It was already past eleven when Taekyun returned.
The residence was quiet
too quiet.
Cold, too.
Most of the lights were turned off, leaving the space dim and hollow as he placed his luggage down near the stairs.
The silence felt heavier than usual.
He walked upstairs slowly.
Without thinking, his feet carried him straight to Haru's room.
He opened the door, expecting to see her small figure curled under the blanket.
But the bed was empty.
He closed the door gently and turned toward Haneul's room.
Haru mostly slept there.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
Haru was fast asleep on the bed.
Her small body was tucked neatly beneath the blanket, face calm and relaxed,
Her breathing was steady, soft.
But Haneul wasn't there.
Taekyun's heart began to race.
Where did he go?
It was already late.
He stepped closer to the bed and bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to Haru's forehead.
She shifted slightly but didn't wake.
Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, he straightened and quietly left the room,
closing the door behind him with care.
He went downstairs again.
The living room empty.
The study
The kitchen
Haneul was nowhere.
Taekyun's body was already warm, his temperature rising from the lingering effects of his rut.
The unease in his chest tightened, breath coming faster than before.
He turned and went back upstairs, heading straight to his room.
He needed suppressants.
He needed to calm himself first.
His phone was already in his hand as he opened the door, ready to call Bora
Then he heard,
A low, uneven breath.
Taekyun stopped.
He hadn't noticed at first.
On his bed, curled tightly beneath the blanket, Haneul was fast asleep.
His brows were faintly drawn together, expression tense even in rest, as if fear had followed him into his dreams.
The suppressant bottle was still in Taekyun's hand as he walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
Slowly, carefully, he reached out and brushed the hair away from Haneul's face.
Haneul's eyes flew open.
He startled, breath hitching, body tensing as he looked up.
Taekyun immediately pulled his hand back.
Haneul stared at him for a second
then recognition dawned in his eyes.
"You… you're back."
Taekyun looked at him.
At Haneul's frightened face, at his trembling lips that couldn't seem to steady no matter how hard he tried.
The fear in his eyes was raw.
He could feel it the broken layers of Haneul's pheromones, unstable and frayed, barely holding together.
Slowly,
Taekyun reached out and held Haneul's hand.
"It's okay,"
He said quietly.
"It's me. Don't be scared."
But Haneul was already losing control.
His lips shook as tears welled up, spilling over before he could stop them.
In the next moment,
He moved forward suddenly, climbing onto Taekyun's lap, holding onto him as
if he were the only thing keeping him grounded.
His legs wrapped tightly around Taekyun's waist, arms clinging around his neck as he buried his face into Taekyun's chest.
"I'm scared,"
Haneul whispered, his voice weak and broken.
"I'm really scared"
Taekyun's arms came around him instinctively, rubbing his back in slow, steady motions.
"I"
He started.
Haneul shook his head, tightening his hold.
"Please don't leave me like this again.
I know it's too much, I know…..
but I can't stay without you anymore.
I really get scared. I get so anxious."
Taekyun's hand moved into Haneul's hair, fingers threading through it gently.
"I… I"
"I tried,"
Haneul said quickly, as if afraid Taekyun would pull away.
"It's not like I didn't.
But I just can't.
When you're away from me even for one day
I feel terrified."
His voice cracked.
"Don't leave me again.
If it's something important, take me with you. I won't irritate you. I promise."
Taekyun's heart ached at the sound of his tears.
Yet the way Haneul clung to him, the warmth of his body pressed so close, the soft movements of his head against Taekyun's chest it stirred the heat inside him dangerously, like his rut threatening to resurface.
He forced himself to move.
Carefully, gently, he pulled Haneul back and set him down on the bed, still holding his hands so he wouldn't feel abandoned.
"I know,"
Taekyun said quietly.
"It's my fault. I just couldn't make it."
Inside, his thoughts were at war.
One part of him wanted to explain everything, to justify himself.
Another part whispered that explanations didn't matter anymore only what Haneul was feeling now did.
