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Hua Cheng could remember the first time he did when he went to university was avoiding any alpha like the plague.

He hated them.

He was a freshman and until now, he never had any good experiences with any alphas. From his abusive father to his school bullies, it was hell. He even minimized his interactions with fellow classmates and his professors considering he could never stand their smell.

It was lucky that he got two betas as his roommates. They were still a pain in the ass for different reasons; one kept borrowing money from him for food and the other had a stupid, alpha boyfriend that reeked . He didn’t have anything against the guy, really. He just smelled bad to him even if he was sure that the alpha was pretty much head over heels over his roommate with zero intention of harming anyone.

His other roommate’s lover was an omega. She smelled sweet and nice, but she was fucking annoying from time to time. She would always try to drag him to different places and ask if he could meet a beta or an alpha, thinking she could help him find the one .

Bullshit.

Remembering all of it as he changed into fresh, new clothes gave him a headache early in the morning. He didn’t know why the three of them decided to attend a class at nine fucking a.m., but there they were.

When he left his small room, he was welcomed with the usual scent of their dorm– the betas, beer, leftover cup noodles, and attempts of some edible food. He cringed when he smelled an intruder by the name of Shi Qingxuan.

When would that omega stop bothering him?

The three of them were at the dining area and it looked like He Xuan cooked for them. It smelled like congee, but it was enough to sustain them for the first two classes. Well, Hua Cheng was sure that both he and Yin Yu could survive from it. In He Xuan’s case, he wasn’t too sure.

Shi Qingxuan already had a bowl right in front of her when she noticed Hua Cheng was already up and ready. Her lips spread to a wide smile as she waved at him.

“Hua-xiong,” she singsong, “Good morning!”

“Why are you here?” Hua Cheng took a seat right beside her, mildly surprised that there was a bowl ready for him. He glanced at his roommates and he saw that they were already busy eating. The fucking traitors.

“I feel lonely,” Shi Qingxuan whined, “It’s our first day and you’re already like this!”

“I don’t want a repeat of highschool,” Hua Cheng replied, taking a spoonful of congee.

The four of them met in the last year of highschool and decided that they would go to the same university together. Hua Cheng didn’t understand, really, he didn’t consider them as friends but here he was. It wasn’t that bad since he wouldn’t have any difficulties rooming with either an annoying omega and beta or a bastard of an alpha.

“I promised that I wouldn’t drag you this time,” Shi Qingxuan said, “But that promise will expire next year. We need you to get laid before we graduate!”

“I don’t think that’s a requirement,” the other omega drawled, “I’m not interested.”

“Jeez, with that attitude, you really need a good knot–”

Hua Cheng glared at her, “Finish that and I will end you, Shi Qingxuan.”

The said omega raised their hands defensively with a pout, “Okay, okay. No mentions of it. Until next year.”

Hua Cheng gave her one last glare before focusing on his own meal. The other two were silent, most likely wanting to avoid joining in the conversation altogether. Even then, it wasn’t like them to pry in things like these. They either didn’t care or they respected Hua Cheng’s hate for alphas that even Yin Yu tried his best to keep his boyfriend away from their dorm.

Once they were done eating, Yin Yu was tasked with washing all of the dishes while Shi Qingxuan and Hua Cheng would wipe the table and some of the clutter on the floor. It was interesting how they started staying in the dorm for a few weeks and they were already at some kind of routine.

“Hua Cheng,” He Xuan called out when they were about to leave the dorm. They had about thirty minutes left before their classes would start.

“What,” the omega replied flatly.

“Save me a seat.”

Yin Yu and Hua Cheng glanced at each other, then the latter looked back at the other beta. “Why?”

He Xuan pointed at his lover with a deadpanned face, “Taking her to the business department.”

Hua Cheng rolled his eye. Why would Shi Qingxuan even take her time in their dorm when her building was a few minutes away? Couples were truly sickening. “I’ll think about it.”

“Asshole,” the beta growled.

“Pay your debt and I’ll save you a seat.”

Before He Xuan could say anything else, Hua Cheng already turned around to make his way towards the art department. Yin Yu had to jog to follow while ignoring He Xuan’s curses and Shi Qingxuan’s teasing farewell.

They were all so annoying.

Yin Yu managed to catch up with the omega at the second flight of stairs, even almost tripping due to him rushing. Hua Cheng barely acknowledged him, his eye more focused right ahead as he gripped onto his own bag tightly. He was still weary that a random alpha would appear and try to approach him, and he didn’t want to cause a headache for himself on the first damn day.

“Why are you rushing?” Yin Yu asked as he followed. He was already used to the taller man’s pace, but it was still tiring.

“I don’t want to punch an alpha’s face in broad daylight,” Hua Cheng said dryly.

Both of them knew that it was possible that he would do that and perhaps even more.

“Do you really hate them that much?”

“Do you think I’m joking?” Hua Cheng made a sharp turn,, “The only one I tolerate is your stupid dog. Even then, I wouldn’t hesitate kicking him out.”

“Yizhen isn’t too bad,” Yin Yu said defensively, “He’s just a bit…. Eager.”

“You’re biased,” the omega pointed out, “Do I need to remind you that you wanted to rip his throat out when he kept disturbing you last year–”

“Hua Cheng–”

“-And that he kept looking for you everywhere on campus? How he annoyed us to death with the question where the fuck you were–”

“Hua–”

“We were baffled that you grew feelings for him after he kept sticking to your side like some overgrown puppy. He fucking reeks, but we could tell he was happy when you answered him–”

“Okay, okay. I get it,” Yin Yu sighed. “You don’t need to remind me.”

Hua Cheng huffed, falling silent when he smelled the distress from Yin Yu. It was always like this when they asked him. Of course he wasn’t exaggerating. He had one too many horrible experiences with people to be on guard with everyone. He was glad that his puberty gave him the height and build that was good for intimidation.

He was the tallest amongst his… acquaintances and the broadest. Sometimes, he would get mistaken as an alpha until they would come closer and take a small whiff of his scent. He had seen a lot of omegas being disappointed whenever they found out and Hua Cheng always leveled them with an icy glare for them to run away.

When they slowly approached the building, both of them heard Yin Yu’s phone vibrate in his pocket. The beta immediately pulled it out to check what it was and the omega couldn’t hide his snicker.

“Your dog is looking for you?”

“....He wants to meet after class.”

“Let him approach our dorm and I’ll murder him. Got it?”

Yin Yu sighed again, “I know.”

“Come on!” Shi Qingxuan whined, making other people look at their direction with curious glances. With a simple glare from Hua Cheng, however, made them scurry off in a rush.

“Do you have to be this loud in the corridor?” He Xuan huffed as he tried to contain the omega in place. Shi Qingxuan was pouting at them, still refusing to behave.

“Let’s hang out,” she said with a huff. “It was so boring without you guys!”

It wasn’t like He Xuan, Yin Yu, and Hua Cheng had a blast on their first day. It was standard with the orientation and everything, especially with the dreadful introductions. There were some subjects that started immediately and that was where the students knew that those professors were going to be a pain in the ass.

Shi Qingxuan mentioned that her classes were only slightly interesting. The most interesting one was English since she was in a class with a few seniors. Hua Cheng didn’t listen to her rambles much, really, and all he caught was that there were three seniors that she found amusing the most. One of them was very friendly while the other two were rather hostile but mostly to each other.

It was a bit confusing.

He Xuan didn’t seem to care, but he grunted in response nonetheless. “Sounds fun.”

“He-xiong, you’re not really listening, are you?”

The beta shrugged and glanced at Yin Yu as if he was asking for help with his cold eyes. The other beta sighed, resigned to his own fate. He didn’t know why he was in such a mess in the first place.

“Qingxuan,” Yin Yu said, voice strained, “We could… go to that pizza restaurant we were eyeing on weeks ago.”

“Oh! That’s a good suggestion. We should go,” she whipped her head to face her lover.,“You’re alright with it, right He-xiong?”

“I’m hungry,” He Xuan said and that might as well be an agreement, “Let’s go. I want chicken wings.”

Hua Cheng scrunched up his nose, “I’m not going.”

The three turned their heads to him, but it was only Shi QIngxuan who looked upset about his words. She tried to approach him– probably to stick to him like a leech while she begged him to come with them. With one glare from him, however, forced her to stay put.

“Why not?” she complained with a huff. “I’m paying.”

“That’s not the point,” Hua Cheng said, “First of all, Yin Yu’s dog is coming, too.”

“Eh? I thought you’re fine with him! It would be boring without you!”

“That’s not my problem, is it,” Hua Cheng grumbled, already stepping away from the other three, “I’m leaving. I don’t want to be late for class.”

Shi Qingxuan frowned at him, “What do you mean? Don’t you guys have the same schedule?”

“I took an extra one,” the other omega rolled his eye, “History.”

He Xuan snickered, “God knows why he would even take such a thing.”

“It’s for extra credits, fish face. It looked the easiest to me,” Hua Cheng grunted, then turned around to really leave. “I don’t even know why I’m fucking explaining myself to you guys. Goodbye.”

Hua Cheng didn’t bother waiting for their response, already moving at a quick pace to leave the group behind. He could hear Shi Qingxuan shouting at him and he was glad for once that he had sensitive hearing to catch her words.

“We’ll bring some food back for you, Hua-xiong!”

Well, that wasn’t that bad of an idea, actually. He simply raised his hand and waved it lazily, showing to the other omega that he heard it.

