Chapter Text
After that first meeting, after they spent an entire mating cycle together, they decided on an arrangement.
Wooyoung would have his time with their King, play his game for as long as the bastard could stay awake. And then San would scoop him up, lead him back through weaving hallways and dirt pathways like any other guard, only to end up right in his bed again. The omega would untie every bit of armor, pop every button and buckle and pile it up so neatly beside his door, all while San got to pet his hair and praise him, watch that pretty boy work.
He really did like to watch him, admire and feel him. Make him laugh as often as he could, because the scrunch of his nose and crinkle of his eyes when he made Wooyoung laugh unexpectedly was probably one of the cutest things San had ever seen. San’s genuine affection for this omega had long surpassed his sexual desire, at some point.
It’d take a while to get all the armor off, but that just meant San was half-swollen by the time everything was off and Wooyoung would roll right over and present, let his knight hoist his robes up an expose his raw, puffy c*nt, settled right between his ass and his cute little co*ck. Omegan anatomy was a mystery to the alpha, but he appreciated everything he had to work with, anyway. He especially appreciated the way his body could accommodate his knot so perfectly. He’d only bled the very first time- After that, they fit together like some sick, perfect lock and key.
And that arrangement stayed the same, for a long time, though now, it was much more of a lovers long-term relationship than some kind of a business agreement.
༺✧༻
“He lasted a while tonight, didn’t he?” San scoffed at the King's sudden spike in stamina, leaving Wooyoung’s body exhausted by the time he got back to his room- but he still hadn’t gotten knotted properly, and he was so irritated. San’s omega was silly like that, getting grumpy and growly over something like wanting to be stuck on his knot.
They’d been sleeping together for months now, their relationship morphed into something much more intimate, so this long of a session with the King wasn’t even worth the money to Wooyoung, anymore. He was wasting the time with that royal asshole that he could have been spending on his boyfriend's knot, a real knot, so Wooyoung had been irritable since they got back to the brothel. And everybody knew San now, Wooyoung’s favorite knight, his boyfriend, the one he’d shared a heat with but they’d all pretended they knew nothing about that. The brothel owner did let him bring San around, since Wooyoung was their number one earner- the Kings favorite, they had to give him some allowances. And that allowance was to share a bed with his boyfriend, whenever it wasn’t occupied with a client.
“I know, I’m so goddamn wet, too.” Wooyoung hissed, feeling slick run down his thighs while San greedily f*cked his thumb in his entrance, watching his pretty body rock along with it. He didn’t need much prep, but San still liked to do it, make sure he was relaxed enough to take him.
“It’s nearly dawn, love. Don’t know if I’ll have time to knot you tonight. I’ve got early drills.” San knew that was a lie, but he didn’t say something like that to get out of sleeping with his boyfriend. His intention was the opposite.
His intention was to get his pretty omega to beg for it.
San was very much used to Wooyoung’s work. It didn’t really bother him after he’d learned exactly what it was Wooyoung did, that he just entertained whoever strolled through his doors and didn't keep some kind of emotional connection with them. Maybe it was because San correlated sex with love and attraction, but he’d assumed everyone was like that, even the omegas in the brothels that slept with hundreds of people. He assumed foolishly that they cared about any of the people they slept with, but they only cared for their coin and what their next meal would be, or if their debt was paid off.
So to get his favorite omega, the one he loved, to beg for his knot, that was something special. Wooyoung had never had to beg for co*ck before sleeping with San. Always had it thrust upon him at all hours of the day, but now, he was choking back a sob at the mere thought that his alpha, his alpha would possibly, maybe deny him that pleasure.
“Please? You know I need it, I can’t-” Wooyoung’s irritation after he’d slept with the King was always high, and San was always there to fix it with a proper knot and aftercare session. That was what they always did. So if he didn’t get it, if he couldn’t have it-
“I don’t know, I might be stuck inside you for a while, especially if you’re all worked up like this, and I can’t be late…” San slid his hand over his ass, up around to his hip before his omega sat up and turned. San felt his heart rocket into his throat, Wooyoung’s face twisted into something so devastated, so needy. Maybe it was the alpha in him that craved this kind of reaction. Tears, snot, a red, splotchy face…
“But you can’t leave me like this, you promised you’d fix it, you’d always fix it, that’s what you said-” Wooyoung was ranting through tears, so starved for affection that he was clinging to him, pulling at his shirt and his hair as if San hadn’t just lain with him a few nights ago. His omega also did not act like this with the men he considered clients- He had a rough, defiant persona when it came to work, so when he got to drop the act and be soft with San, let himself be pampered and vulnerable, he really did tend to lose himself. “I’ll- you can even tear it out, if you really have to- It’s okay if it hurts-”
“Absolutely not.” San cut him short, not even wanting to entertain the idea of hurting his mate like that. He didn’t want Wooyoung even thinking he’d hurt him. “You can have it, I’m only teasing.” San murmured, pressing a kiss to his wobbling lips only to feel his fist thud against his arm.
