Chapter 66

Hu Yetao smiled in relief, glad that he wouldn't have to go through this alone.

Oscar used his wand to slide one of the empty beds over to the door while Chen Zihan gave Hu Yetao some instructions on the potions she was leaving in the room for him; one of them was a mild Calming Draught and the other was a Cooling Potion, meant to keep his core temperature at a more comfortable level. She created a small metal vent in the bottom half of the door, with about six slats the width of a finger, and then waited with crossed arms to ensure that Hu Yetao went into the room. Alone.

Oscar glared at her and Hu Yetao would have laughed if he hadn't been so nervous. He walked over and demanded a hug from his tall Alpha, distracting him from his glowering.

Oscar quickly wrapped his arms around him and lowered his face into Hu Yetao's choppy hair, inhaling his scent and causing pleasant shivers to run down Hu Yetao's spine. Oscar dropped his head even lower and pressed his lips to the claiming mark.

Hu Yetao had to bite his lip to keep from moaning out loud. Damnn, that claiming mark was sensitive.

"You'll be fine," Oscar murmured for his ears only. "I'll be right here the whole time."

Hu Yetao smiled and closed his eyes as he tightened his arms around his mate. How could Jing-Long ever question whether or not Oscar cared for him?

"I love you," Hu Yetao murmured before pressing a warm kiss to the side of Oscar's neck. He pulled back and smirked up at him. "Don't do anything unseemly."

Oscar snorted. "Don't make me."

"All right, off with you," Madam Chen Zihan interrupted impatiently. "I haven't got all day."

Oscar pressed one more lingering kiss to Hu Yetao's lips before reluctantly stepping back, fingers entangled with his mate's until the very last second and then falling away.

Hu Yetao sighed and walked into his new home for the next couple of days. He hoped his heat would only last for twenty-four hours, but he'd read that some Omega heats can last up to three days.

Madam Chen closed the door and locked it with a wave of her wand.

Hu Yetao took a deep breath and eyed the glossy black cord hanging next to the door. It was for emergencies only; if Hu Yetao pulled the cord then Madam Chen would instantly be notified and come to unlock the door. Hu Yetao had relinquished his wand to the matron for safe-keeping and he suddenly felt very vulnerable without it.

He exhaled slowly and decided to change into the clean pajamas that were neatly folded on the end of the bed. Once dressed, he walked back over to the door and sat down, leaning sideways against it and tracing the metal vent with his finger.

"Hu Yetao?"

He smiled tiredly and stuck the tip of his finger through the slat. "Yeah?"

Strange though it was, the barely-there touch of his mate's finger to his was instantly calming.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Hu Yetao replied honestly, tipping his head sideways to rest against the door, idly watching his hand pressed to the cool surface of the vent. "I'll probably fall asleep soon."

He heard a slight shuffling, as though Oscar was getting more comfortable on his side of the door.

"That's good, perhaps you'll just sleep through it?"

Hu Yetao smiled a little, eyes falling closed. "That would be nice."

There was a soft chuckle through the vent. "You're very cute when you're sleepy."

"Am not," Hu Yetao protested half-heartedly.

"Are you all right in there? It's… a small space."

Hu Yetao opened his eyes and nudged his finger against Oscar's. "Yeah, it's okay, much better than the one in our rooms. And... and it helps that you're here."

Hu Yetao's finger was lightly bumped in return and he smiled.

"So are you going to tell me what your claustrophobia stems from? Is it… was it something to do with the war?"

Hu Yetao blinked and suddenly felt a little more alert; they'd never really talked about the war much since they got together, not about individual experiences anyway. Just sort of general things. Safer things.

"Er… not the war, no," Hu Yetao finally replied hesitantly. He'd brushed off his time with the Weinong's when talking to Oscar about them before, mostly because he didn't want to admit that he'd had an abusive childhood. It was a hard thing to admit, even to himself, and for some reason, he also found it embarrassing.

Yet, at that moment, he found that he suddenly wanted Oscar to know the truth. His mate should know everything about him, especially the lingering trauma of growing up with a family who didn't want him and of having never felt loved.

"Remember when I told you that my Muggle relatives weren't very nice to me?"

"Hated you, I believe were your words," came the dispassionate reply.

