Chapter Text
Hyunjin was really glad it wasn't freezing. Or raining. That would really suck. The red neon sign for the club flashed brightly through the drizzle, dimly illuminating the bus stop. Four in the morning in the cold rainy weather was the last place Hyunjin wanted to be.
His thumb hovered over his cracked phone screen, swiping, stopping, shivering, swiping again. A mind-numbing habit but better than paying attention to the pin-pricks of icy rain hitting his bare legs. Not that he could ignore it completely. He'd have to be a saint to endure this kind of cold and not focus on it.
It's too fucking cold. Where is the fucking bus.
The two patrons waiting for the bus didn't look too much happier to be out in the rain, which figured. Hyunjin and one of his fellow dancers took the bench under the awning. That was fine with Hyunjin, neither of the patrons tipped him well so they can get icicles in their hair for all he cares. The female omega sitting next to him was dressed much warmer than Hyunjin, thigh high boots even with thong bottoms will get you a lot more warmth than a pair of platform stilettos and short shorts and Hyunjin was beginning to regret his choice of shoe.
Not that he was thinking about shoes, or rain, or the cold. He was firmly focused on the screen in front of his face. Swipe, it's just too cold, double tap, where is that fucking bus, swipe.
Wait, swipe back up.
He had just scrolled past a picture of Jeongin.
Happy and smiling Jeongin.
Jeongin was with someone in the picture. It was an elegant-looking man with nice cheekbones and a sharply cut jawline. They had to be mates, from the width of Jeongin's grin and the casual way his hand was thrown around the other man's waist. Jeongin didn't just touch anyone that casually. Hyunjin swiped to the next picture, Jeongin and his mate posed with five other men, all varying levels of touching and smiling in a cozy-looking living room. Jeongin looked carefree.
The caption read, "Life is so good."
Hyunjin felt his heart tug. Jeongin deserved happiness, and whatever he was doing right now, he seemed to have found it. Even if Hyunjin couldn't be there to share it with him, Jeongin deserved the best in life. Hyunjin pushed down a sharp pang of guilt. You couldn't provide him with the best, hissed the voice in the back of his head. Look at how you abandoned him, he's better off without you anyways.
A sharp squeal announced the bus's arrival, and Hyunjin stood, quickly pocketing his phone and shouldering his bag to get on.
Between the swirling guilt and the constant cold, he barely noticed the ride home. People and business and streets were quiet at this hour of the morning. And he hardly paid attention to the new scent at his front door.
(Although if you asked him later, Hyunjin could have sworn he smelled the cherries from a mile away.)
The door slammed shut, an unfortunate hazard of living in an old building, and Hyunjin could feel the prickles of his feet and hands thawing out. Sitting to pull off his shoes and shed his coat, Hyunjin was greeted by a sharp tang of tobacco underscored by a muted rosemary and sea salt. Jun knew the smell of tobacco was too much for Hyunjin's sensitive nose, but he smoked anyways. Secretly, Hyunjin liked how much calmer Jun was with a little nicotine in his system so he rationalized that the scent couldn't really be that bad.
"How much?"
Not enough nicotine, the little voice said. And do I smell cough syrup?
"Hi to you too," Hyunjin said thoughtlessly, rolling his ankles before getting up and starting towards the bedroom.
An arm shot out and caught Hyunjin's wrist, roughly. Fuck. Jun pulled Hyunjin to a stop and forced him to face him.
Jun's eyes were dark and he let out a warning growl. "What did you say?"
Hyunjin's insides turned to ice.
"Do not make me repeat myself, omega," Jun hissed. "How much tonight." It was a statement this time.
Hyunjin stuttered through the mental math. Don't you say shit, said the voice. Don't fucking guess.
"Shut up, let me concentrate," Hyunjin muttered to the voice. Fuck, was that cough syrup scent coming from Jun? He could hardly think.
A twist to Hyunjin's arm. Hyunjin yelped involuntarily. "Uh, like one-fifty?"
"Is that a fucking question?"
Shit, shit, shit. Why hadn't he counted on the bus, he always counted on the bus? He'd had a really busy night, given a few lap dances, had at least a few tips, one private room, that always paid around seventy-five on its own. That had to be close to one-fifty, right?
Jun's nose wrinkled in disgust as a wave of sickly-sour citrus filled the room. "You fucking omega with your sticky fucking scent."
As if he can smell that while we're both choking on candied cough syrup, the voice complained.
Jun released his arm and held out his hand. Long fingers, prominent veins crawling up his arms, Hyunjin was briefly reminded of the tracing those veins in their softly lit den, comparing his lover to renaissance sculptures.
"Well?" Jun prodded, the tobacco and citrus and syrupy sugar clashing dizzily in Hyunjin's nose.
