A Sour Memory

Two Years Ago (Second Semester)

The university sprung back to life when school resumed. For Hudson and Jin, it was a time to have fun and play new tricks, but for Bolin, it was another four months of babysitting the two.

Jin was a bit relieved when Master Quinton introduced his teaching assistant. That meant he wouldn't show up all the time for lectures. On such days Jin annoyed Zhen the most while sitting at the back with Hudson. When he learned that the T.A. was Zhen's infamous elder brother, Xander, he finally understood why they had identical features.

Xander Knox, unlike his younger brother, had an outgoing personality. He merely brushed off the pranks Jin and his counterparts pulled in class with a smile and gentle reproof.

"Why is that arrogant prick now showing his face? I was hoping he wouldn't take this class." Jin leaned towards Hudson, spying upfront with a stink eye.

"Huh? You know Tristan from the Amon tribe?" Hudson hid his face behind a textbook.

"My mother wants to pair that cockatoo up with my sister. We fought a couple of times when his family visited. My fists itch to pound his face in, every time I see him." Jin gritted his teeth.

"Quiet, the T.A. is teaching!" Bolin yanked his brother into a proper sitting position, fed up with the whispering.

Unfortunately, that bit did not escape the Teaching Assistant.

"Is Master Bolin alright?" Xander had to ask after the unceasing giggles and murmuring. Bolin, the tragic one, froze with a frown on his face.

Seeing how speechless the younger was, Jin decided to make the lesson more interesting. "Sorry, my brother was just talking about how beautiful your smile is."

Bolin's mouth dropped as he turned to his brother, thinking of how to kill him. Hudson placed a fist over his lips, muffling the laughter.

Now they had the entire class' attention. "Not this clown again." A tall fellow in blue sighed when he looked back.

The T.A. smiles. "I'm flattered, Master Jin, but I think such matters should be kept away from the class."

Jin pouted: "Why so? I'm only helping my brother out. You're totally his type. Look at how his face turned red when you smiled at him."

Now everyone else, including Zhen, had to see the proof. Bolin slowly stood up, his fist clenched. The urge to strangle his brother remained, but he couldn't stand the embarrassment. Without saying a word, Bolin made his way out of the class.

"Tch! You broke his heart with that reply, Teacher. Now I have to excuse myself to console him." Jin saw a loophole. He turned back when he reached the door. "Umm, I'll be needing Hudson as well," Jin said as he quickly went back, and grabbed his partner in crime. Everything happened so fast that Xander failed to stop them.

"Just ignore them," Zhen commented to save him the trouble.

Outside, Jin was chased by Bolin on sight. Hudson just laughed at the two until he felt he'd burst. " I don't think you can face Xander again," Jin said.

At lunch, Jin narrated the ordeal to Ann and Wren. They also chipped in on the laugh. While eating, Heil approached. "You ready?"

Lee Ann: "What's happening?"

Jin: "Oh, he says he has something cool to show me."

Bolin: "Where?"

Heil: "Don't worry, your brother is in safe hands."

Wren: "Heil, I never took you for the friendly type?"

Heil: "Hmph! I don't make friends, but Jin is different."

Jin got up after shoving another meatball into his mouth. "Don't stress yourself. I'll treat you to a meal when we're done," Heil handed him a leather jacket as they walked to his motorcycle.

Zhen was with Xander when he spotted the two. Heil had a hand perched on Jin's head, buckling up a helmet. They seemed pretty close. "Is that not Master Jin?" Xander noticed his brother staring intensely at the two. Zhen ignored the question and focussed on his food. The last thing he wanted was to get upset.

***

The following week, Xander took his students to a simulation class. The goal of learning martial arts and cultivation was to overcome creatures of the night that used to terrorize the innocent. That was hundreds of years ago. Now, those creatures known as the 'Ghouls' were no more. They disappeared off the face of the earth. Nonetheless, there were lesser creatures that sometimes went off track.

The simulation was to teach them how to function as a group during a hunt for such malignant beings.

"Each group must have a maximum of three students," Xander instructed.