“Mean-” Wooyoung sobbed at him, still so worked up, needing to come down, needing San to bring him there. His alpha pushed a kiss behind his ear, cheek brushing the metal of his collar as he did so.
“However you want it, you show me.” San cooed, bumping his nose against his throat, letting out a groan when the omega leaned to scent him, greedy as he rubbed up on his throat and pulled at him. He pulled him all the way back, until he was lying flat with his ankles hooked around his waist. The position didn’t matter. It was just the alpha he cared about. “This won’t be very comfy, later on.” San chuckled, feeling him pound his fist weakly at his back, feeling teeth nip gently at his neck. “Now, that’s not fair, is it?”
Wooyoung never nipped clients. Never thought about it, never wanted to, or to give them the wrong idea. San was the only alpha he’d ever pushed teeth to, but they were all surface level, only ones to bruise, not bond. Wooyoung knew it wasn’t fair, because San couldn’t really reciprocate no matter how badly he’d want to. But that small gesture, the fact that Wooyoung would go that far, if he could- That helped San to never really care about whoever Wooyoung laid with. Sure he disliked it, but his omega wanted to be with him forever. That was enough for the alpha.
“When I’m free, you can take this off of me, you know that...” Wooyoung purred, having shifted from irritable to pleased when he knew he was going to be given what he needed to feel like himself again.He felt San’s heavy length drag over his sticky entrance, heard how wet he was when San thrust himself through his mess just to tease him.
“And I’m sure you say that to all the handsome ones, hm?” San was still teasing, watching Wooyoung shake his head wildly, his hands moving to cup his alpha’s cheeks and pull him down for a kiss.
“I don’t, you know I don’t-” Wooyoung gasped, feeling the tip of his co*ck slip inside, and he pulled back to look down between them. His little co*ck was leaking horribly, making a mess of his own tummy with precome. “Just want Sannie forever, you need to take this off so you can keep me-” Wooyoung only let himself behave like this with San, like some co*ck-drunk omega with no shame or self control. But only with him, only with his mate. San’s co*ck filled him perfectly. Fit him so well that he wanted to stay on it permanently. It bumped every sweet spot inside him, filled him until his tummy was firm and San would reach between them to press on it and show Wooyoung how deep he could go.
“You want me to keep you?” San hummed, sticking his hips to Wooyoung’s body, spreading his legs out to hit as deep as he could. Deeper than most alphas, definitely deeper than that royal garbage. His co*ck was curved just so, rubbed him just so, and San leaned back to watch him as he came undone as soon as he bottomed out. He watched his little co*ck bob and leak cum weakly over his stomach, puss* throbbing around him. He was writhing through his first org*sm, the one he got just from being filled so perfectly, nothing more. San ran his palm over him, pushing his co*cklet down, sliding through cum to stimulate him and make him whimper. Unlike other alphas, San did not ignore his dick, of course he’d give that pretty part of him the attention it so deserved.
“Ah- move, move- Need you to f*ck me, now-” Wooyoung pleaded, body buzzing with bliss, with release that had been hours in the making. But he needed it to not stop, never end. He watched San reel his hips back just as he’d asked, then roll forward, bumping his stomach up, knocking a jolt of pleasure through him with every thrust. “Like that, alpha, like that…” Wooyoung’s head finally thumped back, plopping to the pillows to let his mate take care of him- but he stopped with his hips tight to his ass, stretching Wooyoung’s puss* out around the base of his rapidly swelling knot.
“What’s my name?” San asked casually, a soft question to oppose the harsh way he was filling his mate, keeping still, making him writhe.
“Ah- Alpha-” Wooyoung looked woozy, the pressure never letting up. He was trying to grab for him, to pull him close, but his limbs wouldn’t obey him.
“My name. Not the one you’re paid to call me.” San forced his hips forward in a sharp thrust to jerk his entire body, watching Wooyoung try and spread his legs further to accommodate him. But his eyelids fluttered and he let out a shuddering breath, fingers sliding over his stomach. He needed to pry it out of him, keep him coherent since he knew Wooyoung’s heat had been approaching, it’d happen in a few days- but of course, it wouldn’t be the first time San threw him into an early heat.
“Alpha, please.” Wooyoung tried, trying to catch his breath but it was hard, being stuffed like that and calming himself down. But San waited, close as he was to knotting him, he waited. And finally, Wooyoung shook himself out of it. He cupped his alphas cheeks again and pleaded. “Sannie, come on.”
“There you are.” San finally shifted, gave him what he wanted, hips reeling back to pick up that friction again.
Not that Wooyoung calling him alpha wasn’t hot, but Wooyoung didn’t remember names for all the people he f*cked- He only kept track of a few regulars, and never called them by their names- Alpha, daddy, sir, mommy, whatever they asked of him, he’d call them what they asked for when they used him, when they paid him. San just wanted to be himself, though. Wanted nothing more than to keep his mate trapped underneath him for all eternity, only hearing his name on his lips.