Hyunjin dug into the top of his corset, fishing out the crumpled bills.
"Count them into my hand."
Hyunjin complied and his heart sank as he got to one hundred with too few bills left to get to one-fifty.
"One hundred and twenty-nine," Jun's tone was flat as the edge of a knife. "Take off your top, you must have missed some."
Hyunjin shivered at the coldness in Jun's tone, Hyunjin hadn't tried to estimate his earnings in months. He knew what was coming if the bills didn't fall out of his top. Hungry eyes traced down Hyunjin's waist to the bottom of his corset, as he began loosening the stays. It didn't matter that Jun was looking for money, Hyunjin's hands moved deftly, teasingly under the laces; putting on a show was habit when someone was watching.
When his top was off and no other bills had been found, Jun raised his free arm. Hyunjin flinched, but Jun just caressed his face.
"Baby, you know the rules," Jun's voice turned honey-soft.
Hyunjin nodded mutely. Letting his eyes flutter closed, he leaned into the softness despite the barbs underneath. The cacophony of scents was overwhelming and Hyunjin could barely move or breathe.
That's when the pain came. Biting, heavy, and grounding, two blows to Hyunjin's bare ribs cracked a single breath out of his lungs and helped a single, shuddering sob back in. The scents fled from his system and he could think again.
"You know what this means," Jun chided in the same soft voice. Hyunjin felt about two inches tall and ten years younger.
Hyunjin's eyes opened, too blurry to see anything except Jun retreating for the bedroom, flexing his hand from the blow. It didn't matter how many times Jun hit something, he always flexed his hand the same way, and Hyunjin always looked.
A bag was shoved into Hyunjin's hand and he felt everything go numb. It was Hyunjin's secret bug-out bag that he made after watching one too many videos on signs of an abusive relationship. "I hope you packed what you needed in here," Jun hissed venomously. "Don't come back until you've made double what you said you'd made."
"Double?" Hyunjin whispered. The club was in a slow season. Hongjoong was trying desperately to keep it afloat in the shitty economy, and the club's cut of dancers' earnings was raised from ten percent to twenty. It would take at least three nights to make three hundred total, not to mention Hyunjin would need a place to stay and--
"Jun-bug?" A soft voice emerged from the bathroom. Hyunjin could suddenly place the cough syrup scent as candied maraschino cherries as it wafted from the bathroom door.
Male omega. Hyunjin and the voice were in agreement this time.
"Not now, Cherry," Jun called back, "Just go back to bed, I'll be right there."
"Cherry?" Hyunjin's voice cracked.
Jun turned back to Hyunjin. "Make it triple if you want to keep being my favorite omega."
Hyunjin saw a flash of fire-engine red hair and a pretty young omega run from the bathroom towards the bedroom. A brighter version of the color Hyunjin had kept in his own hair since he'd met Jun.
Jun threw Hyunjin's sweatshirt at him. "This too, I don't want your sticky scent clogging up my nose anymore. I'm going to go check on Cherry, and you'd better be gone before I come back. You've earned your place in this house once you bring me triple."
Jun turned heel and prowled out. Hyunjin couldn't help staring at his toned legs and ass, even as he felt their bond start to tear and his heart with it.
~~~
Hyunjin slipped into shoes, shirt, and coat and out of the house before Jun could come back. He rummaged through his bug-out bag, the money he'd hastily thrown in was gone, as were his headphones. He'd have to check the rip in the lining to see if his government documents were still tucked between the fabrics. His birth mother's necklace, a cheap brass thing, was still in there and all of his clothes he'd packed. Granted it was only a few spare outfits, but that would last him until he could borrow the washer in the club.
Resigned and resolute, and definitely not crying (that was the rain drizzling on his face), Hyunjin made his way back to the bus stop. He'd go back to the club and beg Hongjoong to let him shower before figuring out where to go next.
A gray light began peering between buildings and by the time the bus showed, the city was waking up.
Hyunjin could barely plaster a smile on his face when the bus driver greeted him, and he knew his eyes were red. It didn't matter. The tear in his heart was ripping him to shreds.
The pain from Jun's fist had settled into a dull ache and Hyunjin only cared a little bit that he wouldn't be able to wear a crop top for at least two weeks. Normally he'd be thankful that Jun never swung for his face, but all he could think about was the suffocating scent of cough syrup cherries in his apartment, slipping into his bed, with his alpha.
The bus lurched from stop to stop and Hyunjin had settled into scrolling on his phone again.
There was a text from Jun, remind him how much Hyunjin owed him for rent. You have to cover your ass Hyunie, Jun had taught him early in their relationship. Otherwise, all these fucking betas and omegas will extort you for all you're worth. Good thing you're going to be a strong alpha once you present.
