Chapter Text
Leo hoped the visit to the coffee shop would relax him, but he barely enters when he hears someone yelling.
“You just started working here! And now you’re telling me you’ll be gone in a few months?!”
It must be the time of the day when there’s less customers, since Leo remembers this cafe being pretty packed most of the time. There’s just one girl sitting by the window and an older couple finishing their drinks in the corner, but it still doesn’t excuse the yelling. Leo sees the couple pause their conversation to turn around and even the girl, previously occupied with her laptop, takes out her earphones with wide eyes.
Leo sighs. There’s no one to take his order, so he just leans by the counter and reads through the menu.
“I’m sorry, sir–” Comes a weak voice.
Then there’s the sound of someone’s hand slamming on a table. “I knew I should’ve listened to my intuition and never hired an omega.” The man sighs.
Leo lifts his eyebrows. That’s a lot. He sees the young girl packing up her bag in a hurry and the couple shaking their heads. Looks like they won’t be returning to this cafe either.
Honestly, Leo wants to walk out as well. His head is pounding because he spent the last few hours listening to his newest demo on loop, tweaking a few things, then listening again. He had both Geonwoo and Jiahao try as well, but nothing helped him figure out what exactly made it sound wrong.
He hoped a quick trip from his studio to the coffee shop and some caffeine would clear things up in his head, but now he’s stuck with another problem.
It feels wrong to just walk out. No matter what he tells himself – he’s not responsible for that poor omega or their boss’ outburst, he can’t fix the whole world no matter how hard he tries – he feels like he has to step in.
There’s no more noise coming from the room labeled as staff only, so Leo rings the small bell placed next to the register and straightens his shoulders. There’s some muffled words on the other side, then someone sniffing and finally, the door pushing open.
A tall man walks out, clearly an alpha. He smells mad and it makes Leo scrunch up his nose in distaste. The man’s scent is way too strong, especially since it turned sour after his outburst.
“Hello. What can I get you? Sorry, you’ll have to wait a minute for your order, we’re a bit short-staffed–”
“Shouldn’t you be more composed in order to run a business?” Leo blurts out.
“Excuse me?” The alpha raises his eyebrows.
“I mean, you sounded like that employee caused you some huge trouble, huh? And the omega comment? All your customers just walked out. And I won’t be ordering anything–”
The alpha laughs, like this whole thing is some miscommunication. “Oh, of course I didn’t mean it like that! He knows too!” He looks back at the door. “Sangwon-ssi, would you come here for a second?”
Leo stands as if frozen while another man walks in, hair covering his red-rimmed eyes, shoulders lowered.
“Please explain to this nice man that I was just joking, hm? He seems to be worried about you. And make sure to take his order once you’re done, yeah?” The alpha gives him a pointed look and disappears.
The omega in front of Leo doesn’t raise his head as he starts explaining, “E-Everything’s okay, so don’t worry. Now, we have really good–” His hands are still shaking as he grabs the printed menu and pushes it towards Leo. Their fingers touch when Leo goes to take it, because Leo is not thinking straight. How could he, when in front of him–
“Hyung?”
Sangwon’s eyes are wide as he utters the single word. Leo takes in a deep breath to steady himself, but instead ends up inhaling so much of the omega’s scent it makes him a bit dizzy.
“Sangwon-ah. Long time no see.”
“Here, sit. I’ll grab you something to drink from that store. Do you still like green tea?”
Leo helps Sangwon into the car and closes the door. Thankfully, he parked right by a convenience store. He quickly finds the bottled tea Sangwon used to always drink and walks out before remembering that the main reason why he left his studio was to get some caffeine. Well, that’s not important anymore.
What’s important is the omega sitting in the passenger seat of his car. Leo notices Sangwon’s hands still shaking, so he unscrews the cap and gently helps him take a few sips. Sangwon thanks him with a nod and grips the plastic bottle.
It wasn’t hard to convince the omega’s boss to let him leave early, especially since Leo still refused to order and even threatened to expose the man online for harassing his employees. The tall alpha was visibly fuming with anger, but let them walk out after telling Sangwon they’ll finish discussing his situation another day
“Thanks. For the drink and– You didn’t have to do that.” Sangwon mutters after a while.
