Baekhyun feels the weights of sleepiness hanging over his shoulders where he lays draped over the hard, cold surface of the kitchen table. He knows then that he fell asleep waiting for Chanyeol to come home. The table is wet under his nose and mouth and his face feels sticky and droopy.

And then he feels a soft nudge at his shoulder, the caress of a large palm over his back, and the soft thrum of Chanyeol's baritone voice humming beside his ear. Chanyeol's scent invades his senses and his nose awakens, his eyes slipping open.

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol whispers. His hands are cold. He must have just come in from outside. Baekhyun makes a labored and unsuccessful attempt to respond to him.

It's when the Alpha presses his winter-chilled nose against the back of Baekhyun's neck that he sits up and blinks through his sleepy haze. A smile works its way across his lips and he blindly reaches out behind him for Chanyeol's body. He doesn't feel anything there for a moment and a whimper involuntarily gripes up his throat, but then there's a chuckle and his mate takes his hands in his own. Baekhyun pulls the taller's hand to his cheek, and canine-like he nuzzles it and it once.

"Baekhyun, I'm sorry to wake you. I was going to bring you to the bedroom." He speaks in a low hum, like the sound of waves washing up on shore or mellow thunder. It awakens the Omega's ears.

"Chanyeol...where were you?" he whispers back, voice coming out wimpier than he expected, and slumps back in his chair, trying fruitlessly to pry his own eyes open with his willpower. He does so eventually, and the expression on Chanyeol's face is b with regret. Seeing his face after a whole day without it has his heart deciding to beat just a little faster and happier. "I made dinner."

"Oh Baekhyun..." Chanyeol seats himself beside his Omega, still hand in hand, and a whoosh of cold air brushes off of him. Goosebumps run up the Omega's arms. "I - oh my god, I'm so sorry. I - I already ate. I ordered some ramen with Kris at the studio."

Baekhyun's heart sinks.

"I'm sorry. It's a habit." His eyes wander over the full platters. He looks tired, Baekhyun realizes, despite the smile. His hair is disheveled and he looks one blink-too-long away from falling asleep on his feet.

"If you're not hungry you don't have to eat..." Baekhyun tries to brush the matter off as he stands and takes the plates off of the table, but before he can get very far Chanyeol's hand lurches out and stops him, his firm grip speaking volumes and clearly not going to let the matter go.

"Wait, no. I want to eat."

"You can't possibly still be hungry," he replies.

"Please Baekhyun."

The Omega relents. "Okay...but let me heat it up for you."

"Let me - "

"No, it's okay."

When Baekhyun returns from the kitchen Chanyeol has got his head stooped onto his hand, eyes closed, hair ruffled. The Omega yawns as he sets the steaming plate back down, and he reaches out and gently tugs on Chanyeol's ear to let him know. The Alpha's eyes open blearily but they still seek out Baekhyun's own eyes, looking like a lost man at sea, but it's the both of them that are swimming in fatigue. The Omega sits under the sorrowful weight of Chanyeol's incapacitated gaze.

"Thank you," the Alpha then says with a cold sniffle of his rosy nose, sheepishly beginning his meal looking like a child who was reprimanded by a parent. Baekhyun doesn't pick up his utensils, he just watches Chanyeol eat for a few minutes before he asks,

"What took you so long?"

Now Chanyeol really looks like a guilty child. He puts his fork down and meets the Omega's eyes, an unspoken apology floating around in them.

"Work. It's easy to get caught up in it."

"Just work?"

Chanyeol winces, and says more to himself than to Baekhyun, "You sound really hurt..." As soon as the Omega tries to protest he groans and drops his face into his hands. "Nmmnh. I'm an ."

"N-No, you're not! Chanyeol, please don't beat yourself up over it. It's really no big deal..."

"How long have you been waiting?"

Baekhyun glances at his phone. "Not very long."

"You were asleep at the table."

"I sleep at the table all the time."

A modest smile finally breaks on the Alpha's face, and he threads his fingers in front of his lips, a brow raised. "Do you now?"

"I'll sleep at the table as many times as it takes before you come home."

Chanyeol's face alights with emotion, and Baekhyun can sense his wolf turning in him.

"I should've let you know how late I was going to be," he mutters. "I don't usually get back until later. But I tried to get home early because I..." His voice inadvertently jumps an octave and quiets to a whisper. "I really missed you." He shakes off his rueful expression and picks up his fork again - a moment later he clears his throat and nods in the direction of the neatly refolded letters on the edge of the table. "Looks like you've been doing some reading."

Baekhyun grins. "Perhaps."

"What...do they say?"

The Omega takes up the letters and folds them over between his fingers, a playful smile on his lips. "I'm not telling you. They're not addressed to you."

Chanyeol mock-scoffs. "That's not fair. Come on, what do they say?"

"Nothing concerning you, Alpha," he says, and they fall into a rhythmic silence for a while, their toes nudging under the table, and then Baekhyun says, "Chanyeol?"

The Alpha nods between chews. "Yes?"

"Do you think...you could show me some of your music projects? Sometime soon?"

The response is immediate - Chanyeol's scent floods the room and he snaps to attention, eyes glittering and wide. "Really?"

Baekhyun nods. Chanyeol hurries to finish chewing and swallows with a gulp, a smile breaking onto his lips after. "Yes! Oh, yes! I - Oh, I know which one to show you first! Oh - I – yes Baekhyun, I'd love to show you my stuff."

Baekhyun fingers the letters in his lap and giggles, "Wonderful."

The taller happily goes back to his meal and at this point both of his cold feet clasp around Baekhyun's toes, and purposefully begin wiggling and tickling his soles. Baekhyun leaps in his chair.

"What is it with you and tickling?"

Chanyeol snorts. "You're too cute when you get tickled. Didn't I tell you once that your giggles are my favorite thing in the world?"

Baekhyun eyes him over another yawn and stretch of his arms, vaguely recalling the night of the SMAs and the things they talked about then. The day they imprinted. "Mmph...what about you, Alpha? Are you ticklish?"

