1/2 (1/1)

A/N: keep in mind that the story is set in two different timelines (past and present). the characters will alter as well as the story progresses (e.g. Kim Jongin - Lee Shikyung) just saying this to avoid confusion! Although not as adventurous as the other kids his age, Sehun still had his fair share of fun experiences…and cleaning the schoolyard under the sun’s scorching heat evidently wasn’t one of them. Classes had just resumed after another chaotic episode of lunch break. Except for him and his companion, there wasn’t a single soul present within a thirty-mile radius. Speaking of his companion… “It’s been an hour since we got here and you haven’t moved even your pinky finger. Unless you’re having a sudden heat stroke, princess, I suggest you quit slacking off and get to work.” It’s unlike Sehun to be so hot-headed since he’s usually the picture of calm and composure. However, the heat was getting on his nerves as well as Kim Jongin’s lack of cooperation. It would take both their combined efforts to rid the entire schoolyard of dirt but only Sehun was actually sweeping the candy wrappers, fallen leaves and dirt whilst Jongin sat his ass on a stone bench under the shade of acacia trees as though it was a throne of some sort. He was acting like a royalty, which wasn’t an apt description to begin with given his total lack of finesse. “Shut up,” Jongin scowled at him. He looked equally pissed as Sehun, if not more. "You quit your whining. It’s been an hour and all you’ve done was nag at me like a little bitch sounding even worse than my mom! If you haven’t realized it yet, this is your fault so you're gonna have to do all the work yourself." The comeback was quick to depart Sehun’s mouth. "My fault…ha, that’s funny! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the dumbass who crossed lines today. You got us into this mess, so start working your ass off. Or do I still have to make you?" It was very rare for Sehun to threaten someone - in fact, he does not at all. Reclusive, diffident and very bookish; these were just three of the most unlikely traits he was known for...the very same traits that, despite his ancestry, led him to the bottom of the food chain. Thus far he was the only of his lineage who preferred to stand at the back of the crowd instead of asserting dominance in the center like what a purebred alpha ought to. Nobody respected him as an alpha despite knowing better, because he had never proven anything to gain it. Oh Sehun was weird as hell, that was for certain. So Jongin was quite floored when the nerd of the century glared his way into his soul and asserted dominance right then and there. Jongin’s knees nearly buckled. To his absolute horror, a whimper involuntarily escaped the back of his throat and he gave in, keeping his eyes on the ground, unable to lift his gaze to return the gesture twice as harsh. His body had surprisingly betrayed him by reacting to Sehun - but then again, it shouldn’t have shocked him this much. After all, Sehun was still the Alpha and Jongin...unfortunately he was just the Omega. It’s just that it felt so wrong to submit to Oh Sehun; the same guy who he had been incessantly picking on since three grades back. That second, Sehun decided Jongin unworthy of his attention and returned to his sweeping duties once more. He dreaded every second he spent in the belligerent omega’s presence, but it wasn’t as if he had other options. He’s doomed to serve an entire week’s worth of detention cleaning various parts of the campus with Kim Jongin, the only person in the world that he loathed more than socializing itself. Darn, that dodgeball. If it wasn’t for the sport Sehun wouldn’t have to deal with Jongin’s laziness and endure one whole hour of the omega’s harassment – a precious time which he could be dedicating to an advanced study of abstract algebra instead. It wasn’t Sehun’s god damned fault if he so happened to be great with dodgeball and struck Jongin right in the face with the force of a thousand suns (admittedly intentional.) Jongin, dizzied by the impact and ashamed to the roots of his hair, almost clawed him to death for it and it was a scary scene for the rest of the class that they had to be kicked out of the court and be dealt with by the headmaster personally. The old man must have been so done with their daily quarrels that he thought it best to up their punishment, thinking the idea of having to serve such a godawful detention would keep them from coming for each other’s blood. But at the rate things were going, ceasefire was very bleak a prospect. Shame and disbelief were writ large across Jongin’s countenance. It wasn’t like he hadn’t submitted to an alpha before because he had, quite a several times actually. It was ingrained in him to do so, a trait he couldn’t omit from his nature. However, knowing it was Oh Sehun who he just submitted to was unacceptable for the omega. He had to avenge his dignity somehow, he couldn’t just let a loser like Sehun get away with it. Who the hell does this dweeb think he is? Jongin instinctively dipped a hand into the mucky pail water by his feet to grab an equally grimy, filth-soaked sponge he used earlier to wipe a cafeteria table clean and went, without second thoughts, to haul it towards Sehun. And compared to his constant misdirection during earlier’s class where he kept smacking everyone but Sehun, this one had a remarkably high success rate. "Fuck off!” yelled the flustered omega. “You piss the living shit out of me!” The sponge that had smacked the back of Sehun’s head and left a wet trail as it slid down the back of his polo turned the alpha’s stature rigid at most. Suddenly, the harmless sponge that was floating in the dirty water seconds before now seemed an object of evil omen that fell on the concrete with a resounding splat. The courtyard had never seen such tense silence and the usually peaceful ambiance was now filled with a menace that had the omega’s eyes widening. All danger signs glowed red, and Jongin bolted back inside the campus. His heart was thumping hard and fast against his ribcage that it actually hurt. While speeding past the cafeteria tables, he came to the realization that he might have just signed his death warrant. Sometimes he would forget that the worst people to provoke were the silent ones for they could be plotting your death already and you still wouldn’t have any idea. Baekhyun used to remind him that clashing against an alpha, no matter their position in the social triangle, wouldn’t lead to anything good. Keyword being used. With Baekhyun’s presence nearby, Jongin would manage to take his temper down a notch. However, he lost the only person who could tame him and there was no assuring if he could get him back because he now belonged to someone else - or at least, was about to. That fucking dodgeball. If only he wasn’t forced to look at Baekhyun from the opposing team and play against his former best friend, he wouldn’t be much of a moody bastard he was now. But fate decided he play the most unfortunate in its dirty scheme and with Sehun hitting him smack in the face with a ball as the finishing touch, it’s safe to say he was a pressure tank that exploded. Although to be honest it wasn’t Sehun that ruined his day – it was Baekhyun. Sehun being in the scene just jinxed it for him and he became Jongin’s emotional punching bag. But the omega guessed it was a little too late to take his words back - not when there’s a raging bull hot on his heels. You can’t stop a storm, only come prepared for it. And in this case, Jongin clearly wasn’t. The relief that surged through Jongin soon after he burst out of the cafeteria doors was short-lived. Several students strolling along the corridor were startled by the omega’s dramatic appearance, and could not help but stall more at the scene that played before them. Jongin wished he could have taken that one more step. Unfortunately for him, it only took Sehun’s freakishly long legs and a surprisingly strong arm to crush his hopes and dreams. All the air got knocked out of him as soon as Sehun hooked his arm around his middle. He was spun around to face the rage on Sehun’s face and without any warning, Jongin felt himself get lifted off the ground. Jongin’s disbelief was growing by the second, even more so with the realization that he was being carried around like a mere sack of potatoes. “What the fuck? Get your filthy hands off me! Put me down!” “I already told you not to test me, Kim. You never fucking listen,” Sehun had Jongin’s every action predicted, locking his arms around the other’s legs with an iron grip. Jongin pounded on his back with angry fists, struggling, flushing under the weight of their audience’s scrutiny. A geek, a nobody, a loser like Sehun…was manhandling him like this in front of the student body. His pride was stomped on, so was his reputation, and he wasn’t even exaggerating. “Oh my god, I’m going to sock you in the face so fucking hard you won’t be able to see for days – SHIT!” in the midst of wiggling out of Sehun’s arms, Jongin managed to hit the alpha’s nape with his elbow, and Sehun reacted to it by growling and slapping his butt rather hard it actually stung. Jongin’s face darkened. “This is harassment – I’m calling the cops – I told you to put me the fuck down!! aAHHHHH!!!" Jongin could scream like a banshee for all Sehun cared, he still wouldn’t take the omega seriously nor tolerate his childishness. Adjusting his skewed eyeglasses, the alpha remained mum amidst all profanities streaming out of Jongin’s mouth and headed back to the cafeteria to force the omega into the labor he deserved. -

