Work Text:
It smelled good.
He smelled good.
His heat was over a day ago, leaving only a little bit of tingling sensation tickling his skin.
But, that scent stayed.
Sieun buried his face into the maroon fabric, unwashed since the day he took it from Seongje. It still smelled like him. Vetiver. Earthy, as fresh as green forest with a soft hint of smokiness. Layering that was his cherry blossom, soft and sheer, sweetness that was complimenting the masculine scent. It felt weird—he felt weird. The scent guided him through the heat, making him feel oddly comforting, and it was still offering the same comfort even when the cycle had ended. Warm crept on his body, remembering the one that vetiver scent belonged to.
It was supposed to be one unfortunate yet normal day. The excessive amount of suppressant he consumed ruined his heat cycle—it wasn’t the first time. Just when the school ended and he was on the way home, it hit him. The wave of warmth. Humin wasn’t there. Hyuntak and Juntae weren’t there. He was all alone. He could just run; it wasn’t like his apartment complex was far away. Just a few minutes and he would arrive at home. Just a little bit more and he would be safe.
If only he wasn’t ganged up by two Union thugs just when he made a turn to the underpass. Maybe he shouldn’t pick his usual route. Maybe he should just take a longer, yet safer one. They just wanted to mess with him—or any of the Eunjang students—at first, not noticing the warm cherry blossom scent radiating from his body. Until they were close enough, it also hit them.
His pheromone.
He was doomed.
And, he didn’t know which one was better, getting harmed by those alphas or being saved by Geum Seongje.
Vetiver filled the dry winter air. Thick yet gentle, it heavily pushed the other two pheromones away, forcing them to surrender.
It felt safe. When Seongje touched him, the maroon blazer draped on Sieun’s shoulders to cover him with his pheromones, a strange fuzzy feeling clouded his head. After that, everything felt like a fading dream, but he still remembered that he yearned for that scent.
It wasn’t supposed to be like that.
He wasn’t supposed to feel like that.
He hated the fact that he hated the fact that he should wash the Ganghak High blazer. He didn’t want to let go of that scent just yet. He didn’t want the blazer to smell like a floral detergent that he used. He wanted it to stay the same, smell the same, the freshness, smokiness of vetiver—the scent of Geum Seongje.
He didn’t have a choice, though. Sooner or later, he had to return the blazer to Seongje. If not, Seongje would ask for his blazer back. If not, his friends, who frequently visit his house, would probably find that he still kept it and ask why. The maroon blazer didn’t belong there.
Hence, with a heavy heart, he put it to the laundry—with a heavy heart, he let go of the fresh vetiver mixing with the sheer, sweet scent of his cherry blossom.
On Monday, he went to Ganghak High. Humin didn’t like the idea; refusing to be part of the Union, Eunjang never had a good relationship with Ganghak—if anything, Eunjang was a prey. It wouldn’t be safe for Sieun to go alone just for a mere blazer he had to return. Something might happen, and Sieun was an omega. He hated it when Humin brought his second gender up, as though he couldn’t protect himself.
Though, he couldn’t really complain. Humin was always worried about his pack. He always cared, and his concern wasn’t baseless, Sieun couldn’t blame him.
But, it was Seongje’s request. After what he had done to the boy, after what Sieun had put him through, Sieun didn’t think it would be fair to refuse. He would just give the blazer and go home, nothing would go wrong.
Except it did.
“Did you wash it?”
He didn’t know why he noticed a disappointment in that tone. The same one as what he had when he put the blazer into the washing machine. The disappointment after he knew the trace of fresh and smoky vetiver had gone, leaving no trails. “Why?” He just didn’t want to show it, that he felt just as disappointed.
“I don’t know.” The alpha shrugged. “I’d like to keep your scent on my blazer, I guess? Just like you did.”
It was just a small tint of warmth, starting from both of his cheeks. Followed by a pretty pink color, kissing his skin, and it deepened into a shade of red. Cherry blossom floated, faint at first, but got stronger when he caught that scent.