The Alpha gives a resolute shake of his head. "No. Not ticklish."

"Are you sure?"

Chanyeol chuckles, a yawn getting stuck in his throat as his eyes slip closed. "I - uh - aw - am."

"Am I allowed to test that?"

"Hmph. Not tonight." The idol sits staring for a moment, and Baekhyun turns his attention back to the letters under the table to divert the heat of Chanyeol's gaze, but not a moment later the Alpha sighs and slides his chair back. He opens up his arms and raises his brows. "Alright you, come here."

Baekhyun looks up at him, stilling, his eyes only moving back and forth as if unsure - and he is unsure. Chanyeol wants him to...sit on his lap?

Chanyeol sighs again. "You've got that petrified, fearful, am-I-doing-something-wrong face."

"Oh..."

"You make me nervous when you do that," the Alpha admits. "Makes me feel like I'm some sort of predator. Come sit - trust me."

Baekhyun rises from his chair, leaving behind his letters, and with a single nervous glance at Chanyeol, prepares to sit perpendicular over his two legs, but the taller stops him.

"Straddle me? I want to be able to see your face."

Baekhyun freezes.

"See! There's that petrified look again. I don't mean it in a weird way, I swear. Come sit...please?"

The Omega shakes his head, but easily readjusts their position and settles his legs across Chanyeol's firm, bony hips, their bodies slotting together neatly, but not too close - Baekhyun's Heat wouldn't be able to handle it. The perfect fitting of their bodies is a thrill, and not just for Baekhyun. Despite Chanyeol's seemingly calm and easy atmosphere, a shock of libido is sent into the air as Chanyeol takes a few deep, wavering breaths. Perhaps to distract himself he begins speaking.

"So you're shy, maybe a little uncomfortable with physical touch...?" Chanyeol eyes him as if expecting an answer. Baekhyun nods. "Are you just nodding because that's an easy answer or do you mean it?"

"I mean it."

"I know you were raised with traditional values - submit, comply, smile – but not in this house. You don't have to ask my permission to do normal things. You are allowed to do anything you want, especially here. You're your own identity."

"Well - my mother, she - "

"You're not your mother, and you're not obligated to be the wolf your mother wants you to be."

"But I am the wolf my mother has always wanted me to be." Baekhyun's smile loosens and carefully unravels. "Do you not...like me...?"

Chanyeol shakes his head fervently, a protest on his tongue. "I never said that. The point I'm trying to get to is that..." He takes a great breath, as if preparing a monologue. "You are no longer living with your parents. You don't have to conform to their rituals or rules or values or - anything." He starts waving his hands to convey his words then, and Baekhyun knows he's on a roll. "You don't have to watch what you say, or have your hair perfectly combed, or cook dinner every night. I want you to create your own identity. Not that you don't have an identity now, because you do - but what I want, out of this relationship for you, is for you to blossom. I want you to fulfill your every creative desire. You don't have to follow any rules - "

"Except we're not allowed to mate until we have my parents' consent..."

"Besides that. And we agreed to always be honest and tell the truth." Baekhyun nods. "But your parents - "

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun gently interrupts. His brows knit as he thinks. "I don't know how to explain in a totally understandable way to you. I know that nowadays wolves think that the only packs that still exist are cults or the military." He gives a little roll of his eyes. His fingers trace the metal ridges of the zipper down Chanyeol's hoodie. "But I'm part of a pack. By mating me you are part of my family's pack. And I don't mean we're just a big family - I mean the Lycans that live out in the woods are certified and docmented by government standards. You and I are still part of their traditionalistic, family-oriented pack, regardless of whether or not we're living in the woods or in Seoul. My father always says that we're "holding down the fort in the city". But they have rules. It's not just my mother. As long as we are under Head Alpha's dictation I am subject to the pack laws and dynamics."

He looks up to make sure Chanyeol is still following along, and finds Chanyeol staring blankly at him. The Omega lifts his hands and fingers Chanyeol's chin to draw his full attention back. After a moment the Alpha yawns again and shakes his head. "I never thought I'd hear these words for real. I feel like I'm in a historical drama or something."

"Chanyeol."

"Sorry."

"And I've already broken these rules." He lifts his brows, wishing his mate would understand. "Inadvertently. You Claiming me was...er, not part of the plan."

Chanyeol scowls, but helplessly croons when Baekhyun the underside of his chin. "What plan is that?"

"Er, traditionally I was supposed to find a mate within the pack, to make up for my father mating an Omega from the outside."

As Baekhyun speaks he can see and sense Chanyeol's glower growing, clearly displeased by the topic of Baekhyun having a different mate. "You did mention something about this before..."

"Anyway," the Omega says pointedly. "There's a difference between my mother's conservatism and my pack's tradition, but either way I'm still subject to their rules of mating - "

Chanyeol groans. "But you're mated to me, not to your pack."

"I am mated to the pack!" Baekhyun insists. “And there are rules!”

"So...you're subject to the rules of the Head Alpha, right?"

Baekhyun nods.

"So what if I became the Head Alpha of your pack?" says Chanyeol, a triumphant grin on his face. Baekhyun lets out an exaggerated guffaw.

"Don't fool yourself. That's just the romantic fantasy of modern Alphas!"

"But I'm not just any modern Alpha - I have access to a pack that I can become the Head Alpha of. I don’t need to make up a cult in order to be a Head Alpha like the creeps you see online."

"You don't just become the Head Alpha of a pack, Chanyeol." Baekhyun glowers rather fiercely, throwing Chanyeol slightly off kilter. He blinks.

"Well...how do you become Head Alpha?"

Baekhyun sits up, wiggling a little, and lifts his hands, his mouth parting in the most purposeful, professional manner. "Well," he starts. "The foremost quality of a Head Alpha is loyalty - the pack must be able to trust the Head Alpha faultlessly. Then the Head Alpha must be smart, not a genius, but politically learned. He or she must have a sense of tradition, and priority, and must be a good hunter, capable strategist, and must be well-liked by the whole pack - "

"But there have been great Head Alphas in history who were hated by their packs, right? Like uh...Jiyong the Great."

