Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

February 3rd, 20¿?

After a long time trying to convince my father, he agreed to send me to the high school I wanted — Anakt.
'I’ll finally be far away from Urak.'

Happy with my decision, I start packing for the trip that lasts, two hours? Three? Never mind

— “Shirts, check. Pants, check… glasses, laptop, charger, headphones… everything’s here... hmm”

— “I still feel like something’s missing… Ah!”

I remembered what was missing like the ringing of a bell. 'The suppressants', I thought.
Sometimes I forget I’m an omega, since I spend all day locked in my room or in the studio—

Knock, knock.

While I was lost in thought, still packing, someone knocked on the door.

— “Till?” she says, cracking the door open. “Do you have a moment?”

My mom asks softly, her voice gentle…
Sometimes I wish I’d been born with her voice too — maybe then people would actually listen to me, and then...

— “Come in,” I say with a smile.

The door opens fully and in walks my mother, with her kind appearance.

— “Do you know where the suppressants are? I couldn’t find them.” I ask her, but… she just looks at me. 'Am I having a bed hair or something?'.

She keeps staring at me until a look of realization appears on her delicate face.

— “Till, sweetheart, are you packing your bag?” She speaks while scanning the room for my response.

— “Did you forget anything?” There’s a hint of certainty in her voice as she steps closer, holding out a small bottle toward me.

— “Oh.”

My mouth forms an O shape when I see what it is — 'the suppressants.'

— “Uh-huh.” She lets out a soft laugh at my expression.

— “I found them in your studio. I couldn’t let you leave without them.”

—"..."

—"..."

— “I’ll miss you, my little one,” she says, her face starting to break as she pulls me into a hug.

— “Me too, Mom,” hugging her back.

It’s hard — thinking about leaving home after all these years and being far from my mother. But I don’t regret it, because I know Urak would never hurt her. I’ve always been his only punching bag... and even though it hurts to say, maybe it’s better this way.

— “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll visit you whenever I can,” I promise with a smile.

— “Take care, sweetheart. Stay in touch,” she says, making me promise with our pinkies.“I promise”.

*‐‐‐‐‐‐ ♡ -----*

The flight to the high school is long — very long — and since there’s nothing else to do, I start sketching.
[...]
Hours pass, and I notice someone staring at me. Or rather, watching me draw very closely from the seat beside me.
I glance to my right and ask:

— “Excuse me…” I say, scratching my neck. “Do you need something?” My voice carries a hint of uncertainty, and I feel a drop of sweat sliding down.

The man in question shifts his attention from my drawings and looks me in the eyes.
— “Sorry, it’s just... that’s the only entertainment around here.”

— “...”

He lets out a dry chuckle. — “Forgive me for the bother. Let me introduce myself — my name is Isaac, I’m 18, a beta, and I’m currently on my way to Anakt high.”

He says all of that with a comforting smile, but there’s one detail that caught me by surprise.

— “You’re going to Anakt high?! Tell me what it’s like! I’m starting this year and I’m kinda nervous!”

Only after I finished speaking did I realize I was on a plane — a very public place — and I had basically yelled.
I instantly felt the embarrassment sink in as my face burned.

— “Hahahih, no need to be embarrassed. If you want to know anything, just ask…”

— “Right... Sorry, my name’s Till,” I mumble awkwardly.

— “Nice to meet you Till! Beautiful name by the way”

— “Thanks.”

After that, we talked for the rest of the flight.
He told me that his brother and two of his friends are also going to the high school and that they’re waiting for him at the airport so they can go to the welcome ceremony together.

He was really kind, answering all of my questions, so I made sure to return that kindness by asking about him too.

He complimented my “kind of dark” style and said his friend shares the same taste in music — and she sings too.
First day and I’ve already made a friend. I’m excited for the rest of the year!

*‐‐‐‐‐‐ ♡ -----*

When we arrived, there were three people waiting with signs that had Isaac’s name on them. 'I guess those are his friends'.

— “Isaac! Finally! I was so tired of waiting for you!”
The brunette says as she runs up to hug him.

— “Whoa! Hahaa, I missed you too, Hyuna,” he replies, returning the hug.

— “Don’t forget about me, bro!!!” The blond follows right after the brunette, doing the exact same thing.

