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There was not much Shang Qinghua remembered of that night. He remembered the lead up, of course. But once he was several drinks in at his favourite bar, things got particularly fuzzy. He remembered when that man came in, remembers being pretty shameless in his flirting. But could Shang Qinghua really be blamed? The man was hot and Shang Qinghua had just gotten out of the worst break-up of his life. He remembers crying to the man about it when his flirting didn’t seem to work. He’d been an embarrassing mess of snot and tears as he bawled about his long-time boyfriend dumping him. The two had been Omegas dating. Unconventional, but they’d made it work. Up till his boyfriend asked if Shang Qinghua would let him be Dogged into an Alpha. As soon as the transition had stabilized, Shang Qinghua found himself being dumped. His use had finally run out, after all.
Shang Qinghua would always get embarrassed when he thought back on that night. And while he didn’t remember everything, the flashes he got were enough to paint a rather detailed picture for what had happened. Flushed skin, the taste of sweat, the shared body heat. He could instantly recall the piercing blue eyes and the firm hands holding him down. The way the sheets felt as he gripped them tight enough to rip. Even if the Omega couldn’t remember the Alpha’s face entirely, he didn’t need to. After that night, Shang Qinghua walked away with more than a mind-blowing experience.
“Mom.”
Shang Qinghua squinted his eyes open at the soft touch against his cheek. He felt groggy and exhausted. Just opening his eyes took far too much effort. And yet he could never ignore that sweet call from his most favourite person.
Kneeling by the mattress on the floor was an adorable little boy. Only 5 and Shang Qinghua’s precious little Shang Xuning was already slightly taller than most of his peers. Shang Qinghua’s sweet cherub had the cutest pudgy cheeks he loved to kiss. His wavy hair was a darker shade of brown than Shang Qinghua’s and in some lighting it even looked black. His eyes too were far different than Shang Qinghua’s. An Aegean blue. Though more on the grey side than the blue. There was no doubt he took nearly all traits from the Alpha Shang Qinghua had a drunken one-night-stand with. His face, even at such a young age, could only be called beautiful. The one thing he clearly inherited from Shang Qinghua was his freckles. At least with the both of them having them, no one could accuse Shang Qinghua of kidnapping some supermodel’s child.
Shang Qinghua wrapped his arms around Shang Xuning, rolling onto his back with the child in tow. “Mmmm good morning,” He pressed a tired kiss to his son’s forehead.
The child only blinked, not offering much in the ways of a reaction. Shang Qinghua was used to this. Since the kiddo was born he’d always been on the quiet side. But that didn’t mean he was a calm baby. Shang Xuning just seemed to have the disposition of someone that lacked expressiveness. Not that Shang Qinghua minded. He was emotive enough for the both of them. And besides, he loved his baby all the same.
Although not much phased the young child, there was one thing that always had Shang Xuning’s deadpan expression breaking. And that was the fact he was a massive crybaby. He was prone to crying at the drop of a hat. Once he’d tripped while running and had just laid on the floor sobbing till Shang Qinghua caught up to him and picked him up.
“‘S time for school.” He said, nuzzling his face into Shang Qinghua’s chest. He clung to his mother, comforted by his milk-candy scent.
“Ah?” Shang Qinghua blinked, turning to look at the clock placed beside the mattress. He bit his tongue on a curse and sat up, “It’s already 6? Ugh. Where’d the hours go?” Setting his son down, Shang Qinghua moved around the one bedroom apartment and proceeded to get ready for the day.
Being a single parent wasn’t easy, but Shang Qinghua was making it work. He had no other choice. When he’d first found out he was pregnant, he’d been scared. He was alone with no one to support him. It was daunting to realize a life was growing inside of him. Shang Qinghua had contemplated ending the pregnancy. He could barely take care of himself, what good would it do to drag a kid into this mess? And yet as soon as that thought appeared, it was let go without much of a fight. For Shang Qinghua was truly a selfish person.
He was lonely. Alone. He had no friends, no family. And here came this unexpected little thing. Shang Qinghua craved companionship more than anything. He wished for those lonely nights to end. So he’d made the selfish choice to keep the pregnancy. He had no clue the name of the father, nor did he even intend to seek the man out. It was a one-night stand. That’s all there was to it. Shang Qinghua had no intention of sharing this baby with the father. He didn’t want to risk the chance it’d be taken from him after it was born. Thus Shang Qinghua chose to struggle for the sake of giving his baby a good life.
He cut back on a lot of things in the months leading up to his baby’s birth. He did what he could to survive and take care of himself. He forced himself to learn how to cook just so he could eat healthier, he cut back on his merch buying, and even took up a second job to add more to his savings. Granted he had to quit one of his jobs when he got too far along in his pregnancy, but he got another one after Shang Xuning was a few months old. Although his second job paid well, it wasn’t something Shang Qinghua was entirely proud of. But a child was expensive and Shang Qinghua had no right to be picky.
