Chapter Text
“Come on, the uber is here!” Sunoo’s voice calls out from the doorway.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m done.” Riki yells back before giving himself a last once over in the mirror, fixing a stray strand of hair and adjusting his earrings.
He casts a final look around the room to make sure he’s not forgetting anything, scoffing at the pastel-coloured, artfully chaotic tower of blankets, cushions, and stuffed toys that make up Sunoo’s nest. He flits his gaze over to his side of the room and at the neatly arranged blankets and singular childhood teddy that makes up his own monochromatic, bare bones nest.
They’d been roommates for nearly a year now and the stark differences between them still surprised him. When they’d first moved into the shared dorm it had been rough, the two of them constantly clashing and rubbing each other the wrong way. Looking back on it now Riki feels bad for Sunoo for being lumped with someone like him. He’d probably have loved a more conventional omega for a roommate, one he could bond with over dramas and skincare. Instead he got 6ft of sports-obsessed, all-black-everything, barely-bothers-to-make-a-nest Riki.
He’d started to accept that him and Sunoo were just destined to never get along until one day they’d been forced to have each other’s backs after a nasty encounter with an alpha outside their building.
After that day things slowly started to change. They learnt to compromise, to not argue over every little thing, and over time they built this genuine friendship that Riki was grateful for every single day.
“How do I look?” Sunoo asks, fixing the collar of his shirt before doing a little twirl.
He looked lovely as usual, preened to glossy perfection like he stepped straight out of a K-drama. Everyone’s dream omega.
“You look fine, I guess.” Riki replies, still incapable of complimenting Sunoo without a little teasing.
“You look alright too, I suppose.” Sunoo shoots right back, linking his arm through Riki’s and dragging him out the door.
Once they’re in the uber, Sunoo begins his selfie marathon for the night, pouting for the camera and looping an arm around Riki to tug him into the shot. He gives a half hearted peace sign, flash momentarily blinding him, and Riki is already regretting the Instagram photo-dump that’ll be waiting for him in the morning.
They’d been invited to this party by Jungwon, the overworked, overachieving and unofficial beta leader of their little trio. It was being hosted by Jungwon’s boyfriend, the mysterious alpha he’d tried to keep secret and failed spectacularly at because he was possibly the world’s worst liar. It had taken Riki and Sunoo all of one week to catch on to him and Jungwon had been forced to introduce his not-so-secret boyfriend to them.
The car finally pulls up to Jay’s house and Riki does a double take at the sheer size of it, three floors of sleek glass and grey slate. Sunoo had told him that Jay was rich but he hadn’t expected him to be this rich.
“This is fucking crazy.” He says, awed, as they walk up the huge driveway.
“I know. I think his parents own some big company in America or something.” Sunoo replies.
The thumping of the music gets louder the closer they get to the entrance and Riki hears a sudden chorus of cheers and laughter. He feels a rush of excitement at the noise—it’s been a while since he’s been to a good party and he’s been itching to let loose now that exams are looming close.
They knock and it takes a while before an unfamiliar beta boy swings the door open. His mop of black hair is a wild mess, the red flush on his cheeks and dopey smile on his face making it obvious he’s already downed a bottle or four.
“Sunoo! And Sunoo’s friend! So glad you guys could make it.” He greets them excitedly, throwing an arm around each of them despite how awkward it is with the height difference.
Riki is not surprised that this guy knows Sunoo, he’s pretty sure the other omega knows half their college with how his phone is always pinging with notifications.
“Hi, Jake-hyung.” Sunoo laughs, hugging the tipsy boy back.
Riki vaguely recognizes the name as one of Jay’s friends that Jungwon must have mentioned to him at some point.
Jake ushers them both inside and they’ve barely made it past the threshold before he’s pushing a beer into each of their hands.
As they’re hanging up their jackets, a tall alpha siddles up to Jake’s side and whispers something in his ear that makes him bark out a laugh.
“Sorry, guys. I gotta go. Everyone is out in the backyard. Have fun!” He calls back as he’s dragged down the hallway by the elbow.
Riki doesn’t need to be told twice, he downs half the beer, checks himself one last time in the hallway mirror, and makes his way to where the music is coming from.
What Jake had referred to as a “backyard” is a sprawling lawn that stretches so far Riki can’t see where it ends. There’s a good fifty people already here, half of them milling about around the rectangular pool that takes up one side the yard. The other half are on the makeshift dance-floor on the patio, music blasting from two huge speakers on either end.
Riki makes a beeline for the drinks table set up near the pool, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces and instead locks eyes with a pretty omega girl he’s never seen before. She eyes him over her plastic cup and Riki has to hold back a smirk when the equally pretty beta boy next to her gives him the same look. He shoots them both a flirty wink and tries not to let it get to his head when they get visibly flustered at the attention.
