Chapter Text
Renjun was terrified. Was middle school supposed to make him feel this way? Each and every day since the dreadful day Felix was rushed out of class he felt like he would throw up any minute.
At least he wasn't alone with his feelings. His best friend Donghyuck seemed to share his almost hatred at the idea of presenting. Renjun just knew that after he turned 14 and his classmates started presenting it wouldn't take too long for it to be his turn. Renjun liked his life as an unpresented wolf. No heats, no ruts, no pheromones, no strong scents or embarrassing conversations with his parents. Really, his life was fine. Just why did nature decide to make them all go through puberty and thus have them present their second gender?
The atmosphere in their class changed after a few of them revealed their second gender - Felix being the first one going into heat and returning to class a week later, looking prettier than ever. The situation just got worse when the first alphas presented. Suddenly there was a weird tension between former friends in their class, changing rooms had to be divided not only by girls and boys anymore but rather alphas and omegas. Not to forget the betas.
Betas. Yeah, that was Renjun's last hope. As he was coming from a long line of a betas-only family he kind of hoped he could take the easy route and just become a beta himself. Betas had a really painless sort of presentation, only their eye-color changed a bit and their sense of smell became stronger. Apart from that their status and their body remained mostly the same as before. No weird tension. The change of his body was what made Renjun the most anxious to be honest. He saw with his own eyes how some of the newly presented alpha boys and girls couldn't contain their strength and just randomly destroyed all sorts of objects. However omegas seemed to become more sensitive and... let's just say it how it is: even omega boys grew a larger chest. While alpha girls may become taller and more muscular, omega boys' body changed more drastically as to fit their role of bearing and nursing their future children.
Still, genetics have to play a role in this, right? Renjun was most likely to become a beta himself and fit perfectly in his family tree full of betas. Donghyuck however, son of a traditional omega-alpha couple, who already had an alpha as a brother, hoped exactly for the opposite concerning the relevance of genetics.
Both of them have been friends since toddler-age, their families being rather close to each other. They went to kindergarten, elementary school and now middle school together. And now they were faced with presenting together, too.
Renjun's face paled as yet another girl suddenly winced in pain during their math lesson and was escorted from class that day due to her going into rut. He glanced at Donghyuck, who just returned his look of worry.
"I'm so not ready for presenting...", said Renjun as they got to talk during recess. While most of their classmates seemed to like their new status, the two of them shared their dislike in the idea of getting a second gender.
"Me neither...Minnie looked so in pain when she left the classroom.", was Donghyuck's response.
"My last hope is still becoming a beta.", added Renjun.
"That would be nice.", answered Donghyuck. They envied the few kids who just came to school one day with their eye-color changed announcing they presented as a beta.
"It would be nice if it at least wouldn't happen at school.", said Renjun, embarrassed by just the thought of falling on his knees crying because of pain in front of the whole class.
"Yeah, but I feel like it will happen soon...I've been feeling weird the last couple days. I don't know if that's a good sign. Plus, there aren't many people left to present in our class...we're kind of the last ones.", spoke Donghyuck.
"You felt it too? I just thought it was because of all the hormones in class because so many of them presented lately.", said Renjun deeply in thought. Donghyuck just hummed. They got distracted as they saw a tall - and probably still growing - alpha guy approach a newly presented omega girl. He was obviously staring at her body, the curves of her hips and breasts becoming more defined after her presentation. Donghyuck and Renjun could smell the horny pheromones the Alphas was transmitting and the omega girl couldn't really do anything but try to ignore the uncomfortable presence. The alpha probably didn't even know what he was doing as he had yet to gain full knowledge about how his new body functions.
"This is why I hate secondary genders.", hissed Donghyuck. Renjun nodded in silent agreement. "Why would nature force us to either become proud, horny and hotheaded or straight up submissive, docile and weak? Why can't we all be betas?", added the younger boy.
"I hate how there a still so many people who believe in those cliches...Alphas don't have it as bad as omegas, though.", said Renjun and threw a pitiful glance to the girl.
