Work Text:
Jongho sits in his car, massaging his temple. Constantly having to squint at plot numbers, party names and their GPA's gave him a blinding headache.
He lets himself de-stress from his work even if it's only for a moment. His devil for a director, Kim Hongjoong miraculously gave him an entire hour for his lunch! It was a miracle because he barely had 10 minutes to himself in the past few weeks. And that one hour lunch break means no more eating soggy Ramen in the break room, he was going out for a proper meal this time!
Still, Jongho thought that the devil was being too stingy by only giving him an hour for his lunch break. Especially after the hell he went through the past few weeks.
Though he admits that it's a million times better than being stuck in a meeting room with him for hours on end. Poor Seonghwa, how he bears with the devil is beyond Jongho and everyone at the office.
It's hell at the firm at this time of the year. Everyone wants to see someone, everyone wants to file a fresh suit and despite doing it for two years, Jongho still thinks it's a pain in the ass to do all that work every week.
He sometimes likes to think that the generous pay is the only thing that's keeping him in the firm, under the hands of the devil, but he will begrudgingly admit that he's grown too fond of it and the people inside. The once dingy office he joined, which was inhabited with its own brand of insane employees, was once situated in the poor corner of the city, and since then it moved to a more appropriate office in the nicer parts of the city and the building had its own lift that was only for them to use. AND the building had a watchman too. All that in only 2 years of his joining! (Jongho won't say out loud that he's the good luck charm the firm needed but he won't deny it either if someone implies it)
He has no doubt in his mind that their firm ‘Aurora’ will grow even more to be one of the top legal firms in the city in the near future. And then he can laugh in his college friend's faces and say that they can shove their ‘well meaning advice to join a bigger firm’ where the sun doesn't shine.
With a groan, he starts the engine and goes out of the parking lot. If it was up to him, he would stay in his car, in the parking lot until the day was over and he's free to crash in his bed, but unfortunately, he was an adult. So, he settles on turning the radio on and belting out high notes to Britney Spears and forgetting his adult responsibilities for now.
He decides he wants something simple for his lunch. There's a good Korean restaurant around the corner, he could get Kimchi stew, some side dishes, and Yunho mentioned something about an offer going on in that restaurant. A free dessert with the meal. He could use extra sugar at the moment, he nodded to himself. Mind made up, he turns the car onto the main road.
He hums and nods to the beat of the music, belting out high notes of the songs. He was thoroughly enjoying his car ride, however brief it may be.
A ringing interrupts him mid lyrics. He frowns and rolls his eyes when he sees it's Mingi. Swiping up the call he says, “You better have a good reason to call me on my break, Mingi.”
“Hey, your favorite hyung calls and that's how you say hello?”
Jongho rolls his eyes to the heavens, “My favorite hyung is Seonghwa,” he declared.
“What!? Jongho, how can you say that! After all I've done for you!” Mingi screeched.
“After the stunt you pulled last week, you've been officially demoted,” the younger scoffed, “You rank lower than Wooyoung now,” he informs Mingi.
“Damn lower than Wooyoung, it's serious then. In my defense, how was I supposed to know that the judge would be pissed off instead of appreciating my charming self!” Mingi whined through the phone, "I was just trying to lighten up the court room.”
“Your charming self almost cost the client 40,000 in punitive damages!” Jongho exclaimed, “He would have been alright if he just paid 500 in fines but no! You had to go and say that the judge looked like a chubbier version of Homer Simpson in his face! Can you believe it, because I still fucking can't!” Jongho felt frustrated, partly because recalling the mess Mingi made and mostly after remembering that it was HIS case that Mingi messed up. He had his name on that fucking file!
“Hongjoong had to bribe that bastard of a judge and change his initial judgement!” Thank god for Hongjoong and his million connections in the field. If it wasn't for him, jongho would have been toast.
Jongho still didn't understand what he was thinking at that time, giving that file to Mingi of all people. No matter how much he begged Jongho should have been firm and refused to give in. Now, he lost his home privileges as a consequence and has to stay until 1am in the office because Hongjoong, the devil, believes he's part of the mess made by Mingi. More specifically he believes that Jongho pushed his case onto the older. At the very least he gets to see Mingi running around the office, acting as an assistant to the devil every time he works overtime.
“I know, I know, I'm sorry, and I won't ever do it again.”
“Yeah you won't, and you will never come near my files again,” Jongho grumbled, “and don't forget what you owe me for taking the fall.”