When he finally made it to the addressed room, he was surprised to see that it was fairly empty. It was a class that he thought would be full of people that he hated, but he could see some batchmates that were alright but he had never talked to anyone aside from He Xuan and the others.

He then made his way to the back where he would always sit with He Xuan. Sometimes, Yin Yu would join them but he was the best student out of the three of them, so he would be at the front to listen properly. He ignored the looks that he got both from his batchmates and some seniors that he recognized since he couldn’t actually care less.

Hua Cheng then sat on the corner, near the other door so he could escape hell quickly. He wasn’t sure if the subject itself was boring or it would attract anyone that would make him bare his fangs. Either way, he would stay as unnoticeable as possible to have less problems for himself.

Before setting his bag down, he pulled out a notebook and a pencil. He said that he would attend for the extra credits, but it wasn’t like he would actually listen to the professor. Without his main form of entertainment (aka He Xuan and Yin Yu’s suffering), he resorted to drawing instead.

His notebook was fairly new, so it was mostly blank. He decided to draw the building that he saw last week with an odd shape, light reflecting from the glass windows. His chin was propped on his unused hand, boredly drawing the lines. While he looked bored out of his mind, his eye was focused on the sheet of paper in front of him as he checked every detail while his art unfolds.

“Hey.”

Hua Cheng froze in his seat as he clenched onto his pencil in shock. Was he concentrating that much for the person to approach him without his notice? His nose flared when he could tell that it was an alpha but to his surprise, he wasn’t that bothered with the person’s scent. In fact, he actually liked it. He even liked the alpha’s voice; smooth and rich, very pleasant to the ears. There was a hint of lightness to it, telling that he was friendly.

This time, he paused in surprise. What the actual fuck?

He quickly looked up to shoot a glare at the alpha, but his icy demeanor melted when he locked eyes with warm golden ones. At the back of the omega’s mind, he didn’t expect to meet the most handsome man that he had ever seen in his whole life in a fucking history class.

He was wearing a gray hoodie that engulfed the alpha’s whole frame and his washed jeans looked like it had seen better days. His dark brown hair was short and a bit unruly, but Hua Cheng found him too handsome to notice it.

The alpha tilted his head, a confused and concerned smile on his face, “Are you okay?”

Hua Cheng blinked a few times, the hold on his pencil slack. Then, he quickly regained his composure and smiled. He hoped it was as charming as he thought, “Yes, I am. Sorry, gege, you just caught me by surprise.”

The alpha’s brows raised in surprise and amusement, “It’s fine.” Then, he motioned towards the seat right beside the omega, “Is this seat free?”

Hua Cheng quickly glanced around him. There were more people compared to when he first arrived, but there were still more empty seats around the area. That made him wonder why the alpha would try to sit beside him.

Then again, he wouldn’t complain. He liked the alpha’s presence already. He thought that it was a good sign considering he had always bore his fangs at any other alphas in his life.

He shook his head, “No one but you dare come near me, gege. It’s free.”

The alpha smiled brightly and took a seat. He turned towards him and outstretched his hand, “My name is Xie Lian.”

Hua Cheng took it, surprising himself, “You may call me San Lang.”

Xie Lian nodded and slowly let the omega’s hand go, “Have we met before?”

“No, why?”

“You called me gege,” the alpha laughed and he quickly noticed that Hua Cheng stiffened. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind it. It’s just that you either know me or your guess is good.”

“It’s my first time seeing such a handsome gege,” Hua Cheng grinned. “I’m a freshman here, so I’m pretty new.”

Xie Lian’s face was flushed as he kept his smile on his face, “You flatter me, San Lang. I’m a senior here, so your guess is good.”

Then, they slowly fall to a rather lively chat that Hua Cheng saw that some of his batchmates were surprised when he let out a laugh that wasn’t degrading or menacing. He could understand their surprise, since he wasn’t usually this nice to anyone so far.

He then found out that Xie Lian played sports; volleyball, to be exact. He just got back from a short practice that he decided to give himself and the omega guessed that was the reason why the alpha’s scent was so strong, and oddly enough, it didn’t bother him one bit.

It was a bit strange that there was only a small space between them and Hua Cheng couldn’t feel his skin crawling at the mere thought of being close to an alpha. He couldn’t help himself. Xie Lian’s personality was pleasant, his body warm, and the way he paid attention to him was genuine.

It didn’t help the fact that he really smelled good and that he could tell that everything wasn’t for show.

He was a bit torn about whether to keep his distance from Xie Lian or not, but from the way their bodies turned to each other as they cracked each other up with lame jokes or sharp tongues, Hua Cheng couldn’t stop himself from being that compelled to the other.

(Also, he was hot and he could tell that there were firm muscles underneath that hoodie. No one could judge him, really.)

“Have you played a sport before, San Lang?” Xie Lian asked, propping his chin on his palm as he zeroed in all his attention to the omega.

Hua Cheng could feel the heat creeping up his neck from all the alpha’s attentiveness and tried to return the same intensity with a grin, “I dabble in a few here and there. Nothing has stuck to me so far.”

“Oh?” Xie Lian leaned in closer, his eyes sparkling, “Have you tried volleyball, then?”

“Not really,” the omega admitted, “Will the ace care to teach me?”

Xie Lian laughed, pleasantly surprised, “Of course!”

Before Hua Cheng could say anything else, the professor finally arrived. With one last look at each other, they put a respectable distance between them just because the professor wouldn’t scold them that way. Yet, the omega noticed that it was still closer than when they first talked.

When everyone took their seats, Hua Cheng noticed that there were empty spaces around him, making him wonder why no one would come even near them. He knew that he was intimidating and he never gave off friendly vibes, but that didn’t stop them most of the time.

Unless…

He glanced at Xie Lian and he was surprised that the alpha was already looking back at him with a smile on his face, making the corner of his lips quirk up in response. He averted his gaze again to his notebook, letting the presence of Xie Lian comfort him while he zone out what the professor was telling them to do for the first week.

When class was finally over, everyone seemed to file out of the room at the same time the moment the professor left. The only ones who took their time were some small groups of friends, Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng.

The said omega sighed as he packed his notebook in his bag, “I wasn’t wrong.”

“Hm?” Xie Lian glanced at him as he fixed his own things. “About what?”

“This class is boring,” Hua Cheng grinned cheekily, “But then again, it changed when I discovered gege is in the same class as me. It became more interesting.”

Xie Lian let out a huff of amusement before shaking his head, “Shameless.”

Once they were done with their bags, they both stood up. They blinked at each other in surprise and amusement when they faced each other. Hua Cheng didn’t expect to be towering over Xie Lian. He was probably a head taller than the alpha, but Xie Lian had the presence to make up for it.

“San Lang,” Xie Lian said, grinning. “You’re very tall.”

“It’s the genes, gege,” Hua Cheng responded with his own smile. “It’s nothing much.”

The alpha craned his neck a bit to lock eyes with him and Hua Cheng couldn’t look away, “Do you have anything to do right now?”

“No,” the omega replied, tilting his head curiously. “I’m free the rest of the day.”

Xie Lian hummed before he motioned them towards the exit, his eyes sparkling a bit. Understanding, Hua Cheng followed him and matched his pace to an easy stride, ignoring the people’s stares in the corridor. The immediate thought that came to the omega’s mind was that Xie Lian was definitely very popular.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng called as he let Xie Lian step closer. “Do you have anything to do today?”

“I have practice in two hours,” the alpha shrugged casually and glanced at him, his eyes full of hope, “Want to grab snacks with me? I know a place with good fries, if you want.”

Hua Cheng raised his brows in surprise, “Don’t athletes have to follow some diet or something?”

Xie Lian chuckled, placing a slender finger on his lips, “Keep it a secret and we’ll be fine, San Lang. Besides, I don’t do this everyday.”

The younger man had the feeling that he didn’t get to do it with anyone either. In the end, he didn’t hesitate to nod. He thought it was worth it seeing how Xie Lian’s smile broadened at his response.

“Lead the way, gege.”

When they first entered the establishment, Hua Cheng almost thought that he would meet Shi Qingxuan and the others since they were eating out. To his relief, they weren’t there to either laugh at him or be too shocked when he was accompanying an alpha willingly . Either way, he was sure that the other omega would bring it up at every opportunity when she found out.

Even if Xie Lian said that he didn’t go to the place everyday, he seemed like a regular. The staff were greeting him with polite smiles and waves that were genuine. They also gave Hua Cheng a short bow and a small greeting that was given to every other customer.

The place was small and hole-in-the-wall-esque; it wasn’t a place that he expected Xie Lian to enjoy, but the alpha was just full of surprises. The establishment was fairly empty with a customer or two that were seated far away from them. Perhaps Xie Lian could tell that Hua Cheng didn’t do well with strangers.

A staff approached and Xie Lian easily said, “My usual, but make it two.”

“Sure,” the staff said with a grin, glancing at Hua Cheng with curiosity. “You never brought anyone else along, Xiao Lian. Got tired of your rowdy friends?”

“He’s a new friend,” the alpha replied kindly. “I met him today– Ah, San Lang, this is Tian Sheng.”

“At your service,” Tian Sheng gave the omega a thumbs-up. “I think you’ll like the food here. Xiao Lian always comes back, anyway, so the food must be good.”

Xie Lian laughed while Hua Cheng nodded along, not wanting to offend Tian Sheng. He seemed like a good person and he could sense that he was a beta. Well, a tolerable person in Hua Cheng’s taste. The only person that he thought highly of was, well, Xie Lian. A true shocker of the century.

