Chapter Text
The papers fall to the floor as the words process in Sieun's mind. I'm losing him, I'm losing him, that's all Sieun could hear. A loud beep sounds, the room blurs, and suddenly a comforting cedar, pecan scent fills Sieun's lungs, one he could never forget.
“Sieun”
Suho walks in, a warm look in his eyes. It was just a dream. It had been two years since Suho had woken up and finally recovered. During the recovery, they thought it would be better if Sieun and Suho stayed near each other, especially to help Sieun's inner Omega resurface, as Sieun had dropped when Suho entered critical condition.
Despite all of this, Sieun's Omega still stayed hidden, only showing glimpses when his emotions became erratic.
Sieun groans, sleep still trying to take over. The blankets have wrapped around him, perfectly snug and warm. Suho leans against the doorframe, watching these rare moments of Sieun letting his guard down.
“Sieun, we have to go soon, or we are going to have to reschedule,” Suho says as he rounds the bed, trying to pull the blankets.
Sieun grumbles, allowing the blankets to be pulled.
They have to attend their scheduled checkups every three months. To ensure Suho is still healing properly, and for Sieun to check on his Omega. Unfortunately, if they miss, they have to reschedule. This is what drags Sieun out of bed, and the warm chestnut spreading throughout his room.
“When you get dressed, I made us some breakfast, okay?” Suho says, ruffling Sieun's hair.
“Mmh.”
It’s all Sieun lets out, his heart skipping a beat as his cheeks dust a soft pink.
When Sieun leaves the bathroom, he swears he catches a whiff of cinnamon, but maybe it's his mind playing tricks. Suho is sitting at the dining table reading the back of a box he's probably seen a million times; nonetheless, he still decides to analyze it. As Sieun sits down, he doesn't really feel like eating in the mornings, but for Suho’s sake, he takes a few bites. Suho has picked up some recipes his Grandma has shown him over the past few months, insisting he take good care of Sieun, which made Suho's ears glow a faint red as he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
“How is it, Sieun-ah?” Suho asked, peering up from his so interesting box. His eyes carry that warmth that makes Sieun's heart leap into his throat, threatening to spill out.
Sieun takes a big gulp of his milk. Swallowing down the words that always threaten to spill whenever Suho carries that look. A trace of cinnamon lingers in the air again; Suho's nostrils flare, noticing it as well, confirming Sieun's suspicion from earlier. His scent was starting to appear. A grin breaks free on Suho’s face, this is the first sign of Sieun’s Omega after so many months; he could practically be wagging his tail if he had one.
“Don’t even,” Sieun whispers, not knowing how to feel. The room feels like it's closing in, a burnt wood smell permeating the air. Suho immediately stands up, releasing chestnut pheromones to try and ease Sieun.
“Hey, it’s okay. This is okay. Hm Sieunnie.” Suho slowly wraps his arms around Sieun as he starts shaking, trying to take deep breaths.
“You’re scared, right?”
Sieun can only hold Suho closer, knowing he needs to ground himself soon. They have roughly an hour left to make it to their appointment. Suho slowly rubs his hand down Sieun's back, trying to calm the nerves that are eating Sieun’s brain. No Omega should be scared of themselves; insert Sieun, who is terrified to accept what he and his Omega know so deeply inside.
Sieun takes one more deep breath and pulls back; Suho stares down at him, analyzing.
“Better?’ he whispers, smoothing a strand down Sieun's hair.
“Mmh,” Sieun hums. Suho grins, hearing his common remark.
“Let’s go, shall we then?”
—
When they arrive at the office and check in, it doesn’t take long before Sieun’s called. Suho sends a small wave as Sieun goes behind the door and follows the nurse to the room. Sieun is sick of these environments after two years of seeing Suho hooked up to the machines, not knowing when he will wake up. The white walls send a wave of nausea through Sieun. Eventually, they make it to Dr Park's office, who welcomes Sieun with a soft smile. Sieun sits down in the chair, chewing on his bottom lip.
“How have you been, Sieun? Any updates on how you have been feeling since we last talked?” Dr Park enquires, opening Sieun's file and the latest report from when they briefly took a blood test a few weeks ago, with a quirk to his eyebrow.
“My scent is appearing as of today,” Sieun reveals. Ripping the band-aid off right at the beginning. He can’t keep running from his Omega, or else the Omega will never resurface. Dr Park looks up from his files, examining Sieun's expression, and leans back into his chair.
“I can’t say I'm surprised, seeing your lab result come back, your pheromone levels have spiked recently.”
“And from what I can see, it’s a good sign. However, with the way it's spiking, the chances of a flash heat are high. But as smart as you are, I’m sure that's why you're nervous, yes?” Dr Park exclaims.
Sieun can only nod. Unfortunately, words once spoken are always forced into the truth.
“However, Sieun, I get that this is gonna be hard for you. This is also great news. Don’t see this as a negative. But here’s what I can recommend, and I highly suggest it so we can avoid a possible heat flash after months of a non-present Omega.” Dr Park continues jotting down on his paperwork.
“It's Suho, correct? The Alpha you mention. I want you to start nesting and encouraging scenting bonds.”
“If scenting is too overwhelming, then borrow some of his clothes and put them into your nest.” Dr Park says, like it's any other normal day. Like this very thing isn’t some huge step that Sieun isn’t sure his heart is ready for.
