Chapter Text
Sheng Shaoyou woke up to the noise coming from outside his room. As he opened his eyes, the bright light from the sun hit his face. Still groggy, he sat up, yawning in confusion at all the noise outside.
Shaoyou frowned for a moment before remembering something. He quickly moved toward his bedroom door. A sudden excitement filled him, but he stopped himself before opening it.
It's Hua Yong. He knows Hua Yong is still here. He can sense it.
Before meeting his best friend, Shaoyou went to his private bathroom first to check himself. He fixed his hair and made sure to gargle before stepping outside.
The first thing Shaoyou noticed was the soft smell of soup hitting his nostrils, followed by the comforting scent of orchids.
He walked toward the kitchen and saw Hua Yong there.
The Enigma was busy stirring the pot and didn't notice that Shaoyou was already awake, quietly watching him cook.
He was still wearing Shaoyou's shirt. His frame was small, making the shirt look oversized on him.
The sight reminded Shaoyou of when they were younger. Hua Yong stealing his shirt simply because he was too lazy to get his spare clothes.
Shaoyou never scolded him for it. And just now, he realized that he liked seeing Hua Yong wearing his clothes.
Hua Yong slightly turned his head and saw Shaoyou standing there. His eyes widened for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face.
"Mr. Sheng, you're awake," he said, turning off the stove. "I'm sorry for using your kitchen without permission. I wanted to cook breakfast before going home."
Hearing him talk about going home made Shaoyou feel a little sad.
The reality that Hua Yong would only stay for a while hit him.
Shaoyou sighed and walked toward Hua Yong.
"Are you going home already? I'll take you there, Hua Yong," Shaoyou recommend, leaning on the counter while checking what Hua Yong was cooking. "Don't rush to go home. I talked to your father last night and told him you were with me."
Hearing that, Hua Yong quickly snapped his gaze back to him.
"My father? Why... I mean... why did you tell him I was here?" He could feel his cheeks heating up.
The only reason he was here was because of Shaoyou, because of the things they needed to fix. At first, he only wanted them to talk properly, and if they were to end their relationship as bestfriends he wanted it to end in a decent and respectful way.
Hua Yong never expected things to turn out like this.
"Are you feeling shy?" Shaoyou asked, pulling Hua Yong back from his thoughts.
They stared at each other for a while. One had a flushed face, while the other looked pleased at what he was seeing.
"N-no..." Hua Yong tried to deny it, his face growing even hotter when Shaoyou leaned in closer. "Shaoyou..."
Even though he was an Enigma, he still couldn't stop himself from being affected by the person he had liked for so long. Especially now that there was finally a chance for them to be together.
"Hua Yong," Shaoyou whispered, making Hua Yong look directly into his eyes.
"I'll take you home. Besides, I want to talk to your father," he said.
Hua Yong could feel the heat between them. He gulped and took a small step back, putting some distance between them.
"Talk to him about what?"
Shaoyou only gave him a meaningful smile.
From that kind of smile, Hua Yong knew it meant something.
The drive toward their hometown was filled with nerves and confusion on Hua Yong's side. He told Shaoyou that he didn't need to take him there and that he could go home by himself, yet the elder insisted, saying he wanted to personally take Hua Yong home.
Hua Yong also kept thinking about what Shaoyou planned to discuss with his father.
Maybe it was about business? Knowing they were both involved in business, Hua Yong decided not to question it further.
When they reached their village, Hua Yong was immediately greeted by his mother, who had a deep scowl on her face.
"A'Yong! You child, you didn't even tell us where you were going! You weren't answering any of our calls. If we hadn't called Shaoyou, we wouldn't have known you were in Shanghai!" his mother scolded him while pinching his ear.
Hua Yong protested, but knowing it was partly his fault, he let his mother pinch his ear.
On the other hand, Shaoyou stepped in and stopped Hua Yong's mother from pinching Hua Yong any further, almost shielding his friend from his own mother.
Hua Yen huffed, telling her son he should be grateful that Shaoyou was here, otherwise, she would have scolded him endlessly.
"That's enough, Auntie. It's also my fault that Hua Yong left. If you're going to scold him, please scold me as well," Shaoyou said politely, holding out his hand in front of Hua Yong's mother.
In the end, she stopped being angry and spoke to them calmly.
"Alright, I don't want this to happen again. Hua Yong, Shaoyou, your uncle is inside. He's been waiting for you."
