Chapter Text
The first memory Shaoyou has with Hua Yong is when he was seven years old. The little boy is one year younger than him, which makes Hua Yong six.
Their parents knew each other since they were both living in the same village in Fujian, and their parents were friends back then in their college.
It almost made Shaoyou and Hua Yong know each other since they were born. And they practically grew up together. They both attend the same kindergarten, elementary school, and high school.
They are best friends and have a wonderful bond that has their parents guessing that the two will end up together.
When Shaoyou presented as an alpha, Hua Yong was the first one to know. Looking at his gege in genuine curiosity and shining eyes, Shaoyou cannot help but explain to him what an alpha is.
"It's the one who protected their family," he explain. Hua Yong tilted his head, eyes shining more.
"Like the father who protected us and his omega?" Nodding, Shaoyou smiled at his friend.
"Yes. You know what omega is, right?" Beaming, Hua Yong nodded at him.
"Yes! They are the ones who are going to carry babies! They are the ones that the alpha is going to protect," he said proudly, like he's reciting in their classroom. Shaoyou can't help but ruffle his hair, that earned a cute pout from the younger.
"Alpha is strong, Gege, you're strong now, and you're going to protect me," Hua Yong said. Now pinching his cheek, Shaoyou nods.
Shaoyou knows Hua Yong will present as an omega, and deep inside him, he wants to protect his friend. It is his natural instinct, and as an alpha, he had the urge to make his younger friend safe.
"When you finally present as an omega, Gege will protect you, A'Yong," he promised.
Under the tree at Hua Yong's back house, they promised each other that when the time they both presented comes, Shaoyou will be the one protecting Hua Yong.
Their bond became stronger after that. Shaoyou is always staying at Hua Yong's house after their school. The younger parents are already treating him as their other son and teasing the two about their relationship. Hua Yong will become a red mess because of his mother teasing, but Shaoyou doesn't comment on it.
He found it cute whenever Hua Yong was blushing.
But happy times have to end.
It was college admission in their town that Hua Yong learned that Shaoyou had already enrolled himself in Shanghai. He doesn't know why the older didn't tell him and just knows it the day when Shaoyou will leave their hometown.
"You'll go to Shanghai now? I thought we were both going to enter the same university?" Hua Yong asked him, pouting at Shaoyou. He still has not presented, even though he is seventeen.
"I'm sorry I hadn't had time to tell you. It was one opportunity that my aunt gave me."
Feeling betrayed by his best friend, Hua Yong can't help but be a little upset.
"That means you'll leave Fujian," he said, voice a little bitter. "And me."
"It's not like that, A'Yong. I need this for my future." Still a little immature, Hua Yong didn't listen to him. For him, Shaoyou will leave him for good.
They didn't have a proper farewell. Hua Yong left Shaoyou without looking back at the older man calling his name, he even turned off his phone when Shaoyou tried calling him.
He's mad and doesn't want to talk. If Shaoyou leaves, Hua Yong will never stop him.
He knows too that it's for his best friend's future. He can be who he wants, and Hua Yong will let him reach his dream, but still not knowing about him leaving Fujian, he can't help but be a little sad.
And be mad because Shaoyou didn't fulfill his promise.
Years later, Hua Yong graduated from art school as the best fine art student in their department. And now he had his own studio that was not far from his house, doing his passion.
In Shanghai, Shaoyou becomes the person that he dreams of. He started his business after graduating, and his company got successful as the years passed.
He was now a well-known young entrepreneur in Shanghai, and all the famous businessmen knew him.
He was now above all.
While strolling alone, Hua Yong saw one of the Shengfang Biotech ads and saw Sheng Shaoyou's face. It's been years since he last saw his ex-best friend, and Hua Yong can tell that Sheng Shaoyou really changed.
He's not the young town boy anymore who dreamed of success, he's now already a successful businessman in China.
Wondering, does Sheng Shaoyou still remember him? Shaking his thoughts, Hua Yong looked away from the big screen and shrugged his shoulder.
A person as successful as Mr. Sheng Shaoyou will probably forget about his existence.
There's a lot of work in his office, and Shaoyou wanted to just forget it and leave for a while, he can feel his head pulsing in fatigue and his body getting tired. His susceptible period is now coming.
"Sir, are you okay?" His secretary, Chen Pinming, asked him.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shaoyou shakes his head.
"Do you want me to call a doctor, sir?" His secretary asked. Shaoyou knows that he doesn't need a doctor for what he is feeling now. Looking at his secretary, Chen Pinming already knows what his boss needs.
It is very tiring to have his rut early, but what can Shaoyou do? He's an S-level Alpha that has an intense rut.
Feeling now a little lightheaded from his susceptible period, Shaoyou got a call from his mother, he didn't expect her to call.
"What is it, Mother?" Shaoyou answers the call, already moving out from the duvet. He takes another cloth while listening to his mother's voice.
