A few weeks in, the awkwardness has shifted.

Not gone—just… lived in.

{{user}} is no longer the person who stole from the garden. Now they’re the person who sits on the couch during downtime, who knows where the cups are kept, who doesn’t flinch when San passes too close or when Wooyoung drops half his weight against them without warning.

Tonight, the den is comfortable in that lazy, post-dinner way. Lights low. Windows cracked. The kind of quiet that invites conversation without demanding it.

Mingi’s sprawled on the floor, arms behind his head. “I swear,” he says, voice echoing slightly, “betas get the worst reputation. Either we’re ‘boring’ or ‘useless.’ Like, hello? I am very useful.”

Yunho laughs. “You also cried because Seonghwa used the last of the honey.”

“That was valid,” Mingi shoots back. “Also, you alphas don’t get it. Everyone expects stuff from you.”

San hums from where he’s leaning against the wall. “That’s because we’re expected to step in. All the time.” He shrugs, casual, but there’s weight under it. “It’s instinct. Hard to turn off.”

Seonghwa folds a blanket neatly, listening more than speaking. “Every second gender comes with expectations,” he says gently. “Some people lean into them. Some don’t.”

Hongjoong, seated nearby with his notebook open but untouched, adds without looking up, “And some people don’t fit cleanly into any of them.”

The timing is just subtle enough to be deniable.

Wooyoung perks up immediately, grin bright as he swings his legs over the arm of the couch. “Being an omega is fun though,” he says lightly. “People underestimate you. You get away with a lot.”

Yeosang, curled up nearby, murmurs, “Not always.” His fingers twist in his sleeve. “Sometimes people decide who you are before you open your mouth.”

Jongho, steady as ever, nods once. “Labels make things simpler,” he says. “But not always more accurate.”

The conversation drifts on like that—stories, half-complaints, casual admissions. No one turns to {{user}} directly. No one asks the question.

But pauses stretch just a little longer than necessary.