Chapter Text
Shen Wen Lang’s omega dad screamed, “How dare you embarrass me in front of my friends?!” Shen Wen Lang smirked, satisfied that he’d gotten the reaction he wanted and some more. “Calm down. I smoke cigars, it’s not like I’m going around seducing married alphas.” His dad shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “If I see you smoke even one more time…” Shen Wen Lang rolled his eyes. His patience for his dad’s dramatics was always thin, even though he was the reason for half of them. “And what exactly are you going to do? I’m your biological son. Your filthy pheromones don’t wo…”
The backhand cut him off, leaving both their faces bloodied.
Later that night, while ordering the smelliest cigarettes he could find online, Shen Wen Lang made a mental note: don’t piss off Dad when he’s wearing that giant diamond ring.
Over the next month, Shen Wen Lang did everything in his power to become the kind of smoker you could smell from a block away and be reminded of poorly working trucks. And he enjoyed his dad’s frustration to the fullest. The fact that his dad’s disgusting omega friends couldn’t sense his pheromones under layer upon layer of smoke was just icing on the cake.
He was jogging toward his usual meetup spot with Gao Tu, plotting how he might crash his dad’s next book club, when he spotted Gao Tu on the ground, gathering his scattered stuff. Shen Wen Lang rolled his eyes in annoyance and jogged over to help. “You really need to buy a new bag,” he muttered, crouching down. “The zippers have a mind of their own. How many times has this happened just this week?”. Gao Tu looked up and offered him that small smile, the one that always did weird things to Shen Wen Lang’s heart. “Hey, Wen Lang. Just give me a minute.”
Muttering to himself to ignore his too fast heartbeat, Shen Wen Lang picked up something small and blue “Is this an inhaler?”. Before he could get a good look, Gao Tu snatched it from his hand “Yes. It’s, uh… for my asthma.”
“You have asthma?” Shen Wen Lang stared at him. “You never told me.”
Gao Tu suddenly couldn’t meet his eyes. “It never came up. It’s not a big deal.”
Shen Wen Lang didn’t push, even though something about it made his chest tighten. He knew Gao Tu shut down fast when faced with too many questions.
Later that day, while they were eating instant noodles in front of a convenience store before Gao Tu’s shift, a thought struck Shen Wen Lang. “Can cigarettes and the smell trigger asthma?”
Gao Tu blinked at him, confused. “Um… yes?”
Shen Wen Lang narrowed his eyes. “You’re asking me?!”
Gao Tu ducked his head quickly. “Yes. I mean, obviously. They’re bad for asthma. Why?”
Shen Wen Lang didn’t answer. He wasn’t wearing his school uniform when he smoked, but the smell can stick to body, right? He couldn’t stop thinking about the times Gao Tu stood close to him looking pale, or how he seemed breathless the other day when they’d waited shoulder to shoulder for the rain to stop. He shook his head. “Nothing. Eat faster. Your shift starts in five minutes.”
That night, when he got home, Shen Wen Lang tossed all his cigarettes in the trash. He sent every article of clothing he owned to the laundry and spent two hours scrubbing himself with the most mild-scented shampoos he could find. After all, he could always find new and creative ways to make his dad’s life miserable.