“Anyone would’ve done the same.”
Sangwon lets out a dry laugh. “We both know that’s not true, but okay.”
Leo nods. Okay, maybe not everyone.
There’s some mildly uncomfortable silence as Sangwon sips his tea, so Leo mumbles whatever comes first to his mind. “So– have you been well?”
Sangwon nods. “I’m fine. I managed to move out on my own.”
“That’s good. And you seem to be healthy too.” Leo points out and then, because he never thinks before speaking, “After we, you know, did you ever try–”
Sangwon shakes his head, causing Leo to pause mid-sentence.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It was out of place.” Leo apologizes, noticing his mistake.
“It’s fine, hyung. I just never gained the courage to try again.”
“That’s completely fine. It’s only been, what, three years?”
Three years. Somehow it felt like a lifetime and a second at once.
They haven’t talked to each other in years, but it feels like nothing’s changed. Sangwon’s hair is a bit longer, but less messy than back then. He has grown into his features more. But Leo guesses he also has.
Yet his chest still feels so tight, staring at the younger.
“Yeah.” Sangwon murmurs. “But enough about me. I see you’ve been doing well, seeing the car and all.”
Leo shakes his hand in dismissal. “No, it’s– It’s not that expensive.”
“Still.” Sangwon hums. “I might not be the most up to date with news, but I heard about you. Being the main producer for a rookie group while also working on projects with some solo artists, I could tell you’ve been doing well. But now that I see you, I know for sure.” He sends Leo a small smile. “You seem more confident, too. That can’t be faked.” He adds, as if on afterthought.
“Yeah, I guess.” Leo smiles sheepishly. He feels his cheeks heating up slightly. Even after all this time, Sangwon can still see right through him.
And the knowledge that the younger omega has been apparently keeping up with news about him only makes his face redder.
“I mean, after I started working with hyung, it was tough at first. I spent the first year just trying to prove myself. But it paid off.”
Sangwon smiles at him again. “That’s great to hear, hyung. You deserve it.”
“You deserve good things too, you know?” Leo blurts out before he can stop himself. “Your boss is obviously an asshole. And while I don’t know why he got mad at you, it’s still extremely unprofessional of him to explode like that. And you don’t have to listen to me, but I would feel at ease knowing you don’t have to deal with someone like that as your employer.”
Sangwon huffs. “You haven’t changed one bit, huh, hyung? You’re just– you’re a good person. Better than most of the population, I guess.”
“Because I wouldn’t direct a sexist comment at my employee?”
The omega rolls his eyes. “Nevermind. You stood up for me, so I owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t ha–”
“I’m pregnant.”
Leo stills. Talking to Sangwon so freely made him feel like it hasn’t been three years since they last talked, but maybe three days, at most. But now he’s back to reality, suddenly aware of the way things were when they lost contact. Of how much time has passed.
“Are you still with–”
Sangwon shakes his head. “No, we broke up a while ago.”
“So the baby–”
The omega closes his eyes, like this conversation is causing him physical pain. Leo’s about to tell him it’s okay, they don’t have to talk about this, but Sangwon just straightens up and looks him right in the eye. “I feel like I’m just embarrassing myself because we haven’t talked in years and you’re obviously successful while I just got yelled at by my boss and now I’m telling you this but– I don’t know the father. I went to a party with my friends because I was bored and hooked up with this guy and a few weeks later my period was late. And I never got the guy’s name and I don’t even remember what he looked like because I was drunk but– I still couldn’t bring myself to get an abortion.”
“Thank you for telling me, Sangwon-ah.”
“Really, that’s all?” Sangwon huffs, still a bit breathless because of his ramble.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Leo says. “I’m in no position to lecture you, and frankly, I don’t want to. You’re a good person and I know you’ll raise this child to be a good person as well, no matter if you find the father or not.”
“You don’t think I’m being selfish?”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t even have a real job and in a few months I’ll have to take care of not only myself, but a real, breathing baby. I wanted to adopt a cat some time ago but then I started worrying I wouldn’t be able to pay for the vet if anything were to happen to it. But a baby’s like– so much more responsibility.”
