Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yixing was a romantic; there was no doubt about that. He lived life wearing rose tinted glasses and saw the beauty in everything. He loved flowers and baking and dancing and cuddles. 

Okay, he especially loved cuddles, which is why he would never complain when he'd wake up drowning in sweat because he was wedged between his eight clingy omegas. 

That's right. 

Eight. 

An alpha having a whole pack of omegas to himself was an outdated concept; it was far more common nowadays to just have one who you would devote your entire life to, who you would mark as your own. 

But not Yixing. It wasn't because he was prejudiced towards omegas and thought they were only there to serve an alpha, and that he deserved more than one because omegas were disposable anyway. 

No, it was because he was a romantic. So much so that he could easily stretch his love beyond more than one person; to eight, in fact. 

He may be finding it hard to drift back off as the body heat radiating from his pack made the clothes he wished he hadn't fallen asleep in ever more uncomfortable, and he may be finding it difficult to breathe due to the fact Jongdae was essentially on top of him. But he was happy. He wouldn't change this for the world. 

He let his eyes flutter back shut, immersing himself in the warmth of the people he loved more than anything before he heard a soft groaning beside him. 

"Xing?"

"Yeah, Angel?"

"You awake?"

"Sort of." He chuckled lowly, trying to turn onto his side to look at Junmyeon. Easier said than done. 

He could feel the elder wriggling beside him, as if he was trying to sit up, followed by a soft whine and a thud as he gave up, flopping back down on the bed. 

"I need to get up for work but Baek is like a fucking leech."

Yixing smiled to himself, craning his neck so he could just about make out Baekhyun wrapped around Junmyeon, head buried in the crook of the brunettes neck.  

"Guess you'll have to stay and cuddle with us a bit longer."

Something in Yixing's stomach fluttered as Junmyeon sighed in defeat before snuggling into him. 

Junmyeon was his everything. His first love. 

"Yixing, if you don't get at least a C by July we're going to have to hold you back a year."

Yixing's stomach dropped as his biology teacher spoke, expression unchanging as she shuffled through a stack of papers. He couldn't be held back; he was so close to entering his last year and then being done with this shit for good. He was doing perfectly fine in all of his other subjects. Surely they couldn't hold him back just because of a couple of cells or whatever. It wasn't that important. 

"We're going to set you up with a tutor."

Yixing groaned internally. That sounded like hell. More biology? Part of him would rather just fail than have a tutor. 

But, thankfully he went along with it. He may have hated the idea of having to do extra biology, but he got so much more than just a decent grade. 

He got Junmyeon. 

It may have been ten years since they first met, but as cheesy as it sounded, he remembered it like it was yesterday. 

He remembered spinning around on his computer chair as the doorbell rang; sighing dramatically because he knew that meant he was in for two whole hours of soul destroying science. 

He remembered groaning as his mother came up the stairs, only days before his seventeenth birthday, announcing his new tutor was here, not wanting to turn around because then it would be real and he'd actually have to go through with this when he would much rather be playing guitar or masturbating or even dusting the entire house from top to bottom because that's how much he hated biology. 

But his mind soon changed when he eventually did turn around, because that's when he set eyes on the most beautiful boy he'd ever seen. 

That's when biology got a little more interesting. 

"Hi! I'm Junmyeon!" 

Yixing just gaped in reply as the boy settled down next to him, placing his books down on the younger's desk. Yixing had never seen anyone with such flawless skin. Junmyeon was fair, so fair he practically glowed and he had impeccable bone structure. Yixing wasn't even aware that people could look like this. Like, real people. 

"Hello?"

Yixing hadn't even realised he'd been staring until Junmyeon waved his hand in front of his face. He flushed, throat clearing as he shuffled around a couple of pens on his desk, looking anywhere but at the fucking god of a boy next to him. Holy fuck. 

"Okay, so! Let's start with the fun stuff!"

Yixing quirked an eyebrow. Fun stuff? What was fun about biology?

"Reproduction!"

