Chapter Text
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves". ―
Prologue
All things considered, Lee Minho knew he was an incredibly lucky man. He came from a good family and a loving household as the only child of parents who doted on him. He always did moderately well in school because it came easy to him, but he also knew the meaning of hard work and dedication to one’s craft from seeing his folks in their respective careers. At the tender age of 27, he had his dream career as a dance instructor and a budding dance academy to his name, despite his parents’ initial hesitance to let him study modern dance in university. He had his own comfortable home, financial stability and a great chosen pack and family. His tight knit group of friends from university and beyond loved and supported him no matter what and as one of the oldest, Minho saw them like the siblings he never had. He doted on them all as much as he teased or scolded them and he was always there for support when they needed it; in turn, his chosen pack had his back just the same. But most importantly, in his eyes, Minho had the best mate and life partner a man could ask for. For the past nearly three years, he'd been bonded to his college boyfriend, Bang Chan, an omega one year his senior. It felt cheesy to admit, but he really couldn’t imagine his life getting much better. He felt truly blessed.
Some days, Minho woke up and looked beside him in bed to be greeted by the sweet sight of Chan dozing soundly. The omega’s sleeping face was truly a sight to behold; open, soft and vulnerable. In those quiet moments, even the sounds of his gentle snores or the dribble of drool at the corner of his mouth were endearing. It was real, bare and as authentic as can be; Chan was real and he was Minho’s. The sight made the beta want to wrap his lover in his arms and keep Chan shielded from the difficulties of the world, knowing how tender-hearted the omega truly was underneath his easy and steady going nature. Regardless, the older man was perfectly capable of protecting himself; Chan was one the strongest people Minho knew in every sense of the word, so maybe it was the bare faced vulnerability he got to see in the warmth and safety of their home that made Minho so protective. He knew that his lover had only shown that side of him to very few people in his life, including the younger man himself. It was just one of the many tiny parts of Bang Chan that Minho had access to and he felt so privileged to have the other man's complete trust. He would always strive to be worthy of that trust.
When Minho thought back, their relationship got off to a shaky start with their first awkward meeting. It was during a school event at the beginning of Chan's last year of university, a forced collaboration project between their classes that was bound to bring awkwardness and tension into the situation with a grade depending on their work. Minho could still recall the day like it had occurred just moments earlier; he could still see it clearly if he closed his eyes and reminisced.
Before then, he never gave much serious thought to dating. He had only dated casually since high school and only with other betas due to a lack of interest in most people of the other two natures. Minho never expected to find the love of his life by happenstance during a joint class project with another department in his junior year. Neither had he expected his love to be an omega; the possibility just really never crossed his mind, so his love for Chan was surprising, initially.
In the past, he would’ve rolled his eyes at the sappy romance dramas his mother loved to watch on television and Minho could've laughed at the thought of the same sort of thing happening to him at any point in his youth. It was simply too far-fetched for the beta, who had never been much of a daydreamer. Despite that, he somehow knew from the moment he first locked eyes with Bang Chan that the omega would be someone very special to him. Minho thought he was going mad in that moment in time, but Chan later confirmed he had felt the same the day they met. With hindsight, how could Minho not fall for the omega; maybe it was Chan's expressive eyes that curved prettily with his shy smile, which brought out his cute dimples. Maybe it was his overall sweet and steady disposition or his solid work ethic and drive bordering on workaholic tendencies, but always with the best of intentions. Or perhaps it was, as the omega grew more comfortable, his cringey dad jokes, his clinginess and his loud, contagious giggles that always made Minho crack a smile no matter how sour his mood was. Maybe it was all of that together that drew him in and made him fall in love. The initial gut feeling from their first meeting never led him astray, so Minho hadn't looked back since.