“I’ll leave you two alone now,” Tian Sheng said as he slowly stepped away from their table. “I’ll be back with your water and all.”

“Thank you, Tian Sheng,” Xie Lian responded.

When Tian Sheng left, the alpha gave his attention to Hua Cheng yet again. They stared at each other for a few moments before breaking into a fit of giggles.

“Do I look funny to you, gege?” Hua Cheng asked in between laughs.

“Hey, you laughed too, San Lang!”

“It’s because you laughed first.”

“But I laughed because your face looked funny!”

Hua Cheng gasped, feigned hurt, “Gege, are you calling me ugly?”

“No! San Lang is very handsome,” Xie Lian quickly said, then he realized immediately as well. “San Lang, don’t fish for compliments!”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

They chuckled again, not even stopping when Tian Sheng approached them again to give them their glasses of water and utensils while rolling his eyes out of amusement. The beta didn’t even bother saying anything and left without a word.

Once they had both calmed down, Xie Lian wiped the stray tear at the corner of his eye, “God, San Lang, I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.”

“It’s an honor to make gege laugh, then,” Hua Cheng grinned before taking a sip of his water, “But, don’t your ‘rowdy’ friends make you laugh, too?”

“At times, yeah,” Xie Lian drank a bit of his water, “But they can be annoying at times when they can’t stop butting heads in the court, you know? I had to threaten them too many times, but they never learned.”

“What kind of punishment does gege give, hm?” Hua Cheng asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Xie Lian snorted, “Extra reps, San Lang. It’s nothing exciting.” Then, there was a certain glint in his eyes, “But, I can arrange something else for you.”

With the way the alpha looked at him and how his eyes grew darker, Hua Cheng could feel the heat slowly creeping up his neck to his ears and cheeks. Xie Lian could probably see that his face was as red as his clothes, but the alpha didn’t say a thing.

Hua Cheng licked his lips, averting his gaze away, “Ah, this time gege is the shameless one.”

Xie Lian shook his head fondly, “I’m innocent.”

The omega looked at him disbelievingly while Xie Lian challenged it with his own amused look. Before Hua Cheng could say anything else, Tian Sheng appeared again with a broad smile and their food. The said beta laid everything down and Hua Cheng had to admit that it did look delicious.

They started eating and settled with the comfortable silence between them. There were a few customers who entered as well. Every now and then, Hua Cheng glanced by the door just in case it was either Shi Qingxuan and the others or different alphas. He still paid attention to Xie Lian, of course, but that didn’t stop him from being on guard.

If the alpha noticed it, he didn’t mention anything yet. Although, Hua Cheng could tell that Xie Lian was mildly curious about his actions. It was more of a force of habit even if he felt safe around Xie Lian. Years of being on guard wouldn’t melt from his body that fast, but he thought it’d be better to explain.

“It’s a habit, gege,” Hua Cheng said as casually as possible. “Also, before we had our history class, my… friends went out to eat. I just didn’t want to deal with them when I’m with you.”

Xie Lian raised his eyebrows at his hesitation to call them ‘friends’, but he didn’t ask to elaborate. Instead, he asked, “Why not?”

“They’re annoying,” the omega said matter-of-factly. “I don’t want gege to be bothered by them.”

“I don’t think I’ll exactly mind,” the other chuckled as he grabbed a piece of fry. “I like meeting new people.”

“They’re horrible, gege. It’s not worth it,” Hua Cheng grimaced, “They’re already annoying as roommates.”

“Oh? You stay in the dorms?”

“En, with two of my friends. I usually wouldn’t room with anyone, but I know them long enough to know I don’t need to keep an eye open,” Hua Cheng snorted at his own words, “They’re betas, too, so it’s better that way.”

Then, the omega watched Xie Lian’s face contort into something he couldn’t place. A flash of worry and anger? Why would he be angry, though? He shook those thoughts away; he shouldn’t assume when they had only met and got to know each other a few hours earlier. Though, he couldn’t ignore the bitter scent from the alpha even if it was hidden fairly well. 

Either way, the emotion all but disappeared when the alpha schooled his face with one of his pleasant smiles.

“How so?”

“I don’t get along with the other two,” the other shrugged, gesturing between the two of them. “It’s hard to explain.”

“I… I see,” Xie Lian nodded slowly, understanding. He then pursed his lips, “Isn’t it still dangerous for you, though? They still have instinct.”

Hua Cheng coughed, a bit horrified to think that his roommates would even think of touching him, “They know they’ll die if they try, gege. Besides, they have their own mates to busy themselves with who, by the way, are also as annoying as them.”

Then, his nose instantly picked up the relief rolling off like waves from Xie Lian. He tried his best to not let it show on his face that he sensed it, watching the alpha clear his throat and flash a nervous smile.

“I see. That’s good, then.”

Hua Cheng stared at him for a few more moments before nodding to himself, saving the other some face.

Curious.

When they finished eating, they parted ways on campus grounds. At first, Xie Lian insisted that he would walk Hua Cheng back to their dorms, but the omega politely declined. He didn’t want Xie Lian to tire himself of going to the gym before practice from his place and the dorms were mostly filled with betas and omegas.

“Oh, right,” Xie Lian chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, “I forgot. My friends and I stay at our own shared apartment off campus…”

Hua Cheng could sense that the alpha was disappointed, so he quickly said, “It’s okay, gege. We’ll meet tomorrow, right?”

Xie Lian’s eyes lit up and nodded excitedly, “Yeah, we are!” He then whipped out his phone from his pocket and offered it up to the omega, “Can I get your number? I just– San Lang, don’t laugh– I really had a fun time with you.”

The taller man laughed even more, taking the phone easily. He ignored the way he felt when they accidentally brushed hands as he did so, “Don’t worry, gege, I had fun with you as well.”

He quickly typed in his number and handed it back to the alpha, “Let me be the bold one next time, gege.”

Xie Lian laughed and shook his head fondly, “I can’t promise that, San Lang.”

They grinned at each other one more time before Xie Lian had to rush and run in the opposite direction for his training. Hua Cheng had to jog up to his dorm as well now that night was slowly approaching.

And as he climbed up the stairs, there were still a few people littering around the corridor as they breathed in the cool air. Either they didn’t want to handle the sudden homework they were given or their roommates were pretty annoying.

The omega didn’t care in the slightest; he continued climbing to the third floor without looking at anyone else. They were eyeing him, making him almost wonder what the hell did he do to gain their attention?

Once he arrived at their dorm, he didn’t bother knocking and opened it himself with his own keys. The moment he opened it, the familiar scent that hit his nose eased his nerves from all the staring that he just experienced. He wasn’t surprised that Shi Qingxuan was still there and the faint smell of chicken was wafting in the air.

As he locked the door, he kicked off his shoes carelessly as he called out, “Are you actually watching that show without me?!”

“We’re only in the second episode!” Shi Qingxuan replied with her own shout. “Come over here, we have chicken and shumai!”

Hua Cheng huffed, padding his way to their cramped living room area. He immediately saw the three huddling up on the couch and he was glad that Yin Yu didn’t bring Quan Yizhen in. He would literally throw that alpha out if he did so. Perhaps he would do it to Yin Yu as well.

He raised his brows as the three were still too focused on the laptop screen that was resting on the coffee table. It was a show that they all agreed to watch together, but he wasn’t particularly surprised that they went ahead. Shi Qingxuan was always like that when she’s interested in a show.

“I would have murdered you three if it weren’t for the food,” Hua Cheng grumbled as he approached them to stand behind the couch to take a small peek of the screen.

Then, he noticed that He Xuan stiffened in his seat. His attention was diverted to the beta now, raising a silent brow at him in question. He wasn’t even that near him and the show wasn’t horror, so why was he acting like that?

He Xuan looked up, locking eyes with him. He was glaring as his nose scrunched up in disgust.

“What,” the omega asked flatly.

“You fucking stink,” He Xuan said petulantly, “Have you been hanging out with an alpha all day?”

Hua Cheng scoffed, but made no sound to deny the accusation. That was enough for the other two to freeze before Shi Qingxuan scrambled to pause the show and face the other omega with both a frantic and gleeful look in her eyes.

“Oh my god, Hua-xiong, have you been with an alpha today?!”

“That’s none of your business,” Hua Cheng replied, glancing at Yin Yu for help but the beta shrugged.

“It does reek,” the beta said quietly, “It’s quite possessive, too.”

Hua Cheng was confused. Why would it be possessive?

“Just go and use that soap. I’m suffocating enough from it already, fuck .”

“Fuck you, too,” the omega glared at He Xuan before stomping off.

He understood why they could smell Xie Lian on him, but he didn’t think that he was close enough for it to be that strong. The alpha barely touched him, too, so he couldn’t understand where he got it from. Yin Yu didn’t get that kind of reaction from any of them even when Quan Yizhen was practically rubbing his scent all over him, so what was the problem?

He shrugged to himself, thinking that he could just handle the situation another time. For now, he focused on finding a fresh pair of clothes and dumping his current one in the basket before sprinting his way to the bathroom.

Hua Cheng took a quick shower and used the soap where it could usually remove most of the foreign scent that was on them. The omega could remember the instances that he had used this when he locked himself up in his room to suffer his heat all alone and wash himself off right after.

