Archive of Our Own

 
 
For someone who had chosen this career path willingly, Nut didn’t feel very willing right now. He usually loved his job, but spending more than twelve hours in the lab without a single breakthrough had worn his nerves thin. So when it was finally time to go home, he bolted through the door, more than ready to leave it all for his tomorrow-self to deal with.
 
He was exhausted. He hadn’t slept well in days, his mind too occupied with work to rest properly. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to crawl under his soft sheets and sink into a deep, uninterrupted sleep, far away from everyone and everything. But he knew that wasn't an option.
 
Because Tui, his roommate, had made it his mission to force him to eat every day the moment he got home, insisting he knew Nut would forget to eat had someone not practically shoved a plate in front of him. And as much as Nut loved the guy, in moments like these he seriously considered punching him, just to get him off his back so that he could finally get some sleep.
 
He and Tui had been friends since their university days. They met as freshmen and had stuck together ever since, growing closer with each passing day, until they decided to live together—both hating the emptiness of living alone. But being two Alphas sharing the same space, they couldn't help but butt heads every now and then, however it never turned into anything serious—both of them considering the other as pack.
 
So, yeah. The moment he pressed the password to the apartment, he knew what he'll be facing.
 
That was until he noticed a strange pair of shoes in the cabinet by the door… Was someone here?
 
Sure enough, when Nut stepped into the living room, his eyes landed on the most beautiful person he had ever seen, lounging casually on the sofa, head thrown back in laughter after he seemingly defeated Tui in a PlayStation match.
 
Silver hair shimmered like liquid metal, catching the light with every movement. Eyes crinkled into crescent shapes by his laughter, sparkling with light mischief. And as his laughter slowly faded, those pink, plush, soft-looking lips lingered in a gentle smile that seemed to light up the entire room.
 
Nut barley caught himself from falling to the ground.
 
"Hey man, rough day at the field?" Tui asked after he paused the game, raising his hand in casual welcome.
 
It seemed like whatever exhaustion Nut was feeling had been apparent on his face.
 
"Awful day, actually," he replied sighing. Then his gaze moved back to the beautiful guy, only to find him staring back.
 
"Oh, this is Hong. He just recently got transferred to our office and we've been getting close ever since," Tui said.
 
As two Alphas living together, they had set some general rules to ensure they don't clash. The most important two read as following.
 
First, always make sure to wear a scent blocker patch while sitting in the living room.
 
Although they weren't bothered by each other's scents, but them being Alphas meant their scents were intense and heavy, so when they mixed together for long periods in the same space, the resulting smell got overwhelming and uncomfortable. That's why the living room must always be aired properly and neutralized. Other than that, you're free to do whatever you want in your room.
 
And second, you can bring guests as you like, but make sure they abide by the house rules, and it would be best if you informed the other that you're bringing someone.
 
The latter being exactly why Nut wasn’t annoyed at finding a random guy in their living room, though it was a little weird that Tui hadn’t informed him beforehand… or maybe he had; Nut hadn’t checked his phone, after all. And while he hadn’t felt like seeing anyone less than five minutes ago, this Hong's presence wasn’t so bad—especially considering how easy he was on the eyes.
 
"You must be Nut. Tui told me a lot about you," Hong said with a casual smile.
 
"All good things I hope?" Nut replied, a charming smile in place as he took a seat on the sofa perpendicular to the one Tui and Hong were occupying.
 
"Well, if you consider the memory of you walking around campus with a shirt that said 'I'm Nut, come and crack me' a good thing, then yeah," he said giggling.
 
"Fuck, you're really proud of that one, huh?" Nut grumbled at Tui. "I'm sure he didn't tell you how I retaliated by signing him up for three different clubs he had zero interest in and watched him struggle to politely quit all of them."
 
At that, Hong’s loud laughter rang out again, smooth and easy. He laughed like he didn’t care who might judge him for it, and something about that made it impossible for Nut to look away.
 
"Damn, I wish I went to uni with you guys. My days were so boring."
 
"Be careful what you wish for, I barely graduated with this guy around," Nut replied pointing at Tui. "Anyway, it was really nice meeting you, Hong. I'd love to stay and chat more, but I unfortunately need to go shower," he said as he got up.
 
"No problem, we might see more of each other in the future."
 
“I sure hope so.” He couldn’t help but say it, despite the risk of inviting Tui’s teasing—which, sure enough, came in the form of a raised eyebrow when he glanced his way. Still, it was worth it when Hong responded with a shy smile.
 
With that, Nut turned around and headed to his room, his mind occupied with nothing but the beautiful guy he was just conversing with. Somehow, those few minutes he spent talking to Hong were able to make Nut forget all about his exhaustion from work.
 
The moment his hand settled on the doorknob, however, he immediately noticed something off. The door wasn’t fully closed, the latch just shy of clicking into place—something Nut never did. He and Tui always made sure their doors were sealed shut so no scents could slip in or out, so there was no way he would’ve left it like this. Had he really been that distracted with work?
 
He shook his head and entered the room, leaving a mental note to pay more attention while closing his door from now on.
 
By the time he finished showering and drying his hair, Tui knocked on his door to let him know that their food—one he ordered without consulting Nut, just as usual—had arrived and that Hong had already left. Nut felt a flicker of disappointment but understood, it was a weekday, after all, and they all had work the next day.
 
Once they plated their food and took their seats at the dining table, Tui gave him a knowing look.
 
"So."
 
"So?"
 
“What do you think of Hong?” Tui asked, his tone a little too casual to actually be casual.
 
"Well, I didn't spend much time with him to form an actual opinion but he seems nice. When did you meet him though? You never mentioned him."
 
“That’s because you and I haven’t been talking much lately, what with you being so wrapped up in your new research. This is the closest we’ve come to an actual conversation in ages—you’ve been practically functioning on autopilot these past couple of weeks.”
 
Tui’s tone was slightly deprecating. He understood how demanding Nut’s job as a nanotech engineer was, but he couldn’t help feeling frustrated that Nut sometimes got so absorbed in work he forgot to take care of himself.
 
“I’m sorry, man. I’m trying not to overwork, but time just slips by when I’m in the lab. I’ll try to take it easier, I’m not getting anywhere like this anyway,” Nut said with a weary sigh. He really needed to follow his own advice because at this pace, he could easily end up burned out—or worse—before making any real progress.
 
