A sleepy Phukan yawns and stares blearily down at the underwear in his hand. "Wednesday," He mutters to himself. "Wednesday is green." He keeps the appropriate underwear out and stuffs the rest back in the drawer. Then he stumbles to the shower to try to wake himself up. After he dresses he grabs his phone and sees that there is a new text from the reason he had barely gotten any sleep last night.
P'Cir: Can I drive Phu to school today?
Phu is just about to respond with a yes when he remembers.
Phu: I can't go with Phi today. Jin is picking me up this morning.
There was a long pause and then
P'Cir: Why is Jin picking you up today?
Phu: We are going to the movies after class. Then to eat.
P'Cir: I don't like it.
Phu: Why, is P'Cir jealous?
P'Cir: Yes.
Phu's eyes grow wide at this, he had been teasing the senior. Was he really jealous of Jin?
Phu: P'Cir, Jin is my friend. There is nothing between us.
P'Cir: Still jealous.
Phu can't help a small smile. This slightly sulky side of the alpha is kind of cute.
Phu: Phu will ride with P'Cir tomorrow, I promise.
P'Cir: Fine, make sure you eat breakfast and study hard.
Phu sends him back a cute "okay" sticker.
Cirrus glares at his phone like it's the phone's fault he can't drive Phu to school today. The logical part of his brain tells him there is no reason to be jealous of the omega's friends, but the fact is he's waited so long, he just wants to have Phu to himself.
"You're being selfish enough by pursuing Phu, he should be able to enjoy his time with his friends." he tells himself. That doesn't mean he likes it though.
At least he already has Phu's promise to ride with him tomorrow. That makes him smile.
Cirrus spends the morning working. He is on medical leave from classes this week but that doesn't mean his time is his own. For the last few years, even before he decided to pursue Phukan, he has been putting some plans of his own into place. The woman likes to think that Cirrus is her property, and he will do whatever she says for fear she will cut him off, penniless. However, the days when she could rule him with fear of any kind have long passed.
Now it's more important than ever that he gains his independence, he hadn't needed his father's warning that the woman wouldn't be happy with his choice of mates. The only way this will work is if he finds a way to get away from her once and for all. In one way he's lucky, Cirrus's grandfather had left him a small inheritance that the woman has no control over. It wasn't enough to live on, but it was enough to allow him to put his plans into motion.
Cirrus works through the morning and the next time he glances at the clock it's midafternoon. Phu will be in his afternoon classes by now. Cirrus glances out the window and notices the sky is growing thick with clouds. He frowns and pulls up the weather report for the evening. It's going to rain, and he knows a certain omega that never remembers his umbrella. He quickly grabs his keys and a spare umbrella before heading out the door.
Phu's final class of the day finishes before Jin's, so he decides to wait for his friends in the upstairs student lounge. He just grabs a bottle of green tea from the vending machine and sits down when his friend Nalin comes in.
She doesn't greet him, she only looks around to see the lounge is empty then says, "Seriously Phu, tell me the truth, what is your relationship between you and P'Cir?"
Phu squeaks at the suddenness of this question again, he has already answered it. "He is my senior from high school."
"If he is just your senior, why is he waiting for you downstairs?" Nalin asks, her eyes gleaming.
"What?" Why would P'Cir come to wait for him when he knew that he was going to the movies with Jin?
"He's downstairs now, waiting for you. I saw him when I came back from the print shop," Nalin says with a triumphant grin.
Phu runs to look over the balcony and Nalin is right, P'Cir is sitting at a table on the ground floor, scrolling through his phone while he waits.
He turns to go see what the senior wants, but then something occurs to him.
"Nalin, why does everyone say that P'Cir is cold?" Phu asks.
Nalin looks down and then grins, she pulls Phu to the side, so they are hidden behind a pillar, "Just watch."
A junior approaches P'Cir with a cup of coffee. She speaks to him for a while, but the senior ignores her and continues to scroll through his phone. Finally, red faced, the girl sits the coffee down beside P'Cir and turns to leave. She looks like she could cry.
P'Cir ignores the coffee just like he had the girl had brought it.
"See," Nalin says.
"Maybe he's just in a bad mood today," Phu tries to find an excuse for the behavior, he doesn't understand it. P'Cir has never been like that with him. Even before he vowed to pursue Phu, he had always given Phu a smile the few times they had seen each other.
"He's like that with everyone, except maybe Phu," Nalin says. She ruffles his hair, all his friends seem to do this automatically, Phu is used to it. "You should go see him."
Phu stops himself from running down the stairs. "P'Cir, what are you doing here?" He asks when he is standing in front of the senior.
P'Cir looks up and gives Phu a brilliant smile, which Phu can't help but return. "I brought Phu an umbrella, it's going to rain this afternoon. Don't get wet, I wouldn't want Phu to get sick."