Hongjoong put the fear of god in Jongho when he initially found out the case belonged to him.
Jongho could have snitched, could've told Hongjoong that Mingi was the one who asked for the case and he could have gotten out scot-free but instead he took the blame, and in exchange he asked for three unconditional favours from Mingi. Key word ‘unconditional’.
Jongho already used up one. The video of Mingi dressed up as a princess, holding a teacup and singing the whole intro of the show ‘Sofia the First’ still sits hot in a folder, labeled ‘blackmail material’, in his laptop. For the other two favours, oh, he has plans for them alright.
Watching Mingi squirm as he schemes is just another added bonus, all things considered.
“Of course I won't,” Mingi let out a nervous chuckle, “Also, you didn't send the video to anyone right?”
“Anyone or someone in specific,” Jongho teases, smirking to himself, “Like a certain, dark haired, 6 '2 someone.”
The maniac grin that splits his face and the glint in his eyes goes unnoticed in his car. ‘Oh I can't wait to show it to Yunho’ Jongho thinks gleefully. He knows damn well that the video could be used in two ways, one, to further blackmail Mingi and two, to extract favours from Yunho. He can't help the giddiness that takes over him at just thinking about the possibilities.
“No, Jongho, you promised you won't send it to anyone!” Mingi warns.
“Sorry, I don't remember ever promising anything,” he does, actually. But he's not stupid enough to admit that and bind himself to flimsy rules.
“Jongho please!”
“My memories are a bit fuzzy. Maybe I'll remember something if you bring my coffee and pay for my lunch tomorrow.”
Mingi falls silent for a moment, Jongho doesn't worry because he knows he'll win. And after the moment passes Mingi says quietly, “You are evil and I hope you know that,” Jongho takes that as an acceptance (and a compliment).
“Thanks, I already do. You do remember my order right?”
“Yeah, I do,” he grumbles, “When are you coming back anyway? The devil just dumped another case for us to work on.”
“He gave me an hour for lunch and I'm using that hour to the fullest. So expect me back in an hour and a half.” he says simply.
“What?! Why would you be back half an hour late? Hongjoong only gave you an hour!” Mingi argued.
“Because my lunch doesn't start until I have it in front of me and I'm eating it,” Jongho shrugged, dismissing the argument.
“You can't do that, I'm gonna tell Hongjoong!”
“Do that and I'll have to use my second favour,” Jongho calmly turns his wheel left, exiting from the main road to a smaller one, “and trust me, you're gonna regret rushing me like this.”
“...Fine, you can come in an hour and a half late. I'll wait.” Mingi concedes, defeated.
“Yeah, you do that,” Jongho tells, smugness dripping from his tone.
After the call ends, Jongho turns the radio back on, drumming his thumbs to the beat of the song, finally finding his groove again, he forgets everything. His work pressure, the crushing loneliness of his single bedroom apartment, his lack of friends other than the ones he made in law college, who all, tragically, turned out to be ‘A’ grade assholes.
He forgets it all and focuses on the moment. The sick music coming from the system, the pleasant smell of the premium air freshener he hung up in his car, and the nice figure sitting in his bank balance. Jongho lets out a breath, ‘that's all I need’, he lets the thought soothe himself.
He stops at a red light and turns his head, bored, looking around and waits for the light to turn green. Unknowingly he starts looking at restaurant signs. There's a local pizza place to his left, a dominoes, and, oh, there's a new dumpling place to his right. It looks good.
‘I'm gonna bully Mingi into coming with me there’ he thinks to himself.
His gaze wanders more before coming to a stop at a fried chicken restaurant. It's nothing special, just lines of neon orange molded into the shape of a drumstick in a hideous shade of neon orange.
He watches the sign, its hanging off at the hinges, like it could drop any second onto unaware passerbys if the wind blew a little too strong.
‘I hope whoever it falls on comes to their office to file the lawsuit,’ he thinks ‘I'm the best at negligence cases’ he pauses ‘And I hope the victim is safe and not hurt too badly’ he thinks guilty.
Shaking his head he looks at it again. The sign mainly caught his attention because it looked familiar. He furrows as he tries to piece where he saw it.
And then all at once the memories of that place flood his mind.
It had the same sign, with the same design and even the same shade of hideous neon. He used to go there as a broke college student, sometimes alone and often with someone else. Someone special. With the person who shone so bright that Jongho was often left breathless by him.