Riki wishes he could go back to his past self, to the gangly-limbed sixteen year old that had cried his eyes out when he’d presented because he wasn’t small and dainty like the other omegas in his class. He wishes he could tell him that everything would be fine, that nineteen year old Riki would be pulling more omegas and betas than most of the alphas on campus. And he attracted plenty of alphas, too, even though Riki didn’t tend to go for them.
He’s about to make his way over to his two admirers when someone bumps into him from the side and spills their drink down his front. Riki feels cold liquid seep into his skin and he looks down to see dark red spreading across his brand new shirt.
He whirls around, coming face to face with a tall boy clutching a half-empty wine glass in his hand.
An alpha. Of-fucking-course.
“What the fuck?” Riki hisses, gesturing to his chest.
The alpha is just standing there frozen, wide-eyes glued to the mess he’s made on Riki’s shirt.
“God, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He finally says, hand coming up to cover his face in what Riki hopes is shame.
“Yeah, no shit.” Riki grumbles, staring down at his ruined shirt. He contemplates just spending the rest of the night in his tank when the alpha speaks up again.
“I can get that stain out but we have to move quickly before it sets.”
He looks at the alpha sceptically but he seems genuinely apologetic and Riki feels some of the anger start to seep out of him.
“Okay, let’s go then.” He agrees, following behind the alpha as he leads them back towards the house.
He steers them towards the huge kitchen and Riki marvels at the shiny marble table tops and huge light fixture above the island. It’s quieter in here, empty save for a couple of people digging out more ice from the freezer.
The alpha stops once he reaches the sink and spins around to face him, almost bumping into Riki again from how close he’d been following behnd.
“Give me your shirt.” He says, holding out his hand in front of Riki.
Now that most of his previous anger is gone Riki takes note of the alpha. He’s handsome, in a timeless sort of way, thick brows and a gracefully sloped nose. His dark hair is carefully mussed, falling into his face in deliberate strands. Riki still has an inch or so in height on him but the alpha is built, the outline of his biceps visible under the black shirt he’s wearing.
“Usually people at least ask for my name before they get me to undress.” Riki flirts, unable to help himself.
He feels a familiar tug of arousal deep in his gut, the kind that only comes from being this close to an attractive alpha. It’s pure, primal instinct and he’s usually able to tamper it down but standing this close Riki can smell the alpha’s scent. Amber and sandalwood. Classy.
“Shirt, please.” The alpha repeats, not rising to the bait even though Riki can tell he, too, feels that pull from way the tips of his ears have gone red.
Riki decides to oblige his request and makes a show of slowly unbuttoning his shirt, enjoying the way the alpha turns his gaze away and clears his throat.
Riki has always preferred being with omegas and betas but there was an undeniable satisfaction in riling up an alpha. And riling up this alpha, who looked more like he belonged in a yacht club than a college party in his crisp shirt and perfectly tailored trousers, was especially fun.
“Here you go.” He drops his shirt in the alpha’s outstretched hands with a flourish.
Riki watches in amusement as the alpha gets to work, soaking the shirt with cold water before rifling through one of the kitchen cabinets. He pulls out a little container of something and starts rubbing it into the stain.
“You seem to know your way around this place.” Riki observes.
“I’ve been coming here since I was in high school.”
“Oh, are you a friend of Jay-hyung’s?”
“Yup. How do you know him?”
“He’s dating my friend Jungwon.”
“Ah, I see.” The alpha says, not looking up from where he’s diligently scrubbing out the stain.
He’s rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, the muscles of his forearms flexing as he works, and that feeling in Riki’s gut intensifies at the sight of this alpha working so hard for him.
“So you’re Jay-hyung’s age?” He asks, suddenly very keen to know everything about this boy.
“Yeah but I’m in my third year. I took a gap year.”
“Sounds fun. What did you do?”
“Interned at my father’s law firm.”
“Yikes.” Riki cringes. “I guess that means you come from money like Jay-hyung. You rich folks always stick together.”
“And you other folk love to come to our parties and drink all our alcohol.” Sunghoon shoots back, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
“Touché” Riki chuckles.
It’s rare that he enjoys this kind of easy banter with an alpha. They were always either eager to get him into bed or wanted to knock him down a peg or two for daring to be anything but a demure little omega.
“So do I have to take my jeans off next to get your name?”
Riki knows he’s being a little shameless but he’s enjoying himself too much to stop.
“Usually people just ask but go ahead, be my guest.”
Now it’s Riki’s turn to gawk, not expecting that the alpha would actually play along after his earlier haughtiness.
“I’m just joking. I’m Park Sunghoon.” The alpha—Sunghoon—says. “I’d offer you my hand but I wouldn’t want to dirty you anymore than I already have.”
He’s looking at Riki from the corner of his eyes, teasing lilt to his voice and an eyebrow raised in a challenge.
Riki rises to meet it immediately.
“That’s a shame. I’m sure you’d be very good at cleaning me up afterwards.”
Riki leans back on the counter, putting the lean lines of his body on display. It has the desired effect, Sunghoon’s eyes slowly raking down his figure before he catches himself and focuses his gaze back on the sink.
