2023.
The Matisses held a small cocktail party in their home, to celebrate the twins' 21st birthday.
According to tradition, a man's 21st birthday is an important transition marking his entry into adulthood. But instead of hosting a lavish party, the Matisses preferred to have a more intimate affair for the twins. There were no more than thirty guests at the party, most of whom were relatives and neighbors. They wanted the guests to have fun and get to know each other in a relaxed environment. No suits, no formal dresses.
It was a particularly sultry evening, and the party was held in the verdant garden of the Matisse household. The color scheme for the night were rose gold and beige.
Cocktail tables were spread across the yard, adding a touch of friendliness and informality. Food and refreshments were spread out on long tables under white canopies. Guests helped themselves to colorful cocktails. Both alcoholic and virgin were served. Scrumptious delicacies from sausages to cakes and mini pastries, were passed continually to guests.
At 6 PM, the party commenced with a brief speech from the twins. At first, Saliou was too reluctant to speak in front of a crowd. He feared public speaking, of trying to deal with an audience. But with a bit of prodding from Milou, he managed to utter a short message: "Thank you for coming to our party and I hope you'll have a great time". The rest was taken care of by the older twin, whose special talent is to talk and get a party started faster than any other people knew.
Obviously, the entire Dumont family were present in the party. While the parents were busy accommodating and chatting with guests, the three Dumont brothers had gathered around a cocktail table, talking among each other. Mason, the eldest among the three, was smoking a cigarette; while Wren and Noah, the second eldest, were busy sipping mixed drinks, speaking in hushed tones.
"Wren, you do know you're drinking pina colada, right?" Noah asked after a while. "It's your third cocktail and you're drinking it like it's lemonade. We're just a couple of hours into the party."
Wren fiddled restlessly with the little paper umbrella in his pina colada; eyes fixed on Saliou who was immersed in a conversation with some cousins, under one of the canopies.
The twins were dressed in silk twill shirts in contrasting colors – Milou in beige while Saliou in rose gold. Of course, the young Dumont paid special attention to the latter. Saliou tucked his shirt tightly into a pair of tan pleated pants, which perfectly highlighted his slim waist. And as he sat back and crossed his legs, Wren caught a glimpse of his exposed ankles over a well-fitted pair of brown suede shoes.
He took another swig of his pina colada, drumming his fingers restlessly against the tabletop. There wasn't a chance to talk to Saliou in private, which got him more and more frustrated by the minute.
He snapped out of his daze when Mason placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "... nothing compared to our lucky baby brother here, who's snagged himself two exceptionally beautiful Omegas."
Wren groaned as his two elder brothers each wrapped an arm around him. "Tell us, baby bro," teased the other brother Noah, "how can you even sleep at night, knowing you can only choose one or the other?"
"Are you stupid?" Mason jeered. "Whoever said he can only choose one? He can legally marry both."
Part of Wren was getting more livid by the second. "Get off my case," he snapped as he took another sip of his pina colada and put the glass down hard on the table.
"Oh! Don't tell us you've already picked a bias." Mason chuckled, prodding an elbow in Wren's ribs.
"Stop it," hissed the young Dumont.
"Once you've made your pick, you better have a good talk with the leftover and warn them about Mason," Noah jested. "This fool's gonna' go after his ass!"
Wren's face wore a look of absolute disgust. "Stop making crass jokes. What do you mean by 'leftover'?"
"Well, if you're planning to marry only one of them, how do you expect the other one would feel? You can't expect them to stay single forever, can you?" Noah reasoned as he jabbed an elbow into Mason's arm. "This one here has zero luck with Omegas. Maybe you can hand over the other twin and –"
Wren gnashed his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. "Stop talking about them like they're some fucking hunting prey," he seethed, which stunned his brothers into silence.
If there's anything Wren hates about his brothers, it would be their backward, Retrogression-era mentality towards Omegas. And it's precisely because of this, that the Matisse twins have avoided mingling with them. Saliou in particular, has a special hatred for them. Wren figured it's best not to tell him about their conversation and just keep it to himself. Otherwise his hatred might just grow worse.
The elder brothers were quick to pick up Wren's display of aggression, and so they decided to steer the conversation toward something safer.
Mason cleared his throat. "So anyway... how can you even tell those two apart?" he asked as he took a long drag on his cigarette and pointed a finger at the twins.
Eyebrows still creased together, Wren replied crisply: "The one in rose pink is Saliou, so obviously the other one's Milou."
Noah gave the twins an intense stare. "Yeah, but how can you tell? They look practically the same to me."
Wren huffed in exasperation as his eyes were once again fixed on the twins. "Milou is shorter by a few centimeters. His hair and eyes are a shade lighter than Saliou's. And... Saliou has two moles right here," He pointed to a spot right under his left collarbone, "like, over here."
The twins snickered as they gave each other a knowing look.
"And you know that how...?" Noah asked tauntingly.
Wren froze and his face flushed a shade of pink. His mouth twisted in a smirk as he grabbed his glass and drained his pina colada. "Pricks." He slammed his glass onto the table and turned to walk away.