"I would hate it if anyone would make me submit to them against my will." It was true...while society still made huge progress in the last decades, with Omegas getting equal rights and being treated more fairly, there was still a huge conservative group of people that believed in traditional gender roles - mostly stubborn alphas, who would make every omega submit to them.
Donghyuck and Renjun survived the week without one of them presenting. On monday, however, was when things started to go downhill very fast. They had P.E., the changing room situation imaginably complicated as they still weren't all presented and had to be separated between first and second genders. Donghyuck and Renjun being the last unpresented boys had the whole changing room for themselves and where taking their sweet time changing as it suddenly hit Renjun. He just got into his sports pants, as he started feeling incredibly hot. He tried fanning himself with his hands but it didn't really cool him down. He turned to Donghyuck, who was having similar problems, his face flushed red.
"Di-did someone turn the heater on?", asked Donghyuck but his voice was dry. Renjun went to check but suddenly dropped to his knees due to enormous pain.
"Dongyuck!", he moaned. The other boy looked worried but he couldn't move himself as he suddenly clenched down feeling an unimaginable pain in his stomach. Then they both could feel it. Slick. They looked at each other wide eyed.
"Shit, I think we are presenting.", said Donghyuck breathing heavily.
"We need to get out of here.", said Renjun and tried to crawl to the door. Somehow they got to open it. To their utmost luck the first people seeing them was a group of alphas. Their brains seemed to circuit as they saw two helpless presenting omega going into heat, with no teacher in sight to hold them back, as they approached them. They both whimpered in fear, not really being able to put up a fight in their situation. But just in that moment, Jaemin, a beta from their class, got out of their changing room and saw, what was happening. He screamed for the teacher, which made the alphas quit their daze as they stopped coming closer. He tried to help Donghyuck up when their gym teacher arrived, looking stressed and concerned. Being a strong and experienced alpha he could easily pick up both of his students and carry them to the saferoom, where they would wait till their parents would arrive. Renjun and Donghyuck weren't really in the condition to talk more so they just laid on the pillows provided and tried to find positions that would make the pain more tolerable.
About 20 minutes later their dads arrived, looking at their kids worried but still somewhat amused.
"I know you two are inseparable but presenting at the same time?", asked Donghyuck’s dad and smiled as his son just whined.
"Come on you two, we will get you home safe and sound.", said Renjun’s dad and went to pick up his own son who couldn't even fight his body being carried like a doll.
"I heard it's not that uncommon to present together for omegas, when they spend as much time together as these two do.", started Donghyuck’s father a conversation as both fathers carried their sons to their cars. "I'm not even that surprised.", answered Renjun’s father. They both knew their sons were close since they practically learned how to walk.
"Just surprised Renjun's not a beta, I guess.", he said while taking a look at his suffering child.
"You're not disappointed, are you?", asked Donghyuck’s dad with a questioning gaze.
"Of course not! I just thought it would be easier for him if there were family members with the same gender as him.", replied the other dad.
"Oh, I understand. But now they have each other, don't they? Plus you'll send him to an omega doctor after his heat is over, right?", asked Donghyuck’s dad as they arrived at the cars and put their sons inside, securing them with the seat belt.
"Yeah, right."
The first three days of his first heat went by in a haze for Renjun. He could barley remember anything else than pain and unforgivable heat. He knew his mum must've definitely made sure that he stayed hydrated but he couldn't recall anyone talking to him or entering his room.
After that it got more bearable. While he still mostly stayed in bed, trying to reduce the pain by finding a comfortable position, he could now move and drink on his own. Due to respecting his privacy his parents stayed out of his room and left food and water in front of his door.
The thing Renjun hated the most though, was the massive amount of slick he produced, running down his thighs, ruining his clothes and sheets, stinking up his whole room. It was humiliating, to say the least, that he couldn't stop himself from wetting himself, while the scent suggested that he was ready to be bread. He hated that he couldn't control it. He hated how good it felt to spread his legs, to ease the pain, and how the slick just poured out of him. He hoped it would only be this extreme for his first heat.
On the fourth day Renjun could make up his mind enough to text Donghyuck. He couldn't believe that they both presented as omegas on the same day.
Renjun
Hey, how ya doing?
