Chapter Text
“Hey, Lu Guang. Are you awake?”
It’s late. Far too late for Cheng Xiaoshi to be calling him like this. It’s also far too late for Lu Guang to be awake in his bed but, well, he has a very comprehensive and understandable explanation for this. His inner Alpha is screaming at him, begging him to do something that he has no way to figure out right now, and making it simply impossible to fall asleep.
He’s almost tempted to ignore Cheng Xiaoshi’s whispered call. Perhaps he’ll find his way to dreamland if he does. He knows well enough of the consequences of indulging Cheng Xiaoshi’s night talks.
Lu Guang purses his lips. What a fool he is, to believe he can ignore Cheng Xiaoshi of all people.
“What is it?”
Cheng Xiaoshi inhales sharply. Lu Guang pinches the bridge of his nose. He definitely isn’t trying to imagine what expression Cheng Xiaoshi is making right now. He’s also definitely not hoping that his silly friend is happy.
Not at all.
“Do you think it’s possible for a body to grow immune to suppressants?” Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice sounds weird, like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or grimace.
“That’s...” Lu Guang frowns. He sniffs. Confusion slowly turns into understanding. “You’re going into heat?”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s scent has always been a peculiar thing for Lu Guang. It’s not sweet and floral like most Omegas’, but it still has something uniquely comforting and welcoming in it. It reminds Lu Guang of scent of earth and the distinct freshness of morning dew.
Right now, it’s as though a wave of rain fell on the fields of Cheng Xiaoshi’s scent. It drowns out every scent in the room, making it almost impossible to think of anything that’s not Cheng Xiaoshi and how deliciously he smells and how easy it would be for Lu Guang to climb up Cheng Xiaoshi and—and it’s no wonder he couldn’t sleep until now.
He swallows. Lu Guang’s only vaguely aware that he’s salivating. Salivating over his best friend who’s going into a heat.
He’s disgusted at himself.
He can’t stop wanting Cheng Xiaoshi.
“What are you going to do?” A plan. Lu Guang is good dealing with plans. He can help Cheng Xiaoshi like this. Doing something, anythingwill keep his mind over those thoughts.
“I don’t know.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice is weak. Is he scared? “I haven’t had a heat in years... What are even my options?”
Oh, right. This is indeed the first time Lu Guang heard of Cheng Xiaoshi being in heat. Before he moved into Time Photo Studio after their graduation, Lu Guang thought him to be a Beta because of it. To say that he was shocked upon learning that Cheng Xiaoshi is actually an Omega is a major understatement.
He takes in a breath, and thinks. “You’re still early in. Chances are you could stop it with a B-suppressant pill. The pharmacy down the street has a stock of those you can take for free.”
Suppressants usually come in three forms: powder, that you dissolve in your food and eat every day; an injection, that you take every few months; and pills, with B-suppressant pills being specifically designed to stop ongoing heats and ruts. From what Lu Guang knows, Cheng Xiaoshi chosen suppressant method is the powder. The pill would work just fine to stop the heat... In theory.
He thinks of the hour. There’s no way the pharmacy is open at this time.
“If you decide to go with it... You could try calling a heat hotel. There are a few in town. They’ll provide you everything you need.”
Heat hotels are operated by mated Omegas who aren’t affected by others’ pheromones and have heightened security against Alphas and Betas. They’re not cheap, though, and there’s a very slim chance that Cheng Xiaoshi will actually find one with a vacant room before the first waves of his heat fully settle in.
It is an option, though a not likely one.
“Or you could just stay home.” It is the most realistic option, but it also comes with it drawbacks.
Their home doesn’t have the right structure to seal off pheromones within a single room. Meaning that, once Cheng Xiaoshi’s heat progresses, the entire studio will likely reek of his pheromones. They’ll have to close the studio until his heat is gone and the place cleaned off. This has its own implications—both their business will be frozen for a full week, a full week during which they’ll keep accumulating missions and orders and they won’t make any progress in paying Cheng Xiaoshi’s debt.
And the most pressing issue it brings: what about Lu Guang?
He still can control himself just fine, but he’s an Alpha. There’s no telling what will happen if Cheng Xiaoshi’s scent keeps getting stronger. He’ll have to leave. But where will he go to? He doesn’t have friends outside of Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling, and he can’t bother Qiao Ling’s family for so long.
And, if he’s not here, who will make sure Cheng Xiaoshi is alright? Omegas in heat are well-known for disregarding their basic needs like bathing and eating. He can’t possibly expect Cheng Xiaoshi to prepare his own meals, even if he does remember them. Who could do this? Qiao Ling is also an Alpha. Xu Shanshan is busy with her masters. Is there anyone else at all?