“You got everything in your bag?”
“Mmm.” Shang Xuning nodded once, standing patiently by the door. When Shang Qinghua slipped on his shoes, he kneeled down to ensure his pup had his uniform on properly. After that quick check he took Shang Xuning by the hand and left their apartment, locking the door behind him.
Shang Xuning, while clinging to Shang Qinghua’s hand for support, hopped down the stairs one step at a time. Only once they were on solid ground did he let go of Shang Qinghua’s hand to trot further ahead. He avoided cracks, jumped over puddles smaller than a goldfish, and paused to stare at the neighborhood cats. But whenever he wandered too far he would stop walking and patiently wait for Shang Qinghua to catch up. This was a common occurrence on their walks to Shang Xuning’s school.
Stifling a yawn, Shang Qinghua called out to him, “Make sure to watch where you’re going.” He wasn’t too worried about Shang Xuning being careless, but one could never be too careful. The route they took to Shang Xuning’s school normally went through the back roads and avoided the worst of traffic. However today it seemed they’d be having to change their methods.
“Mom, there’s a sign.”
Shang Xuning trotted back to Shang Qinghua, taking his hand and pointing at the alley between two buildings they normally go through. There were cones placed in front of it and a large sign reading “No Trespassing: Under Construction”. Immediately Shang Qinghua frowned and tried not to sigh too loudly. Seems like today was just going to be one problem after another. First he almost woke up late and now this.
“Alright, detour.” Shang Qinghua bent down and picked Shang Xuning up. Normally he’d let his pup walk on his own little legs, but that wasn’t the case if they were going out to the main roads. It was far safer for Shang Qinghua to carry him.
This early in the morning traffic was already buzzing with people going up and down the roads. Cars honked, cyclists powered through, and on either side of the road pedestrians walked back and forth as they marched to their destinations. As they walked down the sidewalk, Shang Xuning was content to relax in Shang Qinghua’s arms with his chin resting on his shoulder. He watched the people behind them with his normal deadpan expression. Yet his face did not reflect what lay beneath. Inside Shang Xuning was always thinking. He was an overthinker like his mother. But the child struggled to put those thoughts into words when he had so many bouncing around his head. So he just decided from an early age to not speak. His mother didn’t mind. He never forced Shang Xuning to talk if he didn’t want to and was always patient with him. It was easier being with his mom than at school. But his mom worked harder than anyone for Shang Xuning to go to school. Even as young as he was, he could tell what his mom struggled to do for him.
Children were a lot more perceptive than one would give them credit for. They may not be able to fully understand, but they could grasp some concepts. Shang Xuning knew his situation was a little unorthodox. In the mornings he had school while his mom worked. Then in the evenings as soon as he was picked up, Shang Xuning would go with his mom to his second job. There he’d stay in the back being watched by the nice aunties and uncles. They kept him occupied while his mom worked.
Shang Xuning knew his mom’s second job made him embarrassed. He always got quiet when the other parents brought it up. It made Shang Xuning upset when they made his mom upset, so he didn’t really like the other parents much. And because their kids would repeat whatever they heard, they would say those mean things about his mom to Shang Xuning’s face. He didn’t like them either because of that. It meant Shang Xuning had no friends, but he didn’t care. Although he didn’t let Shang Qinghua know he had no friends. It would make his mother sad to hear that.
In the distance there was the loud roar of an engine that caught Shang Xuning’s attention. As the light turned red and the pedestrian crossing sign flashed, a sleek black motorcycle pulled up and stopped at the light. Shang Qinghua didn’t pay it or the masked driver any mind. The driver shared the sentiment as he casually leaned back in his seat, slipping out his phone and languidly typing out a few messages while waiting for the light.
“Woah,” Shang Xuning mumbled, watching the bike with interest. He thought the motorcycle was cool, as did most kids his age.
Though traffic was loud, it seems they’d been close enough for his little sound of awe to be heard as they passed by. The rider lifted his head, the black and red of his helmet keeping his face obscured. To Shang Xuning, it felt like they locked eyes. The man stiffened abruptly, his shoulders jerking back. As his phone slipped from his grip he scrambled to catch it before it could hit the pavement. By the time he had his phone secured and snapped his head back up, Shang Qinghua and Shang Xuning were already on the sidewalk continuing on their way.
“Oh look, we can head back to our usual route from here!” Shang Qinghua chirped happily. He didn’t seem to notice the motorcyclist staring after the two. Shang Xuning, who was staring right back, swiftly ducked his head and buried it against Shang Qinghua’s neck. The Omega interpreted this as his baby wanting attention and cooed at him.
