Two days later, the Sarin's 3rd generation cubs were finally back at the mansion. Cirrus is doing great; recovery is fast for him thanks to Tul and the baby. He has a lot to celebrate—the pregnancy and the success of his prolonged four years of mission. But, he puts that on hold. Tul's well-being is his top priority.
"Should we move downstairs?" asks Cirrus, his voice softly serenading into Tul's ear.
"Why?" asks Tul. "Did the stairs make you tired?" He checks on Cirrus.
"No... but stairs are not good for pregnancy. What if you slip and fall?"
"Tui tui tui!" The elder Beta helper spits up to the air. "You shouldn't say that, Beta Cirrus! May the deity forbid that!"
Tul laughs, he softly pats the wrinkling hand. "Thanks for the prayer, aunty..."
"I don't care. Let's move you downstairs. I'll ask them to move your things now!"
"Cir... no need to..." Tul is still laughing when Cirrus anxiously calls the Beta helpers. They all gather around, waiting for Cirrus's instruction.
"This lovesick cub is truly something..." says Fa. He drags his bag across the room, glaring at Cirrus with a smirk on his face.
"Look who's talking! A man who smiled like an idiot while hugging his beloved Omega," Cirrus throws back the joke to Fa. Ezra, who walks past the crazy Sarin cubs, can't hide his crimson cheek. The memory of them hugging on the bed flashes before his eyes.
"Don't get jealous, cuz! I'm in my honeymoon phase..." Fa glares at Ezra. "Isn't it right, baby?"
"Baby my ass!" Ezra curses at Fa before he runs upstairs to hide his embarrassment.
Cirrus helps Tul sit on the sofa, before he walks towards Fa. "How romantic you two!"
His sarcastic teasing deserves a smack on his head. But, Fa chose to swat Cirrus with his sharp gaze. That Beta snickers a bit, but later his reaction turns serious.
"Your rut is coming..."
"I know. That's why I'm worried," Fa replies. "Ezra is not of that age to mate yet. I'm afraid my dominance pheromone might bring harm to him."
"Why don't we just ask him to move in with Pein?"
"Are you trying to dig my grave?"
Cirrus laughs. "At least, he will stay out of radar."
Fa sighs deeply. He looks up, staring at Ezra's room. He is just about to get close to his Omega, but this rut problem ruins everything.
"I need to collect his scent before this stupid rut comes! At least I have something to soothe me," says Fa. "And, prepare the dungeon. Just in case."
Cirrus glares at Fa while protesting in silence. Dungeon will be the last choice, just in case things get ugly. Right now, Cirrus revokes that idea. He would rather lock Fa in a room with thousands of prayer papers than see him in chains.
"Are you sure about the dungeon?" Tul—who had been silently eavesdropping on the conversation between Cirrus and Fa from the beginning—finally voices out. There's a concern in his eyes for his beloved youngest Sarin in the household.
"I have no choice. I don't want to tear Ezra in half. He's not even legal yet; which is another issue, too!" Fa replies. "I would rather be chained than kill my mate."
"You haven't marked him yet..."
"I will. Not now, Cir. He's just a cub. I wanna wait for more time, at least until he's ready," says Fa. He leaves the living room in heavy steps, making Cirrus and Tul feel sorry for him.
***
After a whole week at the hospital, Ezra is struggling to catch up on his tutoring session. So, he decides to burn the night away. He has only a month before the trial for the final exam, and he knows by this time, he might not be able to pass if he slacks off.
"Ah... why can't I remember anything?" Ezra scratches the scalp on his head. He is doing some mock tests, and the results weren't as good as expected. He takes out another set of mock tests, and restarts.
"Why are you still studying at this hour?"
The voice behind him makes him jump in fear. Fa is leaning against the door frame in his pajamas, looking at him with his droopy eyes.
"Ehey, people in this mansion love sneaking around like a ghost!" Ezra complains. He then ignores Fa and dives back into his notes.
"I'm asking you, why are you still in here? You should probably be in bed now."
"I thought you had already regained your eyesight! Why bother asking?" Ezra casually replies to Fa, in a sarcastic tone.
"Ever heard of a word 'communication'?" Fa throws back a question while closing the door behind him. He moves closer to Ezra, occupies the seat next to him.
"I did. But right now, I don't wanna do it," Ezra nonchalantly replies to Fa. He is busy answering another set of mock tests. Fa waits, eyes linger at that Omega.
"That's not the answer..."
"Shh! Can you please be quiet?"
"Fine... Just helping," Fa snickers a bit.
The room goes quiet again. Fa watches his Omega attentively studies for the exam. Ezra is trying his best, but ends up stuck on one question.
"Ugh! What did I do wrong?" That cute mouth grumbles in frustration. Fa smiles helplessly and then scoots over slowly.
"You missed one number. Where's the percentage of the concentration?"
"It's over here..."
