[BL] Between an Alpha and Omega

AN: Thank you for being so patient with me. I'll be honest, I was stuck for a while on how this chapter would go. I had, like, 3 ideas for how things were gonna go. This was the least dramatic but most productive outcome.

This is the downside of making shit up as you go. You get bogged down by several ideas at once.

*****

A grumbling alpha sat on the bed, watching his husband get dressed. The thing he wanted most was to rip those clothes off and go back to bed for the evening. Their son, the troublemaker he was, should be with his fiance so there was no reason to worry about him getting into trouble.

Unfortunately, they had to go to dinner with the family of their son's fiancee.

"Can't we just not go?" He tried for the nth time to convince his husband, hoping he might get his way.

"You skipped out last time so no." Zhuanmu gave his husband a glare.

Having their dinner dates was fine when it was just them and Li Suren's mothers but when it was his grandfather, however?

It was hell.

It was because of this that Jinyao had skipped the meeting last time, feigning a company emergency.

Zhuanmu had to bear with the elders talking about bloodlines and tradition for most of the dinner. He'd never said anything improper but it was hard to get a word in with that man.

As such, he refused to go alone this time around. If one of them had to suffer, it was better that they both do so.

Knowing he wronged his mate, Jinyao sighed with resignation.

He could only hope that Li Suren's parents would be there to make the evening tolerable.

An hour later, his hopes were dashed as he only spotted a serene-looking old man sitting at their reserved table.

"Shit." The curse slipped out quietly, making Zhuanmu elbow him.

"Behave."

Zhuanmu greeted the elder courteously, inquiring carefully about the two women they were expecting this evening.

"Ah, right." The old omega, Li Suzhen, sighed regretfully. "Please excuse them. A matter came up so they couldn't attend this evening."

Zhuanmu and Jinyao gave each other a quick look. They both wondered if his words were true or if he just hadn't wanted them both to attend. It was clear the old man had a dislike for his daughter-in-law but neither could say anything on the matter. It wasn't their business so what could they say but acceptance of his explanation.

They exchanged pleasantries and sat down but the one who spoke the most was the elder. He would ask questions like they were at an interview, asking about future prospects and current trends.

All in all, it was dull but not intolerable.

After a while, Jinyao noticed that the main stars of the dinner hadn't arrived yet. Upon mentioning it, the elder finally stopped his interrogation and nodded.

"Ugh, that child is late." He huffed, gesturing to the servant nearby. The man, ever the mind reader, stepped forward with a phone in hand. "I'll call him."

The phone rang, and the elder put the call on speaker phone for convenience. As soon as it connected, the room was filled with the faint sound of music. There was some rustling sound before the voice of Li Suren spoke.

"G-grandfather?"

"Where are you? Did you forget about our meeting?"

"N-no, no I, uh..." The young man seemed flustered, like he hadn't expected the call at all.

Jinyao recognized the tone. It was a 'shit, I got caught with my pants down' kind of tone. Which made him wonder what this golden child could be doing. Surely he wouldn't skip out on their meeting for no reason, right? Moreover, the sounds in the background made it clear he wasn't at school or tutoring.

As if reading his mind, the elder shouted. "Where are you? Why can I hear music in the background?"

"I'm at a karaoke bar but don't worry! They don't serve anything alcoholic here." He was quick to assure. "I-"

A loud bang came forth, shocking the trio. Despite the sound, Li Suren just sighed.

"One moment, please." He seemed to have covered the receiver, as the next few words came out muffled. "Will you turn the music down!? I'm on the phone."

A familiar voice responded glibly.

"Then get off the phone. We're trying to have fun, remember?"

Eh, Guiren was there too? They were spending time together... on their own? This was shocking to everyone in the room, even as the two continued to bicker.

"It's your fault I have to deal with- Hey, give that back!"

"Hey, Lord Li," Chen Guiren greeted, his tone casual but respectful. "this is Chen Guiren"

At this, the old man seemed to puff up. Very few people referred to the elder by 'lord', as it was considered old-fashioned. Most referred to him as 'Old Li' or 'elder Li' despite his official title being lord.