“I would need space to nest,” Cheng Xiaoshi mutters.
Oh. Right. Omegas’ nests are rumored to be as big as an entire room sometimes. They usually build it on the floor for all the extra space that would’ve been missed if they made it on a bed. Their beds certainly aren’t big enough, and nor is their room.
Lu Guang mentally goes over every room in their studio. “Do you think the living room would work? We could push the table out of the way and put all the mattresses there.” There are four in the entire studio: the two they sleep on every day and the ones Qiao Ling and Xu Shanshan left there for the times they decide to stay overnight.
“I don’t know if I have enough materials to cover it all.”
“You can take mine.” A beat of silence. Lu Guang’s mind screeches to a sudden halt when he realizes what he just said and the implications it is sure to have. He bites his lip, going over the best way to apologize when he hears the bed below creak.
Lu Guang rolls to his side just in time to see a wide-eyed Cheng Xiaoshi appear. His hair is a royal mess and his cheeks are colored red. He’s so beautiful it takes Lu Guang’s breath away.
“Can I really?” Somehow Cheng Xiaoshi makes it sound like it’s the only thing he wants the most in the entire world.
Lu Guang averts his gaze. “I don’t mind,” he says in a quiet, monotonous voice that’s completely at odds with how his inner Alpha is howling with joy at the idea of their Omega using his stuff to nest.
Their Omega, huh? Lu Guang knows it’s not really the truth. They’re not partners in that sense of the word. But the idea of it, of Cheng Xiaoshi being his, his Omega, his mate, makes something inside him warm.
No, it’s not his dick.
“How do you feel right now?” Lu Guang asks.
“My head is clear enough, if that’s what you mean. No cramps yet either.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes are fixed on their wardrobe. Lu Guang didn’t see him show so much interest over something like this in a long time. “I can’t say for sure when it’ll start getting worse, though. It’s been so long I kinda forgot.”
The corners of Lu Guang’s lips twitch. He heard horror stories about how heats are the worst time of an Omega’s life and how unforgettably painful the experience is for them. And yet, here Cheng Xiaoshi is, claiming to have forgotten all about it. How can Lu Guang not like him?
“If you don’t know, we gotta start working now.” Lu Guang sits up. He doesn’t climb down the stairs this time and jumps straight to the floor instead. It’s so strange. He feels as though Cheng Xiaoshi’s scent is a lot stronger now that he left his bed. “You get the things you need for your nest while I arrange the living room for you.”
Cheng Xiaoshi smiles. “Thank you.”
Lu Guang starts moving.
He takes both mattresses down at once. They’re a lot lighter and thinner than they were when they bought them, thanks to having grown ass men rolling around all night for years. Lu Guang doesn’t really mind it, but he knows Omegas take it a lot easier with soft things to rest on. He wonders if Cheng Xiaoshi would do better with a new, softer mattress.
Lu Guang moves around efficient and methodically around the living room. He moves the table out of the way and puts all four mattresses in a roll. A small part of him questions whether all this is really necessary, but he shuts it down quickly. It’s not about what he thinks is necessary or enough, but what will help Cheng Xiaoshi the most.
Then he proceeds to put up a makeshift curtain on the hallway that connects the living room to the studio’s door. It’s not as good as the actual curtain—that was, unfortunately, torn down by a fierce cat—but he hopes it will be enough to give Cheng Xiaoshi some semblance of privacy whenever whoever takes on the task of feeding him comes to help. He also writes down a notice that they’ll be interrupting all services for the next week on their social media and on a plaque on their front door.
Qiao Ling messages him a mere minute after he made the publication. He explains the situation to her in a few words. Qiao Ling seems understanding and offers some blankets and stuff that her family doesn’t use anymore. She doesn’t ask what Lu Guang plans on doing. He’s grateful for it, as he still has no idea himself. He pushes the makeshift curtain out of the way and steps into the living room.
“Cheng Xiaoshi, do you want—” His words get stuck in his throat.
Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t lose time in working on his nest. There’s a pile of fabrics on the sofa, consisting of what seem to be blankets, pillows, sheets and clothes. Lu Guang’s sheets and clothes, that Cheng Xiaoshi now spreads over the mattresses with a concentrated expression... on all fours.
Lu Guang quickly averts his gaze. It’s not fast enough to escape the images his mind conjured up at the sight, but it helps restraining his urge to move and take. He swallows. “—Qiao Ling said she has some stuff you can use for your nest. No one used them for a while. Do you want me to go pick them up for you?”