“You have a real job. Besides, money isn’t everything.”
Sangwon snorts. “It kind of is.”
“How about we take today as a sign?”
“A sign of what?”
Leo shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe we met today for a reason. Maybe it’s the universe telling us I can be someone for you to lean on.”
“That’s corny, hyung.” Sangwon huffs, but his lips curl around a small smile. His cheeks are tinted pink. He looks happier, more at ease.
Leo gets back to his studio only an hour later, after stopping by a gukbap place to buy Sangwon dinner and dropping off the omega at his apartment.
He manages to not drop the coffee (that he finally bought at the place in front of the company) while fiddling with his keys when he notices Geonwoo leaning by the door.
“I came to check on you.” Geonwoo says, pushing away from the wall and following Leo into the studio. The older drops his stuff on the desk and sits on his chair with a sigh. “Did you get dinner? Hyung said he saw you leave over two hours ago.”
“Nah. Just the coffee. I– Something came up.”
“Something?” Geonwoo repeats conspiraculously. Leo rolls his eyes at the beta.
“None of your business.”
Geonwoo huffs. “Whatever. Don’t tell me if you don’t want to.” He shrugs, feigning nonchalance. “So I guess no progress with the song?”
“I actually thought of something while I was out.”
Sangwon is freshly showered and about to settle in bed with a new episode of his favorite TV show to watch when Anxin calls.
“Hyung!” The young alpha greets him and Sangwon smiles at his phone.
“Hi, pup. How was school today?”
Anxin goes on telling Sangwon about how boring his college classes are and how he just wants to go to sleep already despite still having a few assignments to complete. Sangwon’s so tired he zones out for a bit, so it throws him off when Anxin suddenly pauses, the alpha’s excited voice no longer serving as a background noise for his racing thoughts.
“Everything okay?” He asks, sensing the weird energy even through the phone.
Anxin sighs. He suddenly sounds so troubled, as if he’s not a twenty-one year old college student but an old man done with his life. “I just– I feel guilty, hyung.”
Now it’s Sangwon’s turn to sigh. They went over this so many times already, but Anxin still insists on taking all the blame. “None of this is your fault, Xin-ah. I went to the party because I wanted to. I drank because I wanted to. I hooked up with that alpha because I wanted to. You didn’t cut a hole into the condom we used, right?”
Anxin grumbles, clearly not in the mood for jokes. “But you kept saying you were too tired and I kept pressuring both you and Xinlong hyung and now– I wish I could at least remember what he looked like.”
“It wouldn’t change anything.” Sangwon breathed out. “I don’t care who the father is. I already made my decision. I’ll raise this pup no matter what.”
“You can still–”
“Anxin-ah.”
“If money is the issue, I could–”
“No.” Sangwon raises his voice. He hears Anxin’s whimper on the other end of the line. “If you want to help me, support my decision.”
“Okay, hyung.”
The silence feels heavy. Sangwon doesn’t want to cause Anxin any distress, so he opts for a distraction.
“I saw an old friend today.”
“Who?” Anxin’s voice grows a pitch higher. Damn his nosy ass.
“Remember when I told you about Leo?”
“Le– That Leo?”
“Okay. I can tell I made a mistake here.” Sangwon draws back.
“Nooooo, hyung! Tell me more! Don’t leave me hanging!”
“I’ll think about it. Go complete your assignments for now.”
Leo doesn’t expect to see Sangwon so soon.
But well, fate just had it that he stopped by the cafe Sangwon works at and saw the omega exiting the staff room in his normal clothes.
“Done with your shift?”
“Oh, hyung.” Sangwon looks up from his phone. “Yeah. Sorry, I’d love to talk but I have an appointment and I have to catch this bus or I’ll be late.”
“I can drive you.” Leo perks up.
“Weren’t you going to– order something?” He looks at Leo’s wallet in his hand and then into the cafe, at his co-worker preparing somebody’s drink.
“It’s fine! I’m not in a hurry. I’ll stop by somewhere after dropping you off.”