There’s a few seconds of charged silence before Sunghoon speaks again.
“And what do I have to do to get your name?”
“Let’s see how my shirt looks first and I’ll let you know then.”
Riki laughs as Sunghoon wrings out his shirt with more force than necessary, shaking it out one last time before holding it up to the light to inspect.
“Wow, you actually did it.” Riki whistles. “I’m impressed.”
“It just needs a few spins in the dryer and then it should be good to put on. Come, I’ll show you where it is.”
Riki follows him into the laundry room off the side of the kitchen, eager to continue this little thing that they have going on.
In the time it takes for Riki’s shirt to dry he learns that Sunghoon is studying law and that he doesn’t live on campus but in an apartment nearby that his parents rented for him. A fact he seems both deeply embarrassed about and very grateful for.
(“They insisted. It’s just a small place though, nothing fancy.”
”Whatever you say, Rich Boy. I bet it comes with a gate and a code.
”… How did you know?” )
Riki also learns that him, Jay and Jake all attended the same private high school and have been best friends ever since.
(“So you’re posh, too.”
”Not at all.”
”Says the guy who was drinking fucking wine at a college party like some middle-aged dad.”)
They get interrupted by the beep of the dryer cycle ending and it feels entirely too soon.
(“How’s it looking?”
”I think it could do with another twenty minutes.”
”I’ll leave it to your capable hands, Mr. Laundry Expert.”)
After the dryer starts back up, Sunghoon confesses, in a voice that’s more quiet and eyes that drop to the floor, that he used to be a professional athlete in middle-school.
(“What sport were you doing?”
”Promise you won’t laugh.”
”I make no such promises.”
”I was a figure skater.”
”What, like doing triple axels and stuff?”
”Yeah.”
”That’s so fucking cool.”
”I—Uhh. Thank you.”)
In turn Riki finally tells him his name.
(“Nishimura? But your—”
”Korean is so amazing, I know. One of my many, many talents. Strangely, the rest also seem to involve my mouth.”
”Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”)
Then the dryer starts beeping again.
(“Let’s give it another thirty minutes this time.”
”You now, I’m really starting to question your laundry expert credentials. I won’t hesitate to sue if you burn up my shirt.”
”And you’d lose because you have no substantial legal grounds for that.”
“This is why no one likes you law students.”)
After Sunghoon’s earlier admission, Riki decides to also share about how he came to Korea in middle school to train to be an idol—how it didn’t work out but that he did end up getting a full college scholarship to study dance out of it.
(“I can’t imagine you on stage doing aegyo hearts.”
”I’ll have you know I can be very cute when I want to be.”
”I’d pay good money to see that.”)
There’s only so long they can stay hidden away in this tiny room before people come looking for them and when the dryer beeps its end again, they both know they’re out of time.
Sunghoon reaches down to pull out his bone-dry and perfectly clean shirt. He hands it over to Riki who carefully tries to manoeuvre it over his head without messing up his hair.
”Here, let me help.” Sunghoon offers and Riki’s stubbornness would usually make him refuse any help from an alpha but something about Sunghoon’s lack of bravado and his quiet, almost gentle confidence disarms him in ways he never expected.
He lets him gently tug the shirt over his head, the feeling of Sunghoon’s hands brushing against the bare skin of his arms sending shivers down his spine. He gets a whiff of Sunghoon’s rich scent again and it’s quickly becoming one of his favourite smells ever. He’s suddenly overcome with the desire to bury his face into his neck and inhale it till it’s etched into his lungs.
This was starting to get very dangerous.
He takes a step back, ignoring every deeply buried omega instinct in him that is screaming in protest, and quickly tugs the rest of his shirt on by himself.
”We should go back out there before Jungwon starts a search party.”
Sunghoon nods and Riki doesn’t know if it’s just a trick of the light or if he sees a flicker of disappointment cross his face. He decides it’s definitely just the light.
They’ve barely made it past the kitchen when Riki sees the familiar figure of Jungwon marching towards them.
”Where have you been? I’ve called you like ten times.” He demands, arms crossed like an angry mother hen.
“Had a wardrobe malfunction.” Riki replies with a shrug.
”I see you already met Sunghoon-hyung.” Jungwon states when he spots the alpha next to Riki.
”Oh yeah, me and him are well acquainted now.”
Sunghoon snorts at the comment and Riki has to bite back his own laugh.
Jungwon eyes them suspiciously, gaze flitting between the two of them like he’s trying to work out a puzzle.
He’s about to open his mouth to say more when Jay comes up behind him.
”Oh, there you are. I thought the two of you had left early or something.”
”I saw them sneaking out of the laundry room together.” Jungwon says, accusing stare still fixed on the two of them.
”Is that so?” Jay locks eyes with Sunghoon and they share a silent conversation that Riki desperately wishes he could understand.
“What is going on here?” Sunoo’s sing-song voice calls out from behind Riki’s shoulder as he comes bounding over to them.
