Chapter Text
“It’s been three months already and many of us are still wondering what happened.” The news reporter on the TV filled the living room with noise. “The White Tiger Guild was once one of the five major guilds in South Korea but after a devastating Red Gate dungeon break back in May they went under. The only word to have come about the incident was Guildmaster Baek Yoon-Ho publicly apologizing to the families that lost loved ones before shutting down his guild. Many of us are questioning what actually happened while others are celebrating the end of one of the, subjectively, more dangerous guilds.”
“Turn it off.” Jinchul’s voice cut through the rest of the story. “You know it just makes you upset.”
“It does not,” Yoon-Ho lied while doing as ordered. The TV went dark before he set the remote on the coffee table. He ignored the tremble of his left hand to grab the old DS instead.
“Are you gonna be alright here?” The question came with his mate stepping towards the couch. “With just Miho?”
It wasn’t an unexpected question. Yoon-Ho had made the decision to stay at home instead of joining a different guild to take care of their daughter while Jinchul went back to work. Not that he would have been much help in a raid with his arm the way it was. Even with a hunter’s healing ability and physical therapy he had trouble using his left arm for more than basic activities. He could do things around the house with it but he knew it was useless in a dungeon now.
“We’ll be fine,” he replied, rising from the couch enough to give Jinchul a kiss. “Go to work, sweetheart.”
“Text me later, okay?”
“Of course.”
There was a touch of hesitance in the way Jinchul put a kiss on his cheek and lingered there. Lips on the scar that started on his left cheek and cut his face in half to his right ear. Yoon-Ho hated the sight of it but his mate told him that it was hot when he got caught up on it. He would rather not see any of the scars put upon his skin from that Red Gate but they were always there when he showered or changed clothes. There was no escaping what happened.
It haunted his every step. From the moment he woke up from the nightmares to take care of Miho in the middle of the night to when he went to bed the next night. He tried so hard to keep it from affecting Jinchul and their daughter but he knew it was a failing job. His nightmares woke Miho in the night and Jinchul would constantly watch him with worry when he was home. It wasn’t fair on his family but he didn’t know how to fix it. Not when he could barely leave the house without feeling like he was about to be shot or something for simply existing.
He knew he was stressing his mate out. They hadn’t been able to share the same bed since he came back from the Red Gate and had already spent an entire cycle apart because of it. Yoon-Ho wanted to be able to be what Jinchul needed but he could barely find himself most days. He would get through taking care of Miho and the house while Jinchul was at work with his mind clocked out. Like he simply shut down to autopilot the moment he was alone. It all came back when the front door opened to bring back his mate and turned him back into a person. And he knew it wasn’t missed by the Omega but nothing had been said about it.
Day after day he would find himself going through the motions. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like he got out of the Red Gate alive. That he was still chained to that pole and forced to watch his hunters be pitted against each other for sport and entertainment. That the chainlink scars around his left arm were raw wounds from the way he had torn his skin open from struggling so hard. That he was walking in an hallucination to get through the thick heat of the jungle and delirium of three months of beasts keeping him alive for their amusement and pleasure.
Then other days Miho would laugh at something and Jinchul would tug him into a playful kiss, and Yoon-Ho couldn’t believe he would ever think this was fake.
But he also knew this was real by the way his mate sat him down one evening at almost exactly the year mark of their last relationship talk. By the way Jinchul held his left hand and smoothed fingertips over the little scars on his knuckles while coming clean about lying to him back then. About how he was in love with Hunter Sung exactly like Yoon-Ho had always known. About how they had been dating behind his back for close to two years.
And he knew. He had always known. That what he and Jinchul had would mean more to him than it ever would his mate. That he was the second choice, that he was what was familiar, that their mating bond was nothing more than a way to fix a mistake. That their daughter was the only thing that was real between them.
The true blow that made it all settle in as more than his mind playing tricks on him was Jinchul asking if Hunter Sung could spend some time in their home with them. It hurt but Yoon-Ho couldn’t deny him anything. He loved him too much to do something like that.
It was a hazy day. Movement on autopilot as he took care of Miho - she was four months old now - and cleaned the house. Laundry was done and all of the dishes washed while she was napping. And when everything was clean, he dozed on the couch with her. This was how most days went. After taking care of the house, he slept with the baby until it was time for her to be awake again.
He had gotten pretty good at cooking with the baby. Held in his right arm when he didn’t trust his left to keep up. Even on his worst days he could do this through new muscle memory alone. Until the front door would open and Jinchul’s lavender broke through the haze to flip his mind awake to make him hyper-aware of what was happening around him. It was the introduction of something stronger than the usual scent of home that always cut through the fog.
What Yoon-Ho hadn’t expected - or quite remembered, truly - was for Jinchul to not be alone. That familiar curl of lavender flipped his mind awake like it always did then a wash of rain drowned everything else out. Reaching through that clarity to flip the switch back off at the humid reminder of the jungle. It was nearly instantaneous. He didn’t even look up from the stove or fully recognize that it happened at all.
“Hey, love.” Jinchul came up at his side and placed a kiss on their daughter’s head before leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Jinwoo’s here.”
“Mhm.”
“Do you want any help with dinner?” A cool hand traced down his left arm with familiar pressure put on his forearm. Fingers smoothing out the strained muscles that he never remembered to do. It had his hand clenching around the utensil he was holding. “Have you drank anything today? Eaten?”
“Mhm.”
