Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Sizzling and boiling, Euijoo moved quickly around his small kitchen.

There was the fragrant smell of garlic and sesame oil permeating the air, a part of him felt a little sorry to his neighbours if they could smell it through the walls.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be fine on your own? I’ve seen you cook Boomi” His sister asked from the tinny speaker of his phone, he cringed at the childhood nickname

“Goodbye Noona” he hung up with a sigh, he could cook! Not well but… he can manage!

He had been craving a specific food his mother used to make, it was too late to call her so he did the next best thing and called his sister. He had her on the phone as he chopped the veggies and cut the meat to size while she approved everything from his low quality phone camera. His veggies were all uneven and he was missing one spice that his sister insisted would change everything, but it still smelled amazing. And the broth wasn't too bad.

Euijoo scooped a healthy helping into a bowl and packed the rest away into containers as he waited for it to cool, the broth sat neatly in a couple thermos’ that his parents had gifted him in a  set of matching lunch boxes while the rice and sides packed neatly into his two small containers. It made two perfect spare servings to take to work with him, he just had to pray that it actually tasted good enough to eat again.

He stretches and scratches at the scent patch still slapped lazily over his scent gland, he could probably take it off now but he’d rather let it soak off in the shower later because he knows the adhesive is gonna hurt.

But his scent gland is a little swollen and he winces as his nails scratch the tender skin, he shakes his head and quickly digs into his food. Immediately he's hit with a nostalgic memory of sitting with his parents and sister, eating this food until his belly is full to almost bursting.

Euijoo grins happily, his mediocre cooking paid off !

The meat is soft and the veggies are tender enough to chew through easily, the only thing is the broth is a little bland but he can always fix that next time. Euijoo sighs and rubs his full belly, about to stretch and clean up his things when he hears a timid knock at his front door.

Euijoo freezes and checks the time, it's late and he isn’t expecting anyone so why the hell is there someone knocking on his door?

Quietly, he sneaks over to peer through the doors peephole while trying to decide which item works the best as an improvised weapon if it is a serial killer.

The person knocks again, a little more insistent as Euijoo finally peeks through enough to see a guy around his age standing there drowning in a large hoodie. His eyes are downcast and he's chewing on his plump lower lip like he’s about to chew through it, Euijoo feels his whole body go into fight or flight as he finally recognises them.

It’s his neighbour, the one that only leaves late in the afternoon and returns early in the mornings. The really pretty one that made eye contact with him in the elevator once and Euijoo was so embarrassed he had to look away from the sharp glare that was turned on him, he really hadn’t meant to stare.

Although he can’t blame him, some random alpha staring at you unprompted would probably make anyone uncomfortable.

Euijoo feels his hands move on autopilot as he opens the door for the other, his pretty neighbour looks up, clearly shocked that he had opened the door as his hand stays poised to knock.

“Uh…” Euijoo is a little shocked at how deep the other's voice is, but he mentally shakes his head and smiles.

“Can I help you?” he asks, gentle as he recognises the faintly sweet smell of an omega.

It wasn’t new to him that his neighbour was an omega but it still caught him by surprise when he smelt how sweet he was. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly but he smelt like ripe sweet fruit (strawberries maybe or perhaps even peaches) and some kind of gentle flowery smell (was that jasmine? Hyacinths?).

“...actually…I was just… wondering- like maybe… if you- uh…” he’s stuttering, oh god he's so cute, Euijoo’s heart is racing at the sight of the other as he slowly turns a little pink.

“...The smell is coming over to my apartment and I just wondered if maybe you had some to spare? The food…” His neighbour finally looks up at him properly and his eyes widen just a fraction as he takes a small step back, the jacket he’s wearing swallows him completely but can’t hide the squareness of his shoulders or the slight shaking of his hands that are barely covered by his sleeves.

Euijoo smiles “Sure, I packed away some just before so it might need to be heated up a little”

He turns and races over to his fridge, grabs out one of the thermos’ and a lunchbox, a set that is decorated with little oranges, before coming straight back over to the omega patiently waiting outside his door. There's an excited feeling in his chest, he even feels himself stand a little straighter with pride as the omega looks hesitant but happy at the sight of the food.

His wolf perks instantly, rumbling with excitement at providing.

“Here” Euijoo holds it out for him, his neighbour offers a tiny smile and clears his throat.

“I’m Nicholas by the way, I don’t bite I promise. I just look a little mean sometimes…” he trails off like he’s thinking of something and Euijoo jolts in shame at the memory of being in the elevator.

“Right! It’s nice to officially meet you, I’m Euijoo” he sticks a hand out to shake and Nicholas smirks just slightly.

“I know” he tilts his head in gesture at the placard at his door with the name on it, Euijoo flushes hot with embarrassment.

“Nice to meet you too, and thanks for the food” Nicholas sighs happily.

Euijoo nods and they wave goodbye as Nicholas finally starts to drift off towards his own apartment right next door, as soon as Euijoo closes his door he breathes a sigh of relief and slides down it. 

He’s beyond embarrassed that his crush on the other is so noticeable, there's no way Nicholas doesn’t know he finds him so incredibly pretty. Euijoo brings a hand up to his suddenly hot and pink cheeks, he groans in embarrassment. His head still fills with the phantom sweet smell of the other.

His scent gland throbs suddenly and he hisses at the pain.

Time to shower.

~*~

Euijoo ends up going to the doctor when his scent gland stays throbbing and painful for a few days, his doctor recommends stopping the patches but Euijoo is a little concerned about his job and ends up using the patches anyway.

He tries to keep them off when he’s home alone but working around small children as the only alpha makes him want to dampen his scent a little, plus he doesn’t want to overwhelm any of his omega co-workers.

“Hi Euijoo!” Sunoo stands up straight to greet him, the younger omega is finishing tucking in the kids for a nap when Euijoo shows up. The obvious smell of peaches and melted sugar fill his nose, Sunoo has always reminded him of Tanghulu, a little tough sugary exterior wrapped around a sweet soft inner.

