Episode 62

"Thankyou"

"So what's going on with him" Alex asked slowly unfolding the bandage around Akio's neck.

The children ran about the house. More like Adrian ran because these tiny monsters kept on biting and the excited little girls just followed and copied him around.

"See for yourself" Akio said as Alex removed the last layer of the bandage and Alex made a cringed face.

After the incident at the hospital, Zhuang had brought them to Alex's place except Kei. Zhuang had to go back to be with Natsuro since Aoi took Kei away somewhere.

"Did he do that?" Alex asked and Akio nodded "It's infected.." Alex said

He went to the cabinet in the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit.

"I thought he was improving, things were getting better and now suddenly he's behaving in this way, he's also hiding something" Akio said.

"And what do you think he is hiding?" Alex started cleaning the wound, Akio didn't really react much.

"I don't know but one thing I know for sure is, he's never used influence before...." Akio looked quite bothered.

"I was surprised too, he always looks so fragile, I didn't think his pheromones were that strong until I witnessed them, it's one of the most demeaning thing an alpha can do to an omega, making them submit by force, since the influence doesn't work on other alphas" Alex dumped the cotton and started bandaging neatly.

"Do you think he intended them for me?" Akio asked.

"All I know is that influence is used to make an alpha command and alpha command only works on omegas. There were only four omegas in the room; Adrian, Natsu, Me and You. I don't suppose he'd have any reason to try and command any of us.." Alex fixed the bandage and started clearing up the mess.

" Then if he wanted to command me, he could've just said so.. I'd have listened to him anyway" Akio clenched his fists on his thighs.

"Ah but the ones that give me serious chills are Aoi's pheromones, I almost thought I would die!" Alex shivered a bit at the thought of them.

"She had to, if she didn't Natsu and the baby would be in trouble, they might have been horrifying for us but I think for Natsu, they were calming" Akio said.

"Fated pairs huh, I'm envious" Alex said jokingly.

"Wait.. What..." Akio was a bit surprised.

"What do you mean by what? When is an alpha command ever calming for an omega?" Alex was confused by Akio's tone.

"When they are fated pairs..." Akio came to a realization.

"Don't tell me you just found out" Alex was a bit dumbfounded.

"No I mean, I always thought she was joking because they're in love and all... But for real?!" Akio was in shock.

"I don't know what to say to you anymore, don't you remember? She was the one who caused your son's first heat back in his early teens" Alex reminded.

"I thought it was just a regular first heat since he hit puberty" Akio was taking time to process it all "So she was being truthful all along that they were fated"

"Akio san, you are amusing in your own way.. And I suggest you should talk to Kei about this biting thing, if he really wants to overwrite this mark, there's other ways" Alex sat infront of Akio.

"What ways.." Akio was suddenly interested.

"You could get a tattoo over that mark.. Something that Kei would like.. Or maybe you both could get a couple tattoo... Just like you and Zhuang have the same tattoo on your neck" Alex seemed a bit down at the last comment.

"This is not a couple tattoo, it's the sign of the family, me and Zhuang belonged to.." Akio replied.

"Is it a good memory for you?" Alex asked.

"It's a battle scar for me, it's a reminder for all the things I went through in that family and after I left it..." Akio whispered touching the tattoo on his neck.

"Do you hate him...?" Alex asked.

"At this point..." Akio became silent for a bit " Do you really want to know?"

"I do want to know the truth, even if it's going to hurt me..." Alex said.

Akio gave a long pause.

"I used to like him... Even after what he did to me... I was as much in love as Zhuang was" Akio's voice trembled a bit.

"Why'd you..." Alex almost felt his heart get heavy to ask that.

"At that time, when he did that.. I forgave him because he was supposed to be the person I loved... You should be glad that the person you love does those things to you... I thought at that time, I convinced myself so many times but whenever he approached me I became scared without knowing it and couldn't enjoy it all or get turned on.. He became more and more obsessed by my involuntary rejection.. He became violent.. Yet I still forgave him.... " Akio explained with a heavy voice.

"Then why'd you leave?" Alex asked.

"It was the time around when I expected Natsuro, the family leader married us.. I was willing to leave my past behind and start a family with Zhuang until I heard the family leader.... An omega child couldn't carry the family's name.. So if an omega child were to be born.. It had to be disposed off.. " Akio clenched his fists really tight.

" And so you ran? " Alex asked.

" I did.. " Akio replied.

" Then what about Zhuang? " Alex asked.

" He started searching for me desperately, I don't know what happened to his family but it was quite late when I heard the family had collapsed since Zhuang heard about what they had said and decided to cut it off with his family, after the death of master, there was no heir.... I didn't know though... At that time I had no one to go to, I didn't trust him enough to tell him.... So I turned to escaping to the city side where a guy who worked at strip club found me on the streets.. He took me back home and took care of me... He even helped me go through the whole thing and deliver Natsuro" Akio explained.