'So they’ve got that cool vibe on the outside… but they’re total goofballs on the inside. Hehe, kinda funny' I think.

In the corner, a guy with a similar appearance to Isaac 'must be his brother' walks toward me with a smile.

— “Hi, my name’s Jacob,” he says, waving at me.

— “Uh... hi.”
Almost a whisper. 'So embarrassing… 16 years old and I still have the shyness of a little kid' Till thinks, as his cheeks turn slightly pink.

Seeing this, Isaac steps away from the group hug with his two friends and wraps his left arm around Till’s neck.

— “Guys, this is Till. I met him on the way here. He’s going to study at Anakt with us.” Then he looks at Till and gestures toward each of them, introducing them one by one.

— “This is Jacob, my older brother,” he says, pointing to the man with brown hair and eyes, wearing a hoodie.
Jacob waves at me again. — “This is the idiot, Dewey — my childhood and lifelong friend,” he adds, nodding toward the guy with bleached blond hair and brown roots.
—"Helloooo" Dewey greets excitedly. — “And this is Hyuna — the one I told you about,” the last one, a woman with gray eyes and brown hair.

—“Sorry I didn’t notice you earlier,” she says, then smiles.
“You’re so cute — how old are you cutie?”

Till’s face turns red at the compliment as he mumbles, “I’m not cute…”

— “I’m sixteen...” i say uncertainly.

— “You’re a junior!!!” Dewey exclaims, even more excited than before. “We’re gonna teach you everything!”

— “Hell yea!! Call me unnie and follow me~”
Hyuna says as she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the car for anakt.

They talk a lot. Since I’m not much of a talker, I got lost in most of the conversation.
The only ones I managed to speak with more comfortably were Isaac — and Jacob too, even if I was still a bit shy.

We kept going like that for the rest of the ride: questions flying around, compliments here and there, and so on.

And then… we finally arrived.
It was huge, breathtaking, and beautiful.
If I already got lost in my own house — which is a mansion — just imagine me in this place.

—“Wow,” I whisper, mouth slightly open as I stare at Anakt’s structure through the car window.

The others let out muffled laughs behind their hands, trying not to make it obvious they’re amused by my reaction.

—“I had the same reaction the first time I saw it,” Jacob comments as he drives toward the entrance.

—“We’re here,” Isaac says.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I hear Hyuna mutter, making Jacob chuckle.

*‐‐‐‐ ♡ ‐‐‐‐*

Hyuna and Dewey have been arguing about literally everything since we got out of the car. It’s funny to watch.
'Are they always like this? They were so calm on the way here.'

— “Okay, should we head to the opening ceremony? Or skip that part and go straight to the dorms?”

— “Idiot, we can’t go to the dorms until the ceremony is over.”

— “I’m not an idiot!”

— “Mhm, sure…” I say right after.

— “Tilli?! Are you taking Hyuna’s side?!”

— “It’s just… hard to defend you, buddy.”

— “You too, Isaac?! Jacob bro, please, tell me I’m not an idiot!”

— “…”

Jacob stays silent — and everyone bursts out laughing.

After we finish laughing, the principal asks everyone to be quiet so he can give a speech.

—"That’s my cue, bye guys."

—"Bye, Jacob!" we all say together.

Then Jacob leaves, and the principal begins the welcome speech.

'Well, I hope my high school life will be unforgettable... and that nothing goes wrong.'

Chapter Text

The speech lasted for two hours — fucking two hours. If they hadn’t put out chairs, I would’ve lost it.

The principal explained the school system and its rules. From what I understood, the dorms are separated for alphas, betas, and omegas; there’s a daily distribution of heat and rut suppressants; and scent patches are mandatory.

As for the school system, it works the same as other schools.

—"Till," Isaac calls me.

—"What?"

—"We’ll have to split up now. If you need us, just call me at this number," he says, handing me a small piece of paper.

I smile. "Thanks," I say, then glance around looking for the principal– but I don’t see him. He must’ve gone back to his office.

—"Hey, guys, can you show me the way to–" but when I look back, they’re already gone.

The place where they had been was dark, and I blink a few times to adjust to the lighting — they’re fast, I think. Swear I didn’t even hear footsteps.