Donghyuck
Bad, but I'll survive. Don't remember much of the past days though.
Renjun
Me neither.
I can't believe we went into heat at the same time.
Donghyuck
Crazy, isn't it?
But at least we're in this mess together, right?
Renjun
Actually, I'm really scared...
Donghyuck
Me too...
When these alphas were approaching us in the changing room
I didn't know what to do...
Renjun
Sucks being an omega, I guess.
Donghyuck
Don't say that. We'll figure this thing out
Renjun
I hope so.
Donghyuck
Believe me, we will become the most independent omegas of this planet!
We'll just protect each other! Who needs alphas anyways?
Renjun smiled as he read the messages of his best friend. Yeah, they'll figure this out together.
On the weekend his mother took him to the omega specialist. Renjun was glad that he got to go. He loved his family, but he felt like they couldn't really answer the questions he had. Not that he could even bring himself to ask them these questions, he would die from embarrassment first.
His doctor greeted him with a friendly smile as he entered the room.
"You're Huang Renjun, right?", she asked as she typed something into the computer.
"Uh, yes.", he said a little nervously.
"No need to be nervous.", she smiled again. How did she-?
"Your scent. I'm pretty good a picking up emotions through scents. You'll have to get used to it.", she explained patiently, seemingly having Renjun's thought process. Renjun nodded.
"Alright, is it okay if I just do a basic examination to make sure everything is alright and there are no problems with your presentation?", asked the woman and looked at Renjun. The young boy just nodded and went to sit down opposite of the doctor.
"So, when did your heat start?", she asked.
"Erm, Monday.", he answered as she typed again.
"Okay, you'll be having heats three times a year every four months. Better keep track of them. At the beginning they might be a little bit sooner or later, but they will regulate themselves over time.", she explained and Renjun listened attentively. "Say, Renjun, do you have a partner?" Renjun felt his face heat up before he shook his head. "Okay, but if you'll have a partner in the future and want to try things, you need to be careful. You are now able to get pregnant. I'll prescribe you a pill, that will not only prevent pregnancy but will also help regulate your hormones and make your heats less painful. You're okay with that?", she looked at him again and Renjun nodded, his cheeks still red. Right, he could now get pregnant. Don't freak out.
"Would you please remove your shirt for me?", she asked. Without thinking he took off his pullover only to realize that yes - his chest had changed. His face started to heat up again. They were not really big, but also not small...they were just...there...suddenly. The doctor tried to calm him down with a reassuring smile.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, this is a perfectly normal omega body.", she told him. She asked him to breathe to check his lungs, before she took his temperature. "I'm going to examine your chest now, okay?", she said before putting on gloves and carefully touching his breasts. Renjun stared at the ceiling. This was too much for him. "Okay, everything seems to be in perfect order. I would recommend getting a bra to give your back more support. It might feel weird at the beginning but it prevents a major back pain.", she said as she finished her check-up. Renjun just nodded. "So, do you have any further questions?", she smiled again and looked him openly in the eyes. Renjun shifted a little. This was all strange.
"Erm...is it possible to control...slick?", he felt his voice becoming quieter along the question. The doctor just looked at him in thought.
"Unfortunately not, as it is just a reaction of our body, like getting goose bombs or shivering. If you have a problem with leaking slick there are a variety of slick pads to use. I would recommend wearing these near your heat anyways, as leaking of slick is not uncommon during that period of time.", she answered professionally and Renjun nodded. "Anything else?"
He thought for a moment but then shook his head.
"Okay, then I'll give you the recipe for the pills so you can get them right away.", she said and turned back to the computer to print out the recipe. "You start taking them right away once everyday, preferably at the same time. You stop taking them when your heat hits again, but there are also instructions on how to take them with the pills. It should be less intense than your presentation but will have similar symptoms.", she explained while the recipe was being printed.
Renjun just waited until she turned to him again.
"Alright Renjun. It was nice to meet you. It is strongly advised to come to a check-up at least once a year, so I hope I’ll see you around in the future.", the doctor smiled, handed him the recipe and shook his hand.
Renjun smiled back before he left the room with a shy "Goodbye."
