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What Taehyun wanted, Taehyun got. Still, this was not how Beomgyu had intended for any of this to go at all.

It wasn’t like he’d gone into Taehyun’s apartment expecting this. They were neighbors, and good friends. Beomgyu hadn’t heard from Taehyun in a couple of days, and it was worrying him. He wasn’t exactly sure why; Taehyun was an adult who could do as he pleased. Still, there was something about him that Beomgyu wanted to protect. Maybe it was instinct. Beomgyu was an alpha, after all, and Taehyun a younger omega. It was natural for Beomgyu to want to look after him.

At least that’s what he told himself. The group chat saw it differently. Kai had said that Taehyun was probably just busy, which could be true. He was often going on business trips to different places, so maybe he’d just forgotten to tell anyone he was leaving. Soobin just laughed and called him down bad, which wasn’t very fair. Soobin was very down bad for Yeonjun from the flower shop down the street. He was constantly making up excuses to buy flowers, and– well, to be fair to Yeonjun, he was very pretty in an omega way. Tall, slim, elegant features and a scent like honeysuckle.

Taehyun wasn’t like that. Beomgyu knew he secretly hated being an omega. The alphas he worked with never took him seriously, which is why Taehyun had always tried to hide his status as an omega. He wore so many scent blockers that Beomgyu had never smelled him despite living in the apartment right next door.

It had been two days since Beomgyu had heard from him. He was getting worried, and he’d knocked on Taehyun’s door several times without receiving any answer. On his way home from work, he decided to try one last time.

He knocked as loudly as he could. He stood there and waited several long moments, listening for any sign of life from beyond the door, when he heard a slight shuffling sound. There was a subtle scent on the air that Beomgyu didn’t recognize. It wasn’t until the door opened that he got a full blast of it, and he almost passed out.

Taehyun was standing just on the other side of the threshold wearing an old hoodie of Beomgyu’s, looking smaller than Beomgyu had ever seen him. He smelled like strawberries and cream, a surprisingly sweet scent that made Beomgyu swallow heavily.

“Taehyun-ah,” he finally managed to say. “I was getting worried. You weren’t answering my texts.”

Taehyun nodded, shifting a little and looking uncomfortable. “It’s– it’s my pre-heat.”

Suddenly, Beomgyu understood. He knew Taehyun was secretive about his heats, had never been with an alpha. Beomgyu had probably stepped on a boundary by forcing Taehyun to come out like this, and immediately felt guilt settling in his stomach.

“Oh, I didn’t realize. I’ll leave you alone now, Tyun, I’m sorry–“

Taehyun grabbed his wrist before he could turn to leave. Beomgyu paused, the feeling of Taehyun’s hand on his skin making him feel like there was fire in his veins. He and Taehyun shared casual touches all the time; there was no reason for him to feel like this. Maybe it was because Taehyun was in pre-heat, or because Beomgyu had never smelled him before.

“Come inside for a second?” Taehyun asked quietly. “I want to show you something.”

Taehyun still seemed to be lucid, eyes clear and bright. His skin was warm, but not feverishly so, and Beomgyu couldn’t sense any of the telltale signs of heat yet. He’d never denied the omega anything before. Hesitantly, he followed Taehyun inside.

Taehyun’s entire apartment smelled like him, like the sweetest strawberries and cream, and Beomgyu’s mouth was watering against his will. This wasn’t like him at all. Taehyun was his friend, and Beomgyu was one of the few alphas he trusted. Beomgyu couldn’t ruin this by behaving like an animal the second he caught wind of Taehyun’s scent. 

Taehyun was still holding tight to his wrist. Beomgyu flexed his fingers; Taehyun worked out a lot, and he was cutting off the circulation in Beomgyu’s arm. Still, he didn’t complain. He obediently followed Taehyun into the bedroom.

It looked completely different from the way it normally did. It was a bit of a mess, if Beomgyu was honest, sweaters and pillows and blankets piled up on the bed in a sort of half-circle formation. A nest, he realized. Taehyun was nesting. It was cuter than Beomgyu thought it should be, coming from Taehyun.

Taehyun was looking up at him with his shiny, round eyes. It seemed like he was asking for something, but Beomgyu couldn’t understand what.

“Do you need some help during your heat?” He asked. “I can see if Kai will come by with food and water, and stuff.” It wasn’t something Taehyun had ever requested before, but Beomgyu thought it would be better to check.

Taehyun shook his head. He wasn’t speaking, but that expectant expression was still there. He raised his arm, clad in Beomgyu’s hoodie, and pointed in the direction of the bed.

“Oh! The– uh, your nest. It’s very nice.” Beomgyu was floundering a little. He’d never been in this situation before, and certainly not with Taehyun. Most alphas never saw anything like this until they were mated.

Taehyun beamed. Beomgyu felt a weird mushy sensation in his chest at the sight of his bright smile, the dimple in his cheek. Taehyun brought him over to the bed and sat down, tugging at Beomgyu’s arm.

Beomgyu debated it for a solid ten seconds before finally perching himself next to Taehyun with as little of himself on the bed as possible. It felt sacred, like a violation of an omega’s nest. Beomgyu knew from anatomy classes and other mated friends that omegas tended to be protective over their nests during pre-heat. The last thing that he wanted to do was accidentally offend Taehyun, or something.

