Title: Bound
Pairings: Jun/Ohno (main), Sho/Nino/Aiba (minor)
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Alpha/Beta/Omega verse, a brief panic attack, heat suppressant pill abuse, barebacking, and Jun being an idiot.
Summary: Ohno never expected that he would find his soulmate at 36. Jun never expected that his soulmate would be another alpha.
A/N: Dear recipient, I want to apologize for not giving you the fantasy fic you wanted, nor a fic that’s majorly in the romance genre. I hope you will enjoy this monster of a fic instead? Much thanks to my beta for supporting me and helping me brainstorm (and getting me to write when I was too busy procrastinating) for the past couple of months. This fic happened because of you (seriously)! We got carried away a little a lot, but it was so much fun :D!



I.

“And you’re sure you want a freelancer to do this for you?”

“Yes, we really want him.”

Jun wanted to slam his head against the table in frustration. Sighing inwardly, he listened to the bride-to-be explain how she and her fiancé had encountered this artist’s paintings up for sale on the internet a couple of weeks ago, and had been intrigued by his art style since. The fact that they found him online was a little worrying, Jun thought but decided not to voice it.

“We really want him to design our wedding invitations, Matsumoto-san.” The bride-to-be, a lovely lady named Aragaki Yui, looked at him in determination as she spoke. “We really think that he would be a perfect fit to capture what we really want.”

“And you’re sure,” Jun finally said, holding the piece of paper with the artist’s website on it in his hand, “that you don’t want to check out the designers that I know as second or third options?” Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…

Yui shook her head. “That’s okay. My fiancé and I are very adamant that we get a design from him. He has a certain style that we like.”

Jun wanted to scream. “And if I may ask, what would that be?” Jun really didn't want some graphic designer he didn't know to be doing wedding invitations for them. If he fucks up… we are the ones that get the blame, Jun thought in frustration.

Yui made a noise of contemplation before Jun could see her eyes go wide when she found her answer. “It's like… it's like a type of realism mixed with abstract. He has a very… raw style that I really appreciate. If he can do our wedding invitations in that same style, that would be perfect,” she said again with a bow. “I'm sorry Matsumoto-san, I know this might be extra work for you, but my fiancé and I really want him to design the cards for our wedding.”

Jun nodded in resignation. Well, if his client wanted it, he couldn't exactly say no, could he? “Not a problem, Aragaki-san. I'll try to contact him today and see if he's able to do it for us.” He mentally made a list of backups just in case the artist said no. Jun had to be prepared.

Yui grinned. “Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate it!”

Jun shook his head and gave her a smile. “Not at all, we’re Sakumoto Events. We aim to make your milestones the most memorable as can be.”

“I’m glad we can count on you!” she said happily, clapping her hands in satisfaction.

“I’ll contact the artist first. And then once we get an okay from him, I’ll let you know,” Jun said, gathering up his documents. Yui smiled and gave him a bow.

“Thank you very much!” she chirped.

“I’ll try to get back to you within a week, is that okay?”

Yui nodded. “That sound great! Thanks again, Matsumoto-san.”

Jun smiled at her.


“I don't get it!”

Jun stormed through the doorway of his shared office with Sho and slammed the papers down on his desk. He glared at the English letters that spelled out his company name on his folder.

Jun and Sho co-owned an event planning business called Sakumoto Events. Jun had always loved the idea of event planning— he had started it as a hobby in high school. His friends had called him to help plan for birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrations for either themselves or family members.

When Jun entered university, he began charging for them to help pay off some of his student loans. His event planning services had gotten really popular among the students, to the point that Jun was swamped with requests from friends and friends of friends. Even some of the professors asked him for his services! Eventually, Jun realized that he could probably do this as a living. He loved planning for events, so why not do what he loved and make money off of it? Over the next couple of years, Jun had been busy with one event after another. When Jun realized he needed extra help, he asked his friend, Sho, if he was interested in helping out.

Sho was a senior of his from high school. It was a funny story (even though it wasn’t at the time) actually, of how they became friends, and one that Jun reminisced about occasionally when he was feeling nostalgic about his youth.

Jun was probably fifteen at the time when he had first met Sho. It was during his first year in high school that he bumped into the older man after their welcoming assembly in the beginning of the school year.

