Archive of Our Own

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Who is it now?” Leonard grumbled to himself, snuggling deeper into his nest and hoping whoever was here would think he wasn't home and go back.

But instead of stopping, the knocking grew more insistent, informing the omega that whoever was out there knew he was home unlike what he was pretending. If you know I'm home, you should also know why I'm home!

“I won't be sharing your senses today. If you need me, yell for me.” The Old Man harrumphed before going quiet and Leonard wondered what that was about before he covered his ears with both hands. But whoever was outside continued to be way too stubborn. The knocks on the door grew louder, as if the person outside was about to square up against the poor door.

With an annoyed huff, he crawled out of his cocoon and staggered to his feet. Picking a discarded shirt and pants from the foot of the bed, Leonard quickly put them on, accompanied by the everpresent sound of knocking.

He staggered towards the door, his hands running through his messier than usual hair as he opened the door a crack.

"What?" Leonard barked, too annoyed to act polite. Forcing me out of my nest like this—is chivalry really dead? This is the pinnacle of rudeness!

Outside the door stood Klein Moretti, dressed neatly in a dark blue suit, his hat perched firmly atop his soft-looking hair as he gaped at Leonard.

His adorable fiance's cheeks turned a soft pink as his gaze wandered to Leonard's loose neckline before jumping back up to meet his eyes.

"Good morning?" He asked, looking a little too flustered for someone who had been the one banging at an omega's door at nine in the morning.

I should be nice to him. He just had his first rut.

Leonard smiled a little as he greeted back. "Good morning, Klein," he murmured as he peeked his head out. "Did I forget something at work? Is there a mission?" The omega asked. The thought of having to work not even twelve hours after his heat ended made Leonard bite back a tired groan.

Thankfully, Klein shook his head, the grin on his lips stretching wider as he answered. "I am here to make good on my promise from before." The alpha sounded quite sincere as he stared into Leonard's eyes as if he wanted Leonard to see how serious he was before adding: "I'd have come to you earlier but my rut began so…" Leonard tilted his head, asking him to continue silently. "I am here to pick you up for a date." Klein finished in a whisper, his brown eyes firmly glued to his shoes by the end of the sentence as if he had lost all his earlier confidence.

"Date?" Leonard repeated, utterly confused.

"In my world, it just means going out with someone you like and doing different things together," he explained, looking up at Leonard with a small, hopeful smile.

In my world…

Leonard understood what he meant. Klein had said he wanted to tell him all his secrets and this clearly was the declaration about one such secret. 

My world… I wonder what he means by this…

Nodding calmly, Leonard opened the door wider, inviting the alpha in. Klein didn't stand on ceremony, quickly entering the modest apartment and looking around curiously.

"If you're sure you won't go into a breakthrough rut, you can stay in the living room." Leonard pointed to the room with arm chairs, bookshelves and the fireplace. "Otherwise come back an hour later. My heat ended early this morning and I've been lazing around in my nest instead of cleaning up." He explained quickly, trying not to feel too embarrassed by the words ‘nest’ and ‘heat’. "I don't want to go out smelling like heat so…"

Calm down, Leonard Mitchell, you're a grown adult and so is Klein! Don't get all flustered like a teenager with a crush!

"Heat." Klein repeated, his voice lowering to a whisper. Leonard shuddered under the intent gaze. Klein didn't tear his eyes away as he leaned in, lowering his face with agonizing slowness. Holding Leonard's gaze, he dipped his nose down to the exposed scent gland on the inside of Leonard's wrist. He paused just a hair's breath from the skin, inhaling slowly, greedily taking in every note of the omega's scent. 

Then slowly—as if not to scare him away—the Seer finally pressed his nose against the sensitive scent gland and through the shadow of his lashes, Leonard could see his dark eyes—they were heavy-lidded, and entirely consumed by the heat-enhanced scent of slumber flowers and petrichor.

Leonard's lips quivered as he looked into the alpha's frenzied eyes again and Klein hummed low in his throat as if in approval. "I've always wanted to figure out what you smelled like," he muttered huskily. The soft brown of Klein's eyes had darkened to a frightening degree and Leonard tugged his hand back, trying to put some distance between them before his rationality snapped. 

But Klein didn't let go that easily. Instead he nuzzled against the sensitive scent gland before pressing a lingering kiss against it, eliciting a whine and a trickle of slumber flower pheromones in response to the possessive gesture.

Goddess! Please don't let me go into heat again! 

Baring his teeth in warning, the omega successfully pulled his hand back, holding it to his chest and staring down at the appendage. There was a light imprint of fingers where Klein had grabbed him and Leonard knew it'd bruise—a very telling, hand-shaped bruise, the kind that would invite whistles from Ma'am Daly and questions from Rozanne…

With a huff, he turned his back on the alpha and walked away. 

"If you go into rut again, I am going to kick you out to deal with it. No way am I helping you with that stupid alpha cycle of yours before we're married."

Klein just laughed lightly, as if he had gotten the reaction he wanted from Leonard. "My rut just ended a day ago. I am pretty sure it won't be back so quickly."

Shrugging indifferently, Leonard walked over to the bathroom and entered, leaving the Seer to poke around his living room.

Locking the door behind him, he leaned back against it and stared dazedly at the ceiling for a few seconds to collect his thoughts. As if on its own accord, the bruised hand was raised near the window. In the pale rays of sunlight, Leonard saw reddened fingerprints looping around his wrist, overlapping on his scent gland—a tangible, temporary claim from the alpha he had loved for months.