It was that person's favorite place. A fried chicken restaurant. He always wore a blinding smile at the mere mention of that place. It also had a dumb name ‘fried clucking chicken’ or something.
Jongho only tried that place because that person insisted that it was good. Though, after one visit they had all their hangouts, and later dates, there. Hell, even their first date was at that damn chicken place.
The light turned green and Jongho turned his car around the roundabout. ‘Fried clucking chicken’ takes 30 minutes from where he is, and it's in the complete opposite direction from where he was originally headed.
He's making a mistake, he thinks, he's gonna be late, he should turn around and go back to that Korean place. But instead he presses on the accelerator, it's gonna be 20 minutes if he speeds and he could just get the order to go.
Any tickets he gets from speeding will be sent to Mingi, because he's the reason that Jongho's breaking speeding laws for.
As he passes the chicken restaurant, the one he saw with the sign hanging, he gets out and briefly informs the owner of their negligence and how it could be harmful to the passerbys, only to be given the finger in return. So, he shrugs and strolls out of there. He did what he could and if the owner didn't listen to him then there was nothing he could do about it except to let them suffer from their actions.
He hops back into the car and drives. All the corners, sharp turns and shortcuts memorized from frequent use rather than forced memorization.
With his hand on the wheel and the other on the console, he couldn't help but think of him. The sweet smile on his face, the unabashed chuckles he was awarded with whenever Jongho was being particularly silly or clingy, he remembers it all.
‘He's radiant,’ he remembers thinking when Jongho first saw him.
They both first met at the orientation, both were law students forced into it by their parents expectations. Though, gradually they did discover the passion for it as they moved through college together.
They were friends at first. Bonded on their shared love for music and dance and missed opportunities. They were friends first because Jongho was too hesitant to make a move on the pretty omega he just met and the other was too shy of strangers to expect anything more.
They were friends, until their third year when Jongho just couldn't hide his feelings in his heart anymore. He confessed and they started dating when he knew that it mutual. They dated into their fourth year, moved into an off campus apartment in their fifth.
Jongho thought every day he spent with him was a gift from the angels.
Every day he got to witness his laugh would automatically get better, no matter how shitty his professors were being, or how nasty some of his friends were, or how many expectations his parents were putting on him, all that didn't matter when they were together. Often drowning in the nest he made, on their cheap thrifted sofa, that definitely had bugs, cocoa drinks warm in their hands, a show droning on in the background that neither paid much attention to. The omega would whine about wanting to watch the show without being disturbed, all while releasing his irresistible pheromones in the air and Jongho would just nuzzle him aggressively until he forgets about the show.
Time spent together was mostly about being themselves, about enjoying being in the presence of the other. It was nice.
Everything was good until college ended that is. After college he wanted to do masters and got into a good university out of state, Jongho wanted to stay and start his practice.
They broke up.
They both admit it was mutual.
And Jongho watched.
Like the main character in the bad romance movie they used to make fun of, he watched. He watched as boxes were moved out of their apartment. Watched as pieces of him from his life vanished one by one, packed into boxes, Watched as every little charmingly unusual, unexpected and playful thing the omega used to own was removed from Jongho's apartment and his life.
The next morning when Jongho woke up, sleeping on the flea infested sofa they used to watch corny, romance cinemas in, he took in the sight of the apartment. It felt different. It felt cold and empty.
He was ready to pack his bag and go stay with his parents for a while. Until he forgets or at least until he's ready to move on. The only thing that stopped him was the blooming smell of wildflowers lingering in the apartment, mixing with his salt. The ocean and the forest meeting together. He doesn't know until when the scent will linger in the apartment and he wants to stay to take it in until it leaves him too.
He glanced around and as he did, he found a hoodie. Drenched in lavender, lingering in the wilderness.
Jongho knows it was meant to be comforting.
He thought it was devastating.
For the first time in a long while, Jongho cried. He let out ugly sobs into the soft material of the hoodie, snot and tears turning the colour from sky blue to navy. He was glad that no one was there to witness it. Witness the way tears streamed down his face, the way sorrow bunched his face. Mourning the loss of something he thought was forever.
It was not even a week later that he joined the firm, when the scent was starting to get weak around the sofa.
He knows he complains a lot about the workload and the people inside it but if it weren't for them, he would have been drowning right now.
They helped him forget, helped him move on from his pain.
Shaking his head, he thinks ‘no reason bringing those memories back’, he turns up the volume of the radio, hoping it would drown out his thoughts, ‘not like he would come back if i thought about.’