- "I'm in love with you." All noises were muted as the sweet confession rung out and at that moment, only the erratic thumping of Jongin’s heart and the surprise in Byun Baekhyun's face mattered the most. "You..." it wasn’t easy to control the shock brought by his own best friend's confession. How was Baekhyun to react exactly? Jongin stood there before him, a picture of calm and composure, nothing but hope present in his eyes. Baekhyun found himself swallowing thickly. "What...did you say?" In spite of the unpleasant feeling arising in his gut with each passing second that Baekhyun stayed rooted to his ground, Jongin left no room for anxiety to get the better of him. "I love you, Baekhyun." Please say you do, too. “Why,” Baekhyun was so at a loss for words he could barely find the strength of his voice. “…why me?” Questions like that seemed so easy to answer and yet, Jongin couldn’t find the right words to fully express his feelings for his best friend. All the good feats Baekhyun had done for him, the admirable traits he possessed…he would never finish if he relayed them one by one. That being said, Jongin gathered courage and gave his answer. “Well...you’ve always been a good person. You’re consistent with giving me warmth, with patience. That’s why my nature trusted you before my mind could too. You’re irreverent, funny, real as hell and perfect with your idiosyncrasies…” Jongin smiled. With every word he spoke, shone a brighter sparkle in his eyes. “It’s because you are you, Baek.” A pregnant pause lapsed by, and Jongin wasn’t sure if it consisted of tension and awkwardness, or just a silence insinuating more time to process. He never once broke eye contact, keen, yearning for the answer that would alter the meaning of their relationship forever. Baekhyun closed the few distances keeping them apart, his steps just as heavy as the heart that bore the response to his best friend’s confession. He held Jongin’s hands, led them to his lips, and he felt even more rotten and cruel at the sight of the painfully familiar sweet smile on Jongin’s face, knowing fully well it wouldn’t last long. "Jongin, I..." Said male’s smile ceased in the slightest, stomach jumping in the first signs of dread. Baekhyun had his eyes pasted on the ground instead of looking directly into his eyes. “I don't know how to...word this...” One look at the awful expression Baekhyun’s wearing and the answer had already reached Jongin before it could even be spoken. “Jongin, what you’re feeling,” Baekhyun’s jaw clenched. “It will pass.” Jongin was unable to even open his mouth to ask the other what he meant by that. He stood frozen before Baekhyun, a fire burning in his eyes and throat as the impact of his best friend's rejection hit him like the force of a sledgehammer. “It’s just a phase.” “But it's not,” Jongin surprised himself with how stable his voice was. “I’ve never been so sure of anything, Baekhyun.” Releasing Jongin’s hands, Baekhyun shook his head. “You’re confused—” “I realized that I was in love with you since middle school. Now we’re in high school and my feelings didn’t change, it only grew. How am I confused?” A frown wrote itself on Jongin’s lips. “Things like this don’t develop overnight. I know what I’m feeling.” “Jongin…” Baekhyun looked very conflicted and he stared up at the clear sky as if its soothing color would bring some sense of peace in his troubled mind. And when he looked at Jongin again, his mouth spewed something he had been meaning to confess a long time ago. “This…I can’t return your feelings.” The dejection thickened in Jongin’s face. “I’m in love with Kyungsoo.” Jongin suddenly couldn’t breathe. He had already considered the situation heading down to this path but still, he wasn’t prepared for it. No one told him this would be so fucking painful. The evident closeness Baekhyun and Kyungsoo seemed to develop recently was a clear sign. “I see…” it was difficult to speak what with the tightness in his throat, but Jongin managed, albeit unsteadily. He refused to lift his eyes in fear of catching the pity reflecting in his best friend’s irises. “I’m so sorry, Jongin.” The guilt was ice in Baekhyun’s guts. It could be a hundred degrees out and he would still be frozen on the inside. “No, don’t be. I should be the one to apologize,” Jongin muttered. Baekhyun wanted to embrace him, but at this point, he just lost that privilege. “after all, I just ruined our friendship.” “Jongin—” “I think you should go,” Jongin interjected, barely restraining his tears. The first few drops began to stain the asphalt and the self-hatred began to fester. “Please. Go.” Baekhyun bit back his apologies. He knew his presence was the last thing Jongin wanted right now and so with his head hung low, he took his leave. At the last crunch of the leaves under Baekhyun’s feet, Jongin broke down entirely, unable to hold in the flood any longer. He was upset at himself for hoping redamancy was possible – for naively believing Baekhyun would have equal affection towards him. Hell, was this how heartbreak felt like? It was really the worst. Jongin gave little consideration when it came to rejecting admirers…had he any right to empathize with them now? Baekhyun’s rejection kept on repeating inside his mind like a broken record, never ceasing, and Jongin poured his heartache out for a long time. -

- There was never a time where the sight of Jongin brought Sehun no migraine, and likewise. When did it start out, you ask? It dated three years back when Sehun first stepped foot at Yonsei High. A Korean-native that grew up on the land of Beijing, Sehun was given the chance to be a part of an educational exchange program due to his exemplary school performance. He was granted a one-year stay but offered an entire high school career at the prestigious Yonsei High if he were to ace his marks and manage to be at the top of his class. It was a blessing vouchsafed him by heaven, and he certainly made sure it did not go to waste. Sophomore year was when he first got acquainted with a spunky omega by the name of Kim Jongin. He was quite the nonconformist, unlike any other omega Sehun had ever gotten to know of. And so, at first sight, the alpha was immediately snatched. Sehun felt himself wilting under the scrutiny of at least fifty people. Sighting his appearance, their eyes barely contained any hint of interest, and his self-esteem continued to deplete lower than it already was. He couldn’t fault them, still. What was there to look at him, a tall, lanky guy with the thickest specs ever who was too inhibited for his own good? No one gave much of a flying rat’s ass about geeks like him back at his former institution, and he didn’t think there would be a change in treatment here. “Class, as you all know, our school is a part of a student exchange program with a few select universities in China,” Ms. Jian, Sehun’s new advisor, began with a pleasant lilt in her voice as she proudly held timid Sehun by the shoulders. “In front of you stands one of the brightest students of his age from Tsinghua University and I am proud to have him as part of our class. Why don’t you introduce yourself to them, Mr. Oh?” If only the ground would swallow him whole at this moment, Sehun would be extremely grateful. It was an unspoken task of his as an exchange student but nevertheless, Sehun dreaded introducing himself in front of any crowd. He couldn’t handle the amount of attention thrown his way, it made him feel bare and suffocated. This bunch right before him looked uninterested, but it was still uncomfortable all the same that Sehun wanted to bolt out of this room right at this second. “Uh…hello. My name is Oh Sehun and…I came from Beijing,” with the pin drop silence, his voice cracking at the last word was easily distinguishable, and Sehun nearly cringed into another dimension. Giving it another try, he cleared his throat and attempted