Chapter Text
Cale was attending a royal event, a torturous ball organized by none other than Alberu Crossman, of course. If not for his hyung-nim's incessant bothering—and the golden plaque delivered to the Henituse estate as a 'persuasion' tactic— would he really be here? Why ask something so obvious? No, Cale belongs in a rocking chair, not a ballroom.
And, as if the universe were personally offended by Cale’s desire for a slacker life, problems occurred. As usual. Cale never could walk into an event without the plot thickening, could he?
However, the nature of the problem was different this time. It wasn't a bomb, a dragon, or a secret organization.
It was biology.
Cale cursed under his breath as a wave of dizziness slammed into him. It wasn't the sharp pain of his ancient powers; it was a soft, cloying heat that seemed to melt his bones. The ballroom lights blurred into streaks of nauseating gold. He felt hot, feverish in a way that made his skin overly sensitive to the fabric of his shirt. The sheer amount of people was making him sick.
Maintaining his stoic expression, he downed another glass of wine. Then, he swirled the glass, splashing a generous amount of the liquid onto his cuff and chest.
‘Alcohol works well to cover it up,’ he thought hazily.
It would work for a little while. That was all he needed. He just had to find his hyung-nim and escape to a suite before his knees gave out. No, perhaps Alberu’s own room; that sounded particularly nice right now. A place where the air didn't feel like it was vibrating with the presence of strangers.
Suppressing a shudder that had nothing to do with cold, Cale set off on his quest to find the Emperor.
The man in question stood near the periphery of the grand hall, engaging in a conversation that was as draining as it was necessary. He was speaking with Advisor Lowood, a man on the older side who had been a fixture in the court since the days of the previous king.
The young emperor had purged his father's old advisory council, making only one exception: Lowood.
The man was spared because he was both useful and acutely aware that his influence at court was tethered entirely to the emperor's sovereignty; a loss of royal power meant a loss of his own. This dependency, coupled with his fierce patriotism, made him an appealing figure to Alberu. Though Lowood always pursued his own gain—and had caused significant trouble for the man when he was Crown Prince—his self-interest was contained and made him predictable and loyal.
The emperor kept him close because Lowood’s loyalty to Roan's welfare guaranteed he would never act against the kingdom.
In contrast to his cold, calculating thoughts, Alberu smiled radiantly at the old man. They were exchanging subtle power plays, words wrapped in silk but tipped with poison, when he felt a sudden, distinct tug at the short red cape draped over his right shoulder.
At the same time, a pungent, overwhelming odor of red wine assaulted his sensitive nose.
"...Hyung-nim."
The voice that called to him was small. It lacked Cale’s usual, confident indifference, a delicate and brittle sound Alberu had never heard from his sworn brother before.
Stunned, the Emperor quickly turned, the mask of the perfect monarch cracking. Worry and disbelief tightened his chest.
They did so for good reason, indeed, as Cale looked at him with eyes that were too big, too wet. His face, usually pale, was dusted with a feverish flush that reached the tips of his ears. Was he... drunk? No. Cale held his liquor better than anyone. Did he look... sick? Both?
"Yes? Are you alright?" Alberu’s voice came out lower, laced with genuine concern. Usually, he would put extra effort into curating the image of their strong, brotherly bond for the public eye, but in his sudden worry, the political calculation evaporated. He didn't think about how the onlookers would perceive the intimacy. His care was genuine. Cale didn't appreciate formalities, and he never showed weakness publicly unless it was part of a scam.
"I'm...," Cale seemed to hesitate, his breath hitching, "sick." The redhead cast a wary, glassy-eyed glance at the advisor standing next to Alberu.
Advisor Lowood was no longer looking at Alberu. The old man was staring at Cale with wide eyes, his nostrils flaring slightly. A complicated expression twisted his face—shock, followed by fluster. The advisor took a full-step back, his hand twitching at his side as if fighting an urge to either flee or step closer.
Alberu, however, didn't notice the advisor’s flushed face. His attention was directed solely at his little brother who looked like he was about to collapse.
"I'd like to go to a suite. Also, please call Ron," Cale laid out his request, forcing his voice to be firmer after the momentary hesitation. He stood closer to Alberu than propriety dictated, almost hiding in the Emperor's shadow.
He knew Lowood had realized the actual issue. The man’s gaze was basically stuck on him, confirming his suspicion, and that only enforced the fact that he had to get out as soon as possible.
