At twenty-four years old, Yeonjun celebrates his second wedding anniversary. His alpha asks that he make dinner reservations at whatever restaurant, so Yeonjun finds a steakhouse in Apgujeong. His alpha gives him a budget and tells him to order himself whatever anniversary gift he wants, so he purchases a nice pair of loafers.

Juwon, Yeonjun's 29 year old alpha, has recently taken an interest in getting fit, so Yeonjun buys him a membership and personal training package at a luxury gym nearby. The only physical thing he receives is an information packet and an ID card, so he buys a cute envelope and covers it with stickers. Juwon's always liked Yeonjun's affinity for small, cute things.

Brand new black loafers fidgeting under the table, Yeonjun slides the pink envelope across the table to Juwon. He's uncomfortably full, steak and wine pushing his stomach out into the shape Juwon wants it to be.

Juwon smiles at the envelope, rubbing his thumb across one of the textured stickers. "Cute," he says.

"Alpha," Yeonjun urges, nudging Juwon's hand. "Don't you want to open my present?"

Juwon opens it, his large hands and thick fingers dwarfing the tiny envelope. He looks at his gift and back up at Yeonjun, an eyebrow quirked. "Trying to tell me something?"

"What?"

Juwon doesn't explain, just leafs through the packet. "Jesus, this gym looks insane."

"It is!" Yeonjun says, wiggling in his seat. "It's the best in Seoul."

"How much did it cost?" Juwon asks.

Yeonjun smiles. "It's not polite to tell."

"Tell me anyway."

Yeonjun grins, excited by his splurge. He's never spoiled his alpha quite this much before. "It's a six-month long membership, for one million won ."

Juwon's eyes widen. "Oh. Wow. That's a lot."

Yeonjun nods. "Yeah, well, I thought I should spend more than I did on my shoes, right? Since you're the alpha."

Juwon sighs deeply. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to."

"You don't have to get me presents at all," Juwon says, shaking his head.

Yeonjun looks at him quizzically. "It's our anniversary. Of course you need a gift."

"It's just that you 'buy' me these gifts, but they aren't really gifts, because you buy them with my money." Juwon's face is placid, his tone smooth like a pond on a windless day. His voice is never harsh, but it doesn't need to be: the words are enough.

Juwon goes on. "If it's my money anyway, then I can decide how to spend it. Do you understand?"

"You would have been upset if I had come here empty-handed."

"Don't talk back to me."

Yeonjun looks down at his lap. As an adolescent, his arguing was acceptable, even encouraged. Now, it's a habit that needs to be curbed.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," Yeonjun says. "I thought this would be good for you."

"It's a little backhanded, Yeonjun. A gym membership, really?"

A moment passes as understanding trickles down Yeonjun's spine like poison, and he shakes his head frantically. "No! It's just that you've been talking about wanting to get fit and put on some muscle."

"You want me to be big so that I can match you?" Juwon asks.

Yeonjun swallows, trying to quell the hurt that erupts in his stomach. He knows he's broad for an omega. A little tall, a little heavy. But he has a pretty face: lips round like a doll's, cheeks rosy and healthy. He thought that was enough to make him desirable.

"I didn't mean to imply anything like that," Yeonjun mumbles, eyes trained on the table. Red, translucent juice trickles out of a forgotten piece of Juwon's steak. "It wasn't meant to be an insult."

Juwon stares at Yeonjun for a long moment, his face hard as marble, until it shatters. "I'm sorry," he says, suddenly. He reaches across the table to take Yeonjun's hand. "It's a nice present. I'm being a dick. I just had a stressful day at work."

"Oh," Yeonjun says. He wants to be stubborn like he was as a teenager, when everyone thought he would be an alpha. His parents were proud of their son's steadfastness and ambition until he presented. Now, he needs to be a good omega. "That's alright, Alpha. Do you want to talk about it?"