Chapter Text
Philia (from Greek φιλία) is a type of love associated with friendship. It is based on mutual respect, shared interests, and deep emotional bonding.
The stock of the crossbow settles comfortably and snugly against his shoulder. The bowstring, tightly twisted from ox sinew, seems to quiver with the tension coiled inside it. Taehyun squints one eye, taking aim. The slender neck of a young white doe gleams silver, sitting right at the level of the bolt's tip. His breathing slows. His arms and back are taut. His finger presses softly against the trigger.
"How much longer?" comes an impatient voice beside him, and Taehyun's hand jerks with surprise right as he fires. The bolt whistles off into the thick of the woods, and the startled doe, lifting its head in alarm, instantly bounds away into a dense thicket of elderberry.
Taehyun lowers the crossbow, exhales in irritation, watching the milky-white flicker vanish into the bushes, then turns to Kai.
"Sorry," Kai says, drawing out the word, but the familiar half-smile on his lips makes it clear he doesn't feel guilty at all. "A shame. She was still young."
"It's fine," Taehyun replies, slinging the crossbow back over his shoulder, though he regrets not bringing at least one hound. "Getting tired?"
Kai shrugs vaguely. Taehyun smirks.
"You're the one who tagged along after me. Come on, let's at least check the snares."
They head deeper into the forest, toward the hunting grounds belonging to Taehyun's father. Their feet slip over fallen pine needles. Slanted rays of sun fall between the straight trunks of the pines, the ground scattered all over with golden spots. The air smells of resin and fragrant forest herbs. Somewhere up in the treetops, unseen little birds chirp.
Taehyun walks slightly ahead, almost silently, pausing now and then to listen and scan his surroundings, still hoping to spot the prey he had so frustratingly missed. The quiver of short, thick bolts thumps heavily against his thigh. Kai follows behind, uncharacteristically quiet.
Slipping out of the settlement into the forest, especially in these last few days when absolutely everyone is busy preparing for the annual Full Moon festival, feels like a breath of fresh air. Taehyun isn't against the festival — he actually enjoys the celebrations with the bonfire and the abundance of delicious food — but this year is different. On top of celebrating the end of the harvest, the day is also set aside for the mating rites of unmated and of-age omegas and alphas, and Taehyun has just crossed the threshold into adulthood this year, just like Kai, who turned eighteen last month.
Taehyun had no taste for any of this, especially the attention from alphas, who during the last month’s Courting period had begun eagerly wooing the omegas that caught their eye, hoping to be chosen. Naturally, Taehyun had no desire to choose anyone, looked at all the gifts from the alphas targeting him with nothing but irritation, and had no intention of binding himself in marital ties to any of them.
Kai, being an alpha, probably had it easier. At least alphas weren’t obligated to take a mate right away. But on the other hand, a little shy and simple-hearted, he didn’t fully understand how he was supposed to court the omega he liked. And the one he liked, it seemed, was the youngest son of the chief himself.
"You haven’t forgotten how to shoot, have you?" Taehyun asks quietly, but loudly enough for his friend to hear, stopping and turning to face him.
"Haven't forgotten a thing," Kai mumbles, awkwardly adjusting his own crossbow strap on his shoulder.
"Uh-huh," Taehyun smirks, pulling his crossbow from his shoulder. With a forceful motion, he draws the string lever back, takes aim, and fires at a pine about twenty paces away. The heavy bolt cracks into the trunk, thin scales of bark raining to the ground. Taehyun looks at Kai, nodding challengingly toward the tree. Kai raises his crossbow, aims, but misses.
"Didn’t hold my breath," he explains.
"And if you had?" Taehyun asks with a chuckle. "Come on, no point wasting bolts."
They come out onto one of the rabbit trails. The forest is a little denser here, mixed, but there’s still plenty of sunlight. Taehyun heads straight for one of the traps he had set earlier, navigating the terrain perfectly, while Kai walks on further, probably meaning to check the second one.
Parting the grass, Taehyun feels a certain inner satisfaction seeing a hare thrashing in the snare, instantly freezing in fear at the sight of a human. Well, tonight they’d be dining on hare. Still, a shame about the doe. His father would definitely have praised them if he and Kai had dragged it home. Nobody had seen any does in these parts for a long time — word was they had all moved east.
Not wanting to prolong the animal’s suffering, Taehyun draws his hunting knife, a gift from his father when he turned thirteen, and pressing the hare against the grass, ends its pitiful squeak in one precise, even practiced motion.
Untying the line from its hind leg and wiping his knife on the grass, Taehyun straightens up, noticing Kai approaching him. He’s empty-handed as far as game goes, but has a large handful of late-season blackberries, probably picked somewhere nearby.
"What about the trap?" Taehyun asks.
"Empty," Kai replies, offering him the blackberries. "I moved it."
Taehyun snorts, sheathes his knife back at his belt, and carefully takes a couple of berries.
"Take more," says Kai.