He didn’t want to be an omegas alpha. He wanted to be Wooyoung’s Sannie.
“Sannie, come down-” Wooyoung pulled on him, tugging him from his thoughts to reel him back to the present. Wooyoung looked so blissed out, bouncing off his co*ck like he was, splayed out on the mattress beneath him- But San had spaced out, just a little bit. Just thinking about how much he wanted him for himself, how badly he needed to get his Wooyoung out of here so he could pull his collar off and- “San- Nn!” Wooyoung grabbed for him, pulling on his shirt to get him to lean down like he had before.
“What, you want me to crush you like this?” San teased, shifting to kneel on the bed and fold him up, bend him into the perfect shape to f*ck and breed, exactly what the omega wanted from him. Moving him like that, hiking his knees and curving his back, it had Wooyoung gasping as he gushed around San’s intrusion, head thrown back as he came a second time already. “Greedy thing, tonight.” San grunted, picking up a quick pace, knot knocking at his entrance with every rough f*ck forward. But the claws on his back didn’t let up, no one bit.
“Need you to f*ck me until I don’t smell like him anymore.”
Wooyoung’s words made San falter, but he centered himself quickly, his alpha wanting to take that statement and run wild with it. San didn’t care what Wooyoung did, who he f*cked, how he made his money. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to claim what was his.
He hardly felt himself move before he realized what it was he was doing, hips snapping ruthlessly while his fingers pushed up over Wooyoung’s chest, and then deeper into his muscles and skin, almost like a massage… But it was just so he could force his fingers underneath the metal that kept all of Wooyoung’s pheromones hidden, trapped the most prominent of his scent glands but most importantly, kept him safe. It also kept San from truly being able to scent him, kept him from being able to suffocate himself in Wooyoung and truly lose himself like he had wet dreams about.
Wooyoung felt his stomach flip, nerves making him tense as he grabbed for San’s wrist- But he just held him there, angled his neck and chin up so the metal could be shifted and moved, just barely- But all of Wooyoung’s skin underneath his collar, that was unmarred territory. He guarded that part of him with his life. It was perfect. Untouched by that King, by any of his clients. Meticulously kept clean underneath and covered with prettily polished metal. San had helped him clean underneath it on occasion, but that was different than this. It was always hypersensitive underneath; scent glands tended to be anyways, but Wooyoung’s- they burned when he just cleaned them, so the idea of San touching them...
“Sannah, hold on-” Wooyoung squirmed beneath him and met San’s eyes, both of them halting for a second just to breathe. Wooyoung’s scent was so much stronger, even with his collar lifted less than a centimeter off of his neck.
“Take it.” He didn’t give warning when he finally managed to f*ck his knot clean inside his mate, hips ramming forward in one tight movement to empty his seed inside him and Wooyoung cried out. But he also felt pain above his collarbone, underneath the metal pressed so tightly against his neck he was worried he’d be unable to breathe- San had dug his nails into his flesh, dragging, scraping his pretty throat as best he could before yanking his fingers back to let Wooyoung breathe, again.
“God, oh my god-” There was nothing like it, really. Nothing like San popping his knot and marking him at the same time, in a way nobody ever had, and nobody but San ever would. He was so focused on the sting under his collar, clawing at the metal to try and soothe it; He could hardly register the alpha growling on top of him, the fingers that had marked him now stuffed between San’s lips as his hips jerked uselessly. “Nn- Ah-” Wooyoung tried to blink through the woozy haze that seemed to fill his brain, but it was useless. Everything felt too good, the high was too pleasurable, and Wooyoung had to ride it out, the way San’s knot made him brainless.
He finally bent down to let Wooyoung scent him, let him force his lips and nose against the gland on his shoulder so he could make himself smell like his alpha. San had been drooling over Wooyoung’s scent, dangerously potent from where his nails had dragged, but he snapped himself out of it so he could lean down, knocking their foreheads together.
“I don’t smell him on you at all, Youngah. Just me and you, now.” San whispered, dropping his hands to grip the sheets beneath Wooyoung’s head, keeping himself propped up like that. But Wooyoung was just staring at him like a deer in headlights, stunned, breath short and quick; Prey-like.
And then his eyes welled, and he watched his omega claw at the skin of his own neck, demeanor shifting from blissed out to something terribly desperate. His fingers slipped off the top of the metal, forcing him to pull and pull, then push up from the bottom, like San had, but he just ended up jamming the thing against his own throat and he choked, struggled, then sobbed.
“Get it off, please, help me get it off, San-” He was frantic, still stuck on San’s knot but fully convinced he could force his collar off if he tried- He tore a nail trying to tear at it and San finally stopped him, leaning back to grip both of his wrists. “Take it off, please! I need you t- I need-” He was fighting him, now. His breathing and sobs were panicked, thrashing underneath him, yanking at the grip on his wrists. San felt his heart breaking, bit by bit. It was always like this.
