‘What the hell is your problem?’ Seokmin almost screamed the moment he heard the relaxed voice coming from the other side of the phone before realizing that someone might hear him. It was obvious that Bam Bam just woke up based on his hoarse voice. Probably taken aback, the man tried to say something funny as usual, but it didn't work this time. Because Seokmin was really pissed. 'Fine. What did I do?’

‘You almost him!'

‘Owh...' the young alpha dragged his word, reflecting his feeling of oblivion, '…but I didn’t? I was just playing around.’

'Are you ing joking right now? How the hell is forcing him 'playing around'?'

'By not actually wanting to do it? Seriously man, no interest. Just a lil teasing so he'll behave.’ Seokmin held his tongue, breathing heavily at the absurdity his old friend just gave him. He always knew his friend was not the good type, and he might also secretly thought that something like this would happen, but never in his life would he imagine it happening to his own lover. To make things worse, Bam Bam knew they were dating and yet he still chose to do it. ‘So you guys are still dating huh? You got me to thank for that! Haha!’

‘YAHH!!’

*****

Soonyoung frowned a bit, awoken by the sound coming from outside the room. He reached out to the other side of the bed, only to find that it was empty. Half panicking, he sat up to scan the whole room, finally letting out a sigh of relief the moment he saw Seokmin’s car keys and wallet still on the table. Since the bathroom was empty, he figure the alpha must be outside, doing something. Buying food, maybe. Curious, Soonyoung opened the room door softly, peeking outside. A bit surprised to found out that the loud voice he heard belonged to Seokmin, he decided to get back inside without saying a word. The alpha seemed distressed but now was not the time to say anything.

Looking around the small hotel room, not sure of what to do, Soonyoung walked towards the bathroom. Might as well take a shower while waiting for his lover to come back.

The almost defeated figure lying on the bed, covering his eyes from the summer sun with his hand caught Soonyoung's attention just as he was making his way out of the shower. Instantly understanding what was going on, he decided not to ask and just pretend he didn’t hear Seokmin almost shouting outside. Closing the curtain, the omega jumped on the bed lightly, hugging his man for a quick snuggle.

'Morning!' he was greeted with a soft kiss on the head. It felt so good. He could get used to this. He might want to be treated like this his whole life.

'Soonyoung-ah,' he looked at his alpha, 'I told him off.’

'Who?'

'Bam Bam. We won't hear from him again.’

Soonyoung lifted himself up by his elbow, trying to get a good look at the man beside him. Sure he told Seokmin about what his friend did to him during the ski trip during their little secret-sharing session last night, but it wasn’t because he wanted Seokmin to end their friendship. Obviously he never want to see the smug face again, and was over the moon when he first heard that the wild alpha had gone back home, but at the same time Bam Bam meant so much to Seokmin.

He screwed up again. He had to do something to fix this.

Laughing awkwardly, he started, 'He didn't do anything…'

‘He threatened you.’

‘Yeah but, he didn’t actually do anything. I’m fine. Seriously, like it never happened.’ He again, tried to convince Seokmin but from the look on the man, it was not working. Which confused him. He thought Seokmin would just accepted his reasoning seeing how close he was with the other alpha. The man should just swallow everything without questions. Why wasn’t it working? He didn’t want to say anything more because, Bam Bam didn’t deserve his good words any more than what he just said.

‘Soonyoung. Something did happened. He ing threatened to you! That’s not nothing! You can’t brush off something like that and pretend everything’s fine!’

‘…but-‘

‘You were hurt. No matter the excuse, he hurt you. I don’t like that.’ Soonyoung had nothing to say about that. It was the truth, he was hurt but it never mattered to anyone all these while so he stopped telling, and he stopped thinking about what was done to him too long, discovering that pretending it never happened to be the best thing to do to move on and keep the very few people beside him close. Having Seokmin telling him otherwise, Soonyoung became speechless, not knowing how to react.

‘T-thank you. I guess.’

‘You know you can get angry when these kind of things happen right? Especially when they deserve it. Like what you did to me. And you know what? I’m still here. Pretty much still in love with you.’

‘Stop being cheesy.’ Soonyoung put his hand on Seokmin’s face to stop the man from speaking further. He thought their heart-to-heart talk ended last night. But who was he kidding? Seokmin would never stop talking. He just needed to change the subject to not be about himself. Maybe maneuver it back to the alpha. ‘But he’s your best friend.’

‘You know what they say, bros before hoes.’

Okay. Something was very wrong with that statement. Soonyoung didn’t get it. ‘It’s the opposite of what you’re doing though?’

‘What? Bam Bam’s totally a hoe.’