He didn't know how long he spent looking at it but when he snapped out of his daze, Leonard realised had been smiling a ridiculously wide smile. 

The exhaustion brought by his heat had faded into nothingness. Klein you really are something.

Grateful the Old Man hadn't planned on saying anything, he turned the tap on to fill the bath before stripping off his clothes. Leonard climbed in when it filled, relaxing into the hot water and letting it take away the soreness in his body. Leaning back against the tub, he let his thoughts drift towards the smug alpha waiting for him, sloshing the water with his feet like an excited child until the water turned lukewarm.

He shook his head suddenly, as if dispersing the running thoughts, and worked to scrub off all the dried slick, sweat and nest lint from his body with quick, perfunctory movements. He even grabbed some shampoo and washed his hair, his thoughts drifting towards whatever secrets Klein wanted to tell him. A different world, is that some kind of code word or metaphor? Or is it really a different world? 

Leonard climbed out of the murky water hastily and almost tripped on the towel on the floor before catching himself with an embarrassed huff. Humming a folk song he forgot the lyrics to, he fastened a white towel around his waist while another wrapped his hair, and leaned down to drain the bath. He habitually checked his face in the mirror then pattered over to the door before he froze in his steps.

I had forgotten Klein was here…

Leonard had gotten so used to living alone that he never bothered picking clothes out and bringing them to the bathroom. Over the years, the habit of walking out covered in a towel and rifling around his wardrobe for clothes had become instinctual.

…Which resulted in the utter embarrassment he was facing currently.

If I was a beta, or another alpha, I wouldn't mind strutting out of here naked even in front of Klein.

But doing something like that as an omega, especially when Klein was someone he was in love with, sounded like a death knell for his dignity.

Asking him to get me to wear something sounds better in comparison.

He chose the lesser of the two evils, unlocking the door and opening it a crack.

"Klein?" The omega called out tentatively, hoping Klein had chosen the second option out of the blue and left—even though his heart was torn between feeling disappointed that he could've left and relief he left. 

"Need something?" Klein asked from a distance, perceptive as always. Leonard's face burned with embarrassment as he inhaled deeply to calm himself down.

"Pick out something for me to wear from my wardrobe. Just make sure it's not too formal or tight." He instructed, trying to sound calmer than he was by ordering his fiancé instead of politely asking. 

My wardrobe is in my bedroom. My nest is in my bedroom. I haven't washed anything after rolling around hornily in my nest yet! 

"Don’t touch anything else!" He added forcefully, praying to the Goddess to save him from further embarrassment. 

"Alright." Klein answered plainly before the footsteps shuffled over in the direction of his bedroom.

In Leonard's defence, he never had any guests over so he was really out of his element! Time to start acquiring new daily habits, he murmured as he waited for Klein to return.

A few minutes later, Leonard heard footsteps approaching so he opened the door a little and extended an arm out as an invitation. Klein obediently draped some clothes over his arm before Leonard pulled it in and quickly locked the door again.

Let's see what he picked out for me, he thought in growing anticipation, his inner omega preening at the idea of being dressed in his alpha's choice. 

He hung the articles of clothing in a haphazard manner and examined what had been given.

Klein had picked a soft green shirt but instead of buttons, there were brown laces extending from the neckline.

Not bad, Leonard complimented inwardly as he tugged it on and quickly laced it up. From now on, I'll always bring my underwear in! He promised to himself as he grabbed the soft underwear and put it on, followed by the high-waisted pants. He was in such a good mood that putting on the brown belt and useless harness-like item—which he never remembered buying—didn't take more than a few seconds before he moved on to the last piece of clothing Klein had selected for their date.

This… For a few long moments, Leonard stared at the brown jacket with all its clasps and buckles before putting it on with a sigh and fiddling with all the useless straps and fastenings decorating the shoulders and sleeves. 

I am not sure if he has good fashion sense or he just picked some things he wants to see me wearing. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of a gentleman like Klein trying to do something like that.

Either way, Leonard didn't mind the clothing choices at all—despite all the useless decorations, the clothes were lightweight and easy to move in.

After dumping his heat clothes in a basket, he walked out of the bathroom, rubbing the towel against his messy wet hair.

A pair of leather boots were waiting outside the bathroom like a pair of guards standing vigil and the omega couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Without using his hands, Leonard slowly slipped his feet into the boots before making his way to the bedroom.

When he entered the room, Leonard did his best to ignore Klein who stood beside his writing desk staring at some embarrassing thing or other. He moved to stand in front of the full length mirror instead.

Throwing the towel on the bed for the time being, Leonard ran his fingers through his hair, untangling the knots and petting them in some semblance of order.

A whiff of old books tickled his nose and he turned to squint at the nest the pheromones had come from.

"Had your fun while I was gone?" He asked accusingly and the alpha looked at him with a serene smile playing on his lips.

"I saw a vest that looked suspiciously like the one I'd lost a month ago on the floor so I picked it up. I didn't know where to put it when I saw many different pieces of clothing strewn about your bed so I put it beside one."

And just like that, the tables had turned.

"Well if you must know," Leonard started with a huff, pretending his cheeks weren't burning all of a sudden. "Unmated omegas often line the outer side of their nests with clothes from people who make them feel safe. I have clothes from everyone in Blackthorn and some from the orphanage staff for that purpose." He explained haughtily, picking out a pair of socks from the wardrobe. Leaning against the wall, he pulled his boots off, and quickly put on his socks before slipping his feet back in the boots and fastened the buttons.

