The Scent of Peaches and a Lingering Madness

A wave of sweet peach pheromones seeped in through the door crack, permeating his entire room.

The rain continued outside, so Gong He had closed the window to prevent water from drifting in and dampening the curtains.

Unexpectedly, due to the lack of air circulation, the peach scent lingered in the room, refusing to dissipate.

As time slowly passed, the initially faint peach fragrance grew denser, its sweetness intensifying, becoming alluringly rich.

Gong He clutched the bedding, the veins on the back of his hands bulging menacingly.

The air in the room grew increasingly stifling, the peach scent now completely dominating his space.

He struggled to suppress the rampant fire coursing through his veins, his eyes tightly shut as he drew a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet peach aroma.

It was not his first time smelling an Omega’s pheromones; even an Omega with a compatibility rate as high as 92% had never driven him to such a near-loss of reason.

He yearned to pin down the source of this intoxicating scent, bite through his gland, and thoroughly mark him, making him his Omega.

Gong He licked his canine teeth, casting a dark gaze towards the bedroom door.

In twelve-degree Celsius weather, he found himself inexplicably drenched in sweat.

Unable to resist, he opened his phone, navigated to An Ran’s Moments (TL Note: A social media feed similar to Facebook’s timeline), scrolled to the very bottom, and found the photo An Ran had posted.

Gazing at An Ran’s still-flushed cheeks, a blush brought on by shyness, Gong He gritted his molars.

The wild desire within him refused to be quelled.

Gong He flung open the room’s window, attempting to let the wind disperse the cloying pheromones.

A strong gust made the curtains flap violently, and rainwater drifted in from outside, splashing onto his face.

The icy sensation brought a measure of clarity to his agitated mind.

Perhaps it was time he considered buying an air purifier.

****

Three A.M.

After three grueling hours of torment, Gong He finally succumbed and found himself at An Ran’s bedroom door.

The closer he got to An Ran’s room, the more potent the peach scent became.

Sweet and cloying, yet laced with a hint of unripe tartness.

It was like a fruit not yet fully ripe, still retaining a slightly astringent taste.

As Gong He stood at the threshold, the pheromones surged out from under the door, eagerly attaching themselves to him like an octopus’s tentacles.

The crisp freshness of mint intertwined with the sticky sweetness of peach.

Gong He stared at the closed door, swallowing hard as his breathing grew increasingly ragged.

Reason and desire waged a fierce battle within his mind.

He gripped the doorknob, greedily inhaling the pheromones saturating the air, a flicker of madness glinting in his downcast eyes.

An insatiable craving gnawed at his core.

Ultimately, he could not resist, and he gently pushed open the bedroom door.

An Ran, deep in a drug-induced sleep from his cold medicine, was utterly oblivious to the new presence in his room.

As Gong He drew nearer, the mint scent intensified, and An Ran, even in his sleep, felt a chill, prompting him to curl up tighter beneath his warm duvet.

The light was dim, preventing Gong He from clearly seeing An Ran’s face; he could only discern his blurred silhouette.

He dared not switch on the light, fearing it would startle An Ran awake.

He carefully touched An Ran’s face, his fingers tracing over the delicate, smooth skin before finally resting on the back of his neck.

There was no prominent gland there, contrary to his expectations.

If An Ran was a Beta, then why did he possess pheromones?

“Mmh.”

An Ran’s unconscious whimper made Gong He’s fingers tense with alarm; he carefully withdrew his hand, then softly closed the door.

Without the soothing presence of Omega pheromones, the Alpha pheromones within him grew increasingly restless and agitated.

His back drenched in sweat, Gong He headed to the bathroom, intending to take a cold shower.

An Ran’s face towel, left hanging in the bathroom, had been forgotten.

Enveloped by the sweet scent, Gong He leaned against the cold wall, his gaze gradually losing focus as he stared at the blue and white face towel.

Half an hour later, Gong He rinsed the bathroom floor clean and lay back down on his bed.

****

The light rain pattered on throughout the night.

Lulled by the sound of the rain, An Ran slept profoundly and contentedly.