He released his pheromones slowly, deliberately, letting them spread in a calming wave.
Haneul looked up at him with broken eyes, red from crying yet still painfully beautiful.
"I… I really tried,"
He said softly.
"But I missed you too much.
That's why I started sleeping in your room every night."
Taekyun's gaze followed Haneul's landing on the shirt tucked against the pillow.
"I couldn't control myself without your pheromones,"
Haneul admitted.
"I used your shirt to calm down but it was really hard. It wasn't enough."
He looked back at Taekyun with a small, wounded expression.
"You left for one day,"
He said quietly.
"It's not like you can't stay out, but... weren't you supposed to keep your word?
Weren't you supposed to come back the next day?"
His tears slowed, his voice steadier not angry, just disappointed.
He understood it was work.
He knew that.
But he still couldn't stop himself from asking.
Taekyun didn't know what to say.
Haneul swallowed, hiccupping softly as the words caught in his throat.
"Don't you know how sensitive Eunoia omegas are to their alphas' pheromones?"
He slowly pulled away, lying back against the bed.
"Aren't you responsible for me now?"
He asked quietly.
"After everything."
His voice trembled.
"It's not a bite mark but without you, I get anxious. And you already know how I feel about you."
He looked away, tears slipping down his temples.
"Still….. you don't."
Taekyun's eyes darkened as he looked at Haneul.
The heat in his body surged, temperature rising dangerously as his gaze locked onto Haneul's tear-filled eyes.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, his hand slid down to hold Haneul's foot, grounding himself through the contact.
With his thumb,
He gently wiped away the tears clinging to Haneul's lashes.
Then, in one sudden movement,
He pulled Haneul back toward him, drawing him onto his lap with a firm grip.
The closeness was overwhelming, his presence pressing in from all sides.
Haneul's eyes widened.
The look in Taekyun's gaze was no longer just guilt or restraint
it was something raw and uncontrolled, a hunger he had never shown him before.
And Haneul froze, caught between fear and the pull of it.
Taekyun's pheromones began to flow more strongly, the heat in the room thickening as if his rut was stirring once again.
Haneul clung to him tightly, unable to move, heart hammering in his chest.
Taekyun leaned down, pressing his lips to Haneul's forehead and then his cheek, a desperate, urgent closeness that sent shivers through them both.
Haneul tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
"Taekyun… Taekyun… why… why are you acting like this?"
He whispered, voice trembling.
But Taekyun didn't respond.
His focus was entirely on Haneul, on grounding him, on holding him close while his own instincts wrestled for control.
Haneul's hands gripped Taekyun's shirt, his body pressed tightly against him, mind swirling with confusion and fear.
Everything was happening too fast he couldn't think, couldn't process, couldn't stop the rush of emotions and pheromones enveloping him.
Taekyun pulled back slightly, just enough to meet Haneul's gaze.
The intensity in his eyes the heat, the hunger, the worry made Haneul's chest tighten.
"You can't blame yourself,"
Taekyun murmured softly, brushing a hand through Haneul's hair.
"This this isn't your fault."
He leaned down again, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to Haneul's temple, lingering over the red, tear-streaked skin.
Even in Haneul's vulnerability, in his small, trembling form, Taekyun saw something breathtaking.
As Taekyun removed his pants,
He looked at Haneul.
"You can't blame me for this.
You put this on yourself."
He kissed Haneul's tear-streaked eyes, the redness making his gaze even more striking.
Then he leaned closer, pressing a soft, comforting kiss to Haneul's cheek, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
Haneul didn't feel like he was with the same Taekyun it almost didn't feel real.
All his nervousness and anger seemed to melt away, as if Taekyun's presence and pheromones were gently washing through his mind and heart.
He looked up at Taekyun, already breathless from the closeness.
I'm..... w...wet,"
Haneul whispered, voice trembling.
Taekyun looked down at him, meeting his eyes.
As he slowly reached Haneul's legs, his fingers brushed gently over his skin.
Haneul shivered at the contact, eyes wide and breath
"It hurts"