Klein blinked, looking more interested the more Leonard spoke. "The scents of people important to omegas tether them to reality and their surroundings when they're at their lowest."

Do I say the last part? I mean… this can be considered educational and I kind of am his superior… The omega's cheeks burned as he looked away from Klein before adding: "After getting mated, most of the nest will have my alpha's clothes and later, some of my children's clothes too. From the mating and onwards, the task of tethering an omega to reality and keeping them safe falls on their alpha so clothes from family and friends aren't needed."

Klein hummed thoughtfully before wondering aloud. "I wonder how different heats are from ruts. Goddess, I've only had one and I desperately wish to never have another!"

Leonard looked back at him as Klein walked over, lifting a hand to neaten Leonard's untameable fringe gently.

"You're an orphan?"

Leonard's fingers twiddled with the coat straps as he endured the hairstyling with as much grace as he could muster—it really took a lot of self-control to act calm with his crush standing so close to him without any visible chaperones… in his own bedroom. "Have I not mentioned I was raised by an orphanage under the Evernight Goddess’ Church? The caretakers told me I was left outside when I was two so I was with them until I turned eighteen before I moved out and started working as civilian staff." He explained and Klein patted the top of his head twice, as if encouraging him. Leonard felt a purr build up in his chest at the gesture.

No! Don't! He quickly stamped down the feeling before changing the topic as abruptly as possible.

"Enough about me though. Where are we going? Is it going to be somewhere relatively private? It wouldn't do well to be overheard or you might be in danger—"

Klein's amused laugh interrupted his slew of questions and Leonard glared at the laughing Seer.

"Of course." He grinned, his eyes glimmering with happiness as he grabbed Leonard's wrist and led him out of the house. "I picked the perfect place. It's public so we won't get carried away but private enough we won't be spied on especially since we're going at a quieter time."

Klein let him go and Leonard quickly locked the door behind them before pocketing his keys. He looked expectantly at Klein, telling him to lead the way with just a look and felt his hand being grasped again. This time, Klein tentatively laced their fingers together and Leonard squeezed his hand shyly.

Maybe it's only because he's kept me at arm's length that such a gesture is making me feel unbearably giddy, Leonard thought as he watched Klein's eyes widen and his cheeks turn rosy.

"Almost forgot," the alpha said before leaning in to kiss Leonard's cheek.

"K—Klein!" He squeaked, feeling his ears and cheeks become unbearably hot.

"Can't even kiss my wife-to-be?" He teased, kissing the other neglected cheek before pulling the omega along by their clasped hands. "Let's go, my co-protagonist. I'll open your eyes to a world you can never even dream of!"

There it was again.

World… World you can never even dream of…

As someone who grew up obsessed with Emperor Roselle, his fantastical stories and otherworldly inventions, Leonard could be considered quite receptive to theories about the existence of different worlds and his role model being an exceptional person, quite unlike someone from this era. 

But for all of his fascination about Roselle, deep down, Leonard knew he was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well—bound within the walls of a small city like Tingen, blissfully blind to the vast ocean beyond. 

The Megose tragedy had shattered any lingering illusions he had, both about himself as well as the world he lived in. It was that bitter awakening that made him willing to entertain any possibility. 

Would it be too fantastical to think Klein might belong to another world entirely? He had always said that Klein was special—and he had believed it wholeheartedly too.

Maybe that was why he was so accepting of whatever Klein was sharing.

Or maybe it's as the Emperor said: Love makes fools of us all.

"Is it quite different from the world we are in now?" He asked softly and Klein turned to look at him, brown eyes widening in surprise. Leonard squeezed his hand encouragingly as he continued: "In what way is it different? Naturally or because of human intervention and technology?" He tried giving him options to make it easier for his fiancé to talk before waiting patiently for an answer. Klein's lips tugged into a soft, genuine smile—the likes of which Leonard had only seen once before, when he promised to believe Klein.

"Both," he answered, equally soft as he looked at Leonard like he was seeing him for the first time. "But maybe I should start with the basics," he whispered, his brown eyes drilling into Leonard's as he uttered the next words. "For example, the fact that my true name is Zhou Mingrui."

Zhou Mingrui.

Although Leonard wasn't fluent in every language, he had been exposed to many of them in different ways and the way Klein—Zhou Mingrui pronounced his name was nothing like any of them.

It sounded simple but somehow complex and Leonard knew he'd fail if he tried to copy Klein.

"Can you say it slower? I don't think I can pronounce it yet," Leonard admitted, not feeling an ounce of shame because he genuinely wanted to learn. "And which of those is your first name?" 

Klein looked at him with wet, disbelieving eyes.

"Mingrui," he spoke a little louder, taking a step closer to Leonard as he repeated. "My first name's 'Mingrui'." 

He repeated slowly and Leonard listened intently as Klein—no, Mingrui—squeezed his hand.

"Mingrui," he repeated, stiff and clumsy and Klein let out a choked laugh. "Ming…Rui?" He tried again, slower this time. “Zh—Zhou. Ming. Rui?”

Zhou Mingrui didn't say anything. He just raised his free hand to cup Leonard's cheek and pressed a soft kiss against his still-parted lips. Leonard felt his eyelids peel back in surprise as the Seer lingered, their breaths mingling. Zhou Mingrui sighed, his words bittersweet as he pressed them against Leonard's lips.

"It feels like a lifetime ago that I last heard my name being spoken," he admitted, his expression melting into one of sorrow and uncertainty. "Sometimes, I wonder if it truly is my name or if I made it up. But then I remember everything from my world and realise, yes, that's my name, even though the only one who knows it is me."