The others had their own as well since they didn’t want the apartment to suffer. Hua Cheng’s lonely heat was more than enough to suffocate the whole place. It didn’t help when He Xuan would help Shi Qingxuan and Yin Yu would assist Quan Yizhen.

Once he was done, he put on his clothes and made his way back to the living where they were now watching. It was probably the third episode already. The fuckers.

“I’m done,” he called out, “Where’s the food?”

“Kitchen!” Shi Qingxuan responded, pointing in the general direction, “On the table. Yin Yu bought us beer, too!”

Hua Cheng rolled his eye and went to the kitchen. The food was still in the plastic bag and he could tell it was still warm. He picked it up and grabbed the beer inside the fridge and returned to the living room. He plopped down on the floor near Shi Qingxuan without a care after placing the food and drinks by the laptop.

“God, I can still smell it,” He Xuan complained as he reached out to grab a beer, “You suck.”

“I used the fucking soap. Fuck off,” the omega grumbled as he unwrapped the food and took a piece of fried chicken, “You guys are on episode three. Shut up.”

He Xuan rolled his eyes, but remained silent. He knew that any more cursing and he would get a kick to his stomach. Hua Cheng wasn’t afraid to really do it.

Shi Qingxuan leaned in, glancing at the other omega from the screen, “You know, it smells kinda familiar. It’s not as strong as I remember, though.”

“You’re just imagining it,” Hua Cheng replied without looking, “And no, I’m not going to tell who .”

He didn’t even need to see her face to know that she was pouting at him.

The next day, Hua Cheng couldn’t understand why he woke up feeling his body sore and hot. Last night wasn’t even painfully hot, so why did he wake up covered in sweat? He groaned as he slowly got up from his bed, wincing when he felt the sheets wet from his sweat.

He could already tell that Yin Yu and He Xuan were up based on the small cluttering of pans in their kitchen area and the soft murmurs from them, so he went ahead and dashed to the showers. It was like yesterday; a quick shower, abusing the soap by scrubbing it relentlessly on his skin, and dressed up in his fresh clothes.

When he made it to the kitchen area, they were already eating and saved a portion of breakfast for him. To his surprise, Shi Qingxuan was nowhere in sight. His confusion must’ve been obvious since He Xuan glanced at him.

“She said she needed to be early.”

“That’s a surprise,” Hua Cheng commented as he took a seat to start eating.

He Xuan shrugged, digging more into his food, “Her senior offered to teach her a few things she couldn’t understand and he’s only available in the morning.”

The omega snickered, “Careful, fish face. Your mate might get too friendly.”

“Bold of you to assume she would do that,” He Xuan scoffed, “Besides, the senior doesn’t look interested. He doesn’t look like that kind of alpha.”

Hua Cheng raised his brow, the question of Shi Qingxuan’s safety clear in his expression. The beta just stared at him for a few moments before shrugging, as if it was a half-ass way to show some kind of reassurance.

Once they were done eating, Yin Yu was the victim again that was subjected to washing the dishes while the other two were preparing to leave.

Hua Cheng wasn’t even excited; the only thing he was looking forward to was his last class with Xie Lian. He truly had fun with him and they even started texting each other last night. It was mostly simple, mindless chatter but the omega thought it was far better than listening to Shi Qingxuan’s gossip stories for the day.

When they were all ready to head out, Hua Cheng was stopped when He Xuan glared at him with a disgusted look on his face; his face scrunching up and his gold eyes roamed over the omega’s face.

“What?” Hua Cheng asked, irritated by the attention. It was nothing like when Xie Lian would look at him. “Do you want to fight before class or something?”

“Please don’t,” Yin Yu immediately pleaded behind them.

He Xuan rolled his eyes before he reached his hand in his pocket. The other two were eyeing him suspiciously until he brought something out that Hua Cheng recognized. He had to admit that he was mildly surprised when the beta tossed it to him.

It was scent blockers.

“What the–”

“Use it,” He Xuan said, his tone persistent, “You reek.”

Hua Cheng sent him a nasty glare, but proceeded to apply the scent blockers on his scent glands. He Xuan wouldn’t usually demand the omega of something unless it was actually serious, so he did it just in case. Yin Yu was glancing between them, frowning after as if he just realized something.

Once he was done, he tossed the wrapper at He Xuan and the beta dodged with ease, but surprisingly made no snarky remarks about it. Instead, he leaned a bit to take a small whiff at him and Hua Cheng had to stop himself from punching the other from instinct.

“Good enough,” the beta shrugged and barrelled ahead, finally exiting their dorm.

Hua Cheng looked over at Yin Yu and the latter could only shrug.

The day passed like normal; already too much to do with homework, a few group projects, and papers to write. It was god awful. Luckily for Hua Cheng and the others, they were more focused on art, so they didn’t have as much paper as Shi Qingxuan.

History class ended with something to research that didn’t sound too bad for Hua Cheng. It was just finding anything about the kingdom of Xian Le that they could scour on the internet. The omega had to admit that it was something interesting at least.

Although, he wasn’t doing that at the moment. He was asked by Xie Lian once again if he was free for the afternoon. As the omega thought of the million assignments that he had been assigned to do, he said yes.

Why would he deny spending some time with the alpha?

“How was practice yesterday, gege?” Hua Cheng asked when they found a vacant bench in the courtyard to sit on.

“It was fun as usual,” the alpha replied enthusiastically, “I think I overworked the team with my serves a bit, but wouldn’t it be like that in competitions?”

“Gege is right, of course. You should keep pushing them.”

Xie Lian laughed, “I should. I think my friends would hit you for encouraging me.” Then, he grinned at the taller man, “Though, it’s not like I’d let them. They have to go through me first.”

Hua Cheng couldn’t understand why, but something stirred within him when he heard how protective Xie Lian was of him. The feeling made him register the heat that he had been feeling since earlier and it didn’t bother him until he was aware of it again. Fuck.

He didn’t know what’s wrong with him. Was he coming down to a fever? He didn’t think so considering he never had any sickness in a long while. But, what if it was–

He shook his head internally. It couldn’t be.

Xie Lian tilted his head, worried when Hua Cheng was silent for too long, “San Lang?”

The omega blinked and stared at the man beside him, “Sorry, gege. Did you say something?”

“I was asking if you were alright, but I think that answers my question.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just thinking about the assignments that I need to do later.”

“Oh,” Xie Lian frowned slightly, “Do you need to go back? We can just talk another time–”

“It’s alright, gege,” Hua Cheng quickly said, “I’d rather spend time with you.”

At his words, the alpha’s frown was replaced with a bright smile. He must’ve detected that he was being truly sincere since he really was. The homework wasn’t hard, it was just a lot. Luckily, not everything was due the next day.

They resumed talking; it was mostly Xie Lian talking about his small trips here and there when their volleyball team was out for tournaments and whatnot. He even told some embarrassing stories about his friends since he thought it was a good idea to have that kind of information.

“Ah, gege is such a bad influence; teaching me how to blackmail,” Hua Cheng teased.

Xie Lian chuckled, endeared, “Well, to be honest, they did this to me with a new friend of ours, so this is a small revenge for that.”

They giggled at that, their bodies turning to each other as they switched the topic to Hua Cheng. He honestly didn’t know what he could talk about, so he settled with what happened when he got back to the dorm yesterday. He omitted the fact that he reeked of the alpha’s scent that was enough to suffocate He Xuan, though.

He mentioned that those fuckers betrayed him by watching the show without him, but he didn’t murder them since they did buy food for him (he didn’t miss the way Xie Lian snorted at that and he was completely endeared).

“By the way, San Lang,” Xie Lian murmured, slowly leaning in the barely existent space between them. “You smell… a bit different today.”

“Oh,” Hua Cheng blinked, surprised that he didn’t mind the closeness they were in. He couldn’t help but breathe in the alpha’s alluring scent before slapping himself internally to stop. He shouldn’t act like a creep. “I think it’s the scent blockers that He Xuan made me wear.”

Xie Lian frowned at that and if he was like a cat, his body would’ve bristled in annoyance, “And why would he do that?”

Hua Cheng shrugged, unaware of the alpha’s hostility towards the beta that wasn’t even there, “He wasn’t clear on it, but he wouldn’t usually ask me for things aside from money, so I put it on.”

The omega couldn’t understand why Xie Lian looked… displeased about it. Did it smell offensive to him or he didn’t like that it was used. Hua Cheng was confused, now smelling notes of anger and bitterness from the alpha.

“Gege, are you alright?”

Then, as if it was just a light switch, the scent faded just as Xie Lian smiled at him, “I’m alright, San Lang. Don’t worry.”

Before Hua Cheng could ask again to be sure, he was cut off when he felt a very familiar presence closing in. He turned towards the left, making the alpha look in the same direction as well just to see Shi Qingxuan skipping their way.

Great. Just what he wanted.

“Hua-xiong!” the other omega waved enthusiastically. “You’re still here!”

“Why are you even here?” Hua Cheng grumbled to himself before glancing at Xie Lian apologetically, “Sorry, gege.”

“It’s fine,” the alpha replied softly and he did look fine. “I actually–”

There was a gasp heard and Hua Cheng had to stop himself from sighing deeply. Instead, he took in a deep breath to calm himself down before looking back at the other omega. He raised a brow when her eyes kept flitting back between them now that she was standing right in front of them.

“Xie-xiong!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, “It’s weird seeing you at these hours. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I had history. I’m classmates with San Lang,” the alpha gestured towards Hua Cheng with an easy smile, “Class just ended, actually.”

