"Sai Yud Station."
New takes a deep breath, slowly eyeing around his carriage, making sure it is not obvious. As usual, a few people enter the already full train, but there is no sign of Fort. Letting a long sigh of relief, New lets his guard down and relax. He only has a few more station before he needs to get off. Then he will have to be aware of that alpha again.
Since the day Fah introduced them, New has been seeing that man a few times. And in that few times, that alpha always gives him a weird look, as if he is discontent about something. Which is weird because Mike treats him normally, that is, as normal as mere acquaintance can be, while Fah is as friendly as she probably always is. But that alpha from marketing, he scares New.
And unfortunately for him, he discovered that the man lives around Sai Yud station, which is coincidentally on the line that he has to take to go to work. The first time he realizes this fact, he was on his way back home. Their eyes met and Fort kept staring at him the whole time, as if threatening him, before getting off at his station. Needless to say, New makes sure to get on the train back home after making sure the man is nowhere in sight since then.
Only, the commute to his work is a different story. There is no way to know if they are going to take the same train because the man's station is after his. He has no way to avoid it, except going to work earlier. Which is not worth it because he is usually exhausted after a day's work to get up early.
So New just bears it, the torturous 45-minute commute to his company, for almost a month. He only has to endure this a while longer – the internship will end in two weeks.
Already arriving at his station, New quickly gets off to the platform, and heads straight to the elevator, making sure not to look at his surrounding. He doesn't have to suffer if he cannot see the man. Turning the volume of his earpiece up, New jumps as he feels a hand on his shoulder. "Sing!"
Thank god.
****
New just cannot keep himself awake right now as his keeps dozing off, even while working on his drawing. The project he is working on will be concluded this week so there is a lot he has to do, hence why he does not get more than a few hours of sleep every day. It seems the exhaustion finally caught on to him.
"Hey, go get some coffee." Jirayu, one of the senior architects seated in front of him suggests. Shaking his head a few times to hopefully activate his brain by hurting it, New rubs his eyes softly. He then brings up the canned coffee he just drank, to show to the man.
"Go get some espresso." New turns his head, to look at the mini lounge they have on the floor. As far as he knows, there are no espresso machine, or even instant espresso. Or did Jirayu mean making a really saturated instant coffee?
"Here, go get me one too." The older man hands New his card, to which New only stares at him, confused. It is still working time, he is not allowed to go out. Right?
"Nobody cares. You worked till late every day. Just go take a nap."
"Lunch's over…" New reminds the man, still very much reluctant. He is afraid this will ruin his reputation which will affect his performance evaluation. And he does not want that to happen, because he really wants to work here. He can't screw up right now, not at the end.
"It's better to take a nap and be more efficient than working like this. Go. But half an hour." Not knowing how to argue with Jirayu since the man is speaking the truth, New says his thanks and accepts the card. He then makes his way to the elevator, constantly looking left and right while waiting to see if anybody is eyeing him suspiciously or talking about him. But indeed, nobody cares.
Guess everyone is used to the situation.
Feeling relieved, the tired intern walks towards the staff café and orders himself a double shot espresso. If he is going to do this despite his anxious state, he needs to return with a clear mind and ready to work. Once the hot drink is in his hand, New finds a good spot right at the back of the cafe and sets his phone to vibrate in 10 minutes. Then, New closes his eyes.
****
The omega wakes up at the vibration, still tired but feeling refreshed nonetheless. Wiping his face, New squeezes some eyedrops for his dry eyes, making sure his contact lenses stay in place. Then, he drinks the miracle liquid that is the espresso.
Very bitter. But powerful.
Architecture is going to turn him into caffeine addict. He swears it-
Shit.
Fort.
The man is seated a few tables away from him, with another male in a business suit. They are busy talking, having a business discussion from the looks of it. And yet, even without the man facing him like he usually would, New can tell the alpha is not pleased with the sight of him. Because he will constantly steal a glance at New, with the same cold expression.
