Chapter 81

Hu Yetao woke to an intense throbbing in his head. He hadn't even opened his eyes before he was acutely aware that his entire body was hurting; what felt like every single muscle was tender and aching. He was also intensely thirsty.

He slowly forced his eyes open and blinked as the world came into blurry focus.

He was lying on the floor - on the throw rug next to the bed to be exact - and he was completely starkers. He grits his teeth and gradually pushed himself up into a half-sitting, half-slouched-opposition, and hesitantly looked around.

The room was in complete disarray; chairs overturned, everything that had been on the desk was now scattered all over the floor, there was a squashed pillow next to him on the rug, a heap of blankets near the door on the other side of the room - even the pictures on the walls were at odd angles.

He probed his temple with gentle fingers, the throbbing in his head making him feel ill. He couldn't remember last night - had he been drinking?

He heard a rustle from above him on the bed and turned, wincing, to glance over. Oscar was sitting up with his back against the headboard, also sans clothing, pale eyes wide and staring.

Hu Yetao swallowed, trying to work some saliva into his dry mouth to ask his mate what was wrong. It was then he noticed the open door to his left, the one that led into his 'heat room' - and then everything came slamming back into his shattered brain, causing his breath to catch in his throat, nearly choking him.

Oh fuck.

Oh, fucking fuck.

He'd spent his heat with Oscar.

Hu Yetao turned away from his comatose Alpha to glance out the window, the shock of his discovery quelling the pounding in his head for the moment, and saw that it looked like late afternoon. He could feel that he was well and truly finished with his heat, and he suspected that they had been locked in there for quite some time; more than twenty-four hours at any rate.

He dropped his head into his hands.

What had they done? He could be bloody pregnant!

After a few moments of internalized all-out panic, he forced himself to his feet and stumbled over to the bed. "Oscar?" he said, trying - and failing - to keep the frantic edge out of his voice.

Oscar turned to stare at him with something akin to numb disbelief. His mouth opened but no sound came out.

Just on this side of hysterical, Hu Yetao felt the irrational urge to laugh, but quickly quashed it, and, with a deep breath, climbed onto the bed to sit cross-legged in front of his mate, clasping his hands together in his lap to keep them from shaking.

"Perhaps… perhaps I'm not pregnant," Hu Yetao said weakly. It was the only thing he could think of to say to his Alpha that might wipe the look of utter devastation off his pale, pinched face.

Oscar swallowed, a muscle in his cheek jumping, and slowly nodded, as though talking himself down. "Yes… right…"

Hu Yetao dragged one of the rumpled blankets from the bed around his waist, suddenly feeling inappropriately naked.

"I'm sorry Taotao."

Hu Yetao looked up sharply. "What for?" he asked, feeling a hot spike of irritation. He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, sore, and his skin was covered in dried sweat and all manner of other fluids, and he was in no mood for his mate blaming himself for the situation they now found themselves in. He almost preferred the Oscar Wang who never blamed himself for anything, the Oscar who would never let the words 'I'm sorry' trip over his tongue.

Oscar frowned at Hu Yetao's peevish response, the slightly dazed look finally clearing from his eyes. "For… for a complete lack of restraint," he replied slowly, as though that should be obvious.

Hu Yetao glared. "I all but threw myself on your cock Oscar, I'm amazed by how long you were able to resist. I'd say the blame rests solely on me; if I had just been able to stay in that room then we wouldn't be in this mess."

Oscar's perplexed frown turned into a scowl. "If we're blaming anyone here Hu Yetao, then we should be blaming your horrid Muggles for causing you to develop issues with small spaces in the first place."

Hu Yetao let out a bitter laugh. "I'll be sure to tell them that their blatant mistreatment is the cause for their gay nephew to now be up the duff. They aren't even aware that men can become pregnant in our world."

Oscar suddenly exhaled hard, his head falling back against the wall with a thud. "My father is going to kill me," he stated numbly.

Hu Yetao couldn't help but snort in the face of Oscar's dread. Xiaocheng had only recently come to terms with the fact that Hu Yetao was his son's mate, this news - if he was pregnant - was going to come as quite the shock.

Hu Yetao sighed, his hot temper fading back down to a simmer as he shuffled over to sit next to his mate. He took Oscar's cool hand and placed it in his own, resting them both on his blanket-covered thigh.

His initial panic and horror had receded and he felt remarkably composed about it now. He'd always had a knack for adjusting quite quickly to panic-worthy news and was able to just get on with things.

Hu Yetao gazed at their joined hands for a moment and then his gaze slid to his stomach; flat and innocuous above the edge of the woolen blanket. His gaze softened as he couldn't help but imagine a Wang-Hu baby growing in there.

"Would it be so terrible?" he said softly, unable to stop the contemplative words as they spilled forth.

Oscar turned to him, incredulous. "You can't be serious Taotao. We're still in school! You'd barely have finished the year before… before you…." He broke off and shook his head.

"I know the timing isn't the best, but… I dunno." Hu Yetao shrugged, not wanting to continue the conversation if Oscar was going to be all cross and negative about it. "Forget it."

Oscar squeezed his hand, forcing him to look up. "Hu Yetao, having a child is a huge responsibility and not to be taken lightly. Plus-"

"I know that I'm not an idiot," Hu Yetao interrupted with a glare, taking his hand back. "I want a family more than anything but I'm not blind to how much work it will be or just how much it will change my life."

"Our lives," Oscar corrected, his eyes staring intently, and then he looked away with a sigh, running a hand through his tousled hair; a habit he'd picked up from his mate. "I suppose we should just go see Chen Zihan and find out for sure before we discuss this any further."

Hu Yetao swallowed, suddenly hesitant. "You wouldn't want to terminate the pregnancy, would you?"

"Of course not," Oscar retorted, glowering.

"Well, I don't know," Hu Yetao snapped back, temper rising once more. "You don't seem overly enthusiastic."

"Of course not!" Oscar exploded, shifting away from Hu Yetao and beginning to roughly pull on his discarded trousers from the floor. "This was an accident," he continued hotly, his back to Hu Yetao, "and it's too soon. You're not supposed to be pregnant at Hogwarts Hu Yetao. You're vulnerable and surrounded by other people here - including other Alphas." He stood and turned to face him, pale fingers trembling as they slid his belt into place around his waist. "Meanwhile there are still two fuckwits out there who want you dead, and who, if they find out you're pregnant, will most likely re-double their efforts at trying to exterminate you - right along with my child."