Taehyun let his head drop onto Beomgyu’s shoulder. Beomgyu relaxed a little, trying to make it more comfortable for him, running the hand that Taehyun wasn’t currently gripping through his soft hair.

“Are you nervous about your heat, or something?” He asked.

Taehyun shook his head. “I’m not nervous when I’m with you.”

Taehyun rarely expressed that sort of sentiment out loud, preferring to use actions rather than words. There was a contented sort of rumbling sound coming from near Beomgyu’s shoulder. He was purring.

“Taehyun-ah,” Beomgyu said nervously. “What’s going on? Is everything alright with you?”

“Yeah,” Taehyun replied, nuzzling into Beomgyu’s neck. The sensation of his nose brushing over Beomgyu’s scent gland sent an unwitting shiver down his spine. “You’re here, so it’s okay.”

Something was definitely wrong. Maybe Beomgyu had been mistaken, and Taehyun was already in heat. He didn’t seem like the type to completely lose his mind during his heat and jump any alpha he could find– he’d always been the more responsible out of the two of them. Still, there was no telling what the hormones would do to him. Beomgyu needed to leave.

He stood up off the bed. Taehyun looked up, eyes wide, eyebrows creasing together. He looked afraid. “Where are you going?”

“My apartment,” Beomgyu blurted. “I think maybe– I think maybe you’re not all the way there right now, okay? I don’t want you to do something you’re going to regret, so I’m going home now.”

Taehyun’s expression fell. He curled up on the bed, knees curled to his chest. “Okay.”

“You– you didn’t do anything wrong,” Beomgyu said, desperate to reassure him. His alpha was panicking. Taehyun’s scent was shifting, something heavy and bitter filling the room. “Taehyun-ah, look at me, I promise you didn’t do anything wrong, I just– you don’t want this. You said before, remember? You would never spend a heat with an alpha until you were mated.”

Taehyun nodded. He still had his legs pressed tight to his chest and wouldn’t meet Beomgyu’s eyes. Beomgyu dropped to his knees on the carpet so that he could see Taehyun’s face.

“I’m doing this for you, okay?” Beomgyu said. “I’ll be here when your heat is over. I promise.”

Taehyun nodded again. His expression was pinched, like he was hiding something, or holding something back. Feeling worse than he did before, Beomgyu stood up and left the room.

He carefully closed Taehyun’s bedroom door, the image of Taehyun sitting there all curled up burned into the back of his lids. He’d never seen Taehyun look like that. He left Taehyun’s apartment and went into the hallway, checking the handle to make sure it was locked properly before punching his own code into the next door and sliding to the floor.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hit “call all” on the group chat without thinking much about it, listening to the ring tone and waiting. Soobin picked up almost immediately.

“Yo. Dude, are you laying on the ground?”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu said, words shaking a little. “Hyung, something really weird happened just now. I need your advice.”

Just then, Kai joined the call. It looked like he was walking somewhere, probably to the convenience store on the corner near his apartment for snacks. He had headphones in, and the camera was just showing a shaky view of his chin. “What’s up, guys?”

“Beomgyu has a problem,” Soobin answered.

“When does hyung not have a problem?”

“No, I’m serious this time.” That made Kai stop, and he went to stand under some type of awning and proceeded to peer down at his phone in a concerned manner. Soobin was in his apartment– Beomgyu recognized the ceiling light.

“What happened?” Soobin asked. “This isn’t about Taehyun, is it?”

Beomgyu took a deep breath and nodded. “I knocked on his door, and he finally answered. He told me– he said he’s in pre-heat.”

“Ah,” Kai said. “See? Told you. He’s fine.”

“No, that’s not the problem,” Beomgyu replied. “He must be really close to his heat, because he was acting really weird. He brought me into his apartment and was like– I don’t know, pointing to his nest and stuff? I felt so… bad about it. He doesn’t really talk to me about that kind of stuff, you know? He’s pretty private about it. But he was showing me his nest, and he wanted me to sit down with him on the bed– I had no idea what to do. I think I kinda fucked up.”

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of cars passing by on Kai’s end of the phone. He had a deep frown furrowing his brows, and Soobin looked perplexed.

“Sorry, wait– he showed you his nest?”

“Yes,” Beomgyu answered. Soobin’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t really think unmated omegas did that, right?”

“Not really, no,” Soobin said. “At least not from what I’ve heard. Nesting is unusual for unmated omegas in general. Is he sick?”

“Didn’t smell like it,” Beomgyu replied, the memory of Taehyun’s delicious strawberries-and-cream scent invading his brain. He tried to shake it off.

“He let you smell him?” Kai asked, sounding surprised. “I thought he always wore scent blockers.”

“He does,” Beomgyu said. “That’s what I’m saying. It was weird, all of it was really weird. I told him– I said I thought that I should leave because it seemed like he wasn’t… you know. It seemed like he was going to go into heat at any second, and I didn’t want him to do something he’d regret later.”

“Well that was good of you,” Soobin interjected.

“He seemed really unhappy about it,” Beomgyu said, guilt filling his stomach again. Taehyun’s shut-off expression and heavy scent weighed on him.

Soobin hummed. “Probably just the hormones. I still think you did the right thing.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think so too,” Kai replied. “You’re right, Taehyunnie’s very private about all that stuff. His hormones were probably messing with him, I think it’s good that you left when you did.”