Feeling jittery, he goes to call Mingi, disappointed when it goes into voice mail. ‘He must be busy,’ he reasons, 'I should have just ordered food to the office instead of going out,’ but he knows it's too late to back out now.
He slows down the car when he sees a sign for school ahead, he's a lawyer, not a fucking monster. Even he knows it's better to be safe than sorry around school zones. And it even seems to be a kindergarten too, its main door exiting directly onto the road.
Children waited at the entrance gate, some patiently and others not so patiently, with their small legs ready to dash at the smallest gap in traffic. So he stops the car entirely, making the cars behind him come to a halt. He waits as toddlers try to scramble across the road until someone, a teacher he assumes, reins them in and makes them cross in a single, orderly line.
Directly opposite to the kindergarten was a park and parents were standing there, some with their arms stretched to catch their wayward toddlers and others with gentle smiles.
The alpha let out a smile of his own. Pups run into their parents arms, chattering up a storm about the adventures they had at the school, some in quiet voices, secrets reserved only for their guardians and others so loudly as if to make sure the whole neighborhood heard them.
One kid was particularly loud. Stories of pirate ships, vast oceans and their hidden treasures echoing in the already buzzing street. He followed the voice and found a kid, about 5 years old, asking to be carried as he blabbered on and on. And If Jongho concentrates enough, he can pick up the faint sounds of his guardian. A gentle lull to the boisterous toddler, asking questions and encouraging the kid to continue his story. He bends down to pick up the pup and as he straightens up Jongho sees him properly and realises that it's him.
That person.
His Yeosang.
And Jongho spirals.
Yeosang and the pup, his Yeosang and a pup, his Yeosang and an unknown pup…or maybe his Yeosang and his pup…?
That thought rattles him to his core. He's instantly so convinced by the thought that there is no doubt in his mind about the paternity of that child. He's certain that's his pup. He's the father of that pup. And he spirals some more.
Did Yeosang run away with his baby while pregnant? Why didn't Yeosang tell him? What did he do so terribly that Yeosang didn't trust him? Was he that dreadful? Did Yeosang loathe him that much..? Why, why, why,..
He startles out of his thought when a horn blares behind him. He looks up and sees the street empty of any stray toddlers. The horn blares again and this time Jongho, without a thought in his mind, jerks his car and parks it abruptly at the side of the playground. He knows he's gonna get a ticket, it's in a no-parking zone, within a school zone, but he doesn't care. His mind is occupied with more important things. Things such as his mate and his child.
Safe to say his actions caught the attention of every adult in the park. They watched him cautiously as he moved through the park, an agitated alpha in the presence of children is never a good sign.
Unaware, Jongho shuffles around, careful not to push any toddler and their parents in his haste to get to Yeosang. And when he's finally in front of him Jongho calls out softly, “Yeosang.”
Yeosang jumped a little at the sudden appearance, not expecting anyone to talk to him and looked up, relaxed instantly when he saw Jongho.
“Jongho, what are you-” he gets cut off.
“Yeosang what are you doing?”
“I was-” Yeosang, confusion on his face, tries to understand what Jongho was so worked up about.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Jongho reached out to grab Yeosang, fingers wrapping around the hand not holding the child.
Jongho looks at the toddler, big sparkling eyes same as Yeosang's, same delicate nose, matching scrunch of confusion mirroring their faces. And he's sure, he's so sure that they were both related, no way was Yeosang going to deny the resemblance.
“What are you talking about Jongho? Are you okay?” Yeosang looked genuinely concerned, eyes searching his face in worry.
Jongho didn't answer.
The pup stared at him, and Jongho stared back, both silent, both curious.
Until the pup lifted his leg and kicked him square on his chest. Yeosang let out a horrified gasp and Jongho's heart couldn't help but crack a little. Not even his own (plausible) child likes him. Pushing back on his tears, he opens his mouth to say something, to assure them something about how they would never see him again if they despised him that much but before he could utter a word he is interrupted as Yeosang scolds the child.
“Kang Minsoo! What are you doing? Is this how I taught you to behave?!”
The child spoke defiantly, “No, but this is what you told me to do if I see someone fishy!” The child, Minsoo, exclaimed.
“Minsoo!-”
“I'm not someone ‘fishy’.” Jongho says abruptly, “I'm your dad.” he states as a matter of fact, still staring at the child.