"You better, 'cause you know damn well I'll beat your ass if I have to."
 
Yeah, Nut didn’t doubt that.
 
"Anyway about Hong, like I told you earlier, he was transferred here about two weeks ago. He doesn't know anyone in the city, and he was having a bit of trouble forming connections, because you know how my line of work tends to be with Omegas... well, all lines of work are, which sucks. So I've been trying to get close to him to help him feel welcomed, and it turns out he's a really awesome guy. We found out we have a lot in common so I invited him today to play some games," Tui continued.
 
Hong was an Omega? Nut didn't know why that piece of information surprised him, because when he thought of it now, it made perfect sense. Only Omegas possessed that mesmerizing look and ethereal beauty.
 
"Hmm, it’s a good thing you did that. No one deserves to be excluded—especially not because some assholes think they’re superior to him."
 
The fact that bigotry still existed at this day and age was a grim reality. Entitled Alphas who thought they owned the world just because of their designation pissed Nut off more than anything. In fact, that was one of the reasons why Tui was Nut’s best friend; he was one of the few decent Alphas that Nut had met who didn't share that outdated mentality.
 
"Yeah. Oh, he's single, by the way," Tui said smirking.
 
"Wha—when did I even ask?"
 
"You didn't, but I know you wanna."
 
"Whatever." Nut rolled his eyes, so what if he was a little bit attracted to him? Anyone with eyes would.
 
"Weak," Tui said laughing, the bastard was having way too much fun with this.
 

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It started on a random Sunday. Nut opened his closet, intending to fetch his favorite green T-shirt—the one he had had forever that was now so worn out and soft due to how much he used it—but he didn't find it.
 
He searched his entire closet, practically emptying it out, but the T-shirt was nowhere to be seen. Even though he was sure he placed it in the hamper which he already washed out yesterday, was the T-shirt not among the clothes when he folded them? He couldn't remember. But where would it go?
 
Then it dawned on him, it was definitely Tui.
 
Tui had complained about that T-shirt on multiple occasions, saying it was so ugly it hurt his eyes—something that, along with his usual tendency to annoy Nut, pointed to the fact that there was no way he wasn’t behind this.
 
He got out of his room and faced Tui who was slumped on the sofa, "Alright, cut it out. Where's my T-shirt?"
 
Tui looked up from his phone disinterestedly, "What T-shirt?"
 
"You know what T-shirt."
 
"No, I don't? Dude, did you finally go mad?"
 
"I didn't—Look, I know you're messing with me. Ha ha, very funny, you got me there. Now give me the T-shirt back," Nut demanded frustratedly.
 
"I'm telling you, I have no idea what T-shirt you're talking about. Besides, why would I even take it? Your fashion sense sucks."
 
"I don't know, maybe for the same reason that made you replace all my white socks with neon yellow ones?"
 
"Yeah, that was a good one, wasn't it?" The fucker said giggling, "But seriously, I didn't take anything of yours this time. Check under your bed or something, maybe you misplaced it."
 
Nut wanted to believe him so badly, wanted to buy his professionally done innocent act, but with the history of pranks they shared, it was really hard to. However, he had no proof, and he wasn't about to waste his free day chasing a T-shirt, so he just decided to deal with this later.
 

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Despite promising both himself and Tui that he’d ease up on work, Nut didn’t have much of a choice, because this week, his supervisor had started pressing for results, asking for measurable progress on his team's experiments and data they could actually present. Thus, rest wasn't on the table.
 
So when he finally checked out of work on Friday, he felt like he could cry with relief. What made it even better was that Tui had texted him earlier that Hong came home with him.
 
This curiosity and anticipation to see someone were feelings Nut hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. He had forgotten how thrilling it was to be drawn to someone new, to feel attraction stir after spending over a year buried in nothing but work. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt like an actual human capable of emotions and experiencing real life outside the lab—and how utterly refreshing that was.
 
Like an exact replay of the first time he saw him, Nut was welcomed into the living room by the sight of Hong's head thrown back in a carefree laughter, one that made him smile despite himself.
 
"What's so funny?" Nut asked after setting on the sofa.
 
"I just beat him for the fifth time in a row, mind you, after he claimed to be the king of FIFA," Hong said, still laughing victoriously.
 
"You beat Tui five times? Okay, I need to see this myself, 'cause in all my time of knowing this guy, I've only been able to beat him like, three times or something, and they were years apart," Nut replied in amazement.
 
"I'm going easy on him on purpose, you know, being a good host and all that."
 
"Buddy, that excuse only worked the first time around, but sure, keep telling yourself that," Hong teased, poking his tongue at Tui.
 
Safe to say that slight gesture had Jun's heart sinking into his stomach. Hong was so dangerous.
 
"Wanna play, Nut? Unless you're a sore loser like him, 'cause I'll definitely beat you."
 
"There's no point in denying that you will definitely beat me, but I'm still curious to see the great Hong in action—the one who managed to take down Tui. Lemme just go take a quick shower first, or are you leaving early today too?"
 
"I mean, I don't want to overstay my welcome so I was gonna leave in a bit," Hong said sheepishly.
 
At that, Nut glanced at Tui, who nodded affirmatively—he and Tui’s unspoken understanding always came in handy. Taking it as his cue, he turned back to reassure Hong.
 
"Nonsense, unless you have other plans, you're more than welcome to stay as much as you like. Tomorrow is weekend after all."
 
"Are you sure I won't be intruding? I really understand it if you guys wanted to rest or something," he said, looking uncertain for the first time.
 
"Positive, I for one would really appreciate having you around, I've grown tired of Tui’s mug."
 
"Fuck you," Tui said with no actual heat.
 
"You wish. So, it's settled, you better still be in your seat by the time I'm done showering," Nut stood up while pointing at Hong, who nodded with a sweet smile.
 
"Understood."
 
Satisfied with the answer, Nut finally entered his room and took off his clothes, dropping them into the hamper, then stepped into the en-suite, he had managed to secure the room with the attached bathroom after he and Tui drew lots, and he was the one who miraculously won it.
 
He normally enjoyed showering; he took his sweet time under the spray, savoring every moment, letting the amazing water pressure stream down his muscles, loosening all the tension there. But this time it was different, he hurried it up, eager to quickly finish it so that he could finally spend time with Hong. There was no point in denying it, he was really, really into him.
 