Yixing smiled to himself, brushing some of Junmyeon's hair out of his eyes. It didn't take much convincing for him to stay in bed a little longer instead of getting up for work. It's not like he had to be up so early, anyway, he was the manager of his own cafe, he didn't even have to turn up if he didn't want to. Yixing would actually rather he didn't, he'd be going into heat any day now, and Junmyeon's cycle was usually pretty accurate. He needed all the rest he could get. 

He had fallen for Junmyeon within weeks, but had been way too scared to say anything. He may be a hopeless romantic, but that didn't mean he was some kind of Lothario. He had never really been in a relationship before that and he was fairly sure Junmyeon was way out of his league. 

Plus, he still didn't even know his status yet, so how was he meant to court Junmyeon? 

"You're just a late bloomer, sweetie. It's not that big of a deal." Is what his mother would tell him over and over. But it did matter. 

He didn't even have an inkling to what he may be. He had a quiet nature, was fairly reserved but had absolutely no problem with taking charge if needs be. Okay, realistically, he probably wasn't going to be an alpha. He didn't come from a long line of alphas. His family was pretty well off but they weren't exactly prestigious and he, well...he wasn't too sure he'd even like it. 

Then there were omegas. He had nothing against them, didn't see them as second class citizens unlike a lot of people did, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be one. Though, he had a feeling that would end up being the case. Everyone said he seemed like an omega, but he knew the consequences that came with that. Plus, he wanted to be an actor. He wanted to be on screen and be cast in roles for huge movies and TV shows with a cult following and that just wouldn't happen if he turned out to be an omega. 

Maybe being a beta would suit him just fine. 

But that didn't seem to matter to Junmyeon. He was an omega, a headstrong omega that wasn't into tradition at all. He didn't buy into the whole 'every omega needs an alpha' bullshit. If he fell for a beta or even another omega, then so be it. He refused to be a slave to his status. Who he ended up with was going to be his decision. 

Which is why he and Yixing ended up together regardless of the fact the younger didn't know his status yet. Junmyeon actually preferred it that way, there was no hierarchy he was supposed to conform to, they were just like...a normal couple. Like two betas. 

Until Junmyeon had his first heat. 

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Junmyeon was sat bolt upright, eyes hyper focused on nothing. He felt...weird. Hot. The air was thick, humid, as if it was the height of summer, not February. He hoped he didn't have flu or something, he had exams coming up. 

"You're, like...sweating. Do you have a fever?"

Junmyeon suppressed a whine as Yixing placed the back of his hand on his forehead, skin burning at the touch. He let himself lean into it, eyes fluttering shut. Why the fuck did that feel so good? But so...frustrating at the same time. Like he needed to rip his clothes off because his bedroom was like a furnace and Yixing definitely wasn't helping the situation but he just needed him closer. Like, way closer. Maybe naked and rubbing up against him or- 

Fuck. 

Yixing's eyes snapped open as Junmyeon whimpered, a noise he had never heard his boyfriend make before. 

"Junma-"

"I think I'm in heat!" Junmyeon blurted out, eyes glassy as they locked on Yixing's. "I- I'm really-"

Yixing's lips formed a small 'o' as he finally caught on. No wonder Junmyeon looked so on edge. Yixing couldn't self-lubricate - not yet knowing whether he was an omega or not - but he imagined sitting in your own slick being pretty uncomfortable. 

"D-do you want me to help or- or just go or-?" Yixing didn't really know what to do in this situation; it was something they'd never talked about. Maybe Junmyeon had his own plans to deal with this alone. 

"No! Please-" Junmyeon squirmed; face heating up - if it was possible for him to get any hotter. This was so fucking embarrassing. Why did this have to happen now? While Yixing was here? He probably looked a mess, and he was bound to look even more pathetic, because he couldn't cope with Yixing leaving. Not now. "Can you stay?"

"Of course."

So, he did. It was...hard. He didn't exactly have the stamina to keep up with an omega in heat, but he tried his best to look after Junmyeon and help him through it. 

"Fuck." Junmyeon exhaled, flopping down on the mattress. He felt completely...worn. Two full days of sex tended to take it out of you. 

