“...Oh,” Lei Ting responded obediently.
The fish in the river scattered at once, darting away like torpedoes. They surged through the waves and crashed into the school of live fish, sending them tumbling through the water in total disarray.
The live fish: *We really appreciate that!!*
Lei Ting watched them from a distance. Those fish worked diligently every day to decorate the river, only to be nearly knocked out of synchronization by their bionic counterparts. It was a pitiful sight. For a rare moment, he felt a twinge of guilt, but since he hadn't studied aquatic veterinary medicine, he could only turn to look at Valen in embarrassment.
At that moment, the other man was leaning against a nearby ornamental tree, peering at the fish. His handsome, mature features seemed to shimmer under the dappled sunlight.
A year had passed, yet he remained as striking as ever...
...Lei Ting uncomfortably withdrew his gaze from the sharp, elegant line of the man’s jaw and the curve of his Adam's apple. He stood up silently, deciding to use the change in height to remind himself not to stare at another man’s throat like a pervert—though he had apparently done similar things more than once before.
*Fine, I’m the pervert.*
Lei Ting cleared his throat and said, “It’s been a long time.”
Valen withdrew his gaze from the fish and looked at Lei Ting with a hint of a smile. This smile was genuine; he truly felt in a good mood upon seeing Lei Ting. Anyone who was friends with Lei Ting would feel a sense of profound security and mental tranquility in his presence.
“It has been a long time,” he said. “How were your exam results?”
Lei Ting had taken so many courses that he had far more final exams to worry about than anyone else.
“They were fine,” Lei Ting answered simply, joining the man in watching the woods on the opposite bank. “Full marks across the board.”
*That’s just ‘fine’?* Valen chuckled. He wasn't surprised, though. This man’s level of effort was obvious to everyone; that kind of perseverance would have made anyone famous in almost any field.
Yet the man before him didn't see it that way at all. He felt he was simply doing what he ought to do—just as he ought to save people, ought to lend a hand, and ought to set aside unimportant tasks to help a classmate with a question... He didn't even consider himself a particularly ‘good’ person, because he was equally capable of taking lives, snapping the necks of criminal star pirates more easily than breaking a biscuit.
Truly interesting. If more people like this existed, perhaps the world wouldn't have turned out this way.
Probably.
“Let’s go. First, let’s put your things away...” Valen sighed, patting the black case containing the ‘New Sun,’ which emitted a dull *thud*. “You’re out to have fun and you’re still carrying this thing. Are you here to see a friend or to start a fight?”
“I’m graduating soon, after all...” Lei Ting said softly, looking at the sunlight. “The dorm needs to be cleared out for the new students.”
Hearing this, Valen shrugged. He didn't say much else, only stating plainly, “Let’s go.”
Lei Ting followed him. Even though he was now a bit taller than Valen, his calm and gentle aura made him seem like the less dominant of the two. This difference in image became especially apparent as they took a quiet path to a hotel-style apartment building.
The apartment was well-decorated—a bit old, but quite elegant. The AI butler at the entrance beeped and chirped as it scanned them before letting them in.
Valen paused briefly to project his terminal’s monocle display and exchange data with the AI butler. Within two seconds, Lei Ting’s terminal received a new notification.
[Your friend ‘Clocking Out on Time’ has shared: ‘Teardrop Gardens, 22nd Floor, Unit 2202 Secondary Access Permissions’.]
Lei Ting: “...”
Lei Ting: “...?!”
Secondary permissions... that was something only the primary owner could share!
Lei Ting turned sharply to look at the man leading him into the elevator. He opened his mouth to ask something... but quickly shut it. He didn't know what to say, and his mouth felt strangely dry—a reaction that should have been nearly impossible for an esper of his level.
He was nervous. Genuinely nervous. Because he had realized a certain fact.
A short while later, an elegant double door swung open. Lei Ting stood at the threshold, watching blankly as Valen walked inside, shedding his coat and hanging it on a rack as he went.
His tall, straight frame was outlined by his shirt, trousers, and belt, making Lei Ting even more hesitant to step forward.
Valen picked an unknown berry from a fruit bowl and popped it into his mouth; the juice-filled fruit let out a crisp *pop* as he bit down. He then looked back at Lei Ting with a confused expression. “Why aren't you coming in? Don't worry, this is my home. I don't have roommates or anything.”
“..................” Lei Ting’s mouth twitched. He could bet that his deliberate comments from years ago about “protecting yourself when you’re out” hadn't stuck in this guy’s head at all...
With a sigh, he lowered his head and entered Valen’s home. He heard the door close behind him, then followed the directions on his terminal to the guest bedroom Valen had assigned him. He set his things down and looked around the room’s decor, feeling a bit out of place.
Black marble floors, walls decorated in cream and brown, translucent black refractive glass partitions, and a large bed behind the partition that clearly had fresh linens.
There was even a data pad on the nightstand. When he turned it on, he saw it was pre-loaded with numerous books from the Federation Library—all types that Lei Ting would be interested in.
Good. Letting him stay here wasn't a whim of Valen’s; it was premeditated.