“I didn’t know you two know each other,” Shi Qingxuan pouted at Hua Cheng, “Why didn’t you tell me?! Xie-xiong was the senior I was talking about!”

“Like hell if I knew it was gege,” the omega rolled his eye, “You never mentioned his name. Anyways, what are you doing here?”

Shi Qingxuan huffed, “I visited Ge in the council room. I really wish I hadn’t if I knew he would scold me again .”

Hua Cheng wanted to say something like that she deserved it, but he opted to remain silent instead. He watched as Shi Qingxuan’s eyes still wandered between them with wonder, as if she could sense something between them.

And in Hua Cheng’s defense, he would like to think that he and Xie Lian were friends. A quickly progressive kind of friendship that let him feel so safe around the alpha. It even helped that it felt like Xie Lian was content with his presence as well.

With one more look, Shi Qingxuan gave one last knowing glance at Hua Cheng, “Well, I’m off to buy food for He-xiong. Do you want something later?”

Before he could reply, he could feel Xie Lian moving closer towards him and the alpha’s arm draped over the backrest right behind Hua Cheng, “Don’t worry, Qingxuan. I’ll be eating with San Lang later.”

If Shi Qingxuan could, she would’ve squealed by now, “Oh, okay. I’ll leave you two alone, then. See you guys later!”

And like the wind, she skipped away while humming cheerfully. Hua Cheng could tell that she was ready to grab her phone and message He Xuan and Yin Yu to inform them who Hua Cheng was with at that very moment. The traitor.

After a moment of silence, Hua Cheng looked over at Xie Lian with a grin, “Gege is taking me out to dinner?”

“If you’d like,” Xie Lian shrugged, but the omega could tell from the way he moved that he was nervous. “There’s a place with good mapo tofu and I’ve honestly been craving it for a while. I think It’d be better with your company, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng liked it that the alpha specifically said that his company would make it better. He nodded without hesitation, “Of course, gege. All you really need to do is ask.”

Xie Lian smiled brightly at him, “That’s good to know for next time, then.”

Oh, how Hua Cheng realized that he was truly whipped for the man.

It was already later than usual when Hua Cheng came back to their dorm and he wasn’t surprised to see that Shi Qingxuan and the others were watching something again. He Xuan was eating something, most likely the food that Shi Qingxuan bought earlier. He noticed that there was a container left untouched, presumably for him.

He didn’t bother greeting them and he went straight to changing his clothes. He knew that He Xuan would complain again, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at this rate. He was happy at the fact that he smelled like Xie Lian since that might be the only time that it’d be close enough to the alpha actually scenting him himself.

Once he was done, he ripped off the scent blocker that was on him with a small sigh of relief. It felt suffocating somehow. Then, he made his way back out in the living room after he grabbed his food and then finally plopped down right beside Shi Qingxuan. They were all watching a movie and from just a few seconds of seeing it, the movie looked pretty interesting.

“Oh, you’re back,” Shi Qingxuan said, glancing at him.

Hua Cheng hummed, opening the container and the scent of the food quickly hitting his nostrils. It smelled pretty good. He started eating, ignoring the way the other omega was looking at him every now and then. He could tell that she was curious about his relationship with Xie Lian, but he made no acknowledgement of it.

He focused so much on eating and watching the movie that he completely missed the way that Yin Yu and He Xuan were now giving him a look . Their brows were furrowed, fingers pinching their noses. They were confused but at the same time, they were surprised. It would be strange seeing them like that considering they didn’t usually express their emotions out in the open.

Shi Qingxuan must’ve sensed it since she whipped her head to face her mate, raising a brow questioningly. He Xuan glanced at her before gesturing towards Hua Cheng as he pointed at his own nose. The omega frowned, stealing a few glances at Hua Cheng then back at her lover. Then, she took a deep breath. As soon as the scent hit her nose, her eyes widened as her head snapped in the other omega’s direction.

Feeling the three pairs of eyes on him, Hua Cheng grunted without removing his eye from the screen, “What.”

“Hua Cheng.”

The said omega’s eyebrow twitched as he heard He Xuan, “If you’re gonna comment about Xie Lian’s scent, I’ll knock you off that couch right now.”

“Who the fuck– Anyways , that’s not important. It’s something else.”

“Then what is it?”

It was Yin Yu who decided to drop the information, “You’re in preheat.”

All eyes were on him and it wasn’t much of a stretch to say that Hua Cheng was icily glaring at him.

“It’s my own body,” Hua Cheng growled as he lowered his food, “I know that I’m not.”

“You smell like it, though,” Shi Qingxuan frowned, “Haven’t you felt it lately?”

Yes. “No.”

He Xuan was scrutinizing him and Hua Cheng couldn’t help but send a nasty look in the beta’s direction in return. While he did feel hotter than normal, he didn’t feel anything else. But that was the thing; he wouldn’t usually feel much until his heat would start.

“Besides,” Hua Cheng drawled, “You three, disturbingly enough, know my cycle. It’s still weeks away and I haven’t exactly started nesting.”

“We know that your symptoms kick you out of nowhere, you know,” Shi Qingxuan rolled her eyes, “We’re not kidding. We can tell.”

The other omega frowned, “How the hell–?”

“It must be the alpha you’ve been hanging out with,” He Xuan shrugged, “Don’t look at me like that, asshole. I didn’t mean intentionally . It’s just that his scent might’ve been strong enough to trigger it early.”

“And that also means you like it,” Yin Yu chimed in and Hua Cheng wished he would shut up instead, “Maybe you shouldn’t go to class tomorrow.”

“I’m fine,” the omega waved dismissively, “I probably have a day or two left before it really kicks in.”

Well, he hoped so, but he didn’t want to say it out loud.

Then, he suddenly realized something that made him point an accusing glare at He Xuan, “You fucking knew this morning and you didn’t tell me.”

He Xuan scoffed, “I wasn’t sure. That’s why I gave you the scent blocker.”

“Oh,” Shi Qingxuan nodded in thought, “No wonder I could tell that Xie-xiong was bothered by something. I guess it was that.”

Hua Cheng looked at her, confused, “Why would he be bothered?”

Shi Qingxuan stared at him and it was clear that it said ‘Are you pulling my leg?’, but he truly had no idea what the other omega meant. In the end, he didn’t bother thinking too much about it and resumed eating as he ignored her. He knew that she was worried in a way, but it wasn’t like he could stop it.

He’d just have to spend his heat all alone earlier than usual.

Now that he was painfully aware, Hua Cheng was groaning in pain as he tried to get up from his bed.

It was hot . He wasn’t too sure if it was because of the current weather or it was his stupid heat warning him that he shouldn’t exactly move around. It was dangerous and in that state, he was practically an alpha magnet. He had always experienced this no matter what, but he had never let anyone near him or even touch him.

He’d rather spend his days suffering alone than let a random alpha or beta take him. Hell, he wouldn’t let an omega touch him either. The only people that got close to him during those times were Shi Qingxuan and the others, but they had zero intentions to ‘help’ him that way and he was glad for that.

They would help him with food and water or did their best to support him without staying too long inside his room. He appreciated it, truly, since he had never felt that someone actually cared for him when he was a child until he had met them during high school.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he did his best to get out of bed. His clothes were sticking to him like glue and it was fucking annoying, but he forced himself to move around like usual.

Was he actually going to heat? It was way earlier than usual.

He showered, ignoring the stickiness running down his thigh. He’d just have to find a way to not make it too obvious. It was already too late to hide it from He Xuan and Yin Yu since they were already looking at him. The two of them knew that Hua Cheng was stubborn, so all He Xuan did was hand him another scent blocker to try dampening the thick scent of the omega’s incoming heat.

Hua Cheng would’ve said thanks if they were normal, but they weren’t. Instead, he nodded and put it on without a damn word. Yin Yu looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t push it and the omega was pretty much grateful for that.

.

.

.

The day passed by with too many stares and people who didn’t know Hua Cheng or his reputation approaching him. He would always growl, visibly bristling when an alpha would attempt to approach him and let out pheromones that made him angrier than making him want them.

It was fucking annoying.

He Xuan and Yin Yu couldn’t do anything much since there were more haughty alphas than not, so even if they even bare their fangs, it wouldn’t have that much of an effect. Even a few professors told him to go back and rest, most likely seeing that the class was suffocating from the smell of his heat, but Hua Cheng remained in his seat.

He was sweating profusely, but he had always been so stubborn.

The attempts of other people didn’t stop even if it was already his last class with He Xuan and Yin Yu. Hua Cheng had to glare whenever some of the alphas showed off, as if saying that they could ‘take care’ of him, but he would pretty much rather die.

As he made his way to history class once they were done, he was accompanied by the two betas. He refused them at first, but when they saw him stumble into the corridor, they persisted. There were predatory eyes on him now, yet Hua Cheng just found it amusing that He Xuan and Yin Yu were being protective.

Sensing that, He Xuan just grumbled, “If you actually stayed in your fucking bed, we wouldn’t have a difficult time today.”

Yin Yu merely sighed, but he agreed.

“I was fine this morning,” Hua Cheng said, easily lying through his teeth, “I thought I could handle it.”

“Here I thought you’re actually smart,” He Xuan rolled his eyes, “Now shut the fuck up. Let us do this.”

