‘What?!’ Seokmin stared at the smaller male, almost jumped at the sudden raise of voice. ‘After all I did for you, why did you have to ruin it??’

‘It’s just dinner…’ the alpha mumbled, somehow not feeling confident enough with his choice, ‘Besides, you told me he said we’re serious so-’

‘I said, he said he’s not playing! Not serious!’

‘What’s the difference?’

‘A LOT!’ Chan wiped his face, sighing. His cousin still looked confused, frowning with a small pout which made him feel bad for screaming. God, why did he have to have a naive cousin? An older one at that! ‘At least you could have auntie pretend to stumble upon you guys dating or something!!’

‘How’s that better?’

‘Cus Hoshi-hyung won’t have to prepare himself mentally for that! You know how stressful that request is??’

‘Owh…’ Seokmin sat up straight as sudden realization hit him like a brick. Staring at his younger cousin, he uttered, ‘…’

*****

Soonyoung tried to focus on what his cousin was commenting, but try as he might, nothing registered in his mind. But looking at how serious Jihoon was, he couldn’t ask the man to repeat himself. Not again. Because he had been doing so for the last half an hour and for the last half an hour, the omega still didn’t catch anything. Now he just settled with his serious face, noting any keyword he ears could catch so he could try to make sense of things when he get back to his room. Although he felt bad for Jihoon because he still couldn’t perfect the dance to his new song for the latter’s competition, he really hoped the alpha wouldn’t ask him to pump some ideas right away. Or he might lose his life.

‘-are you even listening?’ He heard a snap and realized the alpha was doing it with his fingers, right in front of his face. Probably for a few seconds now. Hearing the smaller male sighed, he closed his note book and did the same. ‘I knew it. You’re tired. What’s wrong with you these days?’

‘Stuff.’ He replied, not wanting to elaborate on it. As if Wonwoo was not enough, now, even his sanctuary became a burden to him. He used to run away from his problems by thinking about his boyfriend but now, every single time he thought about Seokmin, only the dinner would pop up.

That ing dinner. Where he will meet the alpha’s mother. At his house. Which, apparently wasn’t far from here, which also meant they might stay for a while as they wouldn’t have to rush back.

‘You ever meet someone’s mom?’ The light scoff from the other gave him a frown. ‘Your mom? The ahjummas? Pretty sure Prof. Han’s a mo-’

‘Ahaha so funny.’ Soonyoung pretended to laugh, making it as dramatic as possible to embarrass the other but instead, he received a smug smile from his cousin. What did he expect from this shameless piece of anyway? Before he could say anything, ‘Heart guy wants you to meet his mom?’

Soonyoung caughed violently at the sudden bullseye.

‘Holy . You serious?’ He nodded, bumping his head lightly on the mirror behind him. ‘That’s… what a nerd…’Jihoon started to laugh, to which Soonyoung reacted by sitting upright and staring at the alpha sharply. ‘Who the hell ask the parents for bonding nowadays?’

‘Don’t everyone?’

‘Pftt…’ Okay, now this was getting ridiculous. Why the hell was Jihoon laughing at this situation? He was really not helping at all. But, then again, how would he help in the first place anyways? He really didn’t expect anything, but he didn’t expect laughter either. ‘. So you guys are serious?’

Soonyoung shrugged. He just went with the flow and here they were. A comfortable place. He didn’t actually wanted anything more, as in, what they have now was enough for him but maybe, like everyone else, they would have to move forward sooner or later. And the next step was being mates. ‘You told him about your family?’

The omega nodded, and with no other comment, the smaller of the two opened his mouth in amazement, finding himself admiring the other alpha a little. Only a little. ‘He’s serious. Wow.’

‘You think his family gonna, you know, accept me?’ Soonyoung asked, not caring about being made fun of anymore. Though he was not used to having this kind of talk with his cousin, this was really the first time he could tell someone, not related to Seokmin, about his thoughts. Or worries. It didn’t matter if Jihoon turn a deaf ears, he just needed to get it off his chest. ‘His family’s a big deal in the entertainment industry FYI. What if they think I’m using him or something?’