Sangwon looks unconvinced, but he still lets Leo lead him outside and into his car. The alpha hands him his phone and Sangwon inputs the address.
“So what’s the appointment?” Leo asks after getting back on the road.
“It’s an ultrasound. For the baby.”
“Ah.” Leo hums. “Is it your first one?”
“No, I already went once after I found out.”
“I’m sorry but– How far along are you? It felt rude to ask the last time but, well. You don’t really look pregnant.”
“It’s okay, hyung.” Sangwon mutters. “I’m eight weeks in. The doctor said it’s normal I’m not showing yet, considering my build and weight pre-pregnancy. It should become more obvious in the next few weeks.”
Leo nods. He grips the steering wheel. He notices Sangwon’s hand rubbing over his stomach from the corner of his eye.
“Besides, you would be able to tell if you saw me without a shirt on.”
Leo chokes on his spit, causing Sangwon to giggle, “Sorry. Focus on the road.”
The alpha manages to get them to the clinic in one piece. Sangwon thanks him a few times and only gets out after Leo agrees to let him pay for their food the next time they see each other.
Leo sits in the car for a few minutes after watching Sangwon go inside the building. He can’t follow him. Waiting here would be out of line too. No matter how much he wants to know everything he can about Sangwon, he worries about coming off too strong.
He’s about to pull out of the parking spot when his phone rings. Seeing that it’s his mother calling, he pulls up the hand-brake again and gets comfortable in the seat. She doesn’t call that often, but when she does, it usually takes a while.
“Leo-ya!” His mom greets.
“Hi, mom. Everything okay?”
She goes on to tell him about how disappointed she is because he barely calls her or his father. She wants him to visit Australia in a few months for his niece’s birthday.
Leo hums when she tells him stories about people from their old neighbourhood and promises to try getting some time off to see his family.
“Anyway’s that reminds me it’ll be your sister’s fifth wedding anniversary next year. What about you?”
“What about me?” Leo sits up. God, not this again.
“You should settle down soon. You know, I worry about you all the time. I know you have a good job and you’re not struggling by any means, but I’d still feel better knowing you have someone to lean on.” She sighs. “Plus, after your sister’s miscarriage– They’re hesitant to try again. I was hoping you’d give me a grandkid soon.”
“Are you suggesting you’re unsatisfied with Mia?” Leo attempts a joke.
His mom just sighs. He knows she’s shaking her head in disapproval. “She’s growing up way too fast, I’ll admit that. But I’m talking about you right now.”
“Mom, you know how it is.” Leo rubs his face. The headache that seemed to disappear when he saw Sangwon is coming back ten times stronger right now. He seriously has to stop for some quick caffeine fix and head back to his studio. “I’m really busy. I spend most of my time working. I don’t have the time or a relationship right now. I’d make a terrible partner.” He laughs dryly. “And you’re acting like I’m going to die alone. I’m barely twenty-five, you remember that, right?”
“But you’re not getting any younger.” His mother scoffs. “And work isn’t everything.”
“For now it is.” He mutters, more to himself than to her. God knows how badly she’d scold him for talking back. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you soon. And I’m sending you money so make sure you and dad go for a health check-up, okay? Call me if anything happens.”
It’s hard to align their schedules, but on a Saturday two weeks later, Sangwon gets ready for dinner with Leo.
His baby bump is still alarmingly small. Most of the time he just looks bloated – when he wears tight shirts his stomach sticks out in a way he’s not used to, so each day he searches his wardrobe for something loose-fitting.
He’s not really trying to hide the pregnancy from anyone. He hasn’t told his parents because, quite frankly, he's a bit scared of their reactions. Although he doesn’t have to worry about them finding out any soon, since they live a few hours away.
He told his friends as soon as he found out. He informed his boss very early because he just got hired and wasn’t sure how the alpha would react if he hid it until later into his pregnancy.
The reaction wasn’t great. He knew his boss wasn’t the nicest person and only hired him because he walked in at the right time and he didn’t have a better option, but the man’s reaction still seemed blown out of proportion.
Sangwon’s just glad Leo stepped in.