It wasn’t until his seven o’clock alarm rang punctually that he groggily opened his eyes.

A gentle breeze, laden with dampness, drifted slowly into the room through the window, dispersing the lingering pheromones.

A sweet peach fragrance and a refreshing mint scent mingled in the air.

An Ran furrowed his brows, taking a deep sniff.

Why was there a peach scent?

It wasn’t peach season, nor had he bought any fruit.

And what was with this mint scent?

It was far more intense than any mint fragrance he had ever encountered in the bathroom.

An Ran opened the window, letting in fresh air.

The post-rain weather was exceptionally cool; a gentle breeze caressed his cheeks, carrying the scent of a recent downpour.

The freshness of vegetation mingled with the earthy smell of damp soil.

It was only when An Ran finished brushing his teeth and went to wash his face that he discovered his face towel was missing.

Had the wind been so strong it had blown his face towel away?

An Ran peered downstairs, looking around, but still couldn’t find his face towel.

A creak of the bedroom door startled An Ran; he hadn’t expected Gong He to be awake so early.

Their eyes met, and An Ran, flustered, uttered, “Good morning.”

Gong He glanced at him expressionlessly, responding, “Morning.”

An Ran no longer dwelled on where his face towel might have gone; all he wanted was to leave the dorm quickly.

Gong He’s expression was truly dreadful, and the oppressive atmosphere around him was palpable.

An Ran dared not linger in the dorm, fearing he might displease Gong He and suffer the consequences (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘yāngjí yúchí,’ meaning to be caught in the crossfire or suffer collateral damage).

Unable to help himself, he complained to H.

[AR: I suspect my roommate committed a crime last night.]

[H: ?]

[AR: He looks awful, with super serious morning grumpiness.]

[AR: So fierce Q_Q]

Gong He read the message from the culprit who had kept him awake all night, letting out a scoff.

–So, what do you think he was up to last night?–

–AR: I don’t know.–

–AR: I was just kidding.–

–AR: [Pouting soybean.jpg]–

–AR: He probably didn’t sleep well; he looks really tired.–

–H: And did you sleep well?–

–AR: I slept incredibly soundly!!–

–AR: Slept straight through till morning, it was so comfortable.–

–AR: [Cute.jpg]–

–H: Heh, really?–

–H: That’s good then.–

An Ran looked at the two messages from H, feeling that something was off.

–AR: Didn’t you sleep well either?–

Gong He gritted his teeth as he replied, –H: Yes, I didn’t sleep a wink all night.–

–AR: Huh?–

–AR: Why?–

–AR: Insomnia?–

–H: Kept awake all night by someone’s pheromones.–

An Ran stared at the message, silent for a long time.

He had always assumed H was single, never imagining he might have a partner.

If H could smell pheromones, he had to be either an Alpha or an Omega.

He certainly couldn’t be a Beta.

An Ran suddenly felt as if a piece of his heart was missing; it wasn’t exactly disappointment, but rather a sudden hollowness within him.

If H had a partner, then had his constant chatting with H these past few days already become a nuisance?

An Ran’s mood plunged, and he drifted into a daze, failing to hear Fu Zao call his name several times.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been spacing out,” Fu Zao asked.

An Ran didn’t know how to explain.

It seemed he had developed a possessiveness towards H that went beyond mere friendship.

During this time, his conversations with H had been incredibly lively.

Every morning, the first thing he did upon waking was check if H had left any messages; if not, he would proactively send a “Good morning” himself.

Before going to bed each night, he would chat with H, sometimes drifting off to sleep mid-conversation, other times exchanging goodnights.

Not a single day had been missed.

He thoroughly enjoyed this current arrangement, where they could speak freely, even without knowing each other’s true identities.

Perhaps it was precisely because they wore aliases (TL Note: Literally ‘vests,’ implying anonymity or a burner account) that they could unreservedly bare their hearts to each other.

He had thought this state could last for a very long time.

He never expected the end to come so swiftly.

Fu Zao bought him a sweet drink, teasing, “So, are you in an online relationship now? With that H?”