Baekhyun frowns at him. "Those Alphas were conquerors. They're not true leaders if they have to force others to obey them, especially by way of fear."

"My bad. Carry on."

"Head Alphas must be decorated hunters, because they have to prove that they can provide food for the pack. And, though it should seem obvious, they have to be strong. Physically and emotionally. If there is a threat they need to be able to fight and keep their head on straight in the mean time. Tradition is critical to pack life - if an Alpha doesn't know the stories, can't perform the dances, or honor pack hierarchy, then he or she probably won't become Head Alpha."

Chanyeol, blinking tiredly, looks up into Baekhyun's shockingly intelligent eyes. "But how does pack life evolve if leaders aren't allowed to change things up? Are you saying that if I became Head Alpha of your pack, theoretically, I couldn't just tell dominants to do their own laundry? Or I couldn't tell Omegas to stop bowing their heads?"

Baekhyun thinks for a moment, pondering his words, then says, "I suppose you could, as long as you were well liked, trustworthy, and culturally sound."

The Alpha grunts and shifts his legs, bringing Baekhyun closer. The Omega tries not to let himself flush, but he does anyway. "Well anyway, that was a very enlightening conversation...But let me get back to my main topic - I get that you've got rules and traditions to follow. I understand that better now." He leans forward and grasps Baekhyun's arms, tilting his head forward and to the side to reach Baekhyun's downturned gaze and forcing him to meet eyes. "But - in this house at least, we only have one rule: to be honest. I want you to feel free. If you - " He flaps his arms. " - want to go back to school, and become a flight attendant or a pharmacist, or a chiropractor, now's your chance. I've got money to pay for it, and you already have a bunch of credits for something, don't you?"

Baekhyun nods. "Physics, biology, anatomy, pharmacology..."

"See? Now is a perfect time to start putting yourself out there, because I want to be someone in your life now that lets you run wild, blow your top, have new experiences."

Baekhyun can't help but snicker. "Me? Run wild?" He purses his lips and forces himself to keep his hips still from squirming, and says, "But your fans, they're going to judge me for whatever I do. It’s best to be consistent, I'm sure of it - "

Chanyeol shakes his head. "Baekhyun, someone is always going to be judging you. You can't help that."

Baekhyun closes his eyes and presses the heel of a palm to his eye with an unexpectedly defeated and despairing sigh. Chanyeol frowns.

"Oh. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say." Baekhyun groans in response, running his other hand through his hair, and he's left to lament as Chanyeol speaks. "Don't worry about the fans. I can talk to them, and communicate with them. I won't let them hurt you - I'm sure they'll grow to love you. Don't let them get to you."

Baekhyun removes his hands from his face and looks down at the Alpha. "Chanyeol - this whole thing has turned my life around. I knew that a mate would..." He straightens, mouth working but no sound coming out, fishing for the right words. "But..."

"But?"

"But your fans are making it...er, difficult to adjust."

"Why, love?"

Baekhyun takes a shaky breath and says in a whisper, as if afraid someone is listening in, "Because they're a constant presence and I feel like it's a presence that hates me."

"Baekhyun please - "

"It's okay."

"It's not okay."

The Omega shrugs off the topic, desperate to avoid the inevitable conversation they're going to have in-depth one day. He in a breath and when he releases it, a wave of intentionally distracting pheromones exhale through his pores with it, stirring Chanyeol's attention. "Weren't we discussing how you were going to turn me into a wild Omega?"

The Alpha stares at him with tired, baggy, but wide eyes, wolf's ears piqued, and then he blubbers, "Uh - Um - I - Yes! See, I grew up free range without a single reservation in my family. In that way you and I cataclysmically different. You and I - we're different." Chanyeol slots their fingers together, and the electric threads of their bond pull taut and wind around them, knotting around their interlocked fingers. Baekhyun's wolf whimpers. Chanyeol yawns past a few attempts at speaking, his eyes no longer focused on Baekhyun's eyes but on their hands. His tone is weary and conversationally abashed. "My - Well - The universe doesn't arrange mates according to what a wolf wants or deserves. You don't get mated to the instantly perfect one. Well...some might I guess. But it's more like...the universe picks out your mate based on how you as a soul need to grow. If a wolf needs to learn humbleness, he will be paired with someone who can teach him that. If a wolf needs to experience loss, or anger, or freedom, anything really, that will push you to be a stronger person...the universe will match the wolves accordingly, even though it may be difficult. Conflict forces us to grow. Because ultimately in life, although we strive to be happy, our utmost goal as living creatures is to grow and learn."

He looks up finally, and his thoughtful face turns into a pleased one. "I don't know if that's actually true or anything. But that's what everyone in our family says."

Baekhyun, his mind reeling, gazes into Chanyeol's eyes. His palms begin to sweat where they're pressed to the Alpha's and their bond tugs even harder, the strings vibrating as if plucked by the melisma of Chanyeol's ultimatum. His mate frowns into Baekhyun's apparent silence.

"I guess it didn't make much sense. It's just an idea - "

"No," Baekhyun says softly, and their bond pulls him closer until he drops his head onto Chanyeol's shoulder. "It's a beautiful idea. I like it."

Chanyeol chuckles and undoes their wound up fingers, instead wrapping his arms around his mate and holding him, feeling his energy, his wolf. "Sweet. It would explain Jongin and Kyungsoo's relationship a little more - the anti-Omega and the ultra-traditional Alpha. I can't imagine all the things Jongin goes through, and Kyungsoo too."

Baekhyun absently sighs and nods, not really listening at this point though he’s trying. He already feels himself dozing off on the warm shelf of Chanyeol's shoulder, slumping against his Alpha's firm figure, kept warm by the inferno arms enveloping him. Moments pass in silence and Baekhyun feels his mate's body tense beneath him with another yawn.

