The day progresses smoothly thereafter. As a recently Claimed Omega, like all others, Baekhyun's wolf demands attention from his Alpha whether or not Baekhyun's human brain and body want it. That night Baekhyun finds himself awkwardly nudging into bed, trying not to displace the breath of space between the two wolves, only to be bear-hugged by Chanyeol and cocooned in an armada of limbs and blankets. Breathing in the fine musk of his mate and his wolf at peace, he's giddy and excited for what the next day has to bring.

What the next day has to offer is a massive moving truck and a whole day of streaming in and out of Baekhyun's parents' house, his now former residence, to pack boxes and move them across the city to Chanyeol's den. The Alpha makes the task more like playtime, never letting go of the Omega and constantly finding reasons to nuzzle him or tickle him or his claim mark. He never misses a chance to show of his strength for the smaller, relentless on carrying all the heavy packages. They talk - at least, Chanyeol does - but despite his shyness Baekhyun is encouraged to open up a little more. Perhaps it's seeing his old room steadily emptying before his eyes, memories of his parents' nurturing and homemaking that opens the gates. He talks like a storyteller, turning his memories into tales that Chanyeol eagery absorbs. After years of listening to pack elders rave about ancestors and pack legends he realizes how beautiful it is to be able to tell a story.

That day he learns as much about himself as Chanyeol does.

At some point they collapse onto Baekhyun's old cot, legs tangled, and look up at all the glow-in-the-dark stars taped to the ceiling.

"Those are from all my dance performances," Baekhyun explains as he bumps his forehead into Chanyeol's chest. "It's a tradition of my director - she always passes them out before a performance."

"You dance?" Chanyeol breathes against the hairs atop his head, tickling his scalp.

"A little..."

A little is an understatement. Baekhyun recounts days of fierce rehearsal and hours of soaking in the bathtub, trying to loosen hard-worked muscles.

The bath in his parents' house also raises new questions on the Alpha's tongue.

Chanyeol marvels over the bathroom, following Baekhyun's movements as he begins packing up his toiletries. "This bathroom is...luxurious. And that bathtub."

They both pause for a moment to wonder over the massive claw-footed porcelain tub, etched with flowers and vines, and trimmed in gold.

Baekhyun chuckles and turns back to his bag. "You may as well be looking at a temple. In the old days, Omegas took baths very seriously. It was a ritual. The bath is an important part of Omega culture; the art of cleansing oneself, of caring for one's body." He strides around the Alpha and picks up a silk robe - made by the Omegas in his father's pack - and sets to packing it. "Everything is meticulously managed, from the water temperature to the oils to the herbs used in the water."

Chanyeol simpers elfishly. "Like lavender?"

Baekhyun hums, falling into a perfect flirtatious head bow and lash-flutter. "Y-Yeah. Like lavender."

"Will you show me sometime? How you bathe?" Chanyeol continues.

The Omega blinks up at him for a moment.

"You want to...see how I bathe?"

Chanyeol steps up and drops his head onto Baekhyun's shoulder, the claim mark pressed beneath his nose. "Not in a weird way or anything."

"If that is your wish, then of course, love."

The day, followed by the rest of the week, comes and goes. Slowly but surely Baekhyun is becoming a local presence in the house: his toothbrush added to Chanyeol's by the sink, his shoes by the door, half-empty boxes still standing in the den. Their Honeymoon period binds their souls together in the way of a romantic saga. They nap together as humans, cuddle as wolves, watch movies, and never leave the house. The only outsider that visits is a legal mating magistrate that arrives clad in a business suit and promising hours of tedious law-work ("My name is Cho Hee-Wang, and I'm an agent with the Mating Affairs Bureau in the Seoul branch. It's my job to sort out all the government-standardized legalities that come with two werewolves joining together.").

He'd been called by Baekhyun's parents, who wanted to make sure that the newly mated pair got off to a good start at least on paper. They were adamant about it being done immediately so that no one could call their unification untrue. Baekhyun thinks they must have realized how big Chanyeol's fanbase is and panicked.

Baekhyun recounts the experience with an ache in his head: signing documents that state Chanyeol's house is his new official residence, documents that transfer Baekhyun's money to a joint account at Chanyeol's bank in partner with his finances, documents that transfer Baekhyun to Chanyeol's healthcare and insurance plans, signing an order that states he obeys the head of the household, signing this and signing that. But he had never realized all the freedoms that a mate would give him.

