Chapter Text
Wooyoung’s eyes narrowed, enjoying the way the alpha squirmed nervously underneath his gaze. His arms crossed over his chest lazily, giving the alpha a quick once-over, then proceeded to ignore him completely as he turned to his friend.
“What is this?”
Yunho’s eyebrow raised slightly, but he wasn’t at all deterred by his friend’s behaviour, “My mate?”
“Clearly,” Wooyoung’s nose pointed upwards in a display of superiority, “But why is he here?”
“You guys said you wanted to meet him.”
“Not on our routine gettogether,” Wooyoung was flabbergasted, “I mean, inviting an alpha? What will Hongjoong and Seonghwa say?”
“They already know,” Yunho shrugged, “And they don’t care. They aren’t all- anti-alpha like you are.”
Wooyoung turned his attention back to the alpha, who startled at the weight of Wooyoung gaze. Wooyoung’s nose scrunched in distaste, “I don’t like you guys.”
The alpha opened his mouth, unsure how to reply, but Wooyoung continued, “But if Yunho likes you enough to let you mark him, I’ll deal. I’m Wooyoung.”
The alpha’s lips spread into a grateful smile, “I guess that’s fair considering how some alpha’s act. I’m Mingi.”
Wooyoung nodded stiffly, glancing over at Yunho who was beaming too brightly for Wooyoung’s taste, “Okay, let’s go. I’m still getting shotgun.”
Wooyoung is hardly ever wrong, but on the rare occasion, he’s willing to admit when he is. Mingi wasn’t all that bad, at least not for an alpha. He reeked like maple syrup and it was enough to suffocate Wooyoung from a mile away, but it matched Yunho’s light, airy scent well enough. Yunho’s scent could best be described by a vanilla cake straight out of the oven, fluffy and sweet, and when together, Yunho and Mingi almost smelled like pancakes. Mingi also did that stupidly annoying alpha thing of gluing himself to Yunho’s side anytime an unknown alpha was around. But Wooyoung could see he was making an active effort to not be overbearing, and it did keep the weirdos away from not only Yunho, but Wooyoung too, so Wooyoung supposes it’s not that bad to have him around.
Wooyoung had a break between classes at work, which of course meant he was going to bother Yunho. They worked at the same dance academy, but taught different styles so they were in separate areas. Whereas Yunho teaches hip-hop, Wooyoung prefers Contemporary. He’s found that omegas are more typically drawn to his style and betas and alphas are drawn to hip-hop and street dance, so all the coworkers he works closely with are also omegas. He’s sure the fact that they teach kids also helps, since alphas don’t seem to want to work in that industry at all. Wooyoung weaved through the hallways to get to Yunho’s department. If he was busy at the moment Wooyoung would just have to spend his break alone. He peeked into Yunho’s class and found the room empty. Completely empty, no Yunho in sight. With Yunho nowhere to be found, Wooyoung decided to get some fresh air only for Yunho’s scent to hit his nose before he’d even walked outside. Wooyoung’s eyebrows scrunched, but there was something different about it, sweeter.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Wooyoung groaned as he approached Yunho’s car.
Mingi and Yunho stood side by side leaned against the car. Mingi grinned shyly, waving shortly.
“What are you doing here?”
“He brought me lunch,” Yunho beamed. “You done with your morning classes?”
“Yeah,” Wooyoung sighed, leaning against the car on Yunho’s empty side. “I’ve got two private lessons today though.”
“For which kids?”
Wooyoung shot Yunho a deadpan look and Yunho caught on instantly, wincing, “Oh, those two again?”
Wooyoung groaned, rubbing his eyes in irritation, “I feel bad because they’re putting in the work, but they just don’t get any better. I can’t help them, their parents are just wasting money.”
Yunho shrugged, “If the natural talents are not there we can’t force it.”
“That’s gotta suck,” Mingi chimed in, an innocent frown on his face. “Imagine learning you’re bad at what you enjoy doing. And they’re just kids.”
Wooyoung felt his chest ache for the two kids. Sometimes it was hard for him to put himself in their shoes. They were trying their best and all Wooyoung had to do was believe in them.
“Is it fun? Working with kids?” Mingi was grinning now. “I bet it is.”