The kiss pressed to his shoulder was barely felt through his long-sleeve. Jinchul murmured something before backing off. Hands trailed up his arm then disappeared, leaving him to carry on like he had been. Autopilot and muscle memory once more in full control.
Not being alone in the house wasn’t really noticed. Yoon-Ho finished dinner and set it out on the table like usual before getting Miho in the high chair. They were introducing her to food instead of just formula so he made sure there was some cool enough for her to touch without much thought to eat himself. He needed to make sure she was taken care just like his mate was. There was some pause at another person being there but he carried on what he had been doing with the inclusion of the other Alpha.
“I got her, love.” Jinchul swept in once Miho was done eating to clean her hands and face while he put the tray in the sink. “You should eat, I can do the dishes later.”
“I’m more than happy to help do them,” Hunter Sung offered while getting up from the table.
Yoon-Ho barely glanced at the man as he continued wiping off the tray. His mate had their daughter so he could get this clean and keep Jinchul from worrying about it. The familiar motion of how dinner ended wasn’t to be altered even with someone else in the house. They had a set routine and that’s what his fuzzy mind knew to follow.
“Yoon-Ho.” The call of his name had him humming. “Will you please eat something for me?”
“In a minute,” he replied offhandedly. He didn’t normally have a lot to say but Jinchul wanted him to do something. Those questions were always answered.
“I’d rather you eat now so you don’t forget.”
The gentle call out and request had him sighing and shutting off the water. It was so clear that he worried the Omega and he would rather not. He had enough on his shoulders with work. At no point did Jinchul need him to be a cause of stress during his day or night.
He backed off from the sink with a gentle flick of his mind waking up again at the change in routine. It had him groaning and rubbing at his forehead with the ache it caused. This was getting to be too much. The return to self-aware consciousness instead of simply watching it all through a cloudy haze never got any easier. Yoon-Ho flexed his left hand in the hopes of getting some feeling back while lowering his right from his face. The sight of Hunter Sung leaning on the counter next to him had him startling.
“Uh, hi?” Yoon-Ho wracked his brain for why the other Alpha would be in his kitchen. All he could recall was the humid drizzle of the scent of rain that coated the entirety of the space around him.
“Hi.” It was a simple, almost deadpan return of the greeting.
“I’m assuming you’re here for dinner?” He couldn’t remember despite trying.
“We just finished dinner.”
The answer had his brow furrowing as he looked at the sink of dishes. “Suppose that makes sense why I’m doing the dishes,” Yoon-Ho said lightly, hoping to brush by his faltering memory. “You don’t have to help, I’m sure Jinchul would enjoy your presence more in the living room.” No doubt that was where his mate was with their daughter.
“I’d enjoy you eating dinner, love,” Jinchul said from behind him. “Let me worry about the dishes later.”
“Nice try,” he turned the water back on to continue what he had likely been doing, “you know I don’t let you do the dishes.” His mate had a habit of rearranging the cabinets and drawers when he did the dishes and Yoon-Ho could never find anything afterwards. “I’m sure Miho needs changed so you do that while I finish this, yeah?”
“...yeah, alright.”
The lackluster reply seemed to physically strike him but Yoon-Ho didn’t turn away from the sink. He didn’t know what he had done to upset Jinchul but he would find a way to make it up to him later like he always did.
Yoon-Ho went ahead and cleaned the kitchen instead of leaving it for tomorrow. Part of him would rather stay in there instead of overstepping in what sounded like an actual family in the living room. It was never like that with him. Things were so quiet when it was him with Jinchul and Miho but he could hear the conversation, the sound of the baby laughing at something on the TV, the way Jinchul was actually happy. His mate never sounded that happy with him, that content and relaxed.
It was so obvious that the problem was him but Yoon-Ho didn’t know how to let go. Jinchul would be so much better off without him and so would their daughter. He wouldn’t be the thing that kept the house steeped in silence and full of unwanted tension when he was awake. The way Jinchul walked on eggshells around him and constantly tested his mood made him wonder if he was starting to scare the Omega with how he’s been lately. It would make sense to why he was so relaxed with another Alpha there. That Hunter Sung made him feel safe in the house that was supposed to be their new home.
Yoon-Ho partially left the kitchen but only to lean in the large doorway opening into the living room. Just enough to watch the scene. Of Jinchul sitting on the couch with his legs tucked under him and Miho crawling over the cushions next to him. Of Hunter Sung on the floor keeping the girl from tumbling off the edge with sure and careful hands. They looked like a proper family together. Like this was how it was supposed to be.
With a silent sigh, he pushed off the doorway to step towards them. But only to come up behind the sectional couch and lean down to put a light kiss on the top of Jinchul’s head. He said something about taking a shower before backing off to head for the hall. If there was a reply he didn’t catch it.
He hated seeing the damage painted on his skin so he never took very long showers. Enough to clean his body and wash his hair. Then he was dressed once more in a long-sleeve shirt and sleep pants. Covering as much of the scars as he could so he didn’t have to see them or force Jinchul to glimpse them. He didn’t head back for the living room when he left the bathroom. Instead, he went right for the room he had been sleeping in since he came back from the Red Gate.
Like every other place in the house, it was spotless. There was little else for him to do during the day but clean so he did a lot of that. He also couldn’t leave the blood from his struggles in the night on the hard wood floor or let it set in the bed sheets. Jinchul didn’t need to see any of that. It would only stress him out and Yoon-Ho wanted to keep him as stress free at home as possible.
