Chapter Text
Daeyoung was not supposed to be deployed that day, but another soldier had come down with the stomach flu. He had been given 24 hours' notice of the impending raid, nothing too out of the ordinary. Seven years into his military career, he is used to the sudden calls, and being one of the few unmated alphas on his taskforce made him the obvious pick- no hesitations, no commitments.
“A tip from a mole working in the trafficking ring revealed a warehouse at the port hiding trafficked omegas. I estimate there to be fewer than a hundred in a unit of that size, but keep your eyes open for any strays.” Sion, his commanding officer, briefed in front of the projector, where an image of the warehouse’s blueprints was displayed.
“Team A will come in from the back from here, Team B from the front, and Team C will be airborne, rappelling down from the aircraft and taking out any potential air threats. Medic support will be stationed five kilometres away for post-ops.” Sion pointed out the relevant areas around the building where the team would enter. “You are to disarm with only non-lethal weapons and tactics first. You are under strict orders to limit open gunfire. I do not wanna get my ass lit on infront of a panel inquiry just because one of you assholes gets trigger happy to play hero infront of a bunch of omegas, you understand that? Okay, boys, let’s make this quick and easy so we can be home before sundown.”
“Sir, yes sir!” They chorused in unison as Sion concluded the brief, and they all filed out to strap on their weapons. Daeyoung was in Team A with Jeno and Jaemin, coming in from the back. He checked his gear one last time, making sure everything was secure. The men were silent, as they always were before these types of raids. It was nothing he hadn't seen before - omegas in cages and underground auction houses and whole mounds of drugs and hostage situations.
“It’s just another day,” he sighed, holstering his M9 gun and tightening the strap of his Kevlar vest on his chest. He breathes in deeply as they all load into the military truck. No one breathes a word on the way to the target. Black Squadron was a well-oiled machine with Sion as its leader.
At this point, Daeyoung could smell danger like a trained hound. And he knew tonight would not be a boring night.
“Black Squadron in T minus ten,” Sion's voice filled his earpiece. Daeyoung counted the seconds until his leader gave them the green light. ”You have the clear Black Squadron. Move.”
They moved in the quiet of the night, he covered Jeno and Jaemin as they quickly made work disarming three goons guarding with tasers. They buckled under the shock, their heavy bodies hitting the floor with a thud.
“Sector B disarmed, these are just guards. Minimal weapons on them, Ocean leader.” Jeno reported over his comms.
“Sector A disarmed.”
“Roger that Team A and B. No guards on the roof for Team C. Keep your eyes peeled for more guards.” Sion directed.
“Daeyoung, force entry.” Jaemin gestured to the main door of the warehouse, he covered him whilst Daeyoung removed the bolt cutters he had strapped to his back and broke the shabby lock. ‘In three, ’ Jaemin signed, and Daeyoung nodded
“Hands up!” Jaemin stormed the room with guns aimed, Daeyoung shadowed him, gun poised in case of any guards. But all there was a group of omegas huddled together on the floor, some of the older ones shielded the younger ones towards the back, some had their hands chained, and if Daeyoung was not in work mode, he knew the sight would make him ache. They were gaunt and hollow-eyed and whimpering as Daeyoung and Jaemin put their guns down after sweeping the main area.
“Ocean leader, found the stash. Fifty Omegas.” Jaemin commented before he squatted down to comfort an Omega who looked like she couldn't be older than eighteen.
“The mole was right. ” Jeno muttered, silently observing the room and doing a headcount.
“I think someone is in heat.” Daeyoung sniffed the air, he could smell it, just a hint of something saccharine. His scent blockers were military grade, the best you could get on the market. And yet, he could almost taste the scent in the air. It was sweet as it hit the back of his tongue, like cotton candy and something resinous and heady. It was reminiscent of an indulgent fruit tart or a pavlova.
It smelled delicious, like he was inhaling spun sugar.
“Ocean, we have a Code Pink on our hands,” Daeyoung reported.
“Fuck. Copy that. Alright, Tree Man, I’m going to need you to stay there. I’m sorry you’re already exposed, but let me get the unmated guys out before we trigger a rut frenzy.”