"You forgot to convert it," Fa points his index to the number. "Convert it first."
Although the closeness brings uneasiness to Ezra, his body remains glued to the chair and unconsciously, he just follows whatever Fa asks him to do.
"Check the answer," the Golden Alpha hands an answer sheet.
"Eh? It's correct!" Ezra gasps.
"See... you're always making a trivial mistake. Don't be careless!" Fa grabs another pencil from the pencil case. "When this kind of question comes out, you have to convert everything so it will be easy for you to calculate it later..."
Ezra watches attentively as Fa scribbles some numbers on the paper. He explains to the hopeless Omega how to answer the question in the easiest way to understand.
There's a flowery feeling that blooms in Ezra. The more he stares at Fa, the more he feels elated. He ends up losing in his own thoughts, too mesmerized by that charismatic Golden Alpha.
"I don't think there's any answer in my face," Fa glares at Ezra, making him snap away from his daydream. Ezra clears his throat, quickly dives into his notes to hide his pink cheeks.
Fa smirks, knowing that Ezra has been staring too long at him. He feels shy as well, since no one ever stares at him like that. But, he knows, he has to control himself and learns to be patient. Ezra is slowly opening up to him, one mishap, and Omega will hate him again.
"Okay, let's check the score!" Ezra chimes. He counts in silence and then yelps in happiness. The score is ten points more than the previous sheet.
"Wow! What a progress!"
"Thanked me for that..."
"Fine!" Ezra gives in. "Thank you, teacher..." he bows his head in gratefulness. Fa lets out a faint laugh. When Ezra looks up, that Golden Alpha is smirking at him.
"Only a thank? No reward?"
"Why should I reward you?"
Fa leans closer. "Even your tutor gets her pay. Why can't I demand the same? I spend my night helping you instead of sleeping, okay?"
Those words slap Ezra unconsciously. But, his stubbornness forbids him from acknowledging the little sacrifice made by Fa. "Who asks you for help? You volunteer to come in!"
"Come on! Should I leave you alone then? What if a ghost comes in and teases you?"
"There's no ghost in this mansion!"
"Are you sure, little scaredy cub?"
"Stop it, Fa!" Ezra slaps Fa's shoulder, making the Golden Alpha laugh. Then, the air goes silent. Their eyes lock on each other, as the familiar feelings linger between them.
Unconsciously, Ezra places a peck on Fa's lips. "There you go. Your reward," he answers, avoiding eye contact.
Fa, feeling elated, pinches Ezra's chin to take a look at that Omega's blushing cheek. He smiles helplessly, with wild thoughts running around his mind.
"Only a peck? What are you, six?"
"You should be grateful that you got a peck. I have never kissed anyone before, so a peck is like a milestone. Understand?"
"At least, leave it for ten seconds? That's not even a second!"
"You're one handful brat, you know?" Ezra complains. He sighs when he sees Fa is looking at him with his iris enlarging like a boba bead. That Golden Alpha is trying to seek some sympathy.
"Fine!" Ezra grabs his iPhone. He set the timer and showed it to Fa.
"Ten seconds. When the alarm blasts, we part ways. Got it?"
Fa nods. Ten seconds is enough, as long as Ezra is doing it of his own will. He leans closer, ready for the peck. When Ezra lands his lips on Fa, he starts the timer.
A peck that is supposed to be just a peck turns into a kiss when Fa softly gaps out his lips and sucks on Ezra's lower lip. The Omega is taken aback, but a promise is a promise. Besides, ten seconds is only a short period of time. So, he just let Fa do whatever he wants.
But, unknowingly, even after the alarm blasts, they fail to part ways. That kiss feels like a warm summer that envelopes Ezra as a whole. He feels like coming back to where he shared his first kiss with Sora; it's intimate, lovely, and full of desires. Ezra leans even closer, putting a bit of pressure as his body unconsciously lifts from the chair.
Fa grabs Ezra's waist, supporting the body all the way. He lifts Ezra with his energetic strength, placing him on his lap. He keeps kissing and biting those lips in joy; his heart leaps like crazy in his ribcage.
Ezra is still under the spell of the magical kiss that brings him down to memory lane. The feeling that he longed so badly takes over his soul. He grabs Fa's neck, tilts his head to the side, and keeps eating Fa's lips. His tongue wildly finds a way out, but Ezra holds it. He is too shy to step up the game.
Fa, on the other hand, runs his hands all over Ezra's back. His slender fingers run up and down along that Omega's spine. He is rattled by such an intimate moment when suddenly he hears Ezra murmurs a name under his breath.
"Sora..."
That's when he snaps and pulls away.
The sudden reaction from Fa smacks Ezra's mind back into reality. He gulps a bit, realizing his mistake. Fa places Ezra on the table in haste and he storms out of the room even before Ezra can explain. That Omega stuns a bit, before cursing himself inside.
You stupid Omega!