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The air in the practice room was thick—a cloying mixture of sweat, industrial floor cleaner, and the , heavy scents of thirteen tired Alphas, Omegas and Betas. It was the kind of atmosphere that usually made Yoon Jeonghan’s head ache. As an Alpha, his senses were always dialed to an eleven, constantly cataloging the moods of his members through the spikes and dips in their pheromones. Usually, it made him irritable. It made him want to snap, to assert dominance just to quiet the room down.
But then, the door opened.
Joshua Hong walked in, carrying a tray of iced Americanos and a gentle smile that didn't quite reach his exhausted eyes. But it wasn't the smile that stopped Jeonghan in his tracks. It was the scent.
While everyone else smelled of effort and stress, Joshua was a pocket of serenity. He smelled of Earl Grey tea steeped with a spoonful of wildflower honey, underpinned by the crisp, cool scent of white lilies after a rainstorm. It was a sophisticated scent, elegant and understated, much like the man himself.
The moment that scent hit Jeonghan’s nose, the world blurred. The harsh fluorescent lights seemed to soften into a golden haze. The thumping bass of the music someone was looping in the corner faded into a dull hum.
Jeonghan, who had been mid-sentence complaining to Hoshi about the bridge of their new song, simply stopped. His jaw went slack, his pupils dilating until the dark irises nearly swallowed the brown. He took a deep, shuddering breath, his lungs greedily pulling in every molecule of Joshua’s scent.
"Jeonghan-ah? You okay?" Hoshi asked, blinking at his hyung’s sudden transformation.
Jeonghan didn't answer. He was already moving, his steps heavy and uncoordinated, like a man walking through a dream. He gravitated toward Joshua, his usual predatory Alpha grace replaced by a soft, magnetic pull.
Joshua was busy handing a coffee to a grateful Seungkwan when he felt a sudden weight against his back. Two long arms wrapped around his waist, and a chin dropped heavily onto his shoulder.
"Hannie?" Joshua chuckled, though his own heart gave a traitorous leap. He was an Omega, and while he was exceptionally good at masking his reactions, Jeonghan always managed to strip his defenses bare. "You’re sweaty. Get off."
But Jeonghan didn't get off. Instead, he nuzzled into the crook of Joshua’s neck, right where the scent gland was most potent. He let out a low, vibrating hum—a sound of pure, unadulterated contentment.
"Shua," Jeonghan murmured, his voice thick and slurred, sounding like he’d just downed three glasses of heavy wine. "You smell... so good. Stay. Don't move."
The room went quiet. The other members exchanged looks. They were used to Jeonghan being clingy—he was the 'skinship king' of the group, after all—but this was different. This wasn't a prank or a playful tease. This was an Alpha becoming scent-drunk.
It was a rare phenomenon, usually reserved for fated mates or those so deeply in love that their brains ceased to function rationally in the presence of their partner's pheromones.
Joshua’s face flushed a deep, rosy pink. He could feel the heat radiating from Jeonghan’s body, the way the Alpha’s heart was drumming a frantic rhythm against his shoulder blades.
"Hannie, we have practice," Joshua whispered, trying to maintain some semblance of order even as his own legs felt like jelly.
Jeonghan just groaned, tightening his grip. He turned his face further into Joshua’s neck, his nose brushing against the sensitive skin. "No practice. Only tea. Only honey. Why do you smell like home, Shua?"
"He's totally gone," Mingyu whispered from the sidelines, leaning over to Wonwoo. "I’ve never seen him this dazed. He’s like a giant puppy."
"He’s not a puppy," Wonwoo replied quietly, watching the scene with a perceptive gaze. "He's an Alpha who found his center."
Eventually, the manager had to intervene, seeing as Jeonghan was effectively holding the choreography hostage. It took three people to pry Jeonghan off Joshua, and even then, the Alpha kept reaching out, his fingers twitching as if trying to catch the lingering scent trails in the air.