Remembering why Shaoyou was here, Hua Yong looked at him with questioning eyes. Shaoyou simply squeezed his arm lightly before nodding to his aunt.
"I'll be back after talking to your father. Wait for me, okay?" he speak softly, so soft it's sound so intimate and giving him a small smile before walking toward Hua Yong's house.
Hua Yong didn't know how to react to what Shaoyou had just done.
What the Alpha was doing felt completely new to him.
Meanwhile, Hua Yong was left alone with his mother. He faced her, clearly guilty for leaving without informing them.
"Mom, I'm sorry for not telling you. I was just in a hurry," he explained. His mother only sighed.
"It's fine. Shaoyou already mentioned why you went to Shanghai."
Upon hearing those words, Hua Yong's eyes widened as he looked at his mother.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Hua Yong, we've known for a long time that you've liked Shaoyou. What I don't understand is why you were acting cold toward him when he came back," his mother said. After that, she smiled at her son with a teasing look.
"But I think you've already made up." She's lifting her eyebrow teasingly.
Hua Yong shook his head in denial. "Mom..."
"You can't hide it from me, son. I saw the way you looked at each other earlier. So, what are you now? Are you together?"
"Mom!" His cheeks were now even redder while his mother laughed at him.
"Oh, my child. You're an Enigma. Technically, you'd be more capable of pursuing that Alpha, so why are you the one feeling shy?" she asked.
Hua Yong only pouted at her. "Mom, it's not that easy. I thought.. I thought I didn't have any chance."
Hua Yen now understood her son. She pinched his cheek, making his pout deepen.
"My poor child. Alright, let's go inside. Who knows what your father might be saying to Shaoyou, you might lose your love life before it even starts."
Inside their house, Mr. Hua had already been expecting Shaoyou's arrival. The young man had mentioned it the previous night when he called to inform them where Hua Yong was.
Seeing the older man waiting for him, Shaoyou suddenly felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"Shaoyou, sit down first," Mr. Hua remark. Shaoyou followed him.
"Thank you, Uncle," he replied. Mr. Hua gave him a small smile.
"Let's not go around in circles. I know you have a reason for coming here suddenly with Hua Yong. This is about my son, isn't it?" Mr. Hua asked.
Two Alphas looked at each other. The pheromones inside the house grew heavy, but there was no danger in them.
"Yes, Uncle." He paused, inhaling and exhaling before speaking again. "I found out why A'Yong was angry at me. I also understand how he feels..." He looked directly into Hua Yong's father's eyes.
"I know I've been gone from this place for a long time. We haven't been together for years, and I have shortcomings as his friend..."
Mr. Hua's gaze didn't waver, as if he were reading what Shaoyou was about to say.
Even though he was slightly nervous, Shaoyou continued.
"I would like to ask for your blessing to allow me to be with Hua Yong as—"
"Are you going to mate him?" Hua Yong's father interrupted, making Shaoyou stop mid-sentence, his eyes widening.
"You know Hua Yong is an Enigma. Your dynamic will be different if you end up together. Have you thought about that?" His tone was strict, the same tone he used when speaking to someone at his level in business.
Shaoyou schooled his expression, his hands clenching against his black pants.
Even before speaking to Hua Yong yesterday, he had already thought about this for a long time.
"Yes. I've thought about it," he answered honestly.
Mr. Hua's stern eyes didn't falter. "If you're going to mate him, you're going to be his exclusive Omega."
Shaoyou gulped. He had already thought about that.
"And you're going to let go of your past relationships, Shaoyou. I don't want my son to be broken just because you have problems with your sub-gender."
Their pheromones grew heavier, drunken brunch clashing with sandalwood.
Shaoyou held his gaze and said, "I truly want to be with your son, Uncle. And I'm sure. I'm ready."
Mr. Hua assessed the young man, trying to find doubt or hesitation. He found none.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"Alright. You have my blessing, Shaoyou," he said.
Shaoyou finally relaxed his stiff shoulders and stopped suppressing his pheromones. He had finally received the blessing to be with Hua Yong.
"But remember this, young man. Once Hua Yong feels like you don't love him anymore, I will come after you," he threatened.
Love.
Shaoyou didn't correct him.
He knew within himself that he loved Hua Yong. He loved his best friend, not because he looked like an Omega, not because he was an Enigma, but simply because he was Hua Yong. The Hua Yong who grew up with him in this place. The Hua Yong who was always there, even when he couldn't see him. Deep inside, he had always known that he loved Hua Yong.
He was only admitting it now—but it had been there for a long time.