"We need to talk." Another whisper, this time pressed against Hoseok's ear, lifting himself up on to the tips of his toes, pretending to give his brother an especially big hug before slipping back down.
And if his mother stopped to stiff the air behind him, mentioning how something smelled suspiciously like fresh vanilla mixed with ginger root, there was nothing he could do but comment that he smelled it too and attempt to play it off as some odd anomaly.
...
"It's getting worse." They were tucked into that same bathroom, only this time he had decided to not even bother with remaining on his feet, lifting himself onto the vanity and perching on the edge.
"No shit." That much was completely obvious. No matter how much scent blocker he used, the scent of vanilla just trailed after him. "Your kid just had to smell like a fucking vanilla bean."
"What?" There was a mixture of shock and confusion present on Hoseok's face as the word escaped, like he wasn't entirely sure he had just heard the right thing.
"I'm pregnant, Hoseok." Pulling out one of the drawers, he shuffled everything around until he found an old box of toothpaste and pulled it out, untucking the flap and tilting it over onto the counter. Only to have the test clatter onto it, landing face up, the glaring positive even harsher under the bright lights.
"Fuck." It was so loud he was certain someone was going to hear them. But then again, he supposed it didn't really matter anymore. "You're fucking positive?"
"Well I can't exactly go to the doctor now can I?" How would that look showing up on their insurance and credit card bill?
"Fucking hell." Picking up the test, he inspected it carefully for a moment, before dropping it back down onto the counter. "What the fuck are we gonna do?"
"Well, I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm gonna be a mom."
"You're keeping it?"
"Sure am." Being a mother wasn't something he'd ever considered, something he ever thought he might want. But there were plenty of things he'd never considered before that he had already done, readily and willingly. And now he was going to have to accept the consequences of his actions.
"Why?" It would be so much easier just to end it. They could have it done and over with before anyone else even realized.
"Because it's yours. Because I was - am - completely in love with you, and that's what babies should be made from."
"They're going to fucking kill you." There was no way their parents were going to allow this to actually happen. "They won't let you keep it."
"That's why I'm not going to tell them until it's too late."
"Fuck, you're actually serious."
"As a heart attack."
For a long moment, all they did was stare at one another, nothing but the sound of their dual hearts beating and the leaky faucet dripping a constant tempo behind them. There was nothing that Hoseok or their parents or anyone on the entire earth could say that was going to make him give this up.
"Then I guess I better take you to the doctor."
...
Hiding it was difficult, especially considering the intensity of the scent only seemed to grow exponentially as the days wore on, until it bloomed bright and strong with each and every movement.
There was a tiny little independent clinic on the other side of the city that Hoseok had taken him to, the doctor thankfully not asking more than she needed to know.
Nine weeks. Somehow he had been carrying this little secret around inside of him for nine weeks without ever actually realizing. Three more and it would be too late.
It was already too late for his heart.
...
"You smell disgusting." Each word was slurred, and he barely had to look up to realize just how drunk his mother currently was.
"Yeah? And you smell like rotten trash, but you don't hear me complaining."
"You ungrateful fucking bastard. Whatever the fuck you're doing better stop, because I can't stand the smell of you anymore."
"That makes two of us."
...
That had earned him a black eye. It was only through quick thinking that he managed to twist himself in time to not take the first blow directly in the stomach, instead having it land on his back. His mother had screamed for him to face her like the little bitch he was, and he did so with both arms crossed over his front, leaving her no choice but to back hand him instead.
As if to somehow spite her, the scent of vanilla was stronger than ever.