"Hey love," Chanyeol mumbles in his ear. "You ready for bed?"

Baekhyun sighs into Chanyeol's hoodie. "After you. I'll follow you. To bed."

Hot lips fall on his clothed shoulder. "Mmh. No, after you."

"Chanyeol."

"Baekhyun."

"I want to do this for you. I'll clean up," he says, but is still in the process of trying to budge his already sleeping wolf half within him. The comfort he takes in Chanyeol's presence is incredibly soothing and completely necessary after his taxing day with the children at school, and particularly with Hyunki's father. Baekhyun is belatedly reminded to ask Chanyeol about his talk shows.

"No. You made dinner and fell asleep at the table. Don't you want to bathe? It must have been a long day, you smell like - " He sticks his nose into Baekhyun's ear and the Omega blushes, squirming away. " - antiseptics and little babies."

"Bathing takes too long. I'll - " Another yawn. "I'll do it tomorrow. Just...will you be home tomorrow? On time?"

Baekhyun isn't sure when he petered out and fell asleep, but it was probably right at that moment. He vaguely remembers Chanyeol tucking him into bed with a kiss to his forehead before falling into deep, well-earned slumber.

~

The next night Baekhyun ends up at the table wrapped in one of Chanyeol's blankets, fast asleep as he waits for the return of the Alpha. Chanyeol had forgotten to call. He arrives home at midnight, eyes stale and sore, and finds dinner cold and still waiting on the table. Baekhyun wakes momentarily to the caress of bed sheets swallowing him up, Chanyeol's hands tucking him in even though they move as if they're pushing against molasses; tired and weary.

When Baekhyun tries to get back up half-unconscious to insist on heating dinner up, Chanyeol leans down and presses his warm, heavy body to Baekhyun's, emitting such a lovely languorous scent that the Omega falls boneless back into the pillows.

~

Chanyeol arriving home at late hours and leaving the food cold on the table becomes an unwelcome trend for the week. Baekhyun sleeps half draped over the table until Chanyeol comes home and moves him to the bedroom, but by the end of the week Baekhyun has made a place on the couch where he retreats to while he waits for his mate to return.

Surely this is not what he had expected when he had taken a mate - spending most hours alone, grading pups’ homework assignments and fending off phone calls from his mother.

"We absolutely cannot find any flights back any time soon!" Baekhyun's mother cried over the phone one evening as he put scented stickers on corrected papers. "Can you imagine people are travelling this time of year? And the snow has shut down just about all of the airports here in the United States - it's ghastly."

"Don't stress over it, mother," Baekhyun says, only half-listening to his mother speak. It's another late night and though he hasn't eaten all day he refuses to do so without his mate - another rule his mother had taught him. His stomach grumbles. "Everything will happen in time."

"And you haven't mated yet?"

"N-No mother." He shuffles a pile of student transcript papers together.

"Do you two spend any time together? Your mate, he seems to be everywhere! I heard him on the radio a few days ago, and saw him on TV yesterday - and I think he must be on TV again tonight."

Baekhyun sighs into his phone. "How would you know? Are you keeping tabs on my mate through his schedules?"

"You're not?"

That shuts Baekhyun up, and he stops where he is in the midst of filing transcripts back into his schoolbag. Guilt settles over him, and so does worry.

Am I not being a good mate? Am I slacking? Am I not being responsible enough?

Before he knows what he’s saying - which is uncharacteristic of him and he and his mother both know it – he’s making excuses.

"Work has been...consuming. There's a lot to be done, and I'm - I'm reviewing transcripts now. The pups really love me, and Ms. Lee has been scheduling me for more hours..."

There is sickened sigh and his mother mutters, "This is exactly why I didn't want you to work. Your father is now seeing my side of things - he doesn't think you should work anymore either."

Baekhyun remains faithfully silent, eyes downturned, pen still on the paper beneath his hand. He runs his lips through his teeth and neither of them say anything. Over the line Baekhyun can hear the muffled echo of his father's jazz music playing in the background, and the silence between him and his mother thickens with tension with each passing beat. He finally speaks and says slowly, "What does baba think? Of Chanyeol?"

His mother hesitates. "Well...your father..."

"He doesn't like Chanyeol, does he?" says Baekhyun.

"That's not it, child, he's just...unimpressed."

That sounds about right - Baekhyun's father is difficult to impress, though the Omega has succeeded in honoring his family and father throughout his years, constantly and impossibly pleasing him and bringing him pride, whether it be through his dance, art, or mannerisms. His father is a man of arts, and is rather tender for an Alpha (much like Chanyeol, Baekhyun thinks ironically), but his idea of art is secular and extremely specified. But Chanyeol is different, exactly the kind of Alpha that wouldn't make Baekhyun's father proud. Despite himself he suddenly whimpers childishly, "Mother he hasn't even met him yet!"

"That's why we're trying to get home, baby. We can talk this all out when we get back, and I'm sure your father will have second thoughts when he actually meets your Alpha."

Baekhyun isn't so sure of that, but he concedes.

"But I think that it would be a good idea for you to keep tabs on what your mate does."

"What you read on the internet isn't always true, though, mother..."

"Still, though. I read a few articles today, and he does say all the right things. I encourage you to read about what he’s doing out there. Such a beautiful man, I must say, and he’s got a nice voice."

Baekhyun has only been tentatively aware of media outlets for the past week and a half. There are only so many headlines he can take in a day.

January 15, 2015 PupPop.com 10:30 am

"I've never been more happy in my life" Rapper Idol Park Chanyeol On His New Mate During Talk Radio by blah rikeau

January 16, 2015 AllkpopNews.com 7:00 am

P.C.Y. FANS SPECULATE FALSE MATE CLAIM by BlahRikeau posted just now

January 17, 2015 howler.com 11:12 pm

#1 Trending Post: "Confirmed: P.C.Y.'s omega is a kindergarten teacher. [view 4 photo attachments]" tags: #this is actually really cute guys #what's his name again #naehyun? #i just looked it up it's baekhyun #oh yeah baekhyun #baekhyun is kinda cute #i'm living for this concept #as long as he and chanyeol don't have any pups #then i'm cool #pcy #chanyeol by blahrikeau 1 day ago

17k reposts. 26k likes.

