Chapter 55

Hu Yetao cautiously opened his eyes once everything felt as though it had stopped moving and Niào's hand was no longer clutching onto his wrist. He immediately recognized Oscar's bedroom at Wang Manor; the large, elegant room decorated in soothing hues of pale blue. For reasons beyond his understanding, Hu Yetao instantly felt at ease in the space, something about it alleviating some of his lingering anxiety.

He noticed a sizeable tray of potions on the bedside cabinet as he idly watched Niào pad over to the large bed and turn down the bedding.

"Is Master Oscar needing anything else?" she asked earnestly as she turned to Oscar.

Oscar shook his head and Hu Yetao watched as the little house-elf bobbed a short curtsy before swiftly disappearing.

Hu Yetao shivered, despite being held against his mate's warm chest. He'd forgotten how cold the Manor was and his recovering body was sensitive to the sudden drop in temperature.

Oscar's arms tightened around him in response and he quickly walked over to the bed and carefully laid Hu Yetao onto the thick mattress. He untied Hu Yetao's dressing gown and carefully pulled it off before placing a hand on his mate's pajama-clad chest and gently pushing him to lie down.

Hu Yetao silently watched as his mate pulled the thick bedding up over his shivering body before stepping back and removing his wand from the waistband of his pajamas.

"How did you know I was in the infirmary?" Hu Yetao asked absently, feeling utterly worn out as he watched Oscar cast a few silencing and locking charms at the closed door. "You're still in your pajamas like you just jumped out of bed and ran straight there."

Oscar walked around to the other side of the bed and set his wand on the bedside cabinet before calmly undressing, his eyes flicking up to meet Hu Yetao's curious gaze. "I wasn't asleep, I… I'm unable to sleep properly without you there," he said stiffly, causing Hu Yetao to smile a little; he loved it when Oscar became flustered by expressing his emotions, it was so… adorable. "Therefore I felt it when Fu Sichao brought you into the castle," he continued.

Hu Yetao's smile faded. "So you knew something was wrong?"

Oscar stepped out of his silken pajamas, leaving just his pants on, before climbing into the wide bed. He shuffled over to lie alongside Hu Yetao and He nearly sighed in relief at the welcome influx of body heat.

"Yes," Oscar finally replied, cheek propped in one hand as he looked down at Hu Yetao. "I knew it the moment the two of you stepped foot into the castle." He paused a second before adding, "and then the scent of your distress faded away. It was strange, as though you'd walked into the school and then back out again… I didn't know what it meant. I thought perhaps… that maybe you'd…"

"Died?" Hu Yetao interjected bluntly and then winced.

Oscar shrugged, undoubtedly playing off what had probably been a rather terrifying period. "I didn't believe that that's what happened, but I also couldn't help imagining it."

"You must have lost the scent when I lost consciousness," Hu Yetao said distractedly, imagining Oscar running through the corridors, frantic with worry, rushing to the hospital wing to find out what had happened, and whether his mate was still alive or not.

"I'm sorry," Hu Yetao said, quietly, intently. "I'm sorry I put you through that." He paused and took a deep breath. "I promise that no matter how angry I become with you in the future, I will never just leave without telling you and put myself in that kind of situation again." He reached out to affectionately smooth Oscar's blond hair out of his eyes, stomach clenching with guilt at how weary his mate looked.

Oscar leaned into the touch a moment before reaching up and tightly grasping Hu Yetao's hand in his own. "To think, you were outside on school grounds that whole time… the entire time you were being tortured…" he broke off with a shake of his head, his eyes haunted.

Hu Yetao wanted to look away from the anguish in Oscar's eyes but he forced himself not to, he needed to hear how much his actions had affected his mate. He deserved it. Yes, Oscar had over-reacted about Zhou Keyu, but he hadn't done anything so foolish as to walk out and get himself nearly killed. Hu Yetao knew it was a lesson that he sorely needed to learn, and now he most definitely had.

Life wasn't the same as it was before he was an Omega; there were new rules now, he couldn't just go anywhere on his own and do as he pleased - even more so than when he was merely famous Hu Yetao, walking target for Chong Li - now it seemed he was a walking target for any slightly unstable Alpha out there. He also couldn't be selfish, no matter how unintentional; he had to remember that what happened to him also affected his mate.

Oscar swallowed, struggling to compose himself. "If I… If I'd only known… You almost died Hu Yetao, if Fu Sichao hadn't found you…"

"I know," Hu Yetao responded softly, reassuringly. "And if only I'd let you claim me right from the start, then you would have known. You would have known right away. But I'm still here. I'm here," he repeated steadily.

Oscar exhaled shakily and Hu Yetao squeezed his hand, wanting to soothe his rattled nerves as much as he was able.

Oscar laughed unsteadily and pressed his forehead to Hu Yetao's. "I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around Taotao," he murmured, sounding as though his tension was finally easing a little.

Hu Yetao smiled, his nerves beginning to settle a bit as well. He extracted his hand from Oscar's and gently slid it around to the back of his neck, pulling him down into a soft, chaste kiss.

Oscar returned the gentle pressure, smiling against Hu Yetao's mouth as he pulled back a moment, allowing his lips to lightly brush against Hu Yetao's for a single breath before leaning in for another tender kiss.

Hu Yetao felt his body melt into his mate's touch, the way Oscar's thumb was rubbing gentle circles over his skin where his hand was resting over Hu Yetao's ribs.

The kisses were slow and gentle, a reaffirmation that the other was okay, that everything would be all right. Hu Yetao didn't think he'd ever felt as connected to his mate as he did at that moment.

And perhaps that was what prompted him to pull back from the kiss and tilt his head to the side, arching his neck and deliberately exposing the pale column of his throat to his mate.

Oscar swallowed audibly as his gaze tracked over the pure, unblemished skin laid out before him. He lifted a hand to skate his fingertips down Hu Yetao's neck to the collar of pajamas.

Hu Yetao held very still as Oscar began to unbutton the top few buttons of his cotton hospital pajamas and push back the sides to uncover bare shoulders. Hu Yetao bit his lip as the cold air hit his skin, causing him to stiffen slightly.

Oscar's gaze flicked up to Hu Yetao's face; trying to read his expression. Without a word, he shifted over to cover Hu Yetao's body with his own, keeping his weight on his forearms so as not to crush his still recuperating mate.