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The bar smells like everything at once—spilled alcohol, synthetic sweetness and heat.
Alphas brush too close. Omegas mask themselves in expensive scent blockers. Betas try not to notice either.
Qin Jiu notices everything.
And then—
He notices him.
At the far end of the counter stands someone untouched by the chaos. Straight posture. A glass barely touched in front of him.
And he looks beautiful.
So, so beautiful.
Not in the stereotypical way omegas are said to be—soft, delicate features, smaller builds, and curvier hips.
No.
The omega he notices, has sharp features, is very tall, though several centimetres shorter than him.
His beauty leans towards cold and distant—akin to something you admire without touching.
Qin Jiu’s gaze drops briefly.
A silver ring.
He’s married?
His own thumb brushes over his ring unconsciously.
So am I.
He knows he should walk away, and yet his feet seem to have a mind of their own.
“You don’t look like you belong here.”
The omega turns his head slowly.
His scent, though faint, likely because of scent blockers comes first—primary notes like cold winter air, clean snow, with subtle undertones of white tea and frost-touched jasmine.
Qin Jiu’s instincts stir immediately.
Interesting.
“And you do?” the omega replies flatly.
Qin Jiu smiles. “I adapt.”
“…Annoying.”
His voice matches his scent.
Qin Jiu leans his elbow against the counter. “Long day?”
“…Yes.”
Qin Jiu huffs softly. “Same.”
The omega’s gaze flicks down.
To Qin Jiu’s hand.
To the ring.
“You’re married.”
“You’re observant.”
“You too?” Qin Jiu asks.
“…Obviously.”
[Flashback to earlier that day]
“I have a suggestion.”
You Huo doesn’t look up from the report in his hands. “No.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“I don’t need to.”
Qin Jiu leans closer, deliberately brushing his fingers against the inside of You Huo’s wrist—over the scent gland there.
A sensitive place.
You Huo’s fingers twitch.
“…Don’t.”
Qin Jiu smirks. “Roleplay.”
Silence.
Then—
“…No.”
“Strangers for a night,” Qin Jiu continues anyway. “We meet somewhere. Don’t give out our names. See what the night has for us.”
You Huo finally looks at him.
“Why?”
“Because,” Qin Jiu says simply, “you think too much.”
“And you don’t think at all.”
“Exactly. So balance it out.”
You Huo stares at him for a long moment.
“Rules?”
Qin Jiu smiles. “We stay in character no matter what.”
“How long?”
“Until morning.”
“That’s excessive.”
“That’s the point.”
Another silence.
You Huo exhales slowly.
“…If it’s ridiculous, I’m leaving.”
“You won’t.”
“Fine.”
Qin Jiu’s smile deepens.
[End of flashback]
“Then why are you here?” The omega asks.
Qin Jiu glances at him, then away, like it doesn’t matter.
“Needed space.”
“From your husband?”
“From myself,” Qin Jiu corrects lightly.
That earns him a longer look.
“That’s vague.”
“And you?” Qin Jiu counters.
The omega looks back at his drink.
“We argued.”
“About?”
“…Boundaries.”
Qin Jiu’s lips twitch.
“Those are always fun.”
“He doesn’t think they should exist.”
“And you do.”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not really.”
“Then don’t ask.”
Qin Jiu laughs quietly.
Right. We’re strangers right now.
“…So what now?” Qin Jiu asks.
“I go back to nursing my drink.”
“That’s boring.”
“Then leave.”
Qin Jiu doesn’t leave. Instead, he leans closer to kiss the omega.
No warning. Just a brief press of lips.
When he pulls back, the omega’s expression doesn’t change—but his scent shifts, just slightly.
“Impulsive,” he mutters.
Qin Jiu tilts his head.
“You didn’t stop me though.”
A scoff.
Then—
“Are we going somewhere or not?”
Qin Jiu’s smile widens. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine.”
The moment the door opens, Qin Jiu stills. His expression changes.
Another alpha’s scent lingers inside—primary notes of warm cedar, aged whiskey, faint smoke with an undertone of burnt amber.
His instincts react before his mind does.
A low growl rumbles in his chest.
Possessive.
Territorial.
The omega pauses mid-step, then glances back.
Stay in character, his eye roll says.
Qin Jiu blinks once. Then he exhales slowly, forcing it down.
Right.
“Your husband?” Qin Jiu asks lightly, shrugging off his jacket.
“He’s out.”
“Doing what?”
“Probably fucking someone.”
Qin Jiu’s brows knit faintly.
“…And you’re okay with that?”
The omega meets his eyes. “I’m about to get fucked.”
That shuts him up.
Fair point.
Still, something about it doesn’t sit right with him.
Someone this hot… married to a bastard like that?
But then again—
I’m not much better right now.
“You don’t like his scent?”
Qin Jiu’s gaze flicks briefly to him.
“I don’t like other alphas leaving their scent where I can smell it.”
“He lives here. Try to ignore it.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Then leave.”
Qin Jiu doesn’t move.
“I don’t want to leave.”
They look at each other for a moment.
Then the omega looks away first.
“Let’s take a shower first.”
The outdoor shower is tucked behind the house, surrounded by high walls and creeping greenery.
Water starts with a soft hiss.
The omega steps under it first. His clothes dampen. Fabric clings.
Qin Jiu watches for a second too long.
Then he steps in. Water runs over him—cool, unnecessary, but grounding.
“What don’t you like?” The omega asks suddenly.
Qin Jiu blinks.
“You’re direct. I find that very attractive.”
“Answer.”
Qin Jiu considers.
“I don’t like rushing prep.”
“…I prefer little to no prep.”