Yixing felt exactly the same, practically melting into the pillows, and arm slung over Junmyeon's waist. Jesus Christ. That was...intense. He had no idea how Junmyeon still had the energy to keep his eyes open considering Yixing had to tap out for a vibrator between every orgasm of his own. His refractory period was no match for Junmyeon's libido. 

"Thank you." Junmyeon mumbled, grabbing Yixing's arm to wrap it around himself. He wasn't burning up anymore, just really sweaty and desperate for cuddles. 

"You don't have to thank me."

"I do, you- You're not even, like...fully matured yet and I asked you to-"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"No, I just-" Junmyeon sighed, his brain wasn't functioning properly. He needed to sleep. "Sorry, I'm tired."

"Junma, it's fine, seriously." Yixing nuzzled into the back of Junmyeon's neck, pulling him in closer, causing the elder to sigh contentedly. "You know I'd never just abandon you."

Junmyeon hummed, he knew that.

"It'll be different next time, anyway."

"How come?"

"You smell different." Junmyeon smiled to himself, settling back into Yixing's arms; where he felt safest. Maybe this had triggered something in his boyfriend. It was only faint, but Yixing definitely had an air about him. It was kind of like...the forest. Fresh, natural, a little woody. It was hard to explain, but it was definitely there. 

And he was definitely going to be an alpha. 

Turned out, Junmyeon was right. But, then again, Junmyeon was always right. 

Within weeks Yixing began to feel things he'd never felt; he was on edge, more irritable, he was picking up on the most subtle of scents; he could smell people now, and it was weird, he wasn't sure he liked it. 

Unless he was around Junmyeon. 

Holy fuck did he smell good. 

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Junmyeon chuckled, putting his laptop down, he couldn't exactly concentrate on his essay when Yixing was practically in his lap, nose buried in his neck. 

"You just smell really pretty." 

"I'm not even in heat."

"I can't wait until you are." Yixing mused. If Junmyeon smelled this good naturally, what was he going to smell like while in heat? He was getting turned on just thinking about it. "I'm gonna sniff you all day."

"You're so fucking weird."

Yixing loved Junmyeon. Well, he had known that within weeks of knowing the elder, but after learning his own status he managed to fall even further. 

Because Junmyeon was his omega. 

Now, Yixing had been raised to respect people regardless of their status, and he did. He hated those alphas - and betas - that would treat omegas like lesser beings, or even worse, like sex toys. He would never do that to Junmyeon. 

His boyfriend was strong willed and independent, and despite his reserved nature he was more than capable of standing up for himself. But when Junmyeon went to university he couldn't help but get a little possessive and he hated himself for it. 

When Yixing found out that he was an alpha he promised himself he wouldn't be one of those territorial alphas that controlled their omegas every move, that would rip the very throat out of anyone that looked at his omega. But it was in his nature to get a little jealous when he'd see Junmyeon for the first time in weeks and he'd smell slightly different - like someone else. 

He tried his hardest to repress those possessive spells, but the other scent was getting stronger and with the stress of exams and applying for university himself, he ended up snapping. 

"Who is he?"

Junmyeon blinked, a fry hanging out of his mouth as he tried to figure out just what the fuck Yixing was on about. He was fairly sure just seconds ago they were talking about their favourite McFlurry flavour. 

"Who's who?"

"Don't mess with me, Junmyeon; you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Junmyeon sighed, taking a long sip of his Fanta. He had been waiting for Yixing's possessive streak to start. 

"Are you accusing me of cheating on you?"

The fact Junmyeon was so calm about this was getting Yixing even more riled up, causing him to sigh deeply. He could smell someone else on his omega. What else was he supposed to think? 

"Well, are you?"

"Of course not! Jesus Christ, Yixing. Is that seriously what you think of me?"

Yixing shied away a little at Junmyeon's tone. It was pointed, and he wasn't used to it, nor did he like it. He felt like a puppy being chastised for chewing on the furniture. 

"W- No-"

"What? Because I'm a slutty omega who can't control himself? Do you seriously think I'm just going around campus spreading my legs for any alpha that looks twice at me?"