Silence spread around them. Crickets creaking in the distance as Teachers and guardians alike strain their ears to catch onto the gossip. And holy shit, was it piping hot! A hot, handsome alpha shows up on school grounds and confronts an omega! AND it seems to be an ‘omega who ran away from his alpha with his baby’ trope! Damn!
Who wouldn't be excited to see a scene straight out of a K-drama happening in real life!
“Yeosang.” A different voice calls for the omega, everyone, teachers and guardians including, whip their head in unison to turn and see, Choi San, the hunk of an alpha that teaches at the kindergarten, walking straight towards the main characters of the play, all in his big-shouldered, dimpled smile glory.
“Is everything alright? Why haven't you gone home yet?” He asks curiously.
Collectively, everyone lets out a gasp. No way! Is that hunk the second male lead?! Is he gonna confront the main lead about why he abandoned the innocent, beautiful omega when he was pregnant!? Are they really, really watching a K-drama scene happening out in real life?!
“Mommy,” A child somewhere near the scene calls out softly to their mom, “shh baby,’ the mother shushes the child, ‘mommy wants to see what happens next,” Is the reply they get.
“Who's this-” San gets cut off.
“Who are you?” Jongho piped rudely.
‘Oh my god, the male lead is pissed and it looks like he and the second male lead will fight for the omega!’ It was a joint thought that passed through everyone present. It didn't help that the parties involved were breathtakingly gorgeous and the omega so beautiful that the audience wasn't surprised that he had two alphas fighting for him.
“Are you the one Yeosang is seeing? I'm sorry but you need to step back,” Jongho growls and takes a threatening step forward, San just looks on, confused, “I'm his alpha, I'm the father of his pup and I will take responsibility for them now that im here!”
“What the hell-”
San was interrupted again. But this time it was because of Yeosang.
“Pfff..!”
Yeosang let out a guffaw, as if he was holding it back for quite some time. He quickly devolved into cackles and the sound echoed throughout the park. Everyone watched, bewildered by the sudden sound from the omega.
Yeosang clutched onto Minsoo, as if he was the only tether he could find and let out giggle after giggle. When he looked like he couldn't breathe, San asked, worried, “Yeosang, you okay? What's going on?” he asked, looking positively lost. And as if he pushed a button instead of asking a question Yeosang cackled even more, this time reaching his hand out towards Jongho.
“You- you think-” laughter, “you think Minsoo-” he choked in the middle, “Minsoo is your kid!” He howled.
“Yes…?”
Another peal of laughter, “oh my god,” he said in disbelief, breathless, “oh my god!” He said again, feeling slightly delirious.
“Here, I haven't introduced you two yet,” Yeosang lets out a snort, trying to rein himself in but of course he fails miserably.
“Meet Kang Minsoo, my nephew.”
________________________
“Stop laughing,” Jongho pouts.
“I'm sorry,” Yeosang lets out a snort, “I'm not.” He closes his eyes, trying to calm himself but wheezes as soon as he opens them and sees the pout.
“You are!” Jongho glares and exaggerates his pout. He wants to be upset at the other but he knows he can't. He couldn't back when they were dating and sure as hell wont be able to now.
“No, it's just,” the older one takes a deep breath, “how?” he asks, disbelief coloring his face, as if he thought the trajectory of Jongho's thought process was ridiculous. It was, Jongho will admit, but that doesn't mean he likes being judged about it.
“Well, it's just, you were standing right there, talking to a child so gently, and you two looked exactly like each other and what was I supposed to think?” Jongho didn't have the guts to tell him how loving and tender he looked. How he wondered quietly if the omega would look just as fondly at their own child as he did with Minsoo.
“That we were related…?”
“Yeah, well…”
They relocated to ‘the clucking chicken’ after the train wreck that happened at the kindergarten. The alpha doesn't think he can ever step in a 100 meter radius of that place. The bemused look that kindergarten teacher, San, gave him was enough to follow him into the dream land and in his nightmares.
“Stop laughing! I just lived through the most traumatic experience of my life and you're laughing!”
“No! It's just- I still can't understand how you came up with something so absurd, like, Minsoo is 5 years old. Anyone can see that and you've known me for 7 years. How is something like that even possible?!” Yeosang exclaims quietly, so as not to air out their drama once again to the general public, “besides, even if I did run away with your child, as unbelievably as it sounds, they would be, at most 2 years old and that too is really stretching it.”
Jongho didn't reply, chewing his food slowly and the blush on his face was gradually fading, leaving it slightly tanned as it always was.