to gather his nonexistent confidence. “I hope to get along very well with you. That’s…all.” “Nice to meet you, Sehun! Welcome to Yonsei University.” Jian beamed, giving a friendly, gentle pat on Sehun’s back. “Now to assign your seat…I’d initially have you take any place you want but since we are short of vacant seats at the moment, is there anyone willing to share space with Mr. Oh?” No one answered, not bothering to give a small grunt at the very least, all seeming to be immersed in their own business or off to dreamland. Sehun’s ears turned pink as he shuffled uneasily on his feet. He knew it. He knew this would be a repeat of circumstances— “Oh, there it is,” Jian spoke, disrupting the young alpha’s internal pity party. Sehun looked up and spotted the only student in the class who bothered to raise his hand. Sehun had been so relieved to find someone that was willing to be a seatmate of his, completely oblivious to the fact that he was walking straight into the snake pit. Kim Jongin and his friends – rather lackeys if you were to ask Sehun – Park Chanyeol and Kim Jongdae were wolves in sheep’s clothing, that much was a fact. Until now Sehun blamed himself for failing to notice the signs. The three boys were nice initially, but no sooner was Sehun smacked in the face with the truth; the offending truth that he was exploited for the benefit of the same people he nearly considered his friends. That fateful day when Jongin came to school with a rather dark aura was what started everything. No one knew the reason behind the omega’s foul mood, and no one tried to discover it either. It was examinations day and apparently, he was able to review not a single page of his notes. That was where Sehun entered – Jongin turned to him in hopes that Sehun would get the message and provide him answers. As an honors student, it was the first and foremost rule in Sehun’s book to never give answers to anybody – be it a friend or simply a struggling classmate. It would seem selfish of him not to share answers especially when he knew most if not all of the questions, but it would be considered cheating to dictate answers to someone who didn’t study – therefore a school violation. Sehun wouldn’t risk it...not when he was on probation, too. He stood by the principle that you reap what you sow; Jongin did not study and therefore would have to deal with the consequences. Jongin got pissed at him, to say the least. Sehun’s refusal was the first strike it seemed, and the alpha would never forget the omega’s words that day. “You think you’re all that, don't you? If only I knew that you’d actually be this useless to me, I never would’ve raised my hand to volunteer as your seatmate, you arrogant nerd!” The “second strike” came sooner than expected. See, the thing Sehun despised the most was cheating. It was simply unfair to those who worked hard to get to the top; an ugly, greedy behavior that ought to be exacted with discipline. Unfortunately for Jongin and his friends, Sehun had caught them tampering with the exam score sheet during midterms, and the alpha was so disgusted by the act that he didn’t think twice about telling their advisor. His being a “tattletale” (according to Jongdae) was what led the trio to a one-week suspension. When Sehun was confronted by a barely calm Jongin of what his problem was, the alpha with all his air of disdain revealed that he loathed people who cheat on their way to the top. “Hate is a strong word.” pointed out the omega. “Exactly what I meant.” By that time, Jongin’s rage was nothing new to Sehun. The alpha was called with many names, including his trademark “four-eyes”, though what the omega did not expect was for the usually reserved alpha to retort with a stinging, "If being a geek is what it takes to be a model of rectitude then so be it. I’d rather be called that than lose my integrity and turn into someone unappealing like you, inside and out.” "Did…did you just…call me ugly?" A snort. "What do you think?" Apparently, what he said served as the final strike. Sehun felt powerful then, exiting their short spat with a withering glare. He left the omega seething in silence, wordlessly declaring a war that no one expected to last a long time. What started out as an otherwise totally casual relationship morphed into dissension that extended for years. A week’s worth of punishment was proven ineffective to get the pair to sort out their altercation. The faculty had given up on them and was merely keeping a watchful eye should there be another…disagreement to take place between the two. But not their advisor, no. Jian still had hopes that she would be able to mend the gaps – be a bridge to create friendship between her students. That was why, even though it seemed inane an idea, she still had Sehun stay back after class to inform the young alpha of her wonderfully crafted plan. “You want me to what?” Said alpha stood before his teacher like a slack-jawed idiot, and honestly, Jian couldn’t blame him. His reaction was expected considering how incredulous her request sounded even to her. “I want you to tutor Jongin.” “B-But…but—!” it took Sehun quite a bit of a moment to digest the elder beta’s words. He didn’t know what exactly to respond to that. “I know, I know. It may seem impossible because of your...situation with Jongin, but you are the only candidate that fits this role best,” Jian said in a mellow tone and proceeded to explain, “No one comes close to your marks, Sehun. No one. It’s a glaring fact that you are ranked way above your peers when it comes to academics. You are one of the few scholars this institution has, withal the best out of the bunch, and you’ve proven to us many times that there’s no such thing as distractions. So this is why out of all people, I am asking you. Your class would be marching to get your diplomas four months from now and I am afraid with how drastically poor Jongin’s academic performance has become, he won't be able to join the rest of you. I have no history of dismissing advisories incomplete and I wouldn’t about to start one now.” Jian looked desperate, there was no other word for it. Sehun was in a bind – sure, he was acknowledged by the faculty for his stupendous marks, and no one doubted his ability to tutor anyone. What Jian was asking wasn’t something impossible for Sehun to do but the thing is, this was Jongin they were talking about. Kim Jongin, the same omega he’d been loathing for who knew how long. How could he teach someone he hated with a passion? More importantly; what’s in it for him? Jian was able to read the question in her student’s eyes by just a glance. “I promise you’ll receive the merits you want if this task turned out successful. The highest commendation from the headmaster? No problem! Another sponsored scholarship? Consider it done! Just do me this one favor, please?” Sehun was frozen. Those merits were quite a bit of a stretch. All that just for the sake of Kim Jongin passing the class? Why Jian would go out of her way to save Jongin’s tragic marks was beyond Sehun, but he would be lying if he said he was not in any least tempted by the offer. It was a win-win situation, actually. Jongin would be able to save himself from his own downfall, whereas Sehun would get to come back home with a sure chance of getting into a good university. He’d be a fool to ever pass this up. Embarrassment tinting his cheeks, the alpha scratched his head and bashfully muttered, “Well...I guess I can?” It took Jian an incredible amount of self-restraint not to scream out victoriously. “Thank you, son. It would be great if you could start as soon as possible, there isn’t much time to salvage Jongin’s grades. That poor child…” The beta shook her head almost lamentably. “I trust you to bring out Jongin’s full potential. Now go, get to your next class. I wouldn’t want to cause you trouble with your next teacher.” And just like that, Sehun had signed his death warrant. Just breathing in the same air as the omega got him all riled up – what more now that he was to actually tutor him in personal? The perfect recipe for disaster was already brewing up. -