Most of them don't mention him by name - and sure enough, pictures of him holding hands with the little pups outside his workplace have appeared all over the internet the last few days.

After saying his goodbyes to his mother and hanging up on the phone he puts away his work and slumps into the living room where the TV is. He inadvertently gets stuck on the news channel and can't find the willpower to change it.

January 17, 2015 YTN News on channel 9

TRENDING STORIES with Kim Sung-In

Fans Anxiously Await For Another Appearance Of P.C.Y.'s Mate

Baekhyun stares at the screen, not hearing what the news lady is really saying, because the minute he tunes in to her voice all he can hear is the way she discusses him as if he's some sort of mysterious identity, and for a moment he can't stand it. Flushing, his Omega hormones freaking, he fumbles for the remote and switches the TV off, slumping back into the pillows.

His mother's words forge through his head. "I think that it would be a good idea for you to keep tabs on what your mate does."

Baekhyun doesn't feel like doing so now. Chanyeol's presence is everywhere around him, and yet nowhere to be found. He would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit frustrated - he knows his Alpha has work to do, a career to address, and places to be, but Baekhyun can't help but feel the slightest bit neglected, wilting at home while he waits for Chanyeol. He can't help that Omegas feed off of praise and affection, it's something that's written into his bones, and despite the loving atmosphere surrounding him when he enters Chanyeol's house, or the homey feeling he gets when he stands in Chanyeol's wardrobe, filled with his clothes and scents, he admits he's feeling malnourished.

He shakes his head and stands, sickening with this negative feeling within him, and decides to take a bath. It's the only thing that will calm him these days long enough to stop missing Chanyeol so much.

-slight ual content, read responsibly-

He makes his way to the master bathroom and turns on the faucet to the tub, turning away from the water tumbling into the bath and finding himself staring into an array of full-length mirrors. Baekhyun stands still, met with an equally still reflection of tired, droopy eyes, pale easy skin, and a set of bones that carry little at the shoulders and plenty at the hips and thighs. His hair has fallen into loose disarray by now, and spreads over his forehead.

It takes only a moment to strip himself of his shirt, his pants, his underwear and socks, and then he finds himself looking back in the mirror.

It's hard not to look away. Baekhyun doesn't look at himself like this ever, in such bright light and in such stark . Maybe he's trying to find what Chanyeol likes about him in the things Chanyeol hasn't seen. He looks over his neck, over the claim mark that paints his shoulder pink and pale, scarred white. The Omega lifts his hand, reaching across his body and running curious fingertips over its lumpy surface, and a tremble streams down his body, collecting at his groin. He raises his other hand and runs his fingers over his collarbones, the long dip of their shadow, and skims his hands down soft skin further. An unexpected flush comes to his cheeks, but he pursues and his fingers tickle down his chest and land on his s. Baekhyun's breath hitches immediately and he shivers, eyes glued to the mirror where he watches each turn an immediate cherry pink pinched between two fingers. On his chest the tender skin begins to burn - partly in pain, but they simmer under the stimulation as he twists them between his fingers and pulls.

More heat races between Baekhyun's legs and he lets go with a gasp, unprepared for how bothered he feels. He sees himself blush in the mirror, and when he glances down at his chest he sees the two little nubs slightly swollen - but they aren't the only ones perking up under his touch.

Baekhyun's eyes his hips in his reflection - carefully molded to a delicious curve. He brushes his fingertips up and down over his stomach and abdomen, giving himself goosebumps and sending a chill cooling down the fire that has awoken under his skin. His hands settle on his waist and trace the line of his pelvis and hipbones downward.

Baekhyun hands, and his eyes in the mirror, find purchase on his heated member.

He's aroused, and Baekhyun knows it's also in part due to his unaddressed Heat that he's been suppressing. He doesn't think about that. His knees give a quake, and Baekhyun thoughtlessly and slowly lowers himself to the ground, sitting where he stood in the mirror. There's a prickle in his gums, and then he feels the poke of his wolf's canine teeth against his lower lip. He gives himself tentative , watching himself flush and swell in the cocoon of his ample thighs. Shivering, he takes himself in hand gently, wrapping his cold fingers around hot flesh and tentatively giving a few pumps. Though he's almost appalled by watching in the mirror what he never has before, the Omega finds himself oddly entranced. It's strange being able to visually see what he's only ever felt in his touch before, and considers this an intimate personal helping.

And then Chanyeol comes to his mind.

His Heat rages in response without warning, firing up in his gut and threatening to throw him over the edge. Baekhyun lets go of himself and with a great breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, clamors up and spins away from the mirror. I don’t want to do this now, he thinks, trying to rationalize the wolf inside him and push it down. The canine teeth shrink back, and he runs his hands through his hair, shivering and rather embarrassed with himself.

Baekhyun sits on the edge of the tub, blatantly ignoring the tension between his legs, and he dips his hand into the water and adjusts the corkscrew handles according to temperature to touch.

Half an hour later he sits in the small pool, honey-scented soap lathered all over his body, listening to every tinkle of each drop that slides down to his elbows and drips back to the waters' surface. The Omega cups handfuls of bathwater into his palm and drizzles it over his soapy skin, rinsing it away. An array of antique glass bottles passed from generation to generation sits on the ledge against the wall and inside them are various colored oils and liquids, which he uses in turn according to habit. Baekhyun feels himself falling into a meditative state, his breath lowering as he picks up the first bottle and pours a pale yellow liquid into his palm. He corks the bottle, puts it back, and then sits up - his movements are so sleek, so easy that he barely makes a ripple on the surface of the water. He begins to lather it expertly over his arms, spreading it over his skin in perfect even amounts. The liquid is cooling and the Omega sighs, herbal aromas filling the air. Baekhyun presses the oil down his chest and over his shoulders, slowly, languidly, not having to think about what he's doing at all.