The lights were kept off as he crawled into bed to try and get some sleep. He would feel bad about leaving Jinchul to put Miho down for the night but that was something the Omega insisted he be the one to do every night anyway. It was their time together since he spent all day with their daughter while Jinchul was at work. He never wanted to intrude on that routine.
“Is he sleeping?” The muffled question outside the door had Yoon-Ho partially waking up.
“I hope so,” Jinchul replied.
“There a reason he’s in the room across from Miho’s?”
That was Hunter Sung. Yoon-Ho tugged the comforter over his head in the hopes of going back to sleep. For once it had been without a nightmare. “I picked her room,” his mate said, “to be specifically here. It…helps him to have her on the first floor with him instead of upstairs with me.”
“And you’re okay not sleeping close to your daughter?” Hunter Sung asked, voice starting to fade along with Jinchul’s.
“Well, not exactly…”
His eyes opened to the darkness as the his mate’s voice trailed off, getting too far for even his sensitive ears to pick up on. The initial plan when buying this house was for Miho to be in the room across the hall from theirs upstairs. They picked this place specifically because of Jinchul’s desire for more than one kid. It had all fallen apart when Yoon-Ho couldn’t sleep in the same room as Jinchul due to his fear of hurting him during the night. An agreement had been made to put Miho downstairs with him after Jinchul went back to work so he could take care of her. To let Jinchul sleep instead of being woken up throughout the night.
The admittance that his mate would rather have their daughter upstairs with him had him wide awake. He thought they were in agreement with this placement. That Jinchul was okay with him taking care of Miho during the night so he could get enough sleep for work. Catching that partial conversation made him realize that they weren’t on the same page. That they might not have ever been and that Jinchul agreed to this to keep him calm. To not disturb the thin ice that settled in the house.
Yoon-Ho sighed and forced his eyes to close again. They would have to talk tomorrow but for now he was going to try and go back to sleep. (As if he hadn’t slept half the day away with Miho.)
It was no surprise to wake up a second time gasping and clawing at the phantom touches on his skin. The blankets and sheets were kicked off to alleviate the heat suffocating him. A sting ran through his ribs when he ripped his claws back before he could do anymore damage to his already fucked up body. He tripped over the sheets around his feet when he tried to get off the bed and crashed to his hands and knees on the hard wood. Sound loud enough to inevitably wake up Miho across the hall.
His forehead was pressed to the floor as he pulled in labored breaths. It never got any easier. Not even when he heard the telltale sounds of Miho and forced himself to get up. First to wash the blood off his hands in the bathroom and put his ruined shirt in the laundry room then to get the girl out of her crib in the room across the hall.
“Sorry for waking you, little cub,” Yoon-Ho murmured as he changed her diaper. She stared up at him with orange eyes and babbled something that he only nodded along to. “C’mon, let’s get you a bottle.”
He held her with his right arm while flexing his left hand to get some sensation back in it. Quiet murmurs were shared with the baby as he walked down the hall in a familiar path to the kitchen. The light was flicked on before he went to make her a bottle. It was a typical night and one that he never expected to be interrupted by anything.
“Need any help?” An unexpected voice had Yoon-Ho startling and dropping the the bottle in his left hand. It hit the edge of the counter then fell to the floor. Where the lid popped off and let everything inside spill out. “Ah, sorry.”
“S’fine.” Yoon-Ho didn’t even look at the shadowy figure in the door way as he crouched down to pick up the bottle.
“Let me clean that.”
The vague commanding tone had Yoon-Ho freezing. Feet came into his field of vision then a hand was curling around his own to take the bottle from his trembling left hand. Miho was quiet where she was held in right arm to his chest, fitting in with the tense silence of the kitchen.
“I’m overstepping, aren’t I?” Hunter Sung asked, still holding his hand with the dirty bottle in his other.
“A little.”
“Sorry.”
Despite the apology, the hand didn’t release his. Cold thumb rubbed over the scars on his knuckles just like Jinchul often did. The bottle was set back on the floor as the hunter’s other hand reached out to grasp his wrist then slide up his forearm. Tracing over the thick scarring with unwarranted tenderness. Perfectly copying the way Jinchul would put pressure on the muscles and tendons to help alleviate the strain and ache.
It was that that had Yoon-Ho yanking his arm back and rising to his feet. Hunter Sung was ignored so he could make another bottle for Miho and hopefully not drop this one. He could hear the other Alpha put the dirty bottle and lid in the sink before cleaning up the mess.
“Do you love him?” Yoon-Ho didn’t know where the question came from but he didn’t look at Hunter Sung as he asked it.
“I do.” It was a simple but honest answer.
“C’mere.”
Yoon-Ho turned away from the counter with the finished bottle in his left hand. There was no hesitance in the way Hunter Sung stepped towards him, silvery gray eyes curious to what he could want. Nothing was said as he carefully handed Miho to him. Made sure he was holding her correctly then showed him how to feed her. She wasn’t particularly fussy tonight so it wasn’t that hard.
“Can you promise me something?” Yoon-Ho asked, brushing back the wisps of orange hair on his daughter’s forehead.
“That depends on what it is,” Hunter Sung answered.
“Take care of them.” He took his hand back and stepped away from the Alpha holding his daughter.
“What do you plan on doing?”
It was a straightforward question to a drawn conclusion. Yoon-Ho didn’t reply as he left the kitchen. Shadows rose in thick swirls around him with each step as if to keep him where he was but nothing physically tried to stop him. The house was quiet when he walked through it. Both to the room he had been staying in and back out once he had another shirt on and his wallet. A glow of purple eyes pierced him from the darkness in the entrance way.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you leave,” Hunter Sung said, hidden in the shadows. “You have a responsibility to your mate and daughter.”
