Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Inspired by this chansoo gif

“Did you just see that omega?" Baekhyun gasps, "and, in particular, her ass?"

He whistles low and slow, and his eyes widen in a way that makes Chanyeol feel uncomfortable.

“That shit was outta control.”

“Uh. No,” Chanyeol replies feebly, hands clenching into a fist. He hopes his feelings don’t show in his expression. “I, um, didn’t,” he adds when it seems like Baekhyun doesn’t hear him.

“Huh?” Baekhyun turns, and if they were actually animals, Chanyeol thinks he would see a wet tongue lolling out of his mouth. “Oh, well you missed it. That was one nice omega booty.”

Chanyeol nods, unease spreading through his gut and launching into his heart like a rocket. Uncomfortable is all he feels. Never anything but uncomfortable when Baekhyun starts drooling over some nameless omega.

“I’m gonna… go,” Chanyeol says, a little loud for their conversation and catching Baekhyun’s attention immediately. A thread of sorrow runs through him but he crushes it under a nonchalant guise.

“What? Why?” If it was any other time, Chanyeol probably would’ve stayed. Baekhyun’s expression looks sufficiently bummed now that he’s leaving, and the urge to hang around and maybe even hang onto the other starts to brim deep in his chest.

But then he sees Baekhyun staring at another omega, this time male, and yep, Chanyeol is definitely sure he catches a hint of drool piling around the other man’s lips.

“I have… stuff," Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders like it's something casual—normal, "to do," he continues, trying to remain natural. “Gotta catch up with some work.”

Baekhyun nods because that’s all he can do really, and before Chanyeol knows it, he’s shimmied into a hug.

He breathes—slow, deep, taking in everything he can in these short few seconds.

Baekhyun hugs him like an alpha. He grabs him against his chest and holds him there hard. Then, he releases him, smiling like nothing but a simple bro-hug just occurred and Chanyeol’s heartbeat isn’t thumping like a fast-paced drum roll.

The scent of Baekhyun stays with him and on him until he reaches home, heart in his throat.

Chanyeol tries to focus on simple household duties but it’s no use. He feels like he’s riding an ocean wave, the tide swaying him in all directions before ending at the beach shore. The beach shore that inevitably leads back to one, to Baekhyun.

And it’s always Baekhyun, never has it been anyone but Baekhyun.

Friends since they were young, best friends since middle school, Chanyeol’s crush since early high school.

Then, puberty happened and Baekhyun presented as none other than an alpha. Chanyeol had always known his friend would be an alpha. There was something in the way Baekhyun did things, grin sharp. Alpha Baekhyun was just meant to be a fact of life, never did Chanyeol question.

Chanyeol though, Chanyeol presented as a beta.

A beta.

Not an alpha. Not an omega as he so dearly wished. 

A beta.

There was hope though, because it didn’t have to be bad. Betas were loved enough in society, a middle line between both alpha and omega. They didn’t have to endure heats, nor did they have to suffer through ruts. They didn't have to take suppressants and Chanyeol could have whoever he wanted without much worry of public judgement—alpha, omega or beta, the choice was almost his.

Except the one he wanted, the only one he wanted, was an alpha. An alpha who only wanted omegas.

“It’s like they’re made perfectly for us,” Baekhyun had tried explaining once. The one time when Chanyeol had gotten sufficiently upset enough about how Baekhyun’s preferences did not sway one bit. “They are designed to take our knots and they self-lubricate on the go. So fucking convenient not having to walk around with lube, you know?”

He didn’t know.

But, Chanyeol had nodded anyway, trying to force the idea in his head so he could at least try to understand.

“Plus they’re always so eager and pliant for my knot, and I mean, who am I to refuse them?”

“I’m sure not every omega is like that,” Chanyeol had replied a little cuttingly, with a bit more bite than he had initially intended. “I think you have a type. Docile and yielding.”

He winced when he realised just how bitter he sounded, just how jealous. Jealous of the role omegas seemed to play in society. It was a role that consisted of constant submission. And, while that had its own grievances, Chanyeol still envied. 

“You know…” Baekhyun’s voice sounded amazed and he blinked towards Chanyeol, fast. “I think you’re right. Holy cow, I love those ones. They’re my favourite.”

He’s only figuring out now. Go figure, Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

And they’re still his favourite, Chanyeol thinks morosely, mouth feeling dry at the thought of Baekhyun taking a sweet little omega from behind. Maybe that girl from the bar, the one who had such an overpowering scent, she made Baekhyun almost yip like a fox.

Or maybe that boy with the seductive brown eyes. He had hips that looked like they were perfectly created for childbearing, hypnotising just about anyone who even dared to look in his direction. 

It makes him feel skittish, the thought of Baekhyun holding him like that. Taking him, bending his body and making him small.

Because he’s not.

Chanyeol’s not small. He's not petite like the many omegas that crowd their apartment complex.

He’s tall, larger than most alphas. His shoulders are broad, his arms are muscular, body toned. Physically, people would stereotype him as someone who’d want to fuck those slender omegas, just like Baekhyun. Watch as they mewled under pressure.

But Chanyeol doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want that at all. He wants Baekhyun to ram him down into his leather gaming seat—but even that’s changeable, leather seat or not, Baekhyun’s ratty as fuck cushion couch would be perfectly fine.

All he wants is for Baekhyun to press him against a hard surface. To rut against him. To press his thick length along the crease of Chanyeol's ass. And, boy, to shove that hard knot in him until Chanyeol can’t even fucking breathe.

“You take my cock so well,” he wants to hear Baekhyun’s gritty voice groan into his ear, stilted slightly from exercise and loss of stamina. He’d be hard-fucking Chanyeol for a good amount of time by now, of course. “You just devour me up, sitting on my knot like you were made for it.”

Yes, Chanyeol thinks wantonly, undulating his hips in pure need. He was made for it. Just like an omega.

He wants Baekhyun to hold his neck, to angle Chanyeol’s back and ass up just as he slams into him, unrelenting. Not allowing Chanyeol to move, keeping his long torso cramped in the somewhat uncomfortable position.

Baekhyun cums in him then, cock spurting directly into Chanyeol and claiming him. Marking his territory. Fuck, that would be so hot. Of course the scent would be washed away, but for that moment, Chanyeol thinks as his cock spasms against his hip, that moment Chanyeol would be his.

*~*

Chanyeol’s stuck in the club, eyes flittering rather gloomily over the slew of bodies dancing.

He’s not a very good dancer, body large and too uncoordinated to work in the way he wants it to. What he’s even worse at is club dancing, which he’s dreadful at on a whole other scale. There’s something about the way he’s meant to sway that he just doesn’t get, and half the time he ends up looking like he’s imitating a monkey. Which definitely isn’t how he’s supposed to pull people.

Baekhyun loves dancing though, Chanyeol thinks, slightly in spite. Because he’s good at it. And the omegas, they come for him. In hordes. Scenting him out as soon as he enters the establishment, pheromones oozing in a way that riles everyone up. Including Chanyeol.

He’s out there now, Chanyeol can see him. Front pressed against an omega, because it’s always an omega. They dance, like interwoven pieces of thread, twisting and turning, Baekhyun whispering in the man’s ear. The omega nods then, like an obedient puppy, expression instantly switching to something Chanyeol’s seen only a dozen times.

Pupils wide and submissive.

“Still pining over him?” The voice sounds loud despite the ear-deafening music and Chanyeol sighs.

“Maybe.”

“Still mulling over my offer?” Sehun asks, dropping a drink directly into Chanyeol’s hand. It’s slightly pinkish, turning a brighter red when the strobe light flashes. Vodka raspberry, probably.

“Maybe.”

“You know you want it,” Sehun says, scooting the chair closer until he’s leaning on Chanyeol. “You know you need it.”

“Maybe.”

“Stop saying ‘maybe’, you dick,” the younger man rolls his eyes. “My dom, Kris, is amazing. You wouldn’t believe how much of a stress relief it is. I’m actually able to go back to work without feeling like I have the whole world on my shoulders.”

Honestly, Chanyeol isn’t surprised. A whole number of times he’s jerked off to the thought of Baekhyun manhandling him and it never fails to calm him. Soothe him. He wants to be treated roughly.

“Just come with me and check it out for yourself. You can back out if you want to.”

“Do betas come… too?” Chanyeol asks, a little shy. Sehun’s an omega so it’s not like he’s experienced the strange societal pressure. Betas can get with alphas but there is some subversive stigma against them doing so. Beta and beta, or beta and omega, that’s how it’s really meant to be. Apparently.

“Of course, omega, beta, even alpha,” Sehun says to Chanyeol’s surprise. That’s not something he’s heard of before. “This goes past sex, hyung. This is about giving yourself up, fully, spiritually. The sexual gratification you receive in turn is secondary. Once you experience it, it’s like nothing else.”

The younger man has a slightly glazed look in his eyes and Chanyeol wonders just what this Kris guy has done to his poor friend.

“Chanyeol,” his name comes from the side and instantly his attention is whisked to Baekhyun. Baekhyun whose arms are wrapped around the petite omega from before. The omega’s eyelashes are long and pretty, fluttering as Baekhyun runs a hand possessively down his slender waist.

Chanyeol gulps.

“I’m going home now,” Baekhyun says with a salacious grin. He slaps the omega’s ass and the man giggles playfully, hands roaming the alpha’s chest. “Just a warning not to enter my bedroom unless you want to catch an eyeful.”

“Have fun,” the beta manages to croak out, hoping his expression doesn’t drop like the dead weight he feels in his heart. What a smart idea it was to accept Baekhyun’s invite and live together. What total bros. What great fucking best friends.

“Oh, I will,” Baekhyun replies with a kiss to the omega’s cheek and then off he goes, hand on a plump ass and flying directly out through the throng of people.

“So if you want it…” Sehun’s voice sounds piercing and out of place now that Chanyeol’s started his own personal pity party. “You can come with me whenever you want.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol swallows, staring out into the crowd and feeling like he’s already thrown his hands up in surrender. “Maybe.”   

*~*

“When are you going to get yourself laid?” Baekhyun asks one day when they’re lazing at home. “I can smell you masturbating all the time, you know.”