As expected the water soothes his body and cools him down even though the tub is so hot it steams, each scent chosen to placate his wolf inside and bring harmony between his human and animal selves. At his toes a premade pouch of herbs floats along the bottom of the tub, coloring the water a rosy pink hue.

Baekhyun clears his mind as he waters himself down, watching thin rivulets of water trickle along his limbs. His claim mark hums every time his fingers brush over it, always bringing him back to the one he loves. He then uses another oil to wash over his hands, rub over and under his nails. At that point he then dips his head under. The water collapses over his face, running its gentle hands through every strand of hair, kissing every millimeter of skin, holding him. For a moment the whole world dims to a soft hum.

Baekhyun comes up from under the water's surface, pushing his bangs out of his face and stray droplets of water off his lips. He massages another homemade remedy into his scalp, arms above his head, eyes leisurely closed, his skin glistening. After a while he reaches to the edge of the tub and picks up an impossibly thin-toothed comb, drawing it through his mane of hair and letting it reach the itches on his scalp that he couldn't scratch.

He dips his hair under, combs through it again with a dallop of moisturizing oil that smells like lavender.

Then, all according to plan, Baekhyun climbs out and wraps a spare robe around himself, humming as another smoothing lotion goes over his skin and settles into a glossy film over the next ten minutes, allowing the water to cool to the right temperature before he disrobes himself and steps back in, sinking into lukewarm water. With a wet cloth he gently rubs the film off of himself, exfoliating his every inch of skin and feeling renewed again. His body glows, his muscles are soft, and though Baekhyun knows that he doesn't have anything else to do in the bath, he doesn't move to get out. He sits in silence and pulls his knees up to his chest and drops his cheek into the crevice between them.

Baekhyun misses Chanyeol. He misses the simplicity of life before mating a superstar - not that he wouldn't have Chanyeol claim him again, and again, and again if he could go back in time. Baekhyun wouldn't trade Chanyeol for anything. When he's with his mate he can't be any happier, but dealing with the rest of the world outside of their shared home is nightmarish in a way he never considered before. The only safe place Baekhyun feels he has, without judgement, without worry, without strangers haunting him through social media, without commercialism or hierarchy laws, is here. In the bathtub.

Baekhyun misses Chanyeol.

Eventually he gets out, at the moment right before his fingers start to prune and wrinkle. Baekhyun towels himself down and lifts the red silk robe made specially and given to him by his father's side of the family, and when he slips it on the fabric feels like an endless kiss across his entire expanse of skin. He sits on the edge of the tub again and combs his hair out once more, and rubs one more lotion into his skin to be left to absorb. As he does so Baekhyun massages his thighs, pressing expert fingers into bands of muscle that have been unusually tense lately - he wonders if it's from crouching down to see the pups at the kindergarten eye-to-eye all day.

But as his hands move up and down the taut, soft skin of his upper legs he doesn't fail to notice that his arousal hasn't really gone away. Baekhyun sighs and stops long enough to pinch the bridge of his nose, beyond frustrated with his impending Heat and the unintended libido that comes with it. He looks down, exasperated, and finds his pink member still unwarrantedly interested.

Despite himself and the bath he just took, Baekhyun gives in, reaching down and wasting no time working himself up to a point, his heavy and hard breaths echoing through the bathroom, his toes curling on the tile floor, thighs tensing. Then he tips, a furious shiver wracking through him as he comes into his hands.

Baekhyun pants under his breath, his body splayed under the open folds of the robe. He sighs again - he's always felt a little embarrassed ing, though he isn't sure why. He remembers having the talk with his mother and the other Omegas in his father's pack a few years ago, but he always feels like he's probably doing something wrong anyway. Is there a right and wrong way to ? He doesn't know.

As an afterthought Baekhyun reaches between his thighs and sits up a bit, carefully touching a fingertip down there to make sure his Heat isn't trying to slick him up. He pulls it back just barely wetted.

"Not today," he hisses as he stands and strides to the sink to wash his hands, then opens the drawer beneath the vanity and digs around to the very back of it, behind his toothbrush and makeup and things. He doesn't keep his pills and medication with Chanyeol's, and when he feels the little orange bottle rolling around in the back of the drawer he gasps with relief.

He pops a pill, caps the bottle, and puts it back.

Baekhyun cleans the rest of himself up and sits back on the tub's edge to clip his toe nails.

And that was the short bath routine.

Baekhyun is sitting quietly, tending to each snip snap of the nail cutter when he hears the front door slamming closed. His wolf's ears perk up and Baekhyun lifts his head, staring at the bathroom door in patient expectation. He hears muffled speech from elsewhere in the house and a moment later Chanyeol's heavy footsteps are coming through the bedroom. Baekhyun knows Chanyeol can smell him - a bath is as fragrant as a field of flowers. A soft knock comes at the door and Baekhyun's heart thumps happily, wolf tail wagging.

"Baekhyun? Are you decent? May I come in?"

The Omega can't help but smile at the sound of Chanyeol's voice, and he hurries to tie the silk fabric closed over his chest and tuck it over and between his legs to cover everything, one foot still perched on the edge of the tub beneath him to be trimmed.

"Come in," he says.

The door cracks open and Chanyeol peeks inside. He carries with him the smell of the city streets, and the scents of other wolves - Kris' scent, Jongdae's scent. "Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun's wolf croons and Chanyeol's wolf must sense it, because he doesn't need any prompting to step inside and close the door behind him. He chuckles, looking up and around the bathroom. "Hm. Steamy." He immediately pulls out the stool beside the sink and sits directly in front of the Omega with a grunt and a smile. Baekhyun looks back at him, unable to help the flirty tilt of his head. It feels natural in front of Chanyeol.