"Well, as part of their 'hating me and treating me like rubbish' regime, they put me in the cupboard under the stairs and called it my bedroom until the age of twelve. They also locked me in there whenever they didn't wish to be bothered with my presence or felt I'd done something wrong, like not ironing their clothing to perfection. Sometimes I even went a day or two without eating…" Hu Yetao's breathing hitched and he clamped down on the bitter wave of anger and self-pity. He paused and took a steadying breath. "So, I have a bit of a claustrophobia thing - mostly because I would spend my time locked in there terrified that my uncle was about to throw open the door and beat me within an inch of my life."

Hu Yetao stopped speaking, his chest rising and falling too rapidly heart pounding. He'd said too much… why had he said that?

There was silence on the other side of the door.

Hu Yetao closed his eyes and counted, he was not going to panic in here. Not now.

If only Oscar would fucking say something.....

He stopped counting and opened his eyes at the sudden stroke of Oscar's fingertip against his own; solid and reassuring.

"Damn, I wish I could open this fucking door."

Hu Yetao half-sobbed, half-laughed; Oscar was angry and frustrated and wanted to get to him. Hu Yetao's heart soared as he pressed his fingertip back against his mate's. Oscar wasn't disgusted with him or deterred from being with him because of his past or his odd mental issues. Not that he truly believed he would be put off by something like that, but sometimes his heart just wasn't as rational as his mind.

"I want to destroy those Muggles."

Hu Yetao snorted, feeling lighter. "Get in line." He paused and then frowned. "But… don't do anything to them. They're not worth going to Azkaban for Oscar."

"I'm going to assume that these Muggles of yours are extraordinarily uptight and would be most displeased if, say, their much hated and unwelcome nephew, came waltzing up to their door holding hands with his strikingly handsome gay lover. Am I right?"

Hu Yetao laughed, the door rattling with the force of his shaking shoulders. "Yes, they would be mortified."

"Perfect. It's decided then."

Hu Yetao laughed and shook his head. Damn, he loved that man. Especially because he knew Oscar was being perfectly serious.

"You're going to be a great father," Hu Yetao said derisively. "I can see it now, teaching the little buggers every sly trick and haughty expression in the book."

"I'm sure some of your noble, self-sacrificing ways will pass on to at least one or two of them," was the smug reply.

Hu Yetao smiled; he would never tell Oscar this, but, he loved picturing their future children. His smile faded as he suddenly remembered his earlier concerns.

"Do you think…" He had to stop and try again. "Do you think our children will be targeted?"

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked, sounding concerned.

Hu Yetao yawned his lethargy washing over him in a sudden wave. "It just seems like both of us are constantly targeted because of who we are. What if… what if our children are made to suffer because of who their parents are?"

He heard a soft sigh on the other side of the door before Oscar spoke again. "I think that's just something we're going to have to be aware of and talk to them about," he replied.

Hu Yetao was surprised that he so readily agreed, he'd thought Oscar would just try to gloss over it and tell him not to worry.

"You don't… resent that about me, do you?"

Hu Yetao frowned as he tiredly rested his head against the door again. "Resent what?"

"For… you know, being a Wang and an ex Death Eater. You wouldn't worry about your children being targeted if you were bonded to, say, some quiet Hufflepuff boy no one's ever heard of."

Hu Yetao closed his eyes and curled a little tighter against the door, as though he could feel his mate's strong, warm body against him. "I think they would still be picked on and bullied with just the Hu name attached to them," he replied. "I don't think the Wang name is going to make it worse; it might help in keeping some people at a distance." He sighed. "There will always be people out there who wished the other side had won and who would love to accomplish what Chong Li was unable to. I don't think it matters what side you were on during the war because there will always be two sides."

There was a lengthy pause and then, "maybe we should move to Brazil?"

Hu Yetao smiled and he could feel his mind growing fuzzy and slow. "Okay, Brazil it is. Running away from your problems is always… the best course… of… action," he finished around another yawn.

"Don't fall asleep on the floor Taotao," Oscar ordered gently. "Why don't you get into bed? I'll be right here in my very own comfortable hospital-issued bed."

Hu Yetao snorted in amusement, half-asleep. He forced his eyes open and dragged his sorry arse up off of the floor and over to his narrow bed. He flopped down onto the squeaky mattress and lay on his stomach, arms curling around the pillow and holding it tight as he quickly drifted off, safe in the knowledge that his mate was just on the other side of the door.