Work Text:
Ever since she was a little girl, Malee has always known she wanted to be an architect. It was her dream to create beautiful houses, giant shopping malls, and incredible tourist attractions. The fridge in her childhood home was always covered in her drawings: from doodles when she was just a kid to actual beautiful villas she created in art class. Drawing had been Malee’s passion since she could pick up a pencil with her little hands.
She’d heard about the University of Architecture in Bangkok and how they’d been the home of some of the best architects Thailand had to offer, like the incredibly talented Phayu Chantara and rising star Sky Siriwan. She followed both of their work during her entire high school career so when it was time to choose a university, it wasn’t a difficult choice to make at all.
And now it’s been a year since Malee started working at her new firm, fresh out of college and filled to the brim with excitement and ideas. It’d been a little intimidating and scary the first few weeks – finding your groove again after starting somewhere new is always difficult – but once she fell into a rhythm, she caught on quickly with the workload and projects, showing off her talent and creativity.
Malee couldn’t be happier working at this firm. It has everything she wanted in a workplace; a good working environment, the chance to help create a better future environmentally and a focus on creating durable and sustainable housing.
But most of all, Malee likes working at this firm because her idol works here too: Phayu Chantara.
She’d been starstruck the first time he spoke to her (and the other new employees), eyes nearly bulging when she realized that the great Phayu would be her supervisor. From the start, it had been obvious that Phayu wouldn’t tolerate any kind of slacking. He expected hard work and great effort from all of his employees.
Malee spent her first days at the firm trying desperately not to gawk at Phayu and concentrate on her work. She knew she had to step up her game, get into work mode, and leave her university self behind, but it was hard.
After her first month, Phayu had called Malee into his office, asking how she was doing and if she was settling in okay as he’d noticed that she’d been struggling a little. The genuine concern on Phayu’s face had made Malee melt a little inside. Here was her idol, sitting behind his desk, looking at her with those beautiful brown eyes, his scent comforting and warm, trying to ease her worries.
How on earth could she ever resist this handsome Alpha?
They had a good talk where she gained more confidence in her work and her place in the company. Phayu reassured her that she would get more chances to prove herself and that needing time to settle in was absolutely okay. He also told her that he thought she’d fit right in with the other employees, complimenting her work so far.
The praise had made her heart surge with happiness, giving her new found courage. Over the weeks that followed, she regained control over her emotions and was able to work under Phayu efficiently, making all her deadlines and pleasing the senior with her work.
There really was no better feeling than getting a smile from Phayu, having him compliment your work and be appreciative of it.
Malee sighs out loud, dropping her pencil on the table and leaning her chin on her hands.
Phayu Chantara. Handsome Alpha, hard worker, seemingly loyal and overall so nice! Malee can’t help but think about what Phayu is like outside of work. Is he just as sweet? Is he even nicer? What does he like to do?
Malee bets he’d like to exercise, just like she does, go to the gym and work out that excess energy she has left at the end of the day. She’s noticed the muscles Phayu tries to hide underneath his clothes, the way the sleeves of his shirt stretch around his biceps tightly… Malee can't help but wonder what other part of his body is so well trained…
An elbow to the ribs breaks Malee out of her daydream, and she tears her eyes away from Phayu's closed office door.
"Ouch," she says, rubbing her side softly. "Dang, P'Phet, what did you do that for?"
"You were staring again," the Beta says, a smile adorning his face. "At K'Phayu's door. It's been closed for a good ten minutes already."
Malee laughs in embarrassment. "I was not!"
"Okay babes, if you say so," Phet shrugs. "But if K'Phayu comes out to check on your progress and sees you're not as far along as you're supposed to be…" Phet trails off. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
From the other side of the table, Taeng chuckles from where she's bent over a blueprint. The traitor.
Malee picks up her pencil and quickly gets to work again. She never wants to disappoint Phayu – she'd rather jump off a cliff. It would be the worst thing ever to have Phayu furrow those big, beautiful, bushy brows of his at her.
