"Midterms are kicking my ass," Soobin groans as he slumps into his seat. He droops forward like a flag on a windless day, resting his head against Yeonjun's kitchen table. Poor baby, Yeonjun thinks.

"So, a double shot americano today?" Yeonjun asks.

"Please," Soobin mutters.

Yeonjun hurries to make the coffee. He remembers the stress from his own college days, and his degree was probably only half as difficult as Soobin's. He's lucky not to have to work so hard anymore, even if a part of him misses the sense of pride that accompanied the fatigue.

He places the coffee down next to Soobin, whose eyes are still closed. Yeonjun reaches out and places his hand on Soobin's back, then freezes.

It's okay, he tells himself. I'm just comforting a friend.

He rubs Soobin's back as the corners of Soobin's lips creep upwards and his scent soften. His back is warm beneath his shirt, soaked in lean, stiff muscle.

"You okay?" Yeonjun murmurs, digging his knuckles into one of the knots.

Soobin groans. "Yeah. Just exhausted."

"If you really need to rest, rest. No assignment is more important than your health."

Everyone talks about alphas' protective instincts — how they react to a distressed omegas' scent like a new mother to a baby's cries. But that instinct is mutual, and Yeonjun can't help but feel a surge of fond protectiveness towards Soobin. Maybe if the alphas let the omegas work more often, they wouldn't have to take on so much.

"Tell that to my professors." He sits up, and Yeonjun removes his hand. The air feels icy. "Thanks for the coffee. One day, I'll stop mooching off you."

"You're not mooching. I told you, I like the company."

Soobin eyes him. "You're really alone all day, aren't you?"

Yeonjun nods. "Juwon works a lot."

"But... Why don't you have friends? You're fun to be around."

Yeonjun trains his eyes on the table until it falls out of focus. Soobin isn't malicious — he never is — but the question embarrasses him nonetheless. "Um. When I was growing up, everyone thought I'd be an alpha. So all my friends were alphas, too. Then, when I presented, we stopped hanging out."

"Why?"

"My hometown is really traditional. Maybe you guessed that. It isn't really normal for alphas and omegas to be friends there."

"Did you go to college somewhere like that, too?" Soobin asks.

"No, I went to college in Seoul. I went to SNU."

Soobin's eyes widen. "Really? Jesus. No wonder you're so good at helping me study!"

Yeonjun laughs. "I just studied a lot in high school because I thought I was going to be an alpha. It's no big deal."

"Says you. We can't all be SKY kids."

Yeonjun looks down at his feet. When he first got into SNU, he felt so proud. Then it became nothing more than his ticket into a good dating pool.

"But what about at SNU?" Soobin asks. "Didn't you make friends there?"

"I felt weird in college. I was suddenly an omega, I didn't know how to act. I had to live in dorms instead of with my family, and Seoul kind of freaked me out then. Most of the other students were from Seoul. I felt really different from them." Yeonjun takes a deep breath. "Anyway, it was a relief when I met Juwon. He made things a lot easier."

Soobin nods. "I'd like to meet him one day."

"Sure." The thought makes Yeonjun feel ill. "I'm sure you will, at some point."

"Maybe he can give me some advice on how to find such a good omega," Soobin says, then abruptly turns red. "Sorry."

Yeonjun laughs. "It's fine. You're sweet."

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