Lei Ting smiled helplessly. He put the data pad back and rubbed his brow. He had already sensed the surroundings the moment he stepped onto this floor, ensuring there were no high-risk items within hundreds of meters and no listening devices in Valen’s home.
But honestly, he had never expected that one day he would be living in Valen’s house.
Facing that person day and night, eating together, living together...
Even if this would only last two weeks at most, for Lei Ting, who hadn't even reached his twenty-first birthday, it was somewhat beyond his imagination.
For years, 97% of his mental capacity had been occupied by studying and fighting. Now that a large portion had suddenly been cleared, he had been dropped into the home of a ‘friend’ for whom he had a significant amount of affection...
And that friend lived right next door...
...
Lei Ting sat on the edge of the bed, covering his face with his hands as he spent a long time pondering how to handle all this. Then he looked toward the wide balcony with its excellent lighting. Taking a deep breath, he touched the personal civilian pheromone suppressor on his neck, opened the glass door, and stepped onto the balcony.
Many green plants suited to Orion aesthetic tastes were planted along the edge of the balcony, swaying vibrantly in the light of the distant star.
The sunlight here was different from the park. Inside the park, artificial sunlight was used to maintain a constant, optimal environment. Commercial and residential areas varied according to local policy. The ‘Teardrop Gardens’ apartment where Valen lived was clearly in a sector that utilized natural sunlight.
“How is it?”
Valen spoke from the side.
Lei Ting’s retreat was almost a stumble.
Valen laughed. He pushed off the railing and walked toward the young man. The movement made Lei Ting catch his breath.
Lei Ting backed away step by step. His gaze seemed to want to dodge Valen’s deep blue eyes, yet he couldn't help but be drawn to them, hovering frantically around the man. Valen followed him pace for pace. “What are you afraid of?” he asked his young ‘friend’ with a smile.
“...No, I’m not.” Lei Ting denied it with a raspy voice, turning his head away to avoid looking at the man who was radiating charm. “E... uh, Mr. Valen, Director Valen, you...”
“No, you are afraid. What are you afraid of?” Valen laughed with genuine interest, watching such a powerful warrior being pressured by an ‘ordinary person’ like himself to the point of nearly tripping over a low threshold.
Valen raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips curling slightly. He really enjoyed seeing this fellow’s flustered, cute appearance—especially since he knew the man was so upright that he would never dream of offending him. It made teasing him all the more fun.
As for the possibility of things going too far... he had considered it, of course. But this was Lei Ting, the ‘Double S’ whose sense of self was never shaken by anything. Even if Valen himself lost control one day, the other man wouldn't.
Lei Ting’s eyes flickered. He took a deep breath, trying to relax.
But Valen took a step forward, occupying his entire field of vision.
“You are afraid, and it’s not of me, nor anyone else...” The mature, handsome man leaned in, whispering into his ear. “...From the very beginning, what you’ve been afraid of is yourself.
“You’re afraid of yourself doing the things you want to do.”
Lei Ting looked at the face inches away from his own, his breath hitching. A faint, gentle sweetness, like mint candy, drifted to the tip of his nose. For a moment, he almost didn't dare to breathe.
Valen smiled with satisfaction and began to pull back to leave, but Lei Ting seemed to react instinctively. He suddenly reached out and threw an arm around Valen’s lean, powerful waist.
Then, with a surge of strength, he pinned the reckless man against the nearby black translucent partition.
“...”
In that moment, not only was Lei Ting stunned, but Valen was also frozen. He looked blankly into Lei Ting’s eyes—eyes as dark as an abyss—and it took a full two seconds for him to realize that the other man’s hand was pressed against the small of his back.
The arm beneath the clothes wasn't covered in metal, yet it felt as solid as a bar of iron.
Valen’s heart skipped a beat, and his entire body went rigid. In those black eyes that clearly reflected two oceans, his mouth parted slightly. “...”
“...” Lei Ting stared at him intensely, his throat bobbing. His face was expressionless, as if he were truly as cold as a statue.
But they both knew that every muscle in his body was taut. His deep eyes were hidden in the shadows, reflecting Valen’s face and those blue eyes that—to him—had never changed.
“‘Enan Valen’...”
The youth slowly leaned toward the man in his arms. The hand braced against the wall slid across the cold, hard surface of the partition.
Finally, his heavily calloused fingers sank into the man’s black hair, gently cushioning the back of his head against the wall while also steadying his position, forcing the man—who had tried to turn away several times—to meet his gaze.
He was trembling. That shouldn't have been possible for him. He was a powerful person, both in spirit and in every other way...
Valen—or rather, Ebenheiler—had watched all of Lei Ting’s training sessions and had offered many suggestions for improvement through the academy.
Some of those had been adopted by Lei Ting, while others were ignored. Ebenheiler knew that this guy was never someone who could truly be interfered with or influenced by others... he would find a point of balance in everything, a safe equilibrium. And if that ‘safe balance’ required one side to pay a price, he would never choose to throw that price onto someone else.