‘BURNNN!’ the excited omega bounced on the bed, laughing his heart out. Who knew he could laugh while talking about the thing that had been haunting him since last year. He was still bothered by it, but it didn’t feel as heavy. It was as if the darkness inside him was slowly fading. Made disappear by the amazing man lying before him.

Lee Seokmin.

‘But are you gonna be okay? You were close…’

‘Well… sometimes you need to cut off those who have bad effect on you even if it hurts. Bam Bam’s that guy. I like him but he was never a good influence to begin with.’ Seokmin forced a smile at the soft-looking omega, remembering all the time Bam Bam screwed him up and used him in between their bro moments. It was fun, but it wasn’t all rainbows. And the man did affect his way of thinking if only a bit, now that he thought about it. ‘But thanks to him, I got you.’

‘You know what. When we first met at the dance club, I thought you were spaghetti. A soggy, mushy spaghetti.’ Soonyoung gave a disgusted expression to describe his feeling which earned him a soft chuckle from the alpha, ‘But you’re not. You’re actually really mature.’

‘So I’m what kind of pasta?’

‘I don’t have enough pasta knowledge to make a comparison.’ Soonyoung stared at the bright smile decorating the face in front of him. Reflecting the sunlight, Seokmin really seemed like the sun right now. His own sun. Without thinking, he placed at soft kiss on those lips. And another. Just because. Seokmin’s wider smile at the kisses made him blush, even after all this time. His gentle smile never fail to make his heart beat violently.

‘You’re going home?’ Soonyoung asked when the alpha suddenly stood up after looking at his phone. Seokmin only nodded to the former with a smile. He didn’t bring any spare clothes as he thought it would be a very short trip. He also didn’t tell his mother about it, not that she would mind considering his age. It was just the fact that he was currently staying at home instead of his dormitory so not telling her about his whereabouts seemed a bit rude.

‘Let’s go together?’

‘My house?’ He lifted an eyebrow, pretending to be confused before being hit by that plump hand. Biting it lightly, he chuckled, ‘Joking!’

*****

‘I’ll be quick!’ Soonyoung excitedly opened the door and jumped out of the car, almost tripping before realizing that his seatbelt was still fastened. Now with a red face, the man kept on pushing the release button clumsily a few times, earning him a loud laugh from the alpha before finally able to run away from the embarrassment. Waving his hand at the awkward omega, Seokmin rested his whole body on the seat, preparing himself to wait for his lover to finish packing. But, before long, he heard the car door opened again.

‘You… wanna wait inside?’ Soonyoung asked, voice calm. Seokmin could just stare at him, half-thinking this was some kind of a joke. ‘If you want to… It’s fine if yo-‘

‘Sure! Yeah. I’ll uhm… just park somewhere.’ He was about to start the engine before pausing, realizing something important, ‘Uh… is your grandpa here?’

‘Yeah… I just thought, I’ll introduce you properly.’

‘Properly?’

‘As my alpha.’

‘Your alpha?! This weak kid?’  Seokmin gulped as the old beta walked towards him, around him, judging him. He felt like he should say something to defend himself but held back, not wanting to start a fight because the other seemed ready to attack him at even the slightest sign of aggression. They did, have a bad first meeting just yesterday. If the old man suddenly love him, that would mean he was crazy and that he should run away with Soonyoung, never to return again. Feeling a grip on his shoulder, Seokmin closed his eyes, trying hard not to cry. The man was scary.

‘You have hard shoulders. You work out?’

‘Yeah… I go to the gym.’

‘Hurh. Gym? You can lift?’

‘Yes sir!’ Seokmin didn’t know what had gotten into him but he regretted what he said the moment the words came out of his mouth. Hearing laughter, he lifted his head to see Soonyoung covering his mouth, giggling with his grandmother before finally making his way upstairs, probably to his room. Slowly glancing it the stiff man beside him, Seokmin felt a bit light when he noticed the frown gone. But the man, still kept his angry stare. Just without the frown. ‘Sit down.’

*****

‘So your grandpa seemed to like me…’ Seokmin commented, earning him a nod from Soonyoung. After the brief meeting with the Kwons, the omega decided to show him around town, buying some fruits to bring back as souvenirs. They also had lunch at Soonyoung’s favourite ramen place, just the two of them. Needless to say, the people were talking but, just like the last time, the old man shut them up with his cold stare. It was that moment when he finally knew why the older loved the place and hated the villagers so much.

However, despite the not-so-welcoming experience, Seokmin somehow felt glad he decided to come along. Because now he understood where his boyfriend came from and why he became what he is. Not just assuming like he did. He actually knew the feeling, having experienced it first-hand though not as severe.

As they were finally nearing Seoul, Seokmin remembered the one thing Soonyoung said right before they left. He wanted to ask about it from the moment they stepped out the door, but the timing was not right. ‘You really meant it?’