“I’ll get you out of here, and we’ll get it off, okay?” San tried, watching Wooyoung go through a full endorphin crash and he couldn’t do anything to help. The man was stuck on his co*ck and sobbing, gasping and looking around like he could find something to cut the damn metal off with. But it took specialized tools and a blacksmith, unless you wanted to cut or burn yourself in the process. “I will, I promise. We’ll pay your debts off and we’ll go, does that sound alright?” San really was trying, shifting carefully to pull Wooyoung up, reaching to force his arms around his neck and get him to cling rather than claw at his own throat. He’d rather feel nails in his back than watch Wooyoung break another nail in a futile fight with steel.
“Yes.” That was all Wooyoung could muster, every other noise coming from his throat being some strange, feral growl or whine that had no meaning other than hurt, angry, sad, defeated.
“But you have to keep this on until then, okay? Keep you safe when I can’t.” San ran a hand up his back, fingers stopping at the top of his spine where the metal protection started. “I have a friend who can get it off, I’ll take you right there as soon as I can.” He felt Wooyoung nod, then felt teeth scrape his shoulder, followed by a series of tiny, short kitten licks. A wordless apology, for when Wooyoung had no words. That gesture made San feel so soft, much softer than he’d ever intended to be. He let out a rumble of a purr, something to soothe his mate and get him to relax, even if just a little bit.
And Wooyoung echoed him, tightly wound around his boyfriend as he hid his face in his shoulder while let out a sweet purr to let San know he was okay, he would be okay.
༺✧༻
But that night sparked something, set something in motion that San didn’t want to stop and that Wooyoung was terrified of. Paying his debts. Getting his collar off. Leaving this place to be with his lover, his partner, his mate. So Wooyoung tucked away all the coin he earned, hiding it under a floorboard in his room like he always had, but this time the sums he was stuffing under the floor were much heftier.
He didn’t take time to relax anymore after visits with the King- In fact, he asked for more, for more time with him, offered to go dance for him, eat meals with him, spend time with him, anything that could get him in the Kings lap and get money from his wallet, he did it. Acted like a proper omega for the King and he did get paid handsomely in return. It left a vile, sour taste in his mouth but he did it, fingers sliding over the top of his collar whenever he thought about why he was doing it.
Sitting at lunch with him one afternoon, he brushed his thumb over a series of small scratches over the left shoulder of the collar, tiny and right at the end so it just looked like normal wear at a glance, but Wooyoung was spaced out thinking about the night San had etched their initials into the silver.
༺✧༻
“It’s like when you carve your initials into a tree- You never did that?” San had asked, a soft smile on his face, still red and slicked with a little bit of sweat from their activities. One thing Wooyoung loved about his alpha- He was so soft for him.
He ran his fingers through San’s hair, nails hardly scraping his scalp as he pushed up and into his palm, into his touch so Wooyoung would have to cradle his whole head instead of just scratch. When they got to spend time together and cuddle, San was always purring, a soft noise at the back of his throat that lingered whenever he wasn’t speaking, or laughing, or f*cking. He wasn’t sure exactly when San softened, because it was just so gradual, the shift from calloused knight of the King's guard to Wooyoung’s soft-bellied loverboy.
“No, of course not- what the hell are you defiling trees for?” Wooyoung had laughed at him, flinching when San’s pocket knife made a gross scraping sound while he etched in one last line.
“It’s like a promise, kind of. That you’ll be together forever, because you’re immortalized in tree bark.” San had given him the widest, cheesiest smile. Like he was so happy about the idea that Wooyoung wanted to be together with him forever. As if that wasn’t the most juvenile kind of promise to make.
And Wooyoung somehow found himself believing him instantly. But, he still rolled his eyes, biting back the urge to spread his thighs for him again. Something about his alpha being soft could get Wooyoung riled up in a heartbeat. It was probably because of the contrast from every rough, bruising interaction he ever had with alphas.
“Until someone chops the tree down. Dummy.” Wooyoung wanted to think it was stupid, and cheesy, and dumb- But San carving their initials into his collar meant something. It was a reminder that Wooyoung wasn’t anyone's property, nobodies but theirs. He belonged to San, yes, and to himself, of course. But that was a choice he’d made. Even if the brothel owned his contract, they didn’t own him. It was sweet in theory, so Wooyoung had chosen to ignore the facts of the matter. The carving itself was poor and scratchy, but Wooyoung knew what it said, what it meant.
CSN ♡ JWY
༺✧༻
But, Wooyoung wasn’t even owned by the brothel, apparently.
San brought a hefty pile of money with him, when he went to the brothel. But, he went early, and he went right to the office of the man that owned the brothel. The one that owned all of the omegas contracts and kept track of what they owed. He knew Wooyoung went there every week to drop off the brothel’s portion of his pay, but he’d never asked how much he owed. San knew it couldn’t have been more than what he was bringing with him, that day.
“Ah, there he is. Uses my hot water and doesn’t pay a penny. What can I do ya for?” The owner had always been generally kind. This brothel was used by the royals for a reason. It was clean, tidy, and well kept- And the owner was something of a noble himself. He was a duke, though San had never bothered to ask much about him, anyway.