"Yes," Alberu affirmed immediately, his tone a serious, commanding register. He placed a firm hand on Cale's shoulder, grounding him, and led them out. With his free hand, he sharply motioned for a servant. Advisor Lowood didn't stop them. In fact, the man seemed unable to speak, averting his gaze.
"At long last," the redhead muttered to himself, "know some propriety..." his voice sounded weird even to himself, having a breathy and whiny undertone.
"Hmm?" The emperor questioned, seemingly the only one who'd heard the quiet whisper. "What—"
"Not you, hyung-nim..."
Cale worried, in the back of his foggy mind, that rumors might spread. ‘The Emperor and young master Cale are in a relationship.’ It would be a headache but he couldn't dwell on it. His skin felt like it was too tight for his body.
"What is it really? I've never seen you get sick. Injured, yes—catastrophically so—but never sick," Alberu asked once they were alone.
"I really am sick," Cale shot back, his voice firmer. He felt better now, in the secluded corridor, away from the prying eyes and heavy scents of the crowd. "On another note... hmm. Can we... Can we go to your room instead, hyung-nim?"
Alberu raised an eyebrow. A guest suite would be closer, but, one glance at Cale's tense figure, he conceded instantly. "Obviously."
Once they arrived at the Emperor's private chambers, the heavy doors shutting out the world, Cale didn't even look at the luxury around him. He made a beeline for the massive bed, plopping himself down and pulling the heavy duvet around him like a cocoon.
Alberu walked over, frowning as he stripped off his gloves. He placed the back of his hand against Cale's forehead. It was burning.
"You seem to have a fever," Alberu noted, his mind racing through possibilities. Poison? A curse? Some sort of unknown magic? "Do you know if there's a specific reason? Did you eat something strange?"
"Your Highness, you..." Cale sighed, his face half-buried in the pillow. He looked at Alberu with a mix of exhaustion and pity. "You're quite dense, aren't you?"
"Hmm?" Alberu blinked.
"Well, never mind that. Can I have your cape?"
"Why?" Alberu, thoroughly confused, said the first thing that came to mind.
"Just give it to me," Cale repeated, his voice taking on a petulant, demanding edge.
"I still have to go back to the ball. I can't just give you part of my formal attire." Alberu gestured to his outfit. "I can find you a different blanket? Or perhaps a softer robe?"
"No. I want that one." And indeed he did. Cale’s eyes were laser-focused on the red cape still draped over Alberu’s shoulder.
Alberu sighed, unclasping the cape. "Fine."
He handed it over. Cale snatched it immediately, dragging it into his cocoon. The first thing he did was to shove it right under his nose, inhaling deeply, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.
Alberu watched him with an expression that plainly said he thought Cale was being weird.
"Do you need me to stay?" Alberu asked, walking over to his desk and rummaging through a drawer for a video communication device.
"No, please just call Ron over. I'm sure he'll quickly transport over with the children. I'd like to go home with Raon."
"If that's what you want, then I can also directly transport you there? Why wait?" Having made his offer, Alberu glanced back at the bed.
"That's alright," Cale mumbled into the fabric. "It's not like it'll take time for Raon to come. You can return to the hall."
Cale was bundled up, only his red hair and eyes visible. He shifted in the nest of blankets, clutching Alberu's cape tighter.
A scoff, similar to a chuckle, escaped the Emperor. 'Does he even realize the expression he's making?' Cale definitely didn't want to be alone right now.
"Well, it's not like it'll change much. I can't leave you here alone in this state anyway. Who knows what trouble you'll get up to? Besides," he smirked, a playful tilt entering his voice, "even if I am the sun, the world can function without me for an hour or so. My competence shines so bright it lingers even when I am momentarily absent."
Cale’s eyebrows furrowed as he frowned... no, it was a pout? And was it just Alberu, or did his eyes look even puffier and wetter than before? His gaze as well. It was... softer, somehow.
"Seriously, what are you coming down with?" Alberu asked, his tone dropping to a whisper as his eyes thoroughly searched Cale.
Annoyed by the scrutiny, the redhead sighed, looking at his brother as if he were a particularly dumb donkey. "Hyung-nim, do you really not notice? You're an alpha, aren't you?"