Malee sighs quietly. Phayu is so pretty. The most beautiful person she's ever seen, and so very polite and nice. He’s always using honorifics where needed, using polite language, and always willing to help if needed. But he's also no stranger in challenging his employees.
And on top of that, he's an Alpha too!
Phayu truly is the whole package. The Alpha of Malee's dreams.
She maybe has a little more than a crush on her supervisor slash boss. It's just… she can't help herself! Phayu is so nice, so cool, so talented, so capable! And he smells. so. good. The one time she got a whiff of the Alpha's scent, her head nearly exploded with how delicious he smelled: a mix of ozone and thunder, a perfect match to his name.
There's also another scent hanging around Phayu, something sweet and fresh that Malee can't quite put her finger on.
—
“Do you think K’Phayu has a mate?” Malee asks the next day at lunch.
Phet almost drops his chopsticks back into his bowl of rice, looking up at Malee in surprise. “Uh… why?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.
Malee shrugs. “I don’t know… I’ve never heard him talk about a possible mate before and…” She curls her pointer finger in her long brown hair, twisting it in circles. The rest of her hair is put up in a little top knot, mirroring Phayu’s, but it’s absolutely not because she wanted to impress her supervisor, no way.
She just likes the hairstyle! It’s cute, easy and comes in handy! Now she doesn’t need to tuck her bangs behind her ears all the time.
“And?” Phet asks, looking at Malee expectantly. Malee just shrugs again.
“What are we talking about?” Taeng asks as she walks up to the table with her lunch.
“Malee’s everlasting crush on her boss,” Phet replies with a chuckle. “She’s asking if K’Phayu has a mate.”
“Oh for sure he does,” Taeng says, sitting down. “A man like K’Phayu is definitely not single.”
Malee rolls her eyes. They don’t know that. Phayu could be single for all they know. He doesn’t wear a ring, so he’s probably not married and there’s also no sign of a mating bite! So really, the chance of Phayu having a partner is slim.
Secretly, Malee had done her hair like Phayu always does to impress him. Sure, the hairstyle comes in handy while bent over blueprints, but she hopes to catch his attention for even a few seconds with this.
Since the office got a big project a few weeks back, they’ve all been very busy – but especially Phayu and Mhok who have been talking with clients, overseeing every employee, checking if they’re doing their work and if it’s up to par with what the client wants. It’s been a stressful few weeks and the end isn’t even in sight yet.
It’s also been a few weeks since she’s seen Phayu actually smile and she hopes he’s okay, that he isn’t too stressed.
“K’Phayu has to be single,” Malee says, picking up her sandwich and taking a small bite. “I’ve never heard him talk about a partner.”
Phet rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a partner. I think K’Phayu is just very private,” he says, lifting his chopsticks and taking a bite of his rice. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about anything other than architecture.”
Taeng pipes up, pointing at Phet, saying, “Exactly! K’Phayu is a very serious man. He strikes me as the type to keep business and personal life separated.” Phet nods in agreement.
Whatever, Malee thinks. Taeng and Phet don’t understand. A man like Phayu would absolutely be showing off his wedding ring or mating bite. Why wouldn’t he? Isn’t it something to be proud of? To have a connection with someone so deep, to have a mate for the rest of your life? Malee would show off her mating bite with pride. Especially if it was Phayu’s claim on her.
Phayu’s claim. Oh… how much she wants that. To belong to the Alpha, to have Phayu belong to her.
Malee sighs, sinking away in her thoughts again. Phayu would be the perfect Alpha, her perfect Alpha. Someone she’d bring home to meet her parents with pride. It doesn’t matter that Phayu’s much older than her, it isn’t even that much. It’s only ten years! Sure, her mother would rather her being with someone her own age but… love is love right? You can’t help who you fall in love with.
Malee bets they’d have a lot in common. They’re both gym rats, they both love architecture… Malee’s even come to appreciate motorcycles ever since she’d seen Phayu arrive on his once. She stood there with her mouth dropped open, nearly drooling at the sight of Phayu swinging his leg over that powerful bike and removing his helmet. She hadn’t been interested in motorcycles before but now… now she loves them. Maybe Phayu would take her riding someday!