His mum was waiting for him expectantly in the waiting room. She smiled and got up as Renjun got to her and picked up their jackets.
"So, everything healthy?", she asked and Renjun nodded.
"She gave me a recipe for a pill."
"Birth control? Renjun, do you need to tell me something?", she asked suddenly stern. Renjun’s face heated up again.
"No, it's not just for that! It's to regulate my hormones and reduce pain during heat.", he said with flushed cheeks.
His mother's face relaxed again. "Shall we pick it up right away then?", she asked as they entered the car.
Renjun nodded. Then he took a deep breath. "She also told me to get...to get slick pads...and a...and a bra.", he said and avoided his mothers eyes.
"I thought so already, I wanted to buy one for you anyways.", she said while Renjun slowly died from embarrassment. He didn't get out of the car as his mum hopped into an underwear shop and returned with a set of bras for him. It would take some time to get used to this...his new body only being part of it.
The only good thing about returning to school on Monday was getting to see Donghyuck again. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips as he saw his best friend standing at the school front.
"Donghyuckie!", he said excitedly as his friend turned around a little bit surprised.
"Renjunnie!", he responded and smiled equally excited. Renjun looked at his best friends face for a while before his eyes drifted downwards. Donghyuck’s cheeks became red immediately. "I know...they're...something. I tried to bind them...but that just hurt.", he murmured, trying to hide his chest by crossing his arms. They were way bigger that Renjun’s, but still not out of the normal. Just...different than before.
"You're beautiful.", he simply said and tried to give his friend an encouraging smile. It seemed to work as Donghyuck smiled back at him.
"Thanks, you're not bad yourself.", he said and Renjun giggled. Their bodies might have changed but they were still best friends.
"Let's go in, before we're late.", he said dragging Donghyuck along to their classroom.
In retrospective, middle school might've not been too bad. While there was a weird tension between everybody and a little general awkwardness, it was nothing compared to high school.
High school seemed to be all about dating, appearance and dynamics. It was even worse than middle school, where everybody was still getting used to their new bodies and status.
In high school however, you couldn't go a day without hearing some omega swoon over some muscular, dominant alpha, and you couldn't overhear some horny alphas speak about some omegas in a dirty way. Donghyuck found himself to be the topic of those uncomfortable compliments quite often...as his chest had become rather prominent. It made him self conscious at first but with Renjun’s help he learned to ignore it.
The other omega would glare at any alpha that would just dare to stare a little bit too long at his best friend’s chest. If there was one thing that both of them hated, then that would be alphas that thought they had some kind of right to control them, that thought they were privileged of some sort.
They tried to stay away from those kind of alphas but once in a while you would get to hear a comment like: "Pretty omega, why don't you bend over for me like you're supposed to?"
And you couldn't do anything other about it than to roll your eyes and ignore it. Trying to pick a fight with an alpha was, to say the least, not really clever, as much as Renjun and Donghyuck would hate to admit it, as they were strong believers of equal rights and abilities. But you couldn't overlook the obvious height difference alone - Renjun and Donghyuck pretty much stopped growing after their presentation in middle school, while Alphas hit a growth spurt at that age.
It wasn't like Renjun and Donghyuck hated all alphas. Biology pretty much made it impossible for them to not be attracted to alphas. They were just normal high school students. They had crushes.
Renjun’s only confession to his crush was straight up rejected though, which resulted into a movie marathon on the weekend with loads of ice cream shared between them. Donghyuck was often approached by all kind of alphas, and when the attraction was mutual he wouldn't say no to a date. However, they were mostly horny teenagers, while Donghyuck was..well, not. Many of them just tried to hit it and quit it, something that Donghyuck was not comfortable with. The one time Renjun was approached by an alpha he got stood up, only to find the alpha making out around the corner with some omega girl.
Needless to say that none of them ended up in a relationship during high school, as they also didn't really like to attend parties, where most of the dating life seemed to take place. They were happy together, though, sometimes binge watching a drama, crying that they want to have a boyfriend like that so badly.