Since they’re not here, I’ll have to find someone to help me, Till sighs, mustering some courage before starting to look around.

Isn’t that the student council president? I spot him in the far right corner of the hall — a blond boy with glasses, the one the principal introduced earlier as the president of the student council.

Till walks toward him, tail between his legs.

—"Excuse me..."

He turns to look at me, scanning me up and dawn.

—"How can I help you?" His voice is monotone, completely uninterested.

—"Could you show me the way to the principal’s office?" I ask, a bit anxious, sweat trailing down my forehead and neck, nervous.

He scans me again and says:

—"Of course, follow me," he says, gesturing with his hand for me to follow him.

*‐‐‐‐ ♡ ‐‐‐‐*

—"We’re here," he says, stopping and turning to me.

—"Mr. Song will probably assign you a guide to show you around the school... a beta, in your case."

I gave a slight bow as I said, "Thanks, enn." 'What was his name again?'

—"Luka. Call me Luka, that’s my name."

—"Thank you Luka," I said, giving him a small smile.

—"If you need me again, look for me in the conference room or in science and acting classes," he says before turning and walking back the way we came.

Luka walks away, finally giving my attention back to the principal’s office door. “Okay...” I whisper as I knock.

Knock, knock.

...

...

After a moment, a voice responds.

—"You may come in," says the principal — or, as Luka called him, Mr. Song.

I open the door slowly, nerves creeping in. "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Song."

He shakes his head. "Not at all, just chiling" Mr. Song tries to sound humorous. "It’s no bother. Go ahead with your question, kid."

'Kid'? "My name is Till, I’m new here."

—"and... I just wanted someone to show me around the school..." I explain, scratching the back of my neck.

There’s another brief moment of silence as Mr. Song examines my documents.

—"Well then, young man, since you’re an omega, I’ll assign a beta around your age to be your guide."

—"Alright."

—"Wait here while I find someone to be your guide," he says before leaving the room.

‐‐‐‐ ♡ ‐‐‐‐

The principal finally returns with a girl who looks very familiar… 'Wait, she looks like—'

—"Sua... SUA!?" 'It’s her! Does she remember me?'

With a surprised look, she softly says, "Till?"

Clapping his hands, Mr. Song says enthusiastically, "Looks like I don’t need to make introductions. Since you already know each other, Sua, I’ll leave the rest to you," and starts heading back to his office.

—"Sua! It’s so good to see you! We weren’t super close, but I’m really happy!" I say excitedly, a bit too loudly.

—"Till... I haven’t seen you in four years," she says, her eyes scanning me.

—"You changed your style... you seem a little less eccentric too," Sua says in her soft voice.

Looking at her, it hit me 'If she's here... then...' My eyes lit up at the thought.

—"Wait—if you're here, that means Mizi and Iva–"

—"Don't even think about it." she cut me off.

—"Yeah, Mizi's here. And that idiot Ivan too." she sighed, stopping herself mid-thought. "But a warning—Mizi is my girlfriend. So if you try anything with her, you won't get away with it."

Her tone grew more melancholic... and scarier toward the end of the threat.

— "NO, no. It's not like that!" I interrupted, before she could say more terrifying things. "I don't like Mizi anymore. She was just a childhood crush. I realized my feelings way before I left, I didn’t want anything, I had only ever admired her, haha."

— "..."

She studied my face, probably searching for any sign of a lie. 'I don't blame her.'

Once she seemed to reach a conclusion, her intimidating aura faded.

— "Well... good to know you've become a better version of yourself. Also, I like your emo style, HA." she said, starting to walk.

—"I won’t say a word to them, let it be a surprise."

—"that sounds fun" I replied, following her.

Chapter Text

After showing the gym, the classrooms, and other places, the last stop was the dormitories.

— "We’re done here," she concluded, crossing her arms. The two of them were standing in front of the dormitory doors

— "When you go inside, you’ll see at the reception a woman with short dark-blond hair. That’s Mrs. Siena. She’s the one in charge of the dormitory. She’ll give you your room’s access card."

— "Got it. Will I see you tomorrow?"

— "Probably, or maybe not. Either way, we’ll see each other at lunch break." She walked off with a smirk on her face. She turn and wave her hand "Bye-bye."