Hyunjin bitterly pushed the memory away and moved onto the other notifications. Spam calls, and the voicemails were never interesting enough to listen to anyways. Some snapchat notifications, old connections he'd made at the club before they left for bigger stages. Instagram notifications, likes on the most recent thirst trap Hyunjin had filmed last night at the club.
Hyunjin moved to swipe all of the notifications away but a text message from an unsaved number caught his eye.
Unsaved 1:30am
Hyung, I don't know if this is even your number anymore, but I found my pack and my mate and I wanted you to come meet them. Here's an invite to our holiday party, miss you. Innie.
An old bond tugged at Hyunjin's chest, first the pictures now this message. It'd been years since he'd spoken with his foster brother, much less seen him. Now twice in one night he was reminded of the bond that ran deeper than any of his others.
Before his ego could catch up to him, Hyunjin smashed the call button.
It rang once…
Twice…
Three times…
He was about to take the phone away from his ear to hang up when the call connected.
"Hyunjin?" Jeongin's voice was clear through the tiny speaker. So simple, yet Hyunjin couldn't help the warmth that spread through him at hearing that voice.
"Innie," Hyunjin breathed.
"Hyung, I've missed you so much, I can't believe this is still your number."
"Jeongin-ah, I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't wake you up."
"Don't worry about it, hyung, I was up anyways." His voice turned concerned, "Why the call? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." The bus squealed to a stop outside the club and Hyunjin jolted to his feet.
"What's going on, are you still living in the city?"
Hyunjin inhaled sharply, he wasn't planning to ask for any help but maybe Jeongin could spare some cash so Hyunjin could pay for a cheap motel room. "Actually, Iyen-ah, I just need someplace to sleep tonight, and I'll definitely hit you back, but do you think you could…" he trailed off, desperate or not, the little voice was persuasive. You don't deserve his help, why bother asking for his money?
"Of course I can, where are you?" Jeongin sounded so willing.
Fake.
Hyunjin forced the voice out of his head. "Yes, I'm still living in the city. I'm at Tease right now, the nightclub. But listen, you know I'd never ask you, Innie. I was supposed to take care of you—" good fucking job with that "—but I just need like—"
"No, no, of course." Hyunjin heard keys rustling in the background. "I'll come pick you up, just share your location, okay?"
Picking you up? Like some heroic alpha coming to save your sorry omega ass.
"No," Hyunjin's voice squeaked, making him sound exactly like a desperate omega. He cleared his throat and tried again, "No, Innie, I just need some money, I couldn't possibly—"
"Hyung, no way. I'm already out the door, I'll be there in half an hour."
The line clicked and Jeongin was gone. Fuck.
~~~
Hyunjin knew he looked like a wreck, but the look San gave him as he walked in the kitchen entrance at Tease told him that he was in worse shape than he thought.
"Hey Hyunjin," the bartender said, turning off the sink and grabbing a towel. "Why are you back? You look like shit."
"Thanks a lot," Hyunjin grumbled.
"No, I just mean," San sighed. "Are you okay?"
Hyunjin ignored the aches and San's question. "Is Hongjoong still here?"
San gestured to the door to the front of house. "In his office like usual for this hour."
Hyunjin shot him a quick thanks and trudged quickly down the hall towards the office. His shoes thudded softly on the dingy red carpet and the smell of stale pheromones and cheap alcohol filled his nose. It wasn't home, but Hyunjin always felt sort of safe with all of the overlapping scents. Nothing distinguishable, nothing standing out.
Definitely better than cherries.
He waved the voice away and knocked on the door of the office before it could start back up again.
"Come in," called Hongjoong impatiently. "San, I told you not to bug me while I'm—"
"Hi Hongjoong," Hyunjin interrupted, clearing his throat anxiously. The room was cramped and only lit by a flickering fluorescent fixture on the ceiling.
Hongjoong was sitting at a desk piled high with papers—probably receipts and bills, if Hyunjin had to guess—and he rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache before looking up at Hyunjin.
"I did not expect to see you back so soon," Hongjoong sighed. "What do you need?"
"Um, can I borrow the key to the shower room? I promise I'll be out of your hair as quickly as possible."
Hongjoong sighed again, deeper if that was even possible, and tossed Hyunjin a keyring that had been hanging off his belt. "What the fuck did you get yourself into?"
"Nothing, I just need a quick shower before my ride gets here."
Hongjoong raised one eyebrow but didn't pry. Hyunjin was grateful for the discretion and turned to leave the room.
"Don't you bother me again, got it Hwang? Leave the keys with San, he'll lock up when he's done."
"Sure Captain."
"These numbers will be the fucking death of me."
