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Beomgyu and Soobin have been best friends since forever. Their bond has always been strong, even before either of them presented and after that, it only got stronger. It wasn't weird to them or anyone around, an alpha and an omega being so close yet only staying friends. Because everyone knew they were just Soobin and Beomgyu before they were their subgenders.
Well, everyone but Beomgyu's omega. It just couldn't accept the possibility of an alpha like Soobin not belonging to Beomgyu exclusively. Not being his mate.
That's why spending his heats and nesting alone is the hardest part of Beomgyu's life. He knows Soobin spends his ruts alone too, as he once admitted with his face red from embarrassment that he wanted to save it for someone really worth it.
His omega calls out for Soobin every heat and Beomgyu is sure that if he asked Soobin to help, he would've complied eventually, that's just who he is. But Beomgyu's love ridden heart and mind couldn't have handled anything casual like that between him and Soobin.
Beomgyu thinks he's learned how to accept the fact that he'll never have Soobin the way he'd want him but a certain phone call with Soobin has his whole world crashing.
“Puppy, can you help me make a nest?” Soobin asks through the line and Beomgyu almost drops his phone.
A nest. Soobin wants to make a nest. For who?
“You mean like an omega nest, hyung?” Beomgyu repeats the words just to make sure. To help himself become accustomed with them. His scent sours and he's grateful the other can't smell it now.
“Yeah, I– there's someone I like, I want to impress him, uh, use it to ask him out,” Soobin confesses. Oh.
The alpha he's in love with just asked for help with courting another omega.
He just got indirectly rejected and asked to third wheel. They might as well fuck in front of him.
Beomgyu absolutely can act normal about it.
“Sure, hyung, you know I'm always happy to help,” he tries to keep his voice natural but the words come out as sarcastic as they can be. Soobin doesn't seem to notice, only asks Beomgyu to come over as soon as possible.
He yells into his pillow the second the call ends.
At the end of the day, he's already come to terms with never getting Soobin as his, no matter how much he hates it, so he sucks it up and gets to Soobin's place in less than twenty minutes.
Soobin opens the door looking utterly distressed and it surprises Beomgyu, as the alpha has always been the calm and collected one. Half an hour ago he wasn't even aware that Soobin likes someone and now he gets to watch him freak out over it.
As Beomgyu steps into the apartment, he senses a familiar smell coming from the kitchen, except this time, it makes him nauseous.
“You even cooked for him, huh?” he teases, biting back tears as his scent sours once more.
“Yeah, spare ribs, I think he's gonna like it,” Soobin nods, sounding proud of himself. It's like suddenly he's become insensitive to Beomgyu's smell and can't recognise when he's upset anymore. Or maybe he's just ignoring it.
“That's–” my favourite, Beomgyu wants to say. “That's nice of you, hyung,” he says instead. “Listen, I'm just gonna tell you what to do, okay? I don't wanna leave my scent all over the nest, that would ruin the whole point,” he explains.
“Of course, yes,” Soobin smiles. “Thank you so much, seriously, I really want this to work out so I need an expert with me,” he jokes. Beomgyu's heart breaks.
Does it make him a bad friend if he wishes for Soobin to get rejected so he can keep him all to himself?
He doesn't want to let just any omega take Soobin away from him. He's the only one that truly knows him as he is, the only one who deserves to have him.
The more rational part of him, though, still wants Soobin to be happy. With whoever he chooses for himself. Even if it makes Beomgyu miserable.
He helps Soobin with the nest as well as he can, telling him about the best and most comfortable ways to arrange the blankets and pillows, guiding Soobin through putting the whole thing together.
“You have to add a few of your shirts and hoodies,” he adds once Soobin is done with the initial part of assembling a nest. “It's natural for an omega to find comfort in an alpha's scent but if he really likes you, it's gonna hit ten times better, like a charm,” he explains. Just like it hits me, remains unsaid. This whole ordeal is making him feel nauseous and he regrets agreeing to it during every second of it.