Sunoo had regarded Euijoo a little warily at first, he could tell at a glance that the other wasn’t too fond of the idea of an alpha being in omega work. But Euijoo was gentle in everything he did, the way he spoke and the way he carried himself all came with a the type of softness not even a whisper could compare to. Eventually, Sunoos faux sweetness and fake smiles turned to real ones. 

“Thanks for taking the morning shift, I can take it from here” Euijoo offers, Sunoo grins and nods.

Euijoo has always kinda liked kids, it was a no brainer when he got older to look for something to do with teaching and caring for kids. It had taken him a few years to get approved for working with children, so this was his first year but it was so gratifying.

His day usually consisted of playing monsters with the kids and then helping clean up after them, for some reason they had adopted the nickname “Aju” for him since it made their little 2 year old selves laugh but he didn't mind.

“Aju ssaem” he hears sleepily mumbled at him, it's one of the older boys. He ambles over and climbs up into Euijoo’s lap, curling up and laying down to go back to sleep.

“What’re you doing up, Jeongmin?” he asks gently, the boy mumbles about how he couldn't sleep well because of a dream he had last night.

Euijoo comforts him and helps him navigate his dreams incase he has it again “You’ll be okay, I’ll be right here to help you even if you wake up scared” he says softly, Jeongmin hums and promptly falls asleep as though his body was waiting for that reassurance.

The rest of his day goes pretty much the same as always, he plays monsters with the kids and then helps them tidy up. Before long, he’s helping them get their things together and guiding them out to their parents with a smile.

“Hi jju” He hears from his friend, it's Fuma picking up Kora today by the looks of it.

The young boy sighs and looks up at his dad “dad Kei?” he asks, Fuma looks apologetic as he nods.

“He’ll be right there to tuck you in tonight though, he promised” Fuma says as Euijoo looks on with a small smile.

Fuma and Kei had adopted Kora after they got married last year, Kei had picked up extra shifts lately to ensure that they met all their needs and were able to spoil their baby. Fuma on the other hand, struggled to ensure that Kora felt loved by both of them as he wasn’t really the emotionally intelligent of the two.

“What's up with that?” Fuma points at his own neck, gesturing with his hand as he eyes Euijoo’s neck. Euijoo immediately slaps a hand over the scent patch there, it's swollen and itchy again today. Probably a dark and speckled with red form where he had scratched at it and formed little blood blisters.

“Uh, scent gland is acting up a bit. I’ve been to the doctors, I’ve got some antibiotics” He reassures him before he goes into full dad mode.

“Take the patch off as soon as possible” Fuma says anyway, Kora is nodding seriously from beside him.

Euijoo laughs and nods

“Thanks for today Euijoo” Fuma says as they turn to leave, Euijoo waves them off and finishes his shift while wondering what kind of partner or parent he would be.

He hopes he comes off as a gentle and caring alpha like how Kei is, or maybe even that strong and dependable alpha that Fuma is. Euijoo imagines he could be the type of alpha that his kids would look up to, he likes that he’s known as a gentle alpha that people feel safe around. He hopes his partner thinks so too.

Not that there is anyone in his life right now, Euijoo has always been a little bit of a homebody and only really goes out in group settings with other friends. 

Then his mind drifts to his neighbour, he flushes immediately and stops in his tracks. 

“You spoke to him once, get a grip” he groans, it had been a little over 2 weeks since Nicholas had knocked on his door. The lunchbox he had offered reappeared on his doorstep, already clean, the next morning with a hastily scribbled “thanks” written on a scrap piece of paper.

Euijoo had almost frowned when he realized the other hadn’t wanted to knock and talk again, part of him didn’t want to push it so he’d left it alone but the other part of him wanted to knock on Nicholas’s door and offer him some more home cooked meals.

But maybe that was weird.

Euijoo headed home with a sigh and a short trip to the store to pick up some things, hoping to just make himself something small to eat that he can take to work the next morning.

“Noona” he called his sister as he wandered the shops looking at all the meat cuts.

“Boomi, I got your message. I can send you a quick and easy rice and pork bowl recipe” she says clearly a little distracted, he mumbles a thanks and asks her to be quick.

Euijoo navigates the shops quickly, the long day starting to catch up with him as he thinks of cooking and getting ready for bed. 

God being an adult was so tedious.

Eventually, he was home. The pan is slowly warming up as he cuts his veggies to size, hastily and unevenly just like last time, and then trimmed the meat the way his sister had described. This time he hadn’t forgotten to get the spices, the smell of garlic and herbs cooking in butter had his stomach rumbling excitedly.

Euijoo quickly made his sauce as he browned the meat, his mouth watering; he couldn't resist a quick bite of some of the pork on its own. It only served to make him hungrier and he got excited at the prospect of getting better at cooking, the sauce cooked down easily and he hurried to transfer everything over to the pan to let it quickly coat the food.

His rice dinged as he was starting to pack away half of the dish, he made a small thermos of rice too just in case and let his thoughts linger on if Nicholas had enjoyed his last meal, and if he’d enjoy this one too.

As he served himself he wondered if he should just drop the food off for him anyway, who doesn’t love a home cooked meal after all? 

But then Euijoo Isn't really a very good cook, a novice that forgets things like seasoning the meat so why would-

Knock knock

Euijoo freezes up, much like the last time but this time he hurries over to the door and peeks through to see that his neighbour is indeed there. Nicholas is once again drowning in a large black hoodie, but this time he has a smudge of eyeliner on and a pair of grey cotton shorts that reach just above his knees.

Euijoo smiles and opens the door, Nicholas is chewing his lip nervously like last time but now he smiles when he sees Euijoo. And boy is his smile pretty, Euijoo already feels a little weak. The smudge of dark eye makeup and the way his lips turn darker pink after he chews at them, Nicholas is so pretty and Euijoo is so weak.

