Chapter Text
Maybe I like this roller coaster
Maybe it keeps me high
Maybe this weed, it brings me closer
I could sparkle up your eye
Diet Mountain Dew - Lana Del Rey
To Wei WuXian, falling in love with Lan WangJi was like heating water in a tea kettle.
They had known each other since middle school and Wei Ying had spent too many afternoons annoying the alpha in the library. Everyone around them could see how infatuated the omega was with the golden-eyed alpha and everyone agreed Lan WangJi couldn’t care less about Wei Ying.
So it was a huge surprise when Lan WangJi asked Wei WuXian out on graduation day. He did it in an empty classroom after following a crying Wei Ying out of the auditorium. It was a turn of events to start dating the most brilliant alpha in school ten minutes after being kicked out of his adoptive parents’ house and Wei Ying couldn’t help but see Lan Zhan as his whole future.
The moment Wei Ying felt his internal water start to heat up, he knew Lan WangJi was the one.
He was kind, considerate, respectful, and not like the other alphas. He was raised to be a perfect gentleman, always dropping Wei Ying off at his shared apartment at 9 pm even though Wei Ying didn’t have anyone but his housemates to report to. He always avoided sitting on the same bed as Wei Ying and only holding hands was allowed before marriage.
At first, the omega was infatuated with how perfect his alpha was! Everyone who saw them told him he was lucky to have such a respectful man! Lan WangJi was tall, beautiful, smart, and a perfect gentleman!! Really a jackpot to someone as unlucky as Wei WuXian.
But that was until Wei Ying’s water started to boil and Lan WangJi’s simply…didn't.
The omega understood Lan WangJi was raised in a strict household but it wasn’t like Lan XiChen, Lan Zhan’s brother, didn’t sleep with his boyfriend Meng Yao.
So when Lan Zhan refused to even kiss Wei Ying on the lips, it hurt.
Maybe his heat approaching was the reason why he was so sensitive to not being intimately touched. Maybe Lan Zhan showed love differently – and Wei Ying knew he did! Wei Ying did feel loved very much!!
That didn’t change the fact the omega also wanted to be desired.
He knew he was good-looking – people often stared at him. He knew he had a plump ass, long legs, and a tiny waist. He knew his small face and doe-like eyes were eye-catching. And of course, he knew being pretty was why he quickly landed himself a job in the Hooters restaurant. One of the omegas sharing an apartment with him was about to quit the job when he recommended Wei Ying to apply for the spot.
It had good tips, double the amount of money he made working as a cashier, and offered free health care. All he needed was to dress in the uniform and skate around tables to serve patrons.
Wei Ying also knew Lan Zhan knew he was attractive. The alpha himself wasn’t happy when Wei WuXian got the job, telling the omega everyone would look and lust after him.
When he insisted he would get the job – I need to support myself, Lan Zhan! –, Wei Ying reassured the only one he wanted lusting after him was Lan Wangji, but, even though the alpha didn’t blink for a few seconds, the fight didn’t end with a passionate kiss like Wei Ying expected.
Despite the lack of sexual interaction, their relationship was indeed perfect and Wei Ying tried to not jeopardize it with his own desires. Maybe it was for the best to wait until marriage before…you know…
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating, especially when Wei Ying’s heats were the worst!
Wei WuXian decided to be positive about it. He was lucky he had a well-paying job, a nice boyfriend, and friendly housemates! After being kicked out, he was too desperate to realize he was able to thread life on his own, even if he was an omega. So, yeah, he should be grateful for the opportunities life handed him! He was in a much better palace than all the orphaned omegas being housed by the Omegan Housing Association.
Unfortunately, there was a single, tiny detail the boy couldn’t really ignore.
There was a man always watching him on his job.
He was clearly much older and had an overbearing presence every time he entered the restaurant and the bell sang over his head. He was tall with skin as white as Lan Zhan’s but with a dull shine on it. His eyes here almost slits, dark and fogged, and his hair was on an undercut, longer dark strands falling on his face and framing his strong jaw.
The man was always wearing a completely dark suit with half-hand gloves. His shoes were incredibly shining as if someone spent a huge amount of time cleaning them.
Who cleaned their shoes so much? Not even Wei Ying, whose heeled boots got all kinds of drinks and sauce on them!