Hua Cheng wanted to say something again just to annoy the hell out of the beta, but he could tell that the two were serious, so he let it be. It was his fault to begin with; he should’ve stayed in bed the moment he recognized the pain in his body. His head was already spinning as they walked through the corridor, but he gritted his teeth as he endured the  pain.

“Do you want to go back?” Yin Yu asked as he watched his friend’s face. It wasn’t pleasant as it contorted in pain.

The omega had to admit that his sight was rather blurry and their voices were a little too loud for him. He knew that there was something wrong since Yin Yu had always been soft spoken, so his heat was definitely worsening.

“I’m fine,” he replied, voice strained, “Just. Drag me to the room if you have to.”

“God, if this is about meeting your alpha or whatever, you’re fucking stupid.”

“Shut up,” Hua Cheng snapped at He Xuan, “He’s not even my alpha.”

“Not yet,” the beta scoffed, unamused, “From how he discreetly scents you, he wants to claim you. It’s also more aggressive to me, so I guess he doesn’t like me.”

Hua Cheng’s head was throbbing in pain, not fully registering his words, “Shut up. You’re so loud.”

He Xuan looked very close to throwing him down the stairs but oddly enough, he didn’t do that at all. The two continued guiding him now that they were already close to the classroom. They had difficulty in asking Hua Cheng for directions, considering that the omega was dazed at the moment.

Yin Yu looked over the other beta, already prepared to run back towards their dorm to help Hua Cheng. He was stopped when He Xuan mouthed something that was unexpected.

‘Let him see his alpha first or he’ll go feral on us.’

The beta was confused since Hua Cheng just said that the guy wasn’t his alpha. Then again, based on how happy the omega was and that he always reeked on the said alpha, it was most likely a mutual attraction.

Surprisingly, Hua Cheng was already fond of the alpha within a few days.

They continued on, hearing the omega mutter the word ‘gege’ under his breath. Both of them assumed that was the alpha in question. He Xuan regretted not being able to ask Shi Qingxuan what the guy looked like so they would’ve had an easier time looking for him.

Once they arrived at the room, it was still fairly empty. He Xuan was left to support the omega’s whole weight while Yin Yu had to sneak around. The few people that were there were glancing at their direction, most likely catching Hua Cheng’s scent by now.

“Fuck, this is embarrassing as hell,” He Xuan grumbled as he felt the heat radiating off the omega. It was getting uncomfortable, “I swear to god you’re gonna cut off some of my debt for enduring this.”

“Fuck you,” Hua Cheng groaned, “Where’s gege? I need him.”

“That’s not what you said earlier.”

“I need him, He Xuan. Please .”

Under normal circumstances, He Xuan would’ve cough out of surprise since he had never heard the omega begged. Even if he was under the influence in his heat years ago, he had never asked for anyone.

Well, that somehow changed.

He Xuan moved them until their backs were against the wall so he could have extra support. Hua Cheng was a tall man with a fit frame, no one could blame the beta that he was having a rather difficult time in keeping him up for long. Plus, even if he wasn’t affected by the omega’s heat, it still made him a bit dizzy due to the strength and closeness of it.

Yin Yu returned a few moments later with a frown. He shook his head, “There wasn’t anyone there that resembled him. Maybe he’s late?”

He Xuan then glared at the omega and nudged him harshly, “Hey, is your alpha always late or what?”

“Not usually,” Hua Cheng mumbled, “Where is he, you dick? Are you hiding him from me?”

“God, he’s gone mad,” He Xuan groaned, “He’s not here yet, dumbass. Wait for him.”

“Find him.”

Yin Yu sighed, “I’m sure he’ll be here any moment now. Be patient.”

When they heard the omega growl, they panicked. Hua Cheng was beginning to lose patience and if they didn’t bring him back now, he would go feral.

“Calm the fuck down,” He Xuan growled as well and shook him, “We won’t be able to bring you back fast enough–”

Just then, the scent of an aggressive and protective alpha hit their noses like a punch to the face, immediately suffocating them. It was even worse than Hua Cheng’s at the moment. They quickly turned their heads to the direction of the scent and they saw someone approaching them.

The man was shorter than them, yet his presence was huge enough to strike fear within them for a moment. The said man had a frown on his face, nostrils flared in anger as he glared at the betas.

“Well,” He Xuan eventually said, “I guess that’s him.”

“...Should we run away?” Yin Yu asked a bit nervously.

As he asked that, the seemingly weakened omega perked up and turned his head towards the alpha coming towards them. Hua Cheng’s eye suddenly became clear and bright that left his friends baffled.

“Gege!”

The anger from the alpha immediately lessened as it was replaced by shock when he watched Hua Cheng wrench out of the beta’s hold before scrambling towards him. Xie Lian then quickened his pace to catch the omega before he could even fall, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist tightly.

“San Lang–”

“Gege,” Hua Cheng murmured, hugging the alpha close as he buried his nose at the crook of Xie Lian’s neck, “I missed you.”

Even from a distance, He Xuan and Yin Yu could see the way Xie Lian’s pupils shrank and even tried his best to hold back from inhaling the omega’s scent.

“Are you okay?” Xie Lian asked, ignoring the chills running down his spine as the omega continued to nuzzle along his neck and jaw. “Did they do something to you?”

“I feel better now that gege is here,” Hua Cheng admitted. It was true since the alpha’s mere presence and scent was enough to calm him down. It cleared his head just a tiny bit and he now noticed that they had an audience.

Yet, he didn’t care. He clung onto the alpha like his life depended on it, “Gege, gege. Don’t be mad at them. I was the one who said to bring me here.”

While he wouldn’t usually defend his ‘friends’, he could smell the underlying tension and the bitterness of anger from the alpha. He did his best to calm the shorter man down.

Xie Lian sighed before he fully inhaled Hua Cheng’s intoxicating scent. It drove him crazy and it took everything to hold everything in. His eyes slowly darkened as he held the omega protectively, “San Lang, you smell like…”

“En.”

The alpha glanced at He Xuan and Yin Yu before rubbing the omega’s back gently, “You should ask your friends to bring you back. It’s not safe.”

Somehow and stupidly enough, the instincts within Hua Cheng took it as a rejection from the alpha. Instead of reasoning that he was fine, he clutched onto him tighter and quietly whimpered by his ear as if he was begging him to change his mind. He didn’t want his alpha to leave him.

Xie Lian sensed that immediately and softly cooed at him while glaring at the onlookers who dared stare for too long, “No, no. San Lang, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I really just want you to be okay.”

“...I want gege.”

The alpha’s breath hitched at that. Normally, he would reject any omegas that would try to approach him, but this was San Lang . He had an interest in him ever since he saw him, but he didn’t expect that it would be reciprocated. He could sense the desperation and want rolling off like waves from Hua Cheng.

He Xuan tried to take a step closer to them and Xie Lian immediately bore his fangs protectively. The beta raised his hands, irritated, “I’m not gonna take him away from you.”

Xie Lian raised a brow at him and the beta continued, “...You should probably take him back. He trusts you, you know.”

“Wh…” The alpha blinked, then he felt Hua Cheng cling onto him further. He then turned his focus towards him and whispered in his ear, “San Lang, will you let me bring you back?”

“Please.”

The sure response from the omega almost snapped Xie Lian’s control like it was made of a thin string. While the alpha was known for his patience and control, the fact that it was Hua Cheng in his arms and his strong scent of heat hitting him like a truck, he could help but get lost in it for a moment.

Every part of his body screamed to protect the younger man.

There was another temptation teasing him at the back of his mind; to claim Hua Cheng as his. He wasn’t sure if the omega even wanted that, so he had to restrain himself further. Instead, he focused on Hua Cheng that held him tighter as he wrapped his long legs around him as the alpha hoisted him up.

Hua Cheng kept nuzzling his nose against the alpha’s jaw and neck, driving the latter crazy. Xie Lian had to steady himself despite feeling the scrape of the omega’s fangs on his skin as he held Hua Cheng close, not minding that the omega was like a koala at the moment.

“Go,” He Xuan said, grabbing Xie Lian’s attention again, “He’ll go feral if it’s us taking him back.”

Xie Lian pursed his lips, glancing at the beta then back down at Hua Cheng. When he said no the first time, the omega took it as a rejection. It would be stupid of him to do it again, knowing that he would rather die than let him go at the moment.

“Alright,” Xie Lian held Hua Cheng tighter as he glared at the bystanders. Luckily, they went off to their respective classrooms, not wanting to face the wrath of an alpha, “Does he have his own keys?”

“He does,” He Xuan replied, “Our dorm is on the third floor. Room 308. You can’t miss it.”

Xie Lian nodded, not even bothering to reply verbally. He was too focused on Hua Cheng, murmuring sweet nothings to calm the omega down as he started making his way towards the dorms. It somehow worked since Hua Cheng was letting out soft whimpers as he continued scenting the alpha shamelessly.

Not like Xie Lian minded. He actually loved the fact that Hua Cheng chose him .

It meant that the omega felt safe with him to the point that he would beg for him. While that may seem off, Xie Lian could tell that Hua Cheng was the type to suffer his heat alone even if there were friends to help him. So, the fact that Xie Lian was easily trusted and the omega let him touch him gave him a sense of pride.

At the same time, he was happy that he might possibly be Hua Cheng’s first. He tried to ignore the fact that he would be a bit bitter if he wasn’t.

“What are you thinking, gege?” the omega murmured against his neck, “I can sense anger from you.”

“It’s not towards you, love,” Xie Lian murmured back, turning his head slightly to kiss Hua Cheng’s temple reassuringly, “I was just thinking that someone helped you with this before.”