"Thanks," Taehyun smiles, noticing that his friend has stained himself with berry juice. "What is it with you? You got all messy," he grumbles, reaching out and starting to wipe the red stains off Kai’s cheek. But no matter how much he rubs, the cheek only gets redder.
"All right, that’s enough," Kai waves his hands away, barely noticeably pouting. "Treating me like a little kid."
Taehyun smirks, refraining from saying that Kai is little, and taking the whole handful of blackberries from him, nods toward the hare carcass.
"You’ll take it?"
The time had drawn close to noon. The sun had risen high and it had gotten hot, despite autumn supposedly having arrived. They decide to head back, but take a detour, come out to the lake, and then follow the gentle shoreline back to the settlement.
Taehyun knew this part of the forest perfectly, having started running off here alone probably around age seven, barely able to hold his father’s short bow to shoot at squirrels, driving his dad into fits with his restlessness. Kai had also spent a lot of time here, but preferred not to go without Taehyun’s father or Taehyun himself. He didn’t like hunting, even though he’d been taught, and on top of that, he didn’t even take part in the traditional spring and fall hunting seasons for alphas. As for Taehyun, they simply didn’t take him, justifying it by saying he was an omega, even though he was the chief hunter’s son.
They reach the lake fairly quickly. Here the forest abruptly transitions into a narrow sandy beach, covered with dried needles, twigs, and pine cones, and at the water’s edge smooth pebbles can be found here and there.
They used to come here often, especially in the height of summer, swimming in the refreshingly cool water, sometimes fishing and roasting their catch over a fire. It seemed no one else knew about this place, though maybe they simply saw no reason to visit. It’s quiet here. From the settlement side, the lake curves nicely, and on the other side the beach is blocked off by a high sandy bluff.
"A swim would be nice," Kai says dreamily, walking closer to the water’s edge and dipping his hands in, then immediately returns to Taehyun, who had already settled down in their usual spot in the shade of the trees on the dry sand, meaning to rest from the rising heat.
"It’s cold," Kai says, laughing as he flicks the moisture from his hands at his friend. He barely manages to dodge a pine cone thrown back his way and, waiting a moment, finally sits down next to Taehyun, slipping his crossbow off his shoulder and immediately, without even asking, rests his head on Taehyun’s lap, folding his arms on his chest and closing his eyes.
They stay quiet, listening to the lapping of the small waves rolling onto the shore, the creak of the trees swaying in the wind, and the monotonous rustle of their crowns. Taehyun, as if meditating, carefully twists Kai’s slightly wavy chestnut hair around his fingers, nearly sending him to sleep from the motion. He can smell his friend’s soft, sweetish scent, realizing that the scent of the herbs they’d used for the hunt, meant to mask their natural one, has finally started to fade.
He likes Kai’s scent — gentle and cozy, like the fragrance of sugar lungwort in the forest — some part of his mind always urges him to press closer to the source, to keep it on himself. Taehyun breathes in that scent, mixed with the smell of the pine forest and its boundless peace that it carries.
"Taehyun," Kai speaks up. His voice doesn’t sound as sleepy as one might think.
Taehyun lets out a soft questioning sound to show he’s listening. Kai opens his eyes, looking up at him, meeting his large, dark eyes.
"So… how many alphas are already courting you?" he asks. His voice stumbles uncertainly.
Taehyun thoughtfully furrows his brow. The question catches him off guard with its unexpectedness.
"Well, two," he answers, pretending to be trying to remember. In truth, he remembers and knows both perfectly well. One is the blacksmith’s son, about five years older than him; the other is a hunter from his father’s party, his own age. But they both irritate him with their attention equally strongly.
"What about it?" Taehyun asks in turn.
"Nothing, just…" Kai drags out as indifferently as he can, averting his gaze.
He falls silent, starting to fiddle with the drawstring on his shirt with his fingers, as if deep in stubborn thought. From the corner of his eye, Taehyun sees his uncharacteristically serious and pensive face crease into a frown, but doesn’t interrupt, giving him time to gather his thoughts. After a stretch of silence, Kai abruptly sits up, settling next to Taehyun and, bending his knees, pulls his long legs toward himself.
Taehyun looks at him expectantly.
"You probably, after you pick an alpha, won’t come here with me anymore," Kai suddenly says, looking straight ahead, at the lake, at the sun’s reflections on it, at the narrow strip of sandy beach — but not at Taehyun.
"What makes you think that?" Taehyun counters.
"Well…" Kai picks up a small pebble from the sand, starting to toy with it, tossing it lightly in his palm. "I don’t think he’d like his omega spending time with another alpha, even if we’ve known each other since we were kids."
Taehyun snorts, much like a wild forest cat — which is what his father sometimes compares him to — crossing his arms over his chest.
"That’s not what I meant," he says. "What makes you think I’m going to pick anyone?"
"But how can you…" Kai turns to Taehyun, meeting his eyes. Despite the note of displeasure that slipped into his voice, Taehyun looks calm. "All omegas have to choose."