The magistrate had presented all sorts of forms that Chanyeol had signed, giving Baekhyun a slew of brand new freedoms: a passport, a license to purchase liquor, permission to apply for a driver's license. Just a few on the list of many. All were things he never would have been offered or allowed had he not had a mate. And then he had begun to worry over all the Omegas that never got a mate - it became clear that they'd never be able to leave the country, never apply for a high-paying job, never own property, etcetera.

Suddenly now the world is so much bigger.

Other than that Chanyeol doesn't get any calls from Junmyeon or the company. But there are days when Baekhyun catches the faint sounds of people outside the front gate, or chances upon a whiff of a young female - or two or three. He keeps away from his Instagram account for the rest of the week, completely unaware of the spread of his name across all social media platforms, his name in discussion on blog sites and public chats.

The one thing they don't do anytime during their Honeymoon period, unlike most pairs, is mate. And Baekhyun has no explanation for it.

But suddenly the week is over, and the evidence of that blares angrily at them in the form of Chanyeol's jarring ringtone going off at four thirty in the morning. Baekhyun shifts on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut and grappling for the warm covers that slide off of his body when the Alpha clambers over the mattress to answer his phone from the bedside. These January mornings are still stark dark at this time and Baekhyun's wolf grumbles notably within him to go back to sleep.

"Mgh. Hello?"

Baekhyun hears the mousy tone of Junmyeon's voice across the line, and then Chanyeol bites back,

"I know Junmyeon. God, calm down."

Baekhyun buries his head into his pillow as the conversation goes on, his body relaxing happily back into the bed. Chanyeol finally thanks and shushes the Beta on the phone and then flops back with a huff. It doesn't sound like he's going back to sleep anytime soon, and so Baekhyun sleepily rolls over and looks with half-lidded eyes across the span of the mattress.

"What was that?" he asks, his voice wispy at this time of the morning. He reaches over, limbs lazy, and scratches beneath Chanyeol's chin. The Alpha's neck immediately arches, his head tilting back. Much to Baekhyun's amusement he sees Chanyeol's foot flick where it sits above the covers as he scratches, and only stops when he stops. Chanyeol doesn't seem to notice.

"Work," he then groans. "Duty calls."

Baekhyun sighs into the pillows. "I have to work today too, if it's any solace."

Chanyeol frowns and turns his head, then worms his way across the bed and mimics Baekhyun's fetus position, their noses bumping. Chanyeol lets out a snort of delight and the smaller smiles. "I wish you could come with me to the studio," Chanyeol says. "What am I going to do without you the whole day?"

"Get some work done, maybe." Baekhyun suggests in a small voice.

"But what if I don't want to get anything done?"

Baekhyun giggles. "What are you, four?"

Chanyeol's mouth grows into a tired smile. "Heck yes. I'd love to be. If I was then I could go to your kindergarten. You'd be stuck with me the whole day."

"Oh dear," Baekhyun muses as his mate inches forward and bumps his head against the smaller's chest. He brings his hands up and runs them over the back of Chanyeol's skull, earning him a pleased whimper as the taller's eyes fall shut.

"I don't want to go to work."

"Your fans probably miss you."

"I know..."

"It's okay," Baekhyun mutters somewhere in between a yawn. "I'll be waiting when you get home."

He feels Chanyeol's hot breath fan against his clothed chest, warm like an extra heartbeat beside his left . "That sounds nice."

And then he feels the Alpha sniffing him, pressing his nose even closer to his sternum. After a moment the Alpha's eyes open bleary and dilated, his nose twitching.

Baekhyun only needs one guess to correctly assume that Chanyeol is picking up the underlying scent of his Heat in hibernation - it still bewilders him how keen Chanyeol's sense for that is. Baekhyun tells himself he needs to take another pill.

It seems the Alpha has made himself quite comfortable, nosing back into Baekhyun's chest, but the Omega knows Chanyeol will be late if they wait any longer. He nudges him away from his chest. "Chanyeol, please get up. You have to be at the main building at five thirty - isn't that what Junmyeon said?"