The biggest surprise for both of them was that they were actually not feeling too bad about presenting after all. All these days in middle school fearing the day they would reveal their second gender now seemed far away and kind of ridiculous. It took them a while to feel confident and they both still had insecurities, but they wouldn't trade being an omega for anything.
Sure, sometimes Renjun would wake up covered in slick and think that being a beta would solve everything, and Donghyuck would every once in a while try to hide his curves with baggy clothes – but all in all, they managed. They had fun shopping together, gossiping about alpha leads in dramas, sharing details about their heats and dreaming about their perfect future boyfriends. Being an omega actually made their friendship become deeper as they could share their most intimate concerns with each other. They rarely fought and usually made up with each other within hours. They helped each other and protected each other.
So it was really no wonder when after graduating together, they applied to the same university. Both wanting to become teachers that decision came really easy to them. Renjun taking science and arts as his subjects, while Donghyuck picked music and literature. That lead to them being in different classes but they still had their basic pedagogy courses together.
Moving in together was only logical to both of them, as it would cut the expenses in half and they were inseparable anyways. Renjun got to move in a day earlier than Donghyuck, who had to attend his great-aunts birthday on his moving day. So Renjun and his parents drove to the city first to get the key from the house keeper, the ride taking them about two hours.
Their dorm was small but Renjun was sure they could make it feel warm and comfortable. His parents helped him to settle in, carrying his boxes from the car to his room. His mother was currently inside the dorm as Renjun bumped into something, not really being able to see much, because the huge box he was carrying blocked most of his view. He heard an "Ouch!" and figured that he didn't bump into something but rather into someone.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?", he apologized directly, as he tried to rearrange the box in his arms so that he could take a look at the stranger he just hit.
"It's okay, I'm not hurt.", the voice replied and Renjun sighed relieved. At least he didn’t have to pay for hospital bills on his first day here. The stranger took a step around him so that the box wasn't in their field of view anymore.
"Let me help you!", the boy said as soon as he got a glance at Renjun, who felt his face getting warm. The stranger was an alpha, by his scent. A rather handsome alpha to add. He was just about to take the box from Renjun when he heard his mum yell from inside his room:
"Renjun, I can't find your slick pads. I know your heat is only in three weeks but shall we pick some up at the store lat-" His mother stopped as she saw the situation her son was in, the alpha now looking at the ground rather than Renjun. She smiled apologetic to her son before returning to his room. Renjun could feel his face heating up - no burning up. Great, just great, his mum just told a random alpha - a rather nice one - about his heat cycle. Can the ground just swallow him already?
"I'm...urgh, it's okay. It's the last box anyways.", was everything Renjun’s brain could get together. And without saying another word Renjun carried the box to his room, hiding from the alpha and just hoping he would forget about this whole ordeal. When his father came with his suitcase the alpha must have already disappeared, as the beta didn't mention a stranger lingering in front of Renjun's door. What a great first day.
Donghyuck moved in the next day, which was a Saturday. They spent their time getting unpacked and arranging their shared living space all day. Their dorm only consisted of a shared bedroom, and another room, which was their kitchen/living room. They put a small couch and table in it, because it was comfy and because a bigger one wouldn't have fitted anyways. Sunday they had a look at their schedules and the university itself as their classes would start Monday. Donghyuck laughed sadistically at Renjun, who had a morning class at 7:30 while he himself had his first lecture at 11 am. Renjun threw a pillow at him out of spite, which ended in a small pillow fight that left them a bit breathless.
"My alarm will wake you up, too.", said Renjun as they laid down on their beds.
"Ha, don't think I can't fall asleep after being awake once.", answered Donghyuck.
"Aren't you...nervous?", asked Renjun the mood getting a bit more serious. Donghyuck thought for a while.
"A little bit, I guess. But I know that I've got you here with me, so I won't be alone. Though I hardly believe all the other kids in class will be jerks.", joked Donghyuck to ease Renjun’s worries.
"That's true.", the older one agreed.
"I'm kind of excited to meet new people.", said Donghyuck, which reminded Renjun of his encounter with the alpha.
"Urgh, I need to tell you something - My mum is unbelievable!", he started and went of ranting about his parents, which ended in the both of the gossiping and talking all night, till sleep got the best of them and put an end to their conversation.
