The next morning, Jisung awoke in Minho's arms when sunlight from the late morning sun streamed through the windows. He turned around to face still-sleeping Minho, burying himself beneath Minho's arms, and surrounded himself with his scent of fresh raindrops, the spray of the ocean, and warm cinnamon. He snuggled there for a moment until Minho stirred, turning over and blinking slowly. He sat up, stretching his arms and rotating his wrists as he yawned. He noticed Jisung sprawled on the bed next to him, pouting. "You were such a good pillow," said Jisung. Minho laughed at Jisung's pouty face.
"You look like a squirrel," he said.
"Well you look like a cat."
"You're also nutty like a squirrel."
When Jisung glared at Minho, he added, "A very, very cute squirrel." At that, Jisung curled his hands up like paws and put them next to his face, grinning.
"Thank you," he giggled. Jisung pecked Minho's cheek, then hopped out of bed, bringing Minho along with him to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and washed their faces together, playfully teasing each other. Jisung and Minho also applied scent blockers. While he was deciding what clothes to wear, Jisung asked Minho what they were going to do today.
"We're going to meet with some friends today," said Minho. "So you can wear something comfortable." Jisung nodded, then donned a black and white oversized sweater and jeans. Minho put on black pants and a cloud-gray turtleneck sweater, paired with a black overcoat. He slipped on a few gold necklaces as well. Jisung carefully styled his hair while Minho just combed out his bedhead.
When they were finished, they looked at each other in the mirror. "Cute," Minho smiled, squeezing Jisung's waist. Jisung jokingly pushed him away, then they headed downstairs. Jisung slipped on a pair of platform converse sneakers while Minho wore smart gray sneakers. Jisung shrugged on a jacket as well. Minho checked his watch. It was already almost noon. They headed to the car.
Minho drove, while Jisung sat in the passenger's seat, listening to a song that he and two of his friends, and coworkers, were working on. "One, four, three... I love you!" he sang along. Minho bopped his head to the beat.
"That's a good song," he said. Jisung beamed.
"Thank you," he responded, pausing the song. "This isn't the final version, though." Jisung started thinking of lyrics to the rap parts, typing everything on his laptop. They drove for another few minutes, until Minho parked on the side of the road. He and Jisung pulled on masks before getting out of the car, then walked around the corner to see a cute cafe, decorated with pink and beige colors. In the window displays, charming little cakes and pastries sat.
Outside, there were small, white, circular tables with umbrellas in the middle, although because it was winter, none of the umbrellas were open. A couple sat at one of the tables in the corner, whispering to each other and laughing softly. The taller man's arms were wrapped around the smaller male omega, who wore a soft pink-and-white cardigan and a pearl earring on his left ear. Freckles dusted his nose and cheeks. The taller one had matching earrings and wore a white button down shirt with a black jacket. He kissed the omega's cheek softly.
"Felix! Hyunjin!" hollered Jisung excitedly. He hadn't seen them in months. Felix looked up, grinning as always. He waved, and so did Hyunjin. Jisung and Minho hurried to them, Jisung hugging Felix tightly. Minho and Hyunjin clapped each other's backs; neither like skinship much, unless it was with their mate.
"Wow, it's been such a long time since I last saw you guys!" Felix exclaimed, hugging Minho quickly. Minho allowed it, but just once. "I think I last saw you at our mating ceremony," he said to them. Minho and Jisung nodded.
"That's right," said Minho. "How has mated life been so far?" Hyunjin smiled, then wrapped his arm back around Felix's shoulders.
"It's been great," said Hyunjin. Hyunjin and Felix had been mated for about five months now, while Jisung and Minho had been husbands for just over three years.
"We're still in our honeymoon phase, though," added Felix, who gave Hyunjin a peck on the cheek. "Anyways, should we head inside? It's pretty chilly out here," he said. Everyone agreed and entered the cafe. When Jisung stepped into the small cafe, he was enveloped by a warm, sugary scent that reminded him of Felix's scent. He could usually smell others' scents through their scent blockers, which did not actually block scent, but pheromones from their scent glands. Felix smelled like freshly baked cookies and... liquid sunshine. There was no other word for the warm, golden feeling but liquid sunshine. Hyunjin smelled clean and crisp: sweet citrus, fresh snow, and a fragrant hint of cypress wood.
They sat at a four-person table near the window, the couples sitting next to each other and the omegas facing each other. They chatted together about their lives since the last time they saw each other while nibbling on various sweets and pastries. Jisung and Minho shared a mini cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream and strawberries on the top, while Hyunjin and Felix got an eclair. Everyone got a coffee except Felix, who didn't like the bitter taste of coffee. Instead, he ordered hot cocoa.