“Roger Ocean,” Daeyoung replied. There were two other guys in the squadron who were unmated - Wonbin and Sungchan. The consequences of triggering a rut frenzy were high in these kinds of conditions when the tensions and stress hormones were heightened, but Daeyoung was trained and notoriously disciplined. He had never slipped despite the countless raids he had done.
There was an annexe to the side of the warehouse, which was locked shut by chains and a lock. The hairs on Daeyoung’s arm were raised in hyperawareness, he had a gut feeling of what he was going to find behind the door.
In a better situation, he would’ve taken the door apart patiently by the hinges, but something was wrong . He could feel it in his bones. He made a snap decision without waiting for Sion’s orders, fracturing the chains easily with his bolt cutters and pushing the door open.
The room was lit by a single fluorescent light that painted the room a ghostly white, it was dusty and bare save a rickety metal bed, and on said bed was an the most beautiful omega he had laid his eyes on; handcuffed and whining in heat. His eyes widened when he saw Daeyoung, and he struggled even more, his whines turning high and alarmed.
Fuck.
The scent hit him like a ton of bricks- something floral and fruity and sweeter than heaven. He had never smelled a scent so appealing before. The omega was gorgeous, dark hair and bright big eyes and a cute nose. His face was stained with tears, and he wore a shirt too big for his frame, so it exposed the tops of his shoulders, that was flushed pink from his heat, but his skin was tan, sun-soaked. When he whimpered, Daeyoung felt his alpha snapping into action.
Free mate. Mate is hurt.
“Hey, hey. Shhhh. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Daeyoung slowly creeped towards the bed but the omega began to quiet as their eyes met. The tension was like a live wire. Daeyoung held up his hands, and he approached the omega. He gestured towards the bolt cutters he had in one hand and pointed at the handcuffs. Now, up close, Daeyoung could see his wrists raw and bruised, ringed red from the struggle.
“Shhh shhh. Omega, please, let me free you. Please don’t run.” Daeyoung crushed the flimsy handcuffs with one crunch of the bolt cutters, and the omega stumbled down from the bed before bolting for the door.
Hunt. Chase Mate. Mate is distraught.
Historic evidence suggested that back when demihumans were much more primitive, the hunt for a mate was akin to a chase. A scent that lured alphas into a lust-filled chase through the terrain, a bite to the mating gland to complete the mating. Whilst it was no longer socially accepted to hunt your mate, the innate urge as a predator was still there, dormant, but there. An omega in heat running away from Daeyoung, especially an omega that pretty and delectable, reverted him to his most base instincts. That omega was his to take.
“Someone on the run.” He heard his comms ring in his ear.
“Don’t shoot!” He growled back.
“Hey, stop, it's dangerous! Omega, stop !” The omega, who was halfway through the compound, suddenly crumpled to the ground, panicking and yelping. The debris and broken glass on the floor scraped his delicate skin. He was hunched over himself, pale and looked like he might hurl.
It only occurred to Daeyoung a few seconds later that he had used an alpha command. He’s never had an omega pull one of those out of him before, he felt himself slipping into an odd headspace where someone else was controlling his body.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to. It’s dangerous, you could get hurt.” Daeyoung apologised, gasping as he realised his omega was bleeding from cuts on his foot. “You're bleeding, let me.”
When Daeyoung touched his skin, his whole world turned upside down.
When asked, most people would say they dream of meeting their soulmate. It is rare in their world, not everyone sparks, it was idealised in TV shows and movies and everything else in between. The countless stories of meeting your soulmate and getting your soul mark, and living happily ever after.
His hands are stained with his soulmate's blood when the mark appears on the top of his hand, a tiny star, almost like a burn or a tattoo. His omega is clutching his shoulder, and when his hand fell, Daeyoung already knew that there was an identical star soul mark on him. Their eyes meet, and Daeyoung thinks this is not like the movies; this is ten times worse because his soulmate is terrified, and he feels like this is an out-of-body experience.
“Tree man.” Sion approached them, and Daeyoung immediately sheltered his omega behind him.
“Back off!” he growled, not really caring that that’s his leader
“Woah okay Tree Man, I’m not a threat. I’m mated, remember you were my best man at my wedding? I won’t take away your Omega. Just wanna check his vitals.” Sion slowly backed away lest he trigger the other alpha.
“Mate is cold. Mate is injured. Need to stop the bleeding.” Daeyoung fretted as his omega whimpered.