“Oh! Speak of the devil,” Taeng says, looking behind Malee. "K’Phayu is here, now I can finally show him the latest version of the floorplan I’ve been working on.”
Malee’s head shoots up and she twists her body to look behind her. Phayu walks in with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, his motorcycle jacket unzipped and his helmet hanging from his arm. He looks mouthwatering.
Phayu doesn’t look up as he enters the door, smiling widely at his phone and walking straight past the lunch tables in the direction of his office. His smile is blinding, all bare teeth and joy reaching his eyes. Malee has never seen him smile like this before. Whatever is on his phone must make him happier than anything else. Secretly, she hopes it’s the email she sent him last night, asking for advice first thing in the morning.
“Good afternoon, K’Phayu!” Malee greets him, wai’ing at the senior.
The smile fades a little when he looks up, settling into something more office appropriate as he greets her and the other two. But just as soon as he’d looked up, he goes back to his phone again, his bright smile returning as he beelines to his office. It leaves Malee looking after Phayu, watching him walk away and disappear into his office.
“He totally has someone,” Phet says, catching Malee’s attention again. “You can tell just by looking at him.”
“That’s the look of a man in love,” Taeng adds.
“Is not!” Malee protests.
“Oh, so you wouldn't want K'Phayu to look at you the way he looked at his phone just now?”
Malee huffs, stuffing her sandwich in her mouth. Phet doesn’t know anything. Phayu could’ve been happy about anything. That still doesn’t mean he has a mate.
—
A week later, Malee decides to set a plan in motion: get Phayu talking.
Since she started working at the firm she hasn’t seen any signs of a possible mate for Phayu. Even Mhok has pictures of his family on his desk, including a nicely framed picture of a pretty little girl, also known as his daughter, Chaem, he proudly told Malee once.
Phayu doesn’t have any picture frames on his desk. That has to be another sign, right? A man like Phayu would absolutely have a picture of his pup on his desk. Phayu strikes her as an Alpha who’d be very proud of his family, who’d want to show them off at any given opportunity.
She’d definitely do that. Malee has always wanted kids. Tiny versions of her and her mate walking the earth. Phayu’s pups would be adorable, no doubt about it. Her and Phayu’s pups… Now that’s a whole other thought that she has to be careful thinking about or she might swoon too much and never get anything done at work.
Malee walks up to Phayu’s office, laptop in hand, determined to get some sort of information about the Alpha today.
It’s actually kind of frustrating how little she knows about Phayu. She’d love to know more, get close to him, talk with him about more than just work! Malee is not picky. She just wants Phayu’s undivided attention, to have his beautiful eyes on her, looking at her in interest, asking her about her hobbies and- No. Keep on track, Malee. Gotta build it up slowly, not rush into it and mess it all up.
Knocking on his office door, Malee waits a few seconds for his reply, but it doesn’t come. She knocks again, waiting patiently, but again there’s no reply.
Malee knows she shouldn’t do it, knows it’s a risk because what if Phayu is in his office, but he’s just busy and hadn’t heard her knock? She cracks the door open, popping her head into the room and looking around.
The lights are off, Phayu’s signature motorbike jacket nowhere to be seen, and the blinds are still closed the way the cleaners leave the offices every day.
Phayu’s not here?
Huh, that’s weird. Phayu should be in the office right now. Malee had even checked his schedule, making sure that he was here today for what she had planned! However much she wants Phayu’s attention, she also needs his opinion on what she’s working on right now.
Her plan was to go up to Phayu, ask his opinion on the project they’re working on, maybe ask for a little advice on it, and then she’d try to steer the conversation into a different direction, get him talking. But her plan has failed before it even got off the ground.
She sighs and backs out of the office again. She does need someone to oversee what she worked on so… she’ll go see Mhok. Malee doesn’t like disturbing the big boss, he’s way too busy for that but… oh well.
