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For most, scent carries emotion. The pheromones of alphas and omegas signal attraction, disgust, fear, curiosity – a chemical cocktail interpreted through methods the Akademiya’s scholars are still debating.
For Alhaitham, scents are only a nuisance.
As a beta, he can’t naturally pick up the emotions behind the scents of others. There are patterns they tend to follow – sour or bitter scents usually indicate displeasure, with sweeter scents indicating the opposite – but those patterns don’t hold universally true.
(And besides, Alhaitham has only ever cared to pay attention to the emotion behind Kaveh’s scent.)
(But beyond that?)
He can tell, for example, that the putrid aura wafting off the alpha who has entered his office indicates a high level of upset. His omega secretary is probably aware of the exact nuances of their emotions, but right now, all Alhaitham cares about is getting them – and their scent – out of his office.
(He knows he is expected to pick up on these nuances and respond to them appropriately, but Alhaitham has never cared for that.)
“Who let you be Grand Sage anyway?” the alpha is hissing, scent seeping into all the corners of the room. Alhaitham grits his teeth and tries to ignore it. He fails. “Azar would have funded my research proposal by now.”
“Azar was a criminal and is currently in jail,” Alhaitham intones calmly, keeping his eyes on the papers in front of him. As soon as he finishes looking at these, legally there is nothing the Akademiya can do to stop him from going home. Archons, he desperately wants to go home. “He approved many projects that violate the Akademiya’s cardinal sins. Are you going to continue to leave your scent all over my office, or are you going to realize this is futile and leave?”
Whatever is going on with the alpha’s quickly souring scent – as if it wasn’t awful enough already – is obviously some sort of threat display, with the way his secretary is currently cowering, but Alhaitham has the rare blessing of not being able to tell or care.
“I don’t have time for theatrics,” Alhaitham says with a sigh. “I’m aware you’re likely used to blowing your scent everywhere and getting your way, but those tricks will not work on me. Leave.”
The alpha huffs. “I’m not going to–”
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
Alhaitham blinks. Kaveh stands in the doorway, arms folded across his chest as he stares down the alpha. His own scent is now a subtle presence in the room – Kaveh usually wears perfume to mask the harsher edges of his scent, but currently it’s sharp in a way Alhaitham has learned is irritation.
The other alpha glares at Kaveh. Kaveh glares back. Alhaitham rolls his eyes.
Another dominance display that’s invisible to him. Probably for the best, given he has no interest in that sort of thing. Alhaitham wrinkles his nose, already feeling the start of a headache at the harsh mixture of alpha scents in the room.
(Kaveh’s is far more pleasant, at least. The scent of damp earth and mourning flowers is one familiar to him, though the current sharp edge to it is an unwelcome reminder of their frequent fights.)
“Are we done here?” Alhaitham asks wearily. The other alpha sighs.
“Today, yes. We’re going to have another conversation later.”
“Bastard,” Kaveh huffs as they stalk out. “Archons, your entire office smells like them. It’s– er, I’ll open the windows.”
Alhaitham manages a nod. The room feels too small, the alpha’s scent in it too thick. “Why are you here, Kaveh?”
“I think you mean ‘thank you’,” Kaveh says with a huff. “And you were ten minutes late coming home. I figured you either had to be kidnapped or dead.”
“The situation was close enough to a kidnapping,” Alhaitham mutters. He can feel the fresh air already entering the room, the alpha’s scent slowly dissipating. Kaveh’s remains, the damp earth and mourning flowers wrapping around him like a blanket. “Did you really think starting a fight was a wise idea?”
Kaveh narrows his eyes, scent sharpening. “I was trying to help you out! Either be grateful or tell me to leave, Alhaitham. I’m not in the mood for– whatever this is.”
Alhaitham hums. “You’re the one who started the conversation, senior.”
He hears Kaveh sigh, scent returning to normal a moment before his roommate settles next to him on the divan. “You’re overwhelmed.”
“Took you quite a bit of time to pick up on that.”
Kaveh frowns at him. “You know I can’t read your emotions through scent, Haitham. You’re like… I don’t know. Your face isn’t exactly that expressive, either. It takes me a while to figure these things out. It’s the scent that’s bothering you, right?”
Alhaitham nods. It usually is. His earpieces block out noise, but there isn’t exactly a good way to lower the olfactory stimulation he receives. And without any of the emotional cues, pheromones are simply annoying.
“Would it help if I put scent blockers on?”
“Your scent is fine, senior,” Alhaitham mutters. “I’ve told you this before, and I don’t care to repeat it now.”
“Is there anything I can do to help, then?” Kaveh asks. His scent has softened with what must be worry, the way bitter notes are creeping in around the edges.
Alhaitham hesitates. “You could scent me.
“It would be faster than going home and taking a shower,” he adds at the dumbfounded look on Kaveh’s face. “That alpha’s scent is still on me. I want it off.”