He spent the rest of the practice in a trance. He missed steps he knew by heart, his eyes constantly tracking Joshua’s every move. Whenever Joshua came within five feet of him, Jeonghan would visibly brighten, his shoulders relaxing and a dopey, soft smile spreading across his face.
By the time they reached the dorms that night, Jeonghan was vibrating with a restless, needy energy. The moment the door clicked shut, he didn't head for his own room. He followed Joshua.
Joshua entered his room, turning on a dim bedside lamp. He was tired, his muscles aching, but his mind was racing. He could hear Jeonghan’s heavy footsteps behind him.
"Jeonghan, go to bed. You're exhausted," Joshua said, turning around to face him.
Jeonghan stood in the doorway, looking nothing like the sharp-tongued, mischievous Alpha the world knew. His hair was messy, his eyes were soft and glassy, and he looked incredibly vulnerable.
"I can't," Jeonghan whispered. "The air in my room... it’s wrong. It doesn't have you in it."
Joshua swallowed hard. "It's just the scent, Hannie. You're just... overwhelmed today."
"It's not just the scent," Jeonghan retorted, stepping into Joshua’s personal space. The Earl Grey and lily scent was stronger here, in the Omega’s private sanctuary. Jeonghan took a step, then another, until he was looming over Joshua, forcing him to back up until his calves hit the edge of the bed. "I’ve been 'overwhelmed' for three years, Joshua. Do you have any idea how hard it is? To be an Alpha who is supposed to be in control, but I can't even think straight because you’re breathing in the same room as me?"
Joshua’s breath hitched. "You... you feel it too?"
Jeonghan laughed, a soft, breathless sound. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he cupped Joshua’s cheek. His thumb brushed over the Omega’s lower lip. "I’m drunk on you. I’m high on you. I don't want to be sober if it means being away from you."
He leaned down, pressing his forehead against Joshua’s. "When I smell you, the noise in my head stops. All the schemes, all the worries about the future, all the pressure... it just goes quiet. You’re my silence, Shua."
Joshua felt tears prick at his eyes. He reached up, grasping Jeonghan’s wrists. "I thought... I thought I was imagining it. I thought you were just being affectionate because we’re friends.""I don't look at my friends and want to build a nest out of their clothes," Jeonghan admitted, his voice dropping to a gravelly timber. "I don't look at my friends and want to mark them so the whole world knows they belong to me."
The Alpha’s scent—usually a cool, sharp cedar—suddenly bloomed. It became warm, spicy, and protective, wrapping around Joshua like a heavy wool blanket. It was an invitation. A plea.
Joshua didn't say a word. He simply pulled Jeonghan down onto the bed with him.
The "scent-drunk" state didn't fade; if anything, it deepened. Jeonghan became a creature of pure instinct and tenderness. He pulled Joshua into his lap, burying his face in the crook of the Omega’s shoulder. He didn't try to go further; he didn't ask for more than this. He just wanted to be submerged.
"You’re so soft," Jeonghan mumbled against his skin. "My sweet, sweet Omega."
Joshua ran his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair, pulling the Alpha closer. "You're okay, Hannie. I'm here. I'm yours."
Jeonghan let out a long, shuddering sigh. The tension that he had carried in his spine for years finally snapped. He went limp in Joshua’s arms, his head heavy on Joshua’s chest. He began to 'scent' Joshua in earnest—not with a bite, not yet—but by rubbing his cheeks and neck against Joshua’s, mingling their pheromones until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
The room began to smell like a rainy forest meeting a warm tea house. It was the scent of balance.
"Shua?" Jeonghan whispered after a long silence, his voice sounding much clearer, though still laced with that blissful daze.
"Yeah?"
"I love you. I think... I think I’ve been waiting to say that since the day we met in that training room."
Joshua squeezed him tight, burying his face in the Alpha’s neck, inhaling the now-comforting cedarwood. "I love you too, Jeonghan. So much."
