The three of them drifted toward one of the benches lining the lawn nearby. The area was one of Acheron's favourite places on campus, tucked between flowering gardens and old sculptures created by past art students decades ago. Some pieces were abstract and strange. Others weathered beautifully with age, moss curling around the stone bases like nature itself had adopted them.
Flower petals occasionally drifted through the air whenever the wind picked up.
It felt peaceful there.
Aviv immediately dropped onto the bench with all the elegance of a falling tree. Barrett, meanwhile, deliberately left the open space beside Aviv for Acheron before lowering himself onto the grass in front of them instead.
Even while listening to the conversation, Barrett's eyes continued scanning the surrounding area automatically. Passing students. Nearby groups. Unfamiliar Alphas wandering too close.
Protective instinct seemed woven directly into his spine.
Acheron had noticed it from the very beginning.
Barrett rarely hovered over Aviv in an obvious way, but there was always this quiet awareness around him. Like he was constantly tracking exits, distances, potential problems before they could happen. And somehow, over time, that protectiveness had naturally extended toward Acheron too.
At first, it had made him nervous.
Being watched over so carefully felt unfamiliar after spending so long trying to make himself smaller and easier to overlook.
But now...
Now it comforted him more than he liked admitting.
Barrett wasn't overly talkative, but whenever Acheron spoke, Barrett actually listened, without interrupting or dismissing him. But when he did offer advice, it was usually thoughtful enough to stay in Acheron's head for days afterwards.
"You're thinking too loudly again," Aviv suddenly said, nudging Acheron lightly with his shoulder.
Acheron blinked. "What?"
"You get this look." Aviv pointed directly at his face. "Like a sad hamster staring through a rainy window."
Acheron looked deeply offended.
Barrett snorted quietly into his drink.
"Traitor," Acheron muttered under his breath. He took a short pause before answering Aviv's previous question.
"She kept stringing Ivo along," Acheron said quietly, though irritation still sharpened the edges of his voice.
Aviv immediately leaned forward with interest. "What do you mean?"
Acheron fiddled absentmindedly with the sleeve hanging over his hand before answering.
"I don't know everything," he admitted. "Ivo didn't talk about it much at first, but..." He frowned softly. "She hated it when he spoke to other people about their relationship. Especially his family."
Aviv's expression twisted instantly. "Seriously? That's already a terrible sign."
"Exactly." Acheron nodded quickly. "And every time they spoke on the phone, they somehow ended up fighting. But it was always Ivo apologising afterwards."
His brows furrowed further the more he thought about it.
"He kept chasing after her constantly. Buying gifts. Cancelling plans whenever she wanted attention. If he didn't immediately do what she wanted, she'd make everything explode."
Acheron huffed softly through his nose.
"But she never gave him the same energy back."
"Damn," Aviv muttered. "She sounds exhausting."
"She was," Acheron answered bluntly.
Aviv looked delighted by the unexpected sharpness in his tone.
"Have you actually met her before?" he asked.
"Only once." Acheron visibly grimaced at the memory. "And technically by accident."
Barrett finally looked over with mild curiosity. Acheron tucked one leg slightly beneath himself on the bench as he explained.
"She rushed to Ivo's high school one afternoon because his phone got confiscated during class."
Aviv blinked. "That's it?"
"The teacher caught him texting her during a lesson," Acheron explained. "So his phone got taken away until the end of the day."
"That's normal."
"Apparently not to her." Acheron sighed. "She immediately accused him of ignoring her because he was cheating."
Aviv stared at him for a moment before laughing incredulously. "You're joking."
"I wish I were." Acheron leaned back against the bench with a tired expression. "She always accused him of cheating. Constantly."
"Insecure much," Aviv muttered sarcastically.
"Sounds more like a projection," Barrett said calmly from where he sat in the grass.
Both Acheron and Aviv looked at him at the same time.
Then Aviv pointed dramatically at his brother. "Exactly! She absolutely cheated."
Acheron blinked in surprise. "How did you guys know?"
The twins exchanged a look before shrugging simultaneously.
"People who accuse others nonstop usually tell on themselves eventually," Barrett said simply.
"And crazy recognises crazy," Aviv added wisely.
Barrett gave him a flat look. "You are the crazy one."
"True." Aviv nodded without shame.
Acheron couldn't stop the small laugh that slipped out of him. Soft and brief, but genuine enough that both twins visibly relaxed hearing it.
"So," Aviv continued, "how did your brother finally find out?"
Acheron's expression soured again.
"Ivo caught her in bed with someone else about four months ago."
Aviv physically recoiled. "Yikes."
"The worst part," Acheron continued quietly, "was finding out the other guy had apparently been around almost as long as Ivo had."
Barrett's jaw tightened faintly.
Acheron lowered his eyes toward his hands.
"She told him the only reason she stayed with him was because our family has money..." His voice grew smaller afterwards. "And because he's an Alpha."
A brief silence settled over the group. Flower petals drifted lazily past the bench as students moved around them in the distance, their laughter carrying faintly across the lawn.
"What a horrible person," Aviv finally muttered.