— "Bye."

Entering the reception, Till admired the richly detailed structure and its warm atmosphere. In front of him, at the center of the reception, stood a woman in her late 30s or early 40s, with short dark-blond hair, rummaging through documents.

'Mrs. Siena looks exactly like Sua described.'

— "Excuse me, Mrs. Siena?" I called, gaining her attention.

Mrs. Siena looked at Till for a few seconds, then returned her attention to the documents.

— "Your name?" she asked in a tired, heavy voice.

— "Till ------------------, 11th."

— "Here’s your card," she said, extending her right arm to hand over a white card with a three-digit number, 114. "Please fill out these papers," she added, pushing a sheet toward him.

After completing the personal informationf document, Mrs. Siena proceeded to explain the rules, gesturing for Till to listen.

— "The dormitory rules are simple. No loud noises; be back before 11 p.m.; and no alphas, doesn’t matter if they’re family or friends, No. Alphas. And obviously, no loud animals."

— "i can have an animal?"

— "No questions."

— "..."

She sighed. "Your room is on the third floor. Now, go away. Don’t bother me unless it’s a life-or-death situation." She waved her right hand for Till to leave already.

Arriving at his assigned room, Till open the window to let some air in and began organizing his new living space.

He started by placing Freddie, his guitar, near the desk, arranging his blanket and bed set on his new bed, and putting his clothes and other belongings in the wardrobe and bathroom. He decorated the room with LED lights and posters to give it a personal touch. When he finished, Till, exhausted from the long day, threw himself onto the bed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Beep-beep

Beep-beep

Beep-be‐

— "Arrg." Till turned off the alarm clock, still drowsy.

— "Shit, what time is it?" Mumble With half-open eyes, Till checked the time on his phone.

07:28 a.m.

'Seriously? I slept through the whole night? Didn’t even have dinner...'

Getting up, Till went straight to the wardrobe, and began to get dressed. Right after, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and put on some makeup, finishing about 15 minutes later.

— "Still got time to grab something to eat," he murmured, checking the time before leaving the room with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

'If I remember correctly, there’s a snack machine near the school entrance.'

When he arrived, there was a paper sign:

[Out of Order | Under Maintenance]

 

“Yep, no breakfast. Coming here was a waste of time" till he says looking at the time again.

7:58 Am

The first period was English. So Till walked to the classroom and slowly opened the door. The room was large and tidy, but still empty.

Inside, Till sat at the back corner near the windows, waiting for class to start while gazing out at the view.

8:00 a.m.

The bell rang, and seconds later a tsunami of boys and girls poured in, chatting openly.

As he laid his materials on the desk, Till flinched at the overwhelming scent of pheromones filling the room. The sharp mixture of joy, fatigue, and sadness made his senses jump.

His expression tightened, brows furrowed, lips pursed.

— "Shit," he muttered. 'Ugh, can’t they control themselves? Damn... I need to get out more...' he thought, finally glancing at his hands before covering his nose with one of them.

Entering the classroom, a figure with fair skin, black hair parted to the right side of his face, and black eyes, his upper left canine slightly protruding. His friends trailed close behind.

Taking a seat at the front of the room, Ivan looked around with familiarity, scanning for both new and old faces.

In a corner near the window, Ivan noticed a boy with ashy-gray hair, a slim build, his face partly hidden by the curtains swaying with the breeze from the open window.

‘He looks like—’

— "Ivan! If it isn’t our shooting star," said a boy with dirty-blond hair and violet eyes.

His train of thought was cut off by the voice of his friend.

— "Good to see you too, Marty," Ivan replied sarcastically.

Mizi and Sua entered last, their arms linked together as they chatted quietly. Taking a seat beside each other, they noticed Ivan and waved in his direction. Ivan returned the wave with a faint smile.

After the greetings, Ivan, Marty, and the rest of their teammates began chatting among themselves until the teacher arrived.

— "Silence," the teacher commanded in a deep voice.

— "Good morning. Call me Mr. D, I’m your English teacher," he said, sounding unenthusiastic.

Yawning, Mr. D asked each new student to stand and introduce themselves at the front of the class.

Ivan paid little attention to the introductions, not finding them important, and instead kept himself engaged in the conversation with Sua and Mizi.