He would always come at 6 pm and leave at 10 pm. About three times a week. His order was always the same: a Diet Mountain Dew with a side of fries – even if he never touched them. He would always greet the other servers but never accepted anyone but Wei Ying to serve him. On his table, there was always a stack of papers, something full of numbers that Wei Ying caught a glimpse of a few times.
And at the end of the night, he would leave a generous amount of tips.
He was an alpha, of course. And from a well-respected family, apparently. Wei Ying once heard one of his colleagues say the man was known to the high-hanking politics, those kinds you never see on the streets, and had enough money to buy an omega trophy wife.
His name was Wen RuoHan and there were strict orders to always be on his good side and always give him splendid customer service.
Which was exactly Wei Ying’s problem, since the man had quite a taste for… touching.
Wei Ying’s belly always churned every time he had to bring the man his orders. Something inside him felt cold every time those dark eyes settled on him as if warning him of what would happen. When the boy delivered his order, Wen RuoHan smirked and one of his large hands dipped beneath the table to caress Wei Ying’s bare thighs.
He always kept a stern face even if Wei Ying fought the urge to not yelp with the unwelcomed touch and no one would believe a poor omega if he attempted to slap such an important man’s hand away!
Wei Ying could even lose his job!!
No one in their right mind would report a man like Wen RuoHan if they didn’t want their life ruined.
And so, Wei Ying could do nothing but endure.
Sometimes, the older man would call him and purposely drop ketchup from the table, predatory eyes fixed on Wei Ying’s as if eager for the boy’s reaction.
“Aren’t I clumsy.” He sometimes said, more of a statement than a question.
Wei Ying knew it was purposeful! The man didn’t even touch his fries, let alone put ketchup on them!! His real intention was to make Wei Ying awkwardly bend over on rollerskates, which would hike up his skirt and tighten it against his ass.
Wei Ying’s face would redden instantly, his entire body shaking in fear and embarrassment!
It was always like this, every other day! Sometimes he would come on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Others he would come on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. And Wei Ying was always left to wonder when his terrible customer would show up.
But without fail, he would come at 6 pm just to terrorize the poor boy weekly.
Wei Ying was honestly always on edge when he had to pass by his table because he knew there would be a fleeting touch on his legs. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to stand in the corridor when Wen RuoHan was leaving because the older man would press against his back as if he didn’t have space to move. Sometimes he even had the audacity to hold Wei Ying’s tiny waist with those huge and strong hands and manhandle him in his skates as if he was a doll!
Ugh, really. Wei Ying was frightened! He was scared! And today even more since he would be the one responsible for closing the restaurant.
Wei Ying usually didn’t close it, but today was an emergency and he had to fill in for his coworker, another omega who was a single parent. Apparently, her babysitter was demanding a raise and the poor woman couldn’t handle it without compromising their food income. So when she asked if he could fill in for her so she could interview another babysitter, Wei Ying instantly said yes.
He had already texted Lan Zhan about his change of schedule and when the clock marked 11 pm, he gently urged the few clients out. His problematic customer had left at 10 pm, which, coincidentally, was the time Wei Ying usually clocked out, and a few students were finishing a birthday party.
Biding them a warm goodbye, Wei Ying close the door and turned the sign to “CLOSED”. He then proceeds to quickly collect trash from the tables and wipe them out. The lights from the restaurant flicked a bit, but the boy kept humming to himself while raising the chairs and arranging them on top of the tables.
With a wet mop, he swiftly cleaned the floor, turned off the saloon’s lights, and headed to the kitchen. The clock on the white titled wall showed 11:27pm and Wei Ying smiled to himself. He told Lan Zhan to pick him up at midnight, so he would be right on time!
Thankfully his coworker had washed most of the dishes and in less than 10 minutes he was done with it. Wei Ying contemplated taking the trash out and texting Lan Zhan to tell him he was ready to go.
With his phone in his back pocket, Wei Ying changed his clothes to his usual black jeans and red hoodie. He pushed the trash can out through the exit door and maneuvered it to the side, cleaning his hands on his jeans. Then he took the keys and locked the door, making sure it was closed, and reached for his phone to call Lan Zhan.
Until the smell of cigarettes hit his nose.
You see, smells were a huge problem in the past. Alphas were constantly jumping omegas on the street because of it. It took years, but the science community finally came in with pills to low one's ability to exude and smell secondary dynamics’ scents.
So, once your head isn’t fogged with someone's scent, the normal smells would pretty much prevail.
He didn’t need to look back to recognize the voice that sounded after.
“You don’t usually work this late.”
