The sudden, sharp sting of fingernails digging into his scalp was what brought Kang Do-hyun back to his senses. His breath hitched, and his eyes snapped open. He was crouched on the bed, his face buried between Jaemin's legs, his hands gripping the omega's thighs. A torrent of cherry blossoms, no longer a soft, cloying cloud, but a scent on fire—a scent of desire, need, and urgency—engulfed every inch of his senses.
He hadn't meant to do this. He was supposed to be in control. He must have blacked out for a brief, terrifying moment.
Holy hell.
His hands stilled, then firmed on Jaemin's legs. He may have succumbed to instinct, but he couldn't very well stop now. Around him, Jaemin shook and bucked as Do-hyun resumed his ministrations. He took a peek upward and was mesmerised by the sight of Jaemin, head tossed to the side, straining against the pillows as if he was trying to escape from his climax, his gasping breaths catching in the taut column of his white neck.
It was hell. The purest, sweetest, most excruciating hell.
Do-hyun persevered, riding the crest of Jaemin's escalating heat. His own body was a taut wire, every muscle screaming with the effort to maintain control. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, a frantic counterpoint to Jaemin's gasps.
When Jaemin finally came, it was a strong, shuddering release, his body arching as a final, choked sob escaped his lips. Do-hyun stayed still for a moment, letting the wave of scent and emotion subside, before slowly, carefully, pulling away and pushing to his feet. He needed to clear his head.
Before he could take a single step towards the bathroom, Jaemin's arm shot out, wrapping around his wrist and tugging him back down. Do-hyun stumbled.
"Jaemin," he rasped. "I need a moment."
But Jaemin wouldn't let him go. With surprising strength, he yanked Do-hyun back toward the bed, until the alpha was once more on top of him, his hands landing on either side of Jaemin's head. When he tried to move away again, the omega's arms reached up to wrap firmly around his neck.
He was trapped. He was both an anchor and a tempest, providing relief while being utterly unattended to himself. His body ached for its own release, the bulge in his pants straining and weeping, his own scent of wild cedar now overpowering the space.
Do-hyun's gaze locked on Jaemin's flushed face. It was a vision of exquisite, undone beauty, his features soft from the recent climax, yet his heated amber eyes were an open wound of need. A stark, sobering thought hit him: the heat would likely persist for longer instead of breaking without the final release he had resolved not to take.
It was going to be a long heat.
"Dammit, Jaemin," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I don't know how I'm going to survive you."
…
Hours blurred , and the world narrowed to only the space between them. Everything outside the solid, warm weight of Jaemin in his arms was an indistinct blur. He could still hear the distant sounds of the city, the muffled traffic, the faint howl of a siren, but they were background noise, insignificant. All his senses were focused on the soft pressure of Jaemin's cheek against his skin, the feel of the omega's body shuddering against his own. The demanding need of the heat still ebbed and flowed through Jaemin's body, a current of ache and demand, but it was gradually receding from a tempestuous storm into a warm, insistent tide.
Do-hyun, with every fibre of his being, was determined to be the shore.
Whatever Jaemin's body demanded, Do-hyun gave freely, with an unbelievable tenderness. He soothed him to slumber, cleaned him, cooked for him and fed him. When the heat made him restless, Do-hyun simply held him tighter, pulling him closer and rocking against him until he found relief. There were no demands, no expectations, only the unwavering presence of a man who would rather protect than claim.
Slowly, surely, the desperate, clawing need faded, until Jaemin's body shuddered with a final, deep release. Do-hyun felt the omega's tension ease, the scent of desperate yearning giving way to something soft and satisfied. The sharpest edges of the heat began to dull; the peak had passed.
Body still covered in a sheen of sweat, Jaemin turned on his side to bury his face deeper into Do-hyun's neck, his breathing evening out as he filled his lungs with the smell of warm cedar, his own cherry blossom scent settling into something soft and warm and content.
Do-hyun held him, his own unmet need thrumming almost painfully through his body. But now, rising steadily above the ache of his own unfulfilled desire, was a weary triumph.
He hadn't just endured; he had provided. He had held on. And in that moment, with the gentle weight of Jaemin's body on his chest and the soft scent of an omega at peace, Do-hyun's most fundamental instincts felt profoundly at rest. This was what being an alpha was about: not taking, but offering solace; not claiming, but standing firm. It wasn't about a claim or a destiny, but about this simple, perfect truth.
Fingers weaving through the damp curls at the nape of Jaemin's neck to hold him close, a slow, gentle warmth spreading through his own limbs, he felt the last of his own strength give way, his eyelids too heavy to fight. The hum of his own scent was changing, steadily growing wilder as a new heat began smoldering just beneath his skin… But that was a battle for another hour. For now, there was only the exhaustion of a man who had fought himself, and won.