Wooyoung shrugged and Yunho answered, “It has its ups and downs.”
“I would love to work with kids,” Mingi sighed.
“Why don’t you then?” Wooyoung scoffed.
Mingi didn’t catch onto the slight attitude. He blinked, staring wistfully at nothing in particular. “I like my job, and if I get far enough I’ll eventually be able to work from home. So then when I have kids I can stay home with them.”
Wooyoung stared at him for a long time, trying to tell if he was joking or not. Yunho was staring too, but his gaze was disgustingly lovesick.
“You want to be a stay at home dad?” Wooyoung finally asked.
“It’s not exactly stay-at-home, I’ll still be working. But yeah, I think that’ll be nice. I want a bunch of kids too,” Mingi grinned dopily. “Like ten.”
“Oh, fuck no,” Yunho burst out laughing. “What the fuck?”
“Why not?” Mingi nudged his shoulder against Yunho’s. “Then you can have your own dance team.”
Wooyoung watched as they giggled together, the sight making him happier than he’d like to admit. He’s glad Yunho found someone that makes him happy, even if it was a no-brain alpha.
If one thing was certain, it was that Wooyoung was gonna keep Mingi on his toes. Afterall, who would Wooyoung be if he wasn’t annoying and constantly bothering the only alpha he allowed to speak to him?
“Why do you guys want to mate so quickly?” Wooyoung blurted out one day.
Mingi -mid pizza bite- widened his eyes, pointing at himself in confusion. He set his slice down, wiping his hands on a napkin as he thought. “Are you talking about alpha’s specifically?”
“Yeah,” Wooyoung leaned back into the couch, “I mean, you and Yunho knew each other for what, a month, before you marked him? Why do you move so fast?”
Mingi blinked. “He asked me to.”
Seonghwa snorted, choking on his pizza and having to excuse himself from the room.
“Are you saying you didn’t want to?” Wooyoung challenged.
“Of course I did,” Mingi answered instantly, “I was waiting for him to say something. I would have waited however long it took.”
“When did you know that’s what you wanted?”
“As soon as we met. I could feel it.”
Wooyoung sat up at Mingi’s answer, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “See, that’s the thing. All alpha’s say that to literally every omega they wanna sleep with.”
“I wouldn’t say all,” Mingi trailed off hopelessly.
“I felt it too,” Yunho piped in, “I know what Mingi’s saying. It’s in your body.”
“Like when you’re hungry, but stronger,” Mingi nodded solemnly.
Yunho snickered once then fell into hysterics. Mingi started laughing as well. “What? Am I wrong?”
Wooyoung continued to stare off into the distance as the couple continued their laughter. “That doesn’t help though. All alpha’s say it.”
“Listen,” Mingi caught his breath, becoming serious, “I’m not saying there’s no asshole alpha’s out there. It seems you’ve encountered a few.”
“You have no idea,” Wooyoung chuckled humourlessly, fiddling with his fingers.
Yunho’s smile dropped, ducking his head to hide away from the conversation. Mingi’s eyes flickered between the friends cautiously. “But, my experience is true, and I’m sure there’s other good alpha’s out there. If you don’t feel anything towards them, just ignore their words. Who knows, your perfect mate could be another omega, or a beta.”
Wooyoung rubbed over his scent patch, strategically placed right above his scent gland on his neck. There’s no way his future mate could be an alpha, Wooyoung had sworn off even being friends with them years ago, but it was still nice to get a glimpse into the mind of one.
Wooyoung could handle himself pretty well in the face of an alpha. Most of them backed off once seeing how aggressive Wooyoung can get, so he didn’t think anything of it as he walked into a nearby bar after a particularly stressful day at work. He’d been to this one a few times before and knew one of the bartenders was a beta. He made his way through the small crowd near the pool tables and headed straight for the bartender he was familiar with.
“Look who’s back,” They grinned warmly, “Want your usual, or are we trying something different tonight?”
“Usual,” Wooyoung huffed, tossing himself onto the bar stool.
They slid his drink over and Wooyoung set some cash down in turn, including a tip.
“I’ll only be getting one drink tonight,” He explained briefly.