"I’m not all omegas," Taehyun concludes. "I’m not going to pick any of them."
"But the elders…"
Kai falls silent the same instant, noticing the displeased crease between the two straight arches of his friend’s eyebrows. An unusually awkward atmosphere settles between them. Kai continues to occupy his hands with the pebble, thoughtfully stroking its rounded shape with his fingers now and then. Taehyun gazes into the distance, trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts that have suddenly come over him. Until this moment, neither of them had seriously touched on the subject of the upcoming festival and mating rites, even when brazen alphas would start wooing Taehyun right in front of Kai, shoving gifts at him. The daily reminders of their duty had forced them to seek mutual comfort and understanding in each other. Though they both felt that with the coming of autumn, things between them would change, to one degree or another.
Had to change.
"Besides, you’re not exactly actively courting your omega yourself," Taehyun remarks, deciding to continue the conversation after all.
Kai even looks at him with a bewildered and confused expression, not understanding what he means.
"And who would that be?"
"Well, Beomgyu," Taehyun snorts. "I saw you two chatting off to the side. So…"
Kai gives a short laugh, like it’s an amusing joke.
"Beomgyu," he mutters, shaking his head, and with a swing sends the pebble skipping out over the lake. With a soft plink, it skips a couple of times like a frog across the water’s surface, then sinks. "We were just talking, that’s all," Kai tries to justify himself. "And by the way, we should probably head home."
He jumps to his feet, brushing the clinging sand from his pants and regaining his usual carefree mood, then immediately holds out a hand to Taehyun to help him up.
"So, race you back?" Taehyun asks, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder again.
"Well, I… Hey!" Kai doesn’t have time to answer before Taehyun claps him on the shoulder, lets out a low laugh, and dashes off along the sandy shore.
"Don’t forget the hare!" he shouts over his shoulder with a laugh.
*****
They make it back to the settlement right around lunchtime and part ways near Taehyun's house, agreeing that Kai, as always, will come over for dinner that evening.
Kai was an orphan and lived in the home of the local woodworker and carpenter, working as his apprentice as well. But to Taehyun's parents, who had grown used to his constant presence at their child's side practically from infancy, he was always a welcome guest and practically a second son.
No one knew what had happened to Kai's parents. His father had never been seen by anyone, and his mother, heavily pregnant, had appeared in their settlement too suddenly. She told them nothing about herself, only saying she was from the city that lay to the west of these lands, and soon after the boy's birth she vanished, without even giving her own son a name.
Their chief could not take the child in himself, as he was already raising three children back to back, so the settlement elders entrusted his care to the carpenter, who was a widower and childless besides, while Taehyun's dad happened to be nearby to give the baby the warmth and affection he needed.
Taehyun and Kai's friendship truly began in the cradle and stretched like a sturdy bond through the entirety of their still-brief lives, filled with unrestrained running around, bright summer berries, lessons from Taehyun's father, winter evenings under a warm blanket, fights with local bullies, autumn festivals — everything they could fill it with on their own.
And thinking about everything they would have to go through in the near future, Taehyun actually hopes they will keep that bond and fill it with even more.
He leaves the caught hare at the entrance, hanging it from a beam and intending to skin it a little later, then steps inside the house. His dad is bustling about the kitchen as usual, plucking the feathers from wild partridges.
"Is father back?" Taehyun asks, hinting at the bird carcasses, of which he's counted at least ten at a quick glance.
"Not yet. Seongcheol brought those as a gift for you."
Taehyun rolls his eyes in sheer exasperation at the mention of one of the alphas who had latched onto him, shrugging his crossbow off his shoulder and unstrapping the heavy quiver from his belt.
"And how'd you do?" his dad asks in turn, perfectly aware that his son had also gone out hunting that morning.
"Not bad. We saw a doe," Taehyun mutters, taking a couple of small, ripe apples from a roughly made wooden crate and sitting down at the dinner table. "But we only managed to catch a hare."
"A doe that close to the settlement?"
"Yeah, but probably not anymore," Taehyun crunches into his apple. "We scared it off."
"Was Kai with you?" his dad asks, noticing that his son says "we," though he'd seemed to go out alone.
Taehyun hums an affirmative, leaving it at that — any explanation was clearly unnecessary.
His dad is silent for a couple of moments, then asks again without pausing his main task:
"Do you know if Kai's courting anyone?"
Taehyun feels a piece of chewed apple go down the wrong pipe, but he bears it stoically, hardly even coughing. He definitely hadn't expected questions like that from his dad. And definitely not directed at him.
"Well… I dunno…" he mumbles uncertainly. "I think he likes Beomgyu."
"Beomgyu? The chief's son?" His dad even turns around, fixing his son with an incredulous stare.
"Well, yeah," Taehyun says, as if there were some other Beomgyu in their settlement.
His dad studies him thoughtfully a few times, as if not recognizing him, and without changing his expression, returns his full attention to the partridges. That look confuses Taehyun; he frowns, his brows drawing together.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" he asks.