After realizing his feelings, Minho had to rework his entire perception of love and dating as he got to know Chan and their sentiments for one another became more obviously mutual. He learned more about the world of omegas and alphas, an aspect of life that he had largely been immune to as a beta from a mostly beta family. He learned what being an omega's partner meant, what their needs were, what Chan's particular needs and wants were, all the while being encouraged to share his own more vocally; he made a lot of progress since their bonding, so Minho was proud of himself. In his younger years, he’d been relatively reserved even around people he knew well, so he had to learn to open himself up and bare his soul to another person at times to communicate better, a task he struggled with. His few previous partners had complained about that flaw of his as well.
During his middle school days, Minho learned to cover his difficulty expressing his feelings with the use of snide and sarcasm, seemingly a self-defense mechanism he hadn't realized he had. While he had a few good friends, he later understood that most people saw him as standoffish upon first meeting; his good looks only got him so far before most decided his perceived attitude wasn't worth the effort to get past. He was too cold or unapproachable, they would say, no matter what his true friends countered. Chan himself had faced an uphill battle, but the omega persisted until Minho let him in, bit by bit. Before the younger man knew it, the omega had firmly etched a spot in his heart and soul with little resistance on his part. Chan got to see the real Minho, or more accurately, the person the beta was when people just gave him the time of day. He was loyal, doting, cutely clingy, a sweet goofball and a great listener. All of their friends agreed that Minho, beyond his defenses, was well worth the trouble and cherished him as much as his mate did. If only strangers knew, Chan once teased him lovingly, they would find that Minho was the true softie between the both of them.
But through all of the growing pains and awkwardness of their early relationship, the two of them quickly fell in love to the great amusement and encouragement of their joint friend group, which only became tighter as their oldest members got involved with one another. Some days still, Minho woke up and wondered what he had done to ever deserve having Chan's love and devotion to call his own. His mate was such a precious human being and as Minho said on the day of their Bonding three years before, he would give anything to see Chan smile at him until they grew old, grey and wrinkly. He would do anything to protect that smile.
A warm memory came to his mind at the thought of their Bonding day, carrying with it all of the joy still associated with it. Minho could still picture Chan on that evening, looking ethereal with his soft curls and simple off white ensemble for their sunset beach ceremony and party back in the omega's home country of Australia. The way a smile seemed permanently etched onto the older man's face, showing off his sweet dimples and making his eyes shine and crinkle prettily as he looked over at Minho and took his hand. The sound and laughter of their close friends and families celebrating their union around them and the way his name rolled quietly off Chan's tongue before his mate-to-be leaned over and kissed him like he was the most precious person in the world. Chan kissed him a lot that day, not that Minho was complaining. And all of that before they finally snuck off to their honeymoon room and made love before exchanging bite marks to seal their mating bond… Minho could only sigh, fuzzy, soft and content at the memories.
The beta was pulled back to the present as the warm body in his arms shifted, pressing closer with a sleepy sigh against his neck before settling again. He could only chuckle at the cute sight of a sleeping Chan in his arms, his fingers sinking into his mate's mess of soft dark curls to comb them away from his face gently enough not to wake him; they both had a busy work day before they got a little too handsy during their shared shower despite their fatigue. Luckily, contrary to his usual difficulty in falling asleep, Chan had passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow and Minho simply pulled him into his arms and let his mate slumber.
He hadn’t been convinced at first, but especially since they bonded, it seemed that Minho’s scent and his presence in Chan’s mind through their mating bond was enough to significantly improve the omega’s sleep cycle to the point where the latter slept well most nights. Chan had also mentioned many times before that Minho’s scent, though faint like most betas, was a great source of comfort to him despite the younger’s skepticism. Chan explained that he loved letting the familiar gentle scent of fresh, sweet lemons wrap around him. While some alphas and omegas hardly smelled betas at all and found beta partners unappealing for that reason, being bonded to one definitely enhanced the perception of their usually weak personal scents. Chan had loved Minho’s scent from the first time they met, he later admitted, and his confession definitely had the beta preening secretly with pride since.