This fact was only known by those close to the Li clan and those who wanted to coax the old omega would use that term.

So it became clear to both of Chen Guiren's dads that their son was trying to coax Li Suzhen into compliance.

"Ah, so it's because of you that our Xiao Ren isn't here?"

The elder, sufficiently placated, spoke with a softer tone, forgetting about the slight against him. The fact the teens had skipped their meeting without a word should have made the elder furious but a few words were all it took to soothe him.

Again, the two alphas exchanged a look that spoke volumes.

Their son was learning how to manipulate people it seemed. Jinyao wondered if such a skill was good for a reckless kid like Guiren to learn.

"Yeah, sorry." Chen Guiren continued, his tone light. He spoke like a teenager making a frivolous promise, which was right for his age but made his words seem insincere. "I know we usually have dinner but I thought it'd be more productive to have dates with only the two of us. I promise, nothing inappropriate is happening."

Not that it would matter if anything did. In fact, Li Suzhen would probably prefer it if something did occur. It might make things awkward but it would further bind the two families together. It would only be beneficial.

But he still had to make the effort to seem proper.

"No, it's fine." Li Suzhen assured, possibly thinking about how to handle things if a teen pregnancy occurred. "Young people tend to be a bit more reckless so it's to be expected."

"Of course."

"Then I won't disturb you."

The call ended peacefully, very much to the mild annoyance of Chen Guiren's fathers. They had wanted to speak to their son as well but the call had been made by the elder so they couldn't interrupt. Him putting it on speaker was a courtesy.

But the thought of their son spending time with Li Suren like this left them confused. While Chen Guiren didn't oppose the engagement, he wasn't happy either. So why would he willingly go on a date?

Was it like that? A supposed mutual hate that turned...

Perhaps one of them would have to have the safe sex talk with him soon.

***

Meanwhile, the undiscovered third wheel on this 'one on one' date sat back as he munched on some snacks he'd ordered. He could hear Li Suren and Chen Guiren outside the door, once again arguing.

"See?" Chen Guiren huffed arrogantly. "Was that so hard?"

"You lied to him!"

"No, I just told him that it'd be more productive to have 1 on 1 date. I never said that was what we were doing."

A moment of silence.

Li Suren snorted, clearly amused. "Look at you, using your brain."

"Look at you, somehow unable to lie all of a sudden."

By this time, Jun Yibai had reached the door, cracking it so he could peek. He was curious and couldn't help but listen in. The two were facing off with determination.

"I'm tired! Someone," Li Suren gave the alpha a hard look, that was simply ignored with a shrug. "tried to send me on a wild goose chase after my already long day. Unlike you, I have responsibilities."

"Then let them go for a bit. Live a little."

"With you? Never."

The alpha's smile grew into a smirk, which confused both Li Suren and Jun Yibai.

"How about if we had a partner?"

"Partner? What are you-"

Chen Guiren, with no warning, turned to Jun Yibai with a smirk.

"Master, are you planning on eavesdropping forever?" He called out, pulling the door open completely. "You're the VIP here, remember?"

Having been caught, Jun Yibai should have felt embarrassed but he didn't. For some reason, he felt it was not an issue to listen in. As if it was only right for him to know.

What a strange thought.

"Yet you left me behind to argue about something?" He shot back, cocking a brow. "What great hosts."

"It's all this guy's fault." Li Suren complained, moving in close to Jun Yibai. He glared at Chen Guiren hatefully. "I had to settle something he left for me."

"Yet I'm the one who resolved it anyway."

"You-"

"Hey, no fighting!" Jun Yibai interjected, knowing if he let a single other word go, they'd be fighting in no time. "I'm not going to be kicked out because of you making noise in the hallway."

He'd seen how they had glared hatefully at one another upon his arrival so he knew they were a powder keg waiting to blow.

Chen Guiren, however, only heard a pleasant thing from Jun Yibai's words.

"So we're your responsibility?" He pressed, smirking. "In other words, we're yours?"

Of course, he of all people would come to such a conclusion at his words.

"Don't be gross. I don't want a troublesome pair like you."