"Yeah..." Acheron exhaled softly. "I know breakups are painful and everything, but honestly..."
His nose scrunched slightly. "I can't help feeling like his tears are wasted on her."
Aviv immediately burst out laughing. "That's harsh."
Acheron looked entirely unrepentant. "It's true."
"No, you're right," Aviv admitted between laughs. "I fully support this level of judgment."
Barrett shook his head faintly, though amusement flickered briefly across his face.
"Has he finally moved back into your apartment at least?" Aviv asked.
Acheron went oddly quiet for half a second.
"He never actually moved out."
Aviv slowly turned his head toward him.
"Acheron."
"What?"
"You told me they were basically living together."
"They were."
"And yet he never moved out of your apartment?"
Acheron avoided eye contact immediately.
"He just..." He fiddled with his sleeves again. "Stayed over a lot."
"A lot?" Aviv repeated.
"He hasn't slept anywhere else in a really long time."
Aviv stared at him with deep judgment.
Meanwhile, Barrett looked completely unsurprised.
Acheron suddenly became very interested in the nearby flowers. A soft giggle escaped him anyway, small and sheepish.
While the conversation drifted between teasing and complaints about terrible girlfriends, Barrett's attention quietly shifted elsewhere.
An unfamiliar Alpha had entered the courtyard.
Barrett noticed him immediately.
The man looked harmless enough at first glance. He wore a dark, oversized hoodie with some ridiculous cartoon graphic stretched across the front and faded jeans that looked like they had survived several tragic washing machine incidents. His dark hair was slightly messy, as though he had run his hands through it too many times that day.
This harmless appearance meant very little to Barrett.
The Alpha paused several metres away, scanning the lawn as if searching for someone. Then his eyes landed directly on their group. Recognition flashed across his face, and instantly, he started walking toward them. His pace almost increased to a sprint.
Barrett smoothly rose from where he had been sitting on the grass. He brushed dirt from his palms against his jeans before stepping subtly closer to the bench where Aviv and Acheron still sat completely oblivious.
His actions weren't extreme enough to alarm them. Barrett held his pheromones firmly in check. Under different circumstances, he might have let a faint warning scent slip into the air, enough to caution the unfamiliar Alpha against approaching further. But Acheron's pheromones aren't functioning properly.
Instead, Acheron remained distracted, still mid-conversation with Aviv.
The approaching Alpha briefly glanced toward Barrett. His eyes lingered just long enough to acknowledge the challenge before immediately returning toward the two Omegas.
Then his entire expression softened.
"Achie." The single word carried so much fondness it almost melted into the air.
Acheron blinked before his face lit up with genuine surprise.
"Ivo ?" He sat upright immediately. "What are you doing here ?"
The moment Barrett heard the name, some of the tension left his posture. Not entirely, but enough that he stepped slightly back toward Aviv's side rather than directly in front of him. He remained cautious and still kept a watchful eye.
"Look what I have," Ivo announced excitedly.
Ivo excitedly waved the stack of papers before dropping the top page directly onto Acheron's lap. A large red stamp stretched across the document in bold letters: APPROVED. As Acheron skimmed further down the page, his eyes widened. It was a transfer acceptance form for Velmira University of the Arts.
His university.
Acheron stared at the page in complete shock before snapping his gaze back up toward his brother.
"You transferred here?"
"I didn't transfer to spy on you," Ivo said immediately, pointing accusingly before Acheron could even open his mouth. "Before you start."
Acheron looked deeply unconvinced already.
Ivo sighed dramatically. "Velmira's film department is way better than my old university's."
That part at least sounded truthful.
"And honestly..." His voice lowered quietly, "I needed to get away from her."
The last words came out so softly that Acheron almost missed them beneath the sounds of students passing nearby. For a moment, Ivo suddenly looked exhausted.
Like someone who had spent too long trying to hold together something already broken. Acheron's expression softened almost immediately. The irritation he usually carried whenever discussing the ex-girlfriend melted away at the sight of his brother standing there looking strangely uncertain.
Even after everything, Ivo still looked hurt.
"You know," Acheron said quietly, "even if you transferred here to spy on me..."
A tiny smile tugged at his mouth, "I think I still would've been okay with it."
Ivo let out a startled laugh just before Acheron stood and wrapped his arms around him in a small, shy hug. Although brief, it was still very gentle. But it hit Ivo like sunlight after months of rain.
The heavy fog hanging inside his chest loosened almost instantly. He missed this. Missed home. His arms tightened around Acheron instinctively before he forced himself to loosen his grip again.
The hug lasted only a few seconds before Acheron stepped back.
Reluctantly, Ivo let him go.
"So," Aviv suddenly announced, stepping forward dramatically. "This is the famous Ivo."
He extended his hand casually.
"I've heard many things."
"Hopefully none criminal," Ivo answered with a laugh as he shook his hand. "Aviv, right?"
Up close, Ivo finally got a proper look at him, and immediately forgot how breathing worked.
Aviv was... stunning.
His hair sat somewhere between blonde and light brown beneath the sunlight, the sides clipped short while the longer strands on top were styled with careless perfection, like he had spent an hour making it look effortless. His green-blue eyes sparkled constantly with amusement, as though he found the entire world entertaining.
