42 Day Off II

"Oh wow, I think this is the first time I've seen you with your hair down, Yuliang," Eric said in greeting. "Come in and take a seat. Did you eat already?"

Yuliang did as he was told, while he tugged and twisted the ends of his waist-long locks subconsciously, "Does it look weird or something? And no worries, brother, I already ate."

"It doesn't look weird at all. It suits you, actually. I think you should wear it down more often," Eric said, joining him on the couch with his breakfast; scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast.

Yuliang shook his head. "I would, but it's more manageable for me to keep it in a braid. Especially considering how I'm constantly running around the university."

"That makes sense. How have you been, by the way? Been a while since I've heard from you."

Yuliang just sighed, hugging his knees to his chest as he sank deeper into the comfortable couch.

Eric's face twisted in sympathy. "That bad?"

"Not bad, just tired. I've been here two months now, and I feel like…" he sighed again. "I don't know... I've just been feeling a bit weird lately." The confession took a lot out of Yuliang, who wasn't used to being so vulnerable in front of anyone other than his family, but it felt cathartic at the same time. As if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Eric gave him a long look before finally saying, "Weird? Like Lonely? Homesick? Because that's how I felt in my first few months here."

Yuliang weighed each word thoughtfully in his mind for a few moments and nodded, "Yeah. That... sounds about right, but why? Things are going fine. I'm getting all my work done. I'm earning money with my part-time job. Professor Belmont seems satisfied with my work. And I'm starting to get used to things here too."

Eric put his plate away on the coffee table to wrap an arm around Yuliang's shoulder, then patiently waited for the younger omega to loosen up and relax into his touch. He was familiar with the younger omega's slow thawing response now, so he had no problem waiting as long as the other omega needed.

Yuliang tucked his head onto the older omega's shoulder and took comfort in the other omega's sweet smell. One that strongly resembled the smell of sandalwood.

"Do you still want to go out? We can just stay in and watch a movie instead if you like." Eric offered, pressing their foreheads together and playfully rubbing their noses. The action prompted a deep instinctual purr of contentment from the younger omega, much to Yuliang's mortification.

Eric giggled and responded with an affectionate purr of his own.

It was tempting to stay inside. It would mean being warm and safe and getting all the affection and comfort Yuliang could ever want from the sweet-smelling older omega, but he hadn't come here looking for comfort today, and who knew when the next time he'd have a free day would be?

Yuliang sucked in a breath and said, "I want to go. I haven't really seen any of the city yet. It would be a waste to stay inside on a day like this."

Eric pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Up to you, honey. I'll get dressed then. Would you mind doing the dishes for me?"

Yuliang laughed, "Alright. Also, you might want to consider putting on some extra scent-blockers today. Your scent is a bit stronger than usual."

"Probably cuz my damn Heat's coming up in two weeks," Eric grumbled, pulling away from the younger omega with a reluctant groan.

"Hm. Did you apply for leave with Belmont?"

"Not yet, but remind me to do it on Monday?"

"Sure."