"Shaoyou, I miss you, son. Why don't you visit Fujian now? You've been away for years, don't you miss your mama?" Shaoyou can't help but smile at his mother's voice. He can't deny that he misses his mother. Since he moved to Shanghai, all he has done is work and make his company thrive, so he doesn't have time to visit his parents.
Hmm. Maybe it's time to visit them?
"Ma, I missed you too. Alright. I'll visit Fujian, but let me take a leave first." Hearing his mother's happy squeal, Shaoyou can't help but laugh with her.
Ah, he missed Fujian for real.
When Shaoyou finally visited their hometown, his mother was delighted to see his son, hugging him so tight that Shaoyou complained to his mother while his father just tapped his shoulder and told him that his mother just misses him so much.
It was nice to feel at home again. It's been so long since he was here. There's a lot that changes in their village. Shaoyou's mother told him a lot of things the time he was absent, but one thing is inside his head.
"Is Hua Yong here?"
The question made his mother's smile widen.
"A'Yong is also here, son. I saw his mother the other day with him," his mother told him.
Come to think of it, Shaoyou hasn't seen his friend since the day they parted. Even though he requested to his mother to see Hua Yong's picture, his mother always told him that A'Yong doesn't want to send him any pictures.
He wonders what his friend faces now.
"Tomorrow we can visit them and have dinner with them since they invited us. I know A'Yong will be happy to see you again."
Maybe Shaoyou expected too much that A'Yong would be happy to see him, like what his mother told him. What he didn't expect was how Hua Yong changed over the years.
"A'Yong Shaoyou is here!" Hua Yong's mother shouted from the dining room where they gathered for the said dinner. "Come down now!"
Shaoyou was all smiles while looking at the stair where Hua Yong will come down. But his smile vanished when he heard his friend's voice.
"Ma! I told you I don't want to see his face!" Is what Hua Yong shouted upstairs. There's footfall coming down, and Shaoyou didn't have time to prepare when Hua Yong appeared at the dining room.
"A'Yong, I told you to be respectful. We have guests." His father scolded him, calm as ever. Hua Yong stays standing there shocked, but he immediately schools his face and looks at Sheng Shaoyou's parents.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. and Mr. Sheng," he said apologetically, but he didn't spare Shaoyou a gaze.
What?
Shaoyou followed Hua Yong's movement until he sat in his chair across from him, still not looking at him. Shaoyou is confused. Why is he behaving like this? Is it because of...
Shaoyou remains staring at him. Hua Yong really changed. His face. His face before looked chubby, but now... His face is like... He really looks omega.
They eat dinner, and Shaoyou feels alright that their parents didn't feel the tension between him and Hua Yong. It's really different now.
"I'm really sorry..." Shaoyou heard Hua Yong's mother speak. "Hua Yong is still not accommodated to his secondary gender, that's why he's a little fussy now."
Since Shaoyou is watching Hua Yong, he saw the way Hua Yong raised his brow at what his mother was saying, but he remained silent and calm. Not like before when something did not please him, he'd start talking.
After dinner, the Sheng family remained in the living room, where their fathers were busy talking about their businesses and ended up having a drink.
Shaoyou doesn't know what he's going to do. His eyes keep on flickering upstairs. After dinner, Hua Yong is quick to leave the dining room and go upstairs. As if he doesn't want to be in a room where Shaoyou is.
"Shao Shao, do you want to go upstairs and talk to A'Yong?" Mrs. Hua suddenly speaks beside Shaoyou, she's holding a tray for treats that go with alcohol drinks, probably for his father and Hua Yong's.
"Is that alright, Auntie? Hua Yong seems mad at me," the alpha says, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, he's not mad, maybe he's not used to having you here again. It's been so long since you two have seen each other," Mrs. Hua says with a smile. She urged Shaoyou upstairs to see Hua Yong again.
A little reluctant, Shaoyou does what she wants.
Walking at the familiar house again. Shaoyou remembers those days he spent here playing with Hua Yong with his toys.
Stopping at the familiar door, Shaoyou suddenly feels like he doesn't want to enter the room or even knock on it.
But thinking his childhood friend is there and being mad at him, Shaoyou knocked at the door.
Silence is what greeted Shaoyou. He can hear rustling inside the room, so he's sure Hua Yong is inside the room.
"A'Yong?" he called. The rustling stops. "A'Yong, it's me, Shaoyou. Can you open the door?" He asks.
"Hua Yo—" Before he could finish saying his name, the door of the room opened. Shaoyou is greeted by the frowning man in front of him and a strong scent of pheromones that almost makes him choke immediately.
"What?"
"What are you doing here?"
Hua Yong's voice really changes too. The soft voice before changes to a deep, serious tone.
"A'Yong..."
"Stop talking in that tone. We're not that close anymore."
Huh?
Shaoyou blinks. Hua Yong is staring at him blankly, like he doesn't want to speak with him right now or he doesn't want to see his face, just like what he said earlier.
"Hua Yong, why are you..." He stopped to gulp. "Why are you like this?"