- It was decided then, one-sidedly at that, that the tutoring sessions would be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends. Today was Saturday and it meant Sehun’s supposedly peaceful long weekend would be spent trying to push knowledge into someone who couldn’t be bothered to even touch a single page of his book. So much for his weekly visit to the city library. Sehun was on his way to the café near campus as it was the final meeting place he and Jongin had agreed upon after hours of debate. Considering how they ended their quarrel yesterday, it was likely that Sehun would be stood up by the omega, knowing how juvenile he could be. Although he had already come to terms with the fact that he was greedy for merits, he wondered if doing this was actually worth it. “That poor child…” Once again, Jian’s voice echoed in the back of Sehun’s mind. She had looked incredibly worried about Jongin. But that particular sentiment was nothing new to Sehun when his classmates, Jongin’s friends especially, had been pitying Jongin for months on end. It wasn’t because his grades were going downhill, though. It was for the simple fact that the omega was heartbroken. And Sehun was shocked because contrary to his own belief, Jongin wasn’t actually a monster. His being a jerk toward Sehun kind of erased the picture that he was a human capable of feelings too. Everyone knew what happened. News traveled fast in a campus brimming with gossipers. Since junior high Jongin and his best friend, Byun Baekhyun, have been in a friends-with-benefits type of relationship. At first, it was assumed that they were dating when in fact they were not – there were no strings attached and whatever they had was no more than sexual hijinks. Jongin and Baekhyun were always seen as the ideal couple nevertheless, and somehow, somewhere along their complicated relationship, Jongin fell hard. Unfortunately, the feeling was not mutual. Rumors were circulating around about how Baekhyun had been contemplating on taking his relationship with Jongin to the next level and make it real, but it was all speculative to begin with. It turned even more fictitious with the appearance of the new omega named Do Kyungsoo. It was evident that Baekhyun was enamored for he seemed to be everywhere Kyungsoo was, always asking the omega to hang out with him and in turn, he began to unconsciously neglect his friends – Jongin most especially. It led to a cold war that nobody was prepared for; it was just so alien to see the much too inseparable pair Jongin and Baekhyun coldly pass by each other in the hallways. Or at least, that was the case with Jongin as he couldn’t seem to accept the fact that Baekhyun’s attention was no longer his to claim. That was where everything started going downhill. Jongin’s once steady grades dropped alarmingly all because of his fall out with Baekhyun. On the other hand, Baekhyun was absolutely charmed by the new transfer and there was no stopping him from courting the omega – which translated as a nightmare for Jongin seeing as he was in love with Baekhyun. In an attempt to get the alpha to realize that he loved him, Jongin confessed. It was anonymously disclosed in the following manner that he was rejected. Since then, Jongin’s school performance had turned for the worse. He was a mess and not even his friends knew what to do with him. It wasn’t only the students that noticed the drastic change in the usually free-spirited omega, but also the teachers. Which was why Jian came to Sehun and sought his help. It was just funny that of all people, he, the archenemy, was the one to pull Jongin out of this bind. That was if both of them cooperated for once. He could already imagine the chaos that would ensue in the first ten minutes of their tutoring session. Sehun had been so lost in constructing scenarios for the afternoon ahead that he was surprised to see how far he had come. Already the cafe was in sight. He could hear the rolling jazz from inside, and suddenly all his preparations flee his mind like scared children, his brain felt full of static like an old television set that's lost the signal. He stopped. Part of him was screaming to turn around, but he knew it would be his loss if he turned tail and flee. “Fuck it,” Sehun sighed under his breath and entered the café, choosing a corner he deemed fit for tutoring, and proceeded to wait for Jongin for the next fifteen minutes. -

- It turned out that Sehun had to wait thrice longer. And by the time Jongin showed his face up, Sehun had already finished his vanilla smoothie with an angry slurp. It didn’t take long for Jongin to spot him amidst other customers. When he reached their table, Sehun beat him to it before the omega could even get to open his mouth. “You’re late.” The alpha was as cold as ever, and Jongin didn’t expect it any other way. Rolling his eyes so hard they nearly turned white, he countered with, “I’m not, you’re just too freaking early." There was a scoff. "You’re forty minutes past the agreed time." "'Kay. So I am late,” Jongin took off his coat and flopped down on the seat adjacent to his companion. He then proceeded to look at Sehun like he was more irrelevant than the empty smoothie cup on the glass table. “It's because I have a life. I can’t say the same about you." See, this was what Sehun was talking about. Kim Jongin was the rudest bitch in existence and kept proving it every time they interact. "Listen very closely, Kim. I’m not here to deal with your bullshit, I’m here to tutor you. So you better put a sock in it or you’ll be repeating senior high." “Why, you’re incredibly cranky today! PMS?” it was clear Jongin didn’t take the alpha’s little threat seriously. Thankfully he brought out his studying materials without being told. In a surprising turn of events, the pair managed to start the day without much of a fight. It seemed to Sehun that Jongin actually took interest in studying more than he initially thought. This made the alpha wonder if the omega was ready to ditch his dark phase and get back on track. They took a short break an hour into the session, and Jongin took this chance to get a smoothie himself. While waiting for his order to arrive, he found himself curiously watching the other alpha revise his notes dutifully. Every now and then he would adjust his specs and it sort of bothered Jongin. He didn’t give it much thought though, because his order had arrived and Sehun decided they had enough break. In the middle of studying, Jongin began to get annoyed once more. Sehun’s eyeglasses slid down his nose bridge for the nth time and the nerd had to adjust it time and again. It was pretty distracting for the omega that he began to cross his arms over his chest and side-eye the alpha into oblivion. Just how the hell does he stand that thing slipping down again and again?! Five more minutes of silence and Jongin couldn’t hold it in any longer, "For real. Do you have  shitty vision or you just wear those ugly specs for the heck of it?" Sehun glared at him. "Are you going to study or not?" "If you answer my question first." Was the other male’s response. Sehun’s brows furrowed deeper. What was the omega on? "I’m the one that’s supposed to do the questioning, not you." "This is a tutoring session, isn’t it? I’m allowed to ask questions." Jongin raised his chin, sipping his smoothie almost tauntingly. He could see his questions were getting to the alpha’s nerves faster than expected, and he couldn’t say he was disappointed. This was a new feat. "What you’re asking isn’t related to the subject at hand." Sehun transferred his sight back to the workbooks and tapped Jongin’s worksheet rather impatiently, “Now focus, would you?” "Why can’t you just answer me?" Jongin scowled at him. His persistence, at last, snapped the remaining threads of Sehun’s patience. "My eyes are blurry, okay?! Who the hell wears lenses this thick just for the heck of it unless they deliberately want to ruin their vision? Moron," He barked irritably. The corner of his mouth nearly twitched at the dumbfounded gape on Jongin’s face. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting that kind of outburst. "Did you just…” Jongin stuttered. “Who the fuck are you calling a moron, you dweeb?!" "I’m sure as hell your hearing functions perfectly fine. Or are you actually deaf?" This time it was Sehun who had his arms crossed. The situation took a hundred eighty degrees turn; it was only Sehun who was supposed to be annoyed but it seemed merely being called a moron was getting Jongin’s hackles up. "You’re asking for a beating." "With your gangly thin arms? Wouldn’t count on it,” Sehun scoffed. At the sight of Jongin raising his fist, the alpha let out an amused chuckle. “Oh, are you going to punch me? I’d like to see you try." And then Jongin realized he was being goaded in a public place by the alpha. Sehun’s intentions were pretty clear and if Jongin had stupidly fallen into his trap he would be in a huge trouble. Public violence in the city was highly looked down upon and considered a major violation – even with the desire of clobbering Sehun’s face overflowing, Jongin wouldn’t risk it. Sehun was damn lucky this time. Jongin would spare him the black eye for now. “Let’s see if you can still keep all that bravado when Monday rolls around.” he set his auburn eyes at Sehun, the threat behind his words real and shudder-worthy. If Sehun was daunted, he didn’t show it. Damn, he really was a disgrace to his lineage for letting an omega treat him like this. But what could he do? Kim Jongin was the devil incarnate. -