“I just need some time.” Yoon-Ho slipped on his boots and grabbed one of his hoodies off the coat hook. “They’ll be okay with you.” They’d be happy. Well cared for and protected with the shadow mage.
“You can’t just abandon your family, Baek.”
His dark hoodie was pulled on as he stepped towards the door that Hunter Sung was blocking. It was clear he didn’t want him leaving the house. But he couldn’t stay there any longer. Not in the unhappy atmosphere that he created for his mate and daughter. So he lifted a hand to the shorter Alpha’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him, to distract him enough to get him away from the door.
There was an unexpected rush to meet the kiss. Something like desire behind the move that had Yoon-Ho pausing. A soft, prompting hum came with Hunter Sung nudging at him to continue kissing him. He pulled away instead. Glowing eyes opened to stare at him, holding his gaze even when the Alpha tilted his head up to barely brush their lips together. Seeking to kiss him but simply staying there instead. It was an unusual move. One that had him shifting on his feet with a sudden resurgence of lust and desire and arousal that hadn’t happened since the Red Gate.
“Stay,” Hunter Sung whispered against his lips, “with Jinchul and Miho.” There was a curl of something in those shining eyes. “Maybe take a chance on loving me too.”
“I…” He closed his eyes against the far too familiar wish in another’s gaze.
“I can take care of all three of you.” The soft kiss wasn’t met. “Love you.” Lips moved to grace his cheek. “Help you.” A nose nuzzled at the scar across his face. “You don’t have to do this alone, tiger.”
The earnest offer had Yoon-Ho giving in. He backed off from Sung and tugged his hoodie back off to hang it up again. Boots were kicked off as the other Alpha moved away from the door. Stepped out of the shadows into the dim light of the living room to reveal a sleeping Miho still in his arms. It was a sight that kicked him in the chest. Had he really been ready to leave this? Before it even had a chance to be something just because he was a little fucked in the head?
Miho was put back in her room before the shorter Alpha pulled him back into the living room. Pushed him down on the couch and straddled him like he was meant to be there. Hands slipped under his shirt to trace cold fingers over the scars and new scratches while lips kissed along his jaw. The slow grind against him had his hands gripping solid thighs. Not directing or guiding but simply taking in the movement of an unfamiliar body pressed to his own.
There was a dip of a hand between them to slip beneath the band of his sleep pants and trace fingertips over his hard cock. It had him sucking in a sharp breath and dropping his head back on the couch cushion. The granted access to this throat was taken with nipping teeth and a touch possessive low growl that had him giving the other Alpha more space to work with. He lived to please and he really wanted to make Sung happy. To feel what it was like to have another Alpha cum because of him.
“You done it this way before?” Sung asked while pulling away to remove his clothes.
“Well, I’ve never fucked another Alpha,” Yoon-Ho replied, copying the move with his pants but not his shirt, “but I’m no stranger to this.”
“How do you normally do it?”
Sung dropped onto the couch with a sinful stretch on the black leather. “It depends on what Jinchul wants,” he answered honestly, “so I’m comfortable taking either position.” Just like with his mate, how this went depended on what Sung wanted.
“I’m fucking you then.” The straightforward reply came with a swirl of purple in gray eyes.
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Yoon-Ho was actually more familiar in that position. Jinchul liked to fuck him too outside of his heats. He was more than happy to do whatever his mate wanted and he knew if he gave it a chance then it would be the same with Sung.
It was very different being in this position with Sung instead of Jinchul. Not only was the other Alpha stronger than him, he was strict. There had a been moment before they reached this point where he had been asked if he was okay taking orders and doing as he was told. A check if they wouldn’t have a clash of wills in the middle that would turn this from sex to something dangerous. Most Alphas didn’t bed other Alphas to avoid the trouble of strong personalities and hormones. But Yoon-Ho was more than happy to do what Sung wanted.
“Fuck, you smell amazing,” Sung mumbled, lips on the back of his neck. “So sweet.”
“Sure your nose isn’t broken?” Yoon-Ho asked, lifting his face off his arm enough to make his voice audible. There was already blood dotting his sleeve from how hard he had been biting down to keep from waking Miho or Jinchul.
“You’ve always smelled sweet.” The hands gripping his hips tightened with the heavy grind into him. “More subtle than an Omega but just as enticing. All that honey waiting to be claimed.” There was a press of long canines to the back of his neck. “May I?”
“Yeah…”
He couldn’t catch his breath. It had never once occurred to him how fucking nice it could feel to have an Alpha bite him. They couldn’t form a mating bond - Alphas couldn’t mate other Alphas - but there was still the rush of hormones that came with that specific place being bitten. To be pressed into the couch and knotted was nothing he had experience before. Jinchul couldn’t do this. And if even half of this was what Omega’s felt then Yoon-Ho understood why they got desperate for it.
“You’re so good for me, tiger,” Sung praised softly. Kisses were pressed to his shirt covered shoulders. “I see why Jinchul always wants you.” The rock of hips had him sinking his teeth deeper into his arm to keep quiet. “Not only do you smell divine, your body’s a masterpiece.”