And she might as well ask if Mhok knows where Phayu is!
Malee finds Mhok in his office, sitting behind his laptop with a frown on his face, worrying his lip between his teeth.
“K’Mhok?” she asks, knocking on the open door.
“Yes?” Mhok answers, looking up from his laptop. “N’Malee, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, u-uhm,” Malee stutters. She hadn’t actually gotten this far in her head. “Is K’Phayu coming in today? I need his opinion on this design that we finished this morning.”
“No, he’s not,” Mhok answers curtly.
Malee feels the blood drain from her face at his tone of voice. Mhok is a very nice man, but the Beta can come across as serious and intimidating when he’s concentrating. She knows he’s not annoyed, she’s not even sure she’s ever seen Mhok annoyed, but his tone suggests Malee is interrupting him.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate.” Really, very unfortunate. The worst news she’s heard all day.
The idea of trying to get Phayu’s attention has been in her head for a while now and she’s been working up the courage all week to set the plan in motion. Now that she finally has, Phayu isn’t even here.
“Why isn’t he here? I thought Wednesday’s were his office days…” It’s risky, talking to Mhok like that, she knows it. She’s too low on the totem pole to be asking about her supervisor's whereabouts, but she really, really wants to know.
“Phayu has a family matter, it doesn’t concern you. Can I help you with something?” Mhok asks, lifting his eyebrows at her.
A family matter. Family.
Malee gets a little lost in her thoughts for a second, smiling stupidly. Phayu is such a good man! Taking care of his family, prioritizing them over work. It proves her theory of Phayu being the perfect Alpha even more. Her mother would love him for sure.
Mhok clearing his throat and looking at her expectantly pulls her back to reality.
“O-oh,” she stutters, smile dropping from her face. “I just- I needed his opinion on something, but… it can wait until tomorrow, it’s fine.”
It’s not fine. Her plan had failed, her genius plan of trying to get Phayu talking by distracting him with some work.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Mhok suddenly says, looking at her seriously, and yet she detects a little fondness on his face too. Malee furrows her brows. “Phayu isn’t interested.”
Again, all the blood drains from Malee’s face and her breath stops in her throat. Mhok knows? How- how does he know?
“Khun?” she asks. “What-”
“Try to stay focused on the project, we’re nearing the deadline,” Mhok says, extending his arm out. “Now, what did you need help with?”
—
Good nutrition has always been very important to Malee. She’s a gym rat! She knows how important it is to balance your eating habits with your schedule, and knows that in order to stay functional, you need good nutrition.
Malee really enjoys cooking and all it entails; finding new recipes and then spending hours in the kitchen experimenting and preparing them. However, with as busy as she’s been at the firm, she hasn’t had nearly as much time for cooking fancy breakfasts and lunches. Because of that, she’s gotten in the habit of preparing lunch in advance, cooking excessively so that she has left overs the next day.
Malee enjoys going on lunch too. It’s that one moment of the day that she can sit down and relax before the mayhem of deadlines and meetings begin again. There’s no better feeling than sitting down with a fully prepared lunch, providing you with all the vitamins you need to get through the day.
Phayu has a specific routine he does while going to lunch.
He’ll round up all his work first and go for a little walk to stretch his legs. Of course he’d do that, he must know how important muscle movement is and how bad sitting on a chair all day is for your posture!
Then he’ll go back to his office, grab his lunch and sit down at the lunch tables, playing with his phone and typing away on it as if it’s gotten its own life and he just has to keep up.
Watching Phayu eat while being half distracted is truly a sight to behold.
But it’s not as if Malee’s been spying on him. Of course she hasn’t!
She was so sure that Phayu had the same mindset as her, that taking care of yourself is a priority. So the first time Phayu skips his lunch, Malee assumes he must have just been too busy with his meeting, forgoing his lunch, and thinking he’d eat later.
But later doesn’t come.
And a few days later he skips his lunch again, and again.