The bartender grinned gratefully as they picked up the cash and slinked off to tend to other customers. Wooyoung nursed his drink, the events from the day slipping from his mind as he began to relax. He tapped the glass absentmindedly, mind drifting to his conversations with Mingi. The alpha really was nothing like Wooyoung had expected. All the previous alpha’s Wooyoung had dealt with were arrogant, walking with their heads held high like they were better than everyone else. They were rude and pushy, making advancements even when Wooyoung clearly wasn’t interested and becoming aggressive when rejected. Most of all, they were disloyal, only one thing on their primal, animal brains, and if they can’t fuck something they’ll make it everyone else’s problem. But maybe he was wrong to brand all alpha’s as the same, because Mingi was nothing like that. He never once treated any of them like they were less than him, and his eyes never strayed from Yunho. It’s highly possible that Yunho had found the only decent alpha to walk earth.
Wooyoung’s shoulders sagged as a calming scent filled his nose. It was warm and earthy, sage, possibly. Wooyoung’s eyelids began to droop, a smell that pleasant had to be coming from a nearby omega and Wooyoung almost wanted to seek them out. He rested his chin on his palm, the movement feeling languid. Something heavy draped over his shoulders and Wooyoung startled with an intensity that woke him from his tiredness instantly. He stared at the hand dangling from his shoulder and looked back to the other with wide eyes. The owner either didn’t care that Wooyoung was uncomfortable or was unaware as he started speaking.
“You should come join us,” He slurred slightly, his cheekbones tinged with red. “Rather than sitting by yourself over here.”
His scent started to burn Wooyoung’s nose and he scrunched it immediately. He should have known such a strong scent could only come from an alpha, an omega would never boast their scent around. Wooyoung shoved the alpha’s arm off himself, standing abruptly.
The alpha stumbled back slightly, muttering under his breath, “What the fuck did you do that-”
He trailed off, staring at Wooyoung with wide eyes. He blinked a few times, his cheeks becoming redder.
“Think you can just drape yourself over me?” Wooyoung seethed, “You alpha’s are so fucking arrogant, always in someone’s space. What? Did you think I’d immediately fawn over you and accept your invitation?”
“No,” The alpha’s eyes widened further, stumbling over an explanation, “I didn’t mean to- I thought you were-”
Wooyoung huffed, shoving past the alpha as he continued to stutter. “Fucking assholes.”
That was a perfect way to ruin his night. He left his drink half empty on the bar, stomping out without glancing back at the alpha once. So much for his self reflection on his prejudice against alphas.
The feeling clung to his skin, the alphas steady arm over his shoulders. And his scent clung to Wooyoung’s clothes like it was sewn in. Wooyoung stripped them off the moment he stepped through his door, his hands trembling. The scent didn’t leave and Wooyoung’s stomach turned with nausea. The scent was on his skin somehow. The alpha had leaned too close, his scent swirling and breath fanning across Wooyoung’s neck. Wooyoung turned the knobs to his shower, trying to calm the storm in his body. He’d gone through this before, alphas got in his space and hung themselves over him all the time. Whispering grimy, dirty words into his ears expecting him to fawn and give in. But that’s not exactly what had happened. The alpha had backed off instantly, his eyes wide and dazed, glossed over with alcohol. And the way his flush covered over him, seeming like more than just the alcohol. A sour feeling stuck to the back of Wooyoung’s throat. He needed to wash this feeling away, scrub the scent from his skin.
Wooyoung wished the anger would leave, but he could still feel the after effects days later. The scent wasn’t on his skin or clothes, no, it was trapped inside his body. He could barely remember the alpha's face, but he could feel his breath against his neck, hear his voice, and that scent. It haunted him. Wooyoung became less tolerant of alphas, ignoring less and snapping more. It got to a dangerous point when one stood too close to him in line at a cafe and Wooyoung whirled around, spitting insults. The alpha was taken aback at first, but stood his ground, hurling insults back. Wooyoung sneered dead in his face, Hongjoong and Seonghwa desperately trying to pull him away. He almost gave in, but the alpha had turned around, muttering underneath his breath.
“Fucking omega. Someone needs to put you in your place.”