- The next day’s tutoring session was spent not at the café they first started in but rather, at the Kim residence. It was impromptu, as the café was down for renovation and it just so happened that Kim Jungah, Jongin’s mother, was at the flower boutique they passed by on the way back to school. The woman had insisted they bring their tutoring session to her house as no one was home to bother them. Also, because she was delighted to see that aside from Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongdae, there were other people her son was friends with. Sehun being an alpha just tickled her senses more and urged her to invite the young man into their humble abode. Sehun, later on, learned that Jongin’s mother was an in-demand fashion designer working for several high-end clothing lines. That, and the fact that she was unlike anything her son was. Kim Jungah was a very delightful company, before anything else. She was incredibly genial, and what’s more, she immediately adored Sehun upon first meeting; enough for her to mistook Sehun as someone important in her son’s life. “So Sehun, honey...when did you and Jongin get together?” Sehun had spat out all the pineapple juice in his mouth, needless to say. “Oh, my!” there was a momentary panic on Jungah’s part as she handed the young alpha a box of tissues. Sehun smiled at her gratefully while Jongin, on the other hand, cackled on about how ridiculous his mother’s question was. Jungah was genuinely confused. “What, did I say something wrong?” “How could you not know your own son, mom? I  wouldn't dare be attracted to a walking almanac.” Jongin laughed for a little bit more, earning him a scandalized glare from the elder omega. Unlike Jungah, Sehun was already used to Jongin’s insults and quipped back coolly, “It’s an insult for me to be attracted to a student with rock bottom grades, so likewise.” Jongin could do nothing but seethe silently, throwing daggers at a smug looking Sehun. But frankly speaking, Jongin ought to thank him for being tactful and charitable enough not to outright call him brainless in front of his own mother. Thankfully for Jongin, all the while Sehun had muttered those words, Jungah was too busy berating Jongin for his rude manners to catch the sound of them. Instead, she panned her attention to Sehun and apologized for her son’s attitude. “It’s just that Jongin’s brought no alpha to our house except Baekhyun, that’s why I assumed you were my baby’s boyfriend,” Jungah smiled, ignoring Jongin’s embarrassed protests in the background. “I’d like to think he’s the shy type, else he’d already have found a prospective mate by now!” It was taking Sehun quite a lot of willpower not to cackle right in Jongin’s face. Going to this place might not be such a bad thing after all. “Anyway, how is Baekhyun?” Jungah brought up as she refilled Sehun’s glass. “I haven’t seen him much these days. Is he planning to come over anytime soon?” Sehun wasn’t certain if Jungah spotted the sudden sadness in Jongin’s eyes or the tension on his shoulders as fast as he did. The question affected Jongin a lot, but he was quite good at concealing it. “Oh. Well, you know him. He just has a lot to do at school,” an artificial smile wrote itself on Jongin’s lips as he settled his eyes elsewhere. “I’ll tell him to come over next time.” As much as Sehun wanted to turn a blind eye to it, he did catch the shift in Jongin’s expression and it was off-putting to see him so down, but his own mother never did notice. Time passed by quickly and before they knew it, the clock had already struck six in the evening. Sehun was surprised he managed to last five whole hours in the enemy territory unscathed. As their lesson tackled about late modernism, Jungah emerged from upstairs dressed all gallantly for an event she was going to attend this evening (hence her being at the flower boutique earlier that day.) “You should stay for dinner, Sehun. I’m sure my son wouldn’t want to spend it alone,” there was a knowing twinkle in the woman’s eye as she patted both males on the cheek. She then headed for the front door, giving Jongin enough pause that he had only begun forming a sentence of protest before his mother spoke again, “Enjoy your day, boys! I’ll be back before midnight.” It was only after the rumbling engines of Jungah’s car had faded away into the distance did Jongin sigh and slump on the couch, letting out a big breath. His shoulders, tight with tension, noticeably relaxed. The silence was undisturbed for quite some time as neither had the heart to break it. Jongin was deeply immersed in his thoughts, and so was Sehun. Jungah was right, this neighborhood was indeed very quiet. "You haven’t spoken to Baekhyun for a while now,” after some time had passed, Sehun finally decided to break the silence. He shifted on the couch, transferring his eyes from the cluttered coffee table to Jongin. “I don’t think you’d be able to bring him here; not when your relationship is in shambles." The question had evidently shocked the omega as he was short of words to fire back at the alpha. "That," Jongin breathed out, staring straight into Sehun’s eyes. "is none of your godddamn business." It was a touchy matter, obviously, so Sehun simply rolled his eyes and dropped the subject. He plucked a worksheet from his folder and handed it to Jongin, who took it wordlessly. Jongin was so out of it that he couldn’t even manage to answer the very first question. It was too alien for Sehun to see such a side of his archenemy like this, with doleful eyes and downturned mouth. His silence and lack of snark just made it all the weirder for the alpha. At this rate, they would never be able to get anything done. Jongin had spent the entire day sulking and zoning out that Sehun’s had enough of it. "Get me something to eat." Snapping out of his thoughts, Jongin threw an incredulous look at him. "Excuse me?" Sehun raised his brow. "I’m your guest, aren’t I? Now be a good host and get me some snacks. All this teaching your rusty ass brain is making me starve." Jongin must not be hearing it right. This loser dared order him around? In his own house?! Unbelievable. "I don’t know where you got that idea that you’re my ‘guest’ from. You’re not even welcome here." "Your mom said otherwise. And you see, I only listen to intellectual peo—" "God, okay, will you shut up? You’re so annoying!" Jongin scrubbed at his eyes and exhaled, rising to his feet without any much more fuss than that. Sehun followed his figure with his eyes, a little concerned now with how Jongin was acting. He didn’t know the omega was a whole lot stranger and uncharacteristic when facing a heartbreak. It could only mean Baekhyun made too deep of an impact for someone like Jongin to become so down in the dumps. It felt a bit alarming that he wasn’t quite sure where he was even getting the urge to distract Jongin from, but it really just bothered him to see the other so dejected and for some inexplicable reason he didn’t want to see such an expression on the omega’s irritating face. Maybe this was just his surprised self talking. He was just adjusting to this kind of Jongin, that’s all. It didn’t take long for Jongin to return with Sehun’s snacks in hand. However, there was a little problem... “I don’t like lime juice.” Sehun frowned up at Jongin, who was just about to hand the said beverage to him along with a nettled glare. “I don’t drink anything zesty.” "Wow,” Jongin remarked in mock surprise, before leering at the alpha. “What a choosy little bitch you are!" "It's called having preferences. Something pea-brained bastards like you won't understand." Sehun retorted coolly as he opened a bag of chips. "Whatever." Jongin rolled his eyes and walked out with the glass of lime juice, only to come back later with a water bottle. He threw it none too gently on Sehun’s lap. "We’re out of pineapple juice, you drank it all like a thirsty dog. There’s only lime juice left but since you’re a choosy little bitch, go stick with water." Sehun restrained himself from chuckling. Jongin’s behavior was really so out of character. Who would have predicted that the day would come where the great Kim Jongin, terror of all alphas, allowed himself to be bossed around by a geeky alpha he bullied on the daily? The time lapsed by unnoticed and before long, they have already finished discussing three subjects. Jongin felt his brain was squeezed dry and after six long hours of nonstop studying, he finally lost interest. "Let's call this a day, I don’t wanna send my brain into overdrive. I’m gonna watch a movie." He announced and stood up, throwing