Shang Xuning had no clue why that driver reacted the way he did. It was weird but he didn’t know how to tell Shang Qinghua what happened, so he decided to just push the whole thing from his mind. The bike was cool though…
While Shang Xuning was committing to forget the whole ordeal as swiftly as it’d happened, the motorcycle’s driver, on the other hand, was suffering a conniption. He’d been unable to follow the two down the path they took, so he’d lost track of them pretty quickly. This led to him pulling over and all but ripping his helmet off in his haste to put his phone to his ear.
Luo Binghe’s shoulder-length hair spilled from his helmet in beautiful curls. It’d come undone from his bun, not that he cared in the moment. The phone pressed against his ear rang for what felt like eons before finally connecting.
“What?”
“Mobei, when did you sleep with that Omega?” Luo Binghe asked without a greeting.
There was a pause before Mobei-Jun responded in a tone dripping in confusion. “What?” He repeated.
Luo Binghe rolled his eyes, having to physically bite his tongue and take a few breaths just so he wasn’t blowing out Mobei-Jun’s eardrum from his yelling. Chances are that attitude would get the Alpha to hang up on him. Luo Binghe deserved a little praise for keeping it together so well.
“You know, the little minx who managed to bed you because you thought he was ‘cute in a pathetic way’? The only one you’ve ever slept with? That Omega.”
The silence on the other line was palpable. Luo Binghe waited patiently, examining his nails and the pristine black polish. When Mobei-Jun next spoke, it dragged Luo Binghe’s lips up wide into a feral smirk.
“Did you see him?”
Luo Binghe hummed, chewing on the sound just to irritate his mate. “Hard to say. I couldn’t see his face, so I wouldn’t know. But that kid sure did look like a face I know~ I mean I wake up to it every day.”
“Luo Binghe.”
The Alpha grinned at his name being growled down the line. A thrill shot through him, excitement heating his skin in a way only a gunfight could. Or sex with Mobei-Jun.
Drumming his fingers against his bike, Luo Binghe could just picture the way Mobei-Jun was glaring at his phone. Probably hoping the force of it could reach Luo Binghe. His hand reached up to trace the collar of his sleeveless turtleneck. It hid the numerous bites littering his neck. Some faded, others fresh. The two Alpha’s attempts at a mating bite that would never stick.
“I only saw them for a moment. But there’s no doubting it with that kid. He was basically a copy of you.” Luo Binghe chuckled, “Looks like that Omega walked away with more than just bruises that night, huh?”
Luo Binghe now regretted not seeing the man’s face. He wanted to see just who it was that’d captured his mate’s attention. Luo Binghe and Mobei-Jun were in a long-term relationship, yes. However they had an agreement on certain things. Neither wished to be Bitched into an Omega, so during their Ruts they spent them separately. From time to time Luo Binghe would spend it with an Omega they agreed on just so it would end faster. Mobei-Jun, on the other hand, would choose to wait it out. There were no feelings involved for these flings Luo Binghe indulged in. And as soon as one of the Omegas tried to overstep their established transactional relationship, Luo Binghe would cut them off without hesitation. His loyalty was to Mobei-Jun. And the same could be said for Mobei. Or at least normally that would be the case.
Roughly 5 years ago, Mobei-Jun went to inspect one of their front locations. A bar run in one of the lower districts. There he’d apparently met the mysterious Omega, unwillingly listened to him blubber about his ex, and somehow found himself captivated by the freckled face flushed with tears. In one way or another it ended with them in a hotel room and Mobei-Jun fucking him into the sheets till they both passed out. When he woke up, he was alone with no sign of the Omega. He’d called Luo Binghe afterwards to tell him everything to avoid being accused of cheating.
Rather than being angry at Mobei-Jun or the mysterious Omega, Luo Binghe had instead been fascinated. Mobei-Jun, someone Luo Binghe had never seen bat an eye at any Omega, had been so entranced he’d slept with one. Enough times he apparently couldn’t even remember if a condom had been used or not. That was interesting to Luo Binghe! It sparked his curiosity with a ferocity that surprised even himself. He wanted to know the Omega that’d caught his mate’s attention. He wanted to see if he’d be just as intrigued. Clearly Mobei-Jun thought about him still. Luo Binghe was no fool. He could tell that much. So if he was provided with an opportunity to see what did it for Mobei in the Omega department, Luo Binghe wanted to know. He was the type to want to sleep with his lover’s past partners. Luo Binghe was obsessive like that.
So the two had tried searching for the Omega in-between their criminal dealings. However with no name to go off of and not even a unique scent as reference, they truly hit more dead ends than expected. One would figure with Mobei-Jun and Luo Binghe’s connections, they’d be able to find one simple Omega. And yet nothing.