There was raw, gut-wrenching pain in that confession and for a moment, Klein—Mingrui looked utterly lost. How could Leonard not feel his heart squeeze painfully in his chest at those words?

Leonard had always been soft and empathetic, it was a trait that he was praised for as well as warned about multiple times.

Slowly, he raised a hand and pressed it against the hand cradling his cheek, squeezing the it as he smiled.

"Then I can call you by your name whenever it's just the two of us." The omega offered, a small, hopeful smile tugging at his lips as he added: "That is if you want me to."

The flicker of surprise in his eyes gave way to a smile and Zhou Mingrui pressed another soft kiss to his lips before pulling away.

"I think I'd like that… I'd really like that.” Klein repeated, sounding more certain this time. “Thank you, Leonard."

And with that, he led Leonard away from his house and out on the street towards wherever he planned to take him out on 'a date' for.

×××

By the time they stepped into the Intisian restaurant Klein had already checked out for them, Leonard had whispered 'Mingrui' a few dozen times and had fairly mastered the correct pronunciation—thanks to his excellent teacher of course.

The next step is his surname and name at the same time, he nodded to himself as he sat on the surprisingly comfortable chair, looking at the Seer sitting across him.

"I know you don't have any favourite foods so I already placed our order. It'll be here in fifteen minutes and we won't be disturbed for an hour or more." He explained and Leonard rudely put his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his palm as he looked at his fiancé.

The name Zhou Mingrui doesn't seem to suit this appearance… And since he's from another world, he must've looked quite different, right?

"Ah, I almost forgot." Klein rubbed the back of his head as a look of shame crossed his face. "I came to pick you up mainly because I wanted to apologise to you." He looked at the table, his fingers tracing invisible patterns and Leonard hummed, signalling for him to continue. "That day in the hospital, I was quite cruel to you. Not only did I treat you roughly, disregarding your injuries and boundaries, I was also horrible and said some very mean things to you."

The hand that had begun playing with the tablecloth clenched into a fist as Zhou Mingrui looked up at Leonard, pursing his lips for a moment before saying: "I'm so sorry, Leonard. That was all uncalled for. You tried stopping me and even ignoring me but I persisted and said such vulgar things about you. I’m really sorry."

Leonard considered it for a second before reaching out and placing his hand on top of Klein's clenched one. "We were both a little high on our impending cycles so you don't have to worry. Things said in moments like that are rarely ever intentional," he soothed, gently prying the tablecloth out of the alpha's fist. "I forgave you the minute the captain told me you went into rut. Just knowing that told me you weren't in the right state of mind." He admitted softly, his thumb stroking Klein's knuckles until the hand beneath his stopped clenching.

Klein still wouldn't meet his gaze so he added the obvious: "I forgive you. Just… don't attack me again alright?"

Zhou Mingrui quickly looked up, shaking his head. "I won't. Goddess, Leonard, I'll never lay my hands on you with the intent to hurt you ever again." He promised solemnly, brown eyes burning with so much determination—being on the receiving end of that gaze made Leonard’s heart skip a beat.

"Actually, I could've easily fought you off." Leonard admitted shyly. "Although you got a combat improvement and have experience now, I've been learning different fighting methods since I was thirteen so I can easily beat you up… I just didn't want to." He shook his head, grinning as Klein's eyes widened in response. "The only thing that truly hurt me was your words which as I said before, I forgave the moment I learned you were in pre-rut when you visited me."

"You're too kind, Leonard," Klein smiled, sad yet full of relief. Flipping his hand over, the alpha held Leonard's hand as he sighed. "It makes it easy to take advantage of you so try not to let people know you're so forgiving and merciful." He advised and Leonard chuckled at the lesson a few others had tried to instill in him too.

"Actually, I am not very nice unless I have reason to be. Presentation heats and ruts are the worst, most painful things a beyonder can experience. The longer you go without having one after drinking a sequence nine potion, the worst they'll be. You went two months without any signs of it so I knew when it happened, it'd be horrifyingly painful to bear." He explained in a hushed tone, not wanting even the flies to hear the kind of things he was saying.

If it wasn't for his desire to console Zhou Mingrui, Leonard would never bring up something as private as a mating cycle. As a Loenese, he was quite shy about anything that bordered on intimacy!

"I got my first heat two days after I drank the potion and it was the most miserable experience I've had so of course I felt bad for you." He squeezed Klein's hand before withdrawing and setting his restless hands on his lap. "Just… Please don't bring our colleagues up in any arguments we have again. Frye's only been as kind to me as he is to others so it's not nice to slander him like this." Leonard couldn't help but chide gently and Klein smiled guiltily and averted his gaze. "But it's alright now, it's water under the bridge as the Emperor says."

Klein looked back up at him with a look that promised Leonard wouldn't like what he was about to hear—This is the same face he makes when he tells me I have to photograph adulterers! 

"About that… uh, how do I say it… Emperor Roselle is just like me. In fact, he's from the same place as me so he's basically been copying stories, quotes and inventions from our world and passing them off as his own."

This time, it was Mingrui who reached out to console Leonard as the omega’s mind buzzed like a thousand mosquitoes in summer.

"He what?!"

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Klein said solemnly… Although his devious fiancé didn't sound too sorry and Leonard couldn't blame him.

The sheer scale of theft the Emperor has committed would put the Marauder demigod Old Man to shame!