Sho was the cool kid from a well-off family. He was friendly and helpful to all the younger students, but his temper was infamous. Jun thought that Sho was the definition of what a good alpha was. And if Sho wasn’t an alpha, he was sure a good beta. Jun didn’t even think of the possibility that he might have been an omega. Sho was too… leader-like to be an omega.

Jun had never really interacted with Sho before they became good friends. Sho would greet him in the hallways whenever they bumped into each other, but they never actually hung out after school or during lunch, and Jun was fine with that.

When Jun had been heading up to the rooftop for lunch one day, he was unexpectedly hit with the smell of an omega in heat. It wasn’t unusual for omegas to experience their first heats at this age—alphas got theirs a little later (and betas never did). Jun had quietly approached the omega, who had been leaning against the door.

“Hey,” Jun said, careful not to touch the omega in question. His parents had always said that he should never touch an omega in heat. “Are you alright? Do you need anything?” The omega had tensed when Jun spoke, but made no move to turn around. Jun frowned. Who was it? Jun inched closer to the shaking omega. “Hey…”

“What do you want?” The omega snapped, turning his head to him. Jun gasped.

Of all people, Jun had not expected for the omega to be Sho.

“Sakurai-sempai!” Jun exclaimed in surprise. Sho glared at him before turning away with a sulk. “What—how—”

“Yes, I'm an omega! Got a problem with that?!” Sho snapped, burying his face in his arms.

“Well… it's a surprise but—”

“You thought I was an alpha, didn't you?” Sho asked with a bitter chuckle. “They all do,” he said darkly.

Jun shook his head and crouched down next to Sho, carefully avoiding any body contact with him. It wasn't nice to touch an omega who was in heat without permission (at least, that was what his parents had said).

“No! Of course not!” he exclaimed. Sho sent him a wary look.

“I know what people think of omegas, Matsumoto-kun. I'm already a disappointment to my family.”

“That's stupid!” Jun cried angrily and then slapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh! I mean—”

Sho looked at him curiously. “Stupid? How so?”

Jun blushed and fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt. “Never mind. I spoke out of turn.”

Sho shook his head and moved closer to him. Jun thought he smelled nice.

“No, I'm curious. What did you mean?” Sho asked. Jun felt himself grow red again.

“I just… I just think it's stupid that people judge one another because of their designation. Does it matter if someone is an alpha or an omega?”

Sho stared at him for a moment before breaking away with a chuckle. “Ah, Matsumoto-kun, if only more people thought like you.”

Jun shrugged, trying to ignore the heat on his cheeks. “It's true. Your designation shouldn't determine what your worth is.”

Sho chuckled. “No, no it shouldn't.”

The two of them sat in companionable silence for a while until Sho broke it with a huff. “Thanks for keeping me company, Matsumoto-kun,” Sho said, turning to him. Jun blushed and shook his head.

“Ah, not at all! I didn’t really do anything…”

Sho grinned and punched him lightly on the arm. “No, you did a lot. Come on, we’ll be late for class. I think my heat’s subsided a little…” Sho winced when he tried to get up from crouching too long. “I should go get my heat suppressants.”

“Do you need me to come with you?” Jun asked shyly.

Sho smiled at him. “Sure, why not?”

Now, two decades later, they were still friends and running a successful business together.

Sho looked up from where he was typing on his laptop with a frown.

“Tell me about it,” Sho said in exasperation, “I had a client today with an alpha and they kept trying to posture at me during the entire meeting. And you know the worst part? They had their omega with them! The omega kept sending me dirty looks like it was my fault!”

Jun frowned. “Did the alpha try anything?”

Sho shook his head. “No, I left before he could or tried.”

Jun nodded, but the frown stayed on his face. “Let me know if he keeps bothering you. I'll take over that project if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Sho gave him an exasperated look. “Jun, it’s fine, really.”

Jun quirked an eyebrow at him. “Do you really think so?” Sho often underestimated an alpha’s ability to be persistent. It drove Jun mad sometimes.

“I know now.” Sho scowled. “Are you never gonna let that up?”