“I kind of saw his uniform, so I think I know what school he’s in. I’ll double check to make sure he really is your kid.” Saying it out loud really threw Luo Binghe for a loop. Wild to think his mate already had a kid. A 5 year old at that!
“Mmm. Keep me posted. Do not cause problems.”
Luo Binghe rolled his eyes. He was unable to refute the warning though as Luo Binghe was known to do exactly that in his excitement. Like a wolf ripping into its favourite carcass. Where Luo Binghe went, a mess was sure to follow.
With a rumbling purr filled to the brim in anticipation, Luo Binghe hung up and pocketed his phone. He slipped his helmet back on, revved up his motorcycle, and took off. The speed he drove at only reflected the excitement surging its way through his system.
*★°*:.☆*.°★* 。
After his shift at the convenience store, Shang Qinghua already felt dead on his feet. As soon as he’d dropped Shang Xuning off, he’d returned home to clean up the apartment and sleep for another hour. Then he headed to his first job of the morning. After several hours of mind-numbing work and a creep ass manager, Shang Qinghua dragged his feet back to his pup’s school to pick him up.
As soon as he saw his little man waiting by his teacher with other kids surrounding them waiting to be picked up, Shang Qinghua could feel all his exhaustion just fly away. His footsteps increased just as his smile grew.
When Shang Xuning looked up, Shang Qinghua could tell as soon as he was noticed. Those silvery eyes lit up and he was quick to sprint and fling himself at Shang Qinghua’s legs. Shang Qinghua chuckled, ruffling Shang Xuning’s hair before waddling his way to the teacher in order to sign his son out. All the while he ignored a few of the whispers from nearby parents.
“Thank you,” He smiled at the teacher before picking up Shang Xuning and setting a brisk pace away from the school. He could handle hearing the words thrown his way, the rumours and names, but he wouldn’t stand for his little baby hearing them.
Only when they were further away did Shang Qinghua slow his pace. He leaned back slightly, looking down at his bundle of joy. Pressing their foreheads together, Shang Qinghua let out comforting purrs for his little one. “Have a good day?”
Shang Xuning slowly blinked. He tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows. Could he really call it a good day? He wasn’t so sure. The morning had been ok. The same as it normally was. It had only changed from routine during recess. Shang Xuning had been playing alone near the gate like normal. There was a collection of bushes there that hid him from view of the teachers and other students. He liked to hide there during recess just to avoid interacting with the other kids. The teachers were ok, but the other students liked to bother Shang Xuning. It was because he was so quick to cry no matter what they did. And when he’d go to the teachers, they’d get in trouble. Thus the resentment continued. Shang Xuning found it easier if he just didn’t deal with them at all.
Anyways, during his usual time alone, his moment of quiet had been interrupted by a stranger’s voice.
“Hey kid.”
Shang Xuning blinked, pausing from where he was rolling around a rubber playground ball. He looked up and saw a real tall man dressed in dark leather. He had a biker helmet tucked under his arm and was leaning over the top of the gate that surrounded the small school. The gate was tall enough to keep the children inside, however it was still short enough for the man to rest his elbow on the metal railing.
As Shang Xuning stared at him, the man’s smile turned more into a smirk. Under his breath he muttered, “Seriously, it’s like a shrunken copy.” And then louder he said, “You look a lot like a guy I know. Tell me kid, do you know who your dad is?”
Shang Xuning stared at this stranger. The man didn’t seem bothered by the prolonged silence. If anything he seemed to get even more amused. The answer he’d asked was simple enough. Shang Xuning very well could have answered it. But his mom always told him not to talk to strangers and to run if someone he didn’t know approached him. Thus the young boy made up his mind.
Without warning he picked up the ball and threw it at the man. With a rubbery thunk it struck the man squarely in the face. Luo Binghe reared back in shock, cursing as he held his aching nose. Squinting through the unexpected pain, he watched as the little child turned and sprinted from behind the bushes.
After that Shang Xuning doesn’t know what happened to the man. He never managed to get his thoughts in order enough to tell the teachers what’d happened. Instead he’d been so overwhelmed he’d started crying and couldn’t calm down till nap time.
Thinking about all this, Shang Xuning looked up at his mother before shrugging his little shoulders. “It was ok. I threw a ball.”
“Oh yeah? Bet you threw it far.” Shang Qinghua chuckled before climbing on the bus with his son.
As Shang Qinghua read through the daily report the teachers wrote for Shang Xuning, he frowned a little at the mention of his son crying during recess. It wasn’t the first time such a thing had been written down. He didn’t want to pry though. If Shang Xuning wanted to tell him why he’d cried, he would. The best thing Shang Qinghua could do was show his support through gentle touch and reassuring words.