When it happens for a fifth time, something shifts in Malee’s chest and she just can’t stand it anymore. It’s the fifth time in two weeks that Phayu has skipped his lunch, instead working more and locking himself away in his office, except for the moments when he comes to check up on everyone’s work.
She doesn’t like it one bit. She knows the project is taking up all of his attention, but good nutrition is so important! Especially for people as busy as her Alpha!
Phayu. For people as busy as Phayu.
Naturally, she worries every time Phayu skips his lunch. It’s the most important part of the day! The only thing Malee thinks she can do to stop Phayu from starving himself is bring a second portion of her left overs and hand it to the Alpha.
It's a big thing, an Omega giving an Alpha something. Back in the day, like way back, an Alpha gifting an Omega something, especially food, was considered courting. Nowadays, it's less courting and less focused on their second gender, but it's still a thing. Malee hopes bringing Phayu lunch won't backfire on her.
She’s known for her cooking skills around the office, so she hopes it’s not too weird of a thing to do. She stayed up way too late last night to make her favorite dish, hoping Phayu would like it too. It had to be perfect, taste delicious and last until the following day.
It takes great effort to muster the courage to get up and walk up to Phayu.
The Alpha’s standing next to his office, about to head in, when Malee calls his name.
“K’Phayu!”
The Alpha turns around, looking around, searching for where the sound came from before his gaze settles on Malee.
Her heart flutters a little. This is it. This is the moment she takes the first step and takes care of the Alpha. She hopes she’s the first Omega to do so, cooking for him, caring for his well being.
“Malee,” Phayu acknowledges her when she comes to a halt in front of him. “Can I help you with something?”
Oh, his ever steady and professional voice. It’s so… so…
Phayu raises his eyebrows when she stays silent, looking at him a little too lovestruck.
Shit. Get it together Malee! Why is talking to Phayu suddenly so difficult? It’s just him! Just Phayu! She knows him.
“I- I uhm,” she stutters.
Phayu tilts his head sideways a little, furrowing his brows. It looks adorable and doesn’t help her focus at all. “Is something wrong?” he asks.
“N-no! Well, yes?” God, Malee! She needs to stop acting like she’s a teenager again and get her act together. But oh, Phayu smells amazing. His scent is thick and very present. There’s no way around it. It’s so much like ozone and yet still mixed with that one other scent that she just can’t put her finger on.
Phayu chuckles softly. It’s a warm sound that fills Malee’s chest with love. “Well, what is it? Yes or no?”
Malee takes a deep breath, trying not to let Phayu’s strong scent distract her any longer.
“I noticed you’ve been skipping your lunch,” she starts. “And lunch is…” Deep breaths, Malee. There’s nothing scary about this. “Well, lunch is very important… especially for your concentration, so I–" but before she can continue, Malee is cut off by a loud squeal and tiny, quick footsteps sounding behind her.
The most adorable little girl comes running into the office communal space. Her raven black hair is pulled back in twin pigtails and sweeping back and forth.
"Dada!" The little girl squeals. "Pup bring Dada lunch!"
Phayu’s attention immediately switches from Malee to the little girl who comes running up to them, clinging to Phayu’s leg. The Alpha’s eyes soften as a smile breaks out on his face. He bends down to pick up the little girl, lifting her in the air and settling her on his hip.
“My sweet little pup,” Phayu coos, bringing their faces close and nuzzling their noses. The little girl squeaks and giggles, placing her hands on Phayu’s cheeks and smushing them together.
It’s an adorable sight, really. One that makes Malee want to coo a little. And yet she can’t help but feel a sting going through her chest.
My sweet little pup.
Phayu has a pup. Phayu is a father. That must mean…
“You have my lunch? Where’s your Papa, huh?” Phayu coos again, smooching the little girl’s cheek. The pup giggles again, half turning around in Phayu’s arms and pointing toward the entrance.
At the same time, an auburn haired man comes running into the communal space, frantically looking around. The man’s wearing beige dress pants and a baby blue button down, the top three buttons opened up.