"I did," his dad answers immediately.
"And?"
"Nothing."
Taehyun lets out a short grunt, not particularly surprised, and his dad adds in a grumbling tone:
"What'd you take those apples for? Your father will be here for lunch soon."
*****
Taehyun doesn't know why he told his dad about Beomgyu, because Kai isn't actually courting him, not really. At least, not the way the other alphas do it, that's for sure. And plenty of people are courting Beomgyu — alphas even come from neighboring settlements, having heard about the beauty of the local chief's youngest son.
Maybe it was because he'd secretly seen them chatting together rather sweetly a few times, or because Beomgyu had stopped by the carpenter's house a few days earlier when the man himself wasn't home, which clearly meant he and Kai were talking. Although, truth be told, Kai had never really socialized with other omegas before, aside from Taehyun — he'd even said once when they were kids, why would he talk to them if they weren't Taehyun.
Or maybe it's because he knows that back when they were thirteen or fourteen and just beginning to discover their true natures as alphas and omegas, Kai really had liked Beomgyu. At the very least, Taehyun was the one who had to listen to his best friend's dreamy sighs.
Taehyun runs into the chief's son after lunch, when the older omegas in charge of preparing for the festival practically drag him out of the house by force, hauling him off for mandatory outfit fittings. They measure him with a tape for a very long time, prick him with needles everywhere, and make him stand perfectly still while doing it.
Beomgyu is here too, among the other omegas, but he clearly takes far more pleasure in the whole affair. At least he almost runs the entire process himself, choosing the fabrics and adornments that will best highlight his beauty. And Beomgyu really was beautiful. Even his occasionally capricious nature didn't turn potential suitors away. He had long, dark hair, regular features, and a height that was rather tall for an omega. Taehyun, by contrast, felt he looked a bit ungainly — with a petite but sturdy frame from hunting, sharp features, and big eyes like an owl's.
The older omegas were always telling him he lacked softness. Though what exactly that softness was supposed to be — in his figure or in his personality, like Beomgyu's — Taehyun couldn't figure out.
Taehyun suddenly catches himself comparing himself solely to Beomgyu, and not, say, to his friend Jungwon, who has an even more easygoing nature. He doesn't know why, but maybe it's because he's trying to understand what exactly drew his friend to Beomgyu, and what makes Beomgyu better than everyone else. Yet in his assumption, he overlooks — or perhaps deliberately pushes away — one essential detail: why he is comparing himself to Beomgyu in the first place.
After all the fittings, Taehyun feels even more exhausted than he did from the morning hunt, so when he gets home and climbs up to his room in the attic, he falls asleep right at his desk without noticing, while fletching arrows.
He wakes up to someone carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. Taehyun lifts his head sharply from his numb arms, sore from the awkward position, and turns, a little startled by how close the person leaning over him is. Still drowsy, he recognizes the familiar bittersweet scent first, and only then, in the dim, blurry light of the oil lamp, makes out the features of his best friend's face — and honestly, he freezes right then, meeting his dark, quite deep eyes.
At what point did Taehyun miss the fact that Kai started looking so grown-up? Of course, he'd noted a couple of years ago how the alpha had stretched out, overtaking him in height and becoming nearly a full head taller, but now, perhaps because of the shadows, it was clear that his face had entirely lost its baby fat, the features sharpening and becoming more defined.
Had he always been this handsome? Had his gaze always been so serious? The lines of his lips so distinct?
Taehyun had never thought about it, or maybe he simply hadn't noticed. And it's strange that he's noticing now.
"Dinner's ready, are you coming?" Kai says, his voice lower than usual. Or maybe Taehyun just hadn't noticed that it had changed, either.
Taehyun is so distracted by his low tone that it takes him a couple of seconds to grasp the meaning of the words. He blinks, finally looking away and trying to figure out where he is. Outside the window it's evening-dark, which means he slept much longer than he could afford to. Under his folded arms are the unfinished arrows, crumpled falcon feathers, and dried resin.
From downstairs comes his dad's voice, calling them to the table, so Taehyun stretches, loudly cracking his stiff back, then gets up and follows his friend down. Yawning on the stairs, he nearly tumbles, missing a step, but Kai steadies him, grabbing his hand, and doesn't let go until they reach the table.
"Were you asleep?" his dad asks, noticing his son's hair slightly flattened on one side, as he sets a hare and vegetable stew in the center of the table.
Taehyun hums under his breath, barely audible, settling into his usual spot to the left of his father, who sits at the head of the table. He feels pretty lousy after such a long daytime nap.
"Weird, I didn't even notice. You're always so quiet," his dad says.
"You could've called me to help with dinner."
"Kai helped me out."
While they talk, Kai has already filled a whole plate of food for Taehyun, setting it in front of him, and starts filling his own. Ever since childhood, they've sat next to each other at the table, and this kind of care for one another is perfectly natural.