Not wanting to show how nervous he is, New quietly gets up after pretending to look at his watch. Unfortunately, just as he about to leave, he remembers that he still has to buy coffee for the senior who lent him his credit card. It will be really rude to return empty-handed, especially because he actually already used the card to pay for his own espresso earlier.
Ordering the coffee, trying his hard not to tap his shoes on the floor, New keeps his eyes on the barista's every move. He swears she can work faster. What is taking so long??
"Hey kid." New flinches at the voice. Even without turning around, he already know who the voice belongs to. "We need to talk. You better stay here."
"Ah, sorry I have a meeting." New almost stutters. The barista hands over his drink right at that time, to his relief. Without even turning to bid his goodbye, despite knowing how rude it may seem considering the alpha is also a senior staff, the young intern rushes to the security gate. He almost spills the coffee from the vibration of his hands. Once he is on the other side of the gate, he looks over briefly towards the café – Fort is still in his seat, now talking to his companion.
New waits until he is in the safety of the elevator, out of sight, before letting his guard down. He leans against the wall and moves down to seat, breathing heavily.
"Ahh!" He places the paper cup in his hand on the floor, only now realizing how hot it is. He forgot to ask for the sleeve. Shaking his hand a few times, taking note how red it is, New notices the elevator is not moving.
He immediately clicks on his floor. Repeatedly.
★★★
"Are you okay?" Tay asks New who is following him around since he got back. Well, not in the sense that the omega keeps touching him or anything, just that, the older man makes sure to be in the same room as him. Just like right now, when he got out to make himself some warm milk while the omega was getting ready to sleep, New dragged his feet outside as well, lying on the couch, making sure he could see Tay behind the counter.
"I'm fine." The tired male answers, but Tay knows him well enough to know that is the exact opposite of it. Because New always either answers it with a grunt or asks him why with a confused face if he truly is, fine.
"Tough day?"
New shakes his head and gets up to reposition himself so he is closer to his mate, "Didn't have to see someone die." He adds, and Tay smiles to himself.
He saw a patient die today, but it was not as bad as it sounds. Because the lady was old, and had severe heart problems. Despite seeing her last moments, Tay just thought it was time.
Of course he didn't tell that to New though, because he knows it will make him seem heartless. Maybe he is, or maybe he is just good at not getting attached to the patient and getting emotional. Either way, he is touched that New decides not to tell him about his obviously bad day because of that.
"Wanna talk?" He tries again and again, the omega shakes his head. He looks burnt out, so Tay just lets it go. New will probably appreciate getting his sleep more than listening to his story. If he thought he has no time to sleep, lately New has even less. Because he had been working on his drawing until early in the mornings.
Tay did tell his mate to take it easy, since he is not getting paid for his job, but New insists on doing it. To prove his 'worth'. Honestly, Tay disagrees that he has to go to such lengths to do so but there is no point in arguing with the omega because he will never win. Since New uses the same argument against him, for his clinical rotation.
Really, he can never win against architecture. Period.
★★★
"Here." New looks up to his mentor, wondering why the paper bag is placed on his desk.
"Sorry I didn't come to the farewell party last week. Here's my gift." Gawin ruffles his hair which earns him a soft 'tsk' from his junior. Throughout the year, he had seen many interns come and go, some doing it for experience, and some for the opportunity to work at the firm. He met a lot of young, and passionate young ones, but he has to admit, New is really different from the rest.
Not only is his junior talented and innovative, he is also persistent. New's future is really bright, he can tell. And he really hopes he will be able to see the kid bloom.
"Thank you." New grins brightly at his mentor. Despite being really busy, Gawin made sure to help him understand what it is like to be an architect in such a large firm. His teaching method may seem harsh - he always pushes New to give out his ideas and opinion, in spite of him being a mere intern, but it helped him build his confidence a lot.