Jun crossed his arms and walked over to his friend’s desk. He looked down at him with an unamused look. “Sho, you're one of the nicest and smartest people I know, but when it comes to alphas, you are really fucking stupid.” Sho glared at him. Jun shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. “I just worry, okay?” Sho nodded and placed his hand on top of Jun’s giving it a slight squeeze.

“Don't worry. If I ever get uncomfortable with the entire thing, I'll call you,” he promised.

“Good,” Jun said before pulling his hand back. He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling a little awkward when they slipped through quite easily. He had recently gotten it cut short and dyed a soft brown. Sho had remarked that he looked really different and more “alpha-like” with the short hair. Jun had snorted in response at that comment.

“So what was that little show you had a few minutes ago?” Sho asked, turning back to his laptop. “Something go wrong?”

Jun sighed and shook his head. He went back to his desk, plopping himself on his chair. “No, nothing like that.” He turned on his laptop and drummed his fingers on the desk. “We were discussing wedding invitations—”

“Ah, yes.”

“— and the bride and groom want to use a graphic designer we don't know.”

Sho grimaced. “Ugh.” He was most likely thinking of the one incident they had in the past with an amateur designer. Jun and Sho had learned their lesson about hiring amateurs.

Jun sighed and opened up his emails once his desktop appeared. “Tell me about it. This is going to be a nightmare.”

“Have you seen his work?” Sho asked, typing rapidly on his keyboard before peering up at Jun from behind his glasses. Jun shook his head.

“No, I haven’t gotten a chance yet. Aragaki-san keeps mentioning real life and abstract, but hell do I know about all that. I just want this damn invitation done right.” He grabbed his notebook on the table and placed it beside him. Opening his browser, he typed in the address of the website Yui had given him at the end of the meeting and waited for the page to load.

Jun’s eyebrows shot up when the home page appeared. Instead of some weird and amateur layout that he had been expecting, the home page looked skillfully done. Like a professional did it, Jun thought as he took the time to admire it. The background of the website was light blue in colour, with fishes that would randomly swim occasionally throughout the background. Jun brought his cursor over to the menu icon and clicked on the Gallery link in the drop down box to see the artist’s artwork.

This… this was not what Jun had been expecting. Yui was right. Jun viewed the pictures in awe as he scrolled down to see the various works the artist had done. The artist was good. Really fucking good, Jun thought to himself as he clicked on an image to enlarge it. It was a painting of a dog. Jun admired the use of colours the artist used. When he looked closer in the dog’s eye, he saw an image of a person in it. Wow!

He scrolled down and stumbled across another image, but this time it was clay figurines. It was definitely strange, but Jun couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the artist’s mind when he was making them.

“This is amazing…” Jun mumbled under his breath as he continued looking at all the photos.

When Jun finally finished viewing all the images, he immediately went back to the menu and clicked the Contact Me link. “This might work, Sho,” Jun said as he began filling out the information in the boxes.

“Hm?” Sho looked up from the various reports he was reading.

“This artist… he’s amazing!” Jun exclaimed, his eyes wide as he turned to look at Sho. “I seriously had my doubts, but… I think he’ll be able to design the couple’s wedding invitation!”

Sho grinned. “That’s great! Are you contacting him now?”

Jun nodded and turned back to his laptop. “Yeah, I’m sending him an email now.” He clicked on the Message box and began to type.

Hello, my name is Matsumoto Jun, and I am the co-owner of Sakumoto Events.

I am currently planning for a client’s wedding and we are in need of some well-designed wedding invitations. My client has referred you to me in hopes of getting you to design their wedding invitation for them.

Please email me back at—

“What’s the artist’s name?” Sho asked, turning back to his reports.

Jun paused from his typing and looked down at the kanji Yui had written for him.

“Ohno,” Jun said, reading the neat handwriting in the tiny slip of paper. “Ohno Satoshi.”


Jun placed the folders on both sides of the table.

After he had emailed Ohno, he’d gone back to the website again to admire more of the man’s work. He had never been so in awe of someone’s artwork before. To his delight, he had received a reply from the man just a few hours later. They had emailed back and forth to discuss a time to meet, and now, two days later, they were finally meeting each other to discuss Jun’s commission for him.