The Alpha his lips and Baekhyun fights to keep a straight face. After a beat of silence Chanyeol asks,

"Do you always look like this right after a bath?"

"I think so," Baekhyun replies softly.

Chanyeol's lips part and Baekhyun watches, a little embarrassed and a little smug - much to his own horror - as the Alpha's eyes move to his collarbones and claim mark, to his waist and thighs, lingering on his hips. Baekhyun keeps still, the remaining serenity of the bath giving him enough sprite to indulge Chanyeol a little bit. At first his mate tries to hide his admiring eyes, but once he realizes Baekhyun isn't trying to cover his wide milky thighs or turn away, he looks unabashedly.

It takes a while but Chayeol eventually looks back up into Baekhyun's eyes, blushing hard to the Omega's amusement, and he says most ungracefully,

"You look really great in that robe."

Baekhyun smiles. "I'm glad you like it."

Chanyeol is quiet as Baekhyun continues cutting his nails, but the smile never leaves the Omega's face. Everything about himself feels as if it has come alive in Chanyeol's presence. When the Alpha speaks he listens, continues t.

"I can't take it anymore. I'm taking you to work with me tomorrow."

At this Baekhyun looks up for a moment, but the Alpha seems to be on a rampage. "I tried to get home early. I told them – “I have to get home, Baekhyun is waiting for me, you've kept me late all week, it's Friday, I just want to get home” - and they were all – “yeah, okay Chanyeol, just come here and listen to this demo quick” - and then I'm there for another three hours! It's ridiculous." Chanyeol huffs and rubs his face with his hands. "It's Kris. I think he's upset with me after I snapped at him that one time, at the SMAs, when he was looking at you. Damn. You know, he shouldn't have been looking at you in the first place. Honestly."

Baekhyun sits still and lets the Alpha vent his frustrations, and after a moment the Omega whispers,

"Did you two have an argument?"

"Not really. He was just in a rancid mood today. He might just be getting into his Rut now..." He drops his hands. "I'm sorry I'm late again. But it won't happen again - tomorrow is Saturday and you don't have to work, right?"

"Right," says Baekhyun.

"I just can't take it anymore; being apart from you, seeing that look on your face when I come home, as if you miss me but also pity me but also are frustrated with me - tomorrow is Saturday, you don't work, I don't have any shows to attend, and I've left you alone every night this week," says Chanyeol, his tone ringing with finality.

Baekhyun stays quiet and a comfortable silence fills the room - he reminds himself meditatively to think of good things, stirring positive pheromones that ease the Alpha. The silence now is cleansing, as free as the glow of Baekhyun’s skin or the eager fluffiness of his drying hair.

"Everyone wants to meet you," Chanyeol says eventually. "And Jongdae has been asking about you. Everyone has. You're all anyone talks about."

Baekhyun levels out an uneasy chuckle. "Are you sure you want me at your workplace? I'm a distraction, aren't I?"

"They all smell you on me," the Alpha insists. "Some are even asking if you're pregnant yet."

His words process in Baekhyun's mind immediately, and he freezes. His brows furrow.

"They...What?"

Chanyeol opens his mouth to respond, but he must smell Baekhyun's distress, because he closes it again and seeks out Baekhyun's eyes. "Yeah. I'm sure you know that most mated pairs e early."

"Well...yes..." Obviously he and Chanyeol hadn't done so. "What do you tell them?"

Chanyeol shrugs. "Mostly I say it's none of their business."

Baekhyun turns his gaze away, and after a suddenly uncomfortable moment he stands and leans over the tub, holding up his silk sleeve as he reaches down into the chilling water, grabs the herbal pouch, and pulls out the bath plug. He turns around and finds Chanyeol blushing again.

"Sorry. I was...admiring your ."

Baekhyun doesn't know if Chanyeol is trying to make him laugh in lieu of his previous comments, but it causes him to throw a hand over his mouth as he holds back a laugh, hiding the curve of his smile. Chanyeol shrugs.

"We promised to be honest, didn't we?" he laughs and stands up. Baekhyun throws away the pouch in his fingers and upon turning around he finds himself pressed to Chanyeol's chest in a tight hug and in his favorite place - tucked beneath Chanyeol's chin. "God, you're delicious," Chanyeol mutters, sticking his nose into Baekhyun's still wet hair. "Is it just me, or do you smell strangely even more good tonight?"

At this Baekhyun tenses - he supposes Chanyeol can smell remnants of what closely preceded his return home in the bathroom. "Um - It's just you, I'm sure."

"Hm." He pulls back, his tired eyes watching the Omega closely, his palms holding each side of Baekhyun's face. With a finger he tucks a stray strand of hair behind Baekhyun's ear and the smaller nuzzles his head into the larger's touch. "Well, you're coming to work with me tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure this is non-negotiable. I don't have to be there until six tomorrow. We leave at five thirty."

"O-Okay, Alpha..."

"You sound nervous."

"Well..."

"Don't worry, it's all people that like you. You'll get to be with me all day long."

Baekhyun relents into a simper. "That does sound nice."

"I know it does, love." A warm kiss meets Baekhyun's forehead. "My beautiful Omega."

~

The next day Baekhyun wakes in a cold sweat.

It grips his body and shakes him awake, and he presses a hand to his forehead with a gasp, eyes wide and staring into the darkness of the bedroom in the early morning.

Chanyeol is pressed firmly to his side, nose in his ear, breathing on his neck, fast asleep, but at that moment it's too hot, too much. Baekhyun climbs out of bed as carefully as he can without waking Chanyeol, but halfway to the bathroom he hears his mate's concerned voice whispering after him, their bond ripping the Alpha awake once his Omega is in distress.

"Baekhyun, what's wrong - "

The Omega closes himself inside the bathroom wiping his hands over his sweaty face, taking shuddering breaths. It's my Heat, he thinks, it has to be. The sweating and the stomachache at least are signs of it, never mind the wetness between his legs. He digs into the drawer beneath the sink again and pulls out his pills, but with his hand on the cap ready to take it off, he belatedly remembers that he had taken a pill last night. There's no possible way it could be his Heat. And, he thinks, if it was his Heat Chanyeol probably would have been all over him last night.