"Junmyeon that's not what I m-"

"Then what did you mean, Yixing?" Junmyeon's voice was starting to thin, but he wasn't going to cry. Because that's what omegas do. They're hormonal and emotional and he wasn't prepared to give in to those stereotypes. 

"It's just-" Yixing sighed. He hated this; fighting with Junmyeon. It wasn't often they argued, but when they did it was usually because he let his emotions get the better of him and said something stupid. "I can smell someone else on you."

Junmyeon quirked an eyebrow, arms folded across his chest. 

"Is that it?"

"Well...yeah, I mean- I don't think you'd do that but, I dunno I just got paranoid, I guess." 

Yixing sat back in his seat; he had definitely gone about this the wrong way. He should have voiced his concerns before it got to this point; before he exploded. 

"He's my roommate."

Yixing's eyes snapped up. Was Junmyeon admitting to-?

"That's who you can smell. I live with him, Xing."

No. Of course he wasn't admitting to anything - because Junmyeon would never do that to him. 

He was just being stupid. 

"I'm sorry." Yixing's voice was small; fingers playing with the carton his fries came in, ripping it to shreds. "I just...It's hard being apart. I miss you."

Junmyeon smiled sadly. He knew Yixing was just stressed; his boyfriend was the softest, most liberal alpha he could ask for. And he was right; things had been more difficult between the two of them ever since Junmyeon went to university, a whole three hour drive away. With their busy schedules it wasn't that easy to see each other. 

"I know, I miss you too." Junmyeon reached across to take Yixing's hand in his own, reassuring his boyfriend that everything was okay and to stop him making such a mess. "It won't be long until we'll be back together, though. Right? Next year you'll be at uni too."

But that felt like forever when the love of your life was across the other end of the country; enjoying himself and making new friends while you were still stuck at school. If he had been born only two months earlier he and Junmyeon would have been in the same year and could have gone to university together. But no, Yixing was never that lucky. 

'Only a few months.' He told himself over and over as he made the 200 mile trip to Junmyeon's dorm. It wouldn't be that long until they were driving down together, all of Yixing's belongings in the back of the car ready to move into a dorm room of his own. Maybe he'd just skip the whole dorm thing; he wasn't that bothered about the whole authentic university experience anyway, he would rather rent a place with Junmyeon. 

Just the two of them. 

That was a thought that re-entered his mind as soon as he stepped inside Junmyeon's room, an unwelcome but familiar smoky scent hitting him like a brick wall. 

He tried to calm himself down, slow his breathing. It had been ages since he and Junmyeon had that argument in McDonald's, of all places. And they had been doing really well, even with the distance, so he wasn't about to ruin things by getting all jealous and possessive and accusing Junmyeon of cheating on him again. 

He was sure he'd be able to make it through the weekend without ripping this other guy's face off. Why the fuck would they even room an alpha with an omega unless they were mated? Surely there were rules against that. 

"Oh my god! You must be Yixing!"

Yixing flinched as a shrieking rang around the room, distracting him from the movie he and Junmyeon were watching. 

A tiny boy with cotton candy hair and a loud mouth was by his side in seconds, grinning up at him as he babbled on about how great it was to finally meet him. Who the fuck was this? 

Then the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when that thick scent overtook his senses. It was like...burning wood, like a bonfire or something. Was this-

"This is Baekhyun, my roommate."

That was the roommate? This...definitely wasn't what Yixing had been expecting. 

"I can't believe you finally brought him over!" Baekhyun jumped out of his seat to settle down behind Junmyeon, arms wrapping around the elder. Yixing had to stifle a low growl in the back of his throat. Well, that explained why Junmyeon always smelled so strongly of this Baekhyun. They seemed close...really close. 

Yixing wasn't sure how to feel about this. He really didn't want to be one of those alphas. But Junmyeon was his boyfriend, his everything. It made him feel a little uneasy seeing him so touchy-feely with someone else. 

"Junmyeon literally never stops talking about you." 

"Baek!"

"What? It's true! You're fucking in love with him!" 

Yixing had zoned out, eyes locked on the arms wrapped around his boyfriend, but...did Baekhyun really just say that? Did Junmyeon seriously talk about him that much?