Nicholas, again, smells sweet but much more clearly of strawberries today. His scent is gentle but so calming that Euijoo instinctively relaxes but his scent gland throbs a little, he hopes he’s not visibly wincing.

He takes one more slow breath in, pauses as he recognises the faint scent of warm sweet milk and is confused before he sees the way Nicholas is looking at him worriedly.

“Ah, how can I help you?” He asks, not wanting to assume anything but from the way Nicholas is peeking past his shoulder at the food, he can already tell what he’s after.

“Uh…” Nicholas looks a little more apprehensive this time as he fiddles with his sleeves, Euijoo can see the way his knuckles turn pink and then red immediately as he flexes his hands.

“...I have some leftovers if you want some!” Euijoo offers with a smile “Assuming you enjoyed it last time, I’m new to cooking”

“I can tell” Nicholas says before his eyes widen and he hurriedly tries to retract his statement “I mean-! It was really good I promise! I enjoyed it!....You forgot to add the kimchi brine back in…and your veggies are all cut in different sizes- But it still tasted really good!!” 

Euijoo’s eyes widened a little but he broke into soft laughter “No you’re absolutely right, I also forgot to pick up some spice that my sister insists fixes everything” He brought a hand up and laughed into his palm, Nicholas noticeably relaxed and smiled.

“...Did I offend you too much or are those leftovers still available?” Nicholas asks, there's a playful look in his eye and Euijoo smiles before turning to grab what was supposed to be his lunch tomorrow.

“It’s nothing special but it’s still hot!” he says passing over the lunch box, this one is the other set with little strawberries covering the top, Nicholas thanks him and huddles the box to his chest with a smile.

“I’ll bring it back clean, like last time!” Nicholas promises.

Euijoo smiles “Keep it, just bring it back when you want some food and I'll fill it up for you to take back with you. I live by myself so there's always extra” he says easily, Nicholas looks surprised for a moment before he smiles back and nods.

His scent sparks with a warm sweetness, like strawberries glazed in condensed milk.

“Sure, sounds good” the omega responds, Euijoo waves him off feeling warm in his chest, Nicholas is holding one hand over the lower part of his stomach as he wanders back to his apartment with a simple ‘thanks’ thrown over his shoulder.

~*~

Euijoo rubs over his swollen scent gland with a grimace, it’s worse today. It itches and aches as he moves his head, thankfully his boss had sent him home straight away.

The Beta woman had taken one look at his reddened nape and shook her head, she firmly sent him home and told him to rest.

He’s just finished showering and rubbing some antibiotic cream on it when he hears a gentle knock, it’s the middle of the day and the only person he can imagine visiting him is maybe his sister. 

he opens it without checking and jumps when he sees his neighbour standing there, Nicholas has that smudge of makeup over his eyes and a little gloss on. 

He’s draped in a big purple sweater and a pair of loose sweatpants. Nicholas smiles when he sees Euijoo, the taller straightens and smiles back

“Hey” he greets, Nicholas holds up a bag. 

“I figured I could return the favour? and maybe show you how to cook properly” Nicholas says hopefully. The plastic bag has a few simple groceries like a cut of meat and some vegetables. 

Euijoo grins and welcomes him in “Yeah that sounds amazing” he steps back and feels a part of him swell with pride when he notices the little lunchbox tucked under his arm. 

Nicholas’s sweet scent immediately invaded his senses, strangely that sweet warm milk scent is even stronger. It’s almost comforting, he’s reminded vaguely of the sense of being young again. 

Nicholas settles his things on the bench and looks around the place sneakily “…did you have someone over today?” he asks looking at the set of cups in the sink

“huh? no, i just… i’m cleaning up” Euijoo says hurrying to quickly rinse the items and sit them to dry while Nicholas smiles and nods. 

The omega gently rolls his sleeves and beckons Euijoo over with a hand, in a few minutes Euijoo is being gently and teasingly shown how to properly trim the meat and dice vegetables. 

Nicholas isn’t an incredible cook either but he knows his way around enough to give tips and pointers, Euijoo feels clumsy and awkward beside him but Nicholas’s teasing feels somewhat comforting. 

Nicholas speaks as though they’ve known each other for years and not just a few moments, he smells sweet like ripe strawberries and there's a more distinct scent of Hyacinths when Euijoo’s this close. It's vaguely spicy but still flowery and gentle, it makes his nose twitch just a little.

Euijoo finds himself seeking out his scent every time he passes, his nose eagerly sniffing when he gets close. He’s a little embarrassed when Nicholas looks up and says something but Euijoo is too busy cataloguing his scent to hear it, he mumbles ‘what’ while Nicholas laughs openly at him.

“wow you call that an inch? a bit generous are we?” Nicholas is smirking at him, Euijoo flushes and frowns. 

“…that’s basically an inch” he grumbles back anyway, Nicholas laughs loud and happy as he tips his head back. 

The pan heats with some oil and fragrant ingredients like garlic and onion, Nicholas instructs Euijoo to brown them while he finishes mixing the sauce. 

“you haven’t had anyone over?” Nicholas asks again, his brows are pinched together and he’s sniffing the air a little this time. 

Euijoo frowns before realisation hits him and he slaps a hand over his scent gland. He hasn’t even been thinking to reign in his scent either because he’s gotten so used to wearing one, he can smell it now. The gentle orange peel and cedar wood that wafts off of him, his scent is sweeter than normal because he’s happy and enjoying the presence of another.

“It just smells different that’s all-“ Nicholas pauses as he looks back up at Euijoo. 

“Sorry, I usually wear scent patches but… I wasn’t expecting anyone so- I can quickly put one on if it’s bothering-“ Nicholas cuts him off with a hurried shake of his head. 

