replies, “It doesn’t.”
“Okay. Then finish the rest.” Yeosang’s voice is as wavering as his scent. It gives away the nerves beneath his feigned professional composure.
Jongho glances at the display draped over the edge of his table and furiously looks away again. Nope. Nope.
“Looks good," he strains out.
“Please,” Yeosang begs, “Please just finish so I can get off the table.”
“I said yes—”
“You have to touch me so I can decide if I will accept you, alpha.”
Jongho's brain shortcirtcuits at being called alpha.
“Do all pairings have to move this fast, because it’s been a while and I’m a bit out of touch—”
The omega growls.
Jongho rushes to him. Then he’s there, standing behind a beautiful, gorgeous, succulent omega, and he lets himself touch.
As a male omega, Yeosang has the lower genitalia designed for reproduction, but he cannot conceive pups. Jongho has been with male omegas before. He’s familiar with their fluttering lower labia and the hooded clits that crown them. Yeosang's details are peach, honey gold like the rest of him. They're perfect. The lips are plump and juicy and slick, and even without touching Jongho can see the way they part as the omega shifts, jittery with an alpha behind him. Beneath those labia is a darker, deeper peach, coated in the scent dowsing Jongho’s thoughts. Then there’s his perineum, smooth like the rest of him, and his perfect, perfect asshole, small and tight and set between two plump asscheeks.
As a pupil of design, Jongho can appreciate Yeosang’s aesthetics.
“I’m going to touch you,” he whispers.
The omega doesn’t growl again, just shifts his hips, ready and slow.
Placing both palms carefully on the omega’s rounded ass, Jongho lets one hand slide down the back of Yeosang’s thigh until his thumb is at the perfect level to gently, so gently, slip between the folds.
The omega catches his breath. He clenches, muscles tense, and Jongho doesn’t move until he relaxes again.
Cautiously, Jongho traces the contours of Yeosang’s labia. His thumb collects slick, admiring the way Yeosang gifts him with more, even more, until he’s traced everything into a glossy, wet mess. Encouraged by the omega’s mellowing scent, Jongho lets his thumb explore, creeping up to his asshole to press lightly. That earns another clench, one that relaxes enough for Jongho to get the very tip of his lubricated thumb into his rim before the omega clenches again and breathes heavy, and Jongho decides they’ll have to work up to that. He doesn’t want Yeosang to void their partnership just because Jongho likes ass play. So he slips back down again, caressing the syrupy slick now heavy on the omega’s cunt, letting his thumb press deeper.
Another clench.
Yeosang is a sensitive, sensitive boy.
For his last pass of ‘inspection,’ Jongho crouches, parts the omega’s thighs even further, and slides his thumb up and under until fingertip brushes clit.
The omega moans.
Sensitive boy.
Jongho pulls back, channeling his willpower to stop and listen, to let the omega decide. He doesn’t know if his touches were good or bad, he just hopes the omega thinks they’ll learn to get along because Jongho really, really wants to keep him.
Jongho softly caresses Yeosang’s ass as they both exhale. “Was that sufficient?”
Cheek still pressed against the table, Yeosang nods. “Sufficient.”