#non-explicit

To the far side, beyond where the field goal of the football pitch would normally be, was the event mascot. A gigantic inflatable rubber ducky, taxi-cab yellow, orange beak, and two beady black eyes. Sam never really liked it, gave him the heebie-jeebies just like clowns still did, but Dean had him take a picture of him standing in front of it the year prior. At least he didn’t have to go up close to it this year.

"Don't come in!" she leaned back against the door to keep it shut. "I'm, uh, not decent." Dumb, dumb excuse. As if that was even a concern anymore. They'd seen everything of each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked through the door, and she jumped at the feel of her own tail brushing against her arm as it twitched. Stupid, dumb, hare-brained idea.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine, I'm just..." she struggled to reach for an excuse to get him out of the house until she went back to normal, but though she reached, she found nothing.

"Akira, let me in?" he asked, and she heard the tiny sound of his hand touching the handle. Could all miqo'te hear this well? A glance in the mirror told her her ears were still flat against her skull, and no matter how she tried to rearrange her features there was no hiding the nervousness on her face.

But he wasn't going to leave, so she may as well face the music.

"I um," she opened the door slowly, stepping back and picking at her hands. "I thought it might be...fun to match for a day, so to speak. I know, I know, it was a silly idea but it's only temporary so I should be back to normal in no t-" She was cut off by G'raha taking her hands in his, and she glanced up to see his ruby eyes sparkling with delight.

"I don't think it's a silly idea at all," he pressed his forehead to hers, and she felt the tension ease from her shoulders. "I love you no matter what you look like. But, if I may, I think you look quite lovely like this." She felt her face heat as her tail flicked rapidly.

"W-well, thanks," she stammered, and she stepped out of the washroom, joining him in their sitting room.

~*~

As the evening wore on, the pair could be found on their sofa before the fire, Akira curled contentedly into G'raha's side, ears no longer pressed flat in discomfort but instead flopping, relaxed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. An empty plate, now holding only crumbs, sat abandoned on the tea table between the sofa and the hearth.

Sometimes Akira was still in awe that such peace could even exist. That she could be allowed happiness after so many years of pain and loss. Sometimes she wondered if this was all a dream. But day after day she woke and it was all still here and-

Her ears pricked as she felt her chest vibrating. She wasn't unfamiliar with purring - she delighted in the sound when G'raha made it in their moments alone together - but she wasn't expecting that it would be so... automatic? Her ears flattened to the sides, and she heard a quiet chuckle before G'raha encouraged her to straddle his lap, taking her face in his hands.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed," he brushed his thumb over her cheek.

"Yes, well, you don't do it when we're just sitting here."

"I've also been able to purr my whole life. You've been able to for-" he glances at a nearby chronometer. "A few bells. There's a bit of a difference in practice, love." She pouted, one ear flicking.

"And these damn ears, how do you hide anything you're thinking?"

"With a hood," he joked, running his fingers through her hair and rubbing lightly at the base of one ear.

Her hands were a little late covering her mouth to catch the thoroughly undignified noise she made. His face split in an impish grin as she glared at him.

"You did that on purp-ahh," she cut off, fingers clenching in his tunic as he leaned forward suddenly and mouthed at her neck, just above her pulse, and she discovered without her scales to cover the skin that her neck was exceedingly sensitive. His fingers, still tangled in her hair, brushed over her ear again and a thin whine escaped her despite her best efforts.

"You...are being terribly mean to me," she panted out, face still hot, and he grinned against her throat.

"Oh really?" he sat back and withdrew his hands, leaving her sitting there flushed and breathing hard on his lap. "Then I guess I should stop then." She bared her (much sharper than his own, she was interested to find) fangs at him in frustration.

"I swear to the gods G'raha Tia if you don't get back over here and finish what you started-"

"Well that's not a very nice way to ask for what you want," his eyes sparkled with mischief and she felt the fur on her tail bristling in irritation. Damn him. They sat there for several moments, her tail lashing and him sitting there like he wasn't affected in the slightest.

(But she could see the faint blush growing on his own face, the tip of his tail twitching, and feel the evidence of how interested he really was from her seat on his lap.)

It was a standoff, and she knew exactly who was going to crumble first today. She didn't know why she was so readily turning to putty but she knew she'd never needed him more in her life.

"Please," she leaned fully forward, face pressed into the crook of his neck. "Please don't just leave me like this, Raha." There's a quiet little trill that comes from his throat and she wondered if she'd have been able to hear it in her normal body, or if it would send tingles all down her spine the same way.

“Tim? Is that you?” Kon’s voice sounds throughout the apartment and Tim perks up at hearing his boyfriend. In a brief moment the smell is forgotten.

“Yeah it’s me,” Tim replies, Kon must have heard him coming through the window, “I’m done for tonight now. We’re calling it a night before resuming tomorrow.”

“Did the lead not follow through?”

Starting to remove his suit off his body, Tim lets out a disbelieving laugh. “Ha! The lead ended up leading us on a goose chase all around Gotham.” He pulls a face when the smell of rotten eggs hit his nose again.

“That honestly doesn’t surprise me.”