It's nerves, he realizes, and stuffs the pills back into the drawer. Baekhyun leans onto the counter and his breaths come hard, hissing past the pain in his gut. An unexpected wave of shame washes over him. He's just damp with sweat, he tells himself, he's only queasy because he's nervous to go to the company building where Chanyeol works. His mind reels - he was concerned last night for sure, but he didn't think he was this nervous to the point of being sick.

Chanyeol barges into the bathroom without knocking and Baekhyun feels his Alpha at his back in a second, warm caresses on his arms, his frightened voice in his ear.

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol gasps, and turns him around. "Baek, love, are you okay?" His entire face is contorted with worry and Baekhyun doesn't have the gusto to look him in the eyes. He covers his own face with his hands and nods. "Are you feeling ill? Should I take you to the hospital?"

"N-No," Baekhyun whispers. He takes a wobbly breath and reveals his face, pressing his palm to his forehead to check for his temperature again. "I'm not sick. I...I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize," Chanyeol says sternly, one hand on each of the Omega's arms holding him as if he's the most delicate porcelain doll in the world. "What's wrong?"

"I - I'm nervous..."

"Nervous for what?"

"I don't know. I mean...I do know. I guess I'm nervous to go with you to work today..."

Chanyeol's face falls. After a second he pulls out the bathroom stool and sits Baekhyun down and crouches in front of him. The ache in Baekhyun's stomach eases and he leans his head into his hand, elbow on his knee. Each deep breath hurts.

"I didn't know you were that nervous to go," Chanyeol whispers, holding the Omega's free hand. The smaller is almost tempted to pull his hand away, feeling hot, but decides that he doesn't want to and that he finds comfort in the touch. "You didn't seem so worried last night."

"I know, I didn't feel this nervous last night."

"Are you sure you're not sick or...having your Heat? I really don't know much about them..."

Baekhyun shakes his head and sighs into his hand, wanting to say something but not knowing exactly what. Chanyeol waits but looks impatient and antsy, wanting to fix the problem as soon as he can. Baekhyun says weakly,

"Do you have any pain relievers?"

"Is it that bad?"

Baekhyun nods.

Chanyeol jumps up and is already halfway out of the bathroom. "I do, hold on - "

As soon as he's gone Baekhyun reaches up into the drawer beside his head and extracts the bottle of suppressants once again, turning it over in his hands. He doesn't think it's his Heat bothering him, but one can never be too careful. He opens the bottle and taps one of its contents out onto his palm, rolling it around in his hand. Then he reaches up and breaks the tablet in half and puts the other half back, sliding the drawer closed as Chanyeol comes barreling back in with some small blue tablets and a glass of water.

"I didn't know how many you needed," he pants, holding his hands out.

"Just one, thank you," Baekhyun says, and takes the water and one painkiller from Chanyeol's palm. He places the tablet on his tongue and hides the other suppressant half with it before downing them with a gulp of water, face contorting with discomfort.

Chanyeol's hands fold onto Baekhyun's knees, thumbs rubbing comforting circles over them. "You doing okay? Hey - drink the whole thing." Baekhyun begrudgingly finishes off the glass of water. "Would you hate me if I still asked you to come with me to work?"

Baekhyun looks up, eyes questioning.

Chanyeol almost looks as if he wants to swallow his words, and hesitates for a moment, but the moment passes as his voice hardens with earnest resolve. "I think it's important that you face this fear of yours, Baekhyun, because it will be so much easier on you if you do so now. I've got banquets to attend, award shows, photo shoots - if you could come with me to some of those things we'd be able to spend lots of time together. But you have to face your fear of the public - and today's a good day to start. Is that okay? If you're not ready love, just tell me, and I'll let it go."

He's so willing to help, so caring, and Baekhyun loves every inch of him.

The Omega nods. "No, you're right Chanyeol. I'm sorry, I really don't feel very nervous at all, but my body is going haywire on me and I don't understand why..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be with you the whole time, and if you need anything I'll be right there." He lifts the extra painkillers in his hand and smiles. "We'll bring extras." Baekhyun laughs lightly, squinting his eyes closed and fighting past his sleepiness. Chanyeol coos - a sound Baekhyun is gradually getting used to. "Why are you so cute, Baek? Why am I so lucky?"

He blinks his eyes open and finds Chanyeol's eyes glittering, teasing, loving. He shrinks back with a relieved giggle. "The ancestors had it in for the both of us."

"I guess so. Now, will you let me make breakfast this morning?"

"Um..." Not a chance, he wants to say.

"I promise I'll make something edible."

Baekhyun eyes him closely, the pain of his stomach slowly ebbing away, but the excitement in Chanyeol's eyes is tough to say no to. So he nods carefully, but before he can open his mouth to speak Chanyeol has suddenly stood up and grips Baekhyun under the arms and knees, hauling him up to his chest. The Omega lets out a cry of surprise and grips the Alpha's neck, reminded of the first night Chanyeol brought him home and had carried him inside. But this time he lets out a closed whimper. "Careful careful careful now, my stomach still hurts..."

"Oh god! Sorry!" The Alpha readjusts his hold to ease Baekhyun in the basket of his arms and makes his way out of the bathroom and bedroom, towards the kitchen.

"In case you don't know, chamomile, peppermint, ginger, and cinnamon are all good for easing stomach pain...if there's any chance you could use any of those in your cooking...?" Baekhyun says.

"I...have no idea. This is uncharted territory."

Baekhyun smiles to himself, and lets his head fall into the crook of Chanyeol's arm and shoulder and chest, already weary but willing to put his best foot forward for Chanyeol. He says, "Today's a good day to start."

~

Almost a 10k word update...I hope you all ate well today!

Comments are the only things keeping me sane.

Lots of love,

BlahRikeau