"This…" he stuttered, disbelieving but then he remembered all the times Klein made a sour face when he said something clever and someone chimed with 'Ah yes, the famous saying by Emperor Roselle!'.

This level of shamelessness… Did he get it from his Intisian roots or was this something he picked from Mingrui's world too?

Leonard wanted to shake Klein until he spilled details about every single thing his role model had plagiarised before he remembered they were on a date. 

Hmph! That Emperor Roselle is lucky I'm on a date, not a Chanis gate shift. I won't focus on him much today!

Shifting his attention towards the alpha who was definitely some kind of protagonist, Leonard couldn't help but lower his voice to a whisper. "Mingrui, Mingrui, how did you come into this world? Can you go back? Because I need you to find Roselle's real parents and tell them what a shameless thief their son has become!" 

Taking a deep breath, Leonard managed to calm himself down and focus on the Seer's words instead.

"It's called transmigration. Simply put, the soul of Zhou Mingrui from another world somehow travelled into the newly deceased body of Klein Moretti in this world." Zhou Mingrui explained. Leonard was too heartbroken by the fall of his role model to truly appreciate the fantastical concept. "I know I came here because I did something stupid but I'd love to go back and find his parents too."

They both stopped talking as the server arrived and placed some dishes on the table. Leonard looked curiously at the spread of various foods.

He had of course seen most of these but he had never felt the need to try them before.

Leonard Mitchell quite liked monotony despite his claims of being a protagonist.

He filled a glass of water each for himself and Klein, picking up his own to take a large sip. When was the last time I talked so much my throat felt this dry? He wondered.

When the server left them to their food, Klein sat up straighter, catching Leonard's gaze.

"I know you rarely eat anything except for the handful of recipes at Old Will's so I ordered different things for us to share." He explained, a teasing gleam flickering in his eyes as he added very very seriously: "I'll introduce our meal now."

Zhou Mingrui had a very unique way of introducing the dishes though.

"Intisian pan-fried dumplings," he pointed at a plate and Leonard followed the movement of his finger to the items inside. "Theft," he added in a whisper and Leonard choked on a mouthful of water, wheezing as he laughed at the similar introduction for Intisian sweet and sour ribs, Intisian spring rolls and of course, Intisian potato croquettes and Intisian sticky toffee pudding.

I see the reason he picked this place was to provide ample examples to help me understand Roselle's 'creations'.

"Where was I?" Mingrui asked thoughtfully and Leonard thought for a moment, placing his half-empty glass of water on the table as he calmed himself after all the choking and laughing he'd done.

"You said if you could go back you'd definitely find his parents." He picked up a dumpling, biting into the unfamiliar food but enjoying how the spices worked well with the vegetables. This is so good! Is this why people like eating foods from around the world? Maybe I should learn to do the same.

Leonard had long since become accustomed to the monotonous menu of food at the orphanage. He never really felt a desire to try different cuisines and was content with whatever Old Will's restaurant cooked or just slices of bread with butter and coffee. Something to remedy then.

"Ah yes," Klein nodded gratefully. "That and I really want to go back so I can catch up on all the novels and TV series and internet gossip I've been keeping up with. I know they all have gotten new content and it's killing me to not know how the story progresses!" He almost whined and before Leonard could commiserate about unfinished novel trilogies, his mind caught up with the weird, unique words Klein had said in a different language.

"TV series? Internet gossip?" He repeated, tilting his head slightly sideways at the unfamiliar words.

"I'd have translated them, but I'm not sure any languages here have those words," Mingrui answered apologetically, swallowing a bite of dumplings before his eyes lit up. "Leonard, you'd love the Internet! It's basically something so magical that you can find anything on it! Novels from all around the world, paintings made by the most famous and most unknown artists, a frozen and watchable version of stageplays, and even people from all over the world to chat with!" He was so excited he was practically rambling and Leonard felt his own excitement increase at the things Klein mentioned—Zhou Mingrui's enthusiasm was as contagious as it was adorable.

"You can find the answer to almost everything too, medical, work-related, art-related as well as recommendations for things, first-hand experiences with products… anything can be found!" Klein paused to cut a bit from the mooncake and leaned over, offering it to Leonard whose brain was running a mile a minute. Accepting the bite with a hum, the omega chewed on the sweet and savoury treat. The flavours were so unique that Leonard's brain stopped overthinking immediately and he reached over to put a mooncake on his plate, wanting to try more of the delicacy from Klein's world.

“Actually, it's more apt to say that there's very little that can't be found on the internet. Anything that exists will find its way there as long as you know how to find it.”

Can something so magical exist? Do they worship this 'internet' in Mingrui's world instead of gods? He wondered absent-mindedly as he swallowed and Klein chuckled, as if he read Leonard's thoughts.

“Well, what else would one do with something so omniscient and omnipotent?” He muttered under his breath and Klein shook his head, brown eyes dancing with laughter at Leonard's presumptuous question. "How do you watch stage plays from around the world? Is it something like a divine revelation that appears in your mind?" He asked, curious enough to ignore the bite of food dangling from his fork.

"Not quite." Mingrui answered, thinking for a moment before explaining: "It's like dreams… When you use a dream charm, you can see anyone's dream even though it's not yours and you have nothing to do with it. You can watch it, enjoy it, stop it, and so on." He paused and Leonard knew it was deliberate to build the tension for the upcoming words.