Jin was quick to snatch Bolin and Hudson as partners. They wouldn't have it any other way. Zhen was approached by Tristan and a female named Maddy. After giving them some time to get ready, Xander inspected each group. He paused at the dynamic trio that loved to cause commotion in his class.

Xander: "Master Bolin, switch to another group."

"Aww, Bolin, he's looking out for you. I bet he thinks I'll use you as bait," Jin teased, making his brother numb.

Xander sighed with his eyes shut, suddenly recalling his brother's advice about this omega, 'Just ignore him.' "In that case, Master Jin, I'm changing your group. You'll switch places with Master Triston."

"What?!" The dynamic trio exclaimed.

Jin glanced over at Zhen's blank face and shook his head. "Don't you want your brother to come out of there alive?"

"I'm sure he'll survive today," said Xander.

And so the swap was made.

Xander: "I hope you all took your suppressants; a change in emotions could cause a spike in pheromone. Be careful not to trigger anyone, and keep a healthy distance. Don't get injured out there. Break the rules, and I'd have to deduct marks."

Each group leader chose a special card. The simulation rooms had different compartments that could be accessed with those cards. Each room led to a different geographical scope, and the students were to solve the mystery as they battled virtual corpses and ghouls.

While some found themselves in a swamp, others got to fight in plain fields. Bolin's party, Group Copper, wandered a thick bamboo forest while Jin felt Group Dynamite was quite fortunate to get a quest in a simple town setting.

At first, Group Copper seemed to be ahead of the others. Although Bolin was not a fan of Tristan, they managed to pull through the first three clues. Hudson just trailed behind them, leaning onto Bolin for protection.

Bolin: "Hey, it's just a hologram; you don't have to stick to me like glue."

Hudson: "That's what they want us to think. These things are real as fuck."

Bolin: "How the hell did you get into this program? You're afraid of your own shadow."

Hudson: "Weren't you told it was compulsory for people like us?"

Bolin rolled his eyes. It was true that heirs of tribe heads were required to learn these arts to protect their territory.

Tristan: "If you're tired, let's go to the hill over there, I'm sure we'll find a checkpoint."

Bolin: "No need; we can cover more ground. Ignore this crybaby."

Hudson: "I wish Jin were here."

Tristan: "So you three can fool around?"

"Yes...but not really. We three work best together." Hudson showed his teeth as he thought of all the rules they planned to break.

Meanwhile, group Dynamite was dragging its feet. Jin and Zhen could not agree on most things, and Maddy was stuck between their tantrums. As they walked through the town, Zhen had his ears on the conversations his teammates had. 'Instead of working, he decides to flirt.' Zhen shook his head.

"Let's split up," Zhen said. Seeing Jin interact with others appeared to irritate him.

"Why? Is it that you want to keep Maddy to yourself?" Jin brushed his nose with a finger.

Zhen glared at him before veering off. "Let's just split up and work faster.".

"Go alone if you want to. I'm staying with Maddy," said Jin.

"Fine, have it your way," Zhen answered indifferently.

Displeased at how quickly that argument ended, Jin tallied after the alpha. It was not every day he got a reaction from Zhen Knox. "Why should I have it my way? Are you upset because you're too uptight to talk to a beautiful lady?" Jin poked the bear in the chest.

"Okay, you two, that's enough. I'll go alone, check the bigger houses," Maddy said.

Jin: "But.."

"But nothing, you have to work together, or we'll lose marks. Just check the place with Zhen, ok?" Maddy appealed to the omega with a tap on his cheek.

"Alright, only for you, my lady," Jin smiled.

They failed to notice the alpha clenching his sword tightly. Soon Maddy left Jin and Zhen to their fate. Zhen took a different direction, into a deserted compound.

'This place seems empty to me,' Jin concluded as he went through four different rooms. After searching for a while, an evil grin appeared on his face. 'Time to have fun.'

Zhen went through what appeared to be an old living room. The crusty paint on the walls was half-washed with cracks that ran through the ceiling. Keeping to his training, Zhen Knox tossed a few spells to clarify the place was empty- and it was. But the moment he took another step, the face of a disfigured ghoul, bluish in colour, growled in his face.