"Hmph."

"It's almost five now. You'll be late."

"Hmmmgh."

Baekhyun shifts out from under the covers and steps out into the cold morning chill that breathes through the room like a whisper of a ghost, all the while avoiding Chanyeol's hand trying to grab him back. "I'll make breakfast," he whispers.

Chanyeol's voice comes out like a childish whine. "Mmmhhhhhhdon't."

"Why not?"

"You make breakfast every morning, Baek. I'll do it today."

Baekhyun smiles as he pulls on a warm sweater over his sleep clothes and glances back at Chanyeol, splayed on the bed half-asleep. He chuckles and whispers, "Sure you will."

~

After a warm breakfast shared at the table, Chanyeol is gone for an hour before Baekhyun makes to leave the house with his shoulder bag full of the amenities he needs for his class. It feels odd and strangely wrong and empty without Chanyeol around, trying to find skinship in every second they're together. Although without the Alpha he doesn't feel as prone to blushing and fretting over everything, he doesn't feel quite the same calmness when he's home alone now versus how he felt before being Claimed. There's a ping of excitement in his chest when he pulls out a house key and locks the front door behind himself. With a nervous shake and another one of his internal pep talks, he leaves the gate.

~

The kindergarten schoolhouse is separate from the other nearest elementary school, yarded in the back and humbly small. A wash of familiar smells hits Baekhyun hard - the smell of children, mostly, their sweat and drool and all, antiseptics, and an indescribable homey aroma that can only be found in an area cultivated by the love of Omegas.

Ms. Lee gives Baekhyun an earful, going on about how Baekhyun absolutely has to introduce her to his mate, and he obliges hurriedly with a blush and embarrassed dip of his chin. She pesters him all day, begging him to tell her all about Chanyeol, but he can't find it in himself to tell her anything about it more than, "It's nice."

When the children see Baekhyun after arriving for the morning classes, every one lets out a squeal of glee or a happy gasp and runs to him. They hug his legs and he crouches to their heights, letting them touch his face or hold his hand and tell them how much they missed him. They crowd around him throughout the rest of his day, excited and bursting with energy, but they heed his every word. Ms. Lee watches him with an admiring smile.

"It's because you're Primitive," she'd explained when he'd first gotten the job. "You smell different than normal Omegas, and exude an air of protection and love. They gravitate to you because of it. They love you!"

Now as he sits at a miniature table that's barely two feet off the ground, supervising the children's drawing session, his mind wanders to faraway places. He observes the colored crayons scribbling and racing over paper and tries to remember what sort of things he drew as a child - probably something embarrassingly stereotypically Omega. Flowers or hearts or little cartoony figures.

A child holds up her picture to show him and he compliments her on it, encouraging her to keep going. She then asks him to draw with her and all the other children call for him to do so as well, so he scoots forward on his tiny stool and pulls out a crayon. The same little girl leans over the table and watches him draw every line and motion, then decides that she also wants to draw on his paper and starts adding to his shapes. She's an early bloomer and was born in wolf form, and Baekhyun can tell because her wolf tail is wagging behind her. She must still be learning to Change correctly. He smiles at the thought, and dreamily wonders what his and Chanyeol's pups would look like.

As soon as the thought crosses his mind he freezes.

He puts down his crayon, unnerved.

The idea is...all too real. He has a legal mate now - they could do it. Really do it. Have.... It's not like Baekhyun hasn't thought about it before, but for the longest time it was only a faraway dream. Having his own children? Seems scary. But exciting. At this point it is only one sensual night away from reality.

What would his children look like? Tall and pretty? Short and squishy? With Chanyeol's ears? And Baekhyun's nose?

And then a horrible thought crosses his mind and he feels terribly guilty for thinking it. What if Chanyeol doesn't want children? What if Baekhyun isn't ready for pups? What if they won't be successful?

"Teacher Byun!" the little girl squeaks and pokes at his cheek. He blinks out of his glaze and turns his wide eyes to her.

"Yes Iseul?" He gasps excitedly for her and lifts the piece of paper draping from her fingers. "What's this? Did you finish our drawing?"

She nods and says with wet droopy lips, pointing at the page, "This is what your face looks like when you blush!"