But just as usual, his luck—or rather, the lack thereof—had other plans. Just as he came out of the bathroom, his phone rang. It was Bank, one of his coworkers.
 
"Hey Bank, what's up?"
 
"Hey man, sorry for calling you this late but it's an emergency of sorts. Could you send me the file we worked on today? My laptop got accidentally broken, and I had to borrow my sister's, but I couldn't access today's file since I hadn't uploaded it to my drive yet," Bank said, his tone apologetic.
 
"Yeah sure, don't worry it's okay. I'll send it to you in a minute, let me just fetch my—shit."
 
"Is everything okay?"
 
"Huh? Oh, yeah, everything's good. I just forgot my laptop in the car. I'll go get it and then send you the file; it won't take long."
 
His mind must've been too occupied with finally going home and seeing Hong that he completely forgot to take his laptop with him, damn did it get that bad already?
 
"Sure, thanks, Nut. And once again, I'm really sorry for the inconvenience."
 
After finally hanging up with Bank, Nut made his way out the room, heading to the garage after informing Tui and Hong of the situation.
 
Before long, he was done with this whole ordeal and finally joined Tui and Hong in the living room. As planned, he played against Hong, and to no one’s surprise, Hong crushed him. He was the most skillful opponent Nut had ever played against, so he admitted his defeat honorably.
 
The three of them stayed together for the rest of the night, and Nut found himself growing even more attracted to Hong. Spending that time with him let Nut see beyond his looks, Hong was clever, witty, talented, and effortlessly easy to be around.
 
Nut soaked up every little detail about Hong, tucking each one carefully into his mind. How his family lived three hours away, yet he'd moved here chasing a better position. How he was an older sibling, how he liked his food spicy—a fact Nut had caught while they were ordering. How he had once dreamed of being a singer, though that dream hadn't worked out.
 
Nut could see it, though. Hong would have been a worldwide-famous singer, with fans hanging on his every word. If he had pursued that path, Nut certainly wouldn't have stood a chance with him—not saying that he did now.
 
Each tidbit felt like another thread connecting him to Hong, and Nut treasured them all.
 
Throughout the night, Tui kept sending knowing glances Nut's way. That was the downside of how well they knew each other—it meant Nut couldn't hide just how smitten he was with Hong. But whatever, he could handle a little teasing; it wasn't the worst thing Tui had ever done to him, after all.
 
When the clock struck one past midnight, Hong yawned, a clear sign of how late it was.
 
"Guess we should call it a night, then," he said, standing up. "Thank you, guys, for this amazing night. This was my first time having this much fun ever since I moved here. I really appreciate you welcoming me." His tone held deep gratitude, it was obvious how touched he was.
 
"It's nothing, man. We enjoyed having you around," Tui said smiling.
 
"You're always welcome here, Hong." He did his best to add as much sincerity as possible in his voice, just so that he could convince him of how honest he was.
 
After a moment he added, "By the way, how are you going home?" As much as Nut wanted to ask him to spend the night, he knew an Omega wouldn't be comfortable sleeping with two Alphas in the same place—especially ones he just got to know recently.
 
That, and also he wouldn't sleep well on the sofa, and neither he nor Tui could really offer him their bedroom, what with them being saturated with their scents, which would definitely suffocate him.
 
"Oh, I was gonna walk to the bus station."
 
"Yeah, not happening. I'm giving you a ride." There was no way he'd let him walk alone this late at night. Not that he thought Hong was incompetent or because he was an Omega or anything; it's just how Nut was. He couldn't help but worry about those whom he cared about.
 
"That's not necessary truly—"
 
"Please, I insist," Nut said, flashing him one of his looks that he knew people always found difficulty in denying. Which, as always, worked like a charm, because Hong finally agreed.
 
Nut was exhausted; he wanted to sleep so badly, but the need to make sure Hong arrived safely—that and the opportunity to spend some time alone with him—functioned as some sort of caffeine because he found himself suddenly energetic.
 
They made their way to Nut's car in comfortable silence. Once inside, Nut noticed Hong taking a deep breath.
 
"Sorry, I always wear patches outside, but since it's my car and I spend a lot of time in it, there are still some traces of my scent. I can open the windows if you're uncomfortable," Nut said sheepishly.
 
His scent wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but over the years, a lot of people—especially past lovers—had commented on how intense it was. A mix of leather and slightly burnt caramel with the faintest hint of chemicals, it wasn't something familiar, nor did the notes blend all that smoothly, given how unrelated they were, so he understood where they were coming from. That, in turn, made him extra careful not to let it slip; he didn’t want to bother anyone, after all.
 
However, at his words, Hong startled badly, as if he'd been caught doing something illegal. He turned to Nut, looking deeply embarrassed.
 
"No, no. It's totally fine." But his crooked smile said the opposite, so Nut ended up opening the windows anyway.
 
This brief commotion had him involuntarily wondering about Hong's scent. It was a known fact that most Omegas smelled sweet and appealing, especially to Alphas, a fact that had Nut dying to get a whiff of Hong's and simultaneously scared of it because if he'd been this attracted to him without knowing what he smelled like, then what would happen if he did?
 
He knew there was a high chance their scents might be incompatible, which would ruin everything entirely, but for some reason, he highly doubted that would be the case.
 
After Hong entered his address in Nut's GPS, Nut started the engine and pulled the car out.
 
"I'm really grateful for you going out of your way to drive me home."
 
"Nah, it's really nothing. What are friends for after all?"
 
Nut put on some music to fill the silence, which wasn't needed really since Hong broke it immediately anyway.
 
"So, how's it like, being a nanotech engineer?"
 
"Honestly? It's a mix of staring at a screen, messing with ridiculously tiny stuff, and hoping nothing gets contaminated. It's not as cool as it sounds most days. But I love it, well, I mostly love it."
 
"That still sounds cool to me, probably 'cause I'm just a media buyer—anything is more interesting than working with real estate."
 
"Why'd you choose that career anyway?"
 
"Well, I majored in Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation but after I graduated I kinda drifted for a bit. I was conflicted on what job should I choose since as I said before, that's not where I thought my future would look like. In the end one of my high-school friends suggested I get into marketing, saying it makes good money, and since everything was practically the same to me, I ended up choosing it … and here we are." Hong said with a shrug.
 
"Hmm, I get why Tui said you guys have a lot in common, that's almost the same thing that happened to him," Nut said, "Do you ever think about getting back into music?"
 