“Daeng, the medics are almost here; you need to let them do their jobs.”
“No, no mate is mine.”
“I know, buddy, but you need to let the medics look at him.”
“It’s a new soulmate bond snapping into place and the alpha instinct of protecting an injured mate. He’s going to attack anyone who gets too close.” Jeno appeared, pulling back Sion from the other’s periphery.
“Attack?”
“His Alpha is running the show now, his priority is to protect his mate by any means necessary. He’s not gonna let medics through.” Jeno warned.
“Fuck. The omega needs medical attention immediately.”
By then, Daeyoung’s mind had gone full-on alpha mode, his one singular mission was to protect his mate who was bleeding on the floor. His eyes were dilated and his mind was gone, mission be damned.
Daeyoung almost bit his leader and his best friend when Sion lunged at him. They wrestle for a bit but Sion doesn't play fair, knows all his manoeuvres, avoids them like it's simply an annoyance even though Daeyoung is technically stronger than him. But then Daeyoung feels a slight pinch to his thigh and is shocked to find a needle stuck in him.
“Sorry Tree Man, you’ll forgive me when you wake up,” is the last thing he heard before he slumped onto the cold floor.
Daeyoung woke up in the base camp rut room. He’s been here before, so he recognises the walls and the layout, the fridge stocked with protein drinks and fruits and the little panel on the wall where personnel will deliver him his meals. No windows. Just a basic toilet and basic amenities. Titanium-enforced doors to keep him in until he rides it out of his rut.
The events beforehand came to him in bits and pieces: the raid, the bark of his Alpha command, Sion plunging a tranquilliser in his thigh and the burn of his soul mark forming on his hand. Eyes meeting eyes. The blood of his soulmate staining his hands red red red.
Fuck, he met his soulmate.
He studied the mark on his hand, like a tattoo screaming to the world that he was spoken for. Someone had washed his hands, but there was still his soulmate’s blood underneath his fingernails. Daeyoung thought the haze of the drugs would blunt his awareness, but perhaps it's wearing off with the rut hormones pumping through his bloodstream, because suddenly he can remember his mate with clarity.
It’s the image of his omega, his soulmate, handcuffed to a rusty bed, no food, no water. Those traffickers fleeing the scene, leaving his soulmate there for god knows how long, that makes him rage. His beautiful, sweet-smelling Omega, eyes wide in fear in that god awful room. Daeyoung rips the pillows to shreds at the thought of his soulmate going through that and who knows what unspeakable things. His rut was plagued by the bitterness of his mate’s dread, the impatience to hold him flooding his whole being.
When the rut is over, the room is unlocked. He is handed a new set of clothes and his personal belongings. When he turned on his phone, the first message he read was from Sion telling him the base camp hospital wing where his Omega is admitted.
“Hyung! Hey.” He jogged towards Sion, who was waiting in the busy hospital hallway, nurses and staff scurrying about.
“Hey. You look like shit,” Sion replied bluntly, studying his face in concern.
“Thanks, hyung. Great to see you too. Thanks for knocking me out, by the way” Daeyoung rolled his eyes.
“Sorry about the whole tranquilliser thing.” Sion chuckled, though he didn't look that guilty.
“No hard feelings, you did what was necessary… Didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch though.”
“Yeah, I know, I’ll treat you to fried chicken soon.”
“Fried chicken? This is omakase levels of grovelling.” Daeyoung protested.
“Yeah yeah diva, sure,” his eyes followed Sion’s to the room where his mate probably was. “You can’t go in now. He’s with a lawyer.”
“How is he?” Daeyoung asked, the mood turning serious as he remembered the state of his mate.
“Riku.”
“Hmmm?”
“Your soulmate’s name is Maeda Riku.”
“Riku… He’s Japanese.”
“Yes… He’s in stable condition, no damage to his vitals. His heat worsened for a while and the doctor had to give him some emergency blockers as his body went through anaphylactic shock from the combination of heat, dehydration and the stress from not completing the mating bond with you. But the doctors manage to minimise the effects. He’s doing okay now. I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of asking your brother to send me some of your clothes. Riku needed your scent to calm down.”
“That’s… That’s good. I’m relieved to hear he’s okay.” Daeyoung had never had someone need his scent before. It was weird.