“Nothing, I just finally tracked down our missing friend. Come hyung, let me introduce you to Sunghoon-hyung.”
Riki sees the way Sunghoon’s eyes widen just a fraction the moment he sees Sunoo. The omega pulls him into a quick hug, giving Sunghoon a shot of that fresh, peachy scent that has half the alphas on campus hooked. When they pull apart Sunghoon looks a little dazed and Sunoo’s got that knowing glint in his eye and Riki— Riki can’t look at them anymore.
He’s been through this enough times by now to know exactly how this is going to go. It’s wasn’t Sunoo’s fault that he was the ideal omega that alphas wanted, soft and sweet and lovely in ways Riki could never be. It rarely bothered him because Riki was never lacking for a partner. He knew he was attractive, had enough notches on his bedpost and unread messages sitting in his phone to prove it.
This time though it stings more than usual and Riki chokes it up to his omega instincts naturally reacting to being rejected by what it deems a prime alpha.
“I’ll be right back.”
Riki excuses himself, pushing past them and heading straight for the drinks table with the plan of getting so drunk he won’t remember how Sunghoon’s hands felt on his skin.
He’s just downed the first bottle when he feels eyes on him. He looks up to see that same omega girl and beta boy from earlier and this time he heads straight to them.
The rest of the night goes by in a blur of bright lights and the burn of alcohol in the back of his throat.
—
Riki wakes up the next morning with a massive headache, in a dorm room he doesn’t recognize, and sandwiched between two sleeping bodies. The previous night’s events come back to him in bits and pieces. He remembers going to Jay’s party with Sunoo, remembers getting very drunk and making the wise decision to go home with two strangers. He also remembers someone spilling their drink on him and meeting an attractive alpha with pretty moles on his face.
Sunghoon.
Fuck.
Riki slowly peels himself out of the bed, being careful not to jostle its still snoring occupants, and searches around the mess in the room for his clothes. He doesn’t bother leaving a note, not wanting any lasting reminders of this disastrous night.
He makes the walk of shame back to his dorm and runs into Sunoo in the hallway doing the same.
He looks a mess, last nights makeup smudged on his face and shirt inside out, but somehow he still manages to make it work.
There’s a new scent clinging him, faint and barely noticeable, but Riki recognizes it instantly and it makes his stomach lurch in a way that has nothing to do with the alcohol he drank last night.
“Looks like you had a good night.” Riki comments, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat and planting on a smirk.
”Ugh, don’t even. I couldn’t find my panties and had to leave them behind.” Sunoo grumbles, rubbing his temple. “And did I really see you leaving the party with two people?”
”So? There’s plenty of me to go around.” Riki shrugs.
”Gross.”
”Says the one walking around without any underwear.”
They both stumble into their room, doing a quick round of rock, paper, scissors to determine who gets to shower first. Riki loses and he flops down into his nest face first.
”So who did you end going home with?” He asks, voice muffled by his blanket as he listens to Sunoo gathering all the supplies for his extravagant shower routine.
Riki already knows what Sunoo’s answer is going to be but a part of him needs to hear him say it, like the verbal confirmation will stop the weird twisting in his guts.
”Sunghoon-hyung.”
Hearing it come out of Sunoo’s mouth, in that soft, syrupy tone he only uses when he genuinely likes someone, feels like the final nail on the coffin.
”Are you gonna see him again?”
“He’s already planned a date for this weekend.”
Riki doesn’t need to see Sunoo’s face to know that he’s probably wearing that stupid smile, the one that makes his eyes into little half-moons of joy and that Riki never wants be the cause of him losing.
“Good for you.” He mutters into the blanket, forcing down the lump in his throat and burying himself deeper into the comfort of his nest.
—
It’s barely been two weeks since the party when Sunoo announces that him and Sunghoon are officially dating.
Riki would find it funny how fast omega and alpha couples get into relationships if the announcement didn’t cause an ache in his chest that he’s very keen on ignoring.
Them being a couple meant that Riki would be seeing a lot more of Sunghoon and the prospect of it filled him with dread. He already knew that Sunoo was the type to always bring his partner along to events and Riki hadn’t had any issues with it till now.
He doesn’t understand why the idea of seeing Sunghoon is causing him this much anxiety. They’d only met the once and the first thing the alpha had done was spill his goddamn drink down Riki’s shirt.
That he’d then apologized for and cleaned up perfectly for him, all while looking like he stepped straight out of a Prada editorial.
Still, none of that should have Riki so rattled. Sunghoon was just an alpha—a very attractive one, yes—but just an alpha all the same and one that was dating his best-friend no less.
Riki needed to sort out whatever the fuck was going on with his instincts and get a grip fast because he knew it was only a matter of time before he ran into Sunghoon again.
Just as he had predicted, Sunoo sends a message in their groupchat a few days later.
[Sunoo🍑]: heyyyy guys, is it okay if sunghoon-hyung joins our study session later?
[Jungwon😺]: yeah of course hyung!