"Oh yeah. I do, a lot, but it never reaches anywhere beyond my head." His tone was edged with wistfulness.
 
"It's never too late, you know. Even if you couldn't make it the way you hoped you would. You might still be able to do something close to what you dreamed of. Don't give up without trying."
 
He didn't reply, but Nut could catch Hong's tender smile toward him in his periphery.
 
Before Nut knew it, they had already arrived at their destination, much to his dismay. He killed the engine and pulled into the driveway, then turned to look at Hong.
 
"It's here, right?"
 
"Yeah, just at that building. Thanks again for the ride."
 
"Was nice having you around. Sleep well, Hong."
 
"Take care on your way back, don't doze off accidentally! I hope you have a good night too."
 
With that, one of the best nights Nut had spent recently came to an end.
 

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It happened again the next day.
 
Saturday was the day Nut did his laundry, so he stood in the main bathroom where the washing machine was, sorting his whites from his colors to wash them separately, that's when he noticed two of his plaid shirts were missing. He was sure he’d put them in the hamper—they were the most recent ones he’d worn, after all, tossed in just yesterday and the day before. So where the hell did they go?
 
The prank was getting unfunny, and he knew for a fact Tui had the patience of a five-year-old to be able to pull a long-term stunt like this one, so that left him with only one explanation. Was it ghosts?
 
Nut was a man of science; he didn't really believe in the supernatural. But the situation he was facing made him reconsider his views—it was either Tui had changed his tactics for the first time since he'd known him, or a ghost that had suddenly taken a liking to Nut's closet.
 
Neither option was reassuring.
 
He stood in the bathroom, hands on his hips, thinking of a way he could uncover this mystery, until a light bulb went off in his head. This would definitely do.
 
That's how he ended up at an electronics store that afternoon, buying a tiny motion-sensor camera.
 
He went back home and installed it in a hidden corner, where the entire room was in clear view. After connecting it to his phone, he thought to himself: now, we wait.
 
A week had passed without anything happening, no further robberies and no ghosts in sight.
 
The whole issue slipped out of Jun's mind as he got caught up in work.
 
That was until Wednesday.
 
Nut was just about to leave work. He’d gotten into his car, ready to start the engine, when his phone dinged in his pocket, signaling a new notification.
 
He pulled his phone out to check what is it, knowing it was probably Tui. And he was correct, Tui sent him a message telling him that Hong came home with him.
 
At that, a smile spread across Nut’s face. He hadn’t seen Hong since the night he drove him home, and he’d been itching to see him again، but without an excuse, all he could do was wait until Tui invited him over once more.
 
But before he could slip his phone in his pocket, he received a new notification.
 
It was from the CCTV camera app. A movement had been detected…
 
He’d almost forgotten about this—shit, was he about to end up catching one of those grainy Reddit videos where people swore they’ve caught something abnormal, but you can’t actually see anything? Or would it be just Tui sneaking in like an asshole?
 
He unintentionally held his breath as he barely gathered enough courage to open the app.
 
Then he saw it—a mop of hair he would’ve recognized anywhere. It wasn't a ghost, it wasn't Tui, it was someone more surprising than any of those.
 
It was Hong.
 
Kneeling in front of the hamper, his hands clutching Nut's T-shirt that he had just taken off before going to work this morning, and his entire face was shoved into it.
 
Nut’s brain short-circuited—something had to be wrong. With a slightly trembling finger, he rewound the footage, starting it from the moment the door first opened.
 
He saw him there, Hong entered then turned on the lights, closing the door very slowly, probably trying not to get caught. He turned around to face the room, his eyes closing as he breathed in the smell that was deeply soaked in the very walls of the place. Nut's scent.
 
He opened his eyes, looking dazed, but he held himself steady until he stood in front of the hamper then knelt before it. His hands reached inside, fingers brushing over Nut's worn shirts until he picked the T-shirt the was at the top of the pile.
 
He inspected it briefly, then without second thought, brought it closer to his nose, taking a whiff. Immediately, his shoulders slumped, tension leaving them, and his eyes fluttered shut.
 
He clutched the T-shirt more desperately, finally pressing it fully into his face, breathing it deeply into his lungs—nuzzling into it. That's the part Nut saw earlier. It was real. Hong was really in his room, burying his face in his worn clothes, looking like he was drunk on Nut's scent.
 
The very same scent that no one ever really liked, that people never found appealing —and yet, Hong was there, pulling more and more of it deeper into his lungs like it was the best he'd ever smelled.
 
Nut's breath caught in his chest. He was grateful he sat in a private place because he wasn't sure what type of expression painted his face now, but he knew it wasn't a normal one.
 
All his previous anger and confusion over the fact that his clothes were getting stolen vanished, replaced instead by a profound satisfaction. A deep primal instinct inside him roared to life, feeling immensely fulfilled at the sight of Hong—of the beautiful, amazing Omega he had his eyes own, engulfing himself with Nut's scent.
 
Nut was watching him on the screen, unable to even blink. Hong kept rubbing his face in the T-shirt, his body going slack the more he breathed Nut's scent, until he finally moved it away.
 
The expression on his face had Nut’s heart hammering against his ribs. Hong’s face was dusted with a beautiful blush, a hazy smile lingering on his lips, while a deep, unmistakable contentment softened his features.
 
Then immediately, he pulled his backpack—Nut didn't even notice he was carrying one—folded the T-shirt, and carefully tucked it inside the backpack. Finally, he stood up, turned off the lights and got out of the room. And darkness filled the screen.
 
Nut sat back, his phone slipped from his hand, falling into his lap. He was too stunned by what had just happened, unable to process anything. Hong was the one stealing his clothes all along, stealing them because he liked his scent.
 
Despite seeing it with his own eyes, Nut still couldn't believe this, so he ended up rewatching the footage. Looking at it more closely, nothing changed. Hong really just got into his room, inhaled his scent dreamily, stole his T-shirt, then left.
 
Watching it again didn't help ease the shock of it at all. Nut's heart kept beating loudly. He wanted more than anything to go to Hong and confront him about this, not to fight with him, but he just couldn't understand how this even began. What made Hong enter his room the first time and get exposed to his scent? Did he really like it that much that he started to steal Nut's clothes because of it, or was there a different reason that Nut couldn't guess?
 
Nonetheless, the sight of Hong smiling happily just because he was surrounded by Nut's scent was so pleasant that Nut forgot about everything else and sat there in his car, repeating it until he lost count of how many times he watched it.
 