The earthy scent as fresh as green forest, layering the smokiness underneath. The sunlight filtered by the leaves above his head. Cold drops of dew on the grass wetted his feet. Like one cozy morning in the summer.
The pink petals of the cherry blossom welcomed it with a warm heart.
“You can always come see me, can’t you?”
Sieun was taken aback by his own words, something he blurted out without thinking. The heart knew what it wanted, even though the brain screamed don’t.
He quickly averted his gaze from Seongje, avoiding the pair of eyes he couldn’t read.
“Can I?”
“You can’t.”
“You said I can.”
Sieun backed off as Seongje took a step closer. “You can’t.”
He regretted what he did. Humin was right, something went terribly wrong. Maybe half right because it wasn’t like what he thought. Half right because Sieun brought it upon himself.
“You can’t chicken out like that, Princess,” Seongje said, half laughing—it was just an empty laugh. “After what you did to me… don’t you remember how you needed me? You longed for me.”
“It was the heat.”
“Yet you still wanted me.”
“It was my omega instinct. You were the only alpha who just happened to be… there. It’s not like I could help it.”
The vetiver was thicker. Seongje invaded his personal space, close, too close. “There were two alphas before me. You didn’t want them.” He hated the fact that Seongje was right. “But you begged me to bring you home. You clung to me like your life depended on me—on my pheromone. You liked it.” He leaned in, breath warming Sieun’s ear as he whispered, “You said I smelled good.”
“It’s only in your head.” He shouldn’t stay any longer, or else—or else. “I should go.”
“Why in a hurry, Princess?” And yet, Seongje didn’t refuse when Sieun pushed him away.
“I’m not wasting my time with you.” He intended it to sound cold and biting, though it turned out not to be as sharp as it should be. He sounded weak, the vetiver weakened his will.
And, Seongje knew. From the teasing smirk he had, smug all over his face, Sieun knew Seongje knew. His cherry blossom hugged Seongje’s vetiver tightly—they were dancing.
Sieun fled from Seongje without lo bu oking back.
But, the heart knew better than any logic he could muster.
“Are you okay?” Juntae asked when they walked together, Humin and Hyuntak were ahead of them, bantering like they usually did. “You seem a little restless.”
Juntae always knew when something was wrong. He seemed slow, a little naive, but Sieun knew he saw things people missed. He noticed changes, even the smallest one; there was no use hiding something from him.
Sieun exhaled a short breath. “I don’t know,” he answered quietly. “I just feel a bit off.”
“What—what’s wrong? Is there anything to do with your heat?”
He shook his head. “It’s not. It’s just…” He was a little reluctant. He didn’t want to share what he felt, not yet—not when he himself felt uncomfortable with it. “I don’t know, Juntae. It’s probably nothing.”
“Is there anything to do…” Juntae lowered his voice, “with Seongje?”
Sieun wondered if it was too obvious. “... I’m not sure.”
Juntae chuckled at that. “You were never not sure. This must bother you a lot.”
It did. It dizzied him when he could smell Seongje’s vetiver only by thinking of it. Even just a mention of his name. Even just a flash of his figure. Everything brought it back, the comforting pheromone, as though Seongje was there, embracing him the way the alpha did during his heat.
Sieun’s cheeks warmed with red. Juntae blinked. It was unbelievable, he knew.
“Sieun, do you…” Juntae leaned in, making sure only Sieun could hear his next question, “like him?”
Even just a single question about his feeling for Seongje.
Maybe it wasn’t that. Like like. Maybe it wasn’t like that. It was just one accident and Sieun happened to like Seongje’s pheromone a lot. He tried to rasionalize it in his head, threading the jumble thoughts and probabilities. It was just because Seongje decided to be kind enough to help him—not to touch him. It was because of the heat and Seongje happened to be there. It was his omega screaming for an alpha to comfort him during the heat. It was nothing more than a coincidence. Their paths crossed, then what? Sieun doubted it could give him a change of heart.