While he enjoyed their company, there was a lot he would have to deal with if others found them together. It was hard enough to hide Yang Ru's parents from his dad. He could at least avoid that. If he got too close to Chen Guiren and Li Suren, he was bound to get caught one day.

Hell, he'd almost gotten caught already.

Seeing the expression on the beta's face, Li Suren led them back into their room, shutting out the world. He knew his sweetie wanted nothing more than to stay out of the limelight.

So they absolutely needed to clear the air sooner rather than later. But most definitely behind closed doors.

Inside, the table was covered in food and snacks. Chen Guiren had chosen to handle the bill so it wasn't a matter of how much they could spend but how much they were going to spend.

To keep the peace (and mildly indulge himself), Jun Yibai had ordered the entire menu. He'd done this in hopes that the staff would bring it one by one so these two wouldn't have the time to argue. Yet he hadn't anticipated that everything would be brought all at once.

So much for that plan.

Luckily, Li Suren had left to take a call before it actually started.

But now Li Suren and Chen Guiren were back at each other's throats.

Ever the stubborn one, Jun Yibai tried to cool tensions by offering some food. "Shouldn't we-"

"One moment, sweetie~" Li Suren cooed, before glaring at Chen Guiren. "We have something we need to settle, you fucking asshole! Sweetie is mine yet you dared keep him from me!?"

"Don't start that shit!" Chen Guiren snapped back, snatching some chicken wings from Li Suren's plate. Ever the petty guy, he even ate it in front of the omega. "Master belongs to me. I found him first!"

"We've discussed this! No monopolizing him." Li Suren, not to be beaten, snapped up whatever Chen Guiren hadn't taken for himself. Most of the food had been taken by either of them, like two armies about to do battle. Li Suren's eyes narrowed. "If one finds him, the other has to be informed. You remember the penalty for breaking this rule?"

At this, Chen Guiren grimaced. "...Yes."

"Bastard."

"Slut."

Clearly, they got along as well now as they did before. Apparently, they had even become partners of a sort. It wasn't a surprise, since they were both 'kings' at school.

Jun Yibai could only watch as the two glared hatefully at one another. If this was how things were going to go, he might as well have gone home.

"Are we gonna sing or am I heading back home?"

"What?!"

"No, don't go!"

They cried in unison, once again glaring at each other. Before they could descend into another round of scathing remarks about each other, they sat down on either side of Jun Yibai, caging him in.

"We came here to hang out and have fun, Master." Chen Guiren reminded, draping his arm behind Jun Yibai's seat. "I won't let this nosy jerk ruin it."

"Exactly!" Li Suren moved in close, almost cuddling him. "After all this time, we've reunited. We can't let some annoying mutt ruin things, right, Sweetie?"

Again, Jun Yibai could feel the tension between the two but at least they were making the effort not to fight while he was literally between them.

After that, things settled down. When they weren't trying to one-up each other, Li Suren and Chen Guiren were actually a lot of fun. Chen Guiren would challenge Li Suren and the latter would mock him even as he took him up on the bet.

The prize? Jun Yibai himself.

When Li Suren won, the two sang a duet together.

When Chen Guiren won, they shared a plate of snacks.

Initially, Jun Yibai didn't want to get involved but found it amusing to watch the two try and out sing each other. Trashy pop songs or death metal, they sang and acted like fools.

It was fun!

More than once, Jun Yibai caught himself chuckling at their random arguments.

"God, will you stop!" Li Suren complained, snatching the mic from Chen Guiren. "Your voice makes my ears hurt. Are you gargling nails on the side or something?"

"Compared to what?" He snapped back with a mocking grin. "Are you trying to attract some dogs with that voice? If your voice got any higher, I'd have to hold the door to keep you from being mauled."

"In all honesty," The beta interjected, scrolling through the song catalog. "you both suck equally."

Jun Yibai had learned quickly that as long as he interrupted their flow, things would be settled all the quicker.

That and they really did suck at singing.

"Ack, Sweetie must you be so blunt?"

"It's Master's infamous caustic tongue!" Chen Guiren clutched his chest, falling back so he was leaning on Jun Yibai's shoulder. "How can we mere mortals withstand such abuse?"