"But it doesn't appear in your mind. Instead it appears on flat technological surfaces. You can tap the gadgets in various ways and places to manipulate what you see or don't see. The stageplay is recorded through a camera but unlike here, it can record things happening in the form of scenes, and those scenes can be refined with technology to add more artistic flair, music, different language dialogue and many other things. Then you can access it on your screen from anywhere in the world.” 

So this manner of speaking like you're giving a mission report is something you learned in your world, huh? Leonard smiled at how despite his apparent excitement, Klein managed to make the explanations sound technical and a little dry despite how amazing those things were. It's quite cute, actually. 

“This recorded stageplay is rarely performed on stage. Mostly its different venues and scenery, real and manipulated, and the recording can be called a movie or TV series depending on some factors." The alpha concluded and Leonard stared in wide-eyed wonder as his mind tried to imagine what that looked like.

Deep down, he knew that was just the tip of the iceberg as Roselle said—plagiarised, he reminded himself. This godly technology seemed to be the backbone of Zhou Mingrui's world but despite its millions of amazing uses, Leonard easily sensed it was only one of the countless marvels of that world.

Suddenly I feel so envious. He got to experience all those things for years and everyone in his world can do it too.

He finally took pity on the bite of cold mooncake and stuffed it in his mouth. "If I was there, I'd be able to read all the romance novels I want to without worrying about whether they'll be shipped from the next city over soon or not!" He sighed dreamily and Klein patted his hand, pulling his attention back to himself.

"Yes, but that's not the best thing." He explained enthusiastically. "On the Internet, it doesn't matter if you have a publisher or not. It doesn't matter if you're a good writer or not. If you write something and you want to share it, you can share it. All you have to do is use some specific keywords that summarise the theme of your work so people can find it when they search for those words on the Internet. From there, you can even become a celebrity!"

Noticing the jab aimed at him, Leonard picked up a potato croquette and shoved it in the amused man's mouth.

“I can sense that this specific example has a lot to do with my poetry,” Leonard responded gloomily but the sight of Klein forgetting his usual composure and beloved food in favour of poking fun at him was too cute. “You really love making fun of it, huh? Let's see you make fun of my skills when I start writing romance poems about you!” He harrumphed in mock anger as Klein chewed on the croquette, his eyes open wide as if he was the incarnation of innocence.

Despite having worked with Klein for months, Leonard still couldn't recall if he had ever heard him speak so much, let alone done it on his own accord with such happiness shining in his eyes. He looks so carefree and happy!

It felt like a whole new version of his beloved had appeared in front of Leonard and somehow this version managed to be even better than the last—an impossible feat, but Zhou Mingrui managed it easily simply by being himself. 

He's so handsome, so perfect, Leonard thought dreamily as he looked at Klein explaining what 'websites' meant and how they could be considered as little shops you visited without moving from your couch. From now on, I'll do my best to make him smile in this carefree manner. 

Klein, Mingrui, I promise to make you smile like this forever. As long as I live, I'll make sure you can be your truest self with me… Leonard vowed to himself, finishing his mooncake, his eyes glued to the movement of Klein's hands as he patiently broadened Leonard's horizons.

Although everything he said opened up new doors for Leonard who could barely imagine such magical things despite being a beyonder, to him, the best thing was still the way Klein smiled so openly for the first time.

The conversation about secrets had long been forgotten in favour of the wonders of Zhou Mingrui's world but Leonard didn't mind it one bit.

He had many questions, including about the original Klein, what exactly sent Zhou Mingrui here, his family and so much more, but they could talk about them later. 

Who said they had to finish a conversation so solemn in one go? The more days it took them to completely go through all of Klein's secrets, the more days Leonard would get to spend in Zhou Mingrui's much-adored company.

It's alright to take our time getting to know each other. I've always heard the best relationships were built on communication and patience.

And to him, every minute spent with Klein was worth it. I hope he feels the same way about me.

His brain picked that moment to remind him of how desperately Zhou Mingrui had held him and how sincerely he had proposed marriage and Leonard bit his lip to stop the wide smile from spreading on his face.

With his gaze fixed on the gesticulating alpha who had completely forgotten his food, Leonard picked up his glass of water and took a sip, a smile finding its way on his lips as he listened intently.

×××

“So Hou Yi was granted the elixir of immortality as a reward for saving lives. But unwilling to be separated from his wife, he agreed that they would take it together on an auspicious day so that they could become immortals together.”

After finishing their food, the two of them were strolling in the grassy area beside Khoy river, their fingers linked together naturally, as if they were always meant to be grasping at each other. It was a rare sunny day in Tingen, especially for September when the city usually tended to be shrouded in clouds—a coincidence and one of the only ones Leonard wouldn't be scared of.

It almost feels like fate is smiling down on us in approval, Leonard thought happily. The idea was almost poetic and a more capable person would have even composed a poem.

Unfortunately Leonard wasn't a capable person.

The cool breeze ruffled his messy hair as they followed along the embankment, the omega alternating between listening and imagining the tales being recounted for him.

Leonard couldn't remember how the topic had moved on to folk tales and festivals celebrated in China—Mingrui's homeland—but as a fan of stories since childhood, he wasn't complaining.

“It sounds so heartwarming,” the omega commented.

Klein turned to look at him with that familiar smile that preceded bad news. Leonard slowed his steps, watching as Zhou Mingrui's expression melted into one of pity. 

“What?” He asked suspiciously, but Zhou Mingrui just shook his head. Didn't this story have a happy ending? I remember a similar story had a happy ending…

“Sorry to burst your bubble,” the alpha shook his head, leading Leonard towards the benches near the embankment.