They sit in silence each replaying the events that happened at the school like a broken record from the 50's.
Until Minsoo suddenly says, “Mama won't like you,” He determines. He's been carefully studying Jongho since they got to the place, tiny face scrunched up in concentration, “And I already have a dad at home. Sorry.”
“If you have a dad, I don't mind being your uncle,” Jongho says, half joking and half serious.
“But I already have an uncle too and he's right here!”
“Yeah,” Jongho nods earnestly, as if agreeing, “but won't it be better to have two.”
“what? How is that even possible?” the toddler asks, puzzled, “An uncle can just come and say they're my uncle and then they are?” he contemplates.
“No. But if your uncle marries me then I can be your uncle.” Yeosang watches the back and forth in amusement, a smile at the corners of his mouth as if he thinks Jongho is jesting.
“No. Uncle can't marry”
Before Jongho can ask what he means Minsoo says, “Uncle can't marry anyone because he promised to marry only me!”
“But you can't though.”
“Why?” Minsoo grumbles, casting a skeptical glance at Jongho, and shuffling closer to the omega, ready to launch himself into Yeosang's lap at a moment's notice.
Now Jongjo could have told anything, like how their marriage would be against the law, and the morality involved in it or how fucked up an uncle marrying their nephew is but instead he chooses to says, “Because I will marry your uncle.”
He waits, breath caught in his lungs and watches for any change of expression in Yeosang's face, any quirk to indicate he was uncomfortable or disagreeing but he finds the omega frustratingly expressionless, not a twitch in his face.
And Jongho, Jongho feels stuffy, his pheromones trapped under the patch on his neck, the sea struggling to be let out and entice the older, to cajole a reaction out of their mate.
The kid launches himself onto Yeosang, hugging him tightly, mouth set in a hard press, beady eyes glaring at Jongho, totally uncaring of the inner turmoil Jonghos is experiencing.
Yeosang wraps an arm around the pup, blinking at Jongho with his innocent eyes and slowly, delicately peels back his scent patch, just slightly, just an inch, just for a second and Jongho is hit with the full force of his pheromones in that second. Lavender, sweet with interest and slight arousal. And he thanks the gods that the kids of Minsoo's age don't have developed senses yet to pick out the specific notes in Yeosang's scent, and that he had the foresight to get them seats at the far corner of the restaurant, away from everyone else.
Jongho takes a deep breath in. Like a drug addict getting his dose after withdrawal symptoms. He let it intoxicate him a bit, before Yeosang was pressing the patch back on, pressing on it firmly, and sealing it shut.
He lets his hand fall on the table, palm up, his long fingers curling gently, and Jongho takes it without a thought. He'll follow his angel into the depths of hell if he wants him to.
Their palms face each other, his collapsed finger tips brushing softly against the omega's scent gland in his wrist as Jongho caresses it with the same intimacy they shared two years ago.
“Breaking up with you was the single most stupidest thing I have ever done,” it came out rushed, floaty as if he thought it instead of saying it.
“Yeah,” Yeosang hums, gaze falling on their joined hands, “I think so too.”
Jongho feels time stands still around him at the admission, the same feeling he had experienced when he had first confessed to Yeosang all those years ago hitting him again, leaving him breathless. The vague sense of deja-vu makes his heart shutter and spin around like a broken toy. The only constant around Jongho was him, his beloved and this dingy restaurant and greasy fried chicken on their plate.
Minsoo whines and pulls at Yeosang's hand, unlacing their hands as a result. The brat whimpers, instantly drawing the omega's attention and buries his face in his neck. And Jongho couldn't fathom how he thought a pup as annoying as him could be Yeosang's child. Surely any child of Yeosang would be an angel like himself.
Jongho sits back, his hand tingling with the lingering warmth of the other and racks his brain to say something, to beg Yeosang to give him another chance but Yeosang says instead, “We should get going, Minsoo’s getting fussy. I have to drop him off to his mom's soon or we'll have a temper tantrum on our hands to deal with.”
“Oh.” The alpha tries hard not to show his disappointment.
They get up and Jongho settles the bill no matter how hard the omega tries to pay instead. He's the alpha, he's the one earning more between the two and he's the crippling fool that wants another chance, so naturally he should pay.
They get into Jongho's car. The pup settled in Yeosang's lap, seat belt secured around them.