When everyone finally settles in and starts dinner, his dad launches into the traditional family conversation, telling them about the partridges Seongcheol brought today. Taehyun honestly wants to sink into the floor. Without much appetite, he pokes at his food with his spoon, resting his head in his hand and covering his face with his palm, snorting quietly.
"Is something wrong?" his dad asks, catching the snort.
Taehyun straightens up and finally puts a spoonful of vegetables into his mouth. At least they're eating his catch for dinner, not Seongcheol's.
"No, it's nothing," he lies, and suddenly feels Kai's gaze on him. He turns to look at him too, but his friend already averts his eyes, and Taehyun hears him address his father:
"Uncle, the Night of the Hunt starts the day after tomorrow, right?"
Another spoonful of vegetables and meat freezes mid-air. Taehyun glances at Kai again, then twists his head toward his father. His father, impassive as always, cuts his meat with a knife.
"Yes, why?" his father asks, nevertheless.
Even Taehyun's dad is watching Kai with genuine interest.
"Well…" Kai visibly grows embarrassed, scratching the handle of his spoon with his thumbnail. His voice gets quieter. "Could I… take part?"
Taehyun's eyes widen in surprise. If only because any mention of hunting had never sparked much joy in Kai before, despite him always tagging along after Taehyun the moment he saw him heading into the forest. And now he's voluntarily asking to join. And not just any hunt, but the one where alphas gather to bring back the best game for the omegas they're interested in during the Courting period, right before the festival.
His father nods, and his dad smiles faintly.
"Oh, so that means," his dad begins, "you're courting someone, Kai?"
At his words, Kai turns red, a noticeable flush covering his cheeks and part of his neck. Taehyun, in all honesty, wants less and less to be part of this conversation, or even a witness to it, with every passing moment.
"Well," Kai says uncertainly, with a small embarrassed smile, his gaze fixed on his plate, "I'm trying."
"Won't you share who it is?"
"Umm… actually, it'll be awkward if he refuses me, so…"
Kai laughs quietly and nervously.
Taehyun looks at him again. The fact that Kai suddenly decided to take part in the Night of the Hunt, and is even admitting to courting some omega, sends a strange, heavy, prickling feeling through his chest.
Taehyun decides to distract himself, washing down the feeling with water.
"Will you have time to get him ready?" his dad asks, returning to the hunting topic.
"Yes. Just need to check the horses and the bolts," his father says. "The hunt's already been announced. Everyone will head north. I think we can break away from them and go toward the Eastern Valleys."
"But those are no-man's lands and a lot of swamps," Taehyun says doubtfully. He's never visited that area himself; his father's hunting grounds are to the south, and the others are closed off to him. "You want to send Kai there alone?"
His father hums thoughtfully. Taehyun notices Kai tense up, probably already regretting his decision.
"I'll go with him," his father says. "It's my duty as chief hunter to make sure everyone comes back alive."
"You're going too?" his dad asks.
"Yes," his father nods again, and says to Kai, "Get ready. It'll take about two days. And it's a good thing you've decided. As an alpha, you need to show what a good provider you are."
"Yes, alright, uncle," Kai agrees easily, and Taehyun feels like he doesn't recognize his friend at all.
"Maybe I'll come with you?" Taehyun asks, figuring two days in the forest is better than being surrounded again by omegas jabbing him with sewing needles, and he could help Kai if needed.
"No, you stay home," his father cuts him off. "Get ready for the festival. Choose. Besides, Seongcheol's already been buzzing in my ear like an annoying fly, asking me to put in a word for him. Brat," he spits out almost with contempt. "I told him straight away — you've got to prove it through your deeds."
Taehyun grimaces at the unfairness but stays quiet. They don't return to the festival topic for the rest of the evening, but his father starts laying out a detailed plan for the upcoming outing.
*****
After dinner, he and Kai decide to head to the bonfire pit, where the local youth often gather on summer evenings, clustering around a few fires in noisy groups. The air smells of damp earth and burning wood. Crickets chirr in the grass. Taehyun still feels that unpleasant drowsiness, yawns, and presses closer to Kai against the evening chill, habitually wrapping his arms around his shoulder and resting his head on it, watching as he carefully carves assorted beads out of wood. The sturdy, sharp knife glides over the soft wood like a feather, tracing patterns of ancient protective symbols. Taehyun feels the muscles beneath his palms tense and roll with every movement, even the slightest one.
"What's it for?" Taehyun asks.
Kai is just finishing another bead, inspects it in the firelight, and stuffs it into his pocket with the rest.
"A gift," he answers, turning to him with a warm smile.
Taehyun frowns but doesn't comment, asking instead, "Can I try?"
Kai nods, picking a slightly larger block, and passes it to Taehyun along with the knife.
"It might be awkward for you, though," he warns.
Taehyun is left-handed, so he tries working with his dominant hand first, but after the knife skids uselessly over the wood a couple of times, he switches hands — yet even then, things don't go quite smoothly.
"No, don't press so hard, you're not chopping branches for the fire. Softer," Kai advises. "Look."