Ebenheiler knew this because if time were wound back ten years, he was usually the one playing the role of the person paying the price in every balance.
And so, he had felt at ease—at ease to joke, at ease to interact, at ease to rely on the restraint and tolerance of this young man who was so many years his junior. He said things he wouldn't have said before and did things he wouldn't have done before.
But he had forgotten that this was a powerful Alpha. An Alpha...
...An Alpha with whom he shared a mutual attraction.
Body temperatures began to rise; limbs began to go soft. This was not a good sign. But Valen didn't immediately struggle to leave, because chaotic images were beginning to rise in his mind. Fragments of dreams from past midnights began to surface. He knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't even know how to go about it to ensure a good outcome.
Lei Ting let out a helpless, soft sigh. Holding the body—which was neither thin nor frail—tightly, he gave the corner of the man’s lips a fleeting kiss.
Then, he gave the man’s lower back one last stroke with his gloved fingers, memorizing the beautiful lines of the muscles through the thin shirt. He slowly and gently released his embrace, his breathing somewhat shaky. “You go out fir—”
Losing his support, Valen didn't even make a sound as he slumped forward, gasping.
“...”
Lei Ting caught him instantly. Without a word, he manipulated the metal to lock the door and pulled the blackout curtains completely shut. He painfully pulled the well-proportioned body into a tight embrace, burying his head in the crook of the man’s neck. After a long moment, he said through gritted teeth, “...Your suppressants. Where are they?”
“...In, in the next room, my room... nightstand...” Valen clung weakly to Lei Ting’s waist, dizzily inhaling the scent at his neck. His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of blurred, honeyed softness. “Sor... sorry...”
Lei Ting took a deep breath, only to be nearly overwhelmed by the mint candy fragrance that was rapidly filling the room. He let out a ragged half-breath, a golden glint appearing in his eyes as he remotely forced the drawer of the neighboring nightstand open. Meanwhile, struggling to maintain his self-control, he pulled the bastard in his arms onto the bed so he could lie down and save some strength.
But the killing blow was that even though the man was lying with his back to him, he was still trembling and leaning back into Lei Ting’s embrace—a clearly abnormal overreaction.
Lei Ting was practically cursing in his head. Feeling helpless, he pulled the man into his arms, pinning the man’s wrists with one hand and holding his waist with the other. He exerted every ounce of will to resist the urge to actually do something. He activated his terminal’s mental interface and scanned the man’s physical condition through the projected monocle.
Then, he stopped the suppressant injector from flying over. For the first time in four years, he swore.
“Dammit...” Valen heard the youth—who was always so steady and restrained—growl behind his neck, his voice raspy with fury. “You’ve injected too many suppressants! Don't you know that?! You can't use that stuff anymore! You’re already... underdeveloped. If you use it again, your hormonal system will be severely damaged!!”
Valen almost laughed bitterly. What could he do? What else could he have done? He had no way... did he even have another choice?
An oversensitive Omega who had been injecting himself with suppressants whenever problems arose since his gender differentiation—for twenty or thirty years. Originally, if he hadn't met an Alpha he liked, he could have maintained that delicate state of equilibrium for his entire life... but now, he didn't want to reject the man holding him.
So what else could he do? He couldn't just have his pheromone glands removed. Those things weren't just ‘glands,’ as some Betas thought; they were vital regulatory components for Alpha and Omega hormones, second in importance only to the thyroid and pituitary glands.
Unless it was a matter of life and death, removing the glands was a completely non-viable option. His body was already underdeveloped; if he did that, not only would his physical fitness plummet, but his combat effectiveness would suffer an unstoppable decline.
So, having made this choice, wasn't this the inevitable result? To suffer a heat he couldn't resist in the arms of a man he couldn't refuse.
“Sor... ry...” His face was flushed, and even such a short word came out in fragments, yet he still struggled to try and get up to leave the room. “Sorry... I...”
He couldn't really... really do that.
In this state, if he established that kind of relationship with an Alpha, while he wouldn't get pregnant, what followed... would certainly be even harder to bear.
Valen tried to push himself up from the bed, but his weakened body caused him to fall right back.
This made him realize with despair that unless he canceled his disguise and let his super-powered strength become active again, it was almost impossible for him to leave.
Even worse...
The Alpha he couldn't refuse forcefully pinned his wrists with a piece of metal, then precisely tore away the one of the two necklaces around his neck that was actually a suppressor.
Immediately, a rich, powerful, and terrifying Alpha pheromone flooded the room, drowning him completely.
Realizing what might happen, his eyes widened. He instinctively wanted to struggle and drop his disguise, but a soothing kiss on the back of his neck briefly halted his movements.
“...Don't be afraid. Since you don't want to, I won't do that.”
Lei Ting’s voice was hoarse and helpless. He gently licked the back of Valen’s neck as he held him. Removing his own gloves, his fingers slowly slid down, soothing the man’s trembling body.
“I’ll help you solve this problem...” He comforted the man gently and calmly, yet with a firm refusal to be lenient. “Don't be afraid.
“But... I think you need to be punished, my Uncle Enan.”
***