Chanyeol’s ears redden in embarrassment and he moves over to knock his friend in the shoulder.

“Fucker,” he groans, mortified. Baekhyun laughs loud and heartily.

“Nah but seriously,” the older man continues, stuffing his legs under his butt and seating himself nearer to Chanyeol. The beta’s heart thumps at the close proximity. “It’s been, what, years since you’ve brought someone home. Last time I remember someone coming back on the regular was that beta noona you used to be infatuated with. Whatever happened with her?”

He’s talking about Dara, the only crush Chanyeol had that held even the slightest flame to the bright volcano of feelings he has for Baekhyun. She was into rough sex too, slightly on the dominant side of things and opening Chanyeol’s world right before his very eyes.

“We were casual,” Chanyeol tries to reply in the same vein—casual too. He shrugs, tinkering with the frayed end of his sleeve. “She wanted to be permanent.”

Basically she wanted Chanyeol, fully. Entirely. As in Chanyeol who would love her completely. A Chanyeol that didn’t have lingering feelings for his best friend.

“Ah,” and that’s something Baekhyun can toast to because if Chanyeol knows anything about his friend, it’s the fact that he doesn’t do permanence. Not now. Not, well, it seems like, ever. “Don’t you get that urge, that need to fuck though? To stick your cock in something?”

“I’m not an alpha,” Chanyeol answers, dryly. He rubs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get ruts.”

“Oh… yeah…” Baekhyun replies, sheepish. He laughs a little, mouth widening into a cute grin and eyes turning into moon crescents. The drum roll that is now Chanyeol’s heartbeat crescendos at the sight. “Oops, forgot about that.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol shrugs. And besides, it wasn’t like he was the one doing most of the fucking anyway. Chanyeol liked getting fucked and Dara liked to peg him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Not that Baekhyun ever really knew about that part, nor does he know now.

“Well,” Baekhyun begins, holding his can of Cass Fresh near his pretty lips. “I hope that my best friend finds what he’s looking for. If he’s looking for anything. If not, he always has me.” He then drops the can on the table, shuffling over even closer to wrestle Chanyeol. Hands clench around the tall man’s waist and tickle his most sensitive area, causing Chanyeol to yelp out in laughter.

“Fuck…” he can’t stop giggling. He tries to retaliate and fight back, using his height and weight to gain the upper hand. “… You.”

Baekhyun’s laughter is loud and melodic, like husky chimes bellowing through an empty corridor. It sounds rougher than usual, and he holds the beta, sitting almost directly on top of him.

The atmosphere changes then, strange air wafting between them as the pose turns intimate. Baekhyun is sitting on top of him, ass planted directly on his stomach and burning a hole straight through. Initially it was to stop Chanyeol from moving but now…

Chanyeol catches the other’s gaze, and there’s something in it that’s different. An expression he hasn’t seen before. Something that gets disappointment running through his veins.

Baekhyun looks uncomfortable.

And so Chanyeol pushes the weight off him, stumbling away from the couch as Baekhyun remains quiet.

“But yeah if you want anything,” Baekhyun eventually speaks and Chanyeol’s head turns because what were they talking about again, all he can feel is pain. “I mean, if you want anyone, like an omega or anything, I know a few that would be interested.”

“Oh yeah,” Chanyeol responds, voice turning high as his throat stays dry. He stands facing away from Baekhyun, not wanting to see what kind of smug smile he has on today, heart breaking under the force of a battering ram. “Maybe.”

*~*

The dungeon is dark.

Sehun drags him through, stepping with a breath of confidence that Chanyeol doesn’t have. His stomach ties in knots when he sees an omega clad in black leather, the strips scanty and covering only half his body. A mask hides most of his face, jagged pieces of spiked metal protruding at the top. He stays motionless, kneeling by the door of the entrance. The entrance. What an opening to a night Chanyeol knows he’s never going to forget.

Chanyeol stands frozen, hands clenched tight as Sehun talks to the alpha in charge. Or what looks like the alpha in charge. He hears words like ‘first time’ and ‘someone thorough’ and smiles at how well Sehun knows him. Instead of focusing on the gritty details, he eyes the almost lifeless omega. The man hasn’t moved since they arrived, face turned downwards in deference. Chanyeol wonders if he’d be able to do the same.

A white page is stuffed in his face next, so close to his eyes the text turns into a garbled mess of letters and squiggles. It takes him a few moments to make sense of what it says, eventually realising it’s a document regarding consent. And discretion. Heart thumping in his chest, Chanyeol reads through each line carefully, nerves compounding as he continues down.

He signs it of course, oh does he sign it.

“Come,” Sehun says, palm stretched outwards. Chanyeol takes it for what it is and grabs the younger man’s hand, comfort in a world full of unknown.

“Have fun,” the alpha from the front desk says with a grin, hand lazily dragging along the omega’s uncovered lips and chin.

Chanyeol nods, breathing out slowly.

The nerves compound once they actually pass through the inky silken door that keeps the rest of the world out. Or maybe keeps whatever’s in from escaping, Chanyeol thinks when he sees what’s behind.

It’s the scent that hits him first, oozing through the rooms like thick, billowing storm clouds. Lust, pleasure, satisfaction, anger – there’s a mix of it all. There are no scent neutralisers here, the entrance the last barrier before you’re thrown to the wolves. Inside, it’s no holds barred. Alpha, beta, omega inundate his senses, through both smell and sight. His eyes criss-cross over the number of individuals sitting in booths. Quite similar to a normal club, except in terms of clothing. Leather, skin-tight lycra, harnesses, masks, it’s a whole world of fun here.

“Sorry, I forgot to warn you about the scent,” Sehun turns to face him, nodding his head towards the crowd. “It’s a bit overwhelming at first.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Chanyeol responds, taking in another deep breath and groaning when he feels threads of arousal flicker through him.

It doesn’t cancel out the nerves though, the scent acting more as a heightener and igniting the flames of excitement in his chest. He turns when an alpha walks past him with a drink in her hands. Curiously, her head is tilted downwards and Chanyeol’s eyes widen when he realises that most people are already in play and in character, right out in the open.

“You’re going to see a lot of things, so don’t be so surprised when you see dominant omega,” Sehun whispers into his ear, hand pressing into the lower of the beta’s back.

Dominant omega, that’s interesting. But surprisingly expected. Ever since Sehun had said there were alpha who liked to be dominated, just like the one who had walked past, Chanyeol’s eyes have been wide open. Of course dominant omega would exist, just as he, a submissive beta does.

“Am I getting an omega?” Chanyeol asks, eyes blinking. The idea is surprisingly arousing.

“Nah,” Sehun shakes his head, smile lingering by his lips. “I thought you’d like that alpha knot.”

“I wasn’t thinking about sex,” Chanyeol says, heart battering in his chest. He really wasn’t. This was like what Sehun had said before, stress relief, a spiritually enlightening experience. Not just something sexual, not just… knotting.

“I know you weren’t, but you definitely are now.” Sehun smiles and his grin is visible even in his eyes. He looks so positively evil, Chanyeol wants to groan. “You’re lucky I got you a dom that does sex as well. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” 

They stop by a table that is dark under the lighting but Chanyeol can definitely see two figures sitting next to each other. Sehun’s head immediately drops and even through his peripheral vision, Chanyeol can see the other’s posture change. Yielding.

“Sehun, you made it,” the man with long limbs speaks slowly, mouth widening in fondness. Chanyeol surreptitiously breathes in through his nose and tries to hide the surprise when he smells earthy beta. He thought his friend liked the knotting type too. “And you brought your friend.”

“Yes, Kris,” Sehun nods, raising his head with a wide-eyed stare. Surprisingly innocent.

“Introduce him.”

“This is…” Sehun looks towards the beta, hesitating, but Chanyeol nods. “Chanyeol. He’s new.”

“Mm, good.” Kris says with a smile. He changes the recipient of his gaze and Chanyeol feels like he’s been punched in the gut when he sees just how attractive the other beta is. Blonde styled hair, tumultuous eyes, huge hands. God. “You seem to be just our D.O’s type.”

He gestures to the man next to him and Chanyeol’s heart stutters in his chest. Somehow, he had managed to bypass the second individual sitting by the table. But now that he takes a quick look, he wonders how in the hell he could.

 The man is an alpha, that much he can tell. Focusing on the other, the scent hurls into him like a fast-moving projectile. It’s debilitating just how hot it is, a torrent of pheromones attacking Chanyeol from every corner. The last time he felt so strained just because of an alpha’s scent was when he caught Baekhyun fucking one of his omega buddies.

The alpha is staring back at him, large eyes wide and calculating. His gaze is unrelenting, giving him the once over and then another once over, almost as if he is planning exactly what he wants to do with Chanyeol.

He’s handsome too, extremely handsome. Chanyeol kind of wants to drown in his merciless eyes. Nothing has even happened yet but he’s already feeling a bit in over his head, especially when that goddamn scent keeps attacking him from all angles. And now that Sehun’s talked about sex and knots, oh god fuck, he can only imagine this alpha’s.

“Come, sit Chanyeol,” Kris says, using his gigantic hand to gesture towards the plush leather seats, right next to the alpha. “Sehun and I will let you and D.O be alone.”

Before they leave, Sehun takes Chanyeol’s hand once again. “If anything happens, if you feel uncomfortable even in the slightest and want to go, come and find me, okay?”

“Thanks Sehun,” Chanyeol replies gratefully, squeezing the other’s fingers.

“Otherwise, enjoy yourself,” Sehun grins with a wink before he’s swept away by Kris. Kris who is actually a fucking giant now that Chanyeol sees him stand, taller than even Chanyeol himself. Man.

Once they are out of Chanyeol’s immediate vision, he turns back towards the alpha, D.O. The other is still looking at him, but his gaze has waned slightly. Less predatory, more normal. Whatever normal means in a dungeon like this.

“Please sit,” he says and ah fuck. This wasn’t a good idea at all. How is it possible that literally every bit of the alpha manages to destroy him in the worst way possible? His scent, his looks, his voice. Chanyeol is known for his own rumbly timber, but this alpha’s voice is deep and ariose. Musically pleasing, causing Chanyeol’s eyes to close slightly in veneration.