His previous curiosity regarding Hong's scent turned into a full-on deep urge now; he wanted—needed to know what it was, whether he'd find it as pleasant as Hong found his to be, and what notes it had.
 
So he hoped with everything he had that this incident meant that Hong was into him as a whole, not just his scent, and that he would get a chance to pursue Hong and eventually scent him. Because it wasn’t just about the scent; he'd been attracted to Hong since the beginning, and it had been getting deeper with time.
 
But with what he just saw, his feelings intensified to the point of no return. It wasn’t just him that wanted Hong now; his Alpha did too, badly.
 

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It's been three days since Nut caught the thief. He wouldn't admit it under gunpoint but he kept watching that footage obsessively, his want for Hong deepening further with each rewatch.
 
That night he went home and tried to act as normal as possible, which was more than difficult, but the fact that Tui so generously and intentionally gave up his seat beside Hong so that Nut could have it managed to distract him a little. Although it didn't work for long when his eye fell on Hong's backpack sitting by the sofa, knowing what was inside it had him squirming in his seat uncomfortably.
 
Hong, on the other hand, was a master at this. Looking at him acting all normal had Nut doubting for a second if what he saw really happened, but he knew for a fact that it did, so he just sat there in awe of Hong's professional acting skills.
 
It was a nice night nonetheless, they spent it watching terrible movies and making fun of it, Nut couldn't remember the last time he laughed that much. But the best part was how Hong’s bright, unrestrained laughter rang so close to his ear each time, Nut enjoyed it more than any sweet melody.
 
And the second-best part—or maybe the best, now that he thought about it—was that he’d managed to exchange contacts with Hong, his biggest progress with him so far.
 
Hong was just as funny over text as he was in real life. He kept sending Nut silly memes throughout the day, which had him smiling whenever he found a moment to check his phone at work. It even pushed Nut to send back anything funny he came across, and before either of them realized it, they'd fallen into a quiet ritual of exchanging memes.
 
Hong started teasing him about his outdated sense of humor when he saw the stuff Nut found funny or when Nut asked Hong to explain a meme he sent, but Nut didn't mind it at all. He was just happy he got to text Hong and make him laugh, whether because of the memes themselves or at his cluelessness when it came to internet humor.
 
He now lay in bed, his mind wandering to the "scent incident" as he came to call it. He wanted to address it, to do anything about it, but he didn't know what, until an idea suddenly came to him—an idea that wouldn't really solve anything but might make Hong happier.

Which was all Nut wanted really.
 
With that, he got up and headed to his closet, pulling one of his clean shirts, then went back to sit on the bed. He lifted the shirt then pressed it against his neck—where his scent glands were located—then started rubbing it slowly, making sure each part of the shirt came in contact with his neck.
 
If Hong wanted his clothes, then Nut would leave him something clean and properly scent-marked instead of just dirty laundry.
 
He repeated the process with the same shirt every day before going to bed and right after waking up because that's when his scent was more intense, making sure to soak it well so it lasted longer with Hong when he eventually came to steal it.
 
It was finally weekend. By now, it went without saying that the three of them would hang out together. Nut felt a surge of excitement at the thought of Hong finally getting the shirt he'd been carefully marking for him over the past few days.
 
But much to his dismay, Tui suggested they meet out somewhere, claiming he was tired of being cooped up at home every weekend—which he, admittedly, was right about. Nut hadn't really considered this option; he had been looking forward to catching Hong on footage again that it slipped his mind that they didn't have to be home every time they met.
 
But come to think of it now, he shouldn't have expected Hong to risk sneaking into his room while he was home for that matter, Hong was far too careful for that, so it wasn't going to happen tonight anyway.
 
"Another time, then," Nut compromised with himself, forcing a positive view, this would just give him more time to mark the shirt for Hong even more thoroughly.
 
He got up, changed his clothes, and left the apartment along with Tui, headed to where they had agreed on meeting, which was a bar Tui and he had frequented ever since their uni days.
 
The moment he entered the bar, he scanned the place looking for Hong since he texted them that he arrived five minutes earlier, until he spotted his distinct silver hair at a table in the far corner. They made their way there, the moment Nut was closer and his eyes fell on Hong properly, his breath caught in his chest.
 
He was seeing Hong in something that wasn't his formal work attire for the first time. Hong wore a dark cropped top that exposed his waist and contrasted deliciously with his pale skin, along with a mid-rise flare jeans. His hair was styled to look messy on purpose, with loose strands falling naturally over his face.
 
And, to make matters worse, he was wearing makeup. Nothing over the top, just a hint of glittery eyeshadow, a quick swipe of eyeliner, and a touch of red lip gloss that made his already plump, glossy lips look even more striking. The look was completed with his usual set of earrings, which suited this outfit far better than they ever did with simple shirt and pants.
 
Before they sat down, Tui whispered quickly in his ear, "Rest in peace, friend."
 
Fuck him, but he was correct, Nut felt like his soul was really about to leave his body. How was he supposed hold out for the rest of the evening?
 
"Hey, did we leave you waiting for so long?" Tui asked.
 
"Nah, I just got here, don't worry. This place is nice," Hong said with an easy smile that had Nut's heart flipping behind his ribs. Yeah, this night would definitely be so long.
 
"It is! That's why we've been regulars forever; the owner even became our friend." Tui responded because Nut still couldn't find his voice to say a single word yet.
 
Just as he mentioned her, Emi came into view. "Long time no see bo—who is this fine being?" She said enthusiastically before blowing out a low, playful whistle at the end in Hong's direction.
 
Hong chuckled shyly, "I'm Hong," he said smiling.
 
"Welcome, Hong. I'm always happy to have pretty people in my bar."
 
"Oh, so you're the owner? Tui was just telling me about you."
 
“Yes, Emi. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she replied with a playful wink, earning a soft, almost-giggly laugh from Hong in response.
 
Even though Nut knew this was just Emi’s nature with everyone, and that he really had no reason to feel jealous—hell, he knew Emi liked girls, so there wasn’t even any competition—he couldn’t help but feel agitated. The fact that she was another Alpha, directly flirting with Hong in front of him, had his warning alarms blaring inside his head, his Alpha feeling threatened and hostile.
 