‘No .’ The alpha commented, followed by a long silence. It was clear he had nothing to say. It didn’t matter whether it was because he didn’t have interest in the matter, or he thought the same and had no solution, just talking about it out loud made Soonyoung realized he wasn’t ready to take the next step. This was all too fast for him.

Maybe it was too fast for him.

Heck, just last year he thought his forever was with Wonwoo and then Seokmin came around telling him he liked him too, something he thought was impossible given his harsh childhood. What if he rushed into this relationship too early and find out that there is another person more compatible for him outside this campus? In his future workplace maybe? Someone who shares the same interest as him, more than Seokmin does? What if they actually bond, and then he found another person he likes, then regrets having bonded in the first place? Like his mother?

‘Kwon! yaah!’ another snap broke him from his thought. ‘You need to sleep. Stop thinking too much. That always helps me.’

‘You sleep a lot.’

‘And look at what I achieved.’ Jihoon raised both his arms, smirking teasingly as he closed his eyes. And boy, how Soonyoung felt like smacking that face right now because it was not helping. But he wouldn’t, of course. Because, he still wanted to live.

Escorted back to the dorm by his scary little cousin, Soonyoung was now staring at the ceiling, not knowing what to do. He should be sleeping, his mind was really stuffy but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be doing something right now, to get his mind out of what was bothering him. And yet, he knew that wouldn’t help him because that was what he had been doing the past few days and he didn’t feel any better.

Turning on his stomach, Soonyoung stared at the bookcase, considering reading something. He only had two books which were not textbooks, and he already read both of them. Slowly, his eyes made way to his Shinee album collection, prettily arranged in the corner. In fact, that space was the most well-kept area in his whole room. Because, Shinee. Duh.

Sitting up, he grabbed one and started opening it, ready to look at the photobook and enjoy the ethereal faces of his idols.

God they are really beautiful. How can anyone be as good-looking as them? They even look handsome in person! To think that he actually get to see them up close and touch the- Owh.

Great.

Now every time he think about Shinee, Seokmin’s face will pop up.

Just great.

Fantastic.

…

Well… at least he get to meet Shinee because of the alpha so…

Thinking back to that time, Soonyoung realized, maybe he could be with Seokmin after all. Though the alpha might not have the same interest as him, he tolerated his love for Shinee, even supporting it. Of course it would be fun to have a partner with the same interest but he wouldn’t have experienced his first barbeque trip if it weren’t for the alpha. He wouldn’t go to Jeju to hike, nor would he be able to watch the meteor shower had his partner be another copy of himself.

Maybe, different is good. And Seokmin is just the right kind of different for him.

Smiling to himself, Soonyoung laid back down on the bed, bringing the photobook with him. He felt silly for having those thoughts all these while. If Seokmin’s family is anything like him, Soonyoung knew he would be okay. And if things actually went wrong, somehow he had a feeling Seokmin would take his side. For some reason.

‘Thank you Shinee-sunbaenim!’ Soonyoung kissed the cover before shocking himself and wiped any trace of his lips or saliva away from the precious book, quickly putting it away somewhere safe. Laughing at himself, he jumped on the bed and took out his phone, opening the file he got from Seokmin from their first trip together.

He remembered the house they stayed in, it looked more beautiful in reality compared to the photos. And the balcony where they found a lost puppy staring inside while they we- Okay. Next pic.

Owh, the lake! Where they fished and played in the last day they were here. He didn’t realize it was this pretty. What was the name of the lake again? He wanted to Google for more pictures of it. Just because.

Opening Google Maps, he started to trace back around the place he remembered. He didn’t know the name of any of the places there because everything was handled by Seokmin so he started with the stadium where the concert was held.

Found it.