He wobbles to sit by the alpha, eyes immediately dropping to his knees.

“Don’t feel uncomfortable,” D.O speaks, smile crawling on his face for the first time this evening. The sight makes Chanyeol’s heart thump in his chest. “I want this to be a good first experience for you. I’m honoured by the way, that I am able to be your first dom.”

Chanyeol’s ears redden, and he moves to look up at the alpha. D.O is smiling gently, facial expression a lot more tender than from before. “Okay, thank you.”

“No worries,” D.O sits forward, speaking slow and enunciating each word so Chanyeol understands perfectly. “Like I said, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable at all. So before we do anything, would you be able to tell me if you have past experience so I can make this as pleasurable as possible for you.”

Chanyeol clears his throat and immediately talks about Dara. His other partners never really delved into anything that wasn’t 100% vanilla, even if he secretly wished they did.

D.O hums, taking it all in. “So light bondage, D/s, slight flogging did you say?”

Chanyeol’s ears redden again and he nods. They had tried some restraints, typical wrist and ankle stuff, but never anything severe or intense. Even the flogging was on a small scale, something Chanyeol had wished they explored deeper.

“Would you like to try a scene today?” D.O asks immediately and Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “Don’t feel like you have to. We can just go over all the logistics.”

The words wash over Chanyeol like a warm stream, and he gulps. But there’s nothing that’s going to stop him from experiencing a scene today. Baekhyun had said he wouldn’t be home tonight, God knew what that meant. Except, that’s a lie because Chanyeol does know what it means, and there’s no way he’s going home to an empty house without getting something in return.

“No, I would like it.”

D.O’s grin is razor sharp. “Excellent.”

He then talks about the type of rooms they have in this particular establishment, Growl. Chanyeol feels his eyes widening when he hears about the multitude of themes catering to almost every kink imaginable. A classroom, a prison, a medical room. And apparently they all have equipment and furniture that suits the theme. Chanyeol wonders what it’d be like to be strapped to a dentist chair while D.O pleasures him.

In the end, Chanyeol decides to stick with a classic bondage dungeon, at least for their first time. He doesn’t know how he feels about D.O dominating him in a room dressed up to look like a morgue of all places.

They discuss what’s on the table for tonight.

“I would like to ease in slow, if that’s okay,” Chanyeol says with a small, embarrassed smile.

“That’s perfectly okay,” D.O replies and Chanyeol’s smile widens. “Is there anything in particular that you would like? Any toys? Any particular way you’d like me to dom?”

“I wouldn’t mind a paddle? I think? Something that eases me back into this mindset. I haven’t been hit in years, I don’t know how the beta inside of me will retaliate,” he reveals with a laugh. Of course, it’s nothing like what an alpha would have to deal with, but sometimes his instincts do cause him to act a little gruff. “And, I like to get submissive. Very submissive. Would you be able to treat me like I’m one of those soft, pliant omega? You’d take me, and you just keep on taking.”

The words cause him to blush again, especially when he realises that he’s not an omega. Nor is he small. D.O looks a lot smaller than him actually, which is interesting. But that only gets him feeling tingly inside because he knows, he knows that there’s more than meets the eye there. D.O has strength.

He thinks about Baekhyun then. Baekhyun who fucks his omega like he’s just meant to take from them. It’s hot, unbearably hot. Chanyeol wishes Baekhyun would fuck him like that. Like they were meant to be.

D.O’s gaze is intense when their eyes meet and Chanyeol gulps on instinct. Maybe, if he plays his cards right, he may get fucked like he so wishes after all.

*~*

The first thing Chanyeol observes when they enter the room is the colour blue. Deep, rich royal blue. A gold pattern criss-crosses through the blue, almost regal in nature, looking like one of those royal pieces from the 1800s he’s seen in museums. The rest of the room is as nicely decorated, colour coordinated in the same shade. It’s the toys that aren’t blue, paraphernalia that varies in colour and size.

There is equipment Chanyeol’s heard of but never seen before, and if he was unaware, he is sure he could mistake most as gym gear. Fancy, leather gym gear but gym gear nonetheless.

“I assume from you wanting to take it slow, that we won’t go into anything overtly sexual,” D.O says from behind him, the carpet absorbing his voice and sounding soft. Chanyeol tries ignore the disappointment in his gut. “At least not today.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol agrees, thinking it through. It would probably be for the best anyway.

“I didn’t ask, but do you have any preferred safe words?” He moves over towards a small wooden table that has a variety of objects on it. Some look pointy and dangerous like they’d pierce straight through Chanyeol if he stared at them for long enough. There are some seemingly harmless objects too. The word tickler floats through his head for the first time in years and he’s suddenly reminded of when Dara used one of these feather duster objects on him too.

“I’ve heard some weird ones like pineapple,” Chanyeol laughs, “But I think red is probably good enough.”

“Red is easy to remember,” D.O nods, shrugging on a pair of leather gloves Chanyeol had seen laying by the edge of the table. “Choose a paddle you’d like me to use.”

There are four sitting towards the right side of the table in different shapes and sizes. Two look like they’re made out of leather while the one that lays on the far right differs.

“This one is different,” he picks it up, touching the smooth wooden tip.

“It provides a sharper hit than the others,” D.O explains, experience in his voice. Chanyeol wonders just how many people he’s hit with this paddle. Or, if by any chance, he’s been hit with it himself. “Unless you really want to, I don’t think we should be using it today.”

Yeah, he doesn’t think so too. It does look interesting though, and Chanyeol wonders if he’ll be able to endure it in the future.

What he does decide on is the flexible silicone paddle strap that looks so nice placed next to his skin, he can’t wait to feel it.

“Okay, are you ready?” D.O asks once Chanyeol places the paddle in his hand. He looks extremely sensual wielding the paddle, leather fingers curled around the handle and gripping tight. His white dress shirt is folded to his biceps, showing off the firm muscle of his forearm. The dark of the gloves is a stark contrast in colour, indicating his strength. God, Chanyeol can only guess just how much strength he has in his alpha body.

“I am,” Chanyeol speaks, voice wavering slightly with a hint of nerves.

“Okay,” D.O’s eyes flash and he stalks forward towards Chanyeol, voice dropping even lower. “For this session, I would like for you to address me as ‘sir’. We will be using the paddle you have chosen, and I have your permission to treat you like I own you, correct?”

Fuck yes, that’s exactly what he wants. Just like Baekhyun would. He bites his lip at the thought. No, not Baekhyun. He shouldn’t be thinking of Baekhyun.

Except he does. He can’t stop. D.O tells him to take off his shirt and he hesitates because, because… isn’t he betraying Baekhyun’s trust? He is with some strange man who is going to beat him. What would Baekhyun think about that?

No, he isn’t Baekhyun’s. There is no reason at all for Baekhyun to get mad at him. The alpha has his own omegas after all.

And so Chanyeol breathes through his nose, feeling the cool air attack his skin. D.O walks closer now, predatory, and Chanyeol can feel the beta within keening at the sight. He looks like a king, stalking his claim, his prize, as if he were always meant to do this. And maybe he was, Chanyeol thinks, a little reverently.

The slide of the paddle on his skin is surprisingly warm, not cool like he thought it would be. It glides over the skin of his upper back and shoulders, caressing him gently with the softest of touches. The next second it’s gone and Chanyeol’s breath catches in his throat when he realises what’s going to happen next.

It doesn’t though, as in, what he’s thinking doesn’t happen next. Instead of a sharp hit, he receives the smoothest touch of gloves against his shoulders.

“The key to impact play is warming up,” D.O’s voice washes over him like a silken kiss, and Chanyeol’s eyes close shut. He’s nervous. “We must prepare your body.”

The alpha guides Chanyeol then to the long bench, gesturing to lie face first. The gloves smoothen over his upper shoulders, denting into the fleshy muscle and firmly massaging. He paths his gloves down Chanyeol’s back, reaching the hem of the beta’s pants before cupping his ass. Immediately, Chanyeol moans in response to the touch, enjoying the feel of D.O’s strong fingers. Then, he blushes, because he wasn’t supposed to lose control like that. And so quickly too. D.O doesn’t stop touching him however, massaging his ass with even more vigour now.

Chanyeol cannot help the small whines in his throat, especially when he can smell the effect he has on the other. The heady alpha scent invades his nose, strong and thick, too pungent to ignore. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to control himself later on.

The idea of Baekhyun’s alpha scent, wafting over him and claiming him runs through his head but he flicks the thought away. No.

“I’m going to start now,” D.O says once he’s managed to massage Chanyeol all the way through. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Chanyeol remembers to answer, voice slightly muffled by the bench. Except this time, it’s with that hint of nervousness from before. Now that he’s exposed, now that D.O is wielding the paddle in his hand, it feels almost impossible to back out.

What was he thinking? Chanyeol can feel his hands start to become clammy, the atmosphere feeling dense, like an extremely humid day. 

The slide of the paddle up his back feels like it’s sizzling, hot and fleeting, taking Chanyeol’s breath away before it’s gone.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” D.O’s voice sounds kinder, soft. He swaps the paddle for his hand, the glove wafting over Chanyeol’s shoulder and massaging an indent into the tense muscle. “We don’t have to do this today.”

Chanyeol squeezes his eyes shut. It’s been years since he’s done this, since he’s laid his body on the line for someone to take. Even if he’s been wanting Baekhyun to do so, that would be, well, Baekhyun. Not D.O, mystery stranger alpha D.O who he doesn’t know.

“Shh, Chanyeol,” D.O sits him up then, dragging a hand down his torso. Chanyeol’s face is stuffed in a crisp dress shirt, nose curving into a toned stomach.

He breathes—deep, long. Inhale, exhale, lip wobbling almost imperceptibly. Sehun said that if he wanted to, Chanyeol can come to him. Chanyeol can find the omega and they’d leave. Instantly. Sehun’s here for him. They can go home.

Home to… an empty house.

He clenches his eyes shut, taking another long inhale. Out of everything, it’s D.O’s alpha scent that invariably calms him down. Thick and heady, it permeates through the air. D.O’s tender hands are running down his back, shushing him with sure strokes.