Sehun a rather expectant look. Sehun stared back blandly. "What." "That's your go." "Go what?" "Your go to get the hell out of my house?" Jongin crossed his arms over his chest, foot tapping with utmost impatience. However, Sehun was unfazed. It took more than that to get him to budge from where he sat. "Your mother said I should stay for dinner." "Like hell I’d allow you to!" With an angry finger pointed at the door, Jongin hissed. "Get the fuck out." A smirk wrote itself on Sehun’s lips. The alpha pushed his glasses back and leaned further into the comfort of the couch, enjoying the look of indignation on Jongin’s face. "Make me." "You’re really testing my patience, you son of a bitch," Jongin gritted. He rolled up his sleeves and in a flash pulled Sehun by the ankles, startling the life out of the alpha. In his state of shock, he was unable to brace himself from the impact as his back met the floor. Fortunately for him, it was carpeted so the pain factor of his fall was reduced by a fraction, but it knocked the air out of his lungs nevertheless. Without thinking, Sehun tugged his legs back, resulting in Jongin falling right on top of him. It was purely incidental that he kneed the alpha in the crotch right after. “Jesus – FUCK!” Sehun jumped and howled in pain, his hands grasping at his throbbing groin. With him sitting up so suddenly resulted to his forehead bumping hard against Jongin’s own and this time, it was the omega who wailed in pain as he held his own forehead. "Ow!" Jongin’s yell bounced off the walls of his house. Sehun was still writhing on the ground, his red face and the bulging veins along the sides of his neck attesting to the fact that he was in great pain. He might as well have birthed a grown human. "GodfuckingdammitFuckfuckfuckfuckyoumotherfucker," Sehun’s curses flowed out in litany, and essentially, Jongin felt apologetic. But of course, hell would have to freeze over first before he ever apologized to the likes of Oh Sehun. He was just…well, acquainted with the powerful pain of being kneed in the crotch, having a toddler cousin who liked to flail her arms and legs no matter who held her, that’s why he felt a little bit of sympathy for the alpha. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? You brought that on yourself!" Jongin sniffled pathetically as he rubbed his reddening forehead. "Don’t act like I stabbed you or something." Sehun moaned again, his voice muffled since his face was pressed on the floor. The guilt was gnawing away at Jongin and it was pissing him off. “Damn, stop being such a wuss! How the hell are you even an alpha?" "Can you like, I don’t know, shut the fuck up maybe, since this is your fault?!" Sehun spoke through gritted teeth, curling up in a fetal position. It felt as if lightning had struck his precious jewels and he was afraid this might lead to a serious case of hernia – worse infertility. He would never forgive Jongin if that happened. "Would you stop that!” “What?! What the fuck is the problem now?!” “Quit moaning! You sound like your dick was split in half or something!" "It might as well be, because of your insufferable ass!" Jongin paused, digesting the words. A shudder ran through him and he hauled a throw pillow at the alpha. "That sounded so wrong, gross!" "I told you to shut up!" Sehun threw him a dirty glare, face flushed red. Jongin did seal his mouth shut, and the living room fell into a state of total silence. The pain on his forehead was gradually subsiding but Sehun was a different case, still rolling around the floor cursing and groaning every now and then. After a while, he went completely immobile, faced down and a little out of breath. The omega sighed after some time. He really couldn’t stay still without knowing the condition of Sehun’s dick. After all, he’s responsible for any future mishaps. "Does it still hurt...?" "Feels like it got torn out by a fucking shark." "Okay," Jongin flushed a little. He couldn’t even be certain if he was annoyed or not. Angling his body away from the alpha, Jongin reached for the remote control and punched the power button. "You know what, let’s stop talking about your dick. If you don’t want to scram, fine. Rot in there for all I care. I’m gonna watch my movie and you…you’re gonna act like you don’t exist." Sehun didn’t bother responding, still recovering from Jongin’s fatal blow. The omega proceeded to watch his movie, but halfway through it, Jongin began to feel uneasy, shifting in his corner of the couch time and again. He realized with growing dread that he had chosen the wrong choice of movie and now he’s dealing with the consequences. How ironic that of all films, he really had to unintentionally pick the one about two best friends entangled in a complicated relationship that ensured no happy finale. What’s even funnier was that the story very much was a perfect depiction of what’s happening with him and Baekhyun now. How wonderful. The gods really loved to watch him suffer. "Ask me why I keep on loving you when it's clear that you don’t feel the same way. The problem is that as much as I can’t force you to love me, I can’t force myself to stop loving you.” In normal circumstances, Jongin would have cringed already, as he wasn’t much of a hopeless romantic, more into action and sci-fi films. But tonight there was a change. Every word the actress spoke was a continuous shot through Jongin’s heart; he had never related to a character so much to the extent of tearing up. He could almost imagine himself in her shoes because what she was going through was the same hurdles he was jumping on. Sehun took a brief gander to his right because Jongin was being awfully quiet, and was surprised to see him looking so devastated. In all of his time knowing Kim Jongin, Sehun had never once seen him cry before. It just felt so…surprising to see that Jongin wasn’t as tough and resilient as he portrayed himself to be. There were tears pooling in the corner of his eyes and Sehun had a hunch as to why. Without fully realizing it himself, Sehun had already pulled Jongin’s head to rest on his shoulder. His heart began to race and he wondered if going with his instinct was even the right thing to do. He was just filled with this irresistible impulse to grab Jongin into his arms. The sudden action had the omega’s stature all rigid and just as he was about to pull back and give the alpha a piece of his mind, he felt Sehun’s hand pat his arm comfortingly. "This…is really weird, and it’s even weirder to see you like this but just so you know, I’ve never seen two people as close as you and Baekhyun are. He's not your best friend for no reason...eventually you two will figure out how to sort whatever problem you have." Jongin stared at nothing. He was overwhelmed. He couldn’t explain why he felt inclined to accept Sehun’s comfort wholeheartedly. It was a strange feeling, having Sehun’s arm over his shoulders…strange in a way that soothed the ache in his heart. He’d gone insane. This was the only logical reason he could come up with. Because his sane self would not even think twice about kicking Sehun off of him. "…Why are you being such a sap?" Sehun restrained himself from smacking a palm to his face. Leave it to Kim Jongin to be a snide, ungrateful little shit even at times like this. "This is one of the rare fucking moments I choose to comfort your annoying ass. Least you could do was to act like you’re grateful for it." "You really love to talk about my ass, don’t you?" Jongin sniffled, unpredictably leaning into Sehun’s warmth when he should be pushing the alpha away. Their relationship wasn’t even in first name basis, so tell him how was any of this happening. Sehun could feel his heart going more erratic by the second and, if he was being rational at the moment, he would have found it very alarming. Alas, something in him just opened a weak spot for a crying Jongin. And oddly enough, he didn’t mind it. "Your ass is nothing special, don’t flatter yourself too much.” Sehun rolled his eyes. “Let’s be real. You can’t act tough all the time, Kim. Sometimes you just need to let it all out. That’s what I do. So…have a good cry, wash out your heart. It’s okay." Oh Sehun being a lot concerned about his emotional state might creep Jongin out in normal circumstances. But right now, all his heart wanted him to do was heed the alpha’s words. Jongin closed his eyes. "I don’t need you." "But you just might." Sehun’s arm wrapped a little tighter around Jongin’s shoulders. "I beg to differ." The omega ended up whispering. "Quit acting stubborn for once," Sehun muttered under his breath. "Why can’t you just love me? Why can’t you just be in love with me? You were once, weren’t you? In the beginning?" In the end, Jongin chose not to watch the movie, but he could still hear everything. And as the heroine took the painful rejection from her best friend, knowing she could never have his heart because she wasn’t deserving of it, the tears Jongin tried so hard to keep freed themselves. Sehun was a witness to Jongin’s vulnerable side, and he didn’t think he would ever see the omega in the same way ever again. -

