Work Text:
Alhaitham turned the key in the lock, securing his front door.
His empty cupboards had finally forced him out to grab a quick snack. His ears caught unusual sounds coming from the ground floor, and his nose twitched despite himself.
Something in the air had changed... a delicate scent of cinnamon, a floral aroma laced with a subtle creamy undertone.
An omega, most certainly. He raised an eyebrow.
An omega here? Poor guy... Had the landlord even bothered to warn him that this building was full of alphas? Of course not.
That greedy old man wouldn't show such consideration for anyone.
The promise of rent money took precedence over any concern for his tenants' comfort, omega or not. Walking toward the elevator, he passed an ajar door, confirming there was no longer any room for doubt: his new neighbor had just moved in.
Just as he reached the elevator doors, they slid open to reveal the newcomer, his arms full, his breath short. He was blond and... striking.
Taken aback by the sight, Alhaitham stepped aside, momentarily dazed.
From a distance, he heard the blond apologizing for the disturbance and the noise, punctuation his words with a nervous laugh. The man then retreated into his apartment without waiting for a response. Alhaitham remained there, unmoving, his gaze fixed on the closed door.
Then... something clicked. Was the blond pregnant? After all, that softly sweet, creamy scent was a sign of pregnancy, wasn't it? He thought he had noticed a slight swell under his clothes, but he couldn't be sure, his shirt had been loose, after all.
Alhaitham bit his lip, caught in a dilemma.
Should he offer a hand? Surely the omega had an alpha nearby, ready to help... and likely fiercely territorial. Wouldn't he just escalate things on their very first day?
Yet, he couldn't catch any alpha scent other than the ones he was already familiar with. Still, just to be safe... He shook his head, imagining his grandmother pulling his ear: "That's not how I raised you, habibi! Don't leave a defenseless omega alone in this harsh world."
A small pang hit his chest at the thought of disappointing his grandmother, but he decided he would wait before getting too close to the omega.
*******
The next day, while pouring himself a glass of water, a voice resonated down the hallway, a monologue, clearly a phone conversation.
It wasn't like him to pry, but... he approached the front door and pressed his ear against it. Unsurprisingly, it was his new neighbor talking. And he sounded completely at the end of his rope.
Alhaitham grimaced. Had no one come to help him? Not even friends?
From what he could gather, there was no husband or partner in the picture...
A single father-to-be? How tragic. He pictured the blond again, slender, not particularly tall... There was no way he was going to leave him in such distress.
He opened the door, and his neighbor turned around, tears in his eyes, holding his phone between his ear and shoulder, his arms loaded with a heavy box.
Alhaitham stepped forward, and...