“No! no there’s no need! this is your home, sorry i just have a bit of a sensitive nose right now” he laughs it off but Euijoo can see him thinking hard, he wants to ask if he’s sure but then Nicholas is quickly taking over cooking again. Though his scent turns a little soured, bitter and almost heavy.

It’s quieter after that and Euijoo can feel the change in the air, Nicholas’s shoulders are pitched up higher and he’s chewing on his lip nervously. 

His sweet strawberry scent is tainted with nervousness, like the fruit is soft and going off.

Luckily, or not,  it’s not much longer before it’s ready and Nicholas is packing a serving away for himself in his little lunchbox the alpha had gifted him. Euijoo smiles, strained as he struggles to find anything to say to defuse the awkward atmosphere. 

Was his scent bad? stifling? Did it make the Omega feel that uncomfortable? 

“I didn’t realise you were an alpha” Nicholas admits quietly, it’s almost too quiet but Euijoo hears it and he feels his stomach drop. 

“is- is that a bad thing? I’m sorry, I should’ve said something. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or-“ Again Euijoo is cut off, but this time it’s with a strained smile and a tense “it’s okay!”

Nicholas is gripping the lunchbox tightly, his usually sweet scent is tinged with something sour and spicy. 

Fear. 

Euijoo immediately takes one big step away from the other and turns his palms up, as though to show he wasn’t a threat. He doesn’t know why, instincts just take over as he sees how tense the omega suddenly looks. 

Nicholas’s face shifts, he looks alarmed for a moment but then it softens into something sad. 

“uh!” the omega starts, he plasters on that fake smile again and Euijoos heart aches “Thank you for today! i’m gonna head home and eat up, i hope you like it”

“I'm sure I will, Thank you” Euijoo replies, keeping his distance and trying to reign in the calming scent his body naturally tries to emit in the face of a distressed omega. 

He thinks he’s doing well but Nicholas still grips his lunchbox with one hand and slowly brings his other down to his stomach, he takes a deep breath and starts to leave. His scent spikes with anxiety and the sweet milk smell hits euijoos nose faintly and he almost misses it when it’s covered by that sour scent. 

“Bye Euijoo” he mumbles, and something about it feels final. 

“…i’ll see you around Nicholas..?” Euijoo can feel how it comes out as almost a question but he smiles and nods when Nicholas just nods and leaves, the door thunking shut behind him. 

Euijoo breathes out a groan and looks at the food, he almost isn’t hungry but then his stomach rumbles and he sighs as he digs in. 

Later that night Euijoo checks his cupboard for scent patches and stashes a few in his key bowl by the front door. 

~*~

Almost a month goes by, Euijoo gives up after the first three weeks. Nicholas doesn't make another reappearance at his front door and he doesn’t even run into him by accident, not even when he arrives at odd hours of the night after a convenience store run. 

He cooks most nights anyway, recycling recipes almost like he hopes Nicholas will be tempted by the smell again. 

“my nose is just a little sensitive lately”

Euijoo almost smiles at the thought of Nicholas smelling his cooking through the walls and being tempted over by it, but then anxiety slams into him like a truck at the thought of his alpha scent scaring away the other. 

He touches the scent patch on his neck, the swelling has pretty much gone away. His short break from work had helped a lot, his doctor still advises him to ditch the patches but he stubbornly uses them and then ices his nape after he’s had them on for too long. 

It helps with the swelling most days, but sometimes he gets the urge to scratch until it bleeds. And worse, he’s had the thought of ripping his scent gland out completely, only a handful of times but enough for him to seriously consider talking to someone about it. 

Euijoo is just on his way home, work having drained him he doesn’t even consider cooking. He fully intends to just grab some package ramen and drag himself home with a frown, but then he sees it. 

Nicholas has his hoodie up but it’s definitely him, he’s counting coins off to the side of the counter. 

“…I’m short a bit of change” the omega says looking up at the boy behind the counter, the cashier looks apologetic but just shakes his head. 

on the counter sits a lone triangle kimbap, Euijoo frowns and walks up about to just pay when Nicholas turns slightly to the side and Euijoos whole body freezes. 

His blood runs cold and he feels something ache deep inside as he sees the way Nicholas presses a hand to his definitely swollen stomach, it wouldn’t have been noticeable under the large draping jumper if not for the way he held his belly protectively. 

He's pregnant. Euijoo realises with a deep ache in his chest. 

Euijoo takes those last two big steps to the counter and tries to look as disarming as possible as he mumbles “i'll grab both and a fish cake cup please” 

Nicholas looks up at him with a soft gasp and then almost just as quickly drops his head. 

“You don’t need to do that” Nicholas quietly says, Euijoo can smell the slight tang of guilt on him but he doesn’t say anything, just nods.  

Euijoo pays for it and gently pushes the kimbap and fish cake towards the omega, Nicholas shuts his eyes for just a moment and sighs through his nose.

“I don't need you to do this” he insists a little firmer, that spice of vague anger hits Euijoos nose and he almost feels indignant as he sighs in response.

“Let me do it anyway” is all he says before he turns to leave, Nicholas’s head snaps up and he looks shocked but follows hot on his heels with food in hand. 

Euijoo lets it go, ignores it even though he wants to ask why he ignored him. and why he hated his scent so much. Did it have to do with his pregnancy? or was Euijoo only likeable when the omega couldn’t smell him?

“Okay, ask way. we may as well get this over with” Nicholas grumbles, his scent is sour again. 

“Ask what?” Euijoo asks, he’s almost offended but he does have questions. 

“whatever it is. just ask”

Euijoo turns abruptly, it startles Nicholas into freezing and his shoulders rise anxiously. He almost looks ready to run. 

“Do you hate my scent that much” Euijoos words come out less of a question, the omegas shoulders immediately drop and he looks shaken. 

“What?” Nicholas asks, his voice is soft and disbelieving “you’re just not going to ask about- about this?” he gestures to his obviously pregnant stomach. 