With a feeling of melancholy he turns the car on. Jongho looks at the blonde, he can't get a read on him. The two years of absence standing between them like a wall he can't cross. He mulls over what to say and settles on asking, “To the kindergarten?”
“No, actually. Can you take us to my sister's place? I'll guide you.”
Jongho nods, driving to the directions he was given.
“You bought a new car.” Yeosang observes, taking in the interior of the new car.
“Yeah, six months ago,” he got it from closing his first case ever. Hongjoong gave him a nice 50% cut from finalising the case, he knows that some big firms his friends were pushing for him to join didn't even give them a 10% cut even if they managed the case from start to finish.
“What happened to Suzy?” Jongho doesn't respond, Suzy was, unfortunately, dumped in a scrapyard by his dad as soon as bought the new car.
Suzy, the dilapidated car he used to drive around in college. It was a shabby car with neon green paint that was chipping in places, one of the back doors had a loose hinges so it drooped a few inches every time he opened it, the old engine would creak and cough like it would give up and die on them at any moment on their journey.
Basically it was an old, used up car that he got third hand from someone's grandma. Yeosang loved it to death.
He would always smile brightly whenever he caught the sight of that particular shade of reptilian green on the streets. The omega would always joke that he would actually dye his hair the same shade of green if Jongho ever got rid of the car.
“Looks like I'll have to dye my hair toxic green now,” Yeosang pouts slightly, eyes still darting around and scrutinising the new car.
“You'll look good in it.” And Jongho means it. There's no color in this world that won't suit his beloved and if there's any, then he'll make sure that that color won't even touch the vicinity of the world he would create for them, if Yeosang allows it that is.
“Really,” The older asks, doubtful
“Yes.” It's said with certainty.
The omega turns around and looks out the window, his petal birthmark contrasting beautifully against his pale skin, a smile playing on his face, distant look in his eyes and the pup cradled on his lap, pulling him closer to himself. Jongho thought he wouldn't mind dying right now with the lovely sight forever engraved in his eyes.
Minsoo, asleep, lets out small snores in his sleep, and this is the first time since they met that Jongho genuinely believes that the kid looks cute, not the false, forced one he manipulated himself into thinking when Jongho was still under the false impression that the kid was his.
Comfortable silence blankets the small space of the car, each basking in the presence of the other. Jongho's alpha is preening and urging him to speak to their mate, to convince Yeosang that they should be together. It's been a while since his inner alpha has been in touch with him. After the break-up, the alpha had shut him down completely and refused to connect with him. And now the tug was insistent, forcing him to do something, but he restrained his wolf. Now is not the time, he still doesn't know what Yeosang thinks of him.
Maybe he was too forceful earlier? Too eager? Too idiotic that, maybe Yeosang realised that he was better off with another alpha? An alpha who doesn't assume things the second they see the omega with a pup in his arms..
“You changed so much Jongho,” Yeosang saves him from spiralling more into himself once again.
“What do you mean?” Jongho inquires.
Yeosang turns and looks at him, blonde hair falling in his face from the movement, and seems to access him, “You… changed.”
Before Jongho can repeat himself and ask what he means Yeosang says, “Are you still at that apartment, the one we used to live in?”
“No,” Jongho hesitates, doesn't know how to proceed but still says, “Mom and dad bought me an apartment near where the office is, so the commute could be easier.”
Jongjo didn't know what more to say, the awkwardness blankets the small space of the car. He almost wishes the little menace was awake and causing some chaos, he'll take that over the tricky silence that falls over them.
He glances at the other from the corner of eyes. The cherry red hair that he used to adore has been turned into vivid blonde. It suits him. Everything does. But in this particular hair, he looks like a playful cherub by the side of a goddess.
He looks softer too, the cream cardigan he's wearing giving out a mellow look, he gained weight, more muscles on his arms, cheeks a little chubby. He looks lovely even if his face is turned away with unsettled air of melancholy surrounding him.
Just when the alpha thinks he won't get an answer, Yeosang says, so quietly that he almost misses it, “it's just… you've gone and made something of yourself in these two years… and I feel stuck where I was since the last time I saw you.”
Jongho lets out a sigh of relief. He thought it was something more serious like Yeosang suddenly finding him disgusting after their time apart. Still he phrased carefully what he wanted to say next, “You're not stuck,” he reassured, “you just haven't started yet. I'm sure you would have accomplished just as much or even more than I have right now.” Besides, it didn't matter even if Yeosang didn't accomplish anything, everything Jongho has, already has the omegas name engraved on it. It didn't matter if they weren't together when he bought the apartment, it didn't matter that the omega wasn't the one who chose his car, it didn't matter if they never met again, Jongho would always have a part of himself saved for his angel. Because that's who he is, that's the way it has always been for the alpha from the moment he saw him.