The next day Renjun’s alarm went off at 6:40am exactly. Renjun threw a glance at his best friend, who wiggled a little bit but seemed to fall asleep again. He played with the thought of stealing the blanket from him, but Renjun felt merciful today. Instead he tried to get ready as quietly as possible, taking a long shower to get the sleep out of his eyes.
He threw on a light pink hoodie and some jeans before fetching some cereals. Getting lost on social media Renjun was shocked when he saw that it was already 7:10. It took about 15 minutes to get to university. So he brushed his teeth in a rush, put on his sneakers, grabbed his bag and sprinted out of their dorm.
In his hurry he forgot to check the weather and was now met with rain dripping down on him. He considered getting the stairs back up, as he and Donghyuck lived in the fifth floor, but with a short glance at the time he decided against. He couldn't be late on his first day!
He made up his mind to sprint through the rain as fast as possible, when he felt someone holding him back by his wrist. He was pulled back by the rebound and saw him faced with a broad chest. Alpha - the scent told him. And when he looked up he found himself face to face with the alpha he first met a few days ago. Immediately he felt his face heating up.
"I'm sorry for just grabbing you like this, but I saw you were about to head into the rain like this and I thought we could share my umbrella? Only if you want to...", the alpha began to ramble looking at his feet.
"Oh my god.", Renjun said under his breath. This could not be true. Why does he have to be so attractive though? The alpha interpreted his hesitance as a rejection and began to smile awkwardly.
"It's okay if you don't. I guess it's a little strange to just offer...yeah, I'm sorry.", he said and Renjun stared at him. As much as he wanted to never see this alpha again out of embarrassment, he couldn't let go of his only option to get to class dry and on time.
"No, I very much would appreciate it. Thanks.", he heard himself say and cringed at his own words. The alpha beamed at him.
"Okay, let's go then!", he said, holding up the umbrella for Renjun to step under it.
"Urm, I'm sorry for the other day. My mum...she didn't know...", began Renjun to talk as he couldn't stand the silence anymore. He felt his cheeks heat up.
"It's okay. I'll just forget about it, if you're uncomfortable. We can pretend this is our first meeting, if you want to?", the alpha replied and Renjun felt his heart melt a little bit. How can this alpha be handsome, smell great and be this kind and considerate? No, stop it. Get yourself together, you just met the boy! Because he didn't trust his voice in this moment he just nodded.
"Alright then, I don't think we introduced ourselves yet. I'm Lee Jeno, I'm 19 years old and I'm starting university today. I'm studying sports science and management.", the alpha - Jeno - said and looked expectantly at Renjun. Oh, now it was his turn. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, I'm Huang Renjun, I'm also starting university today. I study to become a science and arts teacher.", he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Renjun. I hope to see you around, even though we don't seem to have classes together.", Jeno smiled brightly at him. He had a nice eye-smile, it made him look somewhat cute despite his alpha aesthetic.
"Um, yeah, I mean we seem to live in the same building. We’ll probably run into each other.", was his response and Jeno chuckled a little bit.
"Yeah, I almost forgot. Did you settle in alright?", he asked.
"Um, yeah, me and my best friend live together actually.", he answered.
"Best friend? So you don't have a...partner?", Jeno asked trying to be subtle, but Renjun could feel him blush again. Was the alpha flirting with him? It couldn't be...
"I uh... I don't have...a partner.", Renjun stuttered out his answer, Jeno seemed satisfied, though. They already arrived at the university. "Thanks for sharing the umbrella with me. You saved me there. Can I do something for you in return?", Renjun thanked Jeno as they were about to part ways.
"It's alright. It was a pleasure to talk to you.", Jeno said. Renjun felt himself get hot again, but at least Jeno’s ears seemed to be red as well.
"I'll get to class then, Jeno. I'll see you around?", Renjun said and smiled a little at the taller boy.
"Yeah, see you.", the alpha said. Renjun turned around and threw a glance at his watch again. Punctual, dry and his heart skipped a beat with the thought of Jeno’s eye-smile.