“Okay,” Beomgyu said, fiddling with his shoelaces. “Thanks, guys. I just wanted to check.”

“Yeah, I mean, would be better to ask an omega– but seeing as our only omega friend is currently out of commission I think you’re stuck,” Soobin mused.

Beomgyu nodded. “Yeah. I’ll talk to him about it after his heat is over.”

“Good plan,” Kai said. “I’m starving. Can we be done now?”

“Yeah, go get your nasty shrimp ramen.” Beomgyu chuckled. “Bye.”

There was a chorus of greetings from the phone, and then everyone hung up. Beomgyu stayed on the floor in his entryway for a long time, staring at a spot on the wall and remembering the hopeful look on Taehyun’s face when he’d showed Beomgyu his nest. Like he’d wanted Beomgyu’s approval.

It was all so confusing. No high-school anatomy class had ever warned him of anything like that. That was supposed to be reserved for mated pairs, who had their own set of rules. The intricacies of a mating were something that Beomgyu hadn’t really spent much time thinking about. It wasn’t like he’d dated anyone in a while– too busy with his job and trying to maintain a relationship with his friends despite the fact that they were all occupied with their own jobs. Adulthood was much more draining than he thought it would be.

Beomgyu slept fitfully that night. When he woke to his third alarm going off, feeling groggy and exhausted, he hauled himself out of bed. His third alarm was the one labeled wake the fuck up right now or you are going to be late, and that he was. He had exactly twelve minutes to get dressed and presentable before heading to the office.

He managed it, somehow. He was running to the train station when he passed by the flower shop that Yeonjun worked at, the omega’s honeysuckle scent on the breeze. He stopped. Soobin had said that it would be better to ask an omega.

Beomgyu ducked into the shop. Yeonjun was right next to the door, arranging pink carnations in a bucket and trimming the ends. He seemed surprised to see Beomgyu.

“Oh! You’re Soobinnie’s friend, right?”

“Yes, I’m Beomgyu,” Beomgyu answered. “Yeonjun– sorry. I know this is really unexpected and probably invasive, but I have a question to ask you.”

Yeonjun blinked, putting the flower he was currently holding back into the bucket. He seemed to sense that it was something serious. “Ask away. Any friend of Soobin’s is a friend of mine.”

“I have this other friend, my next-door neighbor,” Beomgyu said, still a little breathless from running. “He disappeared for a few days and wasn’t answering any of my texts, but when I knocked on his door he was in pre-heat and acting really strange. He pulled me into his apartment, and then he took me to his bedroom–“

“Not here,” Yeonjun interrupted. “Come on, let’s go to the back.”

Swallowing, Beomgyu followed behind as Yeonjun took him to the shop’s back room. There were massive rolls of paper and cellophane as well as ribbon lined up on the shelves, along with bags of soil. Yeonjun turned to him, an unreadable expression on his face. “So he took you into his room?”

“Yes,” Beomgyu said. “He kept– I don’t know, gesturing to his nest? It looked like he was waiting for something. I didn’t even know unmated omegas made nests.”

“And what did you say?”

“I– I don’t really remember,” Beomgyu answered honestly. “I think I told him it was nice? Or something. I was kind of losing it by this point.”

“And what happened next?” Yeonjun was standing pretty close, and Beomgyu was starting to get overwhelmed by that honeysuckle scent. He was glad that Taehyun usually wore scent blockers, because this was a lot to get used to. He knew that alphas had strong scents, too, but for some reason Soobin’s scent was never this overbearing. Yeonjun smelled worried, and it was unsettling his inner alpha.

“He sat me down on the bed. I didn’t want to, it felt like I was violating his space or something, but he was being really insistent about it. He was purring, which is– not like him. I’ve known him for years, he’s never done anything like this. He usually doesn’t even let anyone smell him,” Beomgyu said. “I mean, we’re close, but he was behaving really oddly. I’m afraid he’s sick, or something.”

“You’re close?” Yeonjun confirmed.

“Yeah, I would say so.”

“Do you take care of him? Cook for him, bring him gifts, anything like that?”

“I– uhh, not really? I’m a terrible cook,” Beomgyu admitted. “But I usually pay for our dinners, ‘cause I’m a year older than him. Gifts… uh, I think I brought him something for his birthday?”

Yeonjun frowned, thinking deeply. “Are there any other alphas in his life? Anyone else he’s close to?”

“I mean, I think a lot of his coworkers are alphas,” Beomgyu replied. “But I’m his only close friend that’s an alpha besides Soobin hyung, I think. Our other friend that’s his age is a beta.”

Yeonjun grabbed him by the shoulders. Beomgyu startled a little; Yeonjun was surprisingly strong. “Okay. I need you to answer this honestly. How do you feel about him?”

“How do I– what?”

“Feel about him,” Yeonjun repeated slowly, like he thought maybe Beomgyu hadn’t understood. “Are you just friends? Is there anything else going on?”

“As far as I know, we’re just friends,” Beomgyu said, voice squeaking under the intensity of Yeonjun’s stare. He was intimidating for an omega.

Yeonjun leaned in closer, voice quiet. “No. How do you feel about him?”

“Why does it matter?” Beomgyu asked, starting to freak out. “Is he hurt, or something?”

