Chapter Text
Riki was born into a family full of alphas. His mother and father were alphas. His older brother and older sisters were alphas. So naturally, he would be one as well, right?
It was pretty obvious right from the beginning. Matangkad siya—mas matangkad nga siya sa halos lahat ng alpha sa kanilang section. Dagdag na rin dito ang kaniyang intimidating na mukha, kung sabihin ng nakakarami. He only had two guesses: Alpha or Beta. 'Yun lang talaga. Wala sa choices niya ang maging omega. Kaya naman, makikita ang gulat at bakas ng takot sa mukha ni Riki nang magising siya isang umaga na puno ng pawis, para bang nilalagnat, at may naramdamang basa at malagkit sa pagitan ng kaniyang hita.
That was the worst day of his life, and probably the start of his endless suffering.
Fast forward to the present time: he had adjusted pretty well to his life as an omega. Nakatulong rin na may dalawa siyang kaibigang omega: sina Sunoo at Jungwon. Unlike Riki, they were the perfect image of an omega: maliit, petite, soft features, at kung sabihin ng nakakarami ay ‘cute’. He'd be lying if he said that there wasn't a point in his life na nainggit siya sa mga ito.
Kung ikukumpara mo kasi silang tatlo, Riki would stand out like a sore thumb. He’s been called countless names whenever he’s with the two: Bodyguard, taga-buhat ng bag, o kaya naman ay napagkakamalang Alpha na nanliligaw sa isa sa kanila. But the name that really stood out was ‘the fridge protecting the snacks.’ That was really a funny one, Riki can't deny it.
Alam naman halos lahat ng tao sa campus na omega silang tatlo, pero hindi pa rin mawala ang mga bulung-bulungan. Riki loves his friends so he doesn't really mind; plus, it's better to be avoided by Alphas rather than being pestered by them throughout the day. That's what he says to himself. He'd rather protect Sunoo and Jungwon instead of being called fragile all the time...
Pero minsan, kapag nakikita niyang inaalalayan si Sunoo o binibigyan ng kung anu-anong regalo si Jungwon, hindi niya maiwasang mapaisip. He wondered if someday, an Alpha would court him and gift him things as well. He wondered if one day, an Alpha would carry his stuff for him kapag nahihirapan na siya.
"So, kailan mo ba balak pansinin 'yung taga-HUMSS na Grade 11 na sunod nang sunod sa 'yo?" Sunoo asked, leaning his chin on his palm while looking at Jungwon.
"Hayaan mo siya. Hindi ko type 'yung mga maingay na nag-ddribble kahit walang bola. Parang Grade 7, ampota," Jungwon replied casually before turning his sharp eyes toward Riki. "Ikaw, Riki? Kanina ka pa tahimik diyan. Don't tell me... may natitipuhan ka na?"
Riki froze mid-sip of his drink. He tried to keep his face blank, but the tips of his ears were starting to turn a betraying shade of red. "Wala."
"Sus, deny ka pa. Halata naman, eh. Kanina ka pa tingin nang tingin sa mga football players. Athletic pala type mo, ah?” Sunoo teased, pinching Riki's waist.
Napabuntong-hininga na lang si Riki at ibinaba ang iniinom niyang Dutch Mill. Tumingin siya sa malayo, staring at a random spot on the field away from the football players. “Meron... pero wala lang 'yun.”
“Anong wala, teh? G-graduate ka na ng SHS, ni wala ka man lang kahit isang jowa. Ikaw ba si Virgin Mary?” pabirong tanong ni Sunoo.
"Gaga ka talaga, 'di naman kasi malandi si Riki gaya mo,” saway ni Jungwon, pero hindi niya rin tinantanan si Riki. “Pero seryoso, Riks. Wala ka ba talagang balak mag-first move, confess, o ano? Sayang ganda mo.”
Riki looked back at his half-empty Dutch Mill, picking at the straw. "Kahit naman mag-confess o first move ako, what’s the point? Kita niyo naman 'yung mga nililigawan ng mga players na 'yan—mga kasing-height niyo lang. Pag lumapit ako doon, iisipin nila naghahamon ako ng suntukan, hindi para lumandi.” Sunoo rolled his eyes.
“Ang OA mo naman. 'Di mo pa nga tinry.”
“Basta ayoko,” sumbat ni Riki upang matapos na ang usapan.
Sunoo let out a dramatic sigh, slumping against Jungwon’s shoulder, but he didn't push any further.
Tumahimik ang dalawa as Riki watched the football players starting to clear the field, their loud laughter and heavy footsteps echoing across the open space. For a split second, his eyes met the eyes of a certain player—the one he had a crush on for weeks. He quickly looked away at nagsimulang mag-ayos ng kanilang pinagkainan.
“Tara na, malapit na matapos ang lunch. Early bird pa naman 'yung teacher natin sa next sub, baka ma-late tayo,” sabi ni Riki habang isinasabit ang kaniyang mabigat na backpack sa balikat.
Lumipas ang ilang oras at sa wakas ay tumunog na rin ang bell para sa huling subject. Habang ang ibang estudyante ay nagmamadaling lumabas ng main gate para makauwi, sina Riki naman ay napadako muli sa tapat ng field. Doon kasi ang shortcut papunta sa sakayan nila.
Palabas na sana ang tatlo nang mapansin nilang tumigil ang practice ng football team. Isang grupo ng mga players ang nagtatawanan at nagtutulakan habang papalapit sa direksyon nina Sunoo at Jungwon. Sanay na si Riki sa ganitong eksena. It was the same routine: Alphas trying to get the courage to ask for Sunoo's and Jungwon's contacts.
Naturally, Riki stopped and stepped aside, leaving the two in the center. He stood there at kinuha ang phone niya upang magpalipas ng oras.
"Hoy, ikaw na mauna!"
"Gago, ikaw na! Nahihiya ako kay Sunoo!"
The players were whispering loudly, pushing one of their teammates forward. Riki looked away, staring at the gate, already counting the minutes until he could finally go home and play on his computer.
But then, the footsteps didn't stop in front of Sunoo. The heavy, rhythmic sound of shoes on the pavement continued until someone was standing directly in front of him.
"Uh, excuse me?" Tumingin si Riki sa pinanggalingan ng boses na iyon.
He blinked, still not sure if what he was seeing was real, so he blinked again. There he saw the player he'd been staring at for weeks standing right in front of him. Tangina? Totoo ba ‘to? Sampalin niyo ako, please.
Riki looked behind him, thinking the guy was talking to someone else. "Me?"
"Oo, ikaw," the player chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. He ignored the wolf-whistles and cheering of his teammates in the background. "I've been meaning to ask this since last week, pero laging mukhang seryoso ang usapan niyo."
Oh my God. Riki's heart was beating so fast—like it was ready to thump out of his chest right now.
"Can I... get your IG? If okay lang?" the player asked, holding out his phone with a shy smile.
Nalaglag ang panga ni Sunoo sa gilid, habang si Jungwon naman ay napangisi nang malapad. Riki was frozen for a minute before snapping back to reality.
"Ah, oh—uhm... y-yes, sure.” He typed his username into the guy's IG search bar and quickly handed the phone back. Ramdam niya ang bahagyang panginginig ng kaniyang mga daliri nang magdikit ang balat nila. He felt like his soul left his body for a second.
“Thanks, Riki. See you around,” the player said with a wide smile before running back to his teammates. Sinalubong siya ng asaran at batukan ng kaniyang mga teammates habang pabalik sila sa field.
Riki stood there, frozen, watching the player's back. Jersey Number 08, Park. “Park...” he repeated to himself.