- Later that night, Jungah returned to a heartwarming sight. Somehow her son had landed himself in a sleeping position on Sehun’s lap, with the said alpha observing him sleep with a quite distinguishable look on his face – exactly that of admiration. She smiled with a fond look growing on her face. Being an alpha, Sehun was keener with senses and he felt the elder woman’s presence right away. He bowed as a sign of respect and proceeded to lay Jongin down on the couch as gently as he could, careful not to rouse him up, absentmindedly using his coat to keep the slumbering omega warm. Jongin was clearly spent after crying over Baekhyun that he fell asleep in his embrace. Turning to Jungah, the young alpha grabbed his bag and bowed once more, "It’s really late. I think I should go now..." He said, bashfully scratching his arm. Jungah rewarded him with a warm smile. "Thank you Sehun, for taking care of my son." Sehun nodded. Stealing one last glance at Jongin, he headed for the door. "Goodnight, Mrs. Kim." -

- One would think that with Kim Jongin allowing Oh Sehun to see his weakness, it would lead to another trouble, something along the lines of blackmailing? Frankly, that was what Jongin expected, since a night of ceasefire wouldn’t magically clear all feelings of dissent. He and Sehun were still considered enemies strictly speaking, and it would take more than that night to erase years of altercation. That was why Jongin couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that Oh Sehun was doing absolutely nothing to goad him after witnessing all that cry fest. It was perfect blackmail material in Jongin’s opinion, but for reasons unknown, the following weeks of tutoring have been remarkably peaceful. The taunts were less frequent but still there, nonetheless. “So what, are we now on our way to building a friendship?” Jongin even jokingly commented one time, to which Sehun scoffed at but inwardly felt warm at the possibility. “You wish.” Jongin was so sure that the day he would be able to tolerate Sehun’s presence would never come but here they were, back in the café where they first started their tutorial, each indulging a cup of soy latte as they take a break from the mind-numbing philosophy. That night changed something between them and Sehun didn’t want to take it for granted but dealing with a civil Jongin, for once, made him look forward to spending time with the other more and more as each session passed. Because in all actuality, Kim Jongin wasn’t such a bad company. Plus, the omega’s mother absolutely adored him. She even went out of her way to bake Sehun cookies and instructed Jongin to give it to him, not knowing her gluttonous son would end up eating them all anyway. Two weeks into their tutoring session and though Sehun didn’t like to assume things, it felt like he and Jongin have wordlessly declared a truce and were now sort of 'friends'. The omega constantly kept up with his questions of how his family was like, as well as the experience he had back in his hometown in Beijing. It wasn’t just a random curiosity though, because Sehun found out through the omega himself that apparently, that was where his estranged father lived. Jongin had been meaning to go to the place to see for himself. Oddly enough, he easily disclosed this information to Sehun bearing in mind that he was his 'enemy'. Only Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae held knowledge about his family background after all. "You wanna visit him?" "Yeah," Jongin munched on the cookies that were supposedly baked for Sehun. "To roundhouse kick him for abandoning mom and I. Good-for-nothing son of a bitch." Sehun found himself chuckling and at the sight of that, Jongin fought a smile. "What are you laughing about you geek." "You’re really something," Was what Sehun answered as he shook his head. "Your father  regrets having you every day, I’m sure." Jongin stopped eating to glare at him. Sehun was quick to backpedal and stole the still uneaten cookie from Jongin’s hand. "But I suppose your father deserves it." Jongin could only huff. "He does." There was silence, and then Sehun realized that they had been dawdling for God knows how long already. Jolted back to reality, he opened a thick anatomy-physiology workbook and placed it before Jongin with a heavy thud. "Okay, we’re getting sidetracked here. Let’s continue studying." “Ugh,” The omega’s grumble was already counted upon. His grumbling and pouting put a little hidden smile on Sehun’s mouth. “You’re really no fun!" -

- The music was as loud as thunder; it made the cutlery on the tabletops rattle. Neon lights flashed everywhere like police sirens, but much more colorful. In celebration of Yonsei High’s 50th golden jubilee, the school held a party for its students. But of course it was the student council’s idea - the school faculty wouldn’t even think of holding such a rocking event within their school grounds. The party was in full swing, the venue filled with lower and upperclassmen alike dressed in casual attire. Jongin sat with Jongdae and Chanyeol in a table not far away from the dancefloor. The music was so loud that it made their skin tingle and lungs feel like mush. Chanyeol busied himself with the food whilst Jongin and Jongdae watched the group of teenagers that had gathered in a circle on the dancefloor. From body to body they were so tight it was almost impossible to see what was going on inside, only the amazed “whoa”s that drifted over their heads gave anything away. Jongdae leaned back in his chair. He was more intrigued by the thoughts in his head rather than the dance-off in the center of the room. He turned his head to Jongin with a teasing smirk. "Heard you were getting a little cozy with a certain resident nerd." Even with the poor lighting, Jongdae was able to see how quick the other omega tensed. Jongin made a face. "Who?” "Oh Sehun," Jongdae drawled. His eyes squinted a little what with Jongin looking at anyone but him. "What’s up? I thought I was just hallucinating when I spotted you both at a cafe last week but turns out Chanyeol saw you as well. He even claimed you went to your house the other day. Is there something we should know about?” The tease was distinct in Jongdae’s tone. Jongin didn’t think much of what his friends would say on the subject of their tutoring routine but now that Jongdae had opened it up, even going as far as suspecting him of something, the omega was suddenly in a panic. Jongin flushed. "It’s not what you think. He’s just tutoring me." "Oh, does he really?" Chanyeol had a brow raised as he cut into the conversation, not buying his friend’s answer one bit. The reproachful look on the beta’s countenance suddenly annoyed Jongin. "Seriously, now! If you think I’m fraternizing with the enemy, think again. What sane person would be attracted to that nimrod? I mean - he bores me to death! Aside from his high IQ, what else is there about him that is so interesting? Hm? None? Yeah, thought so,” Jongin ranted without taking a break. For all of his sudden defensiveness, he claimed, “I don’t fuck with losers like him, you know better than that." Jongdae leaned back like he just got physically injured by what his friend said, mirth knocking off the suspicious gleam in his eyes. Meanwhile, the only beta of the group clapped his hands slowly, an obnoxious display of the fact that he was dazzled by the harshness of Jongin’s back to back insults. "Boy, that was cruel." As Chanyeol hissed with a smirk, Jongin realized that it was too late to take his words back when the beta looked past his head and boomed in his usual deep baritone, "So…anything you have to say about that, four eyes?" It felt like cold water was poured down Jongin’s back. He spun around to find Sehun looking at him with such an indecipherable expression. Jongin grew nervous and for the first time ever, extreme guilt caught up to him. He found himself speechless and regretting his words once Sehun’s expression turned detached - the same hostility he used to shower Jongin with weeks back. "I don’t need to say anything." Sehun’s cold reception nearly brought a shudder to Jongin’s spine. The latter opened his mouth to speak but Jongdae beat him to it. "Oooh, but why not have a comeback all of a sudden? This is new,” Jongdae cackled. “Don’t tell me his words got to you? Truth hurts, ain’t it mate?" To everyone’s shock, it was Jongin who snapped