After five students had introduced themselves, the gray-haired boy stood up.

— "Hello, my name is Till --------, but you can just call me Till," the ashy-haired boy said, his cheeks flushed pink with nervousness.

Meanwhile, Ivan’s expression shifted to shock—his eyes wide open, crimson flecks appearing in his pupils.

‘...’ His heart seemed to stop, only to resume beating even harder. He swallowed his breath as his pheromones began to leak uncontrollably.

— "Til—"

— "TILL!?" Mizi suddenly screamed, cutting Ivan off, just as shocked as he was.

Chapter Text

He was extremely nervous when the teacher said he’d have to introduce himself in front of the entire class, so he focused on calming down until it was finally his turn.

When the others finished, it was his time. On the outside, he looked only slightly uneasy, but on the inside, he was in full panic mode, trying his best to act normal.

‘Act normal, don’t blush! Straight face! Oh god, breathe!!’ Till tried, but ended up inhaling the heavy amount of pheromones filling the classroom. ‘Shit.’

— “uh....Hello, m-my name is Till -------, but you can just call me Till,” he said, his voice trembling.

And then came a high-pitched scream.

— "Till!!??”

The feminine shout came from the row near the door, and the class’s attention immediately turned to the flashy girl, Mizi.

Mizi, dressed in flashy clothes, her pink hair tied up in a ponytail, jumped up from her seat and ran toward the omega standing nervously at the front, looking a little surprised.

She leapt forward, throwing her arms around his slim waist and lifting him into the air.

— “Tilliii..! It’s been so long!” Her face pressed against his stomach, eyes shut with a silly smile as she spun him around in the middle of the classroom.

— “Mizi—...! Woooaah!!” Till began, but his words ended in a startled yelp.

The unexpected scene left the teacher and students stunned, a wave of whispers spreading throughout the classroom.

Sua stood up, walking toward the gray-haired boy and the pink-haired girl, striking up conversation as Mizi finally set Till back down.

— “Who is that?”

— “He’s talking to the Ice Queen.”

— “They seem like longtime friends.”

— “If so, I’ve never seen him in any of Mizi’s posts.”

— “Do you see that collar? He’s a male omega.”

— “Whoa, aren’t they rare?”

— “He’s cute.”

— “Do you think he’s singl—?”

Screeeesh—

The loud scrape of a chair being dragged across the floor echoed through the class.

At the center of it stood Ivan, hands gripping the desk, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, staring straight at Till. His pheromones seeped out in small amounts, still faint enough to go unnoticed by the others.

Till’s attention was drawn away from the girls by Ivan’s sudden movement. His eyes locked with the dark-haired alpha, who was gazing at him with a quiet, possessive intensity, as if he would devour him with just a look.

Sua walked over to him and smacked the back of his head, forcing him to break his focus on Till.

— “...w-?” Ivan managed to mutter, as if suddenly realizing what had just happened.

— “Are you okay, man?” Marty asked, raising a brow with a puzzled expression at his leader.

— “Cut it out, control yourself, idiot. Your pheromones are leaking, dumbass,” Sua hissed into his ear, her face clearly irritated.

Meanwhile, Mizi was clinging to Till’s left side as the two of them looked toward Ivan.

— "Un… i-it looks like Ivan is really surprised to see you, Till! Haha-he!" Mizi’s energetic tone returned, though her words came out a little tangled.

— "Ah!" A sound of realization escaped from Mizi.

— "Till, you haven’t even talked to Ivan yet! Come on!"

After saying that, Mizi pulled Till by the arm toward her girlfriend and her best friend.

As they got closer, Till scratched his cheek with his finger, analyzing the new appearance of his childhood friend.

‘He… he looks so… different…’ Ivan now seemed more mature, taller, and muscular. His bowl cut was gone replaced by a different style, his hair parted in the middle, with bangs falling toward the right side of his face. He wore a light gray shirt underneath a scarlet and white varsity jacket.

‘He’s so… hand- … he looks like a jock,’ Till thought, raising an eyebrow as he tried to ignore the strange, uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

— "Pff, wow," Till chuckled lightly. "You guys changed a lot. The hell, why are you so tall now? Ivan, now I’m the one who has to look up just to talk to you?"