"Go get 'em, tiger!" Mason cheered, punching his fist up into the air.
Wren stuck his middle finger in the air without turning around.
The young Dumont walked as quickly as he could to get away from his brothers. But as he was about to approach the small group of people gathered under the canopy, Saliou was suddenly nowhere in sight. He slowed his walking down as he looked around, trying to spot his boyfriend in the crowd. No sign of him.
There, though, was Milou, still busy entertaining his cousins over a bottle of wine. Slowly, Wren walked around to the side of the garden, where a stone walkway led to a gazebo in the middle of a small pond. He could only hope the older twin hadn't noticed him leave. He was desperate to have some time alone with Saliou.
With just a few pina coladas, Wren was already feeling tipsy. He cautiously watched his every step as he ambled along the stone walkway, careful not to trip or fall over.
Suddenly, he stopped, sticking his nose up in the air, sniffing about. He caught a whiff of an ever-familiar scent: a strong mix of jasmine, peach, and orange blossom. It was Saliou's scent, telling him he was somewhere nearby.
Over time, Wren figured that Saliou tends to give off a more powerful scent when he's nearing his heat. But while he could normally tolerate it, there were times he'd feel dizzy when he gets a whiff of his pheromones. Other times, he would feel all hot and bothered, even agitated.
This is one of those times. Whether or not it's aggravated by alcohol, he couldn't tell. He didn't care.
His body wanted Saliou.
He continued along the walkway but as he did, another strong scent tickled his nose. On the side of the gravel path were rows of thick shrubs, beautifully heavy with blossom, the branches laden with bright pink flowers. Wren smiled softly as he stopped once to pluck two tiny flowers, and then proceeded towards the gazebo where Saliou's scent was the strongest.
There he was sitting in the gazebo, phone to his ear, talking animatedly and gesturing with his hands. Wren walked slowly toward Saliou with his hands behind his back. He could hear bits of the one-sided conversation as he walked closer to the gazebo.
"... Yes. I'll make sure to turn in my CV next week, Ma'am," said Saliou, in a lively voice. "Yes, of course. You can expect me to be there an hour before schedule."
It wasn't until Wren was standing at the entrance to the gazebo, that Saliou finally noticed his presence. His gaze met Wren's, then he inclined his head and gestured for him to move closer.
Wren sat down next to him. He placed a hand on the other's knee, squeezing it lightly. "Definitely, Ma'am," Saliou said over the phone, trying to end the conversation as soon as possible. "Thank you so much. You won't be disappointed... Yes, Ma'am. I'll see you next month."
Finally, much to Wren's relief, Saliou hung up the phone. He heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction and looked up at Wren with bright eyes.
"Who was that?" Wren queried.
Saliou's face lit up. "That was Ms. Newman from Skye International. I got accepted as an intern at my first-choice company!" he announced excitedly as he wrapped his arms around Wren's neck. "Please be happy for me!"
Wren took a deep breath – he smelled so sweet. His scent came strong and seemed almost overpowering to his mind. "That's great news, Sal. I'm so happy for you." Careful not to let Saliou see what he was holding, he slid his arms around his waist and kissed him.
Saliou was a little taken aback at how possessive and demanding Wren's kiss was. "I will... start... in three... three weeks..." he said between fiery kisses. "It's... probably time to... think about – Hold on, Wren." Saliou broke away from the other's arms and leaned back. "Are you okay? I can smell alcohol on you... Are you drunk?"
Wren sucked in his lower lip. "Not really. Tipsy, yes." He paused before adding, "I was with Mason and Noah."
"Yes, I saw," Saliou replied coldly, raising an eyebrow. "Did they force you to drink again?"
Wren shook his head no. "I'm at a party that serves alcohol. Of course I'll want to have a drink or two."
"Or three," Saliou hastily corrected him. "Jeez, you. You know you have a low alcohol tolerance. You're red as a tomato."
Wren stared at Saliou languorously, taking in every detail of his face. For the time he was feeling a little crazy, past thought, past care, past everything save the unspeakable wonder of the person in front of him.
"I haven't had the opportunity to greet you a happy birthday," he said as he leaned over to nuzzle Saliou's neck.
"Mmm... thanks." Saliou was careful not to let out a giggle.
Wren kissed the side of his neck before raising his head back to look at the other solemnly. "Here, I have a little something for you." He took Saliou's hands and cupped them together; and when he opened them, setting on his palms were two stemless flowers.
Saliou took them and simply stated, "Wow, thank you!"
"Do you know what these are?"
Saliou scratched the side of his cheek, trying not to laugh. "Uhm, Mom's flowers?"
Wren rubbed the underside of his nose and chuckled. "Well, yes, and I hope she can forgive me for stealing some." And then he pushed his hands closer to Saliou. "But more precisely, they're camellias. It's the season of camellias, so they're in full bloom right now. Do you know what these flowers represent?"
Saliou stared down at the blossoms and shook his head ruefully. "I don't know. Tell me."
"They symbolize faithfulness. Destiny," answered Wren as he placed his hands over Saliou's and gently closed his fingers around the other's palms. "My destiny is in your hands, Saliou Matisse."
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