Jun checked his watch. Only two more minutes to go, he thought and went over to the mirror that was located in the room for the simple purpose of showing clients how colours looked when they were reflected in certain types of light. He tried to fix his hair of any stray locks before stepping away, and turned towards the door.

Just as he was about to turn back to the folders, there was a soft knock on the door. Jun quickly made his way over to the doorway and opened the door. He was greeted by the image of a sleepy-looking man with short hair dyed black that was neatly styled, and looked like he had fallen asleep in the sun for too long. He was also an alpha. Jun could smell the sharp scent coming from the man when he stepped closer.

“Hi, are you Ohno-sensei?” Jun asked, pushing the door open farther and ushered the man in.

The man nodded. “Yes, I’m Ohno Satoshi. Just Ohno is fine,” he replied, giving Jun a bow. “And you are Matsumoto Jun-san, right?”

Jun nodded and placed a hand out to the table. “Yes I am. Please, Ohno-sensei, take a seat. Did you want anything to drink?”

Ohno shook his head and walked over to the the table. “Uh, does it matter which side I sit?” he asked as he looked down at the folders in front of him.

“Ah, sorry! Ohno-sensei, the red folder is yours.”

Jun took a seat in front of the purple one he set out on the other side. “Please,” Jun said, sticking his hand out to motion for the other man to sit.

“Thanks,” Ohno mumbled and sat down across from him.

“Thanks for coming today, Ohno-sensei. I'm sorry for the lengthy email I sent you a couple of days ago, but I really wanted to meet you,” Jun began, opening his folder. Ohno followed suit.

Ohno shook his head and looked down at the papers. “It's okay,” he mumbled and inspected the documents. “So you need me to do wedding invitations?”

Jun nodded and shuffled through his folder for a copy of the wedding venue. “Yes, the bride and groom are interested in hiring you to design the wedding invitations. They may also want to ask you for banners too, if you can do that.”

Ohno looked down at the papers with a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmm… it should be okay. When did you want it?” He looked back up at Jun.

Jun was intrigued by the calm demeanour this alpha was giving off. If Jun didn't have such a good sense of smell, he would've never realized that Ohno was an alpha. If anything, his appearance screamed beta or omega. Well, not all alphas are macho idiots, Jun thought.

“If it’s possible, can you come up with a few designs by next week?” Jun asked. “I know it's on a very short notice, and I do apologize about that, but the wedding is in a month and a half and the couple wanted to wait on the invitations because they were still finalizing their guest list.”

Ohno nodded and gave him a smile. “I can do that. It shouldn't be a problem.”

Jun grinned. “Great! The details about the wedding such as the theme, colours, and dates are all in the folder there. You can use it as a reference for the wedding invitation.”

“So you want typography as well?” Ohno asked, shuffling through the papers slowly.

“Yes please. I would like everything done if possible.”

“Sure, it's not a problem.”

“Great! And if you have any questions, I have attached my business card there for you so you can contact me.”

Ohno let out a small hum and looked down at the red and purple card that was attached to the folder. “Thank you,” he said, looking back at him.

Jun grinned. Well, that was easy. “Thank you! So we’ll keep in touch?” Jun pushed his chair back so he could stand up.

Ohno smiled softly at him and gave him a small bow. “Yes, I’ll call you if I have any questions.”

“Perfect! I’ll email you later today so we can set up a time to meet up again to discuss the designs.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Jun gave the artist a bow. “I'll see you then!”

“Thank you Matsumoto-san,” Ohno said, returning it with one of his own.


“Success!” Jun exclaimed when he walked into the office a few minutes later. After he had seen Ohno out, Jun had immediately sent an email to Yui, telling her that Ohno would be happy to take on the job.

Sho looked up at him in amusement. “I'm glad it went well. How was Ohno-sensei?”

“He was nice. Maybe a little standoffish, but that might be because he was tired. He looked like he wanted to sleep,” Jun replied, taking a seat at his desk. “Well, that's one thing done at least.”

“Glad it worked out,” Sho said with a soft chuckle.

“He was an alpha,” Jun remarked, booting up his laptop. “I didn't realize it at a first glance, but when he came closer, I could smell it.”

“He didn't look like one?” Sho asked curiously. Jun shook his head.

