On the day he brought home a powerful Alpha for whom he harbored mutual affection, Enan Valen—no, the great legendary figure 'Starstream,' Evenheiler Kang...
...learned a lesson.
A very heavy lesson.
A hand covered his eyes, allowing only blurred glimmers of light to filter through the gaps between those strong, well-defined fingers. He trembled amidst warm, irresistible waves, and at some point, tears wetted his lashes, quietly soaking the hand that usually held blades and guns.
For the first time in his life, a mature man cast aside all thought at such a moment, lying helplessly in someone’s arms, allowing a pair of young, powerful hands to do as they pleased.
In that half-awake state where their breaths intertwined, the rigorous, restrained, yet gentle and considerate youth seemed to have done quite a lot... He felt the presence of steel. He shivered against that cold, hard metal, while all his struggles and half-hearted resistance were ignored. It was a punishment. A maddening punishment.
Later, as he struggled through tears at the peak of his collapse, the icy aura that had repeatedly pushed him to the brink quietly receded. New waves surged between them, a swirling vortex that drew the soul in. After a bite and an injection, the scent of cold, hard pig iron dispersed the sweetness of peppermint candy. The mixed scents lingered in his dreams, yet they did not re-trigger his extremely unstable estrus.
He knew what that signified—he had been temporarily marked. Marked by the young man against whom he felt no desire to resist.
For a period of time from now on, his body's pheromone issues would be well-regulated... With the addition of another's pheromones, he had gained room to recover.
Well. Even if the young man hadn't actually performed the acts Evenheiler wished to avoid, this night was enough for this 'ordinary' body to remember him completely.
The soreness permeating his body, filled with a sense of satisfaction and security, also let Evenheiler know that his disguise had not been deactivated, nor had the other used mental interference to disrupt his camouflaged state.
A strange tacit understanding existed between them, built upon the foundation of one person's tolerance and the other's trust. And while it existed, he also realized...
Most of his views on Lei Ting were correct. That was fine.
However, regarding the most crucial small portion, even Evenheiler—the 'close friend' living incognito by his side—had miscalculated the young man's character by a landslide.
Fine, fine, he thought. It wasn't the first time Evenheiler had made a mistake. That man’s seemingly brilliant life was already etched with mottled scars, but what did that have to do with 'Valen'? Supervisor Valen didn't want to care about those things, at least not for now...
Because his young friend had already handled everything for him, using an embrace and a long, tender kiss to drive away his eternally brewing tension and pain, allowing him to sink quietly into a dreamland of weakness and exhaustion.
In his dreams, he was like a quiet sea—an inland sea surrounded by mountains, overflowing with tranquility.
After the surging tides, tonight there was neither wind nor wave.
***
When Valen woke again, the sky was approaching the hour before dawn.
He was lying in the guest room bed he had assigned to Lei Ting, dressed in clean pajamas. The scent of pig iron mixed with peppermint—cool and cold enough to chill one to the bone—lingered at the tip of his nose. He felt somewhat lazy, not wanting to move at all.
Lei Ting was not in the room. Scenting the refreshing fragrance in the air that gladdened his heart, Valen yawned and wiped away the tears that had seeped into the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He figured the other had probably fled after being put through such a mess.
Despite being hit by such an undeserved disaster, he had remained so gentle and considerate throughout that long period of soothing, even cleaning up the mess before leaving—he truly had gone above and beyond, this 'Double S.'
But... it was for the best that he left. This was something that shouldn't have happened in the first place, and...
...And right now, the moment he thought of that serious face and those innocent eyes, his heart began to flutter with panic.
Genuine panic.
The man looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath. After stretching a few times, he slowly pushed himself up with a body that, though weak, felt unprecedentedly refreshed. He paused abruptly before sitting upright.
Then, gritting his teeth, he sat up straight. In the dim light, he reached out to grab the external optical computer unit the other had removed and placed aside. He began to ponder how to apologize.
Although he had been in a state of being... being controlled from start to finish last night, this trouble was his fault after all...
The next second, the door suddenly opened. Lei Ting, also changed into pajamas, walked in while looking down and scrolling through a private data pad. Beside him, metal manipulated by his power carried a breakfast tray, a glass of fruit milk, a fruit basket, and a plate of small pastries.
"…?"
Under Valen's suddenly dazed and bewildered gaze, Lei Ting placed the items on the bedside table one by one. He sat down naturally on the edge of the bed—which had its sheets and mattress pad changed—and reached out to pull together the lapels of Valen's robe, which had loosened during his movement.
"Since you're awake, eat something first," he said, propping two pillows against the headboard so Valen could lean back comfortably. He casually stirred the porridge in the bowl. "I made some breakfast... I didn't expect your kitchen to be so well-stocked."
Valen: "..."
Valen: "?!!"
"You," Valen's voice stammered slightly, "You... you didn't leave?"
"Why would I leave?" Lei Ting paused, his blue eyes blinking as he looked at him. He tilted his head and gave a gentle smile. "You were the one who invited me here, Uncle Enan."
The moment that address hit his ears, Valen nearly choked. "Don't..."
"Don't what? Don't call you that? Or something else? You have to give me clearer instructions, Enan," Lei Ting asked casually, gesturing toward the external optical computer unit by his ear. "Wearing that thing too much compresses the blood vessels. You should use it less for now, or you'll get a headache easily."