Her fingers are pinned to two patches of bright red scribbles on either side of a stick figure that bears little resemblance to Baekhyun. He immediately breaks out into a smile. "Me? Are you sure?" he teases. She giggles and nods.

"Yes!"

"You think I blush?"

"Yes!"

He makes a pouty face at her. "But I don't blush."

She stomps her feet in playful frustration. "Yes you do!"

Suddenly all the other cubs are interested, and they all chime in,

"Yeah! You do!"

"You get all red!"

"Like a tomato!"

Baekhyun laughs with them and they run to him and climb into his lap as if their cuteness will help them convince him of their case. The other teacher comes with a lightly scolding tone, telling them that it's not appropriate to cling to him so, but there are a few that will not relent and insist on sharing his lap as they continue their drawings. He accommodates them on his thighs, and when they're done with their works he helps them spell out their names in squiggly scrawl and hand them in.

They day goes by in a blur and a flash, and after spelling lessons and storytime, music and basic math, he watches the children pull on their tiny coats as they get ready to go out to awaiting parents. There's a little boy - who Baekhyun thinks will turn out to be an Omega one day - having trouble putting his arms through his sleeves, and Baekhyun can see from the classroom doorway that looks out onto the hall that his cheeks are reddening with the threat of an onslaught of frustrated tears. The Omega in him immediately seizes and he steps up to the boy, gently helping him out of his knotted jacket and guiding him back in it again. The boy's eyes droop quietly and with grave shyness, but when Baekhyun crouches down and helps him zip it up and fit his pudgy baby fingers into his mittens a small smile turns the corners of his lips up, and he suddenly throws himself at the older Omega and hugs his throat tightly.

"Awe, Hyunki," Baekhyun says as he hugs the little boy back. He's like Iseul, having trouble Changing, except he has tufty ears sticking up at the top of his head that tickle Baekhyun's nose. "I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."

He hears a little voice from behind him. "Can I have a hug too Teacher Byun?"

And that's how he ends up in a massive group hug surrounded by all the little pups who never seem to want to let go. Ms. Lee has to pry them off of Baekhyun and he hurries to throw his winter gear on before taking the hands of several children and guiding them outside where their parents' cars are waiting.

"Don't ever leave again!" Iseul cries. "Come home with me!"

"Oh Iseul, I can't do that. I have a home somewhere else."

"Are you sure you'll be here tomorrow?"

"I'm sure," he assures her with a smile. It's snowing lightly, little crystals of sheer white drizzle down from the gray clouded sky and sprinkle all over the children’s hats and jackets, their backpacks just as big as they are. Two little boys who look like future Alphas immediately drop to the ground and begin rolling in the snow, pouncing over each other. It takes a parental order from Baekhyun and his insistent, gentle hands leading them back to the stoop of the kindergarten building before they calm down. Parents come and go as they pick up their kids, and some of them smile at Baekhyun and welcome him back. Others don't smile at him, but rather pass him sour, wary looks that don't go unnoticed by him or Ms. Lee.

He realizes why quickly.

Hyunki's Omega father arrives shortly and approaches under the light snow to see his son, who's clenching vehemently to Baekhyun's hand. The taller crouches down again and holds his hand with a smile, little marshmallow digits wrapped in cloth and held by Baekhyun's ivory fingers. "Hey there, don't be sad," he says over the chatter of the few kids that are still left. "It's okay. You'll see me tomorrow."

But Hyunki just steps forward and leans into Baekhyun's body.

"But your papa is here," he continues gently, trying to soothe the boy. "You get to go home now - right? And you can have fun at home."

The pup shakes his head, his little ears bouncing.

"Come now, Hyunki," his father sighs. "Papa has places to be tonight."

But the child doesn't budge.

Baekhyun is prepared though - he pulls out of his pocket a little candy, a sort of sweet bacon jerky cube in a little wrapper. Hyunki's ears instantly point on end and he un-tucks his face from the Omega's shoulder, wide eyes trained on the candy. Baekhyun holds it out to him and makes sure to conceal it from the other children's view.

"I promise I'll be here tomorrow, but you can take this with you and know it's from me, so you don't miss me."

The boy takes it in his clunky mittens without a word and holds it dear and close to his heart, sniffing it. His ears twitch happily, his inner cub satisfied with such a treat.