Riki’s stomach twist as he reads the messages, wanting nothing more than to back out of going but knowing that he can’t. The longer he puts this off, the worse it will get. He has to just rip the bandaid off.
He fights to tamper down his nerves the entire walk to Jungwon’s dorm and when the door opens he finds that everyone is already there.
He hates himself for how his eyes immediately go to where Sunghoon is sitting on the floor and he hates himself even more for thinking that he looks just as handsome as Riki remembers.
Their eyes meet and a flicker of something passes between them, just for a second, just long enough for Riki to notice it but brief enough that he can pretend he didn’t.
“Hi, Riki.” Sunghoon greets him.
”Hey.”
Riki tries to keep his voice as casual as possible but then his eyes zero in on where Sunghoon and Sunoo’s hands are intertwined and feels all his carefully crafted composure crumbling.
He sits down as far as away from the couple as possible in Jungwon’s tiny room and proceeds to spend the rest of the evening with his face buried in his textbook.
—
The more Riki thinks about it, the less it makes sense to be this spun off an alpha he has spent a sum total of a couple of hours with. He concludes that this must just be biology, his body’s way of letting him know that he’d gone too long without being with an alpha.
He decides he should rectify the situation as soon as possible and so he scrolls through his contact list, hitting up the last alpha he’d slept with. It had been months since they’d hooked up but Riki remembers it being a good time.
He feels a smug smirk tug at his lips when the alpha replies within seconds that they’re free that same night and he shoots back a quick message to confirm.
The sex ends up being as great as he remembers but the entire time Riki can’t help but feel like something isn’t quite right and he leaves feeling emptier than when he’d came.
The next day he messages a different alpha and this time it’s a little better. So he tries again, and again, ignoring Sunoo’s judgemental looks when he comes back to their room every night smelling like a different alpha.
It serves him right, Riki thinks, since the scent of Sunghoon now lingers permanently in their dorm, invading what was supposed to be Riki’s only safe space.
The alphas end up being a good distraction till he gets an unwelcome reminder of exactly why he hated dealing with them in the first place.
He’d been coming back late from dance practice, exhausted and muscles aching, when he spotted one of the alphas he’s slept with the previous week waiting for him outside his dorm building.
”What are are you doing here?” Riki snarls as soon as he’s close enough, pulling himself up to his full height.
”I just wanted to see you, Riki. You won’t answer my calls.” The alpha says, looking so pathetically determined and hopeful that it pisses Riki off even more.
“I told you in advance that this was only going to be a one-time thing. I’m not looking for anything more.”
“I know, I know, but just give me a chance.” The alpha persists, moving in front of Riki and blocking his way.
The sour scent of agitated alpha starts invading Riki’s nose and it’s only now that he realises the other alpha’s not wearing his scent-patch even though they’re supposed to always keep them on when they’re on campus.
“I said no. Now get the fuck out of my way.”
Riki feels anxiety slowly creeping up under his skin when the alpha refuses to budge, his scent spiking more and more till Riki feels like he’s being suffocated.
”Come on, Riki. Just one date, I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll—“
“He told you to move.”
A voice cuts in from behind Riki and he turns around to see Sunghoon come walking towards them. He looks angrier than Riki has ever seen him, jaw clenched and eyes dark behind his glasses.
He steps in between Riki and the alpha, arms crossed as he stares the piece of shit down.
The other alpha only holds his ground for a few more seconds before he turns on his heel and stomps away with a growl.
The moment he’s out of sight Sunghoon turns to Riki, face softened in concern.
”Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Riki answers through gritted teeth. “I had it handled, you didn’t have to swoop in like some white knight.”
”I know. I did it to save him before you went all big, bad omega on him.”
Sunghoon’s tone is light and teasing, an obvious attempt to lift the mood and Riki is grateful for the effort.
“You should have let me. He deserved it.”
”He did.” Sunghoon agrees. “But I can’t risk you losing your scholarship, I don’t want that on my conscious.”
Riki feels some of the adrenaline drain out of him but he can still smell that alpha’s scent clinging to him and he wants it off now.
”Ugh, it stinks.” He grumbles, trying his best to mask the smell by pumping out his own but the scent-patch means it makes little difference.
“I can scent you if you like?”
Sunghoon offers it so casually, like it was no big deal, and Riki has to remind himself that’s that’s because it is no big deal
Scenting wasn’t just done between mates—friends and family scented each other all the time, too. Hell, even teachers would scent their students if they got too nervous before an exam.
Sunghoon was just being a good friend. It was nothing.
And yet, as Sunghoon offers him his wrist, it feels like the biggest deal in the world to Riki.
It takes everything in him to keep his arm steady as he holds it up, exposing the scent gland on the inside of his wrist.
It lasts all of three seconds, Sunghoon rubbing his wrist over Riki’s with experienced efficiency, and even with the scent-patches on the effects are immediate.
He feels all the tension drain out of him the moment Sunghoon’s scent mixes with his own, any traces of the alpha gone.