A hand slid under his shirt to press to his chest then traced down his abs to his navel and lower to stroke his already spent cock. The touch had him shivering and moaning around what was in his mouth. It didn’t take much to have him hard again. Pushing back against the knot keeping Sung’s cum where it was with a desire for more. The grind in time with the stroke on his cock was almost enough to tip him over the edge for a second time.
“You’re doing great,” Sung murmured while letting go of him, “but I can see that blood. Let up a bit, tiger.”
Yoon-Ho shook his head, unable to get his jaw to unclench with how wired his body was. There was low humming as the hand that had just been on his cock slid over his shoulder to grab his jaw. Fingers dug in to get him to release his arm with a quiet praise that he was still doing great and a kiss put on his blood covered neck.
“C’mon, Yoon-Ho, you’re hurting yourself.” It was a slip of fingers between his back teeth that finally pried his locked jaw open. “There you go, tiger, just like that.”
Words were too far out of reach but the desperate whine he was so familiar with Jinchul making was easy to mimic. Pitched up to almost match the Omega’s. He wanted so much more from Sung. It was needy but he too far gone to care how it sounded or came off. He would happily play into what it took to get Sung to continue touching and fucking him on his knot.
“Oh, you’re perfect,” Sung sighed into his hair. “So much better than I imagined you’d be.”
“Jinwoo?” Jinchul’s voice did little to break through the haze. “Oh, that was Yoon-Ho I heard.” Lavender swirled with rain as the Omega climbed onto the couch next to his head. “You okay, love?”
“I think I might have gone a little far.” Lips kissed the bite on his neck while a hand slid down his back then under his body to wrap around his cock. “I hadn’t realized how sensitive he might have been to being knotted and marked at the same time.”
The touch had him gasping into the leather of the couch, forehead pressed to his blood soaked forearm. Feeling was already dampened in his left arm so he couldn’t quite feel the bite. Not that he cared when he had this experience to sink beneath. It was so nice. Real and solid in this hazy fog that controlled him as of late. Clarifying as much as it was clouding.
“Well, he’s always been different from other Alphas,” Jinchul said, leaning in to nuzzle into his hair. “Can you answer me, Yoon-Ho? Are you okay?”
“Mhm.” He nodded with the hum.
“Can I have a yes or no?”
“Y-yeah…”
It took more effort than he could ever remember to get his tongue to work to say anything. But it got an approving hum from Jinchul and kiss behind his ear. “That’s good, love,” his mate murmured, “you okay to continue? Or do you want wait out Jinwoo’s knot now?” The questions circled in his ears for a moment as he tried to process them through the lust. “Yoon-Ho, we need a verbal answer.”
“M’okay.” He wanted more.
“I’ll take it slow,” Sung promised while stroking him again. “Get you through this and take care of you after, okay, tiger?”
It was so much better with Jinchul there. The familiar lace of lavender that overrode his senses and had him turning his head to seek it out. He could smell the scent of his mate’s arousal within the humid haze of rain. His nose nuzzled the soft material of the Omega’s shorts when he managed to get him to come closer. Questioning hum of whether he could help or not.
“Of course you can,” Jinchul said softly, hand brushing back his hair.
The grind of Sung’s knot had him ducking his head between Jinchul’s thighs. Sweet scent granting a different kind of clarity. Enough to have him shifting up on his right arm when his left couldn’t hold his weight. It was a falter that got a quiet ‘slow’ from Sung and curl of a strong arm around his waist to catch him if his arm gave out. Jinchul helped him get the shorts and underwear off, guiding hands on his.
“Careful, tiger,” Sung mumbled while holding him steady. “Right arm first, I can hold up for your left.”
“Thanks…” Yoon-Ho took the help with more grace than he normally would have. Little by little clarity was returning now that he wasn’t completely swamped in Sung’s scent.
“You’re doing amazing.” The quiet praise came from his mate along with fingers gently tugging on his hair. “So good for us.”
He liked hearing that. That he was doing right by both of them. That he could still make Jinchul happy in this way, please him like he knew how. It was nice. Being able to touch and use in tongue in familiar ways after nearly seven months of not doing so.
And when Jinchul came for him it was first on his tongue from the perfect cock in his mouth then it was on his fingers in his cunt. The shivering and squirming of his mate had been missed. So much so that Yoon-Ho couldn’t help cumming with the ricochet of sensation between their mating bond. He pressed his forehead to Jinchul’s thigh with the tingle of edging on overstimulation.
A kiss was pressed to the back of his neck from Sung as the grind into him continued. Riding the high of his orgasm to pull another right after as the Alpha came with him. There was duck of his head to bite his arm instead of Jinchul. But he was met with Sung’s hand sliding between his teeth, canines sinking into his thumb and cracking on bone with the force. The curse was followed by a growl and return of a bite to the back of his neck. Breaking through the fragile scabs to reach deeper.
Claws extended to scratch at the leather beneath him. Ripping beneath his feet and right hand as he was pressed more into the couch. The ripple of fur over his forearms beneath his shirt was uncomfortable as was the dig of fingers into his hip. Shadows rose to meet his partial transformation, swallowing up his senses into a chilled darkness.
“Jinwoo!” Jinchul’s hushed but frantic cry broke through the thick enveloping shadows. Hands smoothed down his hair with a comforting hum. “Jinwoo, you have to let him go.” A nose pressed to his cheek as another hum sought to lower his panic. “He wasn’t challenging you, he just bites, okay? You put your hand too close.” The struggle against the stronger Alpha had a whine climbing up his throat, submitting to the force of shadows. “Hey, hey, you’re okay, Yoon-Ho. Just breathe, love.”