Wei Ying gulped, eyes wide open, and turned around to see a figure clad in black leaning against the opposite wall. The person had a cigarette in his right hand and white smoke left his thin, pale lips.
Even if Wei Ying didn’t recognize the voice that haunted him for months, he wouldn’t miss those predatory eyes.
With his throat suddenly closing, Wei Ying opened his mouth about two times before he could answer:
“I…I am covering for a friend…”
The man smirked.
“Of course. You’re a good boy.” His customer, Wen RuoHan, said, two fingers deftly rolling the cigarette to his mouth. Piercing dark eyes never left Wei Ying’s figure.
And the boy shrank before them.
“...”
For a few seconds, there was silence. Wen RuoHan simply breathed in his cigarette, face nonchalant as if he wasn’t cornering a poor omega in a back alley. Wei Ying, for his security, didn’t move a single muscle, wide doe eyes avoiding blinking to not miss a move from the man.
Perhaps Wen RuoHan thought it was cute of him to be consumed with fear.
“Don’t look at me like you’re a deer about to get murdered.” The older man said, puffing smoke one last time before allowing the cigarette to fall on the floor.
Wei Ying followed the moment, the alpha’s feet crunching it on the concrete.
“Won’t I…?” He whispered, slim arms wrapped around himself and grey eyes went back to Wen RuoHan’s serious face.
The man’s eyes turned into slits.
Then he moved.
Wen RuoHan closed the distance between them with three steps, his legs strong and clad in black trousers. He was dressed the same way as always. With a three-piece suit, not a single fabric white.
“Won’t you what? Get killed?” He whispered, close enough to the boy that his voice didn’t need to be more than a breath. Wei Ying stepped back until his back slammed on the wall behind him, the older alpha looming over him.
“Do you think I would kill someone as pretty as you?” Wen RuoHan was so close now that Wei Ying could smell the smoke on his breath.
The boy stuttered.
“I…I don’t know…”
“Take a guess.”
It was an order. An order met with a pair of large hands enclosing the omega’s thin waist without permission.
“...n-no?” Wei Ying’s eyes were wide.
If before he was mostly used to his client’s fleeting touch whenever he passed by his table, now Wei Ying’s mind was shortcircuiting. He shuddered when the man moved his hands up and down his sides, slowly caressing his body.
“M-my boyfriend is coming to pick me up!” Wei Ying suddenly shouted, trying to fight the urge to shrink beneath such a heavy presence. Hopefully, the information would scare the alpha off and stop whatever was happening.
However, the result was different.
“...A-Ying has a boyfriend.” The older man said, sounding somewhat taken back, his head inclining to the side to check Wei Ying’s neck for any marks.
“Y-yes…”The omega answered, overly conscient of the fact that, other than his words, there wasn’t a single proof of him being “taken”.
Wen RuoHan’s lip pulled into a sarcastic smile.
“Name?”
To which Wei Ying answered in earnest:
“Lan Zhan!” The alpha gave him a raised eyebrow, one of his hands dipping beneath Wei Ying’s shirt without a care. Once the cold hands touched the boy’s warm skin, he gasped:
“A-Ah…Lan W-WangJi.”
Wen RuoHan’s hand stopped caressing him for a second, his face turning serious. The omega prayed that was the moment he would be let go. But then the older man scoffed an ironic laugh.
“A Lan? Poor boy.” His free hand went to touch Wei Ying’s face, calloused fingers stroking his reddened cheek. “He isn’t even touching you, is he? What a waste.” His thumb suddenly rested on Wei Ying’s plump lips, the man’s whole body pressing the omega against the wall.
For a second, the touch made his vision blackout. Wei Ying’s head was dizzy while trying to comprehend the hands all over himself, groping his waist and playing with his mouth.
“W-What?”
Wen RuoHan arched one brow, tongue wetting his own lips while dark eyes glimmered down on the omega:
“A man who doesn’t show attraction…isn’t worthy of A-Ying.” The alpha whispered, bringing his face closer and closer to the boy’s and allowing their breath to mingle.
Wei Ying’s breath hitched and he had to swallow down a whimper when his client nosed his cheekbones and sniffed his neck.
He kept talking, voice low and ragged as if he could barely speak without groaning.
“A man who doesn’t know where to touch, where to please, where to…lick…” And his tongue dipped to taste Wei Ying’s neck in the middle of his sentence. The omega was so surprised his knees wobbled, the hand on his waist preventing him from collapsing on the ground: “...shouldn’t monopolize such a pretty thing like you.”
