“This is my parting gift to you, Mister.” As the omega spoke, tears kept falling. He didn’t know why, but he had never cried this much before. He felt so greedy, so inadequate. He hastily wiped his face, turning his back so the alpha wouldn’t see him like this.
A parting gift? The pheromone-blocking drug?
The slow alpha finally realized that all his confessions had backfired. The omega had always thought that his change in attitude was due to the pheromones. All those times he tried to comfort him had only caused more pain and burden. During the pregnancy, mood swings were already common, and although he had noticed the omega’s anxiety, he hadn’t taken the time to communicate properly.
This was the omega he married, the one he should’ve cherished, the one who had gone through so much suffering to bear him a child. Yet, time and again, he made mistakes, thinking he was doing the right thing while only making things worse.
“It’s my fault. I was wrong,” the alpha said, walking around to the other side of the bed and leaning over to embrace the omega, offering a sincere apology. “It’s all on me. Don’t cry anymore, baby. Your eyes will hurt. I didn’t explain myself clearly. It’s my fault.”
The omega buried his face in the pillow, refusing to come out, his voice muffled. “Mister, you did nothing wrong. I’m the one who got greedy, who wanted more. I don’t want to become that kind of person.”
It was so painful, his emotions spiraling out of control, pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. The omega’s voice finally took on a sobbing tone. “I’m the one who’s bad. At first, I thought it would be enough to just catch a glimpse of you once in a while. Then I started hoping, maybe we could meet occasionally. But later, one day, I saw myself in your eyes, and I became scared—scared that one day, whatever was making you look at me would disappear, and you’d leave me, cold and distant, never looking at me gently again.”
“I kept asking myself why. Was it because of the child? Because of the pheromones? Or because of habit? I kept obsessing over the reason, because if I knew why, maybe I could hold on a little longer.”
“But I found myself growing greedier. I couldn’t bear the thought of going back to how things were.”
“What would I do then?”
“If only you had never looked at me.”
“I’ve become far too greedy.”
Other than matters related to his research, the omega rarely said this much. His voice had grown hoarse from crying, his breathing uneven. Finally, the alpha pulled him out from under the blanket.
“Breathe deeply, baby, and look at me.” The alpha gently wiped the omega’s tears, cupping his face. He was much older than the omega. He should’ve been the one actively solving their problems. But he had messed up, thinking that just being kind to the omega was enough. He hadn’t realized that once a nail is pulled from a piece of wood, the hole it leaves behind remains. The happiness he had thought they shared was built on a growing void, one filled with negative emotions that had piled up inside the omega.
The alpha kissed away the omega’s tears, looking into his red eyes. He took the omega’s small hand and confessed, “I didn’t fall in love with you because of the pheromones. I’m sorry. For two years, I’ve been so cold to you, not giving you any sense of security. I never explained myself, never apologized, and rarely expressed my feelings. I’ve been a terrible, selfish man, taking your love for granted.”
“I’m sorry. Can you forgive me? I’ll do better.”
The omega stopped crying, his nose red, his tear-filled eyes dark like two grapes, staring at the alpha, as if he didn’t quite understand. After all, he had already decided to let go.
The alpha gently patted the omega’s back to soothe him, just like he had done throughout the omega’s pregnancy. His voice was soft. “When I first chose you, it wasn’t because of Grandpa, or our high pheromone compatibility. I saw you in that pile of photos, with your shirt buttoned all the way up, looking all proper and stiff. You left an impression on me. The pheromones were never part of it—I should have told you that sooner.”
“I love you. It took me much longer than you. Maybe there wasn’t a specific day, and if you asked me for a reason, I couldn’t give one. But at some point, I found myself unable to look away from you.”
The omega didn’t know why, but he wanted to cry again. After voicing the worries buried in his heart, he felt like a shrimp, wanting to curl up and hide in the sand. Holding back his tears only made his face redder, his mind swirling with a thousand thoughts, but he could only manage to say, “I’m not good enough.”
“You’re not ‘not good.’ You’re perfect. I love everything about you. I love how quiet you are, how you don’t like to talk; I think it’s adorable. When you cry and look like a little mess, I find you even more adorable. When you talk about your research all serious, I think it’s cute. When you kick the blanket in your sleep and mumble, I find it endearing. Even when you secretly push aside food you don’t like, I find that adorable too.”
“In my eyes, there’s nothing about you that isn’t perfect. When you’re happy, I’m happy. Seeing you cry feels like a needle pricking my heart.”
“If this isn’t love, then where am I going to find another stiff little guy like you who puts up with how awful I am?”
The omega’s blush crept down to his neck. He wasn’t picky about food, and he definitely didn’t kick blankets or talk in his sleep. He didn’t want to hear this anymore and tried to burrow under the blankets again, only to be pulled into the alpha’s embrace.
“Baby, please don’t divorce me. Give me another chance to prove that I don’t love you because of the pheromones. To me, you’re more important than anyone. Even if our pheromones weren’t compatible, I’d still want to hold you, and only you.”
“What will I do if you don’t love me anymore?”
“Please don’t push me away, okay?”
It was like the alpha wanted to spill a lifetime’s worth of sweet words. The omega now knew how the alpha felt, but he couldn’t handle all the talking. He quickly covered the alpha’s mouth, “Enough! Don’t say anymore, no more!”
“No, I still want to say it, baby. I don’t want to leave you. What do I do? Every time I leave for work, I just want to tuck you in my pocket and take you with me.”
Before the omega could respond, there was a sudden knock from outside.
“You rascal, don’t think you can slack off at work! Hmph!” Grandpa, leaning on his cane, knocked on the floor. A group of people had been listening outside the curtain for a long time, and the two inside hadn’t noticed at all. It was quite embarrassing, but Grandpa had been secretly enjoying it. After all, it wasn’t him who was embarrassed.
“Alright, you two take care of things for a few days. Once the baby’s weaned, I’ll take him to raise. You two can focus on your relationship. If you want, have another one.” After seeing the little pink baby, Grandpa was ready to leave. Ever since the curtain was lifted, the omega had been like a quail, not daring to lift his head. The relatives gathered around were certainly an eyesore, and those who came to watch the alpha’s embarrassment only ended up making the omega shy.
“You rascal, I’ll say it again—don’t think you can slack off. You’ve got a wife and kid to take care of now.” Grandpa raised his cane, pretending to strike. The omega, who hadn’t spoken much, quickly stood up to shield the alpha. His hand still had an IV needle in it, and blood started to flow back.
“Don’t get up!” The alpha quickly pulled him back, blowing on the omega’s slightly swollen hand and gently massaging it, completely ignoring the fuming old man behind him.
Grandpa, who had originally been joking, was now forced into the role of the villain. His stern demeanor softened as he moved to the omega’s bedside with concern. “Are you alright, my dear grandson-in-law?”
Joking aside, the alpha was lucky to have found someone who wanted him. The omega was well-behaved and considerate—who wouldn’t love such a grandchild-in-law? Besides, with mutual feelings, the baby was bound to come easily and peacefully. (Or not.)
——
After taking the medicine, the alpha became even clingier. The omega seriously submitted a request to the lab for a third round of clinical trials, expressing his doubts about the efficacy of the drug. Not only did it seem useless, but there were probably side effects too.
✨Translation complete!✨
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