Blood filled his mouth from the foreign hand between his teeth. The painful clench of teeth around the back of his neck closed a little tighter, almost as if seeking to reach his spinal chord to break it. Most people didn’t have long enough canines to do that like he did but Sung had the strength to force it. The hand gripping his hip disappeared to press on his lower back to get him down completely on the couch, following the direction with another whine.
They were still knotted together but this was well beyond pleasure. The snarl of the stronger Alpha had Yoon-Ho wracking his panicking mind for a way to prove that he wasn’t a threat. Claws curled into the couch as the Red Gate came back. Put beneath the force of beasts of similar instinct to his mana that wanted him for this exact purpose.
He softened his bite on the Alpha’s hand until he was able to completely unlock his jaw to release him. Withdrew his teeth with an apologetic hum and carefully cleaned the mess he made on pale skin. Played and mimicked what those beasts had liked to get out of this with his life. Cautiously moved beneath the hunter with a moan he had picked up from those three months in the Red Gate. A show of interest instead of challenge. It was test at how receptive Sung was to him acting like an Omega instead of an Alpha.
The slip of a hand under his shirt came with an answering growl. Fingertips trailed over his spine before gracing the claw marks on his lower ribs that were still raw. They went higher to his shoulders. Where soft touch stopped on the layered bite marks across the hidden expanse of his skin. From large teeth and dominating intent.
Sung finally released him. Pulled his teeth out of his skin and took his bleeding hand back from his kitten licks at the puncture wounds. There was a shift of knees and gentle pull of the knot as if to test if they were still locked together. When there was no give, hands moved to shove up his shirt. Over his shoulder until it was pressed to his blood soaked neck and exposing the scars on his back. Fingers ghosted over the worst of the damage on his left shoulder with a sharp hiss.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Yoon-Ho,” Sung apologized, leaning down to press a light kiss to the scarring. “I didn’t mean to…” Another kiss was put on his skin.
“S’fine,” he mumbled, face pressed into the leather of the couch.
“Can you lift your head for me, love?” Jinchul asked while brushing back his head. “Or move?”
He was exhausted but Yoon-Ho still shifted his head enough to be able to breathe normally. It wasn’t quite what Jinchul asked of him but with the way his neck hurt he couldn’t meet the request like he usually would have. Thankfully his mate took it and leaned down to press a chilled nose to the scar on his right cheek. For a long moment they all simply rested together.
Then Sung finally backed off and slid out of him. It was followed by the warm drip of cum that had his toes curling into the ruined upholstery. There was a gentle nose at his spine from the Alpha and tender kisses to the self-inflicted scratches on his ribs. A pause came at the various bite scars before teeth pressed in a love bite over them. Just enough to be felt but not even come close to breaking skin. There was one for every scar Sung could find. Until he finally pulled his shirt down to put a lingering, kind kiss on the still bleeding mark on the back of his neck.
“Let’s take a shower, tiger,” Sung said softly while pulling away. “I’ll clean those marks and take care of you.”
“I’ll join you both in a minute.” Jinchul sat up and climbed off the couch. “I’ve gotta get ready for work in an hour so I need to find clothes but I’ll be right there.”
“Wait…” He shook his head to clear the fuzz. “What about Miho? Who’s gonna keep an ear on her?”
“Don’t worry about it,” the other Alpha helped him off the couch, “Igris is watching her.” A strong arm looped around his waist when his legs faltered in a step. “He won’t let anything happen to her, I promise.”
Yoon-Ho didn’t quite know who Igris was but he could guess that it had to be one of Sung’s shadows. It was enough to ease the worry about his daughter being unsupervised. Enough to have him letting Sung help him up the stairs to the bathroom on the second floor.
It was strange to have Jinwoo around. Yoon-Ho still spent most of the day alone with Miho but some nights Jinchul would come home with the other Alpha in tow. The settle into a new normal disrupted his routine. It awakened his mind during the day when an unexpected text came from Jinwoo and left him listless afterwards. A little too aware of it just being him and his daughter in an empty house.
The reminder that he didn’t have work anymore and that he couldn’t go back to either of his chosen professions was more painful some days than others. More often when his mind was awake in the middle of the day to give him the clarity to realize that this wasn’t a nightmare. That his left arm was fucked and his mind as well most of the time. He didn’t even know what day it was.
It was part of the sudden loneliness at home that had him reaching out to his mother for the first time in years. Normally he would talk to his older sister or nephew - given how close in age they were - but they, too, had their own families and jobs to worry about. He just wanted someone that was familiar after the uncertainty in his mind. It wouldn’t do to be bothering his mate at work and it felt wrong to contact Jinwoo first. Really, he wanted to see his father but he wasn’t comfortable taking Miho on the train yet and the old man couldn’t come to him.
The afternoon was cold with snow on the air when a sharp knock on the door flipped his mind awake. Yoon-Ho stared at the entrance way with a confused frown. He didn’t remember anyone saying they were dropping by; not that he had anyone but probably Tae-Gyu that would. It had him cautious in moving towards the door to open it. Standing on the porch was the short figure of his mother that had him wracking his brain for when he had gotten in contact with her.
“You going to let me in or am I to freeze in the cold?” His mother’s unimpressed voice had him backing out of the doorway to let her inside. “You’re unusually quiet.”
“What’re you doing here?” Yoon-Ho asked, closing the door behind. “How’d you know where I live?”
