Familiar Not

Jian Yu blinked and cracked open his eyelids, wincing at the sudden brightness. The sunlight from the window on his left shone brightly, blinding him. This place needed to check their obsession with windows, it was everywhere! 

He squeezed his eyes shut and diverted his sight elsewhere. Looking around, everything was white. The ceiling, the floor, even the bed he was currently lying on was white. 

Jian Yu noted that he must be in the emergency unit Sir Roderick was talking about when he realized he was still in college. His sight was limited by the limp curtain hanging from the railings above, but he could still see the view through the window to know where he was. 

The smell of medicines lingered around. Sitting up, he palmed his head when his vision went dark for a minute. He stayed in that position and waited for it to return normal. 

Wincing whenever he moved his arm, he finally noticed his arm was struck with an intravenous drip. He reached over to pull it out-- 

"Keep that in." 

Jian Yu halted all his movements, his fingers had clasped over the transparent tape that held the needle, ready to pull it out. 

The curtains were pulled aside and a man in his thirties walked in. 

"Doctor Liam!" 

"Hi, I didn't expect to meet you this fast. It should be another couple of days." 

Doctor Liam went to his left side and examined the IV tube. He checked his watch and adjusted the roller adapter. 

"Why are you here?" 

"Why? I am the physician here. And you, didn't I tell you to get some rest?" Doctor Liam pushed his glasses and scolded Jian Yu. 

"I thought I was fine?" 

Sighing, Doctor Liam clicked his tongue. "Do you feel any headache? Nausea?" 

"No…"

"Don't lie to me, just because you are a Beta, doesn't mean you have to act all tough, trying to prove yourself. The Beta population is plummeting every year due to that mindset," Doctor Liam criticized. 

Somehow, those words hit Jian Yu hard, stabbing right through his heart. It's true. All his life, he just wanted to prove that Beta wasn't useless at all. 

"I'm sorry…" Jian Yu apologized, dropping his head. 

"Don't apologize to me, say that to the one carrying you here." 

"Huh?" Jian Yu's eyebrow shot up above his hairline. 

'Carried?' 

Yes, how did he end up in the emergency unit? He remembered running into Sir Roderick and--

He looked up at Doctor Liam and saw him pulling the curtains wider. 

There, sleeping peacefully on the same bed as Jian Yu, was Zeke Roderick. 

"For once, he brought a real human being, I used to scold him when he picked up any injured stray animals for me to treat," Doctor Liam explained. "I am a doctor, not a veterinarian." 

Jian Yu twitched at that. 'Do I look like a stray animal to you?' 

To be honest, Jian Yu immediately imagined himself being in a cage barking or meowing with dogs or cats. He shuddered and shook that image off his mind. 

"What a privilege. He could skip any classes and get away with it," Doctor Liam sighed. 

Jian Yu laughed softly, covering his mouth when he did so. He pushed the blanket on him away and scooted to the edge of the bed so he could let his feet dangle over the side, he searched for his shoes. 

"Thank you very much, Doctor Liam, but it seems that I need to head back to class. I had wasted too much time resting," he dipped his head at Doctor Liam. 

"Stop being a workaholic. I had informed Lady Clement and she instructed me to keep you here until you recovered." 

'W--workaholic?' Jian Yu thought solemnly. 'I had been relaxing myself too much these past weeks.'

Feeling a glare sent at him, Jian Yu immediately slipped back under the blanket. 

"I-- I will rest," he stuttered out. The glare was murderous enough and it was laced with Alpha pheromones, trying to make him submit. 

This was the first time he smelled Alpha pheromones exuded from Doctor Liam. He really knew how to control them well. 

XXX

The second time he came to, he was shaken awoke, feeling better that ever. He heard murmurs of voices and Doctor Liam came to his view. 

He was told that the last class would end in a few minutes so he should hurry up if he didn't want to be late at picking up Lady Clement. 

Doctor Liam also informed him that Zeke had left earlier and he expected another round of game with him as the payment. After that, he thanked Doctor Liam and prepared to leave. 

"Here, take this." 

Jian Yu looked down at the lollipop offered to him and back up at Doctor Liam. 

"Ah, thank you, but I don't really like sweets actually," he replied apologetically, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

Doctor Liam chuckled and softly reached for his hand, opening his palm and placing the lollipop on it. "I insist. It's my reward to obedient patients for undergoing treatments and you are such a good boy for listening well." 

Jian Yu blinked rapidly and flushed at being called a 'good boy'. Doctor Liam laughed at his reaction. He patted his head and called him cute before ushering him out, telling him to hurry up. 

"Promise me you are not going to throw it away!" Doctor Liam called out when Jian Yu rushed out. 

Jian Yu did not stop until he saw the familiar gate enter his view, all the while holding that particular lollipop. His face was still flushed at the attention he received from the doctor. 

He fanned himself and waited for Lady Clement to appear in front of the gate patiently. The sound of a bell echoed loudly, signaling the end of class. Students poured out, some in groups, some alone. Those from wealthy families had their butlers waiting with limousines, while those in lower class walked home. 

Realizing that he was still holding onto the lollipop, he took a look at it. To his surprise, it had the same wrapping as the one before. 

It was peach in color and a small logo in the center. Looking closely, it had a familiar looking symbol on it. He recalled the previous candy he received also had it. 

Three identical circles that overlap each other and form a three cornered knot. It resembled an ancient symbol called Triquetra. A symbol that was believed to be a protective symbol which strengthened the wearer's connection to the unified divine. 

Examining it closely, he squinted his eyes and noticed that those three circles weren't circles at all, but the symbol of an Omega. 

And the triangle shaped that contained these Omega symbols looked like a symbol of an Alpha. 

This logo…

It looked familiar, yet unfamiliar to him. 

Where had he seen this logo before? 

"You." 

Too focused on the lollipop, Jian Yu momentarily forgot his surroundings. Startled, he almost dropped the lollipop from his hands, but he managed to catch it and shoved it inside his pocket. 

"You are that bodyguard, right?"