An Ran instantly bristled like a startled kitten, his tail practically standing on end, as he hastily denied, “No! We’re not dating! We’ve just been chatting a lot these past few days, and besides, how can we date when we don’t even know each other’s names?”

Fu Zao disagreed, “Who told you that you need to know someone’s name for an online relationship?”

An Ran paused, “Isn’t that how it works?”

“Of course not,” Fu Zao explained. “Online relationships are about emotional value (TL Note: The satisfaction or benefit one gains from interactions that cater to their emotional needs).

Some people engage in online relationships for years without ever seeing the other person’s true face; they just like the persona the other person has built for themselves online.

They don’t know their real name, height, weight, or even if the other person is male or female.”

An Ran stared blankly at Fu Zao, as if stunned by his words.

“Why wouldn’t they know?” he asked.

Fu Zao clarified, “If our initial purpose is to seek emotional value and spiritual comfort, rather than to meet offline and become real-life couples, then knowing each other’s true names isn’t important at all.

If even the name is fake, then other things could be fake too.

Since it’s an online relationship anyway, does it really matter if things aren’t real?”

An Ran: “…”

He actually found Fu Zao’s words incredibly logical, even feeling a slight flutter of interest.

It was just a pity that H most likely already had someone he liked.

He had arrived a step too late.

Seeing the hint of interest in An Ran’s expression, Fu Zao couldn’t help but chuckle.

“But it’s hard to find someone who genuinely wants only an online relationship with you, without any real-life involvement,’ he said. ‘Even Betas have physiological needs, let alone Alphas or Omegas, who have greater sexual desires?”

An Ran froze.

Fu Zao seemed to recall something, a self-deprecating smile gracing his lips.

“If the person you’re in an online relationship with is an Alpha, separated by the internet, you can’t be there for them during their rut period (TL Note: A period of heightened sexual and emotional distress experienced by Alphas), to accompany them,’ he mused.

“Perhaps at first, they might agree to take suppressants and tough it out, but what about later? Can you guarantee they’ll always rely on suppressants to endure every rut?

Even if they found an Omega in real life to help them through their rut, you might not even know, and even if you discovered their infidelity, what could you do?”

Fu Zao’s words abruptly halted An Ran’s budding enthusiasm.

[H: ?]

[H: Deliberately ignoring my messages?]

The message from H pulled An Ran back from his tangled thoughts.

Normally, An Ran would have been delighted to receive a proactive message from H, but now, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy; instead, a sense of melancholy settled over him.

–AR: [Pig sigh.jpg]–

–H: What’s wrong?–

–H: Not in a good mood?–

–AR: I’m afraid I might be bothering you and your partner…–

–H: Are you jealous or angry?

–H: Because of what I said this morning?–

An Ran felt a bit lost; perhaps he was a little jealous.

Just as he had thought, he was developing a possessiveness towards H, not wanting H to have a partner, hoping H would always be there for him.

An Ran dared not confess such selfish thoughts to anyone.

An Ran’s continued silence allowed Gong He to guess the extent of his current internal struggle, likely unsure how to respond.

–H: I’m not in a relationship; you’re overthinking it.–

–H: What I meant this morning was that I think my roommate might not be a Beta, but an Omega, though they don’t seem to have realized it themselves.–

–AR: ??!!–

–AR: Is such an absurd thing even possible?–

–H: Perhaps I got it wrong, it’s not certain.–

–AR: .–

–AR: Are you okay now?–

–AR: You can sleep a bit if you don’t have classes.–

Gong He, currently at the hospital for a check-up, looked at the doctor’s diagnosis.

Perhaps his pheromone compatibility with An Ran was far higher than he had ever imagined.

“You could bring that roommate in for a compatibility test,” the doctor suggested. “If you can mark him, your rut period will be much easier.”

Gong He didn’t care about the rut period itself; he was simply curious if An Ran truly was an Omega.

Looking at the message An Ran had sent, Gong He, on an impulse, typed:

[So you really care whether I’m in a relationship with someone else?]