His brain feels a little fuzzy in the best way, calmed by the heady combination of their scents.
He suddenly, desperately wishes they weren’t wearing the scent dampeners, that he could keep their intertwined scents on his skin for days instead of just a few minutes.
”Better?” Sunghoon asks and Riki nods, afraid his voice will fail him if he tries to speak.
“I still can’t believe that’s your scent.” Sunghoon scoffs, wrist raised to his nose as he takes a deep inhale.
Riki would laugh if his head didn’t still feel like it’d been stuffed with cotton wool.
His scent was the most omega thing about him, an almost saccharine mix of strawberries and fresh cream. He’d always hated it, hated the way people would do a double take every time they see him as if they couldn’t believe this sugary sweet scent was coming from this giant, moody teenager.
“Not in a bad way, I like it.” Sunghoon rushes to add at Riki’s continued silence.“It’s weirdly cute. Like you.”
Riki doesn’t think he’d be able to respond to that even if his brain was working at max capacity.
He’s saved from attempting to by Sunghoon’s phone alarm going off.
“Shit, it’s almost curfew. I have to head back.”
That sobers Riki up as he remembers that the reason Sunghoon was even here on campus was to drop Sunoo, his boyfriend, home.
“Right. Uhm, thanks.” Riki nods, hands sliding into his pockets and posture slouched in a show of relaxed indifference. “Even though, you know, I would’ve been fine.”
”You’re welcome.” Sunghoon replies with a grin. “Even though you would’ve been fine.”
Riki turns to leave and head inside when Sunghoon’s voice stops him.
“If that asshole ever bothers you again just call me, okay? Doesn’t matter what time it is.”
Riki wants to scoff and tell him he can look after himself but Sunghoon is looking at him with such geniune sincerity and concern that all he can do is nod and agree.
—
After that night things between them get better.
It’s like Sunghoon scenting him finally calms down whatever omegan instincts had been going haywire inside him.
The two of them quickly settle back into the easy banter they’d shared that first night at Jay’s party and soon Riki starts looking forward to whenever Sunoo brings Sunghoon along to one of their outings.
Soon Jay and Jake start joining them, too, and their little trio quickly becomes a sextet. Riki doesn’t mind it though, the triplets, as Jungwon lovingly refers to them as, were fun and easy to get along with. He was growing especially fond of Jake—the aussie loved sports just much as him and even let Riki get away with not using honourifics.
The more time Riki spent with Sunghoon the more he learns that they have a lot in common, like their birthdays only being a day apart.
”It’s like you two were destined to meet.” Sunoo had exclaimed, throwing an arm around both of them. “Can’t wait to throw you guys a joint birthday party this year.”
Riki tries to not focus too much on the word destined and how it makes him think of the dramas Sunoo watches, the ones about fated mates and star-crossed lovers.
Riki also discovers, to his delight, that the old money get up Sunghoon had been sporting at Jay’s party was not how he usually dressed.
They’d all been out bowling at Riki’s insistence when Sunghoon had walked in with his arm around Sunoo and Riki had done a double take when he saw that the alpha was wearing the exact same hoodie as him.
”No way, did you guys plan this?” Jake had laughed, looking between the two of them.
“No. You know I hate wearing matching clothes.” Sunghoon had grumbled, looking like he was two seconds away from ripping the hoodie off.
”Aww, but I was looking forward to us getting some couple items.” Sunoo had pouted, nuzzling further into Sunghoon’s side.
Riki was getting better at seeing them be affectionate, no longer needing to fake gag and call them gross as a coping mechanism.
”Well, I thrifted mine which automatically makes it cooler.” Riki had taunted, sticking his tongue out at Sunghoon.
“That doesn’t even make sense!”
”It does when you’re someone who actually has fashion sense.”
“We’re literally dressed the same.” Sunghoon argued, looking equal parts exasperated and equal parts like he was enjoying this back and forth more than he’d admit.
It hadn’t stopped with just the hoodie and soon it became a running joke that the two of them basically owned the same wardrobe. Sunghoon would always complain and threaten to change but he never did, not even once.
And Riki would play along and take great offence to it as well but secretly, deep down, he felt this rush of warmth whenever he and Sunghoon would end up inadvertently matching.
Riki’s favourite interest they shared, however, was that they both just could not help themselves from teasing Sunoo. They’d team up against him, competing to see who could get the biggest reaction out of him.
”Hey, I didn’t get a boyfriend just so he could join in on making fun of me.” Sunoo would moan but Sunghoon would just ruffle his hair and Riki would slide him over the last piece of meat and he’d quickly be back to his usual, smiley self.
-
Things stay like that for a while, light and fun and easy for Riki to just shove any unwelcome feelings that rear their ugly head into the deepest, darkest corners of his mind.
Then exam season rolls around and there’s no time to focus on anything but lectures and studying.
Him and Jungwon are stretched out on the floor of his dorm room, books strewn about them as they quietly go over their notes when Jungwon suddenly breaks the silence.