Jeonghan pulled back just enough to look Joshua in the eye. The dazed look was still there, a soft fog of adoration, but there was a new spark of clarity behind it. He leaned in, his movements slow and deliberate, giving Joshua every chance to pull away.
When their lips finally met, it wasn't a clash of Alpha dominance or Omega submission. It was a soft, slow-burning fire. It tasted like the coffee they shared every morning and the secrets they whispered in the dark. It was the taste of a thousand unsaid words and a hundred stolen glances.
When they broke apart, Jeonghan looked even more wrecked than before. He let out a shaky breath, his eyes falling shut. "God. If I knew kissing you felt like that, I would have done it years ago. I’m never going to be sober again, am I?"
Joshua laughed, a bright, clear sound that made Jeonghan’s heart skip a beat. "Probably not. But I’ll be here to take care of you."
"Promise?" Jeonghan asked, sounding uncharacteristically small.
"I promise," Joshua said, pulling the duvet over both of them.
That night, for the first time in his life, the Alpha slept without a single dream. He didn't need them. The reality of Joshua’s scent, the steady beat of an Omega’s heart against his own, and the knowledge that he was finally, truly home, was more than enough.
The next morning, the members found them still tangled together in Joshua’s bed. Jeonghan was still half-asleep, his face pressed into the back of Joshua’s neck, his arms locked around the Omega like he was a prize he feared would be stolen.
When Seungcheol opened the door to wake them for their schedule, he stopped, catching the scent of the room. He smiled, a knowing look in his eyes, and quietly closed the door.
"Give them another hour," Seungcheol told the others in the kitchen.
"Is Jeonghan-hyung still scent-drunk?" Seungkwan asked, pouring cereal.
"No," Seungcheol said, leaning against the counter. "He's just happy. There's a difference."
But back in the room, as Jeonghan began to stir, the first thing he did was inhale. He caught that hint of Earl Grey and white lilies, and he felt that familiar, beautiful fog start to settle over his brain once more. He pressed a kiss to Joshua’s shoulder blade, feeling the Omega hum in his sleep.
Jeonghan smiled, closing his eyes again. Maybe he was still a little drunk. But as he held the man he loved, he realized that this was the only way he ever wanted to live—dazed, soft, and completely, utterly Joshua’s.
The weeks that followed were a shift in the group’s dynamic that everyone welcomed. The "evil angel" hadn't disappeared—Jeonghan still had his moments of legendary pranks and sharp-tongued wit—but there was a new gentleness to him. The jagged edges of his Alpha nature had been sanded down.
He was more attentive, more grounded. And whenever the stress of being an idol became too much, whenever the cameras felt too heavy or the fans too demanding, he would find Joshua. He would tuck his face into Joshua’s neck for a few seconds, take a deep breath of that honeyed tea scent, and come back out to the world as if he had just spent a week on a quiet mountain.
They were inseparable. At award shows, Jeonghan could be seen leaning into Joshua’s space, his eyes perpetually soft. During interviews, his hand would almost always find Joshua’s, his thumb stroking the Omega’s knuckles in a rhythmic, soothing motion.
He was a scent-drunk Alpha, yes. But more importantly, he was an Alpha who had found his mate, his equal, and his peace.
One evening, as they sat on the balcony of the dorm, watching the Seoul skyline twinkle under a purple sky, Joshua leaned his head on Jeonghan’s shoulder.
"You're staring again," Joshua teased, feeling the weight of Jeonghan’s gaze.
"Can't help it," Jeonghan said, his voice a soft caress. He leaned down, inhaling deeply. "The wind is blowing your scent toward me. It’s making me dizzy."
Joshua turned his head, kissing Jeonghan’s jaw. "Is it a good dizzy?"
Jeonghan pulled him closer, the scent of cedar and lilies mingling in the night air, creating a fragrance that was uniquely theirs.
"The best," Jeonghan whispered. "I never want to be anywhere else."
Jeonghan was drunk on Joshua, and Joshua was more than happy to be the one to hold the glass.