XV

Irritated, Baekhyun threw his damp long coat over his desk. It had started snowing already, and he hated the cold. Chanyeol had had to leave with Kris to meet with a client first thing in the morning, and he had, of course, rejected his mate’s offer to drive him to the office before. He had had to walk to the bus station, and had gotten snow all over him.

Almost tripping over a box containing the decorations of the Christmas tree that Luhan and Sehun were setting up in their floor didn’t do much for his mood. He swore he was going to scream if he found glitter on his clothes.

His long face didn’t deter Kyungsoo, who was waiting for him at his desk with a cup of hot chocolate and a wide smile on his lips.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun grumbled, pressing his palms against the cup to warm them up.

“Kai and I have decided to try for a baby this year!” Kyungsoo announced happily.

Baekhyun looked up and regarded his friend for a long time. “Oh,” was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

With the cold came the season of the omegas’ heat. Baekhyun had never let his heat happen naturally, he preferred to get a couple shots to stop it completely. The shots were supposed to only be used in case of emergencies, because it would be damaging to their body to get them regularly, but Baekhyun didn’t care. He went to a new doctor every year since he was sixteen years old, and pretended it was the first time he was going to do it.

He was supposed to already have gotten the first one for this year. He had tried to sneak out very early in the morning, but Chanyeol had caught him, and, after interrogating him for half an hour, Baekhyun had told him the truth.

Chanyeol didn’t like it one bit.

So this year he was going to have to spend it with his mate, just like when he had been first claimed. They were going to use protection, but still, the closer it got, the more afraid and paranoid he became.

“Baek?” Kyungsoo said, trying to get his attention again.

“Sorry- I mean, that’s great!” he smiled, sanpping out of it. Unlike him, his friend had wanted pups since before he even met Kai. “Did you convince him?”

Kyungsoo shook his head, smiling again. “He was the one to talk about it, we-”

“Baekhyun, can you please come here for a second?” Suho interrupted, poking his head out of his office.

*

When Chanyeol arrived back to work, he found Baekhyun sitting in his chair, crying. The alpha dropped his bag on the floor and ran up to the brunet, who glanced at him, his cheeks stained with tears.

“What’s wrong?!” he asked, placing a hand gently on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“...It’s... Suho...” his mate murmured, averting his gaze.

Chanyeol felt his blood boil. “What? What did he do?”

“N-nothing, he... He...”

The alpha lifted Baekhyun’s head up and looked directly into his eyes. “What. Did. He. Do.”

“He was promoted,” the omega replied softly.

Chanyeol was confused. “So...?”

“He appointed me as the new manager, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun explained, his voice breaking at the end of the sentence. “Me! I can’t believe it yet... And my father said the whole board was fine with it! Do you know what that mea