‘What?’

‘Bond…’ He peeked to his left, towards the slightly smaller male. He thought today was just to re-introduce him to the family, to fix their impression on him so they would be able to pursue their relationship without worrying about the old folks but Soonyoung, his omega told his family that he wanted to be mates. He told his grandparents that he was ready to bond, and that he wanted to do so with Seokmin.

They didn’t talk about it at all last night nor today. In fact, he didn’t have such intention at all when he decided to come here, completely forgotten about it. He just came because he thought Soonyoung was in trouble.

Not that he didn’t want to. It just came out as a surprise, a pleasant surprise that he became speechless he couldn’t see or hear anything else after that hearing the smaller omega said it. Needless to say, he didn’t notice Grandpa Kwon’s reaction either. But he doubt it was that bad, considering he was still alive and breathing.

‘I uh… want to. With you. If you still want to.’

‘I want to. I want to be your alpha.’

‘Then I want to be your omega.’ Soonyoung replied confidently. Upon hearing that, Seokmin bit his lips, trying hard not to smile. Because he was trying really, really hard not to show his emotion. Because, he really felt like stopping the car right now and hug the omega, smothering him with kisses right now. Because he felt like jumping in his seat.

Owh, he was trying so hard to not look at the omega alright. He should not look at the man right now.

‘Stop grinning like an idiot.’ Soonyoung finally commented, staring at that face. He was laughing at Seokmin’s silly attempt at keeping a poker face. The man really has no talent. ‘It your fault! You shouldn’t say things like that now!’ The other exclaimed.

‘Heol…’ Soonyoung pretended a scoff, already starting his usual sketch. But without any reaction from the alpha, he began to feel bored. Playing around with his phone, he glanced momentarily at the driver, finally getting an idea. ‘Look at this.’

Seokmin peeked at the phone beside him briefly, noting the blueish background and a few circles. He couldn’t read the white alphabets though as he was focused on driving. ‘What is it?’

‘My heat’s next week!’

‘YAAH!’ Seokmin whined and again, the older only laughed at his suffering. Hearing the clap and noticing how low Soonyoung was pushing the seat as he leaned back from his extreme excitement, Seokmin finally allowed himself to laugh. It had been a while since he truly enjoyed his time with the omega. This was really refreshing.

Bumping the older’s head lightly with his fist, he shook his head at the silliness. Now feeling like the awkwardness was truly gone, they both started to chat the remaining distance.

‘Where do you live?’

‘From here?’ Seokmin scanned around for road signs he could use to show the other. ‘Take the left here, around 45 minutes.’

‘It’s further than the campus.’

‘Uh-uh.’ He agreed, not wanting to elaborate. This was, after all, one of the things that started their argument in the first place. He didn’t want to be reminded of it. ‘You’re not going home?’

‘I will. For my stuff but I’ll send you back first.’ Seokmin replied, considering that the omega might be nervous thinking he might bring him home. He remembered how badly Soonyoung reacted when he suggested that, it almost break them apart. It didn’t matter though, he already accepted the fact that the man needed time. They agreed to bond but that didn’t mea-

‘I… don’t mind waiting for you. In the car.’

‘What? You wanna come home with me?’ He asked jokingly, confident that the other male just said it to ease the tension.

‘Can I?’ Seokmin almost couldn’t break eye contact with the omega, still couldn’t believe what he just heard. Soonyoung just asked him if he could come to his house, without him inviting. He didn’t know what had gotten into Soonyoung, what happened yesterday that made him this straightforward with what he want. Today was probably the first time he saw this part of the omega. After stating his intention to bond, bringing Seokmin to meet his grandparents, and now offering to meet his parents, all of that in the course of one day, Soonyoung was really not holding back.

‘But it’s too sudden. I mean, there’s probably nothing at home. Food! I need to call my mom to-’

‘Owh. It’s fine. Later then…’ Soonyoung interrupted his panic, voice a bit disappointed. Looking at the omega who was now sitting quietly, he sighed and held his hand. ‘You know what? If you want to, let’s go now.’

*****

The sound of the door closing followed by an excited squeal of his name by that low voice indicated that Mingyu was now in his room, ready to gossip. After a week without the giant, he just realized how close they had gotten since their first meeting. He did missed the man a bit while he was away to mend his emotional wound.

‘Owh!’ And obviously Mingyu missed him too, based on the very tight bear hug suffocating him right now. Surprisingly for him, his neighbor did not went straight to talking about himself like he usually would. Instead, he asked about Seokmin, if he was feeling any better. Which was new. Normally, people wouldn’t ask that question to him, it was always him asking. And even when they did, they only do it out of good gesture. He wondered if he had actually found a good friend. An actual friend.