Taking a whiff of Chan’s clean hair, Minho caught the faint fragrance of their shared shampoo as well as his mate’s own scent, rich honey and cinnamon like a ridiculously sweet dessert they once had in America after buying some gas station snacks. It was the reason Minho loved using the nickname honeybun for his mate, even if it caused the omega to whine in embarrassment, because Chan's scent reminded him of that. This smells just like you, Minho could recall saying in surprise that day in some busy gas station they'd stumbled upon during a mini road trip to California. The nickname at first had been a teasing joke, but it eventually stuck with Chan's reluctant acceptance.
As a beta, Minho couldn’t sense the differences in Chan’s scent that varied with his mood like other omegas and alphas, but he loved the smell of his partner nevertheless. It reminded him of home, comfort, happy times and the future. He sighed gently, letting Chan wiggle sleepily in his arms until the older man suddenly flipped over and turned his back to him with a soft sigh. Chuckling at the sight, Minho wasted no time in spooning him from behind; perhaps Chan was right to say that Minho was the bigger cuddle bug between them as well, but the beta would never concede. With the cover of sleep, Minho felt it was one of the only times he could let himself be as clingy as he wanted to be, though it rarely escaped his mate's attention.
Even after all of their years together, the beta still felt shy about showing affection, especially in public, but he had gotten better. When they were out with their friends, he had no problem nuzzling up to Chan or pulling the omega onto his lap or even groping him playfully to the great amusement of their makeshift pack. All of that was to show that Minho indeed loved his mate and wanted the world to know, even in his small quiet ways, just in case the imprint of his teeth on Chan's scent gland and vice verse wasn't proof enough. Bonding was already a big leap for most betas, who saw the practice as antiquated and something only omegas and alphas did. Though, saying I love you in public still made his ears turn red, but Minho would vehemently deny his own shyness until he was blue in the face.
Nuzzling between Chan’s broad shoulders, Minho sighed and felt sleep finally tug at him, his mind feeling hazy and content with the faint presence of Chan’s sleeping consciousness floating at the back of his. He really couldn’t see their lives getting much better than it was currently. Minho’s business was doing well and getting recognition as a great dance school. Bang Chan was moving up in the world of music production, becoming a widely known and respected artist along with his co-producers Jisung and Changbin; the three of them working together under the group name 3racha at one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea. They had some planned trips abroad with their friends coming up, including one to Chan’s childhood home in Australia to visit his family. What else could a simple man like Minho wish for?
The only thing the couple hoped for and still haven’t received yet… Sliding his hand down to his lover’s flat stomach, Minho caressed the familiar toned muscles there as he sighed again, pressing closer to Chan’s back. They had only been trying to conceive for a year and they both knew going in that they might struggle, being a male omega and male beta couple, one of the least fertile pairings according to modern medical science. It wasn’t an impossible feat, just a very difficult one. Chan himself didn’t seem too worried yet, the older man assuring cheerfully with every one of his heats that they were getting closer; they had only been trying for less than a year. Regardless, Minho could still see with every menses following a heat that his mate looked heartbroken at the blood spotting his briefs before he fixed his face with a shaky smile and reassured next time. Minho had hope as they were both still young and healthy, but the longer their infertility went on, the more he felt like it might be his fault. His last appointment with a fertility expert, a few months after their bonding, hadn’t exactly been pleasant and Minho hesitated to return to them, but they might not have a choice. Male betas were known to have low fertility, if they weren't functionally sterile; it was an effect of their lack of an estrus cycle of any sort. Even beta women still ovulated, without a heat like their omega counterparts, and could conceive, just with less success.
Still, it was too early to fret and Chan would be upset if he knew how Minho was beating himself up over the topic. They shouldn't worry yet, they still had plenty of time, Minho reassured himself. With a final sigh and a deep inhale of his lover's scent, Minho finally drifted off to a dreamless sleep.