His phone just alerted him of a message. Taking it out of his pocket, Jeonghan casually swiped through while still eating his sandwich. It was from Seungcheol, asking him whether he was done with exams. He was, days ago, but he didn’t care to notify the other because it shouldn’t matter. Putting his phone back down without replying, it vibrated again, and again, stealing the attention of the alpha in front of him.

'Wow, you're gonna leave the person hanging?' Jeonghan glared at the stranger whose name he already forgotten, not liking the interest in his personal life.  He really hate this kind of people, thinking they can judge his actions and control him which was exactly what the guy was trying to do, no matter how playful he was making it seem. As if telling him that would make him consider replying. Ignoring the alpha and eating the last of his sandwich, Jeonghan grabbed his stuff and went out the door, not caring about the whine from the alpha as he exited the apartment.

Sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus, Jeonghan looked at the time; it was already afternoon. It didn't really matter though because he started his summer holiday so time ceased to be of importance anymore. Not like he had anywhere to be at any time.

Bored of waiting, the young omega finally clicked on the notifications he got from Seungcheol.

Just done with mine :) – Coups

Wanna celebrate? – Coups

Not karaoke. Shua’s gonna cry – Coups

Food? – Coups

Jeonghan stared at the messages, not finding the usual excitement he usually would. This was the first time the man messaged him since the examination season began, their first contact after his misadventure at the bar. It felt weird, how unbothered he was with the messages when he used to look forward to them a few weeks ago. Maybe, somewhere along the way, his friends lost their magic on him. No, they felt like a curse. They make him feel even worse than last night when his childhood memories haunted him again. Because at least he knew some alpha would be able to make him forget about his nightmares but this, this feeling his 'friends' left him with, was incurable.

Something felt missing.

He felt…alone. And not the kind he was used to. This was new. This was worse. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t find an escape.

This was suffocating.

Swallowing hard while reading the texts over and over again, Jeonghan placed his thumbs on the screen. He should reply. Just for the sake of whatever.

Last one's tomorrow

He lied, hoping Seungcheol would lose interest. He knew the man was suggesting they meet, but he didn't want to see the alpha right now.

He knew it might be due to the stress of the exams which changed his alpha friend's usual demeanor to a slight aggression, but he always believe that moments of stress would reveal the true character of a person. And he did not think he could handle Seungcheol. How the man looked the night he warned Jeonghan about his cousin, it made the latter feel so small. It made him feel ashamed. And he was tired those feelings. So, so tired.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Jeonghan looked at his screen again, slightly surprised by how fast the reply was.

Wanna have dinner tomorrow? – Coups

I need to tell you something – Coups

Jeonghan sighed again, rubbing his face with his palm. He should be able to say no to this easily, considering he had rejected a lot of people before. But, he couldn’t bring himself to. He just couldn’t.

Okay.

Was his reply.

*****

Seungcheol sat on the bench, playing his favourite game while waiting for his eating partner to arrive. Once in a while he would pause the game to check the time and make sure he didn’t miss any incoming message before getting back to wasting his time.

He really needed to do this. Because it would be too late to do it at the start of the next semester.

After returning the car to its owner that night, he got another lecture from Siwon's girlfriend, his cousin apparently called her to teach him a lesson on responsibility. Though it really irked him how they tried to meddle with his life despite him already being an adult, he had to admit, he didn’t actually know what he was doing and why.

He was confused. And as Liu Wen pointed out, he misdirected his anger to the next omega which happened to be Yoon Jeonghan. It didn’t help that the omega kept teasingly flirt with him either. He realized Jeonghan was just being playful and because he was used to doing so, he probably didn’t notice the fact that Seungcheol misread his playfulness as a show of real affection. But at the same time Seungcheol too, should have known from the very beginning what the other was doing, having read the omega's book and heard the rumours.

At the end of the day, he understood that the root of his problem was the ambiguity of their relationship. It was hard enough to even imagine an omega and an alpha being merely platonic, so obviously, the line was never set. Which was why it was easy for them to cross the line to romantic, thinking it was normal. That was why he needed to do this tonight, for the sake of continuing their friendship. He needed to make their relationship clear – no more than close friends.

And of course, apologize for his confusion and action that night. Jeonghan looked really pissed.

Hearing his name being called, Seungcheol waved to the omega making his way towards him. He waited for the other to reach him before walking to the barbecue place side-by-side. The forced smile on Jeonghan told him that the man was indeed not pleased with how they left things during their last meeting, and Seungcheol did not have anything to say about that. It was his fault, Jeonghan had the right to be mad.

'So…' he started as soon as they were done with their orders, now sensing how awkward their situation was. Sure, they both pretended everything was as usual, but Seungcheol only now noticed how abruptly he stopped contacting the omega from his own misunderstanding. And due to that, obviously, he didn’t know what the younger male had been doing for the past weeks so there was nothing to talk about. Thinking as fast as he could, he asked the only reasonable question right now, '… what're you gonna do this summer?'

'Nothing.’ Was the short answer. Jeonghan was still giving him the cold shoulders, just like that night at the bar. Nodding his head to show he heard the man, he continued, 'Not going back home?'

'I don’t have a home.’ Jeonghan stated which caused the alpha to curse at himself. Jeonghan lived in a shelter all his life, without foster parents, as written in his book. That was a stupid question. 'Owh. So, not returning to the shelter?'

The bitter smile on the other caused Seungcheol to bite his lower lip. He could sense the other was not comfortable talking about it. It made him curious. Did something happen?

'I'm old enough to live on my own. There're others who need the space more than me.’ Jeonghan finally spoke, his voice not without a hint of sadness. He was supposed to move out earlier, at around 17-18 years old, just like all the other children who grew up with him but the caretakers managed to convince him to stay as a part of the volunteers. But now that he was a full time student who no longer contributes, he didn’t have the right for the room anymore. The only reason he even left his stuff there was because he didn’t need them, and his room at the old building would be converted to a storeroom.

Seungcheol nodded, feeling lost. He thought talking about summer holidays would lighten the mood but instead, he ended up bringing bitter memories. Jeonghan never mentioned about his life at the shelter so it was easy to forget he was not like the rest of the people. It was easy to forget his past.

Two plates of raw meats were placed in front of them, an action which the alpha felt thankful for as it distracted the long-haired man from the solemn atmosphere. Without any more exchange of words, Jeonghan started putting the meats on the grill, busying himself. It was obvious he did not want t