"Oh?" Jun Yibai felt nothing was strange about the proximity so he responded in turn. "You want abuse? I can be meaner."

He promised, reaching over to grab hold of Chen Guiren's nape. It was a strong, controlling grip but nothing an alpha couldn't break free of. If it were anyone else, such an act would have infuriated him.

To grab an alpha by the nape was an act of challenging his dominance. To yield to such a thing was unheard of, as instinctually it was considered insulting.

But to yield to this person that was so casually referred to as his master was anything but insulting.

"Oh? You wanna brawl then?" The alpha purred, his eyes taking on a strange glint. He leaned in close until their breaths could intermingle. "I'm all for it if Master is fine with being marked by me."

Jun Yibai: ...

Something about that sounded a lot less like he'd be leaving with a black eye and more like something else.

Jun Yibai felt his skin tingle at the thought but pushed it out of his mind. What was he thinking? This was Chen Guiren, the fight junkie with a weird interest in marks. Black eyes, split skin, and scars were his definitions of marking. Alpha or no, Jun Yibai was a beta so that was as far as he was getting.

Moreover, it was him that was being weird, getting so close as if there was no awkwardness between them.

Perhaps he was getting too comfortable because he soon found himself sandwiched between the pair.

"Cut it out with the pheromones, idiot." The omega scolded, burying his nose in Jun Yibai's shirt. "It stinks."

The flushed look of his skin spoke volumes about what he meant. But Jun Yibai, as a beta, couldn't smell anything. The air just felt a bit heavier now.

But if that was the case, it would be bad if he stuck around. He didn't want to go home smelling like an alpha. Beta or not, he was such his dad would notice something amiss.

So excused himself.

The pair was upset to have their favorite person move away but were very obedient when given a hard look from him. Li Suren, as if sensing Jun Yibai's desire to escape, kept his jacket hostage. Though, the way he was burying his head into it, perhaps it was just to keep himself focused as Chen Guiren worked through... whatever he was going through.

It was none of Jun Yibai's concern anyway.

He locked himself in the bathroom, trying to figure out what was going on.

He'd become comfortable around the two so quick, even he was surprised. It was as if no time had passed at all.

But things were different from before.

He was different.

He stared at himself in the mirror, wondering how he would explain things to his parents if he was caught smelling like he'd bathed in an alpha's pheromones. How he'd get looks from people on the bus. How he'd have to explain himself if one of his dad's co-workers or worse, his father himself realized the reason for the looks.

He felt his heart clench at the thought just as his phone buzzed.

It was a familiar tone but the sound came twice.

It was strange to see the messages one after the other though they came from different people.

One was from Chen Guiren.

Chimney:

Master, don't be mad. I'm sorry for causing trouble again~

(crying emoji)

The other, more pressing, was from his mother.

Mom:

Your father is having a meeting so it might be best to stay at

A friend's house tonight.

The fact they came at the same time was interesting but caused a problem.

"Damn it." He hissed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned on the wall.

What was he supposed to do now? It's not like he couldn't stay at a friend's house. He'd done it countless times before but that was mostly with Yang Ru. Sure, he'd have to sleep in the same room as her dad but it was better than renting a room from a cheap hotel.

He had money but he didn't want to spend it like that.

But he couldn't do that tonight! Not when he was covered in an alpha's scent. Young or not, coming into an omega's home smelling like an alpha was bound to inspire many questions he was not prepared to answer.

Worse if he smelled like an omega as well.

But he couldn't afford a hotel! Any place nearby was bound to be expensive.

He could camp out but the last time he did that...

Unbidden, he recalled the three pairs of shoes he saw years ago stepping from the bushes. The cackling laughter as they complimented him on knowing not to look up. To learn the faces of those who had hurt someone mere moments before.

While he hadn't thought about it in years, he still felt fear at the thought of being caught in such a situation again.

Even after years of bodybuilding and self-defense training, he still felt his heart shudder at the thought of spotting those ratty sneakers.

But where else could he go for the night?

He briefly recalled that Chen Guiren said he'd cover the cost for this hang-out.

A sour taste spread through his mouth at the thought. They'd just met and he was about to ask for money? Treating a meal was one thing but to do this was...

