What did he just— 

He Juan’s entire body was frozen in place and his pupils trembled in shock. He had not heard wrongly, right…? Juan-gege… The omega had called him gege… Such a sweet endearment coming out of his gorgeous lips was akin to shoving a mouthful of honey down He Juan's throat, so sticky that he could feel it circulating throughout his body and making him feel warm and gooey all over. 

“Say it again…?” The words came out of his mouth without him realizing, utterly breathless.

But Mu Yuze did not seem to listen to him. He was petrified, seemingly shocked by the audacity of his own mouth. His eyelids fluttered shut and he abruptly bit down on his lips so hard that it would definitely bleed soon.

He Juan would not have that, of course. He grabbed Mu Yuze’s chin and tilted his head up. His thumb exerted a little strength and pressed down lightly so Mu Yuze let go of his bottom lip with a soft pop. In an instant, Mu Yuze’s eyes snapped open to stare right into him. Within them, He Juan could see the evasion, apprehension, fear and also something else he could not comprehend. What was he afraid of?

“Xiao[1] Ze…” He did not know where it came from but the nickname rolled off He Juan’s lips so naturally as if he was made to utter them. Mu Yuze’s breath hitched on his throat and his eyes flew open even wider. He Juan relished in the shock and astonishment in the omega’s striking eyes as he asked again, an enticing smile spreading across his face. “Xiao Ze, say it again one more time, will you? Gege begs you…”

It was shameless, he knew. If He Juan had not been so intoxicated by the omega’s pheromones right now, he would have been so mortified that he wished the Earth would open up and swallow him whole. He sounded so… immoral! Begging someone to call him with endearment just… just like those unruly Alphas out there who were trying to trick themselves into omegas' pants! 

Yet as of now, nothing existed except the swirl of blue within Mu Yuze’s eyes, the warmth of his skin, how stunning he was and how He Juan was going to die of heart attack sooner or later. 

“Xiao Ze…” He Juan leaned in even closer. Until the tip of his nose was grazing against the soft skin of Mu Yuze’s cheeks. He grinned at how Mu Yuze's baby hairs stood on its end, the obvious stutter on his breathing, and how his slender frame was wrecked with shivers.

He Juan was not any better either. He was just good at hiding how he truly felt. His whole body was so hot like he was burned in a burning cauldron and oh, a certain dormant part of his lower body had begun to stir awake. He deliberately lowered his voice even more, almost in a rumble, as he rasped into the omega’s ear. “Xiao Ze, one more time. Just one more time… Won’t you fulfill my wish, hmm?”

“Your wish…” Mu Yuze’s eyes were dazed. But then when he blinked again, the haze vanished only to be replaced with sharpness and wits and dear God… He Juan loved that part of him so damn much. “Sure,” he tipped his chin up haughtily as though he was not the one who was currently being trapped between the wall and an eager Alpha. “What will you give me in return?”

Heavens, this man was just so… He Juan lost the words to truly describe his brilliance. In the end, he could only let out a deep chuckle and lightly shook the chin on his grip. “Striking a deal, aren’t we?" Indulgently, he added, "Alright, what do you want?” 

He Juan was getting curious now. What could Mu Yuze possibly want from an Alpha like him? Unless… He Juan stiffened as a possibility slipped into his mind. It couldn't be. He… He did not think that He Juan was a loose Alpha who would do anything to get into his pants, did he? It was not like He Juan did not want to do that, but! But that was for later! Despite his age, He Juan was still a hopeless romantic through and through. Even though he had never dreamed that he would wake up one day and meet his ideal omega, he had certainly imagined what it would be like to have a fateful encounter, to go on a romantic date, to have a perfect first kiss under the rainbow just like the couples in the romance movies!

And it certainly did not involve being trapped in a dingy elevator, on their way to get He Juan’s things — with his status as the prime suspect of the murder case Mu Yuze was working on!

Goodness, there was nothing romantic about their first encounter at all!

Just as He Juan was lamenting his life choices for the last twenty four hours, he suddenly heard Mu Yuze speak, so soft and hesitant unlike the fierce police officer who had interrogated him just a few hours ago. “...your pheromones.”

He Juan blinked and tilted his head with a smile. “...Pardon?” He must have heard wrongly. 

“I said…” Mu Yuze screwed his eyes shut and gritted out. “I want to smell your pheromones. Closely. Closer than this.” He chewed on his bottom lip and lifted his eyelids to level He Juan with an intense stare, his dark eyes gleaming in determination. “Want to smell your pheromones… right on your gland.”

Holy dear Lord in Heaven…! He… He was… He Juan could feel his own jaw falling open, utterly taken off guard by that bold request. Exactly how many times did Mu Yuze intend to give him a heart attack?! If he kept this up, He Juan was not going to last long. He would perish into dust that clung to Mu Yuze’s collar and the hem of Mu Yuze’s sleeves. Hell, he would even stick himself to Mu Yuze’s shoes so long as he could stay together with him at all times. 

Asking to smell his pheromones was… 

He Juan swallowed once, twice. It did not manage to soothe the heat surging up his throat. Mu Yuze’s straightforward words had pulled the rug under his feet, making him feel oddly unstable. He was being sucked into the omega’s orbit, yet there was nothing he could do except to revolve around him.

“Are you sure…?” He could not help but ask again, because once they got through this threshold, He Juan had a hunch that something would indefinitely change between them.

“Mn,” he said. He focused his gaze on He Juan’s collar and scowled. “But if you are unwilling, that’s o—” His lips were still formed around the word ‘o’ when He Juan suddenly snapped the topmost button of his shirt open. He watched as the omega’s eyes shifted to follow the patch of honeyed skin that was slowly unraveled, little by little, unable to tear his gaze away.

The arc on his lips deepened, feeling oddly proud at how stunned Mu Yuze was at that little skin reveal. Even his inner Alpha was howling in elation. 

He Juan did not undo all of them, of course, only the very top two, enough for him to tug his collar aside and bare his neck to the omega. Then with his arms braced beside Mu Yuze’s head, He Juan let his head droop to the crook of Mu Yuze’s neck and nestled himself there.

“Go ahead…” he whispered in a low voice and took in the smell of Mu Yuze’s pheromones that were getting stronger, hotter. Sweeter. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and chuckled breathlessly,“...that is, if you can let me do the same.”

.

[1] Xiao = Little. It’s a sweet address meaning that He Juan was calling him ‘Little Ze’