Phu pulls his backpack off and starts rummaging through it, "But I have..." he stops what he was about to say and looks a little sheepish because he really had forgotten to put an umbrella in his back. He takes it and says, "Thank you, Phi."
P'Cir reaches out and smooths down his hair, "Enjoy the movie. I will pick you up in the morning." He picks up the cup of coffee from the table and tosses it into the trash. Phu feels a little sorry for the girl who had given it to him. Then the senior turns and leaves.
Behind him, Nalin giggles. "You see, he is only like that with Phu."
"He's just being nice." Phu says.
"Give it up, Phu, if P'Cir isn't your boyfriend, why would he bring you an umbrella, and why is he picking you up in the morning?" Nalin asks.
"Well, because we live in the same building," Phu answers.
Nalin doesn't buy it. She mutters, "boyfriend behavior." Having gotten the last word, Nalin turns to leave as Jin comes down the stairs.
"Ready to go?" Jin asks, "Oh good I see you remembered your umbrella; it's going to rain tonight."
Phu can't really follow this type of movie at all, and even if he asks Jin what it was about after it is finished, he still wouldn't understand the explanation. Still Phu munches happily on the popcorn with sea salt and lets his mind wander to a certain senior's bright smile.
Jin takes him to a famous steakhouse after the movie, and despite the popcorn Phu is starving. He asks for the salad bar while Jin orders something off the menu that Phu can't even pronounce. One thing Phu really likes about Jin, is despite his artistic taste in movies, and even food, he never makes Phu feel dumb for not understanding about those types of things. He once told Phu they just had different tastes in things and that's why they are such good friends, even more so than the rest of the friend group.
"Jin, can I ask you a question?" Phu asks.
Jin puts down his fork and gives Phu his full attention, "Go ahead."
"Why is everyone so sure that P'Cir and I are boyfriends?" Phu asks.
"Because he looks at you." Jin answers, as if that is enough explanation.
Phu furrows his brow at this, "I don't understand."
"You said once that you thought you were the least remarkable of the friend group." Jin shakes his head at this. "It's not true, Phu is the cutest in the friend group, but that's beside the point. When P'Cir is around everyone, he only has eyes for Phu. When others try to get his attention, he ignores them, but when Phu is around, he is the one that P'Cir notices."
"Really?" Phu asks. He hadn't realized that the senior was like that around him. Then he remembers the hapless girl that had brought the senior coffee. P'Cir hadn't even looked at her, but he had given Phu a dazzling smile.
Besides one thing everyone in their friend group knows, if Jin says it, it must be true.
"I'm happy." Jin says.
"Why?" Phu wonders.
"I'm happy that Phu has someone that sees only him. He deserves it." Jin answers.
Something else has been bothering Phu, and Jin is the perfect person to ask. "Does it ever bother you? You know, being an omega?"
"Why would it?" Jin asks.
"I don't know, so many people look down on us. Even sometimes when people mean well they can't help but treat us as if we are weaker somehow." Phu says.
Phu remembers an incident at his cousin Thanya's birthday party. He had been ten and it had been a pool party, with almost forty children. His cousins were popular. Phu had been enjoying himself, his cousins made him feel left out or like he was different, even though he was the only omega in the family, so their friends had followed their example. Being around his cousins always made Phu feel happy and safe.
The incident had happened when Phu had gone into the house to use the restroom. There had been a group of adults, parents of the children attending the party, sitting around talking.
"I'm surprised they only had Phukan,'' one adult says as he passes the room. Phu doesn't mean to listen in, but he can't help it when he hears his own name.
"I don't blame them," another answers. "They are probably afraid that if they have any more, they would be omegas too."
Phu didn't know if it was true that his parents didn't have other children because Phu was an omega, and he had never had the courage to ask. He had never been able to forget those words though.
Jin shrugs, "I just never worried much about what other people think."
Phu wishes he was more like his friend in that way.
Right before they get to the convenience store near Phu's apartment building, he tells Jin to let him out there, he needs to pick up a few things.
"Do you want me to wait for you?" Jin asks. "It's late, and what if it starts raining again?"
Phu flourishes his umbrella. "I'll be fine, there's no need for you to wait. The apartment building is right there."
"Okay, see you tomorrow then." Jin says as Phu gets out of the car. Phu waves goodbye to him then goes and gets the things he needs in the store, not forgetting the snacks.
As if Jin predicted it, the rain starts falling hard again just as Phu is checking out. Phu shrugs, he has the umbrella and it's just a short walk, he decides not to wait until the rain lets up. It's late and he is tired. What he doesn't count on is a passing car splashing him as it drives by.
"Gross," Phu mutters as the dirty gutter water drips off of him. He decides to put away the umbrella, at least the rain can wash off some of the dirty water.
By the time he gets back to the apartment he is shivering and soaked through. He is also shocked to see P'Cir waiting for him in front of the building.