“We don’t have to do this,” D.O repeats once Chanyeol’s calmed. The beta’s head is still pressed against a thin chest, and he blushes slightly when he realises just how intimate it seems for a first time meeting. “Our relationship is built on trust. I know it’s hard to find that when you’ve just met me, but we can build up to that. Your body is precious, Chanyeol, I will only touch you if that is what you really wish.”

What strikes him as odd is just how compassionate D.O is. He hasn’t stopped running his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, calming him. It should make him feel uncomfortable, the close press of an unfamiliar alpha. But that scent. Chanyeol can’t help but nuzzle closer, chasing the feelings down.

“I want to…” he mumbles a few seconds later, biting his lip and moving his head back. D.O’s shirt is crinkled now but the alpha doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Face still soft, his dark eyes search Chanyeol.

Like D.O had said, this is a relationship built on trust. He hasn’t given up his own control to someone in years, it’s a terrifying prospect letting a stranger just take that from him so easily.

But—D.O. He seems wonderful. A dream of a dom, a dream of an alpha.

“We’ll go very slow today, okay?” D.O’s voice is like molten honey. “Nothing brutal.”

That sounds nice. And so Chanyeol nods.

Before he lies back down, D.O squeezes his hand, a reassurance. A trust me. Once he’s lying on his front, leather wafts over his back. The slight touch gets goosebumps running through his skin. He’s nervous. Oh boy is he nervous. How hard will D.O hit him? Should he back out?

No. He wants this.

“I’ll begin.”

What warns him in the split second before he’s hit is the distinct change in air. He’s gonna get—Slap.

D.O lifts the paddle immediately and a stinging sensation runs through his shoulders. It doesn’t hurt much, but Chanyeol is grateful that D.O had warned him prior to hitting.

There’s a soft press of gloves against his lower back before another sting runs near his shoulders, right next to the previous spot. The third hit comes a second later, a fresh line now marked along his upper back. The pain is nothing though, a short sting before it fades just as quickly.

It’s surprisingly cathartic. Except it isn’t really surprising, he thinks through a haze. As hesitant he was in the beginning, it doesn’t take him long to suddenly remember what this is like. The nerves float away with every hit, every soothing silicone touch edging him further into a submissive mindset. After a third thwack on the muscle next to his right scapula, Chanyeol’s mind realises that D.O is not going to break him. He’s gentle. It’s nice.

However nice it is, Chanyeol does want harder. He doesn’t take back what he said earlier. He… well, he trusts D.O. He wants D.O to use him. To take him harder, just like Baekhyun who grips his omega’s hair and pulls.

“Sir?” He speaks a little meekly once D.O has gone through a set of hits.

“Mm? Yes, Chanyeol?” D.O’s voice is tender and hot like a gust of blistering wind, affecting Chanyeol thoroughly. The alpha scent continues to pervade his senses, dulling neither in strength nor intensity.

“Would you be able to hit a little harder?”

“Okay,” D.O replies immediately, tracing his gloved hand across Chanyeol’s back and sending shivers down the beta’s spine. “Do you mind taking your pants off? I’ll do it on your ass, if you’re comfortable with that.”

Oh yes, Chanyeol is definitely comfortable with that.

“Should I take off my underwear too?” Chanyeol asks, suddenly feeling shy. Although he doesn’t know why. He knows his beta pheromones are probably dispersing heavily through the air right now.

“If you’re comfortable, that would be wonderful.”

He’s naked when D.O leads him to another device this time. The spanking bench as he so eloquently puts it. And once Chanyeol takes a good look at the black gym bench, he sees exactly why it’s called the spanking bench. He takes a hesitant step to rest on the padded rectangular cushion, letting his legs sit on the two leg rests. Ass raised high in the air, perfect height for D.O. He didn’t think he would be naked, at least not for their first time. But here he is, the warmth of the paddle trailing down his shoulders and back, straight to his ass.

The nervousness from before isn’t returning however. He knows how D.O does things now. D.O won’t hurt him. He trusts the alpha.

“Gorgeous,” he hears D.O whisper, the word going straight to Chanyeol’s dick before he’s hit.

And fuck, okay D.O was definitely holding back before. The sting stays longer this time, spreading through his body in ripples of warmth as he’s hit again, a second time without mercy. The paddle drags over him for a brief second before, again, fifth time, seventh time, ninth time.

During the tenth hit, on his upper left cheek, he moans loud into the bench, feeling his cock chafe slightly. He’s hard, no doubt about that, the sting of pain being easily replaced by threads of pleasure and arousal. What makes him especially aroused is just how D.O is treating him, he hits and then he uses his hands to grab at Chanyeol’s ass, to squeeze hard. Not only does it enhance the sweet sting but Chanyeol feels like he’s being taken apart, used just in the way he wants. In the way Baekhyun would take him.

“More,” he groans out when D.O squeezes his ass cheeks apart, paddle smoothing over the skin before hitting again. “More, sir, please.”

There’s no escaping the fact that he’s hard and rubbing into the bench, and boy, he can only imagine just how he smells to the alpha. He may not secrete slick, but Chanyeol feels like he could take a knot here and now. Fuck, imagine what D.O’s knot would look like.

D.O acquiesces, hitting again, hard, harder putting that alpha strength to use. It hurts like a motherfucking bitch, but then the pain ebbs, warmth unfurling through the area along with pleasure. If he was in his normal sane mind-frame, he’d probably be embarrassed with just how he whines and begs, with how obvious his arousal is.

“Beautiful,” he hears D.O compliment again, hands roughly grabbing at his cheeks and pulling apart. “So fucking beautiful.”

He keens at the compliment, a blush rising to his cheeks. The sting in his ass isn’t fading now but apparently D.O thinks this is enough, at least for their first session maybe. Chanyeol can feel the press of soft lips against his shoulder and he groans when it leaves his skin.

Chanyeol is still facing downwards when a gloveless hand runs down his back. Skin on skin.

“How do you feel?”

“I feel…” Good, wonderful, in pain, are a number of words he could use. “Horny.”

A low chuckle resounds loud in his ear. “I can tell.”

It’s then does Chanyeol notice the bulge in D.O’s pants, large and definitely not unassuming. Fuck, does it look huge. The alpha scent seems more prominent now that the haze of pain is leaving him, and he raises his head to look at the other. D.O looks heavily aroused but definitely in control. Hot and dominant.

“You’re so beautiful, Chanyeol.” He hears the other say once again, wondering why his heart is beating so fast at the compliment. “So responsive.”

The words don’t help his erection in the slightest, and Chanyeol bites his lips. “I know we said no sexual contact, or not at first, I guess, but what am I supposed to do with this.” He gestures towards his still hidden junk, feeling slightly embarrassed. For the time being, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to sit on his ass.

“It’ll probably go down after awhile,” D.O says with a grin, suddenly looking very sadistic. Chanyeol gives a small puppy dog pout but the alpha just laughs. “Let me take care of you first. To stop swelling, and to treat any broken blood vessels under the skin, I’m going to have to put some ice on you. Okay?”

Man, that will definitely kill his boner. But he nods, D.O would know after all.

The ice is very cold, and he jumps a little when it touches the hot red heat of his ass. D.O remains unrelenting though, keeping it against his ass to reduce any possible chance of swelling. Afterwards, he rubs a smooth gel-like substance, gently massaging the area.

“Should be all okay now,” D.O says, turning away so Chanyeol can put his clothes back on. “Did you enjoy the session?”

It was definitely a good starter for more intense activity. He saw a crop on the table before, something that definitely caught his eye.

“Yes, thank you so much,” Chanyeol breathes out, now dressed in his clothes from earlier. His ass still feels a little sore but he’s sure it’ll even out soon enough. “I really enjoyed it.”

“I’m glad,” D.O smiles, heart-shaped. “So will I be seeing you again in the future?”

“Yes,” Chanyeol replies immediately, breathing laboured. His body is slightly fatigued and yet his mind feels extremely fresh, ready to run an entire marathon.

“Thank you, Chanyeol,” D.O says, moving closer. The alpha scent washes over him and he briefly closes his eyes. “I will be waiting to hear from you.” He steps even closer, invading Chanyeol’s privacy, body just on the brink of touching. “Can I ask for something?”

“Of—of course,” Chanyeol shakily replies, biting his lip at their close proximity. D.O is so close to him, he can feel the body heat radiating through his clothes.

“May I kiss you?”

The words come as a shock, and Chanyeol blinks. He wasn’t expecting that. Especially now that he has time to think through the situation and suddenly think back to Baekhyun. Baekhyun the one he loves, the one he’s practically betraying. It wasn’t supposed to be anything sexual, right? Just release. But now that D.O is asking to kiss him, how can he pretend that’s anything but, well, sexual.

Except, he wants it. He really, really wants it. D.O, his dom, the man who used a paddle and hit him repeatedly on the ass. He’s not betraying Baekhyun, he shouldn’t think like that. He can’t keep thinking like that.

And so he nods, closing his eyes and waiting for the inevitable.

D.O surprises him by grabbing his hair and pulling him down. He kisses Chanyeol deep, hard with all the left-over pent up lust from their previous session. It oozes into the kiss, and Chanyeol moans, the alpha scent a bit too unbearable up close. If they keep up with this, his erection is definitely going to come back.

When he lets go, Chanyeol falls back a little, eyes glazed. “Fuck.”

D.O looks amused, and slightly battered too. “Drive safely, Chanyeol.”

*~*

Chanyeol messages Sehun when he reaches home.

Hey it was really good okay you were right. Thanks for pulling me along.

He had stopped by his gym before he came back home, taking a shower to get rid of all that alpha scent. As soon as he had walked into the gym, the omega by the front desk had stared at him wide-eyed. He can only imagine just how bad he smelled of alpha arousal.

The sting in his ass remains, and when he had checked, the area was red, a little raw from first time spanking. Kind of like a reminder of what he had done.

He had arrived home quite late, hope building in his chest that Baekhyun would be asleep in his room. But of course, he wasn’t, maybe for the best too otherwise he’d be deadset on asking where Chanyeol had been. Not an answer he’s willing to explain.