"Okay?" Baekhyun says finally, holding the boy's elbow. Hyunki nods, abashedly kisses Baekhyun's cheek, and then treads quietly over to his father's side. Baekhyun then stands and greets the Omega there with a polite bow.

"I'm surprised to see you here," the parent mutters rather bitterly, sniffing the air.

Baekhyun adorns his face with a professional smile. "Why is that?"

"You have a new mate, don't you? That celebrity?"

A single thought of Chanyeol passes over him and his heart swells with warmth regardless of the biting cold fraying around them. His face heats and he nods. The man humphs.

"I saw the video of you getting claimed on the news. Everyone did. A bit promiscuous, don't you think?"

Baekhyun's head snaps up in alarm, his brows troubled. His mouth works but no words come out for a moment. "Pr - Promiscuous?" he gapes. He tries to find some form of defense against the Omega man's strong stare, but to retain his politeness. "S-Sir that's a very strong word. And - And I can assure you that our bond is sincere, there was no fault in it." He tries a smile. It's weak.

"Hm." He doesn't sound convinced. "I don't know about that. There is a lot of speculation."

Baekhyun doesn't know how or why he seems so involved in his mating affairs - but then again, isn't everyone? He shifts uncomfortably. "Um..."

"Everyone is talking about it. It's the newest rumor. I was listening to the radio earlier today and Park Chanyeol came on a talk show. The host asked him all sorts of questions about you, and said there are a lot of fans doubting that you made a true bond, that it was in the heat of the moment and Chanyeol isn't your true mate. If that's the case then..." His glare hardens, suspicious and wholly unnerving. His eyes go up and down Baekhyun's figure critically and completely condescending. "I'd say it would be a pretty poor influence on our children."

A shiver runs up the Omega's spine, shaken by the other's blatant, appalling accusation.

There are three things in the modern world that are the immediate doom for any Omega, all equally unpleasant:

The first is to be Claimed by a wolf that is not one's true soul mate. A False Claim. It's wrong to allow oneself to be Claimed by the wrong dominant, and to try to beg for favor in court and have the False Claim expired by law is nearly impossible and maddeningly slow, tedious, and expensive.

The second is to bear more than one Claim mark. To be Claimed falsely by more than one dominant is seen as the greatest possible transgression. More than one Claim mark is the sign of the most undesirable Omega, the lowliest Omega. More than one Claim is seen commonly on es and workers, the homeless, or the impoverished. Its greatest implication is that the Omega is a .

The third is for an Omega to be rejected by his or her mate. A Beta or Alpha has the right to file for an official rejection of their destined mate as long as there are grounds for it, but more often than not the reason is simply because the dominant is unsatisfied with the sight of their submissive. Of course an Omega can file for a rejection of their dominant, but those are always vetoed. After a rejection an Omega loses all social standing.

The massive bias against such things is so startling and so abhorrent to be laid underneath, especially when it is not true.

"Sir," Baekhyun chokes. There's resoluteness to his voice he hadn't expected to be there and it inspires him to keep going. "I do not subscribe to rumors, and my Alpha's career is unrelated to the state of our relationship. I - I can confirm that those rumors are completely untrue."

He sniffs. "We'll see about that."

And he takes the hand of Hyunki - who never takes his eyes off Baekhyun - and turns back towards his car. The little boy waves with his candy in his free hand, and then they're gone.

Baekhyun lets out a tense breath he didn't know he'd been holding and watches the car pull out of the small lot.

"That was completely uncalled for," he hears Ms. Lee bite from behind him, and turns to find her eyes where the car just disappeared. By now all of the children have been chaperoned away and they stand alone by the door, molested by the winter breeze. "Don't worry. Unless a serious issue arises, you will always have a job here and will always be a valued instructor. Besides, the children are completely in love with you. I'd die without you here to help me."

She offers him a kind smile and Baekhyun is grateful, but it doesn't displace the new chill in his chest.

It is then that the older lady frowns and looks over his shoulder. "Hm. Who's that?"

"Hm?" He turns and follows her line of sight and spots a lingering car in the lot just as it begins to pull out of its space - through the tinted windows are the distinct figures of multiple older teenage girls and their phones pressed by the window. They leave in a rush and Baekhyun turns back towards the building in a fluster.

