Weakness, Early Morning Excursions, and a Visitor

Tiza wasn't a masochist. He didn't like the negative and unknown feelings that came with being around Aosh. He saw them as a weakness and as such needed to be conquered. That's why he proposed they become friends instead of running the other off for good. Sure he felt bad for treating the guy poorly, but that didn't play into the grand scheme of things in Tiza's opinion.

He knew the biggest thing holding him back was himself, even if he preferred to blame outside sources. So he would suffer through these emotions to conquer his aversion to Alphas.

This was the kind of attitude he needed, but the ferocity of such intentions ran cold the moment he walked into the coffee shop the next morning to see the Alpha situated at his usual table once more.

And there it was, the sinking feeling, the cold sweat, and that indescribable warmth.

'Goddammit!'

Going to the counter he orders his usual and sits across from Aosh while he waits for his order to be called. Aosh offers him a 'good morning', and he returns it in kind if a little less enthusiastic.

"No coffee?" Tiza asks.

"To be honest I don't really like coffee," He laughs, feeling a little stupid saying it out loud in a coffee shop.

'Then why come to a coffee shop then?' thought Tiza. The notion that Aosh would do just about anything to be near him was foreign to him and thus didn't cross his mind. Tiza takes this as an opportunity to continue his line of questioning from yesterday.

"So what do you like then?"

"Protein shakes, energy drinks, water…" the Alpha tapped his finger to his chin trying to think of anything else. Aosh didn't think saying 'you' was an appropriate answer.

Tiza distracts himself with worthless questions about the other, asking things he didn't care to know or wouldn't remember. That's what friends did right? Tiza was often seen as cold and unapproachable, so he didn't have any prior knowledge on the subject.

It was all about desensitization, he thought. The more they interacted the better. Gradually he should become less affected by the others' presence. Tiza remembered a tidbit from the conversation during lunch yesterday and speaks while Aosh is mid-sentence.

"Running."

"Hmm?"

"I go running every morning at the park before I come here. At six."

The Alpha looked confused so he elaborated.

"Since you said you're building strength in your legs I thought I'd tell you. The walking trail has varying inclines, it's good for toning muscle."

Tiza stayed aloof as if his invitation wasn't obvious of what he was implying. Since he wasn't looking at the Alpha, he failed to notice the surprised excitement that spread across his face as he realized Tiza was asking Aosh to join him.

..................

The next morning Aosh arrived at the park twenty minutes before six. He came to the start of the walking trail, already knowing how to get there since this was a park he visited frequently growing up. In the early morning haze, he noticed Tiza already sitting at a bench on his phone. The Alpha jogged up to him and offered a 'good morning'.

"Good morning." Tiza gave him a once over. The Alpha wore a red muscle shirt paired with black basketball shorts, the shirt showed off his well-defined muscles nicely and Tiza's eyes were drawn to his arm once again.

Tiza started jogging down the trail without a word.

"Wait up!" Aosh quickly followed, caught off guard that he just took off like that.

...................

The two men had hectic schedules. Tiza had classes to plan and teach and Aosh had work and summer classes to attend, along with integrating gym time back into his routine and spending time with Daniella.

As a result, most of the time the two spent together was during these morning runs and the subsequent coffee shop visit afterward. At first, these runs were in complete silence, both men listening to music through their headphones, neither wanting to be the first to say something or make the other take out their earbuds. But there were times when they would stop to take a break, that Aosh would try to start a conversation or Tiza would make a comment to fill the silence.

The park was expansive and lush with thick foliage and numerous species of plants. The Alpha loved it there, it was one of the two places he went when he needed someplace to think.

Aosh had often envisioned taking his fated mate here when he was a kid. He imagined going on picnics and walking around the ponds scattered throughout. Showing off his knowledge of all the plants that sprung up in the spring. Kissing under the golden leaves in fall.

He shook that last thought out of his head. They were just friends. Friends don't kiss.

It made his heart happy whenever they stopped by one of the many ponds to rest. The two looked out across the waters, sometimes talking, sometimes not saying anything at all.