But, his heart still thrum even louder than a thunder.
He tried to focus on the math problems. Cram school was tiring, and he didn’t need any other reason to drain his energy.
It was impossible, though. His mind was split in half, solving the math problems or thinking about the rapid beat of his heart whenever Geum Seongje invaded his head. He made a mental curse—he wasn’t even there and still, he managed to ruin a day.
And, as though he knew what Sieun really did not need, he really appeared. Right in front of the cram school building. His black sports bike was striking enough, and to top it all, that damn alpha just revved the engine just to catch Sieun’s—basically everyone’s—attention.
“Princess!”
Sieun hoped the earth cracked open and swallowed him whole.
Walking past the boy, Sieun tried not to make eye contact.
But, it was Geum Seongje. No matter how hard he tried to push him away, even only the image of him, it was just impossible.
Geum Seongje was impossible to ignore.
“Hey, what’s with the cold shoulder?” He heard the voice along with the footsteps following behind. “Princess, are you so shy you’re ignoring me?”
Warm crept to the tips of his ears. It wasn’t about him being shy. It was about Geum Seongje, the one he had to stay away from. People would normally do that, why would he do otherwise?
“What do you want.” It even sounded too flat to be a question. Sieun didn’t have both time and energy to keep up with Seongje’s antics, but the alpha didn’t seem to care. At all.
“Nothing. I just wanted to hang out with you.” From a single glance, he could catch that irritating grin spreading across Seongje’s face. “Hey. Won’t you listen to me?”
“Why would I.”
He hated that he started looking for the echo of Seongje’s footsteps when the taller boy halted his step.
He hated that his body turned around against his will, even before his brain could decide whether he wanted to deal with whatever Seongje’s had up his sleeves or not.
“It’s weird.”
“What weird?”
“You. Us.” Seongje had something unreadable glinting in his eyes. Sieun tried to guess, maybe it was… doubtful. Confusion. Something that felt… misplaced to see it in someone like Seongje.
“What’s wrong with us?”
“You lingered. It’s odd. I’m not really a fan of omega pheromones. Floral. Sweet. Sickening. Now tell me… what makes you different?”
“... I don’t get it. What do you mean—”
“I mean,” the alpha seemed impatient, like he struggled to word what was inside his head, and Sieun’s cluelessness just made it more frustrating, “I kept thinking about it. About you. About how good your cherry blossom smelled.”
Sieun felt shivers run down his spine, warmth up his cheeks. “I don’t understand.”
Or, maybe he did understand.
“Your pheromone did something to me, Princess.”
Vetiver hung heavy in the cold air of winter. Filled it with the scent of green forest in the summer. Sieun felt shivers run through his spine, warmth kissing his cheeks. Seongje had his eyes on him, just to make him feel even worse. Pink petals floated in the air, swirling around the freshness of the alpha’s pheromone. His head started to spin as Seongje came closer—as Seongje touched his reddening cheek with the back of his hand, stroking softly.
“Don’t touch me.” And yet, he stood still.
“I hate this as much as you do,” muttered the taller boy. “I just couldn’t help it.”
It was when Seongje reached out to his nape when Sieun felt his senses back—sharp, aware. Seongje was about to touch his weak spot. In one harsh movement, Sieun brushed Seongje’s arm away, just before the alpha could touch his gland—to mark him. Seongje himself seemed startled, as though he just snapped back to reality, realizing what he had almost done.
“Don’t touch me.” It sounded almost like a hiss, all cold and biting.
It was Seongje who backed off. “Sorry.” Funny, he sounded sincere. Like he really didn’t mean it. “It’s just… an instinct.”
His glare ignored the loud thrums inside his chest. Without sparing a single word, he turned around and walked away from the scene.
This time, without the echo of Seongje’s footsteps.
Funny, he kind of hoped he could hear it following him behind.
Funny, he started to miss it.