“Why would i? It's none of my business. but you up and running away and… I dunno, maybe it was stupid but I kinda thought.. I mean I thought we were like friends? almost. maybe” Euijoos fumbling over his words and Nicholas looks like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

“It's not you, Euijoo. You-“ Nicholas cuts himself off as that sour smell turns gentle and damp with sadness. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I just- I have some issues with alphas. I… I just got into my own head when I realised you weren’t beta, like i thought you were. Which is really my own fault for assuming” Nicholas says with a sigh. 

“…I wouldn’t hurt you,” Euijoo shrugs. 

“…yeah. i think i know that” Nicholas nods, he still looks a little nervous but he smiles and gestures to the spare fish cake. 

Euijoo smiles back, takes it gratefully and walks them home. 

They don’t talk much on the walk back, Euijoo holds the fish cake soup broth while Nicholas scarfes down the kimbap in two eager bites. 

“hungry?” Euijoo asks gentle but teasing. 

Nicholas only looks a little embarrassed as he nods. 

They’re about to part ways at their doors when Nicholas lingers for just a moment and Euijoo looks at him expectantly. 

“I have a really good recipe from my home we should try” he speaks up, Euijoos eyes widen but he grins. 

“your home?” he asks and Nicholas nods “Taiwan” Euijoo smiles expecting that Nicholas was not from korea, his accent a little messy in an endearing way. 

“Okay, you know where to find me” Euijoo says, Nicholas laughs gently. 

Strawberry and sweet milk fills Euijoos nose. 

~*~

Euijoo spends the next week accidentally running into Nicholas at the elevator.

The first time he sees him, he panics a little bit. Nicholas looks a little taken back but then breaks into a sweet smile, he’s got a big cardigan on and his stomach is rounding out his loose tee. Euijoo lets his eyes quickly sweep over him as he smiles back.

Each time they met, Nicholas seems to get a little closer. He tucks a hand under his pregnant belly and quietly starts up some small talk, Euijoo indulges with a smile. His scent gland throbs as he breathes in the scent of sweet strawberries and a gentle barely perceptible flowery smell, but when he breathes in the sweet warm milk scent everything takes a back burner. It’s like the perfect balm.

It brings him back to when he was little, reminds him of being held tightly by his mum and coddled sweetly.

Euijoo enjoys their elevator meet ups, even when its late at night and he’s getting back from meeting his parents. Nicholas still finds him in the elevator, a bag of something greasy in his hand. Euijoo smiles when he sees how the omega holds up the food proudly, as if to show off how he can feed himself well too.

Euijoo swells with fondness.

But there are also some nights where Nicholas looks exhausted and can only barely lift his mouth in a half smile, those are the days when Euijoo wonders if pregnant omegas are supposed to be this thin. Nicholas is still thin in the face and holds himself like he’s too heavy for his own body to hold up, Euijoo wants to reach out and help but holds himself back.

“Wanna have dinner tomorrow?” Nicholas asks tiredly, his hands are a little shaky today and he pants when he walks.

Euijoo grins “I’d love to!”

~*~

“like oranges and cedar wood. maybe like a hint of some kind of spice like nutmeg” Nicholas is cooking in his kitchen again, Euijoo had a grocery list slapped to his door one morning and laughed as soon as he saw it. 

don’t forget the beef stock !! written next to a cute sketch of what looks like ponyo, the omega had simply explained that it looked like him. 

Now, he was frying some meat as he explained Euijoos scent to him. 

“it’s not a bad smell at all” he says gently, almost as if an apology was spoken simply in the timbre of his voice. 

Euijoo felt the knife cut easily through the carrots he was tasked with slicing. 

“That's good” he responds, Nicholas’s own scent is dulled today. Euijoo can see the clear film of a scent patch slapped over the back of his neck, Euijoos own nape covered with one too. 

After last time, they were both a little more cautious about their scents. Euijoo more so than usual, it wasn’t like he didn’t like his own scent. He just knew that alpha scents could be a bit overwhelming, and Nicholas had explained he was sensitive as it is. 

Euijoo can still smell that faintly sweetened warm milk smell though and breathes in subconsciously everytime they cross paths. 

Euijoo watches as Nicholas easily moves around his kitchen, the strawberry lunchbox is sitting beside Euijoos own orange one. The omega had insisted he had to make extra so that Euijoo could have some tomorrow for work, citing that all his coworkers would be so jealous. 

Euijoo had felt something warm in his chest at the thought, he knew Sunoo would get nosy and ask too many questions. 

“There’s probably too much now that i’m looking at it” Nicholas laughs softly as he starts scooping the food into the lunchboxes. 

“why don’t you just have dinner here then? that way you have some for tomorrow too” Euijoo offers, getting out an extra bowl. 

Nicholas is quiet for a moment too long and Euijoo turns to check on him, the omega is paused as he slowly closes the lunchboxes. 

Euijoo feels a slow rising panic, he doesn’t want to overstep or make the other uncomfortable. 

“Or not, you can just take the dishes back with you if you like. It’s not like i'll miss one or two bowls” he says gently trying to laugh it off, Nicholas’s head snaps up as though he hadn’t realised how quiet he’d gone. 

“Sorry” Nicholas apologises quickly, reflexively. 

Euijoo tries to keep his face neutral, tries to reign in the slight panic when he sees how Nicholas locks up and freezes. 

“There's no need to be sorry. Whatever works for you” He says as he carefully steps out of the room with his bowl full, the spare bowl sitting on the bench by Nicholas as he slowly makes his decision. 

He thinks for a moment and then fills his bowl with the rest, he waddles a little when he walks now and Euijoo finds it incredibly endearing. 

“What?” Nicholas sounds a little defensive as Euijoo smiles and watches him bring his bowl to the table, he grunts as he slowly sits down. His pregnant belly makes it a little difficult to sit properly in the chair but he turns sideways and leans over to have a big mouthful. 

