85 Chapter 84

Oscar kept his arm around Hu Yetao for the entirety of the meal, only releasing him during pudding when a small barn owl flew over and dropped an elegant cream-colored envelope into Oscar's lap.

Hu Yetao peered over his mate's shoulder as he opened it and withdrew a thick card in the same cream color as the envelope, with silvery ornate writing scrawled across it. It looked like a wedding invitation.

"It's an invitation to Su Miake's," Oscar informed Hu Yetao as he scanned the card. "It's a formal gathering to welcome her new baby."

"Su Miake had her baby?" Chenchen asked with interest. "I must tell mother. She has the most gorgeous family," she added wistfully. "What did she have?"

"A boy," Oscar replied, sliding the card back into the envelope.

The Mike's were a Pureblood family whom everyone in Slytherin knew. Hu Yetao wondered if it was only Nundu invited to the celebration or if it was open to everyone, and then he wondered if he should even be going because his attackers might hear of it and expect to find him there. He hated how complicated everything became due to those two wankers and their irrational vendetta.

"Come on Oscar," Horan said, stuffing one last Biscuit into his mouth before standing.

Oscar looked up at him with an enquiring arch of his brow.

"Quidditch?" He Horan reminded, deciding to snatch another biscuit from the plate during the delay.

"Oh right," Oscar replied, expression clearing.

"The poor Alpha is a bit bewildered after sitting outside Yetao's heat room for the past two days," Chenchen drawled in amusement. "All those heat pheromones and persistent erections; must have addled your brain darling."

Oscar narrowed his eyes at her as the others laughed.

Hu Yetao was just relieved that no one suspected the truth.

"I don't think I can make it…" Oscar finally replied slowly, turning back to Goyle.

"It's fine," Hu Yetao interjected, turning to Oscar. He didn't want his mate to miss out on practice just because he was worried about leaving Hu Yetao on his own. "I'll come too and hang out in the stands or something. I'm sure I have loads of assignments to catch up on now."

Oscar frowned uncertainly.

"I could sit in the stands with him," Zhou Keyu offered. "That way he won't be alone."

Oscar looked as though he liked that idea even less, despite being the one to ask Keyu to help keep an eye on Hu Yetao for him.

"Maybe Jing Long and Zhang Xinyao should come instead," Hu Yetao suggested with an apologetic glance at Keyu. "They can catch me up on all the classes I missed. Plus, I've been so preoccupied lately that I don't think I've been a very good friend."

"All right," Oscar eventually conceded with a nod. He looked at Keyu and the Slytherin merely shrugged and returned to his meal.

Hu Yetao stood and walked over to tell Zhang Xinyao and Jing-Long the plan. The two eagerly agreed, and Hu Yetao went up to his room with Oscar to grab his schoolwork while his mate changed into his Quidditch attire.

Hu Yetao sat huddled in the stands under one of Jing Long's warming charms as the trio watched the Slytherin's practice for a few minutes. Hu Yetao's gaze tracked his Alpha as he warmed up with a few laps around the pitch, his platinum blond hair easily discernible against the charcoal grey sky.

Hu Yetao fidgeted in his seat, feeling a flare of arousal, and then biting his lip at the tenderness in his arse. The potions had helped with the intense aches and pains from his heat but it left just enough soreness to remind him of what they'd got up to over the past few days. That, combined with staring at his mate in his green and silver Quidditch robes, was making him feel decidedly squirmy.

"Should we start with Care of Magical Creatures?" Zhang Xinyao asked, opening his worn leather school bag and rummaging through it.

"Nevermind that," Jing-Long dismissed with an impatient wave of his hand, causing Xinyao to frown at him in confusion. "How was your heat? Xinyao said Oscar completely panicked when he told him what was going on."

"He did?" Hu Yetao replied in surprise.

Jing Long nodded and then looked to Xinyao for corroboration.

"Oh, right," Xinyao agreed belatedly. "Yeah, I caught Oscar in the corridor and told him that you were in heat and that Madam Chen and I had put you in the little room attached to your bedroom. He sort of went mental and ran off." Xinyao paused and wrinkled his nose. "I guess he was desperate to get to you, while you were… in heat," he added with reticence.

Hu Yetao flushed, feeling decidedly awkward. "Erm, it wasn't about my heat, it was about the room you put me in. You know, small spaces..." He shrugged and hoped that it was enough to fill them in. They'd spent enough time on the run together that he knew Xinyao and Jing-Long suspected he had issues with closed-in spaces, but he'd never acknowledged it out loud.