”I’m meeting Jay-hyung’s family next weekend.”
“That’s cool, hyung. Are you nervous?”
”Very.” Jungwon admits. “But also excited, you know? He’s never introduced someone to his family before.”
”Whoa, that’s a big deal.”
”I know.” Jungwon agrees, a small, shy smile on his face. “I’m really happy.”
”Ugh. You two are so cute it’s gross.” Riki wrinkles his nose up in fake disgust.
Jungwon throws his pen in Riki’s direction, laughing when it hits him square in the cheek.
“You could be disgustingly cute, too, if you actually tried to date someone for more than two days.”
”And deny everyone else the pleasure of my company? That would be a crime.”
”You’re ridiculous.” Jungwon chides and he’s giving Riki that look he does when he goes all fake-alpha pack head on them. “You should think about it, Riki. I think a real relationship would be good for you.”
”But I’m having fun.” He whines, rolling over to flop onto his back.
”You can still have fun and be in a relationship.”
”No offence, hyung, but I’ve seen what you and Jay-hyung do and going to the farmer’s market is not my idea of fun.”
Jungwon launches another pen at him, this time hitting him in the forehead.
”Just think about it, okay Riki?” He repeats, voice final as he goes back to his books.
The thing is Riki isn’t as opposed to dating as he pretends to the others that he is. Even setting his omega instincts aside there’s always been a part of him that craves the steady, quiet kind of love that comes with a having a mate.
He’s just never met the right person that made him want it, he’d had a few flings here and there but none of them ever amounted to anything serious. So he stopped pursuing it, let himself have fun and enjoy being young, single and hot for a while.
It had served him well so far and done wonders for his self-esteem, but sometimes, when he looks at what Jay and Jungwon have, or even Sunoo and Sunghoon, it makes him itch for something more.
Their study session is interrupted by a giggling Sunoo stumbling through the door, Sunghoon following closely behind like he always was.
He was sickeningly sweet like that, always walking Sunoo home and offering him rides whenever he needed to go off campus like he the perfect alpha gentleman.
It made Riki want to gag.
He keeps his eyes resolutely focused on his notes as he hears the couple kiss and bid each other goodbye
“Hey, wait up.” Jungwon calls out before Sunghoon leaves. “Me and Riki want to go see the new Spiderman movie this Saturday. Do you guys wanna come?”
”We can’t this weekend, sorry. Sunghoon-hyung has a skating competition for—” Sunoo replies.
”It’s nothing.” Sunghoon quickly cuts in, embarrassment colouring his voice. “It’s just an amateur competition for locals. You two are free to come watch if you want.”
“I’d love to.” Jungwon nods enthusiastically.
Sunghoon turns his attention to Riki next and even though he’s trying to seem so casual he can see the anxious eagerness behind his eyes.
“I’ll be there.”
And that’s how Riki finds himself at 10AM on a Saturday morning sitting in the stands of an ice rink, teeth chattering and freezing hands shoved under his thighs.
None of that matters, though, because he can’t take his eyes off Sunghoon.
He was like a different person on the ice, gliding through the air with such confidence and grace, like he’d been born with skates on his feet. His movements were so elegant, long limbs moving in perfect arcs, and it reminded Riki so much of dancing.
When Sunghoon finishes his routine he’s practically glowing and Riki can see his dimple all the way from where he’s sitting.
Their little group erupts into cheers and claps as Sunghoon makes his way over to them.
”You were amazing, love.” Sunoo squeals, planting a kiss on the alpha’s cheek as he leans over the railing.
”Seriously bro, that was awesome.” Jake beams as he pats the alpha on the back.
”Thank you, guys.”
Sunghoon’s cheeks are flushed and he can’t seem to stop smiling, eyes disappeared into crescents. Riki isn’t sure if it’s from the praise or the skating but he can’t help but think it’s such a good look on him.
“It was like you were dancing.” He blurts out before he can stop himself.
”I did actually used to take dance classes when I was kid to help build rhythm.” Sunghoon confesses. “But I haven’t done it in years so I’m not as good as I used to be.”
And Sunoo, the lovely, supportive boyfriend that he is, decides to chime in.
“You know, Riki actually teaches dance lessons in his spare time. He really helped me out last year when I had to do a musical number for an acting class.”
Riki knows exactly where this conversation is going but he’s helpless to stop it as Sunoo continues.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing the same for you. Right, Riki?”
Sunghoon turns to look at him, eyes glinting in barely concealed hope, and how could Riki ever refuse?
”Yeah, of course, hyung. I’ll send you my calendar and we can work something out.”
The way Sunghoon’s whole face lights up at that is enough to make Riki agree to a lifetime of lessons if it makes him make that face again.
—
Dancing is everything to Riki. It’s been his first love ever since he could walk and he’s pretty sure he’s spent more of his life in a dance studio than he has anywhere else.
He knows he’s good at it too, more than good, no matter what any stuck-up execs at a music company had told him.