Kaveh frowns. “And so you want to replace it with another alpha’s scent?”
“I want to replace it with your scent,” Alhaitham huffs, aware that this is a dangerous thing to say but too tired to care much anymore. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine by me. I likely have perfume in one of the cabinets.”
“It’s fine!” Kaveh hisses. “I can– yeah. Er, okay. I can scent you. Can I sit down?”
Alhaitham nods, and Kaveh drags a chair over to him, lowering himself into it. Their knees touch as he leans forwards, tugging Alhaitham’s cape away from his neck and pulling down his collar. “You’re really sure you want me to do this?”
“Kaveh.”
“If you regret this later, I don’t want to hear about it,” Kaveh huffs as he drags his wrist over Alhaitham’s neck. The warmth is instantaneous, and his scent seeps into the air a moment later, chasing away the lingering remains of the other alpha’s.
Alhaitham sighs contentedly as the scent wraps around him, leaning into Kaveh’s warmth as his roommate’s hand comes up to cup his cheek. Kaveh’s thumb gently brushes under his eye, and Alhaitham lets them close once more.
This is nice, he thinks. Maybe he should get overwhelmed more often.
“Are you feeling any better?” Kaveh asks, and Alhaitham hesitates to respond, unsure if he really wants this to end. He sighs.
“I’d feel better if we were at home.”
<><><>
Kaveh’s scent is less pervasive in their shared house, given Kaveh still sees it as only Alhaitham’s and has made a conscious effort to avoid getting his scent over too many of their belongings. Still, it is present, and Alhaitham is relieved to note that the other alpha’s scent is now all but gone.
He positions himself comfortably on the divan, adjusting his favorite blanket around his shoulders as Kaveh sits awkwardly next to him.
“You’ve never explained why you aren’t bothered by my scent,” Kaveh says, folding his hands in his lap. “Everyone else’s bothers you. Especially alphas. I’m– I don’t get why I’m your exception.”
Alhaitham blinks tiredly at his roommate. “You’re smart, Kaveh. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“You–”
“It’s a compliment, senior. Take it or leave it.”
Kaveh huffs, reaching out to adjust the blanket, wrists oh so close to Alhaitham’s skin. He finds himself unconsciously leaning forwards, allowing himself a moment to indulge in the thought of what it would be like to be wrapped in his roommate’s embrace.
“You really are something,” Kaveh mutters, tone soft. When Alhaitham looks into his eyes, the expression he sees looks a lot like fondness.
Despite himself, he feels a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Do you want me to move closer?” Kaveh asks. “If– well, if you seem to enjoy–”
Alhaitham hums, gently grabbing onto Kaveh’s wrist and tugging him closer, until Kaveh’s head rests comfortably against his shoulder and his arms are wrapped around his roommate’s back. Kaveh lets out a startled oh before settling into the embrace.
“I didn’t mean like that,” he insists, but his scent has sweetened, the notes of mourning flowers more prominent. Alhaitham huffs.
“You didn’t specify. If you wish to provide additional clarification on how exactly you meant it, you can do so now.”
He feels Kaveh still against him. “No,” he whispers. “This– this is fine.”
Alhaitham tilts his head forwards until his nose brushes the scent glands on Kaveh’s neck. Kaveh is warm, and it feels nice to be pressed against him like this. Like this was how Alhaitham was meant to be. “If you’re sure.”
“Of course I am!” Kaveh hisses. “Just– it’s not like this is normal for us. You…”
“I want to be here,” Alhaitham murmurs. “And you have raised no complaints. And so here we are. Do you want this to be normal?”
“I don’t know,” Kaveh admits. He adjusts his position in Alhaitham’s hold, hesitantly returning the embrace. “I mean, I’m assuming you’re just doing this because you’re overwhelmed, and then we’ll both go to bed and never talk about this again in the morning like we usually do. But this is… really nice.”
Alhaitham rolls his eyes. Kaveh, for all his intelligence and vision, is once again refusing to see what Alhaitham has laid out so clearly in front of him. “Senior. I went to you for comfort because despite our frequent disagreements, I find your presence comforting. That’s why.”
This manages to silence Kaveh, who makes a choked sound before burying his face in Alhaitham’s neck. Even though he’s managed to hide most of it, Alhaitham can still see the flush spreading over the edges of his cheeks.
His scent, too. It’s far more intense than it usually is, and Alhaitham doesn’t exactly have a previous example of when Kaveh’s scent did this to compare it to. Embarrassment, he supposes, except Kaveh gets flushed quite frequently and Alhaitham has never noticed this specific undertone to his scent before.
…he’ll enjoy the moment for now, Alhaitham supposes. There’s no guarantee that it will last, but for now, he will stay here, wrapped in Kaveh’s scent and warmth.
It’s comfortable here. There’s nowhere else Alhaitham would prefer to be.