“Probably,” Yeonjun said. “The alpha he chose to be his mate rejected him and left right before his heat. He’s probably devastated.”

Beomgyu’s head was spinning. The lights in the back room of the shop were sort of flashing at the edges of his vision. “No. Taehyunnie– he’s not like that. He doesn’t feel that way for me, he would’ve said something.”

“That’s not what you told me just now,” Yeonjun said, expression of utmost seriousness. “He was asking for you to be his mate. He built a nest for you, he wanted your approval. He wanted you to stay.”

“I went home,” Beomgyu whispered, horror filling his veins like ice. “I left him alone.”

“He’ll probably have a ruined heat,” Yeonjun said. “It won’t be pretty. He’ll be in a lot of pain.”

“No.” Beomgyu was panicking. “No, no, no. It’s my fault, I have to– Yeonjun, thank you, but I have to go home. I have to go back to him.”

“He probably won’t want to see you,” Yeonjun warned. “He probably feels betrayed. He thought you loved him, too.”

“I do, of course I don’t want to see him hurt. I…” It was like Beomgyu had swallowed a rock that had gotten stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t speak anymore. He gave Yeonjun a stilted bow and turned to leave the shop. For the second time that morning, he was running.

He made it back to his apartment building in record time. He was sweating under his button-up, but he sprinted up the stairs to the second floor and went straight to Taehyun’s door. He started to knock frantically.

There was no answer. All Beomgyu could hear were his own ragged breaths, and he knocked again. Nothing. Normally he wouldn’t do this, but Taehyun had given him the door code for emergencies. This counted as an emergency. Beomgyu punched in the four numbers and pushed the door open.

It was dark inside the apartment. The lights were off, the curtains drawn, and the silence was suffocating. Beomgyu kicked his shoes off, socks making no sound on the hardwood floor as he made his way towards Taehyun’s bedroom. Even with the lights off, his body had the layout of Taehyun’s apartment memorized and he didn’t bump into anything.

He knocked on the door. Once again, there was no answer.

“Taehyun-ah?” He said into the silence. “Taehyun-ah. It’s me.”

The apartment stayed quiet. There was no sign from inside the bedroom that Taehyun was home at all, except for the scent that bled from beneath the door. It was bitter, harsh against Beomgyu’s nostrils, the grating scent of an omega in pain. Beomgyu couldn’t stand it. He opened Taehyun’s bedroom door.

The omega was curled in the middle of his nest, unmoving. The smell of pain was practically needling into Beomgyu’s skin, and he thought he might die of guilt. This was his fault. He should’ve understood, should’ve known. This was his Taehyun, the one that he spent almost every evening with watching dramas or trying not to cut his fingers off helping the omega prepare dinner. Beomgyu knew him better than anyone else in the world.

“Go away,” Taehyun rasped. His breaths were coming out stilted.

“Taehyun-ah,” Beomgyu said, rushing to his side. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, I–“

“I said go away.” Taehyun’s voice came out sharp, and it pierced straight through Beomgyu’s chest. Even when he was sick, he’d never told Beomgyu to leave. Beomgyu was the only person he ever let in at his weakest.

“No,” Beomgyu said bravely. “I know you hate me right now, and you’re right. I was stupid, I was wrong. But I won’t leave you when you’re in pain. That’s not what friends do.”

“I don’t want to be your friend!” Taehyun snarled, sitting up to glare at him. It looked like it took a lot of effort, and Beomgyu had to fight the instinct to reach out and help him. “You already said no. Just leave.”

“I didn’t understand,” Beomgyu said, voice trembling. He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. The last person he ever wanted to hurt was Taehyun, and here he was drowning in misery because of him. “I didn’t understand what any of this meant, but I know now. I’m sorry, Taehyun. Please let me help you.”

“I don’t want your pity.”

“You’re hurting.” The rock in his throat was back. “It’s not pity. I love you, and I can’t stand seeing you like this. If I can help you, if there’s anything I can do–“

“Leave me alone.”

Beomgyu felt like his heart had just been crushed to a pulp. Still, he didn’t move from Taehyun’s side. Even if he’d lost his chance for good, there was no way that he was going to let Taehyun suffer like this.

“I know this is all my fault. I know, okay? I’m sorry. I fucked up, but I still love you. Even if– if you don’t want to see me anymore after this, I can accept that. Just let me stay for a little while, until it doesn’t hurt anymore, and then I’ll go.”

Taehyun turned to look at him. His eyes were dull, like he was exhausted. For a long time, he just looked at Beomgyu without moving. Beomgyu was patient even though the scent of Taehyun’s agony was wrecking him from the inside.

Finally, Taehyun lifted the corner of the blanket for Beomgyu to get into bed. His hands were shaking. Beomgyu slipped in beside him, not touching him, just laying there while Taehyun flopped back down onto the bed facing away from him.

“Thank you,” Beomgyu murmured. “I’m sorry. Everything’s my fault.”

Taehyun shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Beomgyu just watched him breathe, ribcage rising and falling in stuttered motions. He was curled up around his stomach, like the pain was radiating from deep inside him. He didn’t smell anything at all like what Beomgyu thought an omega in heat should smell like. Ruined heat, Yeonjun had said. Beomgyu had ruined everything.

“Please let me touch you,” Beomgyu begged. “Just to hold you. I don’t want you to hurt because of me.”