He’s just finished up his last lesson for the day when he starts working on his own piece he’s been preparing for his next class evaluation. He gets so lost in it that he doesn’t notice anyone has entered the studio till the song ends.
He finally comes to a stop, panting and sweaty and buzzed in the way only dancing can make him. It’s only then that he notices Sunghoon’s figure leaning against the back wall of the studio.
”Shit, sorry. I didn’t see you come in.”
”It’s fine.” Sunghoon quickly brushes aside his apology. “But my god, Riki. You’re incredible.”
Riki has been getting these same compliments since he was a literal baby but it still makes him want to hide his face in his hands, even more so hearing it coming from Sunghoon.
”You’re better than most of these idol dancers, I can’t believe you didn’t debut.” Sunghoon continues, sounding so awed it makes Riki’s face heat up. “How could they let you go?”
Riki still never knows what to say when people ask him that, it’s been years but it still stings whenever he remembers the disaster that was his trainee days.
”Talent means very little in that industry.” He finally answers, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice but it seeps through anyway.
“Right.”
He can tell Sunghoon wants to say more but he must sense Riki’s discomfort because he quickly changes the subject.
“Thank you for squeezing me in, by the way. I saw how crazy schedule is—I didn’t know you gave that many lessons.”
“We don’t all have mommy and daddy funding us.” Riki says, slumping down on the floor next to Sunghoon.
“Not fair. I do have a job, you know.”
“Interning at your father’s company for a few hours a week is not a job.”
“You’re right, they don’t even pay me. I’m basically just an indentured servant.”
“Funny how I’ve never seen a servant wearing designer shoes before.”
“You literally have the exact same pair.” Sunghoon deadpans. “Is that what you spend all your money on—replicating my wardrobe?”
“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, mine were second-hand.” Riki starts, counting off each point on his fingers. “And for your information, I send most of the money back home to help with my family with bills.”
“Well, now I feel like an asshole.” Sunghoon mumbles after a beat of silence.
“It’s no big deal.” Riki laughs it off. “My parents really supported my dreams so I just want to give back what I can.”
Silence falls over them again and this time it feels more loaded than before.
”They’re really lucky to have you.” Sunghoon breaks the silence, voice so soft Riki barely catches it, and he’s looking at him. Like, really looking at him, dark eyes boring into his own.
Riki feels pinned under the alpha’s intense gaze, like his insides are being laid bare, and he has to fight the urge to not shy away under the scrutiny.
He’s not ready to confront whatever it is that Sunghoon is seeing in him right now and he quickly gets to his feet.
”L—Like I said, it’s nothing.” He stammers before clearing his throat. “Now get your ass up. I charge by the hour.”
”And here I thought you were doing a favour for a friend.”
”No freebies around here, Rich Boy. Let’s get started.”
Sunghoon turns out to be a quick study. His previous dancing experience as a kid laid a good foundation and Riki is impressed by how well he’s able to keep up with his instructions.
The hour flies by and Riki is in his element, everything else forgotten about as he helps Sunghoon nail the moves for his skating routine.
Then towards the end Sunghoon misses his mark and comes tumbling into him, sending him almost crashing to the floor.
He catches Riki at the last second, grabbing him by the waist and hauling him up till he’s pressed up against his chest.
It all happens so quick for Riki, one second he can see the floor of the dance studio rushing up to meet him and in the next he’s got his face buried in the crook of Sunghoon’s neck, nose shoved right into his scent-patch.
The dancing and the sweat has loosened it slightly and all Riki can smell is amber and sandalwood and Sunghoon—and he feels dizzy.
He tries to pull back but Sunghoon’s still got an iron grip on his waist and all Riki can do is lift his head up just enough to see Sunghoon’s face.
Their faces are so close together, breath fanning each other’s skin, and Riki feels like his heart is about to burst out of his chest as their eyes meet.
The expression on Sunghoon’s face is one he’s never seen before. He looks dazed, lost, like he doesn’t know what to do—eyes wide and open and fixed entirely on Riki.
The seconds stretch out before them and it feels like the world has been reduced to nothing but this—the feel of Sunghoon’s warm hands on his waist, the way his pupils have blown wide as his eyes settle on Riki’s lips.
Then the speaker suddenly glitches, the music coming to a screeching halt and it feels like they’ve been doused in freezing cold water.
Sunghoon lets him go, jerking back like he’s been burnt as his hands drop to his side.
They stand there for what feels like ages, frozen to the spot like they’re made of glass and a single move could shatter them into tiny, irreparable pieces.
Riki desperately wants to crack a joke, to play it off like nothing happend, but Sunghoon’s face is completely void of any emotion, like it’s been shuttered closed.
“I have to go.” He announces, voice cold and almost robotic, before he rushes out of the studio without a single glance back.
Riki spends a long time just standing there, alone and confused and with a growing sense of dread that a line has been crossed that they can’t come back from.
—
Three days later Sunoo messages their group chat and tells them that him and Sunghoon have broken up.
—