In fact, he missed it a lot.
He wouldn’t admit that Seongje’s words kept replaying in his head like a broken record: your pheromone did something to me.
He wouldn’t admit that it also happened to him. Two weeks without Seongje bothering him and it almost drove him crazy.
It almost felt like back then when his cycle just ended. That time, he could reason with himself, convince himself that it was just his omega instinct still lingering, the need to have an alpha close to him, to comfort him after his heat. It made sense to still yearn for Seongje’s scent, knowing it was the only one he breathed in during heat. It made sense to feel safe because in the short span that felt like an eternity that they spent together, Seongje had proven that even someone as obnoxious as him could be trusted, that he never laid even a finger on him.
It all made sense back then.
It didn’t at all this time.
He was back to consuming suppressant, much to his friends’ disapproval. The medications helped; he wasn’t bothered by any alphas’ pheromones, he didn’t have to worry that he might reek.
But, the yearning stayed.
Stronger even.
At one point, it started to feel painful.
Juntae noticed it—it was always him who was the first to notice small changes. And Juntae, being Juntae, always had an idea of what was happening—no matter how nonsensical it might sound.
“Ever heard of scent bonding?”
It did sound nonsensical.
“It’s a myth.”
“It’s a rare occurrence.” Juntae pushed his glasses, adjusting its position. “I found some articles about it. It did happen to some people. Just a few, really. Chances someone experiences it is almost zero. Almost. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen to you.”
Sieun sighed. “You don’t make any sense, Juntae.”
“No, listen!” The boy insisted; it was clear that he was really invested in that topic. “You have all the signs. The yearning. Anxiety. Crankiness. The one who had it once thought it was because of their cycle was nearing, but apparently, it all stayed. Even after the heat. Even when they consumed suppressants. Just like you.”
By the end of the day, it still didn’t make any sense. Even if it was real, the scent bonding thing, it just didn’t sit right to have it and Geum Seongje in one sentence. It almost sounded impossible, having such a bond with such a person, knowing they always had bad blood since day one.
It almost sounded impossible, but the thoughts also left a tinge of warmth in his heart.
All he knew was he really wanted it. Just a little. Just a faint layer of it.
It almost felt like being in heat, just it wasn’t. He didn’t feel hot, his pheromone didn’t spike.
But, something stirred his stomach. Like something in his body demanded to be there. To look for it. To stop torturing it and feed it what it wanted.
To the vetiver filling the air.
To Geum Seongje.
And, as though the alpha knew, Seongje had been waiting for this moment to come.
There was no sight of anyone in that warehouse. He had texted Seongje earlier if they could meet, and Seongje told him to just come. The metal door was rolled up, allowing him to enter freely.
And, he could smell it.
A sheer, soft trace of Seongje’s vetiver.
“Fancy to have you here, Princess.”
His heart skipped a beat. Warm cheeks, warm body. He was sure he wasn’t like that before.
Seongje’s pheromone did something to him.
“I don’t know what happened to me,” he said, more like a whisper. “I don’t know what to do.”
Seongje was warm. His hand was warm on his cheek. Sieun couldn’t help but lean to it. Vetiver enveloped him like a blanket, gently, as though it was so in love, and his cherry blossom embraced it back, tight and close, as though they were in love.
“Stop running away.” Seongje’s face was so close he could feel his breath on his skin. “Stay. It’ll hurt less.”
And, he did it. The one he couldn’t before. The one Sieun wouldn’t let him before.
Just one touch. Gently. Didn’t let go.
Fingers steadied on Sieun’s nape. Not grabbing, just lying there.
And, a mixture of freshness of the green forest, green grass with droplets of dew, and warmth coming from the hint of smokiness flooded his lungs, grasping from the inside—it was the only thing he could breathe in.
“Don’t fight it.”
It was the only thing he wanted to breathe in.
Sieun surrendered in Seongje’s arms.
Cherry blossoms bloomed in the middle of a green forest.