Chapter Text
Recently, he’d felt…strange.
Sheng Shaoyu had always valued his ability to remain in control. Whether he was leading a high stakes board meeting or handling the derision of his useless half siblings, he prided himself on being able to maintain his composure. He refused to let anyone see him on edge or uneasy.
At least, that was how things used to be. Lately, everything in his life seemed to have begun spinning rapidly out of his control. Starting with Hua Yong being taken and now facing the displeasure of Sheng Fang Biotech’s board, Shaoyou had started to feel like he was barely holding things together instead of easily carrying out predetermined moves on a chess board.
As concerning as that all was, it was his slipping control in his personal life that worried him the most.
It had started with a nightmare. He’d had a few during that desperate time when he’d been searching for Hua Yong, his subconscious torturing him with all the terrible things that could be happening to his omega while he slept. It hadn’t taken Shaoyou long to decide it was better to stay awake and focused on bringing Hua Yong home instead of wasting time asleep.
The nightmares had calmed almost instantly once Hua Yong had returned. On a few occasions he would wake up with the vague impression he’d been dreaming of something unpleasant, but the feeling was quickly soothed by one of Hua Yong’s bright smiles and a hand against his cheek.
Tonight though, the nightmare was every bit as vicious as the terrible ones he’d endured during Hua Yong’s captivity.
He was in the hotel where Allen had found Hua Yong. The carpet underneath his feet was plush and luxurious, the lamps shining brightly along the elegantly wallpapered walls lending a cheery light to the hallway. It stretched out on and on in front of him with no end in sight.
Sobs echoed through the space around him, somehow seeming like they were coming from right beside him and incredibly far away all at once. Shaoyou would have recognized Hua Yong’s voice anywhere, even if he’d never heard it this desperate and scared in his waking moments.
Shaoyou ran through the halls of the hotel, taking turns down hallways at random trying to follow the sound of Hua Yong’s desperate cries. As he ran, Hua Yong’s sobs morphed into words as he started calling out for Shaouyou, begging him for help.
Shaoyou tried to call back to him, to assure him that he was coming, but he couldn’t speak. He could only run down the never ending hallways, chest heaving with exertion and getting no closer to Hua Yong.
It was when Hua Yong started to scream that Shaoyou jolted awake.
He was sprawled on his back in bed, heart beating violently behind his ribs and his sheets twisted around his legs as if he’d also been attempting to force his legs to move in the waking world.
Everything was quiet. No screaming or sobbing, just the comforting, familiar noise of late night city life happening far below.
He forced himself to take a shaking breath and turned onto his side to reach out to Hua Yong. He froze as his fingers brushed against empty sheets that didn't hold a hint of Hua Yong’s body heat.
The empty space almost seemed to mock him and the quiet that had seemed so comforting before now suddenly seemed to press down around him, choking him. Had finding him been the dream? Was Hua Yong still out there, desperate and alone? Was he screaming and begging for Shaoyou to save him just as he’d been doing seconds ago in his dream?
All he knew for sure in his disoriented, half-asleep state was that Hua Yong was gone.
A loud whine tore through the silence of the bedroom, pained and panicked.
Where is he? Where is he?
The words flashed over and over again in his mind as his instincts warred inside of him, clashing and intertwining in ways that felt both familiar and completely foreign. He could recognize the anger, the desire to tear apart anyone who would dare lay their hands on his omega, but the other part, the cold part of his chest that ached with an absence Shaoyou couldn’t put into words, was pushing itself to the forefront as his mind continued to spiral.
It was only when he heard the panicked whine a second time that he realized he was the one making the sound.
He’d heard omegas make a similar sound before when they were in distress and calling out for their alpha, though Shaoyou had never heard anyone talk about an alpha calling out for their omega in a similar way and he’d certainly never made any noise like it before.
Yet, he found he couldn’t stop as another whine rose up in his throat alongside his panic.
Where is he?
Rapid footsteps raced down the hall moments before the door to their bedroom flew open, the doorknob slamming into the opposite wall so hard the entire door seemed to shudder inside its frame with the impact.
Hua Yong stood in the doorway, the ambient city lights filtering through the window highlighted the dark expression on his face. His shoulders were tense, eyes scanning the room as if he was searching for an attacker hidden in the shadows.
The moment Shaoyou saw him the aching chill in his chest warmed slightly, heady relief spreading through his tensed muscles.
“What’s wrong?” Hua Yong practically demanded, eyes alternating from looking him over and continuing to scan the room.
“Just a nightmare,” he breathed out, still basking in the relief of Hua Yong’s presence.
Instantly, Hua Yong’s expression softened and his body relaxed. It was only when he saw Hua Yong return to the body language he’s used to that it occurred to him he’d seemed distinctly different for those few moments after he’d first run into the room.
It’s a thought that flashes through his mind only for a moment, and already the earlier dark fury he’d seen in Hua Yong’s eyes seemed almost as hazy and indistinct as the nightmare he’d just broken free from.
The moment Hua Yong sat on the edge of the bed, Shaoyou was leaping forward to wrap his arms around him, finding himself unable to show an ounce of restraint. His omega gave in easily, allowing Shaoyou to plaster himself to his side and maneuver them into a comfortable position where he could throw one of his legs over Hua Yong’s and tuck his head against his omega’s neck.