Warming a glass of milk, he drinks slowly and tries to decompress. Sehun had taken him to a BDSM dungeon. He was given a dom. An alpha dom. His dom had spanked him with a paddle until Chanyeol was about to combust from orgasm. His dom had then kissed him. And now here he is, at home, drinking milk and feeling sad about Baekhyun.

Baekhyun.

He sighs, there’s no point in getting sad over him. It’s been years, more than a decade by now. He should stop thinking that he’s betraying Baekhyun too. The alpha doesn’t think about him when he’s busy off on his own conquest, why does he feel so tied up to him? He shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t. But he does. He loves Baekhyun with all his heart. That’s why it’s so hard, that’s why he finds it hard to accustom to, well, D.O

A buzz alerts him and he quickly checks his phone.

Fuck yea dude, so will I now have a partner to accompany me?

Yes, Chanyeol thinks. He will.

*~*

A tinkling sound like the jingling of house-keys rouses Chanyeol from sleep, mouth plastered against a hard pillow. It takes him a few seconds to realise that it’s not his bed pillow but the one on the couch.

“Oh, Chanyeollie,” Baekhyun’s voice sounds dreamy in Chanyeol’s sleep-haze, so beautiful and angelic. “You fell asleep on the couch?”

“Mmnfh,” he responds in turn, blinking a little faster when the bright light invades his poor, sensitive eyes. He thinks he fell asleep on the couch because his ass hurt too much to lie properly on the bed. Maybe he just wanted to catch Baekhyun in the morning. Who really knows?

“Aw, big baby,” Baekhyun coos, and suddenly Chanyeol feels delicate hands running through his hair.

It’s things like this that make it hard for Chanyeol to just suddenly give up on his love for Baekhyun. He’s an alpha that is surprisingly affectionate with everyone. Everyone. Even other alpha, despite their natural hesitancies towards each other. It’s this that draws Chanyeol in, that keeps his feelings caged.

The fingers feel so nice against his scalp, massaging his head rhythmically.

“Let me make you some breakfast,” Baekhyun removes his hand, causing Chanyeol to grumble. Can’t he just continue with the head massaging, leave the breakfast stuff ‘til later?

It takes awhile but eventually Chanyeol groans, stretching his arms over his head. When he stands, his ass feels slightly sore but it’s definitely not as bad as it had been last night. A good kind of pain, like the type he gets after a day at the gym. Feels like he’s accomplished something. But then the memory expands and suddenly he’s reminded of soft lips and passionate eyes. Oh man.

“I just cooked some eggs up for you, is that okay?” Baekhyun asks from the kitchen. He looks surprisingly well put together, clothes ironed and hair just as neat. The only indicator that keys Chanyeol in is the faint, lingering scent of omega that drifts through the kitchen and remains on the other. Early morning blowjob or something, he can tell.

“Yeah, that’s great. Thanks Baek,” Chanyeol moves over with a smile. He leans across and gives the alpha a one-armed hug, something that just makes him feel even worse. Why can’t he stop himself from doing things that hurt him instead?

“No worries,” his best friend says, holding the pan out and dumping the eggs into a clean plate. Chanyeol can see the muscles in the alpha’s forearm flex, the defined muscle tone a bit too pleasing for the eye at 9 in the morning. “So, how was your night?”

Chanyeol chokes on a piece of egg, not expecting the sudden interrogation. But then he looks at the other and realises that it’s not an interrogation at all. Just a simple question, without any prior agenda.

“Oh, um,” Chanyeol coughs into his fist, ignoring the pain in his ass. Baekhyun looks slightly confused, cute eyebrows crossed together. “Uneventful.”

Which is anything but the truth but Baekhyun seems to accept it willingly enough. Damn, is Chanyeol really that much of a hermit that Baekhyun doesn’t even suspect he left the house in the slightest?

“Ah,” the alpha nods. “You know I have this omega friend that’s interested in you.”

“You?” Chanyeol snorts, playing with the scrambled egg on his plate. “You have omega friends?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, looking slightly sheepish. “Ugh, okay yes we have fucked—”

Chanyeol snorts. He knew it.

“—but we’re just friends now. Anyway, you’ve met him before. Remember Jongin?”

Of course he remembers Jongin. The beautiful bronze-skinned dancer that caught nearly every eye in the club they went to awhile back. As always, it was Baekhyun who had caught him, who had swept the other up with his undeniable charm and took him to bed. Chanyeol remembers the omega because they had talked for a bit. A lot actually. He was really cute and Chanyeol was kinda, maybe, interested. Which is a big thing considering his practically, unfailing love.

He’s still salty to this day that the omega chose Baekhyun instead of him—even if Chanyeol would do the exact same thing. Then again, when he thinks about it, knot versus no knot? Yeah, he understands.

“That’s okay, I’m not interested in your sloppy seconds,” he’s only joking but there is a part of him that is somewhat… annoyed. Annoyed over the fact that Jongin can get Baekhyun with just a simple look and yet Chanyeol remains as the best friend? He doesn’t want Jongin, he wants Baekhyun.

“Please, Jongin’s really nice. And, he seems really, really interested in you. When was the last time someone even touched you, Chanyeol?”

Last night, he thinks a little dryly, suddenly reminded of scorching alpha hands squeezing his ass and paddling him raw. And that cock. Hidden away behind the dark of his dress pants but clearly visible to Chanyeol’s hungry eyes.

“Exactly, you can’t even remember,” Baekhyun interprets his silence wrongly. “Why don’t you just come on a date with us?”

“Us?” Chanyeol blinks, and really, despite everything, he manages to catch this of all things. When he sees Baekhyun blush, an unsettlingly feeling rises in his gut.

“Okay, so, well. I’m kinda, maybe, with someone?” Baekhyun says, hesitant, before he quickly tries to explain. “We’re not serious, like at all. But he has a really great ass and well, you know me. Those omega booties.”

Those omega booties, indeed. Chanyeol sighs, pain spreading through his chest. A little dulled from the fact that he has to deal with this all the time, but pain nonetheless.

“Plus he kinda wanted to go on a date but I don’t want him to think we’re super serious or anything, so can you just please come with me? Please take Jongin, please, please, please?”

Even if Baekhyun says they’re not serious, he still agreed to date the guy. Whoever the guy is. Which is immediately a lot different to normal Baekhyun who doesn’t stay tied down to anyone. That’s strange, really strange.

“Can’t I just take Sehun with me?” Chanyeol mutters out, feeling pathetic. What a shit day. “He’s an omega.”

“What? No,” Baekhyun crosses his eyebrows together and gives Chanyeol a look like it’s the worst idea ever. “You guys just emanate bro-ness. Tao will know you’re faking it.”

“Why does it matter that he knows we’re faking it?” He whines. “We’re just trying to make your date, less date-y.”

Baekhyun continues to shake his head. “I’ll tell Jongin you’re coming.”

“Ugh, fine.” He better get a free meal out of all of this. Has to go on a date he doesn’t want and watch Baekhyun while he’s on his own date.

Baekhyun smiles wide and he bounds over to kiss Chanyeol on the head. “Thank you! I love you!”

He quickly leaves to his bedroom, saying something along the lines of making reservations. Chanyeol bites his lip, ignoring the feel of soft lips on his forehead and the warmth that spread through him because of it.

“Love you too.” He whispers, bitter.

*~*

Jongin looks very handsome. He has dressed up nicely for their date, hair parted and clothes well fitted. He smiles wide when he sees Chanyeol and shyly walks up to him. Chanyeol can smell his omega scent in the air, sweet and potent.

“Hi Chanyeol,” he says, voice soft. He’s honestly really fucking cute but Chanyeol tries to ignore those feelings.

“Hey, long time no see,” the beta smiles, a little tight.

He can see Baekhyun and his boyfriend sitting on a park bench right next to them. They look good together, really good and Chanyeol’s chest pains when he realises Baekhyun must have some feelings after all.

Jongin attempts to engage him in conversation and Chanyeol tries to respond. He does. Really. But he can’t stop glancing at Baekhyun and Tao, who are lost in their own conversation, who are constantly touching each other, who look really happy together.

It hurts, especially when he’s forced to put up this front for Jongin. Sweet, lovely Jongin who has a crush on him. Chanyeol wants to talk to him, hell, he wants to like him but… but…

Baekhyun.

They watch a movie together and he’s sitting next to both of them. Baekhyun and Jongin. He can kind of see Baekhyun’s hand slipping under the seat to touch Tao. Inappropriately too. But he quickly forces his gaze back to Jongin whose own hand is resting on the arm rest. Probably waiting for Chanyeol to reach out and grab it.

He doesn’t.

When the movie ends, they go out for dinner. He talks to Jongin, smiles at him, laughs with him but all he is, is polite. Nothing but polite. Same with Tao who he can’t help but hate. There’s no hatred in his expression though, only wide grins and loud laughter.

“Hey, we’re gonna head off,” Baekhyun says with a mischievous grin on his face. Chanyeol can hear Tao yip when Baekhyun reaches over to slap his ass. “I don’t think I’ll be coming home tonight,” he aims that towards Chanyeol.

“Have fun,” Jongin says with a smile on his face, giggling when Tao sends him a ‘help me’ look.

They leave and Jongin turns, teeth biting deep into his lip. He has an adorably shy expression on his face, looking so cute Chanyeol just wants to cuddle him.

“Thank you for tonight, I had a lot of fun,” Jongin drops his gaze. He clenches his hands together and Chanyeol can smell that omega scent once again. Very sweet and very strong, like a basket full of delicious lychees.

“Me too,” Chanyeol replies in turn, feeling like a scam as he lies through his teeth. “Have a good night.”

“Oh,” Jongin blinks in surprise, almost as if he was expecting Chanyeol to ask him to do something later. He quickly regains himself. “Thank you. You too.” 

Chanyeol sends one last smile and a wave before he turns away, ignoring the beta inside of him that yearns for companionship. When he reaches his car, he spends ten seconds closing his eyes through the hurt before he drives off.

And drives to Growl.

*~*

“Chanyeol, I wasn’t expecting you,” D.O’s voice is low and sultry, controlled and yet clearly curious.

As soon as he entered the establishment he asked the owner, a man by the name of Suho, if D.O was available.

