Prompt: "I hate you, but if you don't hug me and scent me right this second, I'll hate you even more."
Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk had been mates for a while now. Both of them were alphas, but it wasn't exactly required for alphas to end up with omegas. It was the norm, but a break from the norm was possible too.
They had gotten together after the end of the scenarios. During the scenarios, both of them, especially Kim Dokja, had been too concentrated on said scenarios to focus on their developing romantic feelings.
And even though Kim Dokja had been gone for years, Yoo Joonghyuk had still loved him.
And Kim Dokja had still loved Yoo Joonghyuk.
Now that they could be together again, they finally made their relationship official. They had waited long enough, and they could wait no longer.
Kim Dokja's Company finally moved into their big house together. The Industrial Complex was nice, but it brought back the memories of war. It was still theirs, but it was less of a house and more of a base. Others still lived there, but the main members of Kim Dokja's Company lived in their own place together.
Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk shared a room. They had private rooms as well, in case of an argument or something, but they usually just shared that room. Whenever anyone would try to find one of them, especially in the morning, that room was where the person went.
Yet this morning, when Han Sooyoung tried to find Kim Dokja to read her story like he had promised he would, the room was empty.
It was in his private room where she eventually found him.
"Kim Dokja," she said. "I thought you guys were fine."
He looked at her. "Just a brief argument," he said. "We'll talk it out later." Aware of his scent spreading throughout the room, he tried to rein it back, not wanting Han Sooyoung to sense his actual distress. Yet, of course, Han Sooyoung being Han Sooyoung, she did.
"You're lying," she said, sitting down on the bed and giving him a look. "Spit it out."
"Why do you care?" he asked. "It's my relationship, not yours."
Han Sooyoung snorted. "And I have no doubt that if Sangah-yah and I were having this problem, you'd ask me about it too."
Kim Dokja couldn't exactly deny that, so he said, "Alright. But I'll only tell you."
Han Sooyoung nodded.
"It's about Ways of Survival."
Han Sooyoung raised her eyebrows. "Ah, that shitty webnovel I wrote?"
Kim Dokja sighed. "Yes, that one. That's beside the point. Ways of Survival gave me… a lot of knowledge that I shouldn't have, regarding Joonghyuk-ah. Things that he should have been allowed to share in his own time, but wasn't given the chance to."
Kim Dokja could smell a change in Han Sooyoung's scent. A faint hint of distress. That's right. It wasn't just the reader that knew all of Ways of Survival. The author did too.
"But Yoo Joonghyuk knows that you read it," Han Sooyoung said. "I thought he would have accepted it all years ago."
"Some things," Kim Dokja murmured, "are still too painful to think about. Especially when, even though it happened lifetimes ago, it still seems as if it was only one lifetime ago."
Han Sooyoung froze, and Kim Dokja knew she realized what he was talking about. "The second regression. There's so much that happened there, but… I think I know what you are talking about."
Lee Seolhwa and their child. Even before Han Sooyoung had gotten back her memories of writing Ways of Survival, even when she was just someone who read almost 100 chapters, she had known about this information.
"He knows that I knew about that," Kim Dokja said. "He knew for a long time. Since the theater dungeon. But I guess… it's still difficult to be reminded of it again."
"How did that topic come up?" Han Sooyoung asked him.
"I'm not even sure I remember," Kim Dokja muttered. "We were just-" He was aware of the distress his scent was giving off right now, but too deep in his memories, he couldn't care. "We were just talking, and…"
Sometimes, these things slip out.
And that's what happened last night.
"Talk with him," Han Sooyoung said. "Try to make up with him."
"I will," Kim Dokja said. "...Eventually."
Han Sooyoung punched his arm lightly. "Now."
"We haven't even eaten breakfast yet," Kim Dokja argued. "And it's likely that Joonghyuk-ah is in the kitchen right now, cooking it. After breakfast, when no one else is around."
Han Sooyoung stared at him, then said, "Alright, but if your food ends up poisoned, don't complain to me about it."
Kim Dokja's food did not end up poisoned, but he swore his food portion was smaller than everyone else's.
He hoped no one else noticed. He didn't want everyone knowing of his current distance from Yoo Joonghyuk.
…Actually, now that he thought about it, that was probably why Yoo Joonghyuk even cooked him something in the first place.
After breakfast was over and everything was in the sink, Kim Dokja went up to Yoo Joonghyuk. "Joonghyuk-ah," he said quietly. "Can we talk?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a bit, then called out, "Lee Jihye. Clean the dishes."
Lee Jihye got up, looking confused, but nodded. "Yes, Master!"
As Lee Jihye ran over to the dishes, Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja went to their shared room. Yoo Joonghyuk locked the door behind him, and Kim Dokja wondered if the other alpha was planning on murdering him if this conversation went wrong. "What is it?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked, his voice containing a hint of anger.
Kim Dokja sat down on the bed, reeling in his scent so that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't be able to smell any hint of worry. "I'm sorry," he said. "For mentioning Lee Seolhwa-ssi and… you know."
"I do know," Yoo Joonghyuk said, narrowing his eyes. "And that is why I find it difficult to forgive you."
"You could… try?" Kim Dokja suggested, knowing the suggestion sounded stupid.
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to narrow his eyes further.
"I get it," Kim Dokja said. "The pain is still raw. It won't fade, no matter if it's one regression, or hundreds of regressions."
"I hate you," Yoo Joonghyuk said.
Kim Dokja jolted. Had it- had it really all changed so fast in just one night?
"I hate you," Yoo Joonghyuk continued, "but if you don't hug me and scent me right this second, I'll hate you even more."
Did Yoo Joonghyuk of all people really just say that?!
Kim Dokja stood gazing at him in shock for a moment before suddenly, he was up on his feet, and his arms were around Yoo Joonghyuk, and Yoo Joonghyuk's arms were around him. Kim Dokja nuzzled into his neck. "What's going on?" he muttered.
"I lost a lot," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "But I gained a lot too."
A small smile spread on Kim Dokja's face at that.
Yoo Joonghyuk pulled away first. "Don't get too cocky, though," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "Next time, you might end up dead." He started toward the door. "Lee Jihye probably broke all the dishes."
Once he was gone, Kim Dokja laughed. Was it- was it really that easy?
Yoo Joonghyuk was probably still pained by the reminder of his past regression, but… Kim Dokja could help him feel better. He could be there for him.
If you enjoyed reading, please leave a comment!
My upcoming works are on my profile!