“No, he's shorter than both of us, and he's very soft-spoken. I would've thought he was a beta or an omega.”

“Interesting,” Sho hummed. Jun smirked.

“Interested?”

“Uh, no.” Sho glared at him. Jun laughed.

“I'm just joking. But he seems really nice.”

Sho shook his head. “No thank you, I'm happy with the single life right now.” Jun frowned and watched as his friend continued to type on his keyboard. After a few moments, Sho paused and turned to him. “What?”

Jun pursed his lips. “Have they been bothering you lately?”

Sho furrowed his brows. “My parents?”

“Yeah.”

Sho shook his head, much to Jun’s relief. “No, they haven't called since I told them I wasn't going to get married a few years ago. I think they're too disappointed with me to even bother to talk to me.”

“I'm sorry,” Jun said sadly.

“Why? Not your fault.”

“He was an asshole though,” Jun remarked with a scoff. “Thank god you were able to cancel that wedding.” Sho nodded in agreement.

A few years ago, Sho’s parents had set up an arranged marriage with another family, the Takahashi’s, for Sho and their alpha son. Jun had been incredibly worried for his friend.

Sho didn't have a good track record for meeting nice alphas. Most of the ones Sho had met and slept with had been real assholes. Jun didn't know if it was because Sho had resigned himself to playing the good “omega” role, or if he just had terrible luck.

Sho’s fiancé had been… Jun couldn't even think about the man without getting angry. He hated him. Jun was glad that Sho had been able to stand up for himself and refuse the marriage. He shuddered—he couldn't imagine what Sho would be like if he was married to that man. Needless to say, Jun had been very protective of his friend ever since the whole fiasco. He would not stand for alphas disrespecting his friend because he was an omega (or anyone for that matter).

“I'm just glad they're not bothering me about getting married anymore,” Sho remarked, “even if they haven’t tried to talk to me lately…”

“Well, at least they’re not marrying you off to some dumbass.” Sho sent him an amused look.

“What about you, Jun-kun? Have your parents been asking you about any omega ladies lately?” Sho teased.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Yes, they have actually. After their failed attempts at...” He gestured between the two of them. “... Matchmaking us a couple of years ago, they've been completely hounding me about female omegas.”

“You prefer women don't you?” Sho inquired, pushing his glasses up.

Jun shrugged. “For the most part, yes.”

“So you would never sleep with a male omega?”

Jun pursed his lips and thought about it. He wasn't too opposed to the idea, but he wasn’t going to actively seek for a male omega unless they came onto him. Jun had never exactly had a huge desire to sleep with male omegas—he had always preferred the female sex more. That being said...

“Well… I wouldn't say never, but the chance is very low,” he admitted. Sho nodded.

“True. I think I've only seen you with only two male omegas in the entire time we’ve known each other.”

Jun laughed. “My university days were wild, I must admit.” Sho chuckled along with him.

“It's amazing how much we've grown up, eh?” Sho mused, taking off his glasses to look at him. Jun nodded.

“Well, we must be doing something right. How else could I stay with you for this long?” Jun laughed at Sho’s protest.

“Excuse me, but I recall that I had to deal with a lot of your shit growing up,” Sho groused, but he was smiling.

Jun winked at him. “And look at me now.”

Sho rolled his eyes at him but sent him a look of fondness mixed with exasperation. Jun grinned.

“Did you have lunch yet?” Jun asked, grabbing his wallet, smiling at Sho’s woot! in the background. “Let’s go for lunch, I'm starving.”


A week later, Jun was sitting in the same meeting room as he had last week when he met up with Ohno. “Good afternoon, Ohno-sensei.” Jun bowed to the man sitting in front of him. “I hope your weekend was good.”

Ohno smiled. “Yes, yes it was. I hope yours was too?”

“It was fine, thank you.”

Ohno took out a sketchbook from his bag and placed it on the desk. “So I made a few sketches of potential cards. Please let me know if they’re okay.”

Jun took the book from Ohno and flipped through the pages. They were good. “These are nice,” he told him, looking at the details. “Would this be easy for you to get done within the next couple of weeks? I mean, these designs seem very intricate.” And they were. Jun knew that if Ohno took his time sketching these by hand, how long would it take him to create these on the computer, especially with that much detail?

