23 Chapter 22

Hu Yetao could detect the smile underneath the sarcasm in Oscar's voice and he finally chanced a glance up. He met amused brown eyes which also held a trace of relief and perhaps a little pride as well.

"Shut it, Oscar," Hu Yetao said with a grin.

"I didn't say anything," the blond replied innocently. "I don't care if my mate has a cat fetish."

Hu Yetao pressed his face into Oscar's shoulder with a wail. "Please don't say that. I do not have a cat fetish - or any fetish. That I know of."

Oscar chuckled, the sound rumbling pleasantly under Hu Yetao's ear. "I don't have a problem with your cat fetish I encourage it."

Hu Yetao laughed then lifted his head to glare mockingly. "I'm not into animality Oscar."

Oscar delicately wrinkled his nose with distaste. "I should hope not Taotao," he said, sounding slightly horrified.

They both dissolved into laughter; the last remaining tension of the day melting away completely.

Hu Yetao raised one hand and moved it through the air as though sweeping something off of a shelf. The drapes immediately pulled closed and the torches blazed to life then dimmed to a muted glow. He settled back down against Oscar's shoulder with a sigh of contentment, Oscar's fingers still carding through his thick hair, dragging pleasantly against his scalp.

"Show off," Oscar muttered, not quite able to conceal the trace of fondness.

Hu Yetao frowned and sat up, Oscar's hand falling from his head. "I just realized I didn't attempt to use wandless magic against the Professor earlier. I didn't even think of it."

"That's probably a good thing," Oscar replied sombrely. "Omegas in heat are notorious for bouts of uncontrolled magic. You might have done something to him that you would later regret."

"That's right…" Hu Yetao replied vaguely, recalling that fact from his Omega book.

"Come here." Oscar pulled him back down against him. "We need to talk about you becoming an Auror next year."

Hu Yetao blinked at the sudden subject change. He relaxed back against the Alpha, deciding to accept the change of topic for the clear diversion that it was meant to be. "Er, we do?" he replied lightly, absently tracing a finger around Oscar's exposed hip.

Oscar nodded, serious. "Yes, I must confess that I'm not keen on the idea of you putting yourself in harm's way daily, especially…"

"Yeah?" Hu Yetao prompted with a smile.

Oscar cleared his throat. "Especially once we start a family and you have children at home depending on you," he managed to say, somewhat uncomfortably.

Hu Yetao's smile grew as he listened, continuing to trace tiny circles around Osar's pale skin. "Are you forbidding me from joining the Aurors?" he asked, injecting a faux note of warning into his tone.

Oscar shifted under him. "No… I'm not," he replied slowly - and very diplomatically. "But I would have thought that your family would mean more-"

Hu Yetao laughed. "Okay stop, it's alright, I'd already made up my mind to not join up with the Aurors."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

Hu Yetao grinned and looked up at him. "I don't want to chase escaped Death Eaters or rising Dark Lords. As soon as I found out that I was an Omega and could have children, I knew I probably wouldn't want that lifestyle anymore. I don't want my family to worry about me or take the chance that I might not come home to them one night. I know what it's like to not have parents and I don't want to inflict that on my children. Our children," he corrected softly.

Oscar smiled, looking relieved - and a little emotional.

Hu Yetao placed a tender kiss on his shoulder before settling back against him.

"Not to mention the added stress on your husband," Oscar said haughtily, trying to cover up how affected he was by Hu Yetao's words. "I wasn't made for changing nappies."

"Husband?" Hu Yetao repeated with a raised brow. "Are you going to make a respectable man out of me?"

"That would be an impossible task," Oscar shot back with a smirk, causing Hu Yetao to laugh.

"That being said, I'm not entirely sure what I want to do after Hogwarts," Hu Yetao continued, entangling his fingers with Oscar over his lap. "Remember when you suggested I not do anything at all?" he added, remembering their brief and disastrous Hogsmeade trip.

Oscar nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, even then I knew that I didn't like the idea of you in danger," he noted.

"If we're not required to live at the Manor, then where are we going to live?" Hu Yetao asked. "Where we settle will probably narrow down our career choices."

"What about with your family?"

Hu Yetao swallowed, realizing that he'd never really discussed the Weinong's with his mate. He didn't think Oscar would be too happy to hear of their treatment of him.

"No, they don't have the room," he replied vaguely. "Plus they live in a Muggle neighborhood"

"Alright, we'll find our place," Oscar concluded then asked, "how did they handle you going into your inheritance over the summer? Were they surprised?"

Hu Yetao nearly choked on his snort of derision. "They don't know anything about our world, including anything about Alphas or Omegas. Plus, they weren't even home all summer."

Oscar frowned in confusion. "You were alone? Where were they?"

Hu Yetao sighed and knew that he would have to explain everything; there would be too many lies between them otherwise.

"My Aunt and Uncle," he began slowly, reluctantly, "are not… comfortable with having a wizard in the family." He sighed and decided to be blunt. "They bated me and treated me like a slave while I lived under their roof. They left the house when the war was getting too close to home and they promised to stay away until I left for Hogwarts this year. With any luck, I'll never have to see them again."

Oscar swallowed, clearly attempting to rein in his outrage. "Their nephew is one of the most famous and powerful wizards of our time - and they treat you with nothing but contempt?"

Hu Yetao sighed and ran a soothing hand down Oscar's arm. "Don't worry about it; I'm used to it. Hogwarts is my real home. I do own a house that my godfather left for me but… I'm not quite ready to live there yet. That's why I didn't stay there over the summer, too many memories."

"Are you speaking of Tian Langxing's home?" Oscar asked and Hu Yetao nodded in confirmation. "My mother told me that his old home in Muggle Hong Kong went to you. I can't believe it... I never knew you had such an unhappy home life, I always thought you had a family like the Zhang Xinyao's; all noisy and caring and… and Muggle."

Hu Yetao couldn't help but laugh. "Not even remotely. Thank goodness I had the Zhang's; they were my unofficial surrogate family - still are,"

Oscar tightened the arm around his mate in response. "I suppose I need to apologize to Zhang Xinyao and make amends then."

"Yes you do," Hu Yetao replied unequivocally. "If I have to make nice with your parents then you have to be civil to Xinyao and Jing-Long."

"Duly noted Taotao," Oscar replied with an exaggerated sigh, causing Hu Yetao to elbow him in the side.

"Ruffian."

Hu Yetao grinned and Oscar's soft laughter blew across the top of his hair, unsettling a few strands onto his forehead.

"If you feel up to attending class tomorrow, then I shall speak to them first thing," Oscar promised.

"Thank you," Hu Yetao replied sincerely then covered a yawn with one hand. "I think I'm ready to sleep now," he said with a somnolent smile.

Oscar nodded in agreement, looking just as drained as Hu Yetao felt.

They pulled apart and slid beneath the heavy quilt, lying on their sides, facing each other.

Hu Yetao smiled and closed his eyes as Oscar lifted a hand to extinguish the flickering torches. "This is nice, this… sharing a room thing," Hu Yetao stated drowsily.

Oscar smiled at him, barely visible in the darkened room. "Go to sleep Taotao."

Hu Yetao's smile widened and he curled into his pillow a little before sleep swiftly carried him away.