“What’s gotten into you, boy?” Brown eyes looked him up and down. “You invited me to talk last week.” There was a sharp sniff. “Took you long enough, too.”
He didn’t have any memory of doing that. There was a careful pick of his memories for when he could have done that but he came up blank. All he could remember doing was taking care of Miho and the house. But he had to have done it because there was no other way for his mother to get their address when Jinchul didn’t even know the woman.
There was a familiar nit-picking at his appearance from the old woman then doing so at the house. Judging the decor and furniture. Yoon-Ho led her to the couch in the living room with a promise to get her some tea before he was in the kitchen. An ear was kept on both her and Miho napping in her room. He got as far as setting a mug in his mother’s hands before he was heading down the hall where his daughter had woken up. The familiar act of taking care of her eased the tension and uncertainty.
“Hmph, I would have liked some earlier warning that you had a baby,” his mother said the moment he came back into the living room with Miho. “Where’s their mother? I see only you at home.”
“Her father is at work.” Yoon-Ho set the six month old on the rug before moving to make her a bottle. When he came back his mother was watching her granddaughter with a disdainful expression. “I’m sure I didn’t invite you here so you could look at my daughter like that.”
“That Omega you had a baby with should be the one at home taking care of her.” The old-fashioned view had Yoon-Ho making a face. “I didn’t raise you to be a Beta, Yoon-Ho.”
He rolled his eyes at the familiar comment while handing the bottle to Miho. She had enough motor control to eat on her own and didn’t like help anymore; she was so much like her father with the independence. Before long she would be walking if she carried on at this rate. He didn’t know if he was ready for that yet.
“I can’t work, mom,” Yoon-Ho said while sitting next to her on the couch. “It’s easier for me to be at home than Jinchul.”
“You catch that disease your father has?” His mother asked, both utterly serious and too flippant with her words. It was a constant guessing game on what she actually meant.
“No, it’s, uh…” He couldn’t help rubbing at his left arm. “There was an incident during a dungeon raid. Fucked up my arm.”
“I don’t see why that stops you from getting a safer job.”
Had his problems stopped at just his arm then he probably could have. But her being there and him having no memory of talking to her after six years of silence told him there was something else going on. Yoon-Ho wasn’t unfamiliar with having some hazy memories since getting out of the Red Gate but to be missing entire conversations was new. It would mean setting up a doctor’s appointment but also confessing to Jinchul that something was wrong.
“I like staying at home,” Yoon-Ho said while watching Miho string out her toys.
“Hmph, I’m sure you do.” The reply was edging on sarcastic but he didn’t acknowledge it. “This Omega of yours,” she started, “he faithful?” It was a rather direct question that had him glancing over at her. “You’re not stupid enough to miss the other scent of an Alpha in your home.”
“I know who it is,” he said, putting his gaze back on his daughter.
“So you’re not only taking over the role of an Omega,” his mother said sharply, “you’re letting your mate have an affair.”
There was an accusation in those words that had Yoon-Ho refusing to look at her. He wasn’t sure how much of an affair it was when he knew all about Jinwoo and Jinchul’s relationship. Besides, he let the man into their home and included him when grocery shopping.
“He’s part of our relationship,” Yoon-Ho finally said, cutting through the silence.
“No, he’s not.” The immediate denial of what he said had him sighing. “Yoon-Ho, Alpha’s don’t share. This other Alpha is seeking to take away what’s yours.”
“I think it’s the other way around,” he sighed. “Jinwoo and Jinchul were together a year before Jinchul and I officially mated.”
It had been him that swept in to make a family with someone that hadn’t been his. They might have been fucking but they hadn’t been in a relationship. Then he went and screwed things up. Locked Jinchul into a mating bond because he couldn’t handle an incomplete bond when it had been so obvious that he only ever wanted Jinwoo.
“Well, it certainly makes sense why your mate would rather you be at home,” his mother said with a distasteful snort. “Taking care of the house and the baby so he can be with a proper Alpha.”
“I know,” he sighed again.
“I don’t think you have the right to get upset about it, boy.”
He really didn’t. It was something he brought upon himself. “Is…there anyway to fix this?” Yoon-Ho asked, feeling like a teenager again seeking out advice from his mother. “I want them to be happy…”
“There’s no fixing a mating bond,” his mother replied, hand patting his left arm, “but I suppose to easiest way to rectifiy this mistake would be to let that Omega and Alpha have their relationship. Let them be a family with that little girl.” She gave his forearm a gentle squeeze. “You could always come home, I know a good Omega that you went to school with that’s looking for a mate.”
“I don’t want another relationship.” He stared at his daughter throwing a toy car onto the hard wood with a heavy heart. “I’ll think about coming home.”
It wasn’t much to think about, really. After his mother left, Yoon-Ho took in the life he had built around himself and reconciled with the fact that it had never been for him. He wasn’t a family man. All of this deserved to be Jinwoo’s. It hadn’t been right to sweep in and create this with Jinchul when the Omega loved someone else.
Days were a bit of a blur together but there was snow on the ground when he left. Lights twinkled in business fronts for the holidays that he glanced at as he wandered for a while. Yoon-Ho knew he had plans to head back to where he was raised in the country side but for the life of him he couldn’t get his feet to walk towards a station. And as the night edged towards dawn his mind came to that familiar haze.
It brought him to somewhere he hadn’t been in years. Some other, older routine to be followed now that he wasn’t at home to take care of Miho and the house. Nothing quite on autopilot but mind still not connected. This wasn’t the sink into familiar, every day motions but even with the overwhelming scents that switch remained flipped off.