Sieun can smell the slight burn of wood again, not too strong for others to pick up. A quiet burn. When Dr Park looks up, he offers a compassionate smile. Sieun feels sick. He's not ready for this step.
“You got this, okay, Sieun?” Dr Park says, standing up, cueing Sieun to stand.
“I've prescribed you some small scent patches, but I don’t want you using them unless a flash heat occurs, okay?” Dr Park explains while opening the door.
“Yes,” Sieun whispers, walking out the door. A heavy weight in his mind.
When Sieun reaches the lobby, Suho is also coming out of his session. A slight daze in his eyes that clears as soon as his eyes lock with Sieun. A grin breaks out on his face as he walks over and drapes an arm around Sieun.
“Ready to go home, Sieunnie?”
When they arrive back home, Sieun quickly beelines to his bedroom. It's only been a few hours since he's been awake, but it feels like the day has had enough events. On top of that, he has to break what his doctor said.
Sieun groans into the pillow.
“Sieun?”
A knock comes from his door.
“Can I come in?” Suho asks, a slight thud against the door.
Sieun gets up from his bed, his heart speeding up. Sieun opens the door, making Suho stumble slightly into Sieun. Sieun's face flushes, quickly moving away.
“Can we talk? About earlier?” Suho asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sieun sits back on his bed, drawing his legs up as he grabs a hoodie and hugs it tightly. Suho lets out a small chuckle, making Sieun glance up to see Suho staring at the hoodie in his hands. Cinnamon spreads throughout the room again, mixing with pecan. Sieun quickly throws the hoodie to the floor because it wasn’t just some random hoodie, it was Suho’s.
Shame floods Sieun. He shouldn’t feel this way, not towards him. He isn’t allowed to feel that way. It isn't fair. He's the reason Suho ended up the way he did, and he cannot lose him again. His heart wouldn’t be able to handle it. Not again. A hand slowly wraps around his wrist, pulling it down from his face.
“Sieun, it's okay,” Suho whispers.
“So what did Dr. Park say?”
Sieun can only stare at Suho, the words stuck in his throat. Sieun leans forward, letting his head fall onto Suho’s shoulder, a sigh leaving him. Suho wraps his arms around him, leaning his head on Sieun.
“I have to act like an Omega,” Sieun whispers into Suho’s shoulder.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Sieun?” Suho whispers back.
“I have to do things like this,” Sieun says, nuzzling into Suho's scent gland, his heart pounding out of his chest. Suho goes rigid, his grip tightening. Sieun has no idea where the confidence came from, but he can’t even think straight, chestnuts and pecans flooding his system. For the first time in 3 years, a sense of calm floods his body, his bones feel like jelly as he takes another deep inhale. Suho stays quiet, tightly holding Sieun.
Suho doesn’t know what to do. He's never seen Sieun act like this, never thought he would. A woody cinnamon fills the air, mixing with Suho's chestnut-pecan. A slight rumble comes from Sieun, making Suho’s eyes widen- it couldn’t be. Sieun was purring.
A low growl escapes Suho, one he couldn’t control. Sieun sits up straight, blinking out the blur in his eyes.
Sieun quickly pushes Suho away, a switch had flipped. Internally, Sieun could hear his omega whining, not wanting to be separated. Sieun tightly closes his eyes, too much was happening today, and he's not sure just how much he could take. A small whine leaves Sieun as tears form, his throat feels heavy. Everything is too much.
All the pieces slowly click in Suho’s brain. Carefully, he grabs Sieun and pulls him into his arms, angling his head towards his glands, slowly combing through his hair.
“It’s okay, Sieun-ah,” Suho whispers, not understanding the need to protect flooding his system. “I’ve got you, okay? I understand now.”
Tears flood from Sieun, he's completely overwhelmed. Today was supposed to be a simple day, another routine. Yet here he is, his omega loudly in his ears, and Ahn Suho not leaving his side. Exhaustion takes over Sieun, his favorite scent lulling him to sleep.
–
Suho carefully lays Sieun down, not wanting to stress him anymore. Suho doesn’t fully understand. But he's sure that after feeling like he had been on his own the past year, your omega suddenly appearing again. It can be overwhelming for Sieun.
His Sieun. Wait what?
Suho shakes his head, taking a deep breath. His heart is heavy, and his alpha wants nothing more than to stay by Sieun’s side. Suho slowly gets up and exits the room as quietly as he can.
The door clicks, and all Suho can do is lean his head against the door.
Over the next few hours, Suho spends the day researching ways he can help Sieun. So far, he’s learned that Sieun’s omega resurfacing means Sieun will lose control over himself, like when your secondary gender first appears all over again. He also learns that Sieun will experience pre-heat symptoms, nesting, scenting, and needing attention. Suho chuckles, knowing Sieun hates most of these.
As Suho keeps scrolling the internet, he stumbles upon an article about true mates. Curiously, he skims through it.
The natural smell of a true mate triggers instant comfort, deep arousal, and safety, making other scents unappealing
That line holds Suho’s attention. A ping sounds from his bedside table. Quickly, he closes his laptop and grabs his phone, it’s a notification telling him to pick up his medicine tomorrow at 3 pm. He sighs.
“Goodnight, Sieun,” Suho whispers.