But he kept a straight face, trying so hard to reason with himself that Hong wasn't his anyway, but that didn't ease his jealousy at all—it just made it worse. Still, he had no option but to sit there and helplessly watch them chat easily with each other.
 
A hand clutched his shoulder; he turned to find Tui looking at him with amusement edged with a hint of worry.
 
"Dude, relax. I can almost see smoke coming outta your nose. You know how Emi is, no need to panic," he whispered patting his back.
 
"I know, I know. I don't understand what's wrong with me either."
 
"You're just down bad, that's all," Tui responded with a grin.
 
"Okay, I need to actually work. You guys want your usual?" Emi said after casting a final smile at Hong.
 
After she took their order and walked away, Hong turned to them. "She's nice, but she's not actually hitting on my right?" he asked with a slight grimace. "'Cause that might be awkward."
 
"Yeah, don't worry, she's always like that," Nut finally said. "Why would it be awkward though?"
 
"It's just that I'm not into girls, is all." Hong said with a shrug.
 
Would you look at that, everything's just perfect.
 
Their drinks arrived shortly, and they sipped them while enjoying some easy, relaxed chatter. They talked about their weeks—Nut tried to summarize the significant progress he and his team had finally made on their current project after weeks of struggling, while Tui and Hong shared a hilarious story about a coworker who had accidentally left an advertising campaign running for three days without setting a budget limit, ultimately costing the company nearly half a million baht on vain.
 
It was fun and refreshing to spend time with them, though Nut kept getting distracted by Hong’s slightest movements. He looked utterly gorgeous, so much so that Nut could barely tear his eyes away.
 
When they were halfway through their third round, Tui was in the middle of talking about a show he’d been watching, gesturing enthusiastically with his hands—when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His eyes glued somewhere behind Nut.
 
So he and Hong followed his gaze, only to find him staring at someone who seemingly had just arrived—the way he stood there looking for a vacant table. He was striking, pink hair framing soft features enhanced with carefully done makeup, dressed in a tiny skirt and a short, sleeveless vest.
 
Nut snickered behind his drink before encouraging Tui, "Go get em, tiger."
 
Tui didn't need to be told twice; he hastily got up and headed his way casually, masterfully hiding how awestruck he was just seconds ago.
 
Nut shook his head amusedly before looking back at Hong, who met his gaze at the same second.
 
"So, we've been ditched," Nut said with a fake wounded tsk. But he was in fact delighted at the opportunity of having Hong all to himself.
 
"So it seems," Hong replied smiling.
 
For a moment, none of them said anything. They simply sat there, looking at one another—which, in any other situation, might have felt unnerving, but not now. Somehow, this quiet inspection, this silent exchange, let them understand each other a little more.
 
Then Hong finally broke it, "What about you, anyone here caught your eye?" he asked, tone suspiciously flat.
 
"Nah, this isn't really my scene," Nut barely caught himself before saying 'you' in the most smitten way possible.
 
"Really? What is your scene then?" Hong asked, tilting his head.
 
"It's not much of a scene. I don't actively pursue a relationship; if someone caught my eye in any setting, then there's that. What about you?"
 
"You could say I'm just like you. Probably why I haven't been involved with anyone since I broke up with my ex-boyfriend five years ago," he said before taking a sip of his drink.
 
"Five years, that's a long period of time," Nut noted. "You were still in uni right?"
 
"Hmm… we were high school sweethearts, or whatever. Stayed together for five years—until he cheated on me with his senior. Been kinda hard to get back into the pool after something like that, y'know."
 
"Damn, what an asshole. He didn’t deserve you at all, maybe the only bright side of that is that you got rid of him," Nut said with a grimace. His heart went out to Hong; it must’ve been awful to go through something like that. He couldn’t blame him for being mistrustful after it.
 
It baffled him though, how could anyone fumble this badly? Here he was, wishing for even the slightest chance to get closer to Hong, while some other jerk had actually had him and still managed to hurt him like that. Ungrateful bastard.
 
"Yeah, definitely," Hong responded laughing, "Don't worry, though. I got over it by now, wouldn't let him take more of my time like that. And you, any messy exes?"
 
"No, I've only ever dated two people, and neither relationship lasted very long—the longest one was around six months—and both ended on good terms. But that was ages ago too."
 
"Huh," Hong said in confusion.
 
"What?"
 
"Nothing, it's just… I kinda assumed you had a lot of relationships,"
 
"You saying I'm a player?" Nut teased lightly.
 
"No, no. Nothing like that. You just seem like a catch, is all. So I thought people were always over you," Hong replied bashfully, suddenly very interested in the table.
 
Nut couldn't help but smile at that. "Why, thank you, I'm flattered. Don't worry, I was just teasing you." At that, Hong adorably pouted. "You're not wrong, though. I mean, I did get a lot of confessions during my student days, but I wasn't really interested in anyone. And even if I got interested in someone, it got quickly shut down before it even started because…"
 
"Because?"
 
Nut dug himself into a hole he couldn't get out of, but what was there to lose anyway? After all, this was the one aspect he shouldn't feel self-conscious talking about with Hong.
 
"Well, because of my scent. Almost everyone found it to be… overwhelming. It's the reason I broke up with my last ex actually, he was able to handle it for a brief time before he had enough. It wasn't his fault, he really tried, but it was just too much for him."
 
Nut confessed while looking elsewhere. Although he knew for sure Hong somehow liked his scent, it was still difficult for him to talk about a topic this sensitive. When he finally turned to look at Hong, he found pure puzzlement painting his expression, like Nut just said the most bizarre thing in the world.
 
"How is that possible? Your scent is—I mean, I'm sure your scent isn't bad like they made it to be," he said, a little too quickly, his tone turning unexpectedly defensive. "You were definitely just incompatible, I'm certain you'll find someone out there who enjoyed your scent. Everyone has that person, it's just a matter of time before you meet them."
 
Nut smiled at Hong's words, but what was actually endearing to him was how Hong tried to reassure him without giving himself away, although he almost did at the beginning with how frustrated he was.
 
Man, this guy wasn't making it easy for him at all.
 
"Thanks, I truly appreciate it." And he really did.
 
They kept chatting for a while more about random things until they were interrupted by Tui, who returned to them by himself.
 
"What, did he tell you to piss off?" Nut asked with a shit-eating grin.
 
"No, because I'm not a loser like you. I actually managed to get his number," Tui said smugly. "His name is Lego, and he's really, really cute. But he sadly had to leave 'cause his roommate called him for an emergency. We agreed to meet again later, though."
 