Soobin is courting an omega that he really likes and that omega isn't Beomgyu. All he can ever be is Soobin's counsellor, his teacher, the one person that can tell him all the secrets on how to best get through to an omega.
And he can only do that because he likes Soobin, so he's experienced firsthand what certain things do to his omega, the things that only work on him when it's Soobin who's doing them.
For example when another alpha is talking to Beomgyu and Soobin subconsciously pulls him close as if to mark his territory.
It wouldn't have had such a strong effect on him if it hadn't been Soobin but the first time it happened, he thanked whatever deity that was watching over him that he had his scent suppressant on then. If he thinks about it too much, he's gonna need another one or Soobin's nest will be rendered useless with Beomgyu's scent all over it place. Maybe that'd be better.
“–gyu, Beomgyu, are you listening to me?” when did Soobin suddenly appear in front of him? Beomgyu jumps up, his face immediately turning red from embarrassment. He got so distracted by imagining Soobin as his alpha he ended up ignoring whatever he's been saying to him. While helping him make a nest for another omega.
“Sorry, I was…thinking of some other things you could add,” Beomgyu makes up an excuse, scratching his neck. “Maybe some stuffed animals, if you own any?” he offers.
“I, uh…” Soobin starts, leaning down to search through the mess he's made on his bedroom floor while putting together the nest. “I have this one,” he retrieves a light brown teddy bear holding a heart and Beomgyu wants to cry.
He got Soobin this teddy bear for Valentine's Day when they were in middle school and decided they should exchange gifts so they wouldn't feel too lonely. They went to a cat café then and pretended to be a couple to get free dessert. Beomgyu marks this event as the one when he started falling for his best friend.
“It's my favourite, I sleep with it every night,” the words are a final nail to Beomgyu's coffin.
“It's perfect then!” he exclaims, perhaps a bit too excitedly to come off as natural. “Your scent is all over it, I'm sure it'll make him a lot more comfortable.”
Soobin rearranges a few more things in the nest under Beomgyu's watchful eye, listening to his advice and instructions. Once he's finally done, he looks at Beomgyu with a proud expression on his face. The sweet and calm scent of his pheromones is almost enough to settle the storm in Beomgyu's brain.
Almost enough because it comes back the moment he feels himself getting pulled onto the bed, the nest Soobin had just made for another omega. He panicks, trying to pull away and reason with Soobin.
“Hyung, I can't be there, I'm gonna stink up the whole place and the guy–” he pauses when he notices Soobin's shy smile and his ears turning red.
The next thing he knows is Soobin nosing at the patch placed over his scent gland and he shivers. It takes him a moment to realise what's happening and it makes him dizzy. He's the omega Soobin wants to court.
“I'm sorry, I didn't know how to tell you differently,” Soobin whispers, his voice shaky.
“You're the stupidest and most useless alpha I know,” Beomgyu scoffs, slapping Soobin's shoulder when he feels his scent spike up at the insults. “And perverted,” he rolls his eyes.
“Mm, you're the prettiest, sweetest, most gentle–” Soobin stops with the compliments when Beomgyu sends him a glare, “–omega I know. I was scared you'd reject me before I even finish speaking.”
“Hyung, I was going crazy the whole time you were making that nest.”
“I know, I could smell that,” Soobin chuckles. “It kinda made me feel better, that you were so jealous thinking I was trying to court another omega,” he admits.
“Oh my God, I hate you,” Beomgyu groans. “You're an evil evil alpha, get out of my nest,” he tries to push Soobin off the bed.
“Hey, it's my nest!”
“No, I own it now,” Beomgyu huffs, crossing his arms.
“Will you let me join you, then?” Soobin asks, lips pressing to Beomgyu's cheek.
“Hmm, I guess I could,” Beomgyu pouts, trying to seem indifferent but his sweet scent is already all over the place, betraying him. “I want a proper date, though, with a nice restaurant, flowers and gifts,” he demands.
“Anything for my omega,” Soobin nods and Beomgyu flushes red when his own scent spikes up at being called that.
He's gonna need some time to learn how to react like a decent person to being Soobin's omega.