Kon’s voice sounds closer now and Tim looks up to find his boyfriend strolling into the living room and headed for him. Tim sends him a smile and Kon returns it. As Kon gets closer a new scent gets added into the mix of Tim’s sewage smell, he gets a hint of coconut though unfortunately it’s not strong enough to overpower the egg smell.

Tim loves that coconut smell as well, it’s the primary scent of his alpha, one that makes feel safe, comfortable and warm. There’s nothing better that Tim likes than coming home after a long and tiresome patrol to that welcoming scent of his boyfriend. It also helps to settle his omega instincts when he smells it after so long. Sadly that’s not the case right now.

Kon approaches him and once he’s a couple steps away he stops short and sends Tim a disgusted look, his facial features screw up as he wrinkles his nose. “Ugh, Tim, what the hell is that smell? Jesus you stink, and not in a good way either.”

Pausing the removal of his suit, Tim sends Kon an unimpressed look. “Yes thank you Kon, I’m fully aware of that.” An unhappy growl comes from Kon at Tim’s rebuke and Tim rolls his eyes at the behaviour. He's long past the level of trying to please his alpha, he’ll be as snarky and blunt as he wants to be.

Now only dressed in his undershirt and boxers, Tim bundles up his awful smelling clothes and carries them to the laundry room to be delt with later on. Whether that’s to completely ditch his suit or attempt to clean it first remains the question.

Leaving the laundry room Tim heads for the bedroom, ignoring Kon as he goes, although when Tim gets a whiff of coconut his steps slightly falter. Its stronger now than what it was before and Tim’s omega instincts cry out with longing to be engulfed in that scent and nothing else.

Tim grits his teeth and resumes forward determinedly to the bathroom. The sooner he showers, the sooner he can be with Kon and be surrounded by nothing else but their combined scents.

He makes quick work of the shower and once he’s dry he changes into some comfortable clothes before going on a hunt for his boyfriend. Tim quickly finds Kon lounging on their bed once he enters the bedroom, at his arrival Kon looks up from his phone and instantly gets up from the bed.

Before Tim could do anything Kon was upon him, his alpha forces him to turn around and Kon wraps his arms around him so he’s hugging Tim from behind. Tim allows it to happen and leans against Kon’s chest, his own hands come and rest over Kon’s and he laces their fingers together.

Tim hums contentedly and the sound comes out almost like a purr from the bottom of his throat. Normally Tim would be embarrassed after making a sound like that but right then he couldn’t find it in himself to care as he’s enjoying being hugged by Kon too much.

Lips press lightly against his cheek and they start moving down towards his jaw and further down onto his neck. Tim lets out a breath and tilts his head back onto Kon’s shoulder to allow him more access. The kisses soon turn into light bites as they get closer to the junction between his neck and shoulder, right where his omega gland is and right where his scent is the strongest.

The biting stops and Tim feels Kon smile into his skin. “You smell much better now,” he says pointedly. Kon nuzzles against the skin there before moving back up to his jaw where he starts to nuzzle there instead.

It’s then that Tim realizes what Kon is doing. Smiling, Tim turns his head so he could press his lips against Kon’s jaw too. “What are you doing?” He asks knowingly.

“Nothing.” Kon mumbles in response.

Tim breathes in deeply and gets a strong smell of coconut and a fruity scent of mixed berries. Those are Kon’s two main scents and Tim adores them.

“Really?” Tim pulls away enough so he could look at Kon in the eyes. “Because if I didn’t know any better I would say you’re scenting me.”

Kon stays silent and the fact that he didn’t deny it straight away confirms his actions. “Maybe…” his alpha admits eventually.

The omega inside of him preens at the admission. Tim smirks playfully at him. “And why are you scenting me?”

Kon blinks, clearly trying to come up with an answer. Usually Kon only scents him when one of their cycles come around or when he’s feeling rather possessive of Tim out of jealously for whatever reason. Of course Tim knows the real reason why he’s doing it now, he just wants Kon to admit it.

“No reason.”

“Sure…” Tim snickers, “and you couldn’t wait a couple minutes longer until we were in bed together? So this has nothing to do with me being covered in a disgusting rotten egg smell and surrounded by my alpha brothers?”

Kon once again ducks his head and presses his lips against his neck. “Nope. Not all.” Tim snorts and shakes his head but before he could comment further Kon’s head shoots back up and his boyfriend sends him a frown. “The point you’re trying to make is stupid. Of course I don’t like you being covered in other scents, sewers included, obviously I’m going to want you smelling like me when you come back.”

“That’s true I suppose.”

Kon now looks at him pointedly. “Anyway you can’t say shit! You love my scent just as much as I love yours.”

Tim feels himself blush at the call out. The annoying thing about it is how he can’t even deny it either. What was the first thing he wanted to do after getting out of the shower, it was in fact to be covered in Kon’s scent.

When Tim doesn’t say anything Kon laughs and gives him a squeeze. He presses a kiss to his cheek, muttering a “thought so” into his skin. Tim huffs and rolls his eyes but there’s a small smile on his face. In all honesty, they’re as bad as each other. Tim is just as glad to get rid of that sewage smell as Kon is.

At that point Tim untangles himself from Kon’s hold and steps towards the bed, he glances back at his alpha making a “come on” gesture with his hand. “Let’s go to bed. I’m done with today and can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow morning.”