"That's my man! Glad to see you get some action," Nut cheered.
 
"Can't say the same to you."
 
"You know what, I take my cheering back. Hope he dumps your ass before you even get to do anything."
 
For another two hours, Tui and Hong went through multiple rounds of drinks, while Nut just nursed a Coke, being the designated driver. He didn't mind it though; he preferred to stay sober so he could fill his eyes with Hong as clearly as possible.
 
He did mind it, however, when it was time to leave and he was left trying to drag two heavy, stumbling drunk men back to the car. After what felt like forever, he finally got them both settled in their seats, belts secured and all, before starting the engine and heading to Hong’s apartment first to drop him off.
 
He was grateful he still had the address from the last time, because Hong was fast asleep in the passenger seat, mumbling incoherent words every now and then.
 
When he arrived at Hong’s building, he got out of the car and made his way around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he gently shook Hong, trying to wake him, even though he already knew it was pointless.
 
Sure enough, he ended up lifting him instead, with his arm thrown over Nut's shoulder and Nut's other arm supporting his very bare waist. The more Nut had his hand over it, the more he died inside. It was slim and soft to the touch, Nut's hand fit into its curve perfectly like two puzzle pieces coming together.
 
This was bad, so bad.
 
By the time Nut barley managed to make it to the elevator, another problem hit him, he had no idea which floor Hong’s apartment was on.
 
"Hong, hey, Hong. On which floor do you live?" Nut tried shaking him again; he even squeezed his waist a little, trying to make him respond—and as bit of self-indulgence. Thankfully, Hong answered him, his words barely comprehensible.
 
While they were standing in the elevator, waiting to arrive at the 13th floor, Hong slumped more against him, his head nuzzling against Nut, more specifically against his scent gland, which was now covered by a patch. Then he inhaled deeply, but obviously he couldn't smell anything, which made him even more desperate, pressing his nose harder there as if he could bypass the blocker by sheer determination.
 
Nut didn't know what to do, he just stood there frozen while Hong kept rubbing his nose against him.
 
"Why'st not there," Hong slurred in complaint.
 
"Sorry, the patch is blocking it "
 
"Stupid patch," Hong mumbled, finally giving up his digging into Nut's side. It was impossible not smile at that.
 
With that, the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival. Nut shook him again to ask about his apartment number, by the time they were at the door, Hong had managed to gather enough consciousness to get out his keys and enter the apartment, after saying a really adorable "g'night."
 
Nut wished more than anything that he could go in there with him and make sure he reached his bed safely, but without Hong's explicit sober consent, he couldn't.
 
An Alpha shouldn't really invade an Omega's personal space like that, so he just convinced himself that Hong surely was sober enough to at least make it to the couch, then made his way back to the car.
 

༘⋆༄.°⋆ ༘⋆༄.°⋆ ༘⋆༄.°⋆ ༘⋆༄.°⋆

Nut spent the week doing nothing but sleeping, eating, and going to work as usual. However, what broke the routine a little was his newly acquired habit of scent-marking the shirt and leaving it hanging at the edge of the hamper to make sure its scent didn't fade until Hong finally took it—or rather, stole it.
 
That, and also texting Hong more and more each day, their conversations had grown beyond just exchanging memes. They shared random little things from their days, what they were eating, what show they were watching—Nut finally had some time for entertainment now that the workload was easing—complaints about their bosses, Hong secretly capturing Tui in funny moments and sharing them in their groupchat. Just casual stuff like that, but it never failed to bring the biggest smile to Nut’s face.
 
He was certain by now that he had completely and utterly fallen in love with Hong. It was just bound to happen, and as terrifying that was, it was also so exhilarating to admit.
 
He was in love with Hong, and he couldn't be happier about it.
 
Before he knew it, Friday arrived. They had plans of hanging out together tonight, this time at home, because there was a football match Hong and Tui wanted to watch—Nut didn't care that much but was going to watch it with them anyway.
 
However, when Nut was on the way home back from work, his phone rang—it was Tui.
 
"Hey, what's up? Do you want me to buy something on the way?"
 
"Actually, I won't join you guys tonight," Tui said.
 
"What? What does that mean?"
 
"Lego called me, asking if we could meet, I said yes. But don't worry, I dropped Hong off on my way and gave him the password to the apartment so he'd be waiting for you there, enjoy and thank me later!"
 
Then he hung up, not leaving a chance for Nut to answer.
 
Once again, Nut didn’t know whether to smack him or thank him. But whatever, what's important is that he got to hang out with Hong alone, even though that would definitely drive him insane just like every time, he was still looking forward to it.
 
He parked in the garage and made his way upstairs, feeling more excited the closer he got to the apartment. However, when he got through the door then stepped into the living room, Hong was nowhere to be seen.
 
Strange… maybe he was in the bathroom? Nut reasoned before heading to his room.
 
But Nut's assumption couldn't have been more wrong, because the second he opened the door, he was met by Hong standing there in the middle of his room, hands clutching the very same shirt Nut had been marking over the past ten days, and a panicked, pale expression painting his face.
 
"I… I can explain," he said quickly, voice shaking a little.
 
The fear in his tone shook Nut out of his frozen state. He immediately dropped his laptop bag on the floor and made his way to Hong, but not so close as to startle him more than he already was.
 
"It's okay, no need to panic," he said, tone soft and reassuring.
 
"I'm sorry. It's not that I intended to steal your stuff but—" his hands fell, still clutching the shirt with an iron grip, and his gaze looked down at it. After sighing, he started to explain, "When Tui invited me here for the first time, I went looking for the bathroom, and accidentally entered your room,"
 
"that's when I smelled the most amazing scent I've ever had. I just… liked it a lot that I couldn't help but take one of your T-shirts, just so I can get more of it. I understand it if you're mad at me, or even feel weirded out. I shouldn't have done that, I'll return them to you, in fact I—"
 
"Shh," Nut cut off his mortified rumbling, it ached his heart to see Hong in such state. So he stepped even closer, and reached for the shirt, barely taking it from Hong's tight grib.
 
Then, he gently draped the shirt over Hong's shoulders, adjusting it so it covered him properly. Hong's expression went from nervousness to confusion.
 
"If you want my scent, all you have to do is ask," Nut said with a soft smile.
 