Taehyun didn’t say anything, but he didn’t protest when Beomgyu’s hands ever so slowly wrapped around his waist to pull him closer. He stayed curled on his side, and Beomgyu did his best to mold himself to Taehyun’s body. He’d learned enough to know that skin-to-skin contact tended to help omegas in distress, but he didn’t dare to try. He wouldn’t do anything that might stress Taehyun out even more.

Instead, he just gently rubbed his hands over Taehyun’s clothed stomach. He heard a little sigh. Taehyun relaxed minutely, fists unclenching and breaths evening out. Beomgyu tried to make sure that his scent was calm, even, soothing for Taehyun despite the guilt that was sloshing around inside him.

Taehyun was still wearing Beomgyu’s old hoodie, but his legs were bare. Eventually the omega tried to tangle their legs together, but he seemed frustrated by the fact that Beomgyu was still in his work trousers. He flipped over so that he could look Beomgyu in the eyes.

Beomgyu just looked back at him. He was waiting for Taehyun’s permission. The omega huffed and wrapped Beomgyu’s arms more tightly around his waist, snuggling in with his face buried in Beomgyu’s neck. He inadvertently shivered at the sensation. Taehyun’s breaths were warm against his skin.

There was a long silence. Beomgyu reached up to run his fingers through Taehyun’s hair. He let out a tiny sound, and Beomgyu did it again. Beneath all the bitterness, there was a hint of strawberries and cream.

Taehyun pulled away just enough for Beomgyu to be able to see him. Then, he tilted his chin to the side. Beomgyu understood immediately, turning so that his body was caging Taehyun against the blankets and rubbing his cheek over Taehyun’s scent gland. The omega let out a delicate breath of relief, and Beomgyu did it again. The strawberries-and-cream scent was much stronger with his nose pressed against Taehyun’s scent glands, and it was sort of making Beomgyu feel light-headed. Taehyun tilted his head the other way so that Beomgyu could scent him fully.

The bitterness in the room was fading. Taehyun was starting to smell sweet again, scent intertwined with Beomgyu’s own tart tangerine. Beomgyu’s inner alpha was practically howling in delight. Taehyun had never let Beomgyu scent him before, and it was doing things to him. He’d never even allowed himself to think about Taehyun like this, too scared to spoil their friendship.

“Beomgyu. Shirt off.”

Beomgyu complied immediately, fingers fumbling the buttons. As soon as his shirt hit the floor, he slid his hands up under the hoodie Taehyun was wearing and lifted it over his head. His skin was warm under Beomgyu’s hands, the fever of heat beginning to hit him. Beomgyu dipped down to scent him again. His lips brushed over Taehyun’s collar bones, and the omega let out a high, breathy noise. He sat up and reached for Beomgyu’s belt.

Beomgyu gulped. Taehyun was sitting there in nothing but his boxers, caramel skin on display, and Beomgyu wanted to kiss him so badly he thought he might go insane with it. Still, he didn’t know what Taehyun wanted. He didn’t know if he was forgiven. He couldn’t afford to offend Taehyun again, so he waited for the omega to take the lead.

Taehyun pushed his trousers down enough that Beomgyu could kick them off, landing in a heap on the carpet. Then, he laid down on Beomgyu’s bare chest. There was no way that he couldn’t hear Beomgyu’s heart racing right now. Taehyun twined their legs together and was still.

Beomgyu let his hands wander over Taehyun’s upper body. He was so soft, so warm, all defined muscles and smooth skin beneath Beomgyu’s fingertips. He was relaxed now, breaths steady. He let out a contented hum when Beomgyu traced over his spine.

Now Beomgyu could smell it. The most incredible, tempting scent he’d ever come across in his life– an omega in heat. Not just any omega, but Taehyun. His Taehyun, lovely Taehyun who took better care of Beomgyu even though he was younger. Beomgyu was supposed to be the one protecting him, but Taehyun had always been the one in charge in their friendship.

Friendship. It didn’t feel like the right word anymore. How long had Taehyun wanted this? How many signs had Beomgyu missed? A mate. Taehyun had offered himself up to Beomgyu on a silver platter, perfect and pretty, and Beomgyu hadn’t known. Stupid, stupid.

It didn’t matter now. Taehyun reached up to rub his thumb over Beomgyu’s scent gland, and he bit back a growl of pleasure. The omega grinned, shark teeth on display, and Beomgyu was dizzy on his scent. His self-control was starting to fray.

Taehyun clambered over Beomgyu so he could scent the alpha himself, rubbing his face all over Beomgyu’s neck until strawberries and cream were ingrained in his skin. He kept making these satisfied little humming sounds as he practically buried Beomgyu in his scent. His thigh was between Beomgyu’s legs, and Beomgyu knew it was a futile effort. It was impossible to keep himself from getting hard with Taehyun all over him like this.

Taehyun sat up, straddling Beomgyu’s hips, with a smug little smile on his face. Beomgyu’s chest was heaving with the effort of keeping himself under control.

“Whatcha so worked up for?” Taehyun asked innocently, wiggling his hips a little. Beomgyu was going to explode.

“Taehyun, please don’t tease,” he said, voice strained. “I don’t know what you want. I don’t want to do anything that might upset you.”