Zhen's eyes grew wide, but his fear soon turned into anger when he realized it was his shameless teammate wearing a mask. "Lee Jin!" the alpha gritted his teeth at the man laughing hard at him.

"Hahaha! You should have seen your face."

Zhen noticed the small camera in his hands. "You!" He grabbed Jin's wrist, struggling to take the device from him.

"Hey! That's mine! Give it back!" Jin jumped on Zhen's back, stretching his hand to reclaim the camera.

"Using modern gadgets is against the rules...stop resisting and stay away."

"Not until you give it back!"

"I'm warning you to step back!" Zhen felt a little uncomfortable. Jin's chest rubbed against him continuously, and he could smell pheromones.

"Fine. Take it," Zhen gave in. He put a distance between them, fighting against his pheromones.

Jin failed to read the situation and got nosy. "Hey, Grumpy-Dumpty, are you alright? Why are you sweating?"

Zhen moved further, but Jin drew closer. "Stay away!" the alpha warned, holding his palm up.

But the omega was persistent, ignoring the 'term', boundaries.

"Come on, I'm worried about you. You don't look so good- let me check you first." Jin touched Zhen's forehead and neck, forgetting he had startled the alpha just a moment ago. "You seem to be burning up. I should alert our brother," Jin said.

For Zhen, it was unbearable having this peculiar omega so close, breathing in his smell, listening to his voice. Zhen's senses were on fire, amplifying on sight. He could spot every hair on the omega's skin and feel and scent the right spot to mark. "No...just get lost." Zhen slumped to the ground, groaning in pain at his resistance.

"Don't be stubborn!" Jin did not stop there, he went down to check on the fellow, slapping his face lightly to get him to focus, but Zhen was dazed. He swallowed his spit, sniffing something delicious like a beast to its prey...and then he stopped fighting it.

"Ahh!"

Jin was suddenly pushed onto the ground, Zhen trembling above him. "I told you to...stay away," the alpha's speech slurred, looking at a confused Jin.

"Hey Zhen, get off. This is weird even for you. Don't tell me you didn't take suppressants...mmm!" Jin's words got muffled by the other's mouth.

Zhen's grip on the omega's wrist tightened as he deepened the kiss, sucking and licking without restraint. Jin tried moving his head away, but this alpha was too strong. "Mmm!" Jin shuddered as Zhen's tongue broke inside and swirled his mouth. For a while, the omega's mind went blank. He couldn't say he hated the kiss; he simply didn't expect to lose his first this way- not to this alpha.

On the floor of a virtual haunted house, Jin was kissed passionately by the guy who refused to smile at him.

Jin's eyes widened when he felt the alpha's hardness against him, rubbing on his groin.

'Thank God our uniforms have layers," Jin thought to himself. He could sense Zhen's pheromones boring through his nostrils. "Mhn...wait," Jin cooed when Zhen left his lips after biting. He gasped, seeing a drop of blood on those short fangs, ready to bite into his skin and mark him on the neck.

Xander was so occupied with the others, he hardly checked on group Dynamite. He had absolute trust in his brother's skill.

Xander became curious when he looked over the monitor and realized that Group Dynamite had split up. After checking a few slides, he saw Maddy battling with some fierce ghouls by herself.

"Huh? Where is Zhen?" Xander checked the other cameras. "Oh no...this can't be real." He quickly took a card and ran toward the simulation room.

When the other teams came out, Bolin was informed that Jin had already left. He was given no clue about what had ensued. "Wow, that fast? He must be in the changing room then. I'm sure he's left. Jin has lectures afterward," Hudson said as they made their way out.

**

(Present Day)

Jin and his brother decided to set up a private meeting with the Knox brothers. They proudly showed up late.

"You wanted to meet us," Xander was polite even as the omegas glared holes through their heads.

"Yes, we did," Bolin folded his arms. "Stop smiling. It's obnoxious how you pretend to be a good person." He snorted at Xander.

"Just say what you have to." Zhen expected nothing realistic from them, but he was a little anxious about Jin's silence.

"It's about the arranged marriage," Bolin said. He gave Jin a soft grin and then turned back to the Knox brothers with a frown, "We want to make a deal..."