“The doctors wouldn't tell me much because I’m not his alpha. I’m sure they’ll elaborate more to you.”
“Here.” Sion handed him a clear folder..
“What’s this?”
“The higher-ups heard about what happened. They pulled some strings, and the Japanese embassy gave them this. It’s a file on your mate,” Sion explained.
“I do not want a file on my mate. Especially one that has privy info that he has not consented to being shared.” He growled, face scrunching up in disgust as he pushed the offending file away.
“Look, Daeyoung-ah, I’m sorry it happened this way. I am. But right now, by law, you are Riku’s guardian and mate, whether you like it or not. You are the only thing he has in this foreign country. As his alpha, it’s your duty to take care of him. Even if it involves the unsavoury bits like using an alpha command and going through his file.” Sion sighed and pushed the file back to him.
“I’m sorry, hyung I just- this is so fucked up.“ Daeyoung sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“I know… I know. This isn’t fair to both of you… Yushi helped me find a Japanese lawyer who's a Beta, so he’s pretty non-threatening. He’s talking to Riku right now about your… circumstances. Under the amended Demi laws of 2020-”
“I read law too, I’m well aware of the ramifications of our soul bond.”
A few years back, because of the ageing population and declining birth rate, the Korean government enacted a law that forced soulmates to legally live together to increase the chances of mating, as soulmated pairs were said to almost always produce offspring. And most times it did end up in a mating.
But the law was hotly contested by Omega-rights activists as it deprived the Omega of the right to choose whether they mate or not. Meanwhile, the conservatives touted paradigms of “strong family values” and demonised Omegas as ‘selfish’, ‘unpatriotic’ and ‘shameful heathens’ for not mating when the country was facing a fertility crisis.
It has led to street protests and marches, calling the law a forced conservatorship for Omegas under the guise of promoting saccharine ‘domestic bliss’, babies and white-picket fences and all. The conservative party fought that because it was just a living arrangement, a mating bite would not be guaranteed. But it was highly unlikely that two soulmates could be in such close proximity for such a long period without mating.
Mating wasn't guaranteed but it was sure damn hard to practice restraint when your bodies chemically sang to each other. A soulmate’s scent alone had pheromones tailored to their Alpha’s neuro receptors. Everything about them made them biologically compatible. Daeyoung had silently seethed in anger when the law passed parliament.
To that end, perhaps he had hoped he didn't have a soulmate. He never expected to have one. And he certainly didn't want to force his soulmate into a forced conservatorship-like arrangement.
“Thank you. For all this.”
“Hey, you’re my brother, your mate is family now too,” Sion reassured him, patting his back good-naturedly before glancing at his watch. “Sorry dude, I’m running on three hours of sleep and the commander wants a verbal report in an hour, I have to go.”
Not long after Sion left, the lawyer came out of the room and shook Daeyoung’s hand.
“Mr Kim, I wish we were meeting on better terms. I’m Shotaro, your mate’s legal representative who was hired by Mr Oh. I have explained to him the delicate matter of your soul bond. I shall be in contact with you soon on the necessary paperwork for the Japanese embassy. Apologies, I have to rush for another meeting.”
“Of course, thank you for taking care of my mate.” Daeyoung nodded. It felt so odd to say ‘my mate’ like it was already a sure thing.
He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
“Come in,” a timid voice called, and he entered, and in hindsight, Daeyoung was not prepared for the onslaught of seeing his soulmate again.
Riku is still as beautiful as ever, his eyes are wide, his scent is blaring through the astringency of the hospital bleach. He can pick it out now, the delicate floral notes and the sweetness of something fruity and warm. Daeyoung took a seat next to the hospital bed. He restrained himself from reaching out and touching his mate.
“Hello, Riku. I’m Daeyoung. My friends call me Daeng sometimes, you can too if you want. I was the officer who found you in the warehouse. I’m also your soulmate.” Daeyoung’s Japanese was rusty from disuse, but he had a stint in Hokkaido at the end of last year that made him hit the books.
“You speak Japanese,” Riku noted.
“Only a little, probably high school level.”
“No, it’s good, you can hold a conversation.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier, I was in… a rut. And I’m sorry for the other day if I was rough with you. And for the alpha command, I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t an emergency.”
“Oh, I’ve never had an alpha apologise to me before… It’s strange,” Riku murmured. He seemed to shrink into the bed even more. “I didn't think I had a soulmate.”