“I’ve come with an offer I think you can’t refuse.” San smiled at him, full of co*ckiness and excitement.
“Oh?” The owner set his glasses down and looked him over, noting he wasn’t even in his knight regalia- He was in plain clothes, which would have been common for the middle of the night. But it was midday, shouldn’t he be working?
“Tell me how much Jung Wooyoung owes.” San spoke with a smile, quite confident in himself. He’d been saving for a long time, he never knew for what, but it had recently become apparent what exactly he needed to spend his thousands on. That, and he got a fat bonus from the King himself. Something about using it to take a holiday- But San walked right from the knights watch to the brothel, swinging his bag of money with pride.
“How much he costs?” The owner just eyed him, then looked down for a half second at the bag of what he assumed was money.
“No, how much does he owe you to pay off his contract?” San nodded at a ledger on his desk, then watched him close the book over quickly.
“You can’t pay him off, not with whatever you’ve got in there.” The owner sighed, tugging his glasses back on as he leaned back to look up at the alpha standing before him.
“Well- I have more, I was just hoping it wouldn’t be more than five thousand.” San chuffed, watching the owner eye his bag again. “So tell me, how much do I need to go and collect?” San plopped the bag on his desk and the owner sighed, then pushed on his forehead.
“I told you, you can’t pay for him. He’s out of your price range, I assure you.”
“Then tell me what range that is.” San felt irritation and a lick of confusion scrape at his confidence.
“I don’t… we lost our original contracts in a fire, you see-”
“But you do know how much he owes you. He comes here to pay you every week, I know you’re keeping track.” San scoffed, watching the owner get more irritated, then he tossed his glasses, letting them clatter across his desk and into the bag of money.
“You cannot pay me what the King pays me. So you cannot pay for him.” He huffed, looking up at San like he was some irritating customer that was overstepping their welcome. San blinked at him a few times, then looked down at his money, then back up, snatching the ledger quickly. “Hey-”
San backed off, flipping through pages, trying to make sense of what he was reading. Names of all the omegas, scattered across different pages with different dollar amounts beside their names. How long they’d been there. How many payments they’d made, how much they owed, what their interest was. Wooyoung was somewhere at the back, and he had ten pages of payments recorded. His was easily one of the longest, aside from an older omega that seemed to have been there since it opened. But just beside his name, scrawled over hatch marks across the dollar amount he’d once owed, were just three words.
PAID IN FULL
San just stared at it, the owner not even bothering to get up and wrestle with a knight of the King’s guard. He pinched his nose bridge as San started reading all of the dates and recorded payments. But… toward the end, the last two pages, it was all… chicken scratch. Not legible, it was bullsh*t.
“What the f*ck have you done?” San hissed, flipping to collect all of Wooyoung’s pages in his fist before tearing them out completely. The man just held his face with an annoyed groan, then shook his head, looking up at the irate alpha. He’d have called for some help, but a disgraced duke and brothel owner’s word over a knight’s?
When he met San’s eye, the pressure he felt was immense. He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise, he felt his muscles lock up, fight or flight failing, so he simply froze instead. The growl that rose from the back of San’s throat was bone chilling- The owner had been in a lot of altercations, but never one with an alpha in his prime like this. The old man almost forgot he was an omega as well, that he could be affected by an alpha like this.
“The King asked me to keep him here, he pays me double what he pays Wooyoung just to keep sending him and keep my mouth shut.” He spoke honestly, because that was all he could do. He couldn’t even think of a lie, San’s presence pushing on all of his nerves to force him to submit.
“Give me his contract, now.” San watched him, eyes tracing the old man as he moved slowly to a cabinet, tugging out a medium sized box. It took every muscle the omega had, but he listened, not wanting to lose his head to a pissed off alpha.
“Here-” San snatched the paper from him, scanning over it, spotting the dollar amount he was supposed to pay, matching it with what Wooyoung had paid off- two years ago.
“I should kill you.” San grunted, flipping the page over before holding it out, just to show him. Then the ledger, shredded but still legible. “Contract, proof of payment. He’s leaving.” San did his best not to lunge, simply folded the pages up and tucked them into his pocket. He snatched his money up as well, bag of gold in his fist as he turned toward the door.
“You can’t take him, the King will kill you both.”
“He won’t kill his favorite whor*.” San scoffed, the word feeling heavy on his tongue. And then he thought about it a little harder. Wooyoung had been working here for no reason, for two years. Wooyoung had been bringing false payments to this man for two years- He turned on his heel and moved to the back of the desk, ignoring the old man when he tried to stop him. “Open it, I want everything inside.” San snarled, pointing to the safe built into the man's desk. He watched the omega think for one second before he grabbed him, yanking on his shirt to throw him to the floor in front of the safe. “I want everything you’ve stolen from my omega, and I want everything you’ve made using his body.”