Euijoo grins but shakes his head, taking a mouthful too. 

“oh my god” Euijoo groans at the taste, it's flavourful and warm. There’s a sense of homeliness to it, like a childhood that’s not his but makes him reminiscent anyway. 

“It's good, not as good as my mamas but still good” Nicholas is smiling happily as he hums between bites. 

Euijoo has so many questions. 

How far along are you? Where's the father? Where are your parents? Why are you alone like this? How can I help you?

“I’m 21 weeks” Nicholas says once their bowls start to empty, the faint scraping of dishes slows. 

“That's the second trimester right?” Euijoo asks. 

He doesn’t know a lot about pregnancy so his curiosity is piqued as Nicholas willingly gives information. 

“almost in my third…” Nicholas sighs, he looks uncomfortable with the subject so Euijoo looks for something else to ask. 

“Are you working right now?” he asks, gentle and careful with his wording. 

Nicholas flinches a little “actually, i just got fired… yesterday” he says deflating. Euijoo closes his eyes and sighs “i’m sorry” 

The omega just smiles softly and shakes his head “nah it was coming, the second my boss found out i was pregnant… he’s been trying to get me fired. Yesterday I had some pretty bad morning sickness and was late. He said I was clearly too pregnant to work…”

Euijoo frowns, he hates that it came to that. 

“Are you on any benefits? like government money?” Euijoo feels a little nosy but he’s worried, Nicholas looks guilty and shakes his head. 

“I keep trying but, the paperwork is so difficult as a foreigner, and they make you provide so much. I don’t have half my documents because I up and left Taiwan for a man that-“ Nicholas freezes, dangerously close to revealing something he’s not ready for. 

Euijoos whole demeanor softens, he smiles gently “I’m sorry. I'm more than happy to help where I can until you get back on your feet, your parents aren’t around?”

Nicholas grimaces “they’re not talking to me right now… I don’t want to take too many handouts Euijoo, please don’t be offended. I already feel kinda bad about the food”. 

“it’s not hand outs! you’ll pay me back when you’re well and ready. even if that’s years from now” the alpha insists, he gets up to tidy their dishes and lets Nicholas think it over for a moment. 

Euijoo takes the time for himself to think it over too, what could he provide without overstepping? He’s not Nicholas’s alpha-

His wolf grumbles displeased, Euijoo shoots to stand up straight and calm himself.

There’s no reason he should be feeling so overprotective of him, Nicholas is his own person and can probably handle himself just fine. But Euijoo still aches with the need to provide for the Omega, to give and give and give until he can’t give anymore.

“...Would you… Um” Nicholas is loitering by the entrance to the kitchen, hands fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater.

“...I’m supposed to be going to an appointment with my midwife tomorrow, but obviously… Money’s a little tight… since they cut my shifts at the diner and now… now im fired” he looks nervous even as he asks.

“What time? I can drive you. I don’t work tomorrow so I can take you there and drop you home, maybe we can grab something for dinner too!” Euijoo flushes as soon as he speaks, realising how over excited he sounds. 

but when he turns, Nicholas is smiling at him softly. 

“it’s at around noon, i’ll come knock on your door just before then if you want. i um… don’t have a phone so” Nicholas trails off. 

Euijoo nods, already thinking of his day tomorrow. 

~*~

The doctors goes smoothly, Nicholas is smiling in the passenger seat afterwards looking at Euijoo with the most gentle expression he’s ever seen. 

“thank you for all this” Nicholas says, Euijoo grins and waves him off. 

“it’s fine, hungry? wanna order take out instead?” euijoo asks kindly. 

Nicholas smells sweet today, his scent patch is sitting in his bag waiting to be applied since he can’t wear them in his appointments. The strawberries and hyacinth smell is making Euijoo feel warm, he takes a slow deep breath and hopes he’s subtle when he holds that scent in for just a moment longer. 

That sweet warm milk smell is strong today, really strong. Euijoo belatedly remembers when his aunt got pregnant and she smelt vaguely of milk too, he wonders if it’s just his noses way of picking up pregnant omega scents. 

“isn’t that a bit expensive?” Nicholas is fiddling with his fingers, a little guilty looking but then his stomach rumbles and Euijoo grins. 

“I make enough, beside i kinda need something greasy right now” he eyes the way Nicholas’s eyes light up, Euijoo grins and turns them into a fast food joint with a drive thru. 

Nicholas looks a little embarrassed as he asks for a dessert too but Euijoo feels a sense of accomplishment when he sees the happiness on the omegas face when he scarfs down his food and hums happily. 

“good?” Euijoo asks gently, he’s packing away his rubbish and starting the car back up after parking to eat his food quickly. Nicholas hadn’t seemed interested in getting out of the car and Euijoo is more than happy for it to just be the two of them. 

“incredible, thank you juju” nicholas mumbles. 

Euijoo freezes and laughs gently “juju?”

“Can I not call you that? it suits you” Nicholas is smirking as he says it, leaning back in the passenger seat grinning. 

“i mean… i don’t mind… Nichol” he tests, Nicholas barks out a laugh and nods 

“okay deal, juju” 

Later that evening, Euijoo is scrolling on his phone when curiosity gets the better of him. He starts looking up on his phone about omega pregnancy, but more specifically about that sweet milk smell. he doesn’t learn anything helpful, just that some people also smell it. 

He does, however, learn that most pregnant omegas have heightened senses in general. smell and hearings kicks into over drive as like a defence mechanism for omegas protecting their young, even touch can be a little too much as they get overwhelmed by their heightened senses easily. 

Euijoo had seen Nicholas fussing with his cardigan constantly, he always tried to make sure his arms were covered completely. maybe it was a touch thing? 

He decided it didn’t really matter right then but filed that information away, in the back of his mind he can’t stop thinking about how Nicholas is really growing a whole person in him. 