“Neither did I… This is a lot to process. This is kind of… insane.” Daeyoung can smell the spike of stress in his omega’s scent, the fruits ripen to something more sour and the flowers wilt, and Riku’s hand shook on the hospital blanket.
His mate gasped when Daeyoung reached out and soothed over the skin of his wrist glands where he is connected to a drip. It’s intimate and in any other social situation, rude to touch someone’s glands without consent. But the alpha nonetheless continued and coached Riku through the stress.
“Hey, breathe in and out. That’s it, good. Relax.”
“God, it’s like my body is attuned to everything you say.” Riku’s shoulders melted from the tension as if following Daeyoung’s orders.
“Sorry, it’s biology, I’m built to comfort you and vice versa.” Daeyoung apologised again, but Riku shook his head. He knew it was true, they were made to ease each other.
“Osaki-san… the lawyer explained it to me… how we have to live together.”
“Because of the law, we have to live together for three months, if the bond is not… finalised. You will be free to leave. I won’t force you into anything you don’t want.”
If we don’t bite each other, you’re free from me. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy.
“Yes, it’s an archaic law. Terrible really. I hate it.”
“Well, I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Riku looked down at their hands, intertwined now, and Daeyoung shifted to sit on the hospital bed, needing to be clear.
“Riku, I’m sorry we met this way. I wish the circumstances were different. But I swear to protect you. I swear on my life that no harm will come to you. And I will not do anything without your consent. Just because we are soulmates doesn’t mean you don’t have the freedom of choice. I will support any decision you make.” Riku turned to him, scrutinised him briefly before squeezing his hand.
“Okay, okay Daeyoung. I believe you. Thank you.”
And perhaps it was only a nugget of trust, but it was more than Daeyoung had hoped for.
When Riku is ready to be discharged from the hospital, Daeyoung is there every step of the way like a loyal, steady mate. He made note of the incoming appointments and the doctor’s advice on what would speed up Riku’s recovery at home. The omega is understandably overwhelmed and tired by the time they reach his house that afternoon.
“Your house is… big,” Riku commented as they stepped through the threshold.
“Perks of the job.” Daeyoung chuckled before showing him his room, it was a guest room next to his master bedroom. He had tried to prepare some basic things - clothes, a phone, bed sheets, and toiletries, but he knew it would not be enough. He wanted to provide whatever comforts he could to his omega.
Something something Alpha provides, his mind supplied, but he quickly shut the thought down.
“I didn’t really know what would make you most comfortable, so I figured I’d just take you shopping tomorrow, if you’re up for it.”
“This is nice, you don’t have to take me shopping.” Riku shook his head, taking in the room.
“No, I want you to be comfortable here. Please let me do this for you.”
“Okay,” Riku shyly nodded, looking away from his imploring eyes.
“We’ll need more clothes and extra bedding and uhhh anything you need or want. I’ve restocked the pantry, but we can pick up any food and groceries you might want… I’ll go heat dinner up.”
“You cooked dinner?”
“Yeah, figured you’d be starving from all the moving today.”
Riku watched him from the dining table in the kitchen as Daeyoung puttered around, mixing something on the stove and plating it on two blue-glazed ceramic plates.
“You made this?” Riku sounded incredulous, surprised that his alpha could be domestic when he presented him with a plate of unassuming but appetising chicken katsu and curry over rice. His stomach growled in protest that he was not already shoving the food.
“Yeah, figured you’d like some comfort food from home. It’s not much, I’m sorry, I don’t know how to cook a lot of Japanese dishes. But I’ll learn.” Daeyoung reassured him
Daeyoung pretended not to see Riku’s watery eyes when he shovels the food into his mouth and cleans the whole plate.
“It’s really good.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Daeyoung smiled, feeling satiated just from watching his mate’s cheeks fill with delicious food. He doesn't question it when Riku takes his plate to wash.
Daeyoung had a hard time sleeping; it was the nature of his lifestyle after all. Odd hours and long nights and an intense perception of his surroundings… it was hard to unwind. He had already wrung out his body in his home gym, and his mind lingered on the fact that he now had a soulmate.
He was now halfway through a very poorly written guidebook on ‘How to take care of your Omega’, where the author just assumes that the Omegas of the world are helpless creatures who need help with everything from their finances to opening a pickle jar.