There’s a beat of silence. Cheng Xiaoshi stops in his tracks, eyes furrowed as he thinks it over. From his scent, it’s obvious that he wants it, but it’s just as obvious that there’s something else bothering him. When he speaks, his voice sounds low and almost hesitant. “Can’t she just bring them here instead?”
Lu Guang stares. That’s not quite the answer he expected. He can’t really understand what’s wrong, either. Cheng Xiaoshi seemed to be in relative ease up to now despite the situation.
“Why?” The question comes out before Lu Guang can stop it. It’s okay, he supposes. Asking the person directly always makes things easier... Probably.
“Well...” Cheng Xiaoshi averts his gaze. He looks almost sheepish. The perpetual blush of heat isn’t helping that image at all. Lu Guang never thought him so cute before. “I guess you can go if you think it’ll be faster. I just... Wanted you to stay here.”
If there is one thing Lu Guang is absolutely convinced of, it’s that Cheng Xiaoshi will be the death of him.
He purses his lips and takes in a long breath. “You’re in heat,” he whispers mostly as a reminder to himself. A reminder that there’s always a chance that Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t mean it, that it’s just the heat talking. “You have to be careful with the things you say.”
“I’m only saying the truth!” Cheng Xiaoshi pouts. “If not you, the person I trust the most, who would I want to stay by my side?”
Lu Guang wants nothing more than to grab Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulders and shake some sense into that damn thick skull of his. He knows the Omega is naive, it was what drew him in to begin with, but surely Cheng Xiaoshi can’t be so naive as to not know what he’s doing to Lu Guang right now.
“I’m an Alpha, Cheng Xiaoshi.” He tries.
Cheng Xiaoshi chuckles. “Yeah, I can smell that. Pretty excited there, are you?” Lu Guang glares at him. Cheng Xiaoshi only laughs louder before shaking his head. He returns to his task at last. “Say, Lu Guang... Do you like my scent?”
He does. It’s the first thing Lu Guang feels in the morning and the last thing he feels before sleep. It reminds him that Cheng Xiaoshi is there, flesh and bones and beating heart, and that he won’t disappear no matter how their powers prove different. Lu Guang loves that scent that’s so unlike any other Omega as he loves Cheng Xiaoshi himself.
“Why that so suddenly?” he asks in lieu of an answer.
Cheng Xiaoshi pulls a couple of sheets. He twists them into a chain of sorts and starts to outline the nest with them. The appearance is not attractive at all. All Lu Guang can see so far is a big mess. But Cheng Xiaoshi seems to be enjoying himself making it, and so Lu Guang has nothing to complain.
“I guess I’m just a little happy,” Cheng Xiaoshi says after a long time. He glances at Lu Guang over his shoulder. His brown eyes look immeasurably warm under the lamplight. “I’m glad I can affect you too, even if just a little.”
Lu Guang wants to question where does it look like it’s just a little when he notices the choice of words. “... ‘Too’?”
“Ah, can you pass me that pillow over there? I need it.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s hands shake when he points at the armchair. From the effects of the heat or his own anxiety, Lu Guang cannot tell.
What he can tell... is that Cheng Xiaoshi isn’t looking at him anymore.
“Cheng Xiaoshi,” he calls. A visible shudder shakes Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulders. He still refuses to meet Lu Guang’s eyes. “Answer me.” Lu Guang kneels on the floor. He’s just a few inches away from the edge of Cheng Xiaoshi’s nest. Though he knows that trespassing any further would be disrespectful, but the distance between them hurts him. “Please.”
A sigh leaves Cheng Xiaoshi’s lips. He reaches for the pillow himself. Lu Guang catches his wrist before he can fully retreat back into the nest. Cheng Xiaoshi’s skin burns under his. Lu Guang suddenly feels cold all over, mesmerized by the heat radiating from Cheng Xiaoshi’s body.
Cheng Xiaoshi trembles under the touch. His face looks redder now with the progress of his heat.
“I refuse to do anything you don’t want.” Lu Guang swallows. “But if you want it, anything, you have to tell me now.”
“I—” Cheng Xiaoshi looks away. There are so many emotions on his face it’s hard to read it clearly. “—I want you to stay. Stay here with me, Lu Guang.”
Lu Guang bites his own lip. It’s the first time he heard Cheng Xiaoshi call him with so much desperation in his voice. He’s torn between utter satisfaction and guilty for driving him to such state at all. His voice is barely a whisper, “For how long?”
“I! I told you! I want you to stay... To be my partner in the future... For all of it.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s breath hitches. He hits Lu Guang’s shoulder with his free hand. It’s so weak Lu Guang barely feels it. “And then I’m the idiot? Idiot!”