“Hmmm… it should be fine. I can get it done for you by the deadline. Was there a specific one you liked?”

“I have to show these to Aragaki-san, but I personally like this one.” Jun pointed to the third sketch. It was the one that stuck out the most to him. It wasn’t as complex as the first two designs, but the way Ohno drew the images really resonated with him.

Ohno leaned forward to see which design he was pointing at. “Ah,” Ohno mumbled, “that one.”

“It’s… exquisite,” Jun explained, “I think it really represents the meaning of marriage. Especially since these two have been mates for a very long time.”

Ohno smiled down at the picture. “Yes, I had that in mind when I drew this.”

“Let’s hope she likes this one the most. Your other designs are lovely though,” Jun remarked, giving Ohno a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Alright, is it okay if I make a copy of your sketches, Ohno-sensei?” Jun asked.

“Sure.”

“Great! I’ll be right back!” He took the sketchbook from the table and headed out the room.

When Jun returned, Ohno was doodling something on a napkin. Jun knocked on the door as to not startle him. Ohno’s head snapped up to meet his gaze.

“I’m back.”

“Hello,” Ohno greeted kindly. Jun smiled and walked up next to him to see the doodle.

“That’s pretty good,” Jun remarked, watching Ohno fill in the eyes of the chibi he was drawing.

“Thank you.”

Jun watched him draw for a minute or two before setting the sketchbook back down. “Ah, here you are.”

“I hope she likes them,” Ohno said, as he folded the napkin up.

Jun grinned. “She definitely will.”

Ohno smiled shyly. “I hope so.”

Jun grinned and held out his hand. “Thanks so much for your help again. I'll call you if—”

Jun gasped when he felt something hot shot through his body. He waited for it to go away, but the feeling grew stronger and he felt like his body was on fire. Jun’s eyes widen and he looked at Ohno who was mirroring his expression. He looked down and saw their clasped hands.

No way! he shouted in his mind. Jun immediately pulled back his hand. The feeling stayed, and it got worse. Jun gasped when he felt the burning heat sear through his body.

“What?!” Jun exclaimed. He felt the temperature rise in the room and he could smell… he could smell Ohno. Ohno looked back at Jun wide wide eyes.

“We—”

“There's no way this is possible! You're an alpha!” Jun exclaimed in mortification. “I’m an alpha!” He cringed when he felt the searing heat ripple through his body and Jun had to hold onto the chair to balance himself. Ohno moved forward to catch him, but Jun held a hand out between them. “Don't!”

Jun stared at him in disbelief. Just how was this possible?!

“But it… it was a soulmate bond, right?” Ohno asked quietly.

Jun didn't know how he could be so calm. They had bonded! Even if Jun wanted to deny it, it was impossible. The hot flashes, the desire to… mate, and the scent. Oh god, the scent. Ohno’s scent was now everywhere. It was sweet (not as sweet like an omega’s), and it smelled good. No, Jun. you can't. You cannot be with an alpha. It's not natural.

“It must be a mistake,” Jun said finally, ignoring the frown Ohno sent him and slowly moved away from the chair and the man. “There's no way this is possible. Maybe it was a fluke. ” No. No. No.

Ohno opened his mouth. “But—”

“I'm sorry, Ohno-sensei. I have another meeting to go to. But I will contact you again when Aragaki-san gives me her answer.” He gave the man a bow and got the hell out of there, ignoring the other man’s attempts of calling him.

This is a mistake. This is all a mistake.

“Alphas do not belong with other alphas,” Jun whispered harshly to himself as he stormed down the hall, ignoring the employees who quickly moved out the way.

It was against the law of nature.


“You shouldn't take it for more than a week consecutively. You’ll have to stop for three days before taking it again.”

“What happens if I do?” Jun asked, watching the pharmacist ring up his purchase.

The pharmacist shot him a wary look. “It's not healthy to suppress your heat for more than a week.”

Jun shook his head. “I know, but I’ll be busy with work and I can't have my pheromones leaking everywhere.” Technically, this lie was true.