Alberu still looked confused, leading Cale to seriously wonder if he'd have to lay it all out. Just then, Alberu seated himself on the bed, the communication device on his lap. Cale didn't speak, but he seemed truly displeased by the action, looking at Alberu as if the man had sworn to do everything possible to thwart his slacker life.
This confused Alberu. Caution swirled in his eyes. He was wondering what he'd done to warrant that glare. Then, he froze. The silence in the room suddenly became deafening. The smell of the wine had dried on Cale's clothes, and now that they were in the stillness of the private chamber, unmasked by the ballroom's perfumes.
It hit Alberu like a physical weight.
At long last, the evident truth finally punched the mighty emperor in the face.
His cheeks flushed a deep red.
"Ah."
He let out that stupid sound at that moment.
It wasn't wine. It wasn't sickness.
It was sweet. Terrifyingly, vividly sweet.
It was pheromone, so omée (omega) that it made the hairs on the back of Alberu's neck stand up.
Alberu instinctively knew. He had never been near someone experiencing a cycle – alpha or omega– if not for his mother, but even that was more than a decade ago. Despite that, he just knew. It was the scent of heat —gentle, inviting, and demanding care.
And Cale wasn't just cold. He was nesting. In Alberu's bed. With Alberu's cape pressed against his face.
"You..." Alberu’s voice cracked. He suddenly felt that the mattress beneath him was scorching hot.
Cale huffed, his eyes half-lidded, looking at Alberu with a gaze that was entirely too vulnerable, stripped of its usual calculating glint. The 'displeasure' Cale had shown earlier suddenly made sense to Alberu's instincts. He looked down at where he was sitting. Cale hadn't been annoyed that Alberu sat down; he was annoyed that Alberu had ignored his nest.
"Sorry," a horrified whisper came out, turning into resolve, "I am truly sorry, I..." The blanket, Alberu had moved it to make space. He might as well have punched his little brother in the face. He quickly stood up without even realizing it.
"Hyung-nim," Cale mumbled, his voice dragging. He barely held back another sigh. The emperor's donsaeng released the cape with one hand and reached out, his fingers grabbing and pulling the edge of this sleeve. "It's fine, so stop acting weird. It's giving me a headache."
Alberu flinched. Every instinct in his body roared to life—protective, possessive, powerful.
"Cale," Alberu whispered. He slowly, carefully, picked up the communication device that had fallen off his lap and, after sending a quick message to Raon, placed it onto the nightstand, his movements stiff.
"Do you... do you have suppressants? No, do you take them?" The dark elf asked. Indeed, it was common not to do so. Most took care of their heat or rut remaining in seclusion, with a partner or their family.
Having never seen the man have a cycle or take a rest period hinting at it, Alberu assumed he did. But, in the heat of the moment, all other thought and logic disappeared.
Cale blinked slowly, his brow furrowing as if the question was complex physics.
"No."
On the contrary, Ron had recently forced him to take medicine to regularize his heats, claiming that it was for his health, because heats shouldn't be spontaneous and scarce. Cale didn't honestly see the problem, but he couldn't defy the butler.
Alberu swallowed hard. He felt like he was walking through a minefield. No, that would've been a better situation. Here and now, Alberu had no XXXXXXX clue what to do.
"If you're really going to stay, then stop being useless and come here," Cale countered simply, closing his eyes and burying his face back into the red cape, "you're part of my pack, aren't you?"
It was an incredibly rude thing to say to anyone, much less the emperor, but Alberu could not muster a reply back. Instead, he stared at the bundle of red hair wrapped in expensive fabric. His heart was hammering against his ribs, a frantic rhythm.
Alberu felt that the situation would consume him. But then, a soft, resigned sigh escaped his brother. Seeing the man he treasured—the man who was currently trying to rely on his presence for security, who had so much faith in him that he came alone to his very room —Alberu felt an unfamiliar, deep, and fiercely protective urge rise in his chest. He was confused, yes, but overwhelmingly determined.
And so, he shifted, pulled out of the spell, and he moved, carefully, checking with Cale.
(He didn't want to be a bastard twice in row. What kind of on older brother destroys their own sibling's nest?)
Soon, his back was against the headboard, and Cale was resting near his hip, their hands intertwined.
Alberu sighed, staring to the ceiling, though he didn't push Cale away. "You drive me nuts."
No response came from the younger, who had fallen asleep as soon as he'd locked their hands together.