"So that's when you started working at a strip club" Alex realized.

"I did.. I couldn't just take his money all the time, so I started paying him back but on one instance, he gave me a coffee shop saying he wanted me out of this business as it was not good for my baby" Akio told.

"Then what happened?" Alex asked.

"Zhuang found me, he thought the guy and I had an affair.. He beat the guy who saved my life to death. The guy barely survived but he lost his pretty face and because of that he had to give up on that business and completely sell himself to a person that he despised... I could never face him again... And so I finally started to have a clear and objective recollection of everything that Zhuang had done to me so far... " Akio's eyes became a blurry red.

" And you realized how much you hated him.. " Alex said.

" It took only a few moments for my love to turn to hatred.. And then nothing remained.. I even stopped hating him.. The only thing he left that was worth my feelings is Natsu.. Right now, if you ask me, what I feel for him... Nothing, I feel nor love nor hate for him.. " Akio's eyes began to drip.

Alex stood up and moved to Akio's side, he placed his hand on Akio's shoulder.

"I also fell for a woman once.. It took me a while to realize how toxic my love was for me.." Alex said.

"Kirihara Liliya..?" Akio said and Alex nodded.

"I took all her years of abuse for love, my parents and siblings died when I was young, they left me enough fortune to live on without them so even if she abused me, I naturally gave in with a little bit of affection that she showed me.." Alex spoke softly.

" I'd heard she used to beat you" Akio said forgetting his own sadness.

"Yeah, beating then showing affection, then beating then showing affection... It was quite cyclic.. Again, I don't know what kind of environment she was raised in or what was going in her mind... Everyone has a story to tell... But for me, I did not deserve any of that, I'm not obsessed with self pity or self hatred... I wouldn't demean my worth like that because of someone else.. It took me time but I was able to get out.. " Alex said.

" But isn't Zhuang the same kind of person as her? " Akio asked.

" Not to me, to me he is kind and caring" Alex replied "Of course it doesn't mean what he did to you is acceptable.. Just because he is good to me doesn't mean I undervalue your efforts or struggles... And I won't ask you to forgive him either"

"It's okay, I'm not questioning your relationship with him, I have nothing against him starting a new life... If he does become a better person, one day I'll probably forgive him for real" Akio  said placing a hand on Alex's thigh for reassurance to which Alex gave a light smile.

"I think Kei is stuck up on this matter mostly because for him you are his first love...." Alex said "his trauma only makes it worst for him.."

"The problem is not just that simple, as for you and me, we don't believe we deserved any of what happened to us... As you said, we still hold onto our self worth.... He thinks he deserved it, his self hatred is the reason he cannot recover from this easily" Akio said.

"He needs to forgive himself.." Alex said "But what do you think today was about.. Has something happened that we don't know about"

"If something did happen, then the only person who knows it is Aoi" Akio replied.

"Why do you think so?" Alex asked.

"He went with her somewhere and since then he's been weird.. He also made me make a weird promise that I wouldn't ask him about it.." Akio replied.

"That's weird indeed.." Alex had a hunch but he decided not to say it because if Aoi wanted to then she already would have told him.

The kids had relaxed by now, they were no longer running around, they settled down to play with toys. Akio took the time to stroll through the kitchen and fix coffee for both of them.

"Thanks" Alex took the cup, Akio settled next to him at some distance.

But Alex scooted near to him "Lend me a shoulder" He said and rested his head on Akio's shoulder "Yep, as expected you're well built.."

"You get comfortable quite fast" Akio was a bit stiff at first but then he also relaxed.

"It's because you shared all that with me, I feel like I can understand you better" Alex said taking a sip.

"It felt better being able to share it all" Akio also took a sip.

"Thankyou for sharing this with me, I'm glad I heard you out" Alex said.

Around the same time Zhuang came in holding a bunch of shopping bags and stuffs.

His eyes widened a bit seeing the scene before him.

"What's going on? He asked.

" Ah we're... " Akio tried to explain.

" We're having an affair" Alex said bluntly.

"What?" Zhuang was dumbfounded.

"I found a man more well built than you, screw you"

"What did you say?! "

"You two stop fighting!"

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At/N:

(So this chapter is basically dedicated to Akio's and Alex's character development, since these two are the mentally strongest characters that I came across, I wanted them to bond with their experiences in life. Akio is one of the most patient and contented characters. But one of his flaws is that he buries alot in himself. He's not vocal or expressive which is why he's not able to make people realize what he feels or wants.

Personally, I am somewhat a fan of Alex which is why I gave him a proper arc, I think he's one of the most considerate and understanding characters even though he appears blunt and rude but he is also sensitive to the feelings of others. He is vocal about his good and bad side and what he wants, he is one of the strongest omegas of the book both physically and mentally.

I also wonder who is your favorite character and why? )