Taehyun smirked. He leaned forward until his lips were touching Beomgyu’s ear. “Want you to fuck me, alpha. Want your knot. Can you do that?”

Beomgyu practically blacked out. The next thing he knew Taehyun was underneath him, and they were kissing like the world was going to end. Beomgyu’s hands were on Taehyun’s waist, pinning him to the bed, and Taehyun was holding on to his arms. Taehyun’s mouth was wet, hot, the full fever of heat on his tongue. Beomgyu moved down to mouth at his jaw and neck.

Taehyun moaned. It was quiet and breathy, but Beomgyu picked up on it immediately. He nibbled at Taehyun’s collar bones, listening attentively to the way that his breath hitched and feeling him shudder beneath him. His hands roamed over Taehyun’s chest. When he brushed over Taehyun’s nipple with his thumb, the omega whined and pushed up into his hand.

“You’re so pretty,” Beomgyu breathed. “Fuck, Taehyun, you’re so beautiful.”

“You could’ve had this from the beginning,” Taehyun responded, voice stuttering the slightest amount when Beomgyu laid a series of kisses down his stomach. “I was practically throwing myself at you every chance I got.”

Beomgyu lifted his head slightly to look at him. He was settled between Taehyun’s legs now, the smell of slick making him borderline feral. He’d heard of the effects that an omega’s slick could have on alphas, but Taehyun– to know that Taehyun wanted him this much was something else entirely.

“I couldn’t do to you,” Beomgyu said. “I couldn’t be the alpha you trusted as a friend, and then turn around and try to get into your pants. You trusted me too much.”

“I wanted you to.”

Beomgyu crawled back up until he could kiss Taehyun, the delicious drag of their cocks through their boxers making him growl. Taehyun groaned, arching his back up again so that he could grind his hard-on against Beomgyu’s. The repetitive motion of his hips was torture– it wasn’t enough. Beomgyu needed him.

He pulled Taehyun’s boxers off and threw them somewhere, the scent of his slick heavy on the air in the best way possible. When he looked up, there was a dark flush on Taehyun’s cheeks.

“You feeling okay?” Beomgyu asked, putting his hand against Taehyun’s forehead and feeling heat beneath his palm.

“I can’t be the only one naked, here,” Taehyun complained. He pulled at the waistband of Beomgyu’s boxers until he got the message, too, peeling them off and tossing them off the bed.

The second Beomgyu’s cock sprung free, Taehyun reached for it. He put both hands around the shaft, the feverish warmth of his skin and his desperate motions threatening to make Beomgyu pop a knot on the spot. He shook his head and pushed his hands away.

“This is about you, baby,” Beomgyu said. “I’m going to take good care of you, I promise.”

Taehyun sat back against the pillows, that dark flush back on his cheeks as Beomgyu lay between his legs. Taehyun’s cock was an angry red, like he’d been needing this for longer than he was admitting to. Beomgyu couldn’t make him wait any more. He licked the tip, which was shining with precum.

“Mmm,” he hummed deeply. “Sweet.”

Taehyun squirmed a little. “Beomgyu.”

The alpha took that as the warning that it was, mouthing at the soft skin of Taehyun’s inner thighs before licking his cock. Taehyun whined again, voice ringing clear through the bedroom. Beomgyu took as much of his cock as he could into his mouth.

Taehyun arched up off the bed, and Beomgyu took it in stride. He worked what he couldn’t reach with his mouth using his hand, swirling his tongue around the tip. Taehyun moaned. Beomgyu did it again, hollowing his cheeks. Taehyun’s knuckles were white where he was gripping the sheets. His taste was strawberries and cream on Beomgyu’s tongue, and he was enthusiastically swallowing down anything he could get.

Once Taehyun’s moans turned high and shaky, Beomgyu knew that he was close. Still, he didn’t stop. Taehyun was so sensitive, responding to every flick of his wrist or swirl of his tongue. It was addictive. He kept pushing up into Beomgyu’s mouth, and Beomgyu let him despite the way his eyes were watering.

“Gonna c–cum. Beomgyu hyung, alpha–“

Then, Beomgyu felt something warm fill the back of his throat. It tasted like strawberries and cream, and he was starting to mourn the fact that he hadn’t gotten a good enough taste when Taehyun began to whimper in oversensitivity. Beomgyu pulled off, appreciating the way that Taehyun’s thighs were trembling. The sound of Taehyun moaning his name was going to be burned into his memory as long as he lived.

Taehyun reached out to him, making grabby hands. Beomgyu half-crawled until he was level with Taehyun again, the omega leaning up to kiss him. The idea that Taehyun was probably tasting his own cum right now was hot for reasons Beomgyu couldn’t decipher.

It didn’t take long for Taehyun to start getting needy again. This was his heat; it was expected. After a couple minutes of lazy kisses and Beomgyu’s hands on his body, Taehyun went to reach for Beomgyu’s cock. Beomgyu had been trying to ignore his aching hard-on the entire time. His needs were second to Taehyun’s– had always been.

Alpha. Taehyun had called him alpha, and then came under Beomgyu’s hands. Beomgyu was practically overwhelmed by the urge to protect him, to keep him close, to make sure that everything was perfect for him. He kissed Taehyun again, groaning into his mouth at the feeling of finally getting some relief on his cock. Taehyun was working him in quick, light strokes, thumb catching at the tip to swipe at a bead of pre-cum. Taehyun pulled away to put his thumb into his mouth. Beomgyu watched his lips close around his thumb, still making eye contact with him, and nearly passed out on the spot.