Immediately a certain spark surged on the boy’s lower belly and a thin, almost inaudible moan escaped his puffy lips.
“J-just…we’re waiting for marriage!!” Wei Ying shut his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts once more. His delicate hands went to push the man’s muscled chest to no avail.
“You? Waiting for marriage?” Wen RuoHan chuckled against his neck, one of his legs parting the omega’s to press against him. The shocked moan Wei Ying gave was no surprise to the more experienced alpha.
“Anyone can tell how thirsty you are if they look at you long enough.”
The accusation made Wei Ying squeak in shame, his hands forming trembling fists on his client’s suit. The shame was consuming his little body enough to color his whole face red.
“I-I’m not!! I too want to–” He tried, only to be interrupted by a thigh pressing up his pussy and causing a shiver.
Wei Ying’s mouth dropped open the moment Wen RuoHan abandoned his neck in favor to look down at the omega.
If Wei Ying knew how to describe eyes, he would say his client’s eyes were shimmering with evil, sharp teeth barely visible behind his confident grin. The were a few age marks around his eyes, granting him a more cunning appearance.
Wei Ying, who got lost in his eyes for a few seconds, tried to struggle and free himself when the hand previously on his face dipped down to caress his belly.
“A-Ah! S-Sto–” He squealed, eyebrows furrowing while both his hands tried to swat away the man’s arm.
“You think I don’t know you spend your break reading those…” Wen RuoHan chuckled, his large hand encasing Wei Ying’s tiny waist possessively. “...what is it you boys call it? Fanfiction. Erotic stories.”
The mix of sensations, a hand groping his ass, another keeping him close, the lips whispering in his mouth, and the smell of cigarettes and – what was it? Musk? Pepper? Wood? – was clouding his mind, pushing him into a swirl of emotions.
One of them was fear. Fear of being caught, fear of letting someone touch him, dirty him, use him.
Wei Ying’s trembling figure was shaking, his eyes still closed and tears gathering on his long lashes.
“I d-don’t!” The omega tried to deny it, doing his best to ignore the warmth pooling on his stomach.
“Believe your own lie before trying to deceive me.” Wen RuoHan said and, out of nowhere, the hands were gone.
If before Wei Ying was feeling intoxicated, barely able to breathe, now the cold midnight air slapped his body awake, a shot of adrenaline cooling his body in seconds.
The man that once pressed him up the wall was now several feet away as if they never even touched in the first place. The change was so fast, the omega had to blink a few times to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
Although, the blood pulsing between his legs and the tears clinging to his lashes were enough proof of what happened.
“If you’re so pure, why didn’t you avoid me?” His voice sounded dark and delighted, reverberating in the alley the same way it did in the omega’s stomach.
“You–y-you…” Wei Ying blinked, confused for a second. But then, when the alpha gave him a knowing smirk, all the times he touched Wei Ying when the boy was serving him surfaced in his memory.
“You were doing it on purpose! Touching me on purpose!!” Wei Ying accused, showing his small teeth in a pitiful display of power. Poor omega couldn’t even hold himself together, let alone threaten a man older than him and that much more powerful.
Wen RuoHan merely smirked.
“Clearly. And still, you didn’t run away.” The alpha pointed out, arranging the gloves covering his fingers without ever stopping eye contact. “A brave little boy.”
His audacity made Wei Ying open and close his mouth several times like a fish. How could?! Someone that–that–
He was working and this man came out of nowhere touching him, groping him and demanding things from him, and acting as if he knew Wei Ying?! And what if he liked fanfictions?! That has nothing to do with–
“I-I! I c-could not –”
An eyebrow raised in the air and, without meaning to, Wei Ying immediately shut up.
Grey eyes opened in shock at how easily he took the silent command.
“No. You did not. There’s a difference.” The man said, taking his cigarette packs from his suit and putting another one between his lips. “Now your precious boyfriend is here. See you soon, A-Ying.”
As soon as he appeared, he was gone. Only the smell of cologne and smoke was left in his place.
Just then Wei Ying allowed his body to give in, his knees failing him and allowing him to collapse on the floor.
The omega’s whole body was trembling, his hands cold but his belly warm, his legs weak but his head running in circles.
Heavens! He couldn’t believe it! He was sexually assaulted! How– Gods! He couldn’t believe he was sexually assaulted! By a customer! In the dark alley behind his work!