“Chaisee!” the man calls out. Malee sees his eyes shifting through the room, probably looking for the little girl– Chaisee. His worried expression relaxes once he looks in their direction, his gaze settling on Phayu.
Next to her, Phayu laughs warmly. “Naughty little pup,” he says endearingly. “Did you run away from Papa again?”
“Nooo,” the girl giggles, hiding her face in Phayu’s neck. “Pup bring lunch!” she repeats.
The auburn haired man comes up to them, panting slightly. “Chaisee, sweetheart,” he says, reaching out to her and caressing her chubby cheek. “Don’t run off like that, baby. I told you we had to wait until the lady at the front desk brought Dada to us, didn’t I?”
The little girl nods. “Yes!” she squeals. “Found Dada!”
Phayu chuckles fondly. “Yes you did, my good little pup. You found me, well done,” he praises the little girl. He scrunches his nose at her and kisses her forehead before looking at the other man. “Hey baby,” he says, reaching out his free hand and tucking his bangs behind his ears.
His scent tells Malee the other man is an Omega. He smells familiar but she can’t figure out why. It’s a sweet scent though, of petrichor, of the air after a summer storm. She’s almost jealous of how good and comfortable he smells.
If she’d ever be in danger, he was definitely the kind of person she’d ask for help.
The Omega leans in and steals a quick peck from Phayu, ruffling the pup’s hair as he pulls back, making her pout. “You forgot your lunch again, P’Phayu,” the Omega pouts, the exact same way the little girl had mere moments ago. Malee wants to hate it but it’s adorable. It’s clear the pup inherited her spirit from her Papa. “Chaisee and I decided to bring it to you,” he says.
Phayu makes a pleased sound. “Such a sweet mate and pup I have,” he hums, gazing at the other man with the softest look Malee has ever seen him have. It’s like Phayu has morphed into an entirely new person, eyes soft and loving, a permanent smile on his face and a sweet, near intoxicating scent surrounding him. There’s nothing left of her strict yet fair supervisor.
Both men have seemingly forgotten about her, standing to the side, frozen in place, and watching the scene unfold. It’s like they’re in their own world, not caring about anyone else, just each other. Something tightens inside Malee’s chest, a yearning feeling when she looks at the cute little girl still in Phayu’s arms, cuddled up to his chest and rubbing her cheek over his clothed collarbone.
The other guy places his hand on the side of Phayu’s neck, fingers slipping down an inch of Phayu’s shirt and revealing a mating bite.
Oh.
Instantly the scent that’s been surrounding Phayu all this time clicks in her brain. Mated.
Phayu is mated.
Malee’s chest aches as her dream of Phayu being her perfect Alpha shatters to pieces. And yet, she can’t help but find the little family in front of her precious. The guy, Phayu’s mate, is just as beautiful as Phayu is, maybe even prettier, with his big doe eyes, his cute smile, and bunny teeth.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your work, Phi,” the Omega says, fingers caressing the mating bite. Malee can’t keep her eyes off of it. It looks old and yet new, long standing yet fresh. A bond well maintained. If Malee didn’t know any better – and maybe she doesn’t – she’d think the Omega was showing off their connection. “I just know how busy you get and then you forget to eat,” he adds. “But then I forgot to bring your lunch…” the Omega says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his own neck. “So I’m here to take you out for lunch, with the three of us.”
Phayu smiles lovingly, eyes softening even more than before. “My sweet boy,” he nearly purrs, and oh god. Malee really feels like she’s interrupting something private here.
She clears her throat quietly, trying to get their attention as politely as she possibly can. “I’ll leave you be, K’Phayu,” she says, bowing her head and wai’ing. It’s clear she’ll never have a chance with him. She’s no homewrecker.
“Oh!” Phayu breaks out of his trance, looking away from the Omega and turning to Malee. “I’m sorry, Malee, this is Rain, my mate. Rain, this is Malee. I’ve told you about her, haven’t I?”
The Omega, Rain, looks at her, smiling widely. “Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he says, wai’ing politely. “Nice to meet you, Malee.”