“That’s-”
“More than you have in there? Is that a fair guess?” San spat, watching the old man slump, but he did turn, twisting the dial to get the safe unlocked. “Two years of free labor adds up, doesn’t it?”
༺✧༻
San did feel accomplished, returning to his small shed of a home with a sack of cash he hadn’t been expecting to return with. But, it was Wooyoung’s money, so he’d hand it off once he returned. He’d gone for a ‘lunch date’ with the King, but San hadn’t been able to escort him, as he wasn’t on shift that afternoon. Wooyoung had also reassured him it would ‘definitely run late’ as he fully expected the King to want to have relations with him after the fact. Which meant San would probably bump into him when he went in for night watch- He’d tell him then, that he would be taking him to the blacksmith, in the morning.
He couldn’t wait to tell him, to see his face when he gave him the news.
He was so giddy, but he operated as normal, fastening his armor on, every tiresome buckle and strap, making his body ache as he pulled it together. All San had ever worked up to was to be a knight. He’d trained for years, worked his ass off. But he was ready to toss it to the side to go start a new life with his omega. His mate.
A knock on the door caught his attention and he turned, wondering if maybe Wooyoung had gotten away early? But-
“Where is Wooyoung?” The blacksmith had decided to visit him a day early, apparently. San hadn’t even told Yeosang anything about what had happened- He’d told him his plans to pay off his debt, but aside from that, he’d not even asked him to cut his collar, yet. Though he knew it’d be no problem, Yeosang generally cut collars and repurposed them for no fee, he just asked that he get to keep the scrap metal for his own projects. And, Yeosang was one of his oldest friends, he’d jump at the chance to help San with whatever he could.
“He was with the King today- I didn’t get to tell you, I-” San seemed overjoyed, pleased, but Yeosang held up a chunk of bent metal to him and he stopped, staring down at it. It looked like any other collar he’d seen post-removal. Twisted, singed, scraped.
“Did you bring this to me?” Yeosang asked, wide eyed, panicked. San just shook his head, looking at it again. Why would he have brought Yeosang a collar? “It was in the pile of collars people donate, it was just dropped off this afternoon, I didn’t see who but I- This-” Yeosang was frantic, his hands trembling while he turned the metal around and pushed his thumb over some scratches on the side. “This is you, that’s what you put on his collar, isn’t it?” He rushed out his question, out of breath; He must have run from his shop all the way to San’s home.
“Why do you have that?” San couldn’t really understand why Wooyoung’s welded collar was in Yeosang’s hand. It was definitely his, because that marking was the one he’d made, a few weeks ago. Choi San loves Jung Wooyoung. Something so juvenile they’d both giggled over it for a whole night. But it just smelled like… vinegar, or some kind of soap, maybe. There was no scent left on it, nothing to indicate it had been Wooyoung’s aside from the writing.
“Where is he, San?” Yeosang asked again, jerking to the side when San lurched forward to barrel past him. “f*ck.” Yeosang let the metal hit the ground, trying to decide what he should do, now.
༺✧༻
San couldn’t really… think. Of much. Of anything. He was just moving, thunking his way toward the entrance to the castle he always entered through for his shifts. He had a deathgrip on the handle of his sword, taking heavy, deep breaths to try and keep cool and calm himself, but also to catch maybe just a whiff of his mates scent. Or that distinct vinegar smell, whatever it was that had wiped Wooyoung’s scent clean off of the collar he’d been wearing for ten years.
His collar’s off, he’s exposed, he’s not safe.
San’s head was just looping those realities, following the line of the rest of the Kings guard with his head down, hyper focused on smells. Anything he could pick up on. But he was going to the Kings room first, that was for sure. That was the only place Wooyoung could be, the only place he’d ever been in here, if he was here. He had also panicked over the idea that Wooyoung had been taken, but there was just… no way he could have been harmed in the castle by anyone other than the King himself.
His collar’s off, he’s exposed, he’s not safe.
Wooyoung said his comments about his collar had been getting more frequent. He said he was worried, but that he could handle himself. San shouldn’t have been so trusting. He shouldn’t have let his mate be so naive.
He never recalled the castle halls being so long and winding; It felt like forever before he was finally up to the King’s quarters. And then, he passed the King. He’d just left his room, two guards by his sides and his Hand scurrying alongside him, trying to speak to him. San just kept walking, trying not to jump him. Maybe it was one big misunderstanding.
His collar’s off, he’s alone- Please be alive.
Maybe Wooyoung had his collar on, and this was just one weird coincidence. He hurried to the door, unguarded now, since it was just supposed to be San on duty anyway. Especially with the King not inside, there’d be no reason for more than one man at the door. So he waited. Watched either end of the hallway until it was empty before pushing the door open.
Whatever this smell was, it threatened to bring San to his knees.