It’s Lu Guang’s turn to look away. Part of him is elated at Cheng Xiaoshi’s words. His Omega wants him to stay. He wants Lu Guang to be his partner for life! It’s almost too good to be true... And that’s exactly why Lu Guang is so reluctant to just accept it.
It’s still just starting, but Cheng Xiaoshi isin heat. Lu Guang has heard of some cases where people got too lost in their hormones and the desire to mate that they completely blurred the lines between friendship and romantic interest. Those cases often ended up with two miserable people tied together by a lifelong bond neither wishes for and nothing but the crumbles of a lost friendship in their memories.
The mere chance that it could happen to them makes Lu Guang feel just as miserable inside. But he can’t completely push his feelings aside either. And, in the off-chance that it’s not just the heat talking, he doesn’t want to hurt Cheng Xiaoshi either.
No matter what, Lu Guang’s can’t truly reject him. Not even for what could be his own good.
“I’ll go pick the things from Qiao Ling’s place and I’ll help you until the nest is ready and you have everything you need for your heat.” He slowly lets go of Cheng Xiaoshi’s wrist. “If your feelings don’t change until then, I’ll stay with you however long you want me.”
“They won’t change.” The resolution in Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice is almost enough to convince Lu Guang.
He closes his eyes. “Then you have nothing to fear.”
Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t argue anymore, dutifully returning to his nest-building task. Lu Guang quickly leaves the living room and the studio. He makes sure to lock the door when he goes. He refuses to risk Cheng Xiaoshi’s safety no matter how low the odds of something happening at home in the wee hours of the morning are.
The air outside is cold and refreshing, so different from how it felt inside the studio. Lu Guang belatedly realizes that he was suffocating in Cheng Xiaoshi’s pheromones. Even now, as he runs towards Qiao Ling’s house, they cling to him and make it hard to think of anything that isn’t Cheng Xiaoshi.
Still, Lu Guang thinks.
He goes over every conversation, every small interaction they had over the years, trying to find any clue, any sign that Cheng Xiaoshi’s feelings weren’t, in fact, platonic. It’s hard. There were so many, so many small and big things that could be it, yet Lu Guang still can’t help but think it’s just his wishful thinking clouding his judgment.
Cheng Xiaoshi told him he wants to be his partner for life. He didn’t hesitate in sharing his consciousness with Lu Guang, or relying on him to keep him safe, or to hold him when he returned and he was cracking around the edges. They have shared a room for years. Cheng Xiaoshi requestedthat they be roommates during their university days.
Lu Guang has lost count of how many times Cheng Xiaoshi complimented him. Whether it’s over his appearance, or his supposed intelligence, or his reliability, or even his utter lack of practical life skills, they never failed to make Lu Guang’s heart beat faster. Cheng Xiaoshi always seemed to suffer from chronic disregard for personal space but, in retrospect, Lu Guang can’t remember seeing him acting so close with anyone they knew. Not even Qiao Ling.
Sometimes, clothes that Lu Guang could swear were lost for eternity appeared on Cheng Xiaoshi’s body. Sometimes, he caught Cheng Xiaoshi humming a song Lu Guang was listening to the day before. Sometimes, when Lu Guang fell asleep on the sofa, Cheng Xiaoshi would bring a blanket and brush his hair out of his eyes.
Sometimes... But they’re far too common to be brushed off as just happenstances, aren’t they?
He sucks in a breath. He stares at Qiao Ling’s door for a long moment. Then, he rings the doorbell. It doesn’t take long before Qiao Ling appears with a huge box in her hands. It’s a lot heavier than it looks—and it does look heavy.
“What will you do?” Qiao Ling asks.
Lu Guang averts his gaze. Saying that he doesn’t know would be a lie. Saying that he’ll stay with Cheng Xiaoshi is not exactly right, either. He has no way to be sure things will work out that way, after all.
“It depends on him,” he says at last. Then, “I want to stay with him.”
It’s the truth. Qiao Ling seems satisfied with the answer. Her smile looks surprisingly soft. “I see. I bet he is happy.” Lu Guang thinks of the look on Cheng Xiaoshi’s face when Lu Guang told him he could takes things for the nest, the unbridled joy in his eyes and smile. Qiao Ling touches his arm. “Take care of him, okay? And keep me updated. I’ll order food for delivery between the waves for you, so make sure you both stay hydrated and fed.”
Lu Guang’s shoulders drop with relief. He was scared that he’d somehow have to cook for Cheng Xiaoshi. That definitely wouldn’t end well.
“Thank you, Qiao Ling-jie.” He bows awkwardly with the box in his hands. And then Lu Guang is off again, running up the street back to the studio.