Malee's heart skips a beat. Heard a lot about her? Phayu has talked about her to his mate? “N-Nice to meet you, Khun Rain,” she stutters.
“Chaisee!” the little girl interrupts, perking up from Phayu's chest and chirping happily.
Both men chuckle. “Yes, your name is Chaisee, right pup?” Phayu scrunches his nose again, bumping his head against the little girl’s softly, making the pup squeal in delight. Her laugh is contagious– it’s so full of happiness, so innocent. No one in the near vicinity would be able to stop themselves from melting.
The Omega looks at them with so much love and pride in his eyes, Malee thinks he’d combust on the spot if he wasn’t careful. But then again, with a mate like Phayu and a pup that looks like the perfect mix of them, she too would look like this.
“And how old are you?” Rain asks, stroking her hair gently, letting the pigtails slide through his fingers.
The pup sticks two adorable, tiny fingers in the air. “Two!”
Without realizing she does it, Malee coos softly.
“Well done, sweetheart,” Phayu says, smooching her cheek. He shifts her a little on his arm, settling her more comfortably. “My smart little pup.”
My smart little pup.
Malee’s heart breaks a little with every second she spends looking at the family in front of her. They look happy, they look content. They look perfect.
Mhok was right. Phayu isn’t interested. He isn’t interested because he has the perfect family already. An adorable little pup with the cutest and prettiest Omega she’s ever seen. He seems lovely, very polite from what she’s heard so far, and genuinely cares for Phayu. He’s the perfect Omega for her perfect Alpha. Malee’s only regret is that it isn’t her.
But she’s not jealous. There’s no ounce of her body that harbors any jealousy. How could she? Phayu is happy. And if there’s one thing she wants more than being with Phayu, it’s for the Alpha to be happy.
Though that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, seeing them looking at each other with so much love and adoration, seeing the product of their love sitting comfortably in Phayu’s arm, her arms outstretched to her Papa, making grabby hands for him.
She needs to leave. She has no business staying here any longer. Phayu isn't interested, and he never will be.
“I’ll leave you be, sir,” Malee says and bows while she wai’s at both men again. “Nice to meet you, Khun Rain.”
Before they can respond, Malee turns on her heels and speeds to her desk.
She’s not going to cry. She’s not. She won’t. She wasn’t even rejected! This isn’t worth her tears.
“I told you so,” Phet says when Malee returns to her desk, sitting down on her chair and slumping over it defeatedly. One look at her heartbroken expression tells him enough to drop his smug act and put a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay, babes,” he comforts her, caressing her shoulder. “There are enough Alpha’s out there for you, I’m sure.”
But no one like Phayu. Of course it was too good of a dream to be real life. A guy like Phayu wouldn’t go for her, not when there’s pretty little Omegas out there like his mate. And maybe also the fact that she’s way younger than he is and they probably settled years ago, if the look of their mating bite told her anything.
Malee sighs and buries her face in her arms.
“Aw come on, darling,” Taeng joins the conversation. “You’ll get over it soon.”
Malee isn’t sure that she will. She really liked Phayu, like, really liked him. Every time she looked at him, butterflies would erupt in her stomach, her breathing would pick up a little, and a flush would settle on her cheeks. She’s head over heels in love with Phayu Chantara.
“Let me see the lunch you brought, yeah? I bet it’s delicious,” Phet says, sitting down next to her. It’s a pathetic attempt at comforting her but she appreciates it nonetheless.
She did make an incredible lunch and she’ll be damned if it goes to waste. If it’s not for Phayu, she might as well share it with her colleagues – or friends, as she’s come to see them.
Malee looks back one more time at Phayu and sees him caress Rain’s cheek, looking at him with the biggest heart eyes ever. It’s a loving gesture that makes her heart sear painfully. Phayu is indeed a very good Alpha and partner.
Just not her Alpha. And that’s okay.
—
“I told you I’d come outside to meet you, sweet boy,” Phayu says, squinting his eyes at his Omega.