"I...I don't think they're here for the kids."

"Who are they?"

He sighs, "We'll find out on Howler tomorrow."

~

Baekhyun welcomes the warmth of Chanyeol's home eagerly and sets to making dinner around five. He cooks furiously and with an expert hand, and organizes it on the table and sits at the ready. Suddenly, still and alone in the house, everything is quiet. The din of street is relatively mum, and there are no clocks for ticking in the kitchen. The essence of Chanyeol is still there in the house, but without him Baekhyun feels small and lonely again.

He starts to get nervous an hour later when Chanyeol hasn't arrived home yet, having already covered their plates to condense the heat. Alone and missing the loving presence that is currently on the other side of the city, Baekhyun is reminded of Yixing. Yixing, his best friend, the sweetest Beta man, who he walked out on and mortally wounded. Yixing has always liked Baekhyun and the Omega knows it, but it feels wrong when he thinks about setting up to introduce him to Chanyeol. Does the Beta know where he is? Is he worried? Baekhyun had run off from him without a word - he owes him an apology. And a call. And maybe a dinner to thank him for all he's done. He'll ask Chanyeol about it.

His phone looks like a grave where it lays on the table beside him, a hole that he does not want to fall into. An unpleasant grimness overcomes him, cold as death.

So he just sits. Restless. His gaze makes its way across the room to where his schoolbag sits on a kitchen stool where he had forgotten to put it away. He stands and approaches it, then reaches inside and pulls out a workbook he has to review for tomorrow's lessons, and when he parts the pages he finds the two letters marked To my future mate stashed where he left them. The Omega sits back at the table and he slips the envelopes from their places. The first one written when Chanyeol was thirteen is the one Baekhyun takes in his hands first. He runs his fingertips over the flap on the back, already partly torn where he had started opening it earlier. With a little wiggle of excitement in his chair he pries it open with as little tearing as he can manage. A tuft of dust rises from the paper and he lifts it to his nose to give it a little sniff - his wolfish senses pick up on the musty aged fibers, but also a hint of sandalwood and clementine.

The Omega takes the letter out of its resting place, and its obvious that a lot of care was put into the making of it - there are multiple crease marks where the paper was folded and refolded until it was finally in perfect thirds. Upon unfolding the sheet Baekhyun's eyes descend upon boyish words and little cartoonish smiley faces. A giggle bubbles up from his chest and his nose scrunches, heart chasing tail within him.

He reads:

Dear future mate,

Hi!!!!!

Yesterday I found out that I am an Alpha. I'm very exited ecsited excited - in case you don't know, my parents had a bet against my sister. My sister bet that I would be an Omega just because she thinks I'm weird and it would be even weirder if I was an Omega in our ULTRA-ALPHA FAMILY! (Baekhyun shakes his head, smiling, and sinks lower in his chair upon seeing the boy's writing) But my parents bet I would be an Alpha. Of course they won. My mom knows everything, like a fortune teller, so I'm sure they had already figured it out. Obviously they were right.

Anyway, I'm going to have a mate when I get older! I can't wait to meet you! You're probably really pretty and really awesome! Hopefully I won't be too tall next to you...I'm growing really fast. I may not recognize you at first though, so don't hate me if I don't catch on right away! I'll do my best! I'll protect you! I wonder if you're an Omega or a Beta...my mom says it wouldn't be so bad if you were an Alpha either. My parents are really nice, they don't judge anyone based on who they love, not like my teacher...I have a mean teacher...Mr. Yong...

Anyway~

I love you future mate!

Love you,

Chanyeol (13) xoxoxoxoxoxoxxxooooxoxooxo

Baekhyun coos and squeals, smushing the paper to his face to hide his grin. Child-Chanyeol is absolutely adorable. The Omega's imagination frolics through scenes of a budding wolf cub: a boy whose personality shone as bright as his cheeks and big as his ears, bigger than himself, bigger than life. A boy blooming with care and tenderness, such precious attributes for an Alpha to behold.

Baekhyun purses his smile back and religiously places the latter back in its envelope before taking the other one in hand.