Satisfied with the view, Soonyoung started to play around with the site, looking around for places he could recall from that week. The marketplace where they bought the ingredients, the scenic route they took to the rent house… Owh, they built a new omega house nearby. Gosh, had they built it sooner, Soonyoung wouldn’t have to go through that embarrassing ordeal with Seokmin in the first place. Just his luck. He wondered how it looked like…

Opening the website of the facility, Soonyoung nodded to himself, not expecting too much from an omega house in a small village. He wondered if anyone even use the facility considering how many people lived nearby. He clicked on the information to read more.

‘What the ?’

*****

Hitting the phone icon, Seokmin tapped his feet relentlessly, looking at the clock once in a while to make sure he wasn’t interrupting his friend in another country. Although there was merely a two-hour difference between here and Thailand, he just had to recalculate the time in his head every time his eyes laid on the numbers at the bottom right corner of his screen, which was a lot of times because Bam Bam still hadn’t answer his call.

‘Yo Dokyeom!!’

‘Aah!’ He almost screamed at the very big face of his old friend, face too close to the camera his distinctive nose looked bigger than it should. ‘God!’ He heard the familiar excited laugh and could only imagine the crazy alpha leaning back against the chair or whatever based on his sudden disappearance from the screen.

‘I took a screenshot of your face! Oh my god! I’ll send it to you…’ Bam Bam teased, his voice an octave higher than usual making the other alpha roll his eyes in annoyance. Never a quiet greeting with this one.

Explaining his situation to his friend proved to be a bit difficult with the other alpha questioning his every actions. Sure, he made a lot of dumb decisions back then; and also a few days early but hey, nothing is worse than accidentally making someone pregnant. Or purposely. No one would ever know. Except the man himself, that is.

‘Dude, seriously? You’re asking me?’

‘Well I’m not good at this game planning, strategizing soo…’ He let his head fall down to the side, showing how tired he was. After a few days of no good sleep, thinking about how to fix things, he came up with the conclusion that he, at this stuff. How do people do this stuff?

The voice of his friend made him realize the silence they were in. Shifting his attention to the other, his heart skipped, ‘Well, I have a strategy. But…’

‘Tell me!’ Whatever it was, he wanted to know. Anything is better than nothing. And, it wouldn’t be that bad… right?

‘Make babies.’

‘Yaah!’

‘Dokyeom-ah! I’d love to help you but seriously man, look at me!’ Bam Bam turned back and moved away, revealing his sleeping baby on the bed. ‘Look at her! I’m a dad when I should be there, helping you with Hoshi. Trust me man, you don’t wanna ask me.’

‘True.’ He agreed monotonously, causing the once-wild alpha to raise his voice. And before long, his little child started crying, woken by her father’s loud voice. Laughing excitedly at the now soft alpha on the other side of the screen, he bid his goodbye and closed his computer.

Jumping back on the bed, Seokmin sighed. He really don’t know what he should do.

Should he just tell Soonyoung the truth and cancel dinner? At least it would give the omega more space. He made his intention to bond clear anyway…

*****

Taking a bite out of his kimbap, Soonyoung felt a vibration on his back pocket. He planned to ignore it, staring at the people on the basketball field while enjoying his lunch but another vibration followed, and another one, annoying him. He finally pulled his phone out.

Hey – Dokyeom

Are you busy? – Dokyeom

Can I call you? - Dokyeom

Soonyoung frowned, feeling his entire lunchtime ruined by the messages. Turning it completely in silent mode, disabling the vibration, he put the phone deep inside his bag. Then, he pulled it up his shoulder and made his way to the studio.

‘Kwon Soonyoung! Do you wanna get locked inside?’ Soonyoung rushed to get his bag before bowing at the security guard, apologizing as usual. He had been practicing until late at night, so much that he became acquainted with the guard, which was a good thing because he wouldn’t get scolded as much whenever he stayed pass the allowed time, like tonight.

Jogging a bit further from his department, he finally reached out for his phone, wanting to check on his messages. As he somewhat expected, there was another mail from the alpha.

