Chapter 69

Hu Yetao's brow pulled down into a frown as he stared back at him. "How are new clothes proof of corruption?" he asked, utterly exasperated by his outlandish accusations. "Most of my existing clothes were my fat cousin's cast-offs because my aunt and uncle refused to spend more on me than they the rest of my wardrobe consisted of Zhang's jumpers and my school uniform. I'm sorry if you think I'm suddenly evil incarnate just because my coat is Armani."

Jing Long blinked and then his lips twitched - and then he was suddenly laughing; a full-belly laugh that Hu Yetao hadn't heard in a very long time.

"What's Armani?" Zhang Xinyao asked over his laughter, bewildered.

Oscar snorted and Hu Yetao quickly placed a hand over his mate's mouth before he could say something detrimental.

Jing Long wiped his eyes while a few lingering giggles escaped his lips. Once he'd sufficiently recovered, his smile slowly began to turn contrite. "I'm sorry Hu Yetao, you requested a truce for the day and I swore to myself that I would try to keep an open mind. Let's continue shall we?"

Hu Yetao smiled and nodded in relief.

The foursome began walking towards the gates once more, the atmosphere a little more relaxed.

They agreed on an Apparation Point in Diagon, and then from there, they all walked out through the Leaky Cauldron and onto Charing Cross Road in Muggle Island. There wasn't any snow on Island but the late October air was crisp and cold, and Hu Yetao was thankful for his cozy wool coat.

"How about we head somewhere warm?" Hu Yetao suggested as he slid his hands into his pockets.

Xinyao nodded emphatically as he zipped up his coat, shoulders hunched against the wind.

"I know of a brilliant coffee shop not far from here," Jing-Long suggested tentatively as errant hair blew across his face.

"Sounds good to me," Hu Yetao replied with a nod before turning to his mate with a questioning gaze.

"Lead the way Jing," Oscar agreed as he tucked his arm through Hu Yetao's.

The footpath was too crowded with Saturday morning shoppers for any conversation as they walked south along Charing Cross Road. They crossed the street after a few minutes and followed Jing-Long as he ducked up a side street and then into a small, unassuming shop. The trendy little wooden sign encased with black iron above the door had Notes Coffee scrawled across it.

It was just past nine and the coffee bar had only just opened. The shop's interior was warm and welcoming as they stepped in out of the cold and the air was filled with the smell of sweet things and fresh baking. There were only two other customers seated at one of the tables, and one of the employees flashed the four new guests a smile of greeting as they walked in.

They inspected the menu and then gave their orders to a young girl at the counter before making their way to a table in the back surrounded by pale grey walls and illuminated by trendy lighting. Winter coats were soon discarded and draped over the backs of chairs as they settled around the table to the sound of jazz music playing softly in the background.

"So, is that Armani?" Jing Long asked with a tiny grin.

Hu Yetao laughed. "No, that's just the only designer name I know. You ordered it from somewhere, right?" he asked, turning to his mate.

"Yes, a close acquaintance of my mother's is a designer in Brazil from whom we order most of our clothing from."

"I didn't realize your family wore Muggle clothing often enough to warrant having a designer on call," Jing-Long mused aloud, and Hu Yetao wasn't sure if he was being facetious or spiteful.

"My mother and I both appreciate Muggle fashion," Oscar replied steadily. "It has a practicality to it that wizarding fashion is sadly lacking."

"Too right," Zhang Xinyao agreed while tipping his chair back and marveling at the low-hanging electric light fixture above his head. "I can't stand robes." He dropped his chair back down and shot Hu Yetao a lop-sided grin. "Must be nice having your Alpha buy a new wardrobe for you."

Hu Yetao's temper flared for just an instant before he thought about what his friend had said. "You mean because then I don't have to go out shopping myself?"

"Yeah, I know how much you hate it."

Hu Yetao relaxed and smiled back. He needed to watch his reactions; he was feeling perhaps a little overly sensitive to the situation. Jing Long's earlier accusations had him on edge and he didn't want it to ruin a day that was meant to repair relationships.