He thinks about his mother, who treated the kitchen like her domain, supported their father and wrangled three alpha boys herself whilst holding down a corporate job. She was not weak. If anything, she was ten times stronger than all of them combined.
His train of thought was shattered by a piercing scream.
Daeyoung reacted before he could think, barrelling out of bed and towards Riku’s room. He was used to sudden action; it was his job, after all, to be hypervigilant.
But this was different.
His body knew now for certain- mate in danger. Get to mate now.
He tried the doorknob, but it was locked.
Fuck maybe he shouldn’t have given Riku the keys to the door .
“Riku are you okay? Riku open the door, please!” He shouted and tried the doorknob again, and banged on the door.
“Riku! Riku let me in. Please!”
The door swung open and the sight of Riku crying in his pyjamas made his heart clench.
It was instinct to push him behind himself and scan the room for any danger, he checked the toilet and the window for any signs of entry but saw nothing. He then turned to his crying omega, who was shivering, and he patted his body up and down to scan for any injuries before cupping his face.
“Daeyoung? Alpha?” He warbled through tears seeking his warmth, and Daeyoung doesn’t hesitate to pull him into his arms and crush him in a hug.
It was just as bad as the night of.
That undeniable gut punch that something was wrong.
Mate is upset. Mate is sad. Mate is hurt.
But the clarity was heightened. Previously, Daeyoung did not understand why his body was reacting so much, but now he knew and it made him even angrier that he couldn’t do anything. There was a certain kind of helplessness he felt knowing he couldn’t gun down or muscle his way through this problem, because Riku’s demons were in his head.
“Hey, you alright? I’m here. You’re safe.” Daeyoung consoled him, rubbing his arm as Riku cried into his shirt.
“I’m s-sorry I woke you up.” Riku sobbed, fingers clenched into his back.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep yet.”
“Sorry, I just woke up and I didn’t remember where I was and it freaked me out a bit,” he confessed.
“Shhhh shhh, it’s okay. It’s fine. I have you.” Daeyoung reassured him, scooping him up like he weighed nothing and moving to settle him downstairs on the island in the kitchen. He patted his head softly and wiped at Riku’s tear-stained cheeks.
“I’ll heat up some warm milk,” Daeyoung reassured him, keeping a hand on his hip as he manoeuvred to put milk with a hint of cinnamon into the microwave.
“I’m sorry. It’s kinda embarrassing that I’m a mess like this.” He hiccuped as the crying subsided, and he gladly took the warm cup from Daeyoung.
“You have nothing to apologise for. You went through a lot.”
Daeyoung watched him finish his drink, and Riku sighed. He looked so defeated and tired. Everything from the dark veins under his eyes to the bandage wrapped around his sprained wrist. And yet the thought crossed his mind - what a sight for sore eyes his mate was.
“Daeyoung, does it bother you to have a soulmate this… broken?” Riku said, voice meek, hands clutching the ceramic cup.
“Don’t say that. You are not broken.” Daeyoung’s voice turned sharp, and Riku winced at the tone.
“But look at me… I am.”
“Hey, from the moment I met you, I’ve only seen strength and tenacity and bravery.”
“I don’t feel brave,” Riku whispered. Daeyoung’s midriff pressed against the elder’s knees as he leaned in against the kitchen island.
“I can’t imagine what happened to you… But you’re here now,” he sighed, and Riku opened his mouth before closing it. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“No… no, you should know. What happened…” he set down the cup next to him and twisted his hands in his lap. “I was in Nagoya. The cherry blossoms had just bloomed on the streets. I had performed… interpretative dance in a very nice auditorium. I was walking back to the hotel. I should’ve taken a cab, it was dark. I was an Omega. I should’ve known better.”
“Shhhh, don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened to you.”
“A van stopped by the roadside, they pulled me in and I struggled…but that was pointless. I know as an alpha, you’re probably wondering if they touched me.”
“Stop, I don’t care about any of that. You don’t have to say anything.” Daeyoung tensed, shaking his head in vehemence. It made him sick. Fuck he didn’t care about that, maybe others of his kind would but it made him sick to his stomach to think about if Riku thought that he cared about something so trivial. As if it he cared about some bullshit about purity.