And Wooyoung lashed out, shoving the alpha hard enough to send him toppling into nearby chairs. He stood up, his eyes shooting deadly glares and Wooyoung glared back, filled with pure hatred. He hated them, he hated all of them so much he physically shook with it. His view of the alpha was blocked by Seonghwa, his face carefully blank. Hongjoong rushed to the alpha, spilling out apologies and offering to pay for his drink, but Seonghwa pulled Wooyoung out of the cafe. Wooyoung let himself be dragged, like a child about to be scolded. Seonghwa dropped his hand once outside, sighing deeply.
“What was that about?” No harshness, no judgement, just worry.
And Wooyoung let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I ran into an alpha the other day and it really shook me.”
Seonghwa’s eyebrows pulled together. “What did they do?”
Wooyoung shrugged, feeling dumb as he admitted it, “Nothing really. I think he was drunk. He seemed pushy at first, but backed down when I snapped. He just-“
Wooyoung sucked in a harsh breath. “He didn’t do anything, but his scent clung to me. I swear I can smell it now.”
Seonghwa nodded in understanding and Hongjoong emerged from the shop, stomping towards them. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes burning holes in Wooyoung.
“Wooyoung,” He started, his voice dangerously low.
“I know,” Wooyoung interrupted, dropping his head shamefully. “I’m sorry.”
Hongjoong shifted, his eyes drifting to Seonghwa before exhaling loudly. His arms dropped limply to his sides. “Let’s just head back to ours.”
Wooyoung had calmed down. He felt horrified by his actions in the cafe, not because he shoved the alpha, but because he embarrassed Seonghwa and Hongjoong. Thankfully, his irritation had faded before the next time he saw Yunho and Mingi. The last thing he wanted was to snap at Mingi and send his friend group into shambles. But the moment he walked through Yunho’s door the scent hit him again. Not strongly, faint, lingering, like the alpha was lurking in the shadows watching him. Wooyoung shook his head and it was gone. But the impact was instant, his body tingled all over, anger sizzling hot in his veins. When Mingi entered the room Wooyoung glared on instinct.
“What’s with that face? What’d I do?” Mingi paused in the middle of the room. He blinked in an innocent, confused way like a duckling waddling behind their mother.
Wooyoung sighed, resolve flowing through him. It was just Mingi, he reminded himself. “I ran into an alpha the other day. He was a dick. He tossed himself over me in the bar.”
Mingi sighed, his shoulders sagging. He spread his arms wide, eyes closing in defeat. “Go ahead, take out your anger.”
Wooyoung grabbed a pillow and swung without hesitation, whacking Mingi in the face. Somehow, it did make him feel better.
Yunho winced at the sound of impact. “Careful please, he’s sensitive.”
Mingi rubbed at his nose with a slight pout. He was quiet for a while, tucked away on the couch thoughtfully. Which wasn’t unusual, Mingi tended to disassociate sometimes. Just one of those Mingi things he did. The chatter from the others made up for Mingi’s lack of presence, but then he suddenly came back to.
“This might be a bad time, but I have a question.”
Hongjoong hummed in acknowledgement so Mingi continued, “I was just thinking, you know how we all agreed to meet up at my place on Saturday? Would it be okay if I invited my friends? I think you’d all get along and I want you guys to meet.”
Mingi glanced at Wooyoung wearily. “Well, some of you will get along.”
Hongjoong grinned cheerfully. “We’d love that, right?”
Seonghwa hummed in agreement while Wooyoung crossed his arms dramatically. “You want me to hang out with a bunch of alpha’s?”
“Only one of them is an alpha. One’s a beta and the other’s an omega.”
“You’re friends with an omega?” Wooyoung blinked in surprise and Mingi stared at him like he’d grown a second head.
“Why’s that weird? We’re friends, aren’t we?” Mingi’s lips turned downwards, genuinely hurt at the idea of Wooyoung not considering them friends.
Wooyoung cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
Mingi giggled childishly, shaking Yunho’s shoulder. “You hear that, we’re friends.”
Wooyoung rolled his eyes, tightening his arms over his chest stubbornly. Yunho chuckled for a moment, then settled into a warm grin that made Wooyoung believe being friends with just one alpha was worth it.