Which only made Hong blink in puzzlement."What?"
 
"Like I said, you don't need to steal anything, Omega. I'm more than willing to give you whatever you want."
 
Hong's breath hitched. "You're… not mad at me?" he asked hopefully.
 
"Never, Hong." he shook his head. "I told you before, no one really liked my scent. So, to know that the one person I've only ever been in love with found my scent appealing is making me happy, not mad. Never mad."
 
There, he laid his heart on the table. So now Hong is not the only one with an exposed secret.
 
At his confession, Hong's eyes widened, and his mouth kept opening and closing, seemingly lost for words.
 
"It's okay. No need to answer me now. I'm just telling you so that you know I'm really not upset with you at all."
 
"No! I am too! I mean, I love you, too. I just… I can't believe this." His brows met in a doubting scowl. "Did you really just confess to me after you caught me stealing your clothes?" He asked, more perplexed than anything.
 
The situation was so ridiculous that Nut couldn't help but laugh through the loud beating of his heart. Hong loved him back, that's all that mattered.
 
"I did, and since you apparently love me too, can I please kiss you now?"
 
Hong blushed beautifully before nodding, that was all it took for Nut to surge forward, claiming his lips in a kiss he'd been dreaming of ever since he saw him.
 
It was slow at first, they were both exploring, sucking each other's lips softly until Nut decided he wanted more. He bit Hong's lower lip tenderly which effectively granted him what he wanted—Hong opened his mouth. That's when Nut took the chance, his tongue invading Hong's mouth, sliding against his tongue and licking it passionately.
 
Hong clutched his waist desperately, trying but failing to keep up with Nut's starving, relentless pace. He was just so hungry for those pretty, pillowy lips that tasted even better than they looked, and not because Hong was wearing a cherry lip balm, but because they were part of Hong.
 
When they finally had to part for air, Nut's gaze fixed on Hong's lips, admiring his work that left them glistening and swollen. Then his gaze met Hong's, who was looking at him through half-lidded eyes, looking dizzy as if he were drunk.
 
"Do you realize how beautiful you are?" Nut asked reverently.
 
Hong’s only response was a blush, followed by him tucking his face shyly into Nut’s neck.
 
"Hong, please, I need to scent you too. Can I?"
He couldn’t hold it in anymore, it was tearing at him at this point, to have Hong this close but not know what he smelled like.
 
Hong lifted his head slowly, he looked at Nut for a moment before softly saying, "You can."
 
With his heart hammering into his ears, Nut raised his hand and placed it on Hong's blocker patch. He kept it there for a moment, feeling nervous more than any time, not because he was afraid of not liking Hong's scent—because he refused to believe that was possible, but because this was such a significant, intimate moment.
 
Scenting the Omega he loved for the first time—his Omega. It felt even deeper than their confession earlier. Hong baring his neck to him in an act of trust and surrender, he was so grateful to be lucky enough to have that.
 
So, not wasting more time, he took a deep breath then peeled the patch off.
 
Immediately, the sweetest scent that had ever hit his senses filled his nostrils. Rich cotton candy, intertwined with vibrant jasmine and lastly sealed with the and edge of something faintly artificial, like an air freshener. Nut’s eyes fluttered shut as he drew more of Hong's scent deep into his lungs.
 
As if drawn by a magnet, his head slowly lowered until his nose brushed against Hong’s neck, right over his scent glands. And he inhaled deeply, wanting to fill his entire body with Hong's scent until he breathed it instead of oxygen. He stayed there for a while, unable to move, his arms enveloped Hong's waist, holding him close.
 
Hong's head was thrown back, giving Nut all the space he needed. His hand was entangled in Nut's hair, which he used to hold him in place while he kept sighing softly with each breath Nut took. Until he suddenly tugged at it, pulling Nut back to face him.
 
"I want to scent you, too, Alpha. Will you let me remove the patch?" He asked with a small voice.
 
"Yeah, yes. Of course."
 
Instantly, Hong reached for his patch and pulled it off, tossing it to the side with obvious contempt, which Nut couldn't help but chuckle over. Then, just as Nut did to him, he went straight to press his nose into Nut's neck.
 
The second his head was tucked there, his whole body shivered between Nut's arms then went completely slack, melting into him. The only thing keeping him upright was Nut's strong grip around his waist.
 
Instead of letting him strain like that, Nut reached down and gripped Hong's thighs firmly, hoisting him up until his legs circled Nut's waist. Then, he walked to his bed and sat down with Hong on his lab, face still buried in Nut's neck, breathing him in like there was no tomorrow.
 
Before Nut could go back to scenting Hong too, a sound rose from somewhere deep, which Nut soon enough discovered its source when it turned into a low rumble. Hong was purring. He was so lost scenting Nut that it seemed like he didn’t even realize it. But Nut did, and it made him soar.
 
For an Omega to purr, they must be relaxed, comfortable, and feeling utterly safe. And here was Hong, sitting in his lap, giving Nut full access to his neck and melting between his arms, purring without a care for a thing in the world.
 
That's all Nut ever wanted.
 
"Sweetheart, will you stay the night? I promise, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I just want you near, neither I nor my Alpha could bear the thought of separating with you this shortly after I got you," Nut pleaded.
 
This made Hong finally lift his head. He looked so gone, so utterly hazy, but he smiled softly at Nut. "Hmm, I can't leave either. My Omega is so desperate to stay by your side. Had been desperate ever since I entered your room, even before I met you," Hong responded, his hand running through Nut's hair.
 
"I can't believe there are people who dislike your scent." His other hand caressed Nut's face softly. He looked at him with a gaze so full of love that Nut felt like he wanted to cry for being the recipient of such a tender, affectionate look. "I was so devastated when it faded from the first T-shirt I took. You smell amazing, Alpha. So perfect for me, my mate."
 
All Nut could do in response was hug him tightly. Their noses found their way back to each other's necks, and they just stayed there, basking in their combined scents that blended so seamlessly.
 
Nut's burnt caramel with Hong's sweet cotton candy, his natural leather with Hong's fresh jasmine, and each of their undertone of chemicals that were of completely different types yet complemented each other perfectly. In that moment, Nut knew why no one else liked his scent; because it was specifically tailored for Hong, to match Hong's scent and appeal to no one but him.
 
There was no doubt that they were mates, and they had finally found each other after years and years of disappointment.
 
Now, between each other's arms, their lives could truly begin.