Author: Shriya_4
Title: What Love Smells Like
Pairing/Characters: Yunjae
Rating: PG-13
Type: One-Shot
Genre: Romance, Fluff. All round cheese fest if we're being honest.
Summary: In a world where people can smell emotions, Yunho doesn't know what love smells like. Until he does.
They live in a world where people can smell emotions. Where happiness smells like old books and hot cocoa on a rainy day, where sadness smells like burned coal and the stormy sea, and where love…well...
Yunho’s never been in love. He can’t tell anyone what it really smells like.
Changmin claims it smells like fresh baked bread in the morning.
Yoochun says it smells like petrichor.
Junsu thinks it smells like fresh cut grass, but that’s probably because he’s in love with the football field.
Jaejoong just smiles.
----
Yunho starts to think he’s never going to find out what love smells like.
He’s tried dating of course, but Yoochun grabs hold of his own nose and accuses Yunho of smelling like sadness and guilt.
“Your guilt smells of cigarettes and spurious alcohol, I’ll have you know.”
Yunho could swear that the only over-powering smell in the room was of Jaejoong’s sadness.
“Why are you sad, Jae?” Yunho asks when he sees the other lean on the barrister of their balcony.
“Because I found out what jealousy smells like.”
---
Yunho finds out what jealousy smells like when he finds Jaejoong pressed up against the wall with Hyunjoong mouthing playfully at his neck.
It smells like the saltiness of tears and the bitter acrid stench of stale milk.
He smells Hyunjoong’s fear when he punches him in the face.
It smells like ammonia and the iron taste of blood.
---
He smells anger when Jaejoong slaps him.
“You had no right! You had no right to hit him when you did the exact same thing to me!”
It smells like fire and burned tires.
Yunho decides that the safest thing to do is hit him back.
---
When Jaejoong breaks his leg after falling off a ladder, Yunho smells the smokiness of panic tinged with the acrid undertones of fear.
He waits with the others at the hospital, shielding his nose from the stench of iodoform and bending his head in prayer.
He watches a young woman hug her sick husband, her form wrought with the smell of sadness and something familiar yet unidentifiable.
“You still smell like you” Yunho hears her whisper quietly as she runs comforting fingers through his hair. “Medicine can only affect someone’s smell to an extent."
“I love you, Baby.”
“I love you too.”
Everything clicks into place.
Yoochun glances at him before rolling his eyes.
“Finally."
---
Yunho presses his lips against Jaejoong’s. Sighing as the other nips at his lower lip.
“Say it, Jae. Tell me what love smells like…” he whispers, running a hand against Jaejoong’s stomach and grinning as the muscles twitch in response.
“You really want to talk about this now?” the other smiles, moving his head to the side to allow Yunho access to his neck. His heart thundering in his chest.
“Come on, say it.”
“You’re obsessed, aren’t you?”
“Jae…”
"Fine, you big goof. Love smells like you.”
Yunho chuckles happily as he burrows himself further into Jaejoong’s arms.
Not really…Yunho thinks.
Love smells like Jaejoong.
It’s always smelled like Jaejoong.
Actually…
If he really has to define it.
Love is Jaejoong.
FIN
A/N I stand guilty of being influenced by everything happening in the fandom.