As if the news he was about to deliver would flip Leonard's world upside down…

He let himself be guided towards the benches, already dreading whatever horrors he could sense behind that ominous expression.

Leonard sat down on the bench and placed their linked hands on his knee as he stared at the rolling waves of water.

“There was someone who heard of this elixir and coveted it. In some variations of the story, he was someone who knew Hou Yi personally but either way, he had the intention of stealing the elixir.” Zhou Mingrui patted his knee in consolation as the omega gulped, his gaze darting towards a bird flying overhead. 

His voice came out a lot more uncertain than he anticipated as he asked:

“So they fought over it and Hou Yi died? Or drank it on his own?”

Shaking his head, Klein explained how the person broke into their house to steal it, how Chang'e was forced to drink the elixir to save it from the man and thus ascended as the moon goddess, forever separated from her beloved husband by immortality.

Leonard's fingers tightened around Klein’s own as he tried to digest the information.

“Isn't that too tragic? Does this mean your Mid-Autumn Festival is supposed to be a festival celebrating doomed lovers?” As someone who was deeply sentimental, Leonard couldn't help but feel a little choked up at the story. 

Somehow this is more tragic than Romeo and Juliet… Hou Yi and Chang'e didn't even die, but they live and suffer daily!

“It is, isn't it?” The Seer agreed, leaning over to kiss Leonard's teary eyes gently. His lips lingered for a few moments before the Transmigrator settled back on the bench.

“But does the separation mean that they stop loving each other?” He asked and Leonard sniffed and shook his head. “Hou Yi missed Chang'e so much. So on every anniversary of her ascension, he would place her favourite sweets before the moon. He ate them while gazing at the moon and if Chang'e looked down from there, she would see him and also eat the same sweets. Then it would feel like they were still together and sharing food again, even though an unbridgeable distance lay between them.”

Leonard couldn't help but sigh, the melancholy melting into something softer as he pondered why the situation evoked so many of his emotions.

So bittersweet. And we almost lost each other too… Leonard winced at the idea and Klein sighed, as if he was thinking of the same thing. 

“The day came to be celebrated as the Mid-Autumn Festival.” Leonard concluded and Klein smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing him closer.

Leaning his head against the alpha's shoulder, Leonard let himself bask in the comfort of having the one he loved so close by. 

The Goddess has truly blessed us.

The thought finally brought a smile to his face and he nuzzled against Klein's neck, letting the faint pheromones of winter herbs and old book pages sooth him.

“Yes. And in China, gazing at the round moon symbolises longing, both for one's homeland and for loved ones separated by distance.”

A delicate meow reached their ears and Leonard looked near the tree close by where a tiny orange kitten was playfully pouncing at the fluttering blades of grass before another black kitten joined it in its ‘hunt’.

Squeezing Klein's hand, Leonard excitedly pointed towards the adorable sight and watched a slow smile spread across the Seer's lips as he looked towards the scene he pointed at.

“As long as you're standing beneath the same moon as the people you long to be with, you can imagine that you're still with them.”

Leonard hummed under his breath, feeling a flame of inspiration being lit in his talent-less heart as he thought about Zhou Mingrui's explanation and the simple joys of sharing the same experiences. 

“Because we're gazing at the same moonlight, it feels as though we're still together…”

Gazing at the same moonlight. Breathing in the same air. Hearing the same song at the same time…

One can still imagine that they're doing those things with their loved ones and the thought will undoubtedly be accompanied by a wish to do those things together again.

They sat together in comfortable silence, their fingers loosely intertwined and bodies pressed together as the distant sounds of university students talking mingled with the sounds of nature.

Fiddling with Klein's slender fingers, Leonard sat up straighter and cleared his throat, waiting for Klein to pay attention to him. The alpha didn't disappoint because he turned to look at Leonard, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he teased. “You look like you're having some very poetic feelings, Leonard.”

“Oh, to be the person who shoots down suns only for his wife to become an unattainable Moon… so poetic yet tragic. My heart stirs with the desire to compose a poem!” Leonard sighed softly and Klein seemed to be suppressing a laugh before his expression smoothed out. 

Damn Clown potion! 

“But I have to admit, even though my knowledge about this story wasn't so detailed, I have read it in Emperor Roselle's collection of fairytales.”

The teasing smile fell from Zhou Mingrui's lips as he slapped a hand over his face, groaning behind it. 

It was Leonard's turn to laugh.

The gloominess following the tragic story melted like ice cream under the summer sun as the omega bent over with the force of his laughter. Beside him, Klein kicked at the swaying blades of grass as he grumbled under his breath about thieves and folktales.

I have found my new favourite joke! He thought happily as Klein swung his legs in a way unbefitting of someone so mature and well-mannered.

“The damn thief!” He mumbled before turning to look at Leonard again. “Anything else that sounds like a stolen Chinese tale that you've read in that thief's books?” He asked, looking equally grumpy and fascinated—are all Seers supposed to be masochists? 

He vaguely remembered the suited clown from before also displaying some stubbornness that could serve as evidence to that claim.

Leonard thought for a few seconds before answering: “There's also a tale of a cowherd and weaver girl who meet on a bridge of starlight—”

“Magpies! It's a bridge of magpies! Though I guess starlight sounds more mystical,” the Transmigrator admitted and Leonard slapped a hand on his mouth to prevent the loud laughter from scaring the poor critters nearby. 

“Get up,” Klein ordered grumpily, but the effect was lost because of the smile he failed to bite back. 