“Wooyoung, are you here?” San asked the room, seemingly empty, but something had to be making that… scent. It tumbled from despair to shame, making San’s own stomach roll. It was nauseating. Something akin to death, that was what it smelled like. Shame and panic that flooded the room and made San’s eyes sting. He tore his helmet off, letting it clatter by his feet. “No- Wooyoung, I’m here, just come here.” He pleaded, tugging his gloves off, letting them hit the floor beside his helmet. He was looking around frantically, now. There wasn’t any disruption, the room looked perfectly clean and tidy.
“...it’s just you?”
Wooyoung’s voice was small, but San whipped around to face a bookcase, thick and full but it jut out from the wall, just enough space for someone to hide around its corner, maybe.
“It’s just me. Come on out, I’m taking you home-”
“You can’t.” He sounded more confident that time, and San just stared, realizing he was stuck in place. He couldn’t get closer, couldn’t get his legs to work, it was like he was stuck in tar and he realized he was frozen in fear.
“Of course I can-”
“You won’t want to.” Wooyoung was still hiding, and San was still staring at the corner of the bookcase. He braced himself for the worst, because he thought he knew exactly what had happened. He could smell it, the way Wooyoung’s scent was almost completely different. Buried under something dreadful- Like he'd been scrubbed down with that vinegar-like substance, but something worse than that.
“Jung Wooyoung, I will always want to take you home.” San spoke up, finally shifting a little closer. “I promise you, whatever it is-” Another step, but Wooyoung met him halfway, that time. He thought he’d braced for the worst.
“We can’t fix this.” His omega was bare, he’d braced for that. His omega was bruised, he’d prepared himself, he had a busted lip, he’d thought of that, he had a bite along the stark pale of his bare shoulder- He knew that had been coming, when he realized his collar had been removed.
But beside that bloody bite, there was another, overlapping without much care for placement or possible scarring. And another, on the other side, with three more near that one. He had another four along his throat, bloody, bruising bite marks that covered every possible inch of Wooyoung’s throat and shoulders. There were a few on his collarbones, a few on his chest. There was hardly any part of his decolletage left unmarked.
And his omega was just looking at him. Picking at the skin of his thumb, eyes wide but empty. Something precious had been taken from him. The one part of him he’d tried to keep sacred and unmarred for his entire life, and it had been defiled.
There wasn’t one inch of Wooyoung’s body that belonged to him, anymore. That was how he felt. There wasn’t one inch of his body that he could offer to his mate that hadn’t already been claimed by somebody else. There was nothing left.
Wooyoung felt like nothing.
“Where are your clothes?” San whispered, wanting so desperately to reach out, but Wooyoung’s arms were crossed now, fingers digging into his biceps. He couldn’t push him, not yet, not here.
“I don’t know.” Wooyoung spoke up, sounding angry rather than scared, like he was pissed that San would even ask that. The alpha hurried to move to a dresser, ornate on the outside, but a mess of random fabrics on the inside. “You don’t- I can’t bond with you, now.” Wooyoung informed him, and San didn’t answer, only gathered up a fluffy robe, bringing it back over to Wooyoung. But, he didn’t take it. “You don’t get it-”
“We can figure it out.” San’s voice was very soft, but it was to be either a murmur or a growl, and he didn’t want Wooyoung thinking that his rage and anger was directed at him. So a whisper would do.
“You can’t-”
“Did you bite back?” San asked, and Wooyoung stopped, staring up at his mate, the alpha he loved more than anybody. He was so upset that he’d even asked him that question, but- Of course he’d ask, Wooyoung was a whor*, anyway. More shame.
“...no, he wanted me to, but-” Wooyoung felt his throat constrict, but he did his best to swallow it back. “He wanted me to, and he tried to force it, but I didn’t.” Wooyoung held his face, then his jaw, the bruises already forming there. “You think- Do you think I would…?”
“Of course not, Youngah. I just need to know what happened to you, so I can help.” He moved to spread the robe over his shoulders, Wooyoung holding his gaze for a moment before he let his arms fall, then push through the expensive fabric that was offered to him. San covered him quickly, tying the robe up tight so it wouldn’t fall open.
“There’s no way to… help, San.” Wooyoung croaked, flinching when San brought his hands up to his hair, tugging out the ribbon that had been previously used to tie it, halfway fallen out from whatever Wooyoung had gone through. He gathered his hair up, Wooyoung dipping his head to give San a good angle to tie his hair back up for him.
“Did you have anything with you you need to get?” San asked, tucking the robe up over his shoulders tightly, tightly over his neck, tightly over the wounds and the bare skin San had never been able to see before. He didn’t even want to acknowledge that it was bare, didn’t want Wooyoung to smell the anger coming off of him.
“I have nothing.” Wooyoung hissed, eyes squinted as he tried to fight angry tears. The door clicked open and San yanked his sword from his sheath, whipping it around to face whoever was coming to hurt his mate next. But, it was just another omega.
But one terrifying thing; San hadn’t heard him, hadn’t smelled him coming until he was already halfway into the room.