"Phu, why are you walking? I thought Jin was going to bring you home. Let's get you inside and get you warmed up." Before Phu can stop him, he slips off his cardigan and drapes it across Phu's shoulders.
"P'Cir, I'll ruin your sweater," Phu protests, but P'Cir ignores this and is already pulling Phu inside. Phu tries again, "I'll drip water everywhere."
"So what, I'll clean it up. Who told you to go walking in the rain? Why didn't Jin drop you in front of the apartment?" The alpha growls.
Phu shows him the bag in his hand. "I asked him to drop me off so I could pick up some things. I would have been fine, but a car drove by too fast and splashed me with dirty water." Phu pouts a little at this. He had wanted to shout at the car and give the driver the finger, but Phu is too polite sometimes.
P'Cir doesn't even stop at the door to his condo, he picks Phu up and carries him into the bathroom. Phu squeaks in protest at this treatment, he hasn't been carried like this since he was a baby. In the bathroom, P'Cir sits Phu down and starts unbuttoning his shirt.
"P'Cir, what are you doing?" Phu asks, trying to push the senior's hand away.
"Phu needs to take a shower and warm up, right away." P'Cir answers.
"P'Cir can't undress Phu," Phu protests.
"Phukan, don't be stubborn, you'll get sick if you don't get warmed up right away." P'Cir tells him.
"Phu is not stubborn, P'Cir what are you doing?" Phu squeals the last because the senior had resumed his efforts to help Phu undress.
"If Phu is not stubborn then let Phi help you to take a shower." P'Cir says.
Phu's mind screams at this, he immediately has an image of them both in the shower, P'Cir washing him. No good, no good at all. Especially for Phu's peace of mind.
"P'Cir, stop. Go out and Phu will take a shower." Phu says trying to clutch his clothes tightly in his hands to keep the senior from undressing him.
"Phu, I am just worried about you, I don't want you to get sick." P'Cir says.
"I know, just go out and Phu will do it himself." It's not that he is worried about the senior trying anything, but Phu is shy. The thought of being naked with P'Cir there makes his insides burn with embarrassment.
"Fine," P'Cir sighs, "I will get Phu some clothes, just take a shower."
Phu does as instructed, happy the senior had finally agreed to let him shower alone. The hot water does feel wonderful and it's nice to get rid of the gutter water smell. Once finished he finds a large fluffy towel in P'Cir's cabinet and wraps himself in it.
He goes into the bedroom to find the promised clothes; he expects to find the room empty but stops short when he sees the senior standing there by the bed.
"P'Cir?" Phu asks uncertainly.
The senior stands there for a minute, staring at Phu wrapped in the towel. Dammit why does this alpha always make Phu feel so shy.
"Phu, can I..." P'Cir hesitates.
"What?" Phu asks, he is almost afraid to hear what P'Cir wants.
"Please let me kiss you." P'Cir says.
Phu's eyes fly open wide at this. Before he can answer, the senior crosses the room and pulls him into his arms. The senior's hot lips are on his and Phu suddenly has trouble forming coherent thoughts. It's not a chaste kiss like P'Cir gave him before, this time he flicks out his tongue and licks at Phu lips. As if of their own volition, Phu's lips open to allow the senior entry. His tongue finds Phu's and the omega draws in a breath at this new sensation. He is gripping the senior's clothes, but instead of trying to push him away, Phu is pulling him trying to get closer.
P'Cir pulls back, and smiles down at him, "I am happy."
"Happy?" Phu asks, dazed.
"Happy that Phu feels like I do." P'Cir grins. It's only then that Phu realizes his hard cock is pressing against the alpha's thigh.
Phu pushes the senior away, embarrassed to the core, "Is it fun to tease me because I am inexperienced," he huffs.
"That was Phu's first real kiss?" P'Cir asks. Phu nods shyly at the question. "Now I am truly happy."
"P'Cir get out and let Phu dress." Phu sulks. "If you don't, I won't let Phi drive me to school tomorrow."
P'Cir chuckles at this but shoves the clean clothes in Phu's hands and goes out. As soon as the senior is gone, Phu squats down to the ground and hides his face with his hands. All the strength in his legs are gone.
Why does P'Cir have to be such a good kisser? It isn't fair. Phu will die from the shyness caused by the senior; he just knows it. Thinking about this, Phu presses his hands to his hot face even harder and resists the urge to scream.
In the other room, Cirrus can't help but to smile. He had meant it when he told Phu he was happy. It had been hard to push the omega away, Cirrus hadn't wanted to. A part of him still wants to go back into that room and continue where they had left off. He doesn't want to rush this; he wants Phu to be sure. Also, Phu deserves to enjoy each and every new moment they experience together.
Notes:
Oops almost forgot. I've been working on MYATB update and forgot to add this chapter today. So that means back-to-back updates on two separate stories.