He takes Taehyun's hands in his own, positioning the knife the right way, and guides him into a smooth motion, the blade peeling off a long curl of wood shaving. Then another. And another.
Taehyun freezes, letting Kai's hands guide his, feeling how warm and soothing they are. He notices the tendons moving on the back of his friend's hand but tries not to pay it much attention. He hears the quiet breathing beside him and realizes just how close they are.
The atmosphere between them suddenly becomes more personal and intimate than it should be. They're alone, surrounded by the soft halo of light from the crackling fire, holding each other's hands. And for friends, there should be nothing unusual about that. They've sat like this together countless times, touching each other's hands without a second thought.
But this time, Taehyun feels like there is.
In their sudden silence, in the crackle of the logs, and in the alpha's scent thickening to a cloying sweetness, like fruit syrup, settling on the roof of his mouth.
Taehyun shifts his gaze to Kai's face — always concentrated when he's working on something, and smiling warmly the rest of the time — and immediately regrets it, because Kai is looking back at him.
No, he absolutely shouldn't be looking at him like that.
Like he sees right through him.
Like he knows something that Taehyun doesn't.
His eyes definitely shouldn't be that dark and captivating.
And definitely not for Taehyun.
Maybe Taehyun should focus on something else, but when all of Kai's attention suddenly narrows on him, looking away proves extremely hard.
There doesn't seem to be enough air — Kai's scent fills his lungs completely.
"W-well… I'm definitely a better shot than a woodcarver," Taehyun says, his voice wavering, trying to break the tension that had settled between them for a couple of moments, a tension that is clearly leading them somewhere it shouldn't.
Kai smirks, but the smirk quickly grows into a smile. He breaks their gaze, finally letting Taehyun draw a normal breath and realize just how hard his heart is pounding, and takes back the block of wood and the knife.
"Yeah, and I'm better at woodcarving."
They laugh quietly, acknowledging how strange that all felt. Though maybe it only seems strange to Taehyun. Had his imagination really gotten the better of him?
Kai begins shaping the block, turning it into another little figurine — the kind he often gives to Taehyun and the local kids — while Taehyun picks up a thicker branch and stirs the fire. A whole sheaf of sparks rises into the dark sky, swirling around them like bright fireflies.
"Hey, remember when we were kids, sitting by the fire like this and telling each other scary stories?" Taehyun recalls, tossing a few twigs into the flames, which instantly begin to crackle.
"You mean the one about the hunting cabin?"
"Well, also the one about the deer with a human face and the drowned woman in the lake, but yeah, the cabin one was the scariest."
"And then we went into the forest to look for it."
Taehyun laughs, remembering how it all happened. They must have been about eleven. And for some reason they'd decided to go at night, with just one lamp between them and his father's knife, just so their parents wouldn't notice.
"Too bad my father found us first. We couldn't take a single step outside the settlement for a whole month after that."
In truth, they were lucky that back then they weren't yet good at hiding their tracks, and Taehyun's father was an excellent tracker, able to follow his quarry unerringly even in a downpour. In these woods, wolves weren't the only predators roaming about.
Kai lets out a short laugh, and Taehyun thinks how nice it would be to go back to that time, when one of the adults' main worries about them was making sure they didn't accidentally kill themselves jumping out of trees, get lost in the forest, or drown in the lake.
"Do you miss childhood?" Kai asks, as if reading his thoughts. In his hands, the piece of wood is already taking on the features of some animal.
"Maybe," Taehyun mumbles. "You?"
"Me too."
Suddenly, a noise sounds behind them. A strange, low, growling sound that makes them both whip around and tense up at once.
"Did you hear that?" Taehyun asks quietly.
"Yeah. What was it?"
They peer into the dense nighttime darkness, which even the nearly full moon can't dispel, trying to make out any movement. Taehyun casts a suspicious glance at the neighboring bonfire, which is quite far from them — too far to even see who's there.
The sound comes again, but now it's closer and slightly off to the side. Taehyun feels the hair on the back of his neck rise.
"Hey!" he shouts in warning, hoping it's just someone's prank, but unconsciously scooting closer to his friend, regretting that his crossbow and knife are back home. Their only weapons are Kai's short-bladed knife and the burning branches from the fire. If it came down to it, they could fend off some animal that had inexplicably wandered so close to the settlement.
For a few moments, silence surrounds them. Taehyun only hears Kai slowly drawing air through his nose, clearly sniffing, using his natural senses to try to detect danger, and then someone bursts sharply into the bright yellow circle of firelight.
"Seongcheol!" Taehyun, who'd almost grabbed one of the burning logs, recognizes the intruder. "Damn you to the spirits! I almost killed you!"
Seongcheol laughs, looking at their tense and startled faces.
"Oh, come on, Taehyun-а," he drawls smugly. "I caught your scent halfway here — weird that you didn't catch mine."