With nothing but his thoughts and some scentless neutralizer soap, Hyunjin finished his shower as quickly as possible. The lukewarm water took care of the old makeup and cloying cherry scent, but it did nothing to wash away the aches that had taken up residence between his ribs. He pulled on his sweatshirt (which still smelled like tobacco and citrus) and some (thankfully scentless) jeans.
The icy chill was joined by a sinking feeling as Hyunjin checked his phone and saw four text messages from Jeongin.
Unsaved 5:50am
About halfway there, see you soon, hyung!
Unsaved 5:52am
Don't leave Tease if you're not going to share your location
Unsaved 6:05am
I'm here, you better still be here or else
Unsaved 6:08am
Just kidding, but where are you???
Hyunjin gathered his things and steeled himself for the happy reunion before leaving the shower room. San was in the front of house by now and finishing the last part of closing up the club. Hyunjin dropped the keys at the bar.
"You look less like shit!" San waved cheerily. Hyunjin rolled his eyes as he pushed open the door and flipped him off but found himself laughing anyways.
The laugh died quickly as the cold stole back between his ribs. Less intense now that he was properly dressed for the weather, but still compounding the ache in his bruises. Jeongin's car wasn't hard to find, Seonghwa wouldn't be here to pick up Hongjoong for another hour at least and San drove a "piece of shit, but you're not allowed to call it that, got it Hwang?"
Jeongin's car was comparatively nice, and Hyunjin felt the stone in his stomach get a little heavier.
The car door opened and slammed and suddenly Hyunjin was face to face with his dongsaeng. The last time Hyunjin had seen Jeongin, they were both teenagers, the younger still awkwardly growing into his limbs. This was a grown adult, the soft and awkward filled out into strength and quiet certainty.
Jeongin still looked hesitant, and his toasted almond scent was tinged with anxiety, as if he wasn't sure whether to treat Hyunjin as a liability or a long lost brother.
So much for a happy reunion, the voice grumbled.
"Hey Jeongin," Hyunjin cleared his throat and shivered involuntarily.
Jeongin broke into a half-smile, open despite the hesitation. "Can I grab your bag, hyung? The car is warm."
Hyunjin relinquished his bag wordlessly and climbed in the front seat.
~~~
Hyunjin wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe Jeongin and his primary mate (named Seungmin, he learned) owned a cute little suburban house with a two-car garage, cozily furnished rooms, and a nicely landscaped backyard. Or possibly the whole pack lived a slightly larger house with lots of bedrooms and a big kitchen and dining room. He definitely didn't expect a fucking mansion.
Jeongin hadn't said much about the house, instead talking about how he met Seungmin and the other members of the pack. Hyunjin wasn't really paying attention. He also asked Hyunjin too many questions for comfort.
Hyunjin hated questions.
The little voice in the back of his head got louder with each of Hyunjin's stuttered answers, reminding him how he'd failed Jeongin despite his love and affection for him, how much Jeongin must be judging him. Eventually, mercifully, Jeongin seemed to notice that Hyunjin's non-answers were not going to become sudden revelations, so he stopped asking.
They sat in silence for the last part of the ride. Until Jeongin pulled into the drive of a gated community. He rolled down his window and punched in a code.
"Innie, you didn't tell me you and Seungmin were rich."
Jeongin laughed, but it sounded tense and a little forced. "Not me, hyung. I wanted a smaller place, but Seungmin was already living with Channie-hyung and Changbinnie-hyung so I just moved in with them."
Pretentious fucking assholes.
"Nice of them," Hyunjin said tersely.
Jeongin hummed noncommittally, it was obvious that the conversation made him uncomfortable. Thankfully Hyunjin was saved from any other conversation by Jeongin pulling into the garage of a massive, beautiful home.
Hyunjin supposed that this was the mudroom, this room that provided entry from the garage. It had a laundry area, and a bench to sit and take off his shoes, and a place to hang his coat, just like any other mudroom he'd ever been in. But it also had dark wood floors, a giant mirror with a gilded frame, and stunning lights that glowed soft and warm casting the whole room in opulent gold, so he couldn't be one hundred percent sure.
"Here, let me take that." Jeongin held a hanger in one hand, other hand outstretched to take Hyunjin's coat. Hyunjin's thrifted, dingy coat. Hyunjin's coat that definitely cost less new than the rug he'd just wiped his shoes on.
Keep the coat on, this is just fucking embarrassing.
"Ah, I get cold easy, I'll keep it," Hyunjin lied, untying his shoes and shuffling them shamefully under the bench.
"Still? You really need to get your weight up, hyung, you'd be warmer that way."
Fat chance, the voice said wryly.
Jeongin tilted his head. "Ready?"
Hyunjin followed Jeongin mutely. Into a house he was pretty sure was actually a wolf den. And he hoped Jun wouldn't kill him the next time he saw him.