It made him giddy when he saw Tiza's eyes linger a little too long on a plant they passed by or he stopped entirely to take a closer look. Aosh opened up like an encyclopedia, giving little tidbits of knowledge on the plant in question.

He couldn't tell if Tiza was impressed, but the fact that he held the others' gaze and attention was enough. So even though they had busy schedules, the mornings had become Aosh's favorite part of the day. Aosh felt selfish though. His heart craved more of Tiza's time, even if it was limited.

One morning before they parted ways a block before Tiza's street, Aosh posed a question.

"Do you, maybe, want to, uh, come over? To my place. We can just hang out, play some video games maybe? I mean whenever you have time, I know you're busy."

When it was concerning the Omega his words never left his mouth as composed as they were in his head. Tiza was in silent contemplation, taking sips of his lukewarm coffee.

"We'll see." was all he said before heading towards his street.

'Well at least it wasn't a no.' Aosh thought, hopeful.

Later that evening while Aosh was in class he received a text.

Tiza 8:15pm

Friday at 6:30. No funny business or I'm leaving.

..................…..

Daniella woke up like she did every morning, to the front door opening and closing. Bad habits die hard, she guessed.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at the clock next to Aosh's bed. It displayed '5:30' in big red numbers. The Alpha had been leaving at this time every day for the last couple of weeks. It took her a while to figure out Aosh's daily schedule, but soon enough she realized these morning excursions were Tiza- related.

She didn't say anything, never questioned him, but just let him do what he wanted. If he felt like he needed to keep it from her or decided not to tell her about it that was his decision. She was not a pushy person, she would worry in silence until he came to her.

Walking into the kitchen to grab a bowl and some cereal, it really felt like she lived on her own. Aosh was always busy and wasn't home much. He left early in the morning, came home to change, then headed to work. After work, he came home and grabbed his gym bag, and went to the gym. After the gym, he went straight to class some days or came home to study on other days.

The Alpha made some time for her and they played games or watched tv, which was nice but not necessary. Aosh refused to let her cook or clean, saying she had done enough of that for Klark. In Daniella's opinion Aosh needed to take a break, he seemed stretched thin even if he would never say anything.

As for Daniella, she was sick and tired of staying inside and would leave often. She didn't know what Aosh would think if he found out she was trying to get a job and move out so he could have his place to himself again. She would tell him, eventually, but it seemed like he was occupied 'being friends' with Tiza. The last thing she wanted was to distract him from that.

She washed out her now empty bowl in the sink. In her mind, she made a list of businesses she would visit today. So far the Omega had no luck, she had no prior work experience nor a degree so this wasn't a surprise. Daniella was really putting all her hopes on someone pitying her enough to hire her.

Looking around she noticed the couch, where Aosh slept, was still covered in the blankets he slept with. Out of habit she folded them and straightened out the cushions before heading back into the bedroom to take a shower.

A few hours later Aosh came home and gave her a quick greeting before heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He left as quickly as he came, yelling 'goodbye' as he closed the door, headed to work. Now, with Aosh gone for most of the day, Daniella changed into more presentable clothes; ones that said 'hire me' and not 'I slept in all day'. She was in the process of pinning stray hairs into place when there was a knock at the door.

Daniella's face contorted in confusion. Was Aosh expecting somebody…? Being too short to look into the peephole she timidly opened the door.

Behind it stood a young man with dark skin and a muscled build. He looked a little shocked seeing her, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked beyond her into the apartment.

"Can I help you?"

"Yea, uh, does Aosh still live here?"

Daniella gave him a once over before answering, "Yea, he's out right now."

"Oh well, can you tell him I dropped by. My name's Hunter by the way. I've been trying to get in contact with him but I uh,... lost his number. Can you give him my number and tell him to give me a call?"

"...Sure." She grabbed a nearby scrap piece of paper and a pen, then scratched down the number given.

The man thanked her and left. Closing the door, Daniella thought about throwing the number and note out. She'd heard about this 'Hunter guy' from Aosh and knew he was friends with that scumbag that attacked Tiza. Ultimately she left the note on the fridge and finished getting ready. It wasn't her place to decide for Aosh what he should or shouldn't do.