"Oh shit," Xinyao exclaimed with wide eyes. "I… I forgot, well, I didn't really…know… Sorry mate."

Hu Yetao shook his head. "It's fine," he said truthfully. "Madam Chen didn't know and… and it's fine. Really. Oscar knew and he unlocked the door and… well, actually that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you both about."

Jing Long immediately gasped and his hands flew up to cover his mouth, eyes large and horrified as he silently shook his head at him; entreating him to deny his suspicions.

Never let it be said that his best friend was slow on the uptake. Hu Yetao swallowed and pulled at his hair, unable to meet his gaze. He finally nodded his head in response, staring hard at the floor.

"Oh, Hu Yetao…" he replied, slowly removing his hands, voice dripping with sympathy and perhaps a hint of pity.

"What?" Zhang Xinyao frowned in confusion, glancing between the two.

Hu Yetao clenched his hands on the bench and couldn't bring himself to look at Xinyao.

"Hu Yetao… spent his heat with Oscar," Jing-Long answered for him, quietly.

Hu Yetao could feel Xinyao's shocked gaze burning a hole in the side of his head.

"So… you're pregnant?"

"I don't know yet," Hu Yetao replied and then sighed heavily, dragging his gaze back up to his two friends. "Chen will test me in two weeks and then I'll… know for sure."

Zhang Xinyao continued to stare at him. "I… I can't believe it. You can't be pregnant!"

Hu Yetao smiled humourlessly. "I might not be.

Zhang Xinyao snorted, some of the color returning to his face. "With your luck, you will be a friend."

Jing Long placed a hand on Hu Yetao's arm and gently squeezed. "Well, whatever happens, Hu Yetao, we're here for you. I'm glad you told us, even if it turns out to be a false alarm."

Hu Yetao nodded, silently acknowledging her point about not keeping secrets.

"Does anyone else know?" Zhang Xinyao asked, suddenly keeping his voice low as he glanced out at the Slytherin players as they swooped by their section of the stands.

"Just Madam Chen."

"So…" Hermione started, eyes narrowing in thought. "If you're pregnant now, you'll be heavily pregnant at the end of the school year. What if it interferes with your exams? What if you go into labor early and miss exams?"

Hu Yetao sighed; he knew Jing-Long would overwhelm him with a thousand questions that he hadn't thought of or didn't have answers to. "I dunno, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it I guess."

"What does Oscar think?" Zhang Xinyao quickly asked before Jing-Long could scold Hu Yetao about lacking a solid contingency plan.

Hu Yetao smiled a little, tension easing as his eyes sought out his Alpha on the far side of the pitch. "He was stunned, at first, but… he's coming around to the idea, I think."

Jing Long smiled at that. "Cover your ears, Xinyao," he abruptly instructed.

"What for?" Xinyao replied, insulted.

"Because I want to know what it was like," he said, turning to Hu Yetao, eyes alight.

Hu Yetao raised his brow. "What… spending my heat with an Alpha was like?"

"Oh damn," Zhang Xinyao sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I don't want to know that stuff!"

"That's why I told you to cover your ears," Jing-Long retorted with a teasing glance at his boyfriend, causing Hu Yetao to grin.

"It was bloody amazing," Hu Yetao declared before Xinyao could complain. "I'm a touch sore though today."

"Hu Yetao…" Xinyao groaned, burying his face in his knees as Hu Yetao laughed.

Jing Long leaned even further forward. "And what was knotting like?" he whispered keenly.

"Jing-Long!" Xinyao wailed, lifting his head, appalled.

"Purely academic reasons Xinyao," he responded flippantly without looking at him.

"It was brilliant," Hu Yetao said, managing to say it with a straight face. It was the truth, but it was also hilarious to wind Xinyao up. "Oscar is amazing in bed - and on the floor, and the desk, and against the wall…"

Jing Long giggled as Xinyao finally did clap his hands over his ears. He turned away and leaned in towards Hu Yetao again, looking curious. "Can I ask you something?" At Hu Yetao's nod, he continued. "Don't you ever want to… you know, top?"

Zhang Xinyao tightened his hold on his ears and began to hum in the background.

Hu Yetao grinned at him before turning back to Jing-Long. "You know, I was always interested in a relationship where both partners participated, er, equally, but now… ever since coming into my Omega inheritance, I never have that urge anymore." He shot a glance at Xinyao before continuing. "I love being under Oscar, I mean, there's just something so… perfect about it. I don't even know how to describe it. I suppose it's just part of being an Omega and all of those 'Omega tendencies' the book spoke of."