“I know, but,” Rain scratches the back of his head again. It’s a tick Phayu recognizes Rain usually does when he’s nervous. “But little pup decided to run off before I could catch her, didn’t you sweetheart?” He caresses her cute, puffed up cheek while she giggles.
Phayu raises his eyebrows at Rain.
“Are you sure it wasn’t about Malee? You sure were showing off, touching your fingers to our mating bite, hmm?” Phayu hums, stepping closer to Rain. He’s almost close enough to lean in and whisper in Rain’s ear, but their little pup sitting all comfortably on his arm is in the way. Good, actually, he shouldn’t do that at work anyway. “You weren’t showing off and staking your claim?”
Rain’s eyes widen a little like a deer caught in headlights and he bites his lip adorably.
“I wasn’t!” he protests, turning his head sideways in that bratty way of his. Phayu raises his eyebrows again, looking at Rain in disbelief. His Omega looks delightfully cute like this, pouting those full lips of his, trying to get his way. But Phayu knows better these days, knows exactly what Rain’s feeling right now. It’s an act of defiance.
“Are you sure?” he asks, giving Rain the chance to come clean. If he doesn’t, well, Phayu might just need to approach the situation from a different direction.
“Very,” Rain answers steadfastly, still not looking at Phayu.
The Alpha hums. “Alright then,” he says. Phayu will just have to call in the big guns then. “Sweetheart,” he says, turning his face to Chaisee and kissing her cheek to get her attention. “Has Papa said anything about Dada’s employee today?”
Rain gasps. “P’Phayuuu,” he whines. “Not fair!”
“Papa said go to Dada,” the pup says, blinking innocently.
Phayu squints playfully at her. “Did he now?”
Rain huffs awkwardly. “Sweetheart,” he says, voice thick like syrup. His scent shifts and changes to something like embarrassment. “It was supposed to be a secret, remember?”
Chaisee nods and giggles. “Pup love secret!”
The Alpha shakes his head, chuckling fondly. Phayu’s had his fair share of jealousy over Rain’s colleagues too, so he can’t blame his Omega. “My naughty boy,” he says, but he doesn’t mean it. Instead, he leans in and pecks Rain’s lips softly, kissing him a second and third time before pulling back.
“Let’s go to lunch, yeah?” he says and puts Chaisee on her feet. Instantly, she reaches out her hand to take Phayu’s and grabs Rain’s with the other. They’ve taught her well.
As they walk away, Phayu sees Rain looking back at the desks where Malee is seated among her coworkers, eating their lunch. The poor girl is sitting with her eyes cast down to the table. Rain then looks back at Phayu with a proud look in his eyes, smiling widely at him.
The Alpha chuckles softly, shaking his head in disbelief. After all these years, Rain is still as possessive over him as when they first started dating and people couldn’t stop throwing themselves at Phayu. He’s gotten better over the years, especially since they had their pup, but he still sometimes gets terribly jealous, pouting at Phayu whenever someone lets their eyes linger a little too long on the Alpha.
Of course Phayu knew about Malee’s crush on him, he’s not naive. He’s seen the way she looks at him when she thinks he doesn’t notice. He’s seen how flustered she gets every time he addresses her. Phayu’d just hoped she’d get over it herself. It was never going to happen anyway.
But maybe, just maybe – looking at her slumped over the table – maybe he’ll be a little nicer to her from now on, lighten the blow from today, but still keep his distance until she gets over it.
“P’Phayu,” Rain pouts, stomping his foot a little when he sees what Phayu’s looking at. However bratty it is, it’s adorable all the same: his jealous little boy.
“Come on, sweet boy,” Phayu placates, scrunching his nose at the Omega. “Let’s go get lunch.”
“Lunch!” Chaisee chirps from between them, running forward and tugging on their hands.
Phayu is the luckiest Alpha on earth to have a family like his, and one day, Malee will have a family of her own with a partner who loves her as much as Phayu loves Rain.
It’s the least she deserves.