Yeosang chuckles, a disbelieving but still a genuine one, a smile filled with so much fondness for the alpha that it made his eyes sparkle. Like the disturbance on a still, calm lake. Jongho lets out his own gummy smile in response.
Silence falls over them again, but this time without the awkwardness weighing on them uncomfortably. Yeosang reaches out to turn the radio on, he messes with it until he turns to the channel that he likes. And Jongho lets him, fully aware that if it was anyone else that messed with the radio then they wouldn't have their fingers to hold onto their spoons with, ask Mingi, he still has the bite marks on his fingers from the last time he dared to mess with it.
Eventually they start humming and vibing with the songs as they reach the brats home.
Reluctant, he stops the car in the driveway, and looks at Yeosang. The older was already unlocking the door, gently maneuvering the sleeping pup to get out. Jongho just watched, the need to reach out and hold onto the omega was too strong so he firmly held onto the wheel, clutching it tight as his knuckles turned white.
The omega turned back at him and motioned for him to wait. He went inside the house and the alpha was left with the feeling of abandonment. God why was he feeling so pathetic like a puppy abandoned at the side of the road? But what if he was? What if Yeosang doesn't like him anymore and that's the reason he wasn't saying much in the car ride?
‘No.’ He thinks to himself, ‘even if I'm abandoned I won't leave him this time. He's my mate, he's the one the moon chose for me, and I won't doubt myself into leaving him again, not this time. No matter what.’ With the conviction made, Jonho steeled his mind. He would beg Yeosang on his hands and knees if he had to. He can do everything just to have another chance.
He contemplates if it's too much to kneel right now in front of his car, as he waits for Yeosang to return and he almost does before the older one comes out with a giddy smile on his face.
Feeling desperate, the alpha goes out of the car, closing the door behind him, ready to drop to his knees at a moment's notice as he watches Yeosang take hesitant steps towards. When he reaches the car and in front of Jongho, he opens his mouth to say something, but it quickly changes into an horrified expression when Jongho falls to his knees with a thud.
The alpha takes Yeosang hands in his, “I know that breaking up with you was the stupidest decision I've ever made. I know that I was the biggest fool ever for thinking that I could make do without you. The last 2 years have been an absolute agony and I want you to ask you- no beg you, to give me one last chance...” he blabbers, anxious.
Jongho knows he looks ridiculous right now, he knows for sure that if Mingi or Wooyoung saw him like they would laugh in his face and make his life miserable, but this was important for him. He is willing to make a mockery out of himself just to have Yeosang looking at him again.
He was willing to put his heart in his beloved's palms again and give him every authority to do whatever he pleases with it. It didn't matter if he ripped the carefully sewed pieces of his heart apart or threw it in a ditch somewhere, he was willing to take the gamble.
The gamble that the omega would treat it just as he did when he first presented his fresh and shiny heart to him. Hoped that the blonde would cradle it gently and whisper back his promises of love and adoration.
The omega looks at him, bends down so that they're at the same level and kisses him. The soft touch of his lips renders Jongho speechless.
The alpha sits there, on his knees, as an angel steals a kiss from him. He comes to his senses soon and attempts to reciprocate the kiss but the angel pulls back and gazes down with love in his eyes.
“If you're done with your dramatics for the day, shall we go?” The omega puts Jonghos face in his hands, “I have tickets to the local fair. I think it would make a great place for our second-first date, what do you say?”
Mouth opening and closing in shock, Jonho forces out the words, “Yes! Yes- I think it would be great!” it came out ardent, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“Then get up, your car won't drive itself to the fair.”
“Yes!” Jongho fumbled as he got, Yeosang straightened along with him. Still fumbling, the alpha wanted to reach his hand to hold the blonde's hand but Yeosang was faster, grabbing his hand and holding it firmly, smiling sweetly at him.
They went to the fair after that, Jongho won the omega a giant teddy bear that the older asked him, shyly, if he could scent it at the end of the day. It was nice. Only second best to the first date they went to.
(+ he also did have to use the second favour Mingi owed him. Suffice to say in Mingi's eyes he has been officially promoted to the same standing as Hongjoong in the office,)