Qin Jiu frowns slightly. “That’s how people get hurt.”
“I won’t.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“Then don’t think about it.”
Qin Jiu huffs quietly.
He really is like him.
The thought comes uninvited.
“I don’t like positions where I can’t see my partner’s face.”
The alpha’s lips curve slightly. “I love kissing.”
“You jumped my lips at the bar so it’s kinda obvious.”
“And you?”
“l like them gentle and slow.”
Water runs between them and their lips meet—gentle and slow—like how the omega likes them.
Water still clings to them when they step back inside.
Qin Jiu pauses just past the threshold, watching as the omega reaches for a towel without a word. Drops slide down his neck, over his collarbone, disappearing beneath damp fabric that clings before he pulls it off.
For a moment, neither of them speaks.
“You’re staring,” The omega says, not looking at him.
Qin Jiu doesn’t deny it. “You don’t seem to mind.”
A quiet exhale.
“…Come on.”
The omega turns and walks toward the bedroom, bare feet silent against the floor. Qin Jiu follows without hesitation, his gaze lingering—not just on what he can see, but what he can feel.
That scent. That warmth.
The bedroom door opens.
Soft light spills across neatly arranged sheets. The windows are cracked open, letting in a slow drift of cool air that brushes against damp skin.
The omega stops beside the bed. For a brief second, he hesitates—not visibly, not enough for most to notice.
Qin Jiu does.
He steps closer, slower this time.
The bed dips slightly as they fall back while their lips meet again, the movement unhurried, almost absent-minded—as if neither of them is thinking about how they got here anymore.
Just that they are. And they’re together.
The sheets are cool at first, a contrast to skin still warm from the shower. Their scents blend together into something like warm air in winter—crisp but comforting, steady and alive.
A scent with home in it, but it also carries undeniable hints of arousal.
Reluctantly, Qin Jiu’s lips leave the omega’s. His lips move to the pale neck, leaving hickeys and bites fuelled by something possessive which pleases his inner alpha.
Mine.
He forces the thought down.
To not—
But the omega doesn’t help.
Every impatient movement, every subtle shift closer, every breath that hitches just slightly, every gasp, every moan, the fingers that tangle in Qin Jiu’s hair to keep him close—
It all pulls the alpha further in.
Fuck, this feels so, so good.
The omega lets Qin Jiu set the rhythm of their lower bodies’ entanglement—sometimes slow, dragged out thrusts to fast, deep ones.
It’s his way of letting down the walls he built around himself—ones that took time for his amazing husband to be let inside of.
And yet… It took less than two hours for this alpha rocking into him right now.
They change positions multiple times—ones that allow them to see each other.
Again and again they keep going at it.
Until time reminds them that a new day has long since begun while they continue to lose themselves to passionate lovemaking.
Afterwards—
The room is thick with their blended scents, arousal fading in subtle hints and a musky scent lingers in the air.
Qin Jiu exhales slowly, then moves them to the bathroom.
He helps the omega in as the bathwater steams gently, one hand steady at his waist, the other briefly brushing the inside of his thigh—where another scent gland is, more subtle, more hidden.
The omega’s breath hitches slightly.
“You’re doing that on purpose.”
“Am I?”
“Bastard.”
But he doesn’t push him away.
Qin Jiu leaves to change the sheets. He returns to see the omega who is now half-asleep. Head tilted with damp hair clinging to his forehead.
Qin Jiu crouches slightly, brushing his thumb along his jaw.
Cute.
It’s a dangerous thought and he tries to ignores it.
“Let’s go to sleep.”
[The next day]
In the late afternoon, Qin Jiu wakes first.
He doesn’t move. He just watches his Sleeping Beauty.
You Huo looks… different—softer and less guarded.
Then Qin Jiu leans in, pressing slow kisses along his temple, cheek, down toward his neck—hovering near the scent glands but not quite touching.
You Huo reluctantly forces himself to wake up because of the onslaught of kisses. His beautiful light brown eyes open and they meet Qin Jiu’s pitch-black ones.
The alpha smiles—not lazy or teasing this time.
“Morning.”
You Huo blinks. “Morning.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Qin Jiu asks.
You Huo looks at him. Then, his lips curl into a small, rare smile.
“It was acceptable.”
Warmth blooms in Qin Jiu’s chest.
He liked it.
This fact makes Qin Jiu find himself between You Huo’s already bitten thighs, and he leaves more bites which causes their scents to change slightly—carrying hints of arousal.
The smell of slick also becomes more prominent as the alpha stops biting and runs his tongue up You Huo’s inner thigh, feeling his inner alpha growl with satisfaction as he gets closer to the scent glands there—where the rich smell of slick is strongest.
You Huo lets out a soft moan, and moves his hands to tangle in Qin Jiu’s hair.
This is annoying, but comforting at the same time.
“You’re reacting,” Qin Jiu murmurs.
“So are you.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Come here,” You Huo says.
Qin Jiu moves immediately.
Too quickly. It’s like instinct overrides thought.
You Huo lets out a quiet, breathy laugh.
“…If anyone saw you like this…”
“They won’t.”
“I know.”
You’re mine, his inner omega purrs.
Their lips meet. Again and again. The sex this time is slow and gentle.
When it’s over, Qin Jiu rests his forehead against You Huo’s.
“I love you.”
The alpha pauses, his breath brushing against You Huo’s lips, like the words aren’t enough on their own.
“So, so much, my dear.”
You Huo is still for a moment. Not rolling his beautiful eyes or pulling away.
Finally, he speaks.
“I love you too,” he says with a quiet voice.
They stay like this for a long while before they go to the outdoor bathroom to wash away the stickiness clinging to their skin.