The trip down to the more seedier parts of the city took a solid twenty minutes. In that time Shang Qinghua went through all that Shang Xuning needed to do for homework, what else he’d done for the day, and what he’d like for lunch tomorrow. When they arrived, Shang Qinghua carried his pup off the bus.
Shang Qinghua’s second place of work was no place for a child, that much was true. However Shang Qinghua had no other options. He was in a desperate situation and the den mother, Qi Qingqi, had felt bad for him. Thus they managed to work something out. While Shang Qinghua worked the floor, Shang Xuning would be kept in the back away from everything going on in the main area of the club. What exactly was the club Shang Qinghua worked at? It was a Scent Bar.
A Scent Bar was an establishment that catered to Alpha and the occasional Beta clients who wanted to smell some “cute” Omegas. The Omega servers would wear skimpy outfits and metal cage collars around their necks. While it prevented biting and accidental marking, it left the scent glands exposed to be sniffed to the patron’s delight. Before Shang Qinghua had his pup, his scent had been pretty basic for an Omega’s. Just the generic vague sweet smell. However after giving birth, he’d smelt like milk from lactating. And even after he stopped, he still carried that milk candy-like scent. It was a creamy, addictive smell he’d been told. Thus he’d found work here. The pay was great, but the patrons could be extra rude and grabby. Apparently one of the parents of Shang Xuning’s classmates had seen him working there. Thus the rumour spread around Shang Xuning’s school that his mother was a sex worker.
It really fucked with Shang Qinghua when he first heard those comments. But what was he supposed to do? Quit his better paying job just to work somewhere “respectable”? Struggle to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads while also paying the high fee for his son to go to school? Why should Shang Qinghua have to crawl in the dirt just to be more palatable to fucking strangers? Where did they get off on thinking he was less than them because he was a single, unmated Omega caring for a kid? Shang Qinghua was doing all he could to give his son the best life. Wasn’t that admirable? Wasn’t that enough?!
Shang Qinghua had a love-hate relationship with his job.
“I’m here!!” He called as soon as the bouncer let him in through the staff entrance around the back.
“It’s little Xuning!” Cried one of the girls. Immediately a flood of male and female Omegas came rushing over to crowd around the two. It was a familiar sight whenever Shang Qinghua came into work.
Shang Xuning lessened his hold on Shang Qinghua as he was fussed over by his mother’s coworkers. They were a lot nicer than the adults with kids at his school. They didn’t call his mom mean names and they treated him well. So Shang Xuning liked them a lot more than the other adults he’s met.
The staff room they were in had two main parts. The ‘break room’ which was filled with soft cushions, bean bags, and blankets. Anything that would help an Omega feel comfortable and at ease. The connecting room was where the costumes and vanities were set. That was where the staff would get ready for when they worked the floor. Attached to that part of the staff room was Qi Qingqi’s office and a shower for workers.
The commotion of everyone cooing and greeting the darling child drew Qi Qingqi from her office. She rounded the corner into the break room and placed her hands on her hips. “About time! Qinghua, hurry up to the kitchens to pick up the boy’s dinner.”
“Right right, I’m on it!” Shang Qinghua set his son down, ushering him to the little table that’d been set up just for him. He then put his things away in his designated locker before sprinting off to the kitchens.
Qi Qingqi’s bar, Fragrant Sugar, was reputable. More-so than other Scent Bars around the red light district. The security was tight and protective of the workers. Of course sometimes customers came through that were a little too handsy. But so long as they were not forcing the Omegas to do anything, security would rarely step in. The only things strictly enforced were the rules. No sex, no removing clothes, and no Alphas in Rut were the major rules. Everything else was easy enough to follow.
While it was a bar meant to cater to those wanting to sniff at sweet Omegas, sex with the staff was not allowed. The most one could get away with was heavy petting. But anything further was a major no. And trying to pressure any of the staff would earn you a swift ban. Qi Qingqi took protecting her Omegas seriously. And as a female Alpha, she had high standards for her Alpha and occasional Beta customers to follow.
After eating a tasty dinner, Shang Qinghua sat with Shang Xuning and slowly went over the homework he’d been assigned. The remaining hour before his shift Shang Qinghua spent it napping curled around Shang Xuning. Having to get up and leave his son in the back was always hard for Shang Qinghua. When his pup had been younger, Shang Xuning would cling to Shang Qinghua and start tearing up till he was a crying mess, not wanting his mom to go. But these days his little man has gotten better at handling it. It helped when Shang Qinghua’s coworkers contributed in keeping him distracted during their breaks.
“Ning-er, come here! Auntie got you a new colouring book!!” Giggled one of the girls, holding it up for the child to look at.