He was tall, too. Surprisingly tall for an Omega.
Though Ivo still stood a few inches above him.
The clothes certainly didn't help either. Aviv's fitted silk shirt looked expensive enough to pay someone's rent for a month, the top buttons left casually undone in a way that felt deliberate rather than sloppy. Rings glinted faintly on his fingers whenever he moved.
Ivo's heart slammed violently against his ribs; it was fast enough to genuinely alarm him. Heat rushed through his body almost instantly, and his palms grew damp. His Alpha instincts surged forward so suddenly that he nearly lost control of his pheromones right there in the middle of campus.
He soon notices another presence shifted beside Aviv. Sharp blue-green eyes locked onto him immediately.
Barrett.
The resemblance between the twins became unmistakable up close, but where Aviv looked warm and playful, Barrett looked dangerous in the quiet way a locked door with claw marks on it might feel dangerous.
The glare he sent Ivo lasted less than a second, but it was enough to snap him from his daze. Ivo regained control of himself almost immediately, swallowing hard as he forced his pheromones back down before they leaked into the air.
What the hell was that?
He had never reacted to someone that quickly before. Never felt attraction hit him so suddenly and violently that his entire body responded before his brain could catch up.
It genuinely unsettled him.
"Barrett." Aviv's twin finally extended his hand properly.
The movement was calm and controlled, but his sharp eyes never once left Ivo's face. Barrett had already noticed the subtle dilation of Ivo's pupils earlier. The quick spike in attention and the faint increase in pheromone secretion that followed afterwards.
It was such a small amount, barely detectable, but Barrett notices things like that.
Fortunately, the amount had been restrained enough not to affect either Omega sitting nearby. Aviv remained blissfully unaware, still lounging comfortably against the bench, while Acheron seemed more focused on carefully rereading the transfer papers in his lap for the third time.
Barrett couldn't help but remain vigilant. Over the years, he had seen far too many Alphas react strongly to his twin. Some became fiercely protective, while others turned possessive and overbearing. The worst, however, were the ones whose attention carried something far darker beneath it. Barrett had seen enough ugly behaviour growing up to know how quickly instincts could rot into entitlement if left unchecked.
He still wasn't sure which category Ivo would fall into.
"You're Aviv's twin, I presume?" Ivo asked, trying very hard to sound relaxed and friendly despite the fact that his nervous system currently felt like it had been set on fire.
Barrett only hummed in response; their handshake lasted barely two seconds. Barrett lightly squeezed Ivo's hand before releasing it again, not enough to hurt, but enough to make the message clear.
I'm paying attention.
And Ivo received the message loud and clear.
"Right," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... we should probably get going."
Before anyone could react, he casually wrapped an arm around Acheron's shoulders and gently steered him upright from the bench like a man attempting an emergency evacuation.
Acheron stumbled slightly from the sudden movement. "Huh?"
"We should have some kind of welcoming party at the apartment soon," Ivo announced quickly, sounding almost suspiciously eager to leave.
Aviv stared at him, then he burst out laughing.
"You've been living there for over six months," he pointed out loudly. "I think the welcoming party may be slightly overdue."
"Details are irrelevant." Ivo's entire face flushed red instantly.
"Were you planning to welcome yourself?" Aviv continued mercilessly.
"Goodbye, Aviv."
Ivo tightened his arm around Acheron and immediately started walking away at an increasingly suspicious speed.
Acheron barely managed to wave over his shoulder while being escorted off like a guarded little prince.
"See you tomorrow, Aviv!" he called out loudly.
"Sure! See you later, hun!" Aviv shouted back with a wicked grin.
The nickname hit like a sniper round.
Ivo visibly malfunctioned. Hearing Aviv's nickname for his younger brother. Ivo couldn't help but malfunction; his ears turned bright red before he somehow started walking even faster.
Acheron practically had to jog to keep up with him.
"Ivo," he wheezed softly, "slow down."
"Sorry, Achie."
Ivo finally stopped beside one of the strange sculptures lining the pathway. The statue looked vaguely like a human figure if humans were assembled entirely from bent metal.
Leaning one hand against it, Ivo took several deep breaths. Unfortunately, his heart still refused to calm down.
"You okay?" Acheron asked immediately, concern softening his features. He reached up and gently patted Ivo's back in smooth, rhythmic circles.
"I..." Ivo inhaled sharply. "I think I might be in love."
Acheron blinked slowly. "With Aviv?"
"Yeah." Ivo pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.
"It was instantaneous, Achie. Spiritual, even."
Acheron stared at him with complete exhaustion. He let out a long-suffering sigh before grabbing Ivo firmly by the sleeve of his hoodie.
"You're insane."
"Probably."
Acheron rolled his eyes, still tugging Ivo along behind him now, and he resumed walking toward the parking lot with tiny, irritated steps. Meanwhile, Ivo followed obediently, looking devastatingly lovestruck after less than five minutes of interaction.
Acheron decided immediately that he would no longer acknowledge any of his brother's nonsense for the remainder of the day.