Mizi, at his side, giggled softly at the gray-haired boy’s attempt at a joke.

— "Not gonna say anything, Ivan?" Sua asked with a small smirk.

On Ivan’s side, things weren’t going so well. His mind had gone completely blank the moment Till got close. He swallowed down his appearance and scent with hunger, taking in how much Till had changed, adopting a darker, edgier look.

Till was now wearing ripped black skinny jeans, a loose black shirt printed with ribs down to the hips, a punk bracelet on his left wrist, and on the other arm a black-and-white emo striped warmers.

snapping out of his second trance at the sound of his cousin’s voice, ivan his brain pausing to recall what had happened in the last few minutes.

Realizing that the three of them were waiting for his answer, Till staring at him intently.

— “Uh. Ah! Till! What a surprise, haha! It’s been so long, I don’t even know what to say, heh…” his eyes locked on the gray-haired boy’s, his expression shifting into playful provocation.

— “What’s with that look, huh?” Ivan said with a grin that reached his eyes, his sharp canine sticking out.

— “Black shirt with a skeleton? Heh, did you turn emo now? And so small too.” He leaned down slightly, resting one hand on his chin and the other on Till’s head, smirking.

Till, for his part, was scandalized, mouth agape and face bright red. ‘Th-this!! Son of a—!!’ A blushing mess thanks to the teasing.

— “I-I! You—!?.. you little..!!” Till grabbed Ivan’s shirt with both hands.

— “Ahem.”

The teacher, right behind Till, calling for the boys’ attention with a dry throat rinse.

— “It’s heartwarming to see old friends reunite and all, but I’ll have to ask you to stop and continue after my class,” Mr. D said in an irritated tone. “Now, sit down, please,” he finished, turning back to his desk.

And so, the four of them returned to their seats—Mizi next to Sua, Ivan with his friends, and Till in his little corner by the window.

They stayed like that for the rest of the class, chatting a little while moving between classrooms until recess at 11:35.

11:35 a.m.

Trimm-trimm~

The bell rang, cutting off the history teacher in the middle of her explanation. She paused for a moment, sighing. From the front of the classroom, by the board, she walked back toward her desk, watching the students buzzing with excitement.

As soon as she raised her hand and said, “Dismissed!” the boys and girls rushed out like a tsunami, the same way they had come in. The boys stormed out with shouts and laughter, while the girls walked out more calmly, chatting and gossiping along the way.

Till, however, waited for everyone to leave before heading out with the purpose to lunch with Mizi, Sua, and Ivan. But that wasn’t possible, since they had already left with the crowd.

Packing up his bag, he walked straight to the lockers, put his things away, and then headed to the cafeteria.

Tray in hand, Till looked down at his lunch, strogonoff with mashed potatoes and rice, his favorite.

'Looks like today’s my lucky day.' Till thinks, a little happy.

His train of thought was interrupted by a pink-haired girl, Mizi, waving at him enthusiastically and calling for him.

— “TILL! Come sit with us!” she shouted, pointing to the table where she and Sua were sitting.

Chapter Text

The room was filled with chatter, the clinking of plates, and the sound of cutlery.

— "Uaaa" she whines "sorry Till, I should’ve waited for you," Mizi said, pouting.

— "It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize."

Reassuring her, the three of them began to eat their lunch, sua eating small portions of eomuk and mizi taking a big portion of rice with the vegetables and meat from her Bibimbap. Till, for his part, adds pepper to his stroganoff, taking a spoonful of rice, mashed potatoes and stroganoff to eat. but just before taking a bite, Till realized something. 'Where’s Ivan?'

Looking around, it didn’t seem like he was coming.

— "Ivan isn’t going to eat with us?"

— "Pf— that idiot’s with his pack of alpha jerks," Curse muttered, glaring past Till.

Turning around, Till saw Ivan with about fifteen other guys, all muscular.

— "Ivan always gets busy when there are new students around. He’s probably explaining things and organizing the team," Mizi explained with a shrug.

— "Ever since he joined the rugby team, he’s been busy all the time. Luckily, it’s still the beginning of the year, so he’s got plenty of time before the real games."

Till kept watching the alpha. He’s more sociable now, surrounded by people different from the last time I saw him…he even plays rugby! something I would never have imagined. 