The cafe owner became more lenient with him after that. Sangwon was anxious going into his shift the next day, but then the alpha just asked him about how he’d know that producer? and said Sangwon could work as long as he’d be able to.
He’s still unsure about his future – sure, he has some savings. Sure, if he doesn’t spend money recklessly until the baby is born, he should be able to make it. His parents might take pity on him and give him some money.
But he can’t help but think that he’s really being selfish and stupid. This baby deserves more than a single parent scrambling for money to feed them.
He shakes off his thoughts and locks up his studio apartment. He spots Leo’s car already parked in front of the building.
“Hi.” He smiles after getting in. Leo helps him with the seatbelt.
“So, where are we going?” The alpha asks after starting the car.
Sangwon gives him directions the whole way and fifteen minutes later they’re already sitting at their table. “Since the start of my pregnancy, I’ve been mostly coming here when I want to eat out. My tastebuds changed so much, it’s crazy. Can you believe that now I gag at the smell of tteokbokki?”
“Really? You used to eat that every day.” Leo laughs.
They order their food. Sangwon can tell Leo pays attention to the prices while looking through the menu – when they texted yesterday the omega reminded him of their deal. He doesn’t want Leo to think he’s taking advantage of him. He’s just happy to have the older back in his life – Leo’s financial status is not relevant to him.
Still, Leo picks out something suspiciously cheap, but when Sangwon points it out and tells the older to just get whatever he likes, he smiles at him. “It’s okay, Won-ah. I like this.”
They catch up some more over their food. Sangwon finds himself smiling the whole time. It’s crazy how safe Leo’s presence makes him feel. Back in his apartment, he was practically spiraling, anxious about his and his baby’s future. Now, with the older across from him, their feet accidentally touching under the table, the alpha’s rich scent reaching him even through the smell of food drifting all around the restaurant–
He has to mentally slap himself. He’s not a teenager anymore. He can’t daydream about the alpha when he has bigger things to worry about in his life now.
But the feeling doesn’t go away even when they’re on their way back. Leo asked if Sangwon was up for dessert and then insisted on paying for that.
Now with the dinner and ice cream filling up his stomach, Sangwon feels like he’s living in some dream. The inside of Leo’s car smells nice. Both from the little scent bottle the alpha has hanging from his rear-view mirror, but also because of the older himself.
Sangwon sighs to himself as he pets his stomach. He wore an oversized cardigan, but now it’s unbuttoned, leaving his protruding stomach out in the open, only covered by a soft t-shirt.
“Can I– touch it?”
Sangwon looks up from under his bangs at Leo. The alpha looks hesitant, almost ashamed of his request.
“Sure.” Sangwon shrugs. “But it doesn’t really feel like anything yet.”
Leo carefully extends his hand and places it near Sangwon’s on the omega’s stomach.
Sangwon’s face heats up as the alpha feels around his abandonment for a minute. He already had a few people touch his belly – the doctor at the clinic, of course, but also his friends. Yet nobody’s touch made him react the way Leo’s did.
Sure, his doctor was a much older female beta, and with the medical setting, it removed any sexuality from the situation. With Xinlong being an omega as well, the touch felt nothing but friendly and comforting. Anxin’s alpha hand also felt like… well, nothing. But that might just be because Sangwon babies Anxin way too much in his head.
With Leo it’s a lot different. Sangwon’s still a bit dazed from being surrounded by the alpha’s scent for the last few hours, but with the addition of his touch? He’s positive he might jump Leo if he doesn’t hold himself back.
“I guess it’s just soft. But also– kind of hard to describe.”
“I know. It’s strange.” Sangwon mutters. His voice is slightly shaking. All this over some indirect skin contact? God, he’s being pathetic.
“Sorry. That was too much.” Leo pulls his hand away after stealing a glance at Sangwon’s face. His nervousness must’ve looked like discomfort.
But that’s the thing, though. Sangwon hasn’t felt anything even close to discomfort while being with Leo. Not today. Not when they ran into each other at the cafe. And most of all, not when they used to spend so much of their free time together in the past.
