[BL] Between an Alpha and Omega

U: Nothing Lost

AN: This chapter went on... a bit longer than I anticipated. Things got derailed and went in a weird direction

No edits so let me know if I messed up anywhere.

*****

The blistering hot sun beat down on muscled backs as they worked tirelessly. Arms bulged with sandbags to be carried, deep groans of exertion as pipes were adjusted to the right position and the shouts of the foreman as he ordered his men to get things done.

This was Jun Yibai life.

He hadn't wanted to do this but it couldn't be helped. While the offer of rooming with his friends had been on the table, he refused to live like that unless he could carry some of the burdens.

So he worked to earn enough money to get a place of his own.

To be honest, he mostly got this job due to his father's connections. He was really lucky that his dad trusted his words and didn't question his decision to move out or else he'd have already been caught.

It had been a year since he'd graduated high school and moved out. His mother was distracted but his father nodded like it was to be expected.

"It's best you learn how to fend for yourself out there." He'd said the day he broke the news. "I can give you a good word but that's all I'm giving. With what I've taught you, it should be more than enough."

It was cold but it was very much like this.

This job was hard and only paid by the day but the benefits were well worth the sweat and dirt. Dorms for the workers. The quality was... livable but compared to paying for hotels every night, it was preferable.

The beta had been wiping the sweat and grit off his brow when he heard a voice call out to him.

"B-brother Jun!?"

He looked up to see one of the newcomers to the site. There was no questioning his sex, with such a charming face and delicate figure. When he'd first arrived, the other betas gave him the stink eye, as was expected from those who knew how precarious their employment could be.

Everyone but Jun Yibai, neither approached nor dismissed the young man.

He didn't know why an omega would bother seeking out a job like this. He clearly wasn't built for this kind of stuff. He struggled with even the lightest loads but as a fellow teen trying to make money, Jun Yibai had lent him a helping hand every once in a while.

Since then, the omega had followed him around like a stray.

"Brother Jun." The young man, Huo Yun, ran to his side, holding up some papers. "These came for you."

"You ran all the way over here to hand me my mail?"

Their sites were quite a distance from each other. Even though the dorms were halfway between the sites, it was still a long trek.

The omega flushed, shielding his face with the rim of his cap. "B-brother Jun did say I should try running to build up my stamina."

"Ah right." He muttered absently, mildly recalling him saying something like that. While he wouldn't stop the omega from working, he didn't want the man to kill himself trying to do the work of men twice his size. "I did say that, didn't I?"

He gave the omega a friendly shoulder pat. "I'm glad you're sticking to it."

Again, the omega's face flushed.

Ah, it must be really hot for him. He thought, handing the man a bottle of water. Afterward, he went through his mail. Most of it was junk but one caught his eye.