"R-really?" He felt his face heat up as his eyes travelled from Junmyeon's waist up to his eyes, lips quirking as he realised his boyfriend was just as flushed. 

"Jesus, yes! It's always 'Yixing this' and 'Oh my god, Yixing is so cute' and then at night it's 'Oh fuck! Yixing! Harder!'"

Junmyeon's jaw dropped, turning to his best friend with a scandalised look on his face. As if he just said that. 

Yixing just laughed, throwing his head back at how violated his boyfriend looked, clearly unaware of how loud he was. 

That's when Yixing began to warm up to Baekhyun, when he realised he wasn't a threat at all. He was just a loud mouth with no verbal barrier that Junmyeon seemed to get on with really well. He couldn't ruin that. He wasn't going to take Junmyeon's friends away from him. 

"I felt weird about you rooming with an alpha, but Baekhyun doesn't seem all that bad." Yixing mused one morning as Junmyeon lay in his chest, neither of them ready to get out of bed just yet. 

Junmyeon's eyebrows furrowed, tilting his head so he could look up at his boyfriend. 

"Alpha?"

"Yeah. I found it kinda weird that they'd even let you room together but h-"

Yixing didn't even get to finish his sentence before Junmyeon burst out laughing. He just blinked. What was so funny? He was trying to be nice here. 

"Baekhyun's an omega!"

He's a- What? 

"What made you think he was an alpha?"

Yixing's head hurt. Partially because Junmyeon's cackle tended to go straight through him, but mainly because he was really fucking confused. 

Okay, so, Baekhyun didn't exactly look like an alpha or act like an alpha...but he smelled like an alpha. Right? Like...Yixing wasn't exactly an expert when it came to defining people's scents, he was still learning. But surely, with a scent like that Baekhyun was an alpha. 

"He...smells like one."

Junmyeon's eyebrows furrowed even further. 

"Not all omegas smell like honey and lavender, you know."

"Huh. Really?"

"You're such a naive little baby." Junmyeon pinched Yixing's cheek, making the dark-haired boy scrunch his nose up. 

"I'm only five months younger than you. I'm not a baby."

"You are." Junmyeon settled back down on Yixing's chest, arms wrapping around his waist. "You're my baby, though." 

"Juuuuuuuun!"

Yixing forced his eyes back open as a whine came from his left. He hadn't even realised he'd fallen back asleep, but he had regained the feeling in his arm, meaning someone had moved. 

"Don't go yet!" 

He could practically hear the pout in Baekhyun's voice as he peeled himself from the bed, arms looping around Junmyeon's waist to try and coax the elder into re-joining their little cuddle pile. 

Junmyeon and Baekhyun had always been close. It was cute, honestly. 

Baekhyun was surprisingly smart. Yixing wasn't saying that to sound mean, it's just...well, he hid it well. Baekhyun was one of those really intelligent people with absolutely no common sense. And Yixing found it adorable. 

The more he went to visit Junmyeon at university, the closer he got to Baekhyun. He learnt that actually, Baekhyun was a little younger than him and that they should both be finishing high school soon, but Baekhyun graduated early thanks to his impeccable test results. 

Not only did he begin to like Baekhyun, he began to admire him. He had never known anyone be so hard working but still manage to be the life and soul of the party. He managed to be a total nerd and one of the popular kids at the same time, all while being an omega. Yixing was pretty sure that was unheard of. 

"I think it's cause I don't smell like strawberries or whatever." Baekhyun smirked one night when the two of them were up drinking, long after Junmyeon had passed out. He never could hold his liquor. "People feel more comfortable around omegas that don't come across like omegas. It's shitty, but that's life I guess." 

"That is shitty."

"Yeah." Baekhyun shuffled on the sofa so he was facing Yixing, looking up through his lashes, eyes heavy from a night of drinking. "That's why I like alphas like you. You don't give a fuck what I am. You like me for me."

Something about the way Baekhyun spoke made Yixing's heart rate triple and stomach churn. A feeling that was all too familiar. 

Holy fuck. 

He had a crush on Junmyeon's best friend.