Euijoo rolls on to his back and sighs, he feels a little silly laying there thinking about the man next door. He wonders if Nicholas is in the other side of the wall he’s laying against, presses his head to the wall and smiles stupidly to himself. 

yeah, today was good. 

~*~

“Hi Juju” Nicholas sleepily mumbles at Euijoos door, he’s got a big pink sweater on that does nothing to cover his rounded pregnant belly any more. 

“Hi Nichol. come in” Euijoo smiles endeared, Nicholas huffs as he wanders past him and hums but Euijoo is hit by that intoxicating strawberries and hyacinths with a splash of warm sweet milk. 

His nose twitches and he feels a warmth in his gut, it’s still early morning and Nicholas is yawning into his sleeve as he makes himself comfy at Euijoos dining table. 

Euijoo has been practicing making different eggs and other breakfast items, Nicholas offered to come over and taste test for him. 

“I think the scramble is okay” Euijoo says a little nervously as he pours a glass of strawberry milk for Nichol who smiles happily at him when he spots it. 

“thanks for breakfast” Nicholas grins and takes a couple bites. 

He looks pretty happy and compliments the softness of the eggs while Euijoo hovers nearby with a grin. He’s just about to ask him if it’s good when Nicholas pauses and scrambles up out of his seat and rushes to the bathroom. 

Euijoo stands there frozen for a moment, shocked and scared that maybe he’d made the omega sick with his food. 

He rushed over to the bathroom and hears the obvious sound of vomiting from the other side. Euijoo panics, stepping side to side unsure of what to do before rushing to grab some water for him. 

When he comes back, Nicholas is slowly peeling the door open and groaning. He sees Euijoos panicked face and smiles “hey, sorry i just… babies not agreeing with eggs right now i guess” he sighs. 

Euijoo nods and hands him some water, Nicholas sighs gratefully and wrinkles his nose a little as he mentions that the egg smell is a little upsetting. 

Euijoo launches into cleaning it all up, he wipes down everything and sprays the air with a neutral scent he found one day while thinking about Nicholas’s sensitive nose. 

“Euijoo” Nicholas calls out weakly. 

Euijoo comes running instantly, his shoulders are drawn up tight and he’s anxious. But Nicholas smiles and gestures for him to crouch down close to him. 

“i’m okay, just pregnant” he laughs bitterly but he looks kind, he takes a deep breath before he speaks again “can you take your scent patch off? I know, it’s probably a bit rude of me to ask but.. i think your scent might help a bit” 

Euijoo blanks for a moment, for some reason he feels nervous as he picks at the scent patch at his nape. 

“Will it help? it won’t make it worse? Are you sure?” He asks worriedly, Nicholas just smiles tiredly. He’s still slumped against the bathroom door in exhaustion, his eyes a little darkened by his horrible sleep schedule. 

“It'll help, Alphas scent their omegas when they’re distressed don’t they?” Nicholas asks, Euijoo feels his brain fizzle out and leave his head. 

mine mine mine

His wolf growls lowly, possessive without reason. 

Euijoo just laughs it off and peels the adhesive away, it stings and he grunts through the worst of it before he feels Nicholas’s hand on his arm. 

The Omega is leaning over, pulling Euijoo closer to lean on his shoulder and breathe in deeply. It’s silent for a while, just the sound of Nicholas breathing in deep and sighing as his scent calms his morning sickness. 

“i really like your scent Euijoo”

Euijoo sits there for as long as Nicholas needs. 

~*~

Instead of cooking, Euijoo invites Nicholas over for some chinese takeout. Nicholas makes comments on how it’s different from his homes but good nonetheless. 

“Can we watch a movie?” Nicholas asks, they’re already sitting in the lounge room. Making use of the coffee table to share all the different dishes they ordered. 

“Sure, here” Euijoo gives him the remote, Nicholas leans back and smiles. 

Euijoos not wearing his scent patch today, Nicholas had asked him to leave it off since that time he got morning sickness. It helps most days, Nicholas will sometimes stop, lean over and breathe in deep before relaxing finally. 

Euijoo feels a little insane every time. 

They eat together every night these days, Nicholas is starting to look a little more plump now that he’s eating full meals more regularly. 

Sometimes Euijoo will get something delivered home for Nicholas while he’s at work, and despite Nicholas not having a phone to tell him he knows he appreciates it. 

Today Nicholas is full of that warm milk scent, it’s sweet and tickles Euijoos nose every now and then. 

“Have you had someone over lately? other than me obviously?” Nicholas asks after finally settling on a random Transformers movie. 

“no? why?” Euijoo asks confused sniffing the air. 

All he can smell is sweet milk and strawberries. 

Nicholas looks at him for a long moment “hold still” he says before leaning over and breathing in. 

“you smell… different” he says, frowning. 

There’s a spike of sourness in Nicholas’s scent, it causes immediate anxiety in Euijoo. 

“What do you mean? like what?” Neither of them are eating now. Nicholas leans in again, nose pressed to his shoulder as he sniffs him curiously. 

“Honey? like you, but gentler… and with warm honey” Nicholas hums as he almost scents him with a rub of his nose on his shoulder. 

“…I don’t even know anyone with a honey scent so… and what do you mean gentler? like my normal scent is just… duller?” Euijoo is trying not to move, but part of him wants to lean over and scent him too. 

“yeah kinda, it’s like your normal scent is there but not as strong. Is it cause you aren’t wearing the patches as much? did you always smell like honey?” Nicholas asks, his nose digging into his bicep as he sniffed. Nicholas’s own scent calms and pulses with sweetened strawberries. 

Euijoo can’t help the giggle he lets out when Nicholas hums happily again, the omega at least looks a little embarrassed when he realises what he’s doing with a laugh. 

“I’ve never been told I smell like honey, just that it’s really citrusy and can sometimes be overwhelming” Euijoo responds with a nod. 

“I don’t think it’s overwhelming, I actually really like it” Nicholas says finally leaning back, his cheeks are pinker than before. 

