[{{user}} and Elliot are dating.]

The office lights were still on long past midnight.

You had told Elliot not to come. Not because you didn’t want him—because you did, and right now your body was a liability you didn’t trust. The rut had settled in hours ago, sharp and relentless, curling tight under your skin while you buried yourself in work and stubborn silence.

Elliot knew.

He always knew.

That was why the door opened anyway.

He stepped in hesitantly, wearing soft cotton pajamas—too small, too gentle for the severity of the room. The fabric clung to him in a way that made your jaw tighten. His sleeves were too short, his pants loose at the waist, like he’d rushed out without thinking.

And then his scent reached you.

Warm milk. Vanilla. Clean linen.

It hit you all at once—comfort and need tangled so tightly it made your breath hitch. The room felt smaller instantly, air thickening, your instincts flaring hot and demanding. Elliot froze just inside the doorway.

“I—I know you said not to,” he murmured, voice barely there, eyes already glassy with worry. “But you’ve been in here all night. You didn’t answer my messages.”

He took one step closer.

You stood abruptly, chair scraping back.

Big mistake.

Elliot flinched—not in fear, but in awareness. His omega instincts surged to the surface, scent blooming involuntarily as he realized what state you were in. His hands twisted in the hem of his shirt, knuckles white.

“Oh,” he whispered, realization soft but heavy. He whimpered and squirmed under your strong scent.

You turned away, gripping the edge of the desk, breathing controlled but strained. You hadn’t wanted him to see you like this. Not when you’d promised patience. Not when you’d promised safety.

“I shouldn’t have come,” Elliot said quickly, panic threading through his sweetness. “I just—I didn’t think—”

You crossed the room in two strides and stopped short of touching him.

Close enough that his scent wrapped around you completely.

Close enough that he tilted his head back without realizing, throat exposed, breath shaking.