Time flew by, until they had stayed for around an hour and a half. Jisung glanced the street outside the window. Thick, swirling snowflakes had begun to fall, creating a thin layer of snow on the ground.
The group left, stepping out of the warm, sugar-filled space and onto the icy sidewalk. Jisung shivered and clung to Minho, who opened his jacket and let Jisung share his warmth. Jisung got cold much more easily than Minho. They shared a quick, sweet kiss. Felix put up the hood of his jacket as the group wandered the streets.
Hyunjin saw a sign for a karaoke bar. "Do you guys want to do karaoke?" he asked, pointing at the sign. Everyone agreed and headed towards the bar. They entered, asking for a karaoke room. The waitress standing near the entrance lead them to a room, then left with a menu. Felix went immediately to the machine, handing microphones to everyone. He hopped up, excited. Jisung grinned as he turned on the microphone. This would be fun; everyone in the room was a professional singer or rapper. Felix was a prominent rapper, who was popular for his deep, sexy voice, which was unexpected coming from his slender, young-looking frame. He was also a well-known ASMRtist. Jisung had worked with Felix on several songs, but not since his wedding. Hyunjin was a rapper, dancer, and model, but sometimes sang as well.
"Let's choose the teams!" said Felix. "How about... omegas versus alphas?" At that, Hyunjin pouted dramatically.
"You don't want to be with me?" he asked as Felix giggled.
"It'll be fun to mix up the teams," he laughed. "But don't worry. You'll always be my drama llama," he added, leaning in to give Hyunjin a kiss. This pacified Hyunjin, who then grinned at Minho.
"I guess we'll be the winning team," he said. Minho agreed as Jisung stuck his tongue at them. The teams were evenly matched. The alphas gathered around the karaoke machine, deciding on the song. The intro to 'Wow' started playing. Felix grinned. He was also in this song. Hyunjin and Minho sang Felix's part together, although they couldn't sing quite as low. They sang their parts separately, earning a solid one hundred, which only made sense. They were the ones who recorded the song. Jisung rolled his eyes playfully.
"Of course you guys would get a perfect score. You're the ones in the song," he said. Minho and Hyunjin shrugged, then high-fived each other.
"It's in the rules," Minho said smugly. He sat down next to Jisung and squeezed his shoulder gently. Jisung smiled.
"Fine," he sighed. "But we're going to pick a song that's actually challenging." Felix and Jisung snickered as they started the song.
"Oh, honey!" Felix simpered in a high-pitched voice. Everyone started laughing. The intro for the song, 'Honey,' by JYP continued, and even though everyone in the room worked for him, they couldn't help but clown him. The pair of omegas danced to the song, imitating JYP, especially the background music. They sang, barely able to stop their laughter. When the song ended, Jisung and Felix turned around, whispering, "Jay Why Pee," then collapsed on the couch. Everyone watched as the machine calculated their score, not expecting much. The numbers kept changing until they stopped at 100. The pair jumped up and down, yelling and laughing at the alphas, who had expected to win.
"Looks like it's a tie," said a pleased Jisung. Minho was slightly dumbfounded.
"Let's do another round," he said. Everybody agreed. They sang so many songs, it was hard to keep track, ordering food for dinner in between the songs. Finally, everyone was pooped from dancing and singing, lying on the couch. Minho ordered soju for everyone, raising his bottle to honor music, karaoke, love, and everything else. The rest did the same, tipping their heads back and drinking a gulp, except Minho, who downed half the bottle. They ate some more, joking and laughing.
Jisung only noticed that Minho was almost finished with his third bottle when Minho slung his arm around Jisung's shoulders, his cheeks rosy. Minho leaned in and started nibbling Jisung's ear, his breath hot against the shell of his ear. The moon was out now, affecting him and the others. Jisung squirmed, turning to Hyunjin and Felix, who was sitting on Hyunjin's lap.
"I think we have to go now," he said apologetically. Felix and Hyunjin nodded.
"Us too," said Hyunjin. They payed quickly, stepping out into the now-dark streets, the full moon shining brightly. Minho leaned against Jisung and held his waist as they walked back to the car, going separate ways from the other couple. Jisung and Felix hugged goodbye, then Jisung and Hyunjin hugged. Minho waved goodbye as the couple walked away.
Jisung sat in the driver's seat, then watched as Minho flopped onto the passenger's seat. He drove back to the house as Minho kissed him every few minutes, until he was itching to get back to their bedroom. The drive was short, and when they arrived, they kicked off their shoes and coats. Minho swept Jisung off his feet, then carried him to their bedroom, the power of the full moon in full force.