Euijoo smiles to himself

~*~

They’re cooking together again today. Nicholas is humming a tune euijoo doesn’t recognise, it sets a mood in euijoos small kitchen that reminds him of cooking with his mum when he was little. 

“Hey” Nicholas starts. He doesn’t check if Euijoos paying attention anymore, just rambles onwards in conversation. 

“Did you know that some alphas scents change when they’re expecting a child?” he says it offhandedly but Euijoo freezes, remembering the other day when Nicholas had said he smelt like honey instead of oranges. 

“…That- that’s interesting!” Euijoo sounds as stiff as he feels. His whole body has launched into a full on anxiety panic, his chopping goes back to that uneven awkwardness that he used to do before Nicholas taught him. 

“yeah apparently it’s like a natural reflex for some alphas, their scent glands just, over time, change to a softer scent to accommodate their sensitive omegas and kids” Nicholas continues on. 

Euijoo chances a look at Nicholas who is already looking at him with that patient smile. 

“euijoo-“

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quick” Euijoo takes off in a hurry, he has the scent patch on again today but he checks on it anyway just to be sure. 

Euijoo feels terrible. He and Nicholas had only just started getting more scent comfortable around one another and he had to go ahead and ruin it by getting attached to the omega. 

His scent was changing because he had foolishly let himself get too attached to Nicholas, let his wolf convince himself he was his. 

And now Nicholas knew and he had proof of it in Euijoo himself. 

Euijoo takes a moment to wash his face and take a few deep breaths before he joins Nicholas again, the omega has his lips pressed together anxiously but he quickly smiles when he sees Euijoo. 

There’s an obvious scent of sour strawberries, a sign that Nicholas is a little anxious. 

“You okay?” he asks, Euijoo nods and smiles back. He hopes his smile looks sincere and not stressed. 

Nicholas has finished almost all the cooking in his absence and Euijoo mumbles a guilty “sorry”

Nicholas just shakes his head and smiles “it’s okay. You sure you’re okay? I didn’t mean to upset you, I just thought it was… kinda cute” Nicholas is a little pink as he says it, he looks up at Euijoo from under his lashes and smirks a little when he sees the wide eyed alpha. 

“I'm not upset! well… I'm not upset with you” Euijoo clarifies. 

“oh… Well I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all, I mean you can’t help it. We’ve been around each other a lot, your wolf is probably just instinctually reacting to a pregnant omega” Nicholas shrugs 

Euijoo buries his face in his hands, Nicholas doesn’t even know how much Euijoo wants him. Not just his wolf but Euijoo himself, he likes Nicholas so much he feels a little crazy. 

He’s known he was at least attracted to the omega for a long time but, the last few weeks of getting to know him has just really cemented his feelings, Nicholas is playful and sweet all in one.

“are you that upset?” Nicholas asks 

Euijoo shakes his head and lifts it to look at Nicholas, he wants to apologise and explain that no it’s not just his wolf reacting. 

“i’m embarrassed” he says instead, serving their food and gently guiding Nicholas to the table. He doesn’t let Nicholas lift a finger, places his food and pulls his chair out for him too. 

Nicholas smiles gratefully at him, but his eyes turn a little sad. 

“embarrassed?” Nicholas looks at him worried, he needs reassurance. 

Euijoo takes a deep breath, waits for Nicholas to at least savour the first bite of their food before he speaks. 

“that I‘m having such an obvious reaction to you. that I can’t even hide how I feel. not really” he keeps his head down, he really feels terrible now. 

They’d already talked about Nicholas’s dating life. How he wasn’t looking for more than a friend right now. Euijoo didn’t want to ruin that. 

Euijoo doesn’t lift his head again, eats quietly with his face practically in his bowl. Nicholas doesn’t speak up either, but at least he finishes his food. 

It isn’t until Euijoo is clearing their dishes that he catches a glance at Nicholas. He looks stiff and is doing that frown he does when he’s thinking too hard. 

“…is it such a bad thing?”

Euijoo freezes at the sound of the others voice, he drops the dishes in the sink and sighs. 

“I never said it was, I just… don’t wanna bother you. or… make you uncomfortable” he says carefully. 

Nicholas’s chair scrapes and Euijoos ears prickle, the omega makes his way over and he can feel him behind him so he suppresses the jump he almost does when Nicholas’s hand lands on his nape over the scent patch. 

“it’s okay juju” is all nicholas says before he takes a warm wet cloth and soaks the patch off. Euijoos scent floods his small apartment, mixing and mingling with Nicholas’s own. 

Euijoo still can’t turn to look at him, still embarrassed and unsure. 

“it’s okay” Nicholas says again and shuffles closer, presses his nose to Euijoos nape and breathes in. 

Euijoo flushes red and feels a shiver run through him. Nicholas’s nose presses to his gland and he can feel the other drink in his scent, feels him rub his cheek over his scent gland and scent him. 

“I think she likes your scent too” Nicholas mumbles but Euijoo spins around in shock. 

“she?”

Nicholas’s eyes go wide and then he smiles “i was gonna surprise you but yeah, it’s a girl! She’s kicking, here” he grabs Euijoos hand and places it low on his belly, Euijoos can feel his hands shake and tears spring to his eyes before he can stop it. 

He can feel the slight bump against his hand, the repeated motion making him feel more emotional than he’d like to admit. 

“holy shit” he whispers in disbelief, it's surreal, feeling a whole person growing inside of the other. 

“Her favourite thing to kick is my bladder when I'm almost asleep” Nicholas grumbles with a soft laugh, his larger hands covering Euijoos over his stomach. Just holding him there where he knows she’s fussing about. 

“you’re crying” Nicholas points out with a soft smile. 

“Sorry” Euijoo mumbles. 

“don’t be. it’s sweet” Nicholas looks like he can’t even believe that Euijoo would cry over this. 

~*~