Chapter Text
The day that Doyoon dreaded had finally arrived. He looked towards the sea of people in the front yard of Taeyi’s grandmother’s house. Is this really a family gathering or neighbourhood gathering? Why so many people? Most importantly, why is the house so huge? A place that could fit a hundred people should not be called a house. This could be a shopping mall.
Doyoon looked down at his fit and Taeyi’s. He wore a light blue striped dress shirt and light gray trousers. Taeyi, on the other hand, was wearing a black dress shirt and black jeans. They dressed so casually as if they were strolling at a neighbourhood park while the rest of the guests there were clad in suits and dresses. Seeing their outfits, Doyoon regretted not asking Taeyi’s mother what the dress code was. If he had worn similarly to the other guest, his presence would have been unnoticeable.
As soon as they arrived, Taeyi immediately got swept away by his uncles and aunties who were excited to meet him after a long time. Doyoon did not miss the shocked looks on their faces that Taeyi actually showed up to their family event. He himself could not believe it.
After the night that Taeyi asked whether they should date for real, they were interrupted by a loud scream. Turns out she got robbed by two men on a motorcycle while she was walking ahead of them. If they had closed the cafe and walked down the road earlier, they could have been the one getting robbed instead though Doyoon doubted the robbers would dare to rob Taeyi. Seeing his face is terrifying enough.
They did not talk at all until the night before the gathering. Taeyi suddenly dropped him a message telling him that they would go together to the gathering as if Doyoon would have gone without him. He seemed to have forgotten that it was his family’s gathering, not Doyoon’s. Doyoon did not bother waiting, he headed towards the tables filled with colourful desserts and started his favourite activity, eating.
He spotted no familiar faces yet. Of course, the only familiar faces to him would be Uncle Han and Taeyi’s mother. In the midst of hundreds of strangers, two familiar faces are nothing. Wanting to avoid any interaction with other people, Doyoon discreetly took a seat at the most further distance from the crowd of people chit chatting and started eating.
Boy, did he regret it. As he was peacefully enjoying his food, he was joined by a man around his father’s age with a burning cigar in between his fingers. He took a seat next to Doyon, casually spilling the tea on Taeyi’s family that Doyoon wondered if the man thought he was a reporter pretending to be a guest. He must have been judging from Doyoon’s outfit. Even the old man was dressed up in a formal suit.
“Her grandson brought his lover but she rejected and insulted him so badly that the lover started crying. They could not accept an alpha marrying another alpha in this family. You’re an omega, right? Your smell is quite strong. Are you sure you’re not in heat?” He sipped on his black coffee as he stared at Doyoon questioningly, as if he was trying to analyze him.
Doyoon bit his lips nervously. What strong smell? He could not smell anything. Doyoon became increasingly anxious as he looked at the plate of fermented skate the old man had placed on the table. Those things smelt terrible though he was quite concerned as to how this old man managed to sneak such food in such a formal event. He could have been vomiting by now but why could he not smell anything?
Suddenly, Doyoon felt a sharp pain in his stomach, so painful that he had to duck down clutching the table cloth to steady himself. He bit his lips so hard that he could taste iron in his mouth. Seeing Doyoon’s pained expression, the old man quickly notified the young server who had an in-ear monitor. The poor server must have been new as he looked panicked while he was trying to alert his superior.
Doyoon did not know what happened as not long after, the pain was so great that he passed out. When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the yellow chandelier right above his head. How odd for a hospital to have a chandelier. He slowly turned his head to look at the surroundings. Definitely not a hospital though there is a male doctor and two female nurses chattering quietly at the end of his bed.
Upon noticing that Doyoon is awake, they rushed towards his side. “How are you feeling?” The doctor asked while putting on his stethoscope. Doyoon tried to speak but he could not. His throat felt extremely dry. The doctor motioned towards the nurses who grabbed a bottle of water next to his bed and assisted Doyoon in drinking it. The other nurse went out of the room, carrying a tray of medical equipment with her. If the nurse did not stop him, he would have finished the whole bottle in one go.
Suddenly, the door slammed open with Taeyi’s mother rushing in and stopped right beside Doyoon’s bed. Following her is Taeyi and an older man who looked like Taeyi wearing gold rimmed glasses. He was pushing a wheelchair which sat an even older woman. Upon seeing Doyoon, Mrs Han calmed down a little. She took Doyoon’s hand into hers while softly asking if he’s okay. Although Doyoon felt a little overwhelmed with sudden visitors, he returned the hand hold with a small smile.
“Doctor, how is my son in law? Why did he faint suddenly? This is not normal, right?” Mrs Han asked.
“Before I answer that, may I ask for the patient’s consent first? I cannot disclose any information regarding his health to anyone else without his consent.” The doctor turned to look at Doyoon. Doyoon gulped, suddenly becoming the centre of attention in this room made him nervous,
Noticing Doyoon’s hesitation, Taeyi pulled his parents’ arms together with his grandmother’s wheelchair towards the door. “We don’t have to know. You can discuss it with him, Doctor. We’ll be waiting outside. Just inform us when you’re done.” With that, Taeyi closed the door, leaving Doyoon, the doctor and a nurse alone in the room.
Doyoon had an inkling as to what was wrong with his body and the doctor had confirmed his suspicion. He knew he had been taking the scent blockers and heat suppressants in much more dosage that he should have. As a late bloomer, his heats were more intense than those who presented earlier which left him with no other options than resorting to medicines to handle the pain.
“This might be out of line for me to ask but I’m just concerned. Why are you still taking the suppressants? Wasn’t the man before your alpha? Did he not help with the heats?” The doctor asked with gritted eyebrows. He heard the woman calling Doyoon son in-law so the young man must be the husband but the lack of mating bites on both of them made him wonder.
“Yes … oh wait, no, not my alpha. He’s just a friend." Doyoon answered while shaking his head. His illness must have been messing with his mind. Why is he hesitating? Most importantly, why did he feel disappointed? Doyoon scolded himself. He must have gone insane.
“I see. I was hoping that he is. He seemed like a true gentleman to you. You must have been through a lot. Being a late bloomer and all. Are you sure he does not have feelings for you?” The doctor whispered towards Doyoon, while his hands were busy taking down notes on his clip board.
Doyoon tittered nervously in response. What is this doctor trying to insinuate? That Taeyi has feelings for him? It’s impossible, right?
“Oh, forgive me. I’m a hopeless romantic. So, what you need to do is reduce your intake of suppressants because it really has been messing with your body system. You told me you’ve been feeling dizzy and having frequent stomach pain for quite some time so that was a very clear sign. I hope you can find ways to deal with it rather than taking suppressants. As for scent blockers, I don’t think it was an issue.”
The doctor went on and on but Doyoon was no longer listening. His mind was fixated on him having to find ways to deal with the heat. “How do I deal with the heats, doctor? I’m not mated so…” Doyoon did not dare to meet the eye of the doctor as he was saying that.
“I think you and I both knew nothing is more effective than spending it with an alpha. I’m sorry, there is no other way though asking for your friend’s help might be the answer.” With that, the doctor winked and left the room with the nurse, leaving Doyoon wondering if he should just combust into flames.