"..."
Even though Lei Ting only said that one sentence, Valen still gritted his teeth and took the unit off. His body was currently in a preliminary state of stabilization; his hormones and blood circulation would undergo certain changes in the near future, a fact he was well aware of.
In the past, his blood pressure was actually a bit low, even in his 'Limit Break' state. That was because his body was burdened with old injuries, and his hormonal system hadn't been right for twenty or thirty years.
But now... things were different. Completely different. Although his old injuries remained, the hormonal issue that had been steadily dragging him down had been alleviated... through non-medical means.
Regarding this, the person who had alleviated it spoke up—
"—I've heard that a marking Alpha's bodily fluids can better help stabilize a partner Omega's hormonal system." He spoke with a serious expression, picking up an apple. Sharp metal transformed into a thin, keen blade at his fingertips, skillfully and nimbly curling away the peel. "If you agree, we can try it after we establish a legal partnership... Hmm?"
Valen, on the verge of a breakdown, snatched up a small bun and stuffed it into Lei Ting's mouth to block the rest of his words. How had he never noticed before that this little brat dared to say anything once he opened his mouth?! Was his previous behavior—being teased until he avoided Valen—all an act? No, that's not right; those reactions were definitely real...
...It was over. Thinking about what the other had just said, Valen's face turned slightly pale. This guy... was treating him as a partner in the truest sense.
Lei Ting blinked, a hint of a smile entering his eyes. He took a bite of the bun and actually proceeded to eat his breakfast.
His natural posture made the fact plain—this fundamentally serious and upright young man was definitely thinking about how to 'take responsibility' for him. Based on the fact that they did indeed have mutual feelings, he had reached the conclusion of 'establishing a partnership.'
Because of this, Valen's heart jolted violently. A thick, heavy sense of guilt rose within him, erupting like lava in an instant, crashing down upon the quiet, snow-capped mountain of his exterior.
For a moment, he didn't even know how to speak, or how to face their interactions in the days to come.
Did he like Lei Ting? Yes, he did.
But had he reached the point where he loved Lei Ting enough to give everything up? No. Of course not.
He merely held a feeling of joy upon seeing the other. He knew such feelings were rare. In his youth, he had friends; some of them had told him how it felt to love someone. Later, they all died, along with the people who had taught them those things.
Furthermore, although he had misjudged Lei Ting, he dared to swear that Lei Ting would not abandon his bottom line or duties for him either. Even if this young man liked him so much—liked a man so weathered by time that he would do things for him he wouldn't do for others—
—Would Lei Ting 'solve the problem' for everyone who 'had an issue' around him? Impossible. Facing others, he would only fast-forward the issue to espionage suspicion, prioritizing the confirmation of whether the person was truly a problem, and if they were, he would solve them *as* a problem.
Valen didn't even want to try to turn Lei Ting to his side. Because while he knew he was special to Lei Ting, he knew even better that this 'specialness' would not override more important matters. Because he was the same.
The path Lei Ting was walking now was one he had walked before... After all, the prerequisite for two people being attracted to each other is that they are, at their core, the same kind of person.
Valen looked at Lei Ting with a somewhat dazed gaze, watching his young face carry a smile that tried its best to be gentle, watching him hand over a sandwich, which Valen took with a start.
In this instant, the scene from before 'Chang'an' surfaced in his mind again... If that really was Lei Ting, what kind of things must he have experienced, and what immense pain must have tempered him?
Regardless, Enan Valen, or Evenheiler, knew very well—that would not, or rather, would not entirely be because of any single person in this room, or the emotional relationship between them.
Even if the Lei Ting currently displayed before him was far removed from the impressions he usually gave, his heart could never be so fragile or narrow. Although Valen was the only thing in his sight right now, that didn't mean his world truly contained only one person.
And Evenheiler was the same.
People like them, destined from birth to live in that vast deep space, might occasionally stop for a certain star, but they could never truly stay forever.
The black-haired man closed his eyes slightly, took a bite of the sandwich, savored its delicate and layered aroma and texture, then opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Lei Ting. "I didn't expect your cooking to be quite good."
"It's just a sandwich, no real skill involved. It's all about the ingredients," Lei Ting said casually.
As he spoke, he flipped through the data pad, ordering some fresh fruits and vegetables along with various Omega-use potions produced by the 'Corn Factory.' He perfectly utilized the VIP card Lucas had given him as a thank-you gift. Then, putting down the data pad, he asked with a smile, "How are you feeling now, Enan?"
The man under his gaze fully felt the weight of his 'If you say you're Enan Valen, then I'll treat you as Enan Valen' attitude. Squeezing the sandwich in his hand, he said between laughter and tears, "I'm alright."
Then, he paused and asked with some hesitation, "About what you said just now... the partnership..."
"..."
Lei Ting looked into his eyes and suddenly leaned forward, one hand propped on the headboard. His sturdy chest, which the other had leaned against, was partially visible beneath the collar of his pajamas.
It made him look as if he wanted to do something even more excessive than before, but he didn't.
As always, he didn't.
He simply lowered his head and gently kissed the fine lines at the corner of Valen's eye.
"Nothing," he said lightly. "I was joking."
