Work Text:
Yin’s POV
The festival was loud. Too loud. Lanterns swayed overhead and the smell of grilled satay and incense filled every corner of the crowded streets. I don’t usually like things like this, the crowds, the busyness of it all. I’d prefer a quiet coffee shop or the stillness of a museum over the chaos of a night market. But it was New Year’s, my friends were here (somewhere), and it was practically a societal obligation to attend. I was ready for the shops, the fireworks, and then to go home to bed.
Tonight, though, the rain changed everything.
It started with a small trickle but soon turned into a full-on deluge. The ground became a muddy mess, but people still celebrated, continuing through the festival even with mud up to their calves and drenched to the bone. I ducked under my small paper umbrella, trying to keep my mask and hair mostly dry. The crowd pressed past me, umbrellas bumping into each other as the loud chatter continued.
That’s when I saw him.
He was alone, wet hair plastered to his forehead, clothes clinging, holding his hand over his head like a little miniature umbrella. He was looking around, like he too had lost his friend group, and looked not panicked, but a little bit overwhelmed. My chest tightened for reasons I couldn’t name. I took a few steps so I was close enough for him to hear me, then I held out my umbrella, inviting him under with me.
“Here,” I said. My voice came out steadier than I felt. “You look like you could use this.”
His eyes, dark in color but bright, wide and curious met mine. For a second, he looked like he wanted to argue, but then he took it, and our fingers brushed. Heat prickled through me, sudden and inexplicable. What the hell was that?
His scent hit me next. Summer. Warm, airy, soft, like sunlight and sugar. It made my chest ache in a way I didn’t understand.
“Thanks,” he said, voice trembling just a little, his teeth chattering in the rain. Without even thinking, I took off my light sweatshirt and hung it over his shoulders. He looked at me curiously. I shrugged and smiled, not even sure myself why I was helping him.
“You’re an omega,” I said.
He blinked. “…Yeah. So?” His tone was teasing, but I caught the little flinch in his shoulder. Cute. Ridiculously cute. And his scent… it flared again, sweet and insistent, and my instincts screamed at me: This is the one.
“You’re… pretty,” I admitted, shaking my head slightly, like the words just exited my mouth without my permission. “I mean… interesting.” He was gorgeous, ethereal even, I could tell even though most of his face was hidden underneath his peacock-patterned half mask. I could see his dark eyes and plush red lips that seemed to hold a perpetual smirk.
He laughed, brushing rain from his hair, and the sound made my throat dry.
“Interesting? Well… I guess I’ll take it.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“I’m War,” he replied. “You?”
“Yin.” My voice sounded small even to me, but it was the first time I’d felt like this. “You smell like summer.”
He tilted his head, leaning slightly under the umbrella. “Really? In a good way?”
“Yes, of course,” I said with a soft laugh.
“You smell like… sandalwood and rain. Like home, on a stormy day.” The statement warmed me from head to toe, and he laughed at me, and I guess I was probably blushing.
Then suddenly the sky lit up with fireworks, and people started counting down. I had lost track of time, it was almost midnight.
7, 6, 5, 4…
I barely noticed the brilliant explosions above me. My focus was on War, the umbrella pressed between us, and the excited look in his eyes as the colors reflected in his dark gaze. Something primal stirred in me, low and urgent.
3, 2, 1!
People cheered, and we looked at each other. Before I knew it, he leaned in. I met him halfway. The kiss… it was shocking. Not gentle, not hesitant, it was recognition, raw and immediate. My body reacted before my brain could. Heat flared, my heart hammered, and I wanted to hold on forever. His scent, that warm summer, wrapped around me, and I pressed closer instinctively. I could feel my own scent mixing with his, grounding us both, and my chest tightened.
Mate, my body screamed.
I reached out, grabbed his shirt, and deepened the kiss as he did the same. We pulled back and looked at each other, the same look of recognition in both of our eyes.
Then the crowd surged. Someone bumped into us hard. The umbrella tilted. Fingers slipped apart. And when I blinked… he was gone.
“Yin!” I heard my name yelled from somewhere in the crowd and yelled back, but our calls were quickly drowned out by the fireworks and the buzz of the crowd.
I ran, heart in my throat, searching through the blur of umbrellas, masks, and wet lantern reflections. Fireworks cracked overhead. My lungs burned. My chest ached. I had no idea where he’d gone. And yet… I knew.
I knew he was mine. Somewhere in this wet, noisy chaos, War, the omega whose scent was already branded into my chest, was out there. And I would find him, no matter how long it took. I would search forever for him if I had to.
Because mates like this… don’t let go. Not even in the storm.