first. "Shut up, Dae." The entire table fell into a stunned silence. Barely recovering from the shock, Jongdae narrowed his eyes at the other omega. "What did you say?" "The hell are you doing defending this nerd? Are you out of your mind?" Chanyeol scoffed loudly. However, Jongin was far more preoccupied with Sehun’s figure storming away than to fight with them. He didn’t know what was the crushing feeling invading his chest as he watched Sehun walk away, all he knew was he wanted it gone. Throwing his friends a harmless glare, Jongin stood up. "Both of you, mind your business.” Chanyeol and Jongdae were left with their jaws slackened following Jongin’s sharp demand as he ran after Sehun’s trail without second thoughts. The hallways outside the gym seemed so desolate when Jongin burst out of the doors. There, he immediately saw Sehun’s furious steps leading to the exit at the farthest end of the corridor. "Hey, Oh! Wait!" Sehun’s harsh response was startlingly sonorous. "Fuck off, Kim!" "For God’s sake, can you please stop being dramatic for a second - stop walking!" Jongin yelled in frustration as he sprinted after the alpha’s pace. Sehun did stop, but he turned around with such a vehement look on his face that Jongin suddenly couldn’t find the words he had already constructed in the midst of their cat and mouse chase. "You’re such a two-faced fucking bastard, you know that?" Jongin gulped. "Look, I…I’m sorry—” "Keep it." Sehun sneered. "Keep all the fake bullshit to yourself." "Wait…” Jongin crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are you so offended anyway? All the shit I said wasn’t new to you, I’ve always called you that!" "Seriously?" Sehun chuckled in disbelief. He shook his head. "Fuck, I shouldn’t have gotten sidetracked. I don't know what the hell was I thinking, considering there’s more to you than just being a total asshole." Sehun’s glare was like sharp icicles shooting at him. Jongin swallowed, rooted to his spot. "I dare you to speak to me again after this." Sehun’s voice went an octave lower, and for the first time in forever Jongin felt the real threat underlying in his voice; the powerful aura of a livid alpha. Sehun had him pinned under his unsympathetic glare for another second before he spun around and took his leave, slamming the heavy exit door shut and startling the life out of the omega. Jongin was left on the empty corridor, sincerely contrite. What the hell have you done, Kim Jongin? -

- When Tuesday rolled around, Jongin learned through Miss Jian that Sehun had requested for a change in his place as Jongin’s tutor. The alpha was so adamant that another one take his place and their teacher had no choice but to bid his request. Now, Jongin was informed of his new tutor, the president of the student council Lee Jihoon who was ranked second after Sehun in academics. Though the beta held an intelligence slightly lesser than Sehun, Jian had thought he would do for a tutor. She really had no more options left. “Jongin, dear. Please cooperate for once and don’t mess this up a second time. Do everything Jihoon tells you to. This is for your own sake, surely you wouldn’t want to be left behind by your classmates?” In spite of Jihoon being just as geeky as the previous one, somehow Jongin was not satisfied. It wasn’t up to scratch; this wasn’t the same smart mouth Sehun that he knew. More often than not, the omega had little to no privilege of taking long breaks unlike how it was with Sehun because one.) Jihoon despised leniency and was hell-bent on disciplining him on his academics and two.) he took pleasure in watching him suffer. Or at least that’s what Jongin liked to think. The Omega also couldn’t start a simple conversation for fear that the beta would eat him alive. His new tutor wasn’t exactly as laidback and forgiving as Sehun was and Jongin came to realize that a little too late. It had just been three days and but Jongin felt like quitting already. The beta gave him a headache every time they met. He was the biggest antagonist in Jongin’s life. Was this how Sehun felt about him? A migraine that he couldn’t wait to get rid of? Today was Thursday and it meant another painstakingly long session with Jihoon. The teacher in front kept on droning about literature and Jongin knew he should listen since Jihoon’s number one advice to him was to always pay attention in classes but honestly, he just didn’t feel like doing that right now. Somehow there was something off about today and there was an ominous feeling in him that he couldn’t quite shake off. “So I saw Baekhyun with Kyungsoo earlier during lunch, at the back of the library…and did you know what I heard?” The whisper came urgently behind him. At first, Jongin thought the question was directed to him, but when he tuned in he realized it was a conversation he wasn’t a part of. “What?” “Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo if he could officially court him as his future mate. He said yes.” “Mate?! Oh my god, are you serious?” “As serious as I can be. Heard it all perfectly clear." Jongin was frozen in his seat. He looked ahead at the second row and spotted, just in time, as Baekhyun smiled at Kyungsoo after the omega patted his cheek rather affectionately. It wasn’t until they turn into the legal age of 21 that they were allowed to court and be courted as per tradition since they weren’t considered an adult until they hit that certain number, but it seemed Baekhyun couldn’t wait to mark Kyungsoo as his. To be courted by a purebred alpha at the young age of seventeen…it was no doubt a big deal as there were only a few cases in which a similar scenario happened, and those were a long time ago. It felt like the weight of the whole world was suddenly put on Jongin’s shoulders. And the worst part of it all was that he couldn’t say he was shocked, because deep down he already saw this coming. As his best friend, only Jongin knew how much of a passionate person Byun Baekhyun was. He had a certain mindset, like all purebred alphas, that he ought to get what he wanted no matter the cost. He must really want Kyungsoo so badly to propose such a thing. The omega successfully snatched his heart just doing the bare minimum. He had totally lost Baekhyun. When the bell rang, Jongin mindlessly sat in his chair, staring off to space, unable to hear anything but the sound of his hollow breathing. He was the last to leave the classroom, treading the empty corridors like a living dead. It wasn’t fully sinking in that his best friend really hadn’t given him a single chance. Chanyeol and Jongdae must be worried now at their usual spot waiting for him, but Jongin wasn’t in the mood to hang out with his friends and decided to head home straight. He needed the solace of his room, the comfort of his bed badly. Immersed in his own thoughts, Jongin didn’t realize how far he had gone from the campus until he passed by an alleyway where there seemed to be a scuffle going on. The loud grunts and sound of beer bottles tumbling down the pavement caught Jongin’s full attention. The omega looked around with eyes wide, in search of people that could have heard the hidden commotion along with him, but there was no one walking down this street. The friendly neighborhood road greeted him emptily and Jongin wasn’t sure if he should do something or just run away. Laws in Korea were taken very seriously regardless if you were in an uncharted area, the government doesn’t let instigators of public violence get away. The worst-case scenario here was that the police might track him down to use him as a witness if ever they caught this brawling pair. Tiptoeing his way near the alleyway, Jongin chanced a peek through the entrance and what he saw made him gasp, the sound thankfully drowned out by the noises of the two men before him. He could recognize that lanky, broad-shouldered figure anywhere he went. What on earth is Oh Sehun doing here…? Focusing on the situation with a keener eye, Jongin realized that the alpha was trying to fight off the mugger who was hell-bent on snatching his bag. Jongin’s first instinct was to help out but Sehun managed to kick his mugger to the stomach and outbalance him. Which was honestly impressive when you look at it, because Sehun was a mere stick in comparison to his mugger’s bigger and much buffer form. Jongin found himself gripping the edge of the brick wall tightly as he watched Sehun scramble for his bag, only to be caught by the throat as the mugger began head locking him. Sehun’s face quickly flushed red, he looked like he was struggling both to breathe and push the bigger alpha off of him. He attempted to counterattack with his elbow to the man’s ribs, to no avail. The sight of Sehun choking as he fought to keep his breath had Jongin