Oh god, oh god! What would he do?! How could he face Lan Zhan!? His boyfriend would obviously blame his job for it and demand him to quit!
Wei Ying was disgusted, really. How could someone rudely rut against another without their consent!! What a creep! He should call the police, he should file a complaint, he should…
A sleek, white sedan parked right in front of the alley Wei Ying was in. The boy raised his head in shock, having lost track of time.
Lan WangJi has arrived.
Oh no. How would he tell his boyfriend what happened?!
Still shaking, he got up from the floor, trying his best to clean his knees and legs from the dirt in the alley. Clutching his backpack, the omega tried to fix his ponytail the best he could, wiping the few tears on his cheek with the back of his hand.
Lan WagJi’s car, as expected, smelled like him. Sandalwood all over.
When Wei Ying got in, his boyfriend leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, his voice gentle and calm:
“Wei Ying. How was your day?” Lan WangJi asked, pulling out of the curb and driving into the streets. It was already past midnight.
“I-It w-was good!!A b-bit tiring…” The omega forced himself to say, his smile crooked in nervousness and eyes blinking more times than necessary.
“Hm.” Lan Zhan nodded, his golden eyes flicking to Wei Ying for a second. The boy squirmed in his sit, pressing his legs together and biting his lower lip.
Should he say it? Should he tell Lan Zhan he was groped? What if his boyfriend overreacts? What if he forbids Wei Ying from working like a stay-at-home omega?!
The silence allowed the car’s machinery to hum and Wei Ying’s thoughts to scream at him.
He was speaking before he realized it:
“Uhm…today…t-today a coworker was sexually assaulted...” The omega said, voice low and eyes flicking to Lan WangJi carefully to see his reaction.
The alpha immediately frowned.
“What?”
Wei Ying gulped and Lan WangJi turned right in the upcoming street. The omega played with his fingers, sweat dripping down his nape.
“Someone touched her…her legs while she was skating around.” He said, threading the words carefully.
Lan WangJi huffed, an annoyed expression on his face.
“Of course. With those skirts.” He said. However, Wei Ying had heard those same words so many times, he also huffed, rolling his eyes and complaining:
“I told you it’s the uniform. Everyone in the country uses it.”
But Lan WangJi was nothing but a politically correct man:
“Still. I told you to not work there. You should quit if–”
And there it was: the inflexibility his boyfriend had that always annoyed Wei Ying. The omega knew Lan WangJi was raised in a strict environment but how could he still be so stubborn and closed-minded at his age?!
“No!” Wei Ying exclaimed. “I don’t want to…I was just…I was just sharing with you and you know the pay is good, Lan Zhan!” He tried to reason one more time with the Lan, only to receive a deadpan response.
“I can support you.”
Wei Ying rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, the encounter in the back alley being forgotten in favor of that discussion.
A discussion that occurred many, many times.
“I don’t want to be supported by you. Your uncle already hates me as it is!” Wei Ying counterpointed.
“Because of your job.” To which Lan Zhan defended.
“Because I am an omega who works!” But Wei Ying was set in his ways, he would not cave to Lan QiRen’s criticism, and hearing Lan Zhan defending his uncle was upsetting.
“Wei Ying knows those clothes are not appropriate. They’re the reason what you told me happened.”
Just like that, the omega straightened in his seat, as if he was slapped across the face. Suddenly, Wei WuXian couldn’t believe his own ears. His blood heated all over again as if he was back in that alley being touched sexually, but this time because of something Lan WangJi had said.
He was passionately speaking before even realizing it:
“No, the reason is people who can’t control themselves and just act as if they own–”
Only to be interrupted rather rudely.
“Wei Ying, you’re talking too loud.”
It was like a cold shower. Lan WangJi’s voice cut him like a knife and, for seconds, the omega felt like his oxygen was cut short.
His gray eyes blinked in shock.
Lan Zhan had interrupted him? Just because he was expressing himself a bit too excitedly?
The car was filled with an awkward silence in the blink of an eye.
Wei Ying wondered if Lan WangJi would apologize for not letting him talk, but once the man put his hand on Wei Ying’s left knee as if the discussion was over, he knew the silence was only bothering him.
“You smell of cigarettes.” Lan Zhan suddenly sniffed, his nose wrinkling.
“People smoke where I work.”
He could never, ever, tell what happened to his boyfriend.