Agh, it was gross.

He didn't want them to think of him as a freeloader.

He stood there, staring at the mirror before making a decision.

***

Jun Yibai returned after a while, much to the relief of Li Suren and Chen Guiren. Despite silently blaming the other for their beta leaving, they remained quiet. Neither wanted Jun Yibai to return to them arguing.

"Master, about before, I-"

"Sweetie, we can-"

Jun Yibai held up a hand, not wanting to waste time with their words. He had to get his words out quickly before he lost his nerve.

He couldn't ask for money but...

"Do you guys know any cheap hotels nearby?" He said through gritted teeth.

He'd tried to search online but most places were ridiculously expensive. Cheaper places were far from here and well... from the looks of it, these places were cheap for a reason. It might only be for a night but he didn't want to sleep next door to questionable people and activities.

Since Chen Guiren had suggested the place, he figured the alpha knew the area well enough to point in the right direction.

But considering the cost of traveling this late into the evening, he might have to bite the bullet and ask for money.

It boiled his blood that he'd have to if he wanted to save up money for his future endeavors.

"Hotel?" Chen Guiren echoed, confused by the sudden shift. "Why do you need-"

"Getting a hotel at this time of night on such short notice might not be easy." Li Suren interjected, tapping his chin. "While it is a weekday, hotels tend to get more expensive the closer to the weekend you book. Moreover, if it is just for tonight, you'd have to hope for a vacancy which makes things complicated."

Jun Yibai sighed, his thoughts from minutes before being echoed once again. It was the reason why his father's random meetings made life hard. If he got a heads up sooner, he could plan ahead but it was always at the last minute.

While Yang Ru's parents liked Jun Yibai, if he kept this up, they'd start asking why he wasn't at home so often.

Explaining that would be... well, it would be as bad as introducing them to his omega-hating dad.

His only alternative was getting a hotel and paying the expense of a last-minute room.

He absolutely hated how his savings kept being drained that way.

At the sour look on Jun Yibai, Li Suren and Chen Guiren shared a concerned look. Neither really understood why this had come up but they knew it was something important. They were rich so the expense was nothing to them but Jun Yibai was a regular teen who earned minimum wage. There was no way he could afford that price.

They also knew he wouldn't take a handout.

Just asking them for help was probably stinging his pride.

So there was only one solution.

"How about we split the bill?" Li Suren chimed in, grabbing Jun Yibai's sleeve.

"Eh?"

"If we split the bill, it won't be an issue of owing anything since we all pitched in." Li Suren continued, pulling out his cell phone to look up a place. As if of the same mind, he received a text from Chen Guiren about a place of a decent cost that was close by.

While Chen Guiren was rich, he also got a limited allowance so he was pretty good at finding places that wouldn't break someone financially. Chen Guiren was an idiot but on things like this, Li Suren trusted his judgment.

Jun Yibai, however, was unconvinced.

"But your parents, won't they be concerned?"

Chen Guiren pulled Jun Yibai close with a friendly half hug.

"My dads are having dinner with an elder," He assured the beta with a grin. "so they probably won't be home by the time I arrive anyway."

"That and our parents don't expect us back anytime soon." Li Suren was quick to back him up, like a well-oiled machine. "At least not tonight."

Jun Yibai had a lot of questions about that line of reasoning. It was clear they were hiding things from him. Yet how could he dare pry into that? He had kept secrets from them too.

Even though Chen Guiren had some inkling, it was only the surface of the clusterfuck that was Jun Yibai's home life.

Still...

"This isn't some convoluted scheme to get into my pants, is it?" Jun Yibai couldn't help but ask, his expression so deadpan, that it shocked them both into a brief silence.

At the abrupt statement, the trio couldn't help but laugh. Chen Guiren and Li Suren definitely did want that but to hear it said so bluntly, how could they not choke back laughter.

They assured the beta that his chastity would be safe as they were all friends. He needed help and they were willing to pitch in as friends were known to do.

What happened further down the line, well, that was for another night.

*****

AN: Things gonna get fun~ Also, I'm thinking of making a proper cover for this story. 

Any ideas would be appreciated since I'm not good at couple stuff~