He's confused why his friend acts like this. Is he really mad that he left him here? But he wrote letters for him when he was in Shanghai studying, explaining his reason to him in detail.
Hua Yong tsked at him, crossing his arms against his chest, not for comfort, but like he was telling Shaoyou to not enter his den.
Wait.
"Isn't it instinct? I don't want alphas near my room," Hua Yong said, his brows rising.
He is different from those omegas Shaoyou meets.
"And if you think I'm an omega who is wary that an alpha is going to see my nest, you're wrong. I don't want any alphas stepping in my territory, so back off."
Shaoyou almost choked on what he was hearing. So that means. ...
"Hua Yong, what do you mean?" he tried to question, earning an eye roll from his friend.
"Isn't it obvious I'm not omega or whatever you're thinking?" It doesn't make sense why Hua Yong is so...
"I hate alphas like you!"
And Shaoyou didn't know what he did wrong.
The next morning, Shaoyou woke up in his childhood room. He just sits there and thinks about what happened last night. On how Hua Yong closed the door in front of him with a growl.
And then Shaoyou learns that Hua Yong never presented as an omega but as an enigma.
He is an enigma.
And Shaoyou can't believe his childhood friend, who is soft and looks delicate and fragile, will be an enigma.
So now it makes sense why Hua Yong treated him like that last night.
But what he doesn't understand is the way Hua Yong is glaring at him.
They are in their house. His mother invited the Hua family for a lunch together in their garden. Shaoyou was busy grilling the meat when he saw Hua Yong walking towards him. Glaring.
"Move," the Enigma said. Shaoyou blinks at him.
"What?"
"I said move. I'm going to grill the meat. Mom told me."
Shaoyou didn't move, which gave irritation to Hua Yong. He rolled his eyes and made Shaoyou move away from the grill.
"Wait. Hua Yong, why are you..." Shaoyou sighed when Hua Yong started grilling and ignored his very existence.
Great.
Now Shaoyou feels he doesn't have any purpose in life. But he remained beside Hua Yong. They didn't speak, not like before, when they naturally fell into conversation.
Breathing, Shaoyou tries to break the silence.
"Hua Yong, it's been so long. I haven't seen you grilling," he says with a smile. Remembering their old times.
"You never saw me grilling because I never grill any meat," was what Hua Yong said to him that made his smile vanish. The Enigma rolls his eyes at him.
"You know, you really changed. You're not the Hua Yong I knew before," Shaoyou said again. From what he said, it earned a scoff from Hua Yong.
"That is because the Hua Yong you knew before was an Omega in your eyes, the one who needed protection from an alpha like you. He's not like that anymore," Hua Yong respond.
Shaoyou is staring at him. Hua Yong answers him without even looking at him and just busies himself grilling the meat.
Their parents are oblivious to the growing tension between the two men.
"Let's talk properly, Hua Yong." Shaoyou can feel that his patience is getting shorter. In his company no one dares to speak to him like that.
No one.
And now, his friend is speaking at him like he secretly hates him.
"Why are you like that to me? Is it because I left you before without explaining anything in person? But I write letters for you since I don't have a lot of time to explain everything. Are you still holding that grudge on me? Do you want me to say sorry for leaving you here?" Shaoyou can feel that he's going to burst in frustration now. He doesn't understand himself why he's getting annoyed at the way Hua Yong treats him.
He's emitting his pheromones now. Bitter drunken branch. If Hua Yong is an omega, he's sure he had those effects already, but it seems Hua Yong is not bothered by his scent.
"I don't care about your explanation anymore. It's in the past now," Hua Yong assert calmly, yet it made Shaoyou even more annoyed.
"Then what now? You're still mad at me?" he questioned. Hua Yong raises his head to look at Shaoyou's face. And Shaoyou wanted to ruin his stupid perfect face.
Why did Hua Yong need to grow up so beautiful that it annoyed Shaoyou even more?
"Stop acting like an alpha annoyed by his omega not giving him the attention he wants, Mr. Sheng. It's disgusting me."
Shaoyou widened his eyes from what he heard. A what? His mouth opened, and he wanted to speak, but Hua Yong stopped him from speaking again.
"Rant on those people who climb on your bed, not me. I don't want to listen to your whining. Maybe they want to listen to you."
Why does it sound so personal?
"Hua Yong," Shaoyou tried to breathe to clear his mind. He lessened emitting his pheromones scent. "What exactly is your problem with me?"
Hua Yong goes back to what he is doing. He didn't speak for a second, and Shaoyou is going to lose his mind now.
"I just don't want to see your face anymore. Go back to the place you chose and stop bothering me with questions."
That is what Hua Yong told him.
Shaoyou didn't enjoy his lunch. The words Hua Yong told him keep repeating in his mind. Hua Yong also leaves before the lunch starts, telling his parents that he is needed at his studio for important matters.
As if Shaoyou doesn't know Hua Yong just wanted to avoid him.
And now the alpha doesn't know how to fix this friendship they have. And he can't help but think it's his fault why Hua Yong becomes like that.
It's going to haunt him.