— "..."

Pulling his attention away from ivan, Till locked eyes with the alpha beside him, teal eyes met gray ones.

'His appearance feels familiar' was the first thought that crossed my mind. He was tall, with the same hair color and skin tone as Hyuna. Assuming so, he must be Hyunwoo, the senior’s twin brother.

Avoiding his eyes...

— "So… what exactly does he do on the rugby team?" the omega asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

— "That hardhead is the captain of the team, can you believe it?" 

— "He’s simply the best! I always get to see him leading the team up close since I’m one of the cheerleaders," she said enthusiastically, pointing to herself with a proud expression.

Mizi, then, immediately began to chatter, while Sua gazed at the alpha with a look full of adoration as the pink-haired beauty told the story of her first day at Anakt when she was thirteen, the small challenges she faced along the way, and more. Till listened closely to every detail, trying to fill in the gaps of everything he’d missed during the years he spent locked up at home.

Five minutes later ~

— "…It’s a fact that Ivan gets really annoyed by the amount of chocolate he receives every year! He always throws it away in secret," Mizi commented, waving her hands in the air randomly with her eyes closed.

Sua groaned beside her, reaching out to wipe a bit of rice stuck at the corner of her girlfriend’s mouth.

— "Mizi, baby, please, let’s change the subject. I can’t take hearing that idiot’s name anymore."

Mizi stared at her girlfriend, looking straight into her big, violet eyes.

— "Of course, my darling~♡♡!" she said with a wide smile, wrapping her arms around the beta and rubbing her cheek against hers, taking the chance to scent her with the warm fragrance of cinnamon and peaches.

The scene was undeniably cute, but Till couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. Not because of his old crush on Mizi, but because it was the first time he had ever witnessed such open affection between lovers.

— "He— uhum." Clearing his throat, Till quickly changed the subject.

— "So… do you two still like music as much as we did when we were kids?"

Mizi froze for a moment, then turned to the omega and exclaimed loudly, "Of course!"

A few students turned their heads toward their table at her sudden outburst.

— "I’m even part of the music club!" she said, grabbing her phone and showing him a video of herself singing.

— "I only joined the club because I love watching Mizi sing," Sua admitted, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Otherwise, I’d keep my voice just for her."

Her comment made the alpha beside her blush and let out a tiny giggle.

— "And what about you? Since you’re the one who brought it up, I’m guessing you’re still obsessed with music."

— "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I do. At 'home'… I even have my own studio," Till said proudly.

— "Woaa. Yo, do you still have your guitar?" Mizi asked, giving him a penetrating look of curiosity.

— "Freddy? Yeah, I still play him."

— "…You named your guitar?" the beta asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ignoring Sua, Till change the subject, again, asking about the school clubs instead.

It was during Sua’s rather unenthusiastic explanation that a loud noise suddenly echoed through the room, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Tum-pa!

The doors were flung open with force, and standing dramatically in the middle of them were three figures, Hyuna, Dewey, and Isaac…?

— "Make way! The queen of parties and her humble servants have arrived!"

The brunette, Hyuna, strutted in wearing sunglasses, followed closely by Dewey and Isaac, whon were both wearing identical sunglasses.

Many people, whether seated or standing, erupted into applause, whistles, and even a few howls.

— "Those three are the popular senior trio. They’re also part of the student council: Hyuna, Dewey, and Isaac," Mizi explained.

— "I like to call them: the cool but dumb girl, the clown, alsoo dumb, and the only sane one in the group… who’s still dumb," Sua commented with an innocent little smile, as if she hadn’t just completely roasted three people older than her.

— "I already know them," the omega said.

— "Eeeh? How???" Mizi asked, tilting her head.

— "On the way here, on the pla— ack!"

— "Look who we have here! Haha, the cute little emo!" Hyuna exclaimed as she suddenly hugged him from behind, having snuck up behind him, locking him in a suffocating chokehold around his neck.

— "Noona Hyuna!" She gasped.

— "Hello, little pinky, ice queen," Hyuna said, making a mock reverent bow toward Sua.

After greeting the alpha-beta pair, the brunette finally released her suffocating hug on the gray-haired boy and sat down to his left, resting her elbow on the table to prop up her head.