Grabbing his hand, Zhou Mingrui pulled him to his feet and Leonard wondered if there was something Klein wanted to show him… his university was nearby, right?

Falling into step with him again, Leonard swung their joined hands between them. Klein looked up at the poet with a pleased smile and Leonard's chuckles trailed off as he looked into the soft honeyed eyes of his beloved. Don't look at me with those sincere eyes! What if my heart forgets to beat and I die?

Being at the receiving end of that affectionate gaze made his cheeks heat up and the omega quickly glanced at the sun-dappled river for a lack of something better to look at. Better than Klein that is.

To distract himself from his racing thoughts, Leonard quickly brought up something he'd been thinking about. “Actually the tale behind the mid-autumn festival makes me think of you, Zhou Mingrui… or rather Hou Yi makes me think of you… Looking at a beautiful, seemingly unattainable—”

Reaching over, his fiancé twirled a strand of loose hair around his finger as his lips stretched into a teasing smile. “So you're my Chang’e? I mean that makes sense—” swatting his hand away, Leonard turned his face away to hide how shy he felt at those flirty words. 

Goddess! Did he go to some kind of flirting university? Does something like that also exist in China?

“Don’t make me beat you up, stupid scrawny Seer,” he mumbled in embarrassment and Klein gasped audibly beside him. 

“I meant about wanting to go back home…” Leonard raised his voice and gave their joined hands another swing, this time he brought them as high up as they could go. 

“Considering we're on a date, I don't feel very unattainable… and isn't Chang’e the immortal moon goddess? Only the Evernight Goddess can be Chang’e. After all, They are more eternal than eternity!”

“I'm the Chinese one between us so I know better!” The alpha muttered petulantly, bringing Leonard’s hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the knuckles. “And I think you're beautiful enough to be a moon goddess with a rabbit assistant. Or maybe since you said the Goddess is Chang'e you can be the jade rabbit because you definitely have some rabbit vibes. Like really, Leonard? What's with your—” 

The sappy feelings drained away in the wake of those words and with a quick movement, Leonard stopped walking and reached over to pinch Klein's cheek hard. His expression twisted into a scowl as the alpha pouted at him.

“Violence is not the answer!”

“I can make it the answer.”

“Wrong Leonard you should say ‘it's a question and the answer is yes’ instead!”

Huh? The ridiculous statement forced him to let go of his mock-rage and ask: “What does that mean?”

“It's a meme!” Klein answered, as if that made all the sense in the world. “Don't worry, I'll teach you all I know so we can talk in memes and confuse everyone! After all, many couples speak in code or made-up slang!” He squeezed Leonard's hand gently, a bright, reassuring smile stretching across his lips as his gaze wandered towards the river—even with one of his cheeks turning red because of the pinch, Zhou Mingrui looked adorably excited at the possibility and it made him feel warm and happy again.

Leonard stopped walking as he stared at the glimmering golden waves of Khoy River reflected in his fiancé's eyes. A smile twitched at the corner of his lips at the beautiful sight before he too turned to admire the scenery.

A secret language of our own, huh?

“I like the sound of it.”

×××

Mini Theater 1 - Chaperone:

Klein: This is getting too much. I'm not sure I can keep my hands to myself like a gentleman. We need a chaperone.

Leonard: Ah about that… we kinda already have a chaperone…? But he can't hear us unless I scream for him. 

Klein: looking around Who is it? Where is he? I should go greet him, right?

Leonard: Um… he's right here points to his head… Technically, he's in my spirit body.

Klein: stares agape How did he get in there? Can he see and hear everything?

Leonard: Oh no! He told me he doesn't want to see us doing um… lovebird things whatever that means. But the old man said if you cross any boundaries I should yell for—hey! Turn your spirit vision off! You didn't even divine if doing that was safe!

Klein: My danger intuition wasn't triggered but Leonard I can't see your grandpa.

Leonard: Oh yeah… he might be a high sequence beyonder—

Klein: WHAT?!

×××

Mini Theater 2 - Don't be jealous of women

Leonard: You don't have to feel threatened by omegas, betas or women… especially not by women. I'm not interested in them in that way since I have all the things that people like in women after all. 

Klein: stumbles All the things…? Can you um elaborate?

Leonard: blushing um I mean like haha you know like um can you please stop looking so intently—hey! Don't you dare use spirit vision on me!

Klein: I'm not, I'm not! I don't want your chaperone coming out to beat me up! And what's with this lack of confidence? Leonard I may be a horny scumbag but I'm not that bad yet!

×××

Mini Theater 3 - Sweet talk

Leonard: You might be a protagonist of an era but you're still on thin ice, Mr Moretti.

Klein: perking up Protagonist of an era? Does this mean I'm better than Roselle?

Leonard: Haha no. He's an emperor, Klein, a true protagonist. Being his fellow countryman won't help you here. Besides, you're just a low sequence beyonder and I heard Emperor Roselle was at least mid sequence.

Klein: That's too many words and not enough reassurances! Shouldn't you say something like ‘It's ok, Mingrui, you're the king of my heart!’? Hey, what's that face for? 

Leonard: What kind of talk is this? King of my heart? What? Haha if I ever speak in this nauseating manner you should know I'm being mind controlled.

Klein: I guess your grandpa forgot to teach you manners. Don't worry, I'll get you to say such sappy things later on. I swear to the Goddess! If I don't, I'm no better than Benson's receding hairline!

Leonard: Pfffft—hahahaha! What kind of—haha—example hahahaha—!