The scent of orchid was faint, so faint that he wondered if Hua Yong had been having trouble sleeping because of his pheromone disorder and gotten up to inject some suppressants to try and calm it down. Still, being this close allowed Hua Yong’s scent to wrap around him and caused the remaining tension to bleed out of his body.
Safe, his instincts practically purred. Safe here.
Hua Yong reached up to gently curl his fingers through his hair as he wrapped his other arm around Shaoyou’s waist. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” he said quickly. No matter what he was going through, everything Hua Yong had endured was far worse. He would never force Hua Yong to relive anything about those days or add to his distress by letting him know how badly the entire event had scarred him.
He felt Hua Yong nod before the arm around his waist tightened slightly. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Distantly, Shaoyou knew that he should be the one saying those words as Hua Yong’s alpha, even as his fingers desperately curled into the soft fabric of his omega's sweater. He couldn’t seem to make himself stop, to grab onto the control that usually came so easily to him.
He still felt like Hua Yong could disappear from his arms at any moment, that he’d be pulled away again if Shaoyou didn't hold onto him tightly enough.
Hua Yong began humming a soft and lilting tune Shaoyou didn't recognize, but it soothed the last of his anxiety as Hua Yong continued to stroke his fingers through his hair.
The scent of orchids grew stronger and Shaoyou felt his eyes begin to drift closed.
Calming pheromones , he thought distantly, though he’d never had an omega’s calming pheromones work on him to the extent of putting him to sleep. They rarely did more than take the edge off whatever stress he was feeling.
Then again, Shaoyou had never trusted an omega like he trusted Hua Yong before either. Maybe that was the difference.
“Sleep,” Hua Yong ordered and Shaoyou found it impossible not to obey.
—-
The next morning, Shaoyou found himself hovering in the doorframe of their bedroom as he watched Hua Yong prepare breakfast for both of them. Hua Yong had already been gone when he’d woken up and this time his absence had brought relief, not panic. With the morning light streaming around him, he couldn’t recognize the needy, panicked person he'd been the night before.
Years ago, he’d dated an omega who had been incredibly active in the omega rights movement. She’d been fiery and independent, far from his usual type, but they had run in similar social circles and they’d found themselves falling into bed together one night, out of boredom more than from any actual feelings.
They probably would have only lasted a few weeks if they hadn’t accidentally run into Sheng Shao Qing one night at a club. His half brother had begun one of his usual rants, bolstered by alcohol and no doubt some form of narcotics. Shaoyou had been prepared to ignore him as usual when his partner had suddenly punched Shao Qing so hard his nose had immediately started gushing blood.
He’d been so shocked that he’d let her drag him away from the bloody scene to the driver waiting for them outside.
Later that night, as they’d been curled up together in bed, she explained, “Omegas want to protect their alphas too. It’s a natural instinct to protect the people you care about, no matter what your designation is.”
“But I don’t need you to protect me,” he’d insisted, caught between admiration and annoyance at the entire situation. “I can take care of myself.”
She’d snorted out a laugh, but she’d seemed almost sad as she brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead. “So? I can take care of myself too. It doesn’t make me more of an omega or you less of an alpha to let someone else carry a burden for you. That’s what a partner is supposed to do.”
Something about that had stuck with him, even after they’d broken up around two months later. The last time he’d seen her, she’d just gotten married to an alpha who stared at her like she was the sun he revolved around, which, as far as Shaoyou was concerned, was exactly what she deserved.
While Shaoyou rarely needed or even wanted someone else to protect him, that omega’s words had convinced him it wasn’t a shameful thing for an alpha to accept.
Shaoyou simply wasn’t the type of alpha who thought being taken care of somehow made him less dominant or weak. He was confident in his status as an S class and he knew with a bone deep certainty that Hua Yong would never judge him for any sort of weakness he’d shown the night before. Knowing Hua Yong, it had probably pleased him to be able to help. He was the most naturally providing omega Shaoyou had ever known.
What had knocked him off balance was how different the entire situation had felt for him. He hadn’t accepted Hua Yong’s comfort, he’d needed it.
It scared him and he didn’t understand it. Yes, there was nothing wrong with an alpha accepting comfort, but he’d never heard of an alpha needing it in the visceral way he’d felt the need for Hua Yong the night before.
“Mr. Sheng?”
He was quickly yanked out of his thoughts by Hua Yong’s soft voice. His head was cocked to the side slightly, a content smile curling up the corners of his mouth as if the sight of Shaoyou alone was enough to bring him a deep, contented joy.
Shaoyou returned the smile and forced himself to push his thoughts to the side as he moved to Hua Yong, pressing a kiss against his forehead.
Hua Yong hummed softly and leaned against his side. Shaoyou was relieved he didn’t seem inclined to bring up anything about the night before.
It was just one bad night, Shaoyou told himself as Hua Yong glanced up at him from underneath his eyelashes. He always made Shaoyou feel like he could take on the whole world when he looked at him like that. There was no point in dwelling on last night when it seemed like Hua Yong seemed perfectly content not to mention it.
Perhaps it was the coward’s way out, but one strange night hardly meant anything.