To my future mate,

I hope you're having a good day today (Baekhyun glances to the door, longing). I want to let you know that the Chanyeol of the future will always love you, and that no matter what happens, he will always try his best. If you ever are unhappy with him, let him know right away. Tell him exactly how you feel, because it's never a good sensation when you feel like you haven't done a good job. But don't yell at him please. He's sensitive that way. He will love you and wants to be loved too.

Baekhyun grips the paper so tightly in his fists that it quakes. There’s less lively of a tone, an underlying anxiety woven between the letters that concerns the Omega.

Anyway, I'm not having the best day. It's been more than a month since I auditioned for SM Entertainment, and they haven't sent any word to me yet. My sister told me today that I probably didn't get in, and in the angriest words possible, told me that my dreams were a waste and I should give up on them. It's especially bad because everyone tells you how talented you are, how successful you'll be, how good things are going, and then they'll come out and tell you the truth: you . I hate that. I wish they'd tell you right away if you were going to fail.

Baekhyun understands. This is what Chanyeol's bad days look like.

I know it probably won't mean anything to you in the future...or to future me...since I'll probably be some sort of businessman, or maybe I'll just live in the woods as a wolf the rest of my life. But if that's the case, I want to tell you all about my dreams because I don't want to forget them, even if they failed.

I want to be a musician. More than a musician, actually. I can sing and I can play instruments already, so that must make me a musician, but it means so little if I can't share it with anyone. I want to be an idol - someone that is easily accessible to everyone, and someone that has access to those many wolves to share my stories and my words. I want to inspire someone, even if it’s just one person, I want to stand on a stage in front of thousands of wolves and feel that excitement and that passion. That would be a dream come true, to sign with a big-name company. Wouldn't have been amazing if I could have made a living through music? (You are, Baekhyun thinks. And you are so amazing.)

But even though I won't be an idol, I will always love music. So I'm writing you on this day to ask some favors of you, my future mate.

1. be honest with future PCY.

2. be kind to future PCY.

3. ask future PCY to share his music with you. If you ask him to play some music for you, I can guarantee it will make him happy. It will make his day. He cannot live without music, so if he tries to, give him some life. You will make him so, so happy. (PS: there's one song called Tenderly that he wrote. It's his favorite.)

I hope I won't ask too much of you, especially if you're deaf and can't hear music or something (if you really are deaf, then I'm so sorry I didn't mean to offend you!).

But anyway, today was just a bad day. I miss you. I want you right now. Why do I have to wait to find you? Maybe you'll appear tomorrow, maybe you're a new exchange student at my school and I can meet you tomorrow. That would take the pain away. But it's weird how you exist and I can't see you, but it's as if I can see and feel you, but not really? I confess...last night I had my first wet dream about you, and I don't even know who you are? I don't remember how it happened but it did. I woke up missing and wanting you more.

Now that that embarrassment is over...I want to erase that now...I shouldn't have written this in pen...

I love you, future mate. You're beautiful. You're awesome. And whatever happens, even if I end up in the gutter, I'm trying my best and I'm working hard to find a way to give you comfort and happiness.

But hopefully right now you're curled up on the couch in front of a fire reading this happily with me next to you. That's where I want to be right now...

Love your mate,

PCY (Park Chanyeol, 16)

Baekhyun watches the paper, waiting for more words to appear or perhaps for it to transform into Chanyeol himself. His wolf turns circles within him, itching for relief. The silence of the room balloons once there are no more words to read, and Baekhyun finds himself pressing his face against the paper once again. It's like Chanyeol is talking to him and Baekhyun can feel his mate's presence there through that paper. He's not curled up on the couch next to Chanyeol - he wishes he was - but this is the next best thing. Baekhyun wishes he could write back to Chanyeol of the past and have the letter delivered years ago from today, but that can't happen.

Baekhyun refolds the letter and puts it back, then settles back into his chair and closes his eyes, sensing his wolf. Feeling his own presence makes the night a little less lonely.

The food is getting cold.

He sits, he rests, he thinks about all he's just read.

Chanyeol, his tender mate.

The man who makes dreams come true.

Two hours later.

Three hours later.

Baekhyun dozes off.

I joined the bandwagon: come visit me on my twitter! I'll let everyone know about updates and delays for postings there, of course among other things :)

Much love,

BlahRikeau