"I won't be here on your last day so, let's have lunch together on Wednesday." The intern nods, accepting the invitation. Only four more days, and this amazing experience will end.
He is going to miss working.
****
New stares blankly in front of him, slowly making his way towards the exit. In less than a week, he won't be able to walk freely into the building anymore. The rushed train, and days filled with meetings and constant editing, using the professional software, the lounge. Janhae and Sing. Everything will end.
It makes him feel somewhat lonely.
Only three more days left.
Sighing, New almost manages to get to the rotating glass door before a familiar voice calls him.
"New Thitipoom." He closes his eyes and curses to himself for being in a total daze that he didn't notice the scent. Taking a deep breath, he prepares himself to run out. He thought he can manage to get through the rest of his internship without any confrontation, but Fort is really insistent. Seriously, what is wrong with him?
As New is about to take another step, a grip is felt on his left hand and he is pulled back. His heartbeat instantly fastens, face to face with the alpha he had been avoiding. Behind Fort, Fah and Mike stands, their faces unreadable.
"Let go of my hand!" He hisses, pulling it but the grip tightens, hurting him. He knew something is fishy about these three!
"Come with us quietly." Fort growls, trying to control him but New only scoffs. He is mated, he is immune to his alpha voice. Besides, there is no way in hell he will comply to that request and subject himself to danger. "Like hell I-"
"Or let's talk here and let everyone here know what happened that night."
New's face turns pale.
New pulls his hand away from the alpha as soon as they make their way into the elevator. There are still people in the office, he is hoping that someone he knows will enter this one. So he can have the opportunity to get away. Unfortunately for him, none of his co-workers entered, and when other people did, Fort grabbed his wrist again, just tight enough so it hurt a bit.
"Where are we going?" New leans against the wall, trying not to get out from the elevator despite the pull. They are on the top floor, a lot of things could go wrong. If he irks them, they can push him from the building. And of course, the top floor is the event hall, and there is no event right now. It is dark except for the automatic light in front of the elevator. "Hey-"
"Just fucking follow me!" Fort growls as he pulls the omega out, causing him to fall to his knees on the carpeted floor. Momentarily shaken by the violence, New hears Fah scolding the alpha. He cannot hear whatever they are saying, the two alphas' pheromones are too strong it scares him in place. The next thing he knows, his hand is free.
"New, you okay?" The omega stares at the hand offered to him, and looks at the owner. Mike is leaning down towards him. As if he is going to believe that the man really wants to help him. Because if he does, he wouldn't have just watched as his own friend forced New to such a secluded place. What a fucking hypocrite, pretending to be better than his friends.
Smirking, New turns his face away, wanting to stay down until whatever is happening is over. The two alphas are having a fight, he won't be able to stand without his legs shaking, his heart is already palpitating violently. Waiting silently, trying to calm himself by making fists, he closes his eyes. Just trying to gather the courage to run away.
"-New," Fah's voice calls him, and the omega opens his eyes, still shaken. Her voice is calm, which is why New dares to look at the alpha. Deep inside, he wishes she would tell him he can go now. That Fah is actually by his side, and is really trying to help him.
But she doesn't. Instead, she moves towards the wall after helping New up, and leans against it, looking down towards her crossed hands as if saying 'I give up, he can do whatever he wants with you.'
"What the hell do you want?" New screams at the alpha, not wanting to hold back. Because he knows there is no way out of this; Fort is determined to do whatever he intends to do. Might as well get it over with. So he can go back home.
To his anger, Fort only chuckles at him, as if he just said something funny. The alpha then looks at his friends who refuses to look at any of them, smirks, then returns his glare to New, "Hey, New Thitipoom. You really think we won't know what you're planning?"
The hell is he talking about? They are the one who always act suspicious. They are the ones who is holding him hostage, and threatening him. They are the ones with the plan. New cannot help but frown at the bizarre statement, not knowing how to react. Now he is really scared that the three are crazy.
"You think we won't know you're the omega that night?"