“Hmm,” Taehyun said.

Beomgyu stared. “What does that mean?”

“It means I wanna suck your dick so bad I’m gonna die, but also if you don’t knot me right now I’m gonna die. I’m trying to decide which problem is more pressing.”

Beomgyu chuckled. Taehyun’s face lit up in the most endearing way, and Beomgyu almost forgot what he was trying to say. “Today is about you.”

“Tomorrow, then,” Taehyun decided. “I can suck your dick all day tomorrow.”

“All day?”

Taehyun grinned, sweet but sharp around the edges. “Never seen an omega in heat, have you?”

“Of– of course not.”

“Then you have no idea what you’re in for.”

Taehyun pushed Beomgyu until he was laying against the headboard, climbing into his lap. Beomgyu could smell slick, could feel it dripping onto his legs. He gripped Taehyun’s waist even tighter.

Taehyun was sliding his hardening cock over Beomgyu’s stomach, his perky ass brushing against Beomgyu’s cock with every movement. Beomgyu threw his head back and groaned; it was so much but not enough. Taehyun took the opportunity to dip down and kiss along Beomgyu’s exposed jawline and down his neck.

“Taehyun-ah, please let me touch you.” Beomgyu didn’t care if it sounded like he was begging, because he was.

“You’re already touching me,” Taehyun replied teasingly.

“Let me– please, Taehyun-ah, I need…” Beomgyu paused when Taehyun grabbed his wrist and guided his hand to the spot where slick was dripping down over his thighs. His first finger entered with hardly any resistance at all, like Taehyun’s body was already ready to take him in.

“Such a cute alpha,” Taehyun said, tone saccharine. “So polite. You know you can treat me a little more roughly? I won’t break.”

“Don’t– don’t wanna hurt you.” Beomgyu could barely form an answer because he was concentrating so hard on finding that spot with two fingers inside Taehyun.

“You won’t.” Taehyun ran a gentle hand through his hair. “You’re always good to me. So selfless, you know that?”

Taehyun was rocking slightly back onto his fingers, and when he melted against Taehyun’s chest with a drawn-out whine Beomgyu knew he’d found it. “Not selfless,” Beomgyu managed, sliding a third finger inside. “Want you. Even I shouldn’t have.”

Taehyun kissed his neck. “I told you. I’ve liked you forever. There was never a time where you weren’t allowed to want me.”

“As your friend–“

Taehyun bit down on Beomgyu’s neck, stopping that sentence with a brief yelp of surprise. “You’re not my friend. Do you think I would let Soobin hyung do this to me?”

An involuntary snarl escaped Beomgyu at the thought of another alpha touching Taehyun. Beomgyu liked Soobin– they were practically best friends. Still, the idea of Soobin seeing Taehyun like this made his blood boil. He’d never been this jealous, this defensive about Taehyun before. Or maybe he had, and everyone else was just too nice to tell him.

“Mmm.” Taehyun sounded immensely satisfied, leaving a smattering of soothing kisses beneath Beomgyu’s ear. “Don’t worry. I don’t want anyone else but you.”

Beomgyu couldn’t take it anymore. Taehyun’s teasing, his scent, the one that Beomgyu had never been allowed to smell before but was now thick in the air and slick on his fingers. He flipped them over so that Taehyun was on his back, looking up at him with those gorgeous eyes. Beomgyu was breathing heavily under the strain of trying to control himself. His cock was prodding at Taehyun’s rim.

“What are you waiting for?” Taehyun asked. “Fuck me, alpha.”

Beomgyu slid in as slowly as he could, but Taehyun was pliant beneath him. His expression showed no sign of pain or discomfort. He sighed when Beomgyu’s cock was fully inside, relief on his face. Gently, Beomgyu began to rock his hips back and forth.

“More,” Taehyun gasped. “Faster.”

Beomgyu obeyed immediately. His thrusts increased in pace, the lewd sound of skin on skin making his face flush. He was biting his lip to keep himself from cumming on the spot, the pain grounding him a little. Taehyun was so tight and hot around him, a seemingly-unending stream of slick trickling onto the sheets. 

Each thrust punched a little whimper out of Taehyun, until Beomgyu found the right angle to hit the same spot from earlier. He grabbed onto Beomgyu’s arms, nails digging crescents into his skin, moaning so loudly Beomgyu was sure that the windows were rattling. He didn’t care. He was making Taehyun feel good, the omega moaning right into his ear as Beomgyu continued to work his hips.

“So good. Fuck, Beomgyu, so good.”

He growled when Taehyun moaned his name, thrusts moving at a bruising pace now. Taehyun would probably be sore tomorrow. Now, though, his eyes were shining with pleasure. There were tears sticking his lashes together.

Beomgyu tilted his head down to kiss him. Taehyun could barely kiss back, but Beomgyu swallowed down every sound he made regardless. “You feel so good. So pretty, my omega. Mine.”

“Yes, yours,” Taehyun gasped, punctuated with another high moan. “Wanna be yours, alpha.”

Beomgyu could feel his knot swelling at the base of his cock. Taehyun could feel it too, evidently, because he was whining and wiggling his hips like he was trying to get it inside. Beomgyu stroked his waist.