He hesitated, clinging onto Shang Qinghua’s shirt. He was a little groggy waking up from his nap, so he was even slower to react than normal. Shang Xuning looked up at Shang Qinghua before hugging the Omega as tight as he could. He rubbed his face against Shang Qinghua’s stomach then let him go and rushed to grab the colouring book. As soon as he cracked out those crayons, Shang Qinghua was long forgotten.
“It hurts every time,” Shang Qinghua whined much to the amusement of his coworkers.
Knowing his son would be in safe hands, Shang Qinghua left to get ready. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, then sat and began applying his makeup. He used to absolute shit at this. But through trial and error he finally got the hang of it. He wouldn’t be able to make a career out of doing make-up, but it was all passable for a club like this. Next up was his outfit.
The bar usually stocked several outfits for the staff to swap through. It was up to the Omega what they wanted to wear for the night. The only time they had a specified outfit to wear was during a themed night. Which, sadly, would be next week. Bunny themed. Ugh. Shang Qinghua could already hear all the ‘carrot’ jokes that will be lobbed his way.
Of the outfits designed for Shang Qinghua, only one of them actually showed off his sides. Since giving birth he had retained some pudge around the middle and his thighs. No amount of working out got rid of it, plus he had the silvery streaks of stretch marks running alongside his freckles. Shang Qinghua was still pretty self-conscious of them so he rarely showed off his midriff. To compensate for that though a lot of his outfits hugged his ass and showed off his thighs. Those, at least, he had confidence in.
He chose to wear a sparkly black dress with a slit in the skirt that ran up high along his thigh. The neckline was cut low, showing off his collarbones he’d dabbed with glitter. He put on a pair of lace boyshorts and garters, the strap leading out to attach to his stockings. With a pair of black pumps to complete the look, Shang Qinghua was ready. He attacked the cage collar around his neck, tugging it a few times to ensure it wouldn’t budge, then slipped the key into a drawer on his vanity.
Shang Qinghua headed out the front and immediately the music in the club hit him. Inside the staff room everything had been muffled, but not out here. Each booth was angled in a way with a translucent curtain to offer the illusion of privacy. Several guards would walk up and down the booths, occasionally peeking in to ensure nothing was happening to the Omegas and that rules were being followed.
“Qinghua, you’ve been requested at booth 7.”
“On it!” Rolling his metaphorical sleeves up, Shang Qinghua prepared for another difficult day dealing with being grabbed and kneaded like bread.
*★°*:.☆*.°★* 。
Shang Qinghua was so tired when he arrived home. It was nearing 2 am by the time he pushed open his apartment door. His first order of business was to tuck his snoozing pup in their shared bed before getting things prepared for the next day. Shang Qinghua was exhausted. It was a bone-deep weariness that made it harder and harder for him to get up with every passing day. But he had to keep going. For his son. Thankfully once the weekend hit, he’d be able to rest. That was his day off for both jobs. He’d strictly requested it just so he could spend the entire two days with his son. So Shang Qinghua only had to hold on till then.
Yawning loudly, he prepped Shang Xuning’s packed lunch before setting aside a fresh uniform. He then changed into pajamas and tucked himself into bed. Shang Qinghua had showered when at the bar. He made sure to do so after any shift he had to ensure none of his patron’s scents would cling to him. Most of the time their scents made him gag, so he could only imagine how sensitive his pup would be to them. Although still too young to present, Shang Xuning had a pretty sharp sense of smell. Shang Qinghua bet when the child presented, it would be as an Alpha. He hoped that would be the case. As an Alpha, his son would have a better chance at life.
Although he was tired enough to pass out, Shang Qinghua found sleep evading him for the moment. He looked down at the child in his arms. Shang Xuning was sleeping soundly, his face buried against Shang Qinghua’s chest as he clung tightly to his front. The Omega gently pet his son’s hair and cheek, brushing his bangs back so he could swoop in and press a kiss against his soft skin. His sweet child. Giving birth to him alone had been hard. Raising him alone had been even harder. This was not the life Shang Qinghua expected himself to have, but he didn’t regret it. Not when it brought his little sunshine into his life. Shang Qinghua was blessed enough, he wouldn’t dare ask for more.
Yet in moments of quiet like this, he found himself wondering. Specifically about Shang Xuning’s father. The pup never asked about who his father was. Yet Shang Qinghua could tell he was curious. Sometimes when they got the chance to go to the park, Ning-er would look a little too long at the parents playing with their kids. Even at pick-up he’d stare at the daddies that would come pick up their children.