‘So you’re actually going to bond with your boyfriend?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Urmm… okay…? But you are not bonded?’ Mingyu seemed confused with the situation, ‘Wait. Do people actually plan the date? How does this thing work? I thought you just do it? Wh-?’

‘Trust me. I’m just as confused.’ He replied honestly. Now that they both agreed that they wanted the same thing, and both families already approved of their relationship, the only thing left to do was the claiming ritual itself. Based on his seniors, families and his research on the internet, that part happened naturally. Unplanned. Instinctively.

‘His next heat?’ Seokmin lifted his shoulders. Truthfully, the next one would be too soon. Yes, he was excited about them finally being mates, but they just had a huge fight last week, and they only made up yesterday. To make a promise of forever next week was just, too soon. He knew Soonyoung already made up his mind, he trust that the omega was being honest with his feelings and he trust that their relationship was now stronger than ever. But seeing how rushed the omega was with the whole thing, as if he wanted to get it over with was a bit worrisome. As if he was forcing himself to do it.

Maybe it was too soon. Or at least, maybe they should wait for a few more months before actually doing it. Both of them weren’t going anywhere.

‘So you’re gonna move out?’

Owh yeah. That too. They would need a nice nest.

*****

Finally done with unpacking his few things, Soonyoung looked around the room, wondering what he should do. It was Saturday night, the day he would usually spend with his boyfriend but they just said their goodbyes so, no matter how much he would love to stick to the Seokmin like a glue, he felt like he should be doing something else.

Owh right. Wonwoo. He completely forgotten about his close friend.

The last time they were together, the latter had a really bad stomach ache which lasted for days. As always, he had to ask the man to go see a doctor. He wondered if Wonwoo did.

Soonyoung knocked on the door a few times, not really caring if Jeonghan saw him there. Because, like he told the man, he had no intention of pursuing a relationship with Wonwoo back then, even more now, since he made up with his alpha. Hearing soft bump on the door which he assumed to be a pillow thrown to the door, he entered.

‘How are you?’ Soonyoung entered Wonwoo’s room, asking about the man’s condition. He took the pillow on the floor, noting the very pale complexion of the male lying on his own bed.  ‘Better.’

‘What did the doctor said?’ He asked, wanting to hear good news. Because he wanted to share his own news.

Yes, Soonyoung wanted to tell the other omega about his ‘hidden’ relationship with Seokmin. Granted, it was not any secret, Wonwoo was just too busy with his own problem to actually notice but he just wanted to put it out there.

Because he knew he said some stuff he didn’t mean which might cause a misunderstanding that he was too scared to take back, and he was hoping by telling him about the alpha, it would fix things. Though, he knew it would be hard, considering this would probably be the first time Wonwoo would hear about his alpha’s existence. Not to mention, with the man’s hatred towards alphas after what happened, he doubt it would be an easy thing to digest. But still, he wanted to tell him. Who knows? Maybe Wonwoo would actually be happy for him.

‘It’s nothing. Just gastric.’

‘No it’s not.’ He sat down on the bed beside the man, studying the guilty face. Wonwoo had his gastritis a few times while they were together so he did some research on the condition. What he was feeling now was very different. ‘Did you actually went there?’

‘I did.’

‘And…?’

‘They told me to prepare for another test and I freaked out.’ He kept looking at Wonwoo, not satisfied with the answer, ‘I ran. But hey, it’s free so…’

‘Won-‘

‘They told me to prepare for ultrasound. Which is stupid. Not like I’m pregnant or anything. I mean, that’s impossible, right? It’s already been a year. Right?’

. Now he just lost his timing to talk about Seokmin. Not to mention, the other omega was starting to panic again...

…. Ultrasound. . ‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’ He tried to cover his own shaky voice, excusing himself and running back to his own room.

He needed to do something, quick. He needed to clear the misunderstanding. But this was not the right time, not with the other male already anxious about his own situation.

He really needed to do something or he would be screwed.

To be continued…

So… Dokyeom finally found out about Bam Bam and Hoshi! And he was not happy about it. What do you think about his reaction? Should he have kept his friendship with Bam Bam or did he make the right choice? Personally I think he made his choice to be with Hoshi so it’s only logical to break-up with his buddy. But… Bam Bam T__T He’s been fun to write about!

Anyways, next chapter will be the last chapter!!! YAY! Finally! Almost 1.5 years later!

Btw, did you guys see Getting Closer? OH MY GOD!! Meanie combination and Hoshi’s rap? DAMNN! AND DOKYEOM’S FOREHEAD!! Seriously, that guy! He looks like a soft puppy with bangs but expose that forehead and BOOM! HOT DADDY! URGHH!

Okay, enough fangirling!! As usual, thank you for reading this long fic and commenting guys!! I love you guys so very much!!! <3<3<3