“It’s okay.” Sangwon finds himself saying after a beat of silence. “I– I like spending time with you, hyung.”
Leo looks up at him. “You’re not mad at me for what I did back then?”
Sangwon shakes his head. “I never was. It felt like we naturally drifted away. I’m just glad– You know, that we’re here now.”
The alpha gives him a little smile. “I’m glad too.”
“Who was that?”
“Oh my god!” Sangwon cries out after seeing the face of the person emerging from the dark. “Anxin-ah! You scared me to death!”
“But you’re still standing here?” Anxin tilts his head.
“You know what I mean! Stress is bad for the baby.”
The young alpha seems to shrink at the realization. “Sorry. I was just going to visit you when I saw you getting out of that car. So, who was that?” He explains, looking over Sangwon’s head. Sangwon’s not sure if Leo had already driven off, so he grabs Anxin’s hand and leads them into his apartment building.
“Someone from work?” Anxin asks once again after they’ve made it to the elevator.
“No, just–” Sangwon’s not sure what he wants to say, but his neighbour joins them. He’s not about to discuss his personal affairs in front of a stranger, so he just sends Anxin a look.
The alpha pouts and moves closer to Sangwon to make space for the woman.
Just when Sangwon starts thinking he’s safe, he hears a whisper right next to his ear. “You reek of alpha, hyung.”
He groans and squeezes his eyes shut.
“I’m texting Xinlong hyung.” Anxin informs him when they enter Sangwon’s apartment.
“You don’t even know who that was.” The omega crosses his arms and stares right at Anxin. Maybe intimidating him will work. “It could’ve been my boss.”
“Right.” The alpha deadpans. “I know what your boss looks like and that was not him. It was Leo-nim, right?”
Sangwon just lowers himself on the couch in response. He hears Anxin utter an aha and then the sound of typing on a phone.
“Hyung said he’s coming over right now. Prepare to explain yourself.”
Sangwon laughs at the younger’s serious tone. He sounds like his father interrogating him about the alphas he hung out with at seventeen.
The situation appears to be actually serious after Xinlong arrives. The other omega’s face is scrunched up into a frown. Sangwon sits with both his dongsaengs staring right at him. He knows they’re trying to intimidate him, but they look like angry kittens at most.
He doesn’t want to cause his friends any distress, so he just tells them everything – or well, not everything. He omits the way Leo’s presence makes him feel. How the alpha’s scent forces him to squeeze his thighs together.
“When you first told us about him, I had a feeling it wasn’t the last time we’d be hearing his name.” Xinlong says when Sangwon’s done.
The oldest snorts. He sees his friends share a look. “What?”
“You’re so oblivious, hyung. Even to your own feelings.”
Okay. Maybe he wasn’t that good at hiding everything.
“Don’t bully me. I’m pregnant.” He pouts and cradles his baby bump. Xinlong just laughs at his excuse and Anxin comes closer to nose at his neck, releasing comforting pheromones.
Right. Sangwon’s pregnant. Everything unnatural he suddenly feels for Leo is just a product of his sensitive hormones.
“Mom? Everything okay?”
Leo frowns. He talked to his mom not long ago. She usually doesn’t call that often. His heart speeds up. What if his dad got hurt at work? God, he’s been meaning to tell him to retire early. He could afford to support–
“Why, of course! Everything’s great, son! I was just on the phone with your aunt. She tells me her friend has an omega daughter your age. She lives in Seoul, too. I was thinking, maybe we could arrange a meeting–”
Leo groans into the phone. “I thought we talked about this already.”
“If you prefer boys, there’s also–”
“Not that!” He stops her from saying more. “I meant we already talked about how I’m too busy. I’ll handle this on my own when the right time comes.”
His mom mutters something under her nose. Probably about how stubborn he is. Well, she should’ve figured that out when he set his mind onto coming to Korea on his own before even finishing high school.
“Can’t you just attend one blind date for me? Just one, I swear!” She asks.
Leo sighs. He’s about to give up when–
“With the way you’re avoiding it, you’re making me think you’re already courting someone.”
And because he’s a dumb fucker. “And if I am?”