“Yoon-Ho?” Someone came up beside him. “What’re you doing here? You finally accept my offer to come back?” There was a nudge at his left side that he only offered a hum. “You alright, man?”
“Mhm.”
“Uh-huh…”
The guild building door was unlocked and opened to let him inside. Tae-Gyu walked at his side in an old familiar practice. Lemongrass filled his nose. There was something said from the Omega and a hesitant hand on his arm in a gentle tug to the man’s office. He knew this place well. The furniture he picked out for Tae-Gyu because he didn’t have any taste and three piece painting of Seoul’s skyline at night hung on the wall. It was a nice office.
It was quiet. Yoon-Ho moved a few things around the office that were in the wrong places without much direction on what he should be doing. Nothing was said about him puttering around. All Tae-Gyu seemed to be doing was watching him. Which was fine, they did this a lot. He fixed things in the office when not doing paperwork or on a raid, and his friend watched him like a hawk. Eventually he had everything back in a normal order to leave him with nothing to do. It had him turning on his heel to leave the office to find something else to keep his attention.
“Woah, hey, not so fast.” Tae-Gyu shot up from the desk and had him looking over his shoulder.
“What?” Yoon-Ho asked, not quite understanding why he would be stopped from leaving the office. “Did you have something you actually needed to talk about?”
“You came to my office,” the Omega countered.
“I always come to your office.”
Dark brows furrowed over confused blue eyes. Yoon-Ho didn’t know what had the guy bugged about today but it couldn’t be good. It had him sighing and turning around completely to face the Omega. Nothing looked off about him nor did he smell particularly distressed or upset.
“You alright?” He asked, stepping towards the desk to check on the Omega. Trembling left hand rising to touch his cheek in a familiar movement, the backs of his fingers gracing over a sharp cheek bone.
“I think I should be asking you that,” Tae-Gyu said seriously, fingers curling around his wrist.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
The small shake of Tae-Gyu’s head had him frowning. Yoon-Ho lifted his right hand to brush back the black curls on the Omega’s forehead to feel for anything being off with his temperature. When he found nothing wrong, he simply held his face in his hand. There was a lean into the touch but nothing changed in the concerned scrunch of the man’s nose and eyes.
Lemongrass curled in a familiar pattern between them with Tae-Gyu shutting his eyes. The unusual comfort in the sight had Yoon-Ho leaning in to rest their foreheads together with his own eyes closing. They hadn’t done this in a while. Not since the Omega started seeing someone and talking about his new relationship being something serious. It didn’t seem like something he would miss but maybe they hadn’t worked out. That fall out would give reason for why Tae-Gyu seemed off today.
There was a soft press into the touch, warm breath fanning over his lips with the small shift. Another move and the space between them would be gone. It was a move from the Omega that brought a brush of lips to his in a barely there kiss. Yoon-Ho went to kiss him properly when the office door opened. He pulled away with a cool look over his shoulder at who had the balls to enter without knocking.
The sight of Chief Woo had him pausing. He didn’t remember the man having hair long enough to be in a small braid over his shoulder nor did he remember the man ever looking anything but put together. Jeans and large hoodie strangely out of place when he was used to a black suit. Even more bewildering was the baby on his hip. And coming in behind the Omega was a man Yoon-Ho had never seen before. Tall, dark haired, and rather imposing in sheer presence alone. They were an odd pair.
“Can we help you?” Yoon-Ho asked, backing off from Tae-Gyu to address the men.
“Can you help us?” The repeat of his question came with an incredulous scoff from Chief Woo. “What’s going on here, Yoon-Ho?” The shown familiarity had him reeling back.
“Uh, I think I should be asking you that.”
Chief Woo narrowed his eyes at him and looked ready to lay into him for something. “He was waiting here this morning,” Tae-Gyu said from behind him, cutting through whatever was coming. “I don’t know why, that’s why I sent you message.”
“Why else would I be here?” Yoon-Ho asked, looking over his shoulder at the ranger. “I can’t exactly work if I don’t come into the office now can I?”
“You don’t work here, Yoon-Ho,” the Omega said, “you haven’t for almost four years.”
“Bullshit,” he scoffed, “we just cleared a gate yesterday with Byung-Gyu.”
This was some stupidly elaborate prank. And not something he would have expected Chief Woo to be a part of. That man was so uptight it hurt to look at him sometimes. He didn’t even know the silent shadow of the chief either. It was actually a very shitty prank if that’s what they were trying to play on him and it was something he expected more out Eun-Seok than anyone else.
“Okay, we’re taking you to the hospital,” Chief Woo said while stepping towards him. “This has gone on too long.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Yoon-Ho leaned back from the hand reaching out to grab his right arm. “Personal fucking space, chief.” He wouldn’t do anything to the man when he had kid on his hip but he was not about to let him touch him.
“Look, I understand that this isn’t making any sense for anyone,” the man said while grabbing his wrist, “but please don’t make this difficult..”
“Just go with them, Yoon-Ho,” Tae-Gyu sighed, “so we can get this situation cleared up.”
He gave the ranger a glower over his shoulder but paused at the tired look on his face. While Tae-Gyu had always had a bit of an insomnia issue he knew this wasn’t a cause of that. It had him sighing and giving in to Chief Woo’s tug of him away from the desk. There was a reach out from the baby towards him when he stepped after the ginger haired man that gave him pause. Orange eyes were wide in a stare up at him.
Why did the kid look like him?