— "Um~ so, you guys became friends? What an interesting little group, pff-hahaha."

— "We already knew each other. Besides, it’s more surprising that you two know each other than us," Sua said coldly.

— "Well, I mean, I met Till through Isaac at the airport. They arrived on the same flight."

— "We’re childhood friends " Till added, explaining how he meets the girls.

Clapping her hands together dramatically, Mizi, as always, exclaimed loudly:

— "Wow, this has to be fate! You two are so alike!"

After some time, Dewey and Isaac finally returned carrying three plates of food, one for Hyuna and the other two for themselves.

From that point on, it was nonstop chatter, playful food stealing, and friendly bickering until the end of lunch time.

Till and the girls said their goodbyes to the others and began making their way to the next class.

On their way, the trio was approached by Ivan and two other boys, Hyunwoo and Marty.

— "Mizi! Sorry I couldn’t have lunch with you guys. I promise I’ll make it up to you, haha."

— "It’s no big deal. Everyone has their responsibilities… but I still want a strawberry ice cream!"

— "I want vanilla," the beta said firmly.

— "…Mint," Till added, hesitantly.

— "Hahaha!" Ivan laughed heartily.

The group resumed their walk to class, with the pink-haired alpha and the violet-eyed beta leading the way while the boys trailed behind.

Till and Ivan walked side by side, a quiet atmosphere settling between them.

— "…"

— "…"

— "Hi" the alpha suddenly said, catching the omega off guard.

— "Hi…?" Till replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

The black-haired alpha looked at him with a gaze full of affection and something unreadable, a soft, genuine smile forming on his face. The gray-haired omega felt his nerves spike, but his shoulders slowly relaxed simply by being next to him.

Marty and Hyunwoo exchanged a look of confusion and surprise from behind. They never would’ve imagined their leader falling in love, let alone making it so painfully obvious.

Even more so with the new student, an omega emo boy.

At the end of the day, everyone said their goodbyes and headed to their respective dorm rooms.

In his room, Till went straight to take a shower and brush his teeth, removing his makeup in the process. When he returned, he slipped into his pajamas and laid down on his bed.

Picking up his phone, he noticed a notification:

“Hyuna added you to the group 'Alien Beasts!'”.

Curious, he opened the chat and saw that Hyuna had added Mizi, Sua, Isaac, Dewey, Ivan, and… Luka?

—“Wait, Luka? The student council president??” till thought out loud.

Alien Beasts!

 

- Fiesta!🍻: "Hello everyone, welcome to the weirdos’ group! Hehe 👻"

- Fiesta!🍻: "Thanks, Mizi, for giving me the numbers I was missing."

- Pink Smiley 😊: "Anything for my favorite noona!"

- Fiesta!🍻: "Aww, how cute."

- Sassy Queen: "Why was Luka added here? 🙄"

- Blond Angel : "Exactly, why? I don’t have time for this."

- Fiesta!🍻: "If you want to leave, go ahead, love."

- Me:

"Your name doesn’t match your personality..."

- Big Bro Isaac: "For real."

- Pink Smiley 😊: "I’m sure he didn’t pick that name himself. He’s way too basic. He’d probably just put ‘Luka.’"

- Dumbass🍕: "It was Hyuna, kikirssrs."

- Sassy Queen: "That explains it."

- Blond Angel: "Does everyone hate me here?"

- Fiesta!🍻: "I don’t, honey!"

- Freak💋: "Wow, a group chat. Just to catch up — is this like, a Luka hate group?"

- Me:

"Something like that."

- Freak💋: "Okey."

- Pink Smiley 😊: "Guys, I’m going to sleep now. I’ve got practice early tomorrow."

- Me:

"Same, I’m already sleepy."

- Blond Angel : "Yee, got an early schedule too."

- Pink Smiley 😊: "Good night, everyone!"

- Me:

"Good night, Mizi. Good night, everyone."

After everyone finished saying their goodnights, Till plugged his phone in to charge and got comfortable under the blankets.

Feeling both exhausted and strangely content, he closed his eyes, letting the soft hum of the dorm settle around him.

Slowly, drowsiness took over, and Till drifted off to sleep, ready to face whatever awaited him in the morning.