"What're you ta-" New tries to inquire more. He knows what night they are talking about, since they threaten him with it. He is also aware that it means, they were there too. But he just wants to ask, because he might be mistaken. That they had mistaken him for someone, and something else happened to them on a different night.
Because if not, it means he is facing his attackers. Or worse, the ones who violated him that night.
And he doesn't know what to do if that is true.
"YOU'RE THE FUCKING OMEGA WHO POISONED US!"
"HEY, FORT!" Fah warns the agitated alpha as the man makes his fists but not before New notices it. The omega instinctively jumps backward, desperate to get away. Afraid to get beaten. By an alpha. Again.
"What? Just because you're bonded with a Tawan, you think you can go after us?"
"I dunno what you're talking about." New almost pleads, terrified of the bizarre accusation. This guy is obviously nuts. And his friends are not doing anything to stop him, so they clearly believe him.
"So you just happened to apply here, where we work? You expect us to believe this is all a coincidence?"
"I don't even know-"
"You don't know?" Fort starts to breathe heavily, laughing to himself. The alpha then moves in a circle, very much like an insane person, who is thinking of murdering him. Seeing that, scared for his life, New too, starts to gasp for air. With a hand on his chest, he looks at the other two alphas, in hope that they will try to do something. And Mike does, he goes up to Fort to calm him down. "He said he doesn't know. Heh."
"Hey, he doesn't." Mike tries to convince him but Fort brushes him off, as if he had heard enough. On the other side, New bites his lips, just hoping that his legs will cooperate and brings him down a few floors, to get away from this craziness.
"THEN ASK HIM WHY HE'S FOLLOWING ME HOME?! Yah, you know where I live now, right?" Fort takes a step towards New but is quickly held by Mike. Unfortunately, that brief action horrified New who fell down on the ground, his body starting to shake from fear.
"What are you planning to do? Huh? You wanna kill me?"
"No, I-"
"I'M GONNA FUCKING SUE YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
"Hey, stop!" Fah holds the omega who automatically flinches her hand away. New's face has started to pale, and his body is shaking violently. Worried, she again demands her friend to stop screaming but it is not working; he is still screaming profanities.
"FORT, STOP TALKING!" "SHUT UP!" Both Mike and Fah growl at the same time, which succeed in breaking their friend from his frenzied state. Forcing Mike to drag Fort away, Fah places herself between them, making sure to hide the terrified omega away from the man's view.
Once the scent of the angry alpha can no longer be felt, Fah turns to focus on New, who is now starting to lose his consciousness. "Hey, it's okay. He's gone."
New's eyes closes.
****
"Hey, you okay?" The familiar voice brings New to his consciousness and the man quickly sits up, scanning his surroundings for any danger, his whole body on high alert. He is still on the top floor. And an alpha is nearby-
"It's just me."
Fah.
Pushing her hand away from his shoulder, New turns his body around, not convinced that her friends are not present. Because they are a bunch of fucking paranoids. They are psychos. There is no way they will just leave him like this.
"You're safe-"
"Don't fucking touch me!" New hisses, not appreciating the alpha's touch. Did she forget the fact that her friend just tried to hurt him and she just watched him do it? Or the fact that she also hurt him that night? Or does she actually think he is too stupid to connect her with the night?
Fort clearly said they were there. He obviously meant the three of them. It is not hard to make that connection.
"I didn't know he was gonna be like that." She starts, but New only moves his head slightly way, already annoyed. This is an excuse, because Fort's intention was clear from the moment he grabbed New. Only a fool cannot see that. Seeing the omega's reaction, Fah sighs before placing her butt on the carpet, taking a seat beside him. And New moves away. She doesn't blame him for that, she deserves it. "He promised us he only wants to talk."
"Dragging me and threatening me is a good sign he forgot his promise, don't you think?" New's face twitches, just talking to her. He just wants to get back home. The elevator is right in front of him. He can push that button. But he doesn't want to, not when there is a chance that she will follow. It is weird, but he rather be in this huge place where he can run, and hide, than getting stuck in the small space with her.