“He is available,” Suho had smiled, hand languidly touching the top of his submissive omega’s nose. Just like last time, the omega was kneeling but his head now rested against Suho’s knee. Chanyeol felt a thrill of excitement run through him when he saw the omega’s stare burn hot. “I’ll give him a call to let him know you’re coming. Chen, would you be able to take Chanyeol to Room 6?”

The omega had nodded, lips widening into a Cheshire grin.

D.O is as elegantly dressed as last time, light pink dress shirt and dark slacks. He sits on the lavish couch, knees wide and hands clenched in between. There is a small smile lingering on his face and Chanyeol tries to quash the feelings running through his chest. God, this alpha is hot.

“I’m sorry for coming at such short notice,” Chanyeol bends his head and kicks slightly at the floor. The room is different to the one they were in before, the dark grey carpet blending nicely with his pants.

“Don’t apologise,” D.O says, grin widening. Chanyeol bites his lip when he feels his heartbeat gallop. “Come, sit.”

Chanyeol shuffles towards the couch, plopping gently onto the soft material. D.O’s scent is so thrilling up close, he can feel his hands turning hot in his grasp.

“What would you like to do today?” The alpha gestures to the table of instruments, and Chanyeol’s eyes flicker to a paddle similar to the one they had used last time.

“I…” Chanyeol hesitates, rubbing the material of his pants. The nerves are back.

Turns out, D.O is a lot more perceptive than he realised. “Are you okay? You seem a bit on edge.”

Chanyeol grimaces at the words, dropping his gaze. It’s the nerves plus everything that has happened tonight.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

His voice is soothing, sweeping over Chanyeol like a soft bristled brush. The tall beta lets out a gruff laugh, a twinge cynical and getting caught in his throat.

“Funny how I’ve only known you for two sessions and yet you can already tell better than my friends.”

Better than Baekhyun. His best friend. The alpha he lives with.

D.O reaches a hand out and rests it on Chanyeol’s knee, sending him an encouraging look. His hand feels especially warm as it seeps through Chanyeol’s pants. It’s the expression on D.O’s face that just makes him want to confess everything. However hesitant he was in the beginning, and however new their relationship is, D.O is offering to hear it. Offering to hear about Chanyeol’s shitty problems.

“I...” he thinks over the evening. Baekhyun looked happy, really happy. Even if he said they were casual, he obviously liked Tao. And Jongin… who was so nice and beautiful but, Chanyeol just can’t. “I’ve been in love with my best friend for years.”

D.O remains quiet but he continues to rub his thumb into the soft skin next to the beta’s knee. It’s a movement that makes Chanyeol feel small and precious like he isn’t six feet tall and, well, not small. Or precious.

“He’s an alpha. He’s beautiful and fierce and I’ve loved him since we were kids,” he thinks back to the time when they were both tiny, running across the fields and laughing like kids do. “But he only likes omegas. Thinks that alpha and omega are a match made in heaven.” Chanyeol sighs, feeling bitter. “We live together and he fucks a lot. Like, a lot. And I have to smile through it all, as his best friend. As his wingman.”

D.O’s thumb rubs loops into his flesh, circle after circle after circle. It becomes cathartic after a while, like a mantra without words, and Chanyeol lets his worries out.

“He doesn’t get into relationships though, because he doesn’t like to be tied down. But today, he made me go on a double date with his new boyfriend and this omega he’s fucked in the past,” Chanyeol lets out a wheeze of a laugh when he realises how ridiculous the situation sounds. “And I was supposed to act like I was happy? Like I enjoyed watching him date his beautiful omega boyfriend.”

“Is that why you like being treated roughly?” D.O asks, voice soft. He sounds everything but patronising, hand still warm around Chanyeol’s knee.

“Yeah,” the tall man blushes. “He likes the pliant omega type, where he’s able to let out his alpha instincts. Most omega are like that and I just wish I was an omega too.”

“Don’t think like that,” D.O chastises, eyes searching Chanyeol’s. The beta wonders what he can see in them. “You’re a beta Chanyeol and that’s wonderful. You were always meant to be a beta and the fact that he can’t appreciate you as one tells me that he’s the one missing out.”

“I know…” Chanyeol smiles a little pathetically. He casts his gaze away from D.O, heart beating fast at the alpha’s words. It’s so nice to hear someone reassure him of his worth, especially another alpha. “I still love him though.”

“Sweetheart…”

He hears D.O call him by the endearment and his heart bursts in his chest. How did he find this alpha? This precious alpha that calls him sweetheart. A second later he’s swept into a hug, strong arms wrapped around his large frame and hugging him close. It’s comfort, nothing but comfort and Chanyeol feels the urge to cry.

D.O doesn’t shush him, he just lets Chanyeol cry, tears streaming down the tall man’s face and wetting the alpha’s shirt. His arms feel so tight and safe around Chanyeol, protecting him. The beta breathes in through his nose and the acute scent of alpha calms him.

It’s been awhile since he last cried, despite being a known crier throughout childhood. For what it’s worth, it feels good to cry, to let out his feelings. D.O is treating him so preciously too, pushing his head deep into his chest and rubbing his back. Chanyeol has half the urge to feel embarrassed because this is his dom, the alpha he’s only met twice now. He shouldn’t be crying into his chest.

But D.O seems kind, seems like he actually wants to console Chanyeol. And that’s what makes everything so confusing, makes him want to cry even louder. Here is an alpha that wants to hug him and make him feel better and, just, where is Baekhyun?

Eventually, he manages to calm down but D.O doesn’t release him. He keeps him wrapped, makes him feel small and petite, and Chanyeol relishes the warmth, feeling much like a small omega. D.O rubs his hands down Chanyeol’s side, soothing him with soft words.

“You’re wonderful, sweetheart.”

After a few more minutes, Chanyeol finally speaks. “I’m so sorry for crying on you and wasting your time. Can we continue with the session?”

D.O is quiet for a second or two before he reprimands Chanyeol. “Don’t apologise for that. You needed this. When was the last time you cried?”

It’s a good question. He doesn’t know.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to continue. We can do it some other time.”

Chanyeol shakes his head. No. He wants something now. He wants D.O’s hands on his body. He wants to feel the alpha. “Please, I want to.”

D.O stills but he releases Chanyeol, letting him sit up properly on the chair once again. His eyes are dark and he looks over the tall beta, as if deciding for himself the man is truly able to participate in another session. He eventually acquiesces.

“We’ll go slow, okay?” D.O speaks, slow, and Chanyeol can’t help but stare in awe at the man’s handsome face. “How about some sensory deprivation play? How do you feel about that?”

Chanyeol’s never done it before but he trusts D.O. He honestly, truly trusts the alpha. The man has consoled him twice, treated him with nothing but reverence and respect. What kind of treatment is this? How did he honestly find this dom? Surprisingly, he feels as though he trusts the alpha more than a lot of people he’s known for years. And they’ve only met twice.

“Would you be able to touch me? Too?” He asks a little hesitatingly. It’s embarrassing asking for this but D.O’s expression just softens, smiling at Chanyeol.

“Of course, if you want that.” D.O stands up, guiding Chanyeol towards the table of toys. “I won’t fuck you, okay? We’ll keep that for another time.”

Starting slow, okay, got it. Although despite that, Chanyeol can’t help but feel disappointed. The guilt spreads through him at the thought. What about Baekhyun, it whispers caustically.

What about Baekhyun? He thinks back. Baekhyun isn’t here. Chanyeol can enjoy someone else’s company.

“I will use these on you, is that okay?” D.O points towards a variety of objects on the table. A long feather, a piece of silk, one large but thin strip of leather, two small metal balls. There are a few other things too like a wooden baton, some wool, and a glass dildo.

“Yes,” Chanyeol breathes out, heart pumping fast in his chest especially at the sight of the dildo. A wave of alpha scent rushes over him and he sends a glance towards D.O. The alpha’s eyes are dark, burning with unbridled fire. Chanyeol bites his lip to stop a groan from escaping.

“Do you remember the safe word?” D.O asks once Chanyeol has discarded his shirt and pants. All he’s left in are in his thin briefs that really do not hide the semi-hard boner he’s already sporting.

“Yes, sir.” He responds and D.O sends him a pleased glance.

Once again, he’s led to the long table. Just as he’s about to lie down, D.O comes back with two items.

“Put these on.”

He’s given a blindfold and a pair of headphones. He’s played with blindfolds before, but never has he ever put a pair of headphones on in the bedroom. Chanyeol reaches up to place them around his ears first, blinking when he realises just how effective they are. Noise cancelling headphones really work. D.O gestures for him to take them off, and Chanyeol does.

“I’m not going to do anything rough, okay? Sensory deprivation can be a fulfilling experience or turn into something terrifying, so before I use a new object, I will warn you by tapping you twice. Would you be able to take your underwear off too?”

Chanyeol nods, feeling his cheeks heat up. He leaves the pair of briefs on the ground, ignoring the urge to hide his half-hard erection.

D.O seems to notice his embarrassment and his face softens again. This time, he reaches a hand out to touch at Chanyeol’s cheek and jaw. “I’ll make you feel good, sweetheart.”

The beta’s heart flutters in his chest again, the simple endearment making him feel almost ridiculously overjoyed. He can’t explain what it is about the word, but there’s something about it, especially when D.O is the one saying it with just enough fondness in his deep tone. Chanyeol swallows and breathes out slowly. Okay.

There’s complete silence once he’s put the headphones on. D.O carefully helps him drag the blindfold over his eyes next and everything suddenly turns dark. And quiet. Very dark and very quiet.

Nothing happens for the new few moments as Chanyeol lays down on the table, body tingling with nerves and excitement. It’s a world of dark but the atmosphere is exceedingly calm, like he’s floating in the middle of space—body, mind and spirit. The only thing he can do is smell, and god damn does he smell the alpha scent. It flows over him, wave after wave, heady and lustful.

The soft touch of gloves against his waist has him jumping slightly. He’s soothed instantly by those hands that drag over his chest and have him writhing. Already. This is just the beginning but he can feel leather, can feel it in a way that is so impossibly different to how he usually feels the material. The soft drag over his skin, moving across his torso in unpredictable ways, turns him hot. He doesn’t know where it’s going next, where it’s going to touch, and he hisses out, something he can feel in his vocal chords, when fingers pinch at his nipples.