“No one did,” Hua Cheng said, letting out a soft huff, “Gege is the first.”

The alpha almost tripped on air, his eyes darkening even more at the confirmation that he would be Hua Cheng’s first.

And last. There was no way that he would let someone like Hua Cheng go.

“I’m honored, then,” Xie Lian cooed softly despite the rush of emotions in his body, “Let me take care of you, okay?”

“I trust gege.”

A surge of pride swelled in the alpha’s chest. He made a silent promise that he would keep his word and take care of every need of his omega.

Xie Lian quickened his steps; going down the stairs as fast as he could but he tried his best to avoid jostling the omega in his arms too much. He would glare at anyone who would turn their heads in their direction. As much as he didn’t like the attention, Hua Cheng’s scent was so strong that anyone would be curious enough to look.

Just as he went down, someone was blocking his way. Xie Lian immediately frowned when he was met with his teammate, Pei Ming. He was a fellow alpha, so who could blame him when he felt more protective of Hua Cheng compared to earlier.

“My, my. The whispers were correct,” Pei Ming whistled, his eyes scanning the pair, “Word has it that the alluring ace of the volleyball team has his hands full.”

“And you’re here to confirm it?” Xie Lian asked with an edge to his tone. He was slightly happy that Pei Ming flinched at it, but the other alpha didn’t leave them alone yet.

“Mostly curious. You never touched an omega until now, so it’s quite a sight,” Pei Ming said, “I guess that also means that it’s going to be your first time. How about I help you, ace? Like a good friend would–”

He stopped when Xie Lian growled at him, the latter’s eyes flashing red as he bore his fangs at him. When Xie Lian heard the suggestion, he couldn’t stop his rage from spilling out to the point that it successfully struck fear within Pei Ming.

His anger worsened when he could feel Hua Cheng trembling in his arms and it wasn’t from his heat. It was at the fact that an alpha, that wasn’t Xie Lian, was planning to touch him without his consent.

“Leave before I kill you,” Xie Lian growled; it was dangerous, threatening. The only thing in his mind at the moment was to protect the omega in his arms, “I won’t back down on my words. You know that, right Pei Ming?”

The said alpha nodded, already stepping back as he braced himself to run away, “Ah, right. I’m sorry, man. I’ll just– I’ll go–”

Pei Ming turned and dashed away. He was a strong alpha himself, but he knew when to run when he angered a very protective (and possessive) alpha.

When he was finally gone, Hua Cheng murmured, “Gege…”

Xie Lian finally snapped out of his anger, his rage simmering down within him. It was quickly replaced with concern when he heard the tinge of desperation coming from the omega.

“San Lang?” Xie Lian asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It hurts,” the said omega whined, “I– I need you–”

“I’m sorry,” Xie Lian said, already moving towards the dorms. Now that people had witnessed and sensed his anger from earlier, no one was eager for an early death wish. “We’re almost there, okay? Hold on a bit longer.”

Hua Cheng whined softly again and this time, he wasn’t as still compared to earlier. His hands wandered the alpha’s back as he continued to graze his teeth against Xie Lian’s neck. It was dangerously close to his scent glands, but the alpha didn’t care. Hell, he didn’t mind the idea of bonding with the omega right then and there.

But Xie Lian still had some control.

Once they made it to the stairs, Xie Lian wasted no time climbing up to the third floor. For a moment, he noticed that the other residents were looking at them. They were either curious or they caught their predicament, scrunching their noses in mild disgust. Either way, he didn’t mind any of it. He was more concerned about getting to the dorm quickly.

As he arrived on the third floor, his eyes darted to each plate that was on every door he passed by. He was getting impatient as he passed by four doors by now, rushing even more when Hua Cheng lightly bit his neck to gain his attention.

“We’re almost there, San Lang,” the alpha said as he passed by the sixth door, “Be patient.”

“Gege,” Hua Cheng whined in his ear. He was already wriggling in his hold, “Please–”

“I know, I know. Hold still and I’ll give you anything you want, okay?”

The omega groaned to complain, but he was less resistant to his hold by the time Xie Lian reached the dorm. Holding Hua Cheng with one arm, he reached out to check out the doorknob and unsurprisingly, it was locked. For a moment, he considered kicking the door down but that wouldn’t exactly do them good.

“San Lang,” the alpha murmured, turning his head to nuzzle the said man’s cheek, “Your keys? Where is it?”

Hua Cheng groaned, “Pocket… back pocket.”

Xie Lian then carefully reached out for Hua Cheng’s pocket. It was harder than it looked considering the latter’s grip on him was strong but he managed to fish out the keys and unlocked the door without dropping it.

They both tumbled inside and Xie Lian almost didn't lock the door when Hua Cheng pulled his face close, pressing their lips harshly together.

Both groaned at the sensation; pain and pleasure sent up their spine as their lips moved together with a hint of desperation and want. It might be embarrassing for Xie Lian to admit, but the alpha had wanted the other ever since they met. But now that he had him in his arms, he wasn’t the type to miss such an opportunity.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng panted in his mouth, his nails digging into the alpha’s clothed back, “ Please– ”

“I got you, I got you,” Xie Lian murmured, placing a kiss on the omega’s mouth before leaning down to lick on his neck, distracting Hua Cheng. He scraped his teeth when the omega gave him more access, already tempted to bite him.

The alpha almost tripped on some of the things that were laid on the ground, but he managed to move around while holding Hua Cheng tightly. Honestly, he was surprised that his sanity was still intact with the way the omega was already nibbling marks on his neck as he tried to pull down the collar of his shirt to gain more access.

Xie Lian followed his instincts and opened the door that had the thickest scent from the omega, hoping that it was indeed his room. He quickly stepped inside and when he didn’t feel that Hua Cheng was resisting, he was relieved that he chose the right one.

Before he could say anything else, the alpha felt that Hua Cheng gripped the front of his shirt and crashed their lips together once more, desperate to lick the inside of his mouth. Xie Lian held in a groan of pain when their teeth clashed, but he didn’t care about it at all. He kissed back with equal fervor and glided his tongue inside the omega’s mouth, drowning out the soft moans slipping out from Hua Cheng.

They tumbled on the bed and Xie Lian easily pinned the younger man beneath him with his weight, not minding the fact that Hua Cheng was practically clawing his back. The alpha broke off the kiss, dipping down to Hua Cheng’s jaw and to the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent before sucking lightly on the smooth pale skin.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng moaned as Xie Lian continued to leave more marks, “It’s– It’s hot–”

The alpha hummed, his tongue dragging across the marks that he left, “Tell me what you want, San Lang.”

The omega groaned beneath him, squirming despite the fact that he kept flushing their bodies close together. Hua Cheng was hot to the touch and if his complaint didn’t register in the alpha’s mind earlier, he wouldn’t be able to guess what he wanted.

Being just as desperate, Xie Lian didn’t waste any time in grabbing the hem of the omega’s shirt and helped him out of it without much trouble. He tried to distract himself by removing his own hoodie and shirt, already tempted to devour the younger man the moment he laid his eyes on the exposed flushed skin.

Xie Lian tossed their shirts aside, his eyes trained on Hua Cheng. He licked his own lips as his fingers gently trailed down from the omega’s chest to his abdomen. It didn’t surprise him that Hua Cheng had a fit body despite simply ‘dabbling’ in sports.

“Beautiful,” the alpha murmured, holding down a smirk when he saw the way Hua Cheng shivered under his touch, “Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Stop teasing gege,” the omega whined bucking his hips upwards, begging, “I want you in me right now .”

If Xie Lian wasn’t clouded in lust, he would’ve sputtered at how forward Hua Cheng was being. Instead, his eyes darkened as he let his nails dig on the omega’s sides.

“Patience,” the alpha murmured, leaning down to lick and bite, leaving more marks now on the newly exposed skin. Then, he moved upwards to briefly scent him when he sensed the omega’s heat getting more intense.

Hua Cheng huffed, but it quickly melted into a soft moan when Xie Lian suddenly undid the omega’s pants and pulled it down, exposing his hard cock and slicked thighs. There was no point in hiding how much he wanted it, so Hua Cheng spread his legs invitingly just as the alpha discarded his pants on the floor.

“Look at you, San Lang. You’re so excited,” Xie Lian said almost teasingly, his one hand holding the omega’s leg while the other wrapped around Hua Cheng’s cock, tugging it experimentally.

“Fuck,” Hua Cheng gasped out, hips thrusting forward until he was stopped by Xie Lian himself.

“Ah, ah. Don’t move,” Xie Lian tutted as he slowly stroked the omega’s cock. His pace was torturous, but all the latter could do was writhe under his touch, “Let your gege take care of you.”

The omega moaned in response, keeping his hips still as best as he could. Xie Lian smiled sweetly at him, leaning down to place a chaste kiss at the corner of his lips as he continued to stroke the omega’s cock. When he felt that Hua Cheng melted in his touch, he quickened his pace; pumping the younger man’s dick with vigor.

“God–” Hua Cheng groaned as he reached for Xie Lian and the latter let the omega hold onto him like he was his lifeline, “Gege– Fuck –”

“You’re doing so good, San Lang,” Xie Lian whispered in his ear, swiping the tip of the omega’s cock with his thumb and smearing his precome all over his length. With the flick of his wrist, the alpha murmured, “Come for me.”

