remember me [kiho, kihyun x wonho]

-1-

Kihyun sits perched on the edge of a large double bed, facing the door of this small, one-room wooden cabin, watching and waiting for the company he's expecting, though "company" is not exactly the right word. He's sitting slightly hunched forward, his hands fisted in the blankets on either side of him, his toes just barely touching the floor, his petite body tight and tense, his eyes focused as he listens for footsteps, for any sign of anyone approaching.

He closes his eyes and listens carefully for a moment, disregarding his other senses and focusing only on the sounds around him, but he can't hear anything going on outside, not that there would ever be much happening, anyway. Life in the compound has always been uneventful, though right now, Kihyun's own life is about to change forever.

This is simply the calm before the storm. Any moment now, that old wooden door will creak open, and Kihyun's fate will be sealed.

Well, not if he can help it. He won't let anyone decide his fate but himself.

He had always known that this day would come. His entire life, he had been prepared for it, groomed for it ever since he was a young child. But now that the day is actually here, now that he's actually sitting here, he doesn't feel prepared at all. Instead, he feels like he's been thrown out to the wolves and left to fend for himself, alone and defenseless as danger closes in.

He opens his eyes again, his heart pounding hard and fast, almost painful in his chest, because yes, he's terrified. He's petrified. But there's also adrenaline coursing through Kihyun's veins, hot and thick, the ancient fight or flight instinct to help him survive no matter what, to help him shake off any feelings of doubt or weakness.

Because when you're someone like Kihyun, when you're an omega, weakness means death, or a fate worse than death. And Kihyun knows that his resolve and resilience, as always, will be the only weapons he has to fight this battle and survive to live another day.

And so, he remains anxious and vigilant, staring straight ahead at the door as he frowns, his mind blank and focused only on taking in sensory information as he lets any stray thoughts drift inside his head and back out again without a chance to sink in. The blankets are stiff in his hands, the mattress old and uncomfortable, the bedframe creaking loudly every time he shifts his weight. There are no clocks here, and no windows, so he has no idea what time it is, nor how long he's been waiting here since he was pulled from his bed in the early hours of the morning, thrown in here with nothing but the clothes on his back, and locked up by the elders. But it feels like it's been hours and hours that he's been stuck here, waiting, still not moving a single inch from this spot even if his whole body aches with stiffness.

And he hates this, because as always, he's at the mercy of someone else. That's just his lot in life whether he likes it or not, and no matter how hard he fights it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't resent it with every fiber of his being, and it doesn't mean he won't fight like hell anyway.

The cabin is small, lit by a few old lamps casting golden light over the walls and dark shadows in the corners. As far as furniture, there's this one double bed and a few chairs, and for amenities, a little stove and ice box containing sparse rations, and a tiny bathroom off on the other side of the room by the front door. Everything is unembellished wood and rusted cooper, clean but ragged, a place not meant to be lived in long-term, after all, just seven days at a time. And it's one of several cabins like this in the compound, used only for one purpose and one purpose only.

Mating.

This is a mating cabin. The thought makes Kihyun tense up all over again.

Still, this is a luxury compared to what he's normally used to, a cramped bunker with all of the other omegas, ten to a room, only given a tiny single bed to call his own. Their feline hybrid community is small, and they don't have much, but it hasn't gone unnoticed by Kihyun, or any of the others for that matter, that certain members of their community are given everything even when there's almost nothing to give, the rest intended to make it on whatever's left over. They're supposed to be all in this together, one united community, but the truth is, even hybrids like them can't escape their underlying humanity, the greed for power and the cruelty of a privileged few imposing their own order on everyone beneath them by force.