Fah doesn't say anything, just breathing softly. But he can tell she has something to say. And as expected, she starts, "He thought you were gonna get revenge on us."
New scoffs. Remembering the absurd accusation the man screamed at him a while ago. The irony is, he had no clue who they were. To him, they were his seniors, nothing more, nothing less. Even if he did recognize them, it was not as if he can do anything about it. He might have a hard time during his internship, but he knows fully well he just have to suffer alone. Like the lawyer made clear to him.
And now the fucking alpha went berserk over him, who did nothing but live his life. Heck, they were the ones who approached him in the first place. They are really, a bunch of psychos.
"You approached me. I did nothing. YOU attacked ME! I was the one who almost died! You think you have the right to demand me to stay away from you? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!!" New tries to control his breathing, not wanting to faint again. At the same time, he feels like screaming and punching the alpha in front of him, not even caring that she has the appearance of a woman. She is an alpha, and she hurt him that night. And she told her friend about him, urging them to hurt him again tonight.
She deserves it.
"Fort ended up with stitches because of you." Fah fumes, "We were hanging out, and the next thing we know, he was down on the pavement, bleeding. Because of you."
New furrows his brows, not liking where this is heading. She is accusing him of hurting his friend. As if he is strong enough to do so. No, the alphas did that. Because they are a bunch of barbarians who hurts each other, and other people. Just like her precious friend planned to hurt him tonight.
A bunch of mindless, violent creatures.
"What the hell are you doing here, Fah?" New shots, no longer wanting to entertain her. She clearly isn't here for him, because despite what her friend just did, she still defended him. She wants something.
"Let's just move on from this."
The hell did she just say? Move on? Well he did, and they didn't let him. And now, after telling him that they were the ones who attacked him, reminding him of that night, she dares to tell him to just forget about it and close this chapter? Forget about her friend's violence towards him, that night and tonight? Pretend that a crazy alpha with a tendency to hurt him on sight, is just like any normal staff working here?
Like hell he will.
"He hurt me." He refuses to give up. He did once, he gave each one of them a chance by hurting himself, and suffering from it, until this day. Fort doesn't deserve another chance. And so does Fah. "And you're a bystander."
"He thinks you're stalking him."
Another excuse. Frustrated, and tired, New gives up. This is too much for him to bear. He cannot listen to this bullshit any longer or he will get another attack. He just wants to get away from here, and go home. Just, away from here.
He just wants all of this to stop.
He just wants to forget.
"What the hell do you want from me?" New asks, almost sneering. Disgusted at them.
"Leave us alone." Fah demands, very clearly to which New only chuckles, because he did, from the very beginning. He signed the fucking agreement. And he tried to move on.
"I mean, don't come back here." New clenches his jaw, understanding what she is asking him to do. And he refuses. Because he does not owe them anything. He deserves whatever he is going to get, because he worked hard for it, despite his suffering. They cannot take this away from him!
"We have a career here. You're still starting. You can go anywhere you want." He glares at her, angry at the suggestion, "I hear you're an amazing intern. You'll get to work at some great companies."
"But not here." He adds, jabbing at her. No longer able to control his anger. He can tell, she feels it too, her face worried. But she quickly controls her emotion, and insists, "Not here. Or we'll continue where we left tonight. That, I promise."
****
New throws the paper bag he received from Gawin on the couch, not wanting to look at it. Trying so hard to control his emotion, he quickly makes his way to the bathroom to take a shower, right as he hears Tay calling out to him from the bed. He doesn't want to alpha to see him like this.
"Nu? Hey!" Tay's concerned voice disrupts his focus and New falls down on his butt, pulling on his knees to hide his face. Despite his effort to avoid his mate tonight, he forgot to lock the bathroom door, so Tay easily came in.
"Who the hell hurt you?!"