Seongcheol was one of the best hunters in Taehyun's father's party, with excellent senses and tracking skills. Taehyun even shuddered at how easily he'd managed to approach them practically unnoticed. If that had inspired admiration and envy in him as a child, now it only caused paranoia. Omegas, unlike alphas, didn't possess that natural instinct. Tracking game had always been harder for Taehyun, but he was the best shot in the settlement, and probably everyone knew it.
"Did you lose something?" Taehyun asks in a fairly even, cold tone, folding his crossed arms on his knees.
"No, I just decided to find out who'd set up a campfire here," Seongcheol says, and without even asking permission, sits down so close to Taehyun that he has to scoot toward Kai, pressing his thigh and shoulder fully against his. "By the way, did you like my gift?"
"You mean those poor birds? Yeah, I fed them to the dogs."
Seongcheol snorts. He seems completely unbothered that there's another alpha with them right now, never having taken Kai particularly seriously, used to the fact that he always follows Taehyun around like a loyal puppy.
"If you want, I can shoot half a hundred partridges for your pups every day."
"Then take them straight to the kennel."
Seongcheol laughs surprisingly openly, and Taehyun tries hard not to grimace and to relax his lips. The air around them grows heavy. Taehyun doesn't know if it's because of the alpha who so unceremoniously invaded his personal space, or because he feels so uncomfortable being sandwiched between two bodies.
"Maybe you need something else?" Seongcheol asks with a smirk, looking at Taehyun. He speaks without the slightest hesitation.
"No, and I've told you that plenty of times," Taehyun says, displeased, not standing on ceremony or worrying about hurting anyone's feelings.
Seongcheol suddenly places a hand on Taehyun's shoulder, making him flinch.
"Hey, I'm courting you."
Taehyun frowns and, even to his own surprise, feels a wave of irritation coming from Kai's direction. He quickly turns to him, glancing in surprise. Outwardly, Kai looks calm, his face relaxed and still, but Taehyun perfectly catches the tension barely noticeable to others: in his lowered gaze, in the firm line of his mouth, in his hands gripping the knife tightly.
"Maybe we should go together on the Night of the Hunt?" Seongcheol persists.
"No," Taehyun replies, jerking his shoulder, hinting for the hand to be removed. But Seongcheol, it seems, doesn't really understand hints.
"I'll show you spots even your father doesn't know about."
"I doubt it," Taehyun tries to twist away from his hand, but feels the unfamiliar palm settle on the curve of his neck, touching bare skin. Goosebumps run down his spine, and Taehyun grimaces at the unpleasant sensation.
"Hey, I really think you should give me a chance," Seongcheol presses.
Taehyun can almost physically feel the irritation from Kai intensify, shifting into quiet anger. His friend had never gone into confrontation with other alphas, whether they were older or the same age, couldn't stand conflict, and always avoided it with his familiar half-smile. But now he looks angrier than Taehyun has ever seen him. Taehyun suddenly realizes he doesn't even know what to expect from him, or whether he's even capable of controlling the situation if the alphas decide to fight over territory.
"Listen," Taehyun nearly growls, turning to Seongcheol and sharply knocking his hand off his neck with his elbow, noticing how the alpha shifts his gaze between him and the other alpha, either checking for a reaction or trying to provoke one. "Your only chance will be at the festival, so you'd better try your best at the Hunt."
Seongcheol grins broadly, his face taking on a predatory edge at the challenge thrown his way. Taehyun realizes how stupidly he fell for it.
"Wonderful," he drawls. "As you wish."
The alpha rises from the log, as if having gotten exactly what he came for, but then says with a smirk:
"Alright, I was actually looking for Yeonjun. Someone said he came out here with some omega."
"Do you see Yeonjun here?" Taehyun snaps, still annoyed with the whole situation.
Seongcheol lets out a short hum but doesn't answer. He only tosses out a casual "See you around," and leaves.
Despite his departure, the tense and heavy atmosphere doesn't dissipate. Taehyun silently watches the dying fire, no longer adding any brushwood. Kai is silent too, finishing the figurine. It's unclear how long they sit there without saying a word. The silence is filled only by the crackling fire and the soft scraping sounds of Kai's knife. In the nighttime darkness, time stretches on infinitely long and passes quickly all at once. Taehyun speaks when the flames shrink and the logs turn into bright red coals and ash:
"Why don't you tell them to back off? You're just as sick of it as I am."
Kai sighs unhurriedly, sheathes his knife, fastening it to his belt, and holds out the finished figurine of a doe to Taehyun.
"Am I allowed to?" he asks, stretching his lips into a slightly wistful smile.
Taehyun looks at him. The reddish glow from the fire reflects beautifully off his fair skin and glints in his dark eyes, which once again hold a different kind of look.
Asking for permission?
Truthfully, Taehyun really wouldn't mind if Kai stood up for him just once against the other alphas.
"Yes," he admits. "I'd like that."
Kai's expression doesn't change, but Taehyun hears him sharply draw air through his nose and sees his jaw tighten. Maybe an explanation is needed, some clarification as to why Taehyun is giving such permission. But all the arguments that come to his mind feel unconvincing, even to him. And even their friendship isn't really a reason for Kai to enter into a confrontation with other alphas who are trying to court an omega they like.