Shang Qinghua would lay awake pondering if he made the right decision to not seek out his son’s father. But where would he even start? And what if the man demanded Shang Qinghua get an abortion? What if he wanted sole custody? Shang Qinghua would die if Xuning was taken from him. That fear is what kept Shang Qinghua from seeking the man out. Whether it be for child support or just to be involved in his pup’s life. Shang Qinghua wouldn’t even ask for child support if the guy was willing to act like a dad!! But honestly who was Shang Qinghua kidding? That guy had been hot. He was either already married or had multiple partners. Shang Qinghua would’ve just been a drop in the bucket. It was better for him to not wish for the impossible.
Gathering his baby close, Shang Qinghua curled protectively around him and ensured they were snugly tucked under the blanket before closing his eyes. He still had work in the morning, he couldn’t afford to lose the precious sleep he needed. He was always running on fumes by the end of the week. Hopefully it'll get better in the future. He just had to hold out a little longer. He could keep going if it meant Shang Xuning was happy.
*★°*:.☆*.°★* 。
Shang Qinghua was going to kill this man. He was going to stab him and then leave him for the birds to peck at. That would quell all the anger he was feeling right at this moment! Shang Qinghua was currently working at Fragrant Sugar during their rabbit themed night. He was in a pair of booty shorts and a vest, the crimson of his bowtie big and frilly. The ears atop his head had one bent while the other was perked upright. There was a matching frilly bow at the base of one of his ears.
At the moment he was sitting on a patron’s lap sideways, pouring them a drink while the man shamelessly groped and squeezed Shang Qinghua’s ass. All to “play” with the bunny tail attached to his shorts. The man was taking big, snorting huffs of Shang Qinghua’s scent. A few times he’d mouthed at Shang Qinghua’s bare shoulders, sucking. Shang Qinghua had to gently push him off and “tease” that he wasn’t allowed to leave marks. The damned asshole would chuckle, apologize, and go right back to doing it!! And if that hand on his ass wasn’t a problem, the other hand was!! It was resting on Shang Qinghua’s inner thigh and kept sliding a little too high. First it’d settled at the edge of his thigh-high socks. Then when Shang Qinghua didn’t stop him, the man took that as permission and dragged his hand higher. Shang Qinghua had to move it back down when it teased the edge of his shorts.
‘Think happy thoughts. Peaceful thoughts. Think about what snacks I’ll buy Ning-er with my paycheck this week. He deserves a treat. Something sweet. Or maybe something sour? That kid’s taste changes every day so it’s hard to pinpoint what he’s in the mood for.’
Shang Qinghua felt his brow twitch as teeth grazed his shoulder. Light enough Shang Qinghua couldn’t call him out on it. Yet clearly intended to rile Shang Qinghua up. Did the man think this was sexy? That he’d get hot and bothered?? Why? The man was attractive, sure! But Shang Qinghua’s seen hotter!!! Even had a kid with hotter! At least he’s like 70% sure the man he slept with had been hot. He remembers he was. And his kid was the cutest thing in existence so surely he got all that from his father. Needless to say Shang Qinghua knew handsome. And this man was not marking any of Shang Qinghua’s boxes. Even if he wasn’t at work.
“Daddy, your drink.” Shang Qinghua said through gritted teeth, smiling. He really hated this patron. But he was a frequent customer of Shang Qinghua’s. Turns out quite a few Alphas liked that “milk” smell Shang Qinghua gave off. It left him with a rotating roster of regulars which, while nice, left Shang Qinghua’s skin crawling more often than not. He could handle the groping, the sloppy kisses pressed against his skin. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel a little slimy afterwards. He always scrubbed his skin raw before heading in the back to see his son. He didn’t want his pure baby touching him after he’d been kissed by some stinky Alpha.
“You always pour just how I like it.” The Alpha chuffed, nuzzling the cage around Shang Qinghua’s throat.
“Teehee, you’re so sweet to me.” Barf. Gag. It was a drink. How else could you pour it? Shang Qinghua would’ve snarked back if he didn’t know this patron’s temperament. The man tipped big, but on the other hand he was very touchy, skirted the line too closely, and hated anyone smarter than him. So pretty much anyone with a pulse. Shang Qinghua had to pamper his ego by playing the dumb Omega. In the beginning it’d been humiliating. Shang Qinghua didn’t want to pretend to be dumber than Jell-O. But when he wasn’t getting patrons because of his attitude, he knew he had to shape up. Thus Shang Qinghua perfected the art of faking his simpering pathetic act to the point he could mentally zone out while going through the motions.
Around him the giggles and muffled chatter of other Scent Workers and their patrons broke through the bars of music. The atmosphere was indeed romantic. Low lighting, sweet scents in the air. Fake moans as workers pretended to enjoy the light kissing and touches pressed against their skin. Shang Qinghua knew they were fake because they’d all joke about it in the back when cleaning up for the day. Rarely did they get a patron they actually didn’t mind being felt up by.