"Is that why you've been so accommodating?" Oscar asked his mate with an arched brow. "Because you're a lazy sod and not because you like the things I pick out?"

Hu Yetao smiled sheepishly as he shrugged. "Well, at first yeah, but now… I can appreciate the difference in quality and how they make me look."

Jing Long smiled. "Whereas before you didn't know you were wearing trousers ten sizes too big for you Hu Yetao?"

Hu Yetao scowled. "Hey, enough about my clothes. Fucking hell." The young Muggle staff member chose that moment to pop over with their drinks and Hu Yetao smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

She waved him off with a grin. "No worries, I've heard plenty worse, believe me," she said good-naturedly as she placed everyone's order in front of them. "Enjoy."

Hu Yetao pulled his hot chocolate towards himself and licked a bit of whipped cream off the rather large mound which topped his decadent drink, his eyes flicking to his mate, daring him to make a disparaging remark.

Oscar's lips curved into a smile but he remained silent as he reached for his espresso.

Hu Yetao caught Jing-Long watching the exchange with interest and he wondered what he was thinking.

"I didn't know if we were allowed to talk about this today or not…" Zhang Xinyao started hesitantly with a glance towards his boyfriend, "but, what happened last weekend Hu Yetao? You were all alone and someone attacked you?"

Hu Yetao quickly placed a comforting hand on Oscar's knee beneath the table when his mate stiffened at the question. He knew Oscar still blamed himself for what happened and He hoped Zhang Xinyao wouldn't encourage that guilt in any way.

"Yeah, I was…" Hu Yetao trailed off with a sigh, cupping his hands around his warm cup. "It's a long story," he said, knowing there was so much more to the attack than just him being out alone. He tried to sort it in his mind before speaking again.

"You know how Zhou Keyu offered himself to me as an Alpha?" At their nods, he continued, his thumb absently stroking over Oscar's thigh to keep him calm. "Well, I kind of forgot to tell Oscar."

"Forgot?" Zhang Xinyao repeated incredulously. "How could you forget to tell your mate something like that?"

Hu Yetao took a sip of his drink to give himself time to think. He knew exactly why he forgot; he'd been too preoccupied with meeting the Nundu Board and then Oscar's subsequent inquiry where he could've very well been found guilty and then executed.

Zhou Keyu's little crush wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities at that time.

"I didn't want to upset Oscar," he said once he'd set his drink back down. "I didn't think it was important to tell him if it was just going to cause him distress or instigate a fight between the two of them."

Zhang Xinyao snorted. "That's what happens when you're raised by Muggles," he said with a shake of his head, giving Hu Yetao a perfectly reasonable excuse as to why it had slipped his mind. "You don't know anything about Alphas, my friend."

"If I knew it was going to be such an issue, I wouldn't have forgotten," Hu Yetao replied honestly.

"So when did he find out?" Zhang Xinyao asked, glancing between the two mates.

"Right before we were meant to leave for the party," Hu Yetao answered, flashing a somewhat sheepish smile at his Alpha. He was feeling a bit silly about the whole thing now. He and Oscar had both over-reacted, but Hu Yetao had been the one who had taken it too far and disregarded his safety to prove a point. "He wasn't pleased," he added dryly.

"It wasn't merely the fact that Hu Yetao had forgotten to tell me about Keyu's offer that bothered me," Oscar interjected smoothly, one finger circling the rim of his tiny white cup. "It was the fact that Zhou Keyu had approached Hu Yetao on more than one occasion, and I was completely unaware of the fact that another Alpha was trying to move in on my mate. It's not that I thought Hu Yetao was secretly interested in him, it was only that I wasn't prepared for that… turn of events, and I'm afraid I do not handle being caught off-guard very well."

Zhang Xinyao leaned forward in his chair, nodding in understanding - which was a very odd sight for Hu Yetao to witness; Xinyao agreeing with Oscar.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be happy if some Alpha was trying to snag Jing-Long behind my back and he neglected to tell me about it."