It hurts because the touch is heightened, sight and sound now gone from his senses. All he can do is feel the pain, and enjoy the intense pleasure that follows.

Two taps against his nipple alert him for a second before a stark coldness slides along his left nipple. He jumps slightly again, not expecting the abrupt change. It feels so smooth against his skin, either the metal or glass. It’s the metal he realises a second later when the ball rolls over, pebbling his left nipple up and sliding down his stomach.

It leaves him for a second, a second where he stays motionless and waiting, until the ball is pressed against the inner of his thigh. He can’t hear D.O, can’t see how the alpha looks or hears, but what he can do is smell the effect. The alpha scent that he’s grown so accustomed to, the lust and arousal pumping through the air. All Chanyeol wants is for D.O to fuck him, to enjoy that knot. Like… like… Baekhyun’s.

He’s not able to finish that thought because he’s tapped again, two times and suddenly there’s a whoosh of soft silk gliding over the head of his cock. He moans, loud, hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. The next thing he knows, there’s leather at his wrists and he’s guided to raise his hands above his hand. D.O forces him to remain in this position, arms above his head, left hand curled around his right wrist. He’s stuck in this position when the silk returns, like the softest touch, teasing the head of his hard cock.

It’s nothing that truly pleases him though because he wants a harder touch, like fingers around him. Like D.O’s fingers around him. Chanyeol is painfully hard, and he groans when the fingers tap him again, wooden baton now sliding up his cock. It hurts in the most pleasurable way possible. He can’t see what D.O is doing, just feel the response of his cock, pulsing as D.O drags the instrument and takes him apart, revealing the primal creature underneath.

Tap. Tap.

The glass dildo. But it’s not pressing inside him just the way he wants it to. He’s teased again, cock bobbing as D.O drags it up and down, again, up and then down. The wooden baton is resting next to his balls while the indentations on the glass dildo catch on his foreskin. Chanyeol gasps loud, clenching his wrist. He wants to cum but D.O is not letting him.

He can’t cum this way. Not when all he gets are fleeting touches. It’s strange being so affected by the press of wood or the drag of metal. Two taps again and the silk is back, wafting over his nipples while the dildo continues to play with his cock. How many goddamn hands does D.O have?

The feeling is so intense, and he gasps when everything suddenly leaves him. Chanyeol’s body can’t stop tingling, from the tips of his nipples to his hard cock, a shiver runs through him in anticipation. The two taps against his hip have him jumping, especially when he notices they’re done with D.O’s gloveless hand, and suddenly all he feels is wetness on his cock.

Chanyeol’s whole body quakes when D.O sucks, tongue curling around the head. Soft hands cup his balls as the alpha licks, tongue roving over the tip and causing Chanyeol to cry out. He’s so fucking sensitive today. The hunger in his gut compounds when D.O traces his tongue along the flesh of his thigh, hands now wrapped around the base of Chanyeol’s cock.

D.O doesn’t stop his teasing when he leans back, and yet for a split second, all contact is gone. The beta takes this moment to catch his breath, teeth gnawing on the soft of his lip. Phew. Except before he even knows it, before he can even process the last five minutes of pleasure-torture, D.O comes back down with fierce strength, blowing on the tip. Shivers run down Chanyeol’s spine, knees curving into V’s on instinct. He has no idea what’s going to happen next. D.O seems quite content just teasing him for the time being and it’s making Chanyeol’s hair stand on its end. He wants to cum.

“Please,” he whispers the word. He can’t hear it—it’s blocked by the headphones, but he knows the other does when he feels a warm hand stilling by the inner of his thigh.

A billowing tide of alpha scent rushes into him, making him feel deliriously frenzied. Almost incoherent. D.O ignores his request, surprising him with a lick to his nipple. A jolt of arousal continues to pile in his cock, the need to cum burning in his hips.

He tries again, “Please, sir.” It’s hoarse and gruff, hanging off the end of a groan. Chanyeol can’t quite hear it but he knows the effect it has, knows it does something to D.O when he feels a bulge press up against his thigh. He moans loud then, head moving off the table before crashing back down. That cock, he wants it. That knot, he wants it inside of him. God, fuck.

The mouth comes at him again, hot and wet and Chanyeol bucks his hips slightly in impatience. Frustration. He needs it, he needs something. Instead, what he gets are a pair of strong hands instantly pushing his hips back down, fingers clenching hard around the skin. They feel so tight around his hips, Chanyeol’s sure they’re going to leave a bruise. And fuck, fuck, fuck that’s so hot. He can only imagine Baekhyun’s pretty fingers leaving imprints on his skin.

The thought is expelled from his mind when that bulge rubs against his thigh again, hard and undeniable. There’s a strong fluttering burning through his skin like a humming bird, his need for harder touches, stronger grips and constant contact almost painful.

And so, he begs, again.

“Please sir, please fuck me,” The words sound so strange with the headphones on, echoing in his head. Chanyeol gasps loud when D.O squeezes his hips once more, hard enough he almost feels fingernails breaking through skin. “Please, please fuck me.”

A single pause. And suddenly everything is gone. No heat, no touch. Chanyeol almost thinks he’s won D.O’s knot when hands suddenly wrap around his cock again, pumping him fast. His legs spread wide on instinct, opening and allowing further space for D.O to jerk him off. The few callouses that line the alpha’s hand only add to the sensation, soft yet coarse skin driving up and down, again and again.

His orgasm is fast approaching and Chanyeol sweats into the table. He can hardly move, he can hardly breathe. It’s all a little too much when he can’t see or hear, when he has to rely on just touch.

“Fuck, fuck,” he whimpers, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He needs to cum, he needs to cum.

The pressure builds as D.O’s hands relentlessly pull at his balls, down his cock. It builds, and builds, and builds before it suddenly stops. Everything hits him then, a force indescribable. Chanyeol pushes off the table with a gasp, knees rising and hips undulating. He falls back down with a thump, D.O’s hand slowly fondling his cock, milking him through.

The tips of his fingers are shaking as his knees fall flat against the cool surface. An amount of time passes before he feels hands taking off the headphones and blindfold. It’s light that blinds him at once, body still racked against the bench-table and heart galloping like a racehorse. D.O’s face is the first thing he can properly make out, a smile at the edge of his lips.

“You did so well, sweetheart,” D.O’s voice rings like the most beautiful symphony after a period of silence. Its husky tone sends shivers down Chanyeol’s trembling spine as his mind makes sense of the words. Sweetheart. “So well.” He touches Chanyeol’s face and the beta’s eyes close shut.

D.O continues to whisper sweet nothings as he cleans Chanyeol up, taking a warm wet cloth and running it down the side of his leg. It feels beautiful.

Afterwards, D.O tucks him against his chest like a precious creature and Chanyeol nuzzles into the warmth. His body still feels a little drained and overly sensitive. It takes a little while for him to come back. He didn’t escape into subspace, not really, but the experience was still a little overwhelming for a green participant like him.

“How do you feel?” D.O asks a little while later when Chanyeol lies against the couch. “Anything you didn’t like?”

“I… no, actually,” he reveals, blinking widely. His mouth opens wide in surprise when he suddenly remembers something important. “Wait, what about you?”

He sends a quick glance towards D.O’s pants, and notices that the other’s erection has mostly gone down.

“I’m fine Chanyeol,” the alpha laughs huskily. “You’re a bit of a brat begging like that, I nearly fucked you on that table.”

The image of D.O fucking him on that table makes Chanyeol a little breathless. Holy shit. He wants that.

“Would that have been such a problem?” He replies, thinking about that bulge pressing against him and wishing he could have the real thing. Like Baekhyun’s cock.

“I promised before the scene that I wouldn’t fuck you. I try to keep my promises,” D.O smiles, reaching over to pat at Chanyeol’s head. The beta pouts. “Soon.”

He’ll hold the alpha to that.

D.O kisses him again before he leaves. The long, languid kiss just like last time. And just like last time, it doesn’t fail to get Chanyeol’s heart racing. He then grabs Chanyeol by the waist and cups the thick of his ass, leaving him with one last slap.

“Drive safely, sweetheart.”

*~*

Chanyeol doesn’t really see Baekhyun for nearly a week. It’s an odd change of pace considering how close they are. How close they’ve always been. Since they moved in together, it’s always been Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Not Chanyeol and the one Grandfather clock they have in the living room.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

It drones, monotonous.

The house feels so empty without Baekhyun, so quiet and remote without the alpha’s warmth. Baekhyun’s fiery personality lights the house up, keeps it bright and exciting. Now that it’s just Chanyeol, the air seems cool and ghostly, like an abandoned graveyard.

He calls Sehun up but apparently he’s busy (and on a Saturday of all things!). Usually, he and Baekhyun do something—like watch a movie or go out to eat. Instead, Chanyeol lies on the couch, head planted into the soft material. FoodNetwork is one thing that will never abandon him, he thinks a little dry, Guy Fieri will always be his true best friend.

He’s halfway through a back-to-back episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives when the house-door opens. It catches Chanyeol off-guard and he nearly tumbles off the sofa in surprise. Thank God he didn’t start lazily touching himself for no reason.

“Chanyeollie! You’re home,” Baekhyun’s sing-songs, dumping a medium-sized duffle bag onto the kitchen counter. He shakes his head like a pup, hair falling into his eyes, and Chanyeol ignores the scent of omega. 

“I’ve been home every day. I think I should be the one saying that to you,” he keeps his eyes on Guy Fieri’s frosted tips, stomach doing flips. He didn’t expect Baekhyun to just suddenly come home like this.

“Ha,” Baekhyun chuckles, awkward. Chanyeol looks at the alpha, noticing the slight reddening of his cheeks. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to stay there for so long.”

“Mm.”

“Tao’s not on heat suppressants, so…” Baekhyun’s grin is something feral, and oh, yeah now that Chanyeol really looks, he does seem pretty well fucked out.

“You’re reeking omega. Did you even have a shower before you came back?” Chanyeol asks, eyebrows raised high into his hair.