If his legs burn from the effort and his chest hurts a little with the shortness of breath, Lu Guang doesn’t care enough to notice. All he cares about, all he wants is—
“Lu Guang! You’re late,” Cheng Xiaoshi cries out from his nest.
Lu Guang smiles.
***
“I need the blue one now,” Cheng Xiaoshi instructs. Lu Guang looks around to find out what the blue one refers to. He finds a shirt tossed close to his feet. Lu Guang’s shirt. He hands it to Cheng Xiaoshi, who smiles brightly at him, “Thank you!”, before disappearing under the canopy once more.
When Qiao Ling said they had some unused stuff, Lu Guang didn’t imagine she actually meant they had a full nest worth of supplies to give away. They even had a canopy to settle atop the nest, something that Cheng Xiaoshi took great delight over.
Looking from the outside, the whole thing looks like one massive barrack for camping with the hint of an equally massive, organized mess inside.
Lu Guang says it’s an organized mess, but this is only because he knows there’s some kind of secret method behind the nest’s construction that only Cheng Xiaoshi, the constructor, is privy to. Or, at least, he hopes there is one. It would be a little far too heartbreaking if it’s really just a big mess.
He sighs and glances at his watch. It’s almost 7a.m now. They’ve been awake and preparing for almost four hours now. Lu Guang can’t even mourn the missed hours of sleep, not when he can feel it’s almost time.
If your feelings don’t change until then, I’ll stay with you however long you want me, he said. There are a number of towels and water basins outside it to help cleaning off. Lu Guang separated a few light changes of clothes—mostly just underwear and thin shirts, for he knows preparing anything else will be useless during a heat—as well put down Cheng Xiaoshi’s favorite hair band and comb. There are water bottles and a couple of cookies and cereal bars to eat in-between meals. Cheng Xiaoshi is almost done with the nest now, just rearranging some details here and there.
In theory, Cheng Xiaoshi has everything he needs. He should be okay even if Lu Guang were to leave. Lu Guang should be happy for it. The man he likes is safe and sound and won’t lack anything in this time of need. It should be enough for him, shouldn’t it?
But Lu Guang only feels anxious and dread.
What if his fears prove right and Cheng Xiaoshi only asked that because of the heat? What if Lu Guang really has to turn around and leave? Can he even do that, after being exposed to Cheng Xiaoshi’s heat pheromones the entire night and can feel the first signs of a rut creep up in the back of his mind?
He doesn’t know. And it scares him. The possibility that he may not be able to control himself, that he could end up hurting Cheng Xiaoshi is just—“Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang looks up from his watch to find Cheng Xiaoshi staring at him with concern clear in his eyes. He’s so close Lu Guang can smell the sweetness hidden under the storm that is Cheng Xiaoshi’s pheromones.
The newfound knowledge that Cheng Xiaoshi is slickingdoes not help Lu Guang at all.
“Did you finish?” Lu Guang’s voice sounds hoarse around the edges.
“Not yet. I’m missing the most important part,” Cheng Xiaoshi declares matter-of-factly.
Lu Guang frowns, glancing around the living room. Everything should be in order... Right? They shouldn’t be missing anything important, at least. Lu Guang even triple checked one of those cheesy websites for clues to make sure of it.
His expression must have given his loss away, for Cheng Xiaoshi slowly breaks out in a grin. He reaches for Lu Guang, wrapping his long, strong arms around his neck. Cheng Xiaoshi nuzzles into Lu Guang’s shoulder. His breath is warm against Lu Guang’s scent gland.
“You,” Cheng Xiaoshi murmurs against his skin. Lu Guang shivers when a Cheng Xiaoshi kisses the are, fleeting, butterfly kisses that only make him wish to stay more and more. “I’m missing you, Alpha.”
Oh.
Lu Guang closes his eyes. He doesn’t know if it’s the happiness or the sheer relief that makes his eyes water and his body feel so much lighter. It’s impossible not to return the hug, to bring Cheng Xiaoshi closer and get lost in his warmth.
Cheng Xiaoshi pulls away just enough to take a look at Lu Guang’s face. And he laughs, the sound of it loud and clear and so Cheng Xiaoshi Lu Guang wants to keep this memory with him forever. He can’t even find it in himself to feel mad that Cheng Xiaoshi is laughing at him.
“I told you my feelings wouldn’t change.” Those words make the corners of Lu Guang’s lips twitch. Cheng Xiaoshi takes a step away, and his hands hold onto Lu Guang’s, softly pulling him towards the nest’s entrance. The look in his eyes, the glint of happiness and hopefulness, only makes Cheng Xiaoshi look all the more beautiful. Alluring.
And who is Lu Guang to tell him no?