The omega didn’t restrain himself, spilling his come right on his abdomen and Xie Lian’s hand. The said alpha let out an amused huff on Hua Cheng’s neck when he felt that the omega was still hard in his hand. He leaned down to pepper his face with kisses and a smile grew on his face when Hua Cheng let out a content sigh.

“Good boy. You’re doing so well,” Xie Lian cooed and sucked onto the omega’s neck as his hand released Hua Cheng’s cock and slowly moved lower, hovering over his entrance. “Would you let me touch you here?”

The reaction was immediate.

“Yes, yes – Please, gege. I–”

“Okay, okay. I got you, love,” the alpha let a restrained groan when he let his finger slip inside Hua Cheng’s entrance. There was no resistance at all from how pliant and wet the omega was, so he let himself add another finger inside him.

His thrusts were quick and relentless. Xie Lian’s head was spinning with how hot Hua Cheng felt around his fingers and the said omega clung onto him, flushing their bodies closer as the alpha slid in the third finger. Xie Lian could feel his teeth getting sharper the more his control over himself was slipping.

It didn’t help that he was already painfully hard.

Hua Cheng’s slick was coating his thighs and the alpha’s fingers so nicely that Xie Lian had a fleeting thought that he should get a taste once he was done fucking the omega into oblivion. For now, he focused on pumping his fingers in and out, until he felt like Hua Cheng was ready to take him.

The said omega was writhing underneath him; mewling, begging for him to take him. He was a panting mess as he eagerly left his own marks on Xie Lian’s skin; the nails on his back and the bite marks on his shoulders and collarbone. A possessive gesture that the alpha welcomed wholeheartedly.

“We’re almost there, love. Don’t worry,” Xie Lian whispered as he pulled out his fingers. He chuckled when Hua Cheng whined in complaint and completely silenced it with a kiss, “I don’t want you to get hurt, you know.”

“Gege would never hurt me,” Hua Cheng said so resolutely despite the slur in his words, “Gege has always been gentle.”

“What if I lose control, hm?” the alpha started removing his own pants, finally relieving his cock. It was big to the point that the alpha still wondered if he prepared Hua Cheng enough, “What then, my love?”

“I–” Hua Cheng gasped when Xie Lian spread his legs and pressed the tip of his cock to his slicked entrance, “I don’t mind you going rough on me.”

“...Don’t take back your words, alright?”

Xie Lian leaned forward as he slowly pushed inside, panting harshly against the omega’s neck. Hua Cheng wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck, trembling at the large intrusion. He didn’t let the alpha stop, however, when he locked his ankles behind Xie Lian’s back.

He wanted him, after all.

“Still good?” Xie Lian asked, voice rasp. It took everything to keep himself in check as he finally fully sheathed himself inside.

“En,” the omega replied, tugging Xie Lian’s ear with his teeth, “Move, or I will die, gege.”

Xie Lian let out a startled chuckle at that, “So dramatic, San Lang.”

Despite his words, the alpha followed the other’s wish and moved. As he held the omega’s hips, he dragged his cock in and out the delicious heat at a rapid and brutal pace.

“Gege, gege– Ngh– More –”

Xie Lian couldn’t even care anymore if anyone would be able to hear the lewd wet noise as their hips moved in rhythm and how Hua Cheng was chanting his name like a prayer. He would just apologize at a later date when neither of their minds were clouded with want.

Which was not today.

He angled his hips differently, thrusting even harder as he was spurred on from the pheromones that Hua Cheng was releasing, telling him that he was happy and satisfied. It simply made him want to please his omega more.

“ Gege –” Hua Cheng moaned loudly, meeting the alpha’s thrusts enthusiastically, “I’m– I’m close–”

“Fuck,” Xie Lian growled, already feeling his knot swelling up. He could tell that Hua Cheng felt it, his moan getting louder as it stretched him even more.

“Alpha,” the omega whined, pulling Xie Lian close for a kiss, “ My alpha–”

If he wasn’t so delirious, Hua Cheng would’ve paused at his own possessive words. Though, he didn’t need to when Xie Lian kissed him deeply before muttering something that the alpha hoped that Hua Cheng would remember after.

“Yours.”

With one last thrust, deep and hard, Xie Lian’s knot fully formed as he came inside Hua Cheng, eliciting a moan from the both of them. The omega clenched around him as he soon followed, spilling more of his come on himself and Xie Lian.

The said alpha couldn’t help himself but bite down on Hua Cheng’s shoulder as he kept shallowly thrusting inside, his come still spilling inside of the omega. He wouldn’t dare create a bond when Hua Cheng was too out of it to give him his full consent. He was a patient man, after all.

Soon, they both had come to a stop. The only thing left was the adrenaline and heat rushing through their bodies, the strong scent of their pheromones entangling in the air, and their labored breaths as they caught up with their breathing. Xie Lian’s knot also kept them in place, so the alpha had to carefully adjust his weight to make it less difficult for Hua Cheng.

But, the omega took it the wrong way as he wrapped his arms again, pulling him close.

“Don’t leave,” Hua Cheng murmured and there was fear laced in his tone, “I’m sorry if I wasn’t enough, but–”

“Shh, San Lang,” Xie Lian hushed him with another kiss before pulling away to flash him a gentle smile. He could see that there was a small moment of clarity in the omega’s eye, “I said I’m yours, right? You were so good to me, okay? Don’t worry.”

Hua Cheng looked at him disbelievingly with a small pout, “...Really?”

“Really,” Xie Lian said sincerely, leaning down to kiss the harsh bite mark that he left on the omega’s shoulder, “You’re my first and last, alright?”

“...Gege is, too.”

“Good, or else I might tie you up to keep you to myself,” Xie Lian jokes, then he faltered when he felt Hua Cheng clench around him. “San Lang!”

“I can’t help it,” the omega admitted, almost shyly, “Gege is giving me a lot to imagine.”

The alpha laughed, startled but endlessly endeared, “Sure.”

Just then, Xie Lian was confused when Hua Cheng looked at him with a wide eye.

“What?” he asked.

“Gege,” the omega started slowly, “Are you… in rut?”

“No?” Xie Lian replied confusedly, “I don’t think I’m due for a couple more weeks–”

The alpha faltered when he felt the familiar sensation that he hadn’t felt in a while considering the last time he felt it was during…

Oh no.

“Oh,” Xie Lian blinked, then smiled apologetically once he realized something, “Ah… I guess… your heat triggered it?”

Hua Cheng stared before letting out a sly grin, pulling the alpha close to nibble on his jaw, “Then, I guess I have to take care of my alpha as well, hm?”

Xie Lian’s breath hitched as the omega continued with his ministrations. Hua Cheng’s hands began exploring his back as well, almost teasingly. The sensation was coming back at him at full force when they both sensed from each other that they were both getting excited once more.

“I suppose San Lang is ready for round two?”

Hua Cheng grinned at him, “I’m more than ready.”

Days had passed since Hua Cheng’s embarrassingly public display of neediness.

Who could blame him when his alpha was Xie Lian? A handsome, athletic, smart, caring, and loving alpha. It sounded like something that would come from a book, but Hua Cheng had to scoff. Xie Lian was perfectly real.

And he was helping him clean up.

The dorm was more or less clean, definitely more than the first few days that they had spent in bed together. The sheets were changed, the clutters of food and water were thrown out, and Hua Cheng managed to wash off all the stickiness that stuck to his body for so long. It was disgusting, to say the least.

But he didn’t mind it, not when it was Xie Lian holding him and giving him everything. Hell, the alpha even helped him shower considering he could barely move from the bed. Xie Lian had more difficulty controlling himself when his rut got triggered as well.

“God, this place fucking reeks,” He Xuan scrunched up his nose the moment he entered the dorm with the others trailing behind, “How long did you two fuck?”

“Good morning to you, too,” Hua Cheng said with a fake smile, “Six days, considering I have to help with gege’s rut.”

The beta frowned at that, “Gross.”

“Where’s Xie-ge?” Shi Qingxuan asked, suddenly appearing behind Yin Yu. Her eyes fell on Hua Cheng and she snorted, “Well, someone got possessive.”

Hua Cheng shrugged, not minding the fact that the marks on his neck and collarbones were more than visible. After all, he was Xie Lian’s mate. He didn’t get to reply when Xie Lian emerged from his room to greet them. Shi Qingxuan snorted again when she saw similar marks on the alpha as well.

“Oh, you’re back,” Xie Lian said, smiling sheepishly, “Sorry. I tried cleaning as much as I could but the scent is still there.”

“It’s okay,” Yin Yu said at the same time as He Xuan said, “It fucking reeks but we’ll get used to it.”

“What happened to our classes?” Hua Cheng asked, not minding that he cut the two betas off, “We didn’t manage to give a notice.”

“I handled it. They said it’s alright,” Yin Yu answered, then cringed slightly, “But you two should apologize to the other residents for the… loud complaints.”

Immediately, Xie Lian was red with embarrassment while Hua Cheng smirked proudly. No, the latter wasn’t ashamed at all .

“With that amount of fucking, I won’t be surprised if you two have bonded already,” He Xuan grumbled, watching his own mate set down the food that was enough for everyone.

“Oh, we didn’t,” Xie Lian said, then glanced at Hua Cheng knowingly, “I will give it to him when he’s not influenced by his heat. He can ask again once he's sober.”

Hua Cheng gave a look of his own, as if challenging him.

And If I ask now?

Xie Lian simply replied with a pleasant smile.

Then, I’m all yours.