“I did…” Baekhyun frowns. He lifts an arm to sniff under his armpit. “Tao’s heat must not be completely over then.”

Oh great.

“… So you’re going to go back?” Chanyeol tries to remain nonchalant, like Baekhyun leaving to stay with his boyfriend for a week doesn’t affect him at all.

The alpha pauses for a second, most likely thinking over the situation. It makes the tall man somewhat angry for reasons he can’t exactly explain. Baekhyun should’ve just stayed away the whole time. Instead he came back home and got Chanyeol’s hopes up. Ugh.

“Nah, it’s okay,” Baekhyun eventually decides. He shuffles over from the kitchen, large hoodie covering his hands and making him look especially cute. Pushing Chanyeol in the shoulder, he snuggles into the couch. “Why are you watching Guy Fieri?”

Ignoring the question, Chanyeol moves to inspect his best friend. He looks a little worn out, slight bags hanging under his eyes, but overall he looks good. Happy. Satiated.

“FoodNetwork didn’t abandon me for a week like you did. I think you have relinquished your title of best friend.”

“What?” The alpha gasps, eyes widening in mock outrage. Slapping Chanyeol in the shoulder, he tsks. “How dare you. You should be—oh, oh! I forgot to ask. How did the date with Jongin go?”

It’s such a sudden change in topic, Chanyeol blinks. He wasn’t expecting to be interrogated today. Baekhyun continues to push him in the shoulder, wagging his eyebrows in a way that’s almost obscene.

“How’d it go? He’s great huh?” Baekhyun’s grin is lecherous, nudging Chanyeol hard.

“Nothing happened,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes with a chuckle. Jongin, man, he had nearly forgotten all about the omega.

“What do you mean nothing happened?” The short alpha groans and he hits Chanyeol this time.

“Ouch, what the fuck.” Chanyeol jumps, soothing the pain in his arm. Baekhyun doesn’t look nearly as apologetic as he should and the tall man elbows him back.

“What do you mean nothing happened?” Baekhyun asks again, turning to face Chanyeol. He pushes his spindly legs up on the couch, arms wrapping around the limbs and looking like a cute alpha burrito. “He was so into you.”

“I guess I wasn’t really into him,” Chanyeol shrugs, coolly. Baekhyun sends him a disappointed glance, resting his head on the beta’s shoulder.

A sigh. “I’ll find you someone good soon.”

“Funny you’re saying that,” Chanyeol ignores the lump in his throat. Baekhyun is lying on him after all. “I mean, I’m surprised you’re staying with Tao.”

Which really is a big thing. Baekhyun never stays with just one person. Never. That’s why Chanyeol’s been so mopey.

“We’re just casual,” Baekhyun instantly brushes off, waving his hand in the air to highlight just how temporary they are. His cheek digs deep into Chanyeol’s shoulder and the beta can smell the strange mix of alpha and omega scent flowing off him. “Besides, you’re the type that likes to stay with someone. I’ll find someone you like, don’t worry.”

He says it with such conviction in his tone, Chanyeol bites his lip. It’s not a bad idea, it may actually distract Chanyeol from his Baekhyun-feelings. Except, how would a new partner think of Chanyeol having a dom. Because he has one now, there’s no doubt about it. D.O feels like a true miracle in Chanyeol’s life of bland—kind, thoughtful, thorough, in control, kind. God, was he kind. He’s booked another appointment for next Wednesday. 

For the rest of the week, Baekhyun makes it his mission to find someone for Chanyeol. He stays huddled on the couch, on his phone, swiping left and right—mostly left. It takes Chanyeol walking past this sight nearly three times until he realises just how suspicious it is.

“Did you make a Tinder account for me?!” He steals the phone from Baekhyun’s hand, holding it above his head when the alpha reaches for it.

“I don’t know?” Baekhyun responds instantly, deflating when Chanyeol sends him a look. “Maybe?”

“Who the heck are you swiping for anyway?” Chanyeol squints at the phone. There’s a picture of this man, Hyunjoon, 26, beta, not very handsome. “What does superlike mean?”

“You’re only given one superlike for the day, so that means that person really likes you.” 

Huh. Hyunjoon may not be very handsome but that’s nice, Chanyeol guesses. A thread of glee runs through him at the thought of someone thinking he’s handsome. He swipes right. Hi Hyunjoon.

“What is this bio? A beta who’s about to make your life better. What the hell is this shit?” Chanyeol scrolls through his profile. The selfies Baekhyun had chosen aren’t too bad. Cute enough to pull at least a few people, he thinks. It really worked on that Hyunjoon guy after all.

“I thought it was smart,” Baekhyun grumbles but Chanyeol’s attention is swept away by the app. “You have a few matches by the way.”

Moving back to the couch, Chanyeol sits on the soft cushion. Baekhyun instantly snuggles up next to him, tapping on the screen.

“Here,” he gestures towards the five new conversations that Chanyeol’s able to engage in. “This Jongdae guy is really cute. An omega! Look at his smile. I’m kinda jealous.”

Chanyeol squints at the screen, eyes locked on the profile. Baekhyun wasn’t wrong, he is cute. Really cute actually, he thinks as he swipes through a few photos. That smile is gorgeous. But for some reason, Chanyeol can’t help but think he’s seen him before.

“Talk to him.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, taking the phone out of the tall man’s hands. “Useless.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Chanyeol replies helplessly. The swiping thing is okay, but actual talking?

“Here. ‘Hey, how are you going?’ Done. Too easy,” Baekhyun flicks the phone back and Chanyeol struggles to catch it.

“You take it, please. I have no idea what to say.” And he doesn’t. Especially not to pretty smile Jongdae.

“Look he replied! ‘Hey’, aww he said hey back,” Baekhyun smiles wide, staring at the screen for a second longer. Then, he frowns. “Wait, do you know this guy?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol looks over the screen.

Surprised to see you on here. Lol.

Your selfies are almost as cute as you in real life.

I like your V pose.

“You know him?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. Did he go to school with a Jongdae? From work? Gym? His face did look familiar, especially his lips. That smile. Really familiar.

The phone buzzes again and Chanyeol’s eyes run wide when he reads the message.

How was D.O last time? I hope he wasn’t too rough. He’s usually a dear though. 

“D.O? Who’s D.O?” Baekhyun frowns just as Chanyeol rips the phone from the alpha’s hand. He hits the home button instantly, deleting the app just as fast. “What the hell?”

“I don’t like Tinder…” Chanyeol mutters, palms turning clammy. Fuck, that was close. Too close. Jongdae… he was… he is… Chen. The submissive by the entrance of Growl. Suho’s sub. No wonder those lips were familiar. The rest of his face is usually covered by that mask, the one with the pointy spikes on the top.

“Who was that? Who’s D.O? What’s rough?” Baekhyun continues to frown, poking Chanyeol in the arm when the other doesn’t reply. “Oi. Answer me.”

“Just some friends,” Chanyeol coughs, looking away. Think. Think. “D.O’s my, um, personal instructor. At the gym. Jongdae was just asking if he was pushing me too hard. You know? Too many weights. Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t you recognise Jongdae at first?” Baekhyun’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

Uh, um, uhhh.

“He doesn’t look that cutesy in real life,” Chanyeol quickly changes the subject. “Hey, why were all the people betas and omegas? Where were the alphas?”

He was wondering where all the alpha were as he swiped across. It swapped between omega and beta at a very consistent rate, no alpha daring to slip through.

“Alpha?” Baekhyun sounds surprised, and Chanyeol turns to face his friend. The man is sitting on the side of the couch, arms wrapped around his legs as usual. “You like… alphas?”

“Uh, yes?” Chanyeol sends his friend a look. What is Baekhyun talking about? “I’ve liked alphas my whole life.”

One alpha in specific. But who’s talking about the specifics?

“What the hell?” Baekhyun frowns, shaking his head. “I thought… I thought you just liked betas and omegas. I didn’t realise you liked alphas.”

Chanyeol crosses his eyebrows, shaking his head. He’s pretty sure they’ve had this talk. 1^st year of college, after a few shots. Baekhyun’s reaction surprises him though. The alpha looks sufficiently stunned, like he had never even considered this a possibility. Which is dumb because he’s Chanyeol’s best friend. His roommate. Really shows how little Chanyeol brings people home.

He can’t stop thinking about Baekhyun’s shock, his surprise, for the rest of the day. The man had looked so staggered, so out of it. Did Baekhyun finally realise that Chanyeol was an option? Maybe, maybe, he liked Chanyeol. He had a crush on Chanyeol but pushed it aside because he thought the beta didn’t like alphas.

What an idea. 

When they eat dinner, Chanyeol looks for any hint that Baekhyun’s finally pulling the moves. He had seemed pretty shocked when the whole ‘Chanyeol reveal’ happened, but since then, nothing really has changed. They watch a movie, Baekhyun sits on the right side of the couch and plants his feet in Chanyeol’s lap. Average stuff.

The next day, he wakes up hopeful. Maybe Baekhyun will reveal his feelings today.

He doesn’t.

The next day after that. He doesn’t again.

A few more days pass and Chanyeol starts to lose hope. He’s being unrealistic. Baekhyun was just shocked Chanyeol liked alphas because, well, he didn’t know that about his best friend. Not because he likes Chanyeol. Not because he loves Chanyeol.

It all comes to a head when Baekhyun stops him on Wednesday, just as he’s about to go to work.

“Hey, I have this alpha friend…”

“Huh?” Chanyeol turns, heart in his throat. He hopes this isn’t going where he thinks it’s going.

Baekhyun raises his head, smile on his face. “He’s cute. I think you’d like him.”

“Baekhyun…” Chanyeol says, mouth wide, open and heart yearning. This hurts, this hurts. Baekhyun doesn’t like him at all. He was just being unrealistic. Baekhyun instead wants to pawn him off to his alpha friend. Fuck. Fuck.

“What?” Baekhyun frowns, seeming to notice Chanyeol’s hurt expression. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Chanyeol begins, before he quickly closes his mouth. Clenching his fist, he lets out a deep breath. “I’m late for work.”

The last thing he sees is Baekhyun’s confused expression, and he closes his eyes. One day of work and then he’ll see D.O tonight.