The curtain hiding their booth from the isle parted, the floor manager peeking his head inside. He was looking nervous, sweat beading his brow. “I’m terribly sorry sir, it seems I’ll be needing to take our bunny Hua-er from you. As an apology we’re offering you a free bottle of champagne! And our bunny Xiao-Rong is more than happy to tend to you in the meantime.”
“What? But I paid for two hours!” The man huffed, his hand landing possessively on Shang Qinghua’s waist.
Shang Qinghua bit back a grimace just barely. He leaned into the Alpha, batting his lashes as the man looked down at him. “I’m sorry Daddy, duty calls. I’ll make it up to you next time you request me, alright?”
The hungry look in the man’s eyes had Shang Qinghua mentally gagging. After one last squeeze to Shang Qinghua’s side, he finally let him go. Shang Qinghua passed by Xiao-Rong as the other Omega entered. He gave Shang Qinghua a slight nod before skipping into the room. He pretended to trip, landing against the Alpha and giving a cute little giggle, apologizing for being so clumsy. With another falling to the fake ditz charm, Shang Qinghua happily passed the groping torch and followed the floor manager out.
“What’s up?” He asked. For a moment his heart froze. Did something happen? Was it Shang Xuning? Was he ok?
“You got requested,” The man wiped his forehead, leading Shang Qinghua a little further back into the bar where the more exclusive VIP seating was. Back here the booths were larger and there was a lot more privacy. For as popular as Shang Qinghua was, he’d never been requested back here. None of his patrons shilled out that much money.
Shang Qinghua hesitated, glancing between the floor manager and the VIP seating they were heading towards. “You’re serious? Me?”
“You. They specifically requested you. Paid a lot upfront too.”
No wonder Shang Qinghua was pulled from his current customer. If they were paying a lot, it had to have covered what he would’ve made with his other patron and then some if they were in the VIP section. Now Shang Qinghua was growing a little nervous. What was he to expect? A rich patron? Probably. Which means they could either be pleasant company or the worst possible thing. Rarely was it the former.
Mentally steeling himself for the situation he was walking into, Shang Qinghua nodded at the floor manager when they stopped outside the curtain leading to the larger section he’d be in. With a few deep breaths Shang Qinghua entered.
“Excuse me! I’m Hua-er, the Omega you requested.”
The lighting inside this booth was marginally brighter, though not by much. There were two cushy booth chairs angled to face each other with a fancy glass table between them. Already there was alcohol poured and untouched snacks on the table while the men waited for Shang Qinghua’s arrival.
The first man Shang Qinghua noticed was quite the looker. Enough Shang Qinghua nearly stumbled in his introduction when he first laid eyes on the man. His shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, his fluffy bangs framing his face and giving a somewhat wild look. The clothes he wore were nice, the watch on his wrist clearly worth a pretty penny. Being in this line of work, Shang Qinghua’s gotten pretty good at reading people. His instincts were telling him that every aspect of this man screamed dangerous and rich. From the sharp, animalistic glint of his eyes to the smirk twisting his fine, thin lips.
“Ah, there he is. Hmmm~ Mobei I can see what caught your attention. Your description was pretty accurate.” The man gave a sultry laugh, leaning against his partner.
When Shang Qinghua finally looked at the second man, he swore his soul left his body to sprint out the door. The first thing he saw was those eyes. As piercing blue as they were in his memory. And that long black hair flowing like spilt ink. And that face! A gift from the gods. One his son was blessed to have. How could Shang Qinghua’s drunk mind ever forget such a face? He was taking this moment to etch it into his memory. It was then what the other man had said finally registered in Shang Qinghua’s mind.
This was only their second time meeting. And yet they’d called for Shang Qinghua. By name. Meaning that this meeting wasn’t a coincidence, it was intentional. Panic immediately set in, wiping out all thoughts from Shang Qinghua’s mind. Just as he was overcome with the urge to turn tail and run, the man spoke.
His voice was low and cold, his words brushing over Shang Qinghua’s skin like velvet. They left a tingling sensation behind he couldn’t help but shiver from.
“Sit. We have things to discuss.”
And Shang Qinghua, like he’d been that night, was unable to resist the Alpha’s demands. He found himself floating, not really walking, to the booth across from theirs. When he sat down, he nervously hiked his shoulders up to his ears. His gaze darted between the two Alphas across from him. They watched him just as he watched them. Neither moved nor made any attempt at starting a conversation. Shang Qinghua could feel himself starting to sweat. Whatever this was going to be about, he wasn’t sure of the outcome. His anxiety was already starting to gnaw away at his senses, leaving him feeling numb. Whatever this matter was about, he just hoped it had nothing to do with Xuning.