Can we talk? It’s about dinner. - Dokyeom

Soonyoung exhaled loudly. There was no way in hell would he ever go to the dinner. Never.

He really felt like ignoring the alpha, but just thinking about getting another message about the damned thing already made him want to throw his phone away. And so, as much as he wanted to just pretend he didn’t read it, he decided to reply.

I can’t go.

Owh. It’s fine! I was gonna tell you about it. It’s cancelled. – Dokyeom

Good. Just as he was about to again, put the phone back, another mail came in.

Can we talk? Haven’t seen each other in a while… Miss that nasal voice :( - Dokyeom

Just reading that send shivers down his spine. He felt sick. Throwing his phone back inside, Soonyoung sat on the cold pavement, just taking in all the fresh air. It was late at night and no one was around to judge him anyway. He could sit wherever he wanted.

He couldn’t believe he actually let the alpha get close to him. He couldn’t believe he fell for the guy. He was so stupid to fall for the damn trick. To think that Seokmin lied about the omega house to sleep with him…

No. The trip itself was probably an elaborate plan to sleep with him anyway. And here he thought Seokmin was different from Bam Bam. Owh how wrong was he. In fact, Seokmin was even worse than his damned friend. At least the latter did it in his face. Seokmin, he’s a sly one. What a snake.

Guess all alphas are the same. They only want to sleep with omegas. Just like what his grandfather told him. He was stupid to think he found a special one. To think that he betrayed Wonwoo for that piece of …

Wonwoo…

Wonwoo was probably the only guy who actually appreciated him for who he was. Now that it had come to this, he realized how wrong he was for thinking the man didn’t like him. Wonwoo was obviously protecting him, just like he always told him, because he thought Soonyoung was too precious to be touched before marriage. He used to believe that. He used to love that. Since when did he came to hate it?

. Since he slept with that alpha. Because of his damned words. Soonyoung was manipulated by those sweet temptation and rejected the only person who actually love him. The only one who treated him as an equal. And it was all because of .

Getting up from the road, Soonyoung started to drag his legs slowly, making his way back to the dorm. He never felt worse in his life. He just realized how low he was. How bad he was to Wonwoo, the first person who brought him out of his shell, the first person who made him feel normal on campus. Now their places were exchanged, and Soonyoung chose to ignore him instead. What a great person he was.

‘Hrm?’ His legs stopped at the familiar scent nearby. This was…

It was. Soonyoung looked around, trying to recognize the place because he had been walking through here around this time of the night for a while now, and he never stumble upon the omega, not once. And now, out of all the nights, Wonwoo was here, right when he was just thinking about him.

Is this a sign?

Should he do something about it?

Maybe the universe was telling him to make things right. To fix things.

Well, maybe not to the point of being lovers, but…should he try to be friends instead? They were close back then, and they did nothing a normal couple usually do so basically, nothing would change. It was the least he could do for everything he did to the man.

Yes. He should do it. He should help Wonwoo feel normal.

To be continued…

Hey guys! First of all, sorry for the late update! I had a really close call with my computer. The thing is, I already wrote half of the story before the laptop I used suddenly ran out of battery and what do you know? The charger didn’t work anymore and it was a really old model! To make things worse, it died on me before I get to transfer all the work, and all the drafts into an external hard disk!

Thankfully I could restart it, just barely *after putting in in the sun to charge. I dunno why. Don’t judge me* and transferred it to the hard disk. And now the laptop is completely dead. I had to buy a new one hence the delay :’(

Okay sorry for the rant XD

So! Did you guys thought the little lie Seokmin told back at the beginning of their relationship wouldn’t matter? *shakes head* Of course it would! Ohohoho! It would if it doesn’t right? Cus that’s not an innocent lie, no matter how you look at it :D

And to those who was curious why Hoshi acted the way he did in Claimed, did the chapter satisfy your curiousity?

As always, thank you so much to you readers who always supporting this fic, and commenting! I love you guys so much! If it’s not for you guys, I wouldn’t be as encouraged to buy a new laptop as quickly as I did XD