The pharmacist frowned. “If that's the case, you have to take at least a two day break before starting it again. Technically you can go on the pill everyday, but the effects will weaken if you keep taking it consecutively without a break. That's why it's recommended to not take it for three days before going back on it again. Of course, the best way is to find an omega to help you out.”

Jun grimaced. If you only knew. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, before grabbing his purchase and walking out of the store.

After work, Jun had ran straight to the pharmacy to buy heat suppressants. Jun thanked his lucky stars that Sho had not been in the office today—he did not want to explain why he was suddenly in a full-blown heat. Sho knew when he got his heat like the back of his hand, and Jun was not in the mood to tell him about this newfound bond.

Soulmates.

Jun couldn't believe it. He had long given up the thought of soulmates when he had been a teenager. His parents were not soulmates and they definitely didn’t believe in the concept of it either, and they were happy. Jun thought that it was strange to have someone destined for you—did that mean that you weren’t able to choose who you could be with? Was their no choice for anyone?

“It has to be a mistake,” Jun said loudly when he got back into his car. He grabbed the box of suppressants and quickly ripped one open. He had to take them now. He popped one into his mouth and bit down on it.

The effects of the pill started a few minutes after he swallowed it. Jun let out a sigh of relief when he felt the heat from his body ebb away quickly. “Okay, this might work,” Jun grumbled to himself before starting the car and pulling down the windows to air out the scent of his heat. He could do this. He could last through this. He could find an omega and relieve himself of it maybe. The thought of that made him feel uneasy though. Jun shook his head. No, there was no need to feel uneasy or guilty.

“We are not soulmates, and this is just a mistake,” Jun said, gritting his teeth. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.


The next day, Jun was sitting in the meeting room waiting for Ohno to arrive. He braced himself for Ohno’s appearance. After he had sent Yui, Ohno’s designs, she had replied back immediately with the couple’s favourite. As he had thought, design number three was was chosen. He immediately emailed Ohno to set up another meeting a couple days later to discuss the design.

He tensed when he heard the door open. Standing up stiffly, he watched as Ohno walked in the room. Ohno’s heat was strong, and Jun shifted uncomfortably.

Ohno seemed to look okay, but Jun could see a slight flush on his cheeks. Jun thanked the heat suppressants. I would be worse if I didn't take them.

“Should I…” Ohno turned to look at the door before looking back at him. “Should I keep the door open or close it?”

“Close it please. We don't want the others to smell everything,” Jun replied.

Ohno nodded and closed the door shut behind him. Jun saw him wince when he walked closer to the table and took a seat. Jun followed suit.

“I have received Aragaki-san’s response. She liked your third design. We should discuss deadlines for—”

“What happened to your heat?” Ohno interrupted. He sniffed at the air and frowned.

Jun narrowed his eyes at him. “Ohno-sensei, we are here to discuss—”

“You're on heat suppressants,” he said quietly. Jun tried to ignore the look of hurt reflected in the other man's face.

“Yes, I am. But this isn't related to what we are supposed to discuss today. We need to discuss the deadline.” Jun didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it.

Ohno gaped at him and he looked like he was about to say something but sighed instead and nodded. “You're right,” he said quietly. “I'm sorry. Please continue.”

Good. Jun could get through this. “The deadline. Can you get this invitation done in a week?”

Ohno frowned. “That's cutting it a little short.”

“I understand, and I do apologize for that, but we really need these invitations to be sent out as soon as possible.”

“I see. Okay then, I'll try to get them done for you by next Friday.”

Jun nodded and opened his folder to took out a business card. “Excellent. Please send me the card when you are done. I can do the printing. This is my associate. You can contact him if you have any questions. He will also be dealing with your payment when you are done.” Jun held the card out with both hands.

Ohno frowned and looked up at him as he received it. “So we aren't seeing each other after this?”

Jun shook his head. “There's no need to. I'm sure you're a busy man as well, Ohno-sensei.” He quickly gathered his belongings and headed for the door. “I'm afraid I have to take my leave now, but if you have any questions, please feel to email me or contact my employees. They will be able to help. Have a good day, and we thank you for working with us on this.” Jun gave a quick bow before leaving the room, not even bothering to give him one last glance.

That’s right, Jun. Just walk away and don’t look back.

Part 2