“Woah, I’m a friend.” The man spoke up, holding a hand up. But San didn’t lower his blade, kept it raised defensively while he shifted to push his mate behind him. “I… Yeosang sent me?” He just blinked at them, as if he had no idea why he was here. He was dressed in very nice robes, which San recognized after he was able to calm down enough.
“You’re the court mage, aren’t you?” San asked, and he nodded, leaning to try and peek around San’s armor to see the scared omega behind him. “Why did he send you?” As much as San did not trust anybody right now, he did trust Kang Yeosang. He’d need to extend that trust to this mage as well, if he’d really been the one to send him.
“Well, let me see my subject and I’ll tell you.” He huffed, brows drawn together as San stepped to the side, but his blade turned as he did, raised defensively in front of Wooyoung. “Ooh.” Was all the mage had to say, already seeing the bites along his throat that were left uncovered by the robe. “And it’s all… down the shoulders, too?” The mage gestured around his own neck, hissing with concern when Wooyoung pulled the cloth away. “Yeah, alright. I can see the problem. And- you’re his mate?” He asked the alpha, getting just a nod in return. “Okay. Well- my name is Park Seonghwa, and I dabble in bond breaking magic. And cosmetics, but that’s less important.” He waved his hand and pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket, an address scrawled on its surface.
“That’s not a thing, you can’t break bonds, that’s why they’re bonds.” Wooyoung was growing irritated with this mage and whatever sh*t he was spouting. Not once in his life had he ever heard of some type of bond breaking magic. That was why they welded collars to themselves. Because you can’t fix this kind of thing.
“Well, it is a thing, a newer thing. It does work, I’ve been successful three times now!” Seonghwa smiled at him, leaning forward to hand the paper to San, because there was no way he was getting near Wooyoung just yet.
“That sounds extremely risky.” San took the paper and looked down at it, then back up to the mage.
“Well, I’ve never failed, so it does have a one hundred percent success rate!” He sounded so chipper, especially for the situation. “That’s where you can find me. Do you want me to prepare?” He asked, and Wooyoung just stared at him, still not believing one word he was saying.
“Prepare? What does it require?” San nodded to him, watching him rummage around for something else.
“Just some things I already have- but, I definitely need either hair, saliva, nail trimmings, or blood from whoever did that. The King, I assume…? Just a little, it doesn't have to be much.” Seonghwa watched the alpha straighten up a little. He’d been arching closer and closer to his mate the whole time, but at the mention of needing blood from Wooyoung’s attacker, he was at full attention.
“I’ll get you blood.” He nodded, and Wooyoung grabbed for his arm, brows drawn together in worry.
“You will not- you’ll be killed, San.” This was the King they were talking about. It wasn’t some low level officer or something, San wasn’t going to get his blood that easily. But when San turned to look at him, Wooyoung felt his whole body tense. Alpha was angry, very angry.
“Might I suggest-” Seonghwa leaned in, waving to try and get their attention. “Have the… what’s your name?”
“Wooyoung.”
“Have Wooyoung get it. He clearly has the trust of the King.” Seonghwa wasn’t sure exactly what had transpired. But based on the room they were in and the injuries this omega had sustained, he could only guess. All he did was make whatever the court doctor ordered, he’d never asked questions. “Or, he at least believes he has power over you. Use that to your advantage.” Wooyoung thought about it for a long moment, trying to decide if he even believed this man enough to wound the King and risk being caught, risk being publicly executed.
“...explain to me how this magic works.” Wooyoung spoke up, watching San move away from him to go check on the hallway. As he suspected, there was nobody around, not even another guard.
“It breaks any kind of bond. One or two-way, but-” He looked like he was trying to figure out how to phrase it, exactly what he was able to do. “The bodily fluid helps make sure the right bond is severed if both parties aren’t there… but it might still break other bonds nearby, as well.” He looked confused by his own phrasing, like he didn’t fully understand it . “Like, my bond. I’m not bonded, anymore.”
“You… broke your own bond just to do this?” Wooyoung looked at him like he was insane- because he was. Breaking a two-way bond was only possible in death, and it was supposed to be extremely painful. Something agonizing, something most people feared more than death.
“Mm, well, my partner doesn’t mind. He’d rather I do what I love and help people than worry about my connection to him. Plus- it broke by accident, during my first real trial run.” Seonghwa shrugged and Wooyoung just watched him pull out a small gem, blue and purple in color, and he rolled it around in his hand.
“...I’ll get you the blood.” Wooyoung nodded, and San shook his head, glaring down at him. “You don’t get to tell me no.” Wooyoung made eye contact with him, with his alpha, and he didn’t feel that full body fear, anymore. But San did.
“Alright. I’m not leaving you alone, though.” San just agreed, because his omega gave him no choice.
“All settled?” The mage clapped his hands, letting his gem fall to the floor. The two of them nodded, and Seonghwa nodded back. “Once you have what I need, just come to that address. I’ll be waiting.” He left them with a smile, bringing the heel of his boot down over the tiny crystal just to crush it into dust.
And then, the mage was gone, and Wooyoung had his task.
✧