They both understand that perfectly well, but Taehyun doesn't rush to take his words back.
"Do you like it?" Kai asks, and at first Taehyun doesn't understand what he means, until Kai indicates with a glance at the carved wooden figurine. It's small, fits easily in the palm, and is carved rather neatly, with slender legs and a delicate little face.
Taehyun inspects it in the dim firelight. Across the figurine's entire body, a smooth pattern winds like ivy. He feels it with his fingertips, too.
"You really have gotten good at this," Taehyun nods. He already has a pile of such figurines made by Kai's hands. And while the very first ones he'd made in childhood had been rather crude, with rough edges that left splinters and were barely recognizable as animals, now his work is probably the best Taehyun has ever seen.
"Good," Kai smiles, and slapping his knees, rises from the log. "It's late. Let's head home?"
They make their way back in an unfamiliar, even slightly oppressive silence. Kai, as always, walks him all the way to his house, and by now Taehyun doesn't even argue about it, if only because Kai's own home isn't far.
Kai wishes him goodnight and turns to leave, but Taehyun lingers, dragging out the moment as long as he can without answering him, fully aware of how deliberate it looks.
"Is everything okay?" Kai asks. The cold moonlight slightly blurs his features; his face looks worried. Taehyun admires it for a couple of seconds.
"Yes," he nods. "It's just…" he pauses, but finally asks what's been on his mind since dinner: "Are you really going to the Night of the Hunt?"
Kai lets out a barely audible gasp, and it's clear the question caught him off guard. He shifts awkwardly from foot to foot, reaches up, and scratches the back of his head.
"Well, yeah… you heard it yourself."
Taehyun can't stop himself from making a sort of offended little snort. Just this morning, his friend had been genuinely bewildered when he asked him about omegas, and this evening he'd already openly announced in front of his parents that he was courting one.
"I see," Taehyun mutters. His head is full of thoughts, and not a single one forms into a clear sentence, except for one: "Beomgyu?"
Kai blinks a few times in confusion. Taehyun feels like he wouldn't believe any denial from him. That sharp, prickling feeling of hurt still weighs heavily in his chest.
"No," Kai says, a little sharply, and even in the moonlight, the bright blush on his cheeks is visible.
Taehyun presses his lips together.
It really is quite late, and he shouldn't keep Kai any longer, even if tomorrow only holds hunt preparations for him.
"Well, okay then," he says, taking a half-step toward the house. "I'll go."
"Wait," Kai stops him, nearly lurching after him, and Taehyun actually does stop — though not so much because of Kai's request as because of its unexpectedness.
Kai hesitates, exhales, gathering his thoughts, and mumbles barely audibly:
"It's because of you…"
"What?"
"I'm going on the Hunt because of you," Kai repeats.
Taehyun thinks he must have misheard, or misunderstood something. He stands there with his mouth slightly open, staring dumbly at his friend.
"You said you didn't want to choose any of the alphas," Kai continues, "but the elders will make you do it anyway, so… why not…" he pauses, steeling himself, takes a deep breath of the cool night air, "why not choose me instead."
Taehyun stares at him without saying a word, not even blinking, it seems. Too many thoughts rush through his head. Kai is silent too, glancing around uncertainly, but the settlement is already asleep and, as a blessing from the spirits, no one witnesses their conversation.
"Taehyun?"
"Yes?"
Taehyun finally comes back to life, blinking just like an owl, and closes his mouth. He still looks stunned.
"I don't mean… well…" Kai falters, explanation clearly difficult for him out of embarrassment, "it's just… isn't that the best option?"
"Choose you as my mate? And you're… actually ready for that?"
Kai nods hastily.
"Yes, you're… my friend. Everyone would leave you alone, and we… we'd just live like before. Isn't that right?"
Taehyun considers again. There's some truth in Kai's words, but is it right to use his friend like that? They've known each other since childhood and really are used to each other. But…
"What if you end up liking some omega? And you want a real family with them," Taehyun asks, used to thinking ahead. "But you'd already be bound to me."
Kai's shoulders slump immediately; from his suddenly changed expression, it's clear he hadn't even considered that. That was always how he was: full of interesting but half-baked ideas. Kai lets out a long, thoughtful, guttural sound from somewhere deep inside, until his lungs run out of air.
"Well… we'll figure something out, right?"
Taehyun smirks. As usual, solving the problem falls on his shoulders.
"I need to think about it," he says, not refusing, because he's willing to admit: Kai's proposal has hooked him.
Kai nods, and Taehyun climbs the steps to his house and, cracking the front door open a little, turns around, noticing that his friend hasn't moved an inch, probably waiting for him to go inside. He sighs.
"Quiet night, Kai."
Kai smiles warmly and cozily, seeing him off with his gaze. Closing the door behind him, Taehyun is ready to admit that it looked pretty sweet.