“Patience, baby. Don’t wanna hurt you.”

“You’re not gonna hurt me,” Taehyun said, face creased in concentration as he pushed his hips forward until Beomgyu’s knot was stretching his rim. “I want your knot, I need it.”

“I know.” Beomgyu placed a peck on his forehead and started to maneuver his hips until he could fit his knot inside. The moment he bottomed out, Taehyun practically sobbed in pleasure. He was orgasming again, his cock spurting over both of their chests. He was clenching on Beomgyu’s knot, and the sensation was enough to send him over the edge. He groaned, hips working ever so slightly through his orgasm. He could still feel his cock twitching when Taehyun squeezed his hand.

He looked up. Taehyun had his head tilted to the side, exposing his scent gland. Beomgyu hesitated; they’d never talked about anything like this. Taehyun was mid-heat, incapable of making sound decisions. This one would be life-altering. If Beomgyu bit him, they’d be tied to each other for the rest of their lives.

Taehyun sensed his hesitation. There was a flash of fear on his face, the same fear Beomgyu had seen when he told Taehyun he was leaving. Beomgyu pictured it– letting Taehyun walk out of this room without his mark on his neck. His omega. He couldn’t let Taehyun think that he wasn’t wanted when Beomgyu was so full of it that his love for Taehyun spilled out of him everywhere he went.

He buried his face in Taehyun’s neck. There was an ache in his gums as his fangs emerged, and he bit down on the delicate skin over Taehyun’s scent gland.

The omega writhed and wailed. Beomgyu could taste blood; he knew it probably hurt, and tried to soothe Taehyun as best he could. His knot was still keeping them locked together, but he kissed Taehyun’s shoulder and stroked his waist to try to distract him from the pain. As lightly as he could, he laid down so that he wasn’t crushing the smaller omega. Their bodies were pressed together so closely it was as if they might become one.

When Taehyun opened his eyes, there were tear tracks on his face. Still, he looked happy. His mouth tilted up into a lopsided smile, dimple showing. Beomgyu let out a breath.

“I love you,” he murmured. “I don’t think I’ve said it enough today.”

“I know you do,” Taehyun said softly. “I’ve never doubted you.”

“No, I– I fucked up so bad, and I let you think I didn’t want you, and–“

“That’s in the past.” Taehyun cut him off, bringing a hand up to cradle Beomgyu’s cheek. “You knew what I needed. You took care of me.”

Beomgyu let his forehead fall against Taehyun’s. “I’ll always take care of you. Even though I’m a terrible cook, and I can barely remember when your birthday is. Anything you ask, Taehyun-ah. I’m serious.”

Taehyun nuzzled him. “You better watch what you’re promising me. I’m in heat, I could still suck your dick all day tomorrow.”

“… I’ll probably pass away, but if that’s what you want then I’ll let you.”

Taehyun laughed. Something bright filled Beomgyu’s chest, warm like sunshine. Then, his expression turned serious. “Thank you for coming back,” he said. “Even though it was sudden, and you weren’t expecting it, and you didn’t know what was happening.”

“I couldn’t let you stay here like that,” Beomgyu responded, dabbing away a drop of blood from the healing bite mark. “I’d rather die than leave you alone in pain. Even if you didn’t love me anymore, I would’ve come back for you. Even if you made me sit outside your room on the floor.”

“I know.” Taehyun’s smile was so close, just inches from Beomgyu’s face. “You’re a good alpha. I love that you’re so considerate, but maybe next time take a hint.”

“No more next time. I’m not making that mistake again. The prettiest, best mate in the world, right there in front of me, and I walked out. What an idiot.”

“Hey, you said it, not me.”

It was Beomgyu’s turn to laugh. Taehyun looked pleased, the way he always did when he made Beomgyu laugh. He leaned up to kiss Taehyun just because he could. The omega was starting to look tired, and Beomgyu gathered him up in his arms to pull him even closer.

“Round two when I wake up?”

“You still have a knot in you and you’re already thinking about round two?”

“Just wanted to make sure we’re clear. I won’t be patient enough to wait sixteen hours for you to figure it out when I wake up,” Taehyun said sleepily.

Beomgyu pinched his side. “I’m not that dense.”

“I’ve met neutron stars less dense than you.”

Beomgyu was silent for a few moments, debating how to respond. “I don’t really know what that means.”

“Point made.”

Beomgyu decided it was better for his dignity if he stopped talking, so he slipped his face into the space between Taehyun’s neck and shoulder and admired his new, mixed scent. The combination of sweet and tart made Beomgyu’s inner alpha huff in satisfaction. 

“You comfortable? I’m not gonna crush you, or something?”

Beomgyu picked his head up to frown down at Taehyun. “I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you, here.”

“And lose out on the opportunity to spoil my brand-new alpha? Never,” Taehyun said. “I’m sucking your dick until it falls off tomorrow.”

“Sounds terrible.”

Taehyun giggled, the sound vibrating against Beomgyu’s cheek. “You’re an atrocious liar, you know that?”

“Yeah. Only for you.”

Taehyun pressed his face into Beomgyu’s hair. “Yep. All this, just for me.”

It had been the way of Beomgyu’s world for years. What Taehyun wanted, Taehyun got.