96 Discussions I

Eric sighed, pushing their finished dinner away and dragging Yuliang to the couch for a long-overdue bonding session.

He scented his fellow omega deeply, burying his face into the crook of Yuliang's neck and letting the sweet and sour notes of citrus soothe the stress and anxiety that had been plaguing him for the last week or so.

Yuliang no longer stiffened up when they did this, merely melting into the touch and purring in contentment and satisfaction.

Eric figured, from the things he had pieced together from the rare moments Yuliang spoke of his past and the details Yukio had been kind enough to fill in during their conversations, physical contact like this was something Yuliang rarely allowed himself to enjoy.

Mostly due to how busy Yuliang was, but also because he apparently didn't feel safe being vulnerable with anyone, brother included.

Eric on the other hand had grown up in a big family, where scenting and bonding with each other was commonplace. Hence Eric's forwardness with sharing such an act so liberally with other omegas who he felt comfortable around.

With an understanding of Yuliang's circumstances, Eric felt amazed and grateful that Yuliang had allowed Eric to indulge in such moments many times over the months that they had known each other, despite Yuliang's reservations about it.

Moments of comfort that soothed Eric's protective and maternal instincts that went haywire when Eric was stressed.

They enjoyed the silence and each other for a long time before Eric finally worked up the courage to bring up what had been bothering him.

"Yuliang, we need to talk."