“Untouched Omegas fetched for a higher price, so they mostly left me alone. Sometimes the guards would stare or fondle, but nothing more.”
Daeyoung thinks somewhere deep down, his inner alpha could crush the marble beneath his fingertips. If Riku was not wrapped around him, he knew he might punch a wall at the thought of someone touching his mate, hurting his mate.
“Riku, I’m sorry, I need to hold you. Please. For my sanity,” he begged, hands clambering to touch Riku - to reassure him that he’s real and here and grounding him to reality and not succumb to the bitter snap of fury.
“Okay.” Daeyoung wasted no time, sliding his hand up his side and cupping his face and breathing in the scent of his Omega. Honeysuckle and osmanthus and the sweetness of fruits. Something lactonic and the steam of rice and home. Riku smelled like his childhood home. Like his mother’s kitchen when she baked tteok.
Riku was here. He was here now, and he was safe.
“That night, I went into heat. I knew it was coming. I hadn’t had my suppressants in months. I had hoped the malnutrition would keep it at bay.” Riku began to play with a stray thread on Daeyoung’s pyjamas. “I had heard some omegas not making it, from the toll it took on their emaciated bodies. Daeyoung, I thought I wouldn’t make it,” Riku’s voice is small when he said it out loud, and Daeyoung swallowed the lump in his throat. It was painful, but he needed to be tough for his mate. “Until you found me. And I’m grateful to you for finding me that night.”
It was June now.
Riku had been a captive for three months.
Three months too long.
His soulmate had been in terror for three months.
“God. I’m sorry.” Daeyoung groaned into his lap. He wanted to wail, wanted to curse, but the thought of breaking down in front of his Omega was emasculating. Riku needed him now.
“Why are you apologising?” Riku sniffled and ruffled the hairs on his nape.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry for all of this. I’m sorry I can’t take your pain away. I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
“Don’t be silly. You didn’t even know I existed. I’m sorry I made you upset,” he hummed, finally managing a small smile through his teary face.
Daeyoung is used to feeling patriotism, though his country is not perfect. Choosing his path meant accepting the risk of dying for his country. It was something he was prepared to do. Something he wanted to do. It was duty, it was honourable.
It hit him all at once that he no longer had the option of self-sacrifice.
I have to live for him , the thought strikes him.
I would die for you.
I would live for you.
He thinks I have been through gunfire and smoke and active war zones. I have experienced harsh winters’ bite and the heat of deserts. Fought men in hand-to-hand combat and scaled buildings and rappelled down from helicopters. I have survived it all to fall at the altar of your feet now. And yet I have to continue to survive, to make sure that you’re okay.
“No, you’re right, we needed to rip the proverbial band-aid off. I need to know what happened so I can help you. I mean it, this might not be… conventional, but I want to take care of you.” Daeyoung pleaded, and Riku’s smile felt like seeing a rainbow after the rain.
“Okay. Okay Daeyoung, I’ll let you take care of me.”
Daeyoung led him back up, and as they stood on the stair landing, Riku turned to him.
“Can I sleep with you? I think… I think your scent calms me down.”
“Yeah sure. I’m flattered that you don’t think I smell like wet dog or something,” he tried to lighten the mood despite the fact that he was freaking out at the thought of sharing a bed with his soulmate. God, please don’t embarrass yourself.
There is something otherworldly about Riku being in his bedroom, the soft light making him painterly. Something about his scent, perfuming his most private space, it eased the tightness in his chest. They don’t speak as Daeyoung put away the stupid book he was reading and dimmed the lights. Daeyoung does not expect Riku to shove his nose and inhale into his neck the moment they get into bed.
“Sorry, it’s just you smell like… pine trees and sea salt like the breeze in Fukui and unripened figs. It’s heavenly,” he sighed, and Daeyoung purred at the affection.
“Not terrible then?” The amusement is apparent in his voice, and Riku blushes pink in the low light.
“Sorry. I just-I- your scent, it helps.”
“Go for it. I’m okay, anything if it helps you sleep.” Daeyoung doesn't mind when his omega scooched closer and found a comfortable position, sinking into his plush sheets.
“Thank you